CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:
rushing, rushing, born.
"Oh my god," I panted, collapsing into a seat on the jet as Armin shakily sat down next to me, clumsily packed backpack in his arms.
Mikasa and Eren simultaneously stumbled inside and sat down opposite each other at the back of the plane, whilst Marco and Jean opted for the seats on the opposite side of where Armin and I were.
I wrung my hands nervously as I watched Mikasa take out her laptop and start typing away in a frenzy, no doubt doing research on premature children.
Armin clicked his seatbelt and buried his head in his hands. "If- if Sasha is really going to give birth right now, t-the baby's lungs- they'll barely be developed.. Sasha was in her twenty-fourth week, right? Or did Connie mess up the dates again?? That's totally plausible, right?? Right? Right? Oh god, I hope it was the twenty-fifth week, instead... let's see," Armin said, starting to count off on his fingers, "So- four, eight, twelve, sixteen, twenty, twenty-four.. maybe he was off. Unless she has issues with her cervix, I think t-"
I stopped paying attention and started chewing my lip as I looked down on the texts Connie had been sending me. Sasha's water broke, and contractions started slowly coming afterwards.
I'd texted him in response saying that we were flying back to Trost as soon as possible.
He'd asked us to drop by his house and pick up Sasha's bag, which they didn't have since they didn't expect for Sasha to start going into labor this early.
Connie didn't want to leave Sasha's side- besides that, Jean and I were the only ones who had keys to his house, meaning that the only way to get in would be to break in.
And, we were the only ones who had access to a quick private flight. Bands were loaded, after all.
I clicked off my phone and took in a shaky breath.
"Armin," Marco said worriedly, "you're rambling."
"Sorry! Sorry!" Armin said quickly, swallowing thickly as his leg started jumping up and down in a panic. "I'm just nervous for her, that's all..."
"Me too," I whispered.
Jean pursed his lips and swore under his breath as he answered a call, putting it on speakerphone. "What do you want?"
"What do I want? I want to know why the hell you're leaving Stohess when you've got things to do this week!" Klaus yelled, voice sounding grainy over the phone. "And Y/N, I know you're there, you've go-"
I cut him off angrily and started my sentences without knowing where they'd go. "Shut up! Shut up! It's a family emergency!"
"I didn't know that you, Jean, and Eren were related! Because if so, then that's got to be some sort of incest act with you and Eren!" Klaus retorted. "Don't think I didn't hear all about how you two made out on your birthday!"
"You did what?" Mikasa gasped, looking up from her laptop and ripping off an earbud before looking in an accusatory way at Eren, who only shrugged in response. Eren pursed his lips before opening his mouth and closing it again, apparently having nothing good to say.
"WE DIDN'T MAKE OUT!" I shouted, snatching Jean's phone from his hands and letting out a slew of insults, much to Marco's surprise.
"Well, my point is, someone's gonna have to stay!" Klaus roared.
"No!" I said in annoyance.
"And I need at least two of you here!" Klaus said, referring to the band. Mikasa and Marco perked up and listened in, although I suspected that they were doing so before.
"Klaus, is there really no other alternative?" Jean said, clearly pissed off, but trying his best not to show it.
"I cannot let you all take leave. I need at least two of you guys here," Klaus repeated. He sighed. "We have a contract, and you have to abide by it. I'm not letting your plane take flight until two of you get off."
Jean, Eren, and I looked at each other, silently arguing for the singular spot homewards. Jean and Eren sighed before speaking in unison, "You go, Y/N."
"C'mon, Klaus," I started, ignoring their comments, "no wiggle room?"
"I can send back whoever you choose tomorrow night at the earliest," Klaus said. I could hear the eye roll in his voice. "Something came up. I can't tell you here over the phone."
Eren started to get his things, and spoke as he threw on his denim jacket. "Mikasa. Are you coming with?"
Mikasa blushed a deep red and shook her head. "I- I want to be there for Sasha."
Jean grabbed my wrist as he got up from his seat. "Call me as soon as something starts to go wrong, and I'll hop onto the first helicopter I see."
"Oh," I stammered. "Thank you. For- for this, I mean."
"You're the kid's godmother. You should be there. Besides, you ended up being closer to Connie than I ever was. You need to be there for everyone. You're a good presence, you know that?" Eren added, head barely inside of the plane. "Clueless, Armin, but that's beside the point."
