18"Is something bothering you, honey?" Jane asked. "You've been pretty quiet tonight."
"It's nothing," Avery said. "The baby furniture came today. I suppose I'm just thinking about how real this is all becoming."
"Ah," Jim said. "First baby jitters. I should have known. Your mother was kinda like this when she was close to having you, too. Don't worry about anything, sweetheart."
"You're going to be just fine," Jane said. "We'll be right here to help you, and it's clear you also have the support of Beth, Brent, and Nolan. Such nice friends."
"Yeah, they are," Avery said quietly.
"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Jane asked.
"Not really," Avery said. "I'm just tired. I think I'm going to head home. Tell Ariane I said goodnight."
"Okay, dear," Jane said. "Drive safely."
"Call us when you get there," Jim said.
"Yes, Dad," Avery said, rolling her eyes. But the sentiment was really very endearing.
She gave them each a hug and a kiss before driving away. And she did call when she got home, right before going to bed. It had been an exhausting day, emotionally and physically.
The next day was Sunday, for which Avery was very grateful for. She needed a day to relax, and couldn't wait to finish putting up some decorations in the nursery. She turned on her stereo loudly and started to work.
After a few hours, her back began to hurt, so Avery quit and headed back into the living room. She laid on the couch, but the pain persisted. I must have really strained something, she thought to herself, maybe I should go get a heating pad. As she got up to retrieve the heating pad, Avery felt something wet trickle down her leg. Oh no, she thought, it can't be. It's too soon. But all the symptoms so far, seemed correct.
Panicking, she reached for the phone and called her parents. There was no answer. Then she remembered, they'd all gone to Minnesota to see her relatives. Next, she dialed Beth's number, but Beth's mother said she'd gone somewhere with Brent. Avery dialed Brent's number, and Nolan answered.
"Hello?" he said.
"Hi Nolan, this is Avery, is Beth there?" she said, trying to remain calm.
"No, she and Brent went to Omaha for the day," he replied.
"Damn it, doesn't anyone stay home," she ranted.
Nolan was shocked by the anger he heard. But then he realized the anger was really panic.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Well, I'm in labor right now and I don't have anyone to take me to the hospital," she said, and she began to cry.
"I can take you," he said. "I'll be over there in five minutes. It'll be okay, don't cry Shortcake."
He didn't give her a chance to protest, and Avery knew he was really her only option at this point. The pains were getting stronger and coming faster. She went to her room and got her bag. Thank goodness she'd packed a few days ago out of boredom. She returned to the living room and waited for Nolan to arrive.
Meanwhile, Nolan was rushing through traffic, cursing at people who cut in front of him and red lights. He hit the steering wheel with the heel of his hand as he looked at the clock. He had just been debating calling her, when she'd called him. He really wanted to talk to her about what had happened the day before. Now it was clear that conversation would have to wait. There was a new obstacle to deal with.
His heart grew heavy as he recalled her voice on the phone. She sounded so scared, he thought to himself. He'd wanted nothing more than to reach through the phone and hold her. He'd always felt protective towards her, but that sense had heightened over the past few months as he'd watched her go through this pregnancy.
Other feelings had also heightened, surprising Nolan and causing the breakup between him and Kari. Kari had immediately noticed a change in Nolan when Avery returned home. She'd tried to shrug it off, but knew she couldn't ignore it. He had denied it when she confronted him, but in the end, he admitted she was right, and they both cried.
"You need to tell her," Kari said, sobbing. "Even though it hurts, I know you two belong together. I can't stand in the way of that."
"I'm so sorry, Kari," he'd said. "I really thought I was over her. And I do love you. I always will."
Kari had simply nodded and kissed him silently before walking out the door.
Nolan sighed now and erased those memories as he pulled his Jeep up in front of the door to Avery's apartment building. He ran up to the door and knocked before letting himself in. When she turned to look at him, Nolan saw the fear in her eyes. He fought the urge to simply hold her, and took her hand and her bag, leading her gently to the Jeep.
Avery nearly cried when she saw him burst through the door to her apartment. It'd felt like years between the call and his arrival, but she knew it'd only been a few minutes. As he took her hand, Avery felt a surge of strength and warmth go through her. She locked her door behind her and crawled into the backseat of his Jeep, lying across it, while Nolan ran around the vehicle and got into the driver's seat.
