"Don't you think we should put this here?" AJ asked curiously whilst holding a vase in her hand, standing at the dining table while Punk unboxed their packed cutlery and kitchen equipment. They were up bright and early Monday morning after taking their flight the previous night. Chaleen had taken the twins out to give Punk and AJ some time to move in properly, without the kids distracting them.
"You put it wherever you want, sweetheart." He told her. He was a man, he really couldn't care less where things went. These kind of things were her decisions. He was just the handy man, here to help her.
Everything had been pretty much moved in for them, like the beds and heavier furniture. Now they just had to readjust everything, and decide which rooms they were decorating and which rooms they weren't. Not to mention they had to get a start on the baby's room. AJ was only one and a half months away from her due date.
"What do you think of it?" AJ asked him, joining him in putting away all the kitchen utensils and equipment in the decided cupboards and drawers.
"I miss the old place." He said. He always would. But he couldn't deny in how beautiful this place was. And AJ was right, the surroundings were great. The school the kids would be going to was in walking distance. Punks family lived about half an hour away. There were great routes to walk the dogs who were both sniffing their way around the house as they spoke. It did seem like a better atmosphere than the noisy Las Vegas strip.
"I know." AJ nodded, "So do I. But this place feels more like a home. Don't you think?" She asked him as he nodded.
"Yeah. I guess it does." He nodded, "Why don't I ask Chaleen if the twins can stay with her tonight? Gives us more time to mess around here. And we can have a night to ourselves." He said with a tired smile. Not that his children were on any level a nuisance, but he was tired, and he knew AJ was too. They deserved one night to themselves.
"Ok." AJ smiled with a nod, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling him press a kiss on her head while they sorted out the rest of the kitchen together.
Chaleen agreed to keep the twins overnight, stating over the phone that they were having lots of fun with Henry anyway, and that she wasn't sure if they wanted to come home anyway. Joking of course. But it put Punk at ease. Believe it or not, he'd barely got a minute to sit down since his fight. He was exhausted and still aching. He wanted nothing more than to lie in bed with his wife and watch TV until they both fell asleep.
He came upstairs with a bottle of water in his hand, tilting his neck from side to side to get the kinks out of it, walking into their room to see AJ standing pacing at her side of the bed, both hands on her stomach with worry across her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked quickly.
"Something doesn't feel right, Phil." She looked over to him, shaking her head.
"Are you in pain?" He asked her, placing the water down and walking round to her side, watching her nod and bite her lip, "It might just be those post contraction things, you know... the fake ones." He shrugged, remembering everything from reading those awful baby books when the twins made their arrival.
"This doesn't feel fake." She looked up at him, frightened. Prior to Rachel, any little thing that felt wrong with her pregnancy, scared the living daylights out of her. To the point where she felt she couldn't breathe.
"I'm sure it's nothing. But let's go to the hopsital, make sure everything is ok." He told her as she nodded.
"What if something is wrong?" She whispered, fear rasping her voice as she squeaked.
"Hey, it'll be fine." He nodded, "We'll get you checked out, everything will be ok. Trust me." He said as she nodded. She did trust him. She was absolutely terrified, and so was he, he was just hiding it. He wouldn't let anything happen to this baby. He promised from day one he wouldn't. They wouldn't suffer again. He wouldn't let his wife go through all that pain again.
They got to the hospital late on, where AJ's pain level had increased to Punks horror. He was trying to take her mind off it and have her focus on other things, but it was impossible. After what she had gone through last time, there was no way around thinking that there was something wrong. He was just hoping it was false labour, and they could go home once everything was looked at.
"Can I help you, sir?" The receptionist asked on the maternity floor.
"Yeah, my wife... she's in a lot of pain." He explained.
"How far along are you?" The receptionist asked.
"Seven and a half months." AJ said as the receptionist nodded.
"Ok, I'll get someone to see you right away." She said, noticing how much pain this woman really was in.
"See, see... they're going to check things out, and it'll be all fine." He told her as she held onto his arm tightly. Hospitals always frightened her anyway, but being in so much pain for no apparent reason was terrifying.
Punk had no idea what to do. How could he possibly keep promising her things were ok? When he didn't even know if they were. He was just as scared as she was.
They did get taken right away, the department seemed pretty quiet anyway, but amongst everyone, she seemed to be in the most distress. It only seemed fair and right to have her seen right away. Her heart was beating rapidly, she didn't want to be told those horrifying words again. She didn't want to be told that her baby had no heartbeat, and that she'd have to deliver it anyway. She wasn't doing that. Not this time.
"Ok, April... I'm going to take a look at the baby, and then I'm going to figure out why you're in so much pain. Ok?" The midwife smiled sweetly as AJ nodded, rolling her t-shirt up while Punk stood beside, legs shaking beneath his jeans, palms sweating into her own one as he held her hand tightly.
AJ watched the midwife closely as she looked on at the monitor.
