Afterglow • Gideon Emery

21

Chloe laid in her hospital bed for a while only nine centimeters dilated. To speed up this process she was given a narcotic and epidural because if she had the narcotic alone it was going to be very painful.

So now Chloe didn't feel a think. She's numb to the world and her nerves are shot. At least she had her family in the room with her its all that mattered to her, because she could never do this alone.

Chloe was able to have a hour nap in since she took the drug and during that time Joker was watching the monitors that showed her contractions. "How do we know this thing isn't just gonna go beeeeeeeee-"

"Do you ever stop?" Gideon rolled his eyes shaking his head. Joker just looked confused, Joker is special okay? Jack just looked at his idiotic friend and shakes his head, this is Jacks quiet way of telling him to shut the fuck up. Joker shrugged his shoulders and goes back to watching the contraction monitor.

Gideon walks back to his lady with a styrofoam cup in his hand and a plastic spoon in the other. Chloe just stared at him, she's wanting them ice chips, he leaned forward and fed her the frozen water since they were the most comforting thing to her right next besides the hard drugs.

"How are you feeling love?" Gideon asked her after he gave her another spoonful of ice then he set the cup down. Now he's holding Chloe's numb hand gently.

With her head back Chloe's eyes dilates with irritation and intoxication. "I love these drugs." She muttered with satisfaction.

Gideon lightly chuckled "do you?"

"Yeeesssss"

Gideon moves a strand over her hair out of her eyes but Hannah tied Chloe's hair up not long ago so it wouldn't be in the way. "Okay—how does your body feel then?"

"Drugged"

"I know—okay—I'm happy for you love." Gideon just shakes his head and he's going with it, Chloe is happy right now. A little too happy. That's all that mattered to him, as long she's not in pain.

• • •

After a while of being in and out of sleep, contractions after contractions, eating countless of ice chips. Chloe is finally dilated to ten centimeters. Joker is the first one to notice this increase from the contractions monitors.

Chloe didn't feel it happen but she took the men's word for it. She watched as Jack left the room to grab some nurses for assistance and Gideon is telling her she will be alright.

Joker came by her other side for more support, now Chloe had both her husband and friends hands to break once this process actually begins.

Hannah sat in one of the chairs assuring her that she will be okay, this will end very quickly. Chloe couldn't feel a thing but she felt fear.

Jack came back into the room bringing multiple nurses and a doctor with him. The doctor pulled on his rubber gloves and asked questions he needed answers too while the nurses got ready for them. Then Chloe's nerves shot through the epidural, she could feel her head getting dizzy with fear and by looking at Hannah hugging Jack's side while they watched she could see she felt the same way.

While Chloe nods her head taking big breaths she had both Joker and Gideon in her ears encouraging her and assuring her she'd be fine, Joker was being an angel for once.

The whole birth process was not a problem for Chloe with the help of the hardcore drugs she's overdosed on. Without them she would've never done it and make it out alive. Blood poured down her mouth and because of that one of the nurses stood beside Gideon and held a rag under her mouth catching her blood with her other hand behind Chloe's head.

Around the time of the final push the Doctor light heartedly said to save some hugs and kisses meaning the baby's here. It was a light moment of small laughter from the group, then the room filled with screaming. It's a girl! "January 24th 20xx time of birth 1:30 am" the doctor calls out holding the distress baby in his hands. "Congratulations mom and dad"

It was like a very heavy weight was lifted off of Chloe's shoulders now that she's no longer pregnant. It was also like she was able to breath in peace without having the baby's body pressured against her lungs. Stress free Chloe laid her head back on her pillow and just broke down crying, this time she was very happy.

The nurse used a clean wet rag on the blood covering Chloe's chin before she let Gideon back beside his wife. Gideon came over and gave his wife soft kisses, both of them silently crying of happiness.

While Hannah came over to her daughter, Gideon decided to join Joker in looking at his new baby while the nurses was taking her foot prints and hand prints. "You did it baby girl!" Hannah broke down in tears while Chloe's been feeling this way.

"I did it mom!" Chloe and Hannah reaches in for a hug "I didn't die!"

"And lets keep it that way for a long time okay?" Hannah asks stroking her daughter figures hair "my granddaughter is so beautiful!"

"Just like you!"

"No just like you!"

"She is beautiful Gideon." Jack sat his hand on Gideons shoulder "I'm so proud of you, mate."

"Thank you rookie" Gideon smiled, small tears of joy still falling from his eyes. "I see so much of Chloe in her." The three men tilts their heads at the same time looking at the baby wrapped in a blanket trying to sleep.

"I see your nose, boss" Joker then says

"Chloe definitely got a twin" Jack then says after, and Gideon couldn't be anymore happier than that. "What's her name then huh?"

Gideon blushed again "we decided on Ruby Eva Emery"

"Awww Gideon!" Joker hugged his boss, Gideon didn't hug back right away but he did hug his friend back. Then Jack joined in on the group hug. If they had Will here then it would've been a real best friend hug.

Hannah stroked her daughters hair laying next to her in her hospital bed. "What now hun? How are you feeling?"

Chloe watched her husband and his buddies look at their baby in awe. She felt a lot of things, peace, relief, joy to name a few. She looked back at her mom and sighed "hungry"