(Director's Commentary - Hello to everyone out there reading, and welcome to the special "Directors Edition" of "Forever Green Socks of Love". I got the inspiration to rewrite this story into a special edition from watching Star Trek DVD movies, where they remake the original by adding their own parts to it and added directors commentary in the background. I loved that, so I decided to do the exact same thing with a fanfiction story, so wherever you see D/C, that's my commentary and views on that section! So lets get started!)
Forever Green Socks of Love
Chapter 1: Sincere Knowledge
(D/C - The title of this story was inspired by a particularly odd source. In 1999, when I first began writing this story in high school, my friend "Tasmonsterbless" and I thought long and hard about a title, and I remember that I had this picture of Izzy sneaking in his house through a window without his shoes on, and he was wearing these olive green socks. So, the rest was history! Now, if you remember the original story, this is a rewrite of that scene where Mimi talks to Sora. To me, the first draft was too short, so I added some dialogue.)
"Sora, can I tell you something?" Mimi asked in a hushed tone.
They were at work on their lunch break in the office cafeteria.
"Sure. Let's go over here." Sora said pointing to a table in a corner. "What's on your mind?" she asked, sitting down.
Mimi took a deep breath and started to talk. "I took the test."
"What tes-" Sora began, then gasped. "Oh, my…but I thought you weren't going to take it! You said it was all in your head and you were just being paranoid!"
"I know, I know, but I just had to know. Just to put my mind at ease!"
"Well, did it?" Sora asked, leaning in. "Are you?"
"Yes. On both counts." Mimi said, grinning shyly.
"Oh my God!" Sora gasped, causing a few other workers to turn their heads. "Does Izzy know? Did you call him yet?"
"Shhhh!" Mimi hissed, "Not yet. I've tried to tell him before, but I wanted to be absolutely sure. I didn't' want to build his hopes up until I was positive."
"When are you going to tell him?" Sora asked.
"I'll tell him tonight at dinner, I have a special way I'm going to tell him." Mimi said with a small smile.
"How are you planning to do that?" Sora asked.
"That's for me to know," Mimi said, winking at her "And for Izzy to find out!" She then looked down at her watch and stood from the table. "Well, time to get back. You know Will hates it when we're late."
"Late…" Sora muttered to herself, now deep in thought. "Yeah…late…"
* * *
(D/C - This scene was fun to write. The big secret finally comes out! I remember I rewrote this scene back in 2002 because I thought it was too short…when I looked at my very first draft, I was right! So I decided to leave this scene more or less alone, just adding a bit of dialogue here and there!)
Izzy came home around 7:30. He was exhausted. His wild red hair hung limp as a wet noodle around his head. All he wanted to do was relax, put his feet up, and maybe watch some TV. "Is anyone home?" Izzy called out, putting on his slippers.
"Come in, dinner will be ready in a minute." Mimi called out from the closed kitchen door. "And boy do I have a surprise for you!"
"What kind of suprise?" Izzy asked, sounding nervous. The last time Mimi had a suprise for him, he had to repaint the whole apartment.
"I'll tell you later, just relax for a few minutes!"
"Ok. I'll go take a shower and be right out." Izzy said with a hint of suspicion in his voice. What in the world could she be up to? He thought to himself.
* * *
"A surprise for me?" Izzy thought as he dried off. "What kind of surprise? It's not my birthday, our wedding anniversary was three months ago…and that itself was a big surprise!"
"Kou-chan, are you done yet?!" Mimi called out from the living room.
"I'm on my way!" he called back. "Whatever this is, it must be big!"
"Baby, you have no idea." Mimi called back.
(D/C - "Kou-chan" was inspired by a story that I read a few months ago, so I decided to run with it. Besides, it won't leave those annoying red lines underneath from the spell checker!)
When he stepped out the bathroom, he found that Mimi had laid out a full course Japanese dinner, which was strange because the only thing she could do in the kitchen was boil water, and even that wound up burnt. Izzy was still trying to figure out how she burned a cup of tea a week ago.
She greeted him with a kiss. "Hello my Kou-chan". She cooed, as she playfully pulled him to the table.
"So, what's for dinner? And what's the big surprise?
"Questions, questions, questions." Mimi sighed playfully. "No wonder you had the crest of curiosity." She then sat him down at the table. "Now dig in, the food's getting cold!"
(D/C - In the original story, I had firmly believed in not having anything to do with the digi-world in the story, but I decided for the director's cut just to add this one little tidbit.)
"This looks delicious, Mimi-chan." Izzy said unfolding his napkin, and reaching for the covered chopsticks. "So what's the big occasion? The last time you cooked, Michael Jackson was a black man."
