Nick:
I've been sleeping on and off the entire night, too anxious about Charlie's labor that once it hit 8am, I didn't even bother trying anymore!!
I lay behind Charlie, spooning him with one arm across his waist and the other in his hair. I didn't want to wake him up knowing that we're probably in for a long day so I just lay there patiently.
Almost an hour later, I felt Charlie start to move in my arms. I knew that that's his thing to let me know that he's up, but I wait until he turns to face me anyways. "Hi!" He groans with a bit of morning rasps. I push a curl behind his ears "mornin'" "how do you feel!?!?" He asks me and I smile, giggling a bit "you're the one that could give birth any minute now and you're asking me how I feel" "well you freaked out on me a bit last night!!" "I didn't freak out...I was just making sure everything was ready!!" "Mmmk" "well how are you?!?" I ask with a bunch of emphasis "I'm good!! I don't think it'll hit me until the exact moment I start!!" Charlie says and I nod, still running my hands through his hair "you up for a walk before I go?!?" I ask, noticing that Nellie made her way to us " in a few...just want you to hold me for a bit!!" "I can do that" I say, adjusting myself to make sure Charlie is comfortable!!
We stay in bed for over half an hour, not even talking really, just holding each other until Nellie decides that we're taking too long. "She's so bossy!!" Charlie says, groaning as he sits up "she just wants to go for a walk, huh girl!!?!" I grab her from off our bed, running my hands through her fur. "She gets it from you" "really?!!? She's been attached to your hip!!" I say, throwing a hoodie on "you're just jealous" "nah, there's enough Nellie to go around...I'll always be her favorite though!!" I say with a smirk, causing Charlie to roll his eyes at me.
Charlie and I both quickly throw clothes on before going downstairs to get Nellie's leash and heading out the door.
We walk with our hands interlocked to a local park that's usually not too busy. For majority of the walk, we sit in a comfortable silence, occasionally pointing out some interesting things that we see! When we arrive, Charlie goes to the bench that we declared ours while Nellie and I play fetch with a random stick. I make sure to glance over at Charlie every once in a while, but he's already staring back at me every time.
"You alright there?!?" Charlie asks me as I approach him, breathing heavy after playing chase with Nellie!! "I swear she never runs out of energy" I say, plopping down on the bench as Nellie sits in front of us, ready to play some more.
Charlie throws Nellie's stick from the bench a couple of times before a certain feeling stops him. "You alright?!?" I ask him as he holds his stomach "yeah...she's just kicking a bit" he says while rubbing his stomach for comfort and almost immediately, Nellie pops her head up on his lap making him smile. I try to pull my phone out discreetly, only to blow my cover when the shutter sound of my camera goes off "Nicckkk" Charlie groans "what?!? It's for our photo book" I say with a smirk, just to receive a sigh from char!!
Once Rome's kicks start to slow down, we decide to start walking back home so that I can get ready. The walk back was the same as it was there, the two of us with our fingers interlocked, walking in a comfortable silence until we got home. I put Nellie's things away as Charlie went upstairs. I took a glance at him after I heard a slight moan "char?!?" "Fine, just need a minute!!" "You sure?!?" I ask, only getting a nod since his face is all frowned up with pain. I was still a bit on edge but didn't push anymore because I trust that he'd tell me if his pains were labor intense.
Charlie took a shower while I just changed into my training clothes. Before I finished getting ready, I had to wait for Charlie to finish his 30 minute concert/shower, but once he finally got out, I washed my face and brushed my teeth before going downstairs to pack my bag.
"I'll be checking my phone constantly ok, so just call me and I'll be on my way if you need me!!" I say, cupping Charlie's face so he's looking directly into my eyes "i will, promise!!" He says so I kneel down, moving my hands to his stomach "Rome, please be so good for your dad and if you feel like you want to come into the world while I'm gone....don't, love you lots" I say ending it with a kiss to the stomach. I stand up, being greeted with Charlie's big smile while he shakes his head "you're so weird you know" Charlie says giggling, but I ignore it as I pull him in for another hug and kiss before I leave!!
