What a Life This Is - A Collection of Short Stories

Special Chaos - Part 2

[When someone is talking, ENGLISH IS BOLD, and JAPANESE IS NORMAL FONT, if there is bold but no dialogue, it's simply for dramatic purposes]
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A few minutes later, after a sudden flurry of nurses and medical stuff, as well as Kojiro confirming that Kahane had arrived and was with the kids in the waiting room, Karou had disappeared from Kojiro's arms and was being wheeled to the delivery room on a gurney, with a frantic husband running beside him.

"It'll be okay Karou, we're-" Kojiro began, before being interrupted by his husband, who took a break from his loud breathing to look at him, "Don't talk to me."

Kojiro blinked, "Karou, I-"

"Do. Not. Talk. To. ME." Karou snarled at him, and Kojiro shut his mouth as he saw his husband's gold eyes flash with barely contained rage. As they continued arrived at the delivery room and wheeled Karou inside, Kojiro was practically shoved out of the way as a doctor got in between Karou's legs and began shouting out to everyone else in the room, "Entering active labor, 8 centimeters dilated," she called out, "how often are your contractions coming Mr. Nanjo?"

"Uh- every three minutes or soOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHMOTHER- [Censors Brought To You By Author-Chan] -MIT THAT ONE HURT!"

"Would you like any anesthesia?" One nurse asked, and as Karou shook his head no, Kojiro finally made it to his husband's side, grabbing Karou's hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze, which the other man returned.

Hours went by like this- and soon, Kojiro was struggling to keep his eyes open, they would droop shut every few minutes and he would shake himself awake again, he couldn't fall asleep, he had to stay awake, for Karou. As long as Karou stayed awake, he would too.

Speaking of Karou, his contractions were coming more frequently and more painfully now, the doctor had announced that he had gone into the last stage of labour, transition- about 50 minutes ago, and soon that it would be time for him to start pushing. The doctor had also asked Kojiro to give this information to Karou, who was in so much pain he probably didn't hear, or even notice- the announcement, and Kojiro obliged, leaning over, "Karou?"

When the pink-haired man opened his eyes and tilted his head to look at him, Kojiro relayed the message, "The doctor said it'll be time for you to start pushing soon, alright?"

Karou nodded and readjusted his grip on Kojiro's hand, managing to speak in between his pants, "Y-You'll stay here with-..here with me?"

Kojiro nodded, bringing Karou's hand up to his lips to kiss his fingers, "Yes, I'll be right here, Karou."

"Promise?"

Kojiro nodded again, this time firmer, "I swear on my life."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the doctor looked up from Karou's legs, "Mr. Nanjo, you've finished your transition, so when your next contraction hits, I'm gonna need you to start pushing, okay?"

Karou nodded, and a few seconds later, he let out a rapid-fire string of curses that would put every rapper on Earth to shame, squeezing Kojiro's hand so hard it felt like it was going to break his fingers in half as the pinkette huffed rapidly, about a minute later letting out another agonized yell as his nails dug into both the hospital bed and Kojiro's skin, leaving indents that would most likely last forever.

After about an hour of pushing, the doctor looked up and announced, "I see the head, just keep pushing!"

"Hey, did you hear that Karou?" Kojiro asked, raising his other hand so both of his were wrapped around the one of Karou's as he encouraged him, "You're doing great, you're almost there."

Karou, eyes scrunched shut and sweat dripping down his face, nodded rapidly, and promptly let out another shout.

Yet another hour of pushing and shouting later, the doctor finally- finally said, "alright, just one last shove and the baby's head will be delivered- Mr. Nanjo, on your next contraction, I need you to push as hard as you can."

Karou nodded again, and seemed to steel himself, his breaths getting less erratic and more controlled, and a few agonizing seconds later, he let out one last, almost primal roar that would make a T-Rex shy away, his eyes flying open and his pupils dilating as his head hit the back of the hospital bed.

"The head is out!" The doctor exclaimed, smiling up at the couple, "You can start pushing more gently now, Mr. Nanjo," she said, and Karou's head fell, his hair cascading down like pink waterfall as he panted, Kojiro letting out a breath of relief as he smiled back at the woman.

A few seconds later, the cries of the baby began to fill the room, and Kojiro looked up, craning his neck as the doctor lifted up the baby and placed him in Karou's waiting arms. Kojiro watched as Karou held his baby- their baby, to his chest, a tired smile gracing his lips as he gazed down at his child with so much love and pride in his eyes that Kojiro felt his heart swell with happiness at the sight.

Soon, a nurse came over, and Kojiro saw a flash of sadness pass over Karou's face as the baby was gently taken out of his arms and whisked away- but the sadness was soon replaced with relief, happiness, and a bit of humor as the two men made eye contact and Karou chuckled a bit, giving Kojiro an exhausted smile, "I feel like crap."

Kojiro chuckled as well, "You did amazing," he told his husband, raising a hand to push Karou's bangs off his sweaty forehead and planting a kiss there, "I'm so proud of you, Blossom."