So, while I admit this may not be a super original idea, I decided I wanted to try it out for a scene/drabble to post for Anna Week on Tumblr. Now, I know it's not my best work, though I don't claim to be great, so I wouldn't know what my best work is anyway... But yeah, I hope you guys will still enjoy it. :) If so, your reviews would be truly appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
Ugh. Anna thought as she struggled to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the room. Again?!
With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself up the best she could and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
"You okay?" Kristoff mumbled into his pillow.
"Yeah—sorry. Didn't mean to wake you. I just need to go to the bathroom."
"Again?"
"Yes, again."
She tried to sit for just a minute, to let the sleepiness lift just enough for her to find the energy to stand up, but the pressure in her abdomen was refusing to be ignored. Need to pee. Need to pee. Anna put her feet on the floor, waddled two steps… three... Need to— "Oh."
"…Oh?"
"I... I-I think my water just broke." Her voice trembled, uncertain. "Either that or…" No. That's not—It has to be—Oh, man. Ohhhh… Oh, no. No. Not yet! Fear swept in suddenly as reality quickly sank in. This is happening. This is REALLY happening. I-I don't know if I can do this! She'd thought she was ready, that she could handle this, but now… now that the time had arrived, she wasn't feeling very confident anymore. Women do this all the time, right?
"Huh? You… your what?" Kristoff rolled over and rubbed at his eyes, trying to focus on his wife, yet still not quite awake enough to give her his full attention.
"My water, Kristoff!" She shifted her stance around the warm puddle at her feet. "The baby—It's time."
"Mmhm... the baby…" He sat bolt upright, instantly alert. "The baby! It's coming? The baby's coming now?!"
"Right now." She cradled her hands around her belly. You little stinker. You were supposed to wait two more weeks.
He hastily threw off the covers, leapt from the bed and ran to her side.
"Well, maybe not right now," she said thoughtfully, chuckling lightly at his excitement. "I'm sure it's going to take some time, but—"
He grasped her shoulders, gently pushing them back enough to draw her attention from her swollen belly to make eye contact. "We're having a baby!"
She lifted her chin, teeth biting down hard onto her lower lip. But she was smiling. "We're having a baby."
Kristoff took her face in his, pulling her in to what was most likely one of the most loving kisses they'd ever shared. "I love you so much. You know that, right?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before resting his hand against her belly.
Anna leaned into the hand that still rested on her cheek as she laid her own over it softly. "I do." She turned to press her lips to his palm. "I love you too."
"Elsa."
"Wait." Elsa? "…What?"
He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "I-I mean… the baby's coming. I don't know—I mean, I've never done this before. Elsa. She's better at this stuff… I've got to find her." He frantically thrust his fingers through his hair. "What if I can't find her?"
"It's like, four in the morning, Kris," Anna giggled. "Try her room."
"Oh! Right! You're right. Her room. Yeah… Got it. I'll be… I'll be right back." He hurried into the hall, but he'd barely crossed the threshold when he caught himself on the doorframe and pulled himself back into their bedroom. "You'll be okay?" He asked, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Do you need me to help you sit down, er…umm… Are you all right?"
"No—yeah, I'm okay. It… it doesn't hurt yet." She tried to smile reassuringly, which must have worked, because Kristoff returned the gesture and ran out into hall. Inside, however, she was anything but 'okay'; she was nervous and afraid and on the verge of full-blown panic. Calm, Anna. Stay calm. Everything will be all right. Elsa will be here soon, she'll know what to do. She inhaled a deep breath through her nose, before blowing up her cheeks and letting it out in a puff.
'Conceal, don't feel…' She snorted, amused. Didn't work for Elsa and it DEFINITELY won't work for me!
This is going to hurt.
"It's okay, Baby. We're going to be just fine," she said, as she patted her belly and settled into one of the chairs beside the dwindling fire.
"Anna!" She heard her sister's voice seconds before she rushed into the room – still in the process of slipping into her robe – with Kristoff just steps behind her. "Anna." Elsa dropped to her knees in front of her, taking Anna's shaky hands in her comfortingly cool ones. "Are you all right?"
