A Baby Story

Part 3: You want to stick your finger where?

By: ioanhoratio

A/N Hello out there! Anyone remember this story? LOL! I have been wanting to add to this, but needed a little bit of a kick in the butt. So thanks to kcatlin and Brinchen86 for the well aimed foot ^_^ Hopefully you guys are still interested in this story. I also need to thank AnickaMarie, Nerwen Aldarion, paradiseblue, laurzz, Hylen, pretty7, Colie04, laughing bubbles 18, webdlfan, bonafide11, JavaJunkie4evr, saderia, uscrocks, afrozenheart412, megann310, californication, & gwen24. Your reviews are what keep me going! I also want to thank those who favorited or added this story to their alerts; crazymoo97, LMooD7, countrygirl103, eealbrecht07, aznbLuEbEaRgr, lastlovesangel, Spannie 2, and EllaNichole.

I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint and you enjoy!

Danny had to force himself to walk at a reasonable pace over to his wife. His pulse was pounding in his ears from running through the hospital and he had to try and slow his breathing. The adrenaline coursing through his body was making it difficult but the relief at seeing his wife healthy and safe was almost as potent.

He was soon bending down to her, and she was wrapping her arms around him tightly. Danny returned her hug eagerly. They were so wrapped up in the moment of contact that neither noticed Adam stepping away to allow them some privacy.

"You're here," Lindsay whispered into his ear. Her voice full of emotion. Danny pulled back and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

"Ya thought I would miss this?" Danny asked incredulously, his voice breaking slightly.

"I was beginning to wonder," she teased.

He reached up with his other hand, and rested it against her tight, round belly.

"Ya ready to do this?" he asked her playfully.

She rested her hand over his against where their little girl prepared for her entrance into the world and with a seriousness in her tone she answered, "Now I am."

Danny smiled at her, as he felt the connection between them strengthen.

"I'm sorry this didn't go as smoothly as we'd planned," he offered quietly, using his had to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, her smile widening as she asked ruefully, "When does anything we plan go smoothly?"

He chuckled in response and teased, "Yeah, I guess our little girl was blessed with her mother's sense of timin'."

"Like mother, like daughter," Lindsay said proudly.

The sound of someone clearing his throat brought them back to the maternity ward. Danny glanced up to Adam's smiling face.

"I don't think I've ever been so glad to see you Messer," Adam joked.

Danny stood and stuck out a hand to Adam, which he took and shook.

"Thanks buddie. I can't thank ya enough for gettin' my family here."

Adam blushed at his words, and lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. It was my pleasure, but I think I'm gonna hand the reins over to you now," Adam said as he stepped away from the wheelchair to allow Danny to take over the pushing.

Danny and he swapped places and Adam turned to Lindsay, "Good luck you guys. I'm going to stick around for a little bit so you just let me know if there's anything more I can do alright?"

Adam didn't mention that he was sticking around because the text he'd received from Hawkes said Danny might benefit from having a friend nearby, or more to the point it read: Danny losing it. Stay put until you know he's not going to get thrown out of hospital. Adam didn't think the tough New Yorker exterior would like that bit of information.

Lindsay gave Adam a heartfelt smile of appreciation.

"Thanks for everything Adam."

"Not a prob! Happy to help with the Messer family expansion...wait...that didn't sound right."

"We get it," Lindsay assured him. She reached out an arm and snagged Adam's shirtsleeve, pulling him down to her level. She wrapped her arms around his neck awkwardly, and gave him a quick squeeze. "Thank you."

Adam returned her hug. "My pleasure." The younger man pulled back.

"A'right," Danny began, "Where we headed?"

"Oh, her room is 415, right down there," Adam answered as he pointed to the room he had left Lindsay's bag, and with a wave, headed towards the nurses' station to find out where he could get some coffee.

Danny nodded, and wheeled Lindsay the rest of the way. As he pushed, he leaned down to speak directly in her ear. "How ya doin' Montana?"

