July 2031
"I'm going to murder you," I spit at Ellis, glaring full force as he smirks. And then shrugs.
Fucking shrugs. Is he having a fucking laugh?
"Forget it," I snap. "Go home. Savannah will be here soon."
"No," he merely answers, sitting back and lifting his legs, putting his feet on the bed beside me.
I take a deep breath, closing my eyes before pasting a fake smile on my face. "I really don't see the need for you to be here."
"Tough shit," he answers, eyes fixed on the TV in the far corner of the room.
I hiss in pain before wiping my hands across my face and slapping them down on the mattress. "Ellis!" I whine.
"I'm not going anywhere, Becky," he tells me, turning towards me and shaking his head. "No matter what you say."
"I hate you!"
"No you don't."
"I... I..." Can't fucking lie to him. Instead, I turn away, crossing my arms over my chest and pouting.
"Why are you so upset about this anyway?"
"Because..."
"Because?"
"I don't want you to see... my... you know... like that."
Ellis sighs, dropping his head to his hands. "How many times have we been over this? I love your pussy. And I always will. Even after our baby comes through it."
"Not if you see it coming out," I insist. "We never discussed that."
"Becky—"
"Do you know how big they go? A whole fucking head coming out of it. That's not pretty. You'll never look at me the same again."
"Rebecca," Ellis snaps. I pout once more. "I'm staying with you throughout your labor. And I don't care what it looks like."
"You say that now," I grumble.
Ellis rolls his eyes. "You're pushing a fucking baby out. I think I'll have bigger things on my mind."
"We'll see," I huff, giving into his demands and instead sulking. Ellis' phone suddenly pings and he digs it out of his pocket, glancing at the screen.
"Good news. Your mum found our overnight bag," he tells me. "She's bringing it now."
I nod at the news, letting my head fall back on the hospital pillow. Only Ellis and I could forget the damn hospital bag when we left the house two hours ago in a panic. Luckily, my mum was more than happy to go and grab it for us.
"I blame you," I tell him. "For forgetting it."
"Me?"
"I was in pain!"
"You were not," he retorts. "In fact, I think you were having a great time."
I kiss my lips and let the argument slide. He's right. As usual. We were both having a great time, me bent over the edge of the bed, thinking that nothing could go wrong.
Apparently your water breaking halfway through sex when you're due any day is quite common. Who knew?
Definitely not us.
Hence the panic.
And now, here we are, settled into the hospital and both nervous wrecks.
"It was pretty good, wasn't it?" His question surprises me. "The sex?"
I grin, opening my eyes and looking over at him. "It was fucking amazing."
Ellis smirks, leaning over and dipping his head to mine, claiming my lips in a frenzied kiss. I reach up, wrapping my hand around the back of his head and drawing him even closer.
"Hello—Whoa!" Savannah's exclamation from the doorway has us both pulling away. "I didn't realize that this was an x-rated hospital."
"They make everywhere x-rated," Brett comments from behind her.
"Like you two can talk," Ellis retorts, falling back into his seat beside the bed. "Where's Dais?"
Savannah walks towards me, fluffing up the pillow behind my head. "It's one in the morning. She's with Alice."
I breathe a small sigh of relief, Brett and Savannah's angelic child having taken the term 'terrible twos' to the extreme recently. A screaming brunette toddler is not what I need to see right now, as much as I love her.
"Alice was available? I would have thought she would have been too busy hanging out with Ben every second that he's in town—"
"Shut up," Brett growls out, eyes flashing a warning to Ellis. I can't help but smirk as Ellis holds up his hands in surrender and slouches back. Brett hasn't exactly warmed to his sister's relationship with one of his friends. Meanwhile, I secretly love it — innocent Alice interested in her brother's friend, a ten year age gap between them. It's scandalous. Forbidden. Just what I like to hear.
"Alright," Savannah exclaims, glaring between the two men. "Can we focus on what we're here for, please."
At her words, a huge contraction takes over my body and I groan, vaulting forward and clutching at my stomach. Mother fucker. This shit takes the absolute piss.
"Breathe through it." Ellis is instantly at my side and I shoot him a glare. He did this to me.
"If you think this is painful, just wait until the next bit," Brett pipes up from the corner of the room. Savannah instantly picks up the chocolate bar from the cabinet beside me, launching it across the room at him before she follows, cursing and shoving until he disappears out the door.
"I'll show you painful once this is over, Winters!" I call after him, finally falling back against the pillow once more as the contraction eases. Ellis smiles with amusement, reaching forward and wrapping his fingers through mine.
"We've got this," he whispers to me. I nod, smiling as I tighten my grip on him.
"Just a little perseverance," I mutter. Ellis laughs.
*~*~*
I'm sore everywhere. Every single inch of my body aches, shooting pains erupting in places I didn't know existed every few minutes.
It was horrific.
I don't know why women put up with this shit. Next time — if there's a next time — I'll be heading straight for the c-section route. Never again.
But somehow... it all seems worth it.
I'm staring down at the bundle of blankets in my arms, the tiniest nose poking out, the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen, the smallest eyelashes, the cutest lips. And I fucking love it.
The bundle is mine. All mine.
I made him.
With a little help from someone else I guess.
He's fucking perfect. Our baby boy. Baby Wakefield-Gordon.
"You were amazing," Ellis murmurs from beside me, reaching over and gently stroking the smallest cheek I've ever seen. Ellis' eyes flash to mine and I smile. "I mean it. You're a fucking goddess."
Smirking, I reply, "Language!"
Ellis scoffs. "He won't know what he's hearing yet."
"Doesn't matter," I muse, looking down at my silent, sleeping baby. "We should set a good example from the start."
Ellis chuckles, low and quiet as he slides even closer to me. "Don't tell me Becky Gordon is going to completely change now that she's a mother?"
I shrug, smiling at him. "We'll see."
His brow cocks. "But I like—"
"You'll like the changes," I insist, interrupting him.
Ellis' eyes widen. "You don't mean..."
I laugh, leaning forward and resting my forehead on his. "Maybe if you ask me to marry you in a year, I'll say yes."
"You will?" His face lights up like it's fucking Christmas. He's been pestering me for ten months now about marriage, whether I'll ever want to do it, begging me to let him propose. And now... I finally feel like I'm nearly ready. Nearly.
"A year, Ellis," I warn him. "Not now."
Ellis grins, wide and full of joy. "Noted."
The bundle of joy starts to wriggle in my arms and we both grin, looking down at him as his bright green eyes open, straight up at us.
"Looks to me like baby Beckett approves of this plan," Ellis exclaims, holding his finger out towards the small fingers that erupt from the mass of blankets. I grin, nodding before leaning in to Ellis and resting my lips against his, a calm, peaceful kiss full of warmth and familiarity as we look forward to our future.
As a family.
As one.
A team united forevermore.