TIME WARP: Baby Time!

[Taeyeon Kai]

Four years ago, it had been a different story for the woman laying in the hospital bed. Four years ago, she had moved into Pilot Ridge and settled with her aunt and uncle, joining the high school and working on continuing her studies. She had gotten a job at the mall, helped buy her first car, and had gotten a puppy. Life had been good for the woman when she was seventeen.

Then she had met him, the love of her life, the man who would do anything for her. He had still loved her when she had broken his heart, and she had still loved him when he had broken hers. They had been through everything together; graduation, that rocky start into the new life, life’s bumps and hills. They had done almost everything together, never leaving each other’s sides.

It came to no one’s surprise when three years ago, Cole Kessler had asked her, Taeyeon Kai, to marry him. She had said yes and proudly carried his ring, marrying him in the church where his own parents had been married in. Her parents had even flown in for the wedding, reuniting with their daughter for the first time in ten years. It had been a tear-filled reunion, but a much-needed one, and then her wonderful new husband had taken her to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Three years later, Taeyeon Kessler had a teaching degree under her belt and a job at the local high school, while her husband was a pro NASCAR racer and a mechanic on the side. She looked down from the TV screen and rubbed her inflated tummy, smiling gently as she felt the stirrings of life in her abdomen. She was so close to her due date and here she was, in the hospital because of false contractions. She would be let go soon, she knew, but for now, she enjoyed laying on the bed.

The door opened and in walked Rei Turner, Tae’s aunt on her mother’s side of the family. The woman was up in her years, but she was still beautiful, her black hair in a ponytail and her dark eyes glowing when they landed on her niece. “You glow with the upcoming event of motherhood, sarai,” her aunt said to her as she helped her niece get on her feet. Tae groaned lightly and wobbled when she stood, still not used to the extra weight she carried.

“As soon as this baby is out of me, I am going back to my fighting self again,” the younger woman replied on a laugh, holding onto her aunt’s hand as she regained her balance. Her guardian chuckled along with her and helped her niece gather all of her things; Tae’s uncle was waiting in the car for them, since the two were looking after their niece while their nephew-in-law was racing this weekend.

Only two more weeks and the baby will be here, Tae thought happily, rubbing her tummy again.

That happy thought was immediately accompanied by a sharp pain in her midsection, making her gasp and bend over. Her aunt’s fussing was lost in the ringing of her ears and the sound of a loud splash nearby, followed by the feeling of wetness on her legs. Tae gasped with breath and looked at her aunt, who looked at her with wide, horrified eyes.

“Oba, I think I’m having the baby now.”

[Cole Kessler]

Richmond, Virginia..., home to Richmond International Raceway. "Racing Perfection" as they referred to it, NASCAR's premiere short track. True, the track had plenty of prestigous moments in it's history, sure enough. Cole's first race here since his big wreck a year ago, and it had been grand. Heading into the final stretch of the scheduled four hundred laps here, Cole was in the lead with a good three second margin on the closest lead-lap car to him.

"Final stretch, Cole. Win or lose, I'm proud of you, son. You've faced what some drivers couldn't handle." His dad's voice came over the radio, "I know you want to win this thing, Cole. Now, bring it home, son."

Cole's smile was hidden under his helmet. As his dad finished speaking, Cole's foot lifted off the pedal as he headed into turn one. With the flick of his wrist he rocketed out of turn two and headed down the back straightaway. Vibration's ribbed through his hand as he lost his left rear tire, "Tire's out, pop, comin' in."

"We're ready. Try not to tear yourself up, Cole. We've still got a ways to go."

"Ten-four." As he entered pit road, his mind flashed to an image of his wife. A woman who he wanted to give the best life possible, the reason he raced. To him, for Taeyeon, it was all or nothing. He lost if he didn't place first in every race. The off season was hellacious with his rehab practices, getting over his wreck, doing what he could to pay the bills. But when the race started, he focused on one thing: Winning.

"Five, four, three, two, one, now!" His dad counted him down to tell him when to apply the brakes. His car skidded into his pit stall and the crew went to work.

"Dad, any word from Tae?" Cole asked worrily.

"Last we heard they'd determined it was a false alarm. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Thanks." Cole said just as he felt the jack drop. He punched the gas and sped out of the stall and down pit road.

15 laps remaining

Cole's lead had opened up after the pitstop for his tire. He'd taken four new ones and topped off his fuel tank which had appeared to work as a strategic move so far. He was so close to winning he could taste it. On pit road, however, a different feeling had come into play.