"I'm ok," she answered honestly. Danny's arrival had truly calmed her fears. Lindsay wasn't a cowardly person. She had survived a brutal crime, faced down her demon, made a career for herself in a difficult profession, and made a home for herself in a big, unfamiliar city. She knew Danny respected her for what she had accomplished and recognized the strength that it took for her to overcome the complexity of emotions that she had lived through. That was why she was absolutely fine with allowing Danny to see that she needed him now.

"A'right Mrs. Messer, we got the finest suite available," Danny joked as he wheeled her into their tiny hospital room. He helped Lindsay out of the chair, and for a moment they just stared at each other.

"So," Lindsay said softly, "This is it, huh?"

"This is it," Danny nodded, "I can't believe we're here."

"I know," Lindsay agreed, "I mean she has felt very real to me these last few months, but now it seems almost too surreal to be true. How did you and I get here?"

Danny raised an eyebrow at her and teased, "Ya need a biology lesson Montana?"

Lindsay laughed, and in a moment of pure impulse, threw her arms around Danny and held him as close as her widened body would allow. "Keep me laughing today, ok?" she pleaded quietly in his ear.

"I'll do my best," he promised, "but Linds I gotta be honest, I feel like I don't know what the hell I'm doin'."

"That makes two of us," she admitted, "Let me just start by saying if I get mean or rude with you today that I'm sorry and I love you."

It was Danny's turn to laugh. "Babe you can say or do whatever ya want to me today, an' I promise not to take offense. Just make one deal with me 'K."

At Lindsay's questioning look Danny continued, "Tell me exactly what you want me to do. If you want me to rub ya back, tell me. If ya want me to talk to you, tell me. If you want me to shut the hell up, tell me. A'right?"

"Done," Lindsay agreed, "Is it too late for me to request you give birth to this baby?"

"Yes," Danny answered without hesitation. Prompted by her question, he searched her face to see how scared she was. Her lips where pressed tighter together than normal, and her brown eyes held a hint of panic. "The truth is Lindsay, I am 100% positive I wouldn't be strong enough to do it. I have been floored with how amazing you've been through all of this. You worked even when you felt sick, you took care of me an' our relationship even when you were tired, you have educated yourself with every baby book under the sun, you've done everything right ta keep you and our baby healthy, you've made sacrifices, an' I know you are going to be an amazing mom. You are the bravest person I know, and I can't wait to see our little girl grow up to be jus' like you. You can do this, and then you'll just have to live with the fact that I'll forever worship the ground you walk on."

Buoyed by his words, Lindsay smiled, "Hmm...I think I can live with that. Does this mean

you'll go back to doing your own laundry?"

Danny gave an exaggerated shutter, "Hell no. I married you specifically so I'd never have ta step near a washin' machine again. Jus' know that I'll still be worshippin' ya even when you're holdin' a laundry basket."

Lindsay just rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you're such a good dishwasher, otherwise I would seriously be re-evaluating this relationship."

Danny didn't buy it. He grinned at her, then leaned in and just as he expected she raised her cumbersome body up onto her toes, and stretched to meet his lips in a soft, tender kiss.

"It still feels pretty good to know I get to kiss my wife whenever I want," Danny said as they separated.

"Well, I thinks it pretty cool that I can kiss my husband whenever I want," Lindsay shot back. The terms husband and wife were still new and fresh, and even took a bit of getting used to, but right now as they prepared for the titles of mom and dad, it felt reassuring to know they were in this together.

Any further conversation was diverted as Rosie entered the room carrying Lindsay's information. "Alright Lindsay, let's get you on the bed, and find out where we are, shall we? Oh, hello, are you the husband?" Rosie asked noticing Danny in the room.

"Yeah, that's me, Danny Messer, how ya doin'?" He answered nervously. Danny felt a bit uncertain now that the nurse was in the room. In a rush of realization, he felt unprepared and inadequate to the task of helping Lindsay through this. He felt like he had "first time father and complete moron" tattooed on his forehead.

