A Basket Full of Bats

Stephanie's Chapter

WARNING: This chapter isn't fluffy. It's Stephanie's chapter. It contains a fairly graphic and realistic description of childbirth. It also addresses some of the emotional content behind teen pregnancy. You won't offend me if you skip it.

It was a week and a half past her due date. Stephanie was going nuts. Would they have to cut the baby out of her? The thought of a C-section was terrifying but every day that passed now Stephanie was more convinced it would be inevitable. She'd never be able to wear a bikini again. There'd be this huge stapled scar that let everyone and anyone know she'd made a mistake at 16. A mistake, Stephanie hated, absolutely detested the term mistake. It was a life inside her. A life that was innocent and blameless so that made her the mistake. And she was going to be branded by it so that any time she looked at herself she would see, mistake, mistake, mistake.

Logically she knew that they would induce her in a few more days if nothing happened on it's own. Someone had told her induced labour was a lot more painful. She'd been told countless times that with a first baby it was extremely common for the baby to come at least a week late but in her head and heart she'd been convinced that the due date was an absolute count down timer and then poof the baby came.

She was hiding in the library reading up on C-sections. It sounded gruesome. She could visualize bending down and stitches breaking. Stephanie slammed her hand down on the off button of the computer and went to the washroom. She'd spent the entire day with the runs. The baby kept shifting and she ached.

When Steph started cramping she sighed resignedly and went for a shower to relax herself. She was in the shower for a good 40 minutes before she realized the cramping was getting stronger and it was coming in even intervals. It was happening. She dried off and spent the next twenty minutes staring at a clock. This wasn't so bad. This, this was a baby coming.

With a really unnatural feeling of calm she walked to the home office where Bruce was working. "Baby's coming."

They stopped by Gotham Academy and picked up Tim. Tim and Bruce took her to the hospital. The drive to Keystone City was torturous; every bump felt like a sledge hammer. It was an hour and a half away. The car ride felt like it would never end.

"Tim seriously are you charting my contractions on graph paper?"

"Do you want me not to Steph?" Tim asked uncertainly.

Stephanie laughed tiredly. "Oh I don't care just don't go publishing it or showing anyone." Tim probably needed to feel like he was doing something helpful. She just wanted him there because Bruce was great and all but Tim was that friend that you can't beat off with a stick and that's what she wanted right now. A grown up who was on her side and a friend to make everything bearable.

At the hospital they weren't going to admit her right away because despite the regular contractions she wasn't far enough dilated to be considered, "in labour". It was an hour and a half drive between Gotham and Keystone. She only needed to dilate a half centimetre more before admittance. They weren't going anywhere. They went for a walk around the hospital grounds for an hour and she went back to get checked again. This time she was admitted.

Labour wasn't as fast as she thought it would be. It kept going and going. It was exhausting but Bruce knew a lot about pain. He kept instructing her in a soft steady voice to focus on relaxing all her muscles. As long as she let the contractions just wash over her it wasn't so bad. Tim read aloud to her from a Harlequin Romance they'd picked up in the gift shop. He even did silly voices. Tim reading the male lead in a deep mock sexy voice was hilarious. It was going on 14 hours now. Steph needed to stop looking at the clock.