Mikasa gave a frown at Eren's failure to mention her.
Armin didn't get a chance to say anything, because with that, Eren walked off of the jet and left. Jean bent down to Marco and whispered a few words in his ear before giving us a solemn goodbye and kissing Marco on the forehead. "Tell Sasha I'll treat her to that expensive-ass pizza if she doesn't die."
The engines started to rev a few minutes later, and then we were in the air, going at a constant speed south towards my home. Perhaps it wasn't my actual hometown- nothing could fill the hole that my childhood memories so easily filled- but it was home nonetheless. It was the place where I'd met so many amazing people, the place where my brain did the last of its development in my teenage years. I wasn't the same person I was seven years ago. Nobody was. I bit my lip, which was now starting to quiver as my nose prickled with the warnings of an approaching sob.
"Y-Y/N...?" Armin said cautiously, putting a hand on top of my knee shakily. It was as if he sensed my fear and sadness in a moment. "Let's not worry."
I mustered the will to speak, allowing his hand to stay there. "Y-yeah."
"That's not really easy to do," Mikasa said, frowning a few feet away, not looking up from her computer. "Sasha's what, twenty-one? Young mothers are at risk for death during labor, according to Google. And the kid isn't much better."
"Mikasa!" Marco hissed.
"Get going to the hospital, we'll meet you there," Armin told Marco and Mikasa as we got out of our cab.
Marco nodded, and the taxi drove off, leaving us behind at the Springer-Braus residence.
Connie and Sasha's house was an average sized house; there were small flowers growing beside the grand oak tree that sat on the front lawn. Connie's gray car was parked on the driveway. Connie instructed us to bring his car around to the hospital, too. The couple hadn't even gotten the chance to drive back home, for Sasha's water broke at the airport, and taken an Uber before they left for their trip to Sina.
"Er- you've got the keys, right?" Armin asked.
"Yeah," I mumbled, rummaging through my backpack and pulling out the key ring with a small dog keychain attached to it.
I opened the door and immediately got hit with a sense of coziness as I spotted the numerous blankets and pillows spread out on the floor.
Kaya must have been over. I suppose they just didn't bother to clean up.
Kaya was Sasha's adopted sister, and would occasionally spend the night. Sasha's father didn't approve of her pregnancy at first- I sat through a lot of arguments between Connie and Mr. Braus, but Mr. Braus eventually got over it, and was now just as excited as everyone else for Sasha's baby.
Except that the baby was coming into the world a bit too soon.
"I thought their house would be much more disorderly," Armin called, wandering around the rooms as he looked for the duffel bags.
"I forgot you haven't been here," I mumbled, running into the dining room and seeing the bag right underneath the brown hardwood table. I reached out to grab it, but instead, I ended up awkwardly putting my hand on top of Armin's.
He looked at me just as I looked at him.
We made eye contact and pulled back our hands at the same time.
"Sorry!" He said quickly. "Sorry."
"It's fine."
We sat there for a second or so awkwardly looking at each other. Armin coughed.
"I'll go start up their car, then," Armin said, heading off.
"Keys," I called, tossing him the car key that was on the table.
Armin caught the car keys and swiftly jogged out to the driveway. I followed after him, making sure to lock the door behind me.
"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered, running across the parking lot while simultaneously trying to video call Connie. Finally, he picked up.
"Hi," Connie squeaked, camera close to his face, only showing the top of his gray haired head and his suspiciously clear skin. Small yells of agony could be heard in the back. I frowned.
"Is that Sasha?!" Armin asked, panting beside me as we barely missed getting hit by a car while we crossed the street.
"Is it?!" I prodded, throwing open the doors to the hospital.
"Say hi, Sasha?" Connie asked, running over to a corner of the room and flipping the camera to show Sasha, her face sweating as she sat in her hospital bed, hooked up to a number of tubes as a few nurses provided her with water and ice.
Sasha grunted, holding the sides of her body tightly. "Not- now-"
"What room are- you guys- in?" Armin panted as we caught our breath in the cool air of the hospital.
"Uhm! Uhm... god, what is it? Where is it? One hundred.. uh.. one hundred fifty-three in the maternity ward!" Connie yelled, trotting around the room as he looked for a number. Sasha let out a long shout of pain. Connie looked down at his phone worriedly and hung up.
