"Sure we don't just take her in one of the cars? To a hospital?", Waylon asked. "Not unless it's absolutely necessary.", Thomas said. "It's Thanksgiving, hospitals will be swarming with any and every odd sort of incident and this is one of those procedures that is something we can handle. Save a bed and a doc for someone else, you know?".
"So, what about me?", Bruce asked as Martha put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll probably be expected for patrols; Poppy can coordinate for us once she gets what Thomas needs."
Bruce nodded, knowing that Thanksgiving is a major time for suicide jumpers and such, and of course, with families busy in gatherings at their chosen place, some quiet places would be primed for robbery.
Poppy replied, "And we'll keep the food warm as it's not evening yet, we can wait for patrols since they don't occur until dark.".
"Indeed. It's still early afternoon.", Martha said, and so, Poppy and Waylon ran to the manor to grab all the things Thomas will need from the medical bay in the manor, with Bruce checking and keeping an eye on the food, and Martha went to help with the basics including towels and warm water from the bathroom next to the master bedroom.
Caroline moaned in pain, "I forgot how painful this is...", taking deep breaths as Alfred held her hand, with Thomas gently taking off the lower body clothes, adjusting her legs as she half laid, half sat back on the pillows.
"It's going to be okay, Caroline...I'm here...", Alfred kissed her temple as Thomas checked her, "Looks like all those last few hours in the kitchen really helped with the dilation. You're already halfway dilated, close to a third of the way. Couldn't be more than a couple hours, considering that you have been in labor for three hours already which I am surprised about, yet Jane must have been behaving before she got impatient.", with a smile and a chuckle.
"Guess she just wanted me to enjoy the time we had past the ceremony. I'm honestly a bit lucky she decided not to do it right in the middle of it all.", Caroline chuckled.
"Wouldn't have been the greatest to hear you saying our vows while you're on a bed in pain...", Alfred smiled as he squeezed her hand.
Caroline smiled, "She's smarter than we know.", trying to relax and rest, and so, under a record of several minutes, Poppy and Waylon brought everything Thomas needed, and joined Bruce into keeping the food warm and trying to be distracted by the football game on tv from hearing the increasing cries of pain over the next couple hours as dilation progressed with the contractions.
Thomas checked, "Oh, this is it, you're almost there, just two more centimeters until full dilation!", and Alfred smiled, "Hear that, Caroline? Almost there for the pushing, and then Jane is coming home!", with a relieved laugh.
Caroline gave a small smile before she loudly moaned and cried in pain from a longer, faster contraction, taking deep breaths for a few moments before she asked, "Martha, could you ask Waylon if he wants to support me, if that's okay, Thomas?".
"Waylon's your son, both yours, no arguing there, just tell him that he shouldn't freak out or panic too much to cause Caroline more stress than necessary, alright, Martha?", Thomas replied, and Martha nodded, leaving the bedroom, opening and closing the door, around the corners of a hallway and another, and walked into the open-area of the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
The trio looked at Martha, and Martha looked at Waylon, "Caroline wants you to support her, but she understands if you don't want to, it's your choice. If you want to, you have to know that you shouldn't freak out or panic too much. Caroline wouldn't take your nonsense if you do that, you hear?".
"I hear... just... hearing her scream and all has really put me on edge.", Waylon said as Martha nodded. "I understand; it's a fear practically every woman has when giving birth, that something will go wrong with the delivery.", Martha told him.
Poppy replied, "Go, Wally, if you want to support your ma.", with a gentle, understanding smile, and Waylon replied, "I wasn't damn there for her when the sickness caused her to go into a miscarriage with Jane, I'm going to be damn there for her now.", with a determined look, and kissed Poppy gratefully on the cheek, and got up to follow Martha.
Bruce whistled, "Couldn't blame him there as he got a point...You realize that he might faint or such?", and Poppy looked at him, "He spent years hunting and skinning animals for meals, remember? He never had a problem with blood. He literally was fine with the bite mark.", with a raised eyebrow.
"Touche.", Bruce sheepishly nodded, and exhaled, "Let's hope it shouldn't be too long.", and Poppy nodded, "You and me, brother.".
Meanwhile, Waylon was nervous yet determined not to panic for the sake of his ma, following Martha into the master bedroom with the door closing, and he tried to ignore the front sight, hearing Caroline's cry of pain as he went straight to Caroline's other side of the bed, smiling as he took her other hand, "Hey, Ma...So, this is what you looked like when you gave birth to me, huh?", stunned to see that his mama is looking haggard yet still lovely.
"Maybe... I didn't exactly have a mirror with me during the time, so I never truly got to see what I looked like until I was all cleaned up.", Caroline chuckled. "Have I been worrying you with my screaming there?", she asked.
"Yeah; put me on edge, I'll admit. I don't like hearing you in pain... much less seeing you in it.", Waylon said. "It's only natural, Waylon. Same with everything I'm going through; but don't worry, I'm not planning on going anywhere and neither is Jane. After everything we've been through, this will be one of the least stressful mo- oooo...", Caroline groaned in pain from another contraction.