The back-up driver was getting suited up while Cole's dad, Allan, was on the phone, "You're sure this time? Alright, I'll tell him." He settled the headset back onto his head and flipped his mic on, "Cole, bring her in. You've got someplace else to be."

"What!?"

"Her water broke as they were getting ready to leave. She's in labor, Cole. It's baby Time!"

Cole came out of turn four on the apron of the track, slowing down to meet pit road speed. As his dad counted him down again, Cole's helmet and HANS Device were already off. As the car halted, he pulled the steering wheel away, lowered the window net and practically jumped out of the car. He passed his helmet off and headed to his car.

ANNOUNCERS
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we're seeing a rare occasion here. Twenty-Two year old Cole Kessler has taken himself out of the race and put his car and possible victory into the hands of his back-up driver hired by his father and Crew Chief, Allan Kessler." Andy Petree alerted the fans watching on ESPN

"Yeah, but Andy, the reason makes sense to me. I talked to Cole before the race and he said if he got the call that his wife was going into labor he would leave, mid-race even, he would leave to be by her side. He's going to be given a police escort all the way there, from what I understand." Explained former driver Dale Jarrett

"Most certainly an exciting day for the young man as he readies for his first child. And all of us here at NASCAR wish him, his wife and his family the best and congratulations as well."
END ANNOUNCERS

Cole rushed to his car as the police escort readied itself outside the tunnel exit of the track. His Firebreather roared to life and peeled away some rubber as he left the garage area. Within a few minutes Cole's car was just behind the police cruisers speeding down the highway back towards downtown Richmond.

[Taeyeon Kai]

It was a blur in front of the woman’s eyes as nurses came and went, making sure she was settled and hooked up and comfortable as contractions rocked her body. It would be a while before she was dilated enough to give birth, but as her aunt helped her with the breathing that would keep her calm, her eyes were glued to the TV screen, watching the news.

“And here is something we haven’t seen, people of Richmond. Apparently, pro NASCAR racer Cole Kessler has left his race and is on his way to the hospital with a police escort, all because his wife is giving birth!”

Tae growled under her breath. “He damn well should be racing here,” she muttered, making her aunt and uncle laugh. They helped keep her calm and wiped off her forehead when she got too hot, while nurses would come in every so often and check up on her.

A few minutes after the news broadcast, a shot of pain went through Tae’s body, starting with her spine and spreading outward. She cried out, tensing up on the bed and squeezing her aunt and uncle’s hands hard enough to make them cry out too. As the doctor came into her room, the nurse who had come in before her looked up from checking Tae’s dilation.

“Four centimeters, doctor, she’s almost halfway there,” Tae heard the nurse say, lost in her own daze of pain and medication. She felt her aunt squeeze her hand, some low murmurs, and then the shuffle of feet, along with another shot of pain. Her uncle’s low voice, murmuring in prayer, echoed in her left ear, followed by her aunt’s voice reciting the same prayer.

“Hurry, Cole,” Tae whispered before she closed her eyes, riding out the waves of pain.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole's car skidded to a halt in the hospital parking lot. As he jumped out of the seat, he took a moment to thank the officers who had escorted him from the track. After a brief handshake with the lead officer, Cole jogged into the main lobby. He moved quickly, ignoring the looks from the patients and doctors as he tried to find an elevator.

Once he found one he frantically pushed the button as fast as he could, hoping that it would somehow make the elevator reach the lobby faster. He didn't know har far dilated she was, but he still wanted to get there as fast as he could. Once the doors opened, Cole moved inside quickly. Surveying the legend on the wall, he pressed the button for the baby center floor.

The ride up seemed to take an eternity. For a moment he thought he would be too late, but quickly brushed the thought from his mind. The doors opened again and he rushed out to the registration desk. The receptionist looked up, puzzled, "Yes, sir, may I help you?"

"I'm looking for someone." Cole was trying to get it all out, but he was out of breath.

The receptionist merely looked at the man. She thought he looked a little out of place and was acting like he was having an asthma attack, "Sir, if you're looking for a doctor, you should've stopped in the lobby and asked for one. This is the Baby Center, for labor and delivery of children."

"I'm aware." Cole said, breathing deeply, "My wife is in labor, miss." Cole explained with a chuckle.

"OH MY LORD! I am so sorry. What's her name?"

"Taeyeon. Taeyeon Kessler."

"Ah, she's right down the hall. Please, follow me, sir." She told him as she started walking, Cole following suit.

