“WHEN CAN I GET THE FUCKING EPIDURAL?” Tom screamed. Judy had finally gotten him to lie down, but the pain hadn’t gotten any better.

“Tom, you aren’t dilated enough. You’re just going to have to wait.” she said while taking his hand. Tom’s eyes had turned teary and there was a sheen of sweat all over his body. Judy winced as he squeezed her hand hard enough to cut off her circulation.

“When’s Doug getting here?” he asked weakly for the millionth time.

“He’ll be here soon, I only called him ten minutes ago. You guys live kinda far from here.” Ioki said from the spare chair in the room. Tom groaned and clutched his stomach. He bit his lip to keep from crying out as another contraction seized him.

“I want Doug...” he whispered. Judy brushed the hair off his face which was now damp with sweat. She kissed him on the forehead, trying to give him some form of comfort. Ioki started to wet a towel with cold water for Tom’s forehead when the door suddenly slammed open.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Tom screamed.

“Baby, it’s okay, it’s me.” Doug answered.

“Oh thank God!” Judy sighed, going up to hug him.

“Jesus Doug, did you speed all the way down here, I only called you ten minutes ago!” Ioki yelled.

“Yeah, so what? It was an emergency.” Doug calmly answered.

“Doug!” Tom wailed, outstretching his hand. He rushed over to the bed and took the hand. “Oh God Doug, this hurts more that getting fucking shot!”

“I know Baby, you’ll be okay.” he said soothingly. Ioki handed him the wet towel and he started to dab at Tom’s face. He tried to kiss him but Tom screamed before he did.

“OH GOD! THIS IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT, GIVE ME THE DRUGS!” he wailed.

“Why won’t they give him something for the pain?” Doug asked them.

“They say he’s not ready yet, he’s not dilated enough.” Judy explained.

“I sure as hell feel ready!” Tom told her. “Oh God, I hate this kid!”

“Tom, don’t say that, you don’t mean it.” Doug told him. “Just think about holding Cassie after this is all done.” He started stroking Tom’s damp hair while he was holding his hand and for the first time in almost two hours Tom seemed to calm down. Judy and Ioki sighed with relief and Tom tried to manage a sympathetic look at them, but his face was too scrunched up with pain.

“Do you want some water Tom?” Ioki asked.

Tom shook his head. “It’ll just make me puke.”

“Is there anything else that you want?” Doug asked.

“Yeah, there is.” he panted. “What would really hit the spot right now would be a FUCKING EPIDURAL!”

“Alright, I’m gonna go check with those doctors to see if they can give it to you.” Doug told him as he started to get up from the bed.

“No!” he squeaked, grabbing Doug’s shirt. “Don’t leave me!” he pleaded.

“I’ll go you guys.” Ioki told them and walked out the door. Doug settled on the bed again and Tom clutched at his chest.

“I can’t do this.” he told him.

“Yes you can, Tom. You’re tough, I know you are.” Doug told him. Tom whimpered and pulled him down to kiss him so hard it hurt when their mouths came together.

“Uh, you guys?” Judy said weakly. Doug’s eyes stayed open with surprise and Tom soon shoved his tongue into Doug’s mouth. Normally, Doug would have enjoyed this, but Tom was writhing uncontrollably beneath him and was still whimpering from pain.

“Um, right now isn’t really the time!” Judy told them again. “Ioki and the doctor could walk in any minute now.” Doug pulled away, his head winning over what his body was telling him.

“She’s right Tom.” Doug calmly told him.

“I’m just trying to get a little comfort here!” Tom whined. “Please Doug?” he whimpered, putting a hand over his crotch.

“TOM!” Judy squeaked. “You can’t have sex in a hospital while you’re going to have a baby!”

“Much as I’d like to disagree, she’s right Tom.” Doug calmly told him, removing Tom’s hand. “You just need to calm down, you’re getting delirious.” Tom nodded but still writhed in pain.

“Mr. Tom Hanson?” asked a voice in the door.

“YES!” Tom wailed. Ioki followed close behind her.

