"Helloooo, Helen?" Maria asks making me jump as she breaks me out of the memories of last night with Luke's body hovering over me as his dick fills me up, I can still feel the ache in my pussy of him being there.
"Sorry, what?" I blush.
"I was asking you how last night went, but by the looks on your face, I'd say you had a good time" she teases me with a nudge.
"Yeah, Clarissa had a great time," I say as I avoid her gaze.
"Girl, you know you can't hide shit from me—you glowin', honey" she grins. "You got some D, didn't you?" She says excitedly.
"Shhh," I hiss. "Fucksake, Maria"
"Oh, please, don't shhh, me" she huffs rolling her eyes. "And don't even think about lying to me either, because you're walking funny and you've been walking around in a daze, too" she growls.
"Am not walking funny" I huff. "And I haven't been walking around in a daze," I say stubbornly.
"Yeah, right, and I'm Beyoncé" she chuckles rolling her eyes. "So, are you gonna give me some deets or what?"
"Maria" I groan hiding my face.
"Nuh-Uh, don't Maria, me," she says. "Come on, tell me a Lil sum sum"
I sigh heavily. "Fine—okay, I met someone last night," I tell her.
"And"
"And, he was nice" I shrug.
"Just nice?" she asks me. "Well, was he packin'?"
"Jesus Christ, Maria" I hiss quietly. "Can you not?"
"Fine" she growls. "He obviously was by the way you're walking around like a Lil penguin," she says waddling around behind the desk.
I'm about to rip her a new one when I hear a familiar voice shouting my name. "Helen, get your arse out here—Catherine's in labour"
I look over the desk and see Craig Berkeley pushing his wife Catherine in a wheelchair. "Where did you get the chair from?" I ask as I approach them.
"I took it from an ambulance" Craig shrugs.
"Did you come in the ambulance?" I ask him.
His face morphs into a look of mischievousness. "Craig, I swear to fuck, you say anything dirty, and I'll rip your balls, straight from your body, okay?" She hisses in pain.
"Sorry, baby," he says softly whilst he stands there holding himself protectively. "No, I drove us," he tells me.
I bite my lip to try and stop myself from laughing. "Hey, Catherine, we'll get you set up in a room and sort you some pain relief, okay?"
"Thanks, Helen" she pants grimacing in pain.
"Maria, what room is empty?" I ask her.
"Room three," she says. "And don't think you've gotten away with not talking to me," she says between gritted teeth.
"Not now, Maria" I growl.
Fuck me, she's persistent...
As we enter room three, I prep the gas and air, with any other pain meds she would possibly want if she could. "Craig, could you possibly lift her onto the bed, please?"
"Sure," he says with a panicked expression.
"How's Asher?" I ask trying to calm and distract them both.
"Oh, he's good—he's with his auntie and uncle," Craig says as he gently lays his wife down and kisses her forehead.
"Aww, bless," I say as I put on my rubber gloves. "Catherine, how far apart are your contractions, babe?" I ask her as I hand her the gas and air.
"They're coming every five minutes, now—Owwwww" Catherine pants and groans in pain as she sucks in the gas and air into her mouth.
"I'm just going to examine you, babe, okay?" I say softly. "See how far along you are" She nods in response as I push her legs up and then spread them apart.
"Right, my lovely, you're seven centimetres dilated—you're doing good, Catherine, nearly there" I coo. "When did the contractions start?" I ask. as I watch as Craig comforts his wife, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair.
"Early this morning," Catherine says sheepishly.
"Early this morning?" Craig growls. "You told me they only started an hour ago"
"I told you that, because you panic too much, babe," she tells him. "Besides, I was okay"
"Don't do that anymore, baby" he growls cupping her cheek. "I don't like the thought of you being in pain for so long, shit—how did I not see that you were in pain?" he asks as another contraction comes making Catherine moan in pain.
"Breathe, baby—breathe" Craig coos. "Fuck—I love you, so much"
"I love you, too" Catherine mutters around the mouthpiece as she sucks in the gas and air.
"That's good, babe—nice and slow, in and out" I coo.
~ • ~
An hour later, Catherine is ready to push, Craig's holding her hand as she squeezes through another contraction. "And—push, Catherine" I shout encouragingly. "Push down hard, babe—you can do it"
"Fuck" Craig squeaks like a girl as he looks at his hand in Catherine's.
