Fate || BENNIFER

Too Soon

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Recommendation: Listen to Is It Just Me? By Emily Burns.
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Jennifer's P.O.V

I closed my eyes under the shower head and took a deep breath, feeling my chest rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. The discomfort I had been trying to ignore for the previous few hours was still there, but the warm water did its job to soothe the pain of the mild contractions I had been feeling throughout the day, coming and going, and that had been slightly increasing gradually. My due date was still a month away, and a part of me didn't want to believe it was already happening.

I tried to relax and focus on the sensation of the water on my skin, but a wave of fear washed over me, and I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. The pain was now the least of my concerns, as it was only the beginning. I was about to bring a new life into the world, and I wasn't ready. The thought that I was alone and that I didn't have Ben to hold my hand through it was causing panic to rise within me.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, the chill of the air making me shiver. I took my bathrobe from the hanger, put my arms through the sleeves, and tied the belt loosely around my waist. I reached for my phone on the sink and scrolled through my contacts until I found Leah. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. I cursed silently. Of course, she would be fast asleep at this hour. I was about to hang up when she picked up.

"Hello?" She answered groggily.

"It's me." I knew she had seen my name on her screen.

"It's 4:00 a.m." She pointed out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm in labor." I said.

"Okay, I'm on my way. Don't drive." Her tone sharpened as she replied.

"I'm not gonna drive. I need you to drive me." My voice was very calm.

I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to concentrate on dressing up and slipping on my shoes as my mind constantly drifted away. Leah arrived about thirty minutes later, with a sleepy look on her face and yawning as she crossed the door. Seeing her was enough for me to crumble.

"How long have you been having contractions?" She gave me the hug I had been needing for a while.

"I don't know. I showered the kids, I gave them dinner, and I put them to sleep. I didn't want them to worry." I explained in a tearful voice. "I needed them to believe everything was normal."

"Okay. How far apart are they?" She asked.

"Far enough to know that this baby won't be born tonight." I said well aware of the long hours I had ahead of me.

"Is it still a slight discomfort?" She noticed that my face was betraying me.

"They're getting worse, but coming at irregular intervals." I winced and breathed through another wave of pain. "It shouldn't be happening. It's too soon."

"You can't control it." She held my hand.

"I can't control anything." I regretted.

"This is supposed to be a good moment." A slight smile drew on her face.

"I wanted it to be." I said in a low voice.

"Jennifer, call him." She said taking her phone from her pocket. I gave her no answer. "Okay. You should sit down. There's something you need to know."

I sat on the couch as she looked unusually serious. She sat next to me and paused for a moment. My heart was going to come out of my chest at any second.

"What is it?" I asked in an anxious tone.

"It's about the day of the ultrasound, when Ben was supposed to go with you. He didn't skip it because he forgot. It wasn't a lack of commitment. He never got to tell you that he was signing the divorce papers in court." She explained calmly.

"What?" My mouth fell open.

"When you told him to go that evening... he was here to tell you." She said.

"Oh god..." The realization came on cue with a long contraction, and probably the strongest so far.