AN: This chapter deals with childbirth, nothing overly graphic since it's from Bellamy's POV but still, be aware of that as you read.
-26-
Bellamy's halfway to Abby and Kane's cabin when he realizes – after a couple of odd looks from the people already up and about – that he's not wearing a shirt. So sue him for being a little preoccupied.
He probably bangs a little harder on the door than is strictly necessary, especially considering the early hour, but again… preoccupied. Fortunately, it opens almost right away to reveal a still slightly disheveled looking Marcus. At least he's dressed, so Bellamy's pretty sure he didn't wake them up.
"Bellamy?" Kane gives him a wide-eyed, confused look. "It's still… ah." He turns to yell over his shoulder. "Abby!"
She appears in the open doorway to one of the bedrooms, pulling her hair into a ponytail. When she spots him, she smiles. "Finally happening, is it?"
Her question means he just has to nod, which is good, since he's not completely sure he's able to form complete sentences at the moment.
"How long?" Abby asks, accepting the bag that Kane offers her and that Bellamy knows contains some of her medical equipment and supplies. She likes to keep it at home in case someone gets sick or hurt during the night, so she doesn't have to stop by the med bay if she's in a hurry.
"Um, Clarke said about two hours, I think."
She nods. "And how far apart are the contractions?"
He has to think for a moment. "She said fifteen minutes."
This brings Abby to a stop, a slight frown on her face. "And she sent you to get me?"
Suddenly, Bellamy feels incredibly sheepish. "Well, no… she said it would be ages before anything happened, I just…"
Understanding spreads on Abby's face as she nods. "Of course. How about this – we were just getting ready to head out to breakfast. I'll stop by on the way and give Clarke a check-up, assess the situation, OK?"
"Thank you."
"Of course." She squeezes his arm. "I think sometimes, both me and Clarke have a tendency to forget that not everyone has the same knowledge on these matters that we do. I'm sorry about that. If, at any point, you feel confused or like you don't know what's going on, please just let me know. OK?"
He nods appreciatively, because it has felt like that now and then over the last few months, when Clarke and her mom have started discussion pregnancy related questions. He's been fine to let them hash things out on their own so far, getting an explanation from Clarke later, but at this stage he needs to know what's happening.
He leaves to let Abby and Kane finish getting ready, finding Clarke and Madi on the couch when he gets back to their cabin.
Clarke looks up and smiles when he closes the door. "What did Mom say?"
"She'll stop by on her way to breakfast to see how things are going," he replies before sinking down on the couch next to her.
"I thought you said it would be hours?" Madi asks from Clarke's other side.
"It will be," Clarke assures her. "Bellamy's just…"
"… overreacting," he finishes the sentence for her.
"No," she says, looping her arm through his so she can squeeze it. "You just want to be in control of the situation the only way you can, and that's fine. OK? If I make you feel like it's not, you have to tell me."
Bellamy presses a kiss to her temple.
"I will," he promises. "But you have to promise to tell me what you need from me, OK? I mean, I was there when O was born but I was really just a spectator."
"I will." Clarke nods before tilting her head up for a kiss. "I love you."
"Love you too."
"And that's my queue to leave," Madi announces, grabbing a bag by her feet that Bellamy's just now noticing.
"You going straight to Raven's after classes?" he asks. They've already agreed that Madi would stay with Raven when the time came.
"Yeah." She hesitates for a moment. "Can I come by here first, though? Just so I know how things are going? And maybe during lunch too?"
Clarke reaches up to squeeze the girl's hand. "Of course. Whenever you want."
Madi leaves with a kiss to Clarke's cheek and a bye thrown over her shoulder.
When the door closes behind her, Bellamy turns to find Clarke with her eyes closed, breathing deeply through her nose. Her arm's still loosely looped through his, though, not indicating that she's in pain in any way.
"Contraction?" he asks.
She remains still, eyes closed, for another few seconds, before meeting his eyes with a smile. "Yup. I told you they weren't so bad yet."
Key word being yet.
"You know I'd take all of this pain if I could, right?" he says, not for the first time in the last few months. The guilt that gripped him in the early days when he thought about this has eased some, but not disappeared completely, no matter how many times Clarke has assured him that she will be just fine.
"I know," she assures him, leaning her head against his shoulder.
They sit in silence for a few minutes, before there's a knock on the door and Abby appears in the doorway.
"So, the show's started at last, huh?" she asks with a smile as she closes the door behind her.