It took a short while, but finally they arrived at the door to Tae's room. Michael stood outside it, waiting for him, "Took you long enough, Cole." he said with a laugh.

"Ha, c'mon, uncle Mike, I wouldn't have missed this for the world." He said as they walked inside. Cole looked over his wife, the tears still evident on her face, "Hey, love," he said walking over to the bed and taking her hand, "I missed you today." He smiled as he glanced at the television to see his back-up driver leading the field to the checkered flag. "Everything okay?"

[Taeyeon Kai]

The laboring woman heard the police sirens outside and sighed, knowing her husband was here. “Finally,” she muttered as another wrack of pain shuddered her frame and a weary chuckle came from her aunt. She heard her uncle and husband talking and then he was there, holding her hand and talking to her in that voice she loved listening to and looking at her with those slate blue eyes she loved looking at.

“Everything’s okay as far as the nurse says,” she replied to his question, bringing his hand to her lips and kissing his knuckles. “But I am in pain and I’m fat and I’m watching your race and you don’t have to push another human being out of your body.” Now here was her frustration and anger, channeled in the glare she leveled at him. “I am quite possibly considering never letting you do this again.”

This, of course, was a lie; Tae and Cole had talked about their lives together when he had first proposed, and they had wanted a large ranch with horses and dogs and cats and at least two children. Taeyeon wanted a little boy who looked just like Cole, but her husband wanted a little girl with her curls and her smile. They were still debating on that when Tae had found out she was pregnant.

The nurse walked in and smiled. “Welcome, Mr. Kessler,” she greeted before sitting in front of Tae and examining between her legs. It took only a couple minutes before the nurse stood up and wrote some notes on her clipboard. “You’ve dilated another two centimeters, Mrs. Kessler,” the nurse remarked, smiling again. “It won’t be long before you have your little one.” The nurse walked out and Tae sighed, looking at Cole.

“Four more centimeters to go,” she said on a breath, closing her eyes to calm her nerves. In the next few hours, she would be holding a baby, and their lives would be changed drastically.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled as she kissed his knuckles and the smile only widened when the nurse told her how dilated she was. Cole knew it wouldn't be much longer before they welcomed their first child. Cole couldn't wait, really, he wanted no more than to hold his wife and new child together for the first time

"I'm so happy," he said upon hearing her words about never letting him do this again, "I love you, too, Taeyeon." He laughed. He knew immediately she was lying, but couldn't help do as he always did when said stuff like that.

"You want anything to drink? Water or something?" He asked

[Taeyeon Kai]

“Water please,” Tae replied, feeling her parched throat close up on her just a little.

Another hour passed with Tae trying to relax with the contractions, gripping Cole’s hand tightly whenever that happened, and the couple watching the race. Cole’s backup driver won the race, much to everyone’s happiness, but Tae was just glad that her husband was here beside her, supporting her in the only way he knew how. She dilated another two centimeters when that hour and another half passed, and her nervousness grew more apparent. Her aunt and uncle noticed their niece growing more tense but didn’t say anything; rather, they left the room so that Tae could talk to Cole alone.

“What if I won’t be a good enough mother, Cole?” she asked him, looking up at him with her dreamer’s eyes, liquid pools of chocolate and ocean and forest. “I know my mother tried to raise me the best she could, but she ended up giving me away. What if that happens to me, Cole?” Tears flowed in her eyes and down her cheeks, the hormones too much for her to handle and the stress of the situation finally letting itself known.

She looked away from her husband and wiped her eyes and cheeks, suddenly feeling stupid for crying in front of him. Of course she would be a good mother, better than the woman who had raised her for the first twelve years of her life. She had Cole by her side, who would stand by her and help her with anything and give up his life for her.

She looked up at him and, with her free hand, drew his face down so that their lips could meet. It was a tender kiss, held with love and promises and hope. She pulled back after a moment and smiled at him. “I love you, Cole Allan Kessler,” she told him sweetly, laying her head on his shoulder.

[Cole Kessler]

It saddened him to hear her doubt herself, it made slight sense, but he still hated hearing it. He cupped her cheek as they kissed and looked into her dreamer eyes with his slate blue orbs and spoke, "Taeyeon, you've been a great girlfriend, a greater fiancee, and an even greater wife to me. I know you'll be an excellent mother to our child." Cole said as he looked out the window, the sun was beginning to set in the distance.

