"Take deep breaths, deep breaths!" Michael panics. "Doctor!'

Pain has taken over my body. This was exactly what I was worrying about that time in the field, this was the kinda thing I was dreading! It's this pain that I didn't want... but hey, Ryder's gonna be here soon.

"What's happening in there?" the doctor asks.

I inhale through my nose, and exhale out my mouth, over and over, trying to reduce the pain, even just a little.

"Uh, my fiancée's kinda in labour here!" Michael calls out.

"Oh right.. I'll try and unlock the door again, you'll need a safe environment to bring the child into!" the doctor says.

I continue my inhale through nose, exhale out mouth routine, and listen to Michael and the doctor converse, trying so hard to forget the pain.

But it's kinda hard when it's causing me to scream out.

"Michael.. it hurts!" I state the most obvious thing ever, but I don't even care.

Michael takes a hold of my hand, and looks me in the eye. Even when I feel this way, his eyes never fail to make me smile.

"Look, I want you to know that you can abuse this hand as much as you want.. squeeze it whenever you want, it'll be ok," he says sweetly.

"Hmmm... Michael...."

I can barely speak right now. I'm in so much pain. Like I said, I don't care how much I'm stating the obvious right now.

"It's ok, baby," Michael assures me, before turning his head towards the door. "Doctor, are you even trying to unlock this freakin' door?!"

Michael's panicking now.

"Yes, Mr. Jackson, I am trying! But it's jammed to high hell! I can't get it!" we hear the doctor reply.

Michael's still holding my hand, and I think now, I'll take that opportunity to squeeze his hand.

When I do so, Michael winces in pain. Looks like I get stronger when I'm in pain, interesting.

Then, a major contraction kicks in, making me scream out in pure agony.

"MICHAEL!"

"Becky, Becky, take deep breaths like before! Remember, in through the nose, out through the mouth! Work with the pain!" Michael says in a panic.

Hmph, work with the pain? What kinda advice is that?

"Work with this pain!" I retort, and squeeze his hand harder than I did before.

Michael sucks air between his teeth, obviously trying to hold in the pain I just gave him.

"I was only tryna help.." he pouts.

"Well it's kinda hard working with this pain!"

The word 'pain' is prolonged because of, ironically, the pain I'm feeling.

"Ughn, doctor, are the firemen here yet? And could you possibly call an ambulance?!" Michael calls.

"Sure, Mr. Jackson. B-But.. oh, god damnit..! Mr. Jackson?"

"What?"

"I can't find the phone!"

I feel a killer blow to the stomach. Both mentally and physically. Mentally, because I've got the knowledge that we won't get any medical help except a pointless doctor, that, let's face it, wouldn't know how to cure the sniffle, never mind my labour, and physically, because I just had another contraction.

"Ughnn, Michael!"

I squeeze his hand tighter, and I can see he regrets his decision in letting me hurt it.

"How bad does it hurt on a scale, one to ten?"

"What kinda question is that, Michael? This rating breaks the scale!"

I seem so violent when I'm in this state. Quite funny, if I wasn't in this unbearable pain!

"Mr. Jackson, the firemen are here!" the doctor calls.

Michael sighs in relief.

"Thank god! Send them here, quick! Get them to unlock this damn door, and get us outta here so we can get to the hospital!" he cries.

"Mr. Jackson, the patient won't be able to move anywhere now! She's too far in labour to do anything but give birth now! Miss Costello, you're gonna be giving birth here!"

"What? But this isn't a suitable place, doctor!" Michael retaliates.

"Well, it's gonna have to be. Have you got towels or something in there with you?"

Michael looks round, then spots some. "Yes, sir!"

"Once the baby's here, wrap it up in them!" the doctor's the one stating the obvious now, it seems.

I feel a major, huge contraction run through my body, and I squeeze Michael's hand tighter than ever, squealing, as my voice is sore from screaming.

"I wish I knew what to say to you, baby, but I'm no doctor! Listen, I think the firemen are here now--"

We're interrupted by a loud bash on the other side of the door, and Michael looks round to see if anything is happening.

"That's a development," Michael says, looking at the gaping hole in the door.

The doctor looks in through it, seeing my pained face, and Michael's panicked face.

I feel so embarrassed now, but.. I'm kinda in labour here.

"Doctor!" Michael cries.

The doctor climbs in through the hole in the door, and comes to my side.

Had to be a male doctor, didn't it..?

*7 hours later*

I'm still in unbearable pain. How long has this damn thing been going on for, now?

Me and Michael should be in the church, getting married now, I'm pretty sure of it!

Then, the biggest contraction I've felt so far kicks in, causing me to scream out so loud, despite my lost voice, that my face turns red and the beads of sweat on my forehead fall down my cheeks.

I'm so embarrassed right now, it's not ever a fun time going into labour in front of someone you don't know. But the firemen have gone, and it's just the doctor here.

"It's been seven hours! Is it time, baby, do you think it's time?" Michael asks me.

I nod. "Yeaahh, I think so.."

Every one of my words is prolonged because of the pain I'm feeling. Michael smiles at me.

"Are you ready to bring Ryder into the world?" he asks.

His asking of this question causes me to forget about all the pain, if just for a second, and I smile as if I'm not about to go through the most pain I'll ever feel in my entire life.

"Yes, baby. I'm so excited."

Michael smiles at me, but then the pain kicks in once again, and I squeal quietly.

I figured by now, that no matter how loud you cry, it won't change the pain.

Michael turns to the doctor.

"Doctor, I think she's ready," he says.

The doctor nods, and Michael smiles and looks back at me.

"Let's bring our child into the world," he says.

"Can we do it, like now?!" I beg.

It's not me that's being so vicious, it's the pain talking.

Michael nods and wriggles his fingers in my hand, to prepare himself for the pain he's about to feel there from my squeezing.