“Alright Tom, your friend tells me that you’re screaming for an epidural.” the nurse told him. Tom nodded and gave the evil eye to Ioki.

“I’m just going to feel your cervix to see if you’re dilated enough.” she told him, lifting his gown. Judy and Ioki turned away give him some privacy and winced as they heard the muffled gasp from Tom.

“Alright, you’re five centimeters dilated. You’re ready.” she told him.

“THANK GOD!” Tom wailed. The nurse smiled and told him to sit up and arch his back while she inserted a needle in his spine.

“Thank you.” he whimpered.

“You’re welcome. This will take the edge off for the next few hours.” she told him as she left. “I’ll be in to check on you later.”

“Did she say ‘the next few hours’?” Ioki asked.

Judy nodded. “Labor takes a long, long time my friend.”

“Lucky me.” Tom groaned.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

About an hour after Tom got the epidural, he fell asleep. He was exhausted from the first few hours of labor. Doug stroked his hair and moved some stray hairs away from his face.

“How long do you think he’ll sleep?” Doug asked Ms. Hanson, who had arrived not long after Tom had gotten the epidural.

“There’s no way to tell. I only slept for about two hours when I was having him.” Ms. Hanson told him. “You can still feel the contractions when you have the epidural. Probably the pain will wake him up eventually.”

“I didn’t know he would be in so much pain.” Judy noted. “It was kind of scary.”

Ioki nodded. “He’s still twitching.” he noticed. It was true. Tom was frowning in his sleep and his face and eyelids twitched every now and then. Doug took his hand and kissed it.

“Thanks for taking care of him you guys.” Doug told Judy and Ioki.

“We would have done it anytime.” Judy told him smiling. Doug smiled back at her.

“You guys can go now, you know. This could take a while.”

Judy shook her head. “I would feel terrible if I left now.” she told him. Doug looked to Ioki who shrugged.

“I’ve been here about four hours already. Might as well go along for the rest of the ride.” he told him.

“That’s very loyal of you. Tom’s lucky to have friends like you.” Ms. Hanson told them appreciatively.

“We care about your son ma’am.” Judy said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“And Doug, I never told you this before, but he’s lucky to have you too.” she said. “I can’t say I approved your relationship at first, but now I see what he saw in you. I don’t think I could be happier with him starting a family with anyone other than you.”

Doug smiled at her. “Thanks Ms. Hanson. It...It makes me feel good to hear you say that.” He had always thought that she didn’t really like him. He felt better now with her blessing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tom awoke only an hour later and as the hours passed only Doug stayed up with him for the long hours of labor he had to go through. The others slept in shifts so at least one person would be up with Tom and Doug.

“When is she just going to fucking come?” Tom groaned.

“No way to tell.” Judy told him, who was the only one up with them at the moment. “My mom told me that they can tell by the time between contractions or something, but she doesn’t trust those.”

He wiped the sweat off of his brow. “Even with the drugs this shit hurts! I think I’m gonna split in two!”

“Just hold on a little while longer.” Doug reassured him, exhaustion clear in his voice.

“You’ve been saying that for nine hours!” Tom wailed. “This is like chinese water torture!”

“You probably don’t even know what that is.” Judy told him.

“SO THE FUCK WHAT?!” he yelled. “I know it hurts like hell, that’s all I need to know!” he took a deep breath and suddenly stopped yelling and closed his eyes in concentration.

“What is this, what’s happening?” Doug asked him.

“I...I just pushed.” Tom croaked. “I needed to push.”

“What does that mean?” Doug asked.

“That means it’s time!” Judy squealed. She ran to wake the others up and get the doctor. She ran out the door at what looked like the speed of light.

“What’s going on?” Ioki asked, rubbing his eyes. “Judy left without saying anything.”

“It’s time.” Doug told him.

“Oh lord, finally!” Ms. Hanson exclaimed. Tom’s face fell even more then and it looked like he was going to cry.

“Are you scared Tom?” Doug asked him. Tom whimpered and nodded. “Don’t be. If you can live through thirteen hours of labor you can do anything. Besides, then the pain will be gone.” Tom managed a small smile, but it was quickly taken over by pain. Soon the doctor was in the room.