Thomas replied, "That's another centimeter gone! One last centimeter, Carol!", as Martha passed a damp cool towel to Alfred to dab at Caroline's forehead, "Almost there, my dear love.".
Caroline took deep breaths, giving a small smile, "At least this is much better...Don't get me wrong, being in a bayou hospital with a midwife and an assistant was convenient, but it was so lonely since I didn't have anyone with me for it...Giving life in my own home, with my husband and son as support, with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law helping, this is more than I ever have dreamt of for Jane...", with happy tears.
Waylon replied, "And on Thanksgiving too. My little sister is clever.", with a chuckle, and Caroline chuckled before crying out in pain from a big contraction, and Thomas shouted, "That did it! Breathe, Carol, and when the next contraction comes, push! Martha, roll the cart of the warm towels and water, and the other cart of the necessary equipment closer!".
Martha nodded, bringing the carts closer to the bed as Alfred squeezed Caroline's hand, "You got this, Caroline!", brushing her hair back as Waylon replied, "We're right here, Ma!", as Caroline took deep breaths, and three minutes later, the next contraction came as she began to push, crying out in pain.
Five hours and a quarter of pre-pushing labor, and now an hour and a quarter seemed to last forever as Caroline pushed and cried between occasional ice chips, forehead dabbing, and nibbles of a cookie or two, before she then shouted, "Oh, god, I feel her! She's coming!".
"Yes, Jane's peeking, and oh, good girl, she's headfirst! Take a few good deep breaths, Carol, this is going to take a lot of your strength to push her head and shoulders out.", Thomas replied urgently.
Alfred's hands that have been switching between holding Caroline's hand, has been numb and red, slightly jealous of Waylon's ability to shift his hands into croc skin, but he doesn't care as he encouraged his wife with a smile, "So close, Caroline!", and Caroline whispered with tears, "What if...what if she's not a healthy size or still blind despite the Pit's powers?", her fears coming back from that day she talked with Alfred on the plane.
"Please, don't think that... it'll all be good, I promise you.", Alfred whispered, trying to put her fears to rest. At this moment, this was the worst time to have those sorts of feelings and worries when she needed to be sharply focused on making sure that Jane was out.
Waylon replied, "Yeah, Ma, Jane has been a strong kicker and active during cooking times and bedtime, she will surely be healthy, and you got this.", agreeing with his father.
Caroline exhaled and inhaled, nodding, and then at another contraction, she clenched into her family's hands as she pushed, shouting out in pain, feeling her nether regions burning beyond limits of stretching, and Thomas nodded, encouraging, "Good, that's it!", his hands immediately leaning in to cradle the emerging head, gently turning it over to the side, helping guide Jane out.
Caroline then gulped a lungful of air, and then grunted, pushing as she screamed out in pain, feeling the shoulders passing through, and with a urgent nod to Martha from Thomas, she cleaned the nose and mouth, and the moment she was finished, a hearty, piercing wail of life was heard as Jane was sliding out flawlessly, with Caroline collapsing with a sob, tears of joy and relief, panting heavily, seeing the hidden scene of glimpses here and there.
Thomas raised up Jane in a loosely wrapped blanket with the cord still attached, "She's healthy, and she's a perfect newborn size and weight of full term, looks like the Pit did its work unseen as well next to signs from the outside.", with a laugh as Jane cried and shivered, passing her into Caroline's reaching arms as she sobbed and cried in joy and relief, shushing Jane with a loving kiss and a tender touch, "I'm here, Jane Lillian Pennyworth...Mama's here...".
Indeed, like in her spirit form of her desire, Jane remained having her warm tan skin with caramel freckles over her nose and shoulders, having Caroline's dimples, and having a feminine version of Alfred's nose, with a lush tuft of fine brown-ish black hair, and to the parents' joy, her eyes is bright and visible in warm brown, no sign of blindness or sickness anywhere, showing that the Pit truly did their power in healing the baby thoroughly next to Caroline.
Jane gave a gurgling coo of joy as she saw the faces of her mama and daddy and Waylon as she reached out her little hands, barely faint memories of seeing her parents and brother from being with Caroline in heaven and watching over her daddy and Waylon in her developing brain.
"I think she remembers you, Alfred...", Caroline said. "You too, Waylon... even in her newborn mind, she still remembers.", with a joyful chuckle. "Maybe because she's so young, she remembers a lot more than us of the afterlife.", Thomas theorized.
Alfred breathed with tears as he let one of Jane's little hands grab hold of his finger, "She's full of color, full of life, full of love...She's even more beautiful than she was as a spirit...Hi, Jane Lillian Pennyworth...".
Caroline kissed her husband on the cheek with tears, smiling as Waylon exhaled, "She's strong too...", with a little laugh as Jane got his finger too with her other hand, cooing and gurgling.
