for, lover (Completed; editing)

Chapter 57

Tony drives me to the hospital. We walk to the front lobby where Ben is sitting, holding onto the overnight bag. He stands when he sees us and motions for us to come over.

"Hey! Does she already have a room?" I ask him.

"Yeah, I just came out here to wait for you-" He moved his eyes to Tony, then back to me. "Why are you two wet?"

My clothes got a little damp when I rushed to get dressed. Tony had to grab new ones because his were completely soaked.

"We took showers. Is that dire information for you to know?"

I can see Tony grinning to the side of me.

Ben rolls his eyes and grabs the bag from the bench. "Let's go back."

He leads us down the hall to the room they've got her situated. Maddy is propped up on a few pillows, staring up at the TV in front of her bed. 

She looks our way when we walk in. "You made it! Thank God."

I chuckle. "Not that you need me. You're a grown ass woman about to be a mother."

"True but I still need my best friend. I'm really nervous." She sighs. "It just seems too early. Is it too early?"

"The doctor said it's okay if she's a little early. Your due date is only a couple weeks away." Ben reminds her.

She nods and hangs her head down, her face twisting in anguish. Ben rushes over to her to hold her hand throughout the contraction.

Seeing him care for her this way is a nice reassurance of the love he has for her. I was worried about Ben becoming a father. He never spoke about it when we were together so I just thought he never wanted it to happen. It's safe to assume he just didn't want it to be with me.

"Are your parents coming?" I ask them.

"Mom is. Dad is out of town." Ben says.

"Mom is on the way." Maddy adds, releasing a deep breath to relax again.

I nod and look at Tony. He's leaned against the doorway watching us. I walk over to him while they're talking. "Hey, you don't have to stick around for all of this if you need to get some sleep. Who knows how long it'll be."

"I want to be here." He smiles, reaching for my hand.

I give it to him and return a smile. "Well in that case, want to grab me and Ben some coffee?"

"Of course. Be right back." He walks out.

"Bree, if you don't keep him around he'll be snatched up in seconds." Maddy says.

I stick my tongue out, sitting down in the chair next to her bed.

Tony comes back fifteen minutes later with coffee for the three of us, excluding the lady in labor. All of our attention is pointed to the television.

He walks over and hands me my cup. "What are you guys watching?"

"Harry Potter marathon." I smirk.

He rolls his eyes, smiling down at me and passes Ben his coffee.

"You'd like them if you gave them a chance!"

"I doubt it."

Fast forward 4 1/2 hours, the four of us are patiently waiting for baby Cunningham deep into the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Maddy's mom still isn't here and Ben's mother went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

"When is your mom supposed to be here?" I ask her.

She checks the time on her phone and shrugs. "She said she's on the way."

"How long ago was that? She doesn't live that far." Ben asks.

Maddy shrugs again, redirecting her focus back to the movie. Ben passes me a glance that I shrug off too.

I pick up my phone from the bedside table seeing a text flash across the screen from my mom. "Hey, how's everything?"

"Good! The doctor said it shouldn't be too much longer."

"That's so exciting! Are you girls going to be okay? Do you need anything?"

"No, we should be good. Still waiting on Maddy's mom to arrive."

"Oh. Well you know how that woman can be."

She better not be late to her first grandchild's birth. Maddy will never forgive her.

"I know. Hoping for the best." I text back.

"Me too! I'll come visit to meet the little angel whenever everyone is settled."

I send over a thumbs up and set my phone back down.

Tony watches me. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it was just my mom. She was asking about Maddy."

"Is she coming?"

He seems almost hopeful.

I shake my head. "No, not tonight. She will whenever we get back to the apartment. Some time next week I think."

"Oh. Okay." He glances down.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders and tilts his head back towards the movie.

I don't even have to ask what's wrong. He obviously thinks I keep pushing off him formally meeting my mother. He isn't entirely wrong, I just have my personal reasons. I'm not exactly in the best graces of either of my parents so it'll just be weird introducing them to yet another guy in the span of less than two years.

The doctor knocks and pokes his head through the crack. "How's it hanging in here?"

Maddy points up to TV in the corner. "We're almost on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

That makes him laugh. "It seems like everyone in this hospital is hooked on that marathon right now."

"Maybe it'll increase our chances of getting a wizard." Ben jokes, forcing snickers out of the rest of us.

"Ah, well I wish you two good luck. Mind if I check and see how everything is coming along?"

I stand up and put my hand out to Tony. "That's our queue to leave."

He grabs my hand and stands. "Oh?"

"We'll be in the waiting room!"

I walk Tony out and down the hall towards the front lobby. "You really don't have to stay here all night. Who knows how much longer this will be."

He grabs my other hand and pulls me in front of him, clutching down with a stern grip. "Bree. I want to be here. I want to be wherever you are. I want to spend as much time as I can with you no matter what the hell we're doing."

"But whyyyy? I feel like I'm wasting your time."

He shakes his head, putting his dimples on full display with his charming smile. "You could never."

"Mmmhm, well then I guess I should thank you. I definitely would lose my mind if I was here with just them two and Ben's mother who keeps trying to talk me up every thirty minutes about what caused the downfall of our relationship."

"What? I didn't hear her say anything like that!"

"She catches me when you're not around. Why do you think I suggested for her to go eat something?"

He laughs and moves his attention off to the side. A group of nurses rush by us, pushing one of the stretchers past us down the hall. They're running frantically trying to get the bloodied patient to a room.

I catch a glimpse of their face and feel my stomach drop, freezing me in place.

"Him...that's...." I stutter.

"What? What's wrong?"

He looks around again but they've already rounded the corner.

"That was Levi."