Work Text:
NOT READY (complete story, 10.900 words)
[for the prompt: someone not realising or admitting they’re in labor, surprise twins, home birth, long labor]
Louis awoke with a groan, hand pressed to the curve of his stomach that felt uncomfortable tight this morning. Being nearly nine months pregnant officially sucked. He had started to experience Braxton Hicks contractions almost every nigh now, his whole stomach would get hard and tense, and the cramps would spread from his back consuming his whole belly. Last night had been no different.
Thank god, they mostly stopped in the mornings, but he was barely able to get some rest during the night anymore. Lying on his back was out of the question, so he had to change positions, from lying on his side to walking around, or, if that didn’t help, bending over a chair while massaging his back until they eased up and he could go back to sleep.
Thankfully, they were never as strong during the day but he still had gotten used to sitting in the empty back rows without removing his hoodie or jacket in case one took him by surprise and he had to wince or massage his belly.
He was just sick of the pitying looks and attention that had started following him around ever since the news that he was pregnant and doing it alone had spread. It had just been bad luck, getting knocked up so soon after starting University, and he had tried to hide it at first but his belly had started to swell rather fast and hadn’t slowed down growing since, so that had not been an option and only added to his discomfort.
His friends were great, of course, but their worrying and constant attempts to help could be exhausting too. So, all in all, he was quite glad when the last week before the holidays arrived. Only five more days to go, five finals to take, and then he could barricade himself in his flat for three weeks and prepare for the baby’s arrival in peace.
Today’s cramps seemed to ease up as soon as the warm water of the shower hit his back and relaxed it, but they returned to full force while he was writing his English finale.
He rubbed at his belly irritably when the tightening and cramping kept coming back despite his wishes for them to promptly fuck off. Damn those stupid chairs, he thought and tried to shift into a more comfortable position, which wasn’t easy considering the size of his belly was close to a really big, ripe watermelon now.
His stomach tightened up, pushing his already pronounced belly even further forward with another cramp. “Ohh…” He groaned out lightly when the pain grew, he leaned forward and cupped his bump.
His belly quivered slightly in his hands as it misshaped and tensed, but he was able to relax a little once it stopped and tried to focus on his paper but another sharp pain shoot through him twenty minutes later and he needed to press his hand into the side of his belly and rub his lower back until it ended to stay in control of the pain.
He tried massaging his belly underneath his shirt without drawing attention to himself, but there just wasn’t enough room. He tried to shift but his belly was taking up all the space between the chair and the desk so he had to settle for huffing out puffs of air and kicking his feet uncomfortably about under the table to try and take some of the pressure away.
Thank god the exam was almost over, because the third pain had him sweating and panting, he really needed to change position, but had to wait until the other students left the room until he could struggle to get to his feet, one hand using the desk as support while the other did the same with the back of her chair. He stayed like that, bending over the back of the chair until the pressure eased up again and he could leave the room.
He still had one more exam before he could go home and he really didn’t want to miss it since he wouldn’t have the time to retake it anytime soon, so he spend his break hiding in the bathroom, where he could moan in piece whenever a cramp hit, rubbing endless circles over his unusually hard stomach trying to get it to ease up. It didn’t.
He exited the stall and looked at himself in the mirror: he looked pale and there was a thin layer of sweat covering his forehead and his clothes were crumbled around his stomach from all the massaging. Suddenly another boy entered the room just as a new cramp started.
Louis couldn’t help but groan in pain, it was stronger than the last, spreading from his lower belly all over the rest, even reaching his back. The boy looked at him startled, and Louis really wanted to pull it together, but instead he had to grab the sink for support and hunch over even more as another wave hit.
“Are you alright?”, the boy asked, now looking nervous.
“Fine.” Louis snapped. “Get out, this bathroom is occupied.”
He managed to straighten up a bit and shot the boy an angry look, breathing a sign of relive as he did as he was told. He tried to catch his breath as the pain was slowly ebbing away again.
This sucked, he just wanted to lie down. “Just one more class,” he told himself, then he would meet his friends for a quick lunch before resting at home until he had to pick up his car from the shop and the baby stuff he had ordered from the post office in the late afternoon.
He made it to his last class and tried to get as comfortable as possible in his seat but all he could really think of was when he’d be able to lie down or take a bath to relax his muscles and make the pain stop.
After the third contraction that had him grit his teeth and both hands glued to his stomach he decided to leave early. This clearly wasn’t working. He waited until the current contraction passed, before he slowly started to put his things away and pack his bag.
He was closing his backpack when he felt his belly tens again, and bit his lips in pain, while trying to get some release by rubbing slow circles over his stomach underneath his hoodie.
As soon as the pain ebbed away, he heaved himself up, struggling a little to regain his balance due to the fact that his belly somehow felt a lot lower and heavier than it had before and left the room without looking back. After a quick stop at his locker he headed straight for the exit.
He was about to leave the building when the next contraction took a hold of him, the pain spreading from the bottom of his hard belly to the sides, reaching his back at last, and he realised it was much harder to get through them while standing upright (to keep walking seemed out of the question).
He grabbed the doorframe for support and toe deep breaths. “Ohhhh, ohhhh.”
“Hey,” someone called and Louis spun around, a blonde girl he recognised from English was walking up to him.
He tried to stand up straight so his quivering stomach wouldn’t be as obvious under his big hoodie and hoped that he sounded normal as he replied: “Yes?”
The blonde seemed obvious to Louis’ discomfort and kept talking, “We’re in English Lit together, remember? I’m Sarah.”
Louis didn’t trust himself to speak, as the contraction reached its peak, and just nodded, trying hard to not let the pain show on his face. His knuckles on the doorway turned white but he managed to stay upright and quite.
“I just wanted to ask if you knew when we get our results?”
But just as Sarah finished her question another unexpected wave of pain rushed over Louis and he couldn’t help but let out a pained moan and clutch his stomach on instinct.
Sarah’s face changed to concern, “Are you okay? You don’t look too good.”
“I’m fine,” Louis managed to get out, “just a big kick.” He even tried to give Sarah a smile, but his lower stomach was still cramping really bad so it ended up more like a grimace. Why was this one lasting so long?
“We get them on Tuesday,” he said as the pain finally ebbed away. “Excuse me, I have to go,” and with that he pushed himself upright again and finally walked out the door.
Thankfully the bus station he needed wasn’t too far off campus, Louis could see it from where he was. He checked his watch, the next bus would arrive in five minutes, he could do this.
