The Usual... A Max Schneider Fan Fiction

Chapter Forty-One: New Life

"Mr. Foster?"

My best friend turned at his last name, looking behind us towards a nurse holding a clipboard. "Are you the father?" she asked, leaning against the door frame. He nodded, letting me pat his back softly.

"She's asking for you," the woman said, nodding toward the door. "She said you're the only one she wants to see right now."

Lucas swallowed, his hand shaking. "O-Okay," he spoke, nodding. He turned towards me and kissed my forehead. "I'll come give you guys updates," he promised us, and with that, he slid into the room after the nurse.

"This is actually happening," I spoke quietly, looking back at Max. "Sophie is actually about to have a baby, and Lucas is gonna be a father... Oh my God, what if he isn't ready?!"

My boyfriend reached out his arm, and I stepped into it, letting him pull me closer as we heard Sophie scream. I cringed, burying myself in Max's chest at the sound.

"Lucas is a good guy, Simmy," Max reasoned. "You know that better than anybody in this world. Don't let this shake your faith in him."

I felt myself get scared. "He loves her so much, and he loves the baby already," I spoke. "But dammit, I'm scared to death he's gonna fall apart over his dad."

Max shook his head. "You can't let him," he whispered. "Baby, you're the only one who knows what to say to assure him that he isn't his dad. Make him face those scars, and let him know that he could never be what his dad was."

I balled my fists against his chest. "This baby is so loved, Max..."

My boyfriend kissed my forehead. "I know, little dove."

I gave a tiny sigh. "We can't do anything but wait, can we?"

Max shook his head. "Unfortunately so, my angel," he spoke, slowly pulling me towards the waiting chairs. "But it's okay; I came prepared."

Max slowly pulled open the drawstring bag, producing a paperback copy of Letting Ana Go, a book I'd been dying to get my hands on for weeks. I couldn't help but grin at my sweet boyfriend, pecking his lips softly as he held out the book to me.

"Why're you so good to me?" I asked, watching him sit down as I flipped through the pages. Max just laughed, grabbing my hips and pulling me down to sit across his lap, his arms wrapping around my waist.

"Because you're even better to me," he answered, letting me curl up against him. "I figured a book you've been wanting for a solid month now would make the waiting go a little easier."

I bit my lip. "You're amazing," I whispered, kissing his jaw. "Thank you so much, Max."

My boyfriend smiled. "My pleasure, lovely," he told me. "But, before you start, take your medicine," he spoke, reaching in the bag again and taking out a small plastic bag with a white capsule in it, along with a water bottle. "The anxiety of the baby is bound to give you more than you can handle, and the doctor still isn't sure you're stable enough to handle any major emotional changes. She said an extra dose before an event like this would help keep you steady."

I watched him. Over the past two months, there was only one word to describe how I'd been: better. I was functioning properly, I was working normally, I made love to Max as frequently and as passionately as I used to, I could think about Dad without crying, and every relationship I had was less and less strained... I was even eating. During my worst days, Max and I realized I'd lost sixteen pounds, and for a girl who only weighed one-hundred-twenty to start with, that was an extreme amount. I hadn't quite gained it all back yet, and sometimes it was hard to make myself eat; but every time I looked at Max, I saw what I hoped was my future, a future I almost lost to the ever darkening corners of my mind, and I remembered that even if I didn't want to get better for me, I had to at least get better for him.