"Finally," Clarke agrees. "Help me up."
Bellamy dutifully gets up and pulls her to her feet as Abby crosses the room and enters the bedroom. By the time they get there, she's stripped the bedding off the bed and spread towels over the mattress instead.
"You know the drill," she says and gestures at the bed. Clarke strips off her pants and underwear, leaving her in Bellamy's normally too big and still too long t-shirt, before laying down on the bed.
He takes a seat next to her, halfway up the bed so he can take her hand in his. She gives him a grateful smile and he can feel her grip tightening as Abby conducts her examination.
"Right, you're definitely in active labor," she concludes eventually. "Still just three centimeters, which is one more than last time, but another seven to go."
Clarke sighs. "I know. Contractions are fourteen to fifteen minutes apart, as best as I can tell. What do you think? Tonight if we're lucky, tomorrow or even the next day if not?"
The idea that Clarke has to bear this for possibly days makes Bellamy's stomach churn, but he knows he can't do anything.
"You know I can't tell you that, honey," Abby says with an apologetic smile. "Normal dilation is around half a centimeter an hour, but usually just after you get to six or seven, it can be very irregular until then. My best guess – tonight or tomorrow morning, but it can still drag out longer than that. I'll stop by again after lunch, we'll have a better reference point by then, seeing how much closer the contractions are and how much you've dilated in the next five hours or so. For now – try to get some sleep, if you think you can. It might be a long night. If not, keep moving, it can help speed things along."
So they do. Bellamy pushes the table and chairs in the main room against one wall, so they have enough space to walk in circles since Clarke doesn't want to go outside where everyone will 'gawk at her'. And then they walk and count.
The first couple of hours, she keeps moving during contractions as well, not really giving away that she's having them except for her deepening breath and closed eyes. As they pass midday, though, she has to stop to breathe through them, her hands grasping his or the table or counter tightly until they let up.
"Tell me what you want me to do," he mumbles into her hair during one.
"You can…" she doesn't explain, instead taking his hand and placing it against her lower back. He pushes against the spot, earning a low moan of – he thinks – content.
"Good?"
Clarke nods against his chest.
Abby returns about half an hour later with Madi in tow.
"How're things going here?" the doctor asks as she enters the room.
Clarke gives her a small smile. "It's going. Contractions are about eight minutes apart and definitely getting stronger."
"Are you OK?" Madi asks, voice small, from just inside the door.
"I'm fine," Clarke assures her. "Come here."
Madi crosses the room and Bellamy steps back to give them a moment.
"We talked about this, right?" Clarke says quietly, and Madi nods. "This hurts, and it's going to get worse before it's over, but it's nothing I can't handle, OK? I promise."
Madi nods. "OK."
"Why don't you and Bellamy go and grab some lunch while Mom checks how things are going?" Clarke suggests, giving him a pointed look.
He wants to object, doesn't want to leave her, but he recognizes that right now, she needs him to make sure that Madi's OK.
"Yeah, that sounds good, right Madi?"
The girl nods hesitantly, but follows him out of the cabin.
"So… how are you holding up?" he asks as they wander down the paths between cabins.
"I don't like that she's in pain," Madi replies, and Bellamy sighs.
"Trust me, I don't either. And it's sort of my fault, too."
"It kind of is."
"Thanks, kid, way to make me feel better." But Madi gives him a real smile, so he thinks he's doing OK.
They're jumped basically as soon as they enter the mess hall, their friends asking questions over each other. Bellamy can't get a word in edgewise until Madi whistles loudly.
"Shut up and let him talk!"
He should probably reprimand her for using 'shut up', but he can finally speak, so he lets it slide.
"OK, this is what I know – contractions are eight minutes apart right now, Abby's giving Clarke a check-up to see how things are going. No, I don't know how much longer it will be, no, we still don't know if it's a boy or a girl, and no, we have not picked godparents. That's it, report over."
He doesn't really expect it to work, but to his surprise, everyone but Raven trails off.
"How's she doing?" the mechanic asks as they make their way to the counter with food.
He shrugs. "OK, I think. The contractions seem to be pretty manageable still, even if even I can see that they're getting more intense. Which is what's supposed to happen, I know, but…" He trails off and shrugs.
Raven's quiet as they grab food and find a table close to the entrance, away from their usual spot.
"Clarke's strong," she finally says when they've sat down. "That doesn't mean we don't still worry about her, but… she's got this."
