Dimitri noticed it before I did. It was one of the now rare days he agreed to work out with me, specifically the near nonexistent boxing days. Eddie decided to take Lissa and Christian to the feeders so my mother and father and spend the time to come up with a plan for Jill. We were alone and having a pretty good 'mornning'. We decided to come earlier than usual because I was feeling particularly sore and groggy. I was hoping to wake myself up a little more so that we could maybe help my parents later.
I was punching at a bag while Dimitri stood close enough behind he to hold on to my waist, without getting elbowed every time I drew back my arm to swing. He intentionally brought me in the middle of the night when most guardians were attending other things so there was just the two of us and an older man doing yoga in the far corner. I punched the bag one more time before stopping, abruptly. Dimitri had stood back and was looking at me wide eyed. For a moment he couldn't get words out. Just as I looked down to where he was looking I felt tight pain in my abdomen and then some sort of release. My leggings felt wet, like I just peed myself. "Rose your..."
"My water broke." I froze up in panic. I couldn't move or say anything because me brain snapped into over drive. Luckily Dimitri, as always, was calm in situations like this and immediately was moving. He took my hand and slowly led me to the benches line up against the walls. We had to stop halfway there because I felt the pain still. Dimitri was basically carrying me when we got to the bench because felt so uncomfortable I didn't want to move. Dimitri left me at the bench while he ran to the phone near the man doing yoga who seemed to be oblivious to the situation. Not the best trait for a guardian, but also something I couldn't spend anytime thinking about. After a or two minute he came back and sat next to me.
The pain was nearly gone but I was crying hysterically, I was having a panic attack. "I'm not ready! Dimitri I can't do this, I can't, it's too early..." He shushed me while holding my head and speaking quietly in Russian, but I was still shaking and breathing heavily.
Dimitri tried to coach my breathing and about fifteen minutes passed before he was successful. His small victory useless when I felt the cramping in my stomach again. "It's okay Roza, it's just a contraction, keep breathing." The pain lasted for about twenty seconds but it was enough freak me out. Dimitri wiped my cheeks and pulled me up onto his lap, he kept rocking me back and forth. About ten more minutes went by before I heard someone else calling my name. Just as I seen Lissa and my mother running towards another contraction started. I held Dimitri's arm so tight his hand probably went numb.
He just kept rocking me and wiping the hair out of my face, trying to keep me as calm as possible. Eventually the contraction ended and Dimitri helped me get into the van my mother parked outside the gym. Christian and Eddie were both in the van, and based on his expression you would never think Christian was a stoic hot topic model, because now he seemed slightly scared and squeamish. Luckily, I only had one contraction on the way to the hospital, but I yelped loud enough to startle my mom and make her swerve on the road a little.
Admittedly I was still quite panicked the whole way there, but everyone was silent except for the small bits of encouragement Dimitri would give me. I clung on to him because terrified doesn't even accurately describe how scared I was. When ever the pain was dull enough for me to think I would get more panicked, but I freaked out even more at the sheer intensity of the pain. I forced myself to breath because I was feeling light headed.
When we got to the hospital we stopped in front and Eddie ran in. He came back out with a nurse pushing a wheelchair. Dimitri and Lissa helped sit me in it. I was quickly rolled into the labor and delivery wing of the hospital, alone. The nurse tried to calm me down, and to her credit she was very gentle and patient, but without Dimitri or Lissa or my mother I was not having it. It was not until she said freaking out could hurt the baby, did any hint of self control kick in.
A doctor came in and gave me a brief examination and a run down of what was going to happen before giving the nurse the okay to have my change into a hospital gown and hook me up to more monitors than toes on my feet. Just as she was about to give me an IV, I had another contraction, it was still brief but it was the most painful so far. I heard a knock at the door and Lissa came in. I had no mental strength to feel her thoughts, but I could just tell by her expression she was pained by my pain. She came and took my hand. "Oh Rose, it's gonna be alright, your baby is coming and it will be all over soon." I didn't realize I squeezed her hand when the nurse put the IV in and Lissa tugged it away.
"Sorry." She wiped the hair out of my face. "I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay, it's fine Rose. Dimitri and your mother will be here in a second. Eddie decided to go home with Christian, and I said I would call when you got closer." The daunting idea that this pain would only get worse and would last for hours made me feel a little more scared but I hid it. Another knock at the door and the doctor came in again, he kindly asked Lissa to leave before he assured us that he would only be a couple of minutes. Lissa squeezed my hand before hurrying out the room. The doctor looked at his clipboard before continuing.
