TW: mentions of blood and child birth
Eren's inner thoughts.
"They say that time stops when you meet the one you love"
When I met Mikasa, at the freshman orientation, it truly felt like time froze. Nothing else mattered, just her.
9 years later.
Friday night in the Jeager house, 8:30pm.
It was a quite Friday evening in Eren and Mikasa's home. With being 9 months pregnant, Mikasa Jeager didn't want to take any chances. She had a binder with her birth plan that her friend Sasha had helped her put together, the go bag had been packed since her 3rd month.
Mikasa was exhausted. She has just had her last day at work, before going on maternity leave. It was stressful for her, to leave all her work projects to her team. Not that she didn't trust them, Jean and Mina were capable architects, but she worries about her more junior colleague Louise, who was fresh outta college.
When had returned home, Eren already had a hot mug of caffeine free stomach ease tea ready for her, unlike her friend Sasha, her morning sickness still stuck with her, but not as bad.
The two were now cuddled on the couch, Mikasa laying in between Eren's legs, basking in his warm embrace, and enjoying the feeling of his warm hands rubbing her extremely pregnant belly. Their black and white cat Oreo laid at her feet.
"She's pretty feisty tonight", Eren murmured into Mikasa's ear.
Eren was right. The baby had been kicking around all day, making it feel like she had a belly full of marbles.
She had been experiencing contractions most of the day but they were far apart so Mikasa didn't worry, her due date was 2 weeks away.
She was finally about to dose off when she felt a sudden gush, and felt like she had just had water dumped on her lamp.
Immediately after that she felt an instant and incredibly painful contraction.
Mikasa cried out in pain....reaching down under the blanket.
"Eren....my water just broke!!!", said Mikasa sitting up her adrenaline starting to go.
"Are you sure??" "Maybe you just peed yourself, like you did that time at Starbucks"
"Eren!!!!"
"Sorry, I'll get the go bag!" Eren got up in a hurry heading towards the hall closet.
"Don't forget the binder!!", Mikasa yelled out as another contraction hit. The contractions were coming pretty quick. She remembered Sasha had been in labor for 18 hours before she had an emergency C-section, Connie had nearly fainted.
"There's no way this baby is coming within the next hour" she reassured herself.
As Mikasa waddled towards the car, now in come dry pants, she heard Eren on the phone with their neighbor about feeding their cat and such.
Eren got in the car, and off to the hospital they headed.
Another contraction hit Mikasa, she normally had a high pain tolerance but this was a whole new level. "Eeeerrrrehhh" she cried out reaching for his hand and squeezing as hard as she could.
"Ahhhh Mikasa my hand!!!!" Eren yelled out, truly worried that she might have broken his hand, but Mikasa had a vice grip on it.
Good thing they were heading to a hospital.
Or at least they were.
As soon as they hit the main highway, the glow of red brake lights illuminated the car.
"Oh for f*ck sake!" Mikasa cried out.
They were locked into major traffic. "Must be an accident", Eren said. "Usually this road is pretty clear around this time of night".
"Oh god Eeerrrennn!!!, Mikasa said as another contraction hit.
Something wasn't right. She felt like pushing, but it's too early, this wasn't part of the plan.
"Eren....Eren pull over, I-I-think the baby is coming"
"Well yeah that's why we're going to the hospital"
"Eren!!!! I mean like now!!!"
Eren pulled the car over, "tell her to wait then or I don't know push her back in"
"Eren!!!! It doesn't work like that. I can't just push her back in", Mikasa snapped incredibly irritated and in pain.
Eren got his phone out and called the one person who he thought could help them.
****The Hoover Home******
Annie was in sitting on the couch, watching Chopped, wondering if the food truck chef was going to get his risotto done in time to plate.
Her fiancé was in the shower, after a long day in the hospital working. He was in his first year as an intern, and was working in emergency medicine.
Annie's immense interested in the risotto was interrupted by Bertholdt's phone ringing. She ignored the call. It rang again, she ignore the call. Finally after the third call Annie answered concerned that there might be a legit emergency.
"Eren? Is everything ok?"
"ANNIE WHERE IS BERTHOLDT?!?!?, I NEED TO TALK TO BERTHOLDT!!"
"Eren calm down what's going on? Is Mikasa ok? Are you ok?"
Annie heard Mikasa cry out in the background. She must be in labor.
