Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Precious Moments ❯ The Birth ( Chapter 14 )

Precious Moments

Chapter 14 - The Birth

By Angel Love

Author's notes: I know many people have been waiting for this chapter. The baby is finally born. Yep, that's right, Heero Yuy becomes a daddy. Many thanks to those of you have supported me and helped me out while I've been writing this story. It is much appreciated.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Gundam Wing. I just own the story.

The early morning light shone across the bedroom as Heero entered quietly from a meeting he had with Lady Une about a new computer security system that he had designed for the Preventers Organization. He slipped his coat off silently and gazed towards the bed where Relena was sleeping peacefully on her left side. He took in the lines of her body that he could see through the sheets and blankets of the bed. She was even more beautiful just as she was with a soft look on her face and the bulging stomach which had incased his daughter for the last eight months, safe from the world around her.

He hung his coat in the closet and then slipped off his shoes and then pants before he silently climbed into the bed behind Relena. Slowly he shifted over to her, cuddling up to the back of her as he slipped his arm around her waist. She sighed softly in her sleep and moved a little back into him, making him smile softly as his hand covered over her protectively, possessively over her stomach.

He did not want to wake Relena; he knew that right now she needed all the rest that she could get. Both the tumor and the pregnancy were slowly draining away her energy. She was now taking three two hour naps a day just to remain functioning somewhat normally. Her medication after the headache that she had after the ultrasound he had been to with her had been modified so it seemed that her headaches were coming again every two or three days, however it was taking longer and longer for her to be able to slip into the oblivion of sleep which made Heero's gut twist at the thought of the pain she was in, knowing that any pain medication she should be receiving for it could not be given to her for fear that it would do damage to the baby.

Heero closed his eyes and nuzzled his face into Relena's hair much like a child would when they were seeking comfort. He felt like his heart was slowly dying along with his beautiful, loving wife. He had been doing endless research, as was Quatre, trying to find any means that would help Relena prolong her life but they were coming up with nothing except very radical experiments. The few that Duo and Trowa had gone to check out for him had left the two shaken enough at the results that made Heero promise himself that he would trust in Relena to stay with him for as long as she could and not do more damage to her already weakened body by experimenting on it.

He smiled to himself when he felt a small foot press against his hand as the baby shifted inside Relena's stomach. He gently caressed the foot and it pressed a little harder against his hand before it moved along with his fingers as he glided them a little across. It was a game that had taken him completely by surprise when Relena had shown him that sometimes she could get their daughter to move along with her movements. It was awing and left him speechless each and every time it happened, but it had also made him love the child even more and become a little anxious for her to join them in this world.

However, as anxious as he was about their daughter, still not yet having a name since he and Relena could not decide upon one, coming into this world, he was apprehensive about Relena going into labor. Doctor Phillip had voiced her concern about Relena's body not being able to handle the stress of actually delivering. Relena, though, was hesitant about going into surgery and having a cesarean section, stating that it was a major surgery and that could put even more strain on her body trying to recover from that.

Reluctantly Heero had conceded her point, finding that arguing with Relena about this was a mute point since she seemed to live for the debate with him. He had to admit that sometimes it was fun to watch her and Wufei debate over things; however it was frustrating when she did it to him. They had finally come to the agreement though that they would see how things would happen when she went into labor, if anything started to go wrong, she would have a cesarean.

Relena made a soft noise in her sleep and shifted a little against Heero, bringing him out of his thoughts. He gently laid a kiss on her shoulder and whispered that he was there in her ear and she settled for him making him smile again to himself, just enjoying being able to hold his beloved in his arms like this.

Heero's eyes flashed open though when Relena made a small sound of pain and he felt her stomach tighten under his hand. He half sat up and gently soothed her hair with one hand as he kept the other pressed to her stomach, his eyes on the clock. He wasn't for sure what was happening but something in him told him that this wasn't good.

He felt the muscles in her stomach slowly relax and Relena began to rest easily again, almost making Heero wonder if he had imagined what had just happened. He knew though that he had not. He had read that some women experience false labor and he wondered if that was what happened. He sighed to himself, wishing that he had more experience with this type of thing; books just couldn't seem to prepare him for whatever was going to happen.

