Chapter 34 - Bad Baby
Amber P.O.V-
Four months later:
"Are you sure?" Xavier asked for the umpteenth time.
"Yes!" I laughed. "The baby's due in two weeks, there's no harm in you going away for three days."
Xavier and Tommy were going to attend a meeting at another pack to make an alliance. Brandon chose to stay home this time because Xavier only needed to invite one person and Brandon went last time.
"Ok, but call me if anything happens." He ordered.
"I will." I smiled at him rubbing my heavily pregnant stomach.
He placed a quick kiss on my lips before kneeling down and kissing my stomach. "Goodbye, I love you both."
"We love you too." I smiled as he left dragging his small suitcase with him.
***
It's been a day since Xavier had gone to that meeting and I was missing him.
I waddled down the stairs being extra careful not to find and found Brandon, Tim, Dahlia and Stacy already awake.
"Morning guys." I yawned slowly sitting on the couch next to Stacy.
"I can't believe how big you are!" Stacy exclaimed placing a hand on my stomach.
That's something I won't miss about being pregnant. Random people touching my stomach because it is suddenly 'acceptable' now that I'm pregnant.
"Yeah, It's weird." I nodded.
A couple weeks ago I woke up and my feet were just gone, it was probably the weirdest morning in my life.
I winced as I felt a cramp in my stomach drawing in everyone's attention.
"Amber?" Brandon asked concerned taking the seat next to me on the other side of me.
"It's fine, it's probably just my skin stretching or Braxton hicks." I shrugged it off.
Brandon nodded but he was still worried.
"If you're sure." Tim said as he sat on Brandon's lap giving him a peck on the lips.
Dahlia had noticed I was in the room and had now got up from her place on the ground where she was coloring.
"Amby!" She ran towards me. I struggled to lean over and lift her onto my lap so Brandon had to do it for me.
"Hi!" She giggled happily. She looked at my stomach with a pout. "Baby,here now." She insisted.
Ever since she understood that I was having a baby she was excited but she didn't get why it was taking so long.
"Soon, I promise." I smiled kissing her forehead.
I winced as I got a cramp about twenty minutes later but no one noticed this time.
A couple hours passed and the cramps were getting worse, more frequent and longer. So at this point I'm pretty sure I'm going into labor.
"Brandon." I groaned as I walked into the kitchen where he was.
"You alright?" He asked as he poured himself a drink.
"I think my labor is starting." I told him.
He nearly dropped his glass as his faced changed to shock. He placed his drink down and quickly walked over to me.
"How do you know?" He asked concerned.
"I get a pain in my stomach every fifteen minutes or so and it's getting worse." I rubbed my stomach.
"How long does it last?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure, thirty seconds?" I guessed.
"Okay, call Xavier because he should get here even if it is a false alarm." Brandon told me. I nodded pulling out my phone and dialing his number, he answered almost immediately.
"Hi Amber." I could here the happiness in his voice.
"Hey." I greeted. "How's your meeting?" I didn't I should jump straight to the point as I didn't want to make him panic.
"It's not as bad as I thought it would be, but I miss you to much to have that much fun." He told me.
"So is it possible you can come home now?" I asked.
He sighed. "We haven't finished the deal yet, I would need a good excuse to suddenly leave."
"Well I'm not sure if it's a false alarm but I think I'm going into labor." I spoke quietly.
"Okay I'll leave now, just relax." He told me, I could here shuffling in the background.
I laughed. "I'm relaxed."
"I was talking to myself." I laughed at him again. "Tommy and I are in the car now." He told me.
"Alright." I groaned as I got another pain in my stomach. I heard Xavier say my name but I didn't respond till It was over.
"Amber? Are you okay?" He spoke in a concerned voice.
"Yeah I'm fine, just a contraction." I told him. "Get here safely, you don't need to speed down here."
"I don't want to miss the birth." Xavier insisted.
"It will be hours before the baby's born, my waters haven't even broke yet. Remember this could all be a false alarm." I tried to calm him.
"I don't want to take that risk." He mumbled into the phone.
"I'm going to go, the doctor said to call when anything happened."
"Fine, call me back after and tell me what he says." Xavier said. "I love you."
"I love you too." I smiled. "Goodbye."
"Bye." I ended the call.
***
I've learnt Tim is exactly like Tommy when it comes to serious situations. They are both awkward. It had been four hours since the pains started.
"Do you need anything?" Brandon asked and I shook my head.
"No, thank you." I smiled at him as we watched a movie.
