Hello, again! I have been thinking about this idea for a long time, since pregnancy stories are sooo cute, and I have been writing this story for quite a few months. It's my longest one to date! So sit back, excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes (sorry) and please don't snooze off. Please.
Also, just to clarify… I don't know squat about pregnancy, or labour, or birth. I had to research a lot before I even attempted this one-shot, and I'm sure it still has flaws! My main source is 'Friends' (don't judge me ok) but I also used the ever-glorious internet and knowledge from the UK documentary series 'One Born Every Minute'. I also want to make clear that I am still working on my other story, New Perspective, and I am also thinking about doing another Ryley piece!
If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to PM me ;) and please REVIEW/FAVOURITE/FOLLOW, because I would love your feedback.
Also, don't even talk to me about City of Angels. DON'T. I'm not emotionally prepared.
Disclaimer: Don't you think that if I owned Glee I would have gotten Ryder and Marley together in season 4 and they would be adorable and cute and the stars of the show? Yeah, I don't own Glee. I probably won't even get the chance to see it anymore since they're supposedly banning it here in the UK :(
-(x)-
Marley Lynn was a dedicated and loving wife - that was the only explanation for it. Before, during and ever since she had married her boyfriend of 6 years, she had loved him and cared for him when he was weak. She helped him in situations wherever she could, and of course he would do the same. They discussed their future together and now they were glad to discover that it was all happening. Of course, like every couple they fought, but they resolved it; they overcame it. They thought that any surprise that came their way, they could battle it.
Nevertheless, this perplexing surprise was one that would take more than just a battle.
Just a few months after their marriage, Marley was locked in their bathroom with shaking hands. She thought over their time together - happy memories and laughter, and healing and fixing each other. She smiled, but her face was still stained with nervousness. She wondered if her new husband would be able to take in the news if the sudden event proved to be correct; she wondered if she would even be able to take it in herself. She had tried to calm herself down but to no avail - she was sweating. The alarm of Marley's phone echoed through the small room as she took weary, anxious steps to the sink - the sink that was holding her fate, strangely enough. She peered over the basin and picked up the test.
Positive.
Before Marley could burst into whatever emotion she was feeling (she really didn't know what she was feeling at the time), she heard a door slam. Ryder was home from work.
"Honey, I'm home!" The man clad in a smart suit called through the house jokingly. When he heard no reply (Marley was too busy panicking), he called again: "Honey?"
"Just a second!" Marley said in a rush as the words ejected out of her mouth breathlessly. She hurriedly placed the test in the pouch of her oversized hoodie and opened the bathroom door to reach her husband.
"Hey, you." She grinned as she finished descending down their staircase and went on her tiptoes to give Ryder a peck on the lips.
"Hey," Ryder grinned, "You okay?" Marley was wringing her hands with pure anxiousness - her husband knew that gesture very well.
"Y-Yeah! Yeah. I'm great." Marley responded hurriedly again, but sounded nonchalant near the end. Ryder shrugged before walking to the kitchen to grab a snack.
"So, how about we watch a movie tonight?"
"Sounds good," Marley hummed, kissing Ryder's cheek softly. "What kind of movie?"
"Something funny. Like, a chick flick or something." Ryder chuckled at Marley's raised eyebrow to his suggestion. "I had a very serious and tough day at the office, my love. Besides, being forced into watching your collection of these films has made them grow on me."
Marley huffed. "Okay, we'll watch one. Let me just put dinner in the oven."
Of course Ryder had to pick Labour Pains.
Marley wolfed down her food nervously as she kept one eye securely on the television - the moment was so surreal. When she had finished a good while before Ryder had, her husband eyed her suspiciously, but performed one of his infamous shrugs and decided he could care less.
Once the movie had ended, Ryder and his wife talked for a while before heading up to bed a few hours later. Marley stepped into the comfort of the mattress as she snuggled up to Ryder. He moved slightly however it made the bed shriek in protest.
"We really should get another bed," Marley bickered to her husband, giggling. Ryder nodded in agreement.
"Yeah - pretty soon we'll be too heavy for it."
This made Marley panic. Had he somehow worked out the she was pregnant and that the baby would cause them to be too heavy? Trying not to let the evident quiver in her voice become any kind of a factor, she asked: "Why would we be too heavy, babe?"
"Because it's an old bed?" Ryder stated questionably - he was probably wondering why Marley thought there would be any other reason.
"Oh... 'kay. Night." Marley smiled and kissed Ryder goodnight.
"Night," Ryder lovingly reciprocated. This would be a long night of realisation and thinking for the brunette.
-(xxx)-
The next morning, Marley woke up to the sound of water running and singing - she giggled. Ryder always sung in the shower and once again, he was performing his rendition of Jukebox Hero. Marley chuckled to herself quietly, wondering why she married such a goofball in the first place, when her eyes came across the full-body mirror next to the door. The mirror was tempting her, seducing her to take her entirety in. The girl soon caved as she emerged from the secure warmth of the silky bed sheets to the mirror on her left. She walked up and examined herself: floral pyjama shorts hung loosely to her upper thighs and ended quickly at some space above her knees. Her plain black top was in disarray around her stomach, tempting her yet more. Her hair was a brunette mess, tied in a scruffy ponytail and resting over her shoulder. She listened intently for any sound of Ryder turning the shower off or the shower door hitting the wall opposite like it always did when someone exited the shower, but nothing. Marley took this as her signal and lifted up her pyjama top so that she was now revealing her stomach. She slowly placed a cold hand on her stomach and started stroking the skin there softly; the corners of her mouth began rising, and soon she was grinning to herself - the aspect of being a mother warmed her.
Before she could revel in any more of the current and unexpected event, her husband emerged from the bathroom wearing a towel and whistling. In a hurried motion, Marley quickly flipped down her shirt to its intended place and flattened it out before whizzing around to meet her lover's gaze. "Morning, sweetie! How are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks..." Ryder replied to his hyper wife suspiciously, wondering why she was so ecstatic at such an early hour. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes, I slept great!" Marley cheered and clapped, wondering if he even believed a smidge of this poor cover-up; she was never this happy on Thursday mornings, or any mornings for that matter.