He was almost at the station when the pain started again, he leaned against a street lamp and took a few deep breaths, then bite his lip to keep from making a sound as it deepened. He tried to rotate his hips slightly, which seemed to relief the pressure a bit. But then he noticed the bus appearing down the street.
“Fuck.” He let go of the lamp pole and started to walk, carefully, while rubbing circles over the bottom of his stomach, where the pain was the strongest.
He made it to the station just as people finished getting off the bus. Maybe they’re getting weaker, he thought to himself. I don’t think I could’ve walked through the one at school but I managed it now, so they are definitely just Braxton Hicks. Thank god.
He got on and, since it was still barely noon, there were only two other people there. An old couple sitting in the front. He made his way all the way to the back and slid into a seat there.
Another contraction knocked the wind out of him soon after. He pressed his hands into his sides, he felt like sitting down made them worse. There was no way he could handle standing while the bus moved though, but there was just so much pressure like this. Almost like the baby had dropped and was sitting really low, directly pressing onto his pelvis but that couldn’t be right since he could still feel it resting rather high, constricting his breathing and kicking him in the ribs on occasion. Either way, the baby kept shifting when his belly tightened and his whole stomach felt hard under his touch.
Come on baby, he started to reason, please, stop, we’re almost home. He leaned back in his seat as far as he could and rubbed both sides of his stomach. “Who-ooh. Oh. Oh. Auch.” He bit his lips to keep from moaning, while his feet moved about uncomfortably, a desperate attempt to take the edge off the pressure bearing down.
He had some trouble getting up when it was time to get off, because he felt another pain building, but in the end he managed, one hand clutching his contracting stomach and the other grabbing the railing and then the back of a bench as support, as soon as his feet hit the asphalt. He stood there bent over and carefully rotating his hips again, which still seemed to help.
He only lived one block from the station and managed to get there without too much trouble, Henry and Finn lived on the first floor and he usually has lunch with them, before making his way up to his own place on the fourth floor.
“Hi guys!” he shouted as he let himself in, heading straight for the big comfy chair at the head of the dinning table, he really needed to sit down.
“Hi, Louis!” Henry shouted back, sticking his head out of the kitchen, to greet him. “Finn is just finishing up his coursework and dinner is almost ready. How are you?”
“’m fine,” he replied, “just tired.”
He laid his head down on the table but then quickly lifted it back up and gripped at his hair as another pain shot through his belly. “Hoh, auch.” He laid back in his chair as his belly pushed forward and made his his t-shirt feel tighter and tighter.
“Ohh!” He hissed as it got a bit more intense. He pushed out a big puff of air, and rubbed big circles over his belly, as the pain gripped one last time before leaving him.
Henry brought the food around moments later, and he and Finn took their seats next to Louis, who had never felt less hungry. Finn and Henry were talking avidly and tried to include him but he could barely follow.
It’s just that his stomach was really hurting now. Not just the few on and off cramps he’d grown accustomed to with Braxton hicks the last few months. It felt like a giant wave of squeezing, tight, intense pain and Louis just wanted to press his hands into his sides, where the pressure was the worst and moan out in pain.
“You okay?” Finn asked, after Louis finally gave in, dropped his fork to press his hand into his side. “Yeah,” he moaned, “she’s just kicking a lot, feels kinda uncomfortable.”
He decided to throw all manners out the window and scooted down in his chair, spreading his legs apart and letting his belly fall down low. Maybe the baby just needed more room. Maybe this change of position would help.
“Sounds rough,” Finn made a sympathetic face, before heading back to his room. He had a deadline coming up. “Let me know if you need anything, kay?”
Louis nodded and tried to relax while Henry cleaned to table and carried the dirty dishes back to the kitchen.
He was thankfully out of the room when Louis hissed as he feels the next pain ripple through his belly and quickly snapped back up from his position. It just made things worse. He put one hand beneath his shirt again and gripped the seat with the other.
“Ohh…mhm. Fuck,” he mumbled. Maybe he should try curling up in bed instead with a hot water bottle instead? His belly tensed and contorted his shirt near to bursting.
He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and gritted his teeth as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. “Ohhh, fuck. Auch!”
Yeah, he definitely couldn’t stay here like this. Louis sniffled and rubbed the bottom of his belly before struggling to get to his feet.
“I think I’m gonna head upstairs,” he told Henry, who had come back from the kitchen, “try and get in a quick nap.”
His belly rolled in pain again and he massaged his fingers into it. It hung really low, and it felt like the contractions were pushing it even further out. It was a bit embarrassing, considering his belly was already unusually huge, he really didn’t need anything making it look even bigger.
“That sounds like a good idea, get some rest!” Henry hugged him goodbye quickly, which felt quite awkward with his huge belly between them, but was still nice.
The elevator was occupied and he really, really didn’t feel like waiting, standing felt terrible, he needed to keep moving to keep his mind off the pain, so he made his way towards the stairs. He reached the second floor before the next contraction really hit its peak but then he gave in to the urge to squat down.
Keeping himself upright, let alone walking, just felt too uncomfortable. He crouched down and pressed both hands into his sides, before rubbing big circles into his tight skin. The pain was more bearable this way, but he was afraid of anyone finding him like this so he had to get up again.
Only two floors left to go. He grabbed the railing for support and tried to push himself upright. The contraction was still going strong and he whimpered in pain, “Oh! Auw! Fuck!” He couldn’t help it, the pressure moving up and down his belly was suddenly too much, he tried to lift his belly a bit to relieve some of the intensity.
His Braxton Hicks had never been this intense before, but he simply could not be in labor. He still had a few weeks, he wasn’t fucking ready. Slowly he made it to his floor.
He tried to focus on finding his keys, but the cramps were still too present to ignore while he rummaged through his backpack. He tried to focus and took deep breaths while murmuring “come on keys, oh, oh, fuck, ouch, come on, please.”
When the pain intensified once more his search became more frantic, he needed his hands to press into his belly and lift it, but they were still going through his bag. “Oh, god! Please calm down, baby!”
There came a point where it got just too much and with a whimper he dropped the bag threw his head back and massaged the bottom and sides of his misshaped belly instead. His belly rubs weren’t doing much anymore, but it was better than nothing.
Without something like the railing of the stairs to hold on to he ended up on his knees, rocking back and forth, unable to get up until the pressure eased up, he was sweating and panting at that point, but managed to snatch his keys from the pile of spilled stuff next to his bag on the floor. Without bothering to pick up the rest of the stuff he unlocked his door and entered the flat.
