Chris Evans Imagines

Family

You knew what was happening the moment you registered the soaked sheets beneath your legs and bottom. You had been woken up by mild cramping in your lower abdomen, similar to that of menstrual cramps. When you felt the wetness beneath you, you managed to put two and two together and your eyes grew wide with realization.

"Okay, well I guess today's the day then," you said, bringing your attention to your breathing.

You carefully sat up on the bed, startled as more fluid gushed from under you. Quickly, you reached over to grab your phone from the night stand and rushed to find Chris' contact in your phone. You held the phone between your neck and shoulder while you rubbed your hands over your stomach to soothe the aching. Each ring caused the anxiety to stir more and more; you had hoped he would pick up right away. When you reached his voicemail, you dialed him again, silently praying for him to answer.

"Why are you calling me at such an ungodly hour?" You heard suddenly from the other line.

His voice was raspy and weak. Surely he had been asleep, as it was only six o' clock on a Saturday morning. You found his sleepy voice extremely attractive, and the sound almost always calmed you instantly. But you couldn't let yourself get distracted by it.

"I think I'm in labor," You told him.

There was a pause. You could almost hear his facial expression changing.

"Wait, what? Are you sure?!" He asked, his tone now sounding much more alert.

"Yeah, Chris, I'm sure," You huffed, trying to focus through yet another wave of pain rolling through your midsection, "I just woke up in a puddle of amniotic fluid."

"I mean, is it possible that you just peed yourself? We're still pretty far from the due date."

You rolled your eyes, "I'm having contractions. They're not too strong yet but they're consistent, and they're close together. We need to get to the hospital."

"I'll be there in five minutes," He said.

You could hear him panting and scrambling for a few moments before you hung up. The jump into labor came as a complete surprise to both of you, considering you were supposed to have three more weeks of preparation. Though you had gotten almost everything you needed from the baby shower last month, there were a few last minute items still on your list, and your hospital bag was only half-packed. You felt nervous about being so unprepared, but hey, so was he.

Chris was outside your door in exactly five minutes, undoubtedly having sped the whole way there. He lived across town from you in his own apartment, but he visited frequently to check in and help you set up baby furniture. As the father, he also made sure he was there for all your appointments and ultrasounds.

"Hey," He said, immediately grabbing the duffel bag from your shoulder as you came out the front door, "How're you feeling?"

"Worse," You admitted, carefully making your way down the front steps and toward his car.

"Well traffic is light, so it won't take long to get to the hospital. Just hang tight, okay?" He placed a hand on the small of your back, guiding you forward.

"Yeah," You said.

Suddenly, a different feeling rose in your chest. —A warm, fluttery feeling that set in when he placed his gentle hand on your back. You knew it was stupid. The two of you were friends and nothing more. The baby wasn't going to change any of that, no matter how much you wanted it to. The two of you tried the dating thing after you first found out you were pregnant, but it felt forced; what with your overlapping schedules and his constant traveling for work. Instead you both agreed to stay close friends and co-parent best you could. He had been adamant about playing an active role in your child's life.