In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

ninety-five

"Do you feel like you need to start pushing?" Buck asked nervously as he hovered next to Mariana.

"I don't know. I have no idea how this works," she admitted. "Brain is a bit mush right now thanks to the pain. Shit, this hurts."

"You don't know?" His voice raised higher in octave. "But you're a nurse!"

"An ER nurse, Evan, not OB. Pass me the kitchen knife, I'll chop your dick off and then I can help you."

"Buck, I need blankets, towels, all the flashlights you can find, and the first aid kit under the sink. Set it up in our bedroom," Eddie instructed. As much as he wanted to panic right now, he recognized that he had a wife in active labor who really needed him to keep his cool. He wrapped one arm around her back and grabbed her hand with the other.

"Alright, let's get you in bed and as comfortable as we can," he said calmly. Mariana nodded and leaned her head back against his shoulder. She blinked up at him and let out a sound akin to a whimper.

"I didn't plan on it happening like this," she admitted. "I'm scared."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm scared too. But if there is anyone who can do this, it's you. I won't leave your side. Once we get you settled, I'll call Bobby and see if we can get an RA and tree removal team out here ASAP."

"Don't."

Eddie looked to his wife and saw the usual fierce determination she held in her eyes had reappeared. He squeezed her hand and she shakily shook her head.

"Don't. There are people out there who need help more than I do. I'm not an at risk pregnancy and we've done field deliveries. We'll be fine, Eddie."

He pressed a kiss against her shoulder and sighed. His stubborn, self-sacrificial wife. "If I think even the slightest thing is going wrong, I'm making the call."

"I'll agree to that."

They slowly but surely made their way to their bedroom which was luckily on the first floor. Buck had candles and a camp lantern set up in the room to bring as much light as he could into the dark bedroom. Stacks of towels and blankets were laid next to the bed and Buck was laying out various tools from Mariana's extensive first aid kit.

"Okay, okay," Mariana announced. "We've all delivered a baby before in the field. This is no different."

"Are you seriously taking charge of your own labor?" Eddie snorted out a laugh as she threw a glare at him.

"Yeah and I'm not getting an epidural like I wanted so frankly, I think you should just be quiet and do as I saaaa-" Her sentence ended with a gasp as she leaned back against him and clutched his hand tightly. He rocked her gently from side to side as she breathed through the contraction. The second she was able to relax, Buck looked up from his timer with a wince.

"Four minutes in between and it lasted forty five seconds," he reported.

"We need to check dilation," Mari gasped out.

Both men immediately looked to one another. Buck let out a strangled gag as Eddie threw his hands up in exasperation. Mariana rolled her eyes and lowered herself onto the bed, laying back against the pillows Buck had propped up. She casually started to wiggle out of her leggings as the two men started to argue and pulled a blanket over her lap.

"Eddie, you're an Army medic, remember? You remind everyone about that little fact," Buck said.

"There's a big difference between patching up a bullet wound in Afghanistan and delivering your own kid, Buck!"

"BOYS!" Mariana's voice cut through the room easily. "Can someone help me before she decides to just get up and walk out on her own?!"

They traded a glance before scrambling over to the bed. Eddie grabbed her hand and she gripped it tightly as she breathed through a contraction. Buck grabbed a flashlight to check the status of the baby.

"Don't make this weird Buckley," Mariana threatened.

"Can we just not talk about it?" Buck complained. He ducked his head under the blanket and raised it quickly, his face white as a sheet. "She's crowning."

"Oh so that's why I feel like I'm being torn in two."

"How did you not realize you were in active labor?" Eddie asked.

"I thought they were Braxton-Hicks!"

"Hi, yeah, can we focus on the literal child coming out of you?" Buck called.

"It's a little hard to forget!" Mariana shouted. "Shit shit shit, can I push?"

"Do you feel like you need to push?"

"YES!"

Buck nodded and moved his hands to support the head as Mariana bared down. The pain was finally setting in now and even though her labor has been a short one, it was starting to finally set into her bones. Her mind practically went blank, only following Buck's instructions to push and when to take in a breath as Eddie kept giving her encouragement.

She had been shot, blown up, beaten, and in a tsunami and Mariana could admit that labor was pure hell compared to the rest of those. She didn't even realize tears were coursing down her face until Eddie brushed them away.

"That's good, Mari. I just need two more big pushes," Buck coached. "Big deep breath."

Mariana inhaled shakily, a sob falling past her lips as she exhaled. Eddie pulled her up against him and pressed his forehead to her temple as she cried.

"I can't do it. I can't do it, Eddie," she stammered out. "I'm so tired."

"I know. I know you're tired. But I know you can do this. You are the strongest woman I know, Mariana Diaz. Everything you've been through, everything you've fought for is proof that you can do this, sweetheart. Our little girl needs you to give just two more pushes. I know you can do that."

Mari inhaled sharply and then nodded, giving a thumbs up to Buck. Eddie braced his arm against her back so she didn't have to push herself up as she bared down, her teeth clenched as a frustrated yell tore from her throat.

"Okay, okay. Deep breath in, deep breath out," Buck instructed. "When I say go, you push."

"Fucking hell, just tell me to go," she gasped out.

"Go go go!"

Mariana bared down once more, letting out an agonized yell as she did. Eddie whispered encouragement in her ear as she pushed. Her mind blanked as she directed all thoughts towards that end goal: seeing their baby. As she shut her eyes, she could feel something shift in the room. Her last bits of strength were giving out, but a new sense of power flooded through her veins. Warmth flooded through her veins and wrapped around her like a blanket on a cold day. Mariana could practically smell her mother's cooking and hear the soft sounds of the radio that would sit in the windowsill of the kitchen.

Her mother was always there to make her feel safe and loved, even when Theresa was gone. Now it was time for Mariana to do the same for her little girl.

"Once more," Buck coached. Mariana squeezed down on Eddie's hand to the point where his hand went numb. Her mouth fell open in an agonized yell before she went limp, her head leaning back against Eddie's shoulder. He pressed his forehead against her hair and tilted his face towards Buck who grinned up at his friends. The blond quickly grabbed a towel and cleaned off the squalling infant in his arms.

"Hi baby. Let's go meet your mom," Buck's voice broke through the roar of her mind. Buck carefully placed the little baby on Mariana's chest and stepped back to give the family time to say hello.

"She's so small," Mariana choked out, her hand coming up to rest on the infant's back. Eddie grinned with tears shining in his eyes. He pressed a kiss to his wife's temple and looked back down at his daughter.

"She has your eyes," he murmured. "Look at her, Mari. You did so good."

"Hi Peanut," Mariana laughed. "It's nice to finally meet you."

A/N: hello Peanut, welcome to the world :)