He removed his shirt and his hoody as soon as the door closed behind him, dropping them onto the sofa, because they felt too restrictive and tight around his middle.
His belly seemed to have changed shape drastically since he got dressed this morning, it seemed much bigger and was hanging so, so low. He didn’t know what was going on there. He tried to keep lifting it while walking, to ease the pressure on his hips that was now constant.
He made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water, since the books said it could help stop the cramps, even though it hadn’t always worked in the past. At this point he was desperate to try anything.
He grabbed a glass, but just as he was about to fill it, his stomach tightened again. He put a hand to the side and one just below his belly button and cringed. “No…oh…oh. Baby, please. Please, stop.” He breathed hard, rubbing his hands in soft circles.
The pain intensified and he had to lean on the counter, head buried in his hands now, as his belly pushes forward, nearly hitting the cabinets below. “Ohhhh. Nooooo.” He tried breathing out slow and deep. “Ohhh. Ohhh. Ohhh!”
He slowly stood back up and rubbed a hand in large circles over his exposed skin as the pain faded again. Then he finally filled his water and gulped the whole glass down, twice.
That didn’t seem to help much though, since the next contraction hit only ten minutes later. He gripped the counter again and pushed his body outward, tucking his chin to his chest, swaying and rubbing the bottom of his belly and attempted to keep his breathing under control somehow. This could not be happening, he still had a few more weeks, damn it!
He just needed some rest. Yeah, that’s it, he thought. “We’re gonna take a nice long nap and you’re gonna calm down okay, baby?” he told his belly, while rubbing endless patterns into it. Please, just calm down.
He made his way to the sofa and laid down on his side, a pillow under his bump to help with the pressure. He gently massaged it and tried his best to drift off.
It only felt like a mere few minutes before he felt his belly ripple in pain again. He curled his knees as tightly to his belly as they’d go and groaned, a mix of frustration and pain. He hadn’t known Braxton Hicks could get this intense, how the fuck was he gonna make it through the next few weeks, if he was this uncomfortable already?
He brushed his fingertips down his front before flattening his hand out and rubbing large circles from the bottom of his bump to his side as it heaved forward, muscles clenched tightly. “Ow…mmmhmm. Please!” He moaned lightly, pressing a hand flat to the side of his bump and resting it there until the pain faded again.
Louis was awoken both, by his phone ringing and another pain building, so he sat up, pressing one hand to the cushion bellow him and rubbing the other over his contracting belly. “Ouch! Where the fuck is my phone? Ohhh, auch,” he groaned out, face scrunching as waves of pain washed over his now rock hard middle.
“Please, calm down,” he hissed, rubbing his hand across the top of his belly, “Mmmmm. Ohhhh, ohhhh!” He moaned as the pain grew stronger. He finally located his phone and picked up, trying to sound calm and normal.
“Hello?”
“Hey, mate! I’m downstairs,” his friend Leo’s voice came from the other line, “ready to go pick up your car?”
Was it already 3 p.m.? Louis really, really didn’t want to get up, but he needed his car back, especially if it came to baby time. Which this wasn’t, these were just terrible Braxton Hick’s from hell. He still had three more weeks and Leo had offered to take him and it would be foolish to turn him down so he replied “Sure, man. I’ll be right down.”
He groaned again gripping the back of the couch for support before standing up slowly. The new and uncomfortable pressure was still there, pressing down and making him widen his stance. He pulled his hoodie on again, but left his shirt behind. He could not imagine fitting his massive belly back into the tight shirt he’d worn before. It hung so low now that he didn’t think it’d even fit, and going without made discreetly rubbing his belly easier.
He pocketed his phone and keys, folded his hands bellow his belly to help lift it and waddled out of his flat. Maybe walking around would actually help with stopping the pains? He thought he remembered reading something like that in one of the baby books and at this point he was desperate to try anything.
He made it to the elevator before his belly bore down with another contraction and Louis pressed one hand to its bottom, the other gripping the railing for support as he rocked his hips slowly, moaning loudly as long as he was still alone. “Ohhhh. Fuck. Ohhhh, my god!”
He needed this to stop. His belly clenched tightly and the intense pain spread all over his entire bump. He pressed his hand where the pressure came to a head, right at the bottom of his bump, but it did little to help.
Thankfully it ended before he made it to Leo who was leaning against his car outside. Leo helped him into the passenger seat, before getting in himself and pulling out of Louis’ driveway.
He glanced at Louis, who was moving about trying to find a semi-comfortable position. “You okay?” he asked, “You’re belly looks kinda massive today.”
“Cheers”, Louis replied annoyed. But Leo was right. He smoothed out the fabric of his sweater over the swell of his stomach and his belly really seemed bigger, covering most of his chest and almost reaching his knees and pressing down in a way that made him spread his legs to give it more room and make sure the pressure didn’t get too much.
“Sorry,” Leo added quickly, still looking worried.
“It’s okay,” Louis signed. “I just didn’t sleep well, baby kept kicking me.”
Now that he thought about it though, he hadn’t really felt a lot of kicks today. There was the occasional kick into his ribs and loads of squirming around and obviously the pressing down, and of course the annoying pains, but not really any major kicks. Strange.
He knew another cramp would hit soon and tried to prepare himself. Taking a deep breath, and turning the radio on just in case he wouldn’t be able to hold back a wince.
He rubbed his stomach up and down and closed his eyes, in what he hoped looked like a calm just-trying-to-get-some-rest-manner and not a desperately-trying-to-hold-in-moans-and-stay-in-control-of-the-pain kind of way.
He couldn’t help moving his legs about uncomfortable and pushing his head back against the headrest as the contraction picked up speed though. Oh God, this is bad. Oh, ouw! Fucking fuck. He bit his lips, to keep from making a sound as his belly bore down.
“Where do you wanna go first?” Leo asked, “post office or to get your car?”
Thankfully the pain was ebbing away and Louis released the breath he had been holding, before answering. “Maybe post office? There’ll be less of a line if we get there sooner.” He really wanted to cut this short, because so far sitting in a cramped car was not making him feel any better, and the thought of having to stand in line in his current condition scared him a bit.
“Sounds good.”
When Leo pulled into the parking lot that held the post office and a bunch of smaller shops, Louis could already feel the next contraction coming. He got out of the car quickly, while Leo was still gathering his stuff, and leaned his back against its side.