He had almost just relaxed enough to lay down with his sleeping wife once more when her stomach tightened under his hand again, this time she cried out with pain that was enough to wake her from her sleeping state. His eyes were slightly wide but he forced himself to remain calm as he glanced at the clock and spoke quietly to Relena. "Relena, I'm right here, remain calm for me, tell me what's wrong."

Her hands covered his on her stomach and her entire face was contorted with pain as she gasped for breath, not quite awake enough to remember to breathe properly. She heard Heero's voice in her ear and struggled a little to do as he said. "My stomach... it feels like it is on fire..."

He soothed Relena gently until she relaxed against him, making a note of how much time had gone by in his head. "I think we should get you to the hospital. You feel like you are having contractions and they were only four minutes apart."

She looked into Heero's eyes, seeing his concern and worry there and nodded her head, letting him help her get up slowly. She made her way into the bathroom so that she could brush her teeth and hair while he found her something to wear, rubbing her sore stomach a little anxiously. She wasn't supposed to go into labor yet and she was really nervous about something going wrong. She wasn't sure Heero could handle it. He may be the Perfect Soldier but he was still just a man.

She was just pulling off her nightgown when another contraction hit and she would have doubled over in pain if Heero had not walked in the bathroom at that moment and quickly wrapped his arms around her to keep her steady. This time though, she remembered the breathing from the classes that she and Heero had just started taking the week before so she wasn't feeling quite so panicky or light-headed.

He gently moved Relena over to sit down on the toilet seat, soothing her hair when she began to relax again, squatting in front of her and looking up at her, waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him. "Relena, I put your clothes over there on the counter. I am going to call your doctor and let her know what is happening so she will meet us there, as well as tell Wufei or Duo to get the car warmed up."

She nodded her head and watched him walk out of the room, looking back several times. She rose slowly and got dressed, muttering to herself, "If I wasn't wishing I could castrate him I would find how nervous he is funny."

Heero was back inside the bathroom before Relena even had her hair brushed out, watching her like a hawk. "Everything has been taken care of. Dr. Phillip thinks that it would be best to bring you in right now. Are you ready to go?"

She nodded slightly, leaning against the counter as she put her brush down, feeling another contraction sweep over her. She barely felt Heero gently wiping away the sweat on her forehead but she was grateful for the way he was staying by her side, trying to give her a little comfort.

He gently lifted Relena up in his arms and carried her out of the bedroom and then down the long winding stairs. He didn't like the way she was shaking just slightly or the way she just laid her head on his shoulder, concentrating on breathing deeply. He nodded to Wufei, who met him on the bottom of the stairs with Relena's bag in hand.

"She packed this last week so I think it has everything that she needs in it," he said as he stepped up next to Heero and walked swiftly out of the mansion towards where Duo had the car warming up, since none of them wanted to wake Pagan. "I will call the others and follow you down there shortly."

He nodded once as Duo quickly opened the passenger door so Heero could settle Relena into it. He paused and gently caressed her face as she had her eyes closed and she breathed deeply, her hands over her stomach. He stood up and looked at Wufei and Duo. "Thank you." He didn't say anything more as he quickly moved around to the other side of the car and slid behind the driver's seat.

Heero pulled out onto the road before he gently patted Relena's hand. He looked over at her as he swallowed slowly; trying to regain his cool, the sight of her in pain was making him feel very low and helpless. "We will be there in a few moments."

Relena opened her eyes and smiled thinly at Heero, gently taking his hand in her own. She didn't tell him that she thought he was doing a wonderful job, or that she was afraid, right now she knew that all he needed from her was her touch because his entire body had relaxed just a little. She closed her eyes again, more because she didn't want to see just how many cars he could swerve around than anything else, a slight smile of amusement curving her lips.

When they reached the hospital there were nurses already awaiting them. One of the kindly smiling nurses helped Heero settle Relena into a wheelchair and then she wheeled her off while another steered Heero another way, setting him up with scrubs, as per the orders of Doctor Phillip.

He glared darkly at the woman as he roughly pulled them on. He wanted to be with Relena and not here wasting time pulling on scrubs and answering useless questions. Finally she led him to where his wife was waiting. He swept his eyes over her, she now had an iv in her arm and there were monitors over her stomach, telling the machine next to her what the heartbeat of the child was as well as how her contractions were doing.

