"Sit your ass down before I make you sit down," I yell from the kitchen, watching as Finn shuffles around the room.
It has been a little over two weeks since Finn woke up, and since then he has been a pain in my ass. He has never been one to be helpless, not liking it when he is not able to help me with Remy and Viola, or go to check on Mary as her due date edged closer.
Now, it is the day. The one where Mary is going to be induced. We have been waiting anxiously for her to go into labor on her own, but the baby seems to be stubborn already. Alena says the baby is measuring big, and strongly recommended for the baby to be born a little early.
It would lessen the chances of Mary having complications during the birthing process, something we have to take into consideration. While we have some skilled doctors here in our town, we do not have any of the necessary equipment to perform a caesarian section. If baby got stuck, Alena would most likely have to break their arm to get them out.
Suffice to say, we do not want to take any chances.
"I'm tired of sitting," Finn grumbles, coming into the kitchen and leaning against the counter. "Too anxious."
Letting out a long sigh, I set down the plate I had been washing and walk over to drape my arms over Finn's shoulders. He uses his unbroken arm to pull me closer, hand settling on the small of my back.
"I'm nervous, too," I tell him, leaning forward to press a soft kiss against his lips. "But worrying will get us nowhere."
"I know," Finn whispers, head tilted down so that he can rest his forehead against mine. "But Alena broke her water seven hours ago. Why hasn't she called us yet?"
Finn protests slightly when I push him over to the table, pulling out a chair and forcing him to sit down as I return to cleaning the dishes. "You know why Alena hasn't called. She said she will when Mary is close to pushing. And, since this is Mary's first child, the laboring process will last longer."
Finn just looks like a wounded puppy at my gentle chiding, an expression that I rarely ever see on his face. He is usually careful to not show when something is getting to him, pushing his own fears aside to take care of whatever needs to be done. Though this time, there is nothing he can do but wait, and he is hating it.
Walking over to the pot of pasta, I bring it over to the sink to drain the water, before setting it back down so I can stir in the sauce. "I'll call after lunch, alright?" I say, looking up at Finn. "See how far she has progressed."
Finn gives a small nod of his head, quietly accepting the plate of pasta I offer him.
Leaning over, I press a soft kiss against his cheek, brushing a few strands of hair out of his eyes. "I'm worried, too, Finn. We're in this together, remember?"
He nods his head again, but this time with a small smile on his face, not even complaining this time when I leave to gather Remy and Viola. They both clamber to the table eagerly, well, Remy does. Viola holds onto both of my hands as she takes wobbly steps after her older brother.
She is getting so big already, having mastered crawling and now almost walking. She is even much better about sleeping in her own crib, not having to snuggle with either me or Finn in order to sleep. While I am proud, my heart still aches a bit to see the baby who I rescued almost a year ago being so independent.
"Mm," Remy hums, gripping his fork and spearing some of the noodles before bringing it up to his mouth. "Noonles."
Viola lets out a cry of agreement, grabbing a few noodles before trying to shove them all in her mouth at the same time. I have given up trying to keep either of them clean during their meals, knowing that it is useless. Suffice to say, by the end of lunch, both of them are covered in sauce, Viola even managing to get some in her hair and ears.
By the time I have them both in the bath, with Finn and Harry keeping watch, I am already exhausted. Doing this without Finn is hard on both of us, and the guilt is clear on Finn's face as he watches me leave the bathroom.
But with all of them occupied, I am able to finally relax for a little bit. The lemonade that Anna had made last night is calling my name, so I pour myself a glass and settle onto the porch outside.
It is a beautiful day, the ocean a royal blue as the sun shines down on the water. It is the middle of the summer, the hottest part of the year, but the shade of the porch covering makes it the perfect temperature.
Apparently, I had started to doze without realizing, because my eyes snap open when I hear a familiar trilling sound. Yawning, I push myself up from the porch swing, walking over to the radio.
"This is Alden," I say into the mouthpiece, rubbing away some of the sleep from my eyes.
"Alden, hello," Alena says, voice calm. "Mary has transitioned into the final stage of labor and should start pushing any minute now. You and Finn should head over, and don't forget the baby bag."
It takes a few seconds for the words to sink into my tired brain, but as soon as they do, I find myself more awake than ever. "We're on our way."
"See you soon," she says before clicking off.
Setting down the mouthpiece, I turn around to see Finn standing in the doorway, eyes wide. "Was that the call that I think it was?"
Nodding my head, I walk over to him, my lips pulling up into a smile. "Time to go get our baby."
Finn smiles against my lips, a giddy laugh slipping out of me when he pulls away. "You grab the baby bag. I'll go call Anna."
He leans down to give me one more firm kiss before pulling away completely and moving in the direction of the baby room.
My hands are shaky as I grab the mouthpiece of the radio again, making it a little difficult for me to turn the dial in the precise way it must be done in order to reach the radio located in the community center. Anna has been spending most of her days there, helping out with the four children who had been rescued from the facility. They were the ones who had no family left, and god knows where the invaders had gotten them.
The trilling starts up again, the clicking of someone picking up the line coming a few seconds later.
"This is Erika."
"Hey, Erika," I say, turning when I hear Finn walk into the room. The baby bad is slung over his shoulder and he comes to stand behind me, arm wrapping around my waist. "This is Alden. Is my sister there?"
"Of course," she says, her voice just as friendly as always. "I'll go grab her."
"Thanks."
The line goes quiet for a few moments before it is picked up again. "Alden?" my sister's voice says, tinged with concern.