Charlie:
Nick left for training a bit ago, but he'll still be gone for another three hours. I know that he's been worried about me going into labor while he's gone, but I really don't think it'll happen. I've only had a couple sharp pains, and a few kicks so far which honestly worries me more because if Rome doesn't come today, something's wrong!!
For an hour out of three, I lounge around on the couch with Nellie, watching tv while I try to distract myself from eating too heavy, if anything at all!!
On hour two, I took Nellie for a quick walk before I started to have some harsher pains, and just let her run around in our backyard while I texted Nick to give an update.
We're now passed hour three, meaning that Nick should be home some time soon, which is just my luck because somewhere between 2:15pm and 3:20pm, these cramps have been getting more and more unbearable! I would call Nick to see how close he is, but im bent over the island, trying to push through this while my phone is on the counter, across the kitchen!!
When it finally goes away, I use the short time in between to get my phone and call Nick!
"Hi char" He says all calm "Nick, I've got some sort of cramp again! They're like on and off!!" I groan, feeling another one about to come up "ok, I'm pulling in now baby, where are you?!?" "Kitchen" I say before I get the notification from our doorbell camera that there's motion detected. I hang up our call as soon as I hear his keys jingle, and then his footsteps running over to me. "How long have you been feeling them" "I don't know like 30 minutes" I groan out as I rock back and forth "I'm gonna call Dr.M" he says, starting to pace while he waits for someone to answer. I hear a receptionist pick up before Nick apologizes for calling so much recently, but expressing his need to talk to our doctor. "They're transferring me" he says, giving me an update. I hear a female voice, assuming that it's Dr.M, but I can't make out what she's saying until Nick responds "I wasn't here for when they first started so I don't really know!!" He says before continuing "yeah I can do that!!". Nick walks over to me "char, I need you to tell me when your next one starts and ends ok" he says and I nod, bracing myself for the next bit of pain I'll endure.
"Ok, now" I say and Nick starts a timer and lets Dr.M know too!! "Done" I say letting out a deep breath as I stand all the way up again "ok it was just over 40 seconds!!" Nick says into the phone before receiving more orders from Dr.M "ok, now measure the length in between them" she says causing Nick to start another timer. After a bit, I signal that another one's started and nick says that there was about a six minute gap " so that means he's in early labor!! Once he hits a consistent four minute gap and one minute contraction for an hour, that's when you head to a hospital " she says. Nick thanks her, hanging up after all of our other questions are answered.
The first couple of contractions that we tracked were pretty bearable, just really uncomfortable, but now that it's been two hours since I first felt them, the gap in between is getting shorter while the pain is more unbearable and stays for longer.
"You're doing great love!!" Nick says as he adds pressure to my hips while I lean on the wall. Our room is filled with my groans for over forty seconds "how long was that one?!" I ask, hearing the pain in my own voice "just under five" "this is fucking hell" "I know love" Nick says trying to comfort, but honestly I don't care about anything else but getting to a 1 minute contraction!
I walk over to our bed, kneeling down in front of it while I rest my arms and head on my pillow "it starts in my hips and then makes its way arou-" I get cut off by another one. I rock side to side, trying to control my breaths until it goes away "that one felt shorter...and hurt more!!" "It was, four minutes and 23 seconds in between" Nick says as he sits next to me "Nick it's really hot!!" I pant "do you wanna take your shirt off?!?" "And a cold towel...and water please" I say before Nick helps me with my shirt. I put my hands on my bare stomach, rubbing all over it, trying to find some sort of comfort. Nick runs downstairs, coming back up quickly with a large bowl and two of my water bottles. He goes into our bathroom to fill that bowl with water and grab multiple washcloths before placing them on my neck, and running some along my face!!
About another thirty minutes passes before I finally get close, having 55 second contractions with a 4 minute and 8 second gap. The pain is getting so bad that I've been crying during the last few. Nick had looked up some things to try and help sooth them, which is why I'm now in a warm bath, leaned over the edge as I rest my head on nicks shoulder. "You're doing do great char" he says, turning his head to kiss my face as he runs his hands up and down my back. "It hurts so much!!" I sob out as I feel another one starting "I know baby, I know, but you're being so strong for Rome!! You're almost there, I promise!!" Nick comforts me through this one that was just under a minute again.
