Fate - Chapter 50(and 51) - Welcome / Epilogue
Fate
Chapter 50 - Welcome
Chapter 51 - Epilogue
POV: Cassie/Zac
July 26, 2007
The baby shower had been a big success, there was very little we needed after the shower and we’d gone the next day and gotten the rest, her room was set up and ready. The maternity pictures had gone sooo well! Joshua was super sweet and Emily had gotten wonderful family and single shots. We’d already gotten some printed out and distributed.
Zac had made up for having me babysit last year for my birthday. He’d gone out all with a homemade dinner, back massage, and a new car. He’d even let me pick it out and I did go with the SUV route because it was a little more sturdy. Best birthday ever.
The last week had been really hard though, Zac was in New York for few more days and while I could normally handle Joshua alone, I just couldn’t this week. My back had felt like a vice grip was around me and I’d been unable to really sleep. Zac, over worried father that he was, had called my Mom who had moved us to their house until he got back. It sucked. It wasn’t my bed or my place and they were naggy. My mother was trying to stuff me full of food and water and my Dad was trying to make me sleep forever. I wanted Zac back home.
I’d gotten up with Joshua early and after breakfast he and I talked and played, he was saying Baby really well and knew nana now and papa, which is what he called both my parents and Zac’s. My mom wanted nanny though, but he was working on that. They got up at nine and by eleven I was just feeling super tired. I tried to sleep but about noon I started feeling pains in my side, not sharp ones though. I went to the living room about 12:30.
“Mom?” I asked.
“Sweetie you should be resting.”
“I don’t feel well, my back is hurting like hell and my sides are too.”
My Dad had Joshua feeding him at the table but mom came over and felt my forehead, she then asked when and what I ate last and then sent me to sit while she fixed soup. Sitting seemed to help and after eating most of the soup I felt okay. I fell asleep in the chair only briefly waking when Joshua climbed up with me. It wasn’t him that woke me up, even though he was curled up with me asleep. It was the very sharp pain.
“Did he kick you Cassie?” Dad asked.
I shook my head. It was several minutes before I could tell him it wasn’t Joshua.
“I think you need to see the doctor.”
“I see her Monday.”
She didn’t look pleased, but she nodded and yet when the second sharp pain came she shook her head.
“You’re going to the hospital, your father can watch Joshua.”
“Mom.”
“No arguments Cassandra Destiny! Let’s go.”
“But there’s no point!”
“There is a point, that’s twice and I’d rather they check you and send you home than it be too late.”
My mother was the queen of stubborn, so my pleas fell on deaf ears and I eventually got up, leaving Joshua asleep in the chair I was just in. The trip to the hospital was quick and she handled the nurses when we arrived, knowing pretty much everything they’ll ask beforehand. The pain concerned them so they did take me up to be observed. But I was at 36 weeks and this was too soon, her lungs may not be fully developed or her immune system. They hooked up monitors and one of the nurses checked me.
“You are at a four.”
“What?”
“You’re dilated to a four.”
“This is too soon, can you stop it?”
“Probably not, but I will ask.”
Yet, it didn’t seem hopeful that they could and Zac was…holy fuck Zac was in New York!!!!
-Zac-
We were doing a shit ton of radio interviews, we were in the middle of the fourth one when my phone vibrated, I ignored it but it kept on vibrating.
“Excuse me.”
Taylor and Isaac both gave me questioning looks as I crept out into the hallway to see who was calling, Cassie’s name and picture was flashing on the screen and the text message said in caps to call her. So, I answered.
“Hey baby, is everything okay? Are you alright? Joshua?”
Yet, all I could hear was Cassie’s slurred and incomprehensible words. I could tell when someone took the phone because her voice got farther away.
“Zac?”
“Sheila? What’s going on? What is wrong with her?”
“Zac, Cassie’s at the hospital. She was having some pains and I brought her here. She’s at a four but she’s upset because you’re there and it’s early. I told her not to worry.”
“Wait…Cassie’s where?”
“She’s at the hospital. Joshua is with Gene at the house. But, is there any way you can head home now?”
“Yes, I’ll catch a red eye flight home right now. I just need to get my bags or make sure my brothers can.”
“Ok. She’s calming some. Do you want to talk to her?”
“Please.”
She sounded no better to me, I heard my name and I felt so bad for being so far away!
“Cassandra, baby listen. I’m catching a flight home as soon as I can. You’re going to be okay. Just calm down.”
