Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 444 -

*Four Months Later* *Olivia*

I was brought straight out of consciousness by the sound of a loud ringing. My phone vibrated on the bedside table as the clock flashed 4:00 A.M. I groaned, blearily blinking in the still-dark room around me.

I reached out for my phone, fishing it from its spot and untangling the charger. By the time I brought it to my face, it was nearly out of rings and about to head to voicemail.

"Hello?" I asked, groggily, a bit grumpy with whoever had disturbed my rest.

"Hey, Olivia," Elena's chipper voice sounded weird, a bit strained, and too cheerful like she was forcing it.

"What's wrong?" I frowned, sitting up in bed.

"Carina?" Gio muttered, stirred awake as I pulled out of his arms. "Who is it?"

"Uh, so I kinda wanted to let you guys know that I'm at home and could you give me a ride to the hospital please?"

"Is something wrong with the baby?" My thoughts went straight to the worst-case scenario, imagining her sitting on the floor of her bathroom bleeding out and still trying to keep a calm smile. "Uh, a little-" She giggled nervously. "It's-"

"Gio, get up!" I yelled, rolling straight out of bed, but as I stepped out of bed, my foot slipped. I screamed as I hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. The phone flew out of my hand, sliding across the floor and under the dresser. "Olivia!" Gio shot up, leaning over the bed to check on me.

"Dammit," I muttered to myself, unable to believe my luck. My legs had gotten wrapped inside the blankets and in my hurry, I'd tripped over the bedding.

"Uh, Olivia? Did you just fall out of bed?" I heard Elena's voice call out from where my phone had stashed itself. I must've hit the speakerphone on the way down.

"Elena? What the fuck is going on?" Gio demanded, looking way too tired for this shit at four in the morning.

"Well, funny story-" She laughed in a way that did not sound funny at all and then dropped the biggest bombshell she really should've just started with.

"I think my water broke."

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Gio and I didn't even think to change before we rushed out of the compound in a blind panic. All of the drills we had gone over went right out the window, and all that was left were two utterly clueless, but well-meaning, idiots trying to replace where they put their fucking keys, We ended up replaceing them in the coffeemaker.

Luckily, by the time we arrived at Elena's place, we had gotten a tiny bit calmer-a tiny bit. Probably because we woke up a little. I was surprised she could still answer the door, smiling like everything was normal, but she only looked a little tired, her bags packed at her feet.

"You know," Elena joked lightly, as Gio lugged her bags over his shoulder and I fussed over her, making sure every part of her was okay, "I really thought this was going to hurt more than it does."

She regretted that after only a few minutes in the car. I held her hand tightly in mine as she grimaced, her whole body tensing as the first intense contractions rolled over her.

"You okay?" I asked, concerned at the weird look that crossed her face.

"Yeah, it just feels like a bad stomach ache," she said, frowning unhappily. "And some bad period cramps rolled into one. It's weird."

And it was only going to get worse from there. Thanks to a phone call from Gio, they had a nurse waiting by the entrance for us by the time we arrived, and we helped transfer Elena into the wheelchair as she held a hand over her large swollen belly.

"Whee," she gave me a pale look as they wheeled her down the halls at a brisk pace. It would be hours before the actual birth, I figured, but I hoped it was a smooth one.

Gio and I stepped out while they fitted her into a hospital gown, and I let him call our friends and family to let them know what was happening and where we were. I went to get water from the vending machine as we waited anxiously in the hall until Gio tapped me on the shoulder with an annoyed look and shoved the phone into my hand.

"Hello?" I answered, confused.

A loud shriek on the other end was my only answer-a high-pitched squeal that could only belong to one person.

"Dolly," I laughed.

She squealed again.

"You'd better get here quickly. It's still early so she's not that far along, but she seems to be doing okay for now." I told her happily but then my mind traveled to her trouble-making brothers and I added, "Make sure Alessandro and Tallon don't do anything stupid."

"Duh," she said then the line went dead.

I rolled my eyes at her drama then turned to my tired husband who was leaning on the wall.

"Regretting staying up late to work now, aren't you?" I teased, grabbing his hand as I leaned onto his shoulder. He just groaned, his cheek landing on top of my head.

"I'll be fine, carina. I've handled cases without sleeping for three days in a row."

I mocked him in a deliberately low voice. He smirked, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"Next time I say that, smack me." He chuckled.

"Oh, you are going to regret that," I warned him, grinning as I leaned up to press my lips to his. "I promise."

"Mr. and Mrs. Valentino?" A nurse stepped out of Elena's room, a smile on her face. "Are you ready?"

"As we'll ever be," I took a deep breath, my hand clasped tightly in my husband's. He gave me a reassuring squeeze, sending me a hopeful smile, and I knew everything was going to be okay.

Dahlia arrived with the group in tow less than an hour after I'd spoken to her. I wasn't surprised in the least when I spotted Tallon and Alessandro carrying over a dozen designer-labeled purchases and boxes wrapped with bows. "What's all this?" Elena asked with wide eyes as the two dumped their spoils in one of the seats with grumbling looks.

"Just some necessities," Dahlia answered, throwing her hair over her shoulder. "And some presents for my nephew."

I dove into one of the bags, pulling out a pure white, soft, crocheted blanket. I smiled, feeling the soft fabric in my hands. "You didn't have to," I told her with misty eyes.

"Yes, I did," she scoffed. "Only the best for the child of my Olive."

"And somehow I, your own flesh and blood, don't even matter," Gio remarked, sarcastically.

"Olivia's cuter," Dahlia stuck her tongue out.

