Chapter Forty Three: No Time To Say Good Bye, Hello

Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

We're Having A Baby Arc: 8/8

Song Playing: Your Mother And Mine

Theme 86: Alarm

"What do you mean it's a fucking false alarm?"

This was exclaimed in such a way that the question was not only heard by everyone in the room but everyone in the maternity ward and several people in the elevator. Plus the small gathering of immediate friends and family that were currently residing in the waiting room.

Needless to say Hiruma Youichi was less than pleased by this news.

However, despite his haggard appearance and pissed attitude, the doctor stood unflinching. It was a tribute to hours of interviews and weeks of searching on Mamori's part that she was able to find an unshakeable obstetrician. Similarly she had made such arrangements with all their health care providers (dentists, doctors, nurses, ect.) for her sake of mind more than anything. She had to know that no matter what her irate husband threatened them with they would follow through what was in the Hiruma family's best interest, medically speaking.

Thus, despite the fact that the father-to-be had the means and the inclination to make her life a living hell very quickly, the obstetrician spoke bluntly in a very comforting professional voice. "Mamori-san has experienced what is commonly referred to as false labor. She's not having the baby now. Her water is still intact, the baby is fine, and she'll be ready to go back home after you fill out some paperwork."

Disgruntled he had filled out the forms given to him. Then he had gone on to explain what was happening, or not happening, to the people camped out in the waiting room. The obstetrician had left him behind in favor of informing the mother-to-be what was happening.

Finally both parents -in-waiting headed back home. Exhausted and in no mood to deal with the shivering cabbie that was waiting in the lobby for his taxi to come back.

Over the course of the next few weeks she had several more of what Youichi had dubbed 'fucking false alarms'. Each one raised the hope that this would finally be the right time only to leave disappointment and more than a little frustration that no baby was arriving on that particular trip to the hospital. This left a very pregnant young lady wondering what she had done to deserve this kind of torture and one very frustrated young man wondering who he had to threaten to get the fucking real labor to start and this fake fucking bullshit labor to stop.

XxX

Hiruma Mamori really, really, really wanted to not be pregnant anymore.

That is she still wanted to be a mother. She wasn't having second thoughts about having a baby or anything like that. It was just that she was tired of being pregnant all the time! She didn't want to have to deal with trying to find a comfortably sleeping position or having swollen feet or generally feeling like a bloated whale. Yes she understood that she wasn't actually fat. Of course the logical part of her brain knew this was all normal, that every expecting mother went through the phase she was going through.

But damn it all she wanted the baby out and she wanted it out now!

Still she recognized that there wasn't much she could do about that. The baby would come when the baby decided it was ready to come and no amount of building frustration was going to make it come any faster.

Therefore she let out a resigned sight and nestled herself a little deeper into the comfortable armchair that took up a good portion of the sitting room. The armchair was actually Youichi's and if he had even an inkling that she was sitting in it he probably would have had a fit. He had some sort of peculiar possessiveness to the chair, with good reason she discovered. It was extremely comfortable, warm, and overall very pleasant to sit in.

It was actually the only piece of furniture she could sit on that successfully eased her aching back and wasn't a bitch to get out of when she wanted to get back up.

It was definitely a lazy self indulgent sort of day. She had already spent a good portion of the morning laminating over the fact that she still couldn't see her feet. Then she had a light lunch which was followed by some complaining to herself about how tired she was but she was so sore that getting a nap in was out of the question. Which lead her to sitting in that particular chair where she was contemplating if it would be worth the effort to get up and retrieve the book she had been reading. Then something extraordinary happened.

Her water broke.

It took her a moment to realize it had happened at all. And when her brain had finally processed what had happened her first thought were both un-lady like and completely un-maternal. It was that Youichi was going to be pissed when he found out her water broke on his personal armchair.

Looking at the dark stain that clearly showed where she had been sitting only seconds ago, she briefly contemplated whether she should bother trying to clean it up before going to the hospital. Then the realization of what her water breaking fully meant hit her and she decided that he'd just have to deal with it. So she walked back tot heir bedroom to change into a clean not wet maternity dress. Then she headed into the kitchen where she started to reach for the phone.

Her hand stopped just before her fingers touched the receiver.

Thinking over the past false alarms, the tired look upon her friends faces, the fact that she knew several of them had important things planned for the day she withdrew her hand from the receiver. With a determined nod of her head she began writing a note. Quickly she glanced at the clock, scribbled down the time, and pinned the note to the fridge. This was followed by her waddling to the entryway where she struggled for a bit putting her shoes on before she grabbed her coat and the labor bag next to the door. Finally she checked to make sure she had her keys and her cell in her pocket before heading out the door.

As always she made sure the apartment was locked before heading down the hall.

XxX

Hiruma Youichi had gotten off work early for a change. Actually, he hadn't gotten off early per say. What he had gotten was fed up working with idiots for the day so he decided going home where he would get actual work done with the added bonus of seeing the surprised look on his very pregnant wife's face. And, since he was Hiruma Youichi, nobody protested as he stormed out of the building. Most opted to dive under their desks and behind the potted plants. The rest chose to remain very still as too avoid catching his attention.

Thus he arrived home at a quarter to four feeling better and ready to make a few teasing comments that would have Mamori turning beet red in a fascinating combination of embarrassed indignation. She was easy to fluster even before the baby. Now that she was pregnant it was like shooting fish in a barrel but with the pleasant surprise of far more creative comebacks. He let loose a toothy grin as he unlocked the apartment door.

Which promptly fell into a confused frown as he entered his home and realized nobody was home.

It didn't take long to deduce this. He couldn't smell the beginnings of dinner or the remains of lunch. There were no sounds of her bustling around their small flat. Most importantly her shoes weren't in the hall entry way and her coat was missing.

This all made him immediately suspicious. As she didn't like to venture out of the home now that the due date was so close and he hadn't gotten any calls telling him she was going out with anyone. Not bothering with his shoes he strode inside and immediately began check the other rooms (there were three: the bedroom, the nursery, and the bathroom) before returning back to the entry.

Then he glanced into the kitchen. His eyes drawn to the yellow memo note that was on the fridge that hadn't been there when he had left that morning. With five long strides he was ripping the note off the fridge, causing the magnet that was holding it off to fling off and skid into a forgotten corner several feet away. His tight grip crumpled the paper slightly at the edges as quickly scanned through the note. It was neatly written in the precise delicate handwriting of his wife and looked entirely composed and not at all panicked. As if she were writing down the weeks groceries or a reminder that her dentist appointment had been changed.

Water broke. Went to the hospital, don't think I'll be back in time for dinner

-Mamori

3:17pm

The stunned silence filled the room. Sharp eyes narrowed in anger and complete disbelief as they read, then re-read the simple note that was in his hand.

"Fuck!"

The sound of the door being slammed shut resounded throughout the apartment and was only drowned out by the heavy thumps of loudly retreating footsteps accompanied by equally loud retreating curses.