“Auw, ow. Mhmmm…fuck.” He let out a few small moans and curses while Leo wasn’t around to hear and pressed his hands to his aching sides. Standing really didn’t help, his belly kept bearing down and if he didn’t know that it couldn’t be the case he’d say the baby felt almost between his legs at this point.
“Mind if I nip to the bank while you get your stuff?” Leo asked as he exited his car. “I’ll be back to lift your stuff into the car for you, obviously.”
“Sure.” Louis was almost relieved, he didn’t have to pretend to be fine for a bit.
His stomach contracted the entire walk into the office and he couldn’t help but quietly groan underneath his breath, his face contorted into a tight grimace as one hand kneaded his side and the other lifted his belly to make walking easier.
“Ohhh. Auw. Ouch.” He breathed, grabbing a cart and gripping its bar tightly, as he made his way through the store. He just needed to pick up the boxes full of baby stuff he had ordered weeks ago and get his car and then he could finally go home and get back to stopping these stupid cramps. Because walking around obviously wasn’t doing the trick.
“Damn. Oh, fuck.” He moaned lightly, pressed a hand to the top of his stomach as another contraction bloomed just as he reached the pick-up line. “Ohooo! Wooo….Oh God!” He breathed, rubbing tight circles into his belly as it contracted tightly. That didn’t help anymore either. So he leaned over the cart, both arms on the handle and tried to rotate his hips like he had done before. His quivering, aching bump hanging in the space between. “Oh, baby please stop, you’re really hurting me now,” he mumbled.
He moved along a few stops as the contraction continued to wash over his belly in tensing, painful waves. “Owwwwgh…ohh…fuck.” He pressed one hand flats to his middle and tried to ride out the pain.
When it finally ended and he waddled up the rest of the way to the counter miserably. The cashier was an older woman in her sixties, who eyed his bump curiously.
“You look like you’re ready to pop, my dear, “ she told him as she took his pick-up sheet.
He leaned on the counter heavily, hands going to his stomach protectively. “Still have a few weeks to go, actually.” His belly was hardening again already, pain now much lower in his pelvis. Pressing down, and making him want to squat. He pressed on hand to the bottom of his stomach, where the pressure came to a head, to counteract the urge.
“Mhm,” he tried humming low so no one would hear, but he wasn’t sure it worked. He shuffled from one leg to the other, in a desperate attempt to stay in control.
His belly pressed into the counter, the intense cramp only increasing and he nearly cried out. He was glad the lady had turned to the co-worker behind her to sort out his delivery because he had to start shuffling about as the contraction reached its peak.
This was not good, he just wanted to moan and lay down. “Oh, fuck!” he whimpered, hands massaging as strong into his sides and his rock hard belly would allow.
They finally brought round his stuff just as Leo caught up with him and Louis wanted to weep from relieve. Leo started lifting his stuff into the cart and Louis forces his face back to neutral. His legs were still shaking slightly and his tongue was bleeding from his teeth biting it so roughly to get through the pains rippling over and tightening his tummy.
“Just gonna hit the bathroom, before we go,” he excused himself quickly. His voice sounded shaky but it was the best he could do.
Leo nodded and Louis waddled off and buried his face in his hands with a long, low groan as soon as he reached the loo. His belly felt like a stone beneath his sweater and there was so much pressure built up inside, he wasn’t not sure what to do. He stood and gripped his hair tightly as he paces the bathroom. “Mhmmm. Ohhhhh!”
He stopped in the middle of the room and squatted down when the pain got too intense.“Ohh! Fuck! Nooo!” He moaned, face scrunched. “Please, just hold on a bit baby. I need more time.”
But the baby didn’t seem to listen because his belly tensed again as soon as he was back in the car. While Leo was sorting out his stuff, he gripped the sides of his seat and tucked his chin to his chest as the pain rolled over his tummy. “Ahhh. Oh, fuck!” He moaned, gritting his teeth.
Oh God, this was bad. It was only a short drive to their next stop, but the pressure felt so low in his belly that he almost felt like he was sitting on the babies head, but he still felt his babies head tucked into his left side, making his belly look all uneven and wonky. But there was just so much pressure suddenly in the bottom of his belly, that he couldn’t explain. He tried to shift his weight, but his stomach was too big, already taking up all the room anyway. He wasn’t sure how he’s supposed to actually drive home later.
Getting out of the car while his stomach was contracting seemed almost impossible, he just wanted to sink to his knees to ride out the pain, the pressure at the bottom of his belly so, so uncomfortable. He managed to stay mostly upright though, and then slumped against the side of the car, hands pressing into his stomach, doing nothing to relieve his discomfort.
“Louis?” Leo’s voice sounded utterly concerned. “Are you in pain? What’s going on?”
He couldn’t talk, was the thing. The pain was just too intense, his stomach pulsing like crazy. It took everything in him not to sink to his knees, if he opened his mouth he’d groan or scream.
Leo was right next to him, one hand carefully cupping Louis elbow. “Louis, what’s going on?”
“`m fine,” he finally managed, only moaning a tiny bit. “Just a cramp.” He tried to straighten up a little, with little success.
“A cramp? Like, a contraction? Like, the ones you have to, you know, give birth?” Leo sounded completely terrified.
“No. Just, like, practice ones.” Louis tried to take a deep breath and collect himself. He rubbed his sides rhythmically and hummed a little under his breath, to take the edge off. “They’re uncomfortable, but normal. Just your body practicing for when it’s the real deal.”
“Are you sure? That looked pretty painful to me?” Leo was still eyeing him concerned. “And you belly seems really low today?”
“Believe me, I’d know the difference,” he lied. He wasn’t so sure anymore actually. But he didn’t want to be in labour, so he decided he wasn’t.
“The little one still has a few weeks left inside,” he added while rubbing small circles into his still contracting belly, talking as much to the baby inside as to Leo.
He made his way towards the shop, leaving Leo no choice but to follow. Thankfully there were no other costumers his car was almost ready. The cramp he had before still had him panting and he could feel another one coming already. This wasn’t fair, it hadn’t even been long enough, he was sure of it.
“Exscuse me. Bathroom,” he mumbled towards Leo, ignoring his worried looks, before waddling towards the toilet as fast as he could. His belly clenched tightly and an intense pain washed over his entire bump. He rubbed the top of it then, when that didn’t help, the bottom and couldn’t hide the grimace that covers his face.
