In Drummer Heaven

Baby Lee

I sit up in bed and Tommy groans. It's like six am but we were out late for Nikki's birthday, we got in at about one am and Tommy was quite intoxicated.

My back is killing me and it's not just because baby girl is moving around a lot. This is the worst pain that I've been in since I got pregnant. I don't like this and it feels like my baby wants out of me like right now. I touch my stomach and I can feel my muscles tensing up and releasing again. Am I having the baby?

Tommy rolls over and bumps into me.

"Darcy, go back to bed. It was just a bad dream." He mumbles.

"Babe, it's not a bad dream." I say. "I think I'm in labour."

"What?" Tommy asks and sits up quickly.

"I think the baby is coming." I say and he looks at me.

"Are you sure?" He wonders as pain crosses my stomach again.

"Uh huh." I squeak and he nods.

"Okay, okay, this is real now." Tommy states and I nod.

"Tommy?" I ask.

"Yeah, babe?" He asks.

"Baby. Hospital. Now." I say in an insane amount of pain.

"Oh right, yeah." Tommy says and grabs my hand. "Right. Come on."

Rosie

Jadie runs into the waiting room with Alby in her arms. She looks frantic and I smile.

"How's Darcy? Is the baby here yet?" She wonders and looks around. "Where's Dani and CC? I beat them here and I live in Barstow. Isn't Dani the godmother?"

"We're not sure where they are." Bret admits.

"Our theory is that CC fucked up." Bobby laughs.

"Dani will kill if she misses the birth of her godchild." Rikki concludes. "I mean that's why Nikki got his ass out of bed."

Nikki raises his fist but looks half asleep and we laugh. He's here because Tommy and Darcy are his two best friends and I think he's a little scared of Darcy. So it makes sense that Nikki was named the godfather of Tommy and Darcy's daughter.

"No baby yet." I say.

"I wonder if Darcy has broken Tommy's hand yet." Vince asks Mick with a laugh and the guitarist rolls his eyes.

"I'm surprised that Darcy hasn't killed him yet." Mick says and looks at me. "Where's Brice and the jockstrap?"

"I left them at home. Ian just got home and I wasn't going to wake him up." I explain. "Ian will bring Brice around after they wake up."

Tommy

Darcy wants our child out of her and our daughter agrees but the doctor doesn't. She says that Darcy isn't ready to start pushing yet but with the amount of pain she's in I think that she should be.

"I can't wait to be able to drink again." She admits with a laugh and I smile. "I mean I really can't wait to meet our daughter but I've gone nine months without drinking and that's the longest I've gone since drinking since I was like eighteen."

"I think that makes you an alcoholic." I laugh and my wife smiles.

"I think so." Darcy laughs and puts her head back on her pillow. "I want her out, baby."

"I know, Darcy, she'll be here soon." I promise her and kiss her hand.

"Is everyone here?" She wonders.

"Yeah, I mean most of them are quite hung over or tired but they're all here. Wait, all but Dani and CC, I'm not sure where they are. I know I called them." I explain and she nods.

"Maybe Anthony is being a pain." Darcy says optimistically.

"Yeah maybe." I agree and she yawns.

"I'm hungry." She admits and I laugh.

"You're always hungry." I remind her and she smiles.

"So are you, what's your point?" Darcy wonders.

"None what so ever." I smile as the door opens and Dani sticks her head in.

"We're here." She laughs and my wife smiles.

"Thought you weren't coming." Darcy admits.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. I mean how often is my godchild born?" Dani asks with a laugh. "I'll be out there."

Twenty minutes of Darcy screaming, doubting, and trying to break every bone in my hand our daughter was born. She weighed just over six pounds and was nineteen inches long. She had little bits of red hair like her mom and when she opened her eyes they were dark down like mine. We named her Avery Nicole Lee, partially because Darcy's middle name is Nicole and partially because of Nikki. She's perfect.

Darcy holds Avery who is wrapped up in a pink blanket. Avery holds onto my baby finger and I kiss Darcy's head.

"You did it, Darc." I say quietly.

"She's so beautiful." Darcy whispers and I smile.

"Just like you, babe. You can't even say she looks like me." I laugh and she smiles.

"She has your eyes, Tommy." She tells me. "And you, my love, can't deny that."

"No, I really can't." I laugh and kiss her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Tommy." Darcy tells me and kisses my lips.

Avery opens her eyes and looks up at us. Darcy smiles and kisses our daughter's head gently.

"Hey beautiful." She whispers. "We love you so much." Darcy then looks over at me. "Want to hold her?"

"Yeah." I admit and take Avery gently from Darcy's arms.

My baby daughter looks up at me and I grin. Avery grabs my pinky again and sticks out her tongue making me laugh. She is my daughter.

"Hey baby, I'm your daddy." I tell Avery quietly. "I love you so much."

Darcy smiles and leans her head against my arm.

"Should we maybe tell everyone that she's born?" I ask with a laugh and Darcy smiles.

"Oh right." She says and I hand her back Avery.

"I'll be right back." I promise her.

I walk back out to the waiting room and everyone looks up at me. Nikki smiles and runs up to me directly.

"Is she okay?" He wonders in the weird big brother way that he has over my wife.

"Darcy is fine and so is our daughter." I say and everyone gets up. "Want to meet her?"

We all walk back to the room and Darcy is bouncing Avery gently. Everyone crowds around my wife and daughter. I smile and lean in the doorway.

"What's her name?" Dani wonders.

"Avery Nicole." Darcy answers and looks at Nikki. "Want to hold her, Nik?"

"Can I?" He wonders and Darcy nods.

"Of course, just watch her head." My wife tells him.

Nikki holds our daughter gently and Darcy motions me over to her. I sit down on the bed and wrap my arms around her shoulders. Darcy moves closer to me and hugs my chest. I kiss the top of her head and smile.

"You did it, baby." I tell her quietly. "I'm so proud of you."

"We're not going to sleep for the next eighteen years." She laughs and I smile.

"It's worth it, I love her so much." I admit and she hugs my chest a bit tighter.

"Me too." Darcy tells me.

I'm a fucking dad now, holy fucking shit.