Great Expectations [ A Niall Horan OU ]

eighteen

Warning: This story contains content that revolves around pregnancy issues. Please read with caution!

33 weeks

Something is wrong.

Gia's sure of it. She's staring at the rows and rows of different types of jams and jellies at the grocery store. Her hands are both balanced on her tummy, her eyes scanning the labels, trying to find some words to focus on so she can calm down.

The dull pains that had woken her up this morning are still there, if not more intense now, and she's starting to worry. Initially, she thought it was nothing. Her body was still adapting and changing and an odd pain in her back here or there was something she'd come to expect.

Suddenly Niall's arms slip around her from behind, making her jump.

"Just me, baby," he hums, pressing a sweet kiss to her cheek to soothe her. "Listen, I know we both agreed on no junk food but I was walking back from the vegetables section and I found these on sale."

Gia turns, glancing down into the cart. Niall's added two separate packages of Oreos, one double stuffed and the other regular. She raises a brow, looking at him pointedly.

He gives a grin, "Please. I'm sure the baby will be super happy about them too, you know." He leans forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead as his hands settle on either side of her stomach. The moment doesn't last long enough — he's pulling away and taking a hold of the cart, pushing it forward.

"Using your daughter as an excuse, huh Horan?" Gia counters, trying to banter. She's sure her attempt at a smile looks more like she's grimacing, but since Niall's back is to her it doesn't entirely matter.

"M'not," Niall protests, stopping just a few steps ahead in aisle. "I'm looking out for her and making sure she gets to taste some fun stuff in there too." He's peering at the different types of bottled salad dressing, brows furrowed together.

It's then that a pain courses through her lower half, through her back and her front. Without the cart there to keep her steady, Gia's hand flies out to rest against one of the shelves, sending a line of bottled jars crashing backwards. She sucks in a breath, her eyes shut tight. This can't be happening. Not now. Not 7 weeks before her due date.

Niall's in front of her in an instant, one of his hands on her cheek and the other around her waist to support her. The cart is long forgotten behind him and he feels fear course through his veins as he searches Gia's face for any indication of what is going on. "Baby what's wrong?"

Slowly, almost painfully, Gia opens her eyes. Niall notices that she's broken out into a sheen of sweat and the fear in those deep brown irises of hers are clear as day. He gulps and brushes her hair away from her face. "Talk to me, love. What's hurting?"

Her hands are trembling but she manages to clutch onto both of his forearms, gasping for breath as the rest of the contraction works its way through her. It hurts so bad she leans forward, collapsing into Niall's chest. He covers the back of her head with his hand, the color slowly draining from his face when he realizes what's going on.