THE RETURN

Chapter 87

Lilly had adjusted the temperature because although Olivia wanted the water scorching, Hannah couldn't very well be born in boiling water and Elliot had helped her in. She shivered slightly once she was sitting on her ass in the tub and was already reaching her hand out for him, already scooting her body forward enough to make room for him behind her.

Elliot wasn't supposed to be away from her, ever, even for a short amount of time. So when he asked her if she wanted him to stay how he was, in only the sweatpants he currently had on, she almost cursed him. She had completely forgotten that he had forgone underwear after their shower. "I would prefer you in just underwear."

The less clothes, the better. That's what they had agreed on. She could already feel her body barreling towards another contraction and she needed him in the tub with her before it happened.

But Lilly was in and out of the room setting up. A tray of supplies for delivery, a warming table for the baby, towels, blankets, ice chips and it wasn't like he could drop his pants in the middle of the room. The last thing they needed was to show their nurse his bare ass.

He was just about to dip into the restroom real fast and she was just about to let him, it would only take him a second anyways, but she could feel it. Could feel it getting closer and closer and her contractions were so strong at that point that there was no way. Absolutely no way she could handle them by herself. So just as he was about to suggest going to the bathroom she reached her hand out further for him, "Just... get in here."

"Okay, baby." He pulled his pants up as high as he could, which wasn't even mid thigh and apologized as he sat behind her. She wanted to feel him. Feel as much of him as she could and if she had it her way, he was pretty sure she would have preferred him to be as bare as she was.

"That's... it's... uhhhh... FUCK!" She was done being quiet. She had done the whole thing, over 30 hours of labor, breathing the way lamaze had taught her to breathe and she was almost there. Her uterus felt like it was about to be ripped out of her abdomen, there was so much pressure in her vaginal area, her back hurt, she was hungry, she was exhausted, she just wanted Hannah out and she was DONE keeping her mouth shut.

She let the intensity of her pain escape through her lips, through the way she gripped Elliot's hands that were wrapped around her taut belly, in the way she pushed her body back into his.

"Good job, baby," he whispered when it was over. When her body was finally relaxed back against him.

She whimpered softly, tried to lean her body even further against him, sighed into the soft movements of his fingers against her stomach.

"So close, Liv."

She nodded, "So close."

She made it through two more contractions the same way before Lilly dropped down to her knees at the side of the tub. "Okay, mommy. Michelle is almost here. You're doing great. When you feel like you need to push, let your body push. Don't physically push yourself until Michelle gives you the okay. You start pushing hard before you're 10 centimeters, you can swell your cervix, make yourself swollen, make it harder for her to get out. Okay?"

Although she had no idea what the difference was between her body pushing by itself and her pushing, she nodded. When it was time, she was sure she could figure it out. She hoped she could figure it out.

"And when it's time to physically push, bare all your weight down. Chin to your chest, thighs open and all your force downwards. Daddy, reach down and grab her thighs if you have to, lean forward with her, encourage her to push long and hard. Just... keep doing exactly what you've been doing."

Elliot nodded too. He had five children, all of which were born vaginally, so he knew the drill. But he had never had such an intimate labor and birth with Kathy. He was there, for the three births before Eli, held Kathy's hand, tried to be helpful but with Olivia, it was different. And he had to swallow down the fact that maybe he didn't support Kathy as much as he should have because with Olivia? He couldn't get close enough to her.