CHAPTER TEN

Annie and I sit on the couch. We've been here for three hours discussing possible baby names. She's due any day and we just realized that we haven't thought of any names.

"What about Auden?" asks Annie.

"Auden? What gender is that?"

"Male… Ex that one off, you shouldn't have to ask me the gender of it. That's an immediate no… How about Brooks?"

"Brooks…"

"That sounds a little girly…" Annie groans.

My hand caresses her stomach gently. Then a name comes to mind quickly.

"Lake."

"Lake…Lake Irving Odair…"

"Irving?"

"It means From the City. If it's a boy his name will basically mean 'From the City of Lake,'" Annie explains.

I love it. Lake Irving Odair. It's a strong name. Perfect for him.

"It's perfect," I say.

She flushes and looks away with a smile.

"Alright, for a girl?" I ask.

"Thora…"

"Thora?"

"It was my mother's name…" Annie replies softly.

I never ever heard Annie's mother's name. My mouth opens slightly. Annie stares down at her belly biting her lip.

"I like Thora. Thora what?"

A smile creeps onto her lips.

"Thora Mags Odair," she says turning her eyes to me.

I smile.

"You sure?"

She nods.

"I can't think of anything more perfect," Annie says.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. My free hand rests on her very large belly. At nine months I won't deny it, she's pretty huge. It's hard for her to maneuver around and go about her normal tasks, but she is making the best of it. I sometimes catch her singing to her stomach. Other times I see her talking to it. She makes fun of herself often but I'm good at cheering her up. Making her feel beautiful. Etcetera.

"I'm so ready for this to be over with," she groans.

"Aw, Annie, why do you say that?"

"Because I feel like a whale. This is really inconvenient," she says gesturing to her belly.

"No, you're beautiful," I smile, pecking her on the forehead.

"You have to say that. You're my husband," she sighs.

"I don't have to mean it though. And I do," I say.

She rests her head on my shoulder.

"I'm gonna be a dad soon," I laugh softly.

"Yes, you are. The best one ever," Annie remarks.

"I never thought I'd be a dad. I really am nervous though. What if the kid hates me?"

"Eventually the kid will. But that's not until much later," Annie explains.

I squeeze Annie a bit tighter as I rub gentle circles on her belly.

"Will it hate you too?" I ask quietly.

She laughs and shakes her head.

"Yes, of course it will. Especially if it's a girl…" she mumbles.

We sit in silence, both thinking about names and the future. I purse my lips and gently press my lips to her stomach. I tell the baby what I always say when I kiss her belly.

"What do you say every time you kiss my belly?" Annie asks.

I smile and raise up, looking into her curious eyes.

"I say: Just show up healthy, and I will be the best dad I can be, I promise."

Annie's eyes widen and her brows furrow.

"Finnick, that is so sweet," Annie says.

"Well, I mean it…" I murmur, my cheeks turning red.

"I…"

Annie trails off. Her eyes go down and I feel something warm saturate my shorts. I look at her and she shakes her head, eyes wide.

"Annie, did your water just break?" I ask.

"F-Fin, I am so sorry," she whimpers.

She gasps and clutches her stomach groaning and gaping.

"Annie, is it a contraction?"

She nods still clutching her belly.

"Annie, I'm gonna change shorts, grab the go bag and then we'll go to the hospital. Okay? This is your first set of contractions, right?" I ask.

Annie raises up breathing deeply and nods.

"Mmmhmm… It's the first set…"

I slowly get up off the couch and Annie attempts to stand. I take her hands and slowly help her up.

"You wanna change, Annie?" I ask.

She nods, breathing quickly.

**ANNIE'S POV***

This pain is excruciating. I guess it's what I get for not experiencing the pregnancy heartburn. It's payback.

Finnick wheels me into the hospital. I breathe in and out sharply.

"We're almost there, Annie. Keep breathing. How do you feel?"

"Like I'm being stabbed in the uterus," I reply.

Finnick pauses and doesn't answer. I know that means something is wrong.

"Finnick?" I gasp.

"I just wanna get you into your room as soon as possible. I want to make sure it's nothing serious."

"Is that bad? The stabbing feeling?" I ask.

"I mean, it's normal in some women. It just means…" he trails off.

"What?"

"Don't freak out…"

"What?" I snap.

"Annie, you may have to have a Cesarean section," he blurts.

My head turns around in his direction, I feel my eyes widen.

"Don't freak out. That can sometimes mean the baby is in breech position and the only way to safely deliver it is through Cesarean section," Fin explains.

I look back ahead and breathe heavily, trying to hide my anxiety.

"Annie, trust me. You're going to be fine."

"Can you blame me? I might be slit open!" I say between sharp breaths.

We pull up to the reception desk and Finnick checks us in. We are moved to a blue room and I change into a hospital gown. Finnick wears scrubs. The doctor enters the room with a clipboard. He's an older gentleman with greying dark hair and silvery blue eyes.

"Annie Odair," he smiles.

I squeeze Finnick's hand and nod, sucking down air to suppress the fiery pain in my stomach.

"Well, Annie, I have some troubling news…" he begins.

I squeeze Finnick's hand tighter.

"The baby is in breech position which means we'll have to do a Cesarean section. Now the good news is, though delivering the baby naturally would be dangerous Cesarean will be perfectly safe and we don't have to rush. That being said, I'm going to gather my staff and get you some morphine and we can take our time beginning this. Okay?"

All I can do is blink. What?

"Okay, just get her the morphine or epidural or whatever," Finnick snaps.

The doctor chuckles and nods, leaving the room. I feel tears sting my eyes and my throat get thick. I sniffle back tears and instantly feel Finnick's arms wrap around my shoulders.

"It's okay, Annie."

I nod, sniffling.

"You're going to be fine, Annie, okay? Trust me. I promise. You'll be fine."

"I know. I'm just worried," I cry softly.

"Oh, Annie. Come on. When am I ever wrong?"

"Never," I reply, bowing my head in shame.

"Hey, look at me, beautiful," he replies.

I don't look at him. Tears fall in my lap.

"Come on, beautiful… Look at your husband," he says kissing my ear.

I slowly turn my eyes up to his and I instantly feel comforted. His warm smile filling me with comfort.

"You are going to be fine. Just fine. I'm here with you the whole time, Annie. I won't leave your side. I promise," Finnick whispers, kissing my knuckles.

I hug him as best I can around my big belly, then lie back. Finnick stands and walks away.

"Where are you going?" I say, panicked.

He walks to the sink and begins wetting a rag.

"Relax. I'm not leaving," Fin says.

He crosses back over to me with a damp wash cloth. He gently places it on my forehead. The cool water making me feel better all over. I let out a sigh of relief and Finnick smiles in triumph.

"You feel better?" he asks.

I nod, closing my eyes.

"Wanna squeeze my hand?"

I nod again and feel his fingers slide into mine. I squeeze them so tightly that I hear his knuckles crack.

"Sorry," I murmur.

"Squeeze as tight as you need to, beautiful. I can take it. I've been through worse," he chuckles.

And with Fin's hand in mine, I prepared for the most mind numbing few hours of my life.