Nineteen hours. Nineteen hours I'd been in labor, without any pain medication. I was exhausted. My eyelids were closing on their own, without my permission. The contractions had stopped a few minutes ago, and Ratchet was just doing a few 'standard' tests on the baby. I had yet to hold her.
Yes, her. I'd given birth to a little girl. January 19th, 1:37 AM. Ironhide kissed my sweaty forehead and rubbed a warm thumb across the back of my hand. I'd been burning a few minutes ago, but now my skin felt chilled. I turned my heavy head toward 'Hide.
"What're we gonna name her?" I asked.
"I don't know. Do you have any ideas?" he asked, sweetly. I smiled tiredly at him.
"Adelaide," I said.
"Adelaide?" he murmured.
"Would you like to hold her?" Ratchet asked. My eyes opened again. When had they closed?
"Of course," I said, reaching out for my baby. He placed her delicately in my arms.
Ironhide and I both looked down at our baby, as I held her. Her bright eyes stared up at us, wonderingly. She was beautiful. Her skin was pink and wrinkled. She had a tuft of soft dark hair on the top of her head. She had 'Hide's nose, just as I'd predicted, and my mouth as he'd predicted.
Her eyes were unique, I could already plainly see. One of them was bright, glowing blue, as Ironhide's were. The other was dull in comparison, but still a beautiful blue. That one would change. Ironhide hesitantly reached out his hand and ran a thumb across her cheek.
"Adelaide," he said, though this time it was certain. This was her name.
"Adelaide Fae. She's our baby, 'Hide," I said, holding back a yawn, "Do you want to hold her?"
"Yes," he responded. Soon, he was sitting in the chair next to my bed, cradling the tiny baby in his arms. I don't think I'd ever seen him be so gentle or treat anything so delicately as he did when he held her for the first time. And the way he stared at her had nothing but disbelief and adoration. I smiled and took the camera from where it sat next to the bed and snapped a picture. He seemed to be pulled from his trance.
"We were right," he said, smiling at me, "She's perfect."
"She is," I agreed, then sighed, "Are you ready for visitors?"
"If you are," he said. I turned to Ratchet.
"You can send up visitors, Ratch'," I said. He nodded.
"Okay, but if you need rest, don't be afraid to kick them out," he said, sternly. I smiled at him.
"No worries, Ratch'. I won't," I promised. He disappeared, and a few moments later, Sarah and Will came quietly into the room.
"Hey, how is everyone?" Sarah said, placing a vase of flowers next to my bed and kissing me on the forehead.
"Fantastic," I murmured, "Very good. Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful."
"Of course, baby," she said.
"We brought you food, if you're hungry," Will said. And my stomach growled on cue.
"Thank god," I sighed, "Ratchet wouldn't let me eat anything but ice-chips." Will handed me a sub of some sort, and when I bit into it, I could tell that it was an Italian hogie. And by far one of the best I'd ever tasted. I groaned at it. I was so hungry.
"So, a little girl, huh?" Sarah said.
"Yes," 'Hide responded, as took another bite of the delicious food, "Her name is Adelaide Fae."
"She's beautiful," said Will, smiling down at her.
"We don't want to hog you. You have quite a few people downstairs who want to congratulate you. Open the bag at your leisure-it's a gift," Sarah said, then gave me another kiss on my forehead. After bidding us goodbye once again, they left, and were soon replaced by Arcee and Elita-1. They each wished us their congratulations, and looked disbelievingly at the child 'Hide and I had created. They left soon, too.
Many people and 'bots came and went, and I lost track of who came and brought which gifts. Almost everyone on the base had known it was a little girl-barring, of course, me and 'Hide. And many of them brought clothes or blankets or some sort of accessory that would only be used by a female baby. But by the time Optimus came and went(he was the last of the visitors), I was completely ready to go to sleep.
Ratchet took Adelaide and did a few more tests and scans on her as Ironhide soothed me to sleep.
"Get some rest. She'll be here when you wake up," he assured me.
"She'd better," I said, though I was already almost asleep, "I can't believe that we're parents. I never thought I'd ever be a parent."
"I never thought I'd be a parent, either," 'Hide said, and I could hear the smile, "But here we are. I still can't believe it...I love you, Ramona."
"Neither can I," I sighed, "I love you too, 'Hide. You've made my life more perfect than I'd ever dreamed it could be. Thank you, 'Hide."
"Anything for you, Ramona. Go to sleep," he said. And sleep I did.
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I'm only now realizing how short these chapters really are.
