Nowhere to Go But Up✓

Sweet Child O' Mine

September and October passed way too quickly and here we were at Halloween already. I was roughly the size of a house at this point, although everyone around me disagreed. I swear my due date wasn't accurate and that I was actually closer to giving birth than what my due date insisted.

I had been on bed rest since the beginning of the month. Doctor's orders. We weren't sure how Steve's altered genetics would affect the last remaining weeks of my pregnancy. The two other agents I had hired insisted that they had everything under control and I didn't need to worry about work at all. But I was bored. Steve had taken to staying most nights in the guest room so I had someone to help me with Lucy in the morning and he insisted that I don't move unless it was to go to the bathroom. It was getting ridiculous. I had done this before. That was something everyone seemed to forget.

It was Halloween and Sam and Bucky were kind enough to take Lucy out for trick or treating. She insisted on being Captain America this year. Sam, Bucky and I found it hilarious. Steve was super embarrassed about it, especially when I made him chaperone her preschool's Halloween party.

I was in my room with the door open, Sirius laying in the doorway, facing me. I winced again. I had been having contractions off and on for most of the day. I held off on telling Steve though. I was still weeks away from my due date. I heard keys jiggling in the door as a particularly painful contraction hit, causing me to whimper in pain. Sirius took off down the hall and I was all alone. Figures.

I heard him barking downstairs and Steve talking to him, trying to get him to go outside. I then heard Sirius on the stairs and Steve sighed, following him up. The contraction was over by the time he got to my door. "How're you?" He asked while stepping inside and sitting on the end of my bed.

"I've been good." I said, wincing a little as another contraction hit.

"You sure. You're acting funny."

"I'm great." I said and then cried out as another contraction hit.

"No you're clearly not. Are you in labor?"

"No, no I'm fine. I'm not due for another few weeks." I insist as I feel the plug come loose and fluid gushes onto the bed. Shit!

"I'm pretty sure your water just broke..." he said, unimpressed by my lie. "I think we need to go to the hospital now."

"I'm fine. I've done this before. We have plenty of time." Boy was I wrong. This labor progressed a lot faster than my labor with Lucy had and soon it was too late to make it to the hospital.

"What do I do?" Steve asked panic. I groaned as another contraction hit.

"Are you kidding me? You went through EMT training! This is something you're taught right?" I was gritting my teeth. He had grabbed some towels from the linen closet and had settled down at the foot of the bed.

"You're right, you're right. We got this." And he coached me through labor, getting a front row seat to welcome his son into the world. What felt like hours later but really was only twenty minutes, our son was here. Screaming, red and wrinkly, he was perfect. Steve wrapped him up before placing him on my chest.

"Hey little guy. Welcome." I said, breathing heavy from exertion. Steve had thrown the ruined towels in the trash before joining me at the head of the bed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and looking down at our baby. "He's perfect." I whisper. He grabbed my phone, taking a picture of the three of us before sending it to my parents, alerting them of our newest arrival.

Steve had taken him into the bathroom to rinse him off as best he could when the front door opened and we heard Sam and Bucky laughing at something Lucy had said. Having left me in my room when they came to pick her up, they ascended the stairs, Lucy sounding like a herd of wild buffalo behind them. They came into the room, checking me over when Steve came out of the bathroom with the baby. They gasped and smiled, watching as he handed the baby to me. Lucy followed after this and squealed when she saw the small bundle in my arms.

My parents came shortly after and we were all congregated in my room as they passed the baby around. He was currently in my dad's arms with my mom staring at him from over dad's shoulder. "And does he have a name?" My mom asked.

Steve and I look at each other and I nod, finally agreeing to the name he suggested months ago. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Joseph Grant Rogers."

💙💙💙
The baby is here! But don't worry, the story isn't over just yet.