February 1st, 2002-February 25th, 2003.
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Takes place four weeks after last one ended.
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Four weeks later, George and Julianna sat in the examining room yet again, for their third check-up. They were there to get another ultrasound and hopefully to hear the heartbeat.
As Dr. Hirsch slid the paddle over Julianna's just slightly rounded twelve-week-belly, the heartbeat filled the air. George grinned wildly and squeezed Julianna's hand as the picture of their child filled the room. She smiled in return as she stared in awe at the picture of their baby. It was getting so big.
"I love that sound." She whispered as she listened to the fast pace of her child's heartbeat. George rubbed her fingers over his lips as he listened in awe. He didn't think he would ever get tired of that sound. He didn't think he would ever get tired of anything that had to do with his children. He turned to Julianna and kissed her lips gently, so happy that they had gotten pregnant again, even if she hadn't wanted it at first.
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Another four weeks later, Julianna sat alone in the examining room. George hadn't been able to come with her this time, because he had to work. He hadn't been able to get away, even though he had desperately not wanted to miss this. She said it would be okay and that she'd bring him back a video and pictures, and not to worry. He had agreed, but only because he hadn't been able to do anything about it.
So she sat alone quietly in her gown as Dr. Hirsch came into the room.
"Where's George?" Dr. Hirsch said, surprised not to see him.
"He had to work." Julianna said. Dr. Hirsch nodded. "He really wanted to be here. Will I be able to find out the sex of the baby yet?" Julianna asked.
"Maybe. It depends on whether it wants to play peek-a-boo." Dr. Hirsch smiled. "Have you felt it move yet?"
"I don't think so. I thought I felt it last night when I was in the shower, but when I stopped to see if it would move again, I didn't feel anything." Julianna said. Dr. Hirsch nodded.
"I just wondered because normally if you're pregnant a second time, you'll feel it move a little sooner than the first time, only because you know what to look for."
"Yeah. Last time I didn't feel it until I was about 18 weeks. I'm only 16 now." Julianna replied.
"Well, give it some time. Alright, are you ready to see your baby?" Julianna nodded. "You want to find out the baby's sex if we can, right?"
"Yeah. I'm thinking about surprising George with it." Julianna said. Dr. Hirsch smiled.
"That's always a fun thing." She said. Julianna nodded.
"Yeah. Last time we didn't find out until after he was born, but this time we want to know. We feel like being more prepared this time around." Dr. Hirsch nodded.
"Alright. Well...here we go." She said and placed the paddle on Julianna's stomach. As the baby's heartbeat filled the air and the picture filled the screen, Dr. Hirsch smiled.
"Ooh, that's a good position. Nice and clear shot."
"Can you tell?" Julianna asked.
"Yep. Baby's proud of being female."
"So, it's a girl?" Julianna stated, rather than asked. Dr. Hirsch nodded to confirm. Julianna smiled warmly. "That's nice."
"What you were hoping for?"
"Yeah. I mean, we didn't mind either way, but this makes me happy." Julianna said. Dr. Hirsch smiled.
"Good."
<.<.<.<.<.<.<
Julianna stood in the kitchen, making her and George's dinner when he came home. He smiled at her.
"Hey babe." He said. She grinned and turned toward him.
"Hey." She replied and kissed him quickly as she placed a plate on the table beside a bouqet of flowers, a bottle of champagne and a card.
"What's all this?" He asked. She grinned.
"It's for you." She said as his gaze travelled over the pink roses, pink champagnge, and the pink envelope of the card. "Open the card." She said. He reached for the envelope after glancing quickly at her and opened it. He pulled out a card with a picture of a cartoon baby girl on the front. He opened it up to see that it said 'Congratulations'. Julianna had added 'Daddy' after it and signed it 'Love Mommy'. George grinned and placed the card on the table, as he got the hint. He picked up the bottle of champagne and read the label, before he laughed.
"Pink champagne?" He asked and looked at her. She grinned.
"Of course, I can't have any, but I thought you might like some."
"Hopefully I got the hint, right?" George asked. Julianna's eyes sparkled.
"Hopefully." He walked to her after placing the bottle back down and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"So, it's a girl?" He asked. She laughed and nodded. He kissed her quickly. "A girl. That's wonderful." He said.
"I know."
