CHAPTER 19: A Few Months Later.....

                                    

                                          
ASTRID
                          


                          
It has been a month since Lydia was killed and I was buried alive. I'll never forget that moment when the lid to the coffin had been pulled off and one of the first faces I saw was my mate who I always knew was going to rescue me. 
                          
Now it's been a few months and our daughter is due any day now. I can't put into words how grateful I am that I'm alive and that our baby is safe. However, I still feel guilty and have began questioning my role as a mother. I'm more nervous about being that than I was about being a Luna. 
                          
Liam and everyone else has been so great in trying to help me recover and I have been. Even with my doubts of becoming a parent but Seline also reminded me that every new parent is scared and worried if rather or not they will be good enough for their child. 
                          
Right now, we are having a barbecue with all the pack members and celebrating us being alive and the defeat we had just made in getting rid of Lydia. Turns out that she never would have been the new Moon Goddess anyways since her stepmother had a daughter of her own before she met her father. So it wouldn't have been hers anyways. 
                          
Quickly we were all starting to move on and forget about Lydia and so much of that night since it does nothing to dwell on things in the past. 
                          
Everybody is all outside while Liam is grilling some burgers and bratwurst hot dogs while also relaxing, talking, laughing and drinking a beer with his friends. I start making my way out to the back to join them with the final side dish I made of potato salad when I felt wetness begin dripping down my leg and soaking my pants. Then I felt sharp pain that felt like the worst cramps ever as it made me drop the bowl of potato salad and clutch onto my stomach. 
                          
"Oh my god. Are you okay?" I hear Seline ask as she quickly runs up beside me. 
                          
"Baby?" I hear Liam then drop what he had in his hand as did everyone else while he ran up to me as well and put his arm around me. 
                          
"I think it's time." I tell him. 
                          
He looks down at my stomach and then at me again. 
                          
"Oh my god. This is it!" He yells out panicking. 
                          
Now mind you, we have practiced doing a drill almost every week to make sure that we were as prepared as possible and as calm as possible but that all went out the door for him as he didn't know what to do. 
                          
"Chill out!" Seline tells him. "Get her to the car, I'll grab the bags by the door and Bullet will get the car started. Just calm down and help her with her lamaze breathing."
                          
"Okay." Liam says as he takes in a couple of deep breaths and lets them out. "Alright baby, let's go." He says and quickly scoops me up in his arms and begins quickly walking out towards the car while carrying me bridal style. Then he lays me down in the back seat and holds my hand as I squeeze it hard enough to almost break his hand from the amount of pain of the contractions. 
                          
Seline very quickly tosses our bags into the trunk and hops into the car before Bullet starts driving. 
                          
I used to think that the breathing never worked really. In fact, for some women they have told me it didn't work for them but luckily for me, they do. Plus it helps with Liam right next to me, trying to soothe me and keep me calm. 
                          
When we finally pulled up to the hospital, we all got out of the car and headed inside with Liam again, carrying me bridal style. 
                          
"My wife is having a baby." He says out of breath. 
                          
Even though we aren't married yet, he has been calling me his wife and I've been calling him my husband. 
                          
One of the nurses comes over with a wheelchair and begins wheeling me down the hallway towards the room since I'm already close to the point where it's time to push. 
                          
Once I get settled into the room and the doctor comes in, he checks to see if I'm ready and I am and also tells me that it's too late for an epidermal, so I'm gonna have to do this the old fashioned way and just push. 
                          
Luckily the room was big enough for both Liam, Bullet and Seline to stay in here to help be supportive. 
                          
I began pushing and I swear with every push, I felt like I was tearing more and more down there. I know this will all be worth it in the end but, for right now in the moment, I just wanted someone to knock me out. 
                          
"Alright, one more big push and she'll be out." I hear the doctor tell me. 
                          
"Okay." I breathe out in pain as I give one last big push while squeezing Liam's hand tightly as I begin shaking a little bit and whimper until I hear our daughter cry. 
                          
Even though she was covered in all this wet and goo like substance, she still looked so beautiful. Liam kissed the top of my head while the doctor and nurses started cleaning her up and getting me all fixed up. 
                          
"You did baby." Liam says with tears falling down his face as he gives me another kiss on my sweaty forehead and I look up at him and smile. 
                          
"We did it." I tell him and he kisses me on the lips. 
                          
"You both ready to hold your daughter?" The doctor asks as he has her wrapped up in a pink soft cotton blanket and places her into my arms. 
                          
Both Liam and I look at her while smiling and us crying even more as we look at our baby girl for the first time. We are going to protect her always. 
                          


                          
Next chapter will be posted! :)