twenty three: ava & alex

august 6, 2025

around 11:30 a.m.

Austin sat at his desk at A&A Records, drumming his fingers on the keyboard. He was supposed to be composing an email with a list of students they'd previously worked with at the music factory to send to the head of A&R—Artist & Repertoire— so they could start searching out new talent, but he couldn't focus. In the three years that they'd existed as a company, they had managed to sign a few new artists, but they were still looking for somebody who would put them on the map. Work seemed like it should be on the backburner since Ally was a week away from her due date, but she insisted she'd be fine. All he wanted to do right now was be with her and Ava.

"Hey, Austin, how's that email coming?" His assistant, Xander, poked his head in the room and frowned upon seeing Austin's distressed state.

"It's...fine, I guess. I'm worried about Ally." Austin turned his chair to face him. "She's a week away from her due date, but I know that babies can come early. Especially since the doctor said this baby is a bit bigger than Ava was."

"Oh," Xander said, leaning up against the doorframe. "Yeah, I don't know much about babies, since I'm only, like, twenty-one and single, but I'm sure it's gonna be fine." Austin nodded.

"Thanks." There was an awkward moment of silence between the two.

"So, uh," Xander cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Just make sure to get that email sent out as soon as possible. Jenna said that she's looking forward to seeing that list so she can start contacting these students as soon as possible." Austin nodded again.

"Thanks, Xander."

"Welcome." He left the room and Austin put his head in his hands, propping his elbows on the desk. He stayed like that for about two minutes until the restlessness took hold of him and he left to use the bathroom. Almost as soon as he walked out the door, his phone, which was still sitting on his desk, started to ring.

11:37 a.m.

"Come on, come on, Austin pick up!" Ally begged, clutching her belly. "This is kind of an emergency!"

"Is he still not answering?" Penny asked, turning the corner, balancing Ava on one hip. "He usually picks up on the very first ring when he knows it's you." She started to collect the dirty dishes from the table and Ava whined to be put down. Penny was back from Africa again for the first time in a year, and she was staying with Austin and Ally for the time being. Since the months she was home happened to be around Ally's due date, she had wholeheartedly agreed to help out with Ava in the final weeks of Ally's pregnancy and when they were in the hospital.

"I know. I don't get it." Ally's breath hitched and she leaned on the counter, throwing her head back. She squeezed her eyes shut as Penny reminded her to breathe. When the contraction was over, Ally exhaled deeply. "Yeah, these are definitely real contractions. This isn't Braxton-Hicks anymore."

"Try calling him again," Penny suggested. "He can't be far from his phone. You remember how worried he was when he left for work this morning."

Ally nodded, pressing his contact again. It rang three times before he finally picked up.

"Ally! Is everything okay?" He panted. "I'm so sorry I didn't pick up, I just had to go talk to somebody in A & R, and"—

"Austin," she interrupted, "Everything is fine. I just called because I'm having some contractions, and I... think they're real."

"Wait, what!?" he squeaked. Ally heard him shuffling some things around in the background, frantically mumbling to himself. "So, like, are you in labor labor?"

"Um, well, my water hasn't broken yet but,"—she sat down on the couch and stopped mid-sentence when she felt a wet sensation down between her legs. "Never mind, it just did."

"It DID?" There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I'm coming, Als, don't worry. I'm leaving ri—not now, Xander! Ally's in labor!"

"Austin don't yell at the kid!" she bit her lip. "Don't feel like you have to come home right now, right now, because it might still be a while."

"No, I'm coming home right now." More shuffling. Ally sighed.

"But Aus"—

"Seeyouathomeallyloveyoubye," Austin said all in one breath, and then hung up the phone.

"So? What'd he say?" Penny asked, setting down a squirming Ava, who ran into the living room to disturb Paris' peaceful slumber on the sofa.

"He's coming home, but it sounds like things are really hectic over there. I kind of feel bad."

"Don't feel bad, sweetie. This is the birth of your child we're talking about here!" Penny replied, leaning one arm on the counter. "Work can wait."

ten minutes later

When Austin arrived back at the house, Ally was gripping the back of a one of the kitchen chairs so hard her knuckles had turned white. She tried not to scream from the pain— Ava had just gotten down for her nap and the last thing she wanted was for her daughter to wake up— but it was proving to be harder than she thought. Austin rushed in, thanking Penny as he dropped his bag down on the floor.

"Ally!" She looked up at the mention of her name. Her face was white as a sheet and her eyes tear-stained. "Ally..." he said it again, quieter this time. Austin cupped her cheek with his hand. A single tear left her eye and made its way down to where his hand was. Austin wiped it away, out of habit. "Are you alright?"

"That depends," she said with a slight laugh. "I'm having contractions every... oh, five minutes or so, Ava's massive tantrum that I was dealing with earlier tired her out so much that she's taking her second nap of the day—"

"Wait, did you say five minutes?" Austin took his hand away, his jaw dropping a little. "We need to... we have to go to the hospital, like, now! Why didn't you say anything on the phone?" Austin sprinted upstairs before Ally could get another word in, running around frantically, grabbing clothes for Ally, for himself, and for the baby. He returned about two minutes later— a new record, Ally noted.

Austin came running back down the stairs, almost slipping and falling halfway down, with two duffel bags thrown over his shoulders.

