Mike has Smackdown off this week. He stays at home and nests with AJ, relieved to have a break from the road and the drama, and time to recover after saying goodbye to Daniel Bryan. He wonders why John isn't heard from over the weekend, but he's busy doing things around the nursery, re-organizing clothes and other things so that it looks perfect and is ready for Sara Louisa whenever she chooses to make her appearance into the world.

After a couple of hours of meticulous organizing, Mike freezes when AJ sneaks into the room and wraps her arms around him from behind. "I'm hungry," she pouts against his ear. "Mike... please?"

Immediately he stuffs the last of the clothes into the drawer and turns to hug her. "Alright, sweetheart. Let's go find something to eat." He guides her into the kitchen, kissing her neck. "What are you hungry for?"

She tilts her head, thinking about it. "Hmm, mac and cheese and..." She furrows her brows, lost in thought. "A cheeseburger?"

He chuckles and leans over, kissing her on top of the head. "That's a lot of cheese," he says softly, already moving to get the macaroni cooking and to pat out a hamburger from some fresh meat that was in the fridge. As soon as it's all going well, he sits down at the table across from her and taps his knees. "Get 'em up here," he tells her with a smile.

She grins cutely at him before scooting her chair closer and lifting her feet up to rest them in his lap. As he begins to massage from her toe to her heel, she sighs and drops her head back against the chair, breathing out softly. "Oh, damn," she sighs. "That feels so good. I miss being able to see my feet."

He smiles at her and runs his fingers up and down her arch, tickling her softly. "Your feet are still as cute as ever. Don't worry about it. You're beautiful."

She flushes prettily, smiling softly when he puts her feet down on the chair and moves to check the food. "I'm a lucky girl," she sighs, watching him appreciatively as he stirs the macaroni and flips the burger.

Glancing over his shoulder, he smiles at her. "I'm the lucky one. So, what do you want? Just cheese or..." He wanders over to the fridge and peers in, waiting for her to compile a list.

"For the macaroni, pepper jack cheese," she says, curling her toes against the chair. "For the burger, hmm... onions, and tomatoes... do we have pickles?"

"Of course we have pickles," Mike chuckles, reaching in and collecting all of the things she mentions. "Anything else? Lettuce?" At her approving sound, he pulls that out too and digs around. "Mustard?" As more and more from the fridge collects on the counter, he closes the door and goes to once more stir and flip the food as needed. He grabs some hamburger buns from the bread box and smiles at her as he begins to prepare the bread so that she won't have long to wait once the food is cooked.

He stirs cheese and milk into the macaroni, stirring it until the cheese and milk have melted, coating the noodles well, before turning to the burger and cutting it in half to make sure it's cooked through. Seeing no raw spots, he lowers the heat on it and returns to putting together her meal, hesitating over a glass. She's been drinking milk, water and juice religiously since her first positive pregnancy test so he ducks into the back of the fridge, where he's been hiding a bottle of caffeine free root beer, discreetly pouring it into the glass before placing it on the counter next to her plate and bowl.

She's still sitting patiently, watching him when he turns around. First, the bowl of macaroni placed carefully in front of her with a fork. Then, the plate with the burger on it, cut perfectly in half and ready for her attention. Third, the glass of soda with her pre-natal vitamins. Her eyes widen as she takes it all in, almost too amazed by how good it all looks to move. Finally she swallows and looks up at him. "W- where's your food, Mike?"

He freezes and then laughs, almost embarrassed. "Well, I guess I was so focused on getting yours perfect, I didn't have time for my own... but that's ok, I'll make myself something a little later." She starts to look guilty, shaking her head, but he takes her hand. "Hey, don't let this all go cold, ok? No one likes congealed mac and cheese... come on, eat. I'm fine." He lifts her hand and kisses her knuckles before grazing his hand along her stomach. "Please? For Sara Louisa?"

She groans and reaches out for the fork. "You don't play fair," she sighs, closing her eyes and trying to savor the food but unable to as her hunger wins out and she eats an impressive amount, the root beer disappearing quickly. He smiles at her as she makes soft, pleased noises every few bites, sighing and murmuring to herself until she's had her fill. Still blushing, she stares back at him and smiles slightly. "Used to hate when people watched me eat, but now... I'm just so hungry, I don't really care." She squeezes his hand. "Go make yourself something to eat while I finish up, ok?"