Bellamy wants to tell Raven that yes, he knows this, but it doesn't help much right now. But Madi's right there, and he doesn't want her to worry more than she already does.
"I know," he just says, but he can tell that Raven gets it when she wraps an arm around his shoulders in a half-hug.
He wolfs down his food quickly, grabbing some fruit for Clarke when Madi suggests it, and then gets up to leave.
"So you'll go to Raven's workshop after school," he reminds Madi before he goes. "And you can stop by at home on the way if you want."
Madi rolls her eyes. "I know."
"We've got this, Blake," Raven assures him. "I'll let Zeke and Jordan handle the boring stuff this afternoon so Madi and I can have some fun with the new walkie-talkies. Tell Clarke we're thinking about her and let us know as soon as something happens, OK?"
He assures her he will and can finally leave the mess.
Abby's on the couch when he gets back to the cabin, Clarke nowhere to be found and the door to their bedroom pulled almost completely closed.
"I managed to get her to agree to let me give her some pain medication, so she can sleep for a while," Abby explains quietly when he sits down next to her. "It's only a small dose, and it won't affect the baby in any way, but it should let her rest for a couple of hours."
"Good." He nods. "So how're things looking?"
"Well, she's dilated five centimeters, so just two in the last six hours or so. Not great, but I'm hoping it'll pick up soon and that she'll be at ten by this evening, then we'll see."
"What should we be doing?"
"Let her sleep as long as she can." Abby lets out a long breath. "Lord knows she'll need whatever strength it'll give her later. Then just keep going the way you have – try to keep her moving, put pressure on her lower back during contractions, just… be there. You're already doing everything you can, and I think you know that."
Bellamy sighs. "I do. I just… I hate this."
Abby chuckles a little at that. "I know you do. It's in your nature to try to keep everyone safe from harm, and this is out of your control. But trust me, Clarke will appreciate everything you're doing once this is over."
He hopes so, hopes he's doing something right…
"I remember when Clarke was born," Abby continues. "She took her time, let me tell you. 39 hours. Poor Jake, I yelled at him so much. I even told him to get out of the delivery room at one point, and then I started crying when he actually left, and yelled at him for leaving me when the nurse brought him back."
He huffs a laugh at that. "I hope that doesn't run in the family."
"We'll see. Some women go the other way, into themselves, focusing completely on their bodies and the work they need to do. Either way, just… try not to take anything she says or does too personally, OK?"
"I'll do my best to remember that." Honestly, he might actually welcome Clarke yelling at him, since he feels guilty for putting her through this. It's not a rational feeling, but still.
Abby pats him on the back and gets up. "I'm going back to the med bay, I really don't think anything's going to happen until maybe late tonight, if we're lucky, but if the contractions get to three to four minutes apart, come and get me, OK? I'll come here after I close up for the evening either way."
"OK. Thanks."
She smiles at him before leaving, closing the door behind her, and Bellamy gets up and crosses to the bedroom.
Clarke's curled up – or as curled up as she can get at the moment – on her side. Her breathing is deep and even, so he knows she must be asleep, but she's not completely relaxed, a furrow between her brows and a hand clutching the edge of one of the towels signs of that.
Maybe he should stay out in the main room, let her sleep in peace, but he just wants to be there, be close to her, so he carefully sits down on the bed, Clarke's back to him.
As if she feels his presence, she rolls over and nuzzles her cheek against his thigh, one hand stretching out over his legs. He takes it in his, rubbing soothing circles into her palm, and runs his other hand through her hair, detangling some knots and letting his blunt nails scrape against her scalp the way he knows she likes. She lets out a content sigh in her sleep.
Clarke sleeps for three or four hours, as far as Bellamy can tell from the light changing outside the slightly open shutter in the bedroom. His first indication that she's waking up is her hand tightening around his.
"How are you feeling?" he asks quietly when her eyes open, and she frowns adorably.
"OK. How long was I out?"
"I think it's around four thirty, maybe five," he replies, trailing a hand across her shoulders and rubbing her neck. "So maybe four hours?"
"Mmmm." She buries her face against his leg for a moment, her breath hot against his skin even through the material of his pants.
"Your mom said to try to keep moving once you woke up again," he says after a moment. "Unless you think you can sleep a little longer?"
"I don't think so." The words are muffled, but then she pulls away. "OK, help me get up, I need the bathroom anyway."
