Kou's hands were in Futaba's.
It had been a long road.
His calloused thumb ran against her smooth hand.
His head bowed over her bed, his bangs over his eyes.
The plastic chair was starting to hurt his lower half.
His eyes glanced to their intertwined hands and back to her face.
From her current pained expression to the heroic face she made when she ran, he loved it all. He wanted to see all the faces she could make.
He knew he'd have time.
Futaba's eyes shut and wrinkled, and her grasp on Kou's hand tightened.
Ouch, honestly, for both of them, it hurt bad.
Her pulse was accelerating, and her grip- again OUCH- was tightening.
"Futaba, are you scared?" Kou's voice cracked to his own dismay. He felt so vulnerable, but deep down, he knew she didn't mind.
"No." She urged him quiet.
The room smelled of sweat and sanitized rubber. The only sounds were Kou's baited breaths and his foot tapping against the linoleum, Futaba's pained groans and the heart monitor beeping.
Each sound warbled through Kou's head, taunting him.
This had lasted for hours now.
Was it over yet?
Was it even close?
Was it normal to feel this aggravated?!
It happened in a haze- Sweat, blood and the clenching of hands.
It was over.
It was finally over.
It had been a long road.
Junior high, high school, college, young love and everything in between, they experienced their blue stained youth pass away in a beautiful flash.
And now, it was over.
"Congratulations."
A new chapter started.
"It's a boy."