I Won't Give Up - Hosie

Perfect

Josie is admitted to the hospital right away and spends the next several hours pushing through agonizing contractions and getting upset when nothing seemed to be progressing.

"Why can't I do this?" Josie breaks down crying after yet another failed attempt to birth their son.

"It's okay," Hope hugs her and rubs her arms comfortingly.

"I just want to be done with this so I can hold him," she cries into Hope's shirt.

"You will hold him, soon," she soothes her. "You're doing great."

"I have some news," the doctor walks in with a rather solemn face. "I'm sorry, I don't know how we didn't catch this sooner, but your baby is in a breech position."

"Breech?" Hope blinks at the doctor's words.

"Meaning he's feet first instead of head first?" Josie questions.

"Precisely," the doctor confirms. "His position makes a natural birth difficult, he's essentially stuck."

"So what does that mean for us?"

"It means you'll need an emergency C-Section. He's in mild distress, so the quicker we're able to deliver him the better."

Hope looks to Josie and sees fear in her eyes.

"You've got this, love," she squeezes her hand reassuringly. "I'll be in there with you when he's born. Our families are waiting out there for the little bundle of joy too."

Josie nods her head and puts on a brave face as she's prepped and put under.

Hope nervously waits beside her as the doctor does her thing until she hears a loud cry fill the room.

After a short while, the assisting nurse gives Hope a signal. She sees another nurse finishing checking the baby before swaddling him up and bringing him to Hope.

"You've got yourself one healthy baby boy," he hands the baby to Hope.

He's a pink little blob in her arms, and all she can think about is how perfect he is. She eventually lays him down in his bassinet to rest while she waits for Josie to wake up in recovery.

She's careful not to take an eye off either of them, even when a doctor comes in to assess her ankle which she actually wrecked pretty badly when she fell.

Josie wakes up with Hope holding her hand.

"Did it work? Did we have him?" Josie comes out of her haze.

"We did, and he's perfect," Hope stands up with the help of crutches and wearing a boot.

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"It turns out I fractured my ankle when I fell down the stairs earlier."

"What? You told me you were fine."

"I may have just said that so you wouldn't worry about me while you were in labor," Hope admits. "But enough about me. I think it's time you meet our son."

Hope hobbles to the other side of the room and wheels over his bassinet.

Josie takes him out and holds him to her chest.

"He's so beautiful and amazing," Josie tears up.

"Aw, love," Hope wipes the tears from Josie's cheeks for her.

"Have you two decided on a name?" one of the nurses asks them.

They look at each other.

"Lucas," Josie says slowly. "After my uncle. Lucas...-"

"Joseph, after his mother," Hope smiles. "Lucas Joseph Mikaelson."

"I'm so excited to meet you, baby Luke," Josie speaks softly. "And your mom was so excited to meet you that she fractured her ankle."

Hope can't help but laugh a little.

"Speaking of meeting him, I'm going to go out in the waiting room and update our families."

Hope gets up and hobbles out to all of them sitting anxiously waiting for news.

"Everyone, I'm happy to announce the birth of Lucas Joseph Mikaelson!"

They erupt into cheers and 'congratulations.'

Caroline and Stefan are the first to hold him after his parents, followed by Lizzie, then Freya and Keelin, Rebekah, and Davina. Even Kol, who's pretty averse to being near small children, held Lucas.

After a long, eventful day, Josie was feeling pretty tired and gave Lucas to Hope to hold before falling sound asleep.

"We're all so happy you're finally here now, Luke," Hope rocks him gently in her arms. "You know, I love you and your mom very much. Always and forever."