"G-Good, I guess." Ryder chuckled before leaning over to check the time on their bedside clock. "Crap, I've got to be at work soon." he stated, moving quickly to give Marley a soft kiss, which she returned.
"Okay. Have fun!"
"I'll try." Ryder chuckled again at her enthusiasm before hurriedly getting dressed and making a bit of breakfast then setting off.
-(xxx)-
The day after at night, after many more different scenarios whereby Ryder had his suspicions on what Marley might have been hiding, the married couple were having a rather heated kissing session on the fabric sofa they owned. It was like they were lovesick teenagers again, and nothing had ever changed. Ryder brushed his firm hand up Marley's thigh, and the brunette smiled mischievously into the kiss like she always did. After a few more minutes of this activity, Ryder asked Marley of she had any interest in joining him in the bedroom.
"Uhh..." was Marley's slow reply. She thought that if she continued, all that would be on her mind would be the baby. After a while of "um"ing and "aah"ing, Ryder silenced her.
"Marley, you're beautiful. You could balloon up and I would still love you just as much." Ryder smiled, "honey, are you having those bad thoughts again?"
Marley was confused and let out an exasperated retort: "Wh...what?"
"You've been acting really weird lately. Like, when we were watching that movie the other day, you ate dinner like it was the first meal in years, and you looked kind of guilty afterwards. And then, I saw you yesterday admiring your stomach in the mirror. I wondered if you had considered relapsing again, but I shrugged it off. And now, you're doing all of these weird things... Marley, you're perfect just as you are."
She was unsure whether it was the shock of her husband bringing up such a touchy subject – her previous eating disorder in high school – or her hormones activating, but this made Marley mad. "So you wouldn't love me if I changed... for a good reason?!"
"Mar, that's not what I-"
"But it's what you were thinking, wasn't it?! You wouldn't find me sexy at all if I gained weight for a good reason!"
Ryder was baffled by this sudden outburst. "Honey, I don't know why you're saying this-"
"Because I don't want to be treated like a toddler anymore!" Marley barked as she got off the couch and marched up to the door of the room.
"Marley, what the hell?! I'm not treating you like a child; I'm just making sure you're okay-"
Marley cut him off once again as she began rambling a list of reasons why he was wrong. This carried on until Ryder tugged at the final rope.
"God, Marley, why are you suddenly saying all of this?"
"Because I'm pregnant, you dumbass!" Marley yelled straight at her husband before she could comprehend her own voice saying it. Ryder's jaw dropped.
"You're what?"
"I'm pregnant." Marley looked down and nodded slowly.
"You're pregnant?"
"No, of cooourse not." Marley mumbled sarcastically to herself so that the man couldn't hear her before she looked up and spoke much louder, "Yes."
Ryder chuckled slightly in disbelief. "You're pregnant." he grinned.
"Yeah. It sucks, I know." Marley teased, crossing her arms as she too began to grin.
"You're pregnant." Ryder repeated as he scooped Marley up in his arms, the girl giggling and wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he spun them around the living room. He put her down slowly, realising this probably wasn't good for the baby, and looked into Marley's eyes.
"You're pregnant." he then whispered into her forehead as he began kissing her all over.
"No, really, you should be a detective." Marley muttered again sarcastically as she felt Ryder's lips on her face. She giggled as she indulged in his touch, sinking into him.
"I love you," Ryder concluded as his lips finally arrived at Marley's mouth.
"I love you too, daddy," Marley teased, mumbling the words lovingly into the kiss before kissing back.
-(x)-
Soon after, the couple were cuddled on the couch watching whatever was on the television. Ryder cocked his head up. "When did you find out?"
"Wednesday, just before you came home from work."
"Crap... I made you watch Labour Pains," the chestnut-haired man chuckled, "I'm sorry, honey."
"It's fine," she chuckled back.
-(xxx)-
Months later, Marley settled on their couch next to Ryder, huffing. "This baby better be really good."
"What happened?" Ryder sat up, concerned.
"There are so many things I can't do anymore. I can't do my power cardio at the gym; I can't drink coffee because it's considered a drug... I've been put off tuna sandwiches for the rest of my life, pretty soon it's going to be exhausting to walk, too. Just... ugh." Marley concluded her rant by crossing her arms and resting her head as far back as it could go.
"But a plus side is," Ryder smirked as he kissed her temple, "you're super-duper adorable."
"Oh, so you didn't think I was super-duper adorable before?" Marley challenged.
"Of course I thought you were before, honey. But now you're like... super-duper adorable plus one. And that plus one is a super-duper adorable baby and that's pretty exciting." Ryder grinned as he kept kissing his wife's face.
"You're a goofball," the brunette scoffed, "remind me why I married you again?"
"Because I offer you love, kindness and security." Ryder replied wisely.
"Or because your parents are rich and you're awesome at sex." Marley sang in the same wise tone, mocking Ryder who sported a fake hurt expression.
"Hey! You're mean. Why did I marry you?"
"Because I offer you kindness and love," Marley once again mimicked Ryder's knowing voice.
"True..." Ryder grinned as he kissed her nose.
"...and I'm the hottest catch ever." Marley smirked as she spoke the afterthought.
Ryder began to pull away, but then returned to his wife's complexion. "...Also true." Ryder chuckled, "So, what do you want for dinner?"
"Anything but tuna sandwiches."
-(xxx)-
Marley emerged from the bathroom in her bedroom attire, sulking as she padded over to the bed, where Ryder was trying to make sense of the newspaper. He looked up and sighed. "What is it, honey?"
"I feel all icky." Marley whined, flopping into bed and protesting against the bright sunlight shining through the window.
"Morning sickness?" Ryder rubbed her back gingerly.
"Yeah." Marley confirmed simply, rubbing her tiny belly, the bump hardly even visible.
"Awhh, honey, I guess you just have to deal with it. I'm sorry – it's all part of being pregnant."
"I don't want to deal with it, Ry." Marley whimpered.
"Hey, hey, don't worry. How about we do something today? It's the weekend and it's nice and sunny outside. We could go to the park?"
"Walking'll make me tired." Marley replied exhaustedly.
