september 2022
Ally squealed as she ran to the front door and yanked it open, grabbing the package that was sitting on their front step. She went into the kitchen, grabbed a scissors, and sliced it open. Her breath hitched as she pulled out the small, white onesie that read, 'When I grow up, I want to play guitar just like my daddy.' Austin raised his eyebrows and yawned, sauntering into the kitchen.
"Oh, hey, the onesie came," he mused, looking over his wife's shoulder. Austin smiled. "That's pretty cute."
"I know, right?" Ally replied, "I can't wait to tell our fans."
Though they'd already told their closest friends and family about the pregnancy, Austin and Ally had been very careful about keeping it under wraps to the media and their fans. Ally hardly ever went out in public anymore, and when she did, she wore a baggy sweatshirt that covered her stomach. She and Austin wanted to officially announce it themselves when Ally was farther along, and they'd agreed to do it right after the gender reveal party.
"So," Austin said, ruffling his hair with his hands, "how are we doing this?"
"We're going to lean both our guitars up against the wall over there," Ally said, pointing to the wall adjacent to the TV in the living room, "and then put this ukulele in the middle." She gestured to the tiny, pink ukulele that they'd ordered off amazon a few days prior. Austin nodded.
"Great. What about the onesie?"
"For that," Ally smiled, holding the piece of clothing against her stomach, "I was thinking we do a classic side-by-side of the both of us, and then we'll each grab one side of it like this. The camera will be just high enough so you can see both my belly and the onesie—and we might be kissing, too. I'll have to double check with Dez and see what he wants to do."
Austin stifled a laugh. "Wait, Dez is taking the pictures?"
"Yeah, of course. He's one of our best friends, and he's good with cameras." Austin raised his eyebrows.
"And he was willing to do it for free."
"I knew it."
Ally grinned. "Hey, he was the best I could find on short notice. Plus, he was over the moon when I asked him. I couldn't just change my mind."
A few hours later, the doorbell rang and Dez's cheerful face appeared behind it. Ally greeted him and he stumbled in, barely able to carry all of his equipment.
"So," he said, "Where do we start?" Ally directed him over towards the wall, and they did the guitar shot first, leaning the three of them carefully against it and backing away slowly as if too much of a sudden movement would make them topple down. Dez snapped a few pictures and then gave them both a thumbs up, commenting that the photos were looking pretty good. Ally cheerfully made her way over to the dining room table, grabbing the onesie and trotting back over to the living room, her stomach bobbing slightly as she went.
"Okay, now I want you two to stand side-by-side, just like that. Yup, perfect. Let me just adjust the camera angle here...okay, give me a second..." He paused, pressing some buttons to change the settings and move the camera up slightly.
"Alright, I think I've got it. Now, Ally, you hold the left side of the onesie, and Austin, you hold the right." Austin's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out why Dez was telling them to hold the onesie facing the wall.
"You mean, I hold the right and he holds the left?" Ally asked, "Our directions are different than yours." Dez looked confused for a second.
"Ohhhh, right. Yeah, you're right. Ally." He looked up at Austin. "Listen to her."
"Check," Austin responded, "been doing it for almost two years now. Never fails."
"Yeah, yeah, we get it, You're in love. Now stop yapping and act like it. Austin, give her a kiss on the lips—I think I can fit it into the shot." Austin gladly obliged and leaned over, kissing Ally sweetly on the lips until Dez told them to stop. Ally went over to look at the pictures.
"These are great, Dez. Thanks for doing this."
Dez nodded. "Any time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get a burger for Carrie. She's been craving them a lot lately."
Ally narrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, isn't Carrie a vegan?"
"That's Piper you're thinking of," Dez replied. "See you guys later!"
"See ya," Austin waved goodbye and turned immediately to his wife. "Let's post these pictures, shall we?"
Ally grinned. "Sounds like a plan."
/
about an hour later
After Ally had posted the reveal photos, along with Austin's reaction video to finding out about the baby, both of their phones were blowing up with notifications. Ally scrolled through all of the comments, which were mostly fans congratulating them, along with a couple that said "I knew it!" or something along those lines. When she checked her Tweeter, her jaw dropped.
"Austin, come look at this." She had pulled the search screen up, where all of the trending hashtags sat. The third one down read #ausllybaby.
"We're trending on Tweeter?" he exclaimed, and Ally grinned.
"Nope. She is, though." Ally rubbed her stomach and Austin wrapped his arms around her, following suit.
"Wow, she's getting big." Ally smiled.
"Yup. Hey, we should start thinking about names. She'll be here in like... three and a half months."
Austin nodded, plopping down on the couch. "I have some ideas." Ally sat next to him, raising an eyebrow.
"Wait, really?" Austin nodded.
"Yeah. Do you?"
Ally bit her lip. "I have a few...should we both just throw some out there and see what sounds good?" He nodded again, taking out his phone, where he'd jotted some names down in his notes.
"I guess I'll start," Austin mused, "I assume we want something that starts with A, right?"
"Yeah, I think it'd be fun to keep up with the 'A' theme."
"Well, in that case...Addison."
"Avery."
"Aubrey."
"Abby."
"Ava."
Ally suddenly looked up from her phone. Her lips curled into a smile.
