: : Summary : : Alex's birth (in a nutshell) takes place about a year after The Mummy
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Her pregnancy had been uneventful really, apart from the usual back aches and so forth and she'd enjoyed it until her seventh month when she began to find it hard to move around. It bothered her that she needed help from either Rick or Jonathan to complete simple taskssuch as getting up from bed or out of a lounge chair. Anything she knocked onto the floor simply had to stay there until someone elsepicked it up. She laughed about this at first, but now it was becomming tiresome. Most irritating of all, her trips to the library had stoppedas she found it too uncomfortable to travel there and back and now she felt housebound much to Rick's bemusement. He tried to relievesome of her frustration by bringing home most of her study material, but she still felt thwarted.
That's where he was right now, on another trip to the library, her list in hand. He never waited around at the desk for the books to be foundand stamped, he always busied himself with something else. Today he simply stood at the library entrance staring out at the rain, him selfwondering when this baby would emerge into the world. Evelyn's moods didn't really take much of a toll on him, in his own way he understood where she was coming from. He felt for her in her moments of distress at not being able to move about and he loved her all the more for her determination to try. At times he forced himself to hide a smile or stifle a laugh as he watched her. His amusement came only from his joy of her pregnancy and his love for her, but he also knew her well enough to know that right at this moment in time she wouldn't see it that way. So now, with books at the ready, he began to make his way back home, smiling to himself at how cross she'd be that once again he enjoyed a day trip while she had to stay home. It wouldn't matter to her that it was pouring with rain. They both just wanted the waiting to be over.
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"and I can imagine where Jonathan has disappeared to" Evelyn muttered to herself as she struggled out of the chair en route to the kitchen to make tea for herself. "always pottering over me when I want to be left alone and never around when I need him". "Ooohhh!" but then she stopped herself. "Oh really, I shouldn't be so hard on him" she sighed "his heart is in the right place, after all. I don't understand why I'm so moody of late. And I wish Rick would hurry with those books!" She lifted a full kettle onto the stove and began to strike a match when she let out a gasp, dropped the matchbox and grabbed for her lower stomach. She waited for the cramp to subside, lifted her head to look about the room and simply said "Oh".
She sat down at the kitchen table and waited. "I wonder?" she said to herself, half excited half terrified. She knew she was huge, had been for weeks, but everyone was too polite to mention it. Except for Rick, he would joke that he could still fit his arms around her...just. "If I'm huge, then the baby's huge. If this is it, how on earth is it going to squeeze it's way out!" Then came the next cramp, "Oh no! There's supposed to be half an hour or so between these things, not minutes!" When the pain eased, Evelyn made her way out of the kitchen and headed for what she thought would be the best place, the bedroom. Only trouble being, was that the bedroom was up two flights of stairs, but she'd only had two contractions and "...babies take hours to come, don't they?" So with her own advice at hand, Evelyn began to climb the staircase, only to make it to the first landing when she was once again hit with pain, but stronger than before and this time it was accompanied by a warm trickle down the inside of her legs. "Oh my God! RICK!!!" she yelled "JONATHAN!!!!"
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Rick turned the car through the gates, cursing the rain. It was so heavy he couldn't see ten feet in front of him. As he drove into the
garage he noticed the other car missing and cursed Jonathan. "Where in the hell has he got to? I told him not to go anywhere until I
got back."
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Evelyn was now wishing she hadn't been so impatient for this baby to arrive. It might be a
bit late getting here, but now it was about to rush it's way into the world. She was alone in the house, she was in a lot of pain and she was scared. "Rick, Rick, where are you?!" she groaned.
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Rick was running through the rain towards the house when he saw Jonathan's car drive through the gates. He turned around and
went back to the garage, interested to know why he'd left Evie by herself and fully prepared to give him what for for doing so.
Jonathan looked at Rick with his hands held high and his eyes wide open, "I swear O'Connell, I've been gone less than an hour. I had to see that museum fellow, you know the one. He' still interested in those sceptres and is offering one hell of a price for them too, I might add".
"Yeah, well you should've waited til I got home" grunted Rick "I doubt he'd be rushing off anywhere in this weather and you know I
hate Evie being left alone these days, this baby could come time now, you know that!" Jonathan nodded at Rick, then rolled his eyes when Rick turned his back and headed for the house once again. "Honestly..." Jonathan thought to himself "lately these two have been enough to drive a man to drink"
Rick and Jonathan walked through the front door. Rick dispensed with the library books on the entrance table and he and Jonathan
began to shake the rain from themselves when they heard "HERE, WHOEVER IT IS. HERE, NOW!!!!"
Jonathan stared at Rick as he hurried into the house calling for Evelyn, then quickly joined him at the foot of the stairs arriving
in time to see Rick hurry to the landing to where Evelyn was now half sitting and struggling to breathe.
