Page 21 of Better Than Baby (Better Than Stories #9)

sixteen

The holes in our carefully constructed plan to spend a few days in Georgetown around the due date revealed themselves on our mad dash to the hospital. The biggest, of course, was that we didn’t have a contingency. We’d incorrectly assumed we’d have more time to come up with one.

We simply hadn’t counted on the baby making an early appearance.

Xander’s surprise adoption had diverted our attention and honestly, I could have felt guilty about missing signs that Lena needed us.

But geez, it was impossible to get everything right.

Life happened, and sometimes you had to scramble to catch up.

Like now.

I came to a screeching halt outside the ER entrance, pausing long enough to help Aaron and Lena out before searching for a parking space.

Of course, by the time I returned to the lobby, they’d been ushered to the maternity ward…

which, for the record, was on the other fucking side of the building on the seventh fucking floor.

“You’re in the right place, honey. Don’t fret,” the kind-faced elderly receptionist soothed. “Just take the elevator at the end of the corridor and…”

I didn’t wait for further instructions. I ran down the hall, punched the button on the panel, and paced till the elevator doors opened, ignoring the curious side-eye aimed my way.

I’d stare at me too. I was a messy bundle of nerves, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were twenty phone calls I should have made and something huge I’d forgotten to do.

But the most important thing was getting to Aaron and Lena.

The second the doors opened onto the seventh floor, I was running again.

“Can I help you, sir?” The nurse behind the tall desk glanced up from her computer with a vague smile.

“My husband and our baby…our Lena is—I mean, her water…it was everywhere. Broken and and?—”

“ Shh . Calm yourself, Daddy. Give me your last name, and I’ll point you in the right direction.”

“Sullivan. I mean, Mendez-Sullivan. I’m married to Aaron. He’s this tall…” I held my hand around my shoulder and adjusted it to his approximate height. “And he’s got dark hair and he’s with Lena. She’s pregnant with our baby and she’s, um…dark hair too and um…”

“Mendez-Sullivan. Gotcha.” Her fingers flew across her keyboard. “Hang tight for one minute and Myra will show you to the room.”

I paced some more, my hands trembling as I tried to think who to call or text.

Our parents, Jay and Peter, Curt and Jack.

Paul and Seth had offered to let us stay at their house in Georgetown while they were in London, and I should let them know that wouldn’t be necessary.

Or maybe it was. We couldn’t leave and—no, what about Murphy?

Fuck, I had to call Jess and Todd, ask them to take care of Murph for us and?—

“This way, Mr. Mendez-Sullivan.”

I snapped out of my internal spiral and followed the petite nurse along yet another corridor to a small, windowless room. Aaron spotted me first. He greeted me with a hug and drew me to the hospital bed where Lena was sitting, her hands cradling her belly protectively.

“This is a temporary room,” Aaron explained. “They’ve taken her vitals, but that’s it so far. She hasn’t had any contractions, so they may end up inducing. We’ll know more once she’s examined.”

“Okay, good. How are you doing?” I asked Lena, moving toward the bed.

“Great. Honestly, much better,” she reported. “Did you call my mom, Aar?”

“Yes. And I texted our parents and friends and?—”

“Murphy,” I interrupted. “We have to?—”

“Todd and Jess will take good care of him, and I know we’ve done everything we can for Xander. Let’s focus on Lena and the baby now.” Aaron stretched his hand atop Lena’s belly and met my gaze. I must have looked like shit, ’cause he squeezed a little tighter and smiled. “We’ve got this, Matty.”

I nodded and hoped like hell that was true.

Once Lena was settled into a room, the following few hours were mostly quiet.

Lena’s mom, Kathy, arrived to keep vigil with us. She was a peculiar woman with an intense stare who spoke fervently about how a woman was the true temple and the sanctity of the soul who’d chosen the body that her daughter would release into the world. It was…a lot, as Aaron would say.

Thankfully, she liked Seinfeld and Parks and Rec reruns too, so we bonded over slapstick hijinks and clever repartee, and took turns taking Lena on meandering walks through the maternity ward.

By midnight, Lena was only five centimeters dilated.

At three a.m., she was at six. We snoozed off and on in uncomfortable chairs flanking the bed.

We were woken up by the nurse checking vitals at six a.m. Everything was great, and she was at seven centimeters now.

She’d had regular contractions, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

“That’s good news,” Kathy chirped, jangling the bangles on her wrist as she pushed her impossibly red locks aside. “The child will be born on February first, an Aquarius…a water bearer with the element of air. You’ll have an independent soul with an innovative spirit. How lovely is that?”

