Fic: All's Well That Ends Well
Title: All’s Well That Ends Well
Author: mpregloveranon
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: NC-17, Mpreg, graphic birth
Disclaimer: I just own a kinky imagination. Every event in this story is purely fictional and I don’t intend to step on anyone’s toes or make money with this.
Summary: The semester break just started and Jensen, who is two weeks from his due date, is about to go home to his parents to have his baby. He had it all planned out but then one of his cravings led him to go out and buy cereal… at three in the morning… in that shop near campus where the cute high school kid worked… and which unfortunately was about to be robbed…
This fic is for my dear friend stjra who won me over at the Fandom Flood Appeal and really needs something to take her mind off all the crappy stuff she’s had to deal with in RL. I hope this is what you wanted, Hon. ;)
Special thanks to: stjra for bidding on my offer and coming up with such a wonderful prompt. dekanter for her generous offer to let me use the beta services she had bid on. prettysilent for being such a great beta and helping me out with my fic. J
“Hey, how’re you doing?” Jared looked up from the book he’d been reading underneath the counter and smiled at Jensen.
Jensen flashed him a genuine, if a bit tired, smile and rubbed his huge pregnant belly. “Well, besides feeling like a beached whale… I’m fine. How are you, and why are you still here and not in bed already?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Jared shot back playfully and started ringing up the few items Jensen had laid on the counter.
“Junior wanted Lucky Charms and I ran out of them yesterday,” Jensen answered good-humoredly, once more patting his bulging belly.
Jared grinned up at him. “I got stuck with the nightshift because Paul was sick and asked me to cover for him. So I guess I’m just too nice for my own good,” he joked and took the twenty that Jensen held out to him to pay for his late-night purchases.
“Yeah, you should definitely get a medal for being such a great guy,” Jensen replied with a playful wink before adding, “and who in their right minds would come to the store at 3 am in the first place?”
Jared looked at Jensen and lifted one eyebrow without saying a word.
“Hey, I’m pregnant! I can do crazy stuff like that because I don’t qualify as someone having full possession of his mental abilities. At least not until the little guy’s born.” An affectionate smile graced Jensen’s lips as he spoke of his unborn child.
“But you’re almost there, aren’t you? And before you ask, I’m not hinting at your weight or anything…” Jared blushed slightly before getting the next words out but he really couldn’t help himself. “You look gorgeous.”
A small blush crept into Jensen’s cheeks as well, taking the comment for the genuine compliment that it was. “Thanks Jared. And you’re right, it’s just two more weeks before I get to meet him.”
“Wow, you must be really excited.” Jared’s eyes were full of awe, trying to imagine how Jensen had to be feeling.
“I am but the whole concept of pushing a living being out of my body kind of terrifies me. I don’t care that my mom says it’s the most beautiful experience in life and that I should try to go with a natural birth; I want painkillers,” Jensen joked but it was evident that he was indeed nervous about the impending birth.
“But now that classes have ended, you’re going home to your parents, right?” Jared asked and saw Jensen nodding in response “So you’ll have your family to support you. That’s great.”
The smile on Jensen’s face started to fade. “I just wish that Kyle would change his mind…”
“That guy’s a jerk and I’m sure he’ll regret letting you go if he ever gets his head out of his ass. You deserve so much better than him!” Jared couldn’t really point his finger at where their easy banter had morphed into such a weird kind of flirty heart-to-heart.
Unaware of the awkwardness, or maybe just affected by the pregnancy hormones and lack of sleep, Jensen sighed. “I wish I could’ve met a nice guy like you at the frat party where I met Kyle.”
‘If you had waited one year, it could’ve been me at the frat party,’ Jared thought to himself but swallowed his reply because it was inappropriate and he would only make a fool of himself if he voiced those thoughts out loud.
The first time Jensen had walked into the store almost a year ago, Jared had fallen head over heels for him but he knew that he didn’t stand a chance because Jensen was a smart, funny, and gorgeous twenty-two year old college student while Jared himself was just an average high school senior. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get all gloomy and regretful on you. Guess that’s my hint that I should go back home and sleep,” Jensen apologized when he noticed how awkward his last sentence must have sounded to Jared’s ears. He couldn’t deny that he liked the kid but he was twenty-two and about to have another guy’s baby, so there would never be anything more than easy friendship between him and Jared.
“Don’t apologize to me. I was bored out of my mind before you came in. I’m glad for the distraction.”
Once more, they shared a smile and didn’t even realize that someone else had just walked into the store.
A shocked yelp escaped Jensen’s throat as he felt an arm wrap around his neck and something cold press against his temple.
“Ohmygod!” Jared exclaimed, jumping up from his chair and going pale as a sheet, when he understood what was happening.
“Put the money in a bag and hand it over or I’ll put a bullet in his head!” the masked robber ordered in a deep, threatening voice.
Jared was torn between staring into Jensen’s panicked green eyes and the gun held to the side of his head, but he had enough presence of mind to discreetly bump his hip against the small button that activated the silent alarm. “I- I’ll do whatever you want. Please, don’t hurt him!”
Far too frightened to register Jared’s pleading voice, Jensen was praying that the guy wouldn’t pull the trigger on him or that he would at least get to the hospital in time so that his baby could be saved. He vaguely remembered hearing about cases where pregnant women got fatally wounded in accidents and their unborn children survived. His panicked thoughts were interrupted by the menacing voice of the robber.
