August 1968

The pains had been slowly getting worse all afternoon.

Connie felt the first contraction that morning in bed when George brought her breakfast before he left for the studio, but she'd not said anything. He had a busy day at the studio planned and there was no point worrying him unnecessarily. It was probably just a false alarm, her midwife had told her that it was only natural at her stage of pregnancy to start feeling occasional aches, and she still had a few more weeks to wait before her due date. If she told George that she felt something he wouldn't have gone to work, and she didn't want to deal with the irritated phone calls from the other Beatles complaining about George's absence. Tensions were rising enough as it was, she didn't want to risk making things worse with them all. So she kept quiet, only finding it a little uncomfortable, and the moment he left the house after kissing her on the cheek she tried to get on with her day as normal.

Being heavily pregnant wasn't going to stop Connie from doing the things she needed to do, so she did their essential housework, tidying up their breakfast pots, and the moment she got it all done she got ready and started working. She'd decided not to officially go on maternity leave until the baby came since it wasn't too strenuous to just write articles, deciding to work at home rather than trek into the office each day, and Ruby had been round the day before with a list of some content for her to write. After having her book published it was weird to go back to writing non-fiction, but at least it was something to focus herself on.

She did miss going into the office, but mostly because she missed seeing people that weren't George or the other Beatles and their wives. Ringo and Maureen had been round to visit a few times, and so had Paul and his new girlfriend Linda, who Connie absolutely loved. Paul had started joking that Connie preferred Linda over him, and he wasn't entirely kidding as the two women got on so well. The people who visited least were John and Yoko, which upset Connie a little until she realised it was because Yoko didn't like her, and then it became amusing. Of course she didn't like her, not when she kept visiting Cynthia and Julian, not just because they were still her family regardless of the divorce but because she felt guilty about John's behaviour. According to George, John mentioned coming to see her a few times, but only when Yoko wasn't around.

She tried not to think about that too much, not wanting to think about John or his girlfriend when she was meant to be working, but no matter how hard she tried to concentrate, the Beatles was all she could think about. She knew things weren't going great with the band. It had been fine while they'd been recording the demo tracks at Kinfauns, apart from the odd disagreement, but now they were back in the studios it was as if they'd abandoned all the serenity that they'd found in India. George didn't tell her much, not wanting to upset her while her hormones were still all over, but she could tell things weren't right. He was quiet whenever he came home from work, only wanting to talk about her day, and whenever he did start to open up he immediately stopped himself, as if shielding her from the touchy details.

Not that she'd tell George, but she was worried about it all. She could barely remember a time before the Quarrymen, before all her friends were together in one band, and it was strange thinking that maybe it was all falling apart. It was also terrible knowing her husband was having a hard time and not talking to her in the hopes to protect her from their drama. The thought of it all led her mind down an endless rabbit hole, one which stopped her focus on the article she was working on completely. It was a train of thought so deep that the only thing that pulled her out of it was the strong cramp that creased across her stomach.

It was worse than any period pain she'd ever felt, and Connie always got the worst cramps. There'd been times where she thought she was properly ill but it turned out she was just on her period, so that cramp made her panic just a little. She tried to tell herself that it was nothing to worry about. She'd only seen her midwife for an appointment a few days before and she'd mentioned the false pains and how she might experience them soon. It was nothing to worry about, she repeated to herself as if it was a meditation mantra, but a dark corner of her mind kept shouting out contradictions to the calmness she was trying to instil.

She decided to get up from the table where she had been working and walk around the kitchen, hoping to stretch the cramps out. As she was pacing the kitchen though one hit her that made her lean against the counter, biting her lip as she took a deep breath.

"Jesus, kid, d'you mind?" she muttered as she looked down at her stomach.

She couldn't help but be glad that George was at work, knowing that he'd probably be panicking if he could see her walking about the kitchen in pain, fighting off any thought that the cramps were something serious. It was quite amusing how nervous he'd gotten around her over the last few weeks, scared that anything he did could bring harm to the baby or cause her to go into early labour, but she didn't think that sort of energy would be particularly helpful to her in that moment.

