i. lahey (traumatics) wrote in blackpoint, @ 2014-10-09 22:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | aaron parrish / camden lahey, i. lahey, lydia martin-stilinski, scott mccall, vernon boyd |
[ teen wolf ]
Allie's gone into labor. We're on our way to the hospital now. I'll keep you updated.
Who: Allie Argent and I. Lahey
What: Sometimes after a lady’s pregnant for 9 months, a baby arrives.
Where: Their house/Mount Sinai Hospital!
When: October 10th!
Status/Rating: Complete/high for childbirth?
It started out easily enough. Allison had crawled into bed around nine o’clock in the evening, her bloated body just completely exhausted and incapable of staying up any later than that. The stairs were a nightmare on her sore back, but with Isaac’s capable frame behind her, she had made it up before collapsing in their bed, worn out and ready for some quality sleep. But it seemed that Baby Lahey had much different ideas. If s/he wasn’t kicking at her ribs, it was an incessant pressure on her pelvis that was encouraging some mommy!incontinence. And that was a big no-no. Allison would never stoop that low.
She hobbled out of bed at half past one, her trek to the bathroom treacherous despite the fact that it was less than twenty feet, and she found herself bent over groaning slightly as a pressure coiled in her back before releasing. It was only for a few moments, but she knew that it could be labor for real. She’d just have to see, considering the last few weeks had been full of Braxton-Hicks and false alarms. As she made her way back to bed about ten minutes later, she groaned again, the pressure returning.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed that Isaac was still not in bed. Hadn’t he been there? She thought he was, but now that she thought about it, he had probably fallen asleep on the couch downstairs. So Allison clutched her gigantic stomach and made her way to the living room carefully, breathing through her nose as his peaceful form came into view. “Isaac?” she said softly, her tone quietly cautious. “Isaac.”
Isaac had been a rippling ball of neuroticism for entirely of the months of Allison’s pregnancy, though he’d found ways to hide it from being quite so present. He didn’t want to stress her out, even if he knew that she knew he was still doing everything he’d always been doing. His folder of spreadsheets was totally out of control, marking down things that surely had no business being marked on a spreadsheet. He had gotten beyond a first name basis with all of the pharmacists and grocery market clerks on a three-block radius of their new house. The places that sold Allison’s craving foods were on his speed dial and he didn’t even have to order anymore because they knew him so well. And that wasn’t even touching on Allison’s doctor and the entirety of the nursing staff in his office.
There was still a lot of panic in Isaac that he didn’t let on to, as well. The idea of being a father was completely terrifying to him, but he was also excited. More than anything else, he was so enthralled with the idea of being a father to Allison’s child. He’d focused on preparing their home, adding in all of the safety measures that totally wouldn’t even be necessary for months after the baby was born. He’d gotten some help painting from the teens, and had put together the crib and everything else they needed for the baby’s room. And now they were mostly ready.
Those false alarms had kept Isaac on his toes, and he was ready and waiting for the real one. However, he’d happened to fall asleep on the couch, some paperwork from the office before him on the coffee table. It didn’t take much for him to wake, though, and he lifted up on his elbows as his eyes adjusted to her. “Allie? You okay?”
It was okay, in the end, for one of them to be neurotic while the other, for the most part, didn’t worry. Allison wasn’t exactly used to having things be so completely out of her control, but she knew that her body would be able to handle the strain of a pregnancy and that the rest mainly depended on her doing what she was told. Even if it was difficult for her to follow instructions at times, she could do anything as long as their baby was healthy.
She was excited to become a mother and ecstatic that the last of the pregnancy was upon her. It wasn’t like she disliked being pregnant, but she could do without the mood swings and desire for cream chipped beef. If their house never smelled like it again, it would be far too soon. They had stayed on top of every list, their nursery was finished in neutral tones and the closet was full of gender-neutral items that their baby would need upon their entrance into the world and the bubbling excitement that Allison had felt from the moment she had taken her first pregnancy test was quickly rising to a full on boil right above her ribcage.