“So, you had the urge to push Tom?” he asked. Tom nodded nervously. “Let me just quickly check your cervix.” He slipped a gloved hand into the slit on his belly and Ioki almost gagged. Judy shoved him hard.

“Yep, ten centimeters, fully dilated. You’re about to be a father!” he told him.

“What do I do?” he aimlessly asked.

“Just follow my lead.” the doctor told him, slightly amused. “First off, not all of your friends can stay here during the birth. You can only choose one.”

“Doug.” Tom said without hesitation, grabbing his shirt.

“You’re the father, I presume.” the doctor asked Doug. He smiled and nodded. “I’ll need you to put on a surgical mask and smock.” While he was getting what Doug needed to wear and calling nurses in to help him the others said goodbye to Tom and walked out of the room.

“Okay Tom, I need you to listen to me. To make the push more effective, you need to hold your breath as you do so. Whenever I tell you to push, push until you need to take a breath. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.” Tom croaked. When Doug came back over he clutched his hand tighter than ever. It didn’t hurt so much now that his hand was numb from all of Tom’s squeezing. Soon the nurses were in the room and the doctor was ready.

“Okay Tom, pull up your legs and spread them.” the doctor ordered as he hitched up his gown. Normally Tom would have cared a little more for his dignity, but at this point he didn’t care who saw him with his legs spread wide open.

“Alright, now give me a hard push.”

Tom clutched Doug’s hand and pushed with all the strength he had. He felt his face turning red. Soon he gave out and fell back against the bed.

“Good, you did great Tom.” the doctor told him. “Now, push again.”

Tom groaned and pushed again. Doug watched on with a worried look in his eyes, just holding his hand. He gave out again and took a breath. This went on for a while until it got even more painful.

“Tom, you need to push now, the baby’s crowning!”

“No, I need to rest!” he argued.

“Baby don’t give up, she’s almost here!” Doug pleaded.

“TOM, NOW!” the doctor yelled.

Tom wailed and pushed as hard as he could. He could feel the baby slipping out.

“AGAIN!”

Tom screamed and pushed with all his might, which wasn’t much by now. He had to summon strength that he didn’t even know he had.

“Okay, one more time, push HARD!”

Tom clenched his teeth so hard that he heard them grit together and pushed so hard that he thought he would break. Just then he felt the child slide out of him and a second later he heard it crying. He sank back against the bed and broke out in an exhausted smile and gave a hoarse laugh. He could hear Doug laughing too.

“You have a baby girl Tom!” the doctor happily announced.

“Where is she? Is she okay?” he asked.

“She’s just fine, Tom. She’s right here.” he told him. Tom watched patiently as Doug proudly cut the core and they wrapped her in a blanket. Then he made his way over to Tom and settled the baby into his arms. Tom eagerly wrapped his arms around her and smiled. She was still covered in afterbirth and was still wailing, but he still thought she was amazing. Doug was smiling from ear to ear and he kissed Tom hard.

“Doug, look, she’s beautiful!” Tom told him weakly but excitedly when they pulled apart.

“I know, she’s perfect isn’t she?” Doug agreed He stroked the head of the now calm but hiccupping baby and got teary eyed as he looked at his family. Tom laughed again and nuzzled his face against the baby’s head. He took her small hands and feet and counted off ten fingers and toes, exactly where they should be. She really was perfect. All of the hours of pain didn’t matter anymore, now that Cassie was here in his arms. The room had quieted while the doctor and nurses cleaned up and it seemed like it was only him, Doug, and their little girl in the room.

“Can I hold her?” Doug asked sheepishly. Tom nodded and handed the baby over to him. Doug carefully took her and held her like she could break at any minute. “You did a good job Tom. She turned out great.” Doug said breathlessly.

“Why don’t you give her to me, Mr. Penhall. We can clean her off and you two can get some rest.” a nurse told him. Doug hesitated and reluctantly handed his daughter over to her.

“When can I see her again?” Tom asked.

