Birthday Pool Party Ch. 38

During dinner, Aria winces again while placing a hand on her lower stomach. I place my hand over hers and insist I'm here for her. She takes my hand, lacing our fingers as she smiles at me, her blue eyes looking into my green ones.

"If this keeps up, let's at least mention it at our appointment Wednesday." I insist.

"Okay, we'll bring it up." Aria nods. "For now, I think I wanna curl up on the couch with a heating pad."

"That's a good idea." I agree. "Let's get you to the couch, then I'll clean up."

Using both hands, I help Aria to her feet and get her back to the couch. Once I prepare the heating pad, I hand it to her to place over her abdomen. I kiss Aria's forehead while brushing back her dark hair. Then I return to the kitchen to put away leftovers and do the dishes.

"Feeling any better?" I ask when I return to the living room.

"A little." Aria shrugs. "The aspirin and heating pad are helping, I think."

"Good." I reply as I bend over the couch to kiss my wife.

I sit in the armchair so that Aria can stretch out on the couch. We channel surf until we find out that one station is having a marathon of one of our favorite shows. For several hours, we watch television, with me helping Aria to the bathroom every twenty minutes or so.

The last time is different. Aria actually gasps in pain as she struggles to stand up. I rush to her and help her. She looks like she's about to cry as she places a hand over her lower belly. Okay, now I'm sure, something is wrong. Something is very wrong.

"We need to go to the hospital." I insist.

"O-okay, yeah. Okay." Aria gasps out. "You're right. Just let me pee first."

"I'm sure everything is fine," I begin, trying to convince both of us, "but we have to be safe."

"Ow..." she groans as she disappears into the bathroom and shuts the door.

So many scenarios go through my mind. It can't be another miscarriage, right? Aria's too far along. Uh, can a miscarriage happen this late in pregnancy? I'm not a fucking doctor! I'm sure there are plenty of things that can go wrong. Fuck! I'm scared. It's probably nothing, but I can't help but panic. I'm usually so in control, but a situation like this? It's beyond me.

"Steven!" Aria screams, jerking me back to reality.

I throw open the bathroom door and see Aria sitting on the toilet. Her pants and panties are around her ankles as tears stream down her face. She's hyperventilating as she looks over at me, pure horror etched into her face.

"I'm bleeding!" she shrieks.

I don't think, I just act. Pulling Aria to her feet, I get her pants back on and have her take my hand so she can walk. Fuck, there's so much blood. She's crying and barely coherent as I get her out of the apartment and into the elevator.

It's a miracle that I don't get us killed. Calling an ambulance is probably the smart thing, but I am not smart right now. Instead, I almost cause an accident on three separate occasions as I speed the entire way to the hospital.

"It hurts!" Aria groans as I get her out of the car.

"I know, I know." I whisper, trying to sound calm. "We're here, Honey. We're at the hospital. They'll help you."

Despite how long people often end up waiting in emergency rooms, they take you in quickly if you're very pregnant. I guess they don't want a baby to be born in the waiting room. Whatever the reason, they get us in back really fast.

Aria is in a hospital gown as a nurse takes her vitals. They give her something for the pain while I hold her hand. Since Aria isn't in labor, we do end up waiting a bit for a doctor to arrive. I do my best to keep us both calm while we wait. I don't do a very good job.

After what seems like an eternity, the doctor finally arrives. She goes over the symptoms with Aria before doing a pelvic exam. Then the doctor orders blood and urine tests. Aria gives the samples, then we sit down for an ultrasound as the doctor talks to us.

"Doctor," I begin, "Aria and I were intimate this morning, could that have caused the bleeding?"

"Sex during pregnancy can cause some harmless bleeding, yes." the doctor confirms. "However, it doesn't explain the back and abdominal pain."

"Having sex didn't cause any problems?" I wonder.

"Oh, heavens no!" the doctor insists. "If sex during pregnancy caused issues, the human race would be extinct by now."

"Okay, good." I say, though I don't really feel any better.

"What is wrong with me?" Aria asks.

"Let's do the ultrasound, then we'll have a better idea." the doctor suggests.

Aria reveals her bare belly, and the doctor squirts jelly on it. Then she performs the ultrasound. Despite the severity of the situation, I can't help but smile when I see my little Kayla on the screen. She looks okay, I mean, I don't really know what I'm looking at, but I'm sure her heart is beating!

Finally, the doctor has the results of all the tests. I'm holding Aria's hand as I sit on a chair beside the bed she's resting in. My wife's raven hair is framing her face, her bosom is rising and falling with her heavy breathing; she's terrified.