(D/C - Ha ha ha! I know it's not an accurate comparison of time, since the last time MJ was black was in the 80's, but I couldn't help but add a quick jab to Jacko…especially since, at the time this story is going to press, Michael Jackson is going to trial on child molestation charges. Bit of history for future readers.)
"I know, I know." Mimi giggled. "Look at your chopstick before you eat my big suprise!"
Izzy looked at it quizzically. It was white, not brown, plastic, not wood, and in the middle, there was a little window with a red plus sign.
"What kind of chopstick is this?" Izzy asked, puzzled. "It kind of looks like one of those tests…" Izzy stopped in mid sentence, piecing the puzzle together in his head. Then he came to a very pleasant conclusion.
"Oh my God in heaven!" he started "Are you...can you be..."
Mimi nodded. "I am and I can be."
Izzy started laughing nervously. "But…when…how…where…" he sputtered, holding her cheeks softly in his hands.
"When: Three months ago…how…we both know." Mimi began, blushing. "And where was anywhere we could!"
"PRODIGIOUS!" he shouted, tossing his napkin in the air. "Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! I'm gonna be a father! I'm gonna be a father!"
He then began dancing around the room with Mimi kissing her and saying "I love you" in between each kiss.
* * *
(D/C - Now this scene was the one I was telling you about earlier. This was added to the original story in 2002. If you study you anime history books, you would know that Izzy's parents died in a car crash when he was little, and he was raised by his parent's cousins or something like that. So, I wanted to toss that in.)
That night he couldn't sleep. He was looking out at the lights of the city on the apartment balcony. "Am I ready for this?" he asked himself. "Am I ready for fatherhood?" He looked up into the midnight sky. "Mom, dad, I wish I had a sign that I will be a good enough father."
"What are you doing up?" Mimi yawned walking up behind him.
"Oh, I'm sorry I woke you. I was just..."
"Telling your parents about the baby." Mimi said, nodding with understanding. "Izzy, you're going to be a terrific father. I know it, the baby knows it, and especially your parents know it."
"How do you know?"
Mimi pointed to the sky. "Look."
A shooting star streaked by in the nighttime sky.
"Thanks, Mimi," Izzy said, giving her a hug. "You go on to bed, I'll be there in a minute."
"Don't be too long." Mimi said, giving him a kiss before walking to the bedroom.
"I won't." He replied, walking back out to the balcony, looking back in the sky. "Thanks mom, thanks dad. I won't let you down, I swear it."
* * *
(D/C - I remember that the original story, I didn't have much time on my hands with school and all, so I skipped ahead five months in the story. Not a very bright move. All I had written as a header for this scene was "Five Months Later, My How Time Flies!" Not very subtle. So for this director's edition, I decided to smoothly enter into this scene…and add some context to it.)
"So, do you want to know, or don't you?" Mimi asked for the 5th time, adjusting her makeup in the overhead mirror.
"I don't know. I really don't know." Izzy replied, shaking his head, as he waited for the streetlight to turn green. "I mean, part of me wants to know so we'll be better prepared, and the other half wants to be surprised."
You'd better get your two halves together and decide because we're almost at the doctor's office now." Mimi said, gesturing to the road they drove on. "Oh yeah, can I ask you a favor, Kou-chan?"
"Anything my sweet."
"I appreciate you taking off work to take me to the doctors, but please don't go in there and bother the doctor with 50 questions. Last time, you nearly wore the poor guy out."
"I can't help it! This is the thrill of a lifetime! A real learning experience for the both of us!
"I know it is." Mimi said, with a smile as Izzy turned down a block. "You got a copy of the birth plan to show the doctor?"
"Sure do." Izzy said, scanning the rows and rows of signs along the block. "It's in my laptop case. I still don't know why you won't allow the guys in during the birth."
"Because I don't want a bunch of guys ogling at me while I lay on a bed pushing a child into this world." Mimi sighed. "I just want you, me, the girls, and the doctor in there."
"Anything you want, Mimi-chan." Izzy said, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.
* * *
(D/C - In the 1999 version of this story, I had made the physician in this scene unknown. Just a regular OB. In the 2002 version, I had decided to make the OB the doctor that delivers the baby later on this story. I spent hours trying to figure out how to handle that. Finally, I decided that, for the directors edition, I would just leave it be and change a few things!)
"Ok. Your blood pressure is normal and your weight is good." The doctor said. "Shall we rev up the ultrasound and see how your child is doing."
Mimi lied back and lifted her blouse revealing her swollen tummy. "My poor tummy." She sighed. "I'll never fit into a swimsuit again."
"You'd be surprised how women bounce back after pregnancy." The doctor said, squirting a clear gel on her stomach causing Mimi to shiver. "The majority of that is just baby, but if you want your figure back by summer, you better start exercising."