Gio glanced at me, and I knew that look in his eyes as he smirked, no doubt something very inappropriate flashed across his mind, and I sent him a warning look, but it was no use. "Oh, she's cute all right, especially when she's got her-" he remarked deviously.

"Not in the delivery room, Mr. Valentino," a new voice piped up, cutting through the chaos. Out from behind Tallon and Alessandro's towering forms popped a familiar face.

"Dr. Schmidt," Elena breathed in relief, then groaned as her body tensed up, another contraction rolling over her. Beads of sweat were beginning to gather around her forehead. "Okay, everybody," Dr. Schmidt clapped, beaming brightly. "Everybody who is not the intended parents or giving birth, please get out of my delivery room."

Despite her cheerful words, there was a note of steel in her voice that nobody could go against. I felt like I was being scolded by my mother again, even if it wasn't directed at me. "But-" Dahlia protested but Alessandro just sighed and pulled her out of the room.

"All right, then," Dr. Schmidt smiled, striding across the room as she snapped on her gloves, "Ready to deliver a baby?"

"Yes, please," Elena whimpered, looking much worse for wear than when we'd first arrived. The doctor explained that it would still be a while, but they got the epidural in, and Elena seemed to be in less pain.

Gio and I took our seats in the corner, out of the way as the nurses came flying in and out carrying supplies. Her discomfort grew as the hours passed, and Dr. Schmidt came back every hour on the clock to check on Elena's progress. It was always the same-not quite ready yet.

By her fifth visit, Gio had crashed, sleeping against the wall with a light snore, but I was vigilant by Elena's side, holding her hand through every painful contraction and talking her through the pain.

But as Dr. Schmidt did her exam this time, her cheerful smile slid into a frown.

"Dr. Schmidt?" I asked, worriedly and she sighed, stepping away from Elena.

"Is something wrong?" Elena asked, her forehead crinkling.

"Everything is fine, dear," Dr. Schmidt said reassuringly. "I just need to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Valentino for a moment."

She stepped out into the hallway, and I woke up Gio, following her out. Dr. Schmidt had a serious look on her face as she turned toward us.

"Something's wrong," I stated, just knowing it in my gut.

She nodded, sighing heavily, "Unfortunately, the baby is not in the optimal position for delivery. At this point, she's almost eight centimeters in dilation and we would've expected the baby to have moved downward, his head facing the entrance, but that hasn't happened. We are concerned that he could be stuck in her pelvis."

A nightmare-I was trapped in a nightmare. I grasped Gio's hand tightly to hide how badly I was shaking from the news. My anxiety shot through the roof. We'd learned about how babies sometimes got stuck if the woman's pelvis was too narrow and how easy it was to lose them.

"What can be done?" Gio asked, voice steady as a rock, unflinching and unwavering despite the bad news she'd just delivered.

"We're going to have to assist the baby before we can deliver him," Dr. Schmidt informed us. "If we can settle him into the right position before she starts pushing, then we can avoid any complications. We have a very skilled and experienced staff here, so just trust us, okay? We will do everything in our power to make sure both the baby and Miss Greco are safe. While C-section is an option, I have a few other things I'd like to try first." "Thank you," I said, shakily.

"Take a minute for yourselves before you go back in." She smiled. "We don't want to put any unnecessary stress on Miss Greco before she delivers."

And then she was gone, back in the room with Elena as if she hadn't just flipped our worlds upside down.

Gio sent me a look, one I could interpret without any words as we usually did. I nodded, taking a deep breath before we went back inside. Dr. Schmidt was right; this was not the time to fall apart. Elena and our baby needed us, and only the devil himself could drag me away from them.

The delivery progressed, and we waited anxiously as the nurses and Dr. Schmidt did everything they could to move the baby into the right position, and despite how exhausted and hurt she looked, Elena was a real trooper.

I showed her all the gifts Dahlia had given the baby, and we swapped stories of our favorite art pieces in between contractions until finally, Elena screamed out, "Something weird is happening!"

"And here we go!" Dr. Schmidt announced.

"I think my epidural is wearing off," Elena said.

"That will make it easier to push." Dr. Schmidt didn't seem to care that Elena was in a bit of pain, but then, she knew best, so none of us questioned it.

I held Elena's hand, letting her destroy the hell out of it as she clamped down on me at every push, and in return, I leaned on Gio, letting him hold me close as I wished to every known star in the universe that Elena and our baby would be okay.

Childbirth was not pretty. It was bloody and mesy and real. I flinched at every grunt, at the way my hand soon lost feeling from how Elena was strangling it in her tight grip. I looked away, swallowing uncomfortably at every nurse who rushed in and out in blood-covered gloves.

But as I watched Elena lose more and more of her energy after each push, I was so thankful that she was willing to go through all this pain for me and Gio. There was no word to express the utter gratitude I felt for her.

And then, the sound of a cry reached our ears-loud and angry, and undoubtedly our baby's first sounds echoed down the halls.

"There we go," Dr. Schmidt said, pulling our son out and holding him up for us to see as the nurses worked to clean him up a bit before she handed a pair of medical scissors to Gio. With clamps in place, he cut through the cord. We both had tears in our eyes as our son's eyes fell on our faces for the first time.

"The baby is safe and healthy," she told us. "And so is Miss Greco."

Despite how much pain I was in from my now bruised and possibly broken hand, and how shaken I was from the ugly and bloody hour-long scene, all I could feel was the overwhelming relief of those words. Gio's arm around my shoulder tightened and Elena sighed, finally letting go of me as she collapsed into the bed with an exhaustion I couldn't even begin to comprehend.

It had been a long ten hours, but finally, our baby was here-safe and sound.