Having dealt with first time father's often, Rosie easily read his trepidation, and smiled brightly. "Wonderful! I'm Rosie. I'm going to be your labor and delivery nurse. If you need anything just let me know, I'm not just here for the moms. And let me just say it is fantastic to see you here. Mom over here is going to need you with her. She's going to need your support and encouragement. And if you have any questions about anything I'm doing, or any concerns about what's going on, don't hesitate to talk to me, ok?"

Danny nodded. He liked Rosie.

Seeing a slightly more at ease father, Rosie took charge. "Now, Danny, will you help Lindsay onto the bed?"

Danny scrambled into action, and soon Lindsay lay reclined in the bed with Danny sitting in the chair next to her, holding her hand.

"Alright, let the marathon poking and prodding begin," Rosie joked. She took a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around Lindsay's arm. While she allowed the machine to work, she took Lindsay's temperature, checked her breathing, and asked about her due date.

A small beeping sound filled the room, and Rosie noted Lindsay's blood pressure. After making several notes on the chart she held, she turned to Lindsay. "Dr. Resser's office said you were coming in because your water broke. Is that correct?"

After Lindsay's response in the affirmative, Rosie continued, "Did it feel like a gush of liquid or more like a leak?"

"Definitely a gush," Lindsay answered, then her eyes grew large, "Oh no! Danny!"

Danny sprang to his feet and demanded frantically, "What? What is it? Wuz wrong?"

"I forgot. When my water broke in the lab I kinda just rolled my chair over it, and left it," Lindsay said sheepishly, "I didn't think about telling anyone."

Danny let out the breath he was holding. It was going to be a long day. "Don't worry about it babe. I'll let someone know. You just worry about...this..." he waved his hands vaguely over her stomach.

"Danny's right," Rosie stepped in and assured, "They'll take care of that. You just focus on this baby, and trust me I have heard some crazy stories of when and where a water has decided to break. Work is really common. Now, when was the last time you ate?"

"Uh...I had an orange and a bagel this morning, I guess about 2 hours ago. Wow, that feels like forever ago," Lindsay observed.

Rosie chuckled. "Trust me, today is going to feel all kinds of outta whack. Time seems to take on a new life when you're having a baby. Let me just recommend you enjoy it as much as possible. It is one of the few days in your life where work, obligations, or whatever takes precedence in your day to day life takes a backseat, and you can just focus on each other and your child."

The future parents grinned at each other.

Rosie then continued, "We won't forbid you to eat today, but we recommend holding off, and we find that most mother's, as labor progresses, lose their appetite anyway, but let me know if you are feeling faint."

"Why can't she eat?" Danny asked, still standing, hovering over Lindsay.

"Well, she can eat if she wants, we just don't recommend it. Most of the time the body focuses all it's energy on delivering the baby, and even the effort to digest food can be too much. But again, if she starts to feel like she's going to pass out let us know right away," the nurse explained, "Now Lindsay I'm going to check and see how far along you are. I need you to lean back, bring you knees up and then let them drop apart."

Lindsay did as requested and then gripped tightly to Danny's hand. At his questioning look she said, "This isn't exactly the most comfortable exam."

"Yeah, sorry," Rosie interjected as she pulled on a glove and positioned herself, "but I promise to be as gentle as possible. Now, at your last doctor's visit had you begun dilating?"

Before she could answer, Lindsay let out a hiss as her body tensed from the intrusion on a latex covered digit being shoved into her vagina.

"Try and relax," Rosie reminded her, "take a couple of deep breathes."

Lindsay again followed instructions, and focused on relaxing her muscles, though her tight hold on Danny's hand didn't lessen. He noticed his own body was tense and uncomfortable during the examination as well, and knew he wasn't going to be much help if he didn't calm down too.

"She...uh...she was at one centimeter at her last appointment, and that was two days ago," Danny answered for his wife.

