Chapter Four

Louisa

Exactly forty weeks after our holiday on the beach, I went into labor. Nathan and Will rushed me to the hospital. The Traynor's followed behind. Treena and Thomas met us there. My parents were on their way.

I wanted Treena with me in the delivery room but she had Thomas to look after. She looked at the Traynor's as if to ask whether they'd keep an eye on him but they both turned away and got very interested in posters on the waiting room wall. I briefly wondered if Will and his sister had been raised by nanny's.

"I'll watch him," Nathan said. "I like kids."

"Thank you, Nathan." Treena reached up and placed a kiss on Nathan's cheek. He blushed. If I hadn't been in so much pain, I'd have appreciated the moment.

I didn't handle labor gracefully. I screamed, sweated and begged for mercy.

"You did this to me, Will Traynor!" I yelled as I was being told to push yet again.

"What? If I remember, you were quite the willing party," he chuckled, raising his eyebrows up and down.

He stayed by my side the entire time, making me laugh, and saying encouraging things.

"Remember when you didn't want to go scuba diving? You didn't think you could do it, but I knew you could."

"This is hardly a snorkel," I yelled through heavy panting.

"No, but you can do anything. And you can do this."

Treena wiped my brow and offered advice.

"It won't last much longer and you'll have your precious baby to hold."

"Were you in this much pain?" I asked her.

"Yes, and I didn't have a handsome man supporting me."

When the final push came, I felt relief as the baby slid out of me.

"It's a girl. Would the father like to witness the cutting of the umbilical cord?" the doctor asked.

Will moved his chair to the end of the bed. His face held a look of wonder as he watched them detach his daughter from my body, clean her up and wrap her in a blanket. The nurse placed the baby on his lap, making sure to keep one hand on her so she wouldn't fall.

"Put her up to my face, please," he said. The nurse lifted her to his face. He rubbed his cheek against her and kissed the top of her head. "She's beautiful. Just like her mother."

I held my arms out. I wanted to touch our baby. Will nodded and the nurse brought her to me.

"Oh, Will. She is the best of both of us."

"Yes, she is."

"Have you chosen a name?" Treena asked.

"Maura," Will said.

"After the island she was conceived on," I added.

"Ah, the trip you took hoping to save Will's life," Treena said.

"I'm not sure her plan included this," Will said.

"But it worked," I said.

"I'm going to go tell the others," Treena said, leaving the room.

Will and I were alone with our daughter.

"Before you, I'd have never imagined being a dad or a husband, which by the way, I plan on being very shortly, as soon as you're ready. I wouldn't have dreamed I'd be back at work, brokering multi-million dollar deals. I wouldn't have thought I'd be so in love with the quirky girl who wears the crazy clothes, likes stripy legs, and whose every expression shows what she is feeling."

"I told you before, Will Traynor. I'm a whole different person because of you. I don't even remember me before you."

He never mentioned Dignitas again.