"Well, hello Miss. Hathaway. I never got to formally introduced myself, so I'm Dr. Steele and I will be overseeing your delivery to make sure everything goes swimmingly. It say this is you first child so I will make sure to let you know everything that's happening so nothing surprises you or scares you." I nodded, still anxious. "The nurse let me know that you are a little anxious, and that is perfectly normal. However we have to make sure you stay as calm as possible, so we can prevent any drastic change in the babies heart rate." I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"It's okay right now though right?" He nodded with a smile.
"I can see both of your heart rates right there, and there's nothing alarming right now. I need to check if your at all dilated so if you could please put your legs up on these, I'll be real quick." I put my legs up and waited. I felt a pinch but nothing intolerable compared to the contractions. The doctor popped his head up after a moment. "You're about three centimeters along right now, so your contractions should be mild at the moment. Once you are about four of five centimeters is went stronger more consistent ones should happen. Once that happens we'll move you into your own delivery room and things should move a lot fast from there. I'll be back in about an hour, press this button if you need a nurse." He help up a small panel wired to the side of the bed.
As soon as the doctor left my mother came in. "Rose, are you okay?" I nodded because I was scared if I said anything I would start crying again. "The nurse said your doing good so far." She took my hand and rubbed circles with her thumb. "You just need to breath baby, and everything well be fine." I had never seen my mother being so, well motherly. "Rose I need to tell you something, and you need to stay calm." My breathing started to pick up again.
"No mom, wait don't I can't hurt the baby don't tell me..."
"Rose." She squeezed my hand. "You need to here it, just know it's getting resolved already so you don't need to worry, Vasalisa is taking care of it." I was about to scream she was making me so nervous. "Since throughout the whole pregnancy, you've documented the father as unknown or 'out of the picture' this hasn't been an issue, but since Dimitri unknowingly just stated on an official medical record he believes he is the father, well, he was reported and has been arrested for statutory rape." There was absolutely now amount of preparation that could have made me mentally ready to handle that news. I began shaking all over, but my mother decided a disciplinary tone would make me feel better and surprisingly it did. "Rosemarie Hathaway, you are going to calm down and breath right now. I will stay here with you until he can get here, but right now you need to let Vasalisa take care of that while you take care of this baby." She didn't shout or say it in a menacing way but it snapped me out of whatever panic attack I was about to have. Her voice dropped to a more soothing tone. "Breath Rose. It's going to be okay."
I felt a contraction start and I groaned as I tried to breath slowly like my mother instructed me to. My whole body felt tense and constricted so something as simple as breathing became super difficult. "No, no he needs to be here, he promised he wouldn't leave, he didn't do anything wrong."
"Rose I know, I know, but you'll just have to be brave for a little while, he'll be back in no time." I felt like crying but I just didn't. I lay in the bed and had four more pretty mild contractions before the doctor came back. I honestly didn't want anything to happen until Lissa and Dimitri came back, so I just followed instructions and put my legs up. The doctor reported I was four centimeters dilated and that on the soon my contraction will start to intensify and eventually be at set intervals.
"I also think if you weren't already planing on it, you should try to get an epidural. It we'll help with the pain, but I also think it would help you control your breathing and keep you from hyperventilating." I looked at my mom, who the doctor let stay with me this time. "Your window of time to take it will be over soon so please try to decide, I'll be back on five minutes." The man walked out.
"This is up to you Rose so don't ask me." I groaned.
"I don't know, I read so much stuff on things and I just I don't know what to do."
"Do what you always do, just decide something." It was quiet for a minute before my mother spoke up again. "Rose, why did you go to the gym today. You can't just not know you about to go into labor." I made an irritated grunt.
"I don't know, I just had back pains and my due date is more than two weeks away." In any other circumstance she would have scolded me for being so snappy, but now she just slouched in her chair in a very uncharacteristic manor. It was quiet for a while again until I half heartedly said something I was thinking but never intended to say to her.
"I'm scared." I was much more calm now but inside I couldn't slow down my mind. My mother leaned in toward me and pushed the hair out of my face.
"That's okay." She paused. "We are taught young they come first, and to fear stigoi, but that's what pushes the best guardians to do good things. Sometimes I'm not the best at being a parent, but all mothers put there children first a fear for their children's happiness, so I know you'll be a much better mom than I ever was." For some reason after everything had said to me earlier this was what manage to put me at ease.

PLEASE REVIEW XOXO

AND GET EXCITED BECAUSE WE ARE ABOUT TO HAVE A LITTLE WILD CHILD!