He nods, stroking her knuckles for a moment before he gets up to make himself a meal out of the macaroni, cheese and meat that's left over. She's just cleared her bowl when he joins her, his hand interlacing with hers once more as he eats and drinks to his own heart's content, sighing softly. "I'm a damn fine cook," he says with contentment as she laughs at him.

That night, after he wanders around the bedroom, packing her suitcase for her upcoming hospital stay, putting clothes and a spare hairbrush and toothbrush inside, along with everything else that she and the baby will need he can think of off of the top of his head, he settles down next to her in bed and helps to adjust the pillows under and around her so that she's more comfortable. She's drowsy and warm, completely content as he leans over and kisses her on the forehead, murmuring under her breath before dropping an arm around his hip and sighing, giving in to sleep as he strokes her face, in awe at all of this. Nine months, he thinks. It's gone by so quickly...

-x

Monday dawns bright and early, or at least early. AJ stirs and squints at the clock, unsure. It glows 5:18 in the dark room and she grimaces, not sure what woke her up, before rolling over and burrowing into Mike's warmth, falling back into a half-doze, not quite asleep but not quite awake either. Until she feels another quick, sharp pain, her eyes shooting open. It's now 5:50 and she thinks she knows, her breath stuttering a bit as she watches the clock, the room slowly lighting up as the sun rises. At 6:21, she feels it again and bites back a moan. Oh no. Raw is tonight, and Mike is chomping at the bit to go and continue this thing with AJ Styles and Chris Jericho. Considering it's in California, he'll be driving the hour to Anaheim, but... first she has to hold on until he actually leaves. Half an hour apart, I'll be alright. There's still plenty of time. Right?

Desperate not to worry Mike, she'd kept the most of the Braxton HIcks to herself, only mentioning it in front of Dr. Chi during their check up the week prior so she could ease Mike's worries, reassure him that AJ knows what the signs of true pre-labor, and actual labor, is. Like having steady contractions every half an hour, growing closer together and more intense as time goes by. She lays there, rubbing her stomach and gritting her teeth through every twinge until finally Mike's alarm goes off around 7:30.

He stirs and sighs, rolling over and wrapping an arm around her, kissing her shoulder. "G'morning, sweetheart," he whispers into her skin.

"Good morning," she whispers back, relieved that it's been twenty minutes after the last contraction so she'd had time to get her emotions back under control, and had more time before the next one. He cuddles with her for a few more minutes, kissing and massaging her arms and upper back before getting up and collecting his clothes, heading into the bathroom to shower, get ready for his day. As soon as the water turns on, she closes her eyes and breathes in and out like she'd learned in class, moaning at the sharp pain that lasts longer this time. She stares at the clock and nods, biting her lip. Holding steady at about 31 minutes apart... just be patient, sweetie, there's no hurry. Let your daddy do his thing and thing we'll welcome you with open arms into this world.

Breakfast is a fresh kind of torture as she sits at the table, watching him bustle around and make omelettes and sausage with toast, pouring her juice and giving her more of her vitamins. He's just flipped one of the omelettes when another contraction rocks through her and she digs her toes against the tiled floor, desperate not to cry out in front of him and give up the whole game. Her only saving grace is that it passes quickly and he doesn't notice, the pain fading as he turns to smile at her and sneak her a piece of cheesy egg while he serves them.

By the time he leaves, she'd been through two more of the contractions and is in the middle of the third when the door shuts behind him. As soon as she hears the car door slam, she sinks down onto the couch and whimpers, digging her nails into the cushions. "Oh God," she breathes in and out. Still a good 25 minutes apart, but they're getting closer together and she starts to get worried. Especially considering she's alone now and Mike's going to be a good hour away.

After an hour of gritting her teeth against the pain, AJ finally gives in and grabs for her phone. She dials Star's number and waits, listening it to ring and ring and ring, her eyebrows furrowing when she's sent to voicemail. She breathes heavily into the device before giving up and putting the phone down. "Dammit, now what?" she sighs, groaning and breathing through another contraction. The clock now shows that they're about 23 minutes apart and she swallows, raising her eyebrows. It's close to 11 AM and she can't help but worry. She has a lot of hours to wait before Raw comes on, much less until Miz's segment on the show, and she's not comfortable with being alone for so long, not sure where this all would go.

Finally she gives up and dials Morrison's number instead, breathing through another contraction until he answers. "Hello?"

"Hi," she hisses out. "John, is Star ok? I tried to call her and she didn't answer..."

