Our Time Will Come - An After Story

35

Hardin

I'm glad that this brother of mine has a sweet tooth and just had to stop at the candy shop like a fat shit. It gave me the chance to grab Tessa some candy to cheer her up. She's rather uncomfortable today and the babies are causing her some pain. I assured her that it was more than likely just Braxton hicks, but her favourite candy is likely to cheer her up, I fucking hope so anyway.

"Thanks again for today, dude" my younger brother pats me on the back as I drop him at the hotel. "See you soon Smithy boy, no doubt you'll visit with your parents when the babies are born" I sport an awkward smile. Today wasn't all that bad, In fact it was really great to see Smith and to terrorise him about his new girlfriend.

Much anticipated, I arrive home less than ten minutes later. "Honey! I'm home" I yell, as corny as ever. God, I loathe myself. I cringe at the sound of Louie's obnoxious barking. He is sat at the door waiting for his favourite human to come home and as cute as that is, god he's loud. Even when I give him my full attention, he continues to bark. It's when he leads me into the kitchen that I realise that something could be wrong. "Shit, What is it boy?" I whisper as I follow our pooch.

I enter the kitchen and am startled to see my wife in such a predicament. I drop an entire bag of razzles on the floor and my jaw is down there with it. She is slumped over the kitchen counter, breathing heavily, making an inhumane noise and appears to be in agony. "Tessa?" I gasp. She ignores me and continues to wail in pain, then all of a sudden, stops and walks towards me.

"Hey babe" she now full of smiles. Is she fucking crazy? Why the fuck does she look to be in so much pain, but sound so calm. "These Braxton thingies you were talking about are no joke" she huffs, Placing a kiss on my cheek. "How was the museum?" She adds. My heart begins to thud, knowing that this is happening now, whether we like it or not.

"Tess....I don't think that that was Braxton hicks..." I warn her. She is looking at me like I've lost the plot. "What? It has to be. I can't be in labor Hardin it's too early" she argues. Fuck, She is clearly in denial because she's scared out of her wits about what is to come. "Try telling the babies that!" I begin to panic as my eyes follow a flush of fluid hitting the laminated floor. The look of complete and utter shock on her face is a picture.

"This can't be! It's too early Hardin" she begins to hyperventilate and I know that I have to be the calm, responsible one in order to get her through this. "Babe, your water just broke. We have to get you to the hospital" I attempt to soothe her. She doesn't speak, she just breaks down. "Hey, Everything is going to be fine, we are going to have our babies" i stroke her cheek and her eyes melt into mine.

"Tess, be honest. How long have you been having contractions like this?" I ask, trying to disguise my frantic state. "I don't know, three maybe four hours? I'm sorry, I was just in disbelief! " She mutters, before suddenly grabbing a hold of my shoulders, she's no longer talking, she's mooing and I'm pretty sure that she's having another contraction. Fuck, they are so close together. My heart is beating out of my chest right now. And she means to tell me that she's been having these things for three or four hours now? Alone? Damn.

"Go grab the bags!" My wife demands through gritted teeth and I rush around the house like a madman, frantic to gather our belongings. "Don't forget my birthing playlist and lavender oil!" she yells. Typical Tessa. Something tells me that she isn't going to have much time to use either of those things.

Only seconds pass, before she is screaming at the top of her lungs and I feel like a helpless puppy. She eventually comes back down to planet earth and is between contractions. That's when I help her into the car.

I'm rushing to get our bags into the car when I stand up too quickly and bang my head on the corner of the car door. You can't write this shit. "Fuck" I yell, making a whiney school boy noise. "That fucking hurt" I moan. At this point, Tessa doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Who's the one In labor right now? Me or you?" She roars at me. I didn't think it through in my head before moaning about a bang on the head, while she's getting ready to give birth to multiple humans.

I finish loading the car and we race off to the hospital. I call Landon and ask him to pick up Auden and have Emery come home from school with Addy. Him and Nora cheer down the phone at the news of our early arrivals and wish us good luck.

I just wish Tessa would have told me the severity of the pains she's been having, the hospital from here is at least a forty five minute drive and I'm hoping and praying that we make it on time. She can't have these babies in our car! I will probably crash it. Not to mention that I just got new leather seats fitted.

"Hardin I'm scared!" My wife calls out. "It's too early. They're going to be too little, what if they aren't okay? I can't do this!" She bellows. "Hey! We'll have none of that. You can do this baby. You're more powerful than you know. And little Saffron and Miller are going to be absolutely fine. They'll be fighters just like their mommy" I reassure her as she takes deep breaths.

The journey is intense as Tessa grips onto the grab handles above her and I'm going twenty five over the speed limit. She's huffing and puffing and it appears that the only word I know is 'breathe' as I repeat it several times. "I swear to god if you tell me how to breath one more time" she threatens. Sweat is dripping from her forehead. "I'm sorry baby I just don't know what else to do" I panic. "Just get us to the hospital" she barks while letting out another agonised moan. I'm trying, fuck.

I place a hand on her thigh In an attempt to comfort her. I can't bare to see her this way. "Both hands on the wheel, Scott" Tessa scoffs. That's me told. I try to hide the snigger that is seeping upon my face as she scolds me. "It wasn't meant to be like this, it was meant to be beautiful and calm!" She once again screeches a high pitched roar.

With each contraction, comes a pain that dominates Tessa's entire being. In those moments, for those seconds that stretch into infinity, there's nothing else.

.....

We are ten minutes away from the hospital when Tessa gives me a heart attack by undoing her seatbelt. "Honey, what are you doing?" I panic. She ignores what I am saying and proceeds to pull down her pants. Fuck, shit, Fuck! She's going to have these babies right here in the car and there's nothing I can do about it. I continue to put my foot down, praying that we make it on time.