"Ok.. push.. in 3.. 2...1... now!" Michael and the doctor both count down, then it's the first part of major pain.

I put all my effort into the push, I don't even know how well I'm doing with this, I can't see. I squeeze Michael's hand as I push again, and again, before taking a breath.

"C'mon, you can do this, honey. You're doing so well!" Michael assures me.

I decide to go for it, and push again.

"Oh, baby! I can see the head!" Michael cries out in excitement.

I exhale with a smile. "Just the rest of the damn body to go.."

"You're doing amazing, amazing I tell you," he says calmly.

He looks so.. I've never seen him this way before.

He's like, panicked, but happy and excited at the same time.. he wasn't even like this when he proposed to me!

I cry out, and push again.

"Not long left, just the stomach down to go!" Michael announces.

I can't help but start to feel excited, like, an adrenaline rush. I'm bringing a child into the world! That's incredible!

And that's the kinda thing I need to think about. The positivity of this situation. The pain I'm feeling.. that's a positive pain.

But I'm so tired, I wanna literally fall asleep right now, despite the pain.

But I must continue with this, until Ryder's born.

"I think one more major push would do it," Michael says finally.

One more, then I'm done. Let's get this over with. I wanna see my baby.

"Count, please.." I beg in a whisper.

Michael nods, and looks to the doctor for guidance.

"After three," the doctor says. "One.. two.."

"Three!" Michael joins in on the last number, and then my final work begins.

I use every speck of energy I have left in my body, every single little bit of it, in this final push. I scream out once more, and squeeze Michael's hand again.

He's watching me intently, and then in stops.

The pain stops.

I sigh with relief, and lean my head back, breathing extremely heavily.

All that effort for the birth of a human being.. it's crazy..

All I can hear in my world right now is my beating heart, my heavy breathing, and.. and..

"Baby, Ryder's here! Our baby boy is here!" along with the beautiful cries of our newborn child.

Our child, our own part of us.

I look Michael's direction to find him cradling Ryder in his arms, a towel already over his blood-stained body.

"We need to wash him, sweetheart," he says. I nod slowly.

"Can I see him?" I ask softly.

Michael nods and walks my direction, and then he sits next to me, nuzzling my cheek with his nose, and he presents Ryder to me.

Oh my.. this is what true love feels like. I've never felt this kind of love before.

The love I have for Michael is.. different.

The love I have for Michael is more, sorta.. physical attraction.

This love I have for a baby I've seen little more than two minutes is just.. I've just fallen in love all over again.

Our baby Ryder.. he has beautiful, deep brown eyes, like Michael, and, hair-wise, I'm thinking he'll have black, or brown.

But his eyes.. they're just like Michael's. That'll get the girls when he's older.

I reach my little finger out to touch his forehead, his skin is so soft, and his face so pale. Not a sickly pale, but an innocent sort of pale.

"Mr. Jackson, you'll need to cut the cord," the doctor says calmly, coming into the room with a pair of scissors.

He left the room just before Ryder had been fully born. Michael hands Ryder over to me. It feels strange holding a part of me, an innocent life.

Michael takes the scissors, and cuts the cord connecting me and Ryder.

It feels weird knowing he just cut a part of my body.

But what feels weirder, what feels so very weird, is knowing that I'm a mother, and Michael's a father.

"So there we have it. Our first healthy child, our beautiful, healthy baby boy," Michael says. I nod.

"But wait! We need to tell everyone that the wedding's cancelled! They'll all be waiting for us! How come no one's here, looking for us?" I ask.

"Don't worry! I called Kieran and told him to tell everyone, that was at the church, that you were in labour and that the wedding wouldn't go ahead today. They all understood, sweetheart."

I feel slightly more reassured by this.

I smile and look down at Ryder. His innocent, young face, and his gorgeous eyes, that, right now, are looking directly into mine.

I reach my little finger over to his tiny hand, and he takes my finger in his grasp, squeezing it ever so slightly.

"I hope I didn't hurt you too bad," I say, referring to the number of times I had squeezed Michael's hand during the labour.

"No, it's alright. I've seen people's hands go black from their partners squeezing so hard. Mine only went a dark purple," he chuckles.

I slap Michael's arm, trying hard not to interfere with Ryder at the same time.

"You cheeky so and so! I'll have you know that the pain I felt was a lot worse!" I retort playfully.

Michael tries to deflect the hits I'm giving him, and giggles.

"Hey! At least it's our lucky colour!" he chuckles.

But then, as fast as lightning, his facial expression returns to its previous seriousness.

"You're holding our son. Our son!" he says in disbelief. I nod.

"I sure am. Isn't that amazing?" I say in a whisper.

I'm a little overwhelmed by this all.

"For sure, baby.. but the name's staying the same as we planned, right?"

"Yes, of course," I reply.

Michael smiles at my response, and bends down, just to my height, and kisses my lips passionately, we're both holding onto Ryder in our arms as we do so.

I'm assuming the doctor's gone now, I haven't heard anything of him since.. well, when Michael cut the cord.

We eventually break the kiss, and Michael looks down into my eyes and starts smiling, and grabs my hand.

"I love you, baby," he tells me.

"And.. I love you too."

"Our nine-month mission is complete. Ryder Lethaniel Jackson, my son, is now in the world. I'm so happy right now, I can't even put it into words. You know that?"

"Yes.. I know, Michael."

Michael smiles and nuzzles my cheek once more, and then sits up, and looks down on me and Ryder.

"Ryder Lethaniel Jackson, my Prince, brought into the world by my Queen."

Author's note: Yay, Ryder's now in the story! Just the wedding, the Janine courtcase, and her child's birth to go! And, we'll see Ryder evolve even more! Oooh, I'm so excited ;)