"You like it?" Austin asked, pleasantly surprised, given that he had about ten more names on his list.
"I love it."
Austin gaped. "Wait, seriously?" Ally nodded, laughing.
"Yes. That's the one. I'm almost positive. I really, really love it."
"Wow. Did I just choose our daughter's name?"
"I think you did." Ally grinned.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Austin, Ally, and Ava. That has a nice ring to it." Ally just smiled brightly and leaned into him more, running her finger over the fabric of her t-shirt, as if to let her daughter know that they'd found the perfect name for her. Ally jumped a little in surprise when she felt Ava's foot nudge against the surface of her stomach.
"Did she kick?" Austin asked.
Ally nodded. "I think she's trying to tell us that she likes her name," she mused, "We like it too, Ava. Now, the next step is coming up with a middle name. I personally was thinking that she could be named after my grandma Marie," she paused, "but I think Monica would also be a good fit," she teased. Austin rolled his eyes.
"I like Marie better...Ava Marie Moon. Plus, if we named her Ava Monica and she asks who she was named after, I don't want to explain that it's me." Ally grinned.
"Yeah, you had no idea how embarrassing it was knowing that my teachers could see my middle name was Edgar." Austin snickered.
"Wow, we have weird middle names." They sat there, soaking in each other's presence for a little while longer until Ally suggested they do some more work on the nursery. Austin gladly obliged and they walked up the stairs together, sharing mutual smiles.
/
december 2022
three and a half months later
the day after christmas
"Ally, are you sure you want to go over to my parents' house?" Austin asked, hanging a pair of pants up on the drying rack in their bedroom and glancing over at his wife nervously, "Because I can tell them that we're not coming if you think the contractions will be too much to handle." he paused. "Plus, you're technically supposed to be on bed rest. Doctor's orders."
"They aren't even that strong, Austin. They come and go, and it's like they weren't even the"—her breath hitched, and she leaned over, supporting herself by putting both hands flat on the dresser. Austin rushed over and rubbed her back lightly, telling her to take deep breaths. When the contraction had passed, Austin raised his eyebrows.
"I'm calling my parents."
"No, you're not," she argued, grabbing a shirt from the pile of clothes on the bed. "Like I said, they aren't that strong. Also...screw bed rest. I want this kid out. What time did they want us to come over?"
"Five o'clock."
"Perfect," she said, hobbling towards the door of their bedroom, "it's almost 4:30. We should get going."
"Ally, I"—
"Don't...say it," she snapped, "Now, let's get going." She disappeared down the hallway and Austin sighed.
"'Get married,' they said, 'it'll be fun,' they said," he mumbled, flipping the light switch off and following her down the hallway.
"I heard that!"
"Of course, you did."
Austin halted at the top of the stairs and turned around, going back to grab the hospital bag from inside their bedroom. He had a feeling that they'd need to leave for the hospital from his parents' house, and even if they didn't, it was better to be safe than sorry. Ally was already a few days overdue, after all—Austin suspected that was what was making her short-tempered and irritable.
/
Ally frowned when she saw Austin holding the hospital bag. "Why'd you bring that down?" she grumbled sarcastically, "It's not like we're gonna need it."
"Well, someone's cranky." Ally glared at him.
"Yes, Austin, I am a little cranky. I am five days overdue and the most uncomfortable I've ever been in my entire life. So, sue me."
Austin put his hands up in defense. "All I did was bring the hospital bag down!"
Ally rolled her eyes. "Let's just get in the car and get this over with. I'm tired of having people ask me, 'You still haven't had that baby, yet?' No, Karen, I obviously haven't." She gestured to her stomach. "I still have a freaking bowling ball inside of me. Not to mention the ever-present feeling that I'm going to explode," she groaned. "Ugh, I'm so uncomfortable."
Austin frowned, "Are you talking about my mom? She's just trying to make conversation."
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. We'll never know." Ally grabbed the car keys and opened the door to the garage. Austin sighed.
"I love you. You know that, right?"
"Shut up."
/
twenty five minutes later
Austin pulled into his parents' driveway and looked over at Ally, who'd been quiet the entire ride over. She looked out the window, her gaze fixed on something outside. Austin hesitantly reached over and put his hand on top of hers, scared that she would bite it off. She glared at him, and his eyes widened.
"What did I do now?'
"You're breathing like Darth Vader."
Austin groaned. "Oh, come on. I wasn't breathing that loudly!"
"Yeah, you were, but...let's just go." Ally unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled the handle of the car, but stopped suddenly and winced, grabbing onto the handlebar above her. "Ahhh..." she breathed. Austin rushed over to her side.
"Another contraction?"
"Yeah, it's a little stronger."
Austin gulped, taking her hand and rubbing her back. "That's it, Ally, just breathe..." He started breathing in and out, in and out. Ally copied him, her eyes still closed. Austin pulled out his phone and tapped on the app he'd downloaded to time the contractions. He had a feeling they'd be needing it sooner rather than later.
A few seconds later, Ally exhaled, opening her eyes again. "Thank you." Austin nodded.
"Anytime." Ally used his hand to help her get out of the car and Austin shut the door behind her. He led her up to the front door, where Mimi and Mike were more than ready to greet them.