“Give me the damn money already or I’ll shoot the brat and you can watch your buddy slowly bleed to death!” The masked man trailed the barrel of his gun down Jensen’s neck and chest to finally press it into the side of his swollen stomach.
“No! Please…” Jensen whimpered, trembling violently as he realized what the man was threatening to do. His eyes were wide with terror, fixed on Jared who was already fumbling to get the cash register open. “Jared!”
Tearing his eyes away from Jensen’s terrified face, Jared started grabbing bills and throwing them into a plastic bag. “You can have the money! Just don’t- don’t hurt them.” Pushing the last bunch of bills into the bag, Jared held it out to the masked man and focused his gaze back on Jensen, whose face was scrunching up as if he was in pain.
The robber let go of Jensen’s throat and reached for the bag with the money, carelessly shoving Jensen sideways with his other hand that was holding the gun.
Then it all happened really fast. Stumbling backwards, Jensen crashed into a pyramid of stacked cans, sending them flying everywhere, and falling on top of them. Jared jumped out from behind the counter to help Jensen just as the robber made a run for the door but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the red and blue lights flashing outside the store as a patrol car pulled up.
“Dammit! You little fuck called the cops and now you’re gonna regret it!” the robber gritted out furiously and once more swung the gun in Jensen’s general direction but Jared threw himself between the barrel and his friend.
“If you start shooting, the cops will barge in and shoot you,” Jared retorted, trying to keep his voice steady, even if he was scared half to death not only for himself but also for Jensen and his baby.
Apparently he had gotten through to the man because he lowered the gun again and Jared’s nerves calmed enough to realize Jensen’s erratic breathing behind him. “Jensen? Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, gently pulling his friend to his feet just to watch him double over and cry out in pain.
“Oh God, NO!” Jensen whimpered as he slowly tried to straighten up again.
“What’s wrong? Did you hurt your back?” Jared demanded urgently. He had seen Jensen falling backwards so he hopefully hadn’t hurt his stomach in the fall, which was at least one good thing in all this mess.
Jensen’s face lost all its color, making his huge, frightened green eyes stand out in sharp contrast. “I had a contraction.”
A contraction? But that would mean that Jensen was in… “No! You’re just panicking.”
The police officers had stepped out of their patrol car and one of them started shouting out orders to leave the building with their hands raised.
“Stop whining and tell the fucking cops that I’m taking you two hostage and will shoot you if they don’t let me go!” the robber yelled at Jared and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt to shove him towards the door. “And don’t try anything funny or I will shoot your knocked up buddy!”
Jared stumbled towards the door and pulled it open, raising his hands so the cops wouldn’t open fire. “He has taken us hostage and says he’ll shoot us if you don’t let him leave. My friend’s pregnant and hurt. He needs an amb-” he didn’t get any further because the robber’s voice cut him off.
“Enough! Lock the door and show me where the back office is!”
Helplessly watching how the masked man was pressing his gun to Jensen’s side and pushing him towards the back of the store, ignoring his labored breathing and pained moans, Jared did as he was told and quickly locked the door before leading the way to the office.
Just as Jared managed to open the office door with trembling fingers, the robber shoved Jensen at him, swiftly locking the door behind them before checking if the blinds of the windows were all closed.
“He can’t come now…” Jensen whimpered brokenly after the next contraction eased, clutching his bulging belly with sweaty hands.
“You’ll be okay, Jensen. Your due date’s in two weeks, so it’s probably just false labor pains…” Jared tried to soothe his friend, helping him sit down on one of the desk chairs.
Jensen shook his head vehemently. “It’s not. I’ve been having those for weeks and these are so much stronger.” The first tears of distress were leaking from his eyes and trailing down his pale cheeks.
“Shut the fuck UP! I’m trying to think!” the robber shouted angrily, pacing up and down close to the door.
Jared knelt down in front of Jensen and laid a hand on his knee. “You’re going to be fine. Just take deep breaths…try to calm down…” he whispered softly, holding eye contact to reassure not only Jensen but himself as well.
“Oh God…” Jensen whimpered again, muffling his pained moans by pressing one hand to his mouth.
The way in which Jensen’s face contorted in suffering showed Jared just how much distress his friend was really in and he stood up, gently cradling the older man’s face between his hands. Softly stroking his thumbs over smoothly shaven skin, Jared began murmuring small reassurances, voice barely above a whisper. “Deep breaths, Jensen. Think of something nice, like… spending a hot summer day at the beach or… or sitting outside and watching the stars at night. Shhh, you need to calm down. It’s only because of the stress…if you calm down, you’ll be fine again, Jensen,” Jared kept up his monologue, praying that the contractions were indeed only false alarms. He sighed in relief when Jensen finally let go of the breath he’d been holding and relaxed a little. “That’s it. Just try and stay calm.”
A few seconds passed in perfect silence save for the shuffling noises of the robber who was still pacing the room a few feet away from them. Jared was almost sure that the deep breaths were indeed helping Jensen until he hissed in pain and almost fell off his chair, gripping his swollen belly with both hands as he tried to curl in on himself.
“I said shut the fuck UP!” the robber once more shouted, not even sparing them a glance.