"Okay… we could go and visit your mom?"
"She's on a cruise." Marley crossed her arms.
"Okay… how about we go shopping for all the cute baby things to remind you why having this baby is amazing? Or at least look at some of them?"
Marley beamed. "Sure, let's do that."
-(x)-
An hour later, Marley found herself in the midst of a baby haven. Everywhere she looked there were toys, books, clothes, footwear... everything. She promised Ryder that she wouldn't go crazy and buy the whole store, and that they were only looking, but now she wondered if she would be able to stick to her word. She set off through the shop, dragging her husband by the arm, who was giggling at the sight of his crazy pregnant wife.
After a few hours of looking adoringly at every inch of the store, Marley turned around to her drowsy looking husband. "Ry?"
"Y-Yeah?" Ryder breathed.
"You look exhausted."
"I am exhausted," Ryder chuckled. "This baby stuff is tiring."
"Well, if you think it's tiring..." Marley was about to rant, but then gave up and caved at the effort. "I'm tired, too. Wanna go home?"
"Yeah, please," Ryder smiled tiredly as he took Marley by the hand. But before they could walk out the door, Marley spotted something by the unisex section. A light mustard coloured baby-grow with the words 'mommy's little angel' on them. Marley felt her feet moving to their own accord as she hurried over to the clothing item and slowly picked it up, admiring the softness of the fabric.
Ryder came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Honey, I thought we were going now..." he began, but he soon cast his eyes on the small clothing which Marley held.
"It's so tiny," Marley began quietly, examining the size. "I can't believe we're going to have a tiny angel of our own crawling around the house." Marley sniffed - she was quietly crying now; she cursed her hormones silently. "And they're gonna be our perfect thing, and we'll see them grow and change throughout the years and it's gonna be so perfect and amazing. And I'm gonna be a mommy and you'll be daddy and a-and..." Marley trailed off as she sniffed and wiped her nose quickly, causing Ryder to secure his arms around her more.
"I know. You're gonna be such a great mom, babe." He grinned. "You can buy it if you want." he gestured to the baby-grow. A smile teased at the corner of Marley's mouth as she picked up the item and walked to the checkout counter, hand-in-hand with Ryder. They made small talk with the cashier before exiting, Marley grinning at the small bag she now held.
-(xxx)-
20 weeks into the pregnancy, Marley was rebuffing all of Ryder's advances - they were going through baby names. Marley held a notepad as she sat in Ryder's lap on the couch, Ryder's hands swimming over Marley's stomach, where the swelling began to show. One by one, the mother-to-be was reading off names that they pondered upon, whilst Ryder, who leaned against the left arm of the couch, came up with some.
"How about... Charlie?" Marley asked as she revelled in the feeling of Ryder rubbing her stomach gently.
"Uh... for a boy or for a girl?" Ryder asked.
"Both - it's a unisex name."
"It's alright," Ryder nodded before mumbling beneath his breath: "It's no Benny, but...-"
Marley scoffed and exclaimed, giggling, "For the last time, we are not calling our baby Benny!"
"Why not?" Ryder retorted.
"Because it sounds like a cow's name." Marley chuckled as she put a mark beside 'Charlie' on her list. "Okay... um... how about Beatrice?"
"For a girl?" Ryder questioned, to which Marley nodded. "Nope. Nu-uh."
"Why not?" Marley whined.
"Because you're not giving birth to a 90 year-old woman, I hope." Ryder chuckled before getting whacked on the arm by his wife. "Ow!"
"Beatrice is a beautiful name. My grandma was called Beatrice." Marley told him off.
"-And that proves my point." Ryder giggled when Marley realised that she had indeed cancelled her own suggestion out by saying that it was, in fact, her elderly relative who held that name.
"Okay, Ryder Lynn. You win that round."
The boy in question grinned. "Good. Now, how about... Striker?"
"Striker?! What the he-"
Suddenly, Marley felt something inside her move. But realisation hit her when she realised that the 'something' was the baby - it had kicked for the first time, and as it kicked, a part of Marley's slightly swollen stomach raised itself to fit around the hand or foot of the foetus that had kicked its mother. With a quivering voice, she quietly informed her husband. "Honey, did you feel that?"
"Feel what-" The baby kicked again, this time directly on the space where Ryder's hand currently was. Ryder's mouth fell ajar as he took the moment in, "I felt it."
The brunette woman grinned as she gasped at the feeling of her baby inside of her. "That was amazing, it kicked. Oh my god, the baby kicked."
Ryder sat up slightly, moving Marley with him on his lap so the pair was sitting up, still against the side of the couch. He kept rubbing his hands slowly but surely over Marley's small bump as the child kicked one more time. He grinned as he felt it. "It doesn't seem real - the kicks, I mean. Like you're actually gonna have a baby."
Marley gasped in fake shock. "Really? I didn't know that." she teased playfully.
"Shut up, you. You know what I-" kick. "-meant... wow."
"Tell me about it," Marley giggled as she continued to grin.
The kicking stopped for then, and Ryder took the opportunity to smirk and whisper in his wife's ear. "You know, the kicking started when you said Striker. That must be a sign, right?"
"Jesus Christ... Babe, we're not calling the baby Striker."
Ryder asked Marley why, and she listed so many reasons that the father-to-be simply sulked and huffed before finally agreeing. He still rubbed Marley's belly though, much to the girl's delight.
-(xxx)-
A month later, the couple parked their car in the doctor's parking lot for another appointment. Marley wore a flowing, long sleeved shirt that showed her bump a bit along with a high ponytail and jeans (that were, much to her dismay, getting tighter and tighter) and converse. Ryder wore a button-up shirt with long sleeves and jeans as they walked into the waiting room, confirming their appointment at the clinic's reception. Once they found a few chairs, Marley slumped into her seat and huffed; this caused her husband to sport a concerned look and smooth his fingers over her hands.
"Babe, what's wrong?"
She huffed again. "I always have a massive fear of going here," she chuckled, hearing how ridiculous it sounded as she uttered the words.
"Why?"
