𝙿𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚎 *𝙻𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚡

*Turn of events*

*Requests : booksbyams asked foe a one-shot of Max going into labour/giving birth but I've written it in a way I never have before so I hope you enjoy! More one-shots coming!

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A few hours earlier, when Max's contractions began to intensify, she and Lucas rushed to the hospital, excitement coursing through them. They'd been preparing for this moment for months. But now, within the sterile walls of the delivery room, the doctor told him that he and Max's baby currently rested in the footling breech position.

His initial reaction was anger. What went wrong? What could he have done differently to ensure that this didn't happen? And then he started to barter in his fury, silently pleading within the confines of his mind. The situation was a storm of emotions—the tension in the air, the urgency in the doctor's voice, and Max's pained expression.

Lucas felt a deep-seated fear gnawing at him, coiling within his chest. As the medical team continued their assessments, it was quickly determined Max needed an emergency c-section. The doctor's voice, usually calm and reassuring, now carried an urgency that reverberated off the walls of the delivery room. "I'm scared, Lucas..." Max's voice trembled, cutting through the chaos of his thoughts.

And he was too. He tried to maintain composure for her sake, but the fear was there, tangling him in a suffocating embrace. He took her sweaty hand in his and kissed it gently. "Listen to me, Max, whatever happens next, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay." He gave her a sad smile, moving the damp hair back from her forehead.

"You're strong. You can do this. I'll be right here, the whole time." Max was then shortly whisked away on the gurney toward the operating room doors. Lucas stood there, gripped by a surge of helplessness. "I'm sorry, sir. You'll need to wait out here," a nurse said gently, placing a firm yet compassionate hand on Lucas's shoulder. His heart pounded loudly, the hairs rising at the back of his neck.

He wanted to protest, to demand entry, to be by Max's side. But he swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding in silent compliance. The door closed with a definitive click, leaving Lucas standing there, alone. Every passing second felt like an eternity. He paced restlessly, the clean scent of the hospital corridors mingling with the sharp tang of anxiety in him.

Each minute stretched and each distant sound heightened his unease. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his mind wandering to only his deepest of nightmares. "Lucas?" It was Ericas, his younger sister appearing in the hallway, her expression concerned. "How is she? I came as soon as you called."

Lucas glanced at her, unaware of how to broach the subject without falling apart. "She's in operation." Erica's face dropped. "Operation?" Lucas swallowed thickly. "The baby... The baby's changed positions to breech. They took her in for an emergency c-section." Erica dropped to the bench beside her brother, the right words fading in the hollow of her throat.

"I'm so sorry, Lucas." It's the idea of losing everything he's worked so hard for that brings him to the brink of insanity. "I can't be in there," Lucas admitted with his voice barely above a whisper. Erica nodded understandingly, her hand resting on Lucas's shoulder in silent solidarity.

"It'll be okay, Max, she's strong," Lucas leaned against the wall, trying to steady his trembling hands. "Yeah... Yeah, she is." Time seemed to stall, elongating every passing second into an unbearable stretch. Seconds dragged like hours, each minute etching deeper lines of worry onto Lucas's face.

Erica's hand remained on his shoulder, reassuring her brother just as he did when she had a bad dream as a little girl. His breaths came in uneven intervals, his nerves frayed as he tried to quell the panic clawing at his chest. And finally, after an agonizing wait, the door creaked open, "Mr. Sinclair?"

Max's doctor stood off to the side with an expectant smile. "Your wife has just done an amazing job. Would you like to come hold your baby girl?" Lucas exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, a surge of gratitude and relief. He blinked back tears, a tremulous smile tugging at his lips.

"Can I?" The doctor nodded, gesturing for him to follow. Erica smiled, relieved for her brother, "Hurry, go!" Rushing down the hall to be next to her, Lucas gathered Max into a careful embrace, mindful of her recent surgery. "Max," he murmured, his voice soft with emotion as he rushed to her side.

There was a reverence in the way he held her, as if she were the most fragile treasure in the world. "You did it," he breathed against her hair, a blend of relief and adoration in his voice. "I was so worried." Max smiled wearily, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of fatigue and happiness. "I did it," She smiled, leaning into his embrace.

"She's beautiful, Max. Our daughter." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, his heart overflowing with love and gratitude. "Max, you're incredible." His wife snorted, carefully fixing the hat adorned on their newborn's head. "Tell me something I don't know," Lucas shook his head at her, "Good to know you're back to normal already,"

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