"Based on your symptoms, the abdominal and back pain, the bleeding, and the uterine tenderness, I suspected a placental abruption, which the tests support." the doctor answers. "Although, an abruption can't be definitively diagnosed until after delivery."

"What's that?" I ask as Aria's lower lip quivers.

"A placental abruption is when the placenta prematurely detaches from the uterus." the doctor explains. "The severity various, and I believe we're dealing with a minor abruption."

"Okay, what do we do now?" I inquire as Aria squeezes my hand.

"Well, it is possible to continue the pregnancy with bed rest and medication to prolong gestation, especially in a case like this where there's no fetal distress." The doctor explains. "However, since you are over thirty-four weeks, I think the best option right now is delivery."

"Wait." I begin, my thoughts feeling slow. "You mean she's ready to have the baby now?"

"Yes, I think that's for the best." the doctor says.

"Do I need to have a C-section?" Aria asks in a soft voice.

"Not necessarily." the doctor answers. "We do usually like to do a C-section in a lot of cases like these, but if you want, I am comfortable with inducing labor."

"I'll be able to have the baby naturally?" Aria inquires.

"I think so, but if we detect fetal distress during labor, we will have to switch to a C-section." the doctor clarifies.

"What do you wanna do, Honey?" I ask my wife.

"I want to have the baby naturally." Aria answers.

"You heard her." I say to the doctor.

"Will you be wanting an epidural?" the doctor asks Aria.

"No." Aria shakes her head. "I want a completely natural birth."

"I understand." the doctor nods. "Okay, we'll start by giving you an IV. We'll give you a drug used for labor induction. It will cause your uterus to contract."

"O-okay." Aria mumbles nervously.

"I'm here, Honey." I whisper as I kiss my wife's head.

Aria is given an IV with the medication, and the process begins. My wife seems to handle the first few contractions very well, and is in good spirits. On the other hand, I am completely stressed out. I am constantly barraging the doctor and nurses with questions.

"Doctor, are you sure the baby is okay?" I ask yet again.

"Mr. Thomson, do you see that monitor there?" The doctor asks, gesturing to the monitor for probably the third time. "Those are the baby's heart rate and oxygen levels. We're constantly monitoring to make sure everything is fine."

The doctor isn't even close to the only person I annoy. I pepper the nurses with questions, sometimes the same one. I know I'm repeating myself, but the stress of the situation is making it impossible for me to keep things straight.

"What if we fall asleep?" I ask as I pace back and forth. "What if labor starts while we're asleep?"

"Sir," the nurse says patiently while checking Aria's vitals, "even though we've given your wife something to induce labor, it will still likely be at least six to twelve hours before it begins."

"But, what about..." I begin another question. Finally, however, Aria's discomfort is overcoming her patience.

"Steven! Sit down and let them do their jobs. Everything will be fine. Just.. Ungh!" Aria ends her sentence with a groan of pain, her hand over her abdomen.

"Aria!" I exclaim, rushing to her side. "Are you okay? Is she..."

Aria doesn't cut me off with words this time. She actually lets out a very loud burp before covering her mouth in embarrassment. Apparently, Kayla is moving and causing some very unladylike gas to move along with her. The tension breaks, and I actually start to laugh.

"Steven, love, it's fine." Aria says, reaching out to take my hand. She squeezes it as she smiles up at me. "Please, can you go down to the cafeteria and get me some lemonade?"

"Lemonade? Lemonade, got it!" I reply with a nod.

I am halfway to the cafeteria when I realize that Aria can have a nurse bring her anything she wants. She's giving me a task to do so that my mind has a chance to settle, to focus on a task, on a purpose. That, or she just wants a moment's peace.

Fuck! I let out a breath as I carry the lemonade back to Aria's room. I am supposed to be calm, be keeping my wife calm, reassuring her. I am doing a piss-poor job. I'm so used to being in control of every situation, but this? This is beyond me. I feel terrible.

"Sorry, I'm not handling this well." I say to Aria as I hand her the lemonade.

"It's okay, Baby." Aria replies. "I'm scared, too. We'll get through this. Together. And, when we leave, we'll be a family of three."

"I love you." I state sincerely.

"I love you, too." she responds before taking a sip of lemonade.

I hold Aria's hand through contractions, I help her to the bathroom, I give her ice chips, and I do everything I can to comfort her. At one point, I place a wet cloth on her forehead. However, as the night goes on, it seems like she's the one reassuring me half the time. It's a good thing that I'm not the one in labor, I'm clearly not equipped to deal with it.