"Yo, doc?" Izzy asked holding up a cable with his laptop setting in his lap. "Do you mind if I-"
"Oh, sure. Go ahead. I had this machine modified for that." The doctor said, taking one end of the cable and plugging it in the handheld device, while Izzy plugged his end into the computer and called up the visualization and recorder program as the doctor began moving the paddle through the gel on Mimi's stomach.
"All righty, everything looks alright. You can see the head and the spine and the little hands." The doctor was pointing out. "To save you a bit of time, there are ten fingers and ten toes."
Izzy was awestruck. He was on the verge of tears as he looked at his child on the monitor moving and kicking in it's little watery world.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he whispered to Mimi, who nodded silently.
"Do you wanna know the gender?" the doctor asked moving the device in position. "The kid is in a good position to-"
"NO!" they both shouted startling the doctor.
"Ok! Ok! You don't have to yell, I won't tell you!" the doctor said. "Jeez! Tough crowd! Allright. Everything is fine, so I'm gonna turn it off and clean you up. Say bye-bye!"
"Bye-bye little one." Mimi cooed, waving to the screen.
"Bye my child." Izzy said, sighing as the screen went dark.
"Now," The doctor said, pulling out a towel and wiping off the gel from the device and Mimi's stomach. "I read over your birth plan, and I must say, it's very organized. The suite is ready and waiting for you, and I really like the idea of having the family involved."
"When should we look for our little one to make an appearance?" Mimi asked.
"Well, you're 6 months along, so I would put the due date around…" he then pulled out a calculator and began feeding numbers into it. "Lets see…About the third week of June…lets call it the 15th."
"June 15th." Izzy said to himself, smiling. "Father's day."
"Talk about the gift that keeps on giving." The doctor said. "Well, you're all done! You can get dressed and head on out. Now remember if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to call-"
By the time he caught himself it was too late. He knew that all expecting fathers had plenty questions, which was understandable, but he was tired of them calling at 3:00 in the morning just because their wife had gas. "Call me any time." He sighed, handing Mimi his card, which Izzy promptly pulled out his cell phone and programmed the number in. "Don't forget to set up another appointment with the receptionist at the front desk. See you in three weeks!" He added, walking out the door.
"Alright, thank you doctor." Mimi said, pulling her shirt down over her stomach.
"Thanks doc! See you in three weeks." Izzy called, packing up his laptop.
"Kou-chan, you did it again." Mimi said, grabbing her purse. "You wore him out!"
"I did not!" Izzy argued, I kept my promise!"
"Then why did you program the number in the phone?" Mimi asked, grabbing his phone and showing him the display. "Planning on calling him to come for dinner one night?"
"So, I'm curious! Big deal!"
"You're gonna scare this doctor off, I guarantee it." Mimi sighed, shaking her head.
* * *
(D/C - Now, in the 1999 version of this story, This was were there was a big baby shower and where Kari was going to tell TK that she was pregnant, but I decided to cut that bit and save it for later. After I decided to cut that bit, I went ahead and for this version, cut the whole party. Instead I decided to use a part of another story that I recently wrote called "Ride on Shooting Stars" that I just fell in love with and wanted to use in this story, mostly to add emotion, but also to add legnth to the overall story. Although the characters in the two stories change, I decided to keep it in diary form and just change some things around.)
Dear Diary.
Today I didn't feel like watching TV…or watching a movie, or even going shopping...it must be the hormones. Izzy is at work, and everyone else was going about his or her on business. I just wanted to lay down and spend some quality time with my baby. I pulled up my shirt to my stomach, and wrapped my arms around it, almost trying to give my child it's first hug. I remember when I was at work, seeing these pregnant girls walking around looking miserable; trying to hide their stomachs from the world in shame…shame for themselves and the child they carried. How could they feel shame for their own child; a being that is growing, living and thriving inside them. They didn't show shame when they opened up their legs; they shouldn't show shame eight months later, when their stomachs are beach balls. If they can holler and scream in passion, they can holler and scream in pain as an 8-pound child passes through their birth canals. I'm proud of my child…I'm proud of my body…I'm proud of my love…and today I decided to let him…or her...know that.
"Hello, little one. In case you didn't know…I'm your mommy." Mimi cooed to her unborn child. "I'm a bit nervous about what's gonna happen once you make your debut here…I'm scared that it's going to hurt a lot…I'm scared that something will go wrong, I'm scared that I won't be a good enough mom for you… but I hope and pray that I can do my absolute best; better than what my parents did with me. I'll make a deal with you: you just concentrate on getting big and strong and healthy, and I'll push you into this world with everything I got and be the best mother I can possibly be for the rest of our lives. How about it, is it a deal? Kick once for yes, and twice for no."
