*Bianca*
I bit back a scream that wanted to burst through my lips as another contraction rattled my body. They were still relatively far apart. It could still be hours before the baby was born. I just had to pray that we had enough ti for Leo to make it back to .
I shut my eyes and tried to breathe the way that the baby books suggested when mothers were in labor. It was far too tempting to hold my breath as I waited for each new wave of pain. I couldn’t believe that this was finally happening. For so long, the baby had seed like such an abstract thought, sothing so far in the future.
Now, they were coming and their father wasn’t there.
That made want to cry far more than the pain did. My heart felt like it was breaking as I feared for Leo’s life. My breathing was starting to co out in harsh pants as I reached for my phone for the hundredth ti in the last hour. I cursed the fact that I didn’t have a cell phone charger down here.
We’ve been down here for hours and there has been no news on Leo’s whereabouts, or even if he was okay.
I winced and doubled over as another wave of pain rolled over . At that mont, my phone died, and with it, so of the hope that I had been desperately clinging to.
I clutched the dead device in my hand hard for a mont, staring at the black screen, willing it to turn back on and alert that my fiance was safe and that he was on his way. It took a great amount of strength but I was eventually able to take a deep, calming breath and set the device on a nearby table.
“Bianca, are you alright?” Taylor asked, his voice filled with panic. He must have seen the pain spread out over my face. He shakily but gently wiped so of the sweat from my forehead with a damp towel.
Before I could even begin to answer, Darion ca over, carrying a bunch of blankets. He was haphazardly tossing them onto a desk table. “Of course, she’s not okay!” he snapped at Taylor. “She’s about to fucking give birth and there’s no one to help aside from our useless asses!”
Taylor didn’t imdiately get mad like I thought he would. Darion’s words seed to turn him as white as a sheet as he stared between Darion and with horror in his eyes.
It definitely wasn’t giving much confidence.
Taylor must have noticed that this was causing distress because he finally snapped out of it and glowered at Darion. “Well like it or not, we’re going to do this,” he snapped back. “So shut the hell up and help !”
Darion’s jaw dropped and he got right in Taylor’s face. “Of course, I’m going to help!” he bit out. He gestured at the table behind him. “What the hell do you think I’ve been doing?”
Taylor glanced at the makeshift hospital table and shook his head. “Tossing a bunch of dirty blankets on a table?” he said rhetorically but through his words, he managed to help out of the chair I was sitting on and with surprising strength, lifted up and into his arms before carefully depositing onto the pile of soft blankets.
Darion’s face was turning red. “And what the hell have you been doing?” he demanded. “I don’t see you making yourself any more useful!”
Taylor gestured at . “I’ve been here with Bianca, where she actually needs us! You’ve been off hiding!”
Darion narrowed his eyes. “If you don’t think I’m gonna be right by her side while she does this, then you’re a fucking moron.”
Taylor laughed and hard, frustrated laugh. “And what are you planning to do while you’re by her side?” he demanded. “Do you even know anything about giving birth?”
Darion glared at him wordlessly, his jaw clenched tight. “No,” he admitted. “But I can guarantee that I know just as much as you do about it!”
Taylor crossed his arms and smirked. “Well, you would be completely wrong because I have watched a few docuntaries on animal births.”
Darion just blinked at him. “This isn’t the sa thing as so motherfucking giraffe going into labor!” he finally sputtered, gesturing wildly at . “This is a real, human thing!”
I snorted despite the whole situation. “It’s called a baby,” I told the two calmly. “And you two need to just-” The words got caught in my throat as another wave of pain rocked violently. I clutched my rounded belly and squeezed my eyes shut tightly.
“Oh, fuck,” Darion cursed, rushing over to . He patted my back awkwardly. “What now, genius?” he asked Taylor over my head.
“Water!” Taylor suddenly yelled, rushing off. “We need water!”
“For what?” Darion yelled back in bewildernt but he was still patting my back. He looked down at . “There, there,” he finally muttered.
“There, there?” I repeated in outrage, biting back a scream.
Darion shrugged helplessly. “Seed appropriate at the ti,” he said apologetically. Then he yelled after Taylor. “Where the fuck is that water?”
I whimpered quietly before forcing myself to take a few more deep breaths, riding through the pain.
I had no choice but to accept this situation for what it was. I swallowed and shut my eyes again, this ti picturing Leo, imagining that his warm, strong arms were wrapped around , holding close.
It took a little while but I was able to relax and really feel Leo as if he was right there with .