We tracked down the elevator and rode up to the second floor, where the maternity ward was.
Armin adjusted the backpack on his shoulder and pointed to the receptionist's desk, where a man with thick-rimmed glasses sat. His name tag read 'Percival.' He looked like he'd been having a bad day by the look of his mouth, which was slightly turned down into a frown.
"Hi, uhm," Armin started, speaking cautiously as he noticed the man's demeanor as well. "We're here for Sasha Braus..?"
"Family only," Percival glared, flicking a stray pencil off of his desk. It hit the floor with a clatter, the lead chipping off and rolling into the corner, never to be touched again, probably.
"She's my.. my sister," I lied, cringing as my voice rose higher towards the end of my sentence. Literally nobody would believe that. Take a look at me.
"Mhm?" Percival raises a brow before turning to his computer and clacking the keys loudly. He was being deliberate at this point.
I was starting to get impatient. Armin tapped his fingers on the desk anxiously.
Percival pursed his lips before smirking, satisfied with himself. He leaned back in his rolling chair and leered at me. He folded his arms before speaking. "Sasha doesn't have a sister."
Was it not obvious?
God damn you. Time to steal someone's identity.
"By blood, no," I said, "but she has one by adoption."
Percival paused and furrowed his brows, turning to his computer once more, clicking his mouse a few times. "You're Kaya?" Percival said skeptically.
"Damn right, Percy."
"One fifty-three," said the receptionist, clearly not impressed.
I nodded awkwardly and started to go off into the locked hall before the man behind the desk clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
The man pointed to Armin with somewhat of a swagger. "You."
"Me..?"
"You're not family."
"He's my husband. Family by marriage, am I right?" I interrupted sharply, grabbing Armin's hand. I was getting pissed off, and resisted the urge to slap Percival right in the hipster glasses. "Thank you for the concern though, Percy, with your superior security skills. Not everyone can manage that horrendous personality, y'know."
The receptionist opened his mouth and closed it again, as if just then realizing that I'd insulted him. I nodded swiftly and quickly dragged Armin into the hall with me before ol' Percy could protest.
"Husband?" Armin asked, a faint smile on his face as I checked each number on each door.
"Yeah," I said, looking over my shoulder to see him, "He wouldn't have let you through otherwise."
"I.. I wouldn't mind that in actuality," Armin said quietly. "The whole.. er- marriage thing. Not now, of course! But if it's to you, I wouldn't mind."
"Oh?"
Armin smiled nervously, a small dusting of red on his cheeks as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Um- if when I was drunk, I told you I loved you.. I wasn't lying," He said hesitantly, rocking back and forth on his heels.
"Oh-"
"Y-yeah," Armin nodded. "Do you..?"
"I feel the same way, don't worry," I said, before finishing my sentence with a small sigh, "but I thought it was obvious enough."
Armin's face lit up, and he looked away at the hospital floor with a triumphant look on his face. "Yeah.."
We reached the end of the hallway and saw room number 153. I knocked on the door and opened it, poking my head through. The room was painted a very light green, with a wide window overlooking the parking lot.
Sasha was sitting in her hospital bed, biting down loudly on ice as tears poured out of her eyes. She groaned and tried to smile at us as we came inside. The nurses seemed to have left for a while.
"You're here," Connie said, rushing over and taking the bags from our hands, setting them down on the couch nearby.
"How are you doing?" I whispered, kneeling down at Sasha's bedside.
"I can't do it," Sasha said, looking up at Connie, lip quivering as bits of water dripped down her chin.
"Can't do what?" Connie asked, dropping down next to her anxiously.
"I can't!" Sasha bit her lip, "I'm not going to be able to give birth to a healthy baby, Connie, I can feel it. I-"
"Shut up," Connie interrupted. "Don't be stupid. Of course you can."
"No, I can't!"
"What are you doing right now?" I said to Sasha, patting her hand as beads of sweat lined her messily tied up brown hair. "You're having a baby. Maybe a little bit early, but that's okay!"
"Everything's going to be fine!" Connie agreed, even though I could tell he didn't really believe it himself.
Armin took this as our time to leave, because he tugged on the collar of my shirt and whispered my name. "Let's go."
ʷᵒʳᵈ ᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗ: ²⁴³²