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babydee1Hi Peeps! Didja miss me?? :-)
No, I didn't abandon y'all; just had some significant changes in my life recently which are very much for the better; however, it means that my writing time is significantly limited. But rest assured I still plan on completing all my WIPs, though maybe not as fast as I have in the past.
I was going to post this chapter tomorrow, but with the SV comics ending today with the birth of a very special baby, I figured this was as good a time as any. Only problem is, this baby isn't as keen to make an appearance as that one. :-)
Enjoy! Awesome banner by the lovely & talented![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chleansmile. Thanks again, babes! *hugs*
Title: Beauty in the Breakdown XI: Baby Love
Author:babydee1
Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: NC-17 (this chapter PG-13) New Series.
Warnings: A Re-telling of Chlollie post-Warrior
Timeline: Season 9
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Series Summary: With Oliver by her side, Chloe learns to let go, find peace, and fall in love.
Story Summary: Following the loss of their beloved baby, Chloe and Oliver find their way back to a place of love and hope
Feedback: …Always. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 5
“Why is it taking so long?” Oliver asked through gritted teeth, not for the first time since they’d arrived. “We’ve been here for two hours, and she’s been in labour since yesterday!”
Chloe and Lola exchanged a tired look. “This is the reality of childbirth, Oliver,” the doctor replied wearily.
“But she’s in so much pain!”
“It was never gonna be a walk in the park, you know that.”
Oliver exhaled roughly and paced nervously up and down the room. He was trying to be brave, but seeing Chloe in constant pain was killing him, and he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.
“I think you should give her a caesarean,” he said shortly. “That’s quick and safe, isn’t it?”
Lola gave him an odd look. “Are you suggesting I slice your wife’s belly open without her consent?”
Oliver glared at the doctor, and then turned to give his wife a beseeching look.
“I want to try and do this naturally if I can, Ollie,” Chloe replied bravely.
“But you’re exhausted,” he protested. “And you’ve thrown up three times since we got here!”
“Because you kept giving her large cups of water when I specifically told you to feed her ice chips very sparingly,” Lola accused.
“She’s thirsty from all the Lamaze breathing!”
“Her body’s in no condition to process anything apart from the baby right now.” She frowned. “And could you stop pacing between contractions, please? You’re generating a lot of nervous, negative energy in here.”
He scowled. “The only negative energy in here is the pain my wife is going through.”
“And if she wants to have that pain relieved by artificial means, they will be administered to her,” Lola replied, her patience wearing thin. “Until then, you need to man up and let her do this the way she’s planned to. And another thing: stop ringing the emergency cord every time she has a contraction. That’s not what it’s for!”
At that moment Chloe whimpered loudly, her face twisted in a futile effort to ride through the pain. Oliver went to hold her hand, but she waved him away as she had done the last several times, preferring to ride it through on her own. He knew it wasn’t personal, but he still felt utterly and completely useless to the situation at hand.
“I can’t do this,” he said helplessly as the contraction wound down. “I can’t just stand here and watch her like this!”
Lola folded her arms and shrugged. “Fine. You can leave the room, then.”
His eyes narrowed. “Not a chance.”
“I’m serious, Oliver.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“We’ll, you’re not staying here with that attitude. Seriously, I will frog-march you outta here if you keep this up.”
Oliver snorted. “I’d like to see you try.”
Lola took a deep breath. “Oliver, my job is to deliver this baby into the world as safely as I can for both child and mother,” she said tightly. “If you get in the way of that, I will have no qualms calling security to haul your ass outta here until my work is done.”
Oliver scowled at his friend. “I’m not leaving.”
The doctor clenched her fists. “Do I have to sedate you, fool?”
“Owwww….” Chloe groaned loudly, clutching her belly.
“Sorry, honey. I’m so sorry,” he murmured, stroking her hair and holding her hand as another contraction wracked her body. He turned to the doctor. “See? You’re upsetting her.”
Lola gasped. “I’m upsetting her?”