As soon as the door of the restroom closed behind him he kneeled down onto the floor, pressure too intense to do anything else. “Oh…oh…fuck! Mhhhmmm,” he moaned unable to keep quiet, frantically rubbing his pulsing belly, swaying from side to side, trying to find anything to make the terrible cramps more bearable. But nothing helped, he just had to ride it out.
He buried his face in his hands and tried to stiffen a long, low groan, when the contraction peaked, but wasn’t sure he succeeded. He just hoped his moans couldn’t be heard outside.
After, he quickly splashed some water in his face before making his way back outside. He wanted to stay and rest, but he didn’t know how much time he had before the next one hit and didn’t want to risk it. If Leo saw him having another contraction, he would get all worried and convinced he was in labor. He’d make Louis go to the hospital, which Louis hated, and didn’t need.
And anyway, he was not in labour. It was too early, he wasn’t ready, the baby wasn’t even in position, these were just terrible, terrible Braxton Hicks brought on by too much stress and walking and they’d stop as soon as he’d get home.
Leo, bless him, had already retrieved Louis’ keys and was in the middle of transferring the baby stuff from his to Louis’ car. “Feeling better?” he asked as soon as he spotted Louis.
“Yeah, fine,” he replied, hands curled protectively over the hard misshaped mass his stomach had become. “The baby just keeps moving a lot and there isn’t much room for it to do so anymore, so it feels quit uncomfortable. Squishing my organs and stuff, but I promise it’s quite normal.”
“If you say so.” Leo didn’t look entirely convinced, but he dropped it. “Just promise not to carry any of this stuff upstairs. Me and the lads will be over to do that for you this weekend, when we set up the nursery, remember?”
“Alright,” he promised. It’s not like he needed it right away, he still had three weeks. God, his back was killing him, just from standing there, but he couldn’t risk removing one hand from his stomach to support his back since another pain could strike anytime. He couldn’t wait to lay down again.
After making him promise to call him if he needed anything for the hundredth time, Leo helped him into the drivers seat and thankfully closed the door before the next contraction started, so Louis could use both hands to press into his tensing belly immediately.
“Ohhhh, fuck.” He tried to moan without moving his mouth, so Leo, who was still outside, wouldn’t see. He moved one hand to wave goodbye, before quickly pressing it into his side again.
His belly was so big it hit the wheel uncomfortably as it bore down, and he tried to move his seat back all the way frantically. It helped a little, but not much. He moved his legs as far apart as he could in his position, but the pressure bearing down was unreal at this point.
“Oh, fuck! Woooooh!” he whimpered as the pain increased. “Baby, what are you doing to me?” He pulled out of the parking lot, even though the pain hadn’t let up yet, just to have something to do.
He had one hand on the wheel, the other pressing and rubbing into his stomach, while he groaned loudly. It felt like the longest ride home of his life.
It was only made worse when he felt his belly contort and contract beneath his hoodie, pressing out the material and pushing it further into the steering wheel. “Ohhhh, noooo!” He was sure if he had kept his shirt on it would’ve ripped by now. “Ohhhhhh!” He hissed and folded into himself, gripping the wheel tightly with both hands. “Owww, ohhhhhhh! Damn it! Fuuuck, this huuuurt!” His belly pressed down harshly between his legs making him widen them even further to give it space. He stayed hunched over, hand rubbing circles into his solid belly as it bore down again and again into his lap. During a particularly harsh contraction, he just couldn’t keep going.
He had to pull over and managed to open the door and lean outside just in time to be sick all over the asphalt bellow him, while his stomach kept contracting endlessly.
He stayed curled up, half in half out his seat, pulling his legs as far towards his aching, solid mess of belly as he could. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could deny he was in labor anymore.
The pains were absolutely killing him at this point, no denying it. But, but his water hadn’t even broken yet, so it didn’t matter anyway, right? You weren’t really in labour until your water broke and his was still very much intact, no matter how intense the pressure inside him felt or how relentless the contractions were.
Louis managed to get back into the car and on the road when he felt the baby give an intense push and his belly surged forward painfully. “Ohhhh! Noooo!” He groaned, gripping onto the steering wheel and gritting his teeth.
“Please, stop! Ohhh!” His legs shifted about uncomfortably. He couldn’t remain in this position much longer, the pressure was unbearable. He tried to use on hand to lift himself slightly out of his seat, but it was no use. How could the baby feel really high and this low at the same time? What the fuck was going on?
He finally made it home, and immediately got out of the car, not bothering locking the doors. He had to lean on three different cars on his way from the car to his front door, his hands frantically rubbing all over his belly. It bore down with an, what it feels like, endless contraction, not letting up at all. “Ohhhhh! Auch!” he moaned, while fighting the urge to sink to the floor.
While he waited for the elevator to arrive, he rocked his hips slowly from side to side, eyes squeezed shut against the pain. “Ohh! Fuck!” He placed one hand beneath his jumper to run a hand over his bump as the other griped the elevator doorway.
He hissed and furrowed his eyebrows when the pain peaked. “Ohhh! Wooo! Please, baby!” He inhaled sharply as the doors opened and he stumbled inside.
He finally gave into the urge to fall to his knees as the elevator moved upwards and remained on the floor, hands clutching the railing, swaying and panting as the cramp grew stronger and stronger, overwhelming him. “Oh! Auch! Ohhhh fuck!”
Getting up was a challenge, but he pulled himself upright on the railing and then, both hands supporting his belly, made his way into his flat.
He felt hot and sweaty and couldn’t stop shaking from the pain. It took some struggle, but he managed to remove his sweater again before falling down onto the sofa.
He had barely touched the seat, when an intense pain, much worse than any of the others started. He gripped onto a pillow, furrowed his eyes brows and groaned. “Owww! Ohhhh! Damnnnn!”
He pressed his hand into the side of his belly and gasped as he watched it misshapen with the contraction, he could basically see his belly bearing down as the pressure increased. “Oh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He whimpered, feeling tears brim at his eyelids.
At this point he had to admit that this was the real deal. The pains where so strong now and growing closer and closer together. “Fuck,” he muttered between groans, shifting around unable to stay still, his hands uselessly rubbing and pressing all over his stomach.
“You really, ohhhh, wanted to come early, huh?” The baby just pushed further down as a reply, pressure radiating from the bottom of his stomach all over, making him growl and moan. Damn it, he really needed to get it together.