Smiling at him, Allison moved to sit next to him on the couch, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as she did. “I’m fine,” she promised, her eyes squinting shut not even a moment later as the persistent clenching of her abdomen began again. “The baby’s fine, too. I just think this might be it. I think I’m in labor.”
There were still moments that Isaac wasn’t even sure that he was entirely in control of his own life, much less prepared to be responsible for someone else’s. But those moments were easy enough to shut off, because at the end of the day, he knew that this was exactly what he wanted. He loved Allison more than he’d ever loved anyone or anything, and he so wanted to have this child with her. There were so many things that worried him, like the fact that the baby could be a werewolf or really any number of other far more alarming things that could happen, but this was part of the process.
Isaac knew before she even said it. He could sense it, and every time she’d woken him up in the last few weeks, he’d been on alert. He tangled their fingers together at the squeeze, concern in his expression. And then his eyes widened. “You think you’re--- okay. Holy hell,” he said, immediately awake. “Okay, are you ready to go?”
Allison had grown up, despite having a mother and grandfather and...well, anyone but her father being crazy, fast and pretty well-adjusted considering that she had ended up in Beacon Hills and had become a werewolf hunter, then a defender that fought alongside of them. It was an interesting life, even if she had escaped it for college. It was a great life, especially now. She wasn’t worried about the baby being affected by Isaac’s lycanthropy, because there were enough wolves here that they both trusted , in addition to Isaac, who could help with control. Scott and Erica had gone through it three times over. It was going to be okay.
“We probably still have some time,” she reminded him. “They’re still about ten minutes apart and they don’t recommend going until they get closer together.” Still, even now, she was squeezing her eyes shut again, because yeah, the intensity was definitely picking up and wow that didn’t feel too great. “But we should probably call the doctor and see what she wants us to do and grab the bag and then we can head out. I’ll call the cab if you can get the rest together. Okay?”
Isaac, meanwhile, spent the first half of his life completely out of control of it. His father had been such a dominant force, and then he’d sought that same kind of dominance from his Alphas. Derek had provided it differently than Scott, and the latter’s was far more effective, but it’d still boiled down to that basic need to have an authority figure to please. Once everything settled down, though, nothing really had changed all that much in his personal life. He still ended up alone, he still ended up at the graveyard. He went nowhere in life, his wheels spinning, until the sheriff brought him into the station. It was in that line of work, and his subsequent promotions and placements, that Isaac was finally able to apply his need for control to his need for authority. His neuroticism with the baby stemmed from not wanting to lose that control.
“Right,” he agreed, because he’d read that in books. When he saw her squeeze her eyes closed, he tightened his hold on her hand, taking some of the pain away without hesitation. “We just have to stay calm, that’s all. We can take our time, I think, and be easy and safe.” He nodded, saying those words even as nerves burst in his chest and that frantic feeling swept over him. He smiled and leaned forward, kissing her. “Let’s get ready.”
They were so opposite in their approaches to her pregnancy, but it was always an adventure to see where they differed on opinion and what they valued in the same. Of course the well-being of the baby came first, but from different formulas to breast milk to what kind of diapers to use, there were always charts and opinions guiding the way through the muddle of what neither of them really knew. Allison viewed herself as lucky, because even if Isaac didn’t agree at first glance, they always could compromise.
She sighed gratefully at the relief of the pain, squeezing her hand in his in a silent form of thanks as the contraction ended and she relaxed once again. “I’m as cool as a cucumber, Lahey,” she smiled, returning the kiss gently. She reached for her cell phone as he stood, dialing her doctor and informing her briefly of the situation. “Yes, yes, I know. No need to rush unless they get closer together….we’re heading out in about twenty minutes or so...okay, thank you.” The call to the cab company wasn’t anything eventful, and afterwards, Allison reclined on the couch, waiting for both Isaac and the next contraction to hit. It suddenly hit her in that moment that she was about to bring their baby into the world, and the thought was so irrepressibly joyful that her eyes welled up with tears. She quickly wiped them away so that Isaac wouldn’t see and worry and closed her eyes, breathing deeply as the clenching in her stomach started once again.