“Breathe, Jensen. You’re going to be fine. The cops will get us out of here and take you to the hospital to… to get checked out, and the doctors will give you something to stop the contractions. They can do that, right? You’ll be fine to go home…to your parents and have your baby there, just like you planned,” Jared was trying his hardest to sound calm and confident but he was shaking with nerves on the inside, which made his voice sound jittery.
Jensen hiccupped brokenly and shook his head. “Can’t have the baby now.”
“You won’t. You’ll go back to your folks and everything will be fi-”
“My, my water just broke!” Jensen interrupted Jared’s nervous rant, staring at him with big, fearful eyes as if silently asking for direction.
It took Jared a couple of seconds to wrap his mind around what Jensen had said, and when he lowered his eyes to his friend’s lap, he noticed the dark wet stain where the amniotic fluid had seeped into his jeans. Oh God, it was really happening but Jared couldn’t panic. Not now because Jensen needed him to stay level headed. Giving himself a mental kick, Jared once more stroked his thumbs over Jensen cheekbones and locked eyes with him.
“He’s in labor and the baby is coming,” Jared addressed the man, who was keeping them barricaded in the office, hoping to make a deal. “Please, let him go!” He soothingly carded his fingers through Jensen slightly damp hair as he moaned and panted through another contraction.
“The hell I’m gonna let him go! I need an insurance that’ll get me out of here, and that’s you two lovebirds,” the masked man spat back viciously.
All of a sudden the phone started ringing and their captor hurried over to the window to peak out through a thin slit between the blinds. “They’re right outside,” he grumbled and snatched the cordless phone from the desk, going back to the window. “I got two hostages. The one with the bun in the oven’s about to deliver, so you better let me walk or I shoot them two and the brat!”
Jared flinched at the harsh words but his attention was quickly drawn back to Jensen who was unsuccessfully trying to stand up from the chair. “What are you doing?”
“Need… need to lie down. Feel like pushing.” Jensen got out between gritted teeth, panting hard as a new contraction flared up deep inside him.
“No, no, no! You can’t do that!” Jared replied, freaking out as he realized that Jensen meant business. “You have to wait until we’re out of here and get to the hosp-”
“Help me up!” Jensen added urgently and clawed at Jared’s arms to pull himself up.
Afraid that Jensen might only fall and hurt himself in the process, Jared helped him get up and waddle around the large wooden desk to finally lie down on the cheap carpet.
“Argh! Hurts!” Jensen cried, too out of it to even hear the threats that the robber shouted at him for interrupting his conversation with the police. “Help me… get these off.” he asked Jared, fumbling for the stretchy waistband of his pants.
Carefully Jared pealed the soaked jeans down Jensen’s legs, quickly pulling off his shoes to get the pants off completely. “I… I need gloves. First-aid kit and… and…” he jumped up and went to the locker in the corner behind the desk, retrieving the first-aid kit and grabbing one of his boss’s extra shirts that he kept in the locker in case he spilled anything on himself.
Jensen was awkwardly sitting up and holding onto his bent knees, futilely pushing, his face all scrunched up and flushing as Jared knelt back down next to him.
“Stop! You can’t push until someone’s checked if you’re…loose…er, dilated enough or… or there’s the risk of tearing.” Jared warned insistently.
“Then check!” Jensen shouted at him as the contraction wore off and he was able to fill his lungs with much needed oxygen again, slumping back onto the carpet in exhaustion.
“Okay, okay…” Jared stuttered, gently pulling at Jensen’s hips to shift him onto the pristine white shirt. Then he opened the kit, taking out a pair of sterile gloves and noticing the small red book with the basic information about first-aid. Praying that there was a chapter about emergency births in it, he flipped it open.
A new contraction started building, sending sharp jolts of pain through Jensen’s whole body. “OH GOD!” He did his best to breathe and lie still, flat on his back as he tried to suppress the urge to push. Unfortunately he quickly learned that fighting that urge only seemed to increase the stabbing pain in his lower half. “Jared?”
“The book says labor generally goes on for hours before you need to push,” the younger man started babbling once more, frantically scanning the few pages on birth.
“Need to push NOW!” Jensen screamed, jolting forward again and clawing at his bent knees to pull them towards his chest as he started bearing down.
Jared swiftly grabbed his hurting friend’s underwear and tugged at it hard to pull it down his thighs and off, exposing the lower part of his body.
The first time Jared had laid eyes on Jensen a year ago, he had fantasized about him for days, picturing how he would slowly undress the other man, taking in his naked body before worshipping every inch of his skin. It felt like a cosmic joke to him that his first chance to see Jensen naked was under such distressing circumstances.
Pushing all other thoughts to the back of his mind, Jared finally braced himself mentally and took a look between Jensen’s parted thighs, biting back on a gasp at the sight that greeted him. Jensen’s opening was stretched wide open, blood and other birth fluids leaking out of it and seeping into the previously white dress shirt beneath his hips. The rim of his gaping entrance looked puffy but wide enough that Jared could have fit in one of his fists easily. He couldn’t see any tearing either, so Jared guessed that it was indeed okay to let Jensen push when he felt like he needed to.
“I think you’re good to, to push, Jensen. Looks like ten centimeters but… but try not to push too hard,” Jared instructed in a soft voice, gazing back and forth between Jensen’s reddened face and the small book he had found. “The book says that babies that arrive quickly usually deliver with ease. That’s good! You’re going to be okay, Jen.”
Jensen sagged back against the floor, panting heavily as he tried to fill his lungs with air. He looked as if he wanted to say something but didn’t get any actual words out.