The doctor told me to go to the hospital when my contractions were five minutes apart or when my water broke.
"Does it hurt? Like really bad?" Tim asked me curiously.
I laughed slightly. "At the moment it's bearable but It's going to get a lot worse." I told him before another contraction hit me.
Brandon looked at his watch straight away timing the contraction. I breathed through the pain as Stacy and Tim watched me worried.
"How long?" I asked as the contraction finished.
"Forty seconds and seven minutes apart." He told me.
I nodded but then a liquid escaped me making me freeze.
"Oh my god." Tim gasped as he noticed.
"Yeah we should go to the hospital." I spoke.
Brandon nodded helping me up.
"I'm just going to get changed quickly." I told them as Brandon helped me upstairs.
We all piled into the car as we waited for Tim to fetch the hospital bag.
"Got it." He jumped into the car.
"Stacy could you call Carla?" She nodded. "And Brandon when we get to the hospital can you call your Dad and tell him what's going on. He doesn't need to go to the hospital now but I would like if he visited after the baby's born."
"Sure." He didn't take his eyes of the road.
"Baby." Dahlia clapped excitedly. We had to bring Dahlia as there was no one to watch her.
"You're excited." I smiled at her.
"Ya!" She grinned.
***
I sat on the hospital bed with Dahlia next to me we were both coloring as I tried to distract myself when Xavier ran in.
"Amber!" He grinned walking towards me. "How are you? How's the baby?" He placed his hand on my stomach.
"We're both fine." I smiled.
"So you're definitely in labor right?" He asked and I nodded. "Is it a problem that the baby's early?"
"The doctors say that they won't know until the birth." I told him. He nodded kissing me.
"Yucky!" Dahlia exclaimed making us all laugh.
I groaned clutching my stomach as Brandon timed the contraction and Xavier whispered reassuring words.
"Bad baby." Dahlia poked my stomach lightly when my contraction finished.
"Tim can you sit with Dahlia outside?" I asked him.
He nodded standing up and picking up Dahlia. Stacy chose to follow them out.
"So what's going on? How long until you get the c-section?" Xavier questioned sitting on the edge of my bed.
"The doctors should be here soon to give me the epidural but you'll have to leave the room for that." I rested my head back on the bed.
"What! Why?" He exclaimed annoyed.
"Because both me and the specialist don't want you to faint at the needle." I commented.
"I wont faint!" He insisted.
"You're scared of needles. Please, I just want it to happen as fast as possible." I begged.
"Okay." He smiled weakly kissing my forehead.
"Brandon will be there for support so don't worry." I mumbled tiredly before another contraction hit.
"Deep breaths, baby." Xavier rubbed my arm.
A few doctors came into the room a minute later. "Are you ready?" A woman asked me.
I nodded hesitantly shifting my position.
"Am I right in saying that you will wait outside?" She asked Xavier.
"Uh yeah." He nodded walking out a small frown on his face. I know he didn't want to leave.
"Please lay on your side and pull your knees up." The doctor told me.
I did as I was told. Brandon crouched in front of me with a warm smile on his face. He could tell I was nervous. Who wouldn't be? I'm about to have a needle stuck in my spine.
I scrunched up my face as they injected me with the first injection to numb my back before I felt pressure as the epidural needle entered my back. I found it difficult to remain still when I got another contraction. I felt like I was stuck there for ages before they finally announced they were finished.
One of the nurses helped me into a comfortable position before they left. Xavier soon entered and was by my side in a second.
"How was it?" He asked worried.
"Not as bad as I thought but not the best." I mumbled.
"Are you tired?" He brushed the hair out of my face.
"It's fine." I reached out to hold his hand.
"How long until the epidural kicks in?" He sat on the edge of my bed making sure to not pull at any tubes inserted in parts of my body.
"They said about half an hour." I informed him.
"Our baby will be with us soon." He grinned his left hand on my stomach and his right hand running through my hair.
"I can't wait." I smiled.
After about twenty five minutes I officially couldn't feel most of my body and for some reason found this hilarious.
"Ok so tell me when you feel something." He giggled before reaching out to touch my leg.
Brandon walked up to and wrapped his arms around Tim's waist. "Leave her alone Tim." Brandon scolded leading him over to a few chairs where Dahlia was sleeping. Brandon pulled Tim onto his lap careful not to wake their sleeping daughter.
After a bit longer the doctors walked in and wheeled me of to the delivery room. Xavier didn't leave my side but everyone else went to get some lunch. Tommy and Carla arrived a few minutes ago.