Even as she told herself that it was all nothing to worry about, Connie would've been a liar if she said she believed it. Part of her started to feel a little scared, wishing that she wasn't alone just in case, repeatedly having to talk herself out of ringing the studio and telling George to come home and be with her. She was fine, until another pain hit her, which caused her to start worrying all over again.

Sitting down at the table again, another pain hit, one that made her really question if they were just false alarms. She didn't have much time to react though, as the front door slammed shut, making Connie gasp in surprise. She'd not expected George home yet, so she quickly wiped the grimace of pain off her face, pulling herself out of her chair and standing up straight, trying to seem normal and not at all like she felt she needed to lean against the kitchen counter for support. Her plan was to go to the hall and meet him at the door, kiss him on the cheek and tell him about the pains, hoping that he'd not panic and would help calm her down, but she didn't have time for any of that as he stormed through into the kitchen.

There had been an argument at the studio, she could tell just from the thunderstruck expression on his face and the irritated way he carried himself, as if he was a tightened spring just waiting to go off. She hated it when he was like that, but another pain hit her just as she was about to ask him what had happened, so instead she took a deep breath, biting her lip so he didn't notice that something was wrong, wanting to just focus on him for a few moments. Thankfully he didn't pick up on her odd behaviour, pulling her into a tight hug, not even bothering with kissing her hello as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, her blonde curls acting as the perfect curtain for him to hide behind. She didn't know what to do, just wrapping her arms around him and stroking his long hair, hoping that he'd tell her what was going on.

"Georgie," she said after a moment of silence, trying to make sure her voice wasn't shaking. "What's happened? Talk to me, love,"

"It's Ringo, he's left," George breathed out, sounding upset, heartbroken. "He's done, quit the band. Stormed out of the studio saying he was sick of it all. I know we've all been bickering lately but..."

"Fucking hell," she sighed, using her shock and upset at this revelation to distract from the pain that crossed her stomach, hugging him tighter. "He's the best drummer in the world, what you gonna do without him?"

"Forget drums, he's me best mate!" He exclaimed almost angrily, stepping away from her only to see the grimaced expression on her face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," she shook her head, far too quickly for it to be normal but George was too upset to really notice. "I'm just... I can't believe he'd walk out on you all, what did he say?"

"I told you, that he was sick of it all and sick of feeling like a spare part," he told her harshly, and even though she knew he was upset she didn't like his tone, especially not with how vulnerable she was feeling already.

"Please don't snap at me, George, I'm trying to help," she said with a small sigh, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "He can't leave, he's Ringo. No offence, but the Beatles is nothing without him, it's the four of you or nothing,"

"Well maybe it's nothing, maybe it's all over," he snapped, sounding defeated as he dug in his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter.

"Not in the house, George," she reminded him, taking a deep breath as she moved over to him again, taking hold of his arm and squeezing it gently. "Shouting at me won't help anything, I'm just saying. You need to talk to Ringo, and the other two, talk to them properly. Don't just resort to shouting cause I know what the four of you are like. I'm sure it's just a blip, just a stupid little fall out, but you need to talk to him before he gets too upset about the whole thing and quits for good. Bloody hell, I'll even talk to him if I have to but-"

She cut herself off as another pain creeped across her stomach, her forehead creasing together as she let out a small whine, biting the inside of her cheek to try and make sure George didn't notice. He clearly did that time though, setting his cigarettes down onto the counter, all his anger instantly being replaced by concern. It was as if he remembered who he was with, that his anger lied with his band and not his pregnant wife, his pregnant wife who was clearly in pain. He took hold of her arms, looking her up and down nervously.

"Con, what's going on?" he asked, his usual protective nature rearing its head.

"It's nothing, I promise," she excused, too scared of what the pains meant to actually admit their existence to him. "Come on, just talk to me about your stuff, please,"

"Seriously, are you in pain? Is something wrong with the baby?" He asked, seeing through her terrible façade of normality.

"No, well not really wrong," she shook her head, and for some reason found herself trying not to cry out of worry. "I've been having pains all day, at first I thought they were the practice ones my midwife told me about but... I've still got another three weeks, George, it can't be happening now!"

