just_1_word | 12.9. Unexpected
12.9. Unexpected
Co-written with doctortara | Set Christmas Day
[Follows THIS]
Lachlan was running beside the wheelchair that was carrying his wife in a rush towards the Maternity unit at Princeton Plainsboro. He grabbed the nurse’s arm who was pushing her. “Wait, wait! You dinnae understand! The bairn isnae coming. It’s nay February!” he cried, panicking. “It’s Christmas!”
The nurse was calm, though she was trying not to laugh. “Your wife’s waters have broken, Dr Campbell. Your child is coming now whether you want it to or not. There’s no stopping it once that happens. You’re a physician. You don’t need me to tell you that.”
“Are you sure she didnae just pee herself or something? She was drinking a lot of hot chocolate. A wee accident would’ve been-” But he was abruptly cut off when Tara seized the front of his reindeer jumper which was still sticky from where the trifle had landed all over him.
“You did not just suggest I peed myself!” she shrieked as the warnings of another contraction started in her gut again. “How about I claw your balls off and stick them up your nose?!”
Lachlan had the decency to look guilty in amongst his red-faced panic. “It’s nay February!” he argued right back. “The bairn cannae be coming! It’s too soon.” He was once again looking imploringly to the nurse. “Tell her it’s too soon!”
“The diarrhoea, the vomiting, the backache, the nesting… it was all signs Tara’s body was readying itself for birth, Dr Campbell,” the nurse explained as they reached the elevators. “There is no mistake here. Your little one is making an early entrance.”
Lachlan bounced up and down on the balls of his feet and pushed his hand through his already messed up hair. “That was the shortbread, and overdoing it, and… and… obsessive compulsive disorder!” he cried for lack of any other explanation.
Luckily he was strategically placed and Tara grabbed at his sporran and roughly yanked him as close to her as he could get, glaring up at him and gritting her teeth through the wave of pain that sliced through her stomach. “Balls in hand, Campbell. I’m not fucking doing this on my own! You’re going to be right there with me in clawing distance for the whole thing and I will hurt you if you don’t pull it together! Dodgy sperm or fucking OCD or not, the baby is coming. It’s coming,” she repeated for emphasis.
“No… no…” Lachlan shook his head, worrying the sleeve of her shirt helplessly. “It’s too soon. It’s too early… we should just go home and finish dessert.”
Tara nodded slowly, her own tired brown eyes holding his aqua ones as she calmed her tone. “It’s time, Lachie. There’s no going back. It’s scary. I know it’s scary. I can hardly breathe I’m so terrified, but I need you. We need you.”
“I-If something happens… if something goes wrong… I cannae take it,” Lachlan said shakily, his hand finding hers in a tight grip. He squeezed his eyes closed and put his free hand over them. “Fuck, this was one thing that had to go right. It had to go perfectly!”
Tara reached up and tugged on his elbow so he would take his hand away. “Lachie, look at me,” she urged, tears filling her eyes as she watched him. If she folded now and let him do the same, she wouldn’t make it through this. “We’re having a baby. Our baby, here, now. Tell me you meant it when you sung to our bump… ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’. Tell me you meant it,” she begged. “Because whatever happens, this baby is our miracle, Lachie, and he or she is coming now. This is our only chance and I don’t want you miss a thing. Denial, fear, panic… no time for any of that. I need all my energy and yours to give birth to our son or daughter, Lachie. Please.”
Lachlan bit down on his lower lip and then nodded. “Aye… aye, fuck.” He put his hand to his lips again and sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m going to be a dad,” he finally said with a tearful laugh of disbelief.
“You pass out on me and I’ll defib your arse back to consciousness so I can knock you out again myself,” Tara warned, but she gripped his hand with a shaky smile. “Let’s do this, because frankly? I’m done being pregnant. And baby? Just before we go in there, I want you to know that I love you and anything I say is with all the love in the world, no matter how much I will want your balls on a hot poker to fling over the nearest cliff.” The nurse smirked at Lachlan as she wheeled Tara into the elevator. With a heavy swallow and nod, he followed them in, suddenly wondering how the hell he was going to make it through the next twenty four hours without wetting himself… all assuming he still had a penis for the duration.