"You ready?" he asked, rushing into the kitchen.

"Yeah." Ally stepped forward cautiously as he led her out to the car, where he hastily threw both bags in the back and held the door for her as she awkwardly shuffled her way into the front seat. He buckled her seatbelt, ran around to his door, and buckled himself, panting heavily.

"Hey." He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. "Everything's going to be okay." Ally managed a small smile.

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

Austin pulled out of the driveway and sped down the road, squeezing her hand the entire time.

12:15 p.m.

"aaaaAAAAAGH!" Austin winced as Ally squeezed his hand, trying not to whimper in pain.

"If you squeeze any harder, you're gonna break my hand." Ally's eyes shot daggers at Austin. He gulped.

"Austin," Ally panted, gripping the handlebar with one hand and Austin's hand with the other. "I... don't think we're going to...make it..."

"Wha-no, why would you say that?" Austin stepped on the gas harder, watching the dial go up to 65 miles per hour. "We're going to make it, I promise."

"How do you... how do you know?" Her eyes were desperate. Austin ramped up the speed even more. "I just do. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise." He grabbed her hand and looked over at her for a split second. She didn't seem convinced. He stepped on the gas pedal even harder. Austin glanced behind them, double checking that there weren't any police cars around before stomping on the gas pedal.

Seventy.

Seventy-five.

Eighty miles per hour, and the dial kept going up. Ally groaned, squeezing his hand again. Right now, she didn't care how fast he was going. All she could focus on was the pain she was in, and whether they were going to make it to the hospital on time.

"AAAAGHHH!" Austin gulped. "Shhh... just focus on me, okay? Listen to my voice, baby." The contraction subsided, and he rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb.

"The good news is, we're only ten minutes away. Okay? We're so close, baby, you've got this." He placed his hand on hers. "We can make it, and we will make it. Everything's gonna be okay." When he looked over at her, her eyes were filling up with tears. "It's gonna be okay," he repeated. Ally didn't have enough time to respond before another contraction hit her and she shrieked in pain.

Before long, they passed a sign that read, "Hospital: 5 Miles." Austin looked over at Ally in the passenger seat, who had her eyes squeezed shut. Her left hand was still squeezing the handle tightly and her knuckles had turned white. She breathed in and out, in and out, and Austin kept looking from her to the road, and back. He felt extremely guilty that there was nothing he could do to relieve her pain, and instead tried to focus on the road.

12:30 p.m.

Austin pulled into the hospital parking lot and up to the emergency room entrance to find a few nurses standing there with the wheelchair, waiting for them. He had called just a few minutes before they'd arrived, and evidently the staff had prepared quickly for their arrival. He parked the car and helped Ally carefully step down from the passenger seat while the nurses rushed over with the wheelchair. She exhaled shakily as she sat down, and Austin gulped, knowing that he'd dodged a bullet by trusting his instincts and speeding up, even though he knew it could have gotten him in trouble if any police had been around. If he hadn't, he might be trying to deliver the baby on the side of the road.

Austin shook off the thought as they walked through the front entrance and were met by Dacia, their main nurse from last time, in the entrance of the lobby. Austin's breathing was ragged and uneven by now, and he had both duffel bags around his shoulders.

"Hey," he greeted, leaning down to Ally. "How're you doing?" he whispered. Ally looked over at him; he could see the fear and worry in her eyes. He nodded, grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. Sometimes words didn't need to be said.

Dacia led them into the elevator, up the stairs to the third floor, and into the nearest open delivery room. Several other nurses came in to transfer her to the bed, and Austin took his place on the left side of her, stroking her forehead as the nurses bustled every which way. They all strapped gloves on, and some worked to get the station ready for the baby on the other side of the room while others frantically threw tools on a tray. Dacia grabbed a wand that was connected to the computer beside the bed, squirted some gel onto Ally's stomach, and smoothed it out so she could get a better look at the baby.

"Wait!" Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at Dacia. She pointed to the screen. "The baby's breech. There's no way she can deliver vaginally." Dacia paused, turning to look at the other nurses. "Prep the OR, I'll page Dr. Jones. We don't have a lot of time." Grabbing one last look at the screen, her eyes turned to saucers as she added, "baby's oxygen levels are going down— cord is around the neck. Prep her, and fast!"

Immediately, the tone in the room shifted. One nurse grabbed a paper gown and what looked to Austin like a hairnet that lunch ladies wear, mumbling a half-hearted, "put this on." The other two focused on Ally, hooking her up to all sorts of machines. Austin stood, completely blindsided by what was happening, holding the paper gown to his chest. Dacia frantically left the room. Austin glanced over at Ally, who looked as if she was on the brink of tears. She looked straight ahead as the nurses bustled around her. Another doctor came in to attach some more wires to Ally— probably the anesthesia, Austin guessed. Time seemed to stand still, yet to Austin, it moved a million miles an hour.

One of the nurses calmly ushered him toward the bathroom so he could put on his gown, assuring him that everything was under control. If that's the case, Austin thought, then why do I feel so helpless?

When he came back out into the main room a couple of minutes later, it seemed to have calmed down a bit. Ally was laying back on the bed, nurses still bustled about, checking her vitals and the baby's vitals. Austin sat beside the bed, grabbing her hand and squeezing it once. Ally looked over at him.