"Jesus," he breathed out nervously. "You should have said something, I'm so sorry for being such a prick when you've been going through this all day. Do you want me to take you to the hospital or are you still set on staying at home, shall I call the midwife?"

"I've not been going through anything, it's nothing! It can't be anything serious, not yet-" she stubbornly tried to insist, but cut herself off as she bit the inside of her cheek, holding back another murmur of pain, especially as she felt a weird rushing sensation. "Fuck, what was that?"

George didn't answer, instead staring wide-eyed down at the floor worriedly, only looking up at her when she called his name.

"Connie, I think that was your water breaking,"

***
At first the two midwives had suggested George wait outside, given how nervous he was. He didn't really know what to do to help, worried that he'd get in the way, but Connie insisted he stay with her. She'd not said it, but the way she looked at him desperately as they had her lay down on the bed told him just how scared she was, so he sat next to her, holding her hands tightly, brushing her hair out of her face, talking to her to distract from the pain. He felt helpless, like he wasn't doing enough, but every so often Connie would offer him a weak smile and squeeze his hand, as if thanking him for just being there.

The whole thing was so surreal. Neither of them could quite believe it was happening to them, the past six months since they found out about the baby going forgotten as they felt completely unprepared. It was as if they'd never wrapped their heads round it all, and now they were going to have to, because in only a few hours they were going to be parents.

As the hours went on Connie progressively was in more and more pain, but she didn't cry or scream, mostly because she had George with her, and with the presence of her midwives she felt in safe hands. Whenever a contraction hit really badly she just took a few deep breaths and squeezed George's hand so tight he was the one close to screaming. After a while she became surprisingly calm about it all, talking like normal in between the pains, just trying to feel as normal as possible so she didn't get too overwhelmed or scared about what was going to happen.

"I wish there was something more I could do to help you," George muttered after a while, getting up from where he'd been sat next to her on the bed to stretch.

"You're here, that's all I care about," she shrugged, offering him a small smile. "If you really want to do something you could go get your guitar, it might help pass the time,"

With her suggestion he went to go fetch his guitar, and so he sat on their bed next to her, playing any sort of tune he could think of. It was a nice distraction, especially whenever he played some sort of tune that she recognised, focusing herself on the music and singing along to whatever George was playing rather than the pain. Occasionally the midwives would sing along with her, and she felt amused by how light the atmosphere was considering she was in labour.

"Bet you never thought you'd get a private Beatles concert while on duty," Connie remarked with a smirk, making George laugh.

"Its better than when I actually saw the band at the palladium," the dark haired midwife joked.

"Probably cause you can actually hear what I'm bloody playing," George said, and Connie rolled her eyes. "The best was out last Liverpool gig. It was so loud I had no idea what I was meant to be playing, when we came off Ringo said he was just watching us and assuming by how we were dancing about what song we were on,"

At the mention of his bandmates, George's face fell ever so slightly, though it was only noticable to Connie. It was clear that even with what was going on, he was still thinking about what had happened at the studio earlier, still thinking about Ringo walking out on the band. It was bittersweet that what was meant to be the happiest day of their lives, the day that they became a family, was also the day the band fell apart. Connie shifted in her position slightly, reaching out and taking hold of George's arm, squeezing it. He set his guitar aside, looking at her worriedly, until he saw how she was looking at him. She was the one about to have a baby, yet she was trying to reassure him about work. Even with everything happening to her, she was still trying to make sure he was okay.

"You should go call the lads," she suggested, grimacing and biting her lip as another pain hit her, her fingernails digging into George's arm ever so slightly as she held him tightly. "Sorry,"

"It's alright," he reassured, waiting until she didn't look as hurt to continue, "I don't want to leave you,"

"No, you should go ring our parents and tell them, and the lads deserve to know what's going on too," she told him firmly, and he wasn't in the mood to argue with her, not while she was going through so much. "Just phone Ringo at least. Please, Georgie?"

