The Benefits of a Best Friend | Hat Films

Prologue: It's Time!

There is a time in everyone's life where they ask themselves, "How the hell did this happen?" This one question is frequently asked when someone makes an unwise decision in their past that makes them unsure of the future.

I had been asking myself this and many other questions like it for the past nine months, but never as loud as I was now.

A minute after midnight on January 1, 2018, when my doctor was looking into Pandora's box — also known as my vagina. She was in the process of expressing how dire it was I push at my next contraction.

I was exhausted from labor and in extreme pain, even with drugs, as contractions tightened around my swollen stomach and back. I let tears roll down my face as shrill sobs of discomfort escaped me. My thoughts were everywhere as I pushed so hard I thought I shit myself, which I read was very common in the delivery room. The baby daddy stood next to me filling my ear with comforting words that made me want to vomit.

"Shut up!" I yelled angrily at my best friend, Alex, who had the misfortune of putting this baby inside of me. My left hand — the one he was supposed to be holding — bawled into a fist. He looked down at me with his stupid blue eyes, the ones I secretly hoped our son or daughter would receive.

An expression of annoyance spread across his face when he decided to speak, "This is what all those fucking classes told me to do." He fired back at me in his irritating voice, which caused my bawled fist to draw itself back and jut out to collide with his face. He was unfortunately in close proximity to me laying on the bed because Alex stumbled backward, startled by the force of the punch, and let out a whimper. I looked up at his face; a gushing stream of crimson fell from his nose onto the blue paper scrubs he was given nearly an hour and a half ago.

I was beyond caring about his well being as I hissed at him, "Now, shut up and hold my hand." I aggressively held out the same hand I had punched him with only moments ago. The female doctor and nurses in the room began giggling at our encounter. Alex looked at me with an annoyed, yet cautious expression as he hesitantly put his larger hand on top of my open one. I instantly clamped my fingers around his hand holding on so tight my knuckles turned white. The annoyance in expression quickly turned to pain.

A tiny nurse in pink Mini Mouse scrubs stood, on the same side of Alex, holding my leg. She looked at him with an amused expression while blood still poured from his nose. The woman nodded behind him and spoke in a light tone, trying not to laugh, "Tissues are there."

"Tess, I need you to push again. Can you do that?" The doctor asked me taking my attention away from Alex's fascinatingly broken nose.

"Mu'hum..." I mumbled laying my head back on the pillow behind me. I began to push. I let out another shrill cry gripping tightly to Alex's hand.

"Let go of me!" He whined desperately trying to wriggle from my grasp, "Damn, Tess." He sighed when he freed himself, examining his right hand to make sure nothing was hurt.

"I am... the mother of... your child." I tried to breathe, "You deserve to... feel some pain." I whined squeezing my eyes shut waiting for the contraction to pass. I heard a little laugh come from Alex; his hand gliding across my damp brunette hair. I don't know how he found humor in the most pain I have ever been in.

"Yeah, I guess I do." He agreed.

"That's the first thing we've agreed upon tonight." The contraction had passed, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I would have to push again in these dreadful conditions. I sighed opening my eyes and gasping to let air into my lungs.

Alex was looking down at me lovingly, a red tissue pressed against his nose, and a crooked smile was perched on his face. I looked back at him and a smile spread across my face.

It became aware to me at that moment, although I didn't know where my life was going. I knew everything was going to be all right with my best friend by my side.