Before I knew it I was in the room with a blue screen blocking my view of my stomach. Xavier stood beside me holding my hand.
"I want to hold our child first." I said as the doctors began.
"What! No?" He replied.
"Why not?" I laughed.
"You just held the baby for five and a half months." He retorted.
"It wasn't exactly enjoyable, my stomach is being cut open as we speak." I smiled up at him.
"Fine." He nodded glancing over the screen before a growl escaped is lips.
"Don't look if you're just going to be mad." I told him. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my lips.
"I'm fine, just worried about you and the baby." He rubbed his thumb over my hand.
"I'm fine but I'm a bit worried about the baby too." I sighed. "In human terms he's over a month early."
We made conversation until we ran out of topics as I felt tugging in my stomach just in time to hear a cry fill the room. Xavier immediately snapped his head away from me to look at our child.
The biggest grin I've ever seen spread across his face and a few tears rolled down his cheeks.
"It's a boy." The doctor spoke loudly.
"He'a beautiful." Xavier choked out.
"Really?" My voice waved as I noticed I was also crying.
"Well he would be if he wasn't covered in your blood." Xavier joked glancing at me.
I lifted my head and looked around. "Where is he?"
"They're just checking he's okay." Xavier didn't take his eyes of our son.
"Go to him." I mumbled.
He looked at me hesitantly before walking to somewhere in the room. He returned a few minutes later.
"They're going to take him to intensive care." I gasped at his words.
"Is he going to be okay?" My voice was a whisper.
"He's really small and they think he might have some lung problems." Tears rolled down Xavier's cheeks.
"Go with him." I told him.
"I said I'd stay with you." He muttered.
"Why?" I asked.
"Our son has lots of doctors taking care of him and I wouldn't want to get in the way." He spoke in a quiet voice. "And there's nothing I can do there but I can be here to support you."
I nodded my bottom lip wobbling in tears. "I haven't even see him."
"You'll see him soon, I promise." He reassured me.
The doctors finished and some nurses wheeled me of to a recovery room. I was soon in another hospital bed and I wasn't sure what to do now. Xavier laid beside me in the bed as we watched a movie on the TV in the room.
Xavier P.O.V-
Amber quickly fell asleep. After ten minutes there was a light knock on the door. I quickly got out of the door before whoever it was wouldn't wake up Amber.
I opened the door to see everyone standing there looking at me expectantly. My mum came up and hugged me.
"You all need to be quiet Amber's asleep." I told them.
"Aw you cried." Tommy grinned at me.
"Uh yeah." I rubbed the back of my neck as I stepped out of the room closing the door behind me.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Brandon asked.
"A beautiful baby boy." I smiled.
My dad looked at me confused. "So where is he? I can only here Amber's heart beat in there."
"They took him to the NICU." They looked at me worried. "Because he's early he's too small and they think he has something wrong with his lungs."
"Oh honey!" My mother hugged me.
"I'm fine mum." I reassured her.
"Is Amber okay?" Stacy asked.
"I'm not sure." I looked in the direction of the room. "We didn't talk much."
"Xavier?" I heard Amber's voice call.
I immediately went back into the room to find her trying to sit up.
"I'm here." I walked towards her. "I was just talking to everyone outside." I spoke as I helped her up.
"Oh, why didn't you invite them in?" She asked.
"I didn't want them to wake you." I shrugged.
"Well don't make them stand in the doorway." She gestured to where Brandon and my mum were peaking there head in to look at us. "You can all come in." Just like that we were swarmed by family and friends.
They chatted and laughed for hours while Amber and I listened quietly wanting nothing more than to see our son. Amber's epidural had worn of now and we were ready to see our son.
The nurse came in and we helped Amber into a wheelchair. The nurse guided us down some hallways as I pushed Amber. We both teared up instantly as we entered the unit.
Laying in an incubator in the middle of the room was our son small tubes in his arm and a large tube helping him breath. I quickly wheeled Amber over to our baby, both of us eager to see him.
"Hi baby." Amber whispered as she looked at him for the first time. "He's so small."
"I know." I nodded. "He's beautiful though."
"He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She cried.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked the nurse.
"He weighs only five pounds and seven ounces, and he has a pneumothorax in his left lung." She explained.
"What does that mean?" Amber questioned.
"It's where the air is escaping his lung because of a hole in the tissue." She told us.
"He'll be okay though right?" I looked at the nurse with pleading eyes.
"He continues they way he is now then he'll be fine in no time. He does have to gain some weight before he is allowed to leave." She tells us.
"He'll be fine." I repeated.