"This... is happening," she whispered, "the baby's coming... right now." Austin nodded.

"Yeah. I know." She inhaled shakily, trying her best not to burst into tears yet again.

"I'm... I'm scared, Austin. What if something happens to the baby?"

"It won't," Austin said right away, though he knew that he couldn't guarantee it. "Everything's gonna be fine, okay? Just keep taking deep breaths. I'll be right by your side the entire time." Ally nodded. "Just grab my hand and—" his mind flashed back to the very first duet they'd sang together at Jimmy Starr's Halloween party— "don't look down."

ten minutes later

12:50 p.m.

"They're ready for her." Dacia held the door so the nurses could wheel Ally down to the operating room. Dacia and Austin followed behind until they reached the doors of the OR, when Dacia lightly grabbed his shoulder, holding him back. He looked at her incredulously. "They have to make sure everything is good to go before they let you in," she explained. "The spinal block takes a few minutes to take effect."

"Wha-what's that? Is she okay? Is the baby okay? Why can't I go in there?" Austin stumbled on his words, unable to gain traction. He watched as the doors of the OR closed and peered in through the tiny windows, trying to catch even a fleeting glimpse of what they were doing. Dacia tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

"She's in good hands, Austin. They'll come and get you in another five to ten minutes. Okay?" Austin nodded. His mouth suddenly felt very dry, his hands clammy. And although he had nodded, he still didn't understand.

Not two minutes had passed before the doctor burst out of the doors of the ER. "Is the father out here?"

"Yes!" Austin exclaimed, "That's me, why, is everything okay? Is it Ally? Is she—"

"You can come in." The doctor motioned for Austin to follow him into the OR, and he rushed right over to Ally, who had tears streaming down her face. He kissed her forehead. "Hey." Austin wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Everything's okay. I'm here, don't worry."

"I-I'm scared, Austin," she choked. "W-what if something goes wrong?"

"Shhh... everything will be fine, okay? Just breathe. Focus on me, and take deep breaths. Can you do that?" Ally nodded, and Austin rubbed her shoulder as she copied his breathing patterns. "That's it, good."

Austin tried his best to be calm, for Ally's sake, but it was really hard not to. They were in an unfamiliar room, machines beeping, nurses talking to one another, fear looming over their heads. A curtain had been put up so they couldn't see what the doctors were doing; although it was necessary, it freaked Austin out even more.

The next fifteen minutes were a complete whirlwind. In what seemed like no time at all, the doctors had made the incision and taken the baby out, but Austin's mind was captivated by worry when he didn't hear his baby cry. He heard one of the nurses say the time—1:07 p.m.— and that it was a boy, but it felt as if the OR was some sort of time warp, where it moved quickly and slowly and stood still all at the same time.

Beads of sweat appeared on Austin's forehead. The seconds ticked by, and still no sound from over by the nurse's station. Why am I suddenly so hot? It seemed as if he should be celebrating— he had wanted a boy this time, after all— but not hearing his son cry right away seemed to block out all the excitement that he should have been feeling. There was so much commotion, yet not enough. Austin couldn't think straight.

Tears streamed down Ally's cheeks as she assumed the worst, and Austin looked from the nurses, to Ally, and back. Suddenly, there was a cacophony of movement and sound over by the nurses' station, and Austin saw two or three of them rush out of the OR.

"What... where are they going?" Ally asked. "Where are they taking him?"

"I... I don't know," Austin stammered. "I think I heard one of them say the NICU? But I...I wanna stay here with you."

"Austin, go check if the baby's okay," Ally begged. "Please."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Austin."

"What?"

"Go." Her lips trembled as she said the word; her eyes did the rest of the talking. Austin reluctantly left, squeezing her hand one last time before exiting the OR. The last thing he wanted to do was leave his wife when she was so miserable, but the other part of him needed answers about Alex. He wasn't going to stop until he got them.

By the time he had managed to find the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Austin was completely breathless, his thoughts were racing, and his heart felt like it was about to pop out of his chest. He pulled and tugged on the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Dammit," Austin mumbled, bending over and putting his hands on his knees. "Locked."

Just when he was getting tired of pulling on the door repeatedly to no avail, Dacia came out of the NICU. He lifted his head, straightened his posture, and stepped towards her. "Any news? Is he okay? Is he breathing? I didn't hear him cry, is he breathing? I—"

"Austin," she interrupted with a smile, then paused. "Let's go back to the room, okay?" Austin gulped.

"But-what-I—"

"It'll be okay. Just come with me." She put a hand on the small of his back, gently pushing him the opposite direction.

"Can— can we see him? Why can't I go in there?" Austin's mind swirled. Why isn't she answering any of my questions? "When will Ally get to hold him? She's miserable in there. She told me she thought she was gonna die." Austin tried to stop himself from rambling, but words just kept on flying out of his mouth. The nurse stayed silent, however, and as they got farther and farther away from the NICU Austin kets looking back at the tiny vertical windows on the doors to the NICU ward, wishing that he could just go back there and hold his son.

forty-five minutes later

4:45 p.m.

Austin paced around the recovery room nervously, gnawing his fingernails. Ally was fast asleep on the bed, having been groggy from the anesthesia. He knew that she would most likely be in a lot of pain when she woke up, so he vowed that he would keep trying to get answers about their son's condition until then.