"And your GBS status?"

"Negative," again Danny answered.

Rosie continued her internal examination in silence, and occasionally brought her other hand to Lindsay's belly, pushing gently. Finally, she stepped away, pulled off the glove, and quickly covered Lindsay's lower half with a blanket giving her back some privacy.

"Ok, well, it seems like we are going to be spending a lot of time together today," Rosie explained, "You are still at one centimeter and about 50% effaced."

"That's exactly where I was two days ago," Lindsay confirmed.

Rosie nodded, "The baby is still quite high too, but in good position. How many contractions have you had, and how far apart?"

"I had a few this morning, nothing too painful, maybe one to two an hour. Then after my water broke, they were much more intense but no more frequent."

Rosie again nodded. "Normally we would send you home at this point, and let you labor at home until you were much closer to delivery, but since your water broke, we are going to keep you here. We don't want to run the risk of infection, and we want to be able to check on the baby during your progress. I'm going to hook you up to the fetal monitor for about 20 minutes so we can record the baby's heart rate and track your contractions."

The nurse pulled the machine over to Lindsay and wrapped two stretchy bands around her belly. She then fiddled with a few buttons, and soon the sound of their daughter's fast heartbeat filled the room.

Both Lindsay and Danny's heads whipped around to stare at the machine as it showed their

baby's heart beating through electronic representation.

"Ok, do you know what you're having?" Rosie asked.

"A girl," Danny breathed out in awe.

"Well, your daughter's heart rate is good and strong," she observed, "while this is working I just have a few more things to go over. I'm going to switch the sound off while we talk, but then if you prefer I can turn it back on." Rosie pushed a button, and the room fell silent.

Danny didn't like that at all. Lindsay laughed at the look on his face. "She didn't go anywhere," she teased him quietly, bringing their joined hands to rest on the predominate belly bump that housed their daughter.

Danny just huffed.

"Now, I do have in your chart your birth plan. I just want to go over it, and make sure we are all on the same page, alright?"

"Of course," Lindsay answered.

Rosie sat down on the doctor's chair, the wheels squeaking softly as the chair rolled a bit.

"Okay, well, just from a quick glance I can tell you've really done your research. This is very in depth," she smiled.

Danny grinned proudly and added, "Yep, Linds here is organized and well informed. She doesn't hesitate to learn everything there is to know about something. That is why she's so good at her job. She's always researchin' and payin' attention to details."

"Danny," Lindsay groaned in protest at his praise.

"What Montana? It's true."

"What is it you do?" Rosie asked.

"I'm...we, actually, are both crime scene investigators for the New York Crime Lab," Lindsay answered.

"Cool," Rosie observed, "that is definitely one of the more interesting jobs I've heard of. So you guys work with the NYPD to catch the bad guys?" Now that she knew to look for it, Rosie saw the shield clipped to Danny's belt.

"We do our best," Danny answered humbly.

"Well that is too neat. I'm going to have to make sure you guys have nothing to complain about because I would hate to have the men and women in blue after me," Rosie joked then turned back to the task at hand, "Ok, so we have here that you do not want an epidural offered to you, correct?"

"Correct," Lindsay said, "I'm going to try and do this with as little medical intervention as possible. Danny and I have worked out a system that if I ask for pain medicine three times then you are allowed to give it to me. I also don't want any medication to speed up labor, as long as we can avoid it. I want this to be as natural as possible."

"Which I see here, because you have specified no episiotomy, no continuous fetal monitoring and prefer fluids by mouth for as long as possible."

"Exactly," Lindsay affirmed, "I want to be able to walk around, and use different positions and breathing techniques to help me deal with labor. We decided to follow the Bradley Method for labor and delivery, and we've taken all the classes specifying in that particular method. I'm sure you're familiar with it."

