Someone Like Us | Completed ✓

Chapter Fifteen: A Hiccup in the Plans

32 weeks, 8 months, November 4

It was around 10 o'clock at night, and Ace was sleeping over at the Ross house for the weekend. Currently, he and Joan were sitting on the couch watching Anonymously Yours. Joan was munching on dill pickle-flavored potato chips (curtesy of her pregnancy cravings), while Ace had his hand on her belly while contentedly snacking on some popcorn.

"Oh," Ace exclaimed. "What?" Joan said. Then she felt it. "Oh!" she cried. Ace laughed. He set down his popcorn and put both hands on her belly. He felt a small jerk. Joan felt it, too. "I read about this," she said. "He has the hiccups."

"Aww!" Ace said. He rubbed her belly, leaned in, and whispered, "What's up, Jellybean? Sick of mommy's dill pickle chips?" Joan snorted and rolled her eyes. "He hasn't complained about any of my cravings yet," she said, "No matter how odd they are. Maybe he just has the hiccups." "Maybe," Ace said, but he didn't sound convinced.

The hiccups continued for another thirty minutes as the movie continued. Ace kissed her belly a few times and kept whispering to Jellybean.

Sometime during the last twenty minutes of the movie, Joan started to squirm. She felt between her legs, and her face flushed bright red. "When did that happen?" she mumbled. She struggled to get up off the couch. "When did what happen?" Ace said. "Nothing," Joan mumbled, still struggling. Ace stood up, took her hands, and gently pulled her up off the couch. When he saw the wet spot between her legs, he turned red, too. "Oh," he muttered. "Um. Well... I guess it's a really good movie," he joked. Joan rolled her eyes and smiled a tiny bit. "Can you pause the movie?" she said. "I'm going to use the bathroom. "Sure," Ace said. He grabbed the remote and paused the film, and Joan scurried—waddled—off down the hall.

Ace grabbed a towel from the kitchen and wiped some of the wetness off the couch, then continued snacking on his popcorn. Eventually he started scrolling social media.

There was a splash. Ace's head jerked up. What the heck was that?

A second later, he heard Joan's scream. "MOM!" she yelled. "MOMMM!" And then, "DAAAD!" And finally, "AAAACE!"

Ace leapt off the couch, absentmindedly dropping his phone and the popcorn on the floor, and ran to the bathroom.

When Lilly and Wesley got there a split second before him. Lilly knocked on the bathroom door. "What's going on, sweetheart?" she called. "You'll understand if you come in!" Joan shrieked.

Lilly hurriedly opened the bathroom door and the three were about to rush inside when they stopped dead in their tracks.

Joan was crouching on the floor, and a pool of clear liquid was gathered underneath her.

"Mom," Joan squeaked. "My water broke!"

The next half hour was a blur.

Lilly rushed to help Joan into dry leggings and underwear while Joan provided her dad with a list of things to pack in her hospital bag. Ace ran outside and started the car, offering to drive. Wesley turned him down, insisting that their daughter would need him for support.

Five minutes later, Wesley ran outside and loaded Joan's hospital bag into the car, then Lilly came out helping Joan. Ace sat in the backseat with Joan, and Wesley sat in the driver's seat. He drove miles over the speed limit and actually got pulled over, and then very, very hastily took the ticket and drove only slightly slower to the hospital.

When they got there, Joan had a bit of trouble walking very quickly, so they anxiously walked very slowly to the hospital doors. When they explained to the nurse at the front desk how Joan's water had broken eight weeks early, she rushed to get them to a hospital room in the maternity ward.