“Ollie, honey… could I have my iPod, please?” Chloe asked suddenly.
He nodded. “Sure, where is it?”
“Somewhere in the glove box,” she continued with a weak smile. “Having my favourite playlist will give me something other than your bickering and the pain of childbirth to think about.”
Oliver smiled. “Sure, honey. Be back in a sec.”
As soon as he left the room, Chloe grasped Lola’s hand.
“I want the epidural.”
“Are you sure?” Lola asked. “You’ve been very vocal about not wanting any pain relief.”
Chloe nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Because of him?”
Chloe sighed. “This is all really freaking him out. I can’t put him through that, Lola.”
Lola sighed, but nodded. “Okay, I’ll make the call. It’ll slow down your labour, but at least it’ll give you a chance to rest.”
The anaesthetist was there in minutes. Chloe held very still whilst he passed the needle through her spine, and almost instantly the crippling pain in her abdomen and back began to recede.
“I’m not happy about this,” Lola grumbled as the anaesthetist gathered up his instruments. “You could have done this naturally, just how you wanted. You were coping so well.”
“I know I was; but he wasn’t,” she said with a wistful smile. “I couldn’t do that to him. He’s lost so much, and after what happened to our first child…”
“Nothing bad is going to happen to this baby or to you, I promise,” Lola assured her. She pointed to a large syringe full of clear liquid which was hooked up to the IV line. “Right, that’s your painkiller. If you feel the ache in your back starting up again, just press this button here, and it’ll dispense more of the fluid.”
“Wow,” Chloe replied, her eyes widening in surprise and delight. “This works like magic.”
Lola smiled. “I know. It’s a real lifesaver.”
Just then her beeper buzzed, and she excused herself to make a quick call. Shortly after she popped her head around the door again.
“There’s an emergency down the hall that requires my assistance,” she explained. “I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can, but in the meantime, take advantage of the epidural and get some rest; you’re going to need all your energy later, trust me.”
***
“Hey,” Oliver said softly as he re-entered the room. He looked around. “No Lola?”
“She had to help with an emergency. She’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.” He held her iPod aloft. “Got it.”
Chloe smiled weakly. “Thanks, honey. Could you hook it up to the docking station for me?”
Oliver narrowed his eyes at her and frowned. “Forget about the docking station, what the hell are you hooked up to?”
“Hmm? Oh, that’s just the epidural,” she explained. “It’s amazing, I can’t feel a thing.”
“Really?” he said, surprised. “I’m glad you’re not in pain anymore, but… is this what you really wanted?”
Chloe reached for his hand and pressed his palm to her lips. “You were going crazy with worry. I think that hurt me more than the pain.”
“Oh, sweetie.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her gently. “I’m so sorry. I know you wanted to do this naturally.”
“Hey it’s okay, really,” she reassured him. “Although we’re probably going to be here longer that initially planned, because Lola said the epidural might slow my labour down.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.
“So you won’t mind if I sleep?”
His eyes widened. “You’ll be able to sleep and have contractions?”
She flashed him a tired grin. “Oh, yeah. Told you, this stuff is awesome.”
“In that case, think happy thoughts and drift off to dreamland,” he said, and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
***
Six Months Ago
“Who do think the baby will look like?”
Oliver glanced down at his wife and frowned. “Well, us. Obviously.”
“Yeah, but which one of us?” she persisted.
Oliver rolled his eyes. “It may have escaped your mind, but we do kinda have similar colouring, you know.”
Chloe sat up and settled herself in his lap. “Agreed, but there are still several differences. You’re tanned and I’m fair; your eyes are brown, mine are green; you’re tall, and I’m… well, not…”
“Okay, okay, point taken,” he said with a chuckle. “Let’s see… if it’s a boy, I think he’ll look like me, and a girl will take after you. Whatever the case, he or she is gonna be blonde, that’s pretty much a given.”
“With your chin,” she said excitedly. “I have to have a baby with that chin dimple. It’s my one non-negotiable feature.”