Isaac grinned warmly, lovingly in response to her, his heart racing in his chest and everything a little overwhelming. But they were going to do this together, and he knew that that was enough. “You always are, Argent,” he responded. He moved to his feet, making quick work of running up to their room to grab her bag and take a look through it to make sure everything was still in it. He added another few little things from their dressing table and nightstand, wanting to make sure she had everything, and pulled it over her shoulder. As he descended the stairs, he typed at his phone. “Okay, I just texted everyone. Just so they know,” he said. “You want to call your dads and mom on the way over?” he added as he landed at the bottom of the stairs. He moved to her, sitting back beside her and grabbing her hand again, pulling more of the contraction pain away with a concerned smile.
Of course Allison was overwhelmed. How could she not be? She was most definitely in the beginning stages of labor, and this was no time to be nostalgic, but she couldn’t exactly help it. Not only were her hormones out of whack but her whole life had changed so immensely in eleven months. It was both beautiful and scary.
Nodding in his direction, Allison put her knees closer to her chest, waiting for the pain to pass. “I’m not sure how mad everyone’s going to be that my werewolf boyfriend made an epidural completely unnecessary, but I’m glad for it,” she teased, sitting up. “Yeah, I’ll call them when we get closer to the hospital. It’s sort of pointless to do it right now when it’s just a waiting game. I know at least one dad has Dorea Potter on standby.” Her phone beeped, alerting her that it was time (if she was awake, and she usually was this late nowadays) to drink more water and she hobbled her way over to retrieve a bottle. “The cab’s going to be here soon. So I guess we just revel in our parentlessness for a little while longer.”
“Hey, if they have anything to say about it, they can bite me. The healing is just about the most useful perk of this whole werewolf gig anyway, and using it on my beautiful pregnant girlfriend while she gives birth is totally exactly what I should be using it for,” he responded, smiling, and reaching to help her sit up if she needed it. He knew she was a little unsettled on her feet at the moment, given the baby she was carrying. He couldn’t imagine what it had to feel like. “Definitely. I told the others to hang on a bit rather than swarming the waiting room, so we’ll see if that actually makes a difference or not,” he said, smiling. He watched her move to get the water bottle, his eyebrows lifting whens he turned around, his hands clenching and unclenching against his legs as he anxiously tried to quell the panic in him. “Right? We’ve only got a few more minutes here with just us.”
“You certainly don’t have to tell me twice,” she retorted kindly, giving his hand yet another squeeze in thanks. He had been so good through all of this even though it was likely the last way he had suspected this year would go, and Allison was perpetually grateful for that. She could feel his worried eyes on her as she moved slowly but surely through the house and she stifled her giggle. It was not the time for that.
“Relax,” she coaxed his hand into hers as she sat, pressing her lips to the back of his hand. “Everything’s going great, Isaac. You’re doing a wonderful job.” There was a brief moment of silence between them before she squeezed his hand. “We’ve done everything right, I promise you.”
“I’m glad for that,” Isaac said, smiling at the squeeze. Even as panicked as the last year had made him, all of his insecurities and fears had been vastly surpassed by his love for Allison and the baby she was carrying. That had made it all the easier to make it through to this point, because he couldn’t let either of them down. He wouldn’t.
“Me? I’m hardly doing anything at all,” he said, squeezing her hand lightly. “You’re doing all of the work, and you’re the amazing one.” He leaned to kiss her again. “I’m just ready to meet this kid,” he said. The cab finally arrived and he helped her down into it, giving the directions to the driver and insisting that they make it there as swiftly, but safely as possible.
She didn’t know how to convey just how grateful she was, to have Isaac alongside of her throughout this whole process, even when she felt too bloated, too nonfunctioning to function any longer. He was always there to bring her back up every time she fell down. “I couldn’t do it without you.” Now that the cab was here, it felt like her contractions were starting to get closer together and it hurt. Her body was already tired of this, even with Isaac’s help taking away the pain. The ride to the hospital felt like it was going on forever, and how on earth was that possible? It was nearly 2:30 in the morning on a Friday, there couldn’t be that much going on. “This isn’t fun,” she whispered to Isaac as they stopped at yet another red light. “I do not like.”
