9 Months later-
“I can’t do this.” Mac’s voice was uncharacteristically weak. “I just can’t.”
“Suck it up, Marine.” Harm’s voice was reassuringly close in her ear, and in spite of the words, uncharacteristically sympathetic.
“Drugs. I need drugs.” She turned beseeching eyes on the doctor, currently crouched like a baseball catcher between her legs. “Please Doc, can’t I have drugs?”
“Mrs. Rabb, you know it’s too late for that.” The doctor was used to this particular demand. “And you wanted a natural childbirth.”
“No, I wanted drugs.” She gestured rudely at the man behind her who was propping her up. “Nature Boy here wanted natural childbirth.” Turning her head so she could see him, she continued, “You son of a bitch. This is all your fault!”
Far from taking offense, Harm seemed amused. “I would hope so, Mac.”
“Don’t laugh, you creep!” Her hand clutched his. “Oh God, here comes another one.”
“Breathe, Mac.” He attempted to keep his tone soothing, despite the iron crushing grip she had on his hand. “Breathe through the pain.” Feeling ridiculous, he nevertheless panted through the contraction with her.
“You…pant…pant…shut…pant…the hell…pant…up.” She tried to glare over her shoulder at him, but failed miserably.
Prudently, Harm merely held her and panted with her, refraining from any smart ass comments that would get his six kicked.
As the contraction eased, the Doctor checked her again. “We’re almost there, Mrs. Rabb. I’d say you’ve got about 15 minutes before delivery.”
Once the worst of the pain had passed, Mac relaxed in relief. She wanted this baby with everything she had in her, but pregnancy sure wasn’t a romantic dream. Especially the last three months when she had felt fat and uncomfortable all the time.
Not to mention it had been totally embarrassing to realize she’d gotten pregnant accidentally at her age and level of experience.
“You know, Fertile Myrtle,” Harm’s teasing voice drawled in her ear, “if you didn’t want me around you shouldn’t have trapped me into marrying you by getting pregnant.” Winking at the Doctor who was listening with an amused smirk, he further endangered his life. “Most women would be thrilled they’d snared a fine specimen of a man like me for a husband.”
Even 9 months pregnant and on the verge of childbirth, she wasn’t going to let that go. Slapping him on the hand, she answered him. “If you hadn’t seduced me the first time we made love, I’d have remembered birth control, you big stud.”
Used to their banter, the doctor merely smiled.
It was a long standing joke between them. The only unprotected sex they had ever had was that first time. Neither one had given a thought to birth control that night, although they had begun using it right after that. They figured the odds were with them and hadn’t worried about it again. Until they found out she was pregnant.
Another contraction began. He held her as he had learned in Lamaze class, silent this time in his encouragement. Panting with her again, he allowed his mind to muse back through the memories.
It had taken him two full weeks to convince her to marry him. Her self-esteem, never a strong point, had taken a beating after the rape. Finding out she was pregnant hadn’t helped. He’d had no doubt she was thrilled about the baby, but she hadn’t believed he really wanted to marry her.
Fortunately he was a very persuasive man.
“She’s crowning!” The doctor called out. “Push now! Now, Mrs. Rabb!”
With eight hours of labor behind her, she still managed to gather her strength and push. He could feel the effort she put forth, her muscles straining. She was amazing. Definitely the strongest person he had ever known, and that was saying something.
Just because they’d finally gotten together didn’t mean everything had magically gone away. She still had mood swings, and even flash backs. And there was a vulnerability in her that hadn’t been there before. She second guessed herself frequently.
But she was a fighter. She’d continued with the counseling, even taking the lead in a new support group her counselor had set up. Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, she was spreading her wings to fly higher and farther than she ever had before. It had taken work on her part, but she was definitely getting there.
He hadn’t continued much longer with Bill, although they kept in touch and occasionally played golf together. The support and advice that Bill had given him had been invaluable.
“That’s it, Mrs. Rabb. You’re halfway there. One more good push and your baby should be delivered.”
Even as he watched this miraculous birth, Harm was thanking his lucky stars. Here he was, with a wife, and now a daughter. He got choked up at the thought. As much as he’d always wanted this, he never really believed he’d be lucky enough to have it.
“Here she is, Mrs. Rabb.”
The baby was delivered to Mac’s eager arms, and it was all he could do not to carry both Mac and the baby around the delivery room in a mad jig of joy. He had everything he ever wanted now.
“Hello Elizabeth.” Mac’s teary voice was music to his ears. Elizabeth O’Hara Rabb. They’d fought long and hard over names once they’d found out the sex of the baby. Well, not fought, just bickered. He kept proposing old-fashioned names, like Lavinia or Rosamund just for the fun of seeing her get riled up and argue with him. They’d settled on his Mother’s middle name, and O’Hara for Uncle Matt.
Harm found he still couldn’t talk, but a gentle finger went out to trace Elizabeth’s soft cheek. When she opened her eyes and grabbed on to his finger, he knew that he was a goner. He now had the two most beautiful women in the world as his family, and life couldn’t get any better than this.
Leaning down, he kissed Mac’s cheek. “She’s beautiful.” He whispered. “She’s as beautiful as her mother.”
She turned her head and kissed him back. “She’s got her Father’s beautiful eyes.”
Much to his dismay, Elizabeth was swept away for whatever hospitals did to newborn babies. He was instructed that he could see her in the nursery within the hour. And then he was gently but firmly ejected from the delivery room, away from Mac. Apparently she needed some stitches and other things he preferred to know nothing about.
Before he left, he kissed her softly one last time. “I love you.”
Her loving eyes said even more than her whispered words. “I love you too.”
And with that he was back in the bright white world of the hospital waiting room. Surrounded by friends and family, all congratulating him, demanding to know how the birth went. It was a scene he’d watched in a hundred movies, but never thought it would happen to him.
Sturgis had even brought cigars for him to pass around. Which he did, with great pleasure and amidst much laughter.
But it was later that night, when it was just he and Mac and Elizabeth in the hospital room, that he realized just how far Mac had really come.
He was watching her breast feed Elizabeth, when she suddenly looked up at him. “I never thought I could be this happy. I have you. I have Elizabeth. I have friends and family and loved ones. I never thought this much happiness was possible.”
He reached out to stroke her hair before leaning down to kiss her. “Me too, Mac. Me too.”
The End.