“When you get rested up you can have her brought back here.” the nurse told him before walking out the door. The other nurse and the doctor followed her and left Tom and Doug alone. Tom let a few tears fall and settled against Doug’s form.

“She’s here!” Tom told him.

“I know.” Doug told him, still wearing a large smile. Tom laughed again and started nodding off against Doug’s chest.

“Go to sleep Baby. The sooner you do the sooner you’ll be ready to see Cassie.” he told him softly.

Tom laughed. “I’m already ready.”

Doug laughed with him. “She’s not gonna benefit much from a father so tired that he’ll drop her. Now come on, lay back.”

Tom settled against the pillows, getting comfortable. “You need some rest too. Stay with me.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” he told him, taking off the mask and smock and settling against Tom. No sooner did they settle did they fall asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tom awoke to the sound of Doug laughing and making cooing noises. He turned over and saw Doug sitting in the spare chair holding Cassie. Doug heard him move and looked up and smiled at him. “Sleep well?”

“Better than I have in a while.” Tom answered with a smile.

“Probably because this little girl’s out of your belly.” he told him, taking the baby over to the bed. Tom outstretched his arms and took her from Doug. He sat up and smiled at her.

“You got your wish, Tom. She looks like me.” Doug told him.

Tom looked into her face. She did have a resemblance to Doug in the face, but he could also see himself in her. But he did get his wish about her eyes. Wide hazel orbs were peering around and taking in the new world around her.

“Hi Cassie.” he said softly. “Hey pretty girl. I’m your dad. Well, one of them. That’s gonna be confusing.” he laughed.

“She can call me poppa. That’s what I called my dad when I was a kid.” Doug suggested.

“Sounds good.” he agreed, never taking his eyes off of Cassie. He kissed her on the forehead and let her grab one of his fingers. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost nine. You slept for about five hours.” Doug told him. “Everyone else went home to change their clothes and stuff, but they’ll be back. They’re going back to our place and getting us some stuff too. You should probably freshen up before they get here, you were sweating for thirteen hours.

Tom nodded and handed Cassie off to Doug while he went to take a shower, brush his teeth, and change into another hospital gown. As soon as he got back into bed he reached out for Cassie again. He found that a bottle of formula had been provided for her and he started to feed her. Just as she finished and dozed off they heard a knock at the door.

“Come in!” Doug told them and Judy, Ioki, and Ms. Hanson all walked into the room.

“Where is she, I want to hold her!” Ms. Hanson squealed.

“She’s right here mom.” Tom said weakly, still tired from the thirteen hours of hard work. She came over and took the baby out of his arms, her years of experience allowing her to do so without waking her up.

“Oh Tom, she’s beautiful!” she told him. Judy went over and hugged Tom and Doug tightly.

“Was she worth it?” Ioki asked, sitting down.

“Yes, she was more than worth it!” Tom told him happily. He looked over as Judy was taking Cassie from his mom. She woke up and whimpered a bit, but Judy rocked her and calmed her down.

“She really is adorable. Doug, she looks a lot like you! She has your eyes.” she told them.

“I know. It’s...its kinda weird to be honest.” he told her sheepishly.

“They suit her.” Tom told him, making him smile.

“Ioki, you wanna take a crack at holding her? To see if she really does like you the best?” Judy asked him as Cassie cooed at her.

He turned red in the face. “I don’t know how. I’ve never actually held a baby before, just looked after them.”

“It’s easy.” Tom told him. “Just hold her with one arm and support her head with the other.” he explained. Judy settled the baby into his arms and he chuckled.

“She really does look like you Penhall!” he said, smiling. “I can see a liiiitle bit of Tom too if I look close enough.” he said in a teasing voice while leaning in on her face, making her hiccup. He laughed and tickled her chin. “I think she’s starting to doze off again.”

“Here, let me have her.” Tom told him, holding out his arms. Ioki walked over and placed her in his arms. Tom settled her into the crook of his arm on the mattress so she could sleep. He looked up at Doug and could only smile. Doug could only smile back. That was all they needed to do to show how happy they were.

THE END!!

Thanks a bunch for reading!