Danielle Steel - the Wedding (2000)

It was the week that Alan came home from Switzerland, and he called Allegra as soon as he got home, hurt that she hadn't told him about Sam sooner. Carmen had called him as soon as the news broke.

My God, what's been happening? You never said anything when I called you.

I didn't know what she was going to do. I didn't want to talk about it. It's been kind of rough here. I didn't tell anyone. But now everyone knows, so it's different. Everyone was an understatement. The tabloids and TV shows had reached several million people.

What's she going to do with it? Alan was sorry for her. She was such a sweet kid and she was so young to have a baby.

Jeff and I are taking it, Allegra said proudly.

Talk about jumping the gun. You two aren't even married yet. When's it due?

In three days, Allegra said with a laugh. She and Jeff had been running around trying to buy diapers and a crib and tiny little undershirts, and flannel sheets, and washcloths, and bottles and blankets. The equipment was absolutely overwhelming, there was so much of it. It was much more complicated than a wedding. But in some ways a lot more fun, and they were both excited.

And in the midst of it, Jeff was trying to finish his movie, and she was going to the office, trying to settle Bram's estate and take care of all her other clients. She was trying to hire a baby-sitter, just to get her through the wedding and the honeymoon, and then she was also going to take a leave herself, after the wedding if she could, till they all got adjusted.

There was so much to organize. They had put the crib right in the middle of their bedroom. And Jeff had put together a little mobile of sheep and clouds that stood over it. They had musical lambs, and tiny little booties and sweaters, and a mountain of equipment. They had everything. Alan chuckled when she told him all about it. He admitted to them that Carmen was pregnant again too, but they weren't going to tell anyone yet in case she lost it. And she still had another month to do on her picture. They all had their hands full for the moment.

It was the night after Alan had come home, and Jeff and Allegra both had unusually long days, and had gone to bed late and were exhausted. When the phone rang at two A.M., Jeff said that Carmen and Alan were at it again. They'd obviously had a fight and Carmen was calling.

Don't answer it, Jeff groaned. He needed his sleep desperately, and for once Allegra was tempted to listen to him, but then she thought of her sister.

What if it's Sam?

It can't be, he said miserably. I'm too tired to have a baby.

In the end, Allegra's conscience won, and she picked it up. It was her mother. Sam's water had broken an hour earlier, and at first nothing had been happening, but all of a sudden she was getting good, hard, regular contractions.

Are you sure they're not just the fake ones? Allegra asked nervously, and Jeff groaned.

I'm too tired for this, he said again, and Allegra laughed and gave him a gentle shove.

No, you're not. We're having a baby. One day it would be her, waking him up at this hour to have their first child, but for the moment it was Sam, and for them, it was almost as exciting.

You'd better come, her mother said. You don't want to miss it. They were already in the hospital, in the labor room, and she was dilating quickly.

How does she feel? Allegra asked, worried about her little sister.

Not too bad, her mother said, still holding the watch she was using to time the contractions. And then she said something that surprised Allegra. We just called Jimmy.

There was tenderness in her mother's voice, rather than disapproval.

Are you sure we should? Sam wants him here. He's been coaching her too. And with all she was going through, Blaire felt she had the right to have whomever she wanted with her. She hadn't wanted John Whitman there, and with good reason after all they'd said about her, but oddly enough, she wanted Jimmy.

Before Jeff and Allegra left the house in Malibu, she stood staring at the crib and the mobile for just a moment. By tomorrow, there would be a little person in the crib. It was so exciting it made her smile as they left for the hospital. She had never before realized how much she wanted this baby. It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her.

Exciting, huh? Jeff said, thinking the same thing, and he put a gentle arm around her. I'm glad we're doing this. It meant a lot to both of them, even if it was an odd time for them to take on a baby.

I'm glad too, Allegra said, and then they hurried out to the car, in blue jeans and T-shirts and old sneakers. Allegra was planning to be in the delivery room, and Blaire was too. But when they got to the hospital, Blaire was outside, sitting with Simon.

What's happening? Allegra asked, as though a plane were coming in at any moment, and her mother smiled. In some ways, Allegra was less prepared for this than Sam was. Jeff yawned as he sat down next to Simon. They were both half asleep, and their roles seemed the least exciting. All they had to do was remember to tell everyone what a great job they had done when it was over.

They're checking her, Blaire explained. She's doing beautifully. It's really getting going now. The nurse thinks it won't take long at all, if she keeps going at this rate.

Shouldn't we be in there? Allegra asked, looking worried. She didn't want to let Sam down, or miss the birth of the baby.

I thought I'd give her a little while alone with Jimmy. They were doing fine together, and he's doing a good job coaching her. I think too many people around will make her panic. They left her alone with him for a while, and then Allegra and her mother tiptoed in to see her. She was sitting up in bed, with wild, frightened eyes, trying to breathe her way through a contraction while Jimmy talked her through it. He was amazingly calm for an eighteen-year-old kid, and when it was over, he gave her ice chips, and mopped her forehead with a cool cloth, as she lay back against the pillows.

How's it going, Sam? Allegra asked her gently.

I don't know, Sam said, looking worried, and clutching for Jimmy's hand. The monitor showed she was having another pain, and they went through the same procedure again, as Allegra watched them. It looked awful to Allegra, but Blaire thought she was doing great, and when the doctor came by a few minutes later, so did he, as he praised her.

It won't be long, he said cheerfully, patting Sam's leg after he checked her. He was going to deliver the baby right there in the labor bed, when she was ready. We're halfway there, he said happily, and Sam gave a moan of anguish.

Halfway ‘ I can't do this for much longer. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Jimmy.

You're doing great, Sam, Jimmy whispered, and he didn't look like a boy, he looked like a man, as he held Sam's hand quietly, and waited for the next contraction as he stood at her bedside. Blaire and Allegra felt utterly useless and drifted outside again. Jeff had gone to sleep and was snoring in a chair, and Simon was dozing over a newspaper he'd been reading. The two of them made quite a picture.

What do you think about Jimmy being so involved with her? Allegra asked her mother as they strolled down the hall, and stopped to see the babies in the nursery. Some of them were sleeping, but most of them were wailing. Some were newborns, born within the hour, and others were slightly older, very hungry, and waiting for their mothers.

Allegra went to peek at Sam again, and she was sitting on the edge of the bed as Jimmy rubbed her back, sitting just behind her. A nurse was showing them what to do, and he even helped her walk around the room, but she started to cry when the next pain came. Then he lifted her gently back into bed, but she screamed as the pain peaked and he moved her. He was terrific with her, and Allegra was deeply touched by what she saw. And all through the night Sam wrestled with her contractions. At dawn there was still no sign of the baby, but everyone said she was doing great, except Sam, who said she couldn't take anymore. She wanted drugs, she wanted help, she wanted anything. She was clutching Jimmy's arms, and screaming with each contraction, and just when Allegra thought she couldn't take it anymore, the doctor said that Sam could start pushing. Now the real work began, but Sam just looked at them and cried.