✔︎ 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 [𝐆𝐓𝐀𝐕]

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑇𝑊𝐸𝐿𝑉𝐸 - 𝑋•𝑉𝐼𝐼•𝑀𝑀𝑋𝑉

Strawberry, Los Santos, October of 2015

"Oh my God Michael I'm actually going to fucking die."

Not even an hour after her waters had broke and the contractions had started, Amanda and Michael were in the hospital. Her contraction pains had increased times ten, and the only way she could describe it was that she was getting 'stabbed from the insides'. Michael obviously did his best to comfort her, but having never been to any of his other children's births, he was unsure of what he could do.

So far, he had gone to the store for food four times - food that Amanda knew she couldn't eat but asked for anyway - and gotten her an unbelievable amount of water because she was telling Michael she would die if she didn't have water every 2 seconds.

Whether she was being serious or exaggerating because of her pain, Michael didn't know.

Right now, Amanda was sprawled on her hospital bed, in a hospital gown, picking at the hospital food. She'd kicked all the sheets off the bed because she was too hot, but then five minutes later pulled them back on because she was too cold. Michael was sat on a maybe-comfortable couch beside the bed, dosing in and out of sleep, but Amanda's demands and complaining prevented him from getting more than five minutes of shut eye.

"Michael, I'm so warm." She huffed, kicking the sheets off the bed again.

"Open the window then?" He gestured to the window above him.

"Shut the fuck up." She growled, her eyebrows furrowed.

Michael threw his hands up defensively.

"Are you gettin' an epipen or whatever they call it?"

"An epidural, Michael, and no. I survived the other two without it so I'll be fine."

"Not sure if you're aware, Mandy, you were a lot younger when you had the other two."

"Are you calling me old?" She asked, scowling at him as she leaned back on the bed and let out another huff.

"Of course not, I just-"

"Oh my fucking GOD."

Amanda cut Michael off and clutched her stomach as another painful contraction overwhelmed her. She had sweat dripping down her head, her face was scrunched in pain, and Michael felt completely hopeless. She wafted her hand about as if telling Michael to get a nurse, so that's exactly what he did.

"Excuse me, can I get a nurse in here? My wife's about to fuckin' explode." Michael yelled down the hallway before slamming the door shut.

A few minutes later, 2 nurses came in, smiles on their faces, to check Amanda's cervix. They were mumbling things among themselves, things Michael didn't understand, but Amanda's slow nods and long breath in told him everything he needed to know.

"10 centimetres dilated, Amanda. We can start pushing whenever you're ready." The nurse said.

"So I don't need to have a C-section?"

"Neither you or the baby are at risk, but if that's what you'd prefer-"

"Oh god no!" She said, "I think I'd die."

Amanda stretched her hand out for Michael to take, and whereas she usually holds him delicately, it was now more of a death grip. One of the nurses grabbed her other hand, and when another nurse came in to join the one at Amanda's legs, they signalled for her to start pushing.

"When I say go, I want you to breathe out slowly and push at the same time as I count to ten, okay?" The nurse asked.

Amanda nodded slowly and let out a shaky breath, so with her confirmation, the nurses told her to begin pushing. It was slow at first, Amanda's grip on his hand was definitely there but not enough to hurt him, but as the pushing became more intense, Amanda's grip became more prominent.

Her screams echoed through the entire building, wails of pain filling every corridor and room of the hospital.

And then it stopped, and for a short few seconds, only Amanda's heavy breathing could be heard.

Then another cry.

But this time it wasn't Amanda, it was the cry of their baby.

A few hours later, Amanda was sleeping after an eventful morning, whilst Michael just held his child. He couldn't actually quite believe it, how did he create such a small, frail human that was so beautiful?

Roman had the eyes and chin of his father, but the hazel brown hair and thick brows were unmistakably his mothers. Michael had also noticed that his baby shared the same birth mark on his neck that Amanda did, a small brown patch that heavily contrasted his pale skin.

"Is he...can I hold him?" Amanda said as she stirred.

Michael nodded and carefully handed Roman to Amanda, who's face lit up at the sight of her child. Speaking of children, he should probably tell Tracey and Jimmy that they have a baby brother now.

They stayed like this for a while, just handing the child between each other in silence and staring at him because they were scared he'd disappear if they took their eyes away for more than a second. Eventually though, a nurse came in to take the baby to the nursery for weighing and other procedures, so Michael and Amanda just watched with sad eyes as he left. They kind of look like kids who'd just had their candy took away, and now Roman wasn't with them, that's kind of what they felt like.

Michael clambered into the bed beside Amanda once the nurse left, knowing the sullen look on her face meant she wanted comforting. He laid on his back and she carefully put her head on his chest, lulling herself to sleep with the sound of his heartbeat. Michael tentatively put an arm around her and closed his eyes, but couldn't go to sleep whilst feeling so unsettled for no apparent reason.

If Michael had known he had a reason to feel unsettled, he might've held on to his baby, and Amanda, for a lot longer.