-1Disclaimer: 7th Heaven isn't mine, it will never be mine… etc. etc. You all know the drill.
A/N: Okay, it's been a few YEARS since I've updated. I know, but I was reading this story and I really feel like finishing it. So here we go.
Chapter 9: Here Comes Baby
Carrie sighed in relief at the end of yet another contraction. The nurses were preparing to move her to the delivery room, and she was thrilled. It was about to be over. The waves of pain were so intense she felt like screaming bloody murder every time one washed over her. Speaking of which.
"X… hand! NOW!" she yelled, grimacing in pain.
X was scared as hell. He hadn't been able to watch all those birthing tapes. Just seeing Carrie's reaction to them was enough to make sure he never watched them. Ever. X was shocked at how hard Carrie could squeeze his hand. She was sweating profusely and her eyes were shut and a couple tears slipped out. X felt awful about the amount of pain she was in, but moving to the delivery room was great news. She was finally going to have the baby.
As they wheeled her out the hospital room, they almost ran into Lucy and Kevin.
"What's going on?" Kevin asked, clearly alarmed.
"I'm going to the OWWWWWWW!" Carrie shrieked.
Her contractions were at about 40 seconds apart and Carrie could actually feel the baby moving downward. When it hit her cervix, it took her breath away. All of a sudden, she was left with the overwhelming urge to push. She knew right then what was happening.
"The baby's coming. Right now."
"What?" X asked her, scared witless.
"I need to push," she moaned.
The nurses quickly wheeled her into the delivery room and propped her feet into the stirrups and took a look. The baby was starting to crown, and the doctor told Carrie to push on the next contraction. They didn't have to wait long before the sharp pain hit Carrie full force. Her legs stiffened up, and she squeezed X's hand with all her might as she pushed. X began his job. Counting.
"1-2-3-4-5-6-"
Carrie cut him off, saying, "78910."
She moaned and dropped her head back on the pillow. X wiped her brow with a damp cloth and whispered in her ear how proud he was.
"Shut up," she bit back.
He decided right then and there to keep his trap shut and just stick to counting. Another contraction hit and hit hard. She screamed in pain and gasped as she felt the head pushing through her vaginal opening. She had opted out of an episiotomy, so the pain was immense. Carrie began pushing as X counted.
This went on for almost forty five minutes.
"I can't push anymore. I just can't," Carrie sobbed. "I'm so tired."
"I know, baby. I know. I promise you can do this. Just think about how it will feel to hold this beautiful baby girl in your arms."
That little piece of hope gave her the strength for one more push. She took a deep breath and with the she pushed. Her face turned beet red, and her entire body shook from the tremendous strain she was under.
"Okay, Carrie. The second shoulder is about to be free," her doctor said, encouragingly. "Just a few more seconds."
Carrie let out a yelp as her baby slid into the world. The baby girl cried almost immediately and the doctor put her on Carrie's chest.
"Hi baby," she said, quietly.
She marveled at the beautiful little creature before her. Conceived in a horrible moment, but born into a wonderful and hopeful future.
"She's so beautiful."
"Yeah, she looks just like her mom," X commented.
Carrie smiled and looked at the young man standing next to her bed. The same young man that told her about how his parents were never home, ever. That they didn't even realize when he was gone for weeks at a time. The same young man that came after her when she thought no one cared. The same young man that saved her. He was the true father of her child.
"I just hope she's as cool as you when she grows up."
"What?" he asked.
"I just hope she takes some of her daddy's personality traits. I hope she's honest and funny and just completely in love with life."
Her daddy. X understood what she meant, and he gave Carrie a tender kiss. For the first time in months, she didn't pull away. She didn't tense up, she didn't think about the rape. She just melted into him. It was the most beautiful moment of her life. Kissing the man she loved, while holding their newborn baby girl in her arms was absolutely precious. A nurse came by and lifted the baby girl from Carrie's arms.
"What are you doing?" Carrie asked, a little panicked.
"Don't worry, darling. We're just going to get her all cleaned up. In the meantime, we're going to get you to a room."
"Oh okay."
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The entire Camden family sat in the waiting room. They had taken Carrie's labor in shifts, but Kevin called everyone when she went to the delivery room. It had been an hour since she had gone through the swinging double doors, but no news had come. Just when Kevin was beginning to get worried, a young man dressed in blue scrubs walked through the double doors.
"It's a girl," he grinned.
Everyone jumped up and began talking at once.
"Whoa," X laughed. "Calm down."
"Is the baby healthy?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, she's absolutely perfect and she looks just like Carrie."
Kevin grinned. "So Carrie's alright."
"Actually, I haven't seen her so happy in months. I think she's finally moving on and that little girl is going to make all the difference."
The entire family grinned from ear to ear. They had seen an incredible change in Carrie. When she arrived, she was a loudmouthed girl in fishnets and an extremely provocative outfit. Through her pregnancy, she began dressing slightly more conservatively and she just became more grown up. Many times, she would volunteer to do the shopping for the Camdens. She insisted on cooking one meal a week, and she did at least one load of laundry every day. She did just enough to be a huge help to Annie, but not enough to make Annie feel unneeded. She made all A's and B's in school, plus she did extra work researching everything on how to take care of her baby. Overall, she was a wonderful addition to the Camden household.
"Can we see her?" Annie inquired.
"Yeah. They're getting her set up in her room right now."
The entire Camden family followed X down the hall and into a small room. An exhausted, but smiling, Carrie sat lifeless in her bed. 26 hours of labor had really taken it out of her, but she was positively glowing. At that moment a nurse came in holding a tiny pink bundle in her arms.
"Ms. Kinkirk?"
"Yes."
"Here is your beautiful baby girl. She's all cleaned up and everything checked out A-okay."
"Great. Thank you very much," Carrie said as she took her daughter from the nurse.
"Why you're very welcome, ma'am."
The nurse left the room, and everyone stood around her bed.
"So, what's her name?" Annie asked her.
Carrie smiled softly, glanced down at the baby girl, and said, "Amanda Grace Kinkirk."
"That's a beautiful name," Kevin told her, grinning.
"Thank you. I picked it because Amanda means 'to be loved.' And I picked Grace because you all have showed me so much of it."
"We have a tradition in this family when a baby is born. Matt started it when I had Mary, and it's the way we welcome babies into the family. Carrie, honey, you are family."
Eric pulled out a cupcake and put a candle in the center of it and lit it. Then he set out party hats. The entire family then sang the Mary Tyler Moore song. Carrie had tears shining in her eyes as she glanced around the room and saw all the love and support. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have ended up in this family. Because of their love and support, she would be able to raise her daughter in a stable environment while getting a wonderful education. Her brother promised to baby sit for her so her and X could go out every once in a while. And X. X promised to be the baby's father. She couldn't think of anything better than that.
As the song concluded, she was left with a sense of peace. She was going to make it, after all.
A/N: And that's the end of the story! I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm soooo glad I finally finished it! Please review.