Since Ally had gotten out of surgery and been wheeled down to recovery, nurses had been in and out of the room, checking Ally's vitals, making sure the pain relief medications had fully kicked in. Whenever a new nurse entered the room, Austin bombarded them with questions and was given the standard reply of "He'll be okay, they're just running some tests," every single time. Finally, after about the seventh time, Dacia gave him a sympathetic grin, telling him to sit down and try to relax.

"I promise we'll update you as soon as we have answers. Okay, hon?" Austin nodded. His knee bounced involuntarily as it sunk in that it could be hours before they even knew if he was okay.

Because he didn't know what else to do with himself, Austin decided to send a mass text to Dez, Trish, and both their parents so everybody would know the situation. Several of them texted back, saying that they were thinking about them and to let them know if they needed anything. Austin didn't respond but instead reached up to wipe a tear that had slipped down his cheek involuntarily. He looked up at Ally again, who was still sleeping, and back down at his feet as they awaited more news from the nurses.

several hours later

around 8 p.m.

Austin was driving himself crazy with worry. He couldn't sit still. He paced the room for minutes at a time, and when he tried to sit down, his knee started bouncing by itself again. It was past dinnertime, and he was starving because he had barely eaten anything—yet his appetite was nonexistent. Flashbacks of what had happened with the miscarriage ran through his mind, and he tried to keep himself from thinking about what would happen if they lost this baby too. Ally had been a mess—they both had— and that was when she hadn't even known she was pregnant. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like if Alex didn't make it.

Austin's thoughts were interrupted when Dacia walked back into the room. Ally was starting to wake up again—the nurses had woken her up a few times over the past several hours, but they had just let her sleep for the most part. Austin was lonely without having her to talk to but he was afraid of her being overwhelmed when he told her that Alex was still in the NICU. Still, Austin reached over and lightly shook her awake, because this seemed important.
Her eyes fluttered opened and she squinted at the brightness of the fluorescent lights, though it wasn't that bright in the room itself.

"What time is it?" she croaked. Her voice sounded tired and fatigued. It was clear that she was exhausted.

"It's about 8:00," Austin whispered. He nodded toward Dacia. Ally looked over at her.

"Wait, where's Alex?" she asked. She narrowed her eyes as they darted back and forth between Austin and the nurse. "I thought... I thought they were just doing some tests. Is he okay?"

Dacia closed the door shut behind her. "That's what I wanted to talk to you guys about. I just checked in with the nurses in the NICU. Alex's condition has improved, but it's likely that you won't be able to see him until tomorrow."

Ally's eyes filled up with tears. "But... why? Was it anything that I did?"

"No, sweetheart. Absolutely not," Dacia replied. "Given the circumstances, you did great."

Austin frowned. "Well then, what happened?"

The nurse sighed. "We don't know, exactly. But Alex is a strong little guy, and we're confident that he'll eventually be okay. He just needed a little help breathing on his own, that's all."

Austin stayed silent, staring at the floor. His face was expressionless. Another silent tear ran down Ally's cheek, and they both sat in the silence, the hopeless uncertainty looming above their heads.

the next day- august 7th

around 6:30 a.m.

Austin was laying crookedly in the chair, absorbed in his own thoughts, when there was a knock at the door. He got up from the chair, trudged over to the door and opened it, squinting at the bright light and rubbing his eyes. "Who is it?" he mumbled.

"It's just me," Dacia replied cheerfully. "I have some news for you guys. Is Ally awake?" Austin looked back. Ally was still fast asleep, snoring lightly.

"No. She's out cold," he replied, turning back. "What's the news?"

"I just checked in with the NICU nurses a little bit ago, and they said that you guys could hold him if you wanted." She beamed. "If you want to, of course, no pressu—"

"Of course we want to!" Austin exclaimed. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. This was it— he was finally getting the chance to hold his son.

"Alright, I'll go grab the wheelchair for Ally, then," she said. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

ten minutes later

Austin walked down the hallway beside Dacia, who was pushing Ally in the wheelchair. His thoughts were racing so fast he couldn't think straight. Every once in a while, he and Ally would make eye contact and then look away, blushing. Ally was still half-asleep, but the second he'd uttered the words "Do you want to hold him?" her eyes had shot open and a big smile had appeared on her face.

When they got to the NICU, Dacia punched in the code on the keypad next to the door and led them inside. Ally tried not to look at the other infants, most of whom were premature, but she couldn't help it. Her heart dropped into her stomach thinking about the families that were having the opposite problem as them. She knew that they were going through something a lot worse than she and Austin were—at least they had gotten confirmation that Alex would be okay. Those other families didn't have that.

"Alrighty, here we are," Dacia announced as they approached the incubator where Alex was being held. "Here's your little man."

Austin bent down to look at his son through the glass of the incubator he was being held in. Ally craned her neck, trying to get a good view of him from where she was sitting in her wheelchair, but after a few seconds she leaned back and sighed deeply. Austin looked down at her, rubbing the small of her back.

"Hey. You okay?" She glanced back up at him, her eyes welling with tears.

"I-I can't see him."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Austin reached his hand out. "Here, take my hand. I'll pull you up." Ally hesitantly reached out her hand, grabbing onto his. He started to pull her up, but she let out a yelp of pain.

