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Chapter 14 - Caterina

Emma walked around her freshly painted apartment with a smile on her face. It looked bright and airy now. The walls were done in creamy white, and the carpet was a cream color with green flecks. She had bought light green curtains for the living room and bedroom. Anthony, Scott, and Ryan had done wonders in such a short time with the walls and floors.

Melora and Tilly cleaned everything, not allowing Emma to help, afraid it would hurt Caterina. Tilly had stocked Emma's kitchen with new dishes, pots and pans, silverware, and cooking utensils. It was enough to get her started.

Emma was only a couple of weeks from her due date and felt like she was ready to burst. She was in the apartment alone, waiting for Anthony and the boys. They had rented a moving truck to bring the used furniture she bought as well as all the baby stuff from the baby shower.

Melora and her family were leaving for Texas in a week, so the timing had worked out well. Emma was going to miss them, but she was glad to be on her own.

"It's just you and me, Caterina." She rubbed her belly absently and, in response, felt her daughter give a little kick. Emma already loved her daughter so much that sometimes her heart felt like it was going to overflow.

"Knock, knock." Anthony walked in, carrying an arm full of baby items.

"Wow, you guys were fast. Put all the baby stuff in the bedroom." Emma had decided that she would let the one bedroom be the nursery, and she would sleep on the couch. Caterina already had so much stuff that it made sense to give her the bedroom.

"Alright, the boys are bringing up the crib next. After we get everything inside, we'll help you set it up." Anthony and the boys brought everything in while Emma directed them where to put things. Once everything was in the apartment, they put together the crib and changing table.

Emma told them she would take it from there and unpack. She wanted to be alone to get things how she wanted them. Anthony stopped at the door before leaving.

"Emma, can you come downstairs for a minute? We have something to show you." She was curious to see what they needed to show her now that everything was upstairs. Emma waddled her way down the three flights of stairs and walked outside. Tilly and Melora were standing on the sidewalk.

"Surprise!" They stepped aside, and Emma saw a car behind them. She looked around in confusion. What were they saying surprise about? Melora saw her confusion and laughed.

"Emma, this car is yours. Mom and dad sold my old car and bought you this. They figured you and Caterina needed a way to get around." Melora ran over and grabbed Emma's hand as she stared at them, speechless.

"You bought me a car? You have already done too much. Please let me repay you." Emma cried as she looked at the used car that was in excellent condition. It was perfect for her and Caterina.

"Emma, it's the least we can do. You're like a daughter to us, and we want to make sure you have everything you need before we leave." Tilly walked over to her and gave her a hug while handing her the keys. When Emma looked in the backseat, she saw the new car seat already in place.

"I'm going to miss you guys. I promise we'll come down and visit." Emma hugged each of them before they left, and she stood looking at the car. It was bright red with black leather seats. She had never had a vehicle, but she did have her license and had driven Melora's car many times.

After she was done admiring the car, she went up to her apartment to unpack. Luckily most of the unpacking was done because she didn't really have too much. She put her mom's ashes on Caterina's small dresser. Emma liked the idea of Paula looking over Caterina as she slept.

When she was done and everything was in place, she called to order a pizza for dinner. While she was eating, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. At first, Emma thought it was gas pain, but she felt another sharper one a few minutes later. She waited to see how far apart the pains were, and Emma decided it was time to go to the hospital as they got stronger and closer together.

She didn't want to drive, so she called for an ambulance. After the operator said that medics were on their way, Emma called Melora. She said she and Tilly would meet her at the hospital.

Emma grabbed her overnight bag and the diaper bag she had just prepared. She then made her way downstairs between contractions to wait for the ambulance. Just as she stepped onto the sidewalk, the ambulance pulled up, and her water broke. The EMTs came rushing over to her.

"Emma?" The female asked her, and Emma nodded as she tried to breathe through another contraction. The two EMTs helped her into the back of the ambulance, and she laid down on the gurney.

"My water just broke." Emma said breathlessly as they turned on the siren and headed to the hospital.

"Okay, it will only take a few minutes to get there, but I'm going to check and see if you're crowning. I'm Lacy, and he's Darius." Emma smiled as Lacy examined her and checked on Caterina.

"You're not crowning, but you're almost fully dilated. So it won't be long." Lacy covered her back up, and just a few minutes later, they were pulling up to the emergency room entrance.

Lacy and Darius quickly pushed her into the hospital, where people were already waiting. She saw Melora and Tilly running toward her, and they grabbed her hands. The EMTs quickly gave the hospital staff a run down as they pushed her toward the maternity ward.

When they arrived at the large private room, Lacy helped Emma off the gurney and into the hospital bed. Once she and Darius left, Tilly and Melora helped Emma change into a hospital gown just as a female doctor and nurse came into the room.

"Hello, Emma. I'm Dr. James, and I'd like to take a look to see how you're doing." Emma nodded and watched as Dr. James, who was tall and thin with red hair and green eyes, pulled over a stool. The nurse was hooking Emma up to machines, but she didn't pay attention to her because she wanted to hear the doctor say everything was fine with her baby.

"Dr. James, is everything okay with my daughter?" Emma asked worriedly.

"Everything looks great, and you're fully dilated now, so it's time to start pushing." Melora and Tilly held her hands as she squeezed and pushed with everything she had.

Emma continued to push until she thought she was going to pass out. Just when she didn't think she had anything left in her to push with, Dr. James said one more time should do it. Emma screamed as she pushed one last time and felt Caterina begin to slide out of her.

"Here she comes, Emma. I see her head. Give one small push, and she should be all the way out." Emma pushed again and felt a gush come out of her. She felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion, but when she heard her baby cry, she looked around. Emma saw the nurse cleaning Caterina but couldn't get a good look at her yet.

When the nurse finally came over, she handed Emma the tiny little bundle wrapped in a blanket. Emma looked at the little face and felt nothing but pure love. Caterina had a head full of black hair and looked up at her mother with dark eyes. Emma knew her eyes would change color as she got older.

"Emma, she's beautiful and so tiny." Tilly rubbed her finger lightly on the baby's forehead.

"She's amazing. I've never loved someone so much in my entire life." Emma leaned down and kissed Caterina's smooth forehead. The nurse and the doctor continued to clean Emma up, but she didn't notice any of that. Everything else faded away as she looked into her baby's face.

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