"I just..." Marley sighed as she scavenged for the right words to fit in the statement, "what if something's wrong? What if they squeeze that weird jelly stuff on me and search for a live baby in there and it's-" she took a break to compose herself, reminding herself that she would be incredibly humiliated if her hormones got the best of her in a public waiting room. "-it's not there anymore?"
"Marley..." Ryder sighed as he kissed his wife's cheek. "Everything's gonna be fine. I promise."
The brunette sighed again. "But how do you know? This is the first time you've been to one of these check-ups."
"I just do, alright?" Ryder soothed, and after a while Marley gave a slow nod as they were called up to visit the doctor.
A female doctor soon entered their room, beaming brightly at the two. "Hello Mrs Lynn. How are things?" she asked the girl, who was now lying on a bed in the room wearing special hospital attire.
"Good, thank you." The mother-to-be smiled at the woman, who then turned to look at Ryder.
"Is this the father, I assume?"
"Uh, yeah - this is my husband, doctor." Marley smiled as the woman shook Ryder's hand.
"What a pleasure to meet you," The blonde woman smiled, "I'm Doctor Greene - Marley's doctor."
"It's nice to meet you too, Doctor Greene. I'm Ryder Lynn." Ryder smiled before taking a seat by Marley's bed as the woman began the procedure by squeezing the cold jelly-like substance onto Marley's slightly swollen stomach.
"Damn, that's cold." The brunette muttered as she tilted her head back onto the pillow; the doctor let out a suppressed giggle as she looked up to the sonogram, trying to make sense of the black and white smudges on the screen. She lifted the hand device from Marley's belly and propped it up against a nearby tray.
"Hmm... that's funny..."
Marley began to panic as the doctor worked all sorts of dials on a device hooked up to the screen. "Um, is everything okay?"
"I'll go and get the head of department," Doctor Greene stated her thought. "Bear with me a second, Mr and Mrs Lynn."
The doctor exited, leaving the brunette to stare into the distance with panic-stricken eyes. She found her eyes wandering to her small bump before her as she sighed hopelessly.
"Mar, everything will be okay, remember?" Ryder soothed, kissing her temple as he leant forward in his seat.
"I'm not so sure anymore, honey."
Minutes later, the middle-aged doctor returned with a male doctor - a stethoscope was secured around his neck and he fashioned a similar white coat to Doctor Greene's. He looked around forty or fifty and he took no hesitation to examine the device and the monitor. He smoothed his hands over aspects of the machinery before turning a switch. "There - that should do it." he mumbled as Marley and Ryder stared blankly at him. "Nothing is the matter, Ma'am. It's an ancient monitor." He chuckled warmly as Marley sunk back into the bed, breathing a sigh of relief. Marley's doctor bickered humorously with the other doctor for a short while about how they need to get a new copy of the machinery before they worry any more mothers-to-be, and soon after the appointment continued. Doctor Greene picked up the hand device once again and smoothed it over Marley's small bump before a loud and persistent thump rang through the room. Marley propped herself up on her elbows and listened intently to the sound as Ryder leaned forward in his chair.
"Is that...?" Ryder's wife questioned as the thumps kept echoing through the room.
"That's your baby's heartbeat." Doctor Greene confirmed with a warming grin. She continued rubbing the handheld device over Marley's belly as she came across a figure on the sonogram. Grinning even wider and pointing to the figure on the screen, she announced, "and that's your baby, right there."
Marley stared at the figure closely as it moved with the heartbeat still beating loudly across the room. She felt a strong hand grip hers, and that made her grin even more. "Wow..."
"I'll go and get the check-up results and stats. You guys wait right here." The blonde doctor soothed through her velvety voice as she exited the room, leaving the couple alone. Soon enough, Ryder piped up.
"We made that - right there. We made it." Ryder chuckled as he kept staring at the moving figure in black and white.
"Yu-huh." Marley agrees with a nod as she held Ryder's hand, intertwined with hers, to her chest. "It's ours."
"It's our perfect thing," Ryder smirked, copying Marley's words from months before as he kissed her cheek softly.
"Right," Doctor Greene exclaimed as she began to flick through a clipboard, making sure all the statistics were in check. Marley matched her beaming expression as she still grinned over seeing her baby again and hearing its heartbeat for the first time. "Would you two like to know the sex of the baby?"
The couple looked at each other before Marley turned to the doctor, nodding. "Yes - Yeah, please."
"Well..." the blonde began, scanning her eyes across the page for the information she needed, before smiling. "I'd love to congratulate you on your son, Mr and Mrs Lynn."
"Son? I-It's a boy?" Ryder looked at the doctor, who nodded yes.
"Mhm. Now, you may leave when you wish - your next check-up is in a month or so." The doctor gave one last grin before leaving the room a final time.
"Well, I'm not surprised. From the way he was kicking me yesterday, I kind of assumed a little soccer boy was in there." Marley giggled as she reached over to hug her husband, who hugged back as he inhaled her fresh scent.
"We're having a boy," Ryder grinned into her hair as she agreed with a nod.
"We should probably get going though. I think we have a few calls to make," Marley giggled as Ryder helped her up. A few minutes later, she was in her normal clothes again and they walked to the parking lot together before heading back home.
-(xxx)-
A few weeks later, the duo was watching a TV show whilst munching on their Saturday breakfast when the phone rang.
"I'll get it," Marley announced, finishing her mouthful and placing her cereal on the coffee table in front of them, she launched herself off the couch with her arms and finger pads then walked over to the ringing house phone, picking it up. Now six months into the pregnancy with her growing bump very visible, Marley had mastered the pregnancy waddle. She talked sweetly to the person on the phone whilst trying to get bits of raisin bran out of her teeth with her tongue; after a while she bid farewell to the caller and cast the phone down to its original place. Sighing and rubbing her rounded belly, she waddled back over to the sofa and settled next to her husband as she reclaimed her cereal bowl.
"Who was that?" Ryder asked although he still gazed at the sitcom before him.
"Your mom. She was pondering over my general wellbeing before pestering me on the logistics of the baby shower." Marley giggled.
Ryder nodded. "Ah. So, what's on the checklist this month?"
