Truly, Madly, Deeply

Chapter 42: It's Time

Rory was lying on the couch, and Tristan was lying behind her. He was rubbing her stomach as they snuggled up and watched TV.

She had been grouchy today, and Tristan decided to pamper her for a bit. He rubbed her back, her legs, and her feet.

She was two weeks from her due date, and she was miserable. Tristan had tried to keep her as comfortable as possible, but nothing helped.

He just wanted her to feel better. They had everything in the car for the last week. So when the time came, they would head straight to the hospital.

Lorelai and Chris have been coming up every other day for the last two weeks. Sue and Carlisle stopped by a few times a week, as did Richard and Emily.

Rory tried to be social, but she just preferred to be left alone. The girls called and talked to her several times a week, and the guys would text me and ask how she was. They knew she wasn't up for visitors, so they had been giving her space.

We had the cookout just last week with our friends. Since then she has been really grouchy and miserable.

Rory had fallen asleep, and Tristan needed to go to the bathroom. He slowly slid his arm out from under her head and slid up the back side of the couch. He placed a pillow under her head and went to the bathroom.

When he came back, he grabbed a book and sat at the other end of the couch. He didn't want to disturb her because she hadn't been sleeping well.

They now slept with his front to her back and his hand on her belly. It was the best way they could cuddle with her stomach.

The baby had dropped, and she had lost her mucus plug. When we saw Dr. Klein this week, he said everything looked good, and the baby could be here anytime.

Rory grabbed her stomach, and she moaned. Tristan threw his book down and ran to her. "What is it, baby?"

"I got a really sharp pain in my stomach."

"Okay, well, let's time the pain, and that may have been a contraction."

"Do you really think so? It's two weeks early." Tristan helped her sit up.

Three minutes later, she got another one. "You are in labor, baby. The contractions are coming four minutes apart, so let's get you dressed, and we will go to the hospital."

He helped her up and helped her get dressed. He threw on some clothes as well as his shoes. He helped her put her shoes on, and then they locked up. He helped her into the car, and he drove to the hospital. 

When he arrived, he ran to her side and helped her out. He helped her inside and got her into a wheelchair.

"Okay, give me just a second. I am going to grab our bags and park the car, then I will get you checked in." He kissed her and ran to the car. He parked it, grabbed their bags, and came back in.

The person she was checking in when they arrived was just walking away. "Hello, my wife is already pre-registered, and she is in labor."

"How far along is she?"

"Thirty-eight weeks."

"Her name?"

"Lorelai Dugray."

"Okay, how far along are her contractions?"

"They were about four minutes; now they are about three minutes apart."

"Okay, have a seat, and I will call Labor and Delivery. Someone will come down and get you shortly."

"Okay, thank you." He walked back over and sat down beside her. "Someone will be down to take us to labor and delivery in a few."