Someone Like Us | Completed ✓

Chapter Sixteen: For Davian

November 5

Ace got the phone call at midnight.

He was passed out in his bed, dreaming about holding a baby boy with Joan's red hair and blue eyes when he was rudely interrupted by the loud ringing of his phone beside his head.

He groggily rolled over, rubbed his eyes, and checked the caller ID. It was Wesley.

Ace was immediately awake and felt like he'd drunk ten espressos. He shot up in bed and answered the call.

"H-Hello?" he said.

"Yes, hello, Ace?" said Wesley. He sounded breathless.

"Yes?" Ace said.

"Ace, Joan went into labor about ten minutes ago and she wants you. Alyssa's already on her way and we were wondering if you'd want her to pick you up."

All of a sudden Ace felt oddly lightheaded. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh," he mumbled to himself. He slid out of bed and started putting on jeans and a shirt. "Yes, Alyssa can pick me up, that'd be great," Ace said to Wesley. "Is it okay if Kyle comes with me? He'll want to be there when Jellybean's born."

"Yes, it is, but he'll have to stand outside the room," Wesley said.

"Okay, that's fine." Ace put his shoes and socks on one-handed and ran down the hall to Kyle's bedroom. "I'll get Kyle and then we'll wait outside in the driveway for Alyssa."

"Great. See you soon."

They hung up and Ace burst into Kyle's room. He gently shook his brother. "Kyle," he whispered loudly. "Kyle, wake up! Wake up!"

Kyle's eyelids fluttered. He groaned. "Shut up," he mumbled. "I'm not ready yet." He rolled over.

"Kyle!" Ace shook him again. "Dude, Joan's in labor!"

"Wh-what?" Kyle sat up on his elbows quickly and wiped drool from his mouth, all of a sudden as awake as Ace was. "She is? Seriously?"

"Yes!"

Kyle gave his brother a side-eye. "This isn't a prank?"

"NO! Kyle, Alyssa's on her way to pick us up and take us to the hospital, so GET THE HECK OUT OF BED SO I CAN SEE MY BABY!"

"Okay, okay!" Kyle jumped out of bed, changed into sweats, and put his shoes in socks on. The two grabbed their coats on the way out the door and then stood outside in the driveway in the chilly, midnight November air.

"Should we tell Emily and Ellis?" Kyle said after a few seconds. Ace moaned and facepalmed. "I'll just leave them a voicemail. They'll understand."

He stepped away and did so, and just as he finished, Alyssa's mint-green car zipped into the driveway. Alyssa waved at them from the driver's seat, and the brothers ran forward. Ace jumped into the passenger seat and Kyle hopped into the back.

They buckled up and Alyssa backed out of the driveway and zoomed off. She was wearing leggings and a pull-over hoodie with their high school's logo on the front.

It was the most stressful drive of the teens' lives and nobody spoke. At one point Alyssa asked if they wanted to stop for coffee, but both brothers said no. Alyssa didn't want any either. Everyone was on an adrenaline rush.

Finally, Alyssa sped into the hospital parking lot, parked, and they sprinted into the hospital. The spoke to the woman at the front desk and she showed them to Joan's room. Kyle waited outside with Joan's aunts and grandmother, and Alyssa and Ace rushed inside Joan's room.

It was less loud than Ace had expected. He had prepared for Joan's yelling, but when he and Alyssa went inside, Joan was lying on the bed with her eyes closed and panting. She was drenched in sweat and was white-knuckling the bed's rails. Doctors and nurses crowned around her, and her parents held her hand and encouraged her.

Ace rushed to Joan's side and held her other hand, kissing her cheek. "I'm here, baby, I'm here," he puffed. "Hold onto me. It's going to be okay."

"Ace," Joan whimpered. "I'm so scared." She squeezed his hand.

"I know, I know," Ace said. He kissed her again. "I'm scared too. But we have to be brave. For Davian."

"For Davian," Joan whispered. Ace nodded and stroked her hair.

"Okay, honey, you're going to have to start pushing for me again," said a doctor. "Okay," Joan sighed. "You can do this, Jo Jo," Ace said.

"You're amazing, Joan! You can totally do this!" Alyssa said. "Do it for Davian," Ace said.

Joan nodded she took a deep breath and puffed out her chest. "For Davian."

"Okay, honey, are you ready?"

Joan nodded.

"Alright... One, two, three, push!"

Joan tucked her chin in and grunted. She yelled and squeezed Ace's hand so hard his knuckles popped. He barely noticed, and squeezed back. "You can do this!" he said.

"One, two, three, push!"

"Push, Joan!"

Joan yelled, Ace's knuckles popped again.

The hour passed agonizingly slow.

"One, two, three, push!"

Joan grunted and then yelled.

"Push!"

Joan screamed.

Halfway through the hour, she took another break, but it didn't last long when another contraction hit. She started crying.

"It hurts so, so bad!" she yelled. "I know, honey, but you have to keep pushing!" sad the doctor. "The harder you push, the faster this will be over!"

"Push as hard as you want to smack Neveah Adams!" Alyssa burst out.

That sure worked. Joan started pushing like heck.

"Remember to breathe, honey!" Lilly said.

Joan took five quick breaths and then pushed hard.

"He's crowning!" the doctor said.

"SERIOUSLY?!" Joan and Ace yelled in unison.

"Yes! Just keep pushing!" he said. "It's almost over!"

Joan pushed so hard she ran out of breath. She stopped for a second to breathe, tears streaming down her cheeks. "For Davian," she whispered to herself, the pushed again. She yelled.

"I love you so much, Joan!" Ace said in her ear. "You are so strong! You're so brave! I love you!"

"Kiss me, please," Joan said breathlessly. Ace leaned in and kissed her lips, then she squeezed his hand and pushed again. After a few seconds, she let her head fall back onto the pillow and closed her eyes, panting like she'd just run a marathon.

"This is the last push, honey!" said the doctor. "I need you to push as hard as you can!"

"Neveah Adams, Joan!" Alyssa said.

Joan took some slow, deep breaths. Ace wiped the sweat off her face and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

She opened her eyes. "Okay," she said. "I'm ready. Last push. I can do this."

"Yes you can, sweetie," said Wesley.

"One, two, three, push!" the doctor said.

Joan tucked her chin in, crushed Ace's hand, and screamed as she pushed as hard as she could.

Ace expected to hear crying. For the past eight months, he'd been dreaming of the sound of his son's cry, seeing Joan hold him in her arms, and then holding him himself and kissing his little face and tiny fingers. He had longed to stroke his delicate head, swaddle him in the hospital blankets, and dress him in the cute clothes they'd bought. He'd wished to hear his soft coo.

But on the night that his baby boy was finally born, none of that happened, and there was no cry.

By the time Ace turned to see his son, the team of doctors had already put an oxygen mask over the tiny little boy's face and rushed him to the NICU.