"Come on princess just push" Sweet Pea encouraged me for what felt like the millionth time.
"What do you think I've been doing for the last seven hours?!" I screamed at him as I pushed again, the pain was excruciating and at this stage all I wanted to do was give up. I felt my body slowing down as I tried to stay awake.
"One final push Miss Eden you're almost there." My midwife encouraged as I lay my head against the pillow, it felt like every ounce of energy that remained in my body was on it's last thread as I prepared to push one final time.
"You're extraordinary princess, I love you. You've got this." Sweet Pea kissed the top of my head despite the sweat dripping through my hair. He held onto my hand as tight as he possibly could before smiling down at me, I offered him one last soft smile before pushing every single bit of life I had left in me. All of a sudden I felt a sudden relief, I felt lighter, I felt like I was free.
I struggled to keep my eyes open as I heard the sounds of our baby crying. I looked to the side to see Sweet Pea crying tears of happiness as he leant down and kissed me on the lips, I'd never seen a smile quite that big in my life. I mustered up all of the energy I had to hold our baby in my eyes, looking down I saw my entire life in this one precious baby.
"It's a girl Miss Eden." I held her as safe and secure as I could. I smiled down at her before breathing out one thing.
"Charlie." Before I could stop myself my arms drooped down, Charlie still resting in them. My eyes fluttered open and closed, this felt bigger than sleep, it felt almost eternal and I had no power to fight it.
"What's going on?!" I heard Sweet Pea's voice scream, noises were going off all around me however they were becoming softer and softer.
"She's losing too much blood. Sir you need to get out of here." There was a scurry of sounds all around me, fading into nothing.
"Dani! Dani hold on okay? I love you! Please hold on for me?" Sweet Pea's frantic voice along with the cries of my newborn baby were all I heard before the darkness fully swallowed me. I knew I needed to fight but I couldn't, my body had given up and it felt like my soul had too.
---
Cold. That's all I felt, cold. The usual warmth of my body was missing as I opened my eyes to see where I was. A bright light blinded me as I looked around at my surroundings, everything was just white. It was empty but it was white and insanely bright.
I sat up to find that I was sitting on the ground, I thought back to the last thing I remembered: Charlie.
"Charlie? Sweet Pea?" I spoke into the light. I needed to hold my baby, I needed to be in Sweet Pea's arms. Hell I needed to know they were okay.
"Danica? Is that you?" A familiar voice ran through my ears however it wasn't one I'd heard in years.
"Grandma?" I turned around, I wondered if I'd imagined her voice however I came face to face with her bright blue eyes and I couldn't help but start crying. "You're actually here?"
Disbelief was clear in my voice as I stared into the eyes of my grandma for the first time in a decade.
"Of course I am darling. The real question is why are you here?" My grandma wrapped her arms around me and despite the fact she also felt cold she was homely.
"I... I don't know... I just remember holding Charlie in my arms and then I felt weak and blacked out... Now I'm here... Wait..." I looked around panicking at the realisation of where I was and what had happened to me.
"Dani you need to calm down for me okay?" Grandma sat me down on a bench nearby and held me in her arms before I relaxed as much as I could. "Now talk to me, who's Sweet Pea and Charlie?"
"Oh there's a lot you don't know about Grandma." I laughed awkwardly before looking down, I wondered if she'd be ashamed of me for being a teen-mum and being engaged so young. I wondered if she'd be ashamed of me for joining the Serpents, I knew how much she hated the gang-life.
"You don't think I haven't been keeping an eye on you right? I know all about your crazy life and your fiancé and even my beautiful little great-granddaughter." Grandma smiled at me before she rested her hand on my shoulder. "I'm so incredibly proud of you Dani, your Grandpa is too."
"Grandpa? Is he here too?" I looked around in search of him.
"Unfortunately not, he couldn't come through to greet you, only one of us could but he sends his love and he said he can't wait until the day he gets to see you again." Grandma's smile was wide but sad.
"What aren't you telling me Grandma?" I asked as I held onto her hands for as long as I could.
"You're not fully gone yet Danica, you've got to make a choice. You are more than welcome to come and join your Grandpa and I but you and I both know there's someone who needs you more than anything in this world right now." A tear slid down Grandma's cheek as she caressed my cheek slightly.
"I don't want to leave you Grandma. My life is insane and crazy, we're in the middle of a gang war and yet I just gave birth, how am I meant to raise my daughter in that environment?" I looked down sadly knowing that my life was in no way suitable for a newborn.
"The same way your Grandpa and I raised you: with love, kindness and honesty. Yeah Charlie may not understand for another decade or so but you're going to be the best mother on this planet Danica. You're the smartest, strongest, determined, beautiful young woman I've ever met. I had the privilege of raising you all those years ago and I really couldn't be prouder of the way you turned out." Tears started rolling out of my eyes before I could stop them.
"I don't know how I've lasted this long without you Grandma, I lost everything but a couple of photos and your wedding rings in the fire. Sweet Pea and I, we don't even have a place to permanently live right now and we're way off being able to afford a place either. It's only a matter of time before Cheryl or Toni get sick of having a newborn in the house and kick us out, then where will we go?"
"You don't need a permanent residence to have a happy, loving family Dani. You just need each other. Sweet Pea would never leave you and your Grandpa and I have watched over you since the day we passed on. The Serpents are a family and whether or not you raise that gorgeous baby in Tent-City or in Thistle-house it doesn't make a difference, as long as you remember just how important love and family is, you can conquer anything." Grandma brought me in for a tight hug as the lights got brighter and brighter.
"Grandma I love you so much, please tell Grandpa just how much I love him too. I'll see you both soon but today I need to go back to my baby girl."
Grandma squeezed me tighter, I felt a few tears roll onto my shoulder as she hugged me closer than before.
"You go back out there and you make us prouder than you already have okay?" Grandma pulled back and cupped my face with both hands as she wiped away my tears. "You be strong Dani, we're always here for you and we love you so much."
My Grandma's beautiful smile was the last thing I saw before I shut my eyes. The feeling of falling ran through my body as I tried to grasp onto the surroundings next to me. I could tell the lights had gone and I prayed I had somehow managed to hold onto life itself when I felt a sudden jolt through my body before blacking out again.
---
"Dani? Please come back to me... I can't lose you too..." I heard Sweet Pea's sobs as I willed my eyes open. I didn't know where I was but I knew I needed to reach him.
"Sweets?" My voice was hoarse and croakey, it felt like I hadn't spoken in years.
"Dani!" Sweet Pea's arms softly touched my skin as he hugged me close, electricity shot through my body just like it always did with us.
"What do you mean 'too'?" I questioned as I tried sitting up to look around the room for Charlie. "Where's our baby? Please tell me she's okay."
There was silence. The room fell so silent I could hear a pin drop.
"Sweet Pea, where is our daughter?"
"She... She's gone... They took her." His sobs filled the room again as my body filled with sadness, anger and disbelief.
They won.