The night goes slowly, with Aria and I taking the occasional nap as comfort allows. The sun is well into the sky Monday morning, the rays coming in through the window and landing on my wife's perfect face. My smile turns to a look of concern when Aria winces in pain as another contraction hits. That's when the doctor walks in to check on the progress.

"Looks like we're at about six centimeters." the doctor remarks to the nurse before turning to look at us. "You're now in active labor, Aria."

"What about the placental abruption?" I ask.

"It doesn't seem to be getting any worse." the doctor answers.

"Okay, good." I reply.

"We're gonna be okay, Honey." Aria whispers before letting out a groan as another contraction hits.

As time goes on, I find myself actually calming down. With my mind focusing on actions, I have less time to worry about everything. I don't leave Aria's side, my hand constantly in hers as I whisper words of encouragement.

"Oh God, here comes another one!" Aria groans as she squeezes my hand.

"I'm here, my love. I'm here." I promise.

The contractions are growing closer and closer together. Aria is having one every few minutes at this point. Each one lasts for over thirty seconds, and causes Aria extreme discomfort. During one severe contraction, she nearly breaks my hand, she's squeezing it so hard.

Despite our concerns, the placental abruption doesn't worsen. Aria's vitals remain stable, so do Kayla's. The doctor is checking on Aria more and more often, and soon my wife is nine centimeters dilated. The doctor smiles and tells us it won't be long now.

We've both been up for well over twenty-four hours, and our little naps aren't cutting into the fatigue. I hold Aria's hand as she breathes heavily, her chest rising and falling as the pressure becomes overwhelming. Aria's feet are up in stirrups as the doctor performs another pelvic exam.

"It's time to push with the next contraction, Aria." the doctor instructs.

I hold my wife's hand as she screams and grunts. Even though she's squeezing my hand as tightly as she can, I don't feel any pain. I just gaze at my wife as she pushes, trying to be here for her, to support her. Every time she screams, I wish for the ability to do more.

"Great job, Aria! We're almost there." the doctor encourages. "Next contraction! Yes! Push, push, push, push!"

Sweat is pouring down Aria's face as tears run down her cheeks and she pants heavily. She has less and less time to recover between pushes as the contractions keep coming. At one point, I look down and see my daughter's head emerging.

"We're so close, you're doing great!" the doctor coaches. "Last push, make it a big one!"

Aria screams and pushes with all her strength. After a few seconds, she gasps loudly at the sudden lack of pressure as I hear the wail of a newborn infant. The doctor lifts the very messy baby and places her on Aria's stomach.

"You did it, Baby." I say, tears in my eyes as I smooth Aria's sweaty hair back from her forehead. "You did it."

Tears are streaming from Aria's eyes as she cradles her daughter. The nurse clamps off the cord and hands me a pair of surgical scissors. It turns out that the umbilical cord is strangely hard to cut, surprising me. However, the sheers are sharp, and soon the cord is cut.

The nurse takes Kayla over to the scale, despite Aria's reluctance to release her child. The doctor examines Aria while the nurse is cleaning and measuring Kayla. I just stay by my wife, unwilling to leave her side.

"Five, and seven, Doctor!" the nurse calls out. "Seven pounds, twelve ounces. Nineteen inches."

I kiss Aria's forehead as the neonatal nurse brings a swaddled Kayla back over to us. As my wife cradles Kayla, I look down and watch our daughter open her eyes. Green eyes. The exact same shade as mine. My daughter. My Kayla.

"You were amazing." I whisper to my wife as I rest my hand on her head, my thumb caressing her sweaty forehead.

"Thank you." Aria replies in a tired voice.

Time goes by in a blur. I remember holding my daughter, looking down at her small, scrunched-up face. I remember Aria nursing Kayla for the first time. Tears of joy form in my wife's eyes as she bonds with her daughter. Our daughter.

I make all the phone calls, assuring everyone that mother and child are safe and healthy. All four parents show up and are thrilled to meet their first grandchild. Allan and Amanda also make an appearance, but they don't stay long since Aria needs her rest.

Present Day, Late Monday Night

"Then what happened?" Hazel wonders as she looks over at me.

"We spent the day at the hospital." I answer as I hold the tan girl's hand tightly.

"Well, duh!" she rolls her eyes at me. "I mean later."

"Well," I begin, "we took Kayla home from the hospital not long after that. Aria stayed home with Kayla. I missed some classes and didn't work much on my business, but I had to go back soon. Fortunately, I could do a lot from home, so I was able to help out quite a bit."

"I guess I just really want to know why you never had any more children?" Hazel asks.