"THE BABY IS COMING!!! THE BABY IS COMING!"
"Well Eren take her to the hospital", Annie rolled her eyes, "idiot" she thought to herself.
"We can't we are on the side of the rode, major traffic on highway 85."
"Oh sh*t", Annie said not meaning to let that slip out.
"Hold on I'll go get Bert".
Annie raced to their bedroom and starting banging on the bathroom door. "Bert!! BERT!! Eren needs you on the phone, Mikasa's in labor and they are stuck in traffic"
The door to the bathroom flew open, and a nude Bertholdt stood at the door, still covered in bubbles.
"Put me on speaker"
"Eren it's Bertholdt, so tell me what is happening"
"Mikasa says the baby is coming like she can feel it coming and that she really needs to push."
"Have you called EMS"
"No I called you", Eren said.
Bertholdt couldn't help but face palm.
"Eren get Mikasa's phone and call EMS you moron"
Bertholdt listen while Eren phoned 911 and Annie got him a towel.
They both went back into there living room and muted the TV. This was way more excited that some guy's risotto getting cooked on time.
"Bertholdt due to the wreck up ahead they don't know when they will get here, are you sure I can't just push the baby back in?"
"The f*ck?!? No you can't do that!", Bertholdt cried out, utterly amazing at Eren's lack of knowledge on child birth.
"Ok Eren I need you to listen and put me on speak phone."
"Got it"
"Alright Mikasa, how far apart are your contractions?"
"I don't know about 3-5 mins", Mikasa yelled out.
"Ok Eren do you have any kind of sheets or towels in your car at all, and a first aid kit, hopefully one with gloves and antiseptic wipes"
"Actually I think so, we have towels in our go bag, and I think I have a first aid kit in the trunk"
"Get it and get Mikasa in the back seat laying down on her back, or it might be better for her to be on all fours"
"I'm not an animal at the zoo Bertholdt!!" Mikasa snapped.
"If you value your car's interior then put a towel under her butt, and have one ready for the baby".
"Use your phone flashlight or if you have a flashlight in the car and look to see what Mikasa is looking like"
"Oh my god Bert there's I think I see the head"
***back at the car***
"Ok Eren Mikasa is crowing meaning she needs to push now....Mikasa you are about to learn what the ring of fire is"
Miaksa's eyes went wide "ring of fire!?!?"
"I'm gonna be blunt" Bertholdt said over the phone, "natural birth hurts like hell"
Mikasa began to cry from a mix of fright and pain. Her black hair sticking to her sweaty forehead. This wasn't part of the plan, none of this was.
Eren looked up at Mikasa, and maneuvered enough to gently kiss her on the forehead. "You can do this Mikasa, you are a strong and brave woman, and I'll be here with you every step of the way".
Mikasa felt a warmth in her chest at Eren's words and with a new found confidence, was ready to push.
"Ok on my count, Mikasa you are going to push like you are taking the biggest poop of your life, take a deep breath in, and hold it as you push and I'll count to 10, then let the breath out....ready"?
"Yeah" both Mikasa and Eren said.
"Alright deep breath in, and push, 1, 2, 3,"
Mikasa pushed with all her strength as Bertholdt counted to 10, suddenly and painfully realizing why this was called the ring of fire.
"And breathe"
***the Hoover house***
Annie was keeping time on her phone. When the min was up Bertholdt repeated his instructions.
"4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and breathe out, Eren is she making progress?"
"Yes I can see the head more and a bit of the neck"
Bertholdt felt a wave of relief, they baby wasn't breeched.
"Bertholdt how do I do it?"
"Do what?"
"Get the baby out?"
"Be ready with the towel, it's like catching a footbal".
After 2 more pushes, Eren cried out.
"Oh my god, Bertholdt it just shot out like a football!!!"
"Ok Eren these next steps are important, I need you to use your hands to clear out any blood and embryonic fluid from her mouth and nose so she can breath"
"Bertholdt why is she not crying, they are suppose to cry when they are born, what's wrong" Mikasa asked in a panic.
Bertholdt and Annie both held their breath for what felt like an eternity.
Then they heard it. The cry of a new born taking its first breath in the world.
*back in the car*
In that moment all time froze for Eren. He looked down at the crying infant, with her smooshed face, and body covered in all sorts of goop. His heart stop, the same way it had the day he had met Mikasa.