"Wow." He said and placed a hand on her stomach.
"Did you get pictures?"
"And a video." She said and turned out of his embrace. She walked across the kitchen to the desk and picked up the pictures. Then she handed them to him. "Dr. Hirsch said that there's about a 99 percent chance it's a girl, because there was a clear view. So unless we have a boy who loves playing hide-and-seek, she's positive we're having a girl." George looked at the pictures.
"Wow. She's getting so big." He said. Julianna nodded.
"So am I." She said and placed her hands on her rounded belly.
"Not that big." He said.
"Yet." She replied. He chuckled.
"And you only get more beautiful." He said.
"Yeah, yeah, keep 'em coming, Daddy." She said. He chuckled.
"When can we watch the video?" He asked.
"Can you wait until after dinner, because it's done." She said. He nodded.
"If we eat fast." He said. She laughed.
"Okay."
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"What are we going to name her?" George asked nearly a month later.
"Where'd that come from?" Julianna asked as she turned to him from her spot at the kitchen counter. He shrugged.
"I've just been wondering. We picked out Andrew's name around now. We didn't give it to him officially for a few months, but we picked it out." He said. She nodded and turned to lean against the counter.
"Any ideas, then?" She asked. He shrugged.
"I still like Olivia." He said. She shook her head.
"That just doesn't feel right, ya know?" She asked. "I know we picked it out last time, but it's...just not right." He nodded.
"Yeah, I agree. I'm not sure why, but I have the same feeling." She smiled.
"Good."
"You have any ideas?" He asked. She shifted a bit on her feet and grinned.
"A few."
"Shoot." He replied.
"Tyler." She said.
"What? For a girl?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yeah. I don't know why, but I just like that name for a girl. I think that there's something so cute about a girl with a boy's name." Julianna said. He wrinkled his nose.
"I don't really like that for a first name. I'd rather give her something girly for a first name, but Tyler might work for the middle name." He paused. "It depends on what the first name is and if Tyler works with it." He said. She nodded.
"Yeah..I guess you're right." Julianna said. He smiled.
"Anything else?" He asked. She shook her head.
"No, my other name was also a boy name for a girl." She said. He chuckled.
"What is it then? Maybe I'll change my mind." He said.
"James." She replied. He wrinkled his nose.
"No." He said. She laughed and pushed off the counter. "Not even for a middle name." She wrapped her arms around him, despite the fact that her belly was in the way. She kissed him gently.
"We'll just have to keep brainstorming." She said. He nodded.
"Good idea."
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"George, c'mon!" Julianna said, two weeks later, "That's a horrible name."
"What's wrong with Renae?"
"Too many people have it for a middle name. Not that it's not a good name, but it's too...common for your child." She said.
"Oh, right!" He said and she laughed. "Well, what's your bright idea, missy?"
"Megan."
"Megan? Jules, no. It's....It's not right for our kid. That's too...homely, like one of your too common names. A good name, but not for my daughter." He said. She laughed.
"Alright, fine. Anything else?" She asked.
"Elizabeth." He replied.
"ER." She said. He laughed.
"But Liz is such a cute name." He said.
"Yeah, but, that's just weird." She said.
"Oh, wait, I've got it." He said, shifting closer to her.
"What?" She asked, nearly ready to roll her eyes. They had been arguing over baby names for over two weeks and had yet to settle on one they both liked.
"Instead of Liz, how about Ellie?" He asked. Her eyes lit up. He had a good idea, for once.
"But her name would still be Elizabeth." She said.
"Not necessarily. I mean we could just name her Ellie, not short for anything. We're celebrities, our child's name doesn't have to derive from something." He joked. She laughed slightly.
"I do love that name. It seems to fit." She replied.
"I think so." He said and placed a hand on her growing belly. She smiled and covered his hands with her own.
"Let's just say we did name our baby that, but what would her middle name be then?" She asked.
"Well," He paused to think about it, "Tyler would work. You liked that. Ellie Tyler." He said.
"Ooh, I do like that a lot."
"Me too."
"Ellie Tyler. How adorable!" She exclaimed. He chuckled.
"Took us long enough to find something we both liked." He said. She nodded.
"That feels so right. Everything else didn't, but Ellie Tyler does!" She said. He laughed at her excitement.