Mimi watched with awe as her palm risen and fell underneath her belly. She smiled. "It's a deal then. Good boy…or girl…or whatever you are. That's right…we don't know what you are, do we? Any chance of letting your mommy in on the secret? Once for yes, twice for no."
Mimi watched her palm heave up once…and a few seconds later heave up again. Mimi laughed softly. "Smart, aren't you? Just for that, once you're born, you're grounded."
"I remember falling asleep and having a beautiful dream…Me and Izzy are going for a walk in the park, pushing a baby stroller along. I never saw the baby in my dream, all I knew was that I was happier that I have ever been in my whole life! I had no worries…just me, my love, and my child. I dreamt we walked down to one of the big fountains and I saw something that just made me laugh hysterically…there was this big orange Koa fish in the fountain…and it swam right towards TK and Kari, who were also walking around this big fountain. According to myth…when a woman dreams of fish, it means someone is or will soon be pregnant. Odd, isn't it?
* * *
(D/C - Now this is another journal entry that I used from "Ride on Shooting Stars" that I really wanted to use here! It took a lot of work, but I'm quite satisfied with the results. And it really brings the emotion in! Some may call it sappy, but who cares! This is the director's edition! If I want sap, than sap I'll have!)
Dear Journal:
"I had just finished a day of shopping for Mimi and the baby. I don't think I ever spent that much money in one day before. I came home to the sweetest sight I ever saw before in my life…there she was on the couch, her shirt pulled up to uncover her stomach and her arms cuddling and hugging the child inside. I didn't want to wake her so I quietly pulled off my shoes, tiptoed in the apartment, and walked over to the couch. There she was…my sleeping beauty…resting her beautiful brown eyes…her pink hinted lips in a small smile, her gentle arms and hands wrapped protectively and lovingly over our child. What she must go through every day with this…being in her body. She is my goddess. Quietly as I could, I knelt down beside her, putting my ear to her white, bare, swollen belly whispering quietly…"
"Hello…hello in there? This is your daddy speaking." Izzy whispered, setting a hand on her stomach. "I'm sorry to wake you up, but I just wanted to talk to you about something. We don't know when exactly you'll be coming out of there, we don't even know what you'll be…but what I do know is…you're entering into a family that has more love for you than you know. You have two of the coolest uncles anyone ever had: Uncle Matt will be there to show you the simple joys of life like music and sports. And Uncle Joe will be there to keep your head in the books and teach you everything there is to know about everything. He'll also show you how to reach beyond your imagination and express your creativity. Your mommy will show you how to love and be loved…she's already giving you an example of that now…by carrying you around for 9 months. And I…"
"Will be there for all the rest, my Kou-chan?" Mimi added, looking down at him, smiling.
Izzy looked up at her with tears in his eyes, smiling. "Yeah. I'll be there for all the rest…but know this little one…" Izzy continued…turning back to Mimi's stomach. "I love you…I thank God for you…and I love your mommy more than she'll ever know. Hurry up and come out so I can see what you look like, okay?"
After a few seconds, Izzy felt a big heave from Mimi's stomach up against his cheek. He smiled softly and looked up at Mimi with tears pouring out his eyes, who was smiling. "I think he or she hears you."
"I couldn't take it. It was all just too overwhelming, too intimate, too beautiful for me to bear. I broke down and cried, right there in her arms. This child…OUR child…developing in this woman who I love more than life itself; moving, shifting, kicking. It was all just too much for me. I sobbed over and over again, Mimi hugging and kissing me. With that little movement I felt just then, that heave…that kick…that shift…I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was gonna be a father…"
"What's wrong, Izzy?" Mimi asked, when Izzy finally stopped crying. "Please tell me what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong…It's just that…I've never been this happy before…" Izzy sniffled. "This whole thing has made me realize that I love you more than I ever loved anything before in my life! I love you so much!" He began sobbing again.
"Awwww, Kou-chan…I love you too…I love you so much more! I love you more so now that we're gonna bring this child into this world together, I love that we're gonna be better parents that ours were, I love that we're gonna raise this child together, I love every aspect of that just as much as I love you." Mimi said, kissing him over and over, a tear streaming down her cheek.
Izzy gasped between sobs. "I'm also scared about what can happen when it's time…I'm scared of what can go wrong, I'm scared of all the things that can happen to this child during birth. I don't think I can bear losing this child…even worse, I don't think I can LIVE if I lost you! I love you! I love you!" he sobbed out.
"Oh Izzy," Mimi sighed, gently petting him on the head. "I'm more scared than you! I'm scared beyond scared, but I know I'm gonna be all right! The baby is gonna be all right too. People do this every single day! It's going to be just fine."
"Really?"