“I’ll be sure to tell God to put a dent in our baby’s chin, then,” he replied, amused by her enthusiasm. “Just as long as you promise not to spend the entire first five years of his or her life kissing it until it disappears.”
“Careful, Oliver,” she warned. “Don’t ask me to make promises I won’t be able to keep.”
***
Present Day
Oliver was listening to Aerosmith’s Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing when Lola entered the room about an hour later.
“You happy now?” she said stiffly, staring pointedly at the epidural pack.
Oliver smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry if I behaved like a dick. In my defence, my wife was in pain.”
“Which she was handling admirably, but hey; all is forgiven.” She checked the read-out of the stats on the monitor, then examined Chloe and nodded as she made some notes. “All okay here. Have you informed family and friends that the baby’s coming?”
“Not yet. I was going to wait until she’s actually here, so Chloe and I can spend some uninterrupted time with her first.”
Lola nodded. “Excellent idea. They wouldn’t be allowed into the delivery suite anyway, and visiting opens at noon. You can take the baby out to see them then, if she’s arrived.”
“You think it’ll take that long?” he asked, glancing at his watch. “It’s 5am now; I thought perhaps by nine, latest ten…?”
“She’s only about 6 centimetres dilated. I did warn you that the epidural would slow things down.” She nodded to the bedside chair he was sitting on. “That’s fully reclinable, so you can catch some shut-eye as well.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather stay awake,” he replied.
“No need to, we’ve got it all covered. Her vitals are fine, and so are the baby’s.”
“I know, I know. I just…” he shrugged. “I want to be here when she wakes up.”
“Are you still worried something might go wrong?” she asked softly.
Oliver took a deep breath and sighed. “All those years ago, I remember grabbing my lunchbox off the table and rushing out the door,” he said quietly. “‘Hey, young man, where’s my kiss?’” Mom asked. I said I was running late, that she’d get it when I got back from school. She replied she and Dad were going away for a few days, and I said she’d get it when they returned from their travels.”
He looked up at Lola, his expression hollow. “That was the last time I ever saw her,” he whispered. “If’ I’d known it was going to be her last day on earth, I’d have looked at her, really looked at her and seen what she was wearing; what earrings and bracelets she had on, how she’d styled her hair…”
Lola sighed. “You couldn’t have known what was going to happen, Oliver.”
“Exactly,” he replied. He stared at Chloe and gently stroked her belly, and smiled. “I don’t want to miss any of this, no matter what happens here today.”
“I still think you should rest,” Lola advised gently. “When the baby gets here, uninterrupted sleep will be a distant memory.”
“I know.” He felt Chloe’s stomach contract, and his heart swelled with emotion. “And I’m going to love every second of every minute of every sleepless night.”
Lola folded her arms and smiled. “I’d forgotten how stubborn you were. Alright, fine; stay awake if you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You look like you could use some sleep yourself,” he pointed out. “You’ve been on call for the last fourteen hours.”
“My shift was actually over two hours ago,” she admitted. “But I’m not going anywhere until your daughter is born.”
Oliver managed to swallow past the lump in his throat. “Thank you, Lola. That means a lot to both of us.”
She smiled. “It’s a pleasure.”
“I meant what I said, though,” he continued. “If, as you say, her vitals are stable and she’s not due anytime soon, then you should be able to get some rest, too.”
“I must confess, I could do with a little nap in the break room,” she confessed. “But Chloe…”
“… is sleeping soundly, and I’ll let you know if there’s any change,” he finished. “And you know I know how to pull that emergency cord.”
“Well, if you insist,” she finally relented. “But you must buzz me if there’s any change at all, or if you feel at all concerned about anything, okay?”
He nodded. “I will, I promise.”
***
Chapter 6…
No, I didn't abandon y'all; just had some significant changes in my life recently which are very much for the better; however, it means that my writing time is significantly limited. But rest assured I still plan on completing all my WIPs, though maybe not as fast as I have in the past.
