Can't Wait
"Everything is looking good, April." Doctor Jones nodded, "You're three centimetres, this could be a quick one." She smiled.
"No." AJ shook her head worriedly, "No, it needs to just… stay in until Phil gets here." AJ nodded, "I've called him and I've called him and he won't… he won't answer his phone." She sighed, hooked up to the monitors in her hospital room.
As soon as her waters broke in the house she called Punk but she couldn't reach him. She called just about every guy on the fire team that she had the number of, but none of them answered, not even the chief.
She grabbed her packed bag and the baby carrier and drove herself to the hospital, not really having much of a choice. Luckily, the hospital was her second home so the familiar faces didn't make her feel so alone.
"Hey, it's baby time." Shauna smiled, walking into the room after getting word that AJ was in labour.
"There is no baby coming out of me until Phil gets here." AJ made clear angrily as Shauna looked over at her, turning to Doctor Jones who just shrugged.
"I'll be back soon to see how things are." Doctor Jones nodded, leaving the room whilst Shauna walked further in.
"Where is he?" Shauna asked.
"Work." AJ sighed, "There was some… gas explosion downtown and he got rushed away before his shift even started." AJ said, rolling her head back on the pillow with dread. Something just told her that she couldn't give birth alone. She couldn't do it without him beside her. She needed him.
"Have you tried calling him?" Shauna asked her as AJ nodded.
"So many times." AJ nodded, "I've called him, I've called everyone who might be near him. His brother, his boss, his friends…" AJ sighed stressfully, feeling a contraction as she sat up and held her stomach, moaning in pain, "I really needed him for this part." She cried as Shauna sighed.
"Ok, just breathe." Shauna nodded, rubbing her back softly, "Breathe through it." She said.
"I'm not having this baby without him. It'll have to wait." AJ shook her head, "I… I'm not pushing. I'm a machine. I can hold this baby in." AJ nodded to Shauna who looked at her with an unconvinced smile.
"That's not really how this works." Shauna nodded, "And you know that."
"No, I promise you… I am not giving birth if he isn't here. I'm not." AJ vowed as Shauna sighed. She knew it was coming from a place of worry and fear. Worry that she couldn't do it alone. Worry about her husband and if he was ok.
"Ok, I think Renee is still on her shift, I'm gonna see if she can come be with you, and we'll keep calling Phil." Shauna assured her, "You just stay calm and breathe." She nodded.
Shauna left the room, watching as Renee was already coming towards her.
"How is she?" Renee asked.
"Not good. Phil isn't here." Shauna pulled Renee aside, "She's dilating fast and insisting she isn't giving birth until Phil is here." She said.
"Why isn't he here?" Renee shook her head, "Has she called him?"
"Ok… I don't want you to make a fuss about it to her, cause it's only gonna worry her." Shauna said, "There was a gas explosion downtown-"
"I know, I heard… is that where Phil is? Dean will be with him." Renee thought about it.
"The ER is overcrowded right now. It was bad." Shauna nodded as Renee looked at her, "Apparently… there was a second explosion in the building. It doesn't look good." She said, "And I don't think Phil is going to be looking at his phone right now." She nodded.
"You think the second explosion went off when they were there?" Renee raised her eyebrows.
"I don't know. I don't know the details. I just know the ER is overcrowded and there's a lot of people who are trying to be saved." Shauna said as Renee sighed.
"God, why couldn't I have dated a lawyer or something?" Renee shook her head, worried for her boyfriend's safety and of course his brother's after hearing about this massive incident which had happened, which sounded fatal.
"I'm sure they're fine. But I don't think April needs to know the severity of the incident. Not right now when she's about to have the baby. That doesn't need to be going through her mind." Shauna shook her head.
"It's her husband. She needs to know that… that there's a possibility he isn't going to make it before the baby gets here." Renee said.
"No, you just need to keep her calm and get her through this." Shauna nodded as Renee sighed, "We're gonna keep trying to call Phil, maybe by chance he picks up his phone but… I'm not betting on it." She shook her head.
"What a nightmare." Renee shook her head.
"Just go be her friend right now and reassure her that everything will be fine. She needs that." Shauna nodded.
"Ok." Renee nodded, walking into the room where AJ was lying in bed.
"Hey." AJ said tiredly, "He isn't here." She said immediately, "He's not answering his phone and there was… some explosion downtown he got called out to and I-"
"Ok, calm down." Renee said, "It's going to be fine. He'll… He'll get here." She nodded. Even if she was lying, she just had to comfort her friend, she had to tell her what she wanted to hear.
"Yeah?" AJ nodded, "Yeah, he'll be here." She spoke to herself, "He can't miss this." She thought to herself as Renee nodded.
"He won't." Renee shook her head, "Let's get you comfy and tie your hair back." She nodded. She figured this was her duty now, to be by her side whilst she gave birth. It didn't look like Punk was going to show up anytime soon.
