Who: Lisa and Dean What: Charlie comes a week early. Surprise! When: Christmas Day Where: Their house and then the hospital Status: Closed; Completed Gdoc Rating: PG-13 at least.
They had just finished eating breakfast, and Dean was in the kitchen cleaning up, so he could start working on dinner. Given that Lisa was so close to her due date, he had thought about going out for dinner, but he figured that would be more of a hassle for her. Especially with the insane weather they had been having this month. He dried off his hands and made his way into the living room to join Lisa, so they could relax and open up presents. Given that they had a baby on the way, and were planning for a wedding, Dean hadn’t gone as crazy this year.
“How’s mama bear doing?” He questioned with a smile, grabbing a few of the gifts from the tree to hand over to Lisa. “Do you need me to get you anything? Want me to rub your shoulders, back, feet?”
Lisa was grateful Dean had been making more meals for the two of them. Being that it was difficult for Lisa to stand or walk for long periods of time, it made her life a little easier at the moment. Settled on the couch, a blanket resting across her lap, Lisa was enjoying the twinkling lights on the tree when Dean entered the living room, asking how she was. His ‘mama bear’ comment earned him a small smile. There was absolutely no one else that could get away with calling her that, but Dean.
Accepting the gifts, Lisa shook her head. “No, I’m-” Suddenly, Lisa felt a slow trickle of water down her leg. Panic washed over Lisa because there was only one thing this could mean. Lisa’s water just broke or was about to. There was a good chance she was going to go into labor very soon, but Charlie wasn’t due for another week. An early birth. Fear gripped Lisa’s heart, but for the moment, she had to tell Dean what was going on. They had to go to the hospital now.
“Dean, uh, I think-I know my water just broke-” And then a contraction vibrated through her abdomen and the brunette’s face contoured in pain. She looked up at Dean and her hand went to her stomach.
“We need to get to the hospital Dean. Like now!” Yes, Lisa’s voice rose an octave.
He looked at her curiously when she cut off suddenly, and the look on her face concerned him. “Lis?” Dean moved to reach out for her, a little taken aback by the change in her voice. “What? No. It’s not time. She’s not due for another six days.” He said foolishly, completely oblivious to the fact that a due date wasn’t set in stone. Despite the panic in her voice, Dean tried to remain calm, not wanting to upset her any further. “Maybe you just need to do that breathing stuff?”
He knelt down in front of her on the couch and moved to rub his hand over her stomach, shifting closer to her. “Why don’t you lay-” his voice trailed off, feeling a dampness through his jeans at the knees. “Did you just-” Dean blinked repeatedly, his reaction delayed before he sprung from the floor, noting the wetness all over the couch. “Um…are you okay?”
“I know she is not due for another six days, Dean, but I think she doesn’t care,” Lisa hissed as another contraction hit her and that trickle started to feel a lot more than a trickle. Oh damn. Oh shit. Lisa took a deep breath and then another. “I think I need more than just the ‘breathing stuff,’ Dean.” Lisa was trying to stay calm too, but the wetness in her jeans, spreading to the cushions on the couch, wasn't helping in that department.
At the angle in which he knelt in front of the couch, there was absolutely no way he would miss the damp stain on her jeans or that it was now visible on the couch cushions. And from the way he jumped back, he’d seen it and had no idea what was going on. Not surprising. Lisa took another deep breath as another contraction hit. Were they coming faster?
“My water broke Dean,” Lisa explained, attempting to keep her voice controlled. “When I say we need to get to the hospital, I mean it. Get my hospital bag I put together and help me to the fucking car.” Okay, the swear just slipped out, but she didn’t mean it. She was just in pain and her water broke.
His eyes widened considerably when she snapped, and he knew she meant business. "Yeah, okay. I'll get your bag." Dean nodded slowly, his gaze drifting downwards to her wet pants. "Do you maybe want to change first? I can get you-" the look on her face told him all he needed to know, and he almost tripped over his own two feet as he backed up to go up the stairs.
