A moth to a flame: Juice and Dita

"She'll love the tree and the lights. Oh, and we can take her to meet Santa!!!"

Dita laughed, "I love you. You know, all the wives tonight kept telling me how lucky I am to have a man like you. I guess some of the guys weren't big on the pregnancy stage."

"The way I see it, you are making a whole person the least I can do is cut you some slack if you get cranky. Which you have yet to do, amazingly. Some of the wives were not nice at all," he laughed.

Dita laughed softly, moving her top so her belly could be exposed. She rubbed her stomach and watched as it contorted a little as their daughter pressed one of her small feet against her skin. It always amazed her when she did that.

Juice laughed softly as he watched her. He rubbed her belly and felt the different parts of the baby, marveling at how perfectly babies were made. He knew some men thought pregnancy was unattractive, he felt exactly the opposite.

Dita blushed as he looked at her belly lovingly. She stroked his arm gently with her fingertips, "Is it weird that I like being pregnant?" She laughed lightly, amazing herself even.

He laughed, "No, it's cute."

Dita blushed, "Two more months."

Juice smiled, "I feel like I need an advent calendar for that instead of one for christmas."

Dita rested her hands on the one he had on her belly, "are you nervous?"

He blew out a breath, "Yea. I mean, it's a little person totally dependent on us, but I am so excited and ready, too.

February 10th (2:32 a.m.)

Dita was due any day now and tensions were high. Everyone was on alert; since Juice was working a lot of night shifts, they relied heavily on their families to be on call. His mother, Lucinda would stay with Dee some nights, then her parents would stay with her other nights. She was never alone. Espcially since Gemma was worried that the family flaw would cause complications during the pregnancy

Dita had been asleep since Juice left for work at 8 that night. She had been having pains on and off, but thought she was convinced it was indigestion. From her fitful sleep, she woke up to a sharp pain and wetness. She knew then she was having Trinity today. She got out of bed dispite the pain, dressed and went to wake her parents in the guest room. Her mother, cool and calm, was more prepared for this than her dad. It didn't take them look to get to the Brooklyn Hospital Center where Gemma called her son-in-law's supervisor at Ladder 16.

Juice was in the game room with Morrow picking on the new guy, Opie. They were laughing and tearing him up. When their supervisor came out they all immediately stopped and stood straight.

"Ortiz, your Mother-in-law called, you need to go. Your wife is in labbor and we don't need you here to night anyway."

Juice shook Opie by the shoulders, "Ha! My daughter is coming!"

He ran out of the firestation and headed toward the hospital.

Dita chewed at her second cupful of ice chips as her eyes remained on the television watching old repeat episodes of Dark Shadows. The lamaze coach had told her to bring an item to keep her distracted, which she forgot. It was one of her old teddy bears she had since she was a baby, Snowflake. Her father made the trudge through the cold February night back to her apartment to get him. Now she was clutching to him as contractions came and went.She was really wishing she opted for an epideral by now, but she wanted everything natural. Man, wrong idea.

She was anxious for her husband to come.

Juice rushed through the hospital only stopping briefly for her room number. Passing Tig, Gemma, and Corrie, who was only in town for this, he went straight to his wife's side.

"How you holding up?"

Dita groaned, already hot and tired. Tendrils of her dark brown hair sticking to her face as she went through another contraction. She blew out a breath, clutching to Snowflake tightly. "I don't know what I was thinking doing a natural childbirth...ugh, it's so hot in here."

Walking across the room to the sink, he got a cool damp cloth and returned to her side. He began methodically wiping her brow, face, and neck to try to cool her.

She relaxed some, feeling at ease since he was now there. She looked at him; looking like a scared child. She never showed any fear before; but now she was petrified. "I'm scared...what if I can't do this? What if something goes wrong?"

"You can do this. Nothing will go wrong," he kissed her damp forehead.

The sun finally peeked out around seven that morning and Dee was still in labor. She was exhausted by the time the doctor told her to push. Juice had been patient and kind to her as he coached her; rubbing her lower back and wiping her sweat away with a cool cloth. It wasn't until eight when Dita made her last push. She fell back against the bed, tears of pain and relief running down her face as she heard Trinity's cries fill the room. She watched as the nurses cleaned her up, weighed her, and prepared a tiny bracelet for her wrist. At last, Trinity was in her waiting arms. The little girl was perfect: black whispy hair like her father's and Dita's rosebud lips. A perfect copy of the two of them. Dita smiled, crying more as she looked her over with love. She kissed her soft cheek gently, "Hello sweetheart...so you are the one that's been kicking me all this time...you are so perfect..."

He watched in awe as Dita help their daughter. She was so tiny, he was afraid he would break her. Wrapping his arm around Dita he watched the baby blinked and looked around, finally leaning forward to kiss her.

Dita smiled at Juice, "Do you want to hold her?"

He flushed and grinned, "I'm afraid I'll break her."

Dita chuckled, "You are going to be fine. Come on," She waited as he got comfortable in the bed, cuddling beside her before she handed him his daughter. She moved his hands into position before covering Trinity up a little more with the blanket. "See? You are doing perfect."

The baby could have fit in the palm of his hand. He watched as she wiggled and yawned. Looking over at his wife, he sobbed, "Oh my god, I love her so much, Dee."