The Four Fs (One Shot) [ EDITING ]

One shot - Giving birth

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.

"It fucking hurts!" Francesca cried out in pain, her shrill of agony filling the interior environment of the vehicle as her nails dug into the leather seat which squeaked in protest under the sharp points. Beads of perspiration rolled down her temples as the vein at her neck bulged out slightly with strain. Her auburn hair was tied up in a messy bun while the loose tendrils of hair stuck to her neck due to her profuse sweating and constant twisting.

Francesca had just been minding her own business, putting up the artwork that her loving husband and her had done together in school, when the sudden pain crashed into her like a freight train, almost knocking her off her feet. She was breathing deeply through her mouth, taking in gulps of air as she continued clawing at the seats. It would be a surprise if she hadn't clawed off the leather by now, seeing as she was going at it ferociously. 

During her fifth week of pregnancy, Francesca had listened to her mother rambling on and on about babies and what to expect, or rather, she pretended to be listening. In actual fact, she was actually busy playing a game on her phone, trying to beat Angelo's high score, which she never seem to be able to even reach. Now, she severely regretted it.

"Almost there bambino, just a few more minutes," Angelo chewed on his bottom lip, anxious yet excited, trying to calm her down whilst his bright blue eyes occasionally flickered up to look through the rear view mirror at his wife, his knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel too hard. He didn't like seeing her in pain. In fact, her hated it, but he has no choice as he needed to get her to the hospital. Now. There's no stopping along the highway to console his wife, there wasn't any time, unless they wanted their child to be born on a highway. Besides, she's a strong woman, heck, she had tamed him and even got Thorn to become her new 'bff'. He could safely say that he's 'whipped', which Thorn seem to always love bringing up, though honestly, he didn't mind it one bit.

It has been a year since they have been married and nine months later, a baby is popping out of her womb. He was fine with it,  heck he was fucking ecstatic but scared at the same time. What if he wasn't a good father? What if he accidentally drops their child? What if —

"Are we there yet? The baby is coming out! Hurry up!" Francesca screamed from the back seat, her voice ringing through the small area in the car which brought Angelo out of his thoughts. Her face was pale and covered with perspiration and tears by the time he parked haphazardly in one of the parking lots. Carrying her out bridal style, his arms wrapped tightly and protectively around his love, Angelo ran towards the hospital doors, barging in, not even giving them a chance to open fully, creating a commotion of rattling doors, causing everyone there to look at him.

"My wife is in labour!" He shouted looking around for help, eyes desperate just as the nurses and doctors to rush towards him with a hospital bed. He gently placed her on the wheeled in bed, allowing the group of professionals to whisk them away as he looked down at his wife.

Angelo held Francesca's hand tightly, his warm hand encasing hers as he gave her a soft smile, reassuring her that everything will be alright. She relaxed slightly just as another wave of contraction came, causing her to scream in pain and tighten her grip on his hand with ungodly strength which caused Angelo to wince slightly but the expression had disappeared as soon as it appeared.

The pair were brought into a room where the doctors and nurses continued with the procedure of giving birth; widening her thighs as they placed her feet on cold metal pedals, offering stress toy for her to squeeze while Angelo stayed beside Francesca the whole time, supporting her and encouraging her whilst she was screaming profanities at him. Her toes curled, a shiver running down her spine as cold rubber gloves pressed against the insides of her thighs, reaching out to receive the incoming baby.

Push. Push. PUSH.

The sound of wailing accompanied Francesca's cry in pain. Her chest heaved up and down as she looked over at the source of the noise with half lidded eyes, already know what or rather, who was making that sound. She instinctively held her arms out just as the doctor made her way over to gently placed the small miracle into the mother's arms.

"Congratulations, it's a girl," the female doctor smiled, nodding at the pair as nurses leaned in to take a look at the child. The umbilical chord has already been cut off with a clamp holding the tube closed to prevent more blood from flowing out. "We will have to dry her up so she wouldn't get too cold, but we will give you a moment to get acquainted with her," the doctor smiled before turning around to leave the room, leaving the couple and their newborn child alone.

Francesca held the little bundle of life in her arms, immediately falling in love with her. She cooed softly, gently playing with the baby's tiny hands as Angelo stood next to her, trying not to cry as he looked down lovingly at the life they had created together. The mother slowly held up the small creature, handing her over to her father, Angelo, as he took her into his arms with as much care as he could muster.

"Did that hurt?" The male jested, trying to lessen the pain he knew that his wife was experiencing whilst rocking the baby around gently in his muscular arms. His eyes flickered over towards his wife as she smiled up at him. Even with her auburn hair messed up, sticking all over her damp neck and forehead, Angelo still thought of her as the most beautiful woman alive.

"Try pushing a grapefruit out your butthole, I assure you, that will definitely hurt like a bitch," Francesca laughed softly, taking in deep breaths as she relaxed against the hospital mattress, her perspiration now drying up, leaving her skin smooth and dry, causing her eyelids to feel heavy though she refused to let sleep take over as she continued gazing up at her husband. Her support. Her love.

Noticing her resistance to fall asleep, the male let out a soft chuckle and gently cupped her cheek, stroking it gently, slowly lulling her to sleep as he held their child tighter to his chest, providing it warmth from his body heat.

"I won't go anywhere and neither will our baby girl, we will be right here when you walk up. Sleep now," Angelo leaned forward to press his lips against Francesca's forehead lovingly before pulling away, sitting back down on the hospital chair with their baby in his arms.

With his reassurance, the female smiled weakly before her lids slipped shut, eventually falling into a deep slumber with the image of his husband smiling down at the life they created together.

The nurses had entered after Francesca had fallen asleep as Angelo handed the sleeping child over to them with care, his eyes sparkling with joy and love for the baby girl. "So when will we get to hold her again?" He asked, eyes still on his daughter before flickering up to look at the nurses, his hand still cupping her head, not wanting her to be taken away yet.

"We would have to clean her up, weigh her, measure her before returning her back for breast feeding. An injection will be in order during breast feeding as all babies lack vitamin K when just delivered and it's important to maximise skin-to-skin contact during that period to prevent the risk of infections," the female nurse explained as her partner held onto the child with care, making sure to keep the towel tightly wrapped around the baby to reduce the amount of heat lost from her.

With a reluctant nod, the male allowed the nurses to take his daughter away, watching wistfully as she was carried out the doors. Angelo turned his attention back to his sleeping wife with an adoring smile on his face, reaching forward to gently cup her cheek, silently admiring her beauty as she slept peacefully.
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After getting discharged from the hospital, the pair drove home with their daughter, Evelyn , snuggling comfortably in their arms. Not long after their firstborn, they had a second baby, Nicholas. Even though they had a couple of fights here and there, they would eventually make up again. They're not a perfect family but is there even such thing as a perfect family? To each other, they were each other's anchors, supporting them through the journey called 'life'.