Twisted Games

thirty four - taylor

The minutes ticked by slowly as I waited for Travis to come back and I remained slumped at the end of the couch. My contractions were getting close together and I was pretty sure it wouldn't be too long before the baby was coming. And fuck it hurt.

"Okay." I groaned to my stomach as I felt a kick. "Yeah, I know this is weird my darling, but it'll be over soon. Take it easy on me yeah?"

In response, I felt another contraction, one that would have put me on my knees if I wasn't already. I gritted my teeth, tears filling my eyes at the tearing pain. This felt different, not like my other contractions, and I cursed when I realized I needed to push.

"Great timing." I mumbled to my stomach. "You couldn't wait until your dad got home?"

But giving birth waited for no one, and I didn't know where my phone was, so as soon as the contraction was over I forced myself to my feet. It hurt like hell to move but I knew I had to, and I pushed on one step at a time down to baby boy's nursery. The birthing pool had already been filled and I pushed through the pain as I stepped out of my clothes, wearing only my bra as I got in. The cool water helped to soothe the burn in my body and I gasped, moving to rest on my knees, sit back on my heels, and lean over the edge.

"Okay sweet boy, we can do this." I whispered more to myself, pushing my sticky bangs out of my face and gripping the edge of the pool. "Take it easy on me and we'll make this quick yeah?"

So when another contraction hit, I closed my eyes and pushed as hard as I could, a scream ripping through my throat as I did so. It hurt so much more than anything I'd felt up until this moment, but I knew I could do it. I had no other choice. So I pushed like hell, and once my contraction was over I felt like I was doing okay. It wasn't like I'd ever done this before, but I felt like baby boy had moved slightly.

I pushed a few more times, the pain reducing me to a whimpering mess in-between. But I kept going even when it felt like I couldn't, because this wasn't about me anymore. It was about the little boy I'd kept safe while he grew these last nine months, our son. This was about him now.

I almost sobbed in relief when I heard the front door open and Travis' voice calling out to me. Lifting my head, I tried to respond but my voice was hoarse and I couldn't manage much. 

"Tay?" He called out again, and then he appeared in the doorway. "Oh baby girl, baby." Travis rushed to me immediately, dropping everything in his arms as he knelt in front of me and took my hands. "Tay why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know where my phone was." I whimpered, clutching his hands tightly. "It's okay." I swallowed. "I've only had to push a few times."

"Shit, okay. I'm here baby girl, I'm here." Travis assured me. "I'm going to call Faith and we'll get you through this."

I nodded, feeling a lot better about the fact that I wasn't on my own anymore. Travis called Faith, letting me cling to him, holding his hands. I clutched his fingers so tightly it was probably hurting him, but he didn't breathe a word of complaint. My contractions got worse, pushing got harder, but I could tell I was making progress with each one, even if it was just a little.

"Travis!" I moaned in pain as he talked to Faith.

"I know baby girl, I know." He soothed. 

"No, no I think he's coming." I whimpered, letting go of one of his hands. Slumped against the side of the pool, I reached my hand between my legs. I felt like the baby was right there, like he was seconds away from being born, and I gasped when I felt what I thought was the top of his head. "Shit." I breathed. That was such a fucking weird feeling. "Travis." I said urgently, and he looked at me. "She's not going to be here in time. He's right there."