Hell's Reign (Patrick Stump/Fall Out Boy Fanfiction)

Chapter 34 - One Happy Moment in a World of Pain

            The days passed quickly in Linda Vista Hospital. They boys took turns guarding the window upstairs, and shooting down the walkers that hobbled down the street. Ann kept busy cooking and cleaning, and Tori helped her when she could. Most often, as the weeks passed and her belly grew bigger, she would sit beside Patrick while he was guarding the window. He always tried to tell her to relax, but she always insisted on propping a rifle up beside his, her usual stubbornness getting the best of him.

They had been given a room close to the others, and Pete and Andy helped them slide an extra hospital bed from the room next door to make a double bed for them. Tori also stole as many pillows as she could carry, using her pregnancy as an excuse for keeping them all. Still, even as time passed into her ninth month, Tori was determined to continue working around the hospital. By now, Ann had agreed to give Tori her very own shift up at the window, but now it was Patrick sneaking up to keep her company and to keep an eye on the baby. He was terrified that she would strain herself too much, but that fear was nothing compared to what he feared the most.

As the days went on, and the birth grew closer, Patrick began to stress that something might go wrong. He kept reminding himself that they were just a bunch of teenagers, with only Andy's mother to help them. None of them knew how to deliver a baby, nor how to help Tori if something bad happened. Yet still, underlying all of this fear, he couldn't help but be excited. He was about to be a father, albeit a seventeen-year-old father, but a father nonetheless. He was running through names in his head constantly, wondering if it would be a boy or a girl. Ann swore it would be a boy, how she had any idea was lost on Patrick. Still, the days seemed to grow longer and longer, the closer it got to what they assumed was the nine month mark.

The day it happened, Patrick was on duty up at the window by himself. Andy and Pete were out on a raid, looking for supplies, and Joe was down in the kitchen with Mrs. Hurley, helping to prepare lunch. Tori was alone, in the room she shared with Patrick. She'd woken up to cramps this morning, which Ann had assured her was normal. They were gone now, but she was still in bed, the blankets pulled up over her waist. Her hands were splayed over her bare stomach, as she had her tank top pulled up to reveal the taut skin underneath. As she ran her hands over the bump, the baby kicked, sending a small ridge of movement over her belly. She smirked at it, remembering the first time Patrick had felt the baby move. It was a few months ago, and he was caught between amazement and concern over the fact that he could actually see the tiny foot travelling beneath her skin.

It was at that very moment that a sharp, unfamiliar pain wracked Tori's abdomen. She sat up quickly, thinking that would alleviate whatever pain she was feeling, but it did not. She slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed, pushing the blanket away as she did so. She began to pull her tank top back down, but suddenly, the pain went away, as if it was never there to begin with. She sat perfectly still for a moment, wondering what had happened. She didn't move for a few minutes, until the pain suddenly returned, just as sharply as before. She stood up this time, wincing as she did so, and suddenly, she felt a rush of warmth between her legs, followed by a short moment of relief before the pain was back. She doubled over now, suddenly realizing what was happening.

"Patrick!" She called, knowing well enough that he couldn't hear her from upstairs. Still, she tried again. "Patrick!" To her surprise, there came a sudden pounding of feet from down the hallway. Someone was running to her aid, but she knew by the heavy footfalls and by sheer logic, that is wasn't Patrick. Instead, just as she regained the ability to stand upright and clutched onto the side of the bed, Andy and Pete poked their head into the doorway. Andy had blood on his face, and his gun was still hanging loosely from one hand. The moment they saw her, Pete dropped the bag he was carrying and rushed to her side, taking her arm and wrapping it around his shoulders, as if to lift her.