Work Text:
Full Circle
Elaine Wood had the best life anyone could ask for. Having come into the world when her parents, Wirt and Sara, were only 16 and had no experience whatsoever with parenthood, they had managed to raise and nurture her in a very special way. She was always the apple of her father's eye, who, like the postcard of a Golden Retriever, always stood guard over her, making sure no one harmed her. Elaine grew from a baby to a little girl, and then from a little girl to an elegant and very friendly young lady. She wouldn't trade a single moment with her parents and the rest of her family for anything in the world. She marveled when she witnessed the birth of her younger brother, Patrick, and dreamed of one day having children of her own.
At 17, while serving as a cheerleader for the Aberdale High School football team, just as her mother had been, she bumped into Frank Pearl, the team's wide receiver, during halftime. He formed an impressive duo with quarterback Jonathan Jackson. Elaine and Frank greeted each other and chatted for a while about music and the team's performance during the season, discovering they had a lot in common. Later in school, off the field, Elaine began spending more time with Frank and seeing him as a confidant. As time went on, they both realized they were attracted to each other. At first, Elaine didn't think much of it, but seeing how much Frank enjoyed spending time with her and how they worked together almost instinctively, she decided to work up the courage and confess her feelings. To her surprise, Frank also confessed that he was in love with her, and their romantic relationship began.
Elaine invited Frank to dinner with her parents, where they both noticed the unmistakable chemistry between their daughter and the player, much like the chemistry between Wirt and Sara when they first started dating. Both sets of parents approved of the relationship, reminding them to treat each other with love and respect, and also making it clear that if they wanted to have sex, like almost anyone their age, they should always use contraception, since Elaine had been the product of an unplanned teenage pregnancy and they didn't want their daughter to repeat that situation if she wasn't ready. Frank shook hands with his girlfriend's father and promised that he would always cherish and respect her with all his heart.
And of course, eventually the two found themselves alone one night and made love for the first time, which went somewhat awkwardly, but incredibly tender and beautiful. Their naked bodies lay embraced, filled with pleasure, gazing at the soft moonlight from their bedroom, their hearts overflowing with love. This only made their love grow stronger, and after studying at university together and graduating, while Elaine launched a music career online and Frank continued playing football, one day during a meal, in front of the young woman's entire family, Frank proposed. Elaine happily accepted, and Wirt, along with Sara, couldn't help but burst into tears of joy at seeing their daughter get married. Patrick, along with his uncle Greg and Sara's sisters, Isabelle and Rochelle, also celebrated the growing family, their love never fading.
Elaine and Frank's wedding took place on a warm autumn afternoon in the same woods outside Aberdale where Wirt and Sara had married years before. During a ceremony in which white doves were released into the air to symbolize the couple's union, Elaine Wood and Frank Pearl vowed to be together for the rest of their lives in marriage.
It was a year later, after a few days of strange nausea that Elaine had attributed to some nachos with cheese at the fair, that she had a feeling these symptoms were actually the result of pregnancy. So one day she went to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test without Frank knowing. After using the test, Elaine's eyes lit up and she covered her mouth with both hands when two pink lines appeared, meaning her wish was about to come true; she was going to have a baby. That afternoon, when Frank returned from practice with the Boston minor league team, Elaine waited calmly for him on the sofa.
- "Frank, there's something you should know."
- "What's wrong, my love?" Frank asked, somewhat nervously, thinking it was something bad.
- "Don't make that face, darling, it's very good news," his wife replied, reassuring him.
Elaine returned with a small heart-shaped box, which she asked Frank to open. He did so, revealing inside the positive pregnancy test and a hastily drawn picture of a baby with angel wings and the message: "Our best song is about to be written."
When Frank realized what it meant, his reaction after stuttering a little was to shout with joy as if he had just scored the touchdown that won his team the Super Bowl.
- "Yippee!" Frank shouted, jumping for joy and gently going to hug his wife, tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks. Instinctively, Elaine also cried tears of joy because she was finally going to fulfill her greatest desire: to be a mother.
Elaine called her parents to give them the news. Wirt and Sara felt their own love grow stronger as they learned their daughter was going to repeat the cycle of life. Wirt was overwhelmed, remembering as if it were yesterday when Elaine came into the world as an adorable baby girl, and now she and her husband were going to have a baby of their own. He and Sara felt proud and completely ready to welcome their grandchild, and to think neither of them were even 40.
Elaine's pregnancy flew by, filled with beautiful moments shared with the rest of the Wood family. Adding to this, one of Elaine's songs, composed by her father and titled " Full Circle ," became one of the year's biggest viral hits on YouTube, making her a celebrity. Also, the minor league team where Frank played was visited by recruiters from several NFL teams, who were impressed by the players' skill level, and Frank himself caught their eye. The offer from the New England Patriots, who play their games in Massachusetts, was very tempting for Frank, and he ultimately signed with the team to begin his professional playing career.
