Settling Down

24

January 5, 1994

It was early morning, about two when she felt it happen. Her due date was the tenth so it wasn't like she was worried about it, she had heard that babies could be born early or late. But what she didn't like was that she went into labor right after Lindsey left to go on a call. At least that's what she thinks. She had been having small little cramps since after dinner, but they were tolerable. When the phone rang and woke them both up, that's when they were getting a little bit more intense. But the thing that pissed her off the most, was that they called when Lindsey should've been on Family leave. He had six weeks of Family leave, and his leave was slated to go from 9:00 in the morning on January 5th, through 12:30 in the afternoon on February 16th. But they called at eleven thirty on January 4th, so it wasn't like they were breaking any rules. 

She was sitting up stick straight in the bed facing the door when Lindsey walked in, her hands were plastered to her stomach and she was soothing her thumbs back and forth.

"Hey why are you awake?" Lindsey asks 

"I think I'm having contractions." 

"You think you're having contractions." His eyes go wide.

"I do...the pains are really intense and they happen every twenty or so minutes and they last for about three minutes." She states.

"I think you're right Angel." He sighs taking off his holster belt.

"Oh here's another one." She grits wrinkling her nose and puffing out breaths as the contractions picks up. 

Lindsey knowing he's not going to get to change out of his uniform just unbuttons his first few buttons and rolls up his sleeves and crawls in bed behind her.

"Where?" He asks.

"What?" She puffs out.

"Where is the pain concentrated?" He asks.

"My hips and lower stomach." She winces. 

"Okay." Lindsey nods kissing the back of her head before snaking his arms around her and squeezing her hips and she immediately relaxes into his arms.

"There you go, let yourself relax, your contractions are going to do so much more if you loosen yourself up a little bit. You can still feel it but it's not as tight right?" 

"Yeah." She nods into his neck. "Lindsey, I've changed my mind...I don't want to do this anymore. We don't need to have another baby the two we have are perfect just the way they are right." She sniffles.

"It's a little late now Angel, but I'm going to be right here with you. We were lucky to apply for Family leave early huh?" Lindsey asks.

Stevie just giggles a little bit, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Alright, are you feeling better do you want to get up and move around, maybe eat something because I know once we get to the hospital you aren't going to be able too." He rubs her stomach. 

She opted to make a salad with chicken tenders and ranch dressing and it was almost perfect timing because as soon as she finished eating her hand found the counter and she screamed out. Lindsey was right there rubbing her back and then she rolled into his body. He rocked with her for a little bit and then water started trickling down her leg and they knew that they had to go to the hospital.

***

Lindsey walked into the house around two in the afternoon and Emily and Stella were giddily sitting on the couch. Stevie left for the hospital around six-thirty and Lindsey woke the girls up and told them that he was keeping them out of school for the day and to wait so that's what they were doing. They had been waiting. They were watching a movie on the television and as soon as they realized their dad was there they started to jump on him. 

"Daddy is it a boy or a girl?" Emily asks immediately jumping up to grab her purse.

"You'll see when we get to the hospital...I'm exhausted so you little miss learners permit are going to be driving us." Lindsey smirks chucking her his keys. He had been teaching her to drive for a couple of months and she had finally passed the written portion of her test. Now they just had to wait until July so she could take her road test. 

Stevie was sitting up  in the chair when they got to the hospital. She was dressed in her bathrobe and her own pajamas. It was a pair of black pajama pants with pink and red flowers on them and she was wearing a tight red thermal teeshirt. She looked tired, but she had showered and her hair was down straight drying and she had the biggest smile on her face. 

"Hey mom." Emily coos going over and giving her a hug. Stevie tried to stand up into the hug, but Emily kept pushing her down into the seat. 

"Hey Em...." She smiles. 

"Where's the baby?" Stella asks also going over to give Stevie a hug. 

"They're Coming, I had them take the baby to the nursery while I was getting looked over and when I was showering. They'll be here in a little bit and  I'll be able to come home on Friday" Stevie explains brushing a strand of hair behind Stella's ear. 

"So is it a boy or a girl?" Stella changes the topic going over to crawl up into the hospital bed. 

It was just then when a knock came at the door, and the nursery nurse came walking in with the rolling cot. Stevie thanks her and then when the woman is gone, she looks at Lindsey and he just laughs. 

"Girls, this is your baby sister Cora Lynn Buckingham." Lindsey smiles.

"It's a girl..." Emily gasps.

"She's a gorgeous, seven pound six ounce baby girl." Stevie nods.

"Can I hold her?" Emily asks.

"Sure...you both can. Emily, you can go ahead and take her out of the cot." Stevie nods. 

"Oh my god she's so small." Emily coos.

"Yeah she is." Stevie nods.

"Like this actually came out of you." Emily asks holding the tiny baby with blonde hair and blue eyes to her chest. 

"Yes, she actually came out of me..." Stevie nods.

"Did it hurt?" Stella asks.

"Yes baby, it did hurt, but it was worth it in the end." Stevie nods.