"Merry Christmas, guys!" Mimi ran up to give each of them a hug, commenting on how big the baby was getting. Ally shot Austin a look, as if to say, Do you see what I mean? Austin grinned sheepishly in response as Mike gave him a pat on the back and tapped Ally on the shoulder.
"It might not be Christmas anymore, but as I always say, better late than never," Mimi said cheerfully, leading them into the kitchen, "Is Ally feeling better today? I felt bad that you guys had to spend Christmas alone."
"She's better now," Austin jumped in before Ally could respond, "And we had each other, so we weren't really alone."
Ally faked a smile. The day before, she had begged Austin to make up an excuse so they wouldn't have to endure Mimi's constant chattering and questions, so Austin had called and told them Ally didn't feel well. After that, Ally had called Dez and Trish, and the four of them had spent Christmas Day together, laughing and exchanging presents. Austin had felt extremely guilty about lying to his parents, so he made Ally promise that they'd go the next day. "Fine," she said, "but only because I'm probably going to go into labor and we'll have to leave early." She'd started having contractions a few hours later.
"Well, that's good, at least," Mimi mused, taking the meat and cheese tray out of the fridge. "Dig in, guys! I have hors d'oeuvres!" Austin thanked her, taking a piece of cheese and placing it delicately on top of a cracker. Ally grinned and did the same, lifting it up as if she were toasting with it, and then bringing it to her mouth. She noted how good the cheese was, and Mimi cheerfully explained that she'd gotten the cracker barrel kind because it was a special occasion. Ally grinned, suddenly feeling guilty herself. She knew Mimi meant well, but she'd been incredibly sensitive lately and hadn't had the energy to deal with Mimi the day before.
A few minutes later as they were making small talk, Ally felt another contraction kick in. Austin noticed her tense up and grabbed her hand, stroking her hair with his other hand and reminding her to breathe. Mike and Mimi gave each other concerned glances and watched as their son helped her through the contraction.
"How long have you been having contractions?" Mimi asked, "You should probably be timing them so you know when to take off for the hospital. I think it was between five and seven minutes apart that they recommend you leave."
"Yeah, it's five to seven," Austin confirmed, stroking his wife's hand as she opened her eyes again and starting the timer on his phone, "I've been reading some of the parenting books you gave me, and they've actually been really helpful." Mimi nodded.
"I knew they would be."
"Wait..." Ally looked up at him. "You've been reading something?" she let out a laugh. "Never thought I'd see the day."
"There's lots of pictures," Austin explained sheepishly. Ally just rolled her eyes— a gesture she'd been making more and more frequently lately.
/
about three hours later
As the sun started setting, Ally's contractions had started to become stronger and closer together. Around 8:00 p.m., as another strong one had started to kick in, Austin stopped the timer.
"That was almost seven minutes exactly," he said, looking down at Ally with concern.
"You guys should get going," Mimi suggested, nodding. "Here, if you want, you can take the leftover cheese and crackers." Austin grabbed the container gratefully and put it under his arm, using both hands to carefully lead Ally through the kitchen. Once the contraction had stopped, she picked up the pace a little bit and Austin helped her into the car with both hands, fastening her seatbelt as well.
He ran around to his side, buckling himself in and starting the ignition. Austin grinned gleefully, suddenly realizing where they were about to go.
"Are you ready to do this?" he asked softly, taking her hand in his.
She gave him a small smile in return. "Let's do it."
/
5:10 p.m.
Austin set off for the hospital, driving at a rate that was over the speed limit, yet not quite fast enough that they got pulled over. They'd made it there in just under fifteen minutes, while driving normally you could probably get there in twenty-five or so.
He helped Ally out of the car and grabbed her hospital bag plus his backpack, flinging them each over one shoulder. They walked up to the entrance, occasionally stopping when Ally would have a strong contraction, and then continued on.
When they got up to the front desk, Austin explained that Ally was in labor and they were led over to the elevator, up to the second floor, and down the hallway to the maternity ward. Austin noticed that the walls were decorated with various cartoonish jungle animals, which made him happy for some reason. The nurse who led them upstairs showed them to their room and not long after, another nurse came in, introducing herself as Dacia and stating that she'd be Ally's main nurse through the delivery process. Dacia helped Ally onto the bed and hooked her up to a few machines so she could track the rate of the contractions. Almost immediately, she said that Ally was definitely heading toward full-fledged labor and helped her over to the bathroom so she could get changed into the blue hospital gown.
Ally came out of the bathroom with her glasses on and hair pulled into a messy bun. She brought her clothes over to the hospital bag that was sitting next to Austin on the couch and shoved them in, sighing and taking a seat on the bed. Austin pulled a chair over to her right side and grasped her hand as she used the other to scroll through social media.
"How're you feeling?" he asked as soon as Dacia had left the room.
"Just waiting patiently for that epidural." Austin nodded. "In all seriousness, though, the women who have drug-free births are superheroes. Modern medicine is a game changer." She squeezed his hand and he smiled, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead.
Austin helped her through several more contractions before the nurse came in and checked her again. Ally silently begged for them to give her the epidural, and as if on cue, Dacia said that she would bring the epidemiologist in shortly. Austin let out a shaky exhale, grateful for the news. He hated seeing Ally in pain, and he wanted the birth of their daughter to be a relatively smooth process.