“Okay. Okay.” He panted, “let’s figure this out.”
Labor could take forever, but now that he thought about it, it hit him that he hadn’t just felt pains at school this morning, but been super uncomfortable all night the night before. So he could’ve gone into the first stages of labor as early as 10pm last night. Which meant he had already been labouring for close to 18 hours.
“Shit,” he moaned, hands still pressed to the bottom of his stomach. At least his water still hadn’t broken. Was that what was causing him so much discomfort and pressure?
He needed to time these and fast, or it would be too late to call for help. He looked for his phone and noticed that his battery had run out of charge. Damn it. Today was really his unlucky day. If he remembered correctly his charger was on his nightstand upstairs. That meant he had to actually make it upstairs. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He pushed himself up, one hand supporting his belly, the other grabbing the arm of the couch with everything he had, as soon as he was upright he whimpered in pain, as the pressure on his hips and pelvis grew tenfold. This was terrible. He pressed his hands into his sides, trying to feel the baby’s position and as far as he could tell it was still pressing into his side, its head resting against his left side (right next to the kidneys it liked to punch) and its bum against his ribcage. It was getting hard to tell though, cause his stomach was so hard from the contractions, but none of that explained the pressure.
Before he could move in the direction of the stairs the next contraction had him on his knees. His arms were pressed to the seat of the couch, his belly hanging free. He rocked back and forth, rubbing his belly from side to side, back to front. “Owww, damn it!” His tummy felt hard as steel beneath his hands and he felt the baby press down hard. The contraction ended and he was left gasping for air. He quickly checked the time, before getting up.
He groaned at how heavy his belly felt and tried to hold it up a bit to relieve the pressure but it remained, even without contractions the weight was now pushing down constantly, he made his way towards the stairs and started climbing them carefully.
He was only halfway up when his belly began to quiver with another contraction. Louis leaned over himself, lying his head down on his arm on the banister and inhaled sharply. “Ohhh! Fuck, this hurts. Ohhhh!”
He rubbed his free hand to the top of his belly and groaned loudly. “Please, just let me get upstairs, baby! Ohhh!” He tried to push through the pain and keep going but he had to squat every few steps, unable to keep upright.
He finally made it all the way upstairs and shuttered as he got down on his knees in the doorway of his bedroom, when the pain reached its peak.
“Ohhhhh! Fuck! Fuck! Mhmmm.” He squeezed his eyes shut and started rocking on all fours, then all threes while rubbing his belly from the side to the front with one hand.
When he checked the time again only three minutes had passed. Fuck. That meant his contractions were only like two minutes apart and he didn’t have a lot of time.
“No. No. No.” He mumbled. How did this happen? He sniffled and slowly stood, waddling to the bed. He lied down on his side, pillow beneath his throbbing belly. He threw his arm over his face and ran a hand softly down the tight skin of his tummy.
He couldn’t believe he was about to give birth. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it anywhere at this point, but should he call someone? Would they even make it in time? Fuck, where was the fucking phone charger? He managed to sit up, which was quite the struggle with how off balance he felt and looked around. He couldn’t spot the device anywhere.
He pressed one hand to the bed when his tummy seized up again, and the other to his side as he exhaled sharply. “Wooooh! Ohhhh! Hooooh!” He tossed his head back and gritted his teeth as his belly quivered and bore down.
“Ughhhhhh! Fuuuuck!” he screamed when the contraction really took hold. The pain brought tears to his eyes and there was nothing he could do but try to breath through the cramps that had his belly in a tight hold, bearing down again and again.
He wasn’t sure he could do this alone. Maybe Henry was still home? But his charger wasn’t on his nightstand or the bed or even the floor from what he could see. “No! No! No!” he moaned, while rubbing his stomach, trying to calm himself and the baby inside.
It didn’t work, he was panicking and it was as if the baby felt his nerves, because his stomach promptly tightened up again. One harsh pain after another made his way over it. He rolled from side to side, his hands pressing into his stomach trying anything to relive the discomfort.
He removed his trousers, that felt way too tight on his ever expanding stomach, in an attempt to ease the tightness he felt.
It was fruitless though, in fact it did the opposite and he suddenly really felt the need to use the bathroom, pressure inside him coming to an absolute head. He pushed himself up shakily, his contraction immediately doubled in force the minute he was standing and his belly pressed forward.
He grunted, pressing his fingernails into his tight skin. He slowly made his way to the en-suit, gripping onto everything on his way to keep himself upright, his belly was nothing but a hard, tensing ball of agonising pain at this point.
He sat heavily on the toilet and lied back, rubbing large circles into his skin. He pressed his face into his hand as the pain and pressure reached a new high.
“Ohhhhh! Ohhhhhh! Fuck! Ohhhh Gooood!” He groaned and gritted his teeth. His belly bore down, almost reaching his knees and he felt completely helpless. This position wasn’t helping at all. He could do nothing but let the pain wash over him. “Ohhhhh! Fuuuuck! Nooooo!”
Suddenly he felt a pop and a rush of water flew from him, the pressure increased even more and he could not stand it any longer. He pressed his belly forward and collapsed onto the bathroom floor on his knees, rotating his hips. “Ohhhh! Ohhhh! Arrrrgh!”
He switched between rocking on all fours and rotating his hips. He could not believe his water had just broken. Fuck.
When the intense contraction ended, he waddled back to his room again. His face scrunched and flushed as both hands rub miserably at his still throbbing belly.
He was alone, his phone was probably out of battery at this point and if the deep pressure in his belly was anything to go by his baby wasn’t waiting long.
He groaned as his belly bore down again. He collapsed onto the bed and rubbed his palms over his tensing belly as if that could release the pressure building. He rolled onto his side, clutching a pillow and pulled his legs as close to his throbbing belly as he could. He could do nothing but moan as the baby descended within him.
He shakily stood again after the contraction had reached its peak, he walked over to the linen closet, moaning with every step as his belly continued to contract uncomfortably. There was now barely a break between them.
He grabbed towels and a pair of clean scissors and threw them on the bed before he had to squat and groan deeply as the baby within him descended further and his belly jolted forward as the next contraction peaked.
Louis suddenly felt his opening spasming, preparing to birth his child and his breath hitched. He practically fell onto the bed on his side, gripping a pillow desperately. “Ohh! Ohhhh! Fuuuuck!” He whimpered shakily.