Marley counted the events one-by-one on her fingers: "Work out the exact dates and timings for the shower, start paediatrician interviews, doctor's appointment, buy more maternity clothes, plan and work on the nursery, shop for baby things... I think that's it." Marley placed her hands on her belly again, stroking slowly.
"Wow. That doesn't seem like a lot to you?" Ryder asked, chuckling.
"Not really. But the days seem super long and tiring when you've got a bun in the oven, so to me I have all the time in the world to get these things done."
Marley grinned as she leaned over and planted a kiss on Ryder's lips. "I have to go soon. I'm meeting a few of our friends from high school for lunch."
"Really? Who?" Ryder smiled.
"Kitty, Blaine and Tina. I think Blaine's bringing Kurt too." Marley smiled as she ate the last of her raisin bran before getting up and attempting to pull her pyjama shirt over her bump but to no avail - it pinged right back up her stomach again. She groaned. "Ugh, I really do need to get some more maternity clothes."
"Maybe, but this look is pretty adorable." Ryder confessed as he leaned over to kiss the part of her bump which was revealed by the small-fitting shirt.
Marley giggled, "Okay, Mr Sappy, but I'm gonna go take a shower and get changed." Ryder chuckled before letting her free from his grasp so she could get ready upstairs.
Half an hour later she came down wearing a purple lace strapped dress that flowed yet emphasised her belly in the best possible light. Her makeup was simple and she carried a purse as she slipped on some cream flats. Ryder met her by the door as he was making a bee-line to the kitchen to wash his cereal bowl and coffee mug. "Have fun, beautiful. Tell them I said hi." he said as he kissed her.
"I will," she smiled, "See you later, honey." and with that said, she made her way to the car in the scorching August sun.
-(x)-
Once arriving at the fancy cream coloured restaurant, Marley flattened out her dress. She waddled into the lightly lit dining room and searched for a table – soon she saw familiar faces waving her over and she grinned, walking over to find Tina, Blaine and Kurt. The trio soon arose from their cushioned chairs to say hello the girl as she greeted them with hugs and kisses, a hand still on her swollen stomach.
"Hey, Tina! Gosh, I haven't seen you in years! How are things?" Marley grinned as she hugged the girl.
"Good. Things are crazy busy but yeah, life is good right now," Tina smiled as she hugged back. After school, Tina studied at college before starting a business as a professional photographer. She doesn't live far from where Ryder and Marley live and so it wasn't much of a struggle to meet in the middle. Tina broke the hug to look at Marley's bump, "Wow... you look about ready to pop!"
Marley giggled, "Yeah, I'm getting bigger and bigger." She admitted, stroking her rounded belly up and down. She then moved to hug Blaine and give him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "How about you, Dr Blaine Anderson?" Marley teased at the fact that Blaine had become a private doctor and worked hours at a practice in New York. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, Marley. God, we have so much to talk about. I've missed you!" Blaine grinned as they swung slightly in an excited manner into the embrace.
"Kurt!" Marley exclaimed as she flung her arms around him next as he reciprocated. "How's New York and Vogue? Is Rachel doing okay up there too?" Kurt now had a full-time job at and was still best friends with Rachel Berry.
"Vogue is fabulous, as always, and Rachel is doing well. She's getting pretty nervous though – in a few weeks she's playing Maria in West Side Story on Broadway."
"Awh, good for her. Well, tell her I wish her my luck!" Marley beamed, still not over the rush of seeing some of her best friends from McKinley again.
"I will. I actually told her about your little boy you're expecting the other day and she got really excited for you." Then, mumbling, Kurt said "I think she's hoping for a mini Frank Sinatra or Stephen Schwartz."
Marley laughed and clapped her hands together. "Well, Ryder and I are kind of expecting more of a mini David Beckham with how much he's kicking."
"Oh, of course!" Blaine chimed in, "how's Ryder?"
"He's great. He's kind of busy with his work, as always, but he's well." Marley smiled.
"And how's he coping with all of the pregnancy stuff, huh?" Tina giggled.
"He's finding it pretty exhausting," Marley confessed, "but I keep telling him that if he's exhausted he should step in my shoes." Marley chuckled as she stroked her belly still.
The four took their seats around the table as they chatted more. Soon, a late arrival emerged through the door and to their table in hurried footsteps.
"Sorry I'm late guys," Kitty apologised breathlessly, "traffic was being a bitch today. God, why is it so hot?" The blonde chuckled as she greeted everyone, asking them on things like Marley had. When she got to Marley, who was the last one of the four, she squealed and hugged her closely.
After being frenemies in sophomore year, the two agreed to disagree and became very close throughout the rest of school. Kitty became the person Marley turned to throughout any issue or mishap; she asked her on relationship advice whenever her relationship with Ryder was on the rocks, and they loved to spend time together. Although Kitty moved several hours away from the brunette, they were still in touch and arranged to meet up whenever possible. Kitty was currently staying with her mother back in Lima where she would remain for a few months, arranging her work as a lawyer over there. The blonde promised Marley, though, that she would of course attend her baby shower.
"Oh my god, how are you?" Kitty grinned as Marley hugged back as tightly as she could whilst she was six months pregnant.
"I'm great, the baby's pretty great too," Marley beamed, "although he thinks my bladder is a toy." Kitty giggled to this. "How are you?"
"I'm great. Work could be better, but things are good, definitely." The smaller girl smiled as she untangled herself from the hug slowly. She shook her head, laughing, "I still can't get used to seeing you like this, honey. You must be pretty far along – when's he due?"
"Early November," Marley grinned as she stroked her belly again. Her friends all let out gasps at the fact that it seemed so soon.
"Wow, only a few months to go, eh?"
"Yeah. I can't wait, but at the same time I think I'm gonna miss being pregnant a lot. I mean, people give you their seat on the bus!" Everyone laughed along with Marley's exclamation.
The five of them began talking over their drinks and lunch about work, leisure and their life in general. Kitty exchanged a funny story about a bad date she had been on, Tina discussed a customer whose daughter needed head shots for her acting resume and who was even more of a diva than herself; Blaine and Kurt shared stories about scary interviews with adoption agencies, as they were now looking to adopt. Marley shared stories with the rest of the group about hormones, awkward childbirth classes with Ryder, check-ups and sonograms, as well as discussing baby names.
