The hours stretched on as Ella's labor progressed. I couldn't tell who felt more sick than me though, Fang or Iggy. Fang got progressively paler with the more time we spent in Ella's room, and Iggy was finding any excuse to go outside and catch his breath. Fang told me that it was just because Iggy thought Ella was in more pain than she really was due to his lack of seeing her.
My sickness was more out of apprehension though. I wanted more than anything to get to the point in my life where I get to take my baby home, feed her, get pissed at Fang due to lack of sleep, buy them cereal, take them to their first day of school, but as I went through the parenting responsibilities my excitement went away when I realized we would have to give them the "talk." There was one bright spot in my future though, and he was standing right next to me with his arms around my waist.
As if Fang knew that I was thinking about him, he bent his head to kiss my hair. I looked up at him and smiled. Taking a hand that was still attached to my hip, I led him into the hospital room. Mom looked up at us; she was definitely showing her age that night. It seemed like she had more gray hairs, maybe even more wrinkles around her eyes. She patted Ella's hand and got up.
"She just got her epidural. The doctors say that she should get some sleep to get some energy back." Mom whispered to me.
"How is she doing overall though?" I asked, watching Iggy kiss her forehead and pull her hair back from her face using a hair-tie. She looked up at him and whispered something that I couldn't catch, but it must have been funny because he laughed. Or maybe he was just trying to brighten her spirits. But soon she was laughing too. Iggy squeezed her hand and walked through us and collapsed against the wall.
"That's our cue." Mom told Fang and I as she turned to walk out.
I looked over my shoulder at Ella, surprise to see that she was already asleep. Fang rubbed my back reassuringly before closing the door behind us. I patted Iggy's shoulder. "How are you doing buddy?" I asked him.
"I didn't know that not seeing anything could make me sick." He said through his hands that he had covering his face.
I smiled grimly. "Well, if it makes you feel better, seeing it is making me sick."
"Yeah, but you don't count. You're pregnant. You get sick at everything." Iggy half-joked.
I laughed though, "I know that."
Fang walked away to the bathrooms and Mom had drifted over to the waiting area that didn't seem as crowded as it was earlier. Iggy sighed and I leaned against the wall next to him. "Max," Iggy began, "Can I ask you something?"
"It better not be a proposal because you're married already."
Iggy laughed and shook his head. He looked at me, well no, he looked at my right ear, but it was close enough. "I like you when you're pregnant. You're funny."
"I'm just in a good mood. There's a difference."
Iggy smiled, but then frowned. "Max, do you think I'll make a good dad?"
I was caught off guard by his question, and I didn't know how to answer at first. I wasn't sure what a good dad was, especially with my father's track record. "Well, Iggy, I don't know. Do you think you'll make a good dad?"
"I just don't know. I mean, I'm blind. How will I be able to help Ella with everything? I can't change diapers." He tacked on as an afterthought.
I laughed, not even sure if I remembered how to change diapers. I had learned because of Angel, but I was still eight years old. That's seventeen years later. "Well, from what I remember, you don't really need to see anything. In fact, it's probably better that you don't. It's just smell that's a problem." I admitted.
"Do you really think I'll make a good father?"
I laughed again. "Iggy, why are you even doubting the fact that you would make a good father? You are an amazing guy, my mom is lucky to have you as a son-in-law, I'm lucky to have you as a brother-in-law, Ella is lucky to have you as a husband, and your child is lucky to have you as a father." I told him, playfully punching his arm.
"And Fang is lucky to have you Max." Iggy added. This caught me off my guard, not expecting him to say something about me. "We are all lucky to have you Max. Ten years ago, when everyone was freaking out about you not thinking with your head, and you were thinking with your heart…well, I think it was best that you thought with your heart." Iggy paused, and I was about to butt in, but he waved me off. "I know things were rocky back then, with you and your depression and everything, but in the end you thought with your heart and you actually saved the world."
I smiled. "I'm smiling Iggy." I said quietly. I was honestly flattered, and I knew why Ella loved him so much. Granted, I had seen him be all sweet and kind to Ella, but never to me.
Fang came back from chatting with my mom keeping his hands in his pockets. He put his arm around my shoulders when he reached us. "Hey, how are you holding up man?"
"I still feel kind of sick." Iggy admitted. "But Max made me feel better. You are truly lucky to have her."
"You don't need to tell me that." Fang smiled, and bent his head to peck me on the lips, but I quickly turned it into something more. Fang was getting harder and harder, more resisting to the kiss. He bit down on my bottom lip, and I pulled back in protest. "Ow!" I said loudly, making a couple doctors going by look over at us.
"Well I don't think right now is the time or place Max. And maybe we should tone it down since you are currently not in good stable condition for sex." Fang told me sternly.
"We were not having sex, we were making out." I pointed out.
He put his finger on my lips to shush me. "No." he said, and my heart sank. What was he saying 'no' to?