Soon the pressure would get too strong to ignore. He wasn’t sure how long he was laying there. Curled up as far as his huge stomach would allow, clutching whatever he could reach as pain after pain washed over him. Moaning and crying, when it got too much.
He could barely move, he was in so much pain. Another contraction pushed his belly down and he groaned as the pressure increased even more. He bent over himself, hands gripped to his thighs and tried to breathe.
The urge to push was almost overwhelming now, as his belly throbbed in pain. “Ohhh! Damn! Urghhh!” He moaned rhythmically, watching as his belly tensed and tightened more and more while the pressure to bear down himself increased even more. “Ohhhhhh! Urghhh!”
It’s okay, baby.” He tried to soothe the baby and himself, rubbing big circles all over his stomach. “I know you’re right there…Ohhhhhh! Fuck!”
It felt really close now, so during the next contraction he gave into the urge and tried to push, while kneading the heel of his palm into his throbbing bump.
“Ohhhhhhh! Ohhhh, Gooood!” It was so, so painful. The contraction just increased but he barely felt the baby inside him move down. Louis gritted his teeth and bore down again when the peak of the intense contractions hit, he was in complete agony, but apart from making him want to throw up from pain it did nothing to move his baby down.
Louis finally stood and groaned, pressing one hand to the top of his belly and the other to the bottom. “Okay, okay. Auch! We’re just gonna move you down a little more.”
“Ohhh, fuck!” He had to grip the bedpost for support with one hand and squatted down as the next contraction took hold, spreading from the bottom of his belly all the way to the top and filling his whole stomach with a now overwhelming amount of pressure. “Wooo! Ohhhh! Shit, ohhhh!” His other hand was still desperately rubbing over the top and front of his heaving tummy.
That’s when he noticed his phone charger on the floor next to his nightstand, half hidden underneath it. He didn’t know if there even was enough time for anyone to get there, but he had to try so he slowly bent over, growling in pain and now outright sobbing.
He quickly dialled Henry’s number, since he was probably closest, and hit speaker before pressing his hand back into his belly. It rang and he felt another contraction pick up speed. “Ohhhhhh! Ohhhhhhh!” He groaned, rubbing his hand in a large circle. “Please pick up! Arg! Woooh!” “Hello?” “Henry, thank god! Ohhh, I need help.” He could barely focus on what he was saying, the pressure to bear down had picked up again, and got more and more difficult to ignore as his belly cramped up again and again in complete agony. “Louis? Are you okay? What’s going on?!” “I’m- Ohhhh, fuck!…Woooh, ‘m in labour. I think, ohhhhh, I’v been all day,” he whimpered, while starting to rock back and forth on his knees again. “I think the baby is really close, arghhhh, please hurry!”
“Okay, okay,” he could hear Henry trying to not freak out on the other end of the line, “I’ll be right there. How far apart are your contractions? If your water hasn’t broken yet, we can still-”
“’t broke a while ago, ohhh, fuck”, he moaned. “Just get here please, ohhh, arghh. The contractions are on top of each other, ohhhh, and I’m not sure how long I can- Ohhhh, please! Ohhhh!” He couldn’t keep talking at this point, just moan and groan in pain as the contraction really took hold. He kept rocking back and forth, both hands rubbing and pressing into his belly, not because it helped but because he had to do something.
Should he start pushing or try to fight the urge to buy some time until Henry got there? The next contraction was already building though and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to ignore the urge even if he tried. How long could it take to run up a few flights of stairs? He gritted his teeth to keep from howling as the pain overwhelmed him again.
His body made the decision on its own and started pushing without his consent. He bore down hard, pressing a flat hand to the top of his belly to help push the baby down. He finally felt it beginning to descent. “Ohhhh! Yeah, baby, ohhh, that’s it! Ohhhh, fuuuuck!”
It was excruciating, the pressure kept increasing, even though he didn’t think that was even possible. His stomach felt even lower, no longer round but an uneven cramping and quivering mass.
He counted to ten in his head and breathed again, moaning through the contraction still rolling over his belly. He presses his face into the mattress of the bed, his hands still glued to his middle, and rocked his hips back and forth to push his baby further down. “Ohhh! Damn! Ohhh!”
He began pushing again and felt the baby drop even lower within him. The contraction became unbearable then and he had to cry out. There was too much pressure to get up or move or do anything at all. “Ohhhh! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Ohhhh!”
Suddenly he felt someone beside him, rubbing his back and soothing him, so he opened his eyes and found Henry looking at him with great concern.
“Hurts so bad!” me managed to moan between pants.
“Oh, Lou! I’m so sorry! What can I do?”
Ohhhhh! Rub my stomach? Woooh. Argh. Ohhhh!” he managed, he was just glad he wasn’t alone anymore. Henry’s big hands joined his own, rubbing circles into his stomach as he cried from pain and pressure.
“Are you pushing already?” Henry asked, panicking as he felt Louis belly tense and bear down under his hands.
He just nodded, unable to speak at this point. His belly hurt so bad, there was nothing he could do but bear down and push when his body told him to.
“I should check you, before you do that!” Henry exclaimed.
“Ohhhh! Can’t stop!” Louis growled, and he really couldn’t. He could do nothing but bear down when his body told him to and let the agonising pain wash over him. He thought he could feel his baby’s head pressing against his opening, stretching him further.
“Okay, okay. Let’s get you on the bed so I can get your pants off and check you.” Henry more or less had to lift him, since all Louis could do was clutch his stomach and moan.
Henry gently removed Louis’ pants for him and then gasped. “The head is right there, almost out. Oh, my God!”
Louis bore down harder, pressing both hands to the top of his belly, somehow the baby still felt too high. “Ohhhhh! Fuck, ohhhhhh!” he cried, tears falling freely now. Laying on his back didn’t help, and he was scared he’d pass out from the pain if this wouldn’t end soon, but then he felt his babies head free itself just as Henry said “Head is out.”
“You need to stop pushing, while I check for the cord.” Henry told him, “Just pant.”
Louis did his best, panting and moaning, while fighting the urge to push through the next contraction, even pressing his hands to the bottom of his stomach to try and keep the baby inside of him and himself from pushing.
Finally Henry gave him the all clear and he bore down again, unable to do anything but give into the pain, he felt the shoulders nearly split him in two as the baby emerged.
Henry caught it, and gasped, “Oh, wow! It’s a boy, Lou!”, before gently placing him on Louis’ chest and draping a blanket over both of them.
He was perfect, Louis thought while cradling his new son. He couldn’t take his eyes off him and barely registered Henry cleaning up around them and cutting the cord.