Not wanting to irritate her, George sighed, kissing her temple before he headed off out of their bedroom. Connie listened out for him dialling the phone, and sighed with relief the moment she heard him begin talking, and by the nervously excited tone of his voice she assumed he'd phoned his parents first. He'd not been gone long before the midwives suggested examining her again to see if she was any further along, and part of her wished that she'd not sent him away, wanting him to hold her hand whilst they felt her stomach and had her prop her legs up. She'd not realised how much she relied on George to stay calm, so she tried to focus on the distant sound of his voice, especially when she heard him swear jokingly down the phone, assuming he was talking to either John or Paul.

"That'll be them asking to be godfather again," she muttered quietly, mostly to herself, but the midwives laughed with her. "None of them have stopped pestering this whole time,"

"You must feel really lucky that you've got such good friends," one of them said to her, and Connie smiled at the thought.

She did have really good friends, especially with the Beatles. They'd been there for her for practically her entire life, and that was why she felt so upset about their arguments. She knew it wouldn't last forever - the Beatles, their fame, the fortune - but she just hoped that their friendships would stand the test of time.

George was thankfully back at her side before she could dwell on it for too long, taking her mind off it all as he sat back down on their bed, taking hold of both of her hands and kissing her knuckles.

"I rang your Dad, him and my parents have gone down the pub," he told her, making her laugh, the perfect distraction from another contraction. "So that's the whole of Liverpool finding out we're having a baby,"

"Beats the press releasing it," she pointed out. "Did you talk to the lads?"

"Spoke to John, he's a wreck but he still managed to beg to be godfather, and Paul's the same," he explained. "Can we make one of my brothers the godfather just to spite them?"

"What about Ringo?" she asked, making George sigh slightly.

"He didn't answer, Maureen said she'd pass the message on but who knows," he said with a small disappointed shrug before he turned to look at the midwives as they both stood up, looking at the Harrison's with small smiles. "But forget all that stuff. How's she doing?"

"She's doing really well," the dark haired midwife told them both. "In fact, I think you're about ready. Mrs Harrison, you're probably going to feel as though you want to push the next time you have a contraction,"

"Fucking hell, really?" Connie exclaimed, looking at George with wide eyes.

Through that simple expression, George realised that her calmness had just gone out out the window. He knew his wife, and he knew when she was panicking. She was trying to pretend that she wasn't just like she did whenever she was upset or angry, but he could tell. As she nervously bit her lip, he noticed she looked as though she was going to cry, so he quickly squeezed her hands, leaning over and kissing her cheek. If she was panicking, he was going to have to be the calm one.

"Hey, Con, look at me," he said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "Connie, I love you so much, you don't need to be scared,"

"I'm not, I'm just-" she quickly began to excuse herself, but her shaking voice betrayed her words.

"It's alright," he told her as he stroked her hair, interrupting her before she could upset herself more. "I know you're gonna be nervous, but it's okay. I'm here, the midwives are here. You're in good hands, you know that. Just take some deep breaths, think positive. Think about India, about meditating, and just know that you can do this, alright?"

"Okay," she said quietly, not sounding fully convinced. "I love you,"

"I love you too, more than anything," he squeezed her hands tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Con, and soon our little Teddy or Josie is gonna be here, and they're gonna be brilliant. Just keep looking at me, I'm here, keep holding my hands, alright?"

"Alright," she whispered, seeming a little more sure of herself, until she grimaced in pain. "Bloody hell, that really hurts,"

"Our kid's gonna come out swearing like a sailor," he joked, and Connie really wanted to laugh but she was in too much pain. "It's alright, I'm here... Do you feel like you need to..."

He trailed off, not finishing his question, and Connie didn't answer, instead simply nodding, screwing her eyes shut and letting out a small cry of pain. She kept her eyes shut, focusing on only holding George's hand and whatever instructions and advice the midwives were calling to her. She tried to do what George had said, taking deep breaths and thinking of India where they had been so calm, but it seemed so much harder in practice. Ocassionally the pain would subside, but not for long, and then she would have to start pushing again, and it was getting harder to not cry. She wasn't sure how long she had been pushing, but it felt like hours, and after a while she didn't feel as though she could do anymore, leaning back onto George, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I'm done, I can't do anymore," she muttered tiredly, and George hated how hurt and helpless she sounded, wishing it was all over.

