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Chapter Seventy Four - September 6

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to keep hopping until she comes out."

Liv had been due September 2. It was now September 6 and she was getting a little desperate.

And crazy.

"Honey, I'm sure it won't be much longer. Dr. Tresher promised to induce if you don't go into labor in two more days."

"I will explode in two more days, Nickolas," Liv said. I shut my mouth. It was never good when Livvy called me Nickolas.

I headed down the stairs into the living room. Angel had gotten her own apartment close by and the house actually seemed quiet...well, except for two rambunctious kids and four dogs.

Brooke and Noah were standing at the easel with giant crayons. Brooke was scribbling without thought. I watched Noah carefully decide what color he wanted next.

"Whatcha guys doing?" I asked. Noah looked over at me and grinned.

"Art," he said.

"Scibblin," Brooke answered. "NoNo use purple."

Noah looked down and carefully picked up a green crayon. He drew a nice little swirl on the paper. Brooke gave him the evil eye.

I sat down by the easel and stretched my long legs out. Noah took a rest on my knee and let Brooke have the whole paper. All of his careful strokes were carefully erased.

"Are you ready for your baby sister to come?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Noah said excitedly.

"Nope!" Brooke answered. She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and pressed on the paper with all her might.

I had gotten the same answer for the past month. I just hoped this time around Brooke was old enough to know that constant screaming wasn't the answer.

A couple hours later I was trying desperately to fix dinner. I didn't want the kids to constantly live on fast food and yet I sucked at cooking. I was carefully cutting up a carrot.

"Bunny food," Brooke informed me.

"Good food," I corrected.

"Sketti!" Noah cried.

I had been planning on some chicken and carrots. It was one of the few things I knew how to cook. Spaghetti wasn't on the menu.

"Nope, chicken."

"Sketti!"

Brooke looked down at Noah. She looked back at the carrots.

"Sketti!"

I was outnumbered.

Thirty minutes later the kids were splitting a can of Spaghetti-o's and a dish of cooked carrots. I leaned against the counter with a turkey sandwich.

"Liv are you still hopping?" I called. No answer.

"Liv?"

I glanced over at Brooke and Noah. They were preoccupied. I ran up the stairs.

"Liv?"

The bedroom was empty. The door to the bathroom was ajar. I opened it slowly.

One of the things about married life is you get pretty accustomed to walking in on your significant other at their worst. Like on the toilet.

This was one of those times.

"Oh, sorry, I..."

Liv's head was bent down to her chest. She was wrapped in a towel. She had one hand on the sink and her knuckles were turning white.

This was not an ordinary trip to the crapper.

"Liv?"

"I took a shower. My water hasn't broke," she said through gritted teeth. "Contractions. Probably false."

We had experienced false contractions many, many times before. This was not false contractions.

"Are you sure your water didn't break in the shower?"

She glared up at me. I felt like she was going to implode me at any second.

"I'm going to call your mom and we're going to go to the hospital," I said calmly.

Then I ran out of the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later Mike and Liv's mom careened into the drive. She was through the door before I could answer it.

"I'll stay. You go."

"Thanks."

I ran back upstairs. Liv was still sitting on the toilet in her towel.

"We've got to get you dressed so I can take you to the hospital."

Her teeth were clamped so hard together that I was sure she was going to break a tooth. I reached for her arm.

"Don't touch--AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

I had never seen Liv like this. She had delivered Brooklyn without drugs. For Noah she had a c-section. This was...this was terrifying. This was like an exorcism gone horribly wrong.

"I'm going to call the ambulance," I said. I grabbed the phone, but she knocked it out of my hands.

"NICK!"

I had no idea what to do. She was screaming like someone was tearing her apart. Feeling like a dork, I crawled towards my phone and out of harm's way. I dialed 911.

"911. What is your emergency?"

"My wife's in labor. I don't think she can, er, move."

"What is your location?"

I gave our address.

"Okay, I need you to take a look and tell me what you see."

"What?"

I was going to tell the operator that she was out of her fucking mind when Liv slipped off the toilet grabbing her stomach. She tucked her head to her chest and moaned.

"You need to take a look and tell me what you see. I need to keep our paramedics informed up to the minute."