"No, I'm just lying to you…OF COURSE!" Mimi laughed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I never felt this loved before in my whole life. Nobody has ever shown me the amount of love you show me. Your love really has made this pregnancy go smoother than I thought it would. I can feel it; the baby can feel it. I can feel the way it moves whenever we're together; almost like it's jumping for joy."
"Imagine what it's going to be like when it's born." Izzy said, smiling. "I'm so sorry, princess, for breaking down like that. I don't know what came over me."
"Chalk it up to the moment. The intensity of the moment just washed over you unexpectedly. Happens to the best of us. If you hadn't cried, I sure would have."
* * *
(D/C - Alright, here we go. This is the big birth scene of the story. In 1999, this was the first one I ever wrote. I didn't want to creep out anybody by describing it in detail, but I didn't want to deviate from the experience. For this version, I'm gonna open things up, so to speak, and bring it to you bold. Now, in the following scene, there's gonna be a bit of a confrontation between two characters, which I'll point out later, and that is going to be the most memorable scene in the whole story. It even overrides the actual birth scene, believe it or not!)
* * *
TWO MONTHS LATER…
"Breathe in and breathe out. Let your muscles relax..." Izzy whispered in Mimi's ear. "Try to picture a calming place in your mind. A computer store perhaps, during there 50% off sale on all hardware and software..."
"Izzy..." Mimi growled. "If you mention computer parts one more time…"
"All right! Sheesh! That's the most relaxing thing I could think of!"
"I'm lying on a bed going through labor and you're talking about computer parts?!" Mimi exclaimed, pulling his red hair.
"OW!" Izzy cried. "The Lamaze coach said you had to visualize a pleasant and peaceful place."
(D/C - Hee hee hee! The lines about the computer store came along in the 2002 version of the story. I wanted to add a bit of length to this scene, that, now that I'm reading it in 2004, I really didn't accomplish. Probably due to the lack of time I had during that time of year…stupid school!)
Izzy and Mimi came in around 1:00 that morning, after she complained of a sharp pain shooting up her back and radiating around her stomach. On the trip to the hospital, while Izzy was calling his friends on his cell, Mimi felt a great gush of water gush out from her, soaking the seat.
When they arrived, the doctor on call told them that Mimi was 7 centimeters dilated and immediately led her to the home delivery suite. It looked like a regular Japanese house, with a living area in the front, a bedroom in the back and a connecting bathroom. The on call nurse told them that when their doctor designed this room himself he wanted a home like environment instead of a sterile hospital environment.
"Ready for the others to come in?" Izzy asked, standing from the bed.
Mimi took in a deep breath. "Yeah. They can come in. I'm safe now."
* * *
"How much longer?" Davis whined, sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor. "My soccer games don't last this long even when we go into overtime!"
(D/C - Now here's the confrontation I was telling you about between Davis and Yolei. I got so many comments on this…people loved this part of the story! So, except for a few tiny changes in this part, the fight scenes between these two will be the same!)
"This isn't a soccer game you dumb duck! It's the birth of a living thing!" Yolei said, sitting on the couch. "It will take as long as it needs to, so sit down and shut up!" Yolei demanded.
(D/C - I remember an old classmate calling people dumb duck's around campus, and it always got big laughs, so this is kinda a tribute to him.)
All Ken could do was laugh. That was what he loved about Yolei; she was a girl who spoke her mind like it or not!
"Hey, do I have to separate you two?" Tai said, pouring a cup of coffee.
"Yeah. This isn't the time or place for this." Sora said, sighing. "We're here to give Mimi and Izzy moral support not to moderate you and Davis."
Just then, Izzy stuck his head out the closed bedroom door. "You can come on in; the contraction's over, she won't bite your head off now!"
"Where's the doctor?" Sora asked as Mimi groaned under the pain of another contraction. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"
"He's on his way now, he had to pick up his assistant." Izzy said with a worried look toward Mimi. "The contractions are coming closer together, and I'm afraid he won't make it in time."
(D/C - Now this next character is supposed to be the match that lights the fire to Davis and Yolei's fight, so I wanted to make her as messy as I could.)
Just then, a nurse walked into the room. She was a sassy thing, hands on hips, fingernails as long as an actual finger. It actually looked like a sword as she waved it around as she spoke.
"I thought I told y'all to pick up your shoes from the doorway," she said with a definite attitude in her voice as she worked her neck like a stick shift on a car and index finger like a weapon. "So you wanna know what I did, I threw your stank shoes in the incinerator! How ya love that?" she said, rocking her boat more than Aaliyah did in her video.
(D/C - That last bit about Aaliyah wasn't in the original 1999 story. It originally read, "Shaking her jelly at every chance out the room." Aaliyah died while I was working on the 2002 version of the story, so I decided to pay a bit of tribute in this story by mentioning it, and her last video. Now, here comes the big brawl that I've told you all about.)