Heero moved into the room, taking Relena's hand in his own as she turned to look at him. He forced himself to smile at her and gently brush her sweaty hair off her face. "How are you doing?"

Relena shrugged a little, giving Heero a slightly ironic smile. "I'm looking forward to the drugs they promised me." She squeezed his hand slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Please don't look so worried, Heero, or so guilty."

He smiled a little at Relena. "I cannot help it." He turned his head when Dr. Phillip came in with another doctor. Dr. Phillip was not actually trained to deliver babies but she was Relena's personal physician, so Relena wanted her to be involved, especially if something went wrong. The other doctor just happened to be someone that both Relena and Heero knew, she was Sally Po.

She greeted both of them warmly. "Hello, Relena and Heero." She took the charts from one of the nurses and began looking them over.

Dr. Phillip came over and patted Relena's hand, checking her IV in the process. "We weren't expecting you to be in here for another few weeks, but it looks like your little girl didn't want to wait."

Relena smiled a slightly tired smile at both women doctors. "It doesn't look like it." She squeezed Heero's hand as another contraction swept over her and through her breathing she heard her husband grunt a little.

He gently caressed Relena's face, speaking softly in her ear words of comfort that he had no idea where they were coming from, but he just knew that he wanted her to feel better. She had once told him that she loved the sound of his voice, that it soothed her, so he continued to just talk to her, trying not to think of how close she was coming to breaking his fingers. He was gladly taking on the little bit of pain for her, inside wishing that he could trade places with her.

Sally quickly went over Relena's vitals as the contraction ended, asking Relena questions while she was watching the baby's heartbeat, a small frown forming in her forehead. Everything seemed to be going very well, despite how quickly Relena's labor was coming but something inside her was just telling her that there was something wrong.

Dr. Phillip was eyeing the way Relena's face was becoming etched with tiredness and she could see that it was paling. Her eyes met Sally's across the room just before Heero's voice broke through both of their thoughts.

"Something is wrong," he said, his voice showing just a hint of his fear. He gently touched Relena's cheek but she didn't open her eyes, just barely responding to him by moving into her touch. "Her breathing is too shallow." He looked up at both doctors, his eyes becoming hard. "What is wrong with her?"

Doctor Phillip grabbed the oxygen mask and put it over Relena's face, as Sally double checked the readings on the monitors. "She is loosing oxygen. The baby's heartbeat is dropping rapidly."

He could feel his chest tightening painfully as he listened to the doctors and the nurses start talking to each other, listing things that were happening. Relena had lost consciousness and now he knew that it was only a matter of time before he lost them both unless something was done quickly. He met Sally's eyes fully as she looked at him. He didn't even wait for her to ask him, he just nodded his head. "Do the cesarean section. Save my wife and child."

Sally nodded her head and quickly ordered the room to be readied and then she looked at Heero again. "I already know that it will be useless to tell you that you cannot be there, but if things start to really go wrong in there you will have to leave, Heero. I'm sorry."

He nodded his head once and released Relena's hand so she could be moved on a stretcher. His eyes were hard as ice as he continued to meet Sally's, completely hiding the way he was shaking inside. "Understood."

Dr. Phillip informed one of the nurses to tell those in the waiting room what was happening, already knowing from a previous conversation with Relena that she wanted her brother and her friends to know what was happening, just in case. She took up behind the stretcher, Heero by her side, glancing at him. She had never doubted the stories that were told of the Perfect Soldier, but before now she had never seen him. He had always been gentle and soft with Relena; she had to admit though that she understood why he was looking like he was ready to kill anyone that touched his wife in the wrong way.

He watched with slightly narrowed eyes as Relena as settled on the table and she was prepped for the surgery. He took up her right side and held her hand tightly in his own. He didn't know if she was even aware that he was there with her, but for some reason he could not stop himself from kissing her forehead softly and whisper that he was in her ear. They had made a promise to each other that they would do this together and he was going to keep it.

Sally offered to put up a barrier so that Heero would not have to watch them cutting into Relena but he shook his head no. He wanted to see it all, even though he was seriously wondering at the wisdom of his decision when he saw the first slice of the blade through Relena's stomach. The blood seeping out felt like it was coming from his own body with the way his heart was twisting painfully in his chest.