Minutes later, a man in a lab coat appeared and introduced himself as Doctor Zinn. He held the needle up and Austin's eyes widened.
"They're gonna give you the epidural using that?" He silently walked over to Ally's front and stated, "Yeah, I think I'm just gonna stay over here for now." Ally rolled her eyes.
"Of course you're afraid of the needle."
"What? It's...really, really big," he squeaked, "Plus, we all have... things that we're afraid of..." His voice trailed off as Dr. Zinn started the process of administering the epidural, and Ally flinched, feeling the needle go into her back. Austin grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and sat in front of Ally, facing her and grabbing both of her hands. He watched for the next few minutes as the doctor inserted the epidural, making a mental note about how much of a superhero his wife was. He would never have been able to endure that big of a needle being stuck into him— it looked absolutely terrifying.
As soon as the doctor was done, he put the needle back on the cart. Ally leaned back on the bed, sighing, as Austin held her hand.
"You okay?" he asked as she closed her eyes. She nodded.
"It was painful, but not as painful as the contractions. Now it's just a waiting game I guess." Austin nodded, squeezing her hand once as she gently closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to subside.
/
Over the next few hours, different nurses came and went, keeping an eye on Ally's progress. It was slow going, given that four hours after they'd arrived at the hospital, she was still only two centimeters dilated. Austin texted an update to their parents, Dez, and Trish, but aside from that nothing much else happened. By the time the epidural kicked in, it was nearly midnight and Ally was snoring softly on the bed. Austin had tried to make himself comfortable on the couch, but when that didn't work he'd sat up, rubbed his eyes and made his way over to Ally's bed, nudging her ever-so-slightly so he could lay next to her. There was just enough room for him, and Austin drifted off to sleep immediately, his head nudged carefully in the crook of her neck.
/
12:30 a.m.
Ally sat straight up, feeling a weird sensation down below her stomach. She glanced down and saw a puddle of amniotic fluid, and her jaw dropped. She tapped Austin's shoulder repeatedly, saying, "Austin! I think my water just broke!" He sat up and frowned upon seeing the mess on the bed.
"Ew, why'd you wake me up for that?"
Ally glared at him. "Once the water breaks, it usually means that things go quicker. Here, let me call the nurse." She leaned over and pressed the call button, and a few seconds later a nurse walked in. Ally explained that her water broke, and the nurse helped her get cleaned up and wiped up the puddle on the bed. A few minutes later, Ally drifted back off to sleep, Austin by her side.
/
december 27th
the next day
around 8:00 a.m.
Ally opened her eyes and grinned, remembering that her water had broken and desperately hoping that things would move quicker now. She was feeling relatively no pain, thanks to the epidural, but she was still incredibly uncomfortable. Ally looked over to her left and saw Dacia, their nurse from last night at the computer, looking at how far apart her contractions were.
"Oh, you're up," she mused, giving Ally a smile, "Things are moving along pretty smoothly here. According to this, you're about five centimeters dilated—and your contractions are getting closer together, too."
Ally groaned. "Only five centimeters? But it's been twelve hours!" Austin stirred beside her, gradually opening his eyes.
"Only five centimeters," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his left hand. Austin didn't know exactly what that meant; he just knew from the tone of Ally's voice that not much had changed.
Dacia laughed. "If I could speed the process up, I would, but sometimes it just takes longer with your first baby. You're doing great, I promise." She walked out of the room. Austin sat up, groaning.
"Why's this taking so long?" he asked, "In the movies, it's always super quick and intense, and the mom is screaming and the baby's screaming...and sometimes the dad's even screaming"—
"I know," she cut him off, "maybe it's just because Ava's so comfy and warm in there, and she doesn't want to leave to come into this...cruel, harsh world, where danger lurks around every corner."
Austin sighed. "Yeah." There was a moment of silence before he said, "Well, I'm gonna go get some breakfast from the cafeteria. You want me to get you some more ice chips?"
Ally nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great. It sucks that I can't eat, because I'm starving right now." Austin gave her a kiss on the forehead, assuring her that soon enough, she'd be able to. He grabbed his wallet and headed out the door, leaving Ally alone.
She lay back on the bed, covering her face with her hands. Ally stroked her belly gently.
"Why don't you want to come out, Ava?" she asked, as if the baby could respond, "It's great out here. There's me, your dad, your grandparents, Dez and Trish..." She sighed once again. "I just know you're going to love them all. They're your family." Ally sat there for another minute, whispering to her softly until Dacia came back in to type something on the computer. Another few minutes later, Austin came back with a breakfast sandwich and a cup of ice chips in hand.
"Hey," he planted another kiss on her forehead, handing her the ice chips. She put one in her mouth, wincing at the coldness of it.
"I hope it's not too much longer," Ally said, biting down on the piece of ice. "I don't know how much longer I can stand being pregnant."
"You're doing great," Austin mumbled, his mouth completely full, "I believe in you." Ally rolled her eyes.
"Sometimes, I swear I married a child trapped inside of a man's body."
"And what's wrong with that?"
