Matty
"Come on in." George said to me when he answered the door. I gave him a nod and followed him down the hallway and into the living room. Sometimes it's still a little weird that Alyssa doesn't stay here anymore. I still feel like I'll run into her in here and have weirdly awkward conversations, despite the fact we see each other almost every day at this point.
"So are you ready for this hardcore gaming session we're about to start?" I asked George. He nodded enthusiastically as he sat down on the couch.
"Nessa is out today so we have a lot of time before she's back but she has been told this is what we're doing today." George said grabbing a controller. He got his mum to send down his old Nintendo 64 with a bunch of games we used to play while growing up. "The fridge is stocked up with snacks and beer."
"Good." I nodded. "We can order pizza later too."
"This was a good idea mate, I'm glad you suggested it." George said.
"Well I'm going to be a dad soon, I need to relive my teens for a day before that's gone." I chuckled.
"It won't be gone." He rolled his eyes. "You just need to be a bit more responsible but it doesn't mean we can't fuck around a bit from time to time."
"You know what I mean." I laughed.
"I know." He smiled. "Right let's get this marathon started, if we want to get through as many games as we can."
"Let's go." I picked up the other controller from the table and we begun playing the first game on the list. Super Mario.
-
Alyssa
"I think it's really nice how welcoming you were when you first met me." Nessa said to me. "I thought you were going to be really apprehensive like most girls are when a new lass comes along."
"I'd been hanging around those lads for so long by that point I was just happy to have another women in the picture." I chuckled, taking a sip of my Starbucks.
"I get that, when you were gone last year it was hard for me at times because they were so fucking annoying." She rolled her eyes. "All I had was Holly for a little bit but she wasn't the most fun to be around."
"Did I tell you I ran into her a few weeks ago?" Nessa's eyes widened and she shook her head. "I thought I mentioned it but honestly my head's been all over the place."
"What happened?" She asked.
"She just thought it was a slap to the face that after all this me and Matty didn't even get back together." I shrugged.
"Well I see where she's coming from." Nessa smirked at me. "If y'all are gonna make a baby then why not just get back together."
"I just tried to get out of the conversation as easily as I could without causing anymore problems." I skimmed past what Nessa said.
"Well good for you." She nodded. I started to feel a little weird, like small pains in my abdomen. I tried to ignore it.
"Yeah." I nodded. "So have you and George discussed anything about when you want to get married yet?"
"Actually, yes." She grinned. "It's a bit soon but we're thinking June."
"Like next year June?" I was shocked.
"I know." She nodded. "But we don't want anything big, we both just kinda want to get it done and because of the album just being released, they're gonna be touring a lot so we found a weekend in June where they're going to be home for a bit so we figured that worked best."
"I mean if you think you can pull it off then I say go for it." I nodded. I felt another shoot of pain in my stomach and grimaced at it.
"What's wrong? You keep making that face." Nessa pointed out.
"How do you know if you're in labour?" I questioned cautiously.
"I've never in my life been pregnant Alyssa so why do you think I would know that?" She shot back. "Do you think you're in labour?"
"I don't know." I frowned. "I keep getting these shooting pains in my stomach, like it isn't happening a lot but it's weird."
"How far apart are these pains?" She sat forward in her chair.
"Maybe every 20 minutes or so." Her eyes widened.
"Should we go to the hospital or?" I shook my head.
"If I'm in labour then I don't need to go until they're like a lot closer together." I told her. "I'll be waiting about for hours in the hospital and I don't want to be in there any longer than I need to be."
"Well do you want to go home at least?" She asked. "Matty is at mine right now, they're having a gaming day so maybe it's best we go there."
"Yeah." I nodded. "Let's go."
-
We walked into Nessa and George's flat, the laughter from the living room was loud enough to hear from the front door. "I swear to God, if you fucking do that again." Matty said loudly. "George stop it!"
"Stop being a cry baby." George shot back.
"FUCK OFF!" Matty called out. We walked into the living room as Matty pushed George roughly, throwing his controller in the process. "I fucking hate playing games with you sometimes you're such a dirty fucking cheat."
Both of them stopped laughing when they saw us walk into the living room. "What are you two doing here? I did tell you we were having a lads day so no girls allowed." George said to us.