I had seen Liv in action before. I had helped catch Brooke. It was just that this was our bathroom with the fancy French tile, not a hospital.

"Liv, it's going to be okay, but I need to see what's going on," I reassured her

"I'm having a BABY!" she snapped. "FUCKKKKKK..."

I decided to take that as Liv saying, 'Yes dear, please check my hoo-hah.'

What I saw didn't make me feel better. There was the top of a head covered with dark hair that should have still been safely tucked in the recesses of Liv's body.

"THERE'S A HEAD!" I screamed into the phone. Liv gave another horrible scream.

"Okay, is your wife pushing?"

"YES! Should I tell her to stop?"

"SCREW YOU CARTER!"

"I can't tell her to stop!"

In hindsight, I'm sure the operator had a lot of fun with the phone call. At the current moment, I couldn't have laughed if I wanted to.

"Tell her to squat and bare down."

"She's already doing that."

Liv screamed again.

"Oh my god, what's going on?"

I looked up. Liv's mom was staring at us in shock.

"There's a head," I said feebly. I handed her the phone.

"Tell me what the operator says," I said. My mouth felt dry and I was just praying that I didn't pass out. I scooted closer to Liv and put a hand on her back. I took another peek just as Liv let out another blood-curdling yell.

There was no stopping the head.

"Take a deep breath," Liv's mom instructed. I didn't know whether she was talking to Liv or me but I sure as hell inhaled as much oxygen as I could.

"Where's your towels?"

I pointed to the cabinet against the wall. Liv's mom yanked out several fluffy towels and handed them to me. I peeked. The top of the head was still there and part of a forehead.

"The operator says if the baby's head is crowning don't pull it out. Wait until the head is out and then help her push."

I didn't have to wait long. Liv gave a huge grunt and suddenly there was a whole head.

"The head's out. Liv you're almost there," I said. Liv's mom would later tell me that I sounded completely calm but at the moment I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears.

"Clear the nose and mouth by stroking downward."

I did as I was told. I tried not to think of the baby goo. It was best not to think about that.

"Cradle the head and help ease her out."

This was the part I had helped with for Brooke. I knew this part. I saw a shoulder slip out and the body suddenly turned and came out in my hands. I continued to clear the nose and mouth. I was scared to death my own daughter was going to choke on her own baby house juices.

Then came the cry. Liv slumped down and I stared at my beautiful dark-haired little daughter in amazement just as the paramedic's footsteps sounded on the stairs.

--------------------------

"I think we've reached a new level in our relationship."

"Nick, you were incredible."

"You did all the work."

We were at the hospital and staring down at our little bundle safely bundled up in a soft pink blanket.

"We are going to have some story to tell her when she gets older," I said. I leaned down and kissed her bright pink face.

"Well, all of our kids have to make a unique entrance," Liv said. She tucked the blanket under her chin. "Right, Peyton?"

Peyton Renee Carter weighed a healthy seven pounds, thirteen ounces. She looked like Liv from the top of her pretty brunette head to the tips of her feet. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

"Knock, knock."

Liv's mom peeked around the door. "I have a couple visitors."

Mike and her walked in with Brooke and Noah.

"Hey booger," I said. I took Brooke. "This is your little sister."

Brooke looked down. Liv pulled the blanket away from Peyton's little face. Brooke frowned and touched her hair and then mine.

"No beebee."

I laughed. "She looks like mama."

Brooke still didn't seem too happy but she didn't flip out like she had done with Noah. Mike held Noah while he leaned over.

"Petty beebee," he said happily. He puckered up. Mike lowered him down and Noah kissed the top of Peyton's head.

By the time the kids left, Brooke had at least touched her and Noah was in love. I think he was happy that there was someone smaller than he was in the family. Liv's eyes began to droop and I put Peyton in the bassinet.

"Get some sleep," I said gently. "It's been a hell of a day."

Liv smiled. "I owe you one."

I laughed. "No you don't. But I told you in my next life I was going to be a gyno."

Liv laughed. Her eyes fluttered closed.

I tiptoed out into the hall.

I had at least five phone calls to make...one to Angel and four to my brothers.