Night Owl || Rocky Lynch

CHAPTER 16

"You remember that movie Alien where the alien burst out of that guy's stomach during dinner?" Rocky asked uneasily as his eyes stayed fixed on the screen in front of him. I nodded. "That's what this reminds me of."

Throwing my head back against the couch, I let out a deep laugh that I felt in my stomach. He would think that while watching the miracle of life. We were bored and decided to put in the live birth video his cousin gave us, and so far we were not having any of it. It was a bunch of groaning, yelling, and crying. Not to mention it was an awfully unpleasant view of what should be a wonderland. The doctors and nurses were just putting their hands and faces way too close and it just looked nasty.

I held my stomach with one hand and used the other to cover my mouth. It was making me sick to say the least. Rocky was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, Both of his hands were covering his mouth as if he were studying intently. Suddenly, with a loud yell from the woman on the screen, everything started to stretch. "What the fuck?" Rocky gasped.

"That's the head, I think," I muttered. "Oh my God, how can it stretch so much?"

"There's so much fluid coming out." He tried to close his eyes but I pulled his arms away. "It looks like an alien!" he exclaimed. "I can't handle this anymore oh my God, where's the remote?!" His hands patted all over for the remote, but I found it first and snatched it. "Tor, turn it off!"

"No, fuck you! This is going to happen to me and YOU can't handle it?!" I threw the remote across the living room so it was out of reach. The crying from the video echoed and it perfectly summed up how I felt. "Oh look, it's all just sliding out after the head. Okay, it looks easy after that..." I pulled my hands away from my mouth and leaned forward with Rocky.

They cut the cord and the baby cried, but they still weren't done. "What's happening...?" Rocky asked slowly.

The doctor pulled on the cord and something followed it. "Oh God, it's the placenta," I gagged and covered my eyes. I got up and ran to the remote, turning it off as fast as I could without opening my eyes as Rocky hollered.

"That's the worst thing I've ever seen," Rocky exhaled once the room was silent and it was safe for us to open our eyes again. I sat cross legged on the floor, trying to control my breathing so I didn't lose it all over my clean floor.

"You did this to me," I joked. "I get to have that happen while you escape with no scars. I'm gonna be ruined."

He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. "I'm so, so sorry Tor." He tried to place his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged away. "You're not actually mad at me, are you?" he hesitated. I was still really moody so it was a possibility.

"No," I assured him with a weak chuckle. "I just... can't be touched right now." I got up off of the floor and sighed. "I need to go sit on the bathroom floor for a few minutes."

"I think I need a nap... if I can get those images out of my head," Rocky shuddered and laid down on the couch as I made my way to the bathroom.

***

I tried to dress at least a little nice for my doctor's appointment. It wasn't easy, but I pulled together an outfit that didn't make me look homeless. "So we do want to find out the sex?" I clarified as I stared at myself in the mirror.

Rocky sat behind me on the edge of the bed, putting his shoes on. "Yeah...don't we?"

"Yeah," I agreed. I ran my hands over my stomach and suddenly I felt one of the strangest sensations ever. "What...?" I whispered and put more pressure on my stomach. Sure enough, it happened again and I jumped. "Rocky, come here."

"What's wrong?" he asked as he stood up. I grabbed his hand and placed it on my bare stomach, pushing against it with my own hand. It felt like eternity before it happened again. "What are you--" And then it happened. "What was that?" he looked at me with a worried expression.

"It's kicking!" I laughed but I was about to cry. It never felt so real. "Rocky, our baby is kicking!"

His eyes went wide and he looked back down at my stomach, keeping his hand still. After another movement, he rubbed slowly. "Wow," he sighed. "That's unreal..."

My heart was beating so fast from the excitement. I almost lost track of time, but suddenly reality came back to me. "Shit, we have to go now if we want to beat traffic."

With a nod, he straightened up and grabbed my bag, handing it to me as we walked out together. We were mostly silent during the drive, but Rocky was getting more comfortable with nonsexual physical contact. He reached his hand over and rubbed my arm slowly and I smiled over to him. I really liked the way he was softening up.

At the doctor's office, they did the usual routine checks for weight, temperature, and blood pressure. Then they did the internal exam, which used to bug me but was like nothing now. Even Rocky was becoming more comfortable in this setting. It was becoming second nature when the doctor said it was time for the ultrasound and squeezed the cold jelly onto my baby bump. She waved the wand over my stomach as she spoke. "So, has everything been alright since last time you were here?"

"Fine, I think," I responded. "We felt the first movements this morning, actually."

She smiled softly when she glanced back and forth between us and the screen. "That's normal," she said. "Your baby seems to be developing perfectly on track. Everything looks great, and--" she turned the volume on the monitor and there was that 'bump-bump' of the heart, "heartbeat is strong and steady. Both mom and baby are doing wonderfully."

I smiled and felt Rocky's hand on my arm. I looked over to him and he had pulled his chair closer to the exam table. He rested his arms on it and stared at me instead of the screen. I grabbed his hand and turned back to the doctor when she started to speak again. "Now, I can tell the sex if you--"

"Yes?" Rocky and I interjected in unison.

She laughed and moved the wand a little before clicking a couple of pictures. "Congratulations, you have a very active little boy," she smiled at us before turning off the machine and handing us the printed images and a towel. "I'll let you have some privacy. Don't forget to make an appointment on your way out."

I thanked her before the door shut. My nose and eyes burned as I teared up and stared at the pictures. A boy. I have a son. I squeezed Rocky's hand and showed him the pictures. He was barely breathing and so quiet. "Are you okay?" I asked quietly. "I know it's a lot..."

He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it, squeezing his eyes shut. "I am okay," he told me. "Baby... we have a son..." I could see something change in him almost instantly, right before my eyes.