Dr. Phillip patted Heero's back and told him quietly to relax and breathe when it became obvious that he was having a hard time. Each of the nurses were sympathetic to him but cautious of the way he was looking like a panther ready to attack and rip them all apart if they made one wrong move.

After what seemed like an eternity to Heero, Sally finally said that she was cutting into the uterus. He watched with amazement as she revealed the baby inside Relena's stomach. She adjusted the baby a few times before she finally detached her from her mother's body and turned her blue eyes to Heero. "Would you like to cut the umbilical cord, Daddy?"

He blinked slowly, staring at the wiggling, crying bundle in Sally's hands. She was covered in placenta, her little face was scrunched up unhappily, but she was the most beautiful thing that Heero had ever seen. He blinked again when he realized that Sally was looking at him expectantly and he realized that she had said something to him, but he did not have a clue as to what it had been.

Sally chuckled softly when Heero looked at her blankly and she repeated herself. "Would you like to cut the cord?" She nodded to a nurse that was holding out the scissors for him.

Heero looked at the scissors and then he looked at the cord. He swallowed slowly as his hand closed around the metal object. He moved closer to the baby in Sally's hands. He couldn't believe that he had piloted countless mobile suits, including at least four gundams, and he was getting sweaty and nervous at cutting a piece of skin.

As soon as he had cut it clean, his daughter was taken by one of the nurses over towards the back of the room, where he saw she was being weighed and cleaned as well as given her first immunizations. He tore his eyes away from his daughter and looked down at Relena, seeing Sally quickly sewing her back up while Dr. Phillip was going over her stats with the nurses.

She looked up at Heero and smiled. "She is stabilizing, Mr. Yuy."

He breathed a big sigh of relief and he kissed Relena's damp forehead, whispering to her, "You did a wonderful job. I look forward to showing you our daughter when you wake up."

Heero stayed right by Relena's side until she was being moved back onto a stretcher and being wheeled out so she could be taken to a recovery room. He turned when he sensed someone behind him to see a nurse approaching him with a pink bundle. "Would you like to hold your daughter?"

A million thoughts went through his head. What if he dropped her? What if she started screaming when he held her? What if his hands were too blood stained to be a good father? What if he let Relena down? What if he didn't? He shook his head at himself and reached out for the baby. He had never backed off from a challenge and he wasn't about to now, even if that challenge was a tiny baby that was solely dependent on him at that moment.

The nurse shifted Heero's arms just right and then backed off so that he could see his daughter. He looked down at the little face, now clean but still a small little pink bundle. She yawned big before she sneezed, a small little sound that really couldn't even be consider a real sneeze. Nevertheless, a smile spread on his face and the love that had filled his heart whenever he felt the small foot against his hand filled him again now. "Wow..."

Sally pulled off her bloody gloves and smiled softly at Heero. "Being a father will suit you, Heero."

He looked up at her and gave her a half smile. "It is a new mission for me."

Her eyebrows went up and an amused smile crossed her face. "Is everything a mission to you?"

Heero nodded once. "Hai, and this is one I will not fail. Where is my wife? I would like to be there when she wakes up."

She nodded and pointed to the nurse waiting by the door with a stroller. "She will lead you to her, but first you will have to settle your daughter into the stroller. Hospital rules say that you cannot walk through the halls with her."

Heero reluctantly handed his daughter over to the nurse, watching like a hawk as she settled her into the stroller. He started to follow her when Sally called his name. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder at her silently.

She smiled warmly at him. "Congratulations, Heero."