Oh, boy.

I rubbed my eyes. “I’m guessing we have a few hours to go. I’ll make a coffee and pastry run for us. If something happens, call me.”

Aaron smiled wanly. “Thank you. And…call your mom. She’s been texting.”

I glanced at my watch. “Already?”

“All night, Matty. Talk to her before she jumps on a plane.”

I nodded. “Got it. And lots of coffee. Sorry, but you’re on ice chip restriction for now, Lena.”

“Boo.” Lena struggled to sit comfortably, then gave up with a sigh. “I’m going to make up for it later.”

Her mother patted her hand and hummed. “Caffeine is terrible for you, dearest. The devil’s elixir. You shouldn’t drink it…ever.”

“So…nothing for you, Kathy?”

“Pish posh, I’d love a double-shot large latte with extra foam, please. And a healthy muffin. You choose. I’m not picky.”

I laughed, refusing her offer of money as I pulled on my jacket. “No, it’s on us. I’ll be back soon.”

I waited till I was outside to call my mother.

She answered on the first ring with an exasperated squeal. “Matthew! There you are. I’ve been worried sick. Are you a daddy yet?”

“No, Mom.” I filled her in on our trip to the hospital and Lena’s slow progress so far. “It should be today, though. I think. The doctor is supposed to come by at eight and talk about inducing labor.”

“Oh, my…oh, it’s so exciting,” she gasped.

“Yeah, it is,” I agreed, unable to keep the ridiculous smile from blooming across my face as I stopped at the crosswalk. I cast a quick glance at my surroundings and froze.

I’d gone to law school in Georgetown. I’d lived in this town for a few years.

The university book store was close by and if I went south, I’d run into campus, my old apartment building, and so many of the places that had marked physical beginnings for Aaron and me.

We used to jog on this street on the way to the park, and we used to go to that café he liked on M Street.

Out of the blue, I had a flashback of the morning we’d gone to breakfast for the first time.

It had been like a date. A friend date. I’d convinced Aaron that I could be good friend material and I’d been over the fucking moon when he’d agreed to go for a run.

We’d ordered omelets at the café afterward and talked about… everything.

He’d told me he was twenty-eight and had made turning thirty sound like a step toward the grave.

He’d asked about my ex-girlfriend, the one I’d broken up with once I’d realized I was bi and had a huge crush on a guy I’d just met.

I’d said that she and I hadn’t wanted the same things, but that wasn’t true. She simply wasn’t the one.

I’d admitted to him that I wanted marriage, kids, the whole nine yards one day. Not Aaron. That was too hetero, too banal. He’d claimed that he was happy being an uncle.

“So, what you’re really saying is that you would reconsider if you met the right guy?” I’d teased.

“Very funny. I guess stranger things have happened, and I’m not old. Yet. I may change my mind. Never say never.”

Now here we were. A dozen years later, married with a house, a dog, great careers, and not one but two kids on the way. Christ, we’d come a long, long way.

The light changed, and I moved with the crowd of pedestrians as if today were just any old Saturday and not one of the biggest days of my life.

“Are you at the hospital? It’s a bit noisy,” Mom commented in my ear.

I adjusted my earbuds and jumped in line. “I’m on a coffee run. After getting two lousy hours of sleep in a hospital room chair, we could use the good stuff.”

“Excellent call,” she agreed.

“Yeah, it’s nice to stretch my legs too, and it’ll give me a chance to make sure we get an appointment for the inspection soon. Like tomorrow would be great. Damn, I need to go home and put safety locks on the doors and?—”

“Matthew, the baby won’t require safety locks on doors for quite a few months. And who do you think is going to inspect your house? The pediatrician?” She laughed, clearly amused at the notion.

Whoa. I’d forgotten that we hadn’t told our parents about Xander. We hadn’t even had a chance to discuss it.

“Not exactly. I, um…I have a story for you. Remember the baby we were supposed to adopt last year…”

Okay, this probably wasn’t great timing, but on the other hand, it felt as if my window of opportunity was narrowing. I couldn’t wait any longer.

My mother gasped and put my dad on speakerphone. I had to repeat half of the story in between placing my order and picking it up. I was at the hospital entrance before I finished and let them know where I was.

“Get back to Aaron and Lena, and keep us posted.” Mom sniffled and sighed. “Two babies. Oh, Matt. What a miracle. I’m getting my flight organized now. You need help and?—”

“Give them a minute, hon,” Dad cut in, adding, “We couldn’t be any happier for both of you, son. We’ll talk soon.”