![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Dec. 30th, 2018 04:27 pm"No no, they can't all come in here." The midwife said, as Guppy and Fran arrived with the four children. The kids looked at one another, and Guppy gave them a reassuring nod.
"I'm sorry, the kids stay. Maggie was meant to have them, but she's got flu, and nobody else is below the drink drive limit. It is New Year's Eve, after all." he said.
"Can't you take them somewhere?" the midwife asked.
"No, he'll miss the birth." Fran said.
The midwife looked dubious. "How long ago did you go into labour?"
"About an hour." Fran said.
"Oh well I'm sure there's plenty of time."
"Look, I've had two babies in A+E and one in the car park." Fran said. "I labour fast. Nobody is going home."
***
In the relatives room, the four children watched the countdown to midnight on the television. Fry was glad, because he had been afraid he'd have to watch the birth. Coral and Brooke were a little disappointed, for the same reason. Gil, not accustomed to staying up so far after his bedtime, was lying on a sofa clutching a cuddly toy unicorn and half asleep.
"Do you think Mum will be all right?" Coral asked Fry, after a while.
"Yes." Fry said.
"How do you know?" Brooke asked.
"Well, she survived having us four." Fry said. "And this time, the baby's right on time. If she hangs on until after midnight, Mum will have carried the baby to the exact due date."
"Will we be okay?" Gil asked, waking up a little.
"Of course. Why wouldn't we?" Fry asked.
"It'll be all difwent." Gil said. "We won't be a four any more."
Fry suddenly felt very experienced and wise.
"It didn't get so much very different when you were born." he said. "It was when we had Brooke that life descended into chaos."
"Hey!" Brooke threw a cushion at him.
"No throwing." Coral confiscated the cushion. "And Fry's right. The baby will just be a baby for a few years, and by the time they're old enough to be friends, we'll be used to them. It happens gradually."
"Tilly Tell-Tale said we're a 'Problem Family' and four of us is enough." Brooke said. "I told her to bog off."
"Well there won't be any more of us." Fry said. "Mum and Dad are both having the special operation this time. But they said not to go around telling everyone about their lady and man bits." He opened a bar of chocolate. "And that if we do say anything, that it's not being neutered, that's dogs."
"Are we a Problem Family, Fry?" Coral asked anxiously.
"No." Fry said. "Well you and Gil aren't."
"You always pick on me." Brooke pouted.
"We're one of each." Gil said.
"One of what?" Coral asked.
"Fwy's Gwiffindor, Col's Wavenclaw, I'm Hufflepuff and Brookie's Slythewin." Gil said.
"What's that got to do with the price of fish?" Fry asked.
Gil conveyed that he didn't know, except that he wasn't sure what the baby was going to be, but that he was willing to share Hufflepuff if necessary.
Just then, the television began to announce the countdown. Together, they counted down from ten to one, and then sang Auld Lang Syne, which none of them knew the words to, and refused to hold hands to dance in a circle, and then watched fireworks out the window and wondered what to do next.
"You can come in now, kids." Guppy said, appearing at the doorway.
"There's definitely no blood, is there?" Fry checked.
"No, we're all cleaned up. Come and meet your sister."
They trooped through to the room where their mother sat in the bed, holding a little bundle with jet black hair. The younger three ran up to her, while Fry lingered back, checking there was nothing gross in the room, before approaching more cautiously.
"What's her name, Mum?" Coral asked, gently touching the baby's hair.
"Winifred." Mum said. "Eddy for short."
"Eddy's a boy's name." Brooke said.
"It's both." Mum said.
"And she's definitely okay." Fry asked. "No complications, no special care, no sudden surprises?"
"Nope. Right on schedule, and everything's fine. Born on the first of January, one minute past midnight." Fran kissed the baby's forehead.
Eddy wobbled her lower lip, and began to cry. Fry put his hands over his ears and moved further away.
"Bathroom!" he declared, making an exit. But after Eddy had had her feed, he did consent to holding her for the obligatory social media photograph, which Guppy noted as personal growth.
And then, Guppy took the four older children home to bed, with the promise that Mum and Eddy would be joining them soon, probably in the morning. All this time, Gil had been quiet, but when Guppy tucked him into bed, he spoke up.
