𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 ↠ a. hotchner

chapter twenty-seven - hey jude.

      WHAT FELT like hours passed before the nurse returned. The first thing Ophelia noticed was the wheelchair she pushed.
      "Okay, Ophelia," She locked the wheels and approached the bed. "The fluid in your uterus was in fact amniotic fluid, so we're gonna move you to a delivery room now, okay?" She nodded and both JJ and the nurse had to help her into the chair. JJ grabbed their bag and followed the nurse down the corridor to a room with a solid pink door. The room was much bigger than the previous one, and the newborn bassinet made her stomach flip. This was it. The doctor was already waiting for her, without a mask this time, next to a similar tray of instruments.
      "Hey there! I just need to measure your dilation and then I'll let you know what we're gonna do next, okay?" Once she got situated with her legs on the foot-rests, she honestly couldn't feel much, just a little pressure.
      "Okay," The doctor sighed as she examined her. Unexpectedly, Ophelia felt something inside of her release. At first, she thought she urinated, and her cheeks started to burn.
      "Oh, I'm so sorry—"
      "No, dear, that's to be expected," The doctor removed her gloves. "Looks like I should get the team prepped," Then it hit her. Her water had just broken, and all over her doctor. "You're almost 9 centimeters, you should be ready soon,"
      "No epidural for the pain?" JJ questioned, still holding on to Ophelia's wrist.
     "There's no time, she's having this baby any minute," Shit. She had originally planned to go without any epidural, but after feeling the contractions, she was having second thoughts. Ophelia took a deep breath and held her stomach. The doctor exited, leaving the nurse to prepare the room.
      "Aaron," She winced as she felt another surge of pain in her abdomen. JJ allowed her to squeeze as hard as she wanted. "He's not here,"
      "I know, but you're gonna have to do this without him," Ophelia shook her head.
      "No, I can't," Her head fell back, her face still screwed up with pain. JJ nodded.
      "Yes you can, and you have to," Ophelia began to cry as the tension subsided.
      "I don't want to do this without him," Her voice was weak and exhausted. They had already been in the hospital for hours, and she was so tired.
      "I know," JJ pushed her dampened hair out of her face, attempting to sooth her. "Do you wanna call him?" She nodded and sat up on the bed. It wasn't long before he picked up.
      "We got him, we're on our way to the hotel now," Aaron was seething. Not at Ophelia, but at the world for forcing him to be away.
      "Aaron," She sobbed. "I'm having the baby any minute," JJ sat down next to her on the bed and rested her head on Ophelia's shoulder.
      "That's okay, Ophelia," It wasn't okay, but it would have to be. "You know you can do this, with or without me," He was running, she could tell by his breathing. "You've never needed me, Ophelia. Not ever, and not now," She just listened and cried. "You are so strong...you have no idea," He croaked. The last thing she needed was to hear him cry. "That's what I love about you. You're smart, you're kind, and you're such a good mother already," Her heart ached for him. "I love you, Ophelia Holmes," She broke.
      "I love you too, Aaron Hotchner," She calmed herself enough to speak. "And I love Jack, and I love this baby,"
      "We're a family, Ophelia," He had stopped running, his voice was calm and smooth. She nodded.
      "I can't wait to see you," She smiled through her tears.
      "I can't wait to see you either," JJ wrapped her arms around Ophelia. This wasn't her family, but it felt like it. Witnessing such a wonderful moment meant so much to her.
      "I love you," I love you. It was such a beautiful sound to hear him say those words to her.
      "I love you too," She wanted to say it over and over again. The call ended, though, and she handed the phone to JJ.
      "Better?" She nodded and wiped her tears away. JJ kissed her cheek and helped her back to lay down. She let her rest until the doctor and delivery team returned half an hour later.

"Okay, Ophelia," The nurse began dressing everyone in blue protective scrubs, masks, caps, and gloves. "Are we ready to have this baby?" She nodded, still tearful.
"Ready as I'll ever be," She sniffled as JJ helped support her back with pillows.
"That's my girl," She encouraged, flashing a smile. Ophelia let out an amused breath and rested her feet on the metal steps. The doctor sat in front of her on a stool and began examining her.
"Yep, that's ten centimeters," Now everyone was ready, the nurses, the doctor, and Ophelia. She felt her abdomen tighten and her face screwed up in pain.
"When you feel your contraction, you need to push," The doctor instructed. Ophelia nodded and clung on to JJ.
"That's it, momma, push," Ophelia let out a scream, her entire body filled with pain. She felt nothing else but the ripping tension on her lower half.
"You can do this, Holmes," JJ cooed in her ear, aware of how numb her arm had become. Ophelia shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"No, no, no," She sobbed, her grip softening as the contraction ended.
"Yes, you can, don't give me that," JJ ordered. "You're better than that, lets do this," Ophelia wailed now.
"You're doing so good momma, I see your baby," The doctor encouraged. "Push on three," She counted down as Ophelia felt another contraction take over her. She braced herself, then pushed with everything she had.
"That's it, that's it," JJ soothed as she squeezed back. Ophelia let out yet another scream.
"You're almost there, just a little longer!" Ophelia held out until she felt the pressure subside. Her chest was heaving, and sweat covered her face. Then, she heard it.
"Here's your baby, Ophelia," A soft cry entered the room and Ophelia found the strength to look back up. Nothing could've prepared her for seeing her child for the first time.
"Oh, god, it's a girl," She breathed, completely drained. She let her head fall back onto the bed as the doctors began cleaning her and her baby up. "It's a girl,"
"Would you like to see her?" One of the nurses approached the bed with Ophelia's baby in her arms. She nodded and opened her arms. Her skin was a bright red as she still cried, her toothless mouth showing. The nurse rested the baby in her arms. Her hair curled in every which way. Ophelia smiled as she began to calm down from just the touch of her mother.
"Hey, Jude," She choaked. Now, she cried for love of her baby. JJ loomed over the other side of the bed to look at her face.
"Oh, goodness," She whispered. "She's so beautiful," Her own eyes were pricked with tears.
"Where is he?" She looked up at JJ with a tearful smile. She took her phone out and handed it to Ophelia.
"We're on the jet, we'll be there in two hours—"
"Aaron?"
"Ophelia? Is everything okay?" Every possible scenario that could go wrong ran through his mind.
"It's a girl," He didn't speak. Mostly because he couldn't.
"Jude," He breathed. She heard a murmur of what she assumed to be Spencer's voice in the background. "It's a girl," She could hear the team erupt into cheering, spreading a grin across her face.
"She has curly brown hair and your nose," She mused, staring down at her as she rocked her in her arms.
"I bet she's just as beautiful as you," She could hear the smile in his voice.
"And as smart at you," Jude yawned, letting out a small squeak. Ophelia giggled. "Get here before she falls asleep," Aaron chuckled, just listening to his daughter on the other line. Just then, her eyes began to open.
"Oh, Aaron," She gasped, seeing her daughter's dark and cool eyes for the first time. "She has your eyes, too," At that moment, he began to cry. He hadn't cried in front of his team since the death of Haley, but this was his exception. She had his eyes.
"Oh, god," He choked. "I love you,"
"We love you too," She smiled. From now on, she knew she had a reason to smile, as long as she had Jude. And for that reason, she would never stop.