"I have to call Levy." She was hunched over the kitchen counter, watching her husband rush around to get her bag packed. "I meant Crosby." She mumbled, pressing her finger tips against her stomach to make the baby move around a little.
She just wanted to make sure it was alright in there. She wasn't sure what was going on, but with pain like that, she figured she couldn't take the chance of waiting it out. She had to go in, even if her doctor sent her right back home two hours later... That baby was worth it.
"Oh, shit, Stevie." Lindsey was panicking- so much so that he had started sweating and each time he left the room, he forgot what he was going to do.
"Relax, please." She told him, reaching out to grab the house phone off the kitchen island. "That bag is fine, honey." She added, holding up one of her hands to try to calm him down some.
She wasn't even sure what he'd tossed in there- it looked like maybe some of her pajamas, a couple of pairs of leggings, a few of his t-shirts... Things a man would pack, but that was fine with her. She just wanted him to chill out before he got too worked up for his own good.
"Were your feet that swollen when you went to bed?" His voice sounded annoyed, but he wasn't upset with her- not at all, he was actually very worried, but almost so much so that his tone had shifted to this sound of frustration.
Shaking her head, she looked down at the keypad, deciding to call her doctor first. "No, they're getting worse." She was trying to remember the number, but her mind was so focused on feeling that baby move around, she could hardly think.
Rolling his eyes, Lindsey grabbed her bag with one hand, while his other arm slipped around his wife's waist. "Call them in the car, baby." He had heard enough- those feet looked too puffy to wait around any longer. "We're leaving."
~
The car ride seemed to take forever for Lindsey, but Stevie spent the entirety of it on the phone. First she got ahold of her doctor to tell him what was happening, and he assured her that she wasn't over reacting. He said he'd meet her at the hospital as soon as they arrived. Then she called Crosby, who was out at a bar with his brothers, Elise and Janie, all of whom decided to tag along as well.
It was a packed waiting room- almost déjà vu from a couple of weeks earlier when Lindsey was in the hospital. But this time, hopefully, there would be no arguments amongst the worried guests.
"Did you talk to Lucy?" Lindsey had a cup of coffee in one hand as the other stayed tucked away in his pocket.
He wanted to go back with his wife, but the doctor told him, after they got her settled down some, he would come back out and bring Lindsey to see her... He promised that she wasn't going to have a baby alone back there, which was enough to allow Lindsey to chill out for a minute... But definitely not long enough to take a seat.
Nodding his head, Crosby looked up at his father. "She said she's going to try to get a flight out here tonight." He was sitting down, right along with all the other kids.
"You think mom's okay, right?" Levy's knee was bouncing up and down as both of his elbows rested on his thighs.
He was just as worried as his dad- maybe even a little more since he wasn't able to see her when he got there... He just wanted to see her, that was all.
"She's going to be just fine." Kash didn't know that- he wasn't a doctor, but he did know what everyone wanted to hear and that was exactly it.
"Your mom," Lindsey, even though it seemed almost impossible, he cracked a smile. "Your mom is far too strong to let a little stomach ache get her down." He definitely wasn't trying to make it seem like it wasn't important, or a big deal, but he also wanted those kids to know just how incredible their mother was.
She was tough- that's where all those boy got it from.
"Lindsey?" Stevie's doctor lingered in the doorway, a welcoming smile on his face as he glanced around the room.
"Yes?" He turned on his heel, almost stumbling over his own two feet in the process.
"Everything's okay." He stated right off the bat, just so everyone could take a deep breath... The air in that room was thick with worry. "We got Stevie's blood pressure down, but we are prepping her for an emergency cesarean." He didn't want to freak everyone out, so he quickly continued. "Stevie has severe pre- eclampsia. We talked a little bit about her going further with the pregnancy, but after running some tests, I've decided it's best to just go ahead and deliver." He sounded hopeful, which made everyone in the room relax just a tad, but not a ton.
"Okay," nodding his head, Lindsey tried to take all of that in before he replied. "So she's having a baby." His heart was pounding- probably not the best thing in the world for him at the time.
"She is definitely having a baby tonight." He assured with a gentle grin and two thumbs up.
~
"There you are." Stevie was sitting up, feet dangling over the edge of the bed and already wearing a hospital gown.
"Hey, beautiful woman." He gave her a little smile as he set his cup down on the table before he trailed in a little closer.
"I have to get this off." She used her right index finger to point to the ring on her left hand. "It's been awhile." She let out a sheepish laugh as she tried to pull on it.
She was nervous- really nervous. She wasn't ready to have that baby, she really wasn't. She thought she still had at least a couple more weeks, just her and that sweet angel... Stevie didn't want to give it up quite yet, but she also understood just how dangerous it could be if she continued to carry.
"You're going to do great, sweetie." He watched her struggle for a moment- hands shaking, and finger turning uncomfortably red. "Here, stop." Taking her hand in his, he gently twisted off the ring he'd given her almost thirty- seven years earlier.
"I love you, Lindsey." She whispered, eyes melting right into his.
Leaning in slowly, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you more."