Word Count | 836
Co-written with doctortara | Set Christmas Day
[Follows THIS]
Lachlan was running beside the wheelchair that was carrying his wife in a rush towards the Maternity unit at Princeton Plainsboro. He grabbed the nurse’s arm who was pushing her. “Wait, wait! You dinnae understand! The bairn isnae coming. It’s nay February!” he cried, panicking. “It’s Christmas!”
The nurse was calm, though she was trying not to laugh. “Your wife’s waters have broken, Dr Campbell. Your child is coming now whether you want it to or not. There’s no stopping it once that happens. You’re a physician. You don’t need me to tell you that.”
“Are you sure she didnae just pee herself or something? She was drinking a lot of hot chocolate. A wee accident would’ve been-” But he was abruptly cut off when Tara seized the front of his reindeer jumper which was still sticky from where the trifle had landed all over him.
“You did not just suggest I peed myself!” she shrieked as the warnings of another contraction started in her gut again. “How about I claw your balls off and stick them up your nose?!”
Lachlan had the decency to look guilty in amongst his red-faced panic. “It’s nay February!” he argued right back. “The bairn cannae be coming! It’s too soon.” He was once again looking imploringly to the nurse. “Tell her it’s too soon!”
“The diarrhoea, the vomiting, the backache, the nesting… it was all signs Tara’s body was readying itself for birth, Dr Campbell,” the nurse explained as they reached the elevators. “There is no mistake here. Your little one is making an early entrance.”
Lachlan bounced up and down on the balls of his feet and pushed his hand through his already messed up hair. “That was the shortbread, and overdoing it, and… and… obsessive compulsive disorder!” he cried for lack of any other explanation.
Luckily he was strategically placed and Tara grabbed at his sporran and roughly yanked him as close to her as he could get, glaring up at him and gritting her teeth through the wave of pain that sliced through her stomach. “Balls in hand, Campbell. I’m not fucking doing this on my own! You’re going to be right there with me in clawing distance for the whole thing and I will hurt you if you don’t pull it together! Dodgy sperm or fucking OCD or not, the baby is coming. It’s coming,” she repeated for emphasis.
“No… no…” Lachlan shook his head, worrying the sleeve of her shirt helplessly. “It’s too soon. It’s too early… we should just go home and finish dessert.”
Tara nodded slowly, her own tired brown eyes holding his aqua ones as she calmed her tone. “It’s time, Lachie. There’s no going back. It’s scary. I know it’s scary. I can hardly breathe I’m so terrified, but I need you. We need you.”
“I-If something happens… if something goes wrong… I cannae take it,” Lachlan said shakily, his hand finding hers in a tight grip. He squeezed his eyes closed and put his free hand over them. “Fuck, this was one thing that had to go right. It had to go perfectly!”
Tara reached up and tugged on his elbow so he would take his hand away. “Lachie, look at me,” she urged, tears filling her eyes as she watched him. If she folded now and let him do the same, she wouldn’t make it through this. “We’re having a baby. Our baby, here, now. Tell me you meant it when you sung to our bump… ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’. Tell me you meant it,” she begged. “Because whatever happens, this baby is our miracle, Lachie, and he or she is coming now. This is our only chance and I don’t want you miss a thing. Denial, fear, panic… no time for any of that. I need all my energy and yours to give birth to our son or daughter, Lachie. Please.”
Lachlan bit down on his lower lip and then nodded. “Aye… aye, fuck.” He put his hand to his lips again and sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m going to be a dad,” he finally said with a tearful laugh of disbelief.
“You pass out on me and I’ll defib your arse back to consciousness so I can knock you out again myself,” Tara warned, but she gripped his hand with a shaky smile. “Let’s do this, because frankly? I’m done being pregnant. And baby? Just before we go in there, I want you to know that I love you and anything I say is with all the love in the world, no matter how much I will want your balls on a hot poker to fling over the nearest cliff.” The nurse smirked at Lachlan as she wheeled Tara into the elevator. With a heavy swallow and nod, he followed them in, suddenly wondering how the hell he was going to make it through the next twenty four hours without wetting himself… all assuming he still had a penis for the duration.
Word Count | 836