"How do you think Andrew would feel about it?" He asked. Julianna settled in quietly for a moment and then smiled.
"I think he'd like it. Andrew and Ellie. Our babies."
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"I love this." George said with his arms around Julianna, his hands resting on her big stomach. She was 36 weeks along. The baby was due in less than four weeks, according to the doctor.
"What?" She asked, turning her neck to grin at him.
"The fact that neither one of us have to work for awhile because of the baby. It's nice to just be togther and relax and wait...impatiently." He said. She laughed and snuggled back against him.
"I know, me too." She sighed. "I'm still so nervous though, ya know?" She asked. He pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"I know, baby, I know. Everything is going to be alright. We've made it this far. Only four weeks or so left." He said. She nodded.
"I know. I can't help it though." She said.
"We'll all be fine." He said. She nodded.
<.<.<.<.<.<.<
One week later Julianna woke from her nap with a start. She was lying on the couch in the living room and George had covered her with a blanket. When she woke it took her a minute to realize why, until she felt it again. A tightening in her lower abdomen. She struggled to sit up, pushing herself up on her arms. And she moaned when the tightening worsened. She knew these couldn't be Braxton-Hicks. They hurt too much.
"George?" She yelled, placing one hand on her stomach. He came running from the kitchen when he heard the panic in her voice.
"Jules, what is it?" He asked, running around the couch.
"I don't know, my stomach." She said. "I...It hurts." She said, her eyes wild.
"Okay, okay. Do you think it's the real deal?" He asked. She nodded.
"It feels like last time." She said.
"Alright. You stay right here, I'll go get your shoes and things, okay?" He asked. She nodded.
"George, this isn't supposed to be happening!" She said. He nodded.
"I know, I know. Everything's going to be just fine. You just stay calm, alright, baby?" He asked. She nodded and he dashed off, running down the hall. He rammed his feet into his own shoes and grabbed hers. He headed back into the living room. "Here we go." He said. He helped her as quickly as he could into her shoes. Then he eased her up.
"Ohh.." She moaned. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned her forehead against his shoulder.
"Okay, just breath." He said. She nodded, blowing through her teeth softly.
"Alright." She nodded, lifting her head.
"Okay, c'mon." He said. He walked her slowly down the hall, until they got to the door. "Lean here." He said. She leaned against the wall, trying to breath through her mouth. He dashed off to get the keys. When he came back he picked up the bag out of the closet and wrapped his arm around her waist. He helped her into the car and took off, reaching for the cell phone to call the private birthing center where they were going.
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"I think she should be okay." Dr. Hirsch said. "She's only three weeks early. Her lungs may be a little under developed, but there is a high percentage rate of survival in babies at 37 weeks. She's barely early." Dr. Hirsch said. Julianna and George nodded. Julianna was lying in bed in a gown with several monitors hooked to her and IV's in all directions. They gripped hands.
"But what if the cord is around her neck, too?" Julianna asked.
"There is no way to prevent that, but as you know if she comes out that way we will do our best to get the cord off her neck and give her the best care we can." Julianna nodded.
"Is there anything I can do differently?" Julianna asked.
"You know there's not." Dr. Hirsch said. Julianna nodded.
"Okay. I.....Okay." She said.
"She'll be fine, Julianna. What happened with the other baby was chance, not something you did, or anybody did. This baby is coming a little early too, but I think she's just anxious." Dr. Hirsch smiled softly. "You just need to focus on delivering her."
"Okay." Julianna winced.
"Another contraction?" Dr. Hirsch asked. Julianna nodded and began to breath through it. George turned to her, giving her his full attention.
"I want an epidural." Julianna said. Dr. Hirsch nodded.
"Alright, we'll arrange that for you, okay?" Julianna nodded.
"Thank you." George said. Dr. Hirsch nodded and smiled.
"Sure thing."
<.<.<.<.<.<.<
"You're doing wonderful." George said, his right hand entwined with Julianna's left. She nodded, listening to his voice, trying to concentrate in between pushes. "You just keep doing what you're doing, baby." He said, bending down close to her.
"Okay, Julianna, I need you to push now." Dr. Hirsch said. "Are you ready?"
"Uh-huh." Julianna said. She leaned forward, hunching over and pushing. Dr. Hirsch began to count to 10. George bent over Julianna's legs, watching. Hoping he didn't see the same thing they had seen the first time.