She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I…"
Her lower lip trapped in her teeth, head nods switching to shakes. "No. I'm… scared, actually." Tears quickly welled in her eyes, "Oh, Elsa. I don't know how to do this!" She cried. "I wish Mama was here." the tears now steadily rolling down her cheeks. "Not that I'm not happy you are! And Kristoff." She shifted her gaze between the two, finally settling back on Elsa. "I just… it feels like something a girl needs her mother for."
Elsa offered an understanding smile, but try as she might to comfort her, there was nothing she could do to hide the sadness in her eyes at the mention of their Mama. "I know." She glanced over to Kristoff who just stood there, clearly out of his element. "But, we'll get you through this. Everything will be just fine. You'll see."
"You promise?"
"I promise." Elsa smiled again, genuinely happy this time, and rose to her feet, kissing Anna on the forehead before dropping their hands and backing out of the room. "I'm going to go call for the doctor. Try to relax."
"It HURTS!" Anna wailed, tears streaming over her freckled cheekbones. "Please, Elsa! Please tell him to make it stop. I…I can't do this. I can't! It hurts so bad."
"Shh-shh-shh. Hey. Hey, look at me." Elsa coaxed gently.
But Anna couldn't find it in her to do as she was asked. Her head thrashed wildly against the pillow. "I can't. I can't, I—"
"Anna!" Elsa shouted, then quickly lowered her voice to a firm whisper once she'd gotten her attention. "Anna, you have to open your eyes and look at me."
She felt a cool, delicate hand grip her chin. "Please."
Anna took a deep breath, counted to ten, surprised when calmness came easier than she'd anticipated. Slowly, she forced her eyelids open and locked her gaze with Elsa's.
"You can do this," Her sister stated confidently. "You just need to focus."
Anna nodded her head erratically. "Right… Right, focus. I can do this. I—aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh"
Kristoff took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "It's almost over, Anna."
She writhed on the bed as the pain of the contraction tore through her entire body. Her back and hips ached unbearably, and her pelvis felt like it had snapped in two. Fire rippled through her stomach and down between her legs as every muscle clenched, trying to expel the baby from her.
This had been going on for three hours. She'd tried pushing, but the baby just didn't want to drop low enough.
Elsa chilled the water in the basin that sat on the bedside table and dipped the washcloth in before bringing it to Anna's forehead.
"I swear…" the redhead panted heavily, "if you ever… EVER… do this to me again… Kristoff, I swear to you… aaaaaaaahhhh"
Kristoff was no doubt overjoyed that she had not been able to finish that thought.
"Aaaaaahhhaaahahaahaaa" Anna half-screamed, half-whimpered. Then, "I NEED TO PUSH!"
"The baby is crowning, Princess," the doctor said, confirming. Kristoff and Elsa both sighed, relieved that the end was near.
"Gaaaaaah!" Anna collapsed against the mattress, taking in a few quick breaths before the next contraction hit just seconds later.
"It's almost over, honey. You're doing SO good." Kristoff praised encouragingly.
"Shut up!" She snapped, then whined a little as the pain intensified again.
"Okay, Anna… you can do this." Elsa coached, one hand behind her sister's neck, the other helping to support one of her legs. Anna nodded quickly.
"How come she gets to talk?" Kristoff pouted.
Anna shot him a death-glare. He's just lucky I'm even letting him touch me… If I didn't need him to hold my— She gasped as the next contraction hit full force.
"Push, Anna!" Elsa urged. "Push."
"Just a little more, Princess! Push, push—"
"I AM PUSHING!"
"Here it comes... The head is out... Almo—WAIT! St-st-stop pushing!"
"What?!" But, I have to push! But she knew the doctor knew what he was doing, so she grit her teeth, fighting the urge, doing as told. The pain in her pelvis was excruciating, but she didn't dare move a muscle. What's going on?! Terror in her eyes as she tried to meet Kristoff's, but his were turned away, studying the doctor for answers of his own.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He pleaded, although he still leaned over Anna's knee to see for himself. "Oh my… W-w-what is that?"