"Davis, I asked you to straighten out our shoes by the door when we first arrived!" Yolei roared.
"I forgot!" Davis said in his own defense. " I was caught up in the magic moment!"
"I give you a 'magic moment' you lowdown--!" Yolei yelled.
Then, with a purple-socked foot, she promptly dropkicked Davis, who then began to tackle Yolei to the ground.
Tyson and Holyfield would have been in awe at the way they were fighting. Heck, Goku and Vegeta would have been in awe at the way they were fighting.
"Do we have any bets on who's going to win?" Tai said jokingly.
"I got 10 to 1 on my wife." Ken said, laughing. "I better bet on her, otherwise I'm gonna get the same thing when we get home!
"I'll take those odds!" T.K said, whipping out $5. "Davis got a glass jaw, he's no match for Yolei's upper cut!"
"Do you know how much those shoes cost?!" Yolei growled, decking Davis in the gut.
"You should have straightened up your own shoes you big baby!" Davis said, trying to grab her arms.
The violent struggle and gambling would have continued, but the doctor walked in the room along with his assistant, Joe.
"Oh, can you feel the love in the room?" Dr. McKnight said rolling his eyes as he removed his shoes and tucked them in the cubbyhole along the wall.
"You should have seen them 15 years ago" Joe said with a remembering grin.
"Hey doc," Tai said, walking over. "Do you want in on this action?" he asked, gesturing towards the scrap.
"Not today." Dr. McKnight said, "Maybe next time." He then stuck two fingers in his mouth, padded over to the fighting pair, took a deep breath and blew loudly, sending a shrill whistle throughout the room. "YO! CHILL THE HELL OUT!" He shouted.
Almost immediately, Davis and Yolei froze in their tracks. Yolei had Davis in a headlock, and Davis had gathered a handful of her hair and was about to start yanking. They both looked completely embarrassed.
"There, that's better." Dr. McKnight said with a smile. "Now, will someone please show me to the laboring mother."
(D/C - As in the 1999 and 2002 versions, and as I typically tend to do in all the fanfiction stories I write, I included myself in the mix. As a bit of a tribute to Dr. McCoy on Star Trek, I added the "Mc" prefix to the good doctor's name in the story.)
Dr. Josh McKnight was a tall, chocolate brown and extremely handsome man of 32His bright, brown eyes twinkled behind his stylish wire-rimmed Tommy Hillfigure glasses. He was a very confident and highly competent doctor, but he never let that confidence cloud his better judgement; humble as a dove, yet wise as a serpent.
(D/C - In the 1999 version of the story, the good doctor was 27 years old. Now, either he was very brainy and breezed through medical school, or they're offering medical classes in high school. Either way, in this version, I added a few more years, but not too many to make the character too old!)
"How are you Mimi?" Dr. McKnight asked, pulling out a stethoscope and setting one end on Mimi's stomach. "Frequent, strong contractions?"
'Yeah. I just had one when you came in." Mimi panted, holding Izzy's hand.
"Ok, lets see how far along you are," Dr McKnight said pulling on a pair of white gloves and putting them in the birth canal. "Oh and by the way, I talked to that nurse in the hallway, and heard about your little problem. Don't worry, she was just bluffing. Your shoes are right in the locker by the door where they should have been."
Yolei gave Davis a sharp, swift kick in the leg. "Ow! What was that for?"
"Just because you're standing there." Yolei growled under her breath.
"Congratulations! You're 10 centimeters dilated, it's time to push," Dr. McKnight said. "Now, according to your birth plan you only planned on having the girls in the room?"
Izzy nodded. "Sorry guys. I tried."
"It's allright, Izzy." Tai said, turning towards the door. "We understand."
"Ok, you guys, everyone out," Yolei called, pushing Davis and the other guys out the room. "Let's go! No guys allowed in except the doctor and the daddy!"
"But I'm the doctor's assistant!" Joe stuttered as Yolei pushed him towards the door. "I have to stay!"
"Let him stay, bouncer." Dr. McKnight said, trying not to laugh. "He won't be any trouble. I'll keep an eye on him."
"Allright, if you say so doc." Yolei sighed, letting go of Joe, but giving Davis a swift kick to the bottom. "Move it!"
"We should go too." Sora said, following the guys out the room. "Thanks for the thought, Mimi. But we really shouldn't be here."
"Yeah." Kari agreed, following. "We'll wait outside with the-"
As Kari turned to walk out, Yolei stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Oh, no you don't!" Yolei said, waving a finger. "You sit right over there and you watch. You're going to go through this same thing in 4 months time, so you need to sit down and pay attention."