He's funnier than the last time he was in...
I think to myself as I try to keep myself from laughing. Catherine stops pushing then, I check her and I can see the baby's head—she's not fully crowned but there. "Right, Catherine, on your next contraction, my love—I want to push with everything you've got, she's nearly here, babe"
Catherine pants for her breath as tears come down her face, Craig kisses them away, wiping the ones he can't reach. "Our little princess is almost here, baby," he says softly. "I'm so fucking proud of you, kitty cat, fuck"
I look at the baby monitor and see as another contraction is about to come. "Get ready, Catherine here comes another" I warn her as she sits up grabbing Craig's hand again. "And—Push"
Catherine pushes herself forward, pushing will everything she's got until she's turning purple. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuck" she bellows. "She's ripping me a new arsehole" she cries breathlessly. "Is there another hole, Helen?" She asks me. "And don't you lie to me" she growls.
I try to keep a straight face as Craig is currently bent over shaking with laughter. The bastard...
"Nah, babe, still got the one hole—I promise," I tell her.
"Good" she pants in relief. "Fucking hell, I'm not sure, but I think she's got a bigger head than our Asher," she says looking at Craig. "Are you laughing at me?" She growls narrowing her eyes at her husband.
Craig goes ramrod straight in legit one-point-five seconds. "Nope, not me, baby," he says innocently. "God, you're so beautiful"
"Your daughter is halfway out my hoo-ha, Craig—I'm sweating buckets, I'm pretty sure you're chattin' shite right now" she growls. "And don't think I don't know that you're trying to distract me"
He goes to open his mouth when her hand grabs his as she gets another contraction, the both of them scream in unison both for different reasons no doubt as the baby's shoulders come out. "Stop, cat" I cry. As I pull the baby out the rest of the way, whilst supporting her head. Her wail echoes throughout the room as I put her on Catherine's chest for the first skin-to-skin contact. "Oh, my god, Craig" Catherine cries happily. "Look at her, isn't she beautiful?"
"Beautiful, just like her mummy," he says softly kissing her forehead.
"Congrats, you guys," I say as I watch them gaze down at their beautiful baby girl. "She's gorgeous"
"Thanks, Helen" Catherine giggles with happy tears.
"Nice one" Craig croaks with tears in his eyes and a huge grin on his face.
"Right, you know the drill, hand her back to me, so we can cut the cord and sort the afterbirth out" I grin and start to laugh as I see Craig's grimace of disgust.
Catherine carefully hands me her daughter as I place her between her mummy's legs on the bed. "Hello, pretty girl" I coo. "You gonna cut the cord, Daddy?" I ask Craig.
"Yeah" he grins proudly kissing Catherine's forehead again before coming over to me.
Handing him the scissors, I hold the cord with two hands so he can cut in between. "What's her name, you guys?" I ask them as Craig cuts the cord.
"Ashlyn Rose Berkeley," Catherine says tiredly as she smiles at us.
"Such a beautiful name, for a beautiful little girl" I coo at Ashlyn as I peg her cord and wrap her up in a blanket. "Craig, can you ask Maria who's at the desk to come in here for me, please"
"Sure" he grins opening the door. "Hey, Maria, Helen wants you a sec"
"And then we can sort your mummy out then can't we?" I coo. "Yes, we can"
Craig goes up by Catherine's head, giving her a chaste kiss when Maria walks in. "You rang?" She drawls.
"Yes, can you take Ashlyn and do her measurements and Vitamin K, please, while I take care of the afterbirth"
"Sure" she grins and takes Ashlyn from me.
"Do you wanna go outside, while I take care of this Craig? I tease.
"Nah, I'll just look at my girl," he says as he turns his back to me, looking down at Catherine.
"Do we have a squimie?" Maria asks as she places Ashlyn on the scales.
"You could say that" I grin winking at Catherine as tries to hide her grin. "Right, I'm gonna put some pressure on your stomach, Catherine—you remember how this goes, right?"
"Yeah" she smiles at me.
"Okay, so nice deep breath for me," I say as I press on her stomach whilst pulling on the remainder of the cord until I deliver the afterbirth.
"Urrgh" Craig cringes. "That fucking sounds disgusting"
I chuckle as I place the afterbirth in a yellow bag. "That's not funny, Helen" he baulks.