“What if you’re not here?”
“I’ll be there. Remember, you said this was mandatory.”
“But…”
“Cassie, I’ll be there. I’m going to let them know and get the flight. Have your mom or you keep me posted.”
“Okay.”
I stayed on the line until she sounded better and then I hung up, they were still doing the interview so I went ahead and found and booked a flight home. It would put me getting home at seven, but it was the only one they had. I then eased back and waited for when they said break.
“Zac?” they asked.
“Cassie’s in labor, I have to go now. I will understand if you guys want to finish our commitments, but I can’t let her do this alone. She was so upset she couldn’t even tell me, her mom did.”
“We have two more radio shows, we’ll do those and then head home too.” Isaac said.
“Thank you.”
I felt like time slowed down, like traffic crawled and every red light caught the cab. It felt like my packing my bags took too long and then the drive to the airport crawled too. Check in was easy but the wait was killing me. Her mom was sending me updates, she was still at a four but the labor pains were getting worse. I called my parents who called my sisters, and I called Saphira. She wanted Saphira there and she could keep her calm until I got there. The flight home wasn’t long, but it felt like an eternity. Before I’d gotten on the plane she’d sent a message that her water had broken, wanted to know where the hell I was. Thankfully Jessica was waiting at the airport.
“Mom send you?”
“No. Cassie did. She, and I quote said ‘some goddamn body better fucking be here when your plane landed or she was fucking coming here herself’….Labor pains are not something she has dealt with easily. There have been more cuss words from her mouth in the last four hours than I’ve heard the past year from all of my older brothers.”
“Please tell me you guys aren’t taking them to heart.”
“Oh no, we all understand the pain is talking. She was at a five but things were slowing just a bit.”
I got my bags and she made every light…some just by mere seconds and dropped me off at the door. Finding her took little time and I walked in at 9:20. Just by how she was yelling at her mother and mine, said she was at the snapping point and was fed up with whatever they were doing.
“Guys, can you just give us a moment.”
They gladly left me here with the pissed off wife and they all muttered something about breaks and snacks, even the two nurses left the room quickly! Clearly she’d been yelling at them too. I moved and sat down on the bed and she was in my arms within moments, despite the IV and other monitors.
“It’s okay Cassie.”
“No, it’s not. It’s too soon Zac. What if…I can’t…”
I held her tightly. “It’s fine Cassie. 36 weeks is not bad, it’s only a week away from full term and the doctor told you before I left that she looked healthy and it appeared that her lungs were mature.”
“But..”
“Shhh…it’s fine. I’m here and I’m not going to miss anything. You have done remarkably well the last few months. Not much longer and then our daughter will be here. But she needs you to be calm and I know everything is frustrating and upsetting you, but they’re here to help you.”
She didn’t reply and I wondered if I’d said the wrong thing! But then I felt her hands tighten around my arms and grab the shirt, the little monitor began to show higher waves and I assumed this was a contraction and it was why she had not said anything. I hummed and rubbed her back until her hands relaxed.
“I know there here to help, but all I’ve wanted was you and they’re just driving me crazy telling me I need to walk, or have more ice, or that I should relax, it’s just driving me insane. They’re not you.”
I smiled. “They want to help but I am here, so what do you need or want?”
“They should be coming with the epidural, after that I can’t do much. But, can we walk?”
“Sure.”
I helped her up and fixed the gown so she wasn’t showing anything. We walked the hallways for a bit, any contractions she paused and I held her. Once she was back in the room the doctor came in with the epidural. She had thought about going without the pain medication, but her pain tolerance wasn’t that high. The epidural helped her relax and not be as stressed.
Her dad brought Joshua up about 10:10, they were going to stay here since it was late and he would most likely sleep. Joshua was concerned about her wanting to make her feel better. She didn’t want anyone else in the room but me, so a nurse agreed to get some pictures, she didn’t want the birth itself but some right after. The waiting was the hard part.
July 27, 2007; 3:00 am
Destiny Marie had been born at 2:28 am. I would forever wish that I had been able to see Joshua enter this world, but I was beyond happy to be able to see her being born, even if it did make me a little sick. They had laid her, screaming at the top of her lungs, onto Cassie’s chest and I’d been able to cut the cord. The doctors and nurses had left her laying on her chest for quite a while, having just moved her a few moments ago. The nurse had taken several pictures and when she was moved Cassie told me to move and take pictures, she would be fine.
