The ride home from the hospital that evening was eerily quiet. The radio was turned off and neither Chloe nor Lucifer said a word. Only the sound of passing traffic disturbed the silence.
Today was October twenty-first, also known as Chloe's due date and the end of the third trimester of her pregnancy. They had a regularly scheduled appointment today to see how Baby Deckerstar's progress was, but the results weren't exactly hopeful.
Over the last few days, Chloe had begun to feel extremely uncomfortable and officially started her maternity leave when she clocked out a few hours ago, none of which she was overly thrilled with, but she knew that all of this discomfort and waiting would be over soon. She had also been experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions, but they weren't excruciating, just annoying. She had experienced them about thirteen years ago in the weeks leading up to Trixie's birth.
But then Dr. Johnson performed an ultrasound and crushed Chloe's hopes. Since Chloe was just shy of forty weeks along, they would now be checking to see for further signs of labor. Chloe had none, except that there was a fully-formed baby in her uterus. Despite the early contractions, the baby had not dropped yet, nor had Chloe begun to dilate.
Dr. Johnson didn't seem overly concerned, but she didn't exactly like that there were no signs of the baby coming in the near future.
Lucifer didn't say much while Dr. Johnson explained what was happening, but Chloe imagined he was just confused by all of this, being a first-time parent.
"So...at this point, I really don't think your baby's coming this week, like we had all hoped. At least...not on her own."
Lucifer squeezed Chloe's hand gently and asked, "You're not planning on cutting her out are you?"
The panic in his voice alarmed Chloe, but also warmed her heart. He had really stepped up to the plate in the last few weeks, and he was extremely protective of their unborn daughter, his fight early last month with his sister proved that. He may be getting a bit dramatic over this, but it was definitely an option to consider.
"No no no," Dr. Johnson assured quickly. "Your plan from the start, Chloe, has been a vaginal birth, and I want what you want. We can, of course, schedule a C-Section if you decide that's the way you want to go, but I don't think we have to go there just yet. My advice to you would be to induce labor, sooner rather than later."
Chloe suddenly felt very nauseous.
"We could make an appointment for this time next week. Normally, I would be able to give you more time to think about this, but considering that you're already forty weeks and the baby isn't even in the position to go through the birth canal, I'd say the longest we can wait is seven days before inducing labor."
Lucifer shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to the table Chloe was on.
Chloe's words came out smaller and weaker than she had intended them to, "I, uh, I think we're going to need some time to talk about this."
Dr. Johnson nodded with a polite smile and replied, "All right. For now, I am going to have the nurse at the desk schedule you an appointment for the twenty-eighth. If, by some miracle, she comes before then, that's great, but I've got a feeling I'll be seeing the both of you early this time next week."
Lucifer and Chloe shook Dr. Johnson's hand as she left the room, and soon after, they left without a word.
Lucifer pulled into his reserved spot in the Lux parking garage and turned off the engine. They both unbuckled their seat belts, but neither made any moves to leave the car just yet.
Chloe looked down at her stomach that looked ready to pop, but clearly wasn't according to Dr. Johnson. She felt tears prickle her eyes and she sniffed.
"Detective?" Lucifer asked softly through the quiet.
Chloe shook her head and answered, "I don't know what to do."
Lucifer turned in his seat and squeezed her fingers in his. He was looking at her softly, with almost a lost expression. Chloe had been leading this parenting partnership they had been working on for the last nine months, and now that she needed help, he didn't know how to.
"Of course, I want her to come as soon as possible, I can't wait to meet her, but...but I don't want her forced out if she's not ready!"
She hyperventilated more than cried, but Lucifer didn't let go of her once; instead he drew her in closer to him over the certain console and rubbed comforting circles on her back.
When Chloe calmed down and quieted a few minutes later, he calmly asked, "Can I tell you what I think about all of this?"
She looked up at him, his eyes dark and a little misty, his mouth turned down into a frown, and his gaze directed at the dashboard. It struck Chloe that they were having one of their vulnerability moments; he stuck by her side as she broke down, and now it was her turn to do the same for him.
"I have been doing a lot of reading...of research. Lately, uh, after you fall asleep, I just...can't. Thoughts and worries and dreams keeping me up," He gestured to his head with his free hand. Chloe nodded for him to continue.
"Detective...Chloe," He looked her in the eyes, "I cannot muck this up. I-it literally sickens me to think that I could hurt her...that I could poison our child for just considering her m-my...family."
He sniffed and looked back to the floor. Chloe's heart shattered for him.
"S-so that's why I made a nice bedroom for her, and have been doing all of this online reading. I-I want to be prepared for anything a spawn could throw at me." Part of Lucifer wanted to laugh as he remembered being adamantly against further parenting research last spring and how drastically different his attitude toward it was now.
