Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 78

A familiar pain in her abdomen broke her solidly out of her emotional haze. She sat bolt upright with a soft gasp, one hand flying to her stomach and the other one grinding into her back to assuage the pain. Normally she wouldn't worry about a little twinge of pain. It had become rather normal, especially with such an active little baby, but now, with the baby so close to arriving...

She took a steadying deep breath and forced herself to dissolve the spike of fear that had tried to enter her mind, and she calmly stood up. She nearly fell over again when another pain rippled through her, longer this time and much more drawn out. And now that the idea had entered her mind, she could think of nothing else but the fact that she might be going into labor.

She made herself take deep, even breaths and she straightened up. The holoscreen across the room had been idling in sleep mode since they'd gotten the heads up from Ruth to look out for the baby, and it was waiting and ready in case she had to contact Liam. This was definitely worthy of a call home from work.

He'd been offered a brief leave of absence, but he was still one of the busiest people in the colony with all the upgrades and increases in housing that had been going on recently. They would be swamped without him.

But they could stand to be swamped for a day or so. Liam was needed with his wife and the baby that might be seeing the light of day for the first time in a few hours... if everything went right.

She shoved the fear away and made her way to the holoscreen, trying her hardest to ignore the strange added soreness in her belly and pretty much everywhere else. She got a distinct feeling that the baby was restless—or maybe that was simply her own feeling...

She quickly typed out her message, and Liam got it right away. He was always near a holoscreen, just in case. It seemed, now, that all of their anxious precautions were being put to good use. It was silly of them to think that the baby would simply choose a free time to pop out.

She stayed near the screen just long enough to see the reply—that he was coming as soon as he could—before hurrying back over to the chair to wait out the seconds before the next contraction—for she was now certain that that was what these were.

Another pain, traveling down her abdomen. She rubbed her belly anxiously, staring at the doorway. What if the baby started coming before he got here, or before they could get themselves to the hospital? So many worries... she was sure it wasn't good for the baby. But she couldn't help herself. Every time she quelled one fear, another rose to take its place.

Liam arrived at the door in a record time; he pushed through the house at breakneck speed only six minutes after she'd summoned him. She'd expected panic, but the expression wasn't on his face, nor did she find any traces of it in the way he moved.

"Are you alright?" he knelt in front of the chair and peered up into her eyes.

She opened her mouth to reply when another contraction stole the words right out of her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed through the pain before returning Liam's look. "I'm fine, Liam. We should get to the hospital, though."

He nodded, and she was still shocked to find that not a single twinge of panic laced his expression. "I hope you don't mind that I let Kelbar know. He said he was right behind me. I figured we could use his help."

"Oh, of course, I don't mind." She gave a short laugh. "I don't know if there's anyone more fitting to help." She leaned forward and, though it was a struggle to manage over her belly, pecked Liam's lips softly.

"Alright." He nodded with a smile. Oh, that smile... "Can you stand, do you think?"

"I'm sure I can but I don't know if I can keep it up very long if I'm going into labor, dear." She pulled herself to her feet, smiling at her husband.