"But I don't think-"
"No buts! You sit right over there in that chair and you pay attention!" Yolei ordered, grabbing her shoulders and sitting her down in a wooden chair right at the foot of the bed, looking up at Mimi. "Take notes if you have to."
"Oh alright." Kari sighed. "I don't know what I can learn from sitting here. I'll just be in the way."
"Good luck, Mimi." Yolei said with a big hug. "I'll be outside rooting for you."
The hug would have lasted longer, but Mimi was having a contraction, and the only thing she could say between "Thank-you!"
"Where's Izzy?" Kari asked
"I-don't-know-but-he'd-better-hurry!" Mimi said panting heavily. "Kou-chan, were are you?!" She yelled out.
"Whoa!" Dr. McKnight called out. "The head is right here. Dad, you better get out here unless you want to hear about this second hand!"
"Here I am! I went to put on my lucky charm!" Izzy said, padding towards the bed.
"I know you don't have those things on again!" Mimi said grimacing in pain and at the thought.
"They got me through the digi-world, they can get me through this!" Izzy said pouting childishly.
"I'm lost here," Dr. McKnight said, setting things up. "Lucky charm?"
"Look at his feet, doctor." Joe said, pointing down.
On his feet, he had on a bright pair of olive green socks. Although they were clean, they looked as though they been through better days.
(D/C - Of course I had to pay homage to the very thing the story was named after. And it made for a bit of a laugh before a really powerful, dramatic moment. Now, for this new director's edition, I decided to use parts of "Ride on Shooting Stars" in this birth scene, which was in the water.)
"I know some crazy folks, and you're one of them! Get on the side of your wife and hold her hand and back for support." Dr. McKnight said "Mimi, on my count I want you to push and push hard unless I tell you otherwise."
"I love you so much right now," Izzy said with a tear in his eye.
"And I, you" Mimi said giving him a peck on the cheek. "But I'm never doing this again!"
They both shared a warm smile, but only for a second. Mimi started to frown as a strong contraction sliced across her belly like a hot knife. She screamed loudly.
"Okay, here we go. Big contraction, and push it out, Mimi, I can see the head," Dr. McKnight encouraged. "Push, push, push. Here we go. The head is almost out."
Slowly, the child's forehead became visible...then the eyes; closed as though in a slumber, and finally, with a great yell from Mimi and one final back arch, she brought her child's head into the world.
Mimi fell back on Izzy, crying and screaming from both pain and sheer relief... Her hands now feeling on her child's head...she let her fingers gently caress every wrinkle on it's forehead, it's little nose, it's small mouth, it's stubbornly closed eyes..."Kou-chan, look…it's our baby…our child." She whispered to him, kissing his cheek.
Izzy was kissing and whispering messages of love and hope and encouragement, tears streaming down his cheeks...he was clearly scared about the whole thing...not just the birth...but the upcoming responsibility that now loomed over him.... Would he be able to handle it?
"Beautiful!" Dr. McKnight said "Joe, I need the bulb syringe, please."
Joe handed the pump to him and the doctor then suctioned out the baby's nose and mouth clean. His eyes rolled around in his head.
He was on his way out for the count.
"Joe, don't fall out on me, man!" Dr. McKnight said, warningly. "So help me, if you faint, I will fail you quicker than you can say "F"."
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Joe sighed, sitting in a wooden chair by the bed. "I still get a little bit woosy at the sight of blood."
"You'll never get your OB residency with that weak gut." Dr. McKnight said, shaking his head. "Are you sure you don't wanna step out?"
"No, no, I'm fine."
"All right, if you say so." Dr. McKnight said, turning his attention back to the task at hand. "Alright, Mimi, we're almost there." Dr. McKnight said, "Just a few more pushes, and we can see your little blessing."
Pushing went easier this time, now that the head was out...the shoulder being the widest part. It took everything she could channel from her body to pass them through her birth canal. After that, things went very quickly...the chest emerged next, followed by the abdomen...it was then when Dr. McKnight grabbed Mimi's hands and set them under the baby's armpits. "Mimi, I want you to deliver the rest of the way. Just push normally and gently pull the baby on your stomach and chest."
Mimi leaned back against Izzy, pushing while gently pulling her child's lower waist, legs and finally feet from her body, releasing the remaining fluids and blood out her body. She screamed loudly; a cry of relief for ending the 9 month ordeal, and a cry of joy for her new child, who was now starting to open it's mouth and cry...
"It's a girl." Dr. McKnight announced covering mother and daughter in a blanket.
Izzy gasped in short, uncontrollable sobs as Mimi gently laid her new baby girl on her bare chest...close to her heart. "Hello beautiful." She said, kissing her on the forehead. "Hello. I'm your mommy…yes…I'm your mommy…" She cooed, as the baby opened her eyes for the first time, revealing hazel colored eyes, wet with fresh tears.