"This isn't gonna work. I can't stand yet. Hurts too much." Ally's eyes welled with tears. She sniffed. "Gah, I hate this. He's too far off the ground, and I won't be able to stand for days... maybe a week. I'll never get to hold him."

"Hey..." Austin leaned down, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Don't say that. You'll get to hold him. I promise." he replied. He looked up at the nurse, as if to say help.

Dacia came closer to the couple, noticing Austin's desperate glance her way. "I can grab him if you want to hold him right now, actually. Do you guys want to—"

"Yes," Ally blurted right away, making both Austin and Dacia laugh a little. "I mean, yeah. Sure, whatever."

"Alright, let me get him out then. Austin, you can take a seat in that chair over there." She pointed to a couple of chairs against the wall to the couple's left and opened the incubator, untangling the cords that were attached to Alex. Ally's heart dropped at the sight, and she knew that although Dacia had been pretty optimistic about Alex being able to breathe on his own within a few days, she also knew there was a chance that...

Ally shook her head. She refused to think about it.

Austin wheeled her chair over right next to his as butterflies fluttering around in Ally's stomach in anticipation. What if she accidentally took one of the tubes out? What if she did something else that caused his stay in the NICU to get longer? She was suddenly a ball of nerves as Austin set the brakes on the wheelchair and squeezed her hand. The nurse came back over, holding Alex, and as she placed him in Ally's arms, she spoke up again.

"Be careful not to detach any of these wires," Dacia mused, "They're very easy to yank out of place." She stood back and let Ally bask in the moment as she held her son for the first time.

"Hey, Alex," she whispered, stroking his cheek. The baby was wrapped in a stripped blue blanket and sported a matching hat with little round ears on top. "It's so nice to finally meet you." Austin put a loving hand on her shoulder and she looked back, grinning. She readjusted the position of the baby and turned towards Austin, who leaned forward.

"He's... beautiful," she choked. Austin leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder. "He looks like you." Austin cracked a smile.

"You think so?" Ally nodded.

"Yeah, see? He's got your nose." She paused. "I think that we've got another mini-me on our hands." He smiled.

"I think so, too." She grinned back.

A few minutes later, Dacia came back in from checking on another patient, grabbing some hand sanitizer on the way in and rubbing her hands together. "Austin, are you ready to hold him?"

"Am I?" Austin screeched, jumping up and down in his chair. Ally rolled her eyes and handed Alex over to her husband, with Dacia's guidance. Once Alex was placed into his arms, Austin's eyes widened. "Woooahhh. He's so big!"

Dacia smiled. "He is. 9 lbs., 13 oz big, to be exact. We measured his weight not too long ago."

"Holy shit!"

"Austin," Ally scolded. "There are little ears in the room."

Austin gulped. "Oops. Sorry." Ally rolled her eyes as Austin looked back down at Alex. "Hey, buddy," he said. "We're gonna be best friends, did you know that?" Ally smiled at the sight, leaning forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "You're such a big boy already. I can't wait to teach you basketball... ooh, and guitar. And the drums!"

Ally giggled. "You two are gonna be best buds, aren't you?"

Austin nodded. "For sure."

Dacia smiled. "I'll leave you three alone for a minute."

"Thanks," Ally called after her as she walked toward the door of the NICU.

After a little while, Alex started to stir. He let out a cry, letting his mom know that he was hungry and Austin handed the baby back to his wife. She nervously moved the wires out of the way and tried to feed him as best as she could. She was pleasantly surprised when he latched on right away.

"Wow," she mused, "I didn't expect him to attach so quickly." She looked down at her son, grinning.

"You're a hungry boy." Alex bit down hard and she winced. "Although, I don't remember it being quite this painful."

"All babies are different when it comes to breastfeeding," Dacia said, "So it's totally normal for it to hurt more the second time around." Ally nodded.

"Thanks."

"No problem, sweetheart. Just call for me if you need anything," she replied, shutting the door behind her.

the next day- august 8th

around 9 a.m.

The next morning, Austin and Ally were both sitting in their room, awaiting an update from Dacia about how Alex was doing. Sleep hadn't come easily for either of them the night before, and both of them had eye bags so big they could carry groceries. The past day and a half had been...odd, to say the least. It felt weird to them being in the hospital room without their baby, and it definitely wasn't easy, but both of them had accepted that this would be what their life was like for the next few days—unless, of course, Dacia gave them good news.

Ally was still in a lot of pain— the spinal block had worn off a few hours after Alex was born and she was now just relying on the pain medication that the doctors gave her. Everything that had happened during the hour or so that they were in the OR was a blur; her memory was foggy but thinking about it still brought Ally an unpleasant feeling. It had been almost twenty-four hours now, and all they knew about Alex was that he was breathing, but only with the help of the cords and tubes that were attached to him. Ally had said the day before that it didn't matter how much pain she had to go through, as long as her son was going to be okay. She had only held him once, but she was completely crazy about him.

Austin and Ally were both brought back to reality when Dacia sauntered into the room a few minutes later, grinning. Austin and Ally exchanged glances, wondering if this could be what they'd been waiting for.

"I have good news!" she chirped. "I just got word that the last round of tests they did on Alex came back perfectly normal. They're going to double triple check just to make sure they didn't miss anything and then I can go get him!"