“It’s alright, Jensen. I’ve got you,” Jared hastily assured. “Try to push for ten seconds with the next contraction. I can count…”
“ARGHHHH!” Jensen suddenly screamed, trying to press his legs together.
“No! Jensen? Jensen, what’s wrong?” Jared could tell that Jensen was in a serious amount of pain, the sweat breaking out at his hairline and his erratic breathing giving away that he was hurting worse than before.
Getting worried by Jensen’s unresponsiveness, his incoherent screaming and the fact that he looked as if he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs, Jared leaned forward and started undoing the buttons of Jensen’s shirt. “Jensen, talk to me!” he pleaded anxiously, gently rubbing a gloved hand over the tight-stretched skin of Jensen’s swollen stomach to get his attention. He almost pulled his hand back in shock when he realized how hard the flesh felt beneath his palm.
A surprised gasp escaped Jared, when he lowered his gaze towards Jensen’s birth opening, seeing that the baby’s head was slowly emerging. “The head’s coming… Keep pushing, Jen.” He gently pressed a hand to the thin stretched skin around Jensen’s opening to support the membrane as he had read in the book and quickly looked up at Jensen’s face. Trying to block out his friend’s agonized screams in order to stay more or less level-headed, Jared, to his own surprise, realized that Jensen wasn’t bearing down at all. Apparently the contractions were so strong that they were actually doing most of the work for him but there was no mistaking that Jensen was in a lot of pain.
“Hear that? If you don’t want to have three corpses to deal with, you’ll get in your fucking car and drive back to your coffee and donuts NOW!” Their captor’s voice somehow filtered into Jared’s mind but he was too nervous by the prospect of having to help Jensen deliver to be frightened by the mad man’s threat.
“Jensen? Jensen!” he once more tried to get through to his suffering friend. The contractions not only seemed to be unnaturally strong but were also coming on top of each other as far as Jared could tell by the way that Jensen kept panting erratically between screams. “You need to push. If you push, it’ll be over really soon.”
Jared certainly wasn’t an expert after just skimming the few pages in the first-aid book but half of the baby’s head was already sticking out of Jensen, and if the head was supposed to be the hardest part to deliver, then it couldn’t take that much longer. “Please, try to push, Jen!”
Somehow Jared’s words finally penetrated Jensen’s mind through the wall of red hot pain and fear and he gasped for air, trying to take a deeper breath before pulling his knees to his chest as best as he could and making an effort to push.
“Yeah, that’s it, Jen. Head’s almost out!” Jared said in awe, wincing when another high pitched scream erupted from Jensen’s throat as the widest part of the baby’s head pushed past his stretched out rim. “You’re doing great! Just… just another couple of pu-“
Jensen’s whole body went tense as a bowstring as he pushed with all he had, feeling the large unyielding mass that had to be his son’s head emerge. He gritted his teeth and kept pushing because Jared had been urging him to do so, feeling the rest of the baby’s body slip out of him with a rush of more birth fluids.
“You did it!” Jared announced in wonder, giddy with relief and excitement as he gazed down at the little boy he was holding as if he couldn’t remember how the newborn had ended up in his arms. “The book said I’ll have to clear his airways…” he immediately went back to the matters at hand and barely noticed how their masked captor crossed the room behind his back and left in a hurry. He really didn’t have time to ponder what kind of deal the man had made with the cops or what that meant for him and Jensen because taking care of the baby and Jensen was more important.
Breathing heavily and visibly trembling now that the rush was wearing off, Jensen watched Jared carefully wiping his son’s face with something he had taken out of the first-aid kit and then running his fingertips down the sides of the baby’s nose to clear out any remaining fluids.
A thin wail pierced the air only seconds later, followed by Jared chuckling. “Here’s someone who wants to meet his daddy,” he cooed softly and very carefully placed the fussing newborn on Jensen’s once more soft and deflated belly.
Tears sprang to Jensen’s eyes as he tentatively laid a hand on his son’s back, gently stroking it to calm him down.
Quickly stripping out of his t-shirt, Jared used it to cover Jensen’s arms and the baby boy’s back to keep them warm and noticed how his friend was straining his neck to see his son. “Let’s try to get you more comfortable,” he muttered almost to himself and very gently lifted Jensen into a half sitting up position to slip behind his back and prop him up a little, leaning back against the side of the desk for support.
“You’re cold,” the younger man stated as he felt Jensen shivering against his chest and instinctively wrapped his arms around his chest in an attempt to share his body heat.
“It’s okay. Ah!” Jensen tried to assure as he felt another cramp.
The small gasp had alerted Jared once more but he remembered that Jensen still needed to expel the placenta. “That’s the afterbirth, I guess. It’s supposed to be a lot less painful to birth the placenta and maybe….” He paused considering his offer for a second but then realized that he really didn’t need to be shy of touching Jensen after everything that had just happened. “Maybe I can help.” Jared moved his right hand down Jensen’s arm and then over the soft curve of his now pliable belly to start rubbing soothing circles into the warm flesh.
“Is this okay?” he couldn’t help but ask after a few moments of silence, smiling as he felt Jensen’s nod against his chest. Hearing the faint sounds of an ambulance, Jared breathed a small sigh of relief and held Jensen, who seemed to be falling asleep from exhaustion, a little closer. “Just relax. Everything’s going to be okay now, I promise.”
