The End Of The Road | HEROPHINE

Chapter 4

Two weeks before Jo's due date..

Hero's Pov:
'Jo, it's okay, don't cry.' I soothe, pulling her into a tight hug.
'I just feel so stupid!' She exclaims, crying all the more.
'You were in a lot of pain, and besides, I'm sure this happens to lots of women.' I assure her. Whether that's true or not, i don't care. She shouldn't be ashamed of this.

A few hours earlier..

'Hero! Come here!' She shouts from the bedroom. I drop my razor and leave the bathroom hastily, before running through to our room. As I open the door i find Jo on the bed, clutching her stomach and screaming out in pain.
'Oh shit, now?' I ask in a panic.
'I don't know, but it certainly doesn't feel like it's just kicking.' She yelps, breathing heavily.
'I'll call your Mum once we're in the car.'
'We don't have anything ready, and the birthing plan hasn't been printed yet!' She whines, wincing in pain every few seconds.
'Don't worry, the hospital will have everything we need.'
I scoop her up in my arms and carry her down the stairs.
Holy shit, this is it. Jo's having this baby.

'I can't believe this happened. I was so ready to have the baby. I thought this was it.' She whispers the last few words and looks up at me. I see the sadness in her eyes and it breaks me.
'So, it was a false alarm. Let's just be grateful that the doctors treated the pain and ruled out any problems with the baby. He or she is healthy, and will be here with us in no time.' I hold her tight and rub her back, in an attempt to calm her.
'Let's just go inside, I want to sit down.' She says with a frown still obvious on her face.

I agree and open the door for her, letting her go first. I fetch her a blanket from the airing cupboard and instruct her to get comfortable on the couch. I tuck her up with the blanket and hand her the tv remote, earning a small smile from Jo. Thank god.
'I'll bring you a coffee in a minute. I'll get dinner started.'
'Thankyou, I love you.' She says, in a small but genuine voice.
'I love you more.'
The kitchen is a mess from me frantically searching for the car keys earlier. I don't know how or why I left them in the drawer with the utensils. I'm just forgetful I guess.
I rearrange everything the way Jo likes it on the countertop, and make sure the surfaces are all clean. I don't want her stressing and trying to clean it later when I'm not watching. She's had a hard enough day as it is.
The fridge is pretty empty but we have some mince that needs using up in the next few days, so I grab that, followed by the last of the vegetables in the bottom drawer and set everything out in front of me.
'Jo, is chilli okay?'
'Yeah!' She calls back.
'And by the way, we need a big shop tomorrow!'
I hear her laugh quietly from the other room in response and with that I get to work.
I find the chopping board and cut the vegetables up into small pieces. Then I crack open the final jar of kidney beans- I was right, we do need a shop.
I start the meat cooking and then I flick the machine on to make Jo's coffee.
She complains about me using up the machine coffees when I could just use coffee from the jar and kettle water, but she deserves a nice, hot drink right now.
Once the mug is full, I add a little extra milk, how she likes it and to cool the temperature.
Once I'm in the living room, she's fallen asleep. I smile at her, so beautiful even in rest. I place the mug down on the coffee table and exit as quietly as I can.
I'm not the best chef but by the time the chilli is almost cooked, it does smell pretty good. It takes quite a while to cook, which is ideal given that Jo is still sleeping and she'll get a longer nap.
When I finally taste it and decide it's ready, I boil some rice in a saucepan and wash up everything I can now in advance.
Then, when the rice is done, which takes no time at all, I put half into each dish and then spoon some chilli on the top.
I have to say, I'm proud of myself. Usually Jo cooks, but I like to think I've done a good job.
'Jo,' I whisper as I stick my head round the door.
She begins to stir so I walk in and place her bowl in front of her on the table. She must've woken up once or twice and noticed her coffee, as it's half gone.
'I hope you like it.' I say, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.
'I'm sure I will,' she says, pulling the dish onto her lap and mixing it around with her fork.
Moments like this are what I love about our marriage. We can just just sit down and eat together, not even having to speak, we just enjoy each other's company. It just makes me feel so warm inside.