Chapter 17: Special Delivery

Rosemary's due date finally arrives, and what better time to have it than after Katrina's workload has been lightened.

Before everyone knows it, Autumn is already in the middle of its transition to full-on Winter. The days have shortened, and the temperatures have all but dropped. The scantily-clad trees have shed the last of their foliage, and in some parts of the country, they've even been coated in ice. In the case of Kicksburg, there's fortunately no ice, but the town has been cloaked in a ten-inch drift of snow and it's still falling. Though at least it's pretty to look at, with how it reflects the streetlights and moon, providing extra visibility despite the late hour.

Thankfully, all of the residents have made the smart decision and stayed indoors, and that also applies to the Simmons clan. Rosemary's pregnancy is within the home stretch, and the doctor says her child could be born any day now. Because of this, she is now staying at Simmons Manor until that fateful day arrives, alongside the family residing there so they can assist her the whole way.

Right now, Rosemary busies herself sitting upright in the dimly-lit living room by the crackling fireplace, its intense orange flames reflecting off the ornaments of the nearby Christmas tree and forming a small light-show in the corner of the room. As she sips a mug of hot apple cider, a choice she made over hot chocolate for the sake of her child's health, she busies herself reading a book on the human body, specifically the chapter on the prenatal female body. She refreshes her memory about what parts of a baby's body develop each month, and what a woman truly means whenever she says her water broke. She even learns that the ideal time to have children is in one's mid-teens (ignoring the logistics and practicalities), as it's during that time when the female body can recover the best. A factoid she never picked up at any point during her education.

With a sigh, she closes the book places a hand on her rounded abdomen. As accustomed as she is to being pregnant, Rosemary quite frankly wishes it would end already. She's spent the past nine months living a highly sedentary lifestyle, vomiting, dieting, and shopping almost excessively, investing in baby supplies and a growing collection of maternity clothes to accommodate her growing bump. All the while she's been fighting emotional meltdowns, back pains, and unholy cravings. And very soon, she's going to wrap up her thirty aggravating hours of labor and practically split herself apart as her baby leaves her body the same way it went in. Now that's an experience she's equal parts excited and terrified about.

"So I was watchin' Ratatouille again to see if it held up after all these years, and lemme just say dat' flashback scene near the end is so damn inaccurate," Katrina says as she walks into the room.

"Tell me about it. Like, 'ooh, I'm sad, I'm gonna go eat some vegetables!' F**k off with that, will ya'? Whenever I'm sad, you know what I do? I dig into a tub of ice cream, that's what I do," Justine replies. "Oh, hey Rose. What's up?"

"Just waiting for this little rugrat to come on out." Rosemary rolls her eyes but maintains her smile. "It was fun at first, but after nine months it's starting to get old."

"I can imagine," Justine chuckles.

"Man, I don't think I can wait any longer to see my first grandkid!" Katrina says excitedly, putting an arm around her daughter. "All this excitement and suspense is just takin' me back to when I was waitin' for you and Junior to be born. Hell, I'd-a totally been willin' to go through da' whole process again, had I not already squirted out two kids on the first go-round."

"Only difference is that you had your husband there every step of the way, while I won't." Rosemary sighs. "I mean yeah, I'm glad someone'll be there, and I'm more than happy to call you all family, but still..."

"Yeah, I see what'cha mean." Katrina nods, checking her watch. "Well, it's gettin' late. Why don't we all turn in for the night, and Rose'll be crownin' before we all know it."

---

And lo and behold, her prediction turns out to be true. For in the middle of that same night, not even four hours after everyone goes to bed, Rosemary's womb starts to painfully contract, with only a few seconds passing between each interval. Her cries of pain are enough to alert Katrina and Justine, who hurriedly slip on some robes over their sleepwear and come to her aid. Sound sleeper Priscilla manages to snooze through the commotion, and is all but ignored on the way out.