"We tried." I answer sadly. "Aria had a couple more miscarriages, then she had a procedure done to clean and strengthen her womb. All that happened was another miscarriage. We decided to look into adoption, but Aria passed away before we could really start the process."

"This is why you really freaked out when I told you I was bleeding?" Hazel inquires.

"Yes." I confirm. "I mean, I didn't lose Aria the day Kayla was born, but I was terrified I would lose them both. Then I did lose Aria years later. I guess I just freaked."

"I did, too." she comments. "But I'm a first-time mother, it's understandable."

"I'm sure everything is fine, Hazel." I state.

"No, you're not." Hazel sighs. "You're still as freaked out as I am."

"Maybe, but let me at least pretend to be strong for you." I smirk.

"Deal." she smiles and nods.

"Thanks." I reply.

"You're welcome." Hazel says before frowning. "How much of this does Kayla know?"

"Basically none of it." I admit.

"Why not?" she wonders.

"I don't have a good answer to that question." I say carefully. "I have to tell her now. Since I ran off with you and left Kayla and Lexi behind. I didn't even grab my phone."

"Think they're in the waiting room right now?" Hazel asks.

"I'm sure they are." I state. "They probably called everyone else, too. You girls are so close."

"Maybe you should go and see?" she suggests.

"I'm not leaving you." I promise as I raise Hazel's hand to my lips and kiss it.

"I love you." Hazel whispers.

"I love you, Hazel." I reply.

Time passes. Eventually, a doctor comes in and asks Hazel and I a few questions. Hazel mentions the bleeding, and confesses to some mild cramping. The doctor performs an exam on Hazel while the nervous girl holds my hand. Then blood and urine samples are collected. Finally, the doctor does an ultrasound.

"W-what do you think?" I ask nervously when the doctor returns with the results.

"I think that everything is just fine." the doctor smiles.

"Really?!" Hazel exclaims happily.

"Yes, really." the doctor nods. "Bleeding is very common during early pregnancy because of developing blood vessels."

"That's it? Everything is normal?" I ask, hardly daring to believe it.

"Blood work, urine, ultrasound. All normal." the doctor confirms.

"Thank you, thank you Doctor!" I say, offering my hand.

"You're welcome." the doctor smiles as she shakes my hand. "You did the right thing bringing her in so she could get checked out."

"I was terrified." I explain.

"I understand." the doctor replies. "I'll leave you two alone so you can talk. I'm going to get started on the discharge papers."

"Thank you." Hazel says.

The doctor smiles and leaves. I stay with Hazel, doing my best to get my heart rate under control. For her part, Hazel is smiling happily, in obvious relief that the baby is going to be okay. At one point, she turns her head to face me and lightly pecks my lips.

"That was nice." I whisper.

"It was." the tan girl agrees. "Maybe you should go tell the others that I'm gonna be okay."

"I don't want to leave you." I respond.

"I'm fine, Steven." Hazel insists. "Go and see if Lexi and Kayla are in the waiting room."

"If you're sure..." I trail off.

"I'm sure, now go!" she giggles as she waves her hand at me in a shooing motion.

I smirk at Hazel before walking away while shaking my head. Making my way to the waiting room, I find everyone. Really, everyone. Kayla, Lexi, Stephanie, Ashley, Marcia, Nicole, and even Ian. Everyone is here for Hazel. I find myself smiling as I realize how big our family is. There's so much love here.

"Steven!" Ashley exclaims when she notices I'm here.

"Daddy!" Kayla shouts as she hops to her feet and rushes over to me. "Is Hazel okay?!"

"Tell us what's going on, Baby!" Lexi demands.

"Hazel is going to be just fine." I say with a smile.

"Really? You're sure?" Marcia asks.

"What did the doctor say?" Nicole inquires.

"The doctor said that some light bleeding during early pregnancy is normal." I explain. "We freaked out over nothing."

"That's amazing news!" Lexi chirps.

"When can Hazel come home?" Kayla wonders.

"Soon." I smile. "I'm gonna go back to see her now."

"Don't forget your phone!" Lexi rolls her eyes as she hands me my cell phone.

"Thanks, Babe." I reply before pecking her lips.

I head back to Hazel and wait with her until the doctor comes back and says we can go. Hazel and I return to the waiting room. The girls all swarm the tall, tan girl, and I have to remind them to give Hazel room to breathe.

At this point, it is after 2:00AM Tuesday morning. Now that the adrenaline is wearing off, everyone is yawning. I extract promises from everyone that they'll text me when they're home safe. Then we all head back to our respective houses.