What is WHAT? Anna tried to throw herself upright, but his arm was instantly right there forcing her back down. "What's happening?" She cried, but nobody seemed to be able to utter a word as they watched the doctor work frantically down between her legs. I can't see! "Somebody! Tell me!" she demanded.
But Kristoff's attention was entirely focused on whatever was going on with the baby, while Elsa stood with her hand, the one that she'd held behind Anna's neck, now hovering over her mouth, her complexion, even more pale than usual – if that was even possible, "I-it's okay, Anna," she said shakily. "The… the cord was wrapped around that baby's neck," she said, slowly resuming her previous position. "It's off now though. It's okay."
Before she could even process her thoughts, to let Elsa's words sink in one-hundred percent, she began to hyperventilate.
"Breathe, Princess Anna. Breathe and push."
"But... y-you said.."
"The cord is gone now, your Highness. And I need to clear the airway. You NEED to push. Now!"
Without wasting another second, Anna bore down. Hard. Pushing with every last ounce of strength she had left as the baby finally slipped free. Seconds ticked by, though to her, they felt like minutes, hours even. Suddenly an angry wail filled the room and Anna's heart nearly leapt from her chest. My baby... That's MY baby. Joyous tears trickled from the new mother's eyes, taking every last bit of her energy with them as they dripped down her face. Exhausted, her arms gave way and she fell limply back into the pillows.
"It's a girl!" Kristoff exclaimed. "It's a girl, Anna! And she's beautiful!" He bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "We have a daughter."
"We… have a daughter." She repeated, testing the words on her tongue. It felt surreal now. I have a baby. I… I'm a mother. "We have a little girl." She grinned, never in her life feeling quite this happy, the pain she'd felt just seconds ago was now virtually irrelevant. "I want to see her."
"Okay. Just a minute. Let me go check." He hurried to the doctor's side, watching as he cleaned up the newborn and wrapped her in two tiny blankets. Anna felt her heart swell as she saw Kristoff's face light up when the older man placed the baby in his arms.
"She's so beautiful, Anna," he grinned, staring down at his daughter's squishy pink face. "Just like her Mama."
Anna smiled weakly and held out her arms towards them. "I want her."
"Oh!" Kristoff startled. "Right, yeah." He stepped up to her side of the bed and lowered the baby girl into her mother's arms. Then he went around and settled in beside them.
"Ohhh…" Anna's bright blue eyes filled with tears once more as she studied her daughter's face for the first time. "Your Papa was right. You are beautiful. You're absolutely gorgeous." She tilted her elbow up so that she could kiss the baby's puffy little cheek. "How can you possibly love someone this much so quickly?"
Elsa perched on the edge of the bed, half-leaning on Anna's pillows as she stared down at her niece. "She's perfect." Anna could hear the smile in her sister's voice. When she tipped her head back to look up, she was surprised to find that not only had Elsa been smiling, but her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
"Do you want to hold her, Els?" Anna leaned up carefully and turned to pass the baby into her sister's arms. When she hesitated, Anna merely smiled. "It's okay," she told her gently. "I know you won't hurt her."
Elsa bit her bottom lip nervously, her hands reached out ever so slowly, but they changed direction as she quickly snatched them back and clutched them to her chest. "N-no… it's okay. Maybe… maybe another time."
"Aw, come on, you know you want to." Kristoff teased, trying to get the Queen to loosen up a little. But when he made eye contact with her, Elsa just dropped her gaze to her hands, questioning herself. "We trust you, Elsa," he said now, all traces of playfulness absent from his tone. "You don't have to be afraid."
Before she had a chance to refuse, Anna pressed the baby into her sister's chest, not moving an inch as Elsa stared down at the little girl. "Take her, Elsa," she said, leaving no room for discussion.
Moments later, the baby was cradled in her aunt's embrace and Anna (and Kristoff too, more than likely) could clearly see her tension ease as she instantly feel in love with the little bundle in her arms. "Wow," she breathed. "I... I've never held a baby before. This is... wonderful."
Anna beamed, overwhelmed with pride. She and Kristoff had made an amazing little person and now Elsa was overcoming her fears.
This is the best day of my life.
"Count her toes."
"…What?"
"Her toes. Count them."
