Stay {BWWM} C.Evans

Chapter 27

Author's Note: Rated R for medical content, language and descriptions of some graphic content.

It was a seemingly rare warm night, and Simone had found peace with a cup of hot cocoa with a touch of cinnamon and a thick blanket. Her house was quiet for the day until her son came home from school, and now he was getting ready for bed. His feet made soft pattering noises against the wood floors of the second floor as he came to say goodnight.

"Momma," He grinned, wrapping his arms around her large stomach.

"Hi baby boy, where's your daddy?"

"Here," Chris said, passing his hand over Tyler's head and touching Simone's shoulder gently.

"I took a bath and brushed my teeth. Daddy says I have to go to bed."

"Yes you do, it's late, bubba."

There was a knock on the door and Chris moved to answer it, letting his mother and Simone's sister, Nina into the house. "Gramma? Auntie Nina?" Tyler grinned, running over to the two women and hugging them tightly.

"Before you go to bed, buddy, we gotta tell you that Mommy and Daddy might have to go away for the night so Grandma and Auntie Nina are here to take care of you." Chris explained to the boy, who nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Alright, kiss Mommy goodnight and head upstairs." Tyler kissed Simone's cheek, then her stomach and ran upstairs with Chris trailing behind him to tuck him in.

"How are you, Cinna?" Nina asked, rubbing her sister's shoulders.

"Fine, a little achey."

"Want me to make you some tea, honey?" Lisa asked.

"No thank you, Lisa. I can't drink anything else that's hot, I feel like my skin is gonna melt off my bones." She confessed.

"I felt hot when I went into labor with Scott." Lisa called from the kitchen, then came in and handed Simone a tall glass of iced tea. Chris entered the room with a yawn and sat next to Simone, tinkering with his phone.

"Oh, oh, oh," Simone hissed, leaning forward. Chris tossed his phone away and put a hand on her lower back, rubbing her knee at the same time with a calming blow of cool air against her neck from his lips. Simone cried out and whimpered and Chris moved his hand to brush her hair off her shoulder.

"You're alright, mama. That was a big one, huh?" He sighed. "Time's changed. Now it's one every forty-five minutes." Simone breathed in and out slowly along with Chris, who kept her breathing at a steady pace. "Good girl. Just focus on breathing through them, don't tense up, remember? You're gonna have a baby soon." He kissed her shoulder and rubbed her chest.

"Chris, you're handling this a lot better than I expected." His mother teased, and that made Nina laugh.

"This is exactly what I expected, to be honest! Simone called me at the first contraction freaking out. Chris was cool as a cucumber. You'd think this was his seventh child, not his first."

"Well, I figured me keeping calm would keep Monie calm. So far I was right. How ya doin', baby girl?"

"I'm so tired." She murmured and he kissed the side of her head.

"I'm so in love with you right now," He whispered to her and Simone smiled weakly. "Do you wanna get in the tub? The midwife said she'd be here in a minute."

"I don't wanna get in the tub but I wanna go upstairs."

"Do you not wanna do the water-birth anymore?"

"I dunno, I can't think right now, but I wanna be in my bed."

"Alright, let's get you upstairs." Chris stood up and helped Simone to her feet. Along with Nina and Lisa, they got her upstairs and into the master bedroom. The commotion woke Tyler, and shortly after Simone's parents and respective step-parents arrived weary-eyed but excited. Simone's mother cared for Tyler and explained what was happening, then put him back to bed. Simone cried out again and Chris squeezed her hand back, kissing the bridge of her knuckles. "You're alright. That's every twenty minutes now."