Mona Lisa (Eminem Fan Fiction)

Faith

 Marshall POV

It was the last week of the pregnancy before we got to meet our little girl. Moe and I went all out and ordered chicken, ziti, salad, and cheesecake and sat in front of the TV munching. She had been walking around the house all day saying she felt "different" whatever the fuck that meant.

I fell asleep next to Moe in her bed around midnight and she woke me up a mere two hours later saying she had contractions. I called the doctor and grabbed the baby bag she had prepared for this occasion weeks ago. I drove fast but kept a calm demeanor on the outside. Inside, I was fuckin screaming! This was the moment of truth. After months of talking about and analyzing this pregnancy, Moe and I were about to become parents for real.

Moe passed up the wheelchair and walked herself through the halls of the hospital and into the elevator while hanging onto me of course. Sometimes she would grimace, or her eyes would become wide with painful contractions, but Moe was a real trooper. They led us to a suite on the top floor as to stay hidden because of my status. I made sure my baby's mother had the best treatment as she was about to give birth to our little bundle of joy.

"I'm thirsty. Can I get some water or juice?" Moe asked once we got settled into the room.

"Sorry Mrs. Mathers." A nurse answered Ramona. "Unfortunately, you're past the point where you can eat or drink anything. You're four centimeters dilated. I can get you some ice chips if you want. We'll be back shortly to check on you."

The nurse closed the door and left Moe and I alone.

"Ice chips?" Moe rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"It's in case you'd have to have emergency surgery you can't have anything in your stomach, Mrs. Mathers." I smiled as I said it.

"Oh! Here comes another!" Moe managed before distress came over her face and she forcefully breathed into a contraction.

I stood by her side holding her hand and rubbing her head.

When it came back down, Moe seemed scared, "Marshall, I don't think I can do this!"

"There's no turning back now baby." She became apprehensive for a moment, so I tried my best to comfort her by giving her a kiss. "We're about to have a beautiful baby girl. You're gonna be a mom Moe."

"AaaHhhh!" Another contraction overtook Ramona.

~~~~

After seven long hours of labor, right after 9AM, my daughter Rochelle Joy Mathers joined the world five days early. I imagined this moment a million times in my mind. The baby would come out crying as Moe and I would look into each other's eyes full of love and an overwhelming sense of peace. We would swaddle her in a warm blanket and place a cap on her little head to make comments about how cute she was, but that's not what happened at all.

When Rochelle was born, she didn't cry. There was dead silence. Her skin appeared blue, and I sensed something wasn't right, but I didn't want to alarm Moe, so I just kept my mouth shut. I didn't understand exactly what was going on, but a swarm of doctors came in to surround the baby to look in her eyes with bright lights and check if she was breathing. Not much was said before they forcefully whisked the baby out of the room to run some other tests.

"Marshall! What's going on?" Moe cried.

"I don't know baby. They're gonna make her better, ok? Everything's gonna be fine." I kissed her still glistening forehead.

"I had this new purpose in life to be a mother, and I can't even do that right!" Tears stained her face.

I sat there with Moe consoling her for a brief time before I decided to take it upon myself to find out what's happening to our baby.

"Fuck this. It's taking too long." I muttered to Moe before I hurried into the hallway to flag down a nurse. "Hey, can someone tell me what's going on with my daughter!?"

"Come with me Mr. Mathers." She said quietly.

The nurse led me down the long corridor and into a bright room. Even more medical staff stood around with complicated equipment that I didn't understand, but it scared the fuck out of me!

It was eventually explained to me that baby Rochelle's lungs weren't fully developed and had some fluid in them making it difficult for her to breathe. It was a serious condition, but common in mothers who suffer from preeclampsia. My tiny daughter was now being hooked up to all kinds of wires and machines which didn't help my nerves at all. I slowly walked back to Moe's room to relay the bad news that Rochelle wasn't born fully healthy.

Ramona POV

In the wee hours of the morning on January eleventh, I woke up to a terrible pain in my lower belly. I had been feeling cramps on and off for a few days and my doctor had said this is normal, but I sensed that little Rochelle would be making her grand entrance before my due date.

Marshall was everything I had dreamed of during labor. Even after all my preparation for birth and prenatal classes, I never could have imagined childbirth would be that viciously painful. Marshall held my hand, kissed me, rubbed my back, and was attentive in every way I needed throughout the process. I was so proud of myself to do it all natural only to be hit with the realization that something wasn't quite right. I looked at my blueish baby and I could sense that she was in distress.

When they wheeled her out without saying a word or letting us hold her, I knew that something was terribly wrong. I was still weak and exhausted from having just given birth, but Marshall comforted me, then went out to find out what the hell was going on. I laid there waiting, trying to rest, but overwhelmed that something horrible was happening.

When Marshall returned, he relayed to me that the baby wasn't breathing properly, and her lungs had to be cleared. I was devastated that this moment we've been waiting for wasn't a happy one. It was mother nature's way of being cruel and not letting me fully embrace the arrival of this miracle.

Marshall held me so hard and buried his face in my hair as we waited for some good news. I could feel his body trembling against me and realized he was crying. Hard.

"Marshall, I'm so scared." I whispered.

"Me too." He managed.

Our baby must be ok. We just need to have faith.