He pulls her up from the bed, steadying her when she stumbles a little. They have to pause halfway through the main room when a contraction starts, and Bellamy silently starts counting when it's over as he helps Clarke the rest of the way to the bathroom.
"Five minutes and seventeen seconds," he says when the next one's over. "Your mom said to get her when they're three to four minutes apart, so not quite yet."
Clarke's hands unclench from around his and she takes a deep breath. "She'll probably be here before that anyway, I think her last appointment is at six, so odds are she'll leave Jackson in charge the rest of the evening."
Madi and Raven stop by a short while later, but don't stay long as Clarke's having trouble talking during her contractions, and they can all see that it's affecting Madi, seeing her in that kind of pain.
"Come on, kiddo, the grown-ups have this," Raven says after fifteen minutes or so.
"Come here, sweetheart." Clarke holds out her arms for Madi, who throws herself into her embrace. Bellamy walks Raven to the door in the meantime, giving them some privacy.
"You holding up OK?" the mechanic asks quietly.
"Me? I'm not the one actually doing anything," he replies, running a hand through his hair.
"No, but I know you, Blake, and this is killing you."
She's right, of course, so he just shrugs.
"Hang in there," she tells him, squeezing his arm. "It'll be worth it in the end."
They're not alone for long before Abby turns up, right in the middle of another contraction that has Clarke leaning against the kitchen table as he rubs circles into her back to try to ease the pain.
"Things are moving along nicely, I see," she greets them with a smile. "How far apart?"
"Just over five minutes," Bellamy tells her.
"Getting stronger," Clarke adds a moment later, before straightening up.
"That's good, honey, remember that. OK, come on, let's have a look and see what's going on."
Abby seems happy with what she finds.
"OK, so your waters have broken and you're at just about seven centimeters, meaning you'll be in transition soon, which is the part I was telling Bellamy about earlier." She sends him a smile.
"Right, the fun part," Clarke says with a sigh. "OK, help me get up again."
He pulls her up from the bed and they continue their circle around the main room, stopping every few minutes so she can hold onto him as she breathes through the contractions.
"Do we really need to keep going like this?" Bellamy asks after maybe an hour, when she's leaning heavily against him after another one. "She's obviously exhausted, can't she lay down?"
He can feel Clarke shaking her head against him. "Should keep walking."
Abby frowns. "You should really stay upright… hang on."
She gestures at them to follow her into the bedroom, where she directs Bellamy to move onto the bed so his legs are sticking out over the side. She puts a couple of towels over him and then instructs Clarke to kneel on the bed in front of him, one leg on either side of his.
"This way you're still using gravity to your advantage but you're not walking around," Abby explains once they're in position. "You can lean on Bellamy for support when you need to, and he can still reach around to rub your back. Comfortable?"
Clarke rolls her eyes and he has to hold back a laugh. "About as comfortable as I'm going to get, I suppose."
"Good. I'm going to run back to the med bay and give Jackson an update, let him know to come here when he's seen his last patient. I have a feeling we'll have a baby before tonight is over…"
"Hear that?" Bellamy says when she's left, pushing a strand of hair behind Clarke's ear before letting his hand linger against her cheek. "Tonight."
She nods before wrapping an arm around his neck and putting her head on his shoulder, her lips just brushing the side of his throat. She buries her other hand in his hair and lets out a long breath.
They stay like that for a while, Bellamy's not sure exactly how long. The only time reference he has is Clarke's contractions, which he only notices because her nails dig into his shoulder and her fingers curl tighter into his hair. Every now and then she lets out a low groan during a particularly painful one, but most of the time she's quiet, her breathing deep and even, if a little labored during a contraction. He does what he can, digging the heel of his hand into her lower back whenever she tenses and whispering encouragements into her ear – you're doing so good, Princess, I love you, you're OK, it'll be over soon, just breathe.
He's not sure she actually takes his words in until she pulls away slightly between two contractions and kisses him lightly.
"I love you, you know that?"
Bellamy chuckles. "Your mom warned me that you'd be yelling at me and kicking me out of the room, I wasn't prepared for a love confession."
She laughs a little at that before scrounging her face up against another wave of pain. He presses his forehead against hers, taking deep breaths to get her to do the same, and soon, her features relax again.
Abby comes and goes in the room, and he's vaguely aware of Jackson's voice through the open door at one point, but he's focusing on Clarke, on helping her through this any way he can and counting contractions, the two of them in their own little bubble in a way.