"A beautiful picture for this beautiful moment." He whispered and turned to face her. The warmth of the sun through his back brought on a sense of stability, but it was soon overtaken by his own fears and doubts. He stepped back over to his wife, "I'm more worried about myself." He said as he knelt down next to her, "Tae, I was a good boyfriend, and a great fiancee, but I've been a less than ideal husband to you. I race to pay the bills and it keeps me on the road all spring, summer, and fall."

His eyes held back tears as best he could, but a few managed to make it through, "When I left you to train for a month, it tore me up inside. You waited for me until I came back, and it taught me something." Cole's tears fought their way through and his eyes couldn't hold them back anymore, "It taught me that I wasn't going to lose you. Now, we're married, we're having a baby, and for once in my life, I'm scared to death of what's gonna happen next." Cole's voice was breaking, "Tell me everything's going to be okay. Please?"

[Taeyeon Kai]

She watched him kneel next to her, expressing his doubts and insecurities, and she smiled gently at him, bringing his hand to her cheek and nuzzling it. “Thank you for believing in me, Cole,” she told him tenderly. “I waited for you because I loved you, and you waited for me when we broke up all those years ago, when I was scared that I wasn’t worthy of your love. I returned the favor, and now we’re together forever. Everything is going to be okay.”

Everything was not going to be okay.

She leaned in to kiss him again when the pain shot up her spine again, and she cried out loudly enough to bring in a couple nurses and her doctor. One nurse quickly sat down as the doctor and other nurse put on smocks and gloves. “She’s fully dilated, doctor,” the nurse was saying above Tae’s grunts of pain. “The baby’s coming fast.”

The next couple of hours were filled with Tae crying out as she pushed, yelling at Cole because he did this to her, and crying because she was tired and in pain and wanted to give up, when she had never given up before. Her aunt kept telling her encouraging words; her uncle wisely stayed out of the room, keeping in touch with all their friends on her condition. The pain and the pushing and the fighting all stopped when Tae gave out one last cry, joined by another one in the room.

“It’s a girl!” the doctor announced proudly, handing the bundle of bloody baby to the nurses to be cleaned and taken care of. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Kessler. You have a healthy baby girl.”

Tae opened her eyes, sweat on her face but a proud smile on her lips as the nurse handed her the baby, swaddled in a soft pink blanket. The woman held the baby to her chest, looking down at the scrunched face and the small hands. “A baby girl…” she whispered in awe, feeling the words settle on her like a blanket. “Zoe Sarai Kessler…welcome to the world, my little princess.”

[Cole Kessler]

Cole's eyes filled with tears, tears of joy for what had become one of the proudest moments of his life. As the doctor handed the baby to Taeyeon, Cole placed on kiss on his wife's forehead. He immediately pulled out his phone and snapped a couple of pictures to put on his computer when they got home.

He stepped away from the bed and looked out the window at the darkened sky. A full moon lit up an otherwise empty space above the horizon. Then he heard his wife speak to their child for the first time. She had named the baby girl after Cole's late mother, a woman whom his dad had said Taeyeon reminded him of. He stepped back over to the bedside and looked down at his newborn daughter, "My little Zoe, I promise that you will not want for anything in life." He said as he gently brushed the baby's crown, "I've never been more proud of anything in my life."

As the doctors wheeled the baby to the nursery, Cole pressed his lips to Taeyeon's before following them out. In the nursery, Cole watched as they checked the baby's temperature and other vitals. He looked over the newborn child. She had her mother's eyes, those wonderful dreamer's eyes that he could stare into for days at a time never getting tired of the love they showed for him.

Finally, the door crept open to the delivery room and Cole walked in to check on his beautiful wife. He looked at Michael and Rae as he walked in. By the time he'd gotten back, his father had also arrived, "Congratulations, pop. You've got a beautiful baby grand-daughter." He said as he hugged his father's neck, tears still fresh on his face.

"I'm so proud of you, Cole. You've done everything right, son. You've faced every challenge that's been laid in your path and you've overcome each and every one of them." His father whispered to him, "You and Taeyeon...., you've both made us so, so proud over the last four years."

"Thank you. Thank all of you." Cole said as he bowed to Michael and Rae. He then turned to Taeyeon, who still laid in the bed, exhausted from the last two hours of her labor. He walked back to her side, "Hey," he said softly, "how are you feelin'?"

[Taeyeon Kai]

Tae smiled up at Cole as he kissed her forehead and spoke to Zoe for the first time. Tae had named the baby after Cole’s birth mother because she had heard the story of how she’d died, and Tae knew that without that woman, Cole would have never been here to give her the precious gift of his love. She kissed him back as the nurses gave them a smile and helped Tae clean herself up, watching Cole as everyone left to check on her baby.