There was nowhere else in the world Isaac would’ve been but at her side. His fears of becoming his father were easy enough to set aside on a surface level, because he so hated his father that he never would let himself become him. But there was a sense of neglect that went along with the physical and emotional abuse, and he could never have neglected his family, even if everything about the pregnancy and fatherhood had made him so nervous at the beginning. He was growing more and more anxious as the ride went on, concerned for her and annoyed by the fact that they hadn’t arrived. He wrapped his arm tighter around her at her whisper, pressing his lips to her head. “I wish I’d thought to drive the squad car home,” he said, sighing. He’d been doing so more frequently lately for exactly this reason, but hadn’t tonight. Go figure. Once they finally, finally arrived, he knew that all of the contractions were getting a little harder and he just wanted her in and ready. There weren’t any nurses waiting nearby with wheelchairs, so he just tucked her bag over his shoulder and lifted her easily into his arms. “Hold on, babe. Short walk,” he said, offering a reassuring smile. As he moved her across the lot to the door, they definitely garnered a few intrigued looks, as he carried her so effortlessly, but they finally made it inside and he settled her back on her feet and helped her into a chair. They were joined by a nurse, who insisted that she’d take Allison back while Isaac worked to get her checked in, and Isaac’s face fell with worry. “I’d really rather not leave her, though,” he protested.
Allison had heard, and she was positive that Isaac had too, that when it was most necessary to have something was the time that you wouldn’t have it. Typical, but there was little to be done about it now, after all. With a gasp that was part relief, part yet another contraction, they were finally at the hospital and she had the sense to laugh as Isaac literally carried her the short walk to the hospital. A few passerby definitely gave them strange looks, as Allison was a balloon and Isaac was so strong but always lanky, and Allison scooted around in her wheelchair as she settled.
“No,” she told the nurse seriously. “They’re still a few minutes apart. You check me in here or you do it upstairs, but Isaac stays with me.” She wouldn’t hear of being separated for even a moment of this, not when he was already so anxious and her own nerves were starting to amplify. “Argent, Allison.”
Isaac didn’t care about the looks they were getting, giving the few whose eyes he caught a pointed look in return. He’d wanted to get her inside quickly, and he knew that doing so wouldn’t be quite as easy for her now, so it’d made the most sense. When the nurse gave him a look and started to explain that there would be plenty of time to do the quick sign-in and rejoin Allison once they got her settled, Isaac was prepared to get a little more aggressive about it. Luckily, he didn’t have to.
He reached to take her hand, giving the nurse a look that said that arguing with him was one thing, but if she argued with Allison, there’d be a serious problem. He wouldn’t stand for that. The nurse sighed and nodded, writing her name at the top of the paperwork and handing it to him so that he could mark the few things that needed marking. After only a few minutes, they were ushered up into the maternity wing and he helped Allison change and settle into the bed.
They were told by Allison’s doctor that there would still be some time yet to wait, and, once all of the necessary IVs and monitors were set up, they were left alone in their room. He nervously paced a bit, adjusting her bag and their things before moving to pull a chair up beside her, taking one of her hands again. “How are you feeling?”
The last thing that she wanted was an argumentative Isaac in a spat with an argumentative nurse and she could feel the tension that was in her stomach move up to her shoulders. Soon enough, she found herself in a flimsy hospital gown, chilly and nervous, in a bed that wasn’t very comfortable. She sighed as she was hooked up to her IV and heart monitors for herself and the baby and soon enough her own breathing slowed as she listened to their baby’s heartbeat, her anxiety lessening.
She glanced over at Isaac, a gentle smile on her lips as he took her hand in his. “I’m okay,” she told him. “It’s just crazy to think about.” Her eyes closed as she felt that yet another contraction was coming and she whined quietly in pain as it started. In an attempt to keep herself calm, she breathed in deeply through her nose, blowing out through her mouth as it finally eased a few moments later. “Oh, god, it’s getting worse. Still okay,” she promised through gritted teeth.