He felt exhausted just sitting there with her holding her hand, he couldn't imagine how she felt, her face flushed and her body sweaty. She looked so tired, tear stains streaking her cheeks, and he knew the pain must have been so intense given how hopeless she looked. He wasn't used to seeing her like that, not when she was usually so resilient, so all he could do was just try and reassure her, knowing it was so close to being over.

"Hate to break it to you, love, but I don't think you are done," he told her, kissing her forehead again. "I'm sure it won't be much longer, come on love,"

"He's right, Mrs Harrison," of one the midwives assured, giving her a hopeful smile, though Connie barely noticed it, too busy fighting off tears. "You're doing really well, just a few more pushes and you should have your baby,"

Connie took another deep breath, her forehead creased together. The constant encouragement from George and the midwives was a little frustrating, since none of them really knew how she felt, but with those last few words from the midwife that she was so close to being done, so close to having their baby, she felt a new wave of motivation. She controlled her breathing, squeezing onto George's hand as she tried to focus on him and not how much it all hurt, and as another contraction hit she began to push again, letting out a low grunt of pain. She was trembling in agony, but she refused to acknowledge it all, refused to cry again. She'd wanted a family for so long, she wouldn't give up now she was so close.

Those last few pushes seemed to go by so quickly, to the point Connie didn't even realise she was done until she heard George let out a quiet curse, and the room was filled with the sounds of ear-piercing crying; it was one of the greatest sounds that either of them had ever heard. Connie let out a sigh of relief, shutting her eyes and flopping back on the bed in exhausted triumph, smiling softly as she felt George kiss her forehead again and again. Their baby's cries echoed around the room, and the noise made her feel as if all her suffering had been worth it.

"Congratulations the two of you, you've got a beautiful little girl!" the midwife called, holding the baby up for them to see as she wrapped her up in a towel.

That was enough to make Connie break down into the happiest of sobs, especially as George laughed, grinning in amazement as the midwife brought the baby over to them. Even though she was still shaking, the adrenaline of labour starting to run short, Connie forced herself to sit up a little, holding her arms out for her daughter. As the midwife laid the baby onto her chest and Connie wrapped her hands around her, holding her close, she looked up to George, letting out a quiet laugh when she saw he was crying a little too. She felt her insides buzzing with butterflies, knowing this was probably the happiest she'd ever felt.

"I love you," he whispered to her, kissing her temple, his eyes never leaving their daughter as she cried on Connie's chest, realising that she was probably the greatest, most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"She's so little," Connie breathed out, glancing up from the baby to George, a look of exhausted amazement on her face. "And she looks like you,"

"I know, poor girl," he laughed gently, wiping his tears away as he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder, leaning over and wiping her own tears with his thumb. "She's amazing... Look what you've done, Con,"

The two of them sat staring, utterly captivated by her. Her cries were finally quietening, and now they'd both stopped crying too they could take in every detail of her. She did look like a miniature version of George, the only difference being that she had Connie's nose. She had a thick head of dark hair too, having both of her parents to thank for that, and as George leant to stroke his fingers through her dark locks, Connie pushed a kiss to his cheek.

"Look what we've done," she corrected him. "Thank you for being with me, I don't think I could have done it without you,"

"You three make such a sweet little family," one of the midwives commented while the other checked Connie over to make sure she was alright. "Do you have a name for her yet?"

"Yeah," Connie smiled looking at their girl. "Josephine Briony Harrison,"

"Harrison-Lennon," George corrected her, grinning as he held out fis finger to their baby only for her to wrap her whole, tiny hand around him. "Josie for short,"

***

Both midwives stayed for another few hours, making sure both Connie and Josie were alright, helping Connie settle into looking after the baby, and after making sure everything was cleaned up they left, which was when reality settled in for George and Connie. For the first time they were completely alone with their daughter, and they both felt completely clueless as to what to do. It was only natural, but it still felt absolutely overwhelming.

