Hiroki stared in shock as Nowaki put his hand over his mouth and stared hard at the floor.
"Wha- but you've never led a surgery!" Hiroki exclaimed. "And a surgery on something so important… can't they find someone else to lead it?"
"No, apparently I'm the only doctor that was available," Nowaki muttered. He groaned again and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"When are you leaving?" Hiroki asked quietly. Nowaki sighed and turned to him.
"Right now, if Usami-san would be so kind as to drive me to the airport," Nowaki said.
"I can. I'll go start the car now," Akihiko said from behind Hiroki before passing him and grabbing his coat. He headed out the door without another word. Hiroki frowned and took a step forward towards his fiancé.
"When will you be back?"
"Ah… I don't know. Probably by tomorrow afternoon," Nowaki said quietly. Hiroki's eyes softened in sympathy as his fiancé shook like a leaf. "I… I don't think I can do this. She's so young and small, and I'm so big and… and what if I hit something on accident and end up hurting her… and then, if I… God damn it…"
Nowaki paled and shivered.
"Nowaki… wait here," Hiroki said. Before he could say anything, Hiroki turned from Nowaki and went to the guest bedroom. When he was there, he dug around in the luggage bag before grabbing a small, black velvet bag. He went back to Nowaki, holding the tiny bag over his heart. Nowaki blinked at him in confusion.
"Hiro-san?" he asked.
"Hold out your hand," Hiroki said, blushing slightly. Nowaki hesitantly held out his hand. Hiroki reached out and dumped the contents of the velvet bag into Nowaki's palm.
"Why…?" Nowaki trailed off as he looked down at the diamond baby bracelet Hiroki had deposited into his hand. Hiroki stepped up to Nowaki and cupped his outstretched hand in his palms.
"You won't make a mistake. With this baby bracelet, I'll be right there with you," Hiroki murmured, taking Nowaki's fingers and closing them over the baby bracelet. "You can do this. It's your dream to provide emergency medical care to children. This is the perfect chance to prove yourself."
"Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed, his face contorting slightly. He brought the baby bracelet to his lips and kissed it. "I'll give it my all. This baby bracelet will keep me going. Will you be okay without me here?"
Hiroki snorted.
"It's only until tomorrow afternoon. I'll be fine," Hiroki said. Nowaki smiled gently down at his little fiancé.
"Okay. Let Usami-san and Misaki help you as much as possible. Don't strain yourself," Nowaki instructed firmly. Hiroki rolled his eyes.
"You worry too much."
"Because I love you too much."
Hiroki smiled at his idiot fiancé, shaking his head slightly.
"Well, I guess I'd better go before Usami-san gets impatient," Nowaki said, smiling sheepishly. Hiroki sighed and stepped closer to coil his arms around Nowaki's neck. Nowaki embraced him back, holding him tightly by the waist and burying his nose in the crook of Hiroki's shoulder.
"Do your best," Hiroki whispered. "I know you can."
"I will. I'll be back tomorrow," Nowaki murmured. He raised his head to kiss Hiroki. Hiroki could feel the fear and doubt on his lips, and he reached up to stroke his fiancé's face. He pulled away for a moment.
"You can do this," he breathed. He kissed Nowaki again, taking away all of the uncertainty with each brush of their lips.
"It'll be hard without you there," Nowaki mumbled, looking at Hiroki sadly. Hiroki patted his cheeks soothingly.
"I'll be right there with you. Just hold on to the bracelet and you'll be just fine."
"Okay. I love you, Hiro-san."
"I love you too."
Hiroki hugged his arms as he watched Nowaki leave. As if it could tell its daddy was leaving, the baby kicked hard at Hiroki's abdomen. Hiroki yelped and gritted his teeth, wavering slightly.
"Jeez," he muttered, rubbing the underside of his straining belly. "Stop kicking so hard."
Hiroki looked up from the book he was reading as the front door slammed open.
"Oh, hey Kamijou-san. Where's Usagi-san? His car was gone," Misaki said as he walked in, stomping the snow off of his boots. Hitomi was dozing in a little reverse baby harness strapped onto Misaki's chest. She was leaning her forehead up against her adopted mother, a bit of drool dripping onto the folds of his shirt.
"He took Nowaki to the airport. Nowaki has a surgery in Hokkaido that he's leading tonight," Hiroki sighed. Misaki set the bags he had brought in on the kitchen counter, then gently stroked Hitomi's hair to rouse her from her nap.
"Wow, that's too bad. Do you know when he'll be back?" Misaki asked, pulling a sleepy Hitomi out of the baby harness, then undoing the straps.
"He said he'd be back tomorrow af- ah!" Hiroki cried out as the baby kicked him once more. He shuddered and slumped over a little, threatening to topple over on the couch.
"Kamijou-san? Are you alright?" Misaki asked, alarmed. Hiroki cringed and waved his hand dismissively.
"Y-Yeah. The baby has just been kicking really hard in the same spot all night. Don't worry about it, it's a very energetic baby," Hiroki hissed through gritted teeth. When Misaki didn't respond, Hiroki looked up. He had a disgruntled look on his face, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Kamijou-san… I don't think the baby's kicking. It shouldn't be that painful. It could be contractions. Do… do you think you might be in labor?"
Hiroki's breath hitched, and he stared at Misaki, a nervous smirk twitching itself onto his face.
"…What? No, no. That's impossible. I'm not due until the middle of December," Hiroki rasped.
"It's the seventeenth."
Hiroki's smile faded, and he instinctively put a hand over the peak of his belly.
"…I can't… I mean, Nowaki's supposed to be here and stuff," Hiroki rambled, his voice getting quieter and quieter. "I can't… there's absolutely no way…"
"I'll call the hospital," Misaki said. He went to Hitomi's playpen and set her down onto her baby blanket. He then turned to the phone and began to walk towards it.
"No, Misaki! Wait!" Hiroki protested loudly, struggling to haul himself to his feet and rush towards Misaki.
"I'll call Usagi-san, he should be heading back from the airport by now," Misaki said, turning to Hiroki.
"No! I'm not in la-" Hiroki was abruptly cut off as he froze mid-step. He shuddered violently, and there was a strange popping sensation in his stomach. A second later, wetness was dripping down his legs. Misaki glanced down and his eyes widened.
"Oh my God, Kamijou-san!" Misaki exclaimed. He whirled around to face the phone and sprinted to it. Hiroki shakily glanced down at the floor, where there was a wet spot on the carpet between his legs. His heart leapt to his throat in terror, and he clutched his stomach.
It was time.