He nodded once and then continued to follow the nurse, a smile pulling at his lips.

~~~~

It was almost into the night before Relena awoke. She rolled her head slowly to her left, hearing a soft suckling sound. She blinked slowly, still slightly groggy, before the view came into focus. A soft smile spread on her tired lips as she saw Heero cradling a small bundle in one arm and holding a bottle in the other. He was feeding their baby.

He looked up when he heard her shift slightly on the bed, a smile on his face. "Hello, Relena," he greeted her softly.

She smiled, blinking her eyes tiredly. "Hello," she greeted back hoarsely. "You look handsome holding her like that."

Heero blushed a little and stood, trying to be careful not to jostle the baby too much. He sat down on the edge of the bed and uncovered the little girl so that Relena could see her, knowing that she wanted to. He hit the button and moved the bed up a little so she could sit up, making sure he moved it slowly so she wasn't hurt. "She's as beautiful as you are."

She lifted an eyebrow at Heero, feeling the oxygen tube in her nose and a faint pain in her stomach, since most of it was still numb from pain killers, but she refrained from telling him that she felt about as attractive as a dirty shoe. She turned her eyes down at their daughter just as she pulled away from the bottle and looked around. She reached out slowly with a shaky hand and brushed her hand through the soft brown fuzzy hair on her head, her heart skipping a few beats.

Heero smiled softly, watching the way Relena's eyes softened and filled with tears. "Would you like to hold her?"

Relena looked up at Heero in surprise, hope shining in her eyes. "Can I? I figured that I wouldn't be able to. I feel really weak."

He smiled softly and caressed Relena's face. "I won't completely let go." He shifted the baby into Relena's arms, keeping one hand firmly on her to help his wife with the weight. He knew that to him eight pounds wasn't a lot but right now to Relena it probably felt like a lot. He reached up and brushed back her honey-colored hair from her face, watching her. If he ever thought she was beautiful before, she was stunning now as she held their child close to her chest.

Relena gently ran a finger along the small cheek, watching her daughter turn and snuggle into it as she settled into sleep. "Oh Heero, she's amazing and so beautiful." She looked up and met his prussian eyes, her azure ones shining with tears. "Thank you."

Heero blinked in surprise and confusion. "What are you thanking me for? You were the one who went through all of the work to bring her here. It should be me thanking you."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, if it hadn't been you, I would never had the strength to make it this far. I never would have made it to see our daughter born." She caressed his face, seeing the fear and the worry in his eyes because she had nearly not made it through the birth and she knew it. "I promised you once before that I would stay with you as long as I could, Heero. I'm not ready to leave you... or her... just yet."

He smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead and then resting his against it. "Good, because I am not quite ready to give you up just yet."

For a long time they stayed there like that before the baby shifted and moved between them and he pulled back to look down at her and then up at Relena. "We still need to name her. The nurses kept asking me, but I did not want to do it without you."

Relena's eyes softened and she smiled a little watery. She looked back down at their baby, frowning thoughtfully. "She doesn't look like a Dominique," she said softly, giving off one of the names that they had discussed. She looked back up at Heero. "What about Livia?"

He smiled and nodded, running his finger along Relena's on their daughter's cheek. "Livia April Yuy."

Relena pressed a kiss to Heero's lips, wincing a little when she pulled a little on her stitches, looking increasingly tired. "I love it." She looked down at Livia, her voice soft. "She is our peaceful beginning, Heero."

He shifted to lie next to Relena, drawing her and the baby into his arms and settling them. "She is." He smiled a little more when Relena snuggled her head on his shoulder. "Sleep, Relena, you need it. We both will be right here when you wake."

She nodded faintly, already falling asleep, a smile on her face because one of her greatest prayers had been answered. She was able to see Heero holding and loving their daughter. She wasn't about to lie down and stop fighting now, because now she had another reason to try.

To be continued...

*Angel appearing with Wufei and Trowa*

Angel: *smiling broadly* The baby's here! The baby's here!

Trowa: *mildly amused* Angel is a little excited, but she would like to send a special thank you to Guardian Kysra, Cheryl and Tanya for their advise about finding a baby name suitable for Heero's daughter.

Wufei: *nodding curtly* I would also like to warn you that you are not allowed to pelt her with breadsticks for giving Relena a rough delivery.

Angel: *nodding rapidly* I coulda been worse and given her the labor that I went through *shuddering*

Wufei: And Angel says thank you to Smarty Cat for the late reply and she is sorry that she was too busy at the time to respond.

Angel: I sowwies

Trowa: But now she would like to ask for you to review and let her know what you think, or even helpful hints on how to improve her writing

Wufei: Now we shall take our leave and let you close this chapter *grabbing Angel and disappearing with her and Trowa*