"Everything okay at work?" I ask Evans after a moment.
He nods. "Yeah, just a few things I have to go sign."
"Evans,I already told you—it's okay if you have to go. I can take care of myself."
He looks down at me. "And I already told you I'm not leaving you alone. Especially now." He smiles. "I can't believe the day is almost here."
"I know." I press my palm to my belly.
"I can't wait to see who he looks like."
I smile up at him. "I hope he looks like you."
He chuckles. "Well, I hope he looks like you."
I really do hope he looks like Evans. I especially hope he has his beautiful blue eyes. But either way, I know I will love him. I already love him more than anything.
"I know it may seem unfair, since the baby is not coming out of any tiny hole in my body, but I'm a little nervous."
"A little?" I laugh.
He grins. "Okay, a lot."
I squeeze his hand. "Me too."
"When is your mom getting here again?" he asks, frowning.
"On Saturday." I smile at the thought. Having my mom here is really going to help me a lot, and apparently Evans too. "I know I told Caroline she could be in the room a long time ago, but I didn't know that my mom was going to be here..."
Evans smiles. "I'll talk to her. I'm sure she'll understand."
"Thank you."
"I'm scared I won't know what to do..." he trails off. We’ve stopped walking and he turns to look at me. In the dark, his blue eyes seem to be glowing.
"Just being by my side is enough."
"You can count on it then." He presses his lips against mine and kisses me slowly. We continue to walk in silence, and I’m exhausted by the time we get back to the house.
My mom arrived that Saturday with my sister Eva. They do make me feel better, but my mom being there makes everything so real. It's harder to hide how scared I am from my mom. I just want the baby out already. The days seem to drag, and I find myself walking for hours every single day. My stomach drops, so I know the baby is getting ready to come out.
It is two days before my due date when the contractions wake me up. I lay in bed, trying not to cry so I won't wake Evans up, but it hurts a lot. The pain radiates from my back to my lower abdomen. I grip the blanket with my hands as I sit up on bed. I've been getting contractions every night and I know better than to go to the hospital every time. I know they won't admit me if I’m still getting false contractions. The doctor came to see me yesterday and she told me I was 3 cm dilated.
I reach for my phone and check the time. I begin to count the minutes in between contractions. They are not long, at first, only lasting a few seconds, but the more time passes, the longer they are.
“Evans," I stutter in the dark. My hand searches for him, feeling the sheets around me. “Evans," I call again, moving him this time.
I feel him shuffle next to me. “Ciara?" he whispers in confusion and then I watch as his blue eyes get wide and he jumps out of bed. “Ciara!" he says, turning on the light.
"I'm..." I take a deep breath. "Fine. But we need to go now."
He nods, reaching for his black pants. He throws a sweater over his head and puts on his shoes and then he walks to me.
"Wait." I close my eyes when he tries helping me. I'm scared to stand up. "Go wake my mom up," I tell him instead.
He leans in and I feel him press his lips against my forehead before he walks out.
"Okay." I sigh, taking a deep breath. I can do this. Slowly, I throw my legs to the side of the bed and stand up. Suddenly, I need to go pee, so I walk to the bathroom. The contractions are still there, and I know they are not going to go away. I don't make it to the toilet and end up peeing myself, so I get in the shower. The hot water feels good and it comforts me. It is right there, in the shower, that I feel my water break. I stand there, in shock. At least it was convenient.
"Ciara,are you okay?" Evans calls from the other side of the curtain.
"Y-yeah," I answer, trying to sound okay. I’m okay. I know this is normal. I'm a nurse. What is it that I tell my patients? Breathe. I need to listen to myself.
After I'm done, I shut the water off and put the robe around me. I grab a hair tie and roll my hair up into a bun.
"You okay?" Evans asks as I walk back to the room.
“Evans, I swear to God if you ask me that one more time," I warn, opening the drawer. I pulled out some underwear and a sports bra. My boobs are so big my bras don't even feel comfortable anymore. They also hurt.
"Let me help you." Evans says softly, taking the underwear from my hands. He leans down and I put my hands on his shoulders, feeling like a little girl as I put my legs through the underwear. He pulls them up and then his hands go on my belly. "Please be good to mommy." he whispers, making me smile. He kisses my belly and then stands up.
I put on the bra and then an oversized shirt and some sweats. Evans puts on the socks for me and I just slip my feet into my soft slippers. My feet are so swollen they feel like they're going to burst.
"Should I carry you?" Evans asks as we walk out of the room.
I shake my head. "No, you go first," I tell him. I can tell he's nervous and I almost feel bad about not being able to comfort him. I’m too busy trying not to cry. I can see my mom and Eva waiting for us at the front door. Evans rushes down the stairs and I take my time, walking down each step one at a time, gripping the lower part of my abdomen with my hand.
It seems like forever before I finally set foot in the living room.
The moment I look up and see my mom, I begin to cry.
"Oh honey," my mom says as she puts her arms around me. "You're going to be fine. You're being so brave...so brave..."
I continue to cry uncontrollably.
I’m scared.
It’s happening.
The time is here.
I know it. I feel it.
The baby is coming.