While he navigated through the streets, Nolan offered his right hand to Avery. She took it and held it the whole way, clenching it tightly as a contraction ripped through her. The ride seemed endless, but they finally arrived at the hospital. Nolan helped her from the car and into the emergency room, where they put her in a wheelchair and wheeled her away.
"Nolan, don't leave me," she begged.
"I'm not," he said. "I'll be right back after I move the car. I promise."
"You better," she said.
Nolan ran outside and quickly moved his Jeep. His heart was pounding as he ran back into the hospital. As badly as Avery wanted him with her, he wanted to be with her worse. There was no way he wanted her to go through this alone, and as he stood bedside, holding her hand, it felt oddly natural to him.
Dr. Foster came in minutes after Avery's arrival to check her progress.
"Well, well, this baby wants to make an early appearance," Dr. Foster said with a smile.
"I guess," Avery said, panting and cringing.
At the moment, she didn't feel there was much to smile about. The pain was even worse than she had anticipated.
When the doctor had finished her examination, she stood up and removed her glove.
"You're progressing very quickly, Avery," Dr. Foster said. "Hard to believe this is your first baby. Most take much longer. I'd guess you'll be pushing in the next two hours or so."
"What?" Avery said. "There's no way my mom will make it here by then. She's supposed to be my coach."
Avery began to cry and Nolan spoke up.
"I'll be your coach, Avery," he said.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Avery asked. "You don't think it'll be too weird?"
"No," Nolan said. "I'd really like to be there."
"Alright," Avery said. "Is it okay if he's in the delivery room?"
"Of course," Dr. Foster said with a smile. "I'll make sure we have scrubs for him."
"Thanks," Avery said, and the doctor left the room then.
The next few hours were grueling for Avery. She called her mother's cell phone, and her mother said they were leaving immediately and they'd be there as soon as they could.
Nolan called Brent's cell phone, but only got his voicemail. He left a message, and hoped his friend would check his voicemail in the next hour or so.
Despite Avery's distress over her mother's absence, she found Nolan's presence very calming. He held her hand, fed her ice chips, put a wash cloth on her forehead, and was very good at encouraging her. He was simply incredible. Nolan thought the same thing of Avery. The whole experience was very enlightening for him. She was so strong. He found himself falling even more in love with her with every passing moment.
Finally, the time came for Avery to begin pushing. As Avery was wheeled down the hall to the delivery room, Nolan was shuffled into a room to wash up and dress in scrubs from head to toe. He hurried as quickly as he could, not wanting to be away from Avery's side any longer than he had to. When he returned, they had her legs up in the stirrups and she was in a half sitting position. Nurses and doctors were rushing about getting all the necessary equipment nearby and rolling in an incubator, a sure sign that a new baby was about to make his or her way into the world.
Nolan was amazed at Avery's endurance and kept encouraging her with every push. She was amazing, he thought to himself. When he saw the head emerge, Nolan's eyes grew wide and he felt a rush of excitement go through him.
"Come on, Avery," he said. "You're almost there. I love you sweetheart. You can do this."
Avery was in too much pain to realize what Nolan had just said, and even Nolan didn't really realize what had just come out of his mouth. He didn't really have time to think about it either. Within moments, the room was filled with a baby's cries. Those cries belonged to the tiny baby girl laid on Avery's chest.
Avery cried when she saw her daughter and looked up at Nolan. When she did, she saw tears in his eyes too.
"Thank you for being here," she said.
"Thank you for letting me," he replied, and he leaned over to kiss her forehead.
The baby was examined and cleaned up while Avery was cleaned up and returned to her room. When they brought the wrapped up bundle to her, Avery began to cry again. The newborn in her arms was hers, really hers.
Nolan ambled into the room a few moments later. He'd gone to use the restroom and clean up. Plus he'd wanted to give Avery some alone time to recover and spend with her new baby.
"Hi," Avery said softly, when she saw his frame in the doorway. "Come in."
He walked over and sat at the chair near the bed.
"Have you named her yet?" Nolan asked.
Avery nodded, "I think I'm going to call her Noelle. Noelle Jane. After my mother."
"That's really pretty," Nolan said.
"Just like her," Avery said.