"I think I like Eddy better than a unicawn."
"I'm sorry, the kids stay. Maggie was meant to have them, but she's got flu, and nobody else is below the drink drive limit. It is New Year's Eve, after all." he said.
"Can't you take them somewhere?" the midwife asked.
"No, he'll miss the birth." Fran said.
The midwife looked dubious. "How long ago did you go into labour?"
"About an hour." Fran said.
"Oh well I'm sure there's plenty of time."
"Look, I've had two babies in A+E and one in the car park." Fran said. "I labour fast. Nobody is going home."
***
In the relatives room, the four children watched the countdown to midnight on the television. Fry was glad, because he had been afraid he'd have to watch the birth. Coral and Brooke were a little disappointed, for the same reason. Gil, not accustomed to staying up so far after his bedtime, was lying on a sofa clutching a cuddly toy unicorn and half asleep.
"Do you think Mum will be all right?" Coral asked Fry, after a while.
"Yes." Fry said.
"How do you know?" Brooke asked.
"Well, she survived having us four." Fry said. "And this time, the baby's right on time. If she hangs on until after midnight, Mum will have carried the baby to the exact due date."
"Will we be okay?" Gil asked, waking up a little.
"Of course. Why wouldn't we?" Fry asked.
"It'll be all difwent." Gil said. "We won't be a four any more."
Fry suddenly felt very experienced and wise.
"It didn't get so much very different when you were born." he said. "It was when we had Brooke that life descended into chaos."
"Hey!" Brooke threw a cushion at him.
"No throwing." Coral confiscated the cushion. "And Fry's right. The baby will just be a baby for a few years, and by the time they're old enough to be friends, we'll be used to them. It happens gradually."
"Tilly Tell-Tale said we're a 'Problem Family' and four of us is enough." Brooke said. "I told her to bog off."
"Well there won't be any more of us." Fry said. "Mum and Dad are both having the special operation this time. But they said not to go around telling everyone about their lady and man bits." He opened a bar of chocolate. "And that if we do say anything, that it's not being neutered, that's dogs."
"Are we a Problem Family, Fry?" Coral asked anxiously.
"No." Fry said. "Well you and Gil aren't."
"You always pick on me." Brooke pouted.
"We're one of each." Gil said.
"One of what?" Coral asked.
"Fwy's Gwiffindor, Col's Wavenclaw, I'm Hufflepuff and Brookie's Slythewin." Gil said.
"What's that got to do with the price of fish?" Fry asked.
Gil conveyed that he didn't know, except that he wasn't sure what the baby was going to be, but that he was willing to share Hufflepuff if necessary.
Just then, the television began to announce the countdown. Together, they counted down from ten to one, and then sang Auld Lang Syne, which none of them knew the words to, and refused to hold hands to dance in a circle, and then watched fireworks out the window and wondered what to do next.
"You can come in now, kids." Guppy said, appearing at the doorway.
"There's definitely no blood, is there?" Fry checked.
"No, we're all cleaned up. Come and meet your sister."
They trooped through to the room where their mother sat in the bed, holding a little bundle with jet black hair. The younger three ran up to her, while Fry lingered back, checking there was nothing gross in the room, before approaching more cautiously.
"What's her name, Mum?" Coral asked, gently touching the baby's hair.
"Winifred." Mum said. "Eddy for short."
"Eddy's a boy's name." Brooke said.
"It's both." Mum said.
"And she's definitely okay." Fry asked. "No complications, no special care, no sudden surprises?"
"Nope. Right on schedule, and everything's fine. Born on the first of January, one minute past midnight." Fran kissed the baby's forehead.
Eddy wobbled her lower lip, and began to cry. Fry put his hands over his ears and moved further away.
"Bathroom!" he declared, making an exit. But after Eddy had had her feed, he did consent to holding her for the obligatory social media photograph, which Guppy noted as personal growth.
And then, Guppy took the four older children home to bed, with the promise that Mum and Eddy would be joining them soon, probably in the morning. All this time, Gil had been quiet, but when Guppy tucked him into bed, he spoke up.
"I think I like Eddy better than a unicawn."