She grinned, placing her hand on top of his. "Absolutely nothing."
/
fourteen hours later
10:15 p.m.
"Please tell me you have some good news," Ally begged, popping yet another ice chip into her mouth. Dacia just frowned and shook her head.
"Well, you're dilated about eight centimeters, but based on how slowly things have been moving, it'll probably be another couple of hours before we get to ten."
Ally threw herself back dramatically, groaning. Austin rubbed her forehead with his thumb and stayed quiet.
"Sometimes it helps to get up and walk around," Dacia suggested, "You could try doing that."
"Oh, right, yeah. Where was this advice fourteen hours ago?" Ally snapped.
"She's just trying to help," he muttered, "be nice."
"None taken," the nurse said with a laugh, "I've worked here for over ten years. Lots of patients have snapped at me. It's just part of the job."
Austin nodded, grabbing Ally's hand and pulling her up to the sitting position. Her hair frizzed out and gravitated back toward the pillow. Ally rubbed her eyes as her husband helped her stand up and led her over to the couch, where he jammed her slippers on her feet.
"What do you say we go for a walk down the hallway, since the nurse said that helps sometimes?" he asked. "It might be worth a shot." Ally nodded.
"Sure, why not? Nothing else seems to be working." Austin grabbed her hands before thanking Dacia, and they exited the room, walking slowly up and down the corridor for about a half an hour. Nurses and doctors bustled about, and every once in a while, they'd see a new patient come in, the nervous father right behind her, telling her to breathe. Ally envied those patients, who looked like they were a lot farther along than she was. She leaned up against the wooden railing on the right side of the hallway with one arm, panting.
"Austin, I think we should go back to the room." He checked his phone; it was about 11:00.
"Okay." He nodded and grabbed her hand, rubbing her back lightly with the other. They walked back to the room in silence.
When Austin and Ally arrived back at their hospital room, they found Dacia at the computer again.
"Oh, good, you're back," she said cheerfully, "I was just thinking it's about time to check you again." Ally nodded and lay back while Dacia checked how dilated she was. This time, she had a much more cheerful look on her face. "Good news, you're almost there! You're at nine and a half, now. I'd guess that you'll be ready to start pushing within the hour."
Ally's face lit up. "Wait, seriously?" Austin grinned and gave her a peck on the lips.
"We're about to meet our daughter," he said. Ally smiled.
"We're about to meet our daughter," she repeated as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
/
12:30 a.m.
"Congrats, Ally, you're at ten centimeters." Ally breathed a sigh of relief at the words that came out of the nurse's mouth. She looked over at Austin, who was wearing a big smile.
"Finally," was all she said. The nurse laughed.
"We're going to have you start pushing shortly." A few other nurses came in, followed by the doctor that they'd met when they toured the hospital a few months ago.
"How's it going, guys?" he asked, stretching some rubber gloves over his hands, "I'm Doctor Jones, but I usually let people call me Todd. We're going to get some things set up over here and then we'll have you start pushing." Ally nodded.
The next few minutes felt like a whirlwind. Nurses bustled in and out of the room, getting the equipment set for the baby, and one of them placed a tray of tools next to where Dr. Jones was sitting. Ally felt beads of sweat start to form on her brow as more people crowded the room.
"Ooooo..." Ally breathed, tensing up a little. Austin stood next to her head, stroking her hair gently.
"You okay? Are you in pain?" a concerned look appeared in his eyes.
"Yeah, I think so. There's just a lot of pressure... down there. I-I think I can feel her crowning."
"Yep, it's definitely time," Dr. Jones replied.
Austin leaned down to kiss her one more time before the doctor announced, "Okay, Ally, I want you to bear down and give me a big push." Austin changed his position from the left side of the bed to the right and took her right hand with his left.
"You ready?" he whispered, giving it a squeeze.
She just looked up at him with a faint smile and leaned forward, bearing down as hard as she could.
/
fifteen minutes later
"One, two, three, four, five, six..." Dacia counted to ten and Ally relaxed, throwing her head back against the pillow. "Don't get too comfy, 'cause the next one is coming soon...oh, here it is. Push, Ally, push..."
Ally again leaded forward, squeezing her eyes shut and pushing with every muscle in her body. She relaxed again a few seconds later and Austin stroked her hand, already getting teary-eyed.
"You've got this, baby, you got it. You're doing amazing, Als. Keep going."
"Her head is almost completely out," Dr. Jones said. Austin looked up, his jaw dropping.
"Ally, I can see her! She's right there! Keep going!"
"Aaaand push!" Dr. Jones said again, "Harder, Ally...there you go. Keep going."
Ally pushed harder, squeezing Austin's hand until the color had disappeared from it. Austin winced but tried his best to ignore the pain, as he knew that she was a lot more uncomfortable than he was. She pushed a few more times, until Dr. Jones ordered her to stop.
"Is something wrong?" Austin asked, looking down. He could see that his daughter's head was out, but there was something wrapped around her neck.
"The cord's stuck around her neck," a nurse muttered, tending to the situation and unraveling the blueish umbilical cord from the baby's neck. A few seconds later, Dr. Jones told Ally to push again.
After a few more starts and stops, Ally leaned back, panting heavily. "I can't...do it anymore..."