"I see the head." He whispered in awe. Julianna moaned.
"Okay, stop." Dr. Hirsch said. Julianna fell back. "Look, Julianna, you can see the baby's head." A nurse held up a mirror at an angle so Julianna could see the baby's head. Julianna let out a gasping laugh. "She's got a lot of hair." Dr. Hirsch said, grinning. George laughed.
"Look at that!" He said.
"Julianna, on this next push you can reach down and touch the baby's head if you'd like." Dr. Hirsch suggested. Julianna stared at her.
"Really?" She asked. Dr. Hirsch grinned and nodded.
"Okay." Julianna said.
"Alright, go." Dr. Hirsch urged. Julianna bent up and pushed, reaching down at the same time. One of the nurse helped direct her hand, and Julianna could feel the slimy top of the baby's head. She laughed for a second and George watched in awe. But then it was back to pushing.
"Oh God." Julianna moaned through her teeth.
"Push, Jules, push!" George said, becoming excited. He wished he could take away some of her pain, but he was super-excited for this baby to be out and to be here, with them. She groaned, pushing as hard as she could.
"Okay, take a rest, Julianna." Dr. Hirsch said.
"I can't!" Julianna said.
"Alright, alright. Five more seconds." Dr. Hirsch said. Julianna's face was red and her veins were popping out. A strangled yell escaped past her lips. "Stop pushing! Stop pushing! The head's out!" Dr. Hirsch announced.
"Is the cord around it's neck?" Julianna asked immediately. George grinned.
"No." He said.
"Thank God." She said and then she moaned as Dr. Hirsch began to pull the baby out the rest of the way after suctioning her nose and mouth as much as they could. Julianna felt a tug, and then the baby slid the rest of the way out.
"Here she is!" Dr. Hirsch announced, immediately placing the baby onto Julianna's stomach. George and Julianna stared in awe. Julianna back to cry as she stared down at her baby. She reached down, touching her tiny, slimy body.
"She's so little." George said, amazed.
"She's a little one." Dr. Hirsch said. "You need to cut the cord." Dr. Hirsch said over the baby's first wail. George immediately took the scissors they offered him and began to cut it. Once it was severed the baby had to be taken away to be checked on. George bent down, kissing Julianna and pressing his cheek to hers as Julianna cried.
"Thank God." He whispered. "You did wonderful, Jules. I love you." He said and kissed her.
"I love you, too." She said, crying still. "Don't leave her, George. May sure she is okay." He nodded.
"I will." He said and kissed her again before walking over to watch the baby in amazement.
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A few minutes later they brought the baby back to Jules all wrapped up.
"She's fine." George said. "Her apgar is high, plus she is breathing all by herself."
"How big is she?" Julianna asked. He grinned.
"She's a wee thing. Only five pounds, six ounces and nineteen inches long."
"Oh my goodness." Julianna said when they handed her the baby. She laughed. "Oh, look at her. She's so small." Julianna began to cry again. "She's beautiful." George bent over them.
"Just like her momma." He said, and kissed Julianna's cheek. She smiled, thrilled. Her baby was fine. Thank God.
<.<.<.<.<.<.<
A few days later Julianna was released from the hospital with Ellie. Julianna had healed up nicely and Ellie had been perfectly fine. She had done everything she was supposed to. George and Julianna couldn't have been more thankful. The first thing Julianna had requested to George once she had left the hospital was to go visit Andrew's grave. It was something she needed to do.
That's why she and George were walking toward's his tiny grave, Julianna holding Ellie all wrapped up in her arms. George crouched by the grave, placing a tiny bunch of flowers by it. Julianna stared down at the grave, tears rolling down her cheeks. George stood, wrapping his arm around her waist as they looked at his grave. Then they both turned to their newborn at the same time. Her tiny eyes were open as if she had sensed something important was going on and hadn't wanted to miss it.
"Meet your sister, Andrew." Julianna said. George smiled softly. "We love you, Andrew, so much." She whispered. George reached over and stroked Ellie's cheek. She stared up at her parents.
"And we love you, too, Ellie." Julianna turned to George and they kissed softly before looking at the grave once more. Then they turned and walked away from the grave and into their future.
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