“It’s fine, we’re ready.”
“I’m glad you are,” he snaps, all flustered. “I am not fucking ready.” He runs from the bathroom and I roll my eyes, of course he is going to be all Jameson Miles dramatic-like.
The hot water feels so nice on my skin and I close my eyes as I continue to lean against the wall.
“Yes.” I hear Jameson’s voice and he walks into the bathroom on his phone. “She’s in the shower.” He listens again. “Okay.” He puts the phone down. “How long has this been going on?”
“What do you mean?”
He holds his hand out to the floor. “That,” he stammers.
“Well, you just discovered it, so not long.”
“Fucking hell,” he mutters to himself. “Not long.” He listens again. “Are you having contractions?” he asks me.
“Just an ache.”
“Just an ache.” He frowns and begins to pace. “Alright then.” He listens again. “Well it’s hard to tell, she’s pretty tough. Not much fazes her.”
His eyes flick up to me and I smile, if only he could see himself, stark naked and pacing in the bathroom while on the phone.
“Okay, see you soon.” He hangs up. “We need to go to the hospital.”
“Alright.” I close my eyes as I lean up against the wall.
“Don’t go to sleep. Emily. Now.”
“Alright,” I snap, half annoyed. “I’m fine, Jameson.”
“I am not.” He steps into the shower and turns it off. “Get out. Get out right this minute.”
“Fuck’s sake.”
“Do not fuck’s sake me,” he splutters as he holds a towel up for me. “We need to go and we need to go now. This is an emergency.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the one keeping me calm?” I snap as I take the towel from him.
His face falls as he realizes what he’s doing. “Yes, yes I am. True.” He exhales deeply as he remembers what to do. “This is fine, it’s all fine and you don’t need to worry because it’s totally fine,” he blurts out in a rush as he begins to pace again. “It’s all going to be fine, Em. Perfectly fine.”
I giggle. Idiot.
“So what you’re saying is that it’s all fine?” I tease.
He closes his eyes as he fights the urge to give me a sarcastic reply.
“That’s right, sweetheart.” He smiles as he tries his best to act cool. “We’re going to get in the car and we’re going to take a little trip to the hospital so that we can meet our baby,” he says in the sweetest fakest voice I’ve ever heard.
I roll my eyes. “Don’t think you are talking to me in that voice through labor, I’m going to vomit in my own mouth.”
“What voice?”
“That sweet pathetic voice. Just be normal and say whatever it is that you want to say.”
“Okay, fine.” He exhales as if relieved. “Get in the fucking car, Emily, because I’m freaking the fuck out.”
I burst out laughing.
“Is that better?” He smirks.
“Much better.” I kiss his lips and he wraps his arms around me. “Can you believe this is happening?”
“Not really.” He puts his two hands over my stomach and looks down at them. “This baby is going to be just like you.” He smiles against my lips. “I can feel it.”
“Today.” Excitement fills me, “Oh my god, Jay, we get to meet our baby today.”
He kisses me softly, his lips lingering over mine, and I wish we had all day to kiss, to take the time to enjoy the last hours of it being just us.
Our last alone time.
“We have to go,” he tells me. “I’ll grab the bag and you get dressed.”
“Okay.”
I walk into our bedroom and pull out a drawer, my stomach clenches hard and I stop on the spot. “Ouch…” The tightening hardens and hardens and keeps clenching until it really hurts, oh hell, this isn’t…great.
“Is this a contraction?” My eyes widen in horror. “Don’t tell me that’s what it feels like.”
“Tell you what?” Jameson replies as he walks into the room.
“I think I just had a contraction.”
What did it feel like?”
“Pretty…” I pause as I search for the right word. “Hectic.”
“Hectic?” He twists his lips. “All the more reason to hurry.”
“Okay.” I bend down to put my underpants on and another one hits, this time it’s stronger and it doubles me over in pain. “Oh…jeez.”
“What’s happening?” His eyes widen. “What the fuck is happening right now?”
“A contraction.”
“Another one?”
I nod.
“What do you mean, that’s too close together.”
My breathing becomes labored as I try to deal with it.
Fuck, this is full on.
“Get in the fucking car. Get in the fucking car. Right now!” He bends and holds my underpants open so that I can step into them, he pulls them up at speed and then pulls my dress on over my head.
“I need a bra.”
“Why? Trust me, nobody is going to be looking at your tits.”
I get the giggles.
“Do not start with your giggling now, woman.”
I put my shoes on and he grabs my hospital bag and we head out the door, the biggest thing that Jameson has wanted through my pregnancy is to drive me to the hospital himself. For some reason, it’s really important to him. I just hope this all goes to plan.
We get to the elevator and my stomach hardens again; I stop and screw my face up.
Shit.
“Breathe,” he says.
I pant. “Did you learn how to say that in prenatal classes?”
“Yes. I did actually, smart-ass.”
I smile up at him.
“Even in labor.” He rolls his eyes. “Un-fucking-believable.”
We get in the elevator and ride to the basement parking lot, he takes my hand in his and marches us across to the car, another contraction hits and it knocks the wind out of me. “Ahh,” I moan as I stop on the spot, my breathing is labored and I’m beginning to perspire.
“Babe, you’re scaring me. Should I call an ambulance?” He waits patiently as I have my moment. “This seems to be progressing very fast.”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s go.”
“Maybe I should take a look,” he says as we get to the car, he opens the door for me.
“At what?” I frown as I climb in.
“To see if I can see the head.”
“You fucking idiot, you will not be able to see the head,” I snap, infuriated. Another contraction hits and it’s the hardest yet, shattering pain sears through me. “Ahhh.” I cry as I grip the dashboard.
Jameson’s eyes widen and he takes off with speed, he floors it out of the parking lot so fast that the car flies through the air. “Cross your legs,” he snaps, his eyes are darting between me and the road.
“I have a watermelon trying to smash its way out, crossing my legs is not going to fucking stop it.”