ENCHANTED ⇒ jegulus

TWENTY FOUR

Regulus gets changed into a new green hospital gown. James will never utter to Regulus how he asked if Regulus could have the bloody sage green one. James helps him change and they continue the wait, the long, seemingly endless wait.

After a brief half an hour of silence, excluding Regulus' occasional groans, James clears his throat to speak.

"Can I do anything?"

For a moment, James seems to have forgotten who he is talking to as he fears Regulus is going to snap at him as he usually seems to do when James feels helpless and needing to do something.

Nothing could have prepared James for this feeling of helplessness. There is nothing that he can do to make this go quicker or to take this agony away from Regulus. All James can do is allow Regulus to practically crush his hand while he wipes away the sweat from Regulus' forehead.

Instead of snapping furiously, or coldly, Regulus eyes James hesitantly. "Would....would you maybe just rub my back? Please?" He mumbles. "If...if you don't mind, that is."

James stares for a short moment before a quiet moan from Regulus breaks him out of his shock and he wordlessly sits closer onto the bed. "I wouldn't mind at all," James says softly. "If it'll make it less painful, even for a second, I don't mind, Regulus. Here, budge up." He tells him.

"You fucking budge. I can barely move." Regulus' whining is half-hearted at best, which as much as his asking for help tells James how much pain he truly is in. James gently helps Regulus lean forward and focuses his attention on the muscles in Regulus' lower back, tight and trembling with strain.

"Everything will be okay." James utters softly, his voice hardly anything above a whisper. "She's almost here, she'll be out soon,"

Regulus shakes his head sadly. James can see tears prickling in his eyes, perhaps from the pain of everything, not just exclusively childbirth. "She's not ready to come out yet," He tells James in a choked voice.

James sighs gently, shaking his head. He runs the pads of his fingers softly over Regulus' quivering knuckles. "She is. She's ready to come out,"

"But...but what if I'm not ready?" Regulus murmurs quietly. "I...I never got to hear her heartbeat on the monitor, I...I didn't get those psycho fucking pregnancy cravings, I didn't get any of it," He mumbles, seemingly accepting his own words, as though he hasn't ever dawned on them before. "And...and she didn't kick enough to even remember how any of it felt and...and-"

James closes his hand over Regulus' much smaller one, much daintier one. "And now you'll get to see her. Isn't that so much nicer? Mmh?" He hums.

Regulus clenches his eyes shut. "I...I won't be able to even look at her," He whispers so softly. He continues speaking before James can even question him, opening his silvery eyes. "I...what's in that bag over there, Potter?" He questions, as if to distract them both, glancing towards James' jacket and his shopping bag.

James hums softly, smiling a little, the corners of his lips twitching upwards. "Oh," He chuckles. "Um, I...I got something for her after training," He says cautiously. "I hope you're alright with that," He doesn't want to risk sending Regulus back into his reclusive natures, he doesn't want to overstep, to overcrowd Regulus; to perhaps even scare him away.

Regulus nods. "What...what did you get her?" He wonders.

"A book."

"She'll be a baby for a long time, Potter. It is proven that they do not actually know how to read,"

James chuckles once more, rolling his golden brown eyes. "I'll read it to her, stupid,"

"Would you believe that it is additionally proven that babies can't really listen efficiently either, Potter?"