"Would you like to cut the cord, dad?" Dr. McKnight asked.
All Izzy did was nod, to overcome with tears and emotion to speak. He took the scissors and cut where the doctor instructed. "My daughter… My soul mate…My two sweet blessings from heaven." He said, as he curled up in the bed next to Mimi, kissing his new daughter on her forehead.
Mimi was laughing and crying and holding her new daughter as if she wouldn't ever let go.
Kari ran out the room to deliver the good news.
(D/C - Now, from here on down, except for a few little changes, this story is just the same as the 2002 version.)
* * *
"I think I hear something!" Davis said, stooped by the doorway, listening.
Indeed, he did hear something, Kari knocking him flat on the floor.
"It's a girl, it's a girl!" Kari was saying over and over. There was a big cheer from all around the room.
All the Digi-destined raced toward the door to see her, stepping over poor, unconscious Davis, but Joe stepped out and closed it behind him. He looked a little green around the gills, so to speak.
"They need a moment to clean up and check the baby out, but everything looks good!" he said with a weak grin.
"Hoooray..." Davis weakly cheered from the floor before passing out.
"So, Joe," Sora asked, stepping on Davis back. "What was it like? How was your first birth?"
"Whew!" Joe sighed, plopping down in a couch. "It was bloody, it was sticky, but you know what, it wasn't that bad." He said with a grin. "I think I can really get into this."
"Hope so." TK said, wrapping an arm around Kari. "We gotta do the same thing in a few months." He continued, setting a hand on Kari's rounded stomach.
* * *
They came in as quiet as mice, but they looked like they wanted to explode.
When they came in, Mimi was under the covers with a pink and orange blanket in her arms. Izzy was lying next to her on top of the blankets, cooing and tickling his new baby girl. Both had big smiles on their faces.
"Oh, she's so cute!" Yolei said peeking into the blanket at the child.
"She sure is." Dr. McKnight said as he filled out the birth certificate. "All 8 pounds 9 ounces of her. Right now, she's the heaviest baby girl I delivered this year. No offence."
"None taken." Mimi cooed. "In fact it's a relief. Now I know that all that weight I put on was just the baby!"
"I told you that earlier, remember?" Dr. McKnight said, shaking his head.
"Oh yeah, you sure did." Izzy said, nodding.
(D/C - Now, the baby's weight has changed many times during the writing of this story. In the original 1999 version, the baby was 9 pounds 9 ounces, like my youngest nephew was when he was born. I was immediately criticized about that, being told that it would be very, very cruel to have Mimi deliver a child that big, naturally. So, for the 2002 version, I toned it down to 8 pounds 7 ounces. Now, in this up to date version, I decided to make it very close and plump things up to 8-9.)
"So what's her name?" Tai said with excitement in his voice.
"Koumiko. Koumiko Izumi." Izzy said with pride.
(D/C - It took me days to figure out Koumiko's name. At one point, I really just got frustrated and just took Izzy's Japanese name, and combined it with Mimi's name…Kou = Koushiro / Miko = Mimi. Now, originally, there was supposed to be a lead in to the next chapter here, but for this directors cut, I thought it would be better to add the first part of "The Light of Hope" here.)
"Well," TK began, giving Kari a hug. "We should be hitting the road. Ready to go. Kari?"
"Yeah, lets roll." Kari said, walking over to the bed. "Bye Koumiko." Kari whispered into the blanket. "I'll see you later."
Koumiko gurgled up at her. Kari grinned.
* * *
"So how was it," T.K. asked for the 10th time as they drove home.
Kari was looking out the window with a Mona Lisa enigmatic smile on her face
"Hello, Earth to Kari, this is ground control, come in please!" T.K. called out. "The only reason I am pestering you is because you and I have to go through the same thing in 2 months!" T.K. said sounding a little annoyed.
"What did you say," Kari asked looking at T.K with a definite sparkle in her eyes.
"Never mind," T.K said, finally understanding. "I was asking how did everything in the delivery room go."
"It was so incredible," Kari said with a deep passion. "Watching a new live come into this world is like watching a sunset on the beach with the waves crashing to the shore uncovering shells and precious stones in the sand."
T.K looked at her with an unmistakable quizzical glance. "That's a little too artistic for me, thank you very much. I just wanted to know if it was messy or not!"
Kari just rolled her eyes and said "Sometimes I wonder about you."
To be continued…
(D/C - And we finally reach the end of my director's edition of "Sincere Knowledge" of this series of stories! I'll start work on "The Light of Hope: Directors Cut" only if I get enough positive reviews for this one! I hope you enjoy it!)