Forever and a Day//Jolex

Chapter 9

It was around 6:30 in Seattle, and Alex was making grilled chicken and salad in the kitchen. Jo was on the couch scrolling mindlessly through Instagram while some crappy made for TV movie played in the background.
She double tapped another post in her feed, waiting for dinner. Just then, she felt fluid trickle down her legs.
"Oh my god. Alex! I'm wet!" She shouted.
"What?" Alex replied, looking over to see what was wrong.
"My water just broke!"
"Oh my god! It's time!" He said, flipping out. He pretty much knew what to expect, he had seen countless deliveries and even done a few himself. But when Jo went into labor, he felt anything but prepared. Even so, he went into protective husband/daddy mode and sprung into action.
"Okay, the hospital bag is already packed and in the car, the car seat is installed, and-"
Jo cut him off with a scream as the first contraction ripped through.
"Holy crap! Get me to the hospital, I want an epidural."
"Okay, okay. Wow, this is really happening."
Alex ran into their room and picked out some comfy clothes for Jo to change into before they left, and he helped her into them and then walked her to the car.
Once they were on the road, he dialed Mer and put it on speaker.
"Mer, are you there?" He says when it picks up.
"Yeah, what's up?" Jo once again cried out in pain, clutching her stomach with one hand and squeezing Alex's hand with the other. "Is it time?" Mer asks, having had heard Jo in the background.
"Yeah. Page DeLuca and make sure she knows we're coming, and then meet us out front with a wheelchair."
"Got it." She says before hanging up.
"It's okay, Jo. Just think about Brook. We're gonna meet our little girl." He says, lightly squeezing Jo's hand back.
"Everything hurts." She cried.
Alex drove as fast as he could without getting a ticket, and he continued to try and talk Jo down. It wasn't really helping, and as she breathed through another contraction, they arrived at Grey Sloan.
Mer met them at the entrance as planned, and they rushed up to labor and delivery. A few nurses said hello and congratulations on the way up, but Jo was in no mood to socialize.
Once they got to the room, another nurse gave Jo a gown and hospital ID bracelet. Carina came in shortly after to check her cervix and see how she was progressing.
Alex sat by Jo's side holding her hand as Carina put her in stirrups to see how dilated she was.
"Jo, I'm afraid you're only about 3 centimeters so you've still got a few hours to go."
"Damn it! God, it hurts. Alex, I don't think I can do this."
"You can. I'm gonna be right here, and then we're gonna meet our little girl. We're gonna meet Brooklyn, and it's gonna be amazing."
A few agonizing hours later, Jo's hair was matted with sweat and she her eyes were red and wet from crying. She didn't want Brook to be born into screaming, but this hurt a hell of a lot more than she ha imagined.
Carina came back in to check again, and this time she had better news.
"Alright, Jo. You're crowning. It's time to push."
"No, I can't. I can't, it hurts."
"Just try and breathe, and we're gonna push on the next contraction.
"Alex, I can't do this. This was a mistake. I'm gonna be a terrible mother. I can't even bring her into the world."
"Jo, don't say that. I know you can do this. You're the strongest woman I've ever met, and you're gonna do this. You can do this."
Jo was hit by a contraction and Carina told her to push, but she refused.
"I can't!" She screamed, tears rolling down her face.
"Come here." Alex said, sliding behind her and holding both of her hands. She squeezed as hard as she could, trying to distract herself, but it wasn't doing anything besides crushing Alex's hand.
"Jo, listen to me. The day I laid eyes on you for the first time, that's when I knew I was gonna fall in love with you. And when we kissed for the first time, that's when I knew I had fallen. Hard. And since then, I've only gotten to know and love you more. I want a house, a dog, and a huge family with you. And we're starting right now. Jo, I know you can do this. You have to, for Brooklyn."
"Okay, Jo. Deep breath and a big push."
On her next contraction, she squeezed both of Alex's hands and pushed. She cried out in pain as she did, and the contraction passed and she took another breath.
"That was great, baby. Just a few more." Alex said.
Just like Alex said, she pushed a few more times as she was told, each time more painful than the last. She was tired and sweaty, and the amount of pain she was in made her wish she wasn't alive.
"Alright, I see her head. One more big push and your going to meet your daughter."
Jo nodded and pushed, harder and longer than she had done before. She leaned against Alex, her head tilted back and resting on his shoulder.
A moment later, the room was filled with tiny shrieks and cries.
"Oh my god, Alex," she said in awe, marveling at the sound of her baby.
"Great job, Jo. You did it." Carina said. "Alex, do you want to cut the cord?"
Alex nodded and gave Jo a kiss before getting up from behind her.
"Jo, look what we made. She's perfect. And she looks like you." Alex said as got his first look at the baby. He cut the cord and cradled the baby in his arms for a moment before placing her on Jo's chest.
"Oh my goodness, hello there. Hey, sweet girl. Welcome to the world." Jo said in a baby voice, giving the baby a kiss.
"Alright, I'm just gonna get her cleaned up and checked out." Carina said a few minutes later, taking Brooklyn from her.
"Alex, go with her."
"Okay." He said. He walked to the other side of the room where Carina put the baby down and cleaned her up. The she put on her diaper and handed her to Alex.
"Would you like to do the check up?"
"Yeah."
He took a stethoscope and listened to the baby's heart, which sounded perfect. It was a nice change in pace for Alex to take care of a healthy kid.
"Sounds good." He announced. He placed her on the scale, and slid the weights around until he got a clear read. "5 pounds, 3 ounces. She's absolutely perfect."
Alex finished up the check up and wrapped her in a pink blanket and put on her little hat, then climbed into bed beside Jo with Brooklyn in his arms.
"Alright, Let's go see mommy." He said to the baby, handing her to Jo. "Here's our daughter. You did it. You got her here safely. And she's absolutely amazing."
"Yeah, she is."