She had quieted down as she laid there on Cassie, now she was screaming again. They were cleaning, checking, getting the vitals, and even some formula! I was snapping pictures. She was definitely a girl and definitely mine, she did however have her mother’s bright blue eyes. I got several pictures as they got everything done and then she laid there to get warm.
“You should go tell them, but I don’t want visitors right now.”
“They’re not letting you for at least another hour and I sent them a text a while ago, they’re going to wait.”
“I meant like…the rest of the night Zac.”
“No one?”
“Who is here?”
“Our parents. Saphira said she would come up first thing in the morning and Taylor and Isaac aren’t even home yet.”
“If they want to wait, that’s fine but I want Joshua to see her first and spend some time with her before everyone else is back.”
“Okay.” I said.
I stayed here until they moved us to a room and once Cassie was settled in the bed I brought Destiny to her.
“I caught some of her stats, what were they?”
“Eight pounds seven ounces, 19 inches long and she passed all the initial checks.”
“You know…you could have let her have some of my features.”
“She does, she has your eyes.”
“So, I get eyes and gender and that’s all? Not fair.”
“Next time.”
She just smiled, I gave her a few more minutes before I went to the front to see if Joshua was asleep. He was in my mom’s lap crying though and came right to me.
“Hey little man, what happened?”
“He’s a quick little booger, he fell off the sofa.” Mom said.
“No bumps, just think he got a little startled.”
“They just put her in room 407, but she’d like for Joshua to see her first. I’ll come get everyone once he’s gotten to meet his little sister. I guess it’s good since he’s asking for Mama anyway.”
“Are they doing well?” Dad asked.
“Yes, Cassie is obviously very tired but Destiny is doing well.”
“Destiny?” Mom asked.
“That’s her name, Destiny Marie.”
“Pretty name.”
“Let me take him back and then I’ll come get people.”
I headed back to the room but when he saw that she was holding the baby he got quiet. We had tried to prepare him as best we could for the new baby, but he didn’t seem happy that she was holding her. I sat down and he just watched her.
“Do you want to see the baby Joshua?”
“No.” he said.
“Do you want to see Mama?” She asked.
“No.” he said.
I let him sit down in my lap but he kept looking at her. She finally laid Destiny down on the bed between her feet.
“Baby?” he asked.
“Your baby sister.” I said.
He finally reached for Cassie and she let him come to her. He just curled up against her and ignored everything else.
“He fell off the sofa, maybe he’s just not ready to be social.”
She rubbed his back. “Or he’s going to be super jealous. Go ahead and let them come back, that way we can get some rest.”
“Can you handle them both?”
“Yes.”
I went and got our parents and when I got back Joshua was sound asleep and Destiny was laying where she was, but I got pictures with our parents. Her parents were going to take Joshua back home with them but they got as far as the parking lot before they brought him back, he didn’t want to leave her. They agreed to bring him a bag and other stuff when they returned in a few hours.
POV: Zac
August 27, 2007
Joshua had been extremely jealous the first week, he didn’t want to be near her and he didn’t want her near either of us. He wouldn’t sleep in his room and he had to be in the bed with us. I had felt bad the times I had to leave for work, knowing how he was acting. It took him about two weeks to realize that we weren’t replacing him, that she wasn’t going anywhere. We finally got the pictures of him holding her and from that moment, he was pretty much all about baby.
He wanted to help and he was great at being gentle with her, we were both thankful for that. Cassie had taken general pictures and she waited until Joshua was actually more accepting to get some of them, but I knew her reason for not taking professional ones before she was a month old was because she hadn’t with Joshua. We both knew he would have questions why the pictures of him in the hospital were different than hers, we’d cross that bridge when it occurred.
I had gotten up with Destiny at three, having a newborn at home again was nice. It was pleasant that I had help this time also. I was looking forward to our future together, looking forward to spending the rest of my life with Cassie and maybe a few more children. But as I sat here with both Cassie and Joshua asleep beside me and my little girl admiring me I couldn’t help but think back to when Joshua was a few days old. I’d gone to bed one night telling him I’d find someone that loved us both and I had. It had taken my family not helping and lack of support to find the person that I was meant to be with.
I’d found a woman that loved him as if he was hers, I’d found a woman that loved me for who I was and nothing more. I really couldn’t ask for anything better than this moment, well…maybe another baby or four…