"Hey" he whispered to her "how long have you been like this?"
"I don't know, maybe an hour. Oh Rick, it hurts!" she gasped.
"Okay Honey, okay. But you can't stay here. I'm gonna get you to bed, alright". He went to lift her and she cried for him to wait until
the contraction had stopped. He felt the wetness on her skirt. Panicked himself, he yelled down to Jonathan, now half way up the stairs, to get back into the car and to "....bring Dr.Bowen here, come hell or high water!"
With her pain temporarily gone, Rick lifted his wife in his arms and carried her up the stairs. She was pale and sweaty, but Oh God, how he loved her, especially now. He was angry at himself and Jonathan for leaving her alone and he was scared for her and what she was about to endure. But there was little time for his emotions as Evelyn began to groan once again as another contraction built up it's momentum. He was the only one with her, he kind of knew what he had to do if his child arrived before the doctor and now, more than ever, Evie needed for him to be confident and in control. His insides were running around and screaming, but his exterior was calm, he offered soothing words, he offered his hand. He stroked her sweat soaked hair and kissed her forehead. She was crushing his hand! When did she get so strong! He could've sworn he heard a bone crack!
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"Nothing's moving fast today except Evie's baby" moaned Jonathan as he struggled his way through the London streets. "Bloody rain" he added "Can't see a thing, It'll be a fine mess if I don't get this quack back to the house soon!"
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It had been over an hour since Jonathan had left in search of Dr. Bowen. "Come on Jonathan, you've been gone too long" muttered Rick as Evie once again clamped down on his hand. This time she used him as leverage to almost sit. Rick put his arm behind her back and she leaned into his shoulder. She put all of her weight onto him and he actually had to struggle a bit to keep upright and support her. "Are you sure you want to be sitting up like this? he asked gently.
"Of course I'm sure" she snapped. "I know what I'm doing"
Rick didn't say anything, he just held onto her.
"Oh Rick! Help! This baby's going to come out!" panted Evelyn.
By now Evelyn was propped between Rick's legs with her back pressing into his chest, his head bent down so his cheek touched hers. He squeezed his eyes shut as she wailed again. Never had he felt so useless in his life. All he could do was kiss her cheek and whisper encouragement. He wanted her to let go so he could move around to help the baby if it needed it, but she pleaded for him not to move.
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Jonathan was shouting at the butler who had answered Bowen's door. "He must come with me NOW! No arugments! I want the man in the car with me now, on the way to my sister! Do you understand me?"
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Evelyn sreamed! Not just groaning, but really screaming! Rick held her tight until she stopped. "Evie, listen to me sweetheart" he spoke gently and she lifted her head to look at him. "I have to move. Bowen's not going to get here in time and I need to be where I can see the baby. Do you understand, Honey?"
Tears filled her eyes, but she nodded. "I'm really scared, Rick" she whispered "This is worse than I thought, I'm not sure I can do it". She almost sobbed and Rick's heart broke clean in two.
He quitely moved in front of her, lifted her chin and said calmly "Hey, you're my girl, remember? You can do anything".
She smiled a wobbly, teary smile at him, then twisted her face and his hand again. She began to rock as she let out another scream. "OH RICK! It's coming out!!!" wailed Evelyn.
Rick looked down to see his child push it's head into the world. He could almost see
the baby's face through his own moist eyes. He could hear Evie screaming and screaming!! He placed his free hand onto the baby's head. He kissed Evie's hand as he let it go. "Just need to catch the baby" he told her. Evelyn grabbed the bed sheets and still screaming, gave one final push. Rick put both hands onto his baby and helped pull him into life.
"Boy! Boy! It's a boy, Evie!" Rick half laughed, half cried. He gently wiped his new son's face, crudely cut and tied the cord, wrapped him as best he knew how and placed the squealing infant in his mother's arms. Evie cried and laughed and kissed her son. Relieved, joyous and now painless she smiled up at Rick. He kissed her forehead, then let his lips linger there for a while. No words were needed. Mother and son remained wrapped in Rick's arms for what seemed ages. Evie and his son drifted to sleep and Rick watched them in wonder.
The peace was broken with the arrival of Jonathan and Dr.Bowen.
"I say old boy, I believe we're too late" clapped Jonathan. "So what have we got, O'Connell? Niece or nephew?"
"Nephew" smiled Rick.
"Splendid! Splendid! Well, what's he called then?"
Evelyn smiled at her brother "Alexander Jonathan" she said.
Jonathan just looked at his sister, then at Rick. "He won't need to be reminded who I am"
said Rick "He doesn't need to be named after me. We thought you'd like that honour".
"Well I...I..." that's all Jonathan could manage. Pride had choked him.
END