Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for 'Last Hope for the Future'
"Alright Princess Sally, just breath. You're doing great!" The doctor reassured her, monitoring the stages of labor. Sally was taking sharp inhales of air, Isaac by her side, holding her hand.
"Alright, next wave of contractions should be hitting you in about ten seconds. Brace yourself." She said. Sally's grip was tightening, bracing herself. Suddenly, Sally released a shriek of pain, followed by her attempting to crush whatever was in her hand!
"Is she breaking your hand yet, Isaac?" The doctor asked.
"I was punched through Mount Olympus by Zeus yesterday. I can handle it." Isaac responded.
"Oh, fuck you! You never had to carry her once, you bastard!" Sally yelled out, still taking sharp inhales.
"That's just the pain talking, Sal. Get ready for the next wave." The doctor said, still monitoring Sally. Sally released another shriek of pain, her grip tighter than the last.
"Alright, now we're going to take it up a notch. Looks like the baby's crowning. Get ready to push." She said, readying herself. Taking a deep inhale, Sally began pushing. But as soon as she started, she suddenly stopped, unable to continue!
"Stop pushing, Sally! Isaac, we need you to leave the room!" The doctor said, quickly changing her position.
"Leave? Why, what's happening?" Isaac asked concerned.
"A complication developed! We need you to leave until we correct it!" She responded, quickly going to work.
"Wait! Is something wrong with my baby?!" Sally asked, beginning to panic.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to her, Sally! Not if I can help it!" She responded, Isaac leaving the room to let the doctor do what she needed to do. Isaac exited the room, seeing Lily sitting in the chair outside of the infirmary.
"Isaac! What's happening? Why are you out here and not in there?" Lily asked.
"I was told to! Something's wrong! Seriously wrong!" Isaac responded, sick with worry.
"What should we do?" Lily asked.
"Pray, young Lilith. Pray for them both." Isaac answered.
30 Minutes Later:
Isaac was pacing in the hallway, unsure of what was happening or if anything could be done. As he paced, he heard Sally again, a high-pitched scream that shook him to his core! If he wasn't concerned then, he truly was now! As he paced, he heard fast-paced footsteps, seeing the Sonic Team!
"Isaac! We made it as soon as we could! How's Sally?" Sonic asked.
"Still in labor. But the doctors won't let me into the delivery room! They said there's a complication! Said I need to stay out here until it's corrected!" Isaac answered.
"Isaac, don't worry! These people are medical professionals. They'll take care of everything!" Amy said, reassuring him.
"I truly pray that is the case. You would not believe the week I've had!" Isaac said, the battle between him and Zeus still fresh in his mind.
"So that was you we saw in Spagonia!" Tails exclaimed. Isaac nodded, popping his neck.
"Greek Gods, battles to the death, talking heads, it makes for a very strange conversation." Isaac responded.
"I wouldn't mind hearing about that one." The bat-hybrid commented. Isaac's gaze suddenly moved to her and the new hedgehog, a strange look on his face.
"Strange... you seem incredibly familiar to me. But I am sure I would've seen you in my travels." Isaac said.
"You may have seen us. We were in the plane before you knocked the old dude off the wing" The hedgehog responded.
"Yes... I might recollect seeing you two inside the plane. Forgive me, but sleep has been alluding me. Before we knew today was going to be my unborn daughter's birthday, I have felt the coming of her birth ever since I returned." Isaac said.
As they talked, Isaac began detailing where he had been for the past few weeks. After telling the story of how he had helped Hermes, the Greek God of Speed, take over Olympus' throne from Zeus, the doctor quickly exited the infirmary, looking around.
"Isaac, we need you! Sally's lost a large amount of blood and we need a donor! You're a universal donor, so we need you to come with us for a vein-to-vein transfusion!" The doctor explained.
"Wait! Don't you need to screen him first?" Amy asked.
"There's no time! We need emergency blood now!" The doctor responded.
"You only needed to ask! Get me hooked up!" Isaac exclaimed, running into the infirmary.
Isaac was unprepared to see the large amounts of bloodied gauze that was near Sally! She was pale, almost like a ghost! Isaac soon saw the complication that forced him out of the room. The child was breached, her feet exiting from Sally first, instead of her head!
"Quick, hop up on the gurney and we'll run a tube from you to her!" The doctor ordered, Isaac quickly complying!
1 Hour Later:
"You gave us a bit of a scare, Sally. But thankfully, we stopped the bleeding, and we were able to finish the delivery." The doctor said, wiping her forehead with a cloth.
Sally was holding a swaddled infant, gently caressing the newborn's head. Isaac leaned over from the elevated gurney he was on, the surgical tubing running from his arm to Sally's, slightly dropping down.
"She's beautiful!" Sally said, looking at her daughter. Sally looked over to Isaac, who was smiling ear to ear. He could see the architect's face, truly knowng she had always been his daughter.
"She is, isn't she?" Isaac said, studying every detail of his daughter's face. She had squirrel and chipmunk characteristics, but she also had faded red quills, inheriting them from Isaac.
"Well, what's her name?" Rouge asked, impatient to hear. Isaac looked to Sally, giving her a nod. He was going to let her decide the name for their daughter.
"Camilla." Sally whispered, kissing the infant's forehead.