"Just like you, too," Nolan said. "Avery, we really need to talk."
"I know," Avery said.
He stood then, and moved to her bedside.
"I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out," he said. "I should have figured it out last year after our first kiss. I love you, Avery. I want to be with you."
Avery had tears in her eyes, and was speechless. Noelle's cries broke the silence.
"Do you want to hold her?" Avery asked.
"Are you sure it's okay?" Nolan asked, a little disappointed that Avery hadn't responded to his confession, though he did feel a little better now that it was out in the open.
"Of course it's okay," Avery said. "After all, she's your daughter too."
Nolan's eyes grew wide and it was his turn to be speechless. He looked down at Noelle and then back up at Avery.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Avery said. "I just didn't want to disrupt your life. Everything was going so well for you. You had Kari and you'd figured out what you wanted to do with your career. I didn't want to hold you back from having everything. I love you too much. I hope you're not mad, though I'd understand completely if you are."
Nolan shook his head.
"I'm not mad," he said. "Maybe a little disappointed at all I missed out on and upset that I didn't get to be there for you through everything."
"But you were there for the most important part," she said. "And I think that says something. I guess, maybe fate was working in our favor."
"Maybe," Nolan said, with a smile. "Now let me hold our daughter."
Avery smiled, and handed the baby over gently.
A little while later, Brent and Beth arrived.
"Oh my gosh!" Beth gushed. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here."
"It's alright," Avery said with a smile. "I think it was better this way. At least her father got to be at the delivery."
"Whoa, whoa," Brent said. "Nolan is the father?"
Avery and Nolan both nodded.
"Wow," Brent said. "Did you know about this Beth?"
Beth nodded shyly.
"I was sworn to secrecy, Brent," she said. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not," he said. "I just wish I'd known so I could have teased Nolan a little."
"I think there's still plenty of time," Avery said. "He's already talking about when Noelle will be allowed to date."
Everyone in the room laughed then, and everything seemed to be right.
Avery's family arrived an hour after Brent and Beth had gone home. Noelle had been returned to the nursery and Nolan sat holding Avery's hand as she slept. When Jim, Jane, Colby, and Ariane, walked in, he leaned over and woke her up gently, just as he had promised to do.
"Hi everyone," she said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Hi darling," Jane said, going over to her daughter. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you."
"I understand," Avery said with a smile. "Nolan was there, and that turned out to be the best thing."
Jane looked confused.
"Mom, before you meet your granddaughter, I'd like you to meet her father," Avery said, turning to look at Nolan.
Everyone's eyes followed, and the room was silent as the realization sunk in.
"Why didn't you two tell us?" Jim asked.
"To be honest, Nolan didn't even know until after Noelle was born," Avery said. "I didn't tell him. I didn't want to disrupt his life."
"Wow," Colby said, expressing what everyone else was thinking.
"That's pretty intense," Ariane said.
"Yeah, how did you take it, Nolan?" Jim asked.
Nolan shrugged, "I'm a little disappointed about everything I had to miss, but I'm glad I was there for the really important moment. I understand why she didn't tell me."
There was a knock on the door then, and a nurse entered, carrying a tiny bundle.
"There she is," Nolan said.
"Yep," Avery said. "Noelle Jane Carson."
Nolan smiled and felt his heart leap when he heard his name attached to the little girl. She was his, and he knew Avery soon would be too.
***Epilogue***
What began as friendship had turned into much more. It all started with an innocent kiss shared underneath the night sky.
That's how their new life together began too, as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, just months after Noelle's first birthday. Noelle had grown quickly. She was an adorable little bundle, with her mother's red hair and her father's blue eyes, nearly identical to the little girl in Avery's dreams.
Nolan took a job in the sports information department at Iowa State while Avery retained her position at The Ames Tribune. They eventually moved into a nice two-story, four bedroom home on the outskirts of town. Just a year after they got married, Landon James joined their home. A little boy who was the spitting image of his father, rounded out their family perfectly, and Avery knew she had everything she would ever need. It hadn't happened exactly as Avery planned, but in the end it all felt right, which was all that was really important. She was married to her best friend and only man she had ever loved. Of course there were ups and downs, but the love never died.
As lay down to sleep each night, both felt a deep sense of content and happiness about the way their lives had turned out. A feeling neither thought they would ever know.