Martha cleared her throat, and they looked up to see her gently holding hospital clips, and the boys went to clip part of the cord together, stopping the flow and such, knowing soon, it will have to be cut, with the dangling piece to become Jane's belly button, but otherwise Jane is doing fine as her belly grumbled loudly.
Caroline laughed, "Your first Thanksgiving meal.", adjusting the newborn as Waylon averted his eyes politely, with Alfred helping remove the tank top, and Jane immediately latched into a free breast, suckling hungrily.
Waylon replied, "I better tell the good news to Bruce and Poppy, if that's alright, Ma?", and Caroline smiled, "Of course...Thank you for being here, Waylon...You're the best son in the whole world.", kissing his cheek warmly.
"Be glad Bruce isn't here to hear that...", Waylon teased as she chuckled before leaving. "How are you feeling?", Alfred asked.
"Still hurting, but at least this is something I know... I got through it once before, I will again; just takes a little while.", Caroline told him.
Alfred nodded before gazing at his daughter at his wife's breast, "You did it...We did it...", kissing his wife on the cheek, resting his forehead on hers as she sighed contentedly, "Yes...My fears were unfound, after all...She can see, and she's full term, healthy and hearty and hungry...", with a happy sob.
"Indeed. I guess we had to thank for the Pit for doing good next to doing bad, yet it won't be used ever again...I'd rather spend every day, every chance with you and her, and our son with an open heart instead of worrying for death, because I...I witnessed life...", Alfred spoke softly.
Caroline hummed, "That's the meaning of Thanksgiving, isn't it? Oh, goodness, that would be interesting in the coming years. A thanksgiving feast with a birthday cake, presents.", and Martha laughed warmly next to Thomas, "Now you see our grievances with Poppy having her birthday together with Halloween.".
The newlywed parents chuckled, agreeing with her point, as Bruce and Waylon's birthdays were more normal per sec, next to the adults as well. And so, with Thomas' clever idea for Caroline to use the wheelchair to join at the feast after the momentary pain of pushing the afterbirth out, and cutting the cord to the belly button, the family happily enjoyed talking and eating, with Jane somehow nonplussed by the noise, sleeping quickly after her milk feeding, with everybody else assuming that it's like the kitchen in cooking mode with the sounds, and it was a delicious feast.
The next few weeks passed, with Jane revealing to be bubbly and social and observant at times, growing in milestones as a normal newborn, and she was adored immediately by the staff, and loved deeply by the family, especially Caroline and Alfred, with Caroline getting back into the routine of a newborn's life with Alfred learning more intimately than he did with helping raise Bruce and Poppy.
Christmas Eve finally came, and in winter wedding outfits, the renewing wedding ceremony of the Wayne couple came to set up in one of the smaller ballrooms, with all the windows' drapes drawn back to showcase the falling snow and the bright moon, and this time, Doctor Fate was invited, though he had a subtle disguise mode for the sake of the Waynes' priest.
Happily, to their relief, their wedding outfits had fitted them, through there were many new fixings to make them modern, for the sake of pictures which will be passed on from the manor to the press for the city to know that Martha isn't a 'widow' anymore, and that the Waynes are very, clearly deep in love with each other, through the pictures of the Pennyworth family is very much less known for safety.
Of course, unlike the first wedding, it's only intimate with the family as witnesses, with only Doctor Fate as their friend, and so, like before with the Pennyworth ceremony, the priest began, clearing his throat, "On this day, where hope, miracles, and love occur, we are all here to witness this man and wife to renew their vows for they are in love, and want to show the world that love prevails time. Before we begin, I now ask anyone to speak up to protest this renewing wedding ceremony or hold your tongue.".
All of a sudden, the priest froze and gasped with Thomas and Martha looking at him in concern, with Thomas instantly thinking that it was a heart attack when the priest became normal again, but this time, his voice was of Dorji's voice!
"Whoa...that was a crazy trip there...It's okay, he's a man of God, and I can't believe I actually did this, but well, I wanted to thank you, Thomas, for giving me a chance to fight and save almost all of you...It's Christmas, and the big guy is shockingly very nice...Who knew he's friends with Buddha?", Dorji's voice chuckled through the priest's mouth.
Thomas replied, "You could have said all of that back on Halloween, Dorji...What's going on?", and Dorji replied, "First of all, I was only strong enough in the spirit plane to talk with Fate back on Halloween to tell that the League is gone for good and all, as you know I died two times, two times! Hello, my friend. My family is at peace and happy to have me back, by the way!", as Fate seemed stunned before nodding.
"And second, well, I know you two claimed Kel as a Wayne, and you guys love her, but she isn't married technically...", Dorji trailed off, waiting for the couple to realize the idea.
"You don't mean...", Martha started to tear up. "I don't know if I could be able to take it if she's...". It was a whirlwind of emotions for Martha in both sorrow and happiness. The joy of seeing her but the sadness of her only being around briefly like Thomas beforehand.