"I always thought that Kurt Hummel Jr. had a nice ring to it, don't you think, Marley?" was Kurt's jokey input.
"No, no, no. You should totally name your baby 'Bieber' so it can take after its father. Duh!" Kitty suggested as everybody laughed. Ryder's Bieber cut had changed now and, although there was still very much a Bieber element in it, the sideburns were trimmed; the fringe was cut and was in a messy style that Marley seemed to love, and the hair was cut shorter, differing from his former shaggy 'do.
They carried on talking until the restaurant was serving dinner, soon after saying their goodbyes and bidding farewell to each other.
-(x)-
Marley arrived back home and threw the keys in the bowl as usual. "I'm back, babe." she shouted through the house as she shrugged off her handbag and slid off her flat pumps. "Honey? Where are you?"
Ryder emerged in a scruffy T-shirt and old sweatpants. "Here, babe! How was it?"
"It was great. They all say hi!" Marley smiled before walking up the stairs to greet him with a kiss. "So, what did you get up to?"
"Well," Ryder replied with a mischievous grin, "I'm very glad you asked."
Without further ado, Marley was being led further up the stairs and was met with a door. The door had a blue teddy bear on it with the words 'This room belongs to ...' typed on a book that the toy bear was holding. Ryder led his wife up the hallway until they were face to face with the door, before he gently pressed it open. He revealed painted baby blue walls with white clouds sponged on them and blackbirds flying in flocks in over a few sections of the wall. The middle of the room had not been finished, but Marley identified the bits of wood as Ryder's attempt of making a rocking chair, presumably to go in the corner and for them to sit on whilst reading to their child. A light shone from the ceiling and the brunette tilted her head to identify it as a light blue lamp with a mobile of various pastel coloured birds attached to it. Marley flew her hands up to cup her cheeks at the room that was originally a plain canvas with a carpet, and she soon flung her arms around her husband as she began chanting an array of thank you's and compliments.
"You're welcome. It's not even finished, but thanks." Ryder grinned as he held his wife closer.
"I love you so much." Marley stated through tears of joy (she inwardly cursed her mood swings again).
"I love you more." Ryder smiled as he kissed Marley repeatedly and she reciprocated in an instant. Soon after, the kiss became heated; it had been a while since their kisses had been anything but chaste, but it loosened a heat that was hidden deep within both of them, and with that heat loose, they continued. Not stopping as they travelled down the corridor to their bedroom, not stopping as Ryder pressed Marley very softly to the mattress as the bed let out several creaks and not stopping as Ryder's hands, previously famished from any wandering, found themselves satisfied once again.
-(xxx)-
A week later on the weekend, Ryder was doing the finishing touches to the nursery as he heard the familiar sound of keys clashing against a porcelain bowl. He cocked his head up and poked it around the doorframe where he saw his wife releasing many bags from her grasp. Ryder found himself strolling down the stairs as he went to greet Marley, who was now around 7 months pregnant.
"Babe, the doctor said you shouldn't be carrying heavy things-"
"I know, I know. But they're really not that heavy." Marley insisted as she moved the various bags and boxes to one corner to the left of the front door before letting a deep sigh echo through the room and putting a hand on her stomach. "I bought a few maternity clothes, toys, baby clothes... oh, and a meatball sub and some cranberry juice."
Ryder furrowed his eyebrows. "Where's the meatball-"
"That and the juice were for the baby - he was really, really craving it." Marley breathed as she sunk into the fabric sofa in the living room.
"Only a few more things needed and then the nursery's done," the chestnut-haired man grinned as he kissed his wife one the cheek. She couldn't give anything other than a weak smile, though she wanted to present her joy further; she was still exhausted.
"Thank you. I'm sure it will be really great-" Marley stopped herself quickly. "Oh, crap. We've still got to baby proof this place."
She groaned as she threw her head back and Ryder groaned as well. "Can't we just... get a guy to do that for us?"
"Woah, Ryder Lynn is backing down from a tough guy challenge?" Marley smirked as she teased.
"What? No, I'm not a coward- I... I've just spent all this time doing the nursery, and I think... I think I need a break."
"A break?" Marley asked him, not believing that he had spoken the words. He nodded. "Ryder, if you think you need a damn break..."
Ryder knew what was coming next. He had dealt with 7 months of Marley's pregnancy brain nagging away at every fibre of his being, and he knew when his wife was about to go on another one of her rampages about one thing or the other.
"I have to throw up every morning for 9 months. This baby thinks my damn bladder is a toy for it to squeeze the hell out of, and my back hurts. I'm basically carrying around this human being on my belly, and I feel so heavy, and I can't even see my feet anymore! I'm so sick of being pregnant and having all of these things to do, and all of these things I can't do, and I feel like a big fat whale all of the time, and... and..." at this point, Marley began to choke up. As she listed more and more things, her mood swings got the best of her and she began crying. Her voice went high-pitched and replicated those of wild dogs howling, and that's when her husband began shushing her and hugging her loosely so she wasn't too uncomfortable as well as telling her kindly to calm down. The mother-to-be soon wrapped her arms around her husband's neck whilst sniffing violently, still rambling to herself quietly. After calming down, she wiped her eyes. "Why the hell do you still love me? I'm a chubby mess." Marley giggled sadly through more sniffles.
"You're a pregnant mess," Ryder corrected her, chuckling as well as her breathing returned back to normal; she let out another deep sigh before pushing herself off the couch.
"Well, I think I'm gonna go and lie down. I need to keep my serenity in check for tomorrow's baby shower so I don't go off the walls." Marley sighed one final time before waddling up the stairs.
-(xxx)-
When Marley emerged from the couple's bedroom the morning after, she had a simple but formal cream dress on and makeup. She began frantically clearing up the house as fast as she could before she heard a doorbell. Mumbling to herself that she thought the shower didn't start until later, she fumbled with the door handle and eventually opened the door to find her mother.