He returned quickly, his weight heavy against the stairs as he came back down with her bag over his arm and another pair of pants for her. "I got the bag and some clean pants. Do we need anything else? Are we good now?"
Before Lisa could once more reiterate the importance of them going, Dean was already rushing up the stairs to get her bag. Good. As much as Lisa wanted to change, she knew they didn’t exactly have time for that. Putting a towel down on the passenger seat would at least keep the water from staining the interior of the car.
He reappeared quickly with the bag along with a pair of pants. Lisa was grateful for the thoughtfulness…or she would be after they were at the hospital. “Just grab a towel from the downstairs bathroom on our way out to the car. That way I don’t get anything on the car seat.” Lisa pushed herself up from the couch, wincing, as she started to slowly make her way to the garage door.
Shoes? Lisa pushed her feet into a pair of slip-ons. That was the best she was going to get at the moment.
At her direction to grab a towel, he realized he would have to drive her car. There was no way in hell he was going to ruin his leather interior seats. "Towel, check." Dean nodded and stopped at the bathroom to grab a towel from the room. He ran to the door and grabbed her keys before going out to the garage to the car. He tossed the bag in the back seat and then came to the passenger side to set the towel down.
"I thought you were in a rush?!?" He called out from the garage before getting in on the driver's side so he could turn the car on and hit the button to open the garage door."
Lisa loved Dean, but at this moment? She could have fucking killed him. “I am in a fucking rush Dean, but I am also dealing with contractions and the fact that my water just broke!” Lisa exclaimed, clearly pissed off. Of course Lisa was in a rush, but she was also dealing with contractions and the glaring fact that her water just broke. And he didn’t even help her to the car. Glaring at him, Lisa hobbled her way to the passenger side of her car and managed to drag her very pregnant self into the passenger seat.
Snapping on her belt, Lisa looked over at him. “Just drive the car and when we get there, do me a favor and get me a fucking wheel chair. And you better drive fast or you're delivering this baby.”
While Dean was normally very attentive to Lisa’s needs, it was like all common sense had gone out the window, and he was driving on auto pilot. He had failed to prepare himself for the possibility of an early birth and he wasn’t thinking ahead enough. “Sorry,” he muttered in apology, watching as she buckled up. “A wheelchair? You can’t-” Once again, he was silenced by a glaring look of disapproval, and he wisely opted to just nod and agree. “Wheelchair, got it.” Once he backed out of the garage, he floored it, the idea of delivering his own child absolutely terrifying. He groaned in frustration when the car didn’t speed up fast enough, mumbling under his breath about what a piece of shit the car was. “I could pedal a fucking bike faster than this shit. How do you drive this thing?”
Thankfully, it was a small town, and the hospital wasn’t that far away. It only took him five minutes to pull up to the doors of the emergency room. Dean hit the brakes and moved to get out of the car, cursing himself after realizing he didn’t put the car in park. He stumbled out of the car and rushed into the ER. In his frantic search for a wheelchair, a nurse approached him to assist and wheeled the chair out to the car with him to help Lisa.
At his comment about her car, Lisa growled (yes, growled) and glared daggers at him. “You could have taken the Impala, but we both know you didn’t want to ruin your seats. So just shut up and drive the damn thing.” Normally, Lisa was not nearly so…vocal, but she was in pain and the contractions were coming faster. And, while Lisa had threatened him with the idea, she didn’t particularly want Dean to be the one delivering this baby. Dean was good at many things, but this wasn’t one of them.
Thankfully, it didn’t take them long to get there and Dean, true to his word, found her wheelchair and a nurse to help her into that said wheelchair. As Lisa continued to breathe, under the nurse’s direction, they ended up in a room and Lisa was hustled out of her clothes into a hospital gown. Settled into the bed, brunette struggled not to bite off Dean’s head or the nurse’s as they waited for the doctor to arrive.
