The next few months were more of the same.
Liam spent a majority of time in the studio, and I guess Sally and Pierre were getting pretty serious; Mom said they were on the phone more often than not.
Noel and Meg were in the middle of one of their many rough patches and I was ready to pop any day.
It was the first week in April and I was thirty eight weeks pregnant.
***
April 5, 1997
I want to die.
I'm the size of a house and the doctor told me, since it was my first, there's a pretty good chance I'd be overdue.
Fuck fuck fucking fuck fuck fuck.
***
I woke up a few days later in excruciating pain. I got up out of bed (after three tries) and waddled to the kitchen. I decided against food, and instead made myself a cup of tea. I hoped this pain was just the pregnancy gas that Liam had been bitching about for forty weeks, but I had a feeling that it was something more.
My feeling was right, I was in the middle of pouring the boiling water in my mug when I suddenly felt like I'd peed my pants...and I thought I had until I realized it was something else.
"LIAM!" I yelled hoping he was awake
I grabbed the edge of the counter squeezing my eyes shut as I felt what I now knew were contractions.
"LIAM!" I screamed again slightly panicked before I heard him come running down the stairs.
He took one look at me and in typical Liam fashion, made a very poorly timed joke at my expense.
"Don't y'think you're a little old t'be havin' accidents, Ly?"
I glared at him "I'm going into labour you fucking idiot cunt, my water just broke!"
He looked at me in shock which quickly turned to horror "Now?!"
"Yes, now!" I yelled walking tentatively to the living room to retrieve the bag I'd packed last week. "Go upstairs and find me a clean pair of sweats"
"Why?" He frowned
"Because I'm not wearing these!"
I squeezed my eyes shut gripping the arm of the couch as another contraction started.
"Ly, we don't have time for you to change"
"We'll make time!" I growled.
**
By the time I got to the hospital and situated and in a bed my contractions were three minutes apart.
Liam had called my mom and Sally and now we were playing the waiting game.
"How y'feelin'?" Liam asked eating my cup of ice chips.
"Fine" I laughed "Are you enjoying my ice?"
"Why can't y'get anything better, I want some of that Jell-O y'had last time"
"So go buy some!" I laughed "I'm stuck here, not you"
"What if I miss it?"
"You're not going to miss it, just go"
"But-"
"Liam, I promise, you're not going to miss anything if you go downstairs to get yourself Jell-O"
"Lyla!"
We both looked up as Sally and Mom came into the room; Sally threw her arms around my neck hugging me.
"Hi Sal"
She immediately went and hugged Liam.
"Mom," I sighed as she hugged me "Can you please tell Liam he can go get Jell-O?" I asked "He's afraid he's going to miss something"
Mom laughed "Liam, I promise, you can go downstairs for five minutes"
He nodded "If I miss anythin' it's your fault Mam"
"I think I can handle that" she smiled sitting down.
He kissed me on the forehead and disappeared.
He was back in three and a half minutes with every kind of Jell-O cup they had in the cafeteria.
I laughed looking at him in disbelief "You need six different Jell-O flavours?"
He shook his head "I brought one back for you"
"I can't eat Jell-O"
"Then I brought it back for Sally" he grinned looking at her. "What colour do y'want?"
"Purple" she smiled
He tossed the cup to her before sitting next to the bed. "What'd I miss?"
"My ice chips melted"
**
I sat up on the edge of the bed; the doctor finally said he could give me the epidural. Liam stood in front of me leaning his forehead against mine, holding on to both of my hands.
He whispered something as I felt the pinch in my lower back; I grit my teeth squeezing his hands harder.
**
After fourteen hours of labour, I was finally in the delivery room. The epidural had taken full effect.
Sally was in the waiting room with Peggy, Noel, Paul, and the rest of the band;
Mom and Liam were with me.
I don't remember much after that, it all happened so fast; there was a lot of pressure then stretching telling me to push, telling me not to push. I could feel Liam's hand on the bottom of my foot, giving me leverage to push, his other arm around my shoulders; I could hear Liam next to my ear, telling me how great I was doing and then the pressure was gone.
I fell back closing my eyes; my bangs clung to my forehead as tears slid down my cheeks.
Liam kissed my forehead and I opened my eyes and realized he was crying too.
"She's beau'iful, Ly"
I laughed a little touching his cheek and the nurse asked if he wanted to cut the cord.
I was crying, Mom was crying, Liam was crying; it was mess.
**
Twenty minutes later we were alone with Baby Girl Gallagher, nine months and we still hadn't found a name for her yet. I honestly hadn't really been bothered about a name. What the hell was wrong with me?
I watched as Liam walked around the room with the baby in his arms; he hadn't put her down since we'd been alone.
"We need to find a name for her" I said quietly.
Liam looked at me with a smile bouncing her gently. "When I went down t'the cafeteria earlier, there was a nurse down there an' I really liked 'er name"
"What was it?"
"Adeline"
"Adeline", I repeated. I nearly objected; I didn't want my baby girl, our baby girl, to be named after some random nurse.
As soon as the name left my lips, though, I knew.
I looked at Liam with wide eyes. "I love it!"
Liam handed me the baby and I stared into her eyes. "Our Adeline", I whispered, as if a loud noise could shatter this entire moment.
"Adeline April Gallagher!" Liam nearly shouted. 0
"April?", I asked, crinkling my nose. I knew a girl named April when I was in middle school; I went to hers for a sleepover and she put my hand in a glass of warm water. I pissed all over her sleeping bag and she never let me forget it. That bitch.
"Well yeah," he nodded "We met in April, only makes sense don't it?"
I burst into tears looking at Adeline and back at Liam.
He took the baby from me putting her back in her makeshift crib.
Liam hugged me and let me cry; apparently random crying outbursts were normal.
"That's the sweetest thing you've ever said"
He laughed kissing me on the forehead. "Should I go tell the doctor then?"
I nodded wiping my eyes. "Yeah"
He kissed me again and left.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Noel poked his head in. "Mind if I come in?"
I shook my head propping myself up in bed. "Are you by yourself?"
He nodded closing the door behind him. "Where's Our Kid?"
"He went to tell the nursery her name"
"What'd y'decide on?"
"Adeline April"
He nodded with approval picking her up gently.
"She's gorgeous, Ly" he smiled before settling her back down. "Congrats"
We both looked up as the door opened again and Liam came back.
He smiled "Noel man, didn't expect you t'be back"
He gave him a big manly hug and I laughed eating my Jell-O. "Where's Meg?"
"At home, didn't think y'would want 'er 'ere"
"She couldn't ruin this if she tried" I said honestly
"I better get goin', it's gettin' late; I just wanted t'see how you were doin'"
Noel gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek before Liam walked him out.
I don't even remember him coming back in; I fell asleep as soon as it was quiet.