Thankfully for the trio, the snow has stopped falling and all the roads and sidewalks in town have been shoveled, though there are still ten inches of precipitation everywhere else. And as if they couldn't be lucky enough, there's absolutely no traffic aside from their own car. Rosemary can't keep quiet as she writhes in the passenger's seat, maintaining a death grip on Justine's hand as the latter tries to goad her into calming down and thinking about something else. She already feels like she's crowning.

No one even needs to say a word as they rush into the hospital doors, for a couple of nurses are quick to usher the frantic Rosemary into the nearest room, practically ripping off her clothes and laying her onto a bed in a turquoise backless robe. Spreading her legs out further than she's ever spread them before as the doctor frenetically enters the room.

"Ah, just what I suspected," he says, rubbing his rubber-gloved hands together.

"You ain't never failed us before, doc," Katrina says matter-of-factly.

"Urgh! J-Just help me out over here!" Rosemary screams, already in tears. "I feel like I'm being raped from the inside!"

"Alright, I'm coming. I've already delivered one generation of your family, so why not get started on delivering another?" the doctor asks.

---

Following what feels like hours of encouragement, screaming and strain, Rosemary finally wraps up her tiresome, excruciating childbirth. Catching her breath, she gently shuts her eyes and lets her head sink into the pillow. Her flushed, glistening face is stained with both tears and sweat, her choppy hair is splayed out all over the pillow, and the lingering agony between her legs is dying down at a ridiculously slow rate. She doesn't even know if she'll be able to walk later on, but she couldn't care less about that. After all she's put up with for nine whole months, the worst is finally over, and now she's just moments away from seeing the fruits of her literal labor.

"Gotta say, girl, you'se quite the trooper. Almost as much of a trooper as I was," Katrina says sweetly, stroking her daughter-in-law's forehead with the back of her hand. "And the best part is, since you ain't as old as I was, you'll look even better post baby."

"C'mon Mom, let's just take this one step at a time, alright?" Justine sighs. "Now on another note, when's that guy gonna get back in here? Can't wait to see my niece already."

"Hey now, dis' guy's a professional. And professionals need to take their time," Katrina speaks defensively. "Besides, this is exactly how it was with you and Junior."

"Yeah, but we were premature, and we already know that's not the case this time," Justine replies.

"Okay, move aside everyone else. Looks as though your little girl is in perfect health. You did pretty well for a first-timer," the doctor says as he reenters the room, a small bundle in his arms wrapped in a white blanket.

"Hey wake up, Rosie. Your daughter's here," Katrina says softly.

Rosemary slowly opens her heavy eyes and sees everyone gazing upon her, before noticing the bundle in the doctor's hands. She spreads her arms to accept it, gently removing some of the blanket and taking a look at what she and Mark Jr. have created. The baby has her mother's rosy complexion and her hair is a lemony shade of blonde, though it's also rather curly like her father's. Additionally, her barely open eyes are brown like her father's as well.

"Wow, that is just... I can't even..." Justine sniffles, failing to subdue her own sobs. "She's so pretty."

"Ain't that the truth," Katrina adds, wiping away a few tears of joy as she leans forward. "Ciao bella."

Rosemary doesn't say a word, cuddling her daughter close to her chest. As pained as she is, she can't help but smile at her new bundle of joy, watching as she quietly fusses, desperately searching for a n****e to suck on.

"So Mrs. Sterling. Have any idea for a name you wanna give her?" the doctor inquires, having remained silent for a few minutes.

Rosemary stays silent for another moment, contemplating what has just been said to her. After a few seconds more, she makes a final decision, one that means more to her than anything.

"I... I think I'm going to name her 'Primrose'," she says at last.

"Ah, going with the Rose theme, I see?" the doctor asks.

"Well that, and I'm naming her after the daught... uh, dog I lost a few years ago," Rosemary answers solemnly, not quite ready to tell the others about her past experiences with children.

Both Katrina and Justine stay dead quiet.

"Okay then. Primrose it is," the doctor replies. "I'll go and get the forms. In the meantime, why not bond a little?"

And so the three women spend almost the rest of the night exchanging excited quips and taking turns holding the newborn addition to the Simmons family, their shared mood more optimistic than ever before.