While he hadn’t gone into a thorough research process for what to expect, none of the books he had read mentioned that Lisa would turn into a raging witch. Dean had never seen her this irritable before, but he was smart enough not to point that out. He was grateful for the nurse's presence, and while she took care of Lisa, he just hung up back in the corner. “So…” he watched the nurse exit the room for something, tempted to run after her, afraid to be alone with Lisa.
“I’m sure you’re feeling better now. You know, since your pants aren’t wet.” Unfortunately, the knees of his own were still damp, but he wasn’t about to complain. “What am I supposed to do now? Do I just stand here in the corner and look pretty for you, or….?”
Lisa was focused on breathing. The contractions were coming faster now and the nurse had said the doctor would be in any minute. Even without the wet pants, Lisa didn’t feel better. She’d only feel better once Charlie was out of her and the fierce pain in her lower body ceased. Lisa hadn’t meant to be a bitch to Dean. She loved him, but giving birth had cut her temper very short.
The brunette looked over at Dean, forcing herself to keep calm and not answer sharply. “You could always hold-” Before she could finish, a contraction rocketed through her body and Lisa gave out a yelp. Yes, the nurse had offered Lisa drugs to help with the pain, but there was no way she was doing that. She had Ben without them and she would have Charlie too. Even if it was painful every single second.
Whether the nurse had been on her way back with the doctor or the doctor had heard her didn’t matter. He arrived, followed shortly by a few nurses, and immediately took a place in front of Lisa’s spread legs.
“Oh yeah, she’s coming.” The doctor glanced over at Dean who was still in his street clothes. “Do you want to be here during the birth? If so, the nurses can get you a mask and some scrubs to put over your clothes. In any case, I’d make up your mind quickly. It doesn’t look like your daughter is going to wait.”
Lisa gave another yelp and that drew the doctor’s attention back to her. One of the nurses continued to coach Lisa, telling her to keep breathing while the other monitored her vitals.
It was a little overwhelming to hear her in so much pain and unable to do a damn thing about it. Dean would have easily traded places with her in a heartbeat if it were possible. “She’s what?” He looked over at the doctor in confusion, remembering how it felt like it had taken forever for Vivi to arrive. “I, uh-” Thinking about his niece made him think about Sam. The one who had lost Eileen to childbirth, and panic started to set in. “Yes, I’m staying.” He replied adamantly, not about to leave Lisa alone.
One of the nurses grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room so he could change into the appropriate garments. He pulled the hat on over his head and adjusted it so that it wasn’t in his face. The stupid booties came next, followed by the ridiculously oversized gown and gloves. Dean hurried back into the room and slid across the floor halfway into the room and right to Lisa’s bedside, a stupid grin on his face. “Hey, babe. I’m back. How much did you miss me? We should take a selfie to document this occasion.” Though he was mainly kidding (he knew that Lisa would not want to be photographed), he took out his phone and snapped a photo, pretending it was the two of them and not just himself looking like an idiot.
“Did I miss anything important?”
As much as Lisa wished Charlie had held off, it was too late for that. Her daughter wanted out as much as Lisa wanted her out. The brunette was vaguely aware of Dean agreeing to stay before the nurse shuffled him from the room to change. Her focus was on her breathing and now, apparently, pushing too. Lots of pushing. Lisa pushed and breathed and squeezed the hell out of the nurse’s hand.
That hand slipped from her grasp when Dean suddenly reappeared at her side, that goofy grin on his face, and, despite how much pain she was in, she found the sight comforting. Part of her figured Dean would opt out of staying since he hadn’t fared so well at one of her gyneologist appointments. But the fact that he’d chosen to stay meant a lot to her…even as she wanted to scream her head off as he actually decided to take a selfie. Okay, she couldn’t really blame him for that right? He wanted to document the moment…sort of.
“Just lost of pushing-” Lisa broke off as another contraction hit and she barely managed to bite back a yelp. The doctor looked up at Lisa from his location between her thighs.