The End
Author: mpregloveranon
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: NC-17, Mpreg, graphic birth
Disclaimer: I just own a kinky imagination. Every event in this story is purely fictional and I don’t intend to step on anyone’s toes or make money with this.
Summary: The semester break just started and Jensen, who is two weeks from his due date, is about to go home to his parents to have his baby. He had it all planned out but then one of his cravings led him to go out and buy cereal… at three in the morning… in that shop near campus where the cute high school kid worked… and which unfortunately was about to be robbed…
This fic is for my dear friend stjra who won me over at the Fandom Flood Appeal and really needs something to take her mind off all the crappy stuff she’s had to deal with in RL. I hope this is what you wanted, Hon. ;)
Special thanks to: stjra for bidding on my offer and coming up with such a wonderful prompt. dekanter for her generous offer to let me use the beta services she had bid on. prettysilent for being such a great beta and helping me out with my fic. J
“Hey, how’re you doing?” Jared looked up from the book he’d been reading underneath the counter and smiled at Jensen.
Jensen flashed him a genuine, if a bit tired, smile and rubbed his huge pregnant belly. “Well, besides feeling like a beached whale… I’m fine. How are you, and why are you still here and not in bed already?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Jared shot back playfully and started ringing up the few items Jensen had laid on the counter.
“Junior wanted Lucky Charms and I ran out of them yesterday,” Jensen answered good-humoredly, once more patting his bulging belly.
Jared grinned up at him. “I got stuck with the nightshift because Paul was sick and asked me to cover for him. So I guess I’m just too nice for my own good,” he joked and took the twenty that Jensen held out to him to pay for his late-night purchases.
“Yeah, you should definitely get a medal for being such a great guy,” Jensen replied with a playful wink before adding, “and who in their right minds would come to the store at 3 am in the first place?”
Jared looked at Jensen and lifted one eyebrow without saying a word.
“Hey, I’m pregnant! I can do crazy stuff like that because I don’t qualify as someone having full possession of his mental abilities. At least not until the little guy’s born.” An affectionate smile graced Jensen’s lips as he spoke of his unborn child.
“But you’re almost there, aren’t you? And before you ask, I’m not hinting at your weight or anything…” Jared blushed slightly before getting the next words out but he really couldn’t help himself. “You look gorgeous.”
A small blush crept into Jensen’s cheeks as well, taking the comment for the genuine compliment that it was. “Thanks Jared. And you’re right, it’s just two more weeks before I get to meet him.”
“Wow, you must be really excited.” Jared’s eyes were full of awe, trying to imagine how Jensen had to be feeling.
“I am but the whole concept of pushing a living being out of my body kind of terrifies me. I don’t care that my mom says it’s the most beautiful experience in life and that I should try to go with a natural birth; I want painkillers,” Jensen joked but it was evident that he was indeed nervous about the impending birth.
“But now that classes have ended, you’re going home to your parents, right?” Jared asked and saw Jensen nodding in response “So you’ll have your family to support you. That’s great.”
The smile on Jensen’s face started to fade. “I just wish that Kyle would change his mind…”
“That guy’s a jerk and I’m sure he’ll regret letting you go if he ever gets his head out of his ass. You deserve so much better than him!” Jared couldn’t really point his finger at where their easy banter had morphed into such a weird kind of flirty heart-to-heart.
Unaware of the awkwardness, or maybe just affected by the pregnancy hormones and lack of sleep, Jensen sighed. “I wish I could’ve met a nice guy like you at the frat party where I met Kyle.”
‘If you had waited one year, it could’ve been me at the frat party,’ Jared thought to himself but swallowed his reply because it was inappropriate and he would only make a fool of himself if he voiced those thoughts out loud.
The first time Jensen had walked into the store almost a year ago, Jared had fallen head over heels for him but he knew that he didn’t stand a chance because Jensen was a smart, funny, and gorgeous twenty-two year old college student while Jared himself was just an average high school senior. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get all gloomy and regretful on you. Guess that’s my hint that I should go back home and sleep,” Jensen apologized when he noticed how awkward his last sentence must have sounded to Jared’s ears. He couldn’t deny that he liked the kid but he was twenty-two and about to have another guy’s baby, so there would never be anything more than easy friendship between him and Jared.
“Don’t apologize to me. I was bored out of my mind before you came in. I’m glad for the distraction.”
Once more, they shared a smile and didn’t even realize that someone else had just walked into the store.
A shocked yelp escaped Jensen’s throat as he felt an arm wrap around his neck and something cold press against his temple.
“Ohmygod!” Jared exclaimed, jumping up from his chair and going pale as a sheet, when he understood what was happening.
“Put the money in a bag and hand it over or I’ll put a bullet in his head!” the masked robber ordered in a deep, threatening voice.
Jared was torn between staring into Jensen’s panicked green eyes and the gun held to the side of his head, but he had enough presence of mind to discreetly bump his hip against the small button that activated the silent alarm. “I- I’ll do whatever you want. Please, don’t hurt him!”
Far too frightened to register Jared’s pleading voice, Jensen was praying that the guy wouldn’t pull the trigger on him or that he would at least get to the hospital in time so that his baby could be saved. He vaguely remembered hearing about cases where pregnant women got fatally wounded in accidents and their unborn children survived. His panicked thoughts were interrupted by the menacing voice of the robber.