"I guess it's true what they say, time does stop when you meet the one you love" Eren said quietly.
He was suddenly brought back to reality by Bertholdt's voice through the phone and Mikasa's cries of pain.
"Ok Eren try to clean the baby off as best you can, and get a good look at her color, Mikasa you need to get read to delivery your placenta"
Eren looked down, "what color is she suppose to be?"
"Is she blueish anywhere?"
"No"
"Ok good she's getting oxygen on her own then"
Finally Eren saw the flashing of red and white lights and heard a siren.
"Mikasa the EMTs are here"
"Can't wait gotta push again"
The placenta shot out just as the first EMT arrived watching it splatter all over Eren's shirt.
Everything else moved in a blur. After assessing that Mikasa was not a risk of hemorrhage, they gave Eren a pair of medical scissor to cut the cord.
They got Mikasa onto a stretcher and finally after making sure the baby was ok, they handed her to her mother.
In that moment ever ounce of pain that Mikasa had felt seemed to vanish. She looked at the little girl, the little life her and the love of her life had made in sheer awe.
"Eren....we did it"
***the Hoover household***
Bertholdt finished up by talking to the paramedic, and hung in the phone.
He immediately collapsed on the couch not caring is his towel came off or if he got the couch wet.
He looked at Annie, "never in a million years did I think I would have to coach our friend on how to deliver a baby".
"Well, I thought you did a great job, Dr. Hoover", said Annie with a smile. "It was kinda cool seeing you in action.
Bertholdt went red in the face.
"How about I get a 2 glasses of the Pinot Gris in the fridge and we turn your shower into a hot bubble bath" Annie said winking at him.
"Sounds like just what the doctor needs"
***a few hours later at the hospital***
It was about 1:15am. The room was only lit by a lamp on Mikasa bedside table. It had been a whirlwind when she got her, wanting to make sure baby and mom where healthy.
She looked over at Eren who was in a pair of scrubs the hospital gave him, given his clothes were ruined. He was asleep but still holding Mikasa's hand. Her other hand fingered the soft fabric of the scarf he gave her on their first birthday as a couple. He had packed the red scarf because "hospitals are cold, and the birth coach said having a comfort item made delivery easier".
He was right it was warm.
She saw that Eren's face was still pale. Poor guy, by the time he arrived in the car at the hospital, the reality of what had happened hit him. He took one look at himself and remembered that he was incredibly squeamish proceeded to vomit on the floor and pass out
The nursing staff was able to get him up with smelling salts and gave him some anti-nausea meds and clean clothes.
Both of their families would be here in the morning to meet their new grand daughter, Emily Rose Jeager. Although Eren had wanted to change the name to Subaru since she was born in one. Mikasa was not a fan of the idea.
"Mikasa are you ok? Have you not slept at all", she heard Eren ask sleepily.
"I've been in and out, but I just can't stop looking at her", Mikasa whispered.
Eren got up and climbed into the hospital bed with Mikasa. Mikasa was glad the beds in the delivery ward were bigger. Eren laid on his side, propped up on his elbow, and looked down at the sleeping baby girl.
"She really is perfect isn't she", Mikasa said with a smile
"Just like her mother", Eren said kissing her on the cheek.
***the next day***
Bertholdt was sitting on the couch with his dog, while Annie was out with Hitch no doubt talking about their crazy night last night.
He was scrolling through Instagram and saw 2 posts.
MikaAckJeager23
It was a picture of their newborn swaddled in a cloth with turtles on it sleeping soundly
The caption read: My heart is so full right now. We didn't stick to the plan but what's life with out spontaneity. Welcome to the word Emily Rose Jeager, 8lbs 9oz. We love you Emily & are so glad you are finally here.❤️❤️❤️
Bertholdt double tapped the photo and commented a congratulations.
Jeagerbomb34
Picture of Mikasa asleep holding their baby.
The caption read: They say that time stops when you meet the one you love. Time has stopped now 2 times in my life. Welcome to the world Emily Rose, and a big thank you to our friend @BertHoover99 for helping us delivery a happy and healthy baby.
Bertholdt smiled, hit the heart button. And typed out "happy to help, super glad y'all didn't name her Subaru, btw I know a guy who can give you a deal on getting your car detailed 😉"
End