"Well we decided to come here." Nessa shrugged. I sat down on the armchair and let out a deep breath.
"But this is Matty's last day to be a free man, he's gonna have to look after a baby soon." George groaned.
"A lot sooner than you think." Nessa glanced at me, I looked back at her and rolled my eyes.
"What do you mean?" Matty looked at me, confusing covering his face.
"I think I'm in labour." I said casually. His eyes widened and he jumped to his feet.
"Oh my God, what are you doing just sitting here, we need to get you to the hospital." He rushed over to me and grabbed my hand, trying to pull me to my feet. I pulled my hand back and rolled my eyes.
"My contractions are still very far apart, so there's no point going just yet." I told him.
"What do you mean? If you're in labour then you shouldn't just be sitting here, we need to go." He repeated again, sounding more flustered.
"Matty." I said firmly. "Calm down. I'll tell you when I need to go to the hospital." He stared down at me, he looked panicked and just completely in shock.
"So you're definitely in labour?" He asked. "Because you're not due for another 2 weeks."
"I know." I nodded. " I'm pretty sure I am though, I think."
"How can you be so calm about this? You're in labour Alyssa, you're about to have a baby." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Well I'm trying to stay calm for the sake of the baby I'm about to push out of my vagina, I'm sure this is a pretty stressful thing for her too." I said. "Also I think you're freaking out enough to cover us both now."
"I need a fag." He announced. "I'm sorry but I have to." He pretty much ran out of the room, the front door slammed behind him. I looked at George and Nessa, who were both holding back laughs at this point.
"Well he's going to be fun through the delivery." George burst out laughing.
"Please." I said holding my hand up. "You get to laugh about it, I have to deal with it while pushing out this human watermelon."
"Maybe you should go make sure he's not running into on coming traffic." Nessa said to George.
"Fine." He groaned and got up. "But if he starts hyperventilating or crying, I'm out."
"You're his best mate, deal with it." Nessa said firmly to George. He just made a bored looking face and left the flat, Nessa turned to me and sat down on the couch where George was previously. "It's gonna be a long day."
"You're telling me." I chuckled.
"Do you need anything?" She asked me.
"Well your cousin told me one of the things that helped her during the early stages of labour was to have a bath." I said to her.
"I'll go run you one." She smiled and got up.
"Thanks." I said, grabbing her hand. "You're the best okay."
"Of course, I got your back." She squeezed my hand and then left the room. I stared at the wall in front of me, letting the reality set in. Today's the day, I guess.
-
The hours were passing by and my contractions were getting stronger and closer together. Matty was still in full on panic mode, it was honestly so fucking annoying. I was trying to keep my cool but he kept pacing up and down, asking if I felt any worse yet. George was still playing games and occasionally throwing insults at Matty but got ignored in return. Ness was the only one who was actually of any use at this point.
I called my mum to tell her I was in labour, her and Liam were on there way up to London. Dad was in a meeting all day and couldn't get out but told me he would come up as soon as he could. Rachel even text me to tell me good luck and that she would call me as soon as I was available to chat. I was shocked at that to be honest but we had to build bridges eventually.
"Okay." I turned to Nessa. "I think it might be time to get the fuck out of here."
"You think?" She asked.
"Yeah." I nodded, feeling the discomfort in my stomach. "They're getting a lot closer together now." Matty stopped pacing and walked over to Nessa and handed her his keys.
"Why are you giving me these." She questioned.
"I can't drive, neither can George so you're gonna have to." He told her.
"You're gonna trust me to drive your car?" She looked shocked.
"I'm gonna have to." He shrugged. "We were drinking earlier.
"Fuck sake." She groaned. "Fine."
"If you get one scratch on it then your precious fiance will pay the price." Matty warned her.
"Why me?" George asked in annoyance. "It's not my fault if she does something stupid."
"Well make sure your girl doesn't do something stupid while I make sure Alyssa doesn't give birth in the back of my car." He shot back. I rolled my eyes and got to my feet, the pain was getting more and more intense. George turned everything off and Nessa got her stuff together.
"Matty." I mumbled.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Are you ready for this?" I asked him.
"No." He said with a look of fear. "But this is it."
"We're going to be parents." I said in return.