The biggest smile appeared on Ally's face. "Are... are you serious?" Dacia nodded.

"Absolutely. They just need to run a few more test, but I should be able to bring him in within the hour!" Ally's eyes welled with tears—happy ones, of course— and she pulled Austin in for a hug.

"He's okay," she whispered. Austin nodded.

"Yeah."

"He's really gonna be okay!"

"I told you," Austin said playfully. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah."

approximately 47 minutes later

"Alright, guys," Dacia announced as she rolled the bassinet with Alex in it through the door of their hospital room, "He's all yours." She picked him up and placed him in Ally's outstretched arms. Alex squirmed a little, letting out a cry.

"You're probably hungry, huh?" she asked her son hypothetically, adjusting his position. Austin watched him go to town, shaking his head.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"How do I do what?"

"You're just...so good at...at that. At being a mom, at being a wife, at being a songwriter. At everything..."

"Austin..." Ally stifled a laugh. "You're kidding, right?" Austin shook his head.

"No. I—no. Absolutely not. I mean it. You make it look easy, and nothing that you've been through the past twenty four hours has been even close to easy for you... or me, or Alex—"

"Austin." She grabbed his hand with her free one and gave it a little squeeze.

"What?"

"It's not as easy as it looks. Trust me." He frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, let's face it, Austin. In a few days, we're going to go home with Alex and then not long after it'll just be me at home with the kids. You'll be at work, because we gotta afford to feed them somehow, and my mom will be back in Africa—"

"Ally," he interrupted. "I'll always be here for you. Me going back to work isn't going to change that."

She raised an eyebrow. "Alright, whatever you say."

"I'll be there before and after work to help," he said. "With food, with diaper changes, with everything. We can make this work, Ally. I know we can."

"How are you so sure of that?" her eyes started to water. "Lately I've been so worried that I can't handle having two of them. If anything, this whole... dare I say traumatic situation with the emergency C-section and our son being in the NICU overnight and all the... uncertainty, has only made it worse." When she looked up at him, he was gazing back at her. He hung his head and there was silence between them for a few seconds.

"Ally, I—"

"You don't have to say anything," she whispered. Ally looked down at Alex and, noticing he was fast asleep, she patted the spot next to her on the bed. "Just sit by me?" Austin nodded and did as she said, squeezing in the narrow spot next to her on her hospital bed. They sat together for a few more minutes in silence, because Austin didn't really know what to say.

He thought about what had happened the day before and everything they'd gone through, with the NICU scare and all the anxiety related to that, combined with the trauma of the C-section and the pain Ally had been in. It had been hard to keep his emotions in check for the past twenty-four hours because there was always somebody there, checking up on them... but now that they were alone, all bets were off. Austin completely lost it.

Normally, Austin didn't like crying in front of people, especially Ally. But now, he was so overwhelmed— with happiness, relief, nerves, about every emotion under the sun— it was the only thing he could do. He didn't care if anybody walked in on them. So be it, he thought. Real men cry.

Ally grinned, taking his hand and rubbing the top of it with her thumb. The sobs shook his body and Ally noted that even though these were happy tears, she'd never seen Austin this emotional, ever. Ally put a hand on his shoulder and he leaned into her, the crying slowly dissipating.

After a minute he spoke up again, his voice hoarse. "Ally?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going to find a way to make this work. Maybe I can... start by going in half days so I can be there in the afternoon to help you." He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers in with hers. "You and the kids are my whole world, and I don't want to miss a second more than I have to." A tear slipped down Ally's cheek.

"I love you," he whispered after a second of silence. Ally nodded knowingly. "All three of you. So much."

"We love you, too."

a few minutes later

After sending another quick text update to their parents, Trish, and Dez, and explaining that they would be up for visitors the next day—but at the same time being careful not to reveal the gender or name—Austin came back over to Ally's bed, where Alex was sleeping peacefully in her arms. Dacia had since come back in the room to check Ally's vitals and make sure the incision site looked good.

"So, I couldn't help but overhear that his name is Alex?" Dacia mused "Do you have a middle name yet?"

"Uh, well," Ally started, "we haven't decided quite yet, but"—

"What about Michael?" Austin blurted, looking from Alex to Ally. She grinned.

"I love it."

"Really?!" Austin exclaimed, "A-are you serious?"

Ally laughed. "Yes, I'm serious. I think it's a great middle name. Alexander Michael. After your dad."

"Oh, I kinda forgot about that part. I just liked the name." Ally giggled. "But yeah, it's perfect."

He smiled again, turning to Dacia. "You can write it on the board if you want. Only our parents are coming this time around, 'cause Trish and Dez are both in L.A." Dacia nodded, jotting the information down on the whiteboard near the door. She and the other nurse left the room to give Austin and Ally a little privacy, and the three of them were alone again. Austin leaned down to kiss Ally a little deeper this time, and she closed her eyes, kissing him back.

"I love you," he said, "I know I already said it, but I'm saying it again." She smiled.

"I love you, too."

"Thank you." Ally furrowed her brow.

"For what?"

"For everything." Ally looked down, pretending to adjust her son's blanket to hide the fact that she was blushing. "You've been through a lot the past few days, and I... I realized that I don't say it enough. So thank you."