"You're gonna have to push again, Ally," a nurse said, "Trust me, you're doing fine."
"Bu-but I...I can't..." she blubbered, and Austin stroked her cheek gently. She looked up at him through her tearstained eyes, sweat coating her forehead and hairline.
"Als, you're doing amazing. And she's almost here! Keep pushing so we can meet our daughter! You're doing great, baby."
Ally looked over at his eyes, those deep pools of brown, sincere and trusting. He gave her a little nod, as if to reiterate "You can do it." She bit her lip and pushed again, harder than she'd pushed before, and felt a tremendous release of pressure as Dr. Jones held their baby girl up for them to see. "Time of birth: 1:17 a.m.," a nurse said in the background. Ally immediately felt more tears come on and as the nurses wiped off their baby, Austin leaned over her and gave her a kiss on the lips. She returned it as his tears dropped onto her face. He was almost sobbing at this point, but he didn't care one bit.
After a few seconds, the nurse handed Austin a small scissors, saying, "Want to cut the cord, dad?" Austin looked confused for a second.
"Wait, you want me to cut it?" Ally put her hand over her mouth, and let out something resembling a laugh.
The nurse smiled. "Yup, just cut it right here, so there's just a little stub left next to her belly." Austin nodded and snipped it right where she'd told him to. Another nurse came running with a blanket to wrap her in. They took the screaming Ava, now wrapped loosely in her blanket, and placed her face down on Ally's chest.
Ally looked down at her daughter and stroked her head gently, trying to suppress the tears. She was feeling every emotion all at once, and suddenly had the overwhelming urge to try and protect this tiny little being as much as she could. Austin stood above them and looked down, a proud smile forming on his face.
"Look at my girls," he said. He reached down and stroked Ava's head as her cries started to dissipate. Austin kissed Ally again on the forehead, whispering, "You did it, Als. I'm so freaking proud of you."
"We did it," she replied, wrapping both arms around her daughter.
"She's absolutely perfect," Austin said, "Gorgeous, just like her mom." Ally blushed.
"And adorable, just like her dad."
Austin blushed this time. "Oh, stop it."
/
fifteen minutes later
"Alright, if I could just grab her for one second, we're going to take some measurements," Dacia carefully picked Ava up, who screamed again in protest, and brought her over to the station that the other nurses had set up.
"Eight pounds, nine ounces," she announced, looking up at the scale, "And... let's see here..." she paused, "Twenty inches long. Completely healthy." Ally smiled again. Austin sauntered over to the station, watching the nurses wrap her up tightly in a white blanket with pink and blue elephants. She'd calmed down a bit now, and opened her eyes, looking around curiously. Austin's mouth grew into a huge smile.
Dacia picked her up. "Austin, would you like to hold her?"
"Would I?" he screeched, eliciting a laugh from Ally and the nurses in the room.
"Okay, now hold out your elbow like this to support the head and hold her close to your body." Dacia placed Ava gently into Austin's arms as he did what she said and looked over at Ally in amazement.
"Do we have a name yet?" she mused, starting to clean up.
"Yeah, we do," Austin said. "Ava Marie Moon."
"How precious," Dacia remarked, grinning at the sight of Austin and his newborn daughter, "do you want to announce it to family yourselves, or should I jot it down on the whiteboard?"
"We want to surprise them," Ally said, "But thanks."
"No problem. I'll leave you three alone for a little while."
"Thank you so much," said Ally again as Austin took his seat next to her, never breaking eye contact with Ava. Ally sat up, leaning her head against the hard plastic edge of the bed, gazing at the two of them in amazement.
"Hey there, Ava," Austin was saying as he bounced his daughter lightly, "I'm your daddy. I'm Austin." Ava blinked in response and Austin gaped.
"I think she understood me!"
"That's sweet, Austin, but newborns can't actually comprehend human speech until..." she paused when he looked over at her, frowning, "never mind."
"She has beautiful brown eyes, like you," he mused. "And even a little bit of hair." He gently felt the top of her soft head, which, sure enough, had a few dark brown hairs on it. Ally smiled. "She's gonna be your mini-me."
"Oh, I don't know about that..."
"But she looks exactly like you," Austin argued, standing up to show her the brown eyes and hair.
"Okay, maybe you're right," Ally yawned.
"You must be tired," Austin said, noticing the bags under her eyes, "It's almost two a.m."
"Maybe I am a little tired, but I used to stay up late studying in college." Ally shrugged. "I can't even really feel the exhaustion yet. Plus, it's only..." she checked her phone, "about 1:40. Not even that late in my opinion."
"Mmmm, yeah, I don't believe you. I think maybe we both should get some rest..." he paused. "but I don't want to put her down just yet..."
Ally grinned. "Too bad, I want her now. You've had your turn. Gimme my baby."
Austin sighed. "Fine..."
"Excuse me, but did you go through countless contractions and over twenty-four hours of labor to bring her into this world? I don't think so. Hand her over to me."
"Well..." Austin stammered, "I helped make her..."
