His Baby (R.S.L)

Chapter 12

I wasn't sure what woke me up. The yelling, or the agonizing pain I was currently feeling. Peeling my eyes open was incredibly difficult, and I had to take a moment to breathe, the contraction so painful it forced a whimper out of my mouth. I managed to take a quick glance at the clock, slowly pushing myself up into a seated position when the contraction passed. It was 2:19, and in those few hours since we had gone to bed, I was in and out of sleep.

Ross had managed to stay asleep, his breathing even and face void of any stress. He looked so peaceful, and I couldn't bare to disrupt the sleep he desperately needed. Though I was surprised that my moans of pain didn't wake him up. It woke Ace up, and he had jumped up onto my bed, curling himself near my stomach.

When the yelling wouldn't stop, Ross' voice echoing around the whole apartment, I forced myself out of bed, making my way out of the room. He was pacing the floor, running his hand though his hair as he spoke into the phone. He hadn't noticed me yet. But I noticed the clenched jaw, a clear sign that he was angry. As if the yelling wasn't enough.

"Son's of bit-"

"Ross," I cut in before he could finish that sentence. He whipped his eyes towards me, giving a slight jump of surprise. "What's going on?"

"How're you feeling?" He asked, completely ignoring my own question. He quickly made his way towards me, placing his hand on top of my stomach.

"I'm in pain and tired," I told him. "Now answer the question. What's going on?"

He looked hesitant, as if he didn't want to tell me. "They still can't send an ambulance. They're overrun with injured civilians. They had to shut down the exit, the pileup was so bad. They said they'll send an ambulance as soon as possible, but it'll still be a while."

My exclamation of anger, frustration, and irritation was pushed back as a contraction snuck up on me, forcing me to hunch over in pain and hold onto Ross' waist, my forehead pressed against his stomach. He rubbed my back softly, coaching me to breathe.

But I couldn't. One glance at his watch had my nerves skyrocketing. My contractions were four minutes apart, and we were still stuck here.

Ross helped me over to the couch, my energy levels completely depleted. "How far apart are they?" He asked, keeping his hand rested on my back

"Four minutes," I squeezed my eyes shut. "Ross, we have to get to the hospital." I knew the closer my contractions got, the more dilated I was. We had no clue how much I was dilated, but I had a feeling it was close to ten centimeters. Giving birth without any medical help in our apartment was not part of the plan.

"I'm sorry, Riley, we can't," he looked so pained, so helpless. "Traffic is still bad and none of my siblings would be able to get here in time."

"So, what? We're just supposed to have the baby here? Are you insane?"

"What other choice do we have?"

I remained silent. How could I possibly answer that question when I didn't know myself? But then his eyes widened, as if he were remembering something.

"Okay, I may have an idea."

"What?" I was skeptical, that much was obvious.

"I'm pretty sure there's a woman on the third floor who's a nurse," he explained slowly. My eyes widened. "I don't know for sure, but..." he stood up, ready to hurry out the door.

I grabbed his wrist, forcing him to stop. "Are you crazy? It's two in the morning. You really want to wake her up? What if she's not a nurse?"

"And what if she is?" He shot back. "She can deliver the baby, Riley. She can make sure he's healthy."