Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop
A/N: Oh. My. God. I am SO SORRY. I have just been SWAMPED with homework this week; I'm literally drowning in it! So I'll just thank everyone who reviewed and spare you the wordiness; just one more thing, I'd like to give a shoutout to the amazing soularc - thanks for all the support, Kuchiki-sama! ^^ Love you all ~Nanao-chan
Chapter 16
Same
I never knew just what it was
"Cheerios," Ichigo mumbled, trying to remember the contents of the list he'd left in the car. "Milk. Bread. Cheese. Yogurt...what's that last one? Chicken...no...what is it?"
As he pondered in the middle of the aisle, oblivious to the woman behind him who was trying to get by, his phone rang.
Ichigo reached for his pocket as he moved out of the way, noticing the woman. "Sorry," he apologized, flipping it open. "Hello?"
"Ichigo, get back here," came Rukia's voice, faint and indistinct.
"Where are you?" It sounded like she was in a place with no service.
"In my room, waiting for you to move your ass and get me to a hospital!" Rukia snapped.
"What the-"
"My water broke, dumbass!"
"Oh my god, okay, okay, hold on! I'll be right there!"
Rukia hung up before Ichigo could do anything else. He abandoned his cart and practically flew out of the grocery store.
The woman he'd blocked earlier glanced at the cashier.
"That's a wife-in-labor run, there," the cashier said sagely.
"I'd know it anywhere," the woman agreed, nodding.
-o-o-o-
Rukia was sitting up in bed. "My favorite jeans are probably ruined," she groused as Ichigo came in and helped her up. "Go get my jacket, I'm not going out in public like this." Ichigo glanced at her pants, which were quite wet, and he sighed internally. Better, he reasoned, to go along with it than argue, which would probably just piss her off more.
He tied the jacket around her waist and helped her into a taxi. "Hospital," he said bluntly. "As quickly as you can."
The taxi driver peered back at them. "Baby?"
"Babies," Rukia said, a little out of breath.
"Twins, eh? We're movin'," the driver said, weaving somewhat frighteningly through a long line of traffic.
-o-o-o-
"Dr. Unohana is actually in New Hampshire right now, but she's flying in in a few hours," Isane said, helping Ichigo load Rukia into a wheelchair. "I'll be with you until then, Mrs. Kurosaki."
"Is there anything I can do?" Ichigo asked nervously, walking with them into Rukia's designated room.
Rukia and Isane both stopped. Both turned slowly and deliberately. Both gave him the same 'uh, duh' look.
"Go to a bar and get drunk," Rukia informed him with an underlying sigh in her tone.
"But...I don't want to leave you..." Ichigo said with a sidelong glance at the empty hospital bed.
Isane sighed. "Mr. Kurosaki, this is probably one of the times where you are okay to leave your wife. In fact, you need to leave. If you don't, then it's entirely possible you'll be in a room across from your wife. Women in labor have been known to break ribs or arms of their husbands, you know."
Ichigo blinked. "Well...then...I'll just go...good luck, Rukia! Call me!" He raced off down the hallways.
Rukia laughed dryly. "He has no idea what we go through, does he."
Isane nodded, helping Rukia into her bed. "Nope. Guys never do."
-o-o-o-
"I just hope she's doing okay," Ichigo said to Uryuu, staring into the bottom of his beer.
"I'm sure she's fine. Women are equipped for this," Uryuu said confidently.
-o-o-o-
"I swear, I'm going to crack Ichigo's skull open for making me do this," Rukia said through clenched teeth.
Isane was sitting next to her, holding Rukia's wrist (holding her hand, Isane had explained, was a possibility for broken bones). "I'm impressed, Mrs. Kurosaki. You haven't screamed yet."
Another minute, and a contraction, came and went. "I take that back," Isane said.
-o-o-o-
"Should I call her?"
"Stop worrying and drink," Renji slurred.
"Why does he have such a low alcohol tolerance?" Uryuu muttered to Ichigo.
"He always has," Ichigo said back, the three or four or maybe five beers he'd had making him forget his nervousness.
-o-o-o-
"Rukia," Dr. Unohana called. "How are you doing?" She stepped in and closed the door. Isane pulled away the covers, revealing a naked and decidedly pale Rukia.
"Stop that, I'm cold," Rukia mumbled. She shuddered as another contraction went through her.
"We may need to do a C-section," Isane mouthed to Unohana.
"How long?" was all the doctor said.
"About an hour," Isane responded.
"What are you talking about?" Rukia moaned.
"We'll see how it goes," Dr. Unohana said cryptically. Rukia gave up.
-o-o-o-
"Don't let me drink any more, please. I want to be sober for the babies," Ichigo told Uryuu.
Uryuu studied Ichigo critically. "That's not going to happen, but I'll stop you anyway."
-o-o-o-
"Isane, prep it," Dr. Unohana ordered suddenly, standing up.
"What?" Rukia was sweating, though the sheets were all bunched up at the bottom of the bed.
"We're doing a Caesarian section," Dr. Unohana told her. "Better known as a C-section."
"You're going to cut open my stomach?" Rukia blinked.
"You're going to go through another ten, maybe twenty hours of contractions?" Dr. Unohana responded politely.
Rukia didn't exactly have to consider.
-o-o-o-
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ichigo whipped out his cell phone and checked the screen. His heart beat faster as he flipped it open. "Rukia?"
"Ichigo, I have a sliced-up stomach and you have two babies," Rukia said, delicate and soft.
"Can I get over there?"
"Yes."
"I'm glad it went okay," Ichigo said.
Rukia was silent.
"Hello?"
He checked his phone. Silence.
-o-o-o-
"Is there something wrong?" Ichigo demanded.
Dr. Unohana stood in front of the door. "Mr. Kurosaki...I'm sorry, but you did know what might happen if they were premature, didn't you?"
Ichigo recalled with a shock that they had, in fact, come a week early. "What happened?"
"It's nothing terribly serious, I suppose," Dr. Unohana said carefully.
"Tell me what happened!"
"The girl...Hisana? She..." Dr. Unohana trailed off. She shook her head. "Your little Hisana was born blind, Mr. Kurosaki."
A/N: too short? I'm sorry...just wanted to end on that note. I'll try and get the next chapter up faster, and make it longer too. Good plot twist? I wanna hear your thoughts! Review! ~Nanao-chan