She let forth a sigh and settled against her pillows, looking at the ceiling. “Over finally,” she muttered, which startled a laugh out of the nurses.

“Oh, I have a feeling that with that man, you’ll be in here within the next five years having your second child,” one of the nurses admonished gently, sending the tired woman a wink as she straightened the bedsheets.

Movement made her head look up and she smiled widely as Cole and Allan walked into the room. Allan came to her side after congratulating his son and laid a kiss on her forehead while she squeezed his hand, and then everyone left except for Cole. He came back to her side and leaned over her, and she looked into those eyes of his she so loved, and smiled.

“I’m fine now,” she told him, taking his hand and holding it tenderly. “I love you, Cole Allan Kessler.”

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled as she told him she was fine. Four years ago he'd given some random bump walking down the sidewalk a shot. They'd made a bet that night and followed through with it. He'd given his heart to some random woman on the dancefloor and yet, when most people would have ran, they'd stuck by each other. Now, he had his own family, a profession he loved, and a wife who would stand by him through thick and thin.

"I love you too, Taeyeon Kessler." Cole said as he let their lips meet for the most tender kiss of their lives. He felt a tear slip away as they kissed. Cole couldn't believe his life right now. Before he'd met Taeyeon, before he'd moved to Pilot Ridge, he'd been through his most traumatizing experience romantically. Four years ago, Lerna had messed him up bad and he'd just wanted and prayed for his life to end. When he met Tae, everything disappeared. He focused his efforts in putting everything forward and had succeeded.

He pulled back from the kiss to look upon her. His eyes seemed to glow in the lighting. He sat on the bedside with her for a moment, "Did you ever think we would get here so soon? I mean four years ago, did you ever see yourself here with me?"

[Taeyeon Kai]

She met his lips and held his promise to her heart, smiling as a matching tear to his own ran down her cheek. Four years ago she’d bumped into a tall rocker cowboy with pearl grey-blue eyes that had fascinated her from the very start. That night, she had danced with him, listened to him sing, and had made a bet with him. She had tasted his drugging kisses, felt the safety of his arms, and she had known, somehow, that he was meant to be hers.

Just as she was meant to be his.

“I had fantasies,” she told him with a smile, finally relaxing for the first time in ten hours. Well, if she was going to be technical, this was the first time she had relaxed in the last ten months. The month before she had found out she was pregnant, Cole had been gone for a NASCAR thing and she had been worried about him. A silly smile plastered itself on her face as she counted back, remembering the day she had found out.

“Remember that racing thing you went to the month before I found out I was pregnant?” she asked him, giggling softly. “When you came back, we were like animals…and I think we conceived Zoe the night you came home.”

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled as his mind flashed back to the night he'd come home. "Yeah, I remember that night. I'd been gone for almost two weeks on endurance and mentality testing for them to determine if I was fit to be in the car for a race's duration."

He stood up, "Thought I passed the only thing I could think of was you for that whole week and a half." He looked at her, "When I got home, I couldn't keep my hands off of you." His smile widened, "You've given me everything I could've asked for, Tae."

The others walked back in. Michael and Allan followed behind Rae as the stepped toward the bed. They stood on each side of Cole, Rae stood opposite them by the bed. Allan placed his hand on Cole's shoulder and Michael gave him a playful swat to the back of the head, "So who's gonna change the first dirty diaper?" Her uncle asked him with a laugh,

[Taeyeon Kai]

Tae laughed gently as Cole recounted that night when he had come home. She had made a nice dinner and candles had been lit, and she had been wearing a slinky dress in Cole’s favorite color when he had walked in. One look at her, with her smile, and he had dropped everything and taken her against the wall.

And the floor, and the couch, and the bed, and the shower…

Tae grinned when the parents walked in and joked around with them. “Cole is definitely changing the first diaper,” she told them all, making them laugh again. She looked up as the door opened and it was a nurse carrying their baby girl. Tae smiled and took the baby from the nurse, looking down into eyes that looked exactly like hers. She stroked her soft cheek with a finger, grinning as a small hand gripped her finger tightly.

“She’s perfectly healthy,” the nurse told Cole, handing him a clipboard. “These are all the birth records and such to fill out, and you can bring them back in a week. I’ll send in a couple more nurses to help your wife get cleaned up so you two can get home and take care of your little girl.” The nurse smiled and left the room.

Tae barely noticed, lost in the world of her daughter.