“Shut the hell up!” I heard Taylor snap. He rushed back in, holding a bunch of plastic water bottles in his arms.
“What the hell are you going to do with those?” Darion demanded.
I sighed heavily and sat up straighter, glaring at both of them. “That’s enough arguing,” I snapped at them. I gestured at Taylor. “We need a large container of hot water. Now.”
Taylor nodded seriously and scurried off to heat up so water, his whole body screaming panic as he realized that this was about to happen.
“And you,” I said, turning to Darion, whose eyes had grown as round as saucers. “Go find a bunch of towels or rags. So more of these blankets too.”
Darion sucked in a breath but managed to nod and rush off to do as ordered.
In those couple of minutes I had to myself, I prayed, gripping my tummy and trying to soothe myself.
“You have quite the timing, little one,” I murmured to my child, stroking the top of my stomach gently.
I couldn’t help but try and ponder over the reason behind this circumstance. I could have given birth at any ti and it just had to be now. Maybe the stress of everything caused to go into labor early.
I pushed the thoughts away. That didn’t matter right now. I needed to focus on giving birth to my and Leo’s child. I might not have Leo with but I still needed to do my best, to do everything in my power to make sure this baby was delivered safely.
A couple of monts later, Taylor and Darion rushed back into the room, each carrying the items that I had requested. They stopped before getting to , looking lost and unsure of what to do with their loads.
“Set them down,” I told them calmly. I let out a shuddering breath. “It could still be a while but we need to be ready.”
The two nodded and did as I said before coming to my side. Taylor’s eyes were wide and wild as he took my hand. “Is there anything else we can do?” he asked shakily, looking on the verge of a breakdown.
I shook my head. “Just stay with ,” I said, my voice breaking slightly at the end.
“Finally sothing I’m capable of doing,” Darion said with a sigh and I was surprised when he ca to my other side and took my other hand, squeezing it firmly.
I smirked, despite the overwhelming anxiety rushing through . “I didn’t think I’d see the day when you weren’t an overly confident dork.”
Darion looked down into my face and then shook his head in bewildernt. “Just like I never thought I’d see the day when I was humbled by my new future don role,” he quipped right back.
Despite everything, I grinned. Darion was still the arrogant jerk that I hated not that long ago but he was also maturing in front of and it was both strange and rewarding to see.
Taylor pushed so of my sweaty bangs away from my forehead. “We’re here for you,” he said tightly. He chuckled and the sound was exhausted but determined. “Whatever that looks like and whatever it’s worth. We’re going to make sure that this all turns out okay.”
Darion snorted from my other side. “Big talk for the idiot who was carrying an armful of water bottles and looking lost.”
I cut in before Taylor could co up with a smart remark. “Cut it out you guys,” I ordered quietly. “We need to all work together now to get through this.”
That sobered them up. Taylor pushed so more of my hair back. “Everything is going to be alright,” he said fiercely, looking right in the eye. “You believe that, don’t you?”
I nodded, trying and failing to swallow back another fresh round of tears. “I do,” I said. “Leo’s alive. I know he is. He’s going to make it back to us. I know it.”
He has to, is what I decided to murmur to myself internally.
“He will,” Darion agreed. He smirked at my look of surprise. “I know he will. That bastard has to be the most stubborn guy I have ever co in contact with. He’s a real hard ass.”
I giggled lightly. It was hard to doubt Darion.
The next couple of hours were excruciating. Darion and Taylor stayed at my side, each holding one of my hands. It was a good thing they did too because I needed to hold onto sothing. I was probably cutting off the circulation in their hands but I was in too much pain to give that thought much of my concern.
They were being sweet and supportive but it was easy to tell that they were both extrely squeamish as well. Each ti I whimpered or showed signs of discomfort, they would stiffen up, as if they were trying to prepare themselves.
“Just focus please,” I told Taylor, who looked close to throwing up. He was doing a tad better than Darion, who looked completely sick to his stomach so I shifted my attention to my old friend. “I need you, Taylor. Please.”
Taylor swallowed with difficulty but nodded. “I am just now realizing that animal births probably aren’t the sa as human births,” he said flatly.
I grimaced. “So things are the sa,” I said, biting my lip against the pain. “Just stay with . Hopefully, it’ll be a few more hours and Leo will make it back by then.”
“He better,” Darion muttered, his voice sounding strangled.
“He will,” I said firmly.
I squeezed both their hands and cried out as pain shot through once again. I would kill for so of that birthing dication now but I couldn’t dwell on that.
I silently begged Leo to hurry, to co back to in ti, and for our child to be born healthy.
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