“She’s coming. Keep pushing,” he instructed, keeping his voice calm. However, when Lisa responded, her voice was anything, but calm.
“I am pushing!” Lisa yelled, face visibly sweaty and flushed. Gripping one of the pillows propped behind her head, Lisa blindly flung it.
“Still? How much pushing do you need to do? I mean, she doesn’t have very far to go. Right?” Dean glanced down at his stomach and measured with his hands the distance, though he supposed it would depend on how long Charlie was. Long. Was she going to be a mini giant? Maybe not. Ben wasn’t all that tall the last time he had seen the kid. He was lost in thought when he heard Lisa yell, though this time it wasn’t at him, thankfully.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it.” He jogged over to retrieve the pillow and as he bent down he managed to get a good look at what was happening between her legs. He could see the head of their daughter coming out and how impossibly wide she was. Dean had thought there was no way in hell she could stretch to fit a bagel, but here she was, proving him wrong. He had seen far worse. Had literally ripped a man’s heart out of his chest, tortured other humans, and the sight of his fiance giving birth had to be the worst thing he would ever see. It would keep him up at night and haunt him forever.
“Uh…” without another word he passed out and hit the floor with a thud, causing one of the other nurses to laugh in amusement.
“See, I told you that would happen.” She said to one of the other nurses before grabbing the smelling salts to wake Dean back up.
“I’m here!” he shouted and sprung to his feet, pretending that absolutely didn’t happen. “Lisa, baby, are you okay?”
Lisa was in the process of giving another push when Dean went to retrieve the pillow and…promptly passed out. If she hadn’t been in the process of giving birth to their daughter, Lisa would have probably found it more amusing than she did. Instead, she felt a pang of sympathy for her fiance despite the pain she was currently in. Whatever he saw down there, it was bound to haunt him forever. As the nurses grabbed the smelling salts to wake Dean back up, the doctor focused on Lisa and told her that the head was out. There was only a bit more pushing to go. Lisa was grateful; she was a hot, sweaty mess and felt like passing out. Giving birth hadn’t been easy the first time, but this time, it felt far more taxing on her body and emotional status. Lisa chalked it up to her age.
Dean’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and, despite how gross, tired, and irritable she currently felt, she managed a weak smile for him. “Just another push or so,” she managed, grateful to see him awake and back on his feet. He needed to be here for this. Lisa gave another good push and suddenly there was the distinct sound of crying in the air.
The sound was the sweetest thing Lisa had ever heard and her head sagged back against the pillow as her brown eyes landed on her daughter, currently being held in the doctor’s hands. She looked healthy. Lisa glanced over at Dean as the doctor offered him a pair of scissors if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord.
He was a little startled by the sound of an infant crying, and suddenly the doctor was holding their daughter in front of him. It took him a moment to fully process the situation. “What?” Dean blinked and looked from his daughter to the doctor and back again. Oh, right. He had read about that. He nodded in response and took the scissors to carefully cut the cord, smiling like a fool as he kept reminding himself that was his daughter. “She’ beautiful,” he whispered in awe, his eyes glossy with tears.
A blanket was wrapped around the baby and the nurse handed her over to Dean. His arms cradled her carefully and he moved over to Lisa so she could get a better look at Charlie. She looked absolutely exhausted, but that was to be expected after what she had gone through. “Say hello to your beautiful momma, princess.” He cooed sweetly, handing off their daughter to Lisa. Once his hands were free he leaned down to kiss Lisa’s forehead, brushing back the damp strands of hair from her face. “You did good, Lis.”
Even in the midst of the child’s cries and being exhausted, Lisa heard the Doctor ask Dean to cut the cord. Part of Lisa actually thought Dean might faint again, but instead, he nodded and took the scissors, carefully cutting the cord with a smile on his face. The smile coaxed a smile out of Lisa and she watched, tearing up, as Dean took their daughter in his arms. Not surprising there were tears in Dean’s eyes as well. This moment was only made possible by Madison Valley. They both knew the weight of this moment. How much it meant.
