Tuesday October 8th 2024
"I'm having those Braxton hicks again." Taylor said meeting Joe in the kitchen while he poured himself a to go cup of coffee.
"Oh yeah? Hm, maybe it was the sex last night." He flirted with a nudge to her arm.
"Probably was." She rubbed the bottom of her bump.
"Do they hurt?" He asked.
"I mean, they don't feel great…"
"Right, well maybe they'll stop by the time you go to work." He said glancing at the microwave time.
"Hopefully, they only lasted a few hours anyway."
"Well keep me updated, I gotta go, love you, see ya tonight." He kissed her goodbye and left.
——
"Hill!" Joes boss shouted out to him at his desk.
"Yes sir?" He said with hesitation but stood.
"Come, sit." He motioned for him to his office so he followed. Joe was a little nervous, unsure what he was gonna say.
"When's the wife due again?" He wondered.
"Any day now sir."
"And you're supposedly starting a pretty intense undercover op next week?"
"Yes."
"You think that's smart?" He questioned him.
"Excuse me?" He was taken back.
"Look, the way I see it, you got two options, you ride shotgun on this one, let Miles take the lead. Or you sit this one out and wait for the next."
"I'm not understanding, why all of a sudden are you putting me on a leash?" Joe confronted.
"Because you're having a kid and you're not thinking ahead to what that's gonna look like. Take it from someone who has kids of there own."
"Boss. Shouldn't this be my decision? Not yours?"
"This isn't your decision, this is an order."
"Your order?" Joe questioned.
"No." He clicked a pen and set it down.
"Don't tell me this is coming all the way from-"
"1PP." His boss finished his sentence.
"What the fuck." He huffed with anger and got up.
"I need your decision before you walk out that door."
"Let me take it up with him first?" Joe tried to counter offer.
"Don't make this a family matter."
"This is a family matter! Guaranteed no other detective was thrown this ultimatum!" He argued and before his boss could answer his phone rang.
"It's my wife. May I?" Joe asked looking at it. The boss nodded and distracted himself with paperwork while he waited.
"Hey, I can't really talk right now Taylor." He said with a change of tone then 10 seconds ago.
"Can you come home?" She asked with a worry and fear in her voice. Joe glanced at his boss and motioned he needed to step out a minute, he was nice enough to let him.
"What's going on babe?" He quietly asked as the door shut.
"I don't know I'm just really uncomfortable, it hurts more than last time." She explained.
"Wait you're still having them?" It was almost 5 hours later, he sorta figured they went away and she was at work by now.
"Yeah. Can you come home?" She asked again with more worry in her voice.
"Of course, you think this is the real deal this time?"
"I don't know! Maybe! Huh!" She moaned in annoyance and stress. Joe was asking too many questions and she was in pain.
"Okay, I'll come home and we'll go right away, no big deal okay?" He attempted to bring her tensity down.
"Yeah. Can you hurry up, I'm freaking out a little." She told him, he said he'd do his best and hung up. Joe went back into his bosses office and before he could even speak his boss did.
"Baby time?"
"I think so, I gotta go."
"What's your decision?" He stopped him in his tracks.
"Huh. I guess I'll ride shotgun. I studied this case way too much to toss it away." Joe says.
"Understandable. Good luck." He tells him and he leaves. He sped home, she was already by the door, with the bags, coat on and shoes.
"Ready? Do they know we're coming?"
"Yeah…" she winced and took a long deep breathe. He waited for it to stop before helping her out the door with the bags. She had to stop and deal with another contraction on the way to the truck and then they were on their way.
"If this isn't the real thing I can't do it. This hurts." She said leaning back in the seat.
"You can do it, you're strong, don't say that."
"Huh, I don't know…" she said getting choked up.
"Taylor relax, don't work yourself up." He rubbed her leg and kept driving.
-
When they got there, they checked her out and they were surprised to find she was 6cm dilated and being admitted right away.
"Joe! I'm in shock." She said to him after the nurse left the room.
"Me too! You're already halfway there, that's exciting right?"
"I don't know. I guess. I hope I can get an epidural like right away."
"I'm sure you can, just be patient." He said like it was no big deal and she glared at him.
"Sorry…" he said trying not to laugh. Then the nurse came back to take them to a room.
—
Once she was in the gown, hooked up to the monitors and as comfortable as she was gonna be, she got the epidural. She was anticipating to get some relief and be able to rest, that's what they informed her would be the case but it wasn't. It was actually far from it.
She labored for hours, in excruciating pain, she wanted to tap out multiple times, Joe was very supportive. Even when she was throwing up during the really bad contractions he was right there to help. He did anything and everything she needed.
After Taylor insisted on getting the doctor for 10 minutes, the nurse finally went out to find her. When she checked, she was in fact dilated to 10 and more than ready to push.
—
"I can't do it, I can't do it, it hurts!" She was panicking.
"Babe, relax. Look at me, you can do it. You can." Joe told her with confidence.
"No I can't. I want a c section. Please, just get him out." She begged.
"Taylor I'm gonna need you to try and calm down okay? You don't wanna stress out your baby." The nurse told her, she was looking at Joe, she wanted him to keep talking to her too.
"It hurts!" She said again for the 100th time.
"I know girl. It does. But it's almost over. He's almost here." The doctor said.
"You're doing great baby, keep breathing, you got this." He said tracing her hair out of her face.
-
After an an hour of intensity, throwing up the entire time, in between pushes from the pain she was enduring, Wesley David Reagan entered the world. His crying filled the room and it was the most beautiful sound in the world.
"You did it!" Joe told her kissing her and looking down at his son screaming on her chest while they cleaned him up a little.
"Oh my god…Hi bud, shhh." She cried tears of joy as she tried to soothe him, catching her own breath and letting this all sink in.
-
After an hour of skin to skin and attempting to breastfeed for the first time, Joe finally got to hold him. He didn't think he'd cry but he couldn't help it. Taylor's nurse helped her out of the bed and to the bathroom to clean her up before heading to the recovery room.
-
Once they were settled into the postpartum room, they ordered food, Taylor was starving and couldn't wait to indulge for the first time since this morning.
"I can't believe he's ours." Joe said taking a couple pictures of her in bed holding him to send to family.
"And we get to take him home." She reminded him with a laugh as she ran her finger gently down his cheek.
"You did amazing, I love you. I forgot to tell you that, I'm sorry." He leaned over her and kissed her.
"I love you too. I couldn't have went through that without you." She says thinking back to how bad it was but quickly getting distracted by Wesley starting to cry in her arms.
—
Finallyyyyy he's here! So excited for them and can't wait to see how life plays out from here on out! Leave your thoughts!