I lean back against the tub, waiting for the next one while Nick holds my water for me to drink. "Mmm" I moan feeling it "baby that's four minutes exact!!" Nick says while I squeeze his hand. I breath out once it was over "you did it baby, just a couple more times and we'll go!!" "It was a minute long?!?" I ask and Nick chuckles a bit "yea, and a four minute gap" "thank god!!"
For the next thirty minutes, during the gap in between my contractions, we've been getting ready. Nick helped me get dressed and brought me downstairs before setting me on the couch while he packed the car. When he was done, I was practically at an hour so we just decided to leave anyways. The usual calm 15 minute drive to the nearest hospital, felt like hours and was very painful.
As soon as we got in a parking spot, Nick did not hesitate to get out and carry me in to the labor/delivery section of the hospital. A receptionist checked us in and gave me a wheelchair before leading us back to the room we'd be in.
Almost immediately, a nurse by the name of lily came in to check on me and measure a few things. "Do you know how dilated you are?!?" She asks and I shake my head "no" "ok, that's fine. We're gonna get you in a hospital gown and then check on that alright!!?!" She says before handing me a gown from under her cart.
Nick helps me into the bathroom and to change out of my clothes, so I was done fairly quick. I had to wait a minute to get back onto the bed since it's a bit difficult to do mid contraction, but once I did, lily pushed my legs up so that they're at an angle before she puts her gloved finger down in my opening. She doesn't say anything but write something down on a piece of paper. I look at Nick who's letting me squeeze his hand before I look back over at our nurse "I'm gonna do a quick ultrasound to check the positioning of the baby. You said you were already at a 4-1-1, right?!?" She asks and Nick answers for me as she rubs the cold gel on my stomach. She checks on the baby, taking a pause in between to let me breath through this contraction. Lily hadn't said much so I really thought all was well, even when she said she was going to get a doctor.
Our nurse came back with a doctor who referred to herself as Dr.Jones. She greeted both Nick and I before explaining what she was gonna do. She practically did the same thing as lily had done before. Dr.Jones had taken a look at our nurse's paper before actually talking to Nick and I "So, with the timing of your contractions and the positioning of the baby, you should be pushing, but because you aren't as dilated as you should be, you can't, which is causing a stressed baby and a bit of inflammation!! We'll need to perform a episiotomy for a safe delivery" "w-what does that mean?!?" Nick asks. I can hear the pure panic in his voice so I squeeze his hand a bit more "we'll have to create a bigger opening for the baby. Baby's ready, just doesn't have enough room to come out, so we need to do this as soon as possible!!" She explains. I look at nick, kind of stuck "it's ok baby" he says rubbing his thumb along my knuckles, and placing a kiss on my forehead "can I be in the room" he asks "yes, you'll be cutting the cord I assume?!?" "Yes" "perfect!! Ok, we'll need to get going now." Dr. Jones says and I'm suddenly being rolled out of the room, into another where they put a mask on me...
Nick:
When we got to the operation room, they took Charlie in to give him the mask for anesthesia while I had to put on a disposable scrub set, mask and gloves. As soon as I get into the room with Charlie, I stand by his head, holding one of his hands between my own.
There are so many different voices flooding the room, that I don't really know what's happening until one of the surgeons says that he's made the first incision. I close my eyes, reminding myself that it was gonna be smooth sailing from here as someone behind me says that Charlie's doing well and stable. I make sure to remember that so I can tell him when this is over.
