Serendipity: A New Generation of Knights

Part 1: Ch. 16. Never Grow Up

As the days ticked by, closer and closer to Autumn's induction date, time felt very strange. The moments where she wanted time to pass by faster, when she was in pain, when she just wanted to meet her baby, when she just wanted things to go back to normal, time stretched and droned on. But when she was enjoying little moments with her son, basking in the sweetness of her husband, or even enjoying the few bonding moments between herself and Marjorie when they discussed the trials and joys of pregnancy, time seemed to fly by, like she was missing every important moment and needed to dwell on things as much as she could so she didn't miss them. And now that she was home most days and had more time to herself as she waited their baby's arrival, the minutes ticked on even more slowly than ever before.

She missed her husband asking how she was every other moment. She missed her son's chattering and singing around the house, his need for cuddles almost every time he saw her. She missed Marjorie's waffling about in the office, even her constant complaining about how much her back hurt, how everything smelled weird, how she was always hungry. She missed watching her staff walk past the office each day, waving hello to her every morning without fail. When everything was stripped away and it was just her and her bump, she missed all of the little things in her routine that she took advantage of when she didn't take the time to appreciate them.

Most of her days alone at home were now filled with cleaning. Winter put it down to nesting. Autumn knew that's exactly what it was, and she had no problem with her manic scrubbing and organizing and polishing and laundering.... It all helped her keep her head clear and focused rather than thinking about all the things she missed from her regular routine.

Over the last two weeks, Autumn had assembled everything she wanted and needed in her hospital bag for go-time. She knew what she would use and what would help her versus what she didn't need to keep with her - perks of having done it all before. But everything had been so smooth in her pregnancy with Benny. Things had been a bit rocky in her last couple months of this pregnancy, and Autumn second-guessed every bag inclusion and omission in the days leading up to her induction date. She would unpack everything from her bag at least once a day, scanning every item, writing down and mapping out its use, thinking would she really need it, does she need something else... and then repack everything in the way she felt was most right in that moment only to repeat the same process the next day.

The day droned on and afternoon turned into evening, and just as Autumn zipped up her repacked hospital bag for the second time that day, she heard the familiar hum of Winter's car pulling up to their house. She very quickly tossed her bag to the side before joining her family downstairs, but something caught her attention. She closed her fist around the handle of the bag and noticed how tight her skin had become. For the last several weeks, she was able to keep her preeclampsia symptoms subdued with medication and attention to her body, but breakthrough symptoms were becoming more common the closer she got to her new due date. She looked over both sides of her hands, noticing how her wedding ring was now embedded in the swollen flesh of her finger. She closed her hands into fists and opened them back up over and over before shoving her hands into the pocket of her sweatshirt, choosing to ignore the problem as she waddled her way downstairs to greet her husband and their son.

Moments with her son became more and more bittersweet the closer she was to her due date. She lingered longer when helping him out of his car seat, gave him extra kisses when they greeted each other, and read him extra books each night. As ready as she was to meet her little girl, she didn't know if she was ready to let go of this time alone with her baby. And as she began to feel the familiar discomfort that the end of her pregnancy brought, she knew the time was looming to an end.

"Winter?" Autumn spoke softly, her swollen hands posed covering her eyes where she sat at the head of the bed.

Winter looked up at the sound of her voice as he walked into their bedroom after putting Benny to sleep. His eyes quickly locked onto his wife's face. She had clearly been uncomfortable all evening, but now she looked even more miserable. Something wasn't right.

"My darling, I really think we should-"

"Yes," she spoke, quickly cutting him off.

"I'll go ring my parents."

Autumn sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek as Winter left the room again. Something told her that this trip to the hospital would end in them bringing home their baby. As much as she was ready to meet her daughter, she wasn't ready for what it meant for her little guy.

Moments later, Autumn found herself leaning over the frame of her baby's bed, his big boy bed, and watching him. This was the last time she would see him as her only baby. She reached down to take his hand as she began to sing.

Your little hand's wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreamin'
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light
To you, everything's funny
You got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have honey
If you could stay like that

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued to sing. He looked so peaceful. Of course, they had spent months talking to him about the arrival of his baby sister, but nothing would compare to actually bringing her home. She was not prepared to watch him grow up overnight from her baby to a big brother.

Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
And no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up
Never grow up

"My love," Winter whispered.

Autumn wiped the tears from her face as she turned around to see her husband standing in the doorway. For once, she had not heard him approach. She bent down to press one more kiss into Benny's hair before swiping at the curls falling over his face, lingering to study his features for just one more moment.

"I love you," she spoke softly before turning away and walking out of the room.

Winter held an arm out to her as she approached him, unable to control the sobs heaving in her chest. As she leaned into his embrace, he kissed her head, a tear rolling down his own cheek and falling into her hair. They held each other for a moment before Winter sniffed and spoke up.

"Your brother is coming," he said softly. "He said he'd stay here until my parents arrive, so we can go ahead and get you to the hospital, my love."

Autumn nodded against Winter's shoulder. Her head was pounding, and crying only made it worse. But a sudden wave of relief washed over her, seemingly coming from out of nowhere. Her tears dried, her breath evened out, her headache waned.

A tiny whisper came from the back of her mind.

"It's time."