Chapter 51

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"She's only two centimetres dilated!" Jeremy barks towards me while I'm sat patiently on the hard plastic chairs in the hospital waiting room. His hair is dishevelled, and his usually calm eyes appear completely wild.

"Hi, Jer." I say to greet him.

"Sorry... hi." He mumbles apologetically. "I thought once she'd been induced then our little girl would be well on her way, but midwife is saying it could be hours before she is even in established labour!" He rubs his already tired eyes erratically. "I'm so sorry for calling you so early on, but I didn't know what else to do."

Gripping his forearm, he finally looks at me. "It's fine, you both know I want to be here. Just let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I'll be right out here."

He embraces me tightly. "Shit, Lizzie." Jeremy's voice wobbles.

I pat his back repeatedly. "You can do this! Caroline needs you to be strong!"

He nods almost aggressively, like he is trying to convince himself. "You're not going to leave are you?"

"I'm here for you both. Sarah is on her way too." I release him, and slap him on his back. "Now, you need to get your arse back in there." I order him bluntly.

Jeremy takes a deep breath before marching towards the door. Noticing a vending machine, I buy a bottle of water and a chocolate bar. I practically inhale the chocolate, sitting down alone in the stark white waiting room. The vibration of my phone startles me a little, but my heart races even further when Daniel's face lights up the screen.

"Hello, Hollywood." I smirk, knowing he hates the nickname.

"Hello, Mrs Hollywood." He retorts with pride. "How are you feeling?"

"Nothing has changed in the last thirty minutes since we spoke!" I tease him playfully.

"I refuse to apologise, Lizzie. I'm a three hour plane journey from you-"

"Alright! I was joking!" I interrupt, realising maybe now is not the right time to be teasing him. "I'm feeling fine, just tired."

"How's Caroline?"

"Jeremy has just been out, don't think he is coping too well and it's only just begun! Caroline is two centimetres, so she has a long way to go." I fill him in on the update.

Daniel pauses, like he is thinking something over. "So is your plan still to stay there with Sarah and Ben?"

"Yeah, they are on their way."

"Ok. I'll be home tomorrow afternoon. With me staying this extra night to film, I'm so close to finishing now I can almost taste it!" His voice is silky smooth.

"That's music to my ears."

"I got to go, baby. They are waiting for me. Give my love to Caroline and Jeremy. Text me as things develop. Hopefully I'll be home before their little lady makes her debut! I love you... I love our babies... I can't wait to see you."

"I love you too, and we can't wait for you to be home."

As the call ends, I can just about hear a man calling for Daniel to hurry up. Closing my eyes, I sigh loudly, feeling exhaustion creeping up on me. You got to keep it together, My brain encourages me when all I really want to do is sleep until the babies are here.

"No snoozing on the job!" Sarah's voice cuts through the silence in the waiting room.

My eyes snap open to see her smirking. She's practically standing right over me with her cropped blonde hair and makeup perfectly intact, unlike mine. "Oh, hey." I self-consciously rub my fingers through my wavy hair in a futile attempt to control it.

"You sure you should be here? You look knackered!" Sarah sits down next to me, adjusting her fitted black blouse.

"I promised her that unless I was in labour, I'd be here."

Sarah shrugs with a tight smile. "Any update?"

"Still two centimetres."

"Fuck..." she mutters, clearly expecting Caroline to have progressed much faster.

****

Following the same path around the waiting room that I have for the last ten hours, I finish the burger and fries that Ben thankfully collected for us. My back hurts from sitting still, and the fact that Jeremy hasn't given us an update for the last two hours sets my nerves on edge. "I feel like something isn't going to plan." I finally say out loud instead of on repeat in my own head.

A midwife strides into the waiting room, immediately making me, Sarah and Ben stare at her wide eyed with a confused mixture of raw emotions. "Lizzie?" She asks, removing her face mask. The movement causes some of her raven hair which was tied neatly in a bun to cascade around her rounded face.

"Yes." I answer with a little too much volume. "Is everything OK? We haven't heard anything in ages!"