I continue to hold his hand as the doctors talk around me. I realize that I've zoned out once they've had to call my name several times "yea...sorry!" I say now alert "the baby should be coming soon so we're gonna wake Charlie up. We'll need you to talk to him when he does just in case he freaks out" "ok" I nod as I change my position so he'll be able to see me once he wakes up. I trace the feature of his face, and run my fingers along his hand waiting for him to show me that he's waking up. I pay close attention, noticing his eyes and lips start to twitch. I wait until they become a bit more clear before I start talking to him. "Hi baby, our little bean is gonna come soon. You've been so strong and doing so good the whole time" I whisper, only stopping when I heard a low groan "he's up" a doctor behind us says "ok Charlie, you're gonna feel some pinches and pains as we help you push" one of the other doctors says as Charlie's groans become more and more intense "you got it baby, almost there" I say as the doctors communicate that they've got a head. "I can't!!" Charlie groans out "you can baby, you're so close" "we just need two more pushes Charlie" a doctor says and Charlie shakes his head as a few tears run down his face before I wipe them away "look at me baby!!" I say and he does with tired, red eyes "deep breaths ok and then you tell me when you're ready" he closes his eyes, clearly focusing on his breaths before he squeezes my hand, pushing once more. After the first push we hear Rome's cries which encouraged Charlie to quickly push again with no warning, and before we knew it, the doctor was bringing her over to lay on Charlie's chest. "Here she is!!" The doctor says. I feel some of my own tears as I lean down to kiss Charlie's forehead "you did it baby!!".
I cut the umbilical cord as Charlie holds Rome close to him. "Blonde hair...called it" he says as he smooths it down a bit. I giggle, running my hands through Charlie's hair "I see some curls in there!!" I say
They give Charlie five minutes before having to put him back under so that they can stitch him back up. A nurse comes in, wrapping Rome in a pink blanket and hat before handing her back to me. The nurse leads us to the room that Charlie will be in after the operation, but for now she takes measurements, telling me that Rome weighs 7lbs, a bit over 3 kilos and is 19 inches long!! After all of her measurements are taken, the nurse leaves the two of us, so I take Rome back in my arms to admire her some more. "Hi baby girl!" I whisper, taking her little hat off so that I can see her baby curls. She lays in my arms, pretty calm, only moving to stretch a bit. I run my finger over her tiny hand until she grabs it, causing me to melt.
I hold her close to my chest, kissing her little cheeks here and there until she starts to whine a bit. I stand up, bouncing around with her until she stops. Once I sit back down, I realize that her eyes are wide open "look at you..you've got Dad's brown eyes huh?!?" I smile
The two of us were left alone in the room for a little over 20 minutes until there was finally a knock on the door, followed by two doctors bringing Charlie back to me. I stand up to walk over to the bed that they transferred him to "he just woke up so he might be a bit groggy for another minute or two" one of the doctors says. They tell me everything I need to know for the night, finishing it off with locating the button to press if we need help. I thank them again before they leave us.
I walk back over to Charlie who looks a bit more alert now "how you feeling?!?" I ask, holding Rome in one arm and pushing Charlie's hair back with the other "tired" "I know. You did so good though,baby!!" I say, kissing the corner of his lips, causing a bit of a smile. "Is she up?!?" "Yup, you wanna hold her?!?" Charlie nods, holding his arms out. Once she hits his chest, Charlie's jaw drops "she's got brown eyes" "yea, she's like the perfect mix of both of us, huh?!?" I smile, sitting down next to the bed.
Both Charlie and I were just admiring our new baby girl when all of sudden she started to get a bit fussy. Charlie was leaking a bit so we assumed that she was hungry. I took Rome from his arms as I helped him untie the gown before putting her back down on his chest. Once she latches on, Charlie pushes her little strands of curls back a bit, poking his bottom lip out "she's so cute" "she takes after her dad!" "She's definitely got your nose though!!" He says and I smile, watching the rest of their first feeding, staying nearby in case something goes wrong.
After a bit, Rome wasn't taking anymore milk, so Charlie pumped the rest while I rocked her to sleep. When he was done, I transferred the milk into bottles, and then to a fridge that was provided. I sat back down, moving carefully as I move one of my hands from under Rome to interlock with Charlie's, soothing them both until I'm the last one awake.
