December 9, 2022

Quinn sat on a mat with her back rested slightly to Finn's chest. Her legs were folded as she adjusted the end of her floral print blouse. She had finally reached a calmed place after she had spent the morning stressfully coaxing Finn into attending Lamaze classes with her.

"It's not just for me—I've been through this before, remember?" she had said to him earlier. "You and I are going through all of this together, Finn."

"I know, I know. It's just…all the weird breathing stuff kinda makes me nervous. Like it's the real deal."

She raised one perfectly arched brow at him, and then narrowed her eyes, "What exactly do you think is gonna happen when it is 'the real deal'?"

"Hopefully not pass out," he promptly replied with a look on his face that said he wasn't kidding.

Quinn sighed impatiently, "Finn Christopher Hudson, you're a leader. You know how to man up when it counts. Please don't jinx yourself by thinking you'll pass out in the delivery room when I'll need you most."

That had been enough to calm her beau down; she always knew how to whip him into shape whenever he'd stray down a dubious path.

So here they were, sitting with seven other expecting couples while a middle-aged instructor talked to them about breathing methods. She positioned herself on the floor, mimicking the pose of the mothers-to-be while her hands gestured rising and falling actions. "The most important thing is to remember to breathe. During a contraction, you will have the urge to hold your breath in because of the pain and the desire to push, but you will want to breathe, deep breaths. Let's practice now, shall we?"

From there, the Lamaze coach demonstrated some ideal breaths and then told them to give it a try. Quinn took in a long breath, shutting her eyes and filling her lungs. As she started to exhale, her eyes snapped back open; she stopped exhaling and instinctively pinched her ear to her shoulder.

"Finn!" she scolded, jutting an elbow back at him.

"What?" he replied, rubbing his chest and looking earnestly clueless.

The entire class was looking at them but Quinn was unfazed as she hissed, "Stop blowing into my ear!" She smoothed her face out again, and though a layer of irritation lay beneath her exterior, she looked to the teacher with a gaze that prompted the elder woman to go on with the lesson.

"You didn't have to elbow me so hard," Finn muttered as they walked out of the building and to the parking lot where Finn's Jeep was parked.

Quinn rolled her eyes, "I told you I was sorry. But really, Finn? What part of your brain said it'd be smart to blow in my ear like that?"

"I told you I was nervous!" he said defensively. "I wasn't thinking about where I was breathing out my air."

"Obviously!"

"Hey, newsflash! You don't have to snap at me. I made one little mistake. So what? I think I did pretty good for the rest of the class."

As Finn twisted his keys hard in the ignition, Quinn watched him. She only became aware of her angst-riddled attack after he'd pointed it out to her. Her razor sharp glare started to soften and her pinched lips settled. She stared at the floor of the car while buckling up and then looked to Finn again. She noticed the tightness around his eyes and felt a little guilty for causing it. It wasn't news to her that she often came down on him, but that didn't change the fact that she still loved him. He might not always think of everything, but he did care about her and he was trying to gain a handle on parenting.

As he drove, Quinn reached across the seat-dividing panel towards the steering wheel and placed a hand over his right set of knuckles. "Finn…"

"What?" he muttered.

Quinn held her head up while her jade orbs glanced down again. "I'm sorry, okay?" Her hands moved so that her fingers overlapped his. "You were right. I didn't have to snap at you…I was wrong." Glancing away at nothing in particular—though her eyes remained low—she added, "I just get upset sometimes when you do some things that seem like common sense to me."

Finn chuckled once, dryly, "Hasn't anyone ever told you?"

"Told me what?" she asked, lifting her gaze and pulling her brows together.

"That there's no such thing as common sense."

She thought about this for a couple of seconds and then echoed his scoff. "No, I guess not but there's a first time for everything, right?"

"Yeah…like how there's a first time for learning how to be a dad and do all this stuff."

Quinn heard the slight hurt in his voice as he said that. She smiled to keep herself in encouraging spirits, and curled her fingers around his with the hopes of prying his hand away. When it worked, she put his sturdy hand in her lap and held onto it between her warm, delicate palms. "You know that Beth will always be a part of me…but…I wasn't a mother to her. This is my first real time at parenting too…"

She glanced up to gauge Finn's face and only saw him swallow. When he didn't reply to her she softly told him, "What I mean to tell you is…all these experiences aren't old for me. Sure, being pregnant is familiar, and I can anticipate what the labor will be like…but after that…you and I are going to be on par with each other, Finn. The sleepless nights and the diaper changes and the doctor's appointments…that's gonna be new and we'll experience it and learn it all together."

For the first time since getting in the car, she saw a smile break across Finn's face like the sun rising on a new day. It made her smile as well, but her smile soon faded.

"Ugh!" she squeezed her eyes shut and flexed her hands tightly around Finn's.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Quinn slowly sighed—her lips forming a small oval shape. "Ooo that wasn't 'cause of you—" her teeth clenched.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked, whipping his gaze back and forth between the road and her.

She softly panted, "It's nothing…it's nothing—just a little contraction."

"What?" exclaimed Finn. "A contraction's not nothing! The doctor said—"

"To call if my water breaks," Quinn reminded him sharply, through her sudden pain. "And that hasn't happened yet. So it's nothing." After taking in one deep breath, she whispered, "One little contraction doesn't mean it's time..."

Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! The next chapter (narrated from Finn's POV, 3rd person of course), coming soon!