"Mom!" Marley beamed, "the shower doesn't start until 2pm-"
"I know, honey. I just wanted to see how you were doing and maybe help you if you were having any trouble." Millie Rose grinned as she walked up to hug her pregnant daughter. The woman had lost a lot of weight after Marley left for college, and she was now much healthier than she had been; Marley couldn't have been more proud of her. "Only about 2 more months to go, hey sweetie?" Mrs Rose grinned at the brunette as her eyes cast down to the girl's belly.
"Y-Yeah, yeah! I can't wait." Marley breathed. The two chatted for a while before Marley's mom insisted that she helped on a few things around the house for the baby shower. At some point, Ryder came down the stairs.
"Hello, Millie." Ryder smiled as he greeted Marley's mother with a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. "Are you here to help Marley?"
"Yeah, we're just sorting things out."
"Well, you two have fun at the baby shower - I have to do this thing for work," Ryder sighed sadly as Marley rolled her eyes.
"Babe, you always have to do things for work. And you hate your boss..." Marley trailed off.
"I know, I know. But I'm hoping that he'll do something nice for us if I keep working hard… and mentioning the baby," The man chuckled as he bent over to kiss his wife, who was sitting down sluggishly. He checked the time before grabbing his coat. "Right, I'm off - you girls have fun tonight, okay? See you soon, Mrs Rose!"
Millie chuckled, "Nice seeing you, Ryder!"
-(x)-
Hours later, Marley gave in to the comfort of the couch as she slumped down with another heavy book about childbirth. She yawned for the umpteenth time as her husband came through the door, also yawning. He made his way to the living room to greet the mother-to-be with a chaste kiss on the forehead. "How was the shower?"
"Tiring," Marley replied simply. "But look at all the stuff we got!" To accompany this, the woman lifted up her arms sluggishly, pointing them in the direction of the gifts. "Ta-dah!"
"Wow, that sure is a lot of stuff," Ryder countered as he cast his glance over toys, books, clothes and devices. "And are all those books to read before the birth?"
"Most, yeah." Marley sighed glumly. "But hey, it'll give me something to do for the next two months of waiting." Marley smiled as she pecked Ryder on the cheek. "Right, I'm off to bed. See you later."
-(xxx)-
Now slightly over eight months, Marley found herself staring in the direction of a checklist. The list had been written so many months before and she had seen the list so many times she could almost memorise it, but it made her glad when she was close to ticking everything off. After completing the task, Marley sunk into the softness of the fabric sofa and lay down as she rubbed her belly, contemplating things. She picked another heavy book up off the coffee table and began reading it - Understanding so many books was laborious, and with each page Marley's eyelids grew heavier, but she battled through and finally finished. She checked the time - 3:30pm. She sighed and with those digits in mind, Marley began skimming through another book. She was nearly half way through the book when she felt something.
Something ran down the leg of her sweatpants and she began to hurriedly unscramble things from the book before her to things friends had told her when it suddenly hit her.
Her water had broken.
She was reaching over and grabbing the house phone with trembling hands in a nanosecond, dialling the row of numbers that connected to Ryder's cell phone, the numbers going on for an eternity in her mind. She rested the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she slowly shut the book she was reading. The rings went on for an age before Marley reached Ryder's voicemail, making her groan loudly. She tried to conceal her anger as she left a semi-soothing voicemail:
"Hi, sweetie. Listen, I think I just went into labour so if you could answer your damn phone that would be great. Bye."
With that, she hung up and let her mind panic with what to do - Ryder was probably in another meeting and she didn't know what to do to get her to the hospital. A name suddenly reached her as she rapidly pressed the digits into the phone. The person picked up.
"Hey, mom."
"Hey, sweetie," came Millie Rose's sweet reply. "How are things?"
"I'm in labour."
"Wha- what?"
"Ryder's in a meeting and he's not answering his phone and I don't know what I'm doing and I haven't even packed the hospital bag yet" That was half true, she was plucking things from around the house hurriedly as she spoke into the receiver without taking a breath, "and I kind of really need you to help me." Marley gasped after her finished list. There was an ongoing silence where Marley's mother processed everything before a quick reply:
"I'm on my way." and then Millie hung up.
-(x)-
Marley had only just finished packing the hospital bag when her mother's car swung into the driveway. "I'm here! I'm here!" Millie screamed as she leapt out of the car and ran to the opened house door where Marley was hurrying out with the bag. She swooped out of the house before locking it and running over to the car, which her mother helped her in. Marley now had clean clothes on, different and more comfortable than the ones she had been wearing when her water had broken.
"Right," Millie gasped, "do you have everything?"
"I think s- oh!" Marley groaned as she clutched her stomach in pain; the first contraction. Her mother mumbled something incoherent before pulling out of the Lynns' driveway and driving to the nearby hospital.
After being rushed into a private room with the hospital clothes now on her, Marley was soon digging her head back into the pillows of the bed and gasping at the pain she was feeling every few minutes. A string of demands for her phone travelled from her mouth to her watching mother, who passed it to her willingly. Typing out Ryder's number into the device and holding it to her ear for what seemed like the hundredth time, smoke practically streamed out of her ears as she screamed. Voicemail again.
-(x)-
Now 7 centimetres dilated and 2 hours into labour, Marley was pacing the room with her back arched, wondering if this position would help the uncomfortableness she felt. She dug her palms into her waist as she stared up at the white hospital ceiling, mumbling things under her breath.
"Do you want anything to eat, honey?"
"No, no, no. I just want more of the damn drugs." Marley groaned - she had been given gas and air, but nothing else. She felt another pain shock through her like a lightning bolt as she rested her sweaty hands on the railing, whimpering as her mother stroked her back. Soon after the pain had stopped, Marley stumbled over to her bed and lay down, appreciating the momentary calm that was now present. She bent her head down to her belly as she stroked over it and smiled slightly. "You really do wanna put mommy through some pain before you come out, don't you, pumpkin?" Marley chuckled tiredly.
It was about half an hour after this moment that Marley found the brief, serene moment had truly vanished. She was in another mood at the fact her husband was still absent and was worried that he may not be able to make it in time for the birth, but those thoughts were silenced when she heard a knock at the door. Ryder was slowly sliding through the doorframe as he grinned at Marley, who was now glaring icily in his direction.
