Seep Into Me Slowly

[Chapter 27]

Days progressed on and on until they gradually shifted to months, marked by bulging belly of Tatiana. Not only was it sticking out hugely, it was also incredulously heavy, slowing her movements down by a good measure. Thankfully, the third semester excluded all the puking and dizziness she felt firstly, so no more waking up every night and winding up in the bathroom throwing her guts up. Instead, she woke up midnight for an entirely different reason; she had weird cravings. From pickles to mangoes, the list went on.

Silas couldn't honestly complain about the lack of sleep he got subsequent to his wife's case; what good would that grant him? He could show the slightest discomfort and then never hear the end of it by his nine months pregnant, hormone-driven wife. He'd always comply and they'd likely end up wandering the abandoned streets at three a.m looking for shops that remained open twenty four seven. It's been an adventure for sure, sometimes they'd make it to one place, like the ice cream parlor and then Tatiana would change her mind at the last moment, at the threshold of the door, claiming she wanted burgers. That's how fast her hormones changed. But Silas, refused to turn her down, they'd not go to bed with her craving unsatisfied; even if it meant sometimes she stayed in the warm bed while he had to go outside by himself to grant her wishes. He'd occasionally return with bags of her orders only to find her sleeping soundly. That was a hard moral dilemma he faced: Should he wake her up in order to eat or leave her sleeping.

As the weather changed overtime, so did they. Tatiana, that was used to oversized hoodies and boyfriend jeans has been seen wearing summer dresses oftentimes, the trick being it was easier to put on and take off with the huge belly. Silas, absolutely loved the change. Since it allowed her natural glasslike skin to shine freely, now that it wasn't covered by all the excessive fabric. He'd like that he could easily touch her upper back, brush his fingers on her legs gently, rub her arms affirming, with skin to skin contact. It was something he died for. The feeling was mutual, as Tatiana herself started feeling a joy in bonding with her husband in this intimate way, although previously traumatized by her prior experience -scarred for life, some would say- she rediscovered herself with Silas. He tore down her walls, also clothes at certain occasions. They fought countless times over stupid little trivia things. But at the end of the day, they'd never be able to go to sleep mad at each other. No matter how severely they'd argued, at the end of the night they'd tighten their holds on each other; sometimes even tighter than usual afraid of losing the other.

It was a fine sunny May Tuesday, where Tatiana was in the kitchen working on some food to prepare for Silas to return from work. She'd picked up a few skills from him over the course of the last months, so her visits to the kitchen became more often. She was cutting vegetables on the cutting board when she felt a pain in her lower abdomen. She wasn't stranger to those. Contractions. They'd always hit her hard, usually Silas would be here to hug her and hold her while they passed, but for when he was away at work, he's taught her to breathe in and out. She set the knife aside and caught her stomach in her hands, counting her breaths in and out in order to balance it out. She'd have to say, the contractions have been getting stronger progressively, each one tearing her harder than the last, as it was normal since she was due in a week according to her doctor.

She closed her eyes, tears falling silently from the immense intensity as she practiced the calming method. The thing is, the contraction wouldn't just pass through, it rippled through her, she clutched the counter in resistance with one hand and the fabric of her dress in the other hand. It felt unbearable, her face contorts in pure pain as she squeals from the stabbing knifes continuously penetrating her insides; anyways, that's how it felt like. She was immersed in her own world of pain and panic that she missed the sound of clicking keys, or nearing footsteps, or the messy shuffling. She only felt it when Silas was beside her in an instance, calling out to her while placing his arms around her figure lightly, cautious to not startle her. She turned to him, her face resolving in immediate relief. He was her safe haven. She buried her head in his chest while he hugged her and rubbed her back. "Shhh, I know baby, it's painful. Remember, you're so strong and I love you so much, and it's almost over" He reassures constantly, repeating over and over till she believes the words. Suddenly, a shrill scream leaves her lips, as she winces. Another contraction hit her, this time, double the pain. She hisses and then the liquid started leaking from her thighs and onto the marbled floor. "Si" She called. "Mhm?" He asks absentmindedly.

"My water broke!" The moment she uttered the words his eyes widened and he looked down to make sure, and liquid really was leaking down. He calmed himself and turned to her "Wait a second, I'll bring the bag and we're headed to the hospital" He uttered as calmly as can be in the situation and ran to collect the bag and then he helped her into the car. She wasn't due until another week, but the doctor warned them that these things often happen. Occasionally women give birth before or after the determined due date. He thanked the upper power that they somehow were prepared for this, since they've been going on parenting sessions the last couple weeks, to prepare them for what to do in particular cases. The entire drive, Tatiana kept an iron grip on silas' hand while she took deep breaths.