Natalie was sitting on the couch, a folder resting on her stomach and chewing on the end of a pen. She had been speaking to Tanya over the last few months about her empathic healing, and Tanya felt it might be worth her while to do a councelling course. Which is what she was working on now by correspondance.
Abruptly Natalie paused. That was odd. She pulled the pen out of her mouth and set it and her folder on the side table, having a moments panic that her baby might not have liked the weight of the folder on her stomach. She started to get up and make her way to the bathroom when a sharp pain send her back to the couch again.
"Mom?" she called.
When Mrs Bryant entered the room, she saw her 7 month pregnant daughter sitting on the edge of the lounge and holding her stomach.
"Nat? What is it honey?"
"Something's wrong," Natalie fretted. "Something wrong... with the baby. It hurts."
There was no mistaking the alarm on her mother's face, but she calmly reassured her that everything would be okay, and she would call their local healer. Which she did.
By the time the healer arrived, Natalie was lying on the lounge, her head propped up on a cushion on the arm. The healer touched her arm and allowed a small smile.
"Well, you're right and you're wrong," she told her. "You're in labour."
"I am? But I... it's only... it's only seven months! I can't be!" Natalie wailed.
"I'm afraid you are," the healer replied firmly. "Now don't worry, babies have been born premature before gone on to live perfectly healthy lives. You don't smoke or drink, so I'm sure that both you and baby will be fine."
Natalie's head moved around, looking around the room, and generally avoiding looking at anyone until a thought - a very important thought - popped into her head and she caught her mother's eyes.
"Taylor!" she exclaimed. "Taylor was supposed to be here! We had it all planned... they were going to be home from the tour in time to be there for the baby to be born... It can't be happening now... it can't be!"
"Honey," Mrs Bryant said patiently, and held her hand. "If the baby wants to come now, then the baby is going to come now. I'll call Taylor and try to arrange for him to be teleported here okay. The itinerary is on your bedside table still, right?"
"Y-y-yes..."
"Okay. I'll call right now. You just concentrate on having your baby. You'll both be fine," Mrs Bryant said reassuringly, before leaving quickly to make the call.
**********
"Hello?"
Mrs Byrant paused, not expecting a female voice to answer the phone.
"Uhh, yes, this is room 306?" she asked, having been redirected by the hotel clerk, and wondering if the room number was correct.
"Yes it is."
"Oh, is Taylor there? This is Mrs Bryant."
"I'm afraid the Misters Hanson are at a show at the moment. This is Elle, Zac's nanny."
"Oh! Oh dear... Natalie's having the baby."
"I see," Elle frowned. "Wasn't she due in December?"
"Yes, she was. She desperately wants Taylor to be here."
"Naturally," Elle agreed. "I'll do what I can to get him there for you. They're not due back for awhile yet, but I do have a number I can call for emergancies."
"Thank you."
"Could I get your number? So I can fill you in? I'm sure that Taylor has it around somewhere but..."
"Of course."
Mrs Bryant rattled off the number, and the two women hung up. Elle immeditately called the number she had for Zac.
"Hi Elle, what's up?" Zac asked, already concerned because Elle never had a reason to make an emergancy call before now.
They were back stage, just having come off after playing Penny 'n Me for the show.
"Natalie's in labour."
"What now?" Zac asked, startled, certainly not expecting that.
"Natalie's in labour," Elle repeated. "You may wish to inform Taylor. She wants him to be there so we need to organise some teleportation..."
"Yeah, of course. I'll tell him right now I... wow..."
"If you can get him to the hotel, I'll make the arrangements with the teleporters."
"Yeah, okay. I'll do that. Talk to you soon. Thanks. Yeah."
"You can hang up now."
"Oh, yeah right. See ya."
"Good bye."
Elle shook her head as she hung up the phone, then checked the handbook with the number for the YIRAAS services in the area and called the number for teleportation. There would have to be a teleport to the amp, from the amp here to one of the amps in the States, and from there to Georgia.
Meanwhile Zac hung up the phone and looked at his brothers who were regarding him curiously.
"Zac?" Isaac asked. "Everything okay?"
Zac caught Taylor's eyes.
"Nat's in labour."
Taylor
Taylor's eyes almost bulged out of his head.
"Now?!" he exclaimed, immediately springing to his feet, "but it's only October! What is she- How is- Can- Where do I- What am I gonna do?! I need to go!"
He darted for the door, hands flying to his pockets.
"Keys! I don't have keys! Where's the car keys? SOMEBODY DRIVE ME!"
Isaac and Zac
"Okay, Tay, breathe. Remember to breathe," Isaac said. "Wait... shouldn't we be saying that to Nat?"
"Dork," Zac replied already dialing the number for information. "Yes? I'd like to organise a taxi. Uh huh. Uh huh."
Zac made the arrangements and hung up.
"They'll meet you out the front," he told Taylor.
"C'mon, I think we'd better escort you," Isaac replied, grinning. "Oh, and Tay? Congratulations."
Taylor
"Don't say that yet. Don't say that yet!" Taylor insisted.
"They're not out of danger by far! I need to get there. I just need to get there!"
He grabbed his jacket and bolted for the hallway.
Isaac and Zac
Isaac and Zac ran after Taylor as they headed for the entrance of the studio. The taxi was already there.
"Hanson?" inquired the driver.