"It's a beautiful name." Isaac responded, knowing her name was destined. But as soon as he had said that, Isaac's sister quickly ran into the room, seeing the child in Sally's arm.
"I call naming her! Esther! No, wait! Sarah! Wait, I've got a better one! Abigail!" Lily said in rapid succession.
"A minute too late, Lily. Her name is Camilla." Isaac said. Lily suddenly looked dejected, sad that she couldn't name her niece.
"Oh... yeah, that's better... but I get to name the next one!" Lily said, quickly hopping onto the bed next to Isaac. Isaac quickly put a hand over his mouth, as if to stop himself from saying anything.
"Lily... I'm not planning on having another baby for a long time. Right now, I just want a bit of sleep." Sally responded, closing her eyes, holding Camilla gently. The doctor approached Sally, gently shaking her awake.
"Princess Sally, I'll need to take Camilla to get her measurements. You'll get her back as soon as we're done." She said.
"Just... a little bit longer?" Sally asked, reluctant to give Camilla to the doctor. She nodded, stepping away.
"I'll give you a few more moments. Alright, I need you all to leave. A newborn is susceptible to germs." She said to the Sonic Team, directing them to the door.
"Alright, we're leaving. Sally, I get first dibs holding her!" Amy said, before exiting the room. They soon left the room, leaving Isaac and Sally alone.
"Isaac... I'm sorry for what I said while I was delivering. I didn't mean it." Sally apologized. Isaac shook his head, not wanting her to apologize.
"What you said, you didn't mean any of it. No need to apologize." Isaac responded.
"Do you want to hold her?" Sally asked. Isaac smiled widely.
"Did you even have to ask?" Isaac rhetorically asked. Sally gently handed Camilla to Isaac, allowing him to hold her closely. Isaac was gently rocking her, playing with her quills.
"Welcome to the word, Camilla." Isaac whispered, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Camilla slightly moved in response.
"I just can't believe we actually made her. She's so perfect!" Isaac said, keeping his voice low.
"Is now a good time to see our granddaughter?" Nigel asked, entering the room. Sally smiled, seeing her parents enter the infirmary.
"Not for too long. Doctor Jess isn't too keen on anyone else being near her for now. Says she'll get sick." Sally responded. Nigel and Alicia nodded, approaching Isaac.
"Hi there, little acorn! I'm your grandpa!" Nigel excitedly whispered, taking in her presence.
"Oh, she's so precious! And born a few weeks before Christmas, no less!" Alicia commented, playing with Camilla's hair.
"Sorry we weren't in here for you, Sally! But I wasn't able to close out court proceedings fast enough." Nigel explained.
"Wouldn't have mattered, anyway. Camilla was breached. Jess wouldn't even allow Isaac to stay in the room." Sally explained. Alicia looked concerned, now knowing Sally's first birth was so difficult!
"A breached birth? Oh, you poor girl! No mother should ever have to go through that!" Alicia responded.
"I'm fine, mom. Camilla is healthy and everything turned out okay!" Sally said. As they fawned over their new granddaughter, Doctor Jess entered the room, holding a blood bag.
"King Nigel, Queen Alicia, I need you two to step out for a moment. I need to get a proper blood transfusion going instead of using Isaac as a source of blood." Jess said, holding the door open.
"Of course, Jess. Sally, we'll be outside this door as long as you need us." Queen Alicia said, stepping out. King Nigel was last, looking back towards Isaac.
"Isaac, I just want you to know... I'm proud of everything you've done for us. And... I couldn't think of anyone else to be the husband of my daughter, and the father of my granddaughter." Nigel said.
"Really? Uh, wow! Thank you, sir!" Isaac responded, caught off-guard by his compliment.
"You're welcome... son." King Nigel returned, stepping outside. Sally and Isaac were left shocked, not expecting anything like that from Nigel!
"Uh... did that just happen, or am I just delirious from blood loss?" Sally asked.
"You might be affected by moderate blood loss, but that really did happen. It's pretty high honor to be called 'son' by your father-in-law, Isaac." Jess said, hanging the blood bag on an IV stand.
"Does... does that mean I should call him 'father'?" Isaac asked, feeling uncomfortable with that aspect.
"I think that's something to talk to Nigel about. Also, I think he would prefer 'dad' over 'father'." Jess said, deftly inserting the needle into Sally's opposite arm. After securely taping it, Jess carefully removed Isaac's needle, using a piece of cotton and a band-aid to stop the bleeding.
"Isaac, can I have Camilla?" Sally requested, Isaac complying. Sally took her close, Camilla's head resting against her chest.
"Wow, that's strange." Sally said, studying Camilla.
"Strange? What's strange?" Isaac asked.
"Camilla doesn't have the Royal Acorn birthmark." Sally said. Carefully getting off of the gurney, Isaac looked over Camilla. But as he brushed back her hair, he saw a blemish on her head, hidden by her hair.
"Found it. It looks... huh, it looks like that little blemish I saw on your-" Isaac began to say, before Sally suddenly stopped him!
"Yes, that! Please, don't mention it! It's embarrassing!" Sally exclaimed.
"Embarrassing? All because you have a birthmark on your-" Isaac began to say again, before being stopped by Sally!
"Isaac!" Sally exclaimed, the sudden sound causing Camilla to cry.
"Oh, shoot!" Sally responded, gently rocking the infant.
"Sorry." Isaac said.