“Give me the damn money already or I’ll shoot the brat and you can watch your buddy slowly bleed to death!” The masked man trailed the barrel of his gun down Jensen’s neck and chest to finally press it into the side of his swollen stomach.
“No! Please…” Jensen whimpered, trembling violently as he realized what the man was threatening to do. His eyes were wide with terror, fixed on Jared who was already fumbling to get the cash register open. “Jared!”
Tearing his eyes away from Jensen’s terrified face, Jared started grabbing bills and throwing them into a plastic bag. “You can have the money! Just don’t- don’t hurt them.” Pushing the last bunch of bills into the bag, Jared held it out to the masked man and focused his gaze back on Jensen, whose face was scrunching up as if he was in pain.
The robber let go of Jensen’s throat and reached for the bag with the money, carelessly shoving Jensen sideways with his other hand that was holding the gun.
Then it all happened really fast. Stumbling backwards, Jensen crashed into a pyramid of stacked cans, sending them flying everywhere, and falling on top of them. Jared jumped out from behind the counter to help Jensen just as the robber made a run for the door but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the red and blue lights flashing outside the store as a patrol car pulled up.
“Dammit! You little fuck called the cops and now you’re gonna regret it!” the robber gritted out furiously and once more swung the gun in Jensen’s general direction but Jared threw himself between the barrel and his friend.
“If you start shooting, the cops will barge in and shoot you,” Jared retorted, trying to keep his voice steady, even if he was scared half to death not only for himself but also for Jensen and his baby.
Apparently he had gotten through to the man because he lowered the gun again and Jared’s nerves calmed enough to realize Jensen’s erratic breathing behind him. “Jensen? Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, gently pulling his friend to his feet just to watch him double over and cry out in pain.
“Oh God, NO!” Jensen whimpered as he slowly tried to straighten up again.
“What’s wrong? Did you hurt your back?” Jared demanded urgently. He had seen Jensen falling backwards so he hopefully hadn’t hurt his stomach in the fall, which was at least one good thing in all this mess.
Jensen’s face lost all its color, making his huge, frightened green eyes stand out in sharp contrast. “I had a contraction.”
A contraction? But that would mean that Jensen was in… “No! You’re just panicking.”
The police officers had stepped out of their patrol car and one of them started shouting out orders to leave the building with their hands raised.
“Stop whining and tell the fucking cops that I’m taking you two hostage and will shoot you if they don’t let me go!” the robber yelled at Jared and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt to shove him towards the door. “And don’t try anything funny or I will shoot your knocked up buddy!”
Jared stumbled towards the door and pulled it open, raising his hands so the cops wouldn’t open fire. “He has taken us hostage and says he’ll shoot us if you don’t let him leave. My friend’s pregnant and hurt. He needs an amb-” he didn’t get any further because the robber’s voice cut him off.
“Enough! Lock the door and show me where the back office is!”
Helplessly watching how the masked man was pressing his gun to Jensen’s side and pushing him towards the back of the store, ignoring his labored breathing and pained moans, Jared did as he was told and quickly locked the door before leading the way to the office.
Just as Jared managed to open the office door with trembling fingers, the robber shoved Jensen at him, swiftly locking the door behind them before checking if the blinds of the windows were all closed.
“He can’t come now…” Jensen whimpered brokenly after the next contraction eased, clutching his bulging belly with sweaty hands.
“You’ll be okay, Jensen. Your due date’s in two weeks, so it’s probably just false labor pains…” Jared tried to soothe his friend, helping him sit down on one of the desk chairs.
Jensen shook his head vehemently. “It’s not. I’ve been having those for weeks and these are so much stronger.” The first tears of distress were leaking from his eyes and trailing down his pale cheeks.
“Shut the fuck UP! I’m trying to think!” the robber shouted angrily, pacing up and down close to the door.
Jared knelt down in front of Jensen and laid a hand on his knee. “You’re going to be fine. Just take deep breaths…try to calm down…” he whispered softly, holding eye contact to reassure not only Jensen but himself as well.
“Oh God…” Jensen whimpered again, muffling his pained moans by pressing one hand to his mouth.
The way in which Jensen’s face contorted in suffering showed Jared just how much distress his friend was really in and he stood up, gently cradling the older man’s face between his hands. Softly stroking his thumbs over smoothly shaven skin, Jared began murmuring small reassurances, voice barely above a whisper. “Deep breaths, Jensen. Think of something nice, like… spending a hot summer day at the beach or… or sitting outside and watching the stars at night. Shhh, you need to calm down. It’s only because of the stress…if you calm down, you’ll be fine again, Jensen,” Jared kept up his monologue, praying that the contractions were indeed only false alarms. He sighed in relief when Jensen finally let go of the breath he’d been holding and relaxed a little. “That’s it. Just try and stay calm.”
A few seconds passed in perfect silence save for the shuffling noises of the robber who was still pacing the room a few feet away from them. Jared was almost sure that the deep breaths were indeed helping Jensen until he hissed in pain and almost fell off his chair, gripping his swollen belly with both hands as he tried to curl in on himself.
“I said shut the fuck UP!” the robber once more shouted, not even sparing them a glance.
“Breathe, Jensen. You’re going to be fine. The cops will get us out of here and take you to the hospital to… to get checked out, and the doctors will give you something to stop the contractions. They can do that, right? You’ll be fine to go home…to your parents and have your baby there, just like you planned,” Jared was trying his hardest to sound calm and confident but he was shaking with nerves on the inside, which made his voice sound jittery.