John pauses for a moment and finally, "Yeah, she's fine. I'm not sure why she didn't answer, probably just busy. Do you need something?"

AJ hesitates and finally closes her eyes. "Yeah, actually. Um, I think I'm in pre-labor and Mike's at Raw, so I... just don't want to be alone right now while I wait until I can go into the hospital, you know?" She pauses when there's sounds in the background, John moving around. "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming to Mike's house, just hang on." John makes some more noise in the background and AJ holds her breath against another sharp pain. "How far apart are they?"

She grimaces. "About 20 minutes. There's still plenty of time. I mean, you know. There's no hurry."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm sure everyone thinks that until they're actually pushing the baby out, you know? I'll be there. Just hang on, sit tight and be calm."

She laughs weakly. "Alright. I will." She's not sure how much time has passed, spending it locked in breathing and counting minutes, until there's a car door slam outside and she walks to the door, unlocking it. As John walks in, she returns to the couch and he follows her, sitting across from her. "Well, welcome to the party."

He stares at her for a few moments. "What do you need? Does Mike know?"

"No," she hisses. "And he won't know. I just... I don't want to pull him away from Raw right now, he's wrapped up in this thing with AJ and Jericho and... I'm not gonna be the reason that he loses traction or whatever..."

"He won't care about that when he realizes you're going to have his daughter in a matter of hours," John argues. "At least tell me what I can do for you right now, if I can't call Mike. Did you call your doctor, at least?"

"Yeah, Dr. Chi knows I'm in pre-labor." AJ breathes in and out. "I'm just supposed to wait until I'm about five or six minutes apart, and then... and then..." She groans as another contraction washes over her and John watches the clock, listening to her rough breathing. "They're getting closer together, little by little. Sharper too." She's sweaty already, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she looks up at him morosely. "Sorry, I know this isn't what you're used to, I was trying to contact Star... Is she alright?"

His eyes darken. "Yeah, she's fine. She'll be disappointed she wasn't here for you, but at least I'm here. So do you just want to sit here for awhile, or...?"

"I should get up and walk around," she says. "It might help. Maybe." He watches her as she paces back and forth for awhile. Finally another contraction goes through her and she stops, going back to sit down. "Oh God, I'm scared I'm going to do something wrong and I'll miss the signs and she'll be born here, or..."

He stands up after a moment. "Maybe I can make you something to eat?" AJ nods and John heads to the kitchen, aware that both of them need something to eat to pass the time and keep their strength up. He ends up making sandwiches, not that surprised to find egg salad fixings in the fridge. She smiles as he hands her the plate and a glass of milk, both of them quietly eating. The next time John checks the clock, it's close to 2 PM and he sighs, moving to sit next to her. "You look exhausted."

She laughs bitterly. "Doesn't surprise me, I've been up since 5 AM with these contractions." He wraps an arm around her and draws her against his lap, brushing his fingers through her hair. "What're you doing?"

"Close your eyes," he tells her quietly. "Just rest."

"I can't sleep through the contractions," she says sleepily. "But I guess I can sleep between them..." Nuzzling her head into his shoulder, she closes her eyes and dozes. He sits and watches her, stares at the clock. When her body tenses in renewed pain, he rests his hand on her stomach and softly strokes it, feeling as she relaxes under his touch. She doesn't wake up, and they spend the next couple of hours much like that as she gets some badly needed rest.

When she wakes up, he waits patiently for her to realize that hours have passed. "What did you do to me?" she demands, rubbing at her eyes and groaning as her back pops. "Oh God, it's almost 4 PM?"

"Yeah," he says. "Well, you were in pain and I helped with it. That's all."

She stares at him suspiciously. "That Palace of Wisdom stuff?" She rubs her hand along her stomach and sighs, realizing that the two hours she'd slept through would've been unbearable otherwise. "Thank you." They sit quietly once more, timing the contractions, which are down to about nine minutes apart.

"Do you think we should go?" John wonders. "Try to beat LA traffic?" AJ frowns and looks at the clock. "I don't want to get stuck in the car and cause you to have the baby in the middle of the freeway, so..."

She sighs. "Yeah, that would be bad. Alright, my suitcase is in the bedroom. But one promise."

"Yes?" he wonders, pausing halfway to the hallway to go get her things.

"I don't want you calling Mike until after he's been on Raw. No matter what happens," she demands of him, hands on her hips until she grimaces in pain again.

