Time Never Stops

Chapter Seventeen: Give Me the Damn Epidural

Word Count: 1575

Tom tugs the blanket around my waist, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek as he crawls into bed, where I had been sleeping since eight that evening.

"How was your day?" I sleepily murmur, turning over only slightly, wincing at the pain in my stomach.

"Fine, are you okay?" Tom asks, laying an arm across my waist as he cuddles into my back.

"Yeah, just not feeling well." I mutter, laying my head down back into my pillow. Tom hums behind me, smiling about being curled up against me for the first time in twenty-four hours. I lay in bed, exhausted, but wide awake. I try and focus my thoughts on breathing in and out slowly, or Tom's breath hitting my neck. After a few hours of being unsuccessful in sleeping, I slowly get out of bed and walk into the bathroom to fill the hot water bottle to place on my back. Tess follows me into the bathroom, letting out a small whine behind me since I should have been in bed.

A gasp escapes my lips at the sharp pain that shoots through my abdomen. It had been progressively getting worse all day, but now it was unbearable. I place a hand on the counter to steady myself when I feel something drip down my legs. At first, I think that I had just pissed myself, a normal occurrence with how far in the pregnancy I am, but as I look down at the floor and the intensity of the pain I come to a very exciting and scary realization: my water just broke.

"Shit, shit, shit." I whisper, Tess whining loudly now that she could see my panic. "Tom?" I call out, not moving from where I had been standing, leaning over the sink. When I don't hear him move, I snap my fingers and point at him so Tess will get back on the bed, calling his name again but now it comes out more shrill, going up an octave.

I can see Tom stir in the mirror, sitting up quickly as Tess jumps on the bed in a panic, lapping at his face. Tom locks eyes with me in the mirror and throws the covers off of himself and comes to my side. "Love-"

"My water just broke." I state as the contraction subsides. Tom's face pales, I slowly stand up and move to place my hand to his cheek. "I need you to go start the car. I am going to change and grab the baby bag-"

"I'll get the bag, you focus on how far apart the contractions are." Tom states, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead before he moves out of the bathroom and out of the room, grabbing a sweater on the way out. I make my way to change into a fresh pair of maternity pants and a sweatshirt before slowly standing from the bed and grabbing my phone. Tom quickly comes up the stairs, Tess on his heels, with his phone pressed to his ear. "Yeah, we will see you there." Tom looks at me as he places a hand on my waist and holds my hand in the other while he helps me down the stairs. "I called my parents and yours, they will meet us there. I texted Haz and he or Mia will let Tess out before coming to the hospital in a few hours."

"Thank you," I breathe. I make Tom stop as I place a hand on my lower stomach, wincing at the contraction. Tom stands by my side, rubbing my back carefully while keeping me steady since we were still standing on the stairs. Once they subside, he helps me walk the rest of the way down and into my shoes, rushing out the door into the bitter February air.

"Today's the day, love." Tom says aloud, but I can see his frazzled state as he takes the familiar route to the hospital. Once there he leaves the car, running inside to grab a nurse. I groan as another contraction occurs, only noticing the door opening when Tom carefully helps me out of the car and into a wheelchair. He hands his keys off to someone and the three of us are rushing into the hospital.

"I hate hospitals." I complain, looking at Tom while they place the I.V. into my arm not long after being settled in the room that would be home for the next few days.