"I keep thinking..." Connie said quietly as she laid in bed, Josie laid sleeping on her chest peacefully, her hand wrapped around Connie's thumb, watching as George came back into the bedroom holding two mugs of tea and a plate of toast. "This is probably a bit weird, but around this time ten years ago we were in Liverpool and it was chucking it down, d'you remember?"

"Course I do," George said, setting the mugs down and sitting on the bed next to her. "Getting pissed on your dad's whiskey, listening to Elvis,"

"We were such kids," she sighed. "If someone would've told me then that the daft lad who ate all my eggy bread was gonna be the love of my life and the father of my child-"

"You'd have broke their nose?" George joked, making Connie roll her eyes. "I'd have thought they were joking too, I'd have never believed I could get so lucky,"

With that he leant over and kissed her lips, and as they parted his gaze fell onto Josie. He still couldn't believe she was real, in complete awe of both their daughter and his wife.

"You're both so amazing," he said before he could stop himself. "I know I've said it tonnes, but I love you so much, Con, and I love our girl too, so, so much,"

"And we love you too," she grinned, though her gaze flicked down to the plate of toast he'd set down on the bed. "Please tell me that's for me?"

"Course it is, do you want me to take her?" He said, his question sounding so nervous and cautious, especially when Connie nodded.

Connie sat up carefully, wincing as she felt like her entire body ached. She was pretty sure that since Josie had been born she hadn't let her go, except for when the midwives wanted to check her over, and she instantly felt bad that she hadn't let George hold her yet, so she cautiously lifted the baby off her chest, trying not to disturb her too much, laying her down into George's outstretched arms. Upon holding her he instantly grinned, cradling her close as he leant down and kissed the top of her head, and Connie tried desperately not to cry at the sight. She distracted herself with the plate of toast instead, trying not to dwell on the fact that the sight in front of her was all she'd wanted for the last few months, if not years.

"We're gonna give you the world, Josie-girl," George said quietly to their daughter as he rocked her gently. "Your Mum's the greatest woman in the whole world, I hope you take after her, and I'm gonna be here for you for everything, absolutely everything. We both love you all the world, kid,"

"Georgie..." Connie said quietly as she took a bite of her toast, not realising how hungry she actually was. "We didn't get to properly talk earlier about what happened at the studio,"

"Con, you've just had a baby, do we really need to talk about that stuff now?" he muttered, and when she nodded he let out a long sigh. "This is meant to be the best day of our lives,"

"Exactly, I don't want you feeling bittersweet about it because of how hard work's been," she explained.

"I don't," he shook his head with a small shrug before he looked back down at Josie. "She kinda puts it all into perspective really, like why would I give a damn about some stupid argument and let it wind me up when there's something much more important in life? And at the end of the day... I understand why Ringo would be so pissed about everything, we're bound to fall out over work stuff, but he's still my best mate, y'know?"

"Yeah, I understand," she nodded, reaching out and stroking his arm supportively.

"I just hope he knows that too..." he said quietly, trailing off before a small smile grew on his face and he looked up to his wife with an excited expression. "Hey, Con? Why don't we ask Ringo to be Josie's Godfather?"

"You can be the one to break it to the other two, but yeah, I think that's a lovely idea," Connie agreed with a nod, only for Josie to let out a small, squeak-like cry, making both of them laugh slightly. "I think she agrees too,"

George was right, Josie really was the most important thing to them, and with her perfect little family, her heart felt so full.

***
Word count: 5487

***

Authors note:

Hey guys, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry there was a bit of a wait for it, I just wanted to make sure it was as good as possible.

So, it's a girl! I'm not sure how medically accurate this chapter was, I've done plenty of research and watched more then enough episodes of Call the Midwife so hopefully it was okay and as long as you guys enjoyed it that's the main thing.

The way I've planned it there's only two parts left: another chapter and an epilogue. I can't believe I'm wrapping this story up already and I'm still torn as to what to do next, but I hope in the meantime while I figure that stuff out you'll stick around to at least see how this book ends.

Thanks for all your support so far, it really means a lot to know people like my work, especially since I put so much into each upload. Please let me know what you think to this chapter and hopefully the next one will be out soon!
~Olivia