"It's pretty funny" I laugh as Maria brings Ashlyn over. "Here she is, mummy and daddy—this little beauty weighed, eight pounds and three ounces, she's fifty-seven centimetres long, with a head circumference of thirty-five centimetres," she says as lays her in Catherine's arms.
"Hello, there, beautiful girl" she coos at her, Craig leans over Catherine's shoulder as he looks down at his daughter.
Maria excuses herself, leaving the room while I tidy around the room.
"That's it, I'm gonna have to raid Saint's gun cabinet," he says looking down at Ashlyn making Catherine snort-laugh. "I'm serious as shit, baby"
"I know, I was laughing at how you think Saint will let you at his guns" she giggles. "Mama can't save you all the time, you know?" she teases.
"I know, I was gonna ask Elora" he shrugs grinning at her.
"Okay, babe, how about I take Ashlyn to have a quick bath, so you can have a shower and change?" I ask her.
"Yes, please" she groans. "I feel icky"
"Okay, have you got a babygrow or something that I can put on her?" I ask them.
"Craig, get Helen something for Ashlyn, please," she says softly as she passes her daughter to me.
"Will do"
"Once you're done, come straight up to the maternity ward and she'll be waiting for you, okay?" I tell them as Craig passes me a baby grow that says Daddy's Little Princess on it.
"Thank you, Helen," Catherine says softly as she looks at her daughter.
"It's my pleasure, babe" I grin. "Right, come on, pretty girl, give mummy and daddy kisses and then I'll take you for a bath" I coo letting them both kiss her forehead.
Once they do I put her in the rolling crib. "See you soon, mummy and daddy"
~ • ~
Once I'm finished bathing and dressing Ashlyn, I take her to Catherine's assigned room where she is no doubt waiting for her with Craig. Maria is behind the desk on the phone. "How far apart are your contractions, honey?" She asks as I walk slowly past her. "What room?" I mouth.
"Four" she mouths back.
Giving her a thumbs up, I make my way to Catherine's room, knocking first before I enter the room.
The door opens as Craig stands there, grinning once he sees it's us. "There's Daddy's little princess" he coos. "Mummy has fallen asleep, sweet girl—so it looks like it's just me and you, for a bit," he says as he lifts Ashlyn out of the crib.
"I've bought you some milk and screw-on teats for her feed, she hasn't had one yet so she's probably hungry," I tell him.
"Could you make one up for me, please?" He asks me.
"Sure," I say preparing the bottle before handing it to him.
He sits down in the chair next to Catherine before popping the teat in Ashlyn's mouth. "Daddy loves you, so much, little princess" he croons kissing her forehead whilst inhaling her sweet scent.
I'll leave you to it, okay Craig?" I say as back up towards the door. "Holla, if you need anything"
"I will, thanks Helen—for everything" he grins happily.
"You're very welcome" I smile back at him before leaving the room and shutting the door behind me.
I look at the desk and sigh in relief when Maria is nowhere to be seen. "You thought you were escaping me, huh?" Maria says appearing out of nowhere.
"Jesus Christ" I hiss quietly.
"Come on, who was he?" She asks me.
I walk away from Catherine's room. "Look, I don't know much about him, only that he's gorgeous, his name is Luke—and he lives on the docks," I tell her as I sit down behind the desk.
"And he's packin'?" She asks me.
"Yes," I hiss. "He's packin', he fucked so many times last night that I forgot how many times I came, okay...are ya happy?" I hiss quietly looking around making sure no one heard me.
"Immensely" she grins. "I hope you're gonna see him again?"
"No, I'm not," I tell her. "I have a plan—you know this, Maria"
"Oh, for god sake—you and this plan" she growls. "There ain't nothing stopping you from having fun, Helen—I get that you love being a midwife and you're working hard for that promotion, but it shouldn't stop you from having a love life, babe," she says patting my hand. "Now, now that I've got that outta ya" she grins triumphantly. "How about some coffee?"
I scowl are my pain in the arse friend. "Yes, please, you pain in the arse" I growl.
"Psssh, you love this arse" she grins. "And I'll let you have a little rest from walking like a penguin" she teases getting up quickly to avoid my pen hitting her as she walks away whistling a song and I realise that she's whistling the tune to let's talk about sex, baby By Salt 'N' Pepa.
I'm gonna kill her, even if she is saving me from waddling like a penguin...