I was going to post this chapter tomorrow, but with the SV comics ending today with the birth of a very special baby, I figured this was as good a time as any. Only problem is, this baby isn't as keen to make an appearance as that one. :-)
Enjoy! Awesome banner by the lovely & talented
chleansmile. Thanks again, babes! *hugs*Title: Beauty in the Breakdown XI: Baby Love
Author:
babydee1Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: NC-17 (this chapter PG-13) New Series.
Warnings: A Re-telling of Chlollie post-Warrior
Timeline: Season 9
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Series Summary: With Oliver by her side, Chloe learns to let go, find peace, and fall in love.
Story Summary: Following the loss of their beloved baby, Chloe and Oliver find their way back to a place of love and hope
Feedback: …Always. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 5
“Why is it taking so long?” Oliver asked through gritted teeth, not for the first time since they’d arrived. “We’ve been here for two hours, and she’s been in labour since yesterday!”
Chloe and Lola exchanged a tired look. “This is the reality of childbirth, Oliver,” the doctor replied wearily.
“But she’s in so much pain!”
“It was never gonna be a walk in the park, you know that.”
Oliver exhaled roughly and paced nervously up and down the room. He was trying to be brave, but seeing Chloe in constant pain was killing him, and he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.
“I think you should give her a caesarean,” he said shortly. “That’s quick and safe, isn’t it?”
Lola gave him an odd look. “Are you suggesting I slice your wife’s belly open without her consent?”
Oliver glared at the doctor, and then turned to give his wife a beseeching look.
“I want to try and do this naturally if I can, Ollie,” Chloe replied bravely.
“But you’re exhausted,” he protested. “And you’ve thrown up three times since we got here!”
“Because you kept giving her large cups of water when I specifically told you to feed her ice chips very sparingly,” Lola accused.
“She’s thirsty from all the Lamaze breathing!”
“Her body’s in no condition to process anything apart from the baby right now.” She frowned. “And could you stop pacing between contractions, please? You’re generating a lot of nervous, negative energy in here.”
He scowled. “The only negative energy in here is the pain my wife is going through.”
“And if she wants to have that pain relieved by artificial means, they will be administered to her,” Lola replied, her patience wearing thin. “Until then, you need to man up and let her do this the way she’s planned to. And another thing: stop ringing the emergency cord every time she has a contraction. That’s not what it’s for!”
At that moment Chloe whimpered loudly, her face twisted in a futile effort to ride through the pain. Oliver went to hold her hand, but she waved him away as she had done the last several times, preferring to ride it through on her own. He knew it wasn’t personal, but he still felt utterly and completely useless to the situation at hand.
“I can’t do this,” he said helplessly as the contraction wound down. “I can’t just stand here and watch her like this!”
Lola folded her arms and shrugged. “Fine. You can leave the room, then.”
His eyes narrowed. “Not a chance.”
“I’m serious, Oliver.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“We’ll, you’re not staying here with that attitude. Seriously, I will frog-march you outta here if you keep this up.”
Oliver snorted. “I’d like to see you try.”
Lola took a deep breath. “Oliver, my job is to deliver this baby into the world as safely as I can for both child and mother,” she said tightly. “If you get in the way of that, I will have no qualms calling security to haul your ass outta here until my work is done.”
Oliver scowled at his friend. “I’m not leaving.”
The doctor clenched her fists. “Do I have to sedate you, fool?”
“Owwww….” Chloe groaned loudly, clutching her belly.
“Sorry, honey. I’m so sorry,” he murmured, stroking her hair and holding her hand as another contraction wracked her body. He turned to the doctor. “See? You’re upsetting her.”
Lola gasped. “I’m upsetting her?”
“Ollie, honey… could I have my iPod, please?” Chloe asked suddenly.
He nodded. “Sure, where is it?”
“Somewhere in the glove box,” she continued with a weak smile. “Having my favourite playlist will give me something other than your bickering and the pain of childbirth to think about.”
Oliver smiled. “Sure, honey. Be back in a sec.”
As soon as he left the room, Chloe grasped Lola’s hand.