"We are." He nodded. I leaned and gave him a hug, he wrapped his arms around me and let out a deep breath. I felt him kiss the top of my head. "Let's go."
Once we got into Matty's car, I got in the back with him while George and Nessa got up front. Nessa put the key in the ignition and started the car. She started to back out of the parking lot and stalled. "Fuck sake." George laughed loudly.
"Off to a great start." I joked.
"Guys." Nessa said sternly. "You aren't helping any here."
"Please don't ruin my car." Matty groaned.
"I'm doing my best okay." Nessa snapped. "I'm sorry you got drunk earlier and now I'm being put under this pressure to get us all to the hospital safely. So if you want to keep throwing abuse my way then I'll have no fucking choice but to punch your lights in."
I looked at Matty and he had the look of a toddler that just got told off for stealing a cookie, plastered on his face. "Sorry." He mumbled. Nessa started the car again and then drove off without a problem this time.
Another contraction hit me and I let out a groan of pain, Matty looked at me with concern but I just grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "You're gonna break his hand there Alyssa." George chuckled.
"I'll break your face if you don't pipe down." I shot back.
"Jesus, I hope you're not this aggressive when we have kids." George said to Nessa, which earned him a glare in return.
"When you grow a uterus and then have a baby try to climb it's way out, you can make that comment again but until then shut up." Nessa said to George. He just looked back at Matty and sighed.
"I'd just shut up now if I were you." Matty said to him. "I'm learning that one quickly for myself."
-
Matty
I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready to do any of this. It was just so sudden. She's not due to have the baby for another 2 weeks so I thought I would have just a little bit more time. I guess my daughter wanted to make an early Christmas appearance.
I paced around the room, waiting for the doctor to finish checking Alyssa over. "Okay Alyssa, you're about 8cm dilated. You'll be ready to give birth very soon." She told Alyssa.
"Can't wait." Alyssa replied sarcastically.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be that bad." The doctor joked back in return.
"Thanks." Alyssa said a little more seriously.
"So you can have Matty in the delivery room but it won't be possible for any one else to be present." She told us both.
"Okay." Alyssa looked slightly disappointed. I think she wanted her mum to be there too.
"I'll be back in a bit to check you again, let us know if you need anything." The doctor gave us both a nod then left the room.
"This is fucking bullshit." Alyssa groaned loudly as soon as it was only us in the room.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled.
"It doesn't matter how many times you apologise, it's still going to fucking hurt." She shot back with a glare.
"Sorry." I said again without thinking.
"Say sorry one more time and I'll scream." She said.
"I didn't mean it." I groaned. "I know you're disappointed that your mum can't be in here when she's born."
"It's fine." She shrugged, looking away. "Have they got to my flat yet?"
"Yeah, Liam is going to get Allen for me and look after him." I told her.
"That's good at least." She said softly. "I just want this baby out of me now, I'm fucking tired."
"I know, it'll be over soon and then we're going to have a baby." I tried to be as positive as I could be since I'd spent most of the day a nervous wreck.
"That's easy for you to say, you're not about to push a baby out of your most sensitive area." She glared at me.
"Be mental if it was a guy who had to give birth through their dick." I joked. She didn't look amused though. "If I could take the pain for you right now I would."
"You're not gonna win any points with statements like that, it's far too late for that Healy." She said firmly.
"I'll just shut up then." I said to her.
"That would be your best option." She nodded.
-
"How is she doing?" George asked me when I left the room to grab a coffee.
"Aggressive and mean but I can't blame her for that." I chuckled.
"Well she is in a lot of pain." George nodded.
"Did you get a lecture about being insensitive from Nessa?" I asked.
"Yep." He said.
"Unlucky." I shook my head laughing. "But at the same time we will never know what that feels like so we can't really talk."
"You've been hit in the balls, I stand by that statement of it hurting the same amount." He chuckled.
"Do not and I repeat, do not say that to Nessa or Alyssa right now." I told him.
"I'm not that stupid." He rolled his eyes.
"Just making sure because we are in a hospital so neither of them will hesitate to get you a bed next to Alyssa if you do." I smirked. Julie walked out of the room that Alyssa was in and looked at me.
