She threw her hands up in frustration, "I don't know! I should know, right? I'm a freaking OB nurse. I should be like the calmest fucking
pregnant woman on the planet. Shouldn't I know whether I'm peeing or not--ohh!" she said suddenly, and jumped out of bed. She made a mad dash
to the master bathroom, and I was on her heels, following close behind.
I round the corner of the bathroom and found my wife, sitting on the toilet...peeing? The trickling, water sound instantly made me want to back
out of the room, run and close the door. We were married but still in the honeymoon, first year phase. I wasn't exactly ready to stand around
and watch her pee like it was a theater show.
"Ahh...are you peeing?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand as I stood there in my boxer briefs.
She looked up at me, and I swear I saw Satan.
"I. Am. Not. Peeing," she answered, very slowly with a voice I could only describe as demonic.
"Oh. OH!" I said, as it finally dawned on me that that trickling water sound was actually amniotic fluid, not urine.
My first thought was relief. At least it wasn't pee, because damn....that was the longest pee I'd ever heard. And I was a dude.
My second thought? Holy shit, is my baby going to fall out into the toilet?
Then smart, sensible Declan took over and I realized that wouldn't happen.
Probably.
Okay, I may have backed out of the room, called the hospital to let them know Leah's water had broke and perhaps asked the doctor.
Whatever, it was my first labor and delivery. I wasn't lucky enough to be present at my son's birth so I had absolutely no idea what I was
walking into.
When I slipped back into the bathroom, the steady trickle had reduced to a dribble and Satan had thankfully disappeared.
"Hey babe," I called the hospital. They said to bring you in. I'm going to grab your bag, and the clothes you had laid out. Do you want me to
do anything else?" I asked sweetly.
Please don't hurt me.
"No, I'm okay I think. I'm just going to stay here so I don't make a mess. Thank you. I love you," she said, looking up to give me a soft,
sincere look of devotion.
She melted me. Still. With one glance. It didn't matter how many pregnancy hormones she threw at me or devil eyes she gave me. One look like
that and I was on my knees thanking every deity under the heavens for bringing a woman like her to such an underserving man like me.
Gotta get to the hospital.
I sprang into action, turning on my heels and running into our bedroom as I made a mad dash for the overnight bag we'd packed weeks ago for
this very moment. I grabbed the clothes and shoes she'd picked out just in case we had to run to the hospital, which it appeared we did. Within
seconds, I was back in the bathroom.
I set the bag down and slowly helped her get dressed.
Pulling her shirt over her head, our eyes met and I stole that one second to grab her chin and kiss her briefly.
"You ready for this?"
She smiled, "I've never been more ready."
I slung the bag over my shoulder and helped her down the stairs, shaking my head and chuckling as I convinced her that there really were the
same amount of stairs as the day before.
"Are you sure? I swear there were less yesterday," she huffed, as we made it down to the bottom.
"Nope, actually I added a few more after you fell asleep just to fuck with you."
"I knew it!" she said.
We got to the door, and I stopped, feeling like I was forgetting something. I paused, and then simultaneously, Leah and I both turned to each
other.
"Connor!" we both said.
I turned to run up the stairs towards his bedroom, but Leah called after me,
"He's not here! Remember, we dropped him off at Clare and Logan's last night after baseball practice."
My heart still pounding, I turned back around. "That's right. Okay. Is it weird that he has sleepovers with Maddie? Aren't they a little old
for that? I mean, he is my son after all." I said, thinking out loud.
Leah gave me a look, arching her eyebrow in disbelief.
"Right, going into labor. We can worry about that later."
I helped her into the car, and dropped the bag into the back. We were flying down the road in minutes. I called Logan, and let him know we were
on the way to the hospital. He said they'd tell Connor the happy news in the morning and bring him over when we were ready to introduce him to
his baby sister.
"How much do you love this car?" Leah asked, as we merged onto the interstate.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I pretty sure I'm leaking amniotic fluid on your car seats right now.”
"Babe, I don't give a flying fuck about the car," I answered, reaching over to take her hand in mine. I pulled our joined hands to my lips and
kissed each one of her knuckles.
"I just want you at that hospital. Preferably before that baby is born," I added.
We pulled up to the entrance of the Emergency Room, and I jumped out, running around to the other side of the car to pull open Leah's door.
I slowly eased her out of the car and pushed the car door shut when my foot. I wrapped my arm around her and held her hand. We made our way
into the ER, through the automatic doors and passed a janitor as he pulled up the "wet floor" sign signaling that the floor was now safe to
walk on.