"Yeah, and I carried her around for nine months, went through morning sickness and contractions and twenty minutes of pushing...should I keep going?" Austin groaned, carefully placing Ava into his wife's arms. Ally stroked her head and talked to her for a few minutes until the baby's eyes became heavy, eventually fluttering shut. She grinned at her daughter, and turned to Austin, who was now fast asleep.
"Hey, babe, could you get me my"— she paused, smiling at the sight of her husband hunched over in the small armchair. "Never mind."
/
about 2:00 a.m.
After another twenty minutes of silently gazing down at her newborn daughter and trying to suppress the smile that hadn't left her face since they'd first placed Ava on her chest, Ally reached over to the remote dangling from the bed and pressed the call button. Two nurses came rushing in, and Ally put her finger up to her mouth, nodding toward her sleeping husband. They nodded and grabbed Ava from her arms, placing her over in the bassinet with plastic sides around it. Ava fussed a little bit at the sudden movement but settled down a few seconds later.
The nurses helped Ally get cleaned up and she hobbled over to the bathroom so she could get ready for bed. She was exhausted, to say the least. Ally came back out of the bathroom, wincing in pain with every step, to find that the sheets had been changed. The nurse that was still in the room informed her that they had taken Ava to the nursery for the night, figuring that Ally would want to rest. Ally nodded and thanked her before the nurse left, sitting down carefully on the bed and swinging her legs over. A few minutes later, Ally drifted off to sleep.
/
december 28th
9:30 a.m.
Austin yawned and stretched, a smile forming on his face when he glanced over at his wife, who was still sleeping soundly on the bed. He decided to send a quick text to their friends and family— he'd gotten several texts from his parents, Ally's parents, Dez, and Trish, asking if the baby was there yet. He pulled out his phone, a huge smile on his face, and typed out the message saying the baby had come late last night, she and Ally were both doing well, and they'd be ready for visitors in a few hours. Dacia rolled the bassinet into the room and he stood up, coming over to where she was standing.
"How'd she do last night?" he asked, stroking the baby's cheek softly.
"Wonderful," Dacia replied, "My shift ended not long after she was born, but the other nurse said that she ate at about five, and then slept like a rock the rest of the night. I think you've got a really good sleeper on your hands. You guys should consider yourself lucky. Not all babies sleep through the first night."
Austin smiled, looking over at Ally. "She's her mother's daughter, for sure." he hesitated. "Can I..."
"Pick her up? Oh, yeah, absolutely." Dacia reiterated the importance of supporting the head. Austin cradled her in his arms, walking slowly back over to the armchair.
"You're a natural," she said before leaving the three of them alone. Ava stirred and opened her eyes hesitantly, and Austin let out a soft laugh.
"Hey, Ava. It's me again." She cooed contently. Austin smiled at the sound glancing over at the bed again. Ally was still out cold. He stroked her cheek for a few seconds, until an idea popped into his head. He stood up again, walking over to the bassinet and placing her back in, then looked back at the two girls before grabbing his keys and heading out to the car. He had just thought of the perfect way to announce Ava's birth to their fans.
Austin creaked the door of the hospital room back open and shuffled in awkwardly, trying not to bump his guitar against the frame of the door. He grabbed the bassinet and wheeled it over to the couch, opening the guitar case and pulling it out. Austin quietly strummed a few notes before putting his phone up in selfie mode and leaning it up against the back of the armchair. He pressed record and leaned back, grinning.
"Hey, everybody," he whispered, careful as to not wake Ally, "This is Austin Moon, and I have somebody that I really want you to meet." He put his finger next to Ava's hand and she gripped it, eliciting a warm smile from him. "This is Ava Marie; she came to join us late last night. Mom and baby are both doing well." He paused. "I want to sing a little song for her, so...here goes."
As soon as Austin started singing the intro to "Superhero," Ally's eyes fluttered open, and she put her hand to her mouth, feeling her heart swell at the sight. She sat there and watched Austin sing to their daughter, completely speechless.
"Let me be your superhero, there isn't a place I won't go...whenever you need me by your side, I'll be there, be there. Never be afraid if you fall, I'll carry you away from it all. Let me be your superhero, let me be your super-hero."
Austin strummed the last few chords and looked at the camera again. "Well, thanks for watching everybody. Have a great day!" As soon as he finished recording, Ally clapped, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"That was the most precious thing I've ever seen," she said as he stood up, took his guitar off, and brought the bassinet over to her.
"Um, thanks," he replied with a laugh, "I just wanted to let her know that I'll always be there for her...even if newborns can't... fully comprehend speech." She giggled and reached in to feel Ava's tiny hand. The baby stirred, letting out a little cooing sound.
"I, uh, texted everyone and said we'd be ready for visitors at about noon," Austin mused, picking Ava up again and placing her in Ally's arms. "I hope that's alright with you. I know that everyone's been dying to see her."
"No problem," Ally replied as Ava shifted slightly in her arms, "I think she's looking forward to meeting them, too." Austin sat down next to Ally again, putting one arm around her and placing a kiss on her cheek.
/
12:37 p.m.
"Where's my granddaughter?" sang Mimi as she entered the room in her usual cheerful state.
"Over here," Ally joked as Austin stood up to greet his parents.