Lines on his face began to crease with anger as his voice raised, "And my siblings don't think I'm good enough, but they can go suck a-"
"Don't."
"-if they think I'm not going to protect those that I love even after my dying breath." He paused for a breath and then continued, "My top priority, Detective, is to keep you and our offspring alive and safe. I think Dr. Johnson wants to induce labor because she doesn't want the child to keep growing until she's too big for you to deliver. That's why human spawn are born so much earlier than other mammals, did you know that? Dad gave you lot higher cognitive functioning, so you got larger heads, and it ended up being too dangerous for females to deliver in the time their offspring really needed to be fully developed, so He made your gestation periods shorter."
"N-no I didn't know that," Chloe admitted. It did make some sense though.
"So, s-she's going to keep growing either way, and it's not safe for you to be pregnant with her anymore."
His lips quivered and Chloe felt like she was about to start crying again. The one place that was supposed to nurture and grow her daughter for the last nine months was no longer safe for her, and Chloe couldn't help but somewhat feel like a failure, even though logic told her that this wasn't her fault.
She scoffed as a funny thought occurred to her, "You know...we're at the point where I have to deliver for safety reasons, and it's not even because she's half-angel. This is just another normal human pregnancy complication. I'm sure doctors and mothers see this all the time."
Lucifer forced a smile and added, "You've just made so nice a home for her that she doesn't want to leave."
Chloe rubbed her free hand over her stomach and directed her next comment to the baby, "And I love that you're comfortable and happy, but Mom needs her body back please,"
She and Lucifer chuckled.
"So...induction...final decision?"
Lucifer nodded and replied, "Yes. That is...that is my executive decision as Dad. Oh...bloody hell that's a terrifying statement." He grimaced.
Chloe laughed and nodded. Then she asked, "October twenty-eighth?"
Lucifer smiled and gave a small nod, "October twenty-eighth."
They headed inside not long after, and Chloe decided to keep living like she had been, like the baby could come any hour now.
While Lucifer made them dinner, she triple checked her hospital bag (that had been packed for about three months now).
It was full of things for her and the baby. For Chloe, there were comfortable changes of clothes, breastfeeding equipment, a favorite blanket in case the hospital was cold, feminine products, shower products, postpartum undergarments, and a few snacks. For the baby, she had packed three newborn outfits she had gotten at the baby shower, a cute gray blanket with monkeys on it (Trixie's gift to her baby sister), diapers, creams, and a few just-in-case items.
She wandered into the kitchen and asked, "Hey, have you packed your hospital bag yet? Just in case we do go into labor before next week."
His attention on the stove, Lucifer answered, "Yes, yes. I had it packed months ago when you asked me to."
"Okay..." Chloe asked slowly. She hadn't seen this bag yet. "What did you pack?"
"I took advice from some of the forums I read online. They suggested about three changes of clothes, some old t-shirts in case the offspring's bodily fluids end up on me somehow, a pillow and a blanket for that despicable couch-bed, a jumper, entertainment, and some snacks."
Chloe nodded with a smile. "Sounds good. You should probably put it by mine and Iris's so that if we're in a rush we don't have to keep looking for it."
"What did you say?"
"Oh an we need to get the car seat in the car, set up the high chair and bassinet..." Chloe knew what she said and what he was freaking out about, she didn't care though.
Lucifer mixed around the cooking dinner some more and then turned his full attention to her, "Hold on! I thought we agreed to wait until we saw her to name her."
"No..." Chloe drawled, "You said that's what you wanted to do. I know that this is her name, Lucifer."
He shook his head and turned back to the dinner.
Chloe couldn't help put notice the tight, agitated movement of his muscles under his shirt.
She shook her head clear of the intense, constantly changing feelings. It was just hormones again and they were supposed to be arguing about their daughter's name.
"Whatever...I'm going to go find the stuff that still needs to be set up."
"You'll do no such thing! You're nine, nearly ten, months pregnant and you've been on your feet far too long today. Dinner is almost ready. Now, please sit down Detective."
For once, she was glad he fought her. Chloe's feet and back were killing her, and the smell of food was making her salivate.
She did what she was told, and soon, he brought two plates over to the table for dinner.
They ate in mostly silence until Lucifer's mouth turned up into a smile, creating little crow's feet in the corners of his eyes.
"All of this induction talk just, for whatever reason, got me thinking about us today. Then - and I don't know why - but I thought of that weird princess movie the urchin made me watch with you that one time...the one with the cat named after me."
"Cinderella?" Chloe asked.
"Yes! That's the one!" Lucifer exclaimed, "Well, there was this one line that they plot-convenience fairy godmother said about how even miracles take a little time, and for some reason, the bloody Disney movie made me feel better about this whole mess." He stabbed a green bean angrily.
Chloe smiled and nodded. "Maybe this is just a sign that's she going to have horrible punctuality."
They laughed and finished their dinner in peace.