"I know you were off to get a drink but it's gonna have to wait unfortunately, it's time." She said to me. I looked at George in panic.
"Well mate, you're gonna walk out of that room a dad." He smiled at me.
"Fuck." I mumbled.
"Go." He said. I turned to walk back in the room but stopped and turned back to George. I pulled him in for a hug, holding him tightly. "It's gonna be fine mate, you've got this."
"Thanks." I said quietly. "Thank you for being a good friend."
"Right go, you're gonna end up missing it otherwise." He chuckled. I pulled back and gave him one last nod then walked back into the room. Alyssa looked stressed but the second she saw me walk back in her face softened a little.
I walked over to her and she grabbed my hand quickly. "I don't wanna do this." She said in panic. I let out a laugh and shook my head.
"You don't really have a choice anymore." I told her.
"I'm scared." She whispered.
"It's going to be fine." I smiled at her. "You've got this." Even though George had to just say the same thing to me seconds ago, I felt like I needed to be the one to keep this shit together for her.
She stared up at me, her face looked totally in panic and fear right now. I just wanted to make everything better for her. And looking at her right now, it all really hit me how much I truly am in love with this woman. The mother of my child that will be in this room any minute now. The only person in the world that has captured my heart completely and made herself at home there. "Matty." She whimpered in pain.
Without even thinking I leaned down and kissed her on the lips, she froze for a second and then kissed me back. "It's gonna be okay." I whispered against her lips. I pulled back and she just stared at me, shocked and then she nodded.
"Are you ready Alyssa?" The midwife asked her. Alyssa looked at her and nodded.
"I don't have a choice do I?" She half laughed.
"Unfortunately not but you're doing great so far." She told her. Alyssa squeezed my hand again and I felt like it was going to break any second now. I held myself back from making any faces and just kept smiling at her.
"Okay it's time to push." The midwife said to her. Alyssa did as she was asked, screaming out loudly. I closed my eyes from the shock of hearing how loudly she was crying out. I've never heard Alyssa be this loud in my life before. "You're doing great."
"Fuck." Alyssa breathed out.
"Okay and again." The midwife said.
"Come on, you're doing amazing Alyssa. Just think about how good it'll feel to hold our daughter when this is done." I told her.
"Keep going." More of these encouragements were thrown around the room until one final push did the job. A soft cry entered the room and I felt my heart melt ever so slightly. Tears begun to well up in my eyes when the midwife asked me to cut the umbilical cord.
I never fully understood when people said you fall in love instantly the second you see your own baby. I didn't believe it honestly. That's until I saw her for myself. She was so tiny and pure looking.
One of the nurses took her and cleaned her off quickly then walked back over with her wrapped up in a little blanket. "Here's your daughter." She said to me, handing her over. I took the baby in my arms and stared down at her. The tears in my eyes were already streaming down my face by this point, looking down at my baby.
I looked up at Alyssa and she stared back at me, smiling happily at us both. "You did it." I said to her. "She's perfect." I mumbled, looking back down at my daughter.
When I glanced back up Alyssa wasn't awake anymore, the heart monitor that was attached to Alyssa started beeping intensely. I felt a panic build up in me. The midwife rushed to her side and started checking her over. "Get doctor Andrews." The midwife called out to a nurse.
"What's happening?" I asked in panic.
"Matty we're going to have to ask you to step outside." She said to me. One of the nurses took the baby off me and I looked around the room in fear.
"What's going on?" I asked again.
"We need you to leave right now." I was told again.
"No, tell me what's going on?" I demanded. The nurse who took the baby walked back over to me after placing her in the cot, I didn't understand what was happening. Why was Alyssa passed out suddenly? What the fuck was going on?
The doctor burst into the room with a few other people and they continued to tell me I had to leave, which I didn't want to do but they basically forced me in the end. I didn't know what to do. When I got to the corridor George, Nessa and Julie all got up with excited looks on their faces. "Is she here?" Julie asked.
"Yeah but something's happened and I don't know what. She just like blacked out after she gave birth and the monitors were going off. I don't know whats happening." I said in panic. Everyone stared back at me in shock. This was supposed to be a happy day. If anything happens to Alyssa then I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't believe in God whatsoever but a part of me is just praying and begging that everything's going to be okay.