"I was so excited to get your text this morning," Mimi chirped, setting her purse down on the chair, "I thought, 'wow, this is sure taking a long time,' and then bam! Up pops your message. I said, 'honey, Ally had the baby, and we're gonna go down there and visit at noon'..." Ally bit her lip, trying to keep from saying something that might get her in trouble with Austin as Mimi rambled on. Finally, she stopped and turned to Ally, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"How are you feeling, dear?" she asked, her tone changing.
"I'm okay," Ally responded, "It was a very long process, but she's here and we couldn't be happier."
Mimi nodded, looking over at her husband. "I'm glad."
After a moment of awkward silence, Ally spoke up again. "Would you like to hold her?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Mimi exclaimed, coming over to Ally's bedside and taking the newborn carefully in her arms. She rocked her back and forth for a few seconds, grinning down at her. "Do you have a name picked out?" she asked after a few seconds. Ally and Austin exchanged glances.
"Um, yes, but we're not going to reveal it until everybody gets here," Ally said, "And by everybody, we mean Trish, Dez, my parents..."
"So, what I'm hearing is it'll be a while."
"Pretty much." After that, Mike took his turn holding Ava, and a few minutes later they heard another knock at the door.
"Come in!" Austin yelled, and Penny peeked her head inside.
"I heard you guys were accepting visitors?"
"Yes, come in!" Ally exclaimed from the bed, and Penny greeted her with a warm hug.
"Congratulations, honey!" Penny looked over at the baby in Mike's arms. "She's absolutely beautiful." Lester walked in behind her and shared a hug with Austin before giving Ally one, too.
"So, how are you feeling?" Penny asked, gesturing for Mike to hand her the baby. He pouted for a second before Mimi gave him a hard glare and he finally gave her up.
"Fine," Ally said again, "It was long, but...I'm fine." Penny nodded hesitantly.
"That's good," she mused, looking down into Ava's eyes. "Do you have a name?"
"Yes, but we're not announcing it till everybody's here," Austin jumped in, "We're still waiting on Dez, Carrie, Trish, and Chuck."
About a half hour later, they heard some commotion outside the door of their room, followed by a series of knocks. "Come in!" both Austin and Ally shouted in unison, and in came Dez, Trish, Chuck, and Carrie, who was now six months pregnant. They'd found out that they were having a boy a few days before.
"Sorry we're late," Dez announced, "Somebody took too long doing her hair." He glared at Trish, whose eyes shot daggers right back at him.
"Hey, I wanted to make a good first impression on my niece!" she shot back. Then, her facial expression changed. "Speaking of, gimme gimme gimme!" Trish made her way over to the bed and Ally reluctantly handed her the baby. Dez and Austin did their handshake, and Dez congratulated him as Trish fawned over the baby.
"Oh my goodness she's adorable," Trish squealed, "she looks like you, Ally!"
Ally grinned. "So I've been told... by pretty much everybody here."
"She's a carbon copy," Penny agreed, "I remember that day like it was yesterday. Best day of my life."
"Mine, too," Lester piped up, "Because I found the"—
"Twenty-dollar bill on the floor," everyone finished. Lester frowned. "Huh. Guess I must've told that story before."
"Soooo... what'd you name her?" Dez pressed. "No, wait... let me guess. You named her after your favorite redhead."
"Um... she's a girl," Austin said, fighting back a laugh.
"I know," Dez argued, "But you could make it Deza... or Dezzy. Ooh, or"—
"We didn't name her after you," Ally said bluntly. She turned to Austin. "Do you want to tell them?"
"Sure," Austin replied.
"Alright, I'll just say it then. We decided to name her Ava Marie."
"Awwww," Penny cooed.
"That's so beautiful!" Trish gushed. "Ally, I love it!"
"Should've given her Austin's middle name," Dez commented. Everyone's eyes drifted over to him. "What? Ava Monica has a nice ring to it. It even rhymes." There was a brief second of silence. Ally rolled her eyes.
"We just thought Marie would work better," she said. "And that it would be cute if she had my grandma's middle name."
"Well, I think you made the right choice," Penny said, "You naming her after grandma Marie, that's really special." Ally grinned.
"Austin picked the first name, and I picked her middle name. It seemed like a perfect fit."
The next couple of hours were spent with friends and family, visiting, chatting, and passing the baby around. Ally was extremely nervous about giving her over to Dez, who was famous for being reckless and irresponsible, but was pleasantly surprised when he held her on the couch, supporting her head as she'd reminded him many times to do, Carrie sitting right beside him. Ally smiled at the sight, making a comment about how excited she was for Dez and Carrie's baby to get here so he and Ava could play together. Austin just grinned back, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead. When everyone had started to trickle out, he sat beside her again, looking down at Ava, and she rested her head on his shoulder this time. They sat there for another few minutes, just soaking in the moment.
/
BABY AVA IS HERE, Y'ALL! I had so much fun writing this one and even going back through and editing it, I will say that this chapter still has a special place in my heart. Obviously the name was taken from the show (it's never mentioned in Duets & Destiny, but it's on the A & A wiki site) and I took inspiration for the middle name from Laura's actual middle name, because I thought it fit well with Ava. Anyways, I think that's all I have to say about this chapter, please follow favorite and review if you enjoyed this! As always I love and appreciate you all!- EJ