Eventually, I felt myself start to drift off so I put Ro in her own little secure cot before I sat back down, putting Charlie's hand back in mine as I close my eyes.
I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but before I knew it, the sound of sobs woke me up. I'm a much lighter sleeper than Charlie, so of course I was the first to attend to her. I get up, picking Ro up in my arms and she almost immediately calms down "you just wanted some attention, huh bean?!?" I say walking around and bouncing her in my arms. I eventually grab my phone, revealing that it's a little over 9pm, meaning I slept for a bit more than an hour.
Ro and I sat around for another 30 minutes until Charlie started to fidget awake "hi" I say, just to let him know that I'm still here. He turns, following my voice before he looks at me "how'd you sleep?!" I ask "mmm...fine, the stitches are just very uncomfortable" "do you want me to call someone?!?" "No, will you get me food though!?" He asks, tilting his head at me " yes, I can do that char!!" "I want sushi though!!" "I promise, getting sushi will be the first thing we do once we're out of here ok!?!? But for now you're stuck with spaghetti or meatloaf" "I could cry!!" " I know, I'm sorry!!! They've got cookies too" I read the menu off the wall. "Can you just FaceTime me when you get down there so I can see what it looks like?!?" Charlie asks and I nod, setting Rome in his arms and his phone right next to him.
As soon as I leave the room, I FaceTime Charlie "no way you're there already" he says after he picks up "No, I just missed you too much already" I smirk "such a sap!!" He says as I enter the elevator, going down to the first floor. Once I get to the cafeteria. I take a tray and go through the line, making sure to show Charlie every last option. When I get to the end of the line, a cashier asks for my room number so that they can charge us later. "I've gotta put you in my pocket so that I can carry the tray!" I say to Charlie as I make my way back up.
When I get into the room again, I set the tray on the little table that we have before I look over at the two "she asleep again!?" "Yea, almost right after you left!!" "Do you want me to take her while you eat!!?" I ask, trying to figure out what'll be the most comfortable for Charlie "did you not get anything?!" " I did, I can put her in the cot or just wait for you" "ok, can you help me sit up though" he asks, so I take Rome from him first, setting her down before I attend to Charlie. He releases a groan or two as I help him, but sighs once he finds a comfortable position. "Ok, two fruit cups and a cookie" I say, setting it all in his lap. I sit back down in my chair, in between Charlie's bed, and Ro's cot as I start to eat the spaghetti I got "it's not as bad-" I pause mid sentence as I glance up at Charlie "what's wrong, you not hungry anymore?!?" "Can you...feed it to me?!?" Charlie asks and I smile a bit, putting my plate aside as I grab the food from his lap "of course, char"
I feed Charlie the first cup of fruit, taking a bit of a break before I give him the next one. "I can't believe this is my life!!" Charlie sighs, laying back against a pillow "what?!? Me feeding you fruit?!?" I chuckle " well yes, but I mean like, I've got a baby with the most amazing boy who's put up with me for almost 10 years. I didn't even dream of this when I was 15!" Charlie says, looking at me with a smile and soft eyes. I stand up, hovering over the bed to where I could kiss him "I love getting to put up with you!" "I love you and our little girl" he says glancing at her, sleeping peacefully!!
I finish feeding Charlie his fruit before I start eating my own meal while he snacks on the cookie.
We sit around, watching tv and talking for a while. I can tell that Charlie's getting tired, but too anxious to fall asleep on the baby's first night.
At around 11pm, Rome wakes up again, so I hand her to Charlie, also giving him a bottle to feed her with before I force him to go to sleep, reassuring him that I'll stay up to watch her, so Rome and I lounge together until she leaves me hanging again at around 12am!!
A/N: hope the wait was worth it but BABY ROME IS HERREEE!!!
I'll do my best to write some more this week but my mind is very much occupied with young royals lol (I'm not an OG Heartstopper fan...I watched yr first and then got put on to Heartstopper later on- sorry to disappoint lol🥲)
Also, if anyone is interested in a yr fic lmk bc I love wilmon...Nick and Charlie are just a bit easier to write about imo 😩