Taylor
Taylor launched himself into the back seat and moved across so either Ike or Zac could fit next to him.
"Hurry up hurry up hurry up!" he stressed.
Isaac and Zac
"I'll stay here so they know where w'eve disappeared too," Isaac said.
"Okay," Zac said, scooting into the taxi. "Let's go."
Isaac saw them off, then headed back into the studio. Meanwhile the taxi drove back to the hotel.
Taylor
Taylor couldn't keep his legs still at the best of times, so it ws currently going absolutely mental. Or... as mental as legs could go while still touching the floor of a car.
"Go faster!" he rpessured the driver, "if you get fined, we'll pay!"
Zac
The taxi driver flicked Taylor a look in the rear view mirror.
A few minutes later they had arrived at the hotel, and Zac hurried over to the lift.
Taylor
Taylor beat him there and almost closed the doors on him. Once Zac was inside he began cursing how slow the lift was moving.
When it reached their floor, he darted for the room.
Zac
"Oh good, you're here," said Elle, greeting them at the door, and gestured to a young man just behind her.
"Ready to go?" asked the teleporter looking between the brothers.
"Just Tay," Zac said. "Say 'hi' to Nat for us."
Taylor
"Yeah, sure, yeah," Taylor nodded, literally shaking.
He jogged over to the teleporter, almost bowling him over.
Natalie
The teleporter took Taylor to the teleportation centre and saw to it that they knew to send him to the nearest amplifier to Georgia.
"There will be another teleporter there to take you to Georgia from there," the teleporter informed Taylor.
Meanwhile, Natalie was puffing and panting on the bed where she had been moved.
"Ever thought you'd have a home birth?" asked the healer.
Natalie just shook her head.
Taylor
Minutes - that felt like hours - later, Taylor was actually there.
He froze a little once he'd entered the house, but soon snapped out of it and burst into the room Nat was in.
"Natalie!" he exclaimed, rusing to her side, "I'm here! What happened?!"
Natalie
"Taylor!" Natalie exclaimed happily. "You're here!"
Then promptly groaned as she had another contraction.
"Okay," said the healer. "You're fully dialated now."
"Baby... came early..."
Taylor
"So I... see," Taylor gulped, taking one of her hands in his.
He looked up at the healer.
"Can you tell if they're ok as of now?" he asked.
Natalie
The healer shook her head.
"Not until they come out," she replied. "I can't form a connection to tell unless I'm touching them."
She gave both mother and father a reassuring smile.
"Nat, you're doing fine though."
Natalie smiled back crookedly before getting back to the matter at hand of helping the baby out.
Taylor
"You'll be fine angel," Taylor insisted softly, giving her hand a little squeeze.
"Just keep going. It'll all be over soon."
Natalie
"That's easy... for you... to say..." Natalie replied.
The healer chuckled.
"He's right you know. Okay, I can see the head."
Taylor
"See? I'm right. For once," Taylor attempted to lighten mood a bit.
He kept his eye on the healer obsessively.
Natalie
"And here's the shoulder," the healer went on cheerfully. "One you get the other one out, the rest will be easy."
Natalie managed a nod and squeezed Taylor's hand.
Taylor
"I hope for both our sakes she's right," Taylor mused, wrapping his free hand on top of Nat's.
Natalie
It was another minute or so before the second shoulder emerged and true to her world, the rest of the baby did slip out.
"Congratulations," said the healer. "It's a boy. Sorry to disapoint Taylor. Would you like to cut the cord."
Even as she spoke, her power was running over the baby, checking for any side-effects of the premature birth.
Natalie smiled wearily.
Taylor
Taylor's eyes brimmed with tears as his eyes fell on the small bundle. He reached over and smoothed some hair from Natalie's face before kissing her passionately, then gave her hand another squeeze and went to assist the healer.
Natalie
"How is he?" Natalie asked. "Can I hold him?" "He'll be fine," the healer replied, cleaning him off. "Here you are." She walked over and carefully shifted the baby boy to Natalie's arms. Mrs Bryant pulled out her camera and discreetly took photos. Hey, he was her first grandchild!
Taylor
Taylor bit his lip as he watched over the pair, the sense of wonder coming from the baby almost overpowering.
"We created life, Nat," he said finally, reaching a hand over to stroke the baby's forehead.
Natalie
Natalie smiled as she looked down at their newborn child in awe.
"We did," she said softly.
"Does he have a name?" asked Mrs Bryant.
Taylor
Taylor waited for Natalie's nod.
"Jordan Ezra Hanson," he smiled proudly.
Natalie
"Jordan," Mrs Bryant said thoughtfully.
"Actually," Natalie said. "We thought we'd use his middle name. Like his Dad. So, Ezra."
"Okay," he mother smiled. "Ezra."
Taylor
Taylor leant forward and kissed Nat again.
"Ezra," he said contentedly, "our Ezra."
Natalie
Natalie sighed contentedly.
"Early but healthly... he is healthy right," Natalie shot a nervous look at the healer.
"He'll be fine," the healer affirmed. "He's a little small, but I've managed to deal with his lungs so he'll breathe properly - won't even need an incubator like a human baby would."
Taylor
"Awesome," Taylor crooned.
"I wonder what kind of power he has."
He used one finger to lift Ezra's left hand.
Natalie
Natalie sniffled.
"I'm sure it's something wonderful. Just like he is," she said, admiring his tiny hands and feet.