The nine months of pregnancy were over, and one day, while Frank was doing some repairs on the shed and Elaine was relaxing watching one of her favorite dramas, Cross of Knives , she felt some twinges in her belly, like a firm pressure that held and tightened slightly. Then, she felt another, clearer and more defined wave, and she realized what was happening. She relaxed, so as not to panic, and began to inhale gently as she had been taught in her prenatal classes. Frank came back into the house and looked at his wife, and curiously asked her what was wrong.
- "Frank, darling, I think it's starting... it's time," Elaine said.
- "It's starting... you mean...?" Frank asked.
- "Yes" – the woman replied, and at that moment felt a more marked contraction and placed her hand on the chair while timing them – "they are coming in quick succession, it's time to go to the hospital and meet our baby."
For a second, they stared at each other, processing that the moment they had both been waiting for had finally arrived. Frank reacted and went to get the suitcases to load them into the car, making sure he had everything he needed, while Elaine texted her parents, her brother, and her aunts and uncles to let them know it was time. She walked slowly toward the door, her breathing rhythmic. An intense mix of emotions enveloped her: nerves, anticipation, and a profound joy that filled her from within. She thought about her mother telling her about her own birth, and her father saying that the day she came into the world was the most important day of his life. Now it was her turn.
- "It's our turn," she whispered as she looked at a photograph of herself as a child with her parents.
- "That's right, love, and everything will be alright, because I'm with you," Frank replied tenderly, somewhat awkwardly but firmly.
They both got in the car and headed to the hospital. The contractions were starting to become a little more frequent, but they weren't painful yet, and they only served as a reminder that something wonderful was about to begin.
- "When we go back home, there will be three of us," Elaine said with a very excited smile.
And although that moment brought nerves and a glimpse into the unknown, like that place Wirt and Greg saw, it was also filled with love, hope, and the promise of a new life about to begin.
The couple arrived at the hospital, gazing at the clear, sunny sky. Frank got out of the car and carefully helped Elaine out. Occasionally, Elaine touched her belly as she felt contractions, which were beginning to intensify but were still manageable, and that meant she was getting closer to holding her little one in her arms. It was history repeating itself, but also transforming.
The couple walked through the hospital door, hand in hand, knowing that their world was about to change forever.
Elaine took a deep breath as she and Frank walked toward the admissions desk.
- "Good afternoon, miss, my wife is in labor," Frank told the receptionist. She smiled professionally and began asking questions as Elaine gently leaned on her husband's arm. She felt another contraction, stronger and clearer, so she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing and the anticipation of soon meeting her baby. And then, they heard familiar voices.
- "Daughter?"
There they were. It was Wirt and Sara. Her father stood there, looking a little nervous but very happy, and her mother smiled as she carried a small bag of snacks. Patrick, Greg, and Rochelle were also with them, excited to meet the baby. Elaine felt a lump in her throat and approached her parents gently.
- "Oh, daughter, we weren't going to miss this for anything in the world," Sara said, tenderly cupping her daughter's face in her hands.
- "Actually, we arrived twenty minutes ago, just in case," said Wirt, visibly moved.
- "I knew your baby was going to choose a beautiful day to be born, just like on "A Baby Story," Greg said.
Frank and Elaine laughed softly. Another contraction made Wirt and Sara's daughter lean slightly forward. Sara reacted instantly, moving to her side.
- "Breathe with me, darling, that's what I did when you were about to be born, inhale, exhale, relax," she said in a firm and warm voice.
Elaine looked at her mother, and for a second she felt small again. She remembered those stories, those pieces of advice, that phrase her grandmother had said to her mother when she gave birth to her... and now her mother was passing it on to her, not with rehearsed words, but with her very presence.
- "I'm fine, Mom," Elaine whispered when the pain stopped.
Wirt approached, hesitating a little before carefully embracing her.
- "I'm very proud of you," he said in a low voice.
- "She's not born yet, Dad," Elaine replied, smiling.
- "I know, darling, but I still am," Wirt replied, smiling back at her.
A nurse appeared with a wheelchair for Elaine; it was time to take her to the examination room. The atmosphere changed; Frank gently held his wife's hand, and the whole family walked beside her.
Back in the room, the family talked for hours as labor progressed slowly but surely. When Elaine felt contractions, she focused on the happiness her unborn baby would bring her when she held it in her arms. After almost eight hours, the contractions intensified, and she instinctively squeezed Frank's hand on one side and Sara's on the other. Her body tensed, and she gasped, tears of pain streaming down her cheeks.
- "You're doing great, my daughter. You'll never forget this moment, just as I'll never forget going through the same thing when you were born. This is the cycle of life, and there's nothing to fear," Sara told her.