"Is it dead?" AJ whispered, "It is, isn't it." She said with a tear rolling down her cheek as Punk swallowed a lump in his throat.
"No." The midwife said immediately, "Hear that?" She asked while a loud swishing noise filled the room, causing AJ to roll her head back with relief and a smile, while Punk thanked whatever God that did or didn't exist.
"But..."
"But?" AJ looked back up.
"It looks like the baby is getting real impatient in there. I'd love to tell you that it's false labour contractions you're feeling, but the baby looks ready to come." The midwife said, just by looking at the scan, and feeling around AJ's stomach, and listening to the pain AJ was describing. It seemed like this baby was eager to see the world tonight.
"But she's only seven months. She can't have it now." He shook his head.
"I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do to stop it." The midwife said, "I promise, we'll get the baby out safely. We'll get you hooked up and in a room within the next five minutes, ok?" She said as AJ nodded, "I'll be back just a moment." The midwife left the room as AJ looked up at Punk with terror.
"I can't..." She shook her head, "It's too early. What if it doesn't make it?" She asked him.
"Hey, it's little heart in there is still beating. And it'll be the exact same when it comes out. I'm going to be here, every step of the way, I promise." He told her, pressing a kiss on her forehead as she sighed through her pain.
Such an early birth like this, wouldn't the baby come out weak and fragile? Would she be able to hold it? Would it be taken away right away to fight for it's own life? She felt helpless, and so did Punk.
Within the next fifteen minutes, she was in her own room, hooked up to a monitor and enduced to spur the labour on. Punk had called his sister and mom, to tell them what was going on. They offered to come down, but he insisted they didn't. If anything were to happen, he knew AJ wouldn't want an audience.
It was already ticking into the am, and AJ was nearly ten centimeters diallated. She was frozen with fear. This wasn't the way things were meant to go. They were meant to have settled into their home, and then the baby was meant to come, and it was meant to be so wonderful. All she could think about was how small and weak it would be when born. It was terrifying.
"You don't have to look so frightened." Punk told her, looking on, holding her hand whilst she breathed through the contractions.
"I am frightened." She sighed.
"Hey, it's going to be ok." He stroked her cheek.
"You don't know that." She shook her head.
"I know, but I believe it." He said, "And you need to aswell." He encrouaged.
His words were strength she never had when in her situation with Rachel. Even if they were just words, they gave her strength. If he believed things would be ok, then she should have too. What mattered was that she had him beside her this time. She wasn't alone. He was really here.
In just a few short moments, she was in the midst of giving birth, squeezing her husbands hand tightly while giving out each slow, agonizing push. She was completely exhausted, and she just wanted it all over with. She just wanted to be told that her son or daughter was ok. Then she could rest easy.
"You're doing really good, sweetheart." He pressed a kiss on her cheek, so so proud of her. She was worried, but she was pushing that all away, because she was a typical mother, and she was putting this baby girl or boy before herself. Just like she done with the twins.
"One last push, April." The midwife said.
Punk watched as she sat up, using every last, little piece of strength she had to give one final push, crushing his hand in between hers whilst her throat let out a shattered groan, collapsing back when she had nothing left the push anymore, listening out closely while Punk watched the blood stained little bundle make it's way over to get cleaned up, no noise coming from it whilst AJ lay defeated, listening out closely.
"Is it ok?" She whispered, looking up at Punk, her voice followed by an abrupt roar of cries, bringing a smile to her face as Punk sighed with relief, looking over in the corner of the room where the cries were coming from.
"Congratulations..." The midwife made her way over as AJ sat up slowly, "It's a boy." She smiled, placing the wrapped up baby boy in his mother's cradled arms, "I am going to have to take him away in a few minutes, but see for yourself, he's going to be ok." The midwife smiled as AJ gasped, looking down at the tiniest, most precious little thing ever. He was so small, but he was so strong, and of course, he had his daddy's eyes.
Punks heart swelled, another son, another little mini me to have. He couldn't have been more happier. Even more happier that the strong little man seemed to have pulled through tremendously. He was obviously weak, and needing some more assisting than other, fully developed new born baby's. But to he and AJ, he was just perfect.
"Do we have a name for him?" The midwife asked with a smile, looking on at the couple, completely lost in their son.
"Luke." AJ smiled, looking up at Punk, knowing they only had a few minutes with their son before he was taken away, "Hold him..." She whispered as Punk gulped, nodding, scooping up the baby boy carefully, lookding down at him, admiring how perfect he really was. The twins were going to love him. Dylan was going to be extremely happy about gettng a brother, and Heidi, well she just had another little man in her life to look out for her. Early or not, he was perfect, and he was little fighter. It wasn't the birth they planned, they didn't exactly want their baby boy being hooked up to a monitor to help him develop properly before being taken home, but he was ok. And that was all that mattered.
"Luke." Punk whispered, stroking the little boys soft cheek, "Welcome to the world, baby boy."
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