Isaac was sure that Allison had to be in a state of total discomfort, and he knew he had no basis for comparison where this was concerned. He just wanted to help her feel better, and there wasn’t much he could do. He was totally relieved to hear the sound of their heartbeats – Allison’s and the baby’s – and that eased some of his tension. In spite of everything, though, she was his focus, and he was easily putting aside his own nerves so that he could tend to her.
“Very crazy. We’re so close,” Isaac said, smiling in returned. He frowned at the sight of her in pain, using their joined hands and his other, which he placed against her face, to draw out as much of the pain as he could. “Bad as it sounds, I’m sure that’s the point. It getting worse means we’re even closer to meeting the baby, right?” he said, trying to sound as calm and optimistic as he could.
“Right,” she agreed, bracing herself for the brunt of it. It was only getting worse as time went on, and though the hours passed with pain and Isaac taking it, eventually all Allison wanted to do was reach down and remove this child from her uterus herself. It felt like days had passed, even with the pain being taken, before the doctor had headed in and finally said cheerfully, “Well, Doctor Argent, it looks like we’re ready to push!”
Needless to say that in a very displeased display, Allison nearly kicked her in the face. “We aren’t doing anything,” she corrected, her face beet red and sweat shining on her forehead. “I, however, am ready to either do that or shit myself--shit!” She gripped Isaac’s hand tighter, looking over at him as she began to push, grateful for the instant relief of pain minutes later when a sharp cry rang out in the room. “Oh!”
Isaac spent those hours in a ball of tension, but he cast it away, focusing still on his beautiful girlfriend and their baby. He was totally overwhelmed and totally fascinated by her, in addition to his panic and nerves, and as soon as everything started getting more and more serious, his neuroticism paid off. He made sure that she got everything she needed and more, and that all of the nurses and doctors were ready and in place so that everything would go well. He said gentle, loving things and continued to pull as much of her pain as he could, but he mostly was stunned and in awe as he watched everything unfold, quite sure that he was completely unprepared for all of it.
And then there was a cry, and he felt his heart stop. That was a baby. A baby. Their baby. He held Allie’s hand tightly, breathless, and leaned to press a peppering of kisses to her face. “You did it, babe. You did it,” he said lovingly, so, so so proud.
He looked at the doctor then, who was still working to make sure that the baby was out and okay. Finally, the silent question was answered and their baby, squirming and still covered in fluid, was held up for them to see: “It’s a girl!”
“Let me see her,” Allie said breathlessly even before the doctor spoke. She’d had a feeling, deep in her gut, that their child was going to be a girl, and as Lydia had told her, mother’s intuition rarely steered anyone wrong. “Oh, my god.” Her heart was pounding faster than she could ever recall it beating and they’d had a baby. Tears of pain had turned to those of joy as she and Isaac held onto each other and their little girl was cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket before she was passed onto Allison.
She didn’t have words for her exuberance, only a disbelieving sort of giggle and smiles towards Isaac as she looked into the face of their daughter. “You should probably get a turn,” she smiled gently, her arms already sore from the limited weight of Sara. “Here,” she made to move forward to pass her over to Isaac. “You’re going to do fine, just mind her head.”
A girl. Isaac had pointedly tried not to imagine what gender their child would be, at first because it would make it all too real and then secondarily because he didn’t want to have a bias towards either option. But in his heart, the idea of a little girl had always been so incredibly appealing. He just wanted as many bits of Allison in his life as possible. “Look at all of her hair,” he breathed, overwhelmed as he looked on their daughter for the first time. He held Allison tightly, staring at the little one that was still crying and squirming.
Once she was up close, though, he was so totally lost. She was the most beautiful child he’d ever seen in his life, and he couldn’t comprehend the fact that she existed and that he’d had a part in creating her. “Oh,” he said, surprised and nervous at the suggestion. He took her gently when Allison passed her over, though, holding the tiny, weightless little pink bundle. He was silent a moment, adjusting to having her in his arms and staring down at her little face with so much love that he could hardly think straight. He smiled then, a shaky breath escaping him. “Hello, sweet Sara,” he said affectionately. “Welcome to the world.”