Jensen hiccupped brokenly and shook his head. “Can’t have the baby now.”
“You won’t. You’ll go back to your folks and everything will be fi-”
“My, my water just broke!” Jensen interrupted Jared’s nervous rant, staring at him with big, fearful eyes as if silently asking for direction.
It took Jared a couple of seconds to wrap his mind around what Jensen had said, and when he lowered his eyes to his friend’s lap, he noticed the dark wet stain where the amniotic fluid had seeped into his jeans. Oh God, it was really happening but Jared couldn’t panic. Not now because Jensen needed him to stay level headed. Giving himself a mental kick, Jared once more stroked his thumbs over Jensen cheekbones and locked eyes with him.
“He’s in labor and the baby is coming,” Jared addressed the man, who was keeping them barricaded in the office, hoping to make a deal. “Please, let him go!” He soothingly carded his fingers through Jensen slightly damp hair as he moaned and panted through another contraction.
“The hell I’m gonna let him go! I need an insurance that’ll get me out of here, and that’s you two lovebirds,” the masked man spat back viciously.
All of a sudden the phone started ringing and their captor hurried over to the window to peak out through a thin slit between the blinds. “They’re right outside,” he grumbled and snatched the cordless phone from the desk, going back to the window. “I got two hostages. The one with the bun in the oven’s about to deliver, so you better let me walk or I shoot them two and the brat!”
Jared flinched at the harsh words but his attention was quickly drawn back to Jensen who was unsuccessfully trying to stand up from the chair. “What are you doing?”
“Need… need to lie down. Feel like pushing.” Jensen got out between gritted teeth, panting hard as a new contraction flared up deep inside him.
“No, no, no! You can’t do that!” Jared replied, freaking out as he realized that Jensen meant business. “You have to wait until we’re out of here and get to the hosp-”
“Help me up!” Jensen added urgently and clawed at Jared’s arms to pull himself up.
Afraid that Jensen might only fall and hurt himself in the process, Jared helped him get up and waddle around the large wooden desk to finally lie down on the cheap carpet.
“Argh! Hurts!” Jensen cried, too out of it to even hear the threats that the robber shouted at him for interrupting his conversation with the police. “Help me… get these off.” he asked Jared, fumbling for the stretchy waistband of his pants.
Carefully Jared pealed the soaked jeans down Jensen’s legs, quickly pulling off his shoes to get the pants off completely. “I… I need gloves. First-aid kit and… and…” he jumped up and went to the locker in the corner behind the desk, retrieving the first-aid kit and grabbing one of his boss’s extra shirts that he kept in the locker in case he spilled anything on himself.
Jensen was awkwardly sitting up and holding onto his bent knees, futilely pushing, his face all scrunched up and flushing as Jared knelt back down next to him.
“Stop! You can’t push until someone’s checked if you’re…loose…er, dilated enough or… or there’s the risk of tearing.” Jared warned insistently.
“Then check!” Jensen shouted at him as the contraction wore off and he was able to fill his lungs with much needed oxygen again, slumping back onto the carpet in exhaustion.
“Okay, okay…” Jared stuttered, gently pulling at Jensen’s hips to shift him onto the pristine white shirt. Then he opened the kit, taking out a pair of sterile gloves and noticing the small red book with the basic information about first-aid. Praying that there was a chapter about emergency births in it, he flipped it open.
A new contraction started building, sending sharp jolts of pain through Jensen’s whole body. “OH GOD!” He did his best to breathe and lie still, flat on his back as he tried to suppress the urge to push. Unfortunately he quickly learned that fighting that urge only seemed to increase the stabbing pain in his lower half. “Jared?”
“The book says labor generally goes on for hours before you need to push,” the younger man started babbling once more, frantically scanning the few pages on birth.
“Need to push NOW!” Jensen screamed, jolting forward again and clawing at his bent knees to pull them towards his chest as he started bearing down.
Jared swiftly grabbed his hurting friend’s underwear and tugged at it hard to pull it down his thighs and off, exposing the lower part of his body.
The first time Jared had laid eyes on Jensen a year ago, he had fantasized about him for days, picturing how he would slowly undress the other man, taking in his naked body before worshipping every inch of his skin. It felt like a cosmic joke to him that his first chance to see Jensen naked was under such distressing circumstances.
Pushing all other thoughts to the back of his mind, Jared finally braced himself mentally and took a look between Jensen’s parted thighs, biting back on a gasp at the sight that greeted him. Jensen’s opening was stretched wide open, blood and other birth fluids leaking out of it and seeping into the previously white dress shirt beneath his hips. The rim of his gaping entrance looked puffy but wide enough that Jared could have fit in one of his fists easily. He couldn’t see any tearing either, so Jared guessed that it was indeed okay to let Jensen push when he felt like he needed to.
“I think you’re good to, to push, Jensen. Looks like ten centimeters but… but try not to push too hard,” Jared instructed in a soft voice, gazing back and forth between Jensen’s reddened face and the small book he had found. “The book says that babies that arrive quickly usually deliver with ease. That’s good! You’re going to be okay, Jen.”
Jensen sagged back against the floor, panting heavily as he tried to fill his lungs with air. He looked as if he wanted to say something but didn’t get any actual words out.
