The Hook-up

Chapter 148

They sat next to each other for what seemed to be hours, not saying a word to each other with their wandering terror filled thoughts interrupted by the nurse. "Mrs. Hernandez, please come with me while we get your husband fixed up." She said changing her tone from being frustrated with Bruno to excited about Lauren's impending birth.

"When will he be done?" Lauren asked.

"Not more than ten minutes." The nurse answered.

"But can't I just wait here with him? What's ten minutes?" she asked.

"Okay. But don't tell anyone..." the nurse said shooing away the other nurse who came in with her. The stern nurse that Lauren had mentally named Debbie Downer finished up stitching Bruno's arm asking Bruno about his new album which distracted everyone from Bruno's pain and Lauren's discomfort.

"Owww." She said quietly feeling another contraction.

"Laur? Are you going to be okay, baby?" Bruno asked her looking concerned.

"Fine." She said. "Finish here and then we can go upstairs." She said trying to get him to finish the stitches.

"Okay. I'm done." Debbie Downer told them. "Now, Lauren. Let's get you upstairs and checked out."

**

"Lauren...here..." Rose handed Lauren a cup of water to drink a few hours later.

"Where did Bruno go?" she asked rubbing her eyes with one hand sipping the water with another.

"He went with Ryan to get your stuff after you fell asleep." Her mother told her.

"Oh. When is he going to be back?" Lauren asked concerned.

"I'm back!" he came in carrying her big purple and pink polka dotted overnight bag packed full of her things and their children's first few days worth of clothing.

"Which clothes did you pick for them? I hadn't had a chance to put it all together."

"Hmmm...." Bruno sat down next to her unzipping the bag placing her shampoo, make-up, tooth brush, tooth paste and deodorant on the tray in front of her. "I lpickeedd...." He pulled out a bright pink onsie covered with a sand castle and beach ball out with one hand and a bright blue onsie with a little boy swimming on a surf board out. "These ones..." he handed them to her with a smile pulling out two pairs of white socks that were covered in a print to look like flip-flops.

"Oh my...I don't remember those..." she smiled holding the small socks. "Did you bring the little hats too? They're going to be so small..." she asked.

"Of course..." he said handing her small cotton hats in matching colors for the babies.

"You are too perfect right now, Brunz." She smiled handing him the things he had pulled out back. He shrugged his shoulders leaning down to kiss her forehead brushing his arm across a small monitor on her arm to keep track of her blood pressure.

"Baby? Why do they have that on you?" he asked.

"When you were gone the doctor came and said that we needed to keep track of the babies' blood pressure and heart rate because they're coming so soon..." she said to him. "Right? I wasn't imagining that was I, mom?"

"Right, Elle. Dr. Dahse said that she wanted to keep an eye on them constantly because they still had weight to gain and they might not be as strong as they need to be."

"But they're okay...right?" Bruno asked reaching for the heart monitor around Lauren's stomach.

"They're fine." She said moving his hand over to the other side of her stomach for him to feel one of the babies moving.

"They are." He laughed keeping his hand where it was. "How are you feeling, mama?"

"I'm better than I was when I got here. And after the doctor yelled at me for driving." She said.

"I wasn't even going to say anything about that..." he said raising his eye brow at her.

"What was I supposed to do? No one was around and Ryan was flipping out!" she said knowing that she was wrong.

"He was calm when he called you. I was right there, boo." He said shaking his head at her. "I was fine."

"He said you were hurt!" Lauren exclaimed.

"I was fine. He didn't say you had to come to the hospital...." He said starting an unnecessary argument. "You just said you were coming."

"Well you could have called me instead and said that I didn't need to come. I wouldn't have come if he had said I didn't need to...." She said matching his frustration.

"He said that you hung up before hand. And don't even tell me you wouldn't have come because we both know that you were going to find a way to get here." He said rolling his eyes.

"What? No. I wouldn't have!" she tried to fake a laugh.

"Okay, Lauren..." he said pointing to her monitor.

"What?" she asked.

"Calm down.... Everything started beeping." He answered stopping the argument before it could go any further.

"Fine. But I'm sure my water would have broken whether I was here or at home....at least when I was here I didn't have to worry about anything...."

"Oh my god. Lauren. You don't always have to have the last word." He sighed turning to reach for his phone.

"What does that even mean?" she asked a bit annoyed.

"It means that not everything has to be an argument. I wanted to make sure you were safe at home and you came here instead. I was fine. And you got yourself all worked up and now the babies are going to be here three weeks early...."

"Oh! Now you're blaming me for them being born early? That's the biggest load of shit ever! If I could get up and leave right now I would...." She said dramatically reaching for her phone.

"Don't worry. I'll leave." He said grabbing his hat, sunglasses and phone walking past a nurse who was coming to check on them.

"Is everything okay? The nurse asked.

"It will be fine." Lauren sighed moving her body for the nurse to check on her.