Adopted by Idina Menzel

Chapter 60

n/a last chance for some baby name suggestions.

Aaron dashed around his hotel room, banging into corners, and haphazardly throwing things into bags He should have known. He should have been ready to go at a seconds' notice.

Breathe, he reminded himself. Getting there alive was his first priority. Getting there in time was his second. Idina would hate him more if he died or got injured. It would hurt her more too than missing the birth of his children, and by proxy hurt him.

He zipped up the last zipper and checked out his hotel, grinning like a maniac and announcing to the elevator operator, the woman at the checkout desk, and the shuttle bus driver that his wife was in labour. It was not the best idea. People knew who he was and knew who Idina was, but he had a feeling it might have been leaked anyway. Paparazzi where everywhere, especially in maternity wards. Aaron hoped Helen had called their security guard. Aaron just could not keep it in.

He when through his messages again. Helen had included him in a group text where she was updating immediate family and close friends. Idina was grumpy, gassy, and barely 2 centimetres. They were in for the long haul. He knew that the labour had kicked in about an hour ago because he had over twenty misses texts from Idina that started cordially with Hey hon, it's starting up, please get here soon and escalated to Get you ass here now I'm dying oh shit it hurts get here now and ended in multiple profanities that eventually became incoherent jumbles of text. Finally, one form Helen.

Hey Aaron, it's Helen, I've taken her phone away. The labour's started as you already know. Get here quickly but safely, she really wants you here. It looks like it's going to be quite a while before anything exciting happens. There's hope she may not have any complications, but at her age and with twins, not to mention everything else, it could take a turn for the worst quickly. I wasn't able to get Dee to eat anything at all this morning and she's been passing out on us so if you can pick up something high calorie that would be great, especially if it's something she'll swallow. Seriously though, I don't want my daughter arrested for homicide. Hurry up.

It was followed by a picture of Idina in a hospital gown looking all new worlds of pissed.

Then he got another text from Idina. I've just crapped my pants. What are you up to asshole?

On my way, he texted back.

Asshole, she replied. Then another text came in. This is Helen again; I've taken her phone away again.

Aaron chuckled as the shuttle pulled into the parking lot. The driver wished him luck as he disembarked, and Aaron replied with a laugh that he needed it. Luckily, he knew where he had parked, at it was on the bottom floor of the parking garage. Quickly he got to his car, threw his things in the back, and started to two-hour drive back to LA.

~

It took Aaron five hours to get there. There had been bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway. He had stopped to pick up some MacDonald's though, as per Helen's request. Not to mention he needed something too for his headache and nerves. When he got to the hospital, he bee-lined to the maternity ward.

"Idina Menzel?" he asked the nurse at the desk.

She asked for proof he knew her.

"I'm the father," he said, pulling out his driver's licence. "Aaron Lohr."

The nurse gave him a sympathetic look. "It's not going well, and she's been yelling about you for the past two hours," the nurse informed him Aaron just nodded. He expected as much. "She's only at four centimetres," the nurse continued as she led Aaron down hallway after hallway. "It's taking a while, but honestly we'd prefer something slow in her condition. The faster things happen, the faster they can go wrong. It is the last door on the left, your security officer is standing outside. Good luck," she said before scuttling off.