Falling

Baby Fever | Bonus Chapter

"Drive faster Dante or I swear to god!"

    I grip the edge of my seat so tight that my nails dig into the cushion. My eyes can't focus on anything but the blinking time on the dashboard and the road ahead. Dante can't do anything about New York City's traffic and I get that, but right about now I wish he fucking could.

    "Amelia. I. Am. Trying." He growls out, clearly angry at me.

    We've been tense this entire car ride. The second Tatum called me, telling us the baby is on its way into this world, we both bolted. Except Dante seems to not be in as much of a rush as I am and for that I'm going crazy. I am not missing the birth of my best friend's baby, who specifically asked me to be there for her.

    "Well try harder." I know I'm being irrational but I can't help it.

    I'm anxious I'm going to miss it, and anxious for a whole other reason on top of it. I missed my period this month and I don't want to even think of what it could mean. I've been so stressed with work and my new position that I hadn't even been keeping track of my birth control pills.

    I was only three days late, but I was several years not ready to have a kid. And as we raced to the hospital to watch my friend deliver one, I was reassured about that fact. The both of us were in complete panic mode, Dante gripping the steering wheel for life, and me yelling at him.

    "Would you like me to get in a fucking accident?" He swears.

    "I should've driven." I answer, not entertaining his irrational question. "I would've gotten us there by now." I sigh and lean back against the seat, closing my eyes.

    "Amelia. I know you're stressed. I know you want to be there for Tatum, but I'm going to need you to not talk the rest of the way." His voice is strained, like he's trying to be calm on top of piles of anger and frustration. I know he's right and I need to calm my heart and not take it out on him, so I pull out my phone and distract myself.

    A car horn blares as I open up my period tracking up. There's a small red dot on the day of ovulation that has my stomach drop again. Dante and I have a lot of sex, it's our normal now. I try to keep on top of when we do so I can notice anything irregular that might happen. Like a missed period.

    Fear seeped in with the realization.

    We might be parents.

    "What's wrong? What's that face for? Did something happen at the hospital?" Dante panics. I didn't even notice him stopping at a red light, or how he turned to look at me. I look up in time to see his stressed eyes on me.

    "No, nothing happened at the hospital. Everything is fine." I assure, tucking my phone back in my pocket. "Just drive, please." I don't look at him and gesture ahead to the now green light. I can feel  his stare on me for another second, like he knows there is something more I'm not telling him.

    I don't want to say anything until I know for certain. There is absolutely no use in stressing over it until there is a positive sign. Well at least that's what I tell myself as we pull into one of the hospital's many parking lots. I don't wait for Dante, getting out of the car and running to the front. I hear him swear my name but don't stop. He can be Mr. Moody all by himself, I'm going to be there for my friend.

    Rodney had already texted us the room and floor so it was just a matter of telling the reception stations. They directed me to where I needed to go and before I knew it I was taping a visitor badge on my shirt as I walked down the hall, following the screams of pain. Rodney was sitting outside when I got there.

    "What are you doing? Why aren't you in there?" I panic.

    He shakes his head, looks up and almost laughs. "She kicked me out." I relax for a moment, knowing she's okay.