Eikko and Me- A Selection Story

Chapter 10

~7 Months Later~

Eikko and I finished setting up the baby's nursery yesterday. All of her stuff is in place, and ready. We have a little less than a month till the due date, and I have been having some braxton hicks contractions. They feel better if I drink water and put my feet up. I have already been ordered to be on bed rest. It is SO boring! I would rather do paperwork, and that says something! I could do the paperwork, but Eikko will not let me. He says it puts too much stress on me. 

Mom and Dad have come to visit me every day and it gives me someone to talk to. Kaden and Osten join sometimes, but they always get bored sitting there. I am in the princess suite more now because Eikko and I prefer to have our room private. Mom and Dad are still in the King and Queen suite, but we do not mind being in here. They only use the King suite, and the Queen suite is just Mom's extra room to get dressed and ready with her maids, similar to the purpose of mine. 

We have a name picked out for our princess, but we are keeping it a secret. It comes from Eikko's culture and is a Finnish name. It is perfect, and I can not wait for everybody to find out.

Mom and Dad were just here, and we talked for a couple of hours. Eikko is finishing up some work, and then he is coming to see me. I hear a knock on the door, and I sit up a little. I am not expecting anyone, and Eikko most likely is not done yet.

"Come in." I try to sound sophisticated enough. I am just really tired, and I was about to go to sleep. I see the door open to see Josie. I smile at her, and gesture for her to go sit down. We have been getting close lately, and I love her company. 

"Hi, Eadlyn. I thought I would come and check on you today. That little girl of yours could pop out any day now!" I laugh at that. 

We have a normal conversation. I love talking to Josie. She is probably my best friend in the palace.  We talk about everything together. She might be younger than me, but she is really funny. She always knows how to cheer me up while I am on my butt all day! She just finished saying a joke, and I was laughing so hard, I was in tears!

"Josie, you are hilar-" All of a sudden, I feel a strong surge from inside of me. It is nothing like the braxton hicks contractions I have had. I grab the water from the nightstand. It does nothing. Josie must have noticed because she is now sitting right next to me. She grabbed my hand. The surge stopped, and I could breathe easily again. I did not even realize I was struggling to breathe until the surge ended. I let out a breath I did not realize I was holding.

"Eadlyn, are you okay?" I look over at Josie and nod. All of a sudden, I feel liquid slide down my leg. It goes down to the sheets. I looked at Josie, my eyes wide.

"My water just broke." She looked at me shocked and picked up the phone on my dresser. She dialed the hospital wing number. She said a few things, and the next thing I knew, some nurses were my room, with a rolling stretcher. I am put on it, and they roll me down to the hospital wing. Josie never left my side. I felt another contraction, and I screamed. This one really hurt! It got some of the workers' attention, and I took deep breaths, trying to calm down. I look over at Josie.

"Josie, please go get Eikko. He is in his office." She nodded, and rushed the opposite way, trying to hurry and get my husband. A minute or so later, I am in the hospital wing. I am rushed into a room, and I am given the epidural. It helps a bit, and the contractions slow. Eikko rushes in and runs up to me. He looks sweaty, my guess is from running to get here, and he grabs my hand and gives it a little squeeze. I know I will get through this with him.

~4 Hours Later~

"Your majesty, it is time to start pushing." I nod. Within the past four hours, all of our family has arrived. I have been having contractions, but I am unable to feel any of them. I am now ten centimeters dilated, and I need to get this baby out of me. 

I push, as much as I can force my body to, and I am already exhausted. I fall back down on my pillow and take a few breaths. They then tell me to wait for the contraction and push then. When it comes, I push. I was already covered in sweat. I was going to this for our little family. Eikko has been holding my hand the whole time. I am surprised he has not lost circulation yet. I have been squeezing it so tight.

Five pushes later, I hear crying. I fall back down on the bed and close my eyes to take a few breaths. The next thing I know, there is a baby on my chest. I start crying, of happiness. She was not cleaned, but she was so precious. The princess of Illea is now in the world, and I couldn't be happier. I kiss her forehead and look over at Eikko. He was crying with happiness and smiling so wide.

They take her away to clean her, and they give me a cold cloth. Eikko rubs it on my sweaty face, and I smile at him. He then kisses my forehead and grabs my hand.

A few minutes later, our precious baby girl is handed to Eikko. He looks down at her and kisses her forehead. I smile at the sight of my husband and daughter. He looks up at me and smiles. I smile back. He hands me our precious princess and goes out into the hallway. He comes back in with both sets of our parents and my siblings. Everybody was there, except Ahren and Camille.

They all look at me and smile at the princess. She is in a swaddled blanket, with a little hat to keep her head warm. The tiny hat had a  little crown on it. It was adorable. I looked up at them and handed her to Eikko, so she could be passed around and admired. When Mom finally got her, I took a deep breath. It was time to tell everyone our precious princess's name.

"Meet Kerttu Koskinen, princess of Illea, and heir to the throne."

A/N

OMG! I am DONE with this book (minus the epilogue, which will be posted next week!) How did you all like the last official chapter? I am giving myself a pat on the back because this book is going to be completed in a week! This is my first ever book. Even though it is a fanfiction, it will always mean something to me. Thank you so much for your support. You have no idea how incredibly thankful I am for each and every one of my readers! I love you all, and I hope you have enjoyed reading! -Kenzie