Rosie nodded. The Bradley Method encouraged natural labor and delivery, and for the husband, or significant other, to be involved heavily in the process. "I've had a few woman who used that. So Danny is going to be your coach through labor and delivery. Now, I have had a few woman who wanted me to help them through the delivery by holding her other leg, or encouraging them, and I've had some woman who just wanted me to be near in case I was needed. Do you know what you would prefer? Or how involved you would like me?"

Lindsay and Danny looked at each other and shrugged. Danny answered, "Right now we're ok with you bein' there, and helpin' as much as possible, but I do know that we don't want anyone countin' during contractions or dictatin' to Lindsay when she should push, or anything like that. You seem really nice and easy goin' so I don't think we're worried about ya bein' there ta help."

Danny felt Lindsay stiffen under his hand and he glanced at her. She closed her eyes and began breathing deeply.

"Contraction?" he pressed.

She nodded.

"Try an' relax," he reminded her gently. Danny glanced at the screen and noticed the number of the baby's heart rate dropped slightly. He looked at the woman assigned to help them and asked, "That's normal right?"

"Absolutely," Rosie assured him quickly, "The baby's heart rate will usually drop slightly during contractions. Nothing to worry about unless it gets too low, but if that happens the machine will let me know."

Danny felt Lindsay relax. "Ya ok?"

She smiled at him. "So far so good," turning to Rosie she motioned for her to continue.

"Ok, for after the birth you have that you would like Dad to cut the cord, and the baby to be placed on your chest or belly."

"I'v read that skin to skin contact is really good for her, especially right after birth," Lindsay explained, "and it should also say I want to breastfeed her as soon as possible."

"It does," Rosie confirmed.

"Will...will there be someone there who can help me?" Lindsay asked, "I've obviously never done that before, but I also read that it is really good for the baby to nurse soon after delivery."

"Don't worry, we will be there to help you with anything you need," Rosie again assured, "And I see you would like her to stay with you and your husband?"

"Yeah," Danny jumped in, "we don't really want her in the nursery, an' we read that you guys can do all the post-partum stuff bedside. So as long as everything is ok with the baby and with Lindsay we want to stay together."

"If for some reason there is a problem then we want Danny to stay with her at all times," Lindsay interjected.

"Well, we shouldn't have a problem with most of this. We do require a fetal monitor to be worn occasionally to check the baby's status, but as long as we don't have any problems there shouldn't be any reason you can't get up and move about. I do want to stress that if you begin to feel shaky or tired that you sit or lie down. I also recommend while we are in the early stages that you take some time to rest and kick back, save up the energy for the day ahead."

Rosie stood, and collected her things. "You still have about 5 minutes left on the monitor. I'm going to go call your doctor, give her an update, the doctor on call will probably pop in and confirm everything with you. Dr. Resser is the doctor we have to page for delivery, but sometimes babies surprise us, so if for some reason she can't make it or is held up with something I want you to be familiar with the doctor we have on call today. It will either be Dr. Moore or Dr. Pritter. Do you want me to turn the sound of the monitor back on before I go?"

"Yes," Danny and Lindsay answered in tandem. The nurse smiled and soon the sounds of their baby's heart filled the room as the couple settled in for the long day ahead of them.

Thanks for Reading!

Phew! One more chapter done. I hope this wasn't too bogged down in medical jargon. I did warn at the beginning that I was going to make this as realistic as possible so hopefully it wasn't too boring! I also want to point out that I am not a medical practitioner, so there is no real education to back up anything I said, just general knowledge and experience. I also want to point out that just because I have the hospital/nurse/doctor do something, doesn't mean I agree with it. I am just trying to keep it as believable as possible. For example, most hospitals don't let you eat during labor. I don't agree with that, but to keep the story accurate I went with it. There are several different labor and delivery methods out there. I am choosing to follow one I am familiar with and one I think works with the outline of the episode; Lindsay walking, no drugs, Danny and Lindsay's personalities, etc. I am not saying one way is right and the other is wrong. I just want to be clear on that!