On number forty-two, she buries her face against his shoulder, muffling a low, drawn-out moan, and her back arches with the pain.
"Did that one feel different?"
He hadn't even heard Abby enter the room, but she's here now. Clarke lifts her head from his shoulder and nods.
"OK, let me have a look."
He helps Clarke move onto her back and holds her hand as Abby checks her progress.
"Well, I think it's time to start pushing," she says when she straightens up.
"Finally!" Clarke exclaims, and Abby laughs.
"You're fully dilated and effacement is complete, though the baby's still high in the birth canal. Do you think you can try pushing in the same position for a while?"
Clarke closes her eyes at the question, but nods, so Abby helps her back up. This time, she braces her hands against Bellamy's forearms, her fingers digging into his skin slightly. This means he can't rub her back, but he's honestly not sure it does much good at this point, so he just rests his hands lightly against the side of her stomach.
Which means he can actually feel the next contraction, Clarke's stomach tensing against the palms of his hands as her nails dig into his arms.
"That's good, honey, try to push down into your bottom," Abby says from somewhere behind Clarke. "Take a breath and go again."
Bellamy starts counting contractions again – one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. After the eight one, Clarke slumps against him, her head falling to his shoulder and her breath ragged. He presses a kiss on the top of her head.
"You're doing so good, Princess."
"You really are, Clarke," Abby agrees. "I think you can move to your back now, if you want."
At Clarke's grateful nod, they help her get situated in a semi-seated position against the wall behind the head of the bed, where Abby's arranged a bunch of pillows. Bellamy stands a little awkwardly next to the bed while her mom helps her pull her shirt over her head – something about skin on skin contact after the baby's out.
"Where do you want me?"
Clarke reaches a hand out to pull him down on the bed next to her, so they're face to face. She takes his right arm and bends it over her belly, so she can interlace her fingers with his, and he leans forward so he can wrap his left arm around her shoulders, bringing them almost cheek to cheek. It's not a particularly comfortable position, but he can handle it if it's what Clarke needs right now.
"Good?"
She just nods and leans her head against his shoulder.
"I'm going to get some more towels and hot water," he hears Abby say from the foot of the bed. "Just breathe until I get back, OK, honey? No pushing."
Abby's barely left the room when Bellamy feels Clarke's grip on his fingers tighten, and her right hand finds his leg for something else to hold onto.
"Breathe with me," he mumbles, bringing his left hand up to brush his thumb against her cheek, pushing away a few sweaty strands of hair that stick to her skin. He tries to demonstrate by breathing deeply, and after a moment, her breaths slow to match his. "Good."
Abby's soon back again, settling in at the foot of the bed. "OK, just push when you feel the need to, but listen to me if I tell you to stop or slow down, OK?"
"Uh-huh," Clarke agrees, muffled against Bellamy's shoulder. She stays like that as she pushes, ragged breaths hot against his skin, fingers clenched around his and digging into his thigh.
"Good, that's good," Abby encourages. "Give me another big push with the next one."
Another contraction, another push, and then Clarke's head falls back against the wall as she relaxes.
"OK, now, the head is right there," Abby says. "So I need you to give me little pushes, four or five with each contraction, like we talked about. Just so we're slowing things down a little."
Bellamy's not sure why exactly they'd want to slow things down – he would definitely prefer getting this over with as soon as possible – but Abby's the expert and Clarke nods weakly before again burying her face against his shoulder, so he doesn't question it.
She's been completely focused and mostly quiet up until now, so it catches him completely by surprise when she suddenly cries out in pain, sound muffled but still clear. He looks to Abby in horror, expecting a similar expression on her face, but she just gives him a tight but reassuring smile.
"I know that hurts, honey, you just need to push through the pain. It'll be over soon, I promise."
Clarke's grip on his hand and thigh doesn't let up as the contraction wanes, though, and he can feel her breathing in short gasps against his skin, little whimpers escaping her now and again. Then she's pushing again, burying another pained scream against his shoulder before sucking in a deep breath.
"OK, good, one more like that… and stop, just breathe for a moment, I need to make sure that the cord's not wrapped around the baby's neck."
Clarke's breaths are still shallow and labored, and her fingers remain clamped around his hand like a vice, but Bellamy takes Abby's words as a sign that it's almost done.
"Mom…" Clarke forces out through gritted teeth after a moment, her nails digging into his skin. "Please, I can't…"
"I know, honey, I'm sorry. OK, give me one last, big push and you'll be all done."