"No, I'm not doing it!" AJ cried, shaking her head as Doctor Jones sat at the bottom of the bed between her legs, an hour later, fully dilated with still no sign of Punk.
"April if you don't start pushing the baby is going to go into distress and I'm going to have to do an emergency C-section." Doctor Jones nodded, "And that's not something I want for you or the baby." She said as AJ rolled her head back on the pillow.
She just couldn't believe this was happening. It just felt wrong to be doing this without her husband, like a betrayal of some kind. She was in so much physical pain, but the emotional pain of not getting to share this moment with him was much more painful.
"You can do this." Renee nodded, standing by AJ's bed as AJ shook her head, "Yes you can. We can finally meet this little one. You can finally hold them in your arms." Renee said as AJ looked at her, "Phil can't be here for this part but he's going to be here so soon, and you'll get to see the look on his face when he bursts through this room and sees this beautiful little baby in your arms." Renee said, brushing AJ's hair out of her face, hair which had attached to her tears.
"I'm scared." AJ shook her head as Renee nodded.
"I know. I know you are but you won't be when you see this little baby." Renee said.
"Ok, really need you to start pushing, April." Doctor Jones made clear, "And I'm being really serious about it now." She said seriously, looking to Renee with concern as Renee nodded.
"Come on, you can do this." Renee nodded, helping AJ sit up, holding her hand.
"Ok." AJ sighed painfully. She wouldn't put her baby in danger. She'd held off for as long as she could in as much pain as she could. She realised now that he wasn't coming, and it was her job to bring this baby into the world.
"Ok, that's good, April." Doctor Jones nodded as AJ pushed, "That's really good."
"I have no idea how you're doing this without drugs." Renee shook her head in awe.
"I don't either." AJ cried, really wishing she'd taken all the drugs, giving another push as Renee held her hand.
"You're doing beautiful, April." Doctor Jones encouraged as AJ cried a little. Nothing about this felt beautiful. She'd never felt pain like it and all she wanted was her husband. The sensitive and needy inner child in her just needed him by her side.
"You're doing so good." Renee nodded, "You're almost there."
"Keep pushing, April. That's it." Doctor Jones nodded as AJ gave a final push, suddenly hearing newborn cries as she lay back on the bed, "It's a boy." Doctor Jones smiled, placing the baby boy on AJ's chest as AJ cried, looking down at the baby crying against her chest as she placed her hand on his back.
"Oh my God." Renee smiled happily, "It's a little guy." She said as Renee smiled.
"I knew it was a little guy." AJ laughed a little through her tears, knowing her senses just wouldn't fail her.
"Congratulations." Doctor Jones nodded, "You did great." She said as AJ smiled exhaustedly, watching one of the nurse take the baby to clean him up. She watched closely, never taking her eyes off him as she saw him wriggling around in the bassinet, crying so loud it brought tears to her eyes.
"Seven pounds, three ounces." Renee looked over as she saw the nurse weighing him, "That's a good little bundle." She nodded as AJ smiled. She was so tired, so numb with pain, but so happy to meet her baby boy.
"He is a good little bundle." The nurse smiled, walking back over to AJ with the baby boy wrapped up and cleaned up, putting him in her arms as AJ looked down at him.
"Hey." AJ cried, looking down at him, his tiny little hands sticking up out of the blanket, "You have a ton of hair." She smiled through her tears, "And you're so beautiful." She shook her head as Renee watched with a smile.
"He's amazing." Renee smiled, looking on at the baby boy in her arms.
"He is." AJ nodded. She'd never felt love like it. It was overwhelming. So overwhelming it made her cry some more. She just knew as she held him in her arms that she'd do absolutely anything to protect him, to love him with her entire being.
"You did so good." Renee nodded as AJ looked at her, "So good." She smiled.
"He's still not here." AJ whispered.
"He will be." Renee nodded as AJ looked back at the baby boy in her arms. After all the crying and screaming upon entering the world, he'd become so calm and quiet, and in some way it soothed AJ as she watched him. He was just the most perfect little thing.
"Don't tell your daddy, but you're my favourite guy now." AJ nodded, leaning down and kissing his tiny nose as Renee smiled.
"I won't tell either." Doctor Jones smiled as AJ nodded.
"Thank you." AJ smiled, "For getting him out safely. Thank you."
"You did the work." Doctor Jones smiled as AJ lay her head back on the pillow exhaustedly, lifting it back up to look down at the baby boy. She couldn't get enough of him.
Renee smiled as she watched AJ talking to him, so glad she got to be there to witness something so beautiful. At the corner of her eye she noticed Shauna at the door, so she backed out of the room. AJ hardly noticed, too busy staring at her new baby soon.
"It's a boy." Renee smiled happily, "And he's so cute, oh my goodness. He's got so much hair and-"
"Phil is in the ER." Shauna said as Renee looked at her with dread, "So is Dean."