"Okay…"
Seriously, why is this hard? It's not like it isn't a perfectly normal thing to check. "Are there ten?"
Kristoff complied, studying the little toes. He paused, then looked up slowly, visibly swallowing hard. "Eight."
"WHAT?!" Anna exclaimed. "Bring her to me! Let me see!"
When he didn't move instantly, she attempted to get herself out of bed before Elsa gently pushed her back into the pillows. "You. Stay." She turned and pointed at Kristoff. "You. Not nice." She tipped her head towards Anna. "Show her."
Elsa swatted him playfully as he walked past her.
Anna beheld the sight of ten beautiful tiny toes before narrowing her eyes at her husband. "You're dead, Bjorgman."
"What?!" He laughed. "Can't a guy have a little fun?"
"Do I look amused?" She glared.
"Okay…. Okay, I'm sorry." He leaned down to kiss her but she turned her cheek to him. "Oh, come on! You won't forgive me?"
A beat, then… the corner of her mouth quirked up. "Fine," she said, before grinning and leaning up into his kiss. "Now, hand over my baby."
"Anything you say, your Highness."
She stuck her tongue out at him as he placed their daughter in her arms; he knew she hated when he played the princess card.
"Speaking of princesses…" she stroked the baby girl's cheeks delicately, "we need to give this little one a name."
"Have you been thinking of anything you liked?" Kristoff asked sincerely. "I haven't really had any ideas. I wasn't ever really around girls. At least, not human ones anyway," he shrugged.
"Well," Anna looked up from the sweet little sleeping face and smiled. "I was thinking about Camellia."
Before Kristoff could comment, Elsa spoke up, "Anna," her voice quivered nervously. "That's a beautiful name. But... if you chose that because... well, because of me, then I couldn't possibly—"
"Elsa. Stop it." Her sister looked down at the floor - she didn't take well to being scolded. No... don't be sad! "If it wasn't for you and your winter, I would never have had to go off trekking up the North Mountain. And then," she looked over at Kristoff, her face warm with affection "...then we would have never met." She reached out to take her hand. "Don't you see, Elsa... Without you, we wouldn't be a family." Anna motioned to the baby. "I have your powers to thank for giving me such a beautiful gift."
"I think it's nice." Kristoff offered. "I get the feeling that I'm missing something, though. What does it mean?"
"Camellias are a kind of flower that blooms in winter. And considering how she came to be... All that... cuddling... throughout those especially cold, cold nights..." Anna winked at him not-so-subtly, enjoying the chance to tease her rather prudish big sister.
"Ugh! I froze the kingdom one time! I am not responsible for every snowflake or gust of wind, you know!"
Anna snickered. "I know, Els. But, still... It's quite fitting nonetheless."
"It's perfect," Kristoff agreed, a mischievous smile pulling at his lips. "I planted a seed and we grew a flowe—"
"Eww... Okay. You know, there are just some things I do not need to hear about!" Elsa covered her ears before reaching out to take another turn at holding the baby. "Come on, sweet girl, let's go..." she looked at the newborn's parents and pretended to gag "...anywhere else but here." She took a few steps away from the bed, cradling the baby to her chest.
"Elsa." Anna laughed. "Bring me back my baby!"
"Uh uh... Princess Camellia and I are—"
"Elsa!"
Elsa giggled. "Calm down, silly. We're just going to go snuggle by the fireplace..." she paused, suddenly uncertain. "Is that okay?"
Anna smiled, ear-to-ear. "Of course it's okay."
With a thankful nod, Elsa placed a soft kiss into the baby's peach-fuzz hair and crossed the room.
Kristoff cuddled up beside his wife and gently pulled her into himself. "Can you believe we made that?"
"She's amazing."
He nuzzled his face into her neck, kissing the soft, warm skin that brushed against his lips. "We should make some more."
"Kristoff!" She smacked him playfully. "I swear you have a death wish," she joked, shaking her head in mock disbelief. She craned her neck back and puckered up, to which he happily appeased her, both wore matching contented smiles. "Sleep. For now... let's just sleep."
"Yes, your Highness," he whispered, his warm breath tickled her ear.
She rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to hold back her giggle.
Like I said... Best. Day. Ever.