He knows the moment it's over because Clarke's entire body relaxes, slumping back against the wall, after another long push.
"There he is," Abby says at the foot of the bed. "Welcome to the world."
"It's a boy?"
It takes Clarke's question before he realizes that Abby did in fact say 'he'. They have a son.
He leans forward to press a kiss to Clarke's forehead.
"Why isn't he crying?"
Bellamy should have realized that it was too quiet, but his brain doesn't seem to be working on all levels at the moment. He barely has time to start worrying though, before – almost as if he had been waiting for the question – a shrill cry fills the room.
"He was just working up to it," Abby says, voice thick, leaning forward and placing the baby on Clarke's chest.
"Hi there," she mumbles, tracing a finger along his cheek. "We've been waiting for you."
At her voice, the baby quietens, eyes wide and staring up at her.
Bellamy tries to say something, he's not quite sure what, but he has a lump in his throat that won't go away no matter how hard he swallows. He feels his cheeks get wet as he shifts on the bed so he's leaning against the headboard as well, reaching a tentative hand out and carefully placing it on the baby's back, his hand looking comically large since it covers almost all of it, as his mind works to take in this new little person.
His head is covered in dark hair and his eyes, which are blinking slowly at them, are a deep blue. Bellamy knows it's way too soon to tell who he'll eventually take after, but he still thinks he sees some of Clarke in him.
"We did it," she says quietly, looking up at him with a smile.
"We?" He huffs. "That was all you, Princess, I was just along for the ride."
"I couldn't have done it without you… OK, maybe I could have, but I'm really glad I didn't have to. Come here."
He willingly leans down to kiss her, just a light slide of lips. "I love you."
He feels her smiling against his lips. "I love you."
Apparently, the baby feels neglected, because he starts crying again, so they break apart.
"What's wrong, huh?" Clarke asks, shifting him a little to let him latch onto her breast, which does the trick. "Hungry, I guess."
"Who wouldn't be after that?" Bellamy notes, earning a chuckle from Clarke.
The baby nurses for a moment, but then seems to almost fall asleep, eyelids heavy and mouth slightly open.
"OK, honey, let's wrap this up so we can all get some sleep," Abby, who Bellamy has almost forgotten, says.
"Right."
Abby stands to take the baby from Clarke, wrapping him lightly in a towel.
"Bellamy, why don't you take him out to Jackson, get him properly cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket. Jackson will know what to do."
He gets up as well, holding his arms out for his son, and Abby carefully places the baby in them. He adjusts him a little, looking down at the dark blue eyes that have once again opened and are watching him intently, almost like he's trying to take in this new person as well.
"Hey there," he mumbles as he leaves the room. "It's nice to finally meet you."
Jackson's sitting by the fire, a pot hanging over the flames, and looks up when he hears Bellamy enter the room.
"Well, who do we have here?" he asks as he gets up, peaking down at the baby. "Congratulations."
"Thanks. And I'm not completely sure yet, but it's a boy," Bellamy replies. "Abby said to get him cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket."
Jackson nods. "Of course."
He takes the pot from the fire and pours some water into a metal bowl on the table, adding to the water already in it, before holding his arms out for the baby. Bellamy's not particularly keen to give his son up, but he knows Jackson knows what he's doing, so he does.
Jackson carefully cleans the baby with a washcloth, holding him just above the water, before drying him off with a towel and putting a diaper on him. Finally, he wraps him in a soft looking blanket that Emori gave them, and hands him back to Bellamy.
"There we go, all done. I'll just get out of your hair." He hesitates. "I'm sure everyone's still in the mess, waiting to hear something. What do you want me to tell them?"
Bellamy glances out the windows, where the night is dark, wondering what time it is – he's completely lost track in the last few hours. Probably close to midnight, if not after, but of course their friends are waiting up for news.
"Just tell them that everything went fine, that it's a boy and that they can come by in the morning," he decides. "One at a time."
Jackson nods. "And Madi?"
"Don't wake her up if she's already asleep, but if she's still awake she can come home if she wants to."
"I'll go with you, I can bring Madi back here if she's still up," Abby's voice comes from behind Bellamy, and he turns to find her leaving the bedroom. "I'll sleep here, in case you need anything during the night. Go on back in there."
Bellamy nods at her and Jackson and waits until they leave before crossing the room and nudging the bedroom door open.