- "Thank you, Mom, you always make me feel better," Elaine replied between quick breaths as the pain subsided.
Wirt felt his heart race as he watched his daughter go through the same thing her mother had experienced when she gave birth to her over twenty years ago, and as he was there again, ready to support her. What he had lived through had made him an exemplary and courageous man, very fortunate for the path he had chosen when he began his relationship with Sara.
Another half-hour passed, and Elaine felt such an intense contraction that she couldn't help but scream, and her water finally broke. Frank held her and comforted her, after which the attending physician, Molly Cunningham, checked Elaine and announced that she was now fully dilated. It was time to begin the part everyone had been waiting for, so Wirt, Sara, and Frank followed her to the delivery room. She felt completely ready to endure whatever her body was about to go through so that her baby could be born, and after she was prepared, everyone watched expectantly.
The room was calm, though filled with pent-up energy. Elaine breathed deeply, focused, as she held Frank's hand tightly.
- "I'm here with you, I'm not going to let go of you," her husband told her, nervous but very excited.
Across the room, Wirt tried to remain calm, though his clasped hands betrayed his nervousness. Beside him, Sara watched her daughter with a mixture of pride and boundless tenderness, and carefully approached her.
- "Breathe with me, darling," Sara told her, in that firm voice they once used with her. "Okay, stay calm and concentrate. Remember that the pain lasts very little and the happiness of having your baby on your chest after birth lasts a lifetime."
- "Yes, Mom, I'm ready," Elaine replied, her forehead beginning to sweat but her eyes full of determination.
Molly stood in front of Elaine and gave her instructions, reminding her that it was a natural process and to let herself be guided by what her body asked for.
- "When you feel the contraction, push with all your might. I'm here to deliver your baby. Are you ready, Elaine?" Molly asked.
- "Yes, I think it's coming, don't let go of me, Frank, oof, oof" – said Elaine, beginning to feel the involuntary urge to push.
- "Push, darling, I'm not going to let go," Frank replied, kissing her forehead.
- "I know you'll do great, because you're a real champion," Sara told her.
So Elaine pushed with all her might, completely focused on her baby. After a few minutes, the baby's head began to emerge from her vulva, causing Elaine to feel an intense burning sensation and scream in pain as she clutched her husband and her mother.
- "Aaaaaaah, it hurts so much!" she said, almost crying in pain.
- "Relax, love, that burning sensation is normal. I felt it too when you were born and here you are. You're doing great," Sara said, with a mix of nostalgia.
- "I'm here with you too, daughter, we're not going to leave you," said Wirt, encouraging his daughter as he had done with Sara.
- "Don't give up, you're the best, our baby is about to come out," Frank told her, very excited.
- "Don't lose your rhythm, Elaine, breathe and pant as the head slowly emerges, like this, calmly," Molly said, helping the baby crown.
Elaine pushed again and the head emerged completely, and in an almost instantaneous impulse, she gave another push and the baby's body emerged almost at once into Molly's hands, while Elaine fell back exhausted and her husband along with her parents shouted with absolute excitement at hearing the first cry of the newest member of the family.
- "You did a great job, Elaine, and it's a girl," Molly announced as she cleaned and checked the baby over, making sure she was okay.
Elaine cried with relief and happiness, Frank kissed her on the lips congratulating her, and Sara hugged Wirt, both completely happy to have seen their daughter repeat the cycle of life, and also, as seemed to be the tradition of the Wood family, with a girl just like when Elaine was born.
When they finally placed the baby on Elaine's chest, the child's crying softened, as if she were happy to have come into the world and to meet her parents. She felt warm, small, and perfect.
- "Your name will be Katie, welcome to the world, my little girl," Elaine said, still looking at her in disbelief and whispering, her voice still trembling slightly with emotion. Frank gently stroked his new daughter's cheek.
- "Hi, Katie. I'm your dad, and I love you very much."
Wirt could not hold back his tears, and he put his hands to his face, crying as he did when he saw his daughter born.
- "I'm a grandfather... this is incredible," he said between sobs.
Sara, with her bright eyes, kissed her daughter's forehead, just as her deceased mother had done to her.
- "You did it, my love. It's beautiful."
- "Thank you, Mom. Thank you, and thank you for everything you and Dad have done for me," Elaine said, looking at her intently and understanding in that instant everything she had been told. She no longer felt pain, and the only real and important thing was the warm weight of her daughter in her arms.
Frank surprised Wirt by asking him to cut Katie's umbilical cord, just as he had done for Elaine. Wirt was moved and accepted, taking the scissors and reliving that overwhelming feeling of happiness as he cut it.
- "Welcome to our family, Katie," Wirt said with a smile that mixed tenderness and amazement.
And so, amidst the soft murmur of the hospital, with tears, laughter and clasped hands, a new story began and, as Elaine's song said, the circle was full.
END