Winter's Fate

Chapter 23

An eerie quiet surrounded the manor, empty of everything and everyone. Although the windows were closed, the wind could be heard howling with a savage fierce outside. The lights from the kitchen flickered on and off seemingly in rhythm with each lightening strike. Having left their phones in the bedroom both were now vulnerable.

A thunderous roar followed drowning out screams of pain as another contraction rippled through his lower back then proceeding to squeeze around his front hugging his stomach in a vicious grip. He hadn't been able to move let alone stand or crawl. It held its hold until a pop was heard. He released the hand he had been squeezing for who knows how long.

"Oh god!" his voice echoed throughout the house as the first gush of fluids released from his pelvic area, the amniotic sac having ruptured with a brute force causing him to fall further onto his back. Definitely not Braxton Hicks.

Panting heavy he focused on reeling his mind with the fact that he was in active labor. He moaned at the sudden onslaught when one of the babies gave a strong kick as it made its hasty decent into the birth canal. "What the hell." Grabbing the pale wrist to look at the watch knowing he needed to get a sense as to how many minutes he had until the next one.

In spite of the liquid continuing to run down his legs, he pushed himself up so he could turn and face the form laying beside him. Swallowing a couple deep breaths he desperately shook the unresponsive being laying at the bottom of the staircase before checking for a pulse praying that his body would move enough to perform CPR.

"Itachi, please! I need you. We need you!" He cried counting out the chest compressions.

He had been feeling off since he woke up around 6 a.m. but the stubbornness he possessed from time to time he pushed the feeling aside until later that afternoon an excruciating pain drove him to his knees. Yelling for the only other person in the house, his dear husband, who was upstairs in the nursery putting away some items they had ordered online for the twins. Hearing the cries of distress, the raven came rushing to his aide, misstep and fell the flight of stairs.

Naruto tried to ignore the awkward proportionate twist of the older's body where he laid motionless ever since reaching the bottom. Blood seeping out of the side of his mouth just caused more panic to run through him.

"Shit...three minutes!" Gritting his teeth which did nothing to wane the intense pressure in his pelvis from the baby's head anxious to exit its home of nine months. The need to push was sending shockwaves of pain throughout his stomach whilst grappling around and down his spine. He doubled over and gripped the sides of his belly, stopping to take a deep breath, anticipating that it would help ground him so that he could check for Itachi's pulse.

"I'm sorry!" He wailed in sorrow. Guilt feasting his soul for not admitting and communicating the symptoms sooner. Itachi had been telling him about letting him know right away if he felt different in any way, even if it turned out to be a false alarm.

Tears mixed with beads of sweat adhered to his face. He could feel another contraction build with not much time to prepare or recover from the last one. The babies were coming fast; much faster then he had expected.

After the contraction reached its peak he yelled at the top of his lungs, shaking his husband again, hoping that the security guards would hear him over the thunder. But he knew it was foolish to think such luck would happen as the mansion was like a full proof fortress. He was alone. Vice like grips from the next contraction came swiftly causing him to collapse.

Clear salty liquid continued to cascade down his face as he sobbed not just from the pain but the situation facing him. He pushed off his inner wear, his legs spreading apart on their own, his body automatically doing what it needed to do.

The pregnant lad cried as his body plunged forward, struggling to expel the life within. Feeling the child crown at his entrance, he pushed with all his might to give birth beside his dead husband, the father their children will never meet.

"Naruto! Naruto!" He heard his name being called but it sounded so far away. He also felt someone shaking him at his shoulders. His eyes slowly opened, allowing his vision to adjust into the light that was shining in the room. His mind wrestling to clear itself from the fog clouding his brain. His forehead was clammy. Exhausted, he took in his surroundings, finally seeing a distraught face staring at him making the connection that he was in his bedroom.  His throat scratchy and sore he could only imagine that he had been screaming. 

"Are you okay?" A deep baritone laced in worry penetrated the smaller's ears causing a pair of frightened, tearful cyans to focus on the holder's voice. Naruto felt wetness on his face, realizing that he was crying, recalling the terror in the lingering haze.

Once he came back to the presence of his mind, he patted his stomach, then reached up to embrace the figure looming over him before stroking the pale face with his tan fingers to make sure that the person in front of him was actually real. When he felt strong arms wrapping around him amongst the heat generating off of the broad frame and the familiar scent filling his nose he knew his lover was alive. In an instant all of the fear induced emotions came crashing in and he broke down into a quiet sob.

"It's okay. You're alright. It was a bad dream." Itachi said softly, rubbing circles over his back. It wasn't the first time that he was woken up over the past couple of weeks due to Naruto's weird dreams.

Naruto clung to his husband crying into his neck. "Y...you di..died." hiccuping between violent sobs, "...and I tried...to resuscitate you...but..." he stuttered.

"Shh. Shh. I'm right here." Itachi said stroking his hand over the golden locks whilst continuing to rub soothing ministrations over his back.

"Th...there...was a sto...storm. We were alone and...you...you fell down the stairs...and I... I was giving birth... beside you...and you...you were...DEAD!" He wailed out still in a sobbing mess. "And nobody could hear me!"

Itachi pulled the yellow mop back away from his hold so that he could look at him. He gently pushed the strands of hair that were on the latter's forehead before kissing the tan skin. The hallucinations were becoming more intensified on and off. It was an unfortunate symptom of the pregnancy that the doctor explained was normal, but this was his worst dream yet. "Love, it was a nightmare. I'm here and you're still pregnant," he said resting a hand on the heavy dome between them.

"But dreams come true!" He lamented still quivering and trying to force himself to recover from the vivid vision present in his mind.

"Only pleasant ones. Everything's okay." Itachi assured once again in a gentle voice whilst wiping at the tears that were still falling placing tender kisses over the scarred cheeks. He waited a moment before laying him back down and pulling the blankets over them. He swaddled the blonde against his chest in a tight embrace and laid his hand over the rounded tummy where he felt a tiny foot from one of the twins pushing his palm letting him know that they were awake.

"Looks like someone woke up." Itachi chortled in the soft tresses as he rubbed the little imprint that continued to press into his touch.

Having calmed down but clearly exhausted Naruto frowned placing a hand over Itachi's. "The other one will probably wake up now."

The Uchiha kept up with the massaging motion while humming a melody. Eventually both parents could feel the child fall back to sleep to the sound of their father's voice.

Naruto let out a sigh, his gazes fixated on the pair of dark irises warmly looking at him. Subconsciously he moved his hand and traced the paler's face starting from his temple down to his chin refusing to pull his hand away content with feeling the warmth of the smooth skin. The man was the most handsome person he has ever met and regardless of the requited truth that his husband is charming, what Naruto loved the most was his kind and caring soul. A treasure to behold. "I love you so much." He breathed out feeling safe and comforted in the arms holding him.

"I love you more." Itachi said placing Naruto's knuckles to his lips then moving to kiss his wrist. "Now let's go back to sleep before they both wake up." He said snuggling his sunshine closer into his chest and watching him fall asleep almost immediately.