One of the nurses propped more pillows up behind Lisa and helped her to seat up. Yes, Lisa ached everywhere, but when Dean walked over with their daughter in his arms, Lisa felt energy surge through her tired body. Oh, she was beautiful. Perfect. The brunette smiled up at Dean as he handed their daughter over to her and Lisa looked down into that cute face. Lisa pressed a kiss to the baby’s forehead and then glanced up at Dean. Lisa leaned into his touch as he pressed a kiss to her head and wiped away the sweaty strands from her face.
“We did good, Dean,” Lisa replied softly, giving him a soft, tired smile. “She’s beautiful.”
“I promise that I’ll take good care of you when we get back home. I’ll take off work for a bit, and the only thing you’ll have to worry about is resting up, and feeding the baby. Unless you want me to help with that, because I can.” He rambled on, staring at the newborn in Lisa’s arms. “This is the best gift ever. I don’t think anything I bought you…” Dean trailed off in thought, suddenly a little alarmed. “Wait. Does this mean this will be her first Christmas? If so, I really need to go out and buy all those ornaments for the year before they are gone.”
Thankfully, since she was only a few days early, Charlie would be able to come home with them, though Lisa did have to stay in the hospital longer than usual. “Oh, shit. We’re supposed to be hosting dinner? Do I go home and cook? I have to call Sam!”
“I know, Dean. And I think you taking some time off work would be a great idea. You should have some time to bond with Charlie and if you really want to help with the feeding, I’m not about to protest it.” Lisa said the last part with a playful smile at her fiance. It might be a good idea for Dean to be a part of that in case Lisa ended up sick. Plus, it was a chance to bond with his daughter.
Still holding Charlie close, Lisa reached out and gently patted Dean’s arm. “We have the best gift. I’m not even thinking of anything else we have under the tree, Dean. Don’t worry about it. And I suppose it would count as her first Christmas. If you want to buy a few of those ornaments for the tree, that would be wonderful.” It was a bit confusing since Charlie being born in December kind of threw everything off, but Lisa was hardly upset by the due dates. It would be her first Christmas and Dean would buy those adorable ornaments for the tree.
Yes, they were supposed to be hosting dinner. Crap. Lisa bit her lip in thought for a moment. Dean should definitely call Sam. Unfortunately, Lisa and Charlie wouldn’t be able to come home for at least two days. It could be longer because Charlie had arrived early. They could still host dinner even if Lisa and Charlie weren’t there. Dean could celebrate with his brother and nephew along with everyone else they invited.
“You should definitely call Sam. You can still go home and cook dinner. Have a celebration. You should celebrate Charlie coming into the world. Obviously, we won’t be there, but that’s okay. I think it would still be a wonderful thing to do,” Lisa replied with a reassuring smile. “But obviously, it’s your call too. If you would rather spend time with us here, you know I have zero complaints.”
“No.” He replied simply, shaking his head. “I mean, I’ll give Sam a call, but I’m not leaving you two so I can go make dinner.” Dean had waited long enough for this moment to arrive and he wasn’t about to leave the most two important ladies in his life just to have Christmas dinner. He would need to leave at some point, so he could shower and change his clothes, but he’d be quick about it.
“Do you want any visitors today?” He was excited to introduce Charlie to Sam and DJ, but if Lisa wasn’t in the mood for visitors, they would have to wait. Or, he could just see them in the waiting room or something. Dean frowned when the nurse came to take Charlie away to get cleaned up and mentioned something about Lisa still having to deliver the placenta. “Uh…okay. I’ll stay up here this time and I won’t move an inch.” It sounded pretty gross to Dean, and not something he wanted to witness personally.
"I wouldn't mind seeing them," Lisa assured Dean with a tired smile.
"And yes, I'd suggest staying up here. It's definitely not as pretty to see coming into the world as your daughter," Lisa added. She knew Dean would not want to witness it. In fact, she was pretty sure if he did, there was a good chance he would faint again.