"Knock knock," Ryder spoke softly and apologetically. Marley brushed past his expression, though, and began screaming at the man.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Marley yelled at Ryder as she panted through the uncomfortable sensations she felt.
"I was in a meeting, sorry. I would have made it out sooner, but it was very important-"
"More important than the birth of your damn son?!" Marley cut him off, not letting her rage pass anytime soon.
"I'm so sorry, I couldn't answer my phone." Ryder continued. "But hey, I'm here now, right?" Ryder perked up as he kissed Marley's sweaty forehead and cleared a few of the hairs that stuck to it.
"Damn right, you are." Marley retorted fiercely.
-(x)-
Marley was panting furiously and had slowly caved into Ryder's constant apologies, deciding that she needed him to get her through the pain, which he most certainly helped with. The brunette's doctor had entered the room again and soon after declared she was ready to start pushing. Marley tried her best to breathe slowly and steadily, but as nerves and fatigue as well as the obvious excruciating pain was taking over, she began giving into the awful sensations and screamed as she pushed. Ryder clutched her hand for support but soon regretted it when Marley used it as a stress ball to get through her pain - her fingernails sunk into his skin, definitely hard enough to leave a bruise, maybe even to draw blood. He spurred his wife on nonetheless.
"Come on, Mar, just a few more and a baby – our baby, is gonna be in the world. Please, Mar, just a few more-"
His motivational words were cut off by Marley's limbs going limp and her head hitting the pillow in defeat as she wailed. "I can't do it, I c-can't. I'm so sorry, I can't..." Marley cried, sniffing and whimpering as her mother wiped her sweaty forehead where a few strands of the mother-to-be's hair still stuck.
"Yes you can, Marley. You can, you're a fighter. You're going to be a mom, okay? You just have to push." Ryder soothed as he kissed her dishevelled hair. Her ponytail had long since gone in disarray. After a few heaving breaths, Marley lifted her head back up and began pushing again, harder than ever. Ryder's hand was going white with the pressure Marley forced onto it, but he didn't seem to mind as much. Marley's mother cheered her on and gave her pep talk, calling her "sweetie" and "honey" like she usually did. Marley was squeezing her eyes shut as cries of pain erupted through her gritted teeth. "One more, Mrs Lynn." said the doctor.
Marley breathed in short and sharp breaths before she pushed a final time, crying out as she did so. Final words of encouragement were strewn across the hospital room, and then, he was born. A healthy baby boy's cries soon silenced any screams of pain, any words. Ryder's heart literally skipped a beat before he began planting soft kisses over his wife's sweaty face; the woman had loosened her grip on the man's hand and was now lying back, catching her previously bated breath as she cried tears of joy. "I love you, I love you, I love you so, so much" was whispered to the woman as Ryder muttered it for only her ears. Then, the couple was silent as only the wails of their new-born son were heard. The nurses were cleaning him up and wrapping him up before slowly and carefully giving the boy to his mother, who made the tiresome effort to sit up. Marley ran her fingers over the soft fabric the little boy was encircled in and cradled her son in her arms, tears of joy spilling out of her eyes. The baby was still wailing, and Marley cooed shushes for him as he slowly became quieter.
"Hey, little fella." Marley said quietly as her soft, watery eyes looked at him. "I'm so happy you're here, okay?" her voice quivered slightly as she sniffed back tears. "I'm your mommy, yes I am," she grinned. "And this," she looked up from her baby for the first time to see Ryder, who's eyed were glistening also, "this is your daddy. I have no doubt you got your stunning cuteness from him," she giggled softly, as Ryder did the same. "And over there," Marley looked at her mother with gratitude evident on her expression, "that's your grandma. If your daddy and I raise you even half as well as your grandma did to me, we'll be the luckiest parents in the world. And you - you'd be the luckiest guy, too." Marley grinned as she spoke the words to her son and to her mother, who was crying with joy along with the others.
"I want you to know that we... we will never, ever stop loving you. We all care about you so much, little guy. And with the help of us as well as Grandma Judith and Grandpa Paul," Marley spoke of Ryder's parents, "and so many dear friends and family, we're gonna make sure you grow up to be the best person you can be." Marley sniffed as more tears rolled down her cheek, which Ryder kissed away softly. The new mother smiled lovingly as she rocked her baby in her frail arms, leaning over to kiss her son on the forehead softly. After a while of comfortable silence, Marley handed the baby over to his father, who rocked him slightly.
"Hey there, buddy." Ryder grinned as his new-born son stared up at him, only now did the man notice what blue, cerulean eyes he owned. "Woah, you've got eyes just like mommy." his grin widened as he noticed more characteristics on the infant that matched those of his wife. "And a nose just like mommy."
"But he's a Lynn. He's got a lot of stuff from you, Ry." Marley giggled as she gazed lovingly between her two boys.
"Yeah..." Ryder mumbled as he trailed off - the conversation had left him when, tightly but not nearly as tight as how his wife had held his hand before, his son wrapped all of his tiny fingers around Ryder's large thumb. "You must be a fighter," Ryder whispered at his first born, "like your Mommy was today."
-(x)-
After various more tears were shed and the baby had been passed to Millie and back to his mother, Marley was overtaken with fatigue and advised to sleep by the nurses. She passed the baby back to Ryder as she became more comfortable, sinking into the hospital bed. Millie sat up from her chair, clutching her phone.
"I'm gonna make a few calls outside, okay, honey?" she smiled, leaning over to kiss Marley's forehead - the new mother murmured a tired "okay" back. One foot in the door, Marley's mother turned around to the new parents. "Hey, you guys did well today." She offered a simple grin before walking out of the private room.
"Yeah," Marley agreed after her mother had left. "We make pretty cute babies," she grinned as she kissed Ryder softly.
"Maybe we should make more," Ryder mumbled into the kiss as he smirked.
"Maybe, in a few years. I finished the last pregnancy barely an hour ago, Ry." The brunette chuckled before planting another kiss on her husband's lips. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mommy." Ryder teased, mirroring Marley's words from the night when she announced the news, only eight months ago.
And then, Marley drifted off to sleep.
-(xxx)-
Nathan David Striker Lynn
Born at 3:34am at Columbia Community Hospital
7lbs 3oz.