Ally laughed. "That's true." She stroked Alex's forehead. "I'm not gonna lie, I felt like I was dying that entire time. There wasn't any pain, just a lot pf pressure, and the spinal block made it hard to breathe. But... it was worth it." She gave a small smile as Austin grabbed her hand.

"I don't deserve you." Ally blushed.

"Oh, stop it." Austin leaned down to kiss her again, and she placed her free hand on his cheek. He smiled against her lips.

"Just like the first time."

"You know it." They sat in silence for the next couple of minutes, gazing down at their newborn son, both unbelievably happy that they finally got to hold him in their arms. Ally eventually drifted off to sleep but Austin still sat there, placing an arm around her shoulder and pecking her lightly on the cheek.

one day later- august 9th

around 10 a.m.

Dacia came into the room, cheery as ever, wheeling the bassinet with Alex inside. "Good morning," she chirped. Ally stretched, wincing a little at the sudden movement, and rubbed her eyes.

"Did he sleep well?" she asked.

"He woke up a few times, but overall, not bad. I remember Ava being a little bit calmer, but you take what you can get right?" Dacia responded with a wink, picking Alex up and setting him in Ally's arms. "So, you guys have family coming today, right?"

"As a matter of fact, we do," Ally replied. "It'll just be our parents and Ava. I can't wait for her to meet him."

"It'll be...interesting, for sure," Austin said with a chuckle, "She's in the midst of her terrible twos, and she's been really hyper."

"I remember when my boys went through their terrible twos stage," Dacia mused, putting her hands on her hips, "They're both teenagers now, but they were a handful back then." She let out a laugh. Ally smiled.

"Yeah, well, if this little guy is anything like his dad, then we're in trouble."

"You mean that in a... good way, right?" Austin asked.

"Of course, I do. He's your mini-me; he's probably gonna be super energetic, girl-crazy, and a total troublemaker." Austin grinned.

"That does sound like me, doesn't it?"

half an hour earlier

miami airport

Trish and Dez stepped off the plane in Miami, lugging their backpacks behind them, and exited the terminal, heading in the direction of the luggage carousel.

"Man, it feels so good to be back!" Dez commented, "I've missed this place."

"Me, too," said Trish, "I wonder if Austin and Ally have figured out that we're here to surprise them yet?"

"Oh, trust me. They have no idea. I told them that there was absolutely no way that we'd be able to visit them in the hospital because we're both caught up with work." Trish rolled her eyes.

"What a ding-dong," she muttered.

"What? You told me to say that!"

"No, I didn't!" she shot back as they approached the luggage carousel. "Well, I guess now they'll be surprised."

"Exactly. See? What did I tell you? My plan is flawless."

"How are we getting to the hospital?" She asked incredulously. Dez's face went blank.

"My plan has one flaw."

"Also, do we even know if it's okay to visit? I know Austin said in his last text that Alex was out of the NICU, but I'm still worried. What if something has happened since then?"

"I'm sure Austin would tell us if anything else happened," Dez replied. "It's probably been a weird couple of days for them."

Trish nodded. "Yeah." The two walked in silence until they reached the baggage claim. "Why don't you go grab our bags, and I'll call us an Uber?"

"That sounds like an uber good plan," Dez responded, cracking himself up. Trish rolled her eyes.

"Just go get the bags, doofus."

back to present

jackson memorial hospital

A few seconds later, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" she called.

"Knock, knock!" Mimi called, opening the door and tiptoeing inside. "Is the baby sleeping?"

"Nope, he's wide awake," Ally responded with a smile.

"Oh, okay. Wait, did you just say he?" she asked, creeping closer to take a closer look at her grandson.

"Yep," Austin said, smiling proudly, "Mom, dad, meet your grandson, Alex."

"His full name is Alexander Michael," Ally added.

Mimi just about burst into tears. "You guys, he's beautiful! And you named him after dad!" she put a hand on her husband's shoulder. Mike smiled proudly.

"We figured it was fair, since Ava got her great-grandma's name, that Alex get his grandpa's," Ally replied. "Did you guys want to hold him?"

"Yes, oh my gosh, yes!" Mimi exclaimed, eliciting a laugh from Ally as she handed the baby over to her mother-in-law.

"My goodness, he's so big!" She rocked him lightly, the smile on her face growing.

Ally chuckled and Austin rubbed her shoulder. "Oh, trust me. I know."

Her facial expression changed again. "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Austin had us worried with those texts he sent." Ally and Austin exchanged glances. "He said Alex was in the NICU for a while?"

"Um, yeah," Ally muttered. It took everything she had to hold back tears. "All things considered; I'm doing okay."

"That's good," Mimi replied. She didn't seem convinced that everything was okay. But she sensed that she should keep quiet and, for once, said nothing. After a few seconds of silence, Mimi spoke up again. "For what it's worth, though, he's absolutely precious."

Ally grinned. "Thanks. We think so, too."

half an hour later

A little while later, there was another knock at the door. Ally yelled, "Come in!" thinking that it was Penny and Ava. She was shocked to see their best friends standing there instead.

"Guess who made a special flight out to Miami to meet their new niece or nephew?" Trish put her hands up. Ally's jaw dropped, then turned into a smile.

"Trish! Dez! What are you guys doing here? I thought you were too busy with work!" Ally looked over at Austin, whose jaw had dropped to the floor. He rushed over to do his handshake with Dez.