"Jeremy asked me to come out to ensure you were up to date. Caroline hasn't dilated passed four centimetres despite her being placed on a hormone drip a while ago. The baby is starting to show signs that she is stressed, so the consultant has made the decision to take Caroline down to theatre for an emergency Caesarean section." She speaks clearly, but swiftly to ensure that we understand everything that she is saying.

"Oh shit!" Sarah exclaims.

My eyes flit towards her, but then I take a deep breath to compose my thoughts. "So the baby is OK?"

"Yes, but we need to move quickly. Caroline is being prepped for the surgery now. As soon as the baby is here, I'm sure Jeremy will want to give you the news himself." She smiles reassuringly.

"Thank you." I say as the midwife turns away. "Could you just let them both know that we love them, and that they can do this!" She turns back towards me, and then nods with a grin.

Picking up my phone, I attempt to call Daniel but he doesn't answer. Instead of leaving a message, I quickly send him a text to let him know what is happening.

Hours seem to have passed while the three of us wait for more news, but the clock informs me that it's only been around forty minutes since the midwife last came to see us. Daniel has messaged several times, and I've had nothing new to tell him.

I walk over to the doors that lead to the ward and peer through the glass for any signs that Caroline has had the baby. Silently I pray for the hundredth time to deliver her safely. When I open my eyes, I see Jeremy practically running up the corridor towards us. "Jeremy is coming!" I shriek.

He bursts through the doors. "She's here! Lily... Lily is here! That was awful, just awful... worst thing I've ever seen in my life... sorry Lizzie, but it was just fucking awful! Caroline is an absolute soldier... she's still numb at the moment, but the csection was the right call at the right time... she wasn't progressing at all... she was in agony. Oh fuck... I'm a Dad!" Jeremy bursts into tears, covering his already blotchy face.

Trying to digest what he has just told us, I know that my best friend is OK and their little girl is called Lily. I grab him and pull him into a tight hug. "Congratulations! Your a Daddy!" He sobs into my shoulder before pulling away to hug both Sarah and Ben.

"Congratulations mate." Ben's voice wobbles before he clears his throat to compose himself.

"Awwww, Lily. I love the name! When can we meet her?" Sarah asks once Jeremy has begun to pull himself together.

"Midwife says you can only come in one at a time." Jeremy scowls.

"You go first, Lizzie. Then you can go home to sleep." Sarah smiles warmly through her tears.

I follow Jeremy down the corridor towards Caroline's room. My heart pounds in my ears as I hear various women crying and screaming out in pain. Focus on Caroline, my mind tells me to ensure I refrain from entering panic mode.

While I'm still lost in my own head, Jeremy turns and opens the door to room thirty six. My eyes glide up to see a dishevelled Caroline holding a little pink bundle closely to her chest. Even though she is pale and exhausted, she has never looked more alive and beautiful than she does right now. "Oh, Caroline. You did it!" My voice breaks immediately while I rush to the side of the bed. I kiss her temple before I peer down to see Lily. "Hello, Lily. My name is Auntie Lizzie." Caroline opens her arms for me to take Lily, and I do not hesitate. Scooping her up in my arms I hold her close to me, breathing in her scent. "We're going to have so much fun, little girl." I whisper through my tears. Turning back towards Caroline, I beam at her. "She's beautiful, hun!"

Caroline smiles just as widely as Jeremy strokes her forehead. "Thank you, she's totally worth every second of pain. Lily has a question for you."

A flicker of confusion washes over my face. "Oh, little lady... what would you like to ask?"

"Will you and Daniel be her godparents?" Caroline gushes.

"Oh my goodness, it'll be our honour." I cry while I hold Lily close to my heart. "Daniel will be back later today, so I won't say anything until he gets to meets her."

-

Hey guys!

I hope you are all well and enjoyed this chapter.

So Caroline has had her baby!!! What do you think?

Although I love seeing everyone happy, I do feel like there could be some drama on the horizon....

Thank you for still reading and commenting. It means the world to me! Please tick the star too. Love T x -

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