“It’s alright, Jensen. I’ve got you,” Jared hastily assured. “Try to push for ten seconds with the next contraction. I can count…”
“ARGHHHH!” Jensen suddenly screamed, trying to press his legs together.
“No! Jensen? Jensen, what’s wrong?” Jared could tell that Jensen was in a serious amount of pain, the sweat breaking out at his hairline and his erratic breathing giving away that he was hurting worse than before.
Getting worried by Jensen’s unresponsiveness, his incoherent screaming and the fact that he looked as if he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs, Jared leaned forward and started undoing the buttons of Jensen’s shirt. “Jensen, talk to me!” he pleaded anxiously, gently rubbing a gloved hand over the tight-stretched skin of Jensen’s swollen stomach to get his attention. He almost pulled his hand back in shock when he realized how hard the flesh felt beneath his palm.
A surprised gasp escaped Jared, when he lowered his gaze towards Jensen’s birth opening, seeing that the baby’s head was slowly emerging. “The head’s coming… Keep pushing, Jen.” He gently pressed a hand to the thin stretched skin around Jensen’s opening to support the membrane as he had read in the book and quickly looked up at Jensen’s face. Trying to block out his friend’s agonized screams in order to stay more or less level-headed, Jared, to his own surprise, realized that Jensen wasn’t bearing down at all. Apparently the contractions were so strong that they were actually doing most of the work for him but there was no mistaking that Jensen was in a lot of pain.
“Hear that? If you don’t want to have three corpses to deal with, you’ll get in your fucking car and drive back to your coffee and donuts NOW!” Their captor’s voice somehow filtered into Jared’s mind but he was too nervous by the prospect of having to help Jensen deliver to be frightened by the mad man’s threat.
“Jensen? Jensen!” he once more tried to get through to his suffering friend. The contractions not only seemed to be unnaturally strong but were also coming on top of each other as far as Jared could tell by the way that Jensen kept panting erratically between screams. “You need to push. If you push, it’ll be over really soon.”
Jared certainly wasn’t an expert after just skimming the few pages in the first-aid book but half of the baby’s head was already sticking out of Jensen, and if the head was supposed to be the hardest part to deliver, then it couldn’t take that much longer. “Please, try to push, Jen!”
Somehow Jared’s words finally penetrated Jensen’s mind through the wall of red hot pain and fear and he gasped for air, trying to take a deeper breath before pulling his knees to his chest as best as he could and making an effort to push.
“Yeah, that’s it, Jen. Head’s almost out!” Jared said in awe, wincing when another high pitched scream erupted from Jensen’s throat as the widest part of the baby’s head pushed past his stretched out rim. “You’re doing great! Just… just another couple of pu-“
Jensen’s whole body went tense as a bowstring as he pushed with all he had, feeling the large unyielding mass that had to be his son’s head emerge. He gritted his teeth and kept pushing because Jared had been urging him to do so, feeling the rest of the baby’s body slip out of him with a rush of more birth fluids.
“You did it!” Jared announced in wonder, giddy with relief and excitement as he gazed down at the little boy he was holding as if he couldn’t remember how the newborn had ended up in his arms. “The book said I’ll have to clear his airways…” he immediately went back to the matters at hand and barely noticed how their masked captor crossed the room behind his back and left in a hurry. He really didn’t have time to ponder what kind of deal the man had made with the cops or what that meant for him and Jensen because taking care of the baby and Jensen was more important.
Breathing heavily and visibly trembling now that the rush was wearing off, Jensen watched Jared carefully wiping his son’s face with something he had taken out of the first-aid kit and then running his fingertips down the sides of the baby’s nose to clear out any remaining fluids.
A thin wail pierced the air only seconds later, followed by Jared chuckling. “Here’s someone who wants to meet his daddy,” he cooed softly and very carefully placed the fussing newborn on Jensen’s once more soft and deflated belly.
Tears sprang to Jensen’s eyes as he tentatively laid a hand on his son’s back, gently stroking it to calm him down.
Quickly stripping out of his t-shirt, Jared used it to cover Jensen’s arms and the baby boy’s back to keep them warm and noticed how his friend was straining his neck to see his son. “Let’s try to get you more comfortable,” he muttered almost to himself and very gently lifted Jensen into a half sitting up position to slip behind his back and prop him up a little, leaning back against the side of the desk for support.
“You’re cold,” the younger man stated as he felt Jensen shivering against his chest and instinctively wrapped his arms around his chest in an attempt to share his body heat.
“It’s okay. Ah!” Jensen tried to assure as he felt another cramp.
The small gasp had alerted Jared once more but he remembered that Jensen still needed to expel the placenta. “That’s the afterbirth, I guess. It’s supposed to be a lot less painful to birth the placenta and maybe….” He paused considering his offer for a second but then realized that he really didn’t need to be shy of touching Jensen after everything that had just happened. “Maybe I can help.” Jared moved his right hand down Jensen’s arm and then over the soft curve of his now pliable belly to start rubbing soothing circles into the warm flesh.
“Is this okay?” he couldn’t help but ask after a few moments of silence, smiling as he felt Jensen’s nod against his chest. Hearing the faint sounds of an ambulance, Jared breathed a small sigh of relief and held Jensen, who seemed to be falling asleep from exhaustion, a little closer. “Just relax. Everything’s going to be okay now, I promise.”
The End