Substitute Child (Ross Lynch)

Chapter 7

The sound of Ross' cell phone ringing caused us to let out groans, for it was only around three in the morning.

"Who the fuck is calling right now?" He mumbled, reaching over to grab his cell. I sat up, along with him and watched as he answered. "Yeah, what?" He rubbed his eyes tiredly, but they soon widened. "Wait, seriously? Y-yeah, we'll be right there. See ya soon." He turned to me wide eyed, but said nothing.

"What?" I almost screamed. If someone called this early in the morning and this was Ross' reaction, then it had to have been important.

"Del's in labor." He announced.

My jaw dropped in shock, but then I let out a squeal and threw my arms around Ross. He let out a laugh in shock before hugging me back. But that was when it hit me and we could no longer just sit here. So as quickly as we could, we changed and got Olivia's diaper bag.

"I'm so sorry, baby." I whispered, leaning down into her crib where she immediately woke up. She let out cries of protest, and all I could do was shush her and rub her back.

"Someone's not a happy camper." Ross noticed as I emerged from the nursery. Olivia's cries were getting louder, making me feel guilty since I was the cause of her cries. "Stop crying, sweetheart. You can sleep in the car." He kissed her cheek and rubbed her back.

My eyes caught sight of the bruise around his eye, the result of Ben's fist. We didn't tell anyone about what he did, and we didn't plan on it.

"Ross, we need to do something about your eye." I told him.

He took a sip from his bottle of water. "And how, exactly?"

I bit my lip. "You're not gonna like it, but makeup."

His eyes widened and he immediately shook his head. "No. No way in hell am I wearing makeup, Sky."

"Ross, it'll only be a little foundation." I told him. "We need to cover up the bruise. I don't want anyone blaming me for getting you hurt."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How in the hell is this your fault? Ben hit me, not you."

"I dated him, I brought him into our lives. The only good thing that came out of our relationship was Olivia, but that's it. But me not letting him see her is what got you hurt. So yes, it's my fault. Now let me cover it up so we can go."

Ross stared at me in shock, but slowly nodded, obviously speechless. I placed Olivia in his arms before heading to the bathroom. He followed close behind me, then sat down on the toilet when I softly asked him to. We were both silent as I applied the foundation over his bruise, flawlessly covering it up so there was no trace of injury.

By the time we got in the car and sped off to the hospital, Olivia was no longer crying. She was sniffling every once and a while, but her cries had ended. She had her pacifier in her mouth, and her eyes were wide. I had a feeling she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

When we arrived at the hospital, we went straight to the maternity wing where Ross' siblings and parents were already sitting in the waiting room. We quickly hugged in greeting before sitting down on the uncomfortable chairs.

"How long has she been in labor?" Ross asked, gently rubbing Olivia's back to help her get back to sleep. Her head was resting on my shoulder, and I could see her eyes starting to droop.

"A little more than an hour." Stormie answered. "Ellington called us when they were already admitted."

"Wish he would've called when the baby was born." Ryland mumbled, letting out a yawn. "I'm exhausted."