Where there is a will there is a way

 At this point, Tori thought she'd spent a good portion of her life pregnant. Weekly checkups of stress test which only made the baby kick stronger. At least by now, she was no longer on insulin. She hadn't been for the last month. 

She didn't ask herself why because it felt as if she'd been in Boot Camp all this time surviving on plain greek yogurt and blueberries with plenty of almonds and little carrots to munch on. And finally, the day arrived and it wasn't even her birthday. She swore this child would come on Halloween and it almost did.

Before then, she'd gone in when her water broke. Luckily, she was at the hospital when it happened because Dylan was worried about her blood pressure. It didn't look so good when he checked it at the grocery store. At the time, all she had wanted was fresh strawberries, but there were only plump blueberries to find. Instead of going home, they went to the hospital and that was right before noon.

The first nurse was male and wanted to give her something for the pain, but she didn't seem to understand. She didn't want anything stuck in her arm. So she jerked the needle out and splatter blood all over herself and the attendant. Needless to say, he didn't come back. But there was a black woman with a blond buzz cut who arrived and took care of everything. Her steady voice prepared her for what was to happen next. Like an epidural. Of course, along the way, she would say, "Oh, it won't be long now, girl."

It felt like a long time as the labor began to rise like a tide then settle down. 

"Why can't they just give me a c-section?" They'd told her all along that she'd have one since she was a gestation diabetic.

"Oh, don't say that," the nurse winced back as she checked her arm and the fluids going into her body. Of course, Tori was hooked up to so many machines. It just didn't seem feasible the baby would know a way out. "Just hang on a little longer. The doctor went to lunch. We'll get you through this."

Tori wanted to yell at her about the doctor at lunch. She was starving and it was going on late in the evening. She couldn't see why anyone would call it lunch. 

Naturally, so much was going through her mind. Her mother. Death. Her birthday and, Halloween. Of course, she had no idea what the future would bring. Especially, when she didn't want to think about seeing the baby.

What if she hated it? What if she was just like her mother and she couldn't even see this through.

"What are you thinking?" Dylan held her hand and kept pushing her hair away from her eyes with care.

"TELL THEM I WANT A GODDAMN C-SECTION!" Tori's voice wavered as she practically screamed in pain. She kept her eyes shut. All she could hear were the different heartbeats. Almost in unison.

Finally, the doctor arrived. Honestly, Tori didn't know when that happened, but they got her set up, practically standing and that's when she heard the baby cry. It was a boy.