"Hey, Anna. Alena called us and we need to head over to the clinic. Can you watch Remy and Viola for us?"
"Of course," she says. "I can pick them up and bring them back here."
Finn gives my waist a squeeze, making me turn around in question. "They're down for their naps," he tells me.
Understanding floods through me. "Oh, that might be a problem. They just went down for naps. Can you come down to watch them at the house?"
"Hold on," she says, the line quiet for a full minute before she comes back. "I'm on my way."
Relief floods through me at her words, and the tension I did not realize I had been holding leaves my body. "Thanks, Anna."
"No problem. I'll be there in a few minutes."
The line clicks off, and I set down the mouthpiece before turning around in Finn's arms. He pulls me in for another kiss, this time much slower than before, making my toes curl against the carpet. Just as the kiss is starting to get interesting, the front door opens.
"Time to go," I say a bit breathlessly.
Finn just grabs my hand in response, guiding me over to the stairs. Anna almost bumps into us on the way up, letting out a surprised sound before winding her arms around me in a tight hug. "Congratulations," she says, pulling away. "Now, go get your baby."
"So bossy," I mumble, and Anna just laughs.
"You know it, Ally."
Finn gives my hand another tug, and I follow him down the stairs, slipping on my flip flops as he does the same.
Despite the warm air and soft breeze outside, the walk to the clinic is anything but relaxing. It seems like the longest five minutes of my life, anticipating the arrival of the newest member of the family.
Damien is waiting at the front door for us, ushering us quickly inside. "She started pushing a few minutes ago," he says, leading us to the room farthest from the sitting area.
A loud cry of pain greets us as he pushes open the door. Alena is crouched in front of the mattress, where Mary is leaning against. Her hands are clenched in the blankets as Alena directs her to push again.
Margaret is murmuring a continuous stream of soft words to Mary, hand rubbing up and down her back.
"They're here," Damien says before stepping out of the room again.
Alena doesn't even spare us a glance while speaking to us. "The two of you wash up, the baby is about to crown."
We do as she says, Finn setting down the baby bag as I scrub my arms and hands with sanitizing soap over the sink. He does the same as I step away, moving over to hover awkwardly behind Alena.
"Go sit on the couch," she directs as Mary slouches against the mattress. "I can't work with the two of you hovering over me."
Finn looks like he is about to argue, but I just grab his hand, twining his fingers with mine and forcing him to sit down on the couch with me. Tensions are already high in the room. Arguing would get none of us anywhere.
Looking around, I see that Alena has everything already set up, which I should have expected since the onset of labor wasn't a surprise. There are a few towels set on the rolling table next to Alena, along with the necessary medical supplies.
"It's starting again," Mary says, voice sounding hoarse.
"Alright," Alena says, shifting to a better position so that she can feel baby's progression. "We are almost there. Give me a solid push and baby should start to crown."
Mary does as she says, letting out a cry of pain as she bears down, face red and sweaty from the exertion. "It hurts. Oh god, it hurts."
"Almost there, Mary. You're doing great," Alena assures her. "Keep pushing, that's right. Almost there."
Mary slumps down again as the contraction ends. She is only given a half a minute reprieve before Alena is coaching her through another contraction. At the end, the baby is finally starting to crown.
"I'm so tired," Mary says, leaning against Margaret as she rests for a second. "I don't know if I can do this anymore."
"Just a few more pushes and you'll be done," Alena says, glancing over at us. "Get ready, daddies."
Finn gives my hand a tight squeeze, and I scoot closer to him, drawing our linked hands into my lap.
"Alright, Mary, on the next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can until I tell you to stop."
Mary gives Alena a shaky nod.
"And push," Alena says, hands moving beneath Mary as the baby starts to emerge. I turn away, not wanting to see the gory details. Instead, I bury my head in Finn's neck while he continues to observe.
"There we go. Just one more push and the shoulders will be through." It seems like forever but really is only a minute or so before a cry rings through the room.
Pulling my head up, I look back over towards the bed. Margaret is helping Mary to settle on the mattress, while Alena is cleaning off the screaming baby. The cry sounds strong, causing me to sigh in relief.
Finn's eyes look suspiciously bright as he watches Alena with the baby. It only takes a few minutes for Mary to take all the measurements before she is putting a diaper on the baby and wrapping them in one of the blankets we brought.
She slowly walks over to us, a soft smile on her face. "Congratulations," she says, laying the baby in my arms. "You have a new baby girl."
My breath catches in my throat, and I look down at the still babe. Finn is pressed tightly against my side, drawing a finger across the baby's cheek. "Wow."
Nodding my head, I take in everything about the little baby. She looks squished, just as all newborns do but with a surprising amount of hair on the top of her head. Everything about her is perfect.
"She's eight pounds exactly, and twenty inches long. All around healthy," Alena says. "You can take her home as soon as you're ready, but I want you back tomorrow so I can check up on her again."
"Thanks, Alena," I say, drawing my eyes away from the newborn to look at my friend. She gives me a warm smile, nodding her head in acknowledgment before going back over to Mary, who still has to deliver the placenta.
"Do you still want to go with the name we chose?" I ask, looking over at Finn.
"Yes," he whispers "I want her to have a bit of both of us. Giving her our mother's names seems fitting."
"It does," I hum in agreement, leaning down to press a soft kiss against the baby's head. She yawns, eyes blinking slowly. "Welcome to the world, Cora Madeline."