“I want the epidural.”
“Are you sure?” Lola asked. “You’ve been very vocal about not wanting any pain relief.”
Chloe nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Because of him?”
Chloe sighed. “This is all really freaking him out. I can’t put him through that, Lola.”
Lola sighed, but nodded. “Okay, I’ll make the call. It’ll slow down your labour, but at least it’ll give you a chance to rest.”
The anaesthetist was there in minutes. Chloe held very still whilst he passed the needle through her spine, and almost instantly the crippling pain in her abdomen and back began to recede.
“I’m not happy about this,” Lola grumbled as the anaesthetist gathered up his instruments. “You could have done this naturally, just how you wanted. You were coping so well.”
“I know I was; but he wasn’t,” she said with a wistful smile. “I couldn’t do that to him. He’s lost so much, and after what happened to our first child…”
“Nothing bad is going to happen to this baby or to you, I promise,” Lola assured her. She pointed to a large syringe full of clear liquid which was hooked up to the IV line. “Right, that’s your painkiller. If you feel the ache in your back starting up again, just press this button here, and it’ll dispense more of the fluid.”
“Wow,” Chloe replied, her eyes widening in surprise and delight. “This works like magic.”
Lola smiled. “I know. It’s a real lifesaver.”
Just then her beeper buzzed, and she excused herself to make a quick call. Shortly after she popped her head around the door again.
“There’s an emergency down the hall that requires my assistance,” she explained. “I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can, but in the meantime, take advantage of the epidural and get some rest; you’re going to need all your energy later, trust me.”
***
“Hey,” Oliver said softly as he re-entered the room. He looked around. “No Lola?”
“She had to help with an emergency. She’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.” He held her iPod aloft. “Got it.”
Chloe smiled weakly. “Thanks, honey. Could you hook it up to the docking station for me?”
Oliver narrowed his eyes at her and frowned. “Forget about the docking station, what the hell are you hooked up to?”
“Hmm? Oh, that’s just the epidural,” she explained. “It’s amazing, I can’t feel a thing.”
“Really?” he said, surprised. “I’m glad you’re not in pain anymore, but… is this what you really wanted?”
Chloe reached for his hand and pressed his palm to her lips. “You were going crazy with worry. I think that hurt me more than the pain.”
“Oh, sweetie.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her gently. “I’m so sorry. I know you wanted to do this naturally.”
“Hey it’s okay, really,” she reassured him. “Although we’re probably going to be here longer that initially planned, because Lola said the epidural might slow my labour down.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.
“So you won’t mind if I sleep?”
His eyes widened. “You’ll be able to sleep and have contractions?”
She flashed him a tired grin. “Oh, yeah. Told you, this stuff is awesome.”
“In that case, think happy thoughts and drift off to dreamland,” he said, and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
***
Six Months Ago
“Who do think the baby will look like?”
Oliver glanced down at his wife and frowned. “Well, us. Obviously.”
“Yeah, but which one of us?” she persisted.
Oliver rolled his eyes. “It may have escaped your mind, but we do kinda have similar colouring, you know.”
Chloe sat up and settled herself in his lap. “Agreed, but there are still several differences. You’re tanned and I’m fair; your eyes are brown, mine are green; you’re tall, and I’m… well, not…”
“Okay, okay, point taken,” he said with a chuckle. “Let’s see… if it’s a boy, I think he’ll look like me, and a girl will take after you. Whatever the case, he or she is gonna be blonde, that’s pretty much a given.”
“With your chin,” she said excitedly. “I have to have a baby with that chin dimple. It’s my one non-negotiable feature.”
“I’ll be sure to tell God to put a dent in our baby’s chin, then,” he replied, amused by her enthusiasm. “Just as long as you promise not to spend the entire first five years of his or her life kissing it until it disappears.”
“Careful, Oliver,” she warned. “Don’t ask me to make promises I won’t be able to keep.”
***
Present Day
Oliver was listening to Aerosmith’s Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing when Lola entered the room about an hour later.