The only thing that clouded his bliss was that his belly was still hurting quite a bit. He couldn’t help but shift uncomfortable and the small whine that escaped his lips.
“You okay, Lou?”Henry asked concerned.
“Just, I don’t know,” Louis shifted again, getting more and more uncomfortable, “I’m still feeling really cramp-y.”
“That’s probably just the placenta?” Henry guessed. “I think you’re supposed to feel a few light contractions to help deliver it? Won’t take long and then you’ll be all done.”
“Mhm, right,” Louis moaned, he knew that. He just hadn’t expected it to hurt this much. But then again, he had been wrong about almost everything today. He just tried to focus on the baby in his arms and ignore the tight pulsing and cramping slowly picking up speed again in his belly.
Louis was trying to take deep breaths to keep the pain in check, but he was struggling.
Henry had taken the baby from him and gone into the bathroom to get him cleaned up and dressed, so he had nothing to distract him from the painful cramps that had returned with a vengeance.
He had turned onto his side and was cradling his still surprisingly hard and round belly. “Oh, oh, mhm,” he couldn’t help but whimper as the current pain peaked. He really hadn’t expected it to still hurt this badly after he’d had the baby.
Lying down probably made it worse too, he felt the urge to get up, to move, to pace and to distract himself but he was also completely exhausted and didn’t know if he’d even be able to stay upright at this point, so he just pressed his hands into his belly and his face into his pillow to stiffen his moans when the next cramp gained traction.
“Lou?” Henry’s voice sounded really concerned, “what’s going on?”
Louis must have missed him coming back, too caught up in the pain. He was standing right next to the bed, holding the now cleaned up and swaddled baby.
“‘t really, ohhh, it really hurts,” he moaned, shifting around, desperately trying to find a more comfortable position. HIs belly was cramping so bad it brought tears to his eyes.
“What does the pain feel like?” Henry asked, and gently placed the sleeping baby on the other side of the bed before coming over to where Louis was lying.
“Just these really intense cramps, almost like before, and the pressure is back too,” he moaned, kneading his knuckles into his sides. “Ohhh! Here comes another! Ohhhh, ohhhh, fuuuck!” He couldn’t help but groan.
Henry tried to comfort him, stroking his sweaty hair out of his eyes. “It’s gonna be okay, Lou! You’re almost done, just the afterbirth and then it’ll be over.”
Louis could only pant and whine in response, one of his hands was now pressed to his lower back, where he felt terrible pressure and the other was rubbing big circles into his misshaped belly.
Nothing helped, and he couldn’t stay like this any longer. “I need to-, oh, I need to change position, I think! Oh!” He whined as his belly bore down and tightened up, rolling and pulsing in pain. Henry frowned and rubbed his hand in large circles over Louis solid bump. “Of course! Think you can stand up? Maybe gravity will help.”
Louis sniffled and leaned over himself, pinching his hips. “Not sure,” fuck this hurt so bad. “Need help,” he finally managed between moans.
“Okay, okay,” Henry tried to calm them both.
Helping Louis up was a real struggle, because he could barely stand to lift his hands off his belly for even a second. One had to counteract the intense pressure that had returned to the bottom of his belly and the other to rub big circles all over the rest or the pain would just get too overwhelming.
In the end Henry, more or less forcefully, lifted Louis’ hands off his belly and wrapped them around his neck. “Just hold onto me, Lou,” he said, before lifting him gently to his feet.
Louis knees almost buckled as soon as he was upright. He felt something inside him shift, and the pressure on his pelvis and hips doubled in force. “Ohhh, god!” he moaned, clinging to Henry. “Ohhh, it hurts so bad! Please, please rub my stomach,” he begged since he couldn’t to it himself.
Henry had one hand wrapped around Louis’ back, to help him stay upright, but he quickly started massaging his stomach with the other. “Try to breath Lou! Come on, deep breaths.”
Louis tried, but then the pressure mounted and he felt something coming out of him. “Something’s happening!” he squeaked, just as a gush of water left him.
“What the fuck was that?” he sobbed overwhelmed, burying his head in the crook of Henry’s neck, “what is happening to me?”
Henry had gone quiet, but his hand was still moving over Louis stomach, now more pressing and probing than massaging. “That looked like someone’s water breaking,” he finally said, “and your belly still feels really hard and full.”
“What? But my water already broke. Before I had my baby!”
“I know,” Henry said, “but I think you might be having twins.”
“No, no, no,” Louis shook his head. That could not be right, right? But it would explain the weird movements he had felt, how the baby had rested both low and up high in his belly, why it felt like there was still this heavy weight pressing down against his opening and why he once again felt the overwhelming urge to push. “Please, no,” he begged, “I can’t to that again! It hurts to bad!” His belly was nothing but a pulsating mass of pain and he could already feel his opening stretching again.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Henry was rubbing endless circles into Louis belly again, “almost over, Lou! Just do what your body tells you to.” He was now completely holding the other boy up, gently swaying him and hoping that gravity would move things along quickly.
And it did, because the urge to push soon felt too urgent to ignore and Louis had to give in. He squatted down with a big push and immediately felt his belly shift. “Fuuuuuck, this hurts! Oh, oh, please! Fuuuuck!” He could feel the baby’s head making his way through and slipping from him just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Great job, Lou! You’re doing so, so well!” Henry carefully supported the babies head, while Louis pressed down onto his belly and panted and moaned and finally, finally pushed the shoulders out.
The baby slipped from his body completely, followed by more water and a bloody mass that must’ve finally been the afterbirth. Louis collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted, while his babies cries filled the room.
Henry sat down next to him, gently placing the baby into his arms. “It’s okay, Lou. You did it! It’s over! Everything’s fine, you’re fine, your daughter is fine.”
“It’s a girl?” Louis whispered and carefully shifted her in his arms.
Henry quickly dealt with the cord and then bundled them both up in a blanket.
“I still can’t believe it,” Louis whispered. The baby was finally calming down in his arms.
Meanwhile Henry had picked up the still sleeping baby boy and brought him over as well. “I know, but it’s gonna be okay.”
“I wasn’t ready.” Louis admitted, almost crying. “’m still not.”
“You have two healthy babies, and we’ll figure out the rest,” Henry assured him, “how about you just get some rest and I’ll call the rest of the guys to bring up your stuff and set everything up. We’ll get you ready.”
– THE END –