He holds his hands up, agreeable to anything as long as she agrees to go to the hospital ASAP. "Fine, I won't call him," he promises. When she nods, breathing through the contraction, he quickly goes to get the bag. The drive to the hospital is nerve-wracking, John watching the clock as she breathes and moans through the pain. Traffic is awful, as expected, and by the time they arrive, it's nearly 6PM and her contractions are down to about six minutes apart. She's immediately wheeled into a room and John lingers around the halls as they examine her and prepare her for what's to come.

He finds Raw on the TV in the waiting room and watches the end of Miz's rematch against AJ, relieved when he doesn't get too battered, despite losing. "Time to text you, my friend." He quickly does so before the doctor comes to bring him back to sit with AJ, who is now in a hospital gown and breathing through another contraction, gripping his hand and squeezing when he gets too close, her eyes locked on him. "I texted Mike," he tells her, eyes softening when she relaxes against the pain.

-x

Mike storms backstage, gritting his teeth as he finds first Paige and then Alicia waiting for him. "What is it?" he wonders, forgetting about the match as they hand his phone to him. He stares at the screen and immediately dashes, running to the locker room. Ignoring the shower, he changes clothes and runs back out. The only thing that stops him is that Paige has his keys, his eyes locking on her. "Give it. My wife's in labor, I need to go!"

"And Alicia is going to drive you," she says simply. "I don't trust you on these roads, and Alberto and I both have matches, so she's going to take you to AJ. Alright?"

Mike hates it, but it makes sense. So he agrees, following after Alicia as she takes the keys and walks outside hurriedly. She's actually not that bad of a driver, and they arrive within an hour, Mike barely waiting for her to park before he's out of the car and racing through the hospital. He rushes to the nurse's desk and stares at the women. "I'm here for AJ Mizanin, she's in labor?"

They quickly move, getting him into sterile clothes and leading him to the birthing room that AJ's laying in, sipping from a glass of water held by John. As soon as they realize that he's there, John hands him the glass and stands up, letting Mike take his place. "Hi sweetheart," Mike says emotionally.

She smiles at him. "Hey, husband." Despite the pain, despite how scared she is, she sounds calm. Prepared. "They say I'm about ready to push."

"So I got here just in time, huh?" He finds her hand and squeezes it. "I'm so sorry. How long have you been in labor?"

She grimaces and sighs, knowing that he's going to freak out when she tells him. "Since this morning. Don't be mad, I didn't want to take you away from your rematch with AJ. I know you would've stayed if you'd know, but John took good care of me." She smiles at him as he gapes at her, shaking his head. "And you're here for the important part. It's ok."

Anger is welling up within him but he swallows it down, aware that there's no time for it. AJ doesn't need it, Sara Louisa doesn't need it, so he sits and swallows it down, holding her hand as the doctor comes in and confirms that it's time. AJ grits her teeth, staring at Mike as she digs her nails into his palm, breathing heavily. Following the doctors' commands is the easy part, Mike's fingers soothing against her sweaty forehead as she whimpers and braces herself.

In comparison to the hours of contractions she'd already endured, this part actually goes quickly. She pushes for five minutes before she collapses backwards into Mike's arms, spent. A few moments after that, a cry rents the air that is somehow familiar to her despite it's the first time she's ever hearing it. She breathes and looks up at Mike, who's hypnotized by whatever's going on at the end of the bed. "She's beautiful," he breathes out, squeezing her hand and lifting it, kissing her knuckles. "My God..."

It feels like a lifetime but finally the nurse walks up and places a soft bundle in AJ's hands, the woman's eyes lighting up as she takes in her daughter for the first time. "Hey, Sara Louisa," she whispers, ghosting a finger along the baby's cheek. "Do you know how long we've waited to meet you?" She laughs and cries at the same time, kissing the baby on the forehead.

She's sweaty, sore and tired, but it's all worth it when she looks over in time to see Mike lean forward and kiss their daughter on the same spot she just had. "I'm so happy to meet you, sweetie," he whispers to her. "You have so many aunts and uncles who are going to want to meet you, but for now... I think we're going to be selfish with you for a few minutes, alright?"

AJ releases a breath and smiles. "That sounds perfect." The baby yawns and makes a soft cooing noise, shaking her little fists around, and fresh tears fill AJ's eyes. "I think she agrees."

Mike nods, too enamored with their daughter to speak for a moment. "You're so beautiful, AJ," he finally breathes, kissing her on the mouth. "Thank you so much."

AJ smiles sleepily, watching Sara Louisa. "No, thank you."