“You happy now?” she said stiffly, staring pointedly at the epidural pack.
Oliver smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry if I behaved like a dick. In my defence, my wife was in pain.”
“Which she was handling admirably, but hey; all is forgiven.” She checked the read-out of the stats on the monitor, then examined Chloe and nodded as she made some notes. “All okay here. Have you informed family and friends that the baby’s coming?”
“Not yet. I was going to wait until she’s actually here, so Chloe and I can spend some uninterrupted time with her first.”
Lola nodded. “Excellent idea. They wouldn’t be allowed into the delivery suite anyway, and visiting opens at noon. You can take the baby out to see them then, if she’s arrived.”
“You think it’ll take that long?” he asked, glancing at his watch. “It’s 5am now; I thought perhaps by nine, latest ten…?”
“She’s only about 6 centimetres dilated. I did warn you that the epidural would slow things down.” She nodded to the bedside chair he was sitting on. “That’s fully reclinable, so you can catch some shut-eye as well.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather stay awake,” he replied.
“No need to, we’ve got it all covered. Her vitals are fine, and so are the baby’s.”
“I know, I know. I just…” he shrugged. “I want to be here when she wakes up.”
“Are you still worried something might go wrong?” she asked softly.
Oliver took a deep breath and sighed. “All those years ago, I remember grabbing my lunchbox off the table and rushing out the door,” he said quietly. “‘Hey, young man, where’s my kiss?’” Mom asked. I said I was running late, that she’d get it when I got back from school. She replied she and Dad were going away for a few days, and I said she’d get it when they returned from their travels.”
He looked up at Lola, his expression hollow. “That was the last time I ever saw her,” he whispered. “If’ I’d known it was going to be her last day on earth, I’d have looked at her, really looked at her and seen what she was wearing; what earrings and bracelets she had on, how she’d styled her hair…”
Lola sighed. “You couldn’t have known what was going to happen, Oliver.”
“Exactly,” he replied. He stared at Chloe and gently stroked her belly, and smiled. “I don’t want to miss any of this, no matter what happens here today.”
“I still think you should rest,” Lola advised gently. “When the baby gets here, uninterrupted sleep will be a distant memory.”
“I know.” He felt Chloe’s stomach contract, and his heart swelled with emotion. “And I’m going to love every second of every minute of every sleepless night.”
Lola folded her arms and smiled. “I’d forgotten how stubborn you were. Alright, fine; stay awake if you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You look like you could use some sleep yourself,” he pointed out. “You’ve been on call for the last fourteen hours.”
“My shift was actually over two hours ago,” she admitted. “But I’m not going anywhere until your daughter is born.”
Oliver managed to swallow past the lump in his throat. “Thank you, Lola. That means a lot to both of us.”
She smiled. “It’s a pleasure.”
“I meant what I said, though,” he continued. “If, as you say, her vitals are stable and she’s not due anytime soon, then you should be able to get some rest, too.”
“I must confess, I could do with a little nap in the break room,” she confessed. “But Chloe…”
“… is sleeping soundly, and I’ll let you know if there’s any change,” he finished. “And you know I know how to pull that emergency cord.”
“Well, if you insist,” she finally relented. “But you must buzz me if there’s any change at all, or if you feel at all concerned about anything, okay?”
He nodded. “I will, I promise.”
***
Chapter 6…
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no subject
Date: 2014-11-16 02:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-16 08:26 pm (UTC)Oh, SNAP!!! :-D
"This was a very timely post with the comic, which was super sweet and so was this. I like that Chloe was going to tough it out but got the epidural for Oliver. Hee. She could have just saved a step and had them give it directly to him. ;)"
Double-SNAP!!! :-D :-D
"I do think she was quite enjoying it once it was in her system."
Speaking from personal experience, Epidurals are GREAT. I can highly recommend them to pregnant women everywhere. But I digress. :-)
"Thanks for the update! :)"
Always a pleasure, as is reading your awesome comments! *hugs*