"Dez lied to you guys so you wouldn't think that we were coming," Trish said, glaring at him. "But hey, we're here now, so...surprise!"

"This is one of the best surprises ever," Ally mused as Trish came in for a hug. "So, do you guys want to hold your new nephew?"

"Nephew?" Trish asked, reeling with excitement, "It's a boy?"

"Yep," Ally replied as Trish held out her arms. "Be careful though, he's fragile."

"Geez, he's huge," Trish commented as she rocked him back and forth lightly. Dez stepped forward so he was looking over Trish's shoulder. "How are you feeling, Ally?"

"I'm doing okay." She shrugged. "It's been an... emotional past couple of days, but he's okay, and that's all that matters." Trish nodded.

"Let me know if you ever need to talk," she said. "Postpartum depression hit me really hard after Maggie was born, so I know what that feels like." She paused, then looked up. "So, have you guys decided on a name yet?" Ally looked over at her husband.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?"

"You can," said Austin, "I did it last time."

"Okay, then. Guys, this is Alex."

"Alexander Michael," Austin piped up.

"Ally, I love it," Trish gushed, smiling up at them. "It's perfect."

"Me, too," Dez agreed. He put a hand on each of Trish's shoulders and rocked back and forth with her. Trish noticed and looked back at him, her eyes shooting daggers.

"I'd suggest taking your hands off me if you want to keep them." Dez quickly removed his hands, earning laughs from everyone else in the room.

Ten minutes later, there was yet another knock at the door. Austin and Ally both yelled for them to come in this time and in walked Ava, with Penny right behind her.

"Mama, mama, mama!" Ava exclaimed, running over to the hospital bed. Ally grinned as she watched her daughter try to scale the bed, then turn to her dad. "Daddy, daddy!"

"Oh, I see how it is," he said, picking her up, "I'm your second favorite parent, huh?" He planted a couple kisses on her cheek, then turned her to face Ally and Alex. "Hey Ava, do you want to meet your baby brother?" Ava ignored him and instead clung harder to her dad.

Penny smiled at the sight, going over to hug Ally. "He's beautiful, you guys. Just precious." She planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "How are you feeling, Ally?"

She hesitated. "I'm... good." Penny rubbed her shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Ally looked up at her parents, then at Austin and his parents, then Trish, Dez, and Ava.

"Um, yeah," she said, grabbing Austin's hand again. "It's more than okay."

a few minutes later

"Ava, look," Austin whispered not-so-quietly into his daughter's ear, "it's your baby brother, Alex! Do you want to go see him?"

Ava cocked her head. "Bubba?"

"This isn't Bubba, it's a real baby," Austin explained, setting her carefully on the bed next to Ally. "See, look! That's Alex."

"Be really careful, Ava," Ally warned, "Baby Alex is really fragile. See? Nice and gentle."

"Ahh-yex?"

Ally smiled. "Close enough."

"I love the name that you chose," Penny commented, "I'm so happy for you guys and your little family."

"His full name is Alexander Michael," Ally said, "After Austin's dad." Ava gently stroked her brother's forehead while her mom watched closely, making sure she wasn't being too rough with him. "Ava, do you want to hold your brother?" Ava bounced up and down on the bed, making Ally chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes." She moved the baby so his legs were in Ava's lap, and Ava clapped her hands in anticipation.

"Brudder?" she asked. Austin nodded, letting out a laugh.

"Yep, this is your brother."

"Ooh, mom can you get a picture of the four of us?" Ally asked, handing Penny her phone. "Wow, that feels so weird to say," she added with a laugh. Penny stood at the edge of the bed.

"Okay, everybody look here, ready? One, two, three, cheese!"

"Teeeeez!" Ava exclaimed as Penny handed the phone back to Ally. She scrolled through the pictures her mom had taken, showing them to Austin.

"These turned out great mom," Ally commented.

Austin nodded. "Hey, uh, Ally, can I borrow your phone for a second?" Austin asked, turning to face Ava. Ally pulled out her phone, and handed it to him, slightly confused. "Ava, can you say, 'I love you, Alex?'"

Ava knit her eyebrows in confusion, playing with the folds on Alex's blanket. "I yuv you Ahh-yex." Ally put her hand up to her face, already getting emotional.

"How dare you," she said, "You know I'm still super hormonal."

Austin shrugged while everyone gushed at the sight. "Can you give him a kiss?" Austin leaned down and pecked Alex's forehead. "Like that." Ava bent down and copied him, adding in a "Muah."

Their guests eventually started to trickle out of the room, but Austin and Ally stayed in that position for a while, gazing down at Alex in complete adoration. Neither could wait to watch Ava and Alex grow up together. It had been a painful, emotional last couple of days, and it was nice to have a change of pace. They both knew that raising two kids would be a crazy, wild adventure, but so was their life together. And they wouldn't want it any other way.

Ahhh baby Alex is here! What did you guys think?! We also got to see a little bit of what work is like at A&A Records so thats fun :) Please consider leaving a review or follow the story if you liked this chapter! there are only seven chapters left, so we're not that far from the end which is a bit sad :( That being said, there is still a lot more to the story, and there will be lots of adventures taken with the gang and their kids before it's over! Thanks again for reading and Ily all! *muah* -Ej