Chapter 34

Three months pass. Everyone has fallen into a comfortable routine. Brie was finally getting structure back in her life. She finally started sitting more often during that seventh month because she almost went into preterm labor. It finally sank in that she needed to stay in bed like she was told to by her midwife.

Finally, the big day came. Brie was up getting a shower when she started having pains in her abdomen. As she was stepping out of the shower in hers and David's room, her water broke. "David!" she screamed.

He ran into the bathroom. "What is it, honey?"

"Help me to the bed and go get Tiffany. It's time. My water just broke."

He came in and help her get wrapped in a towel, helped her to the bed and ran downstairs. "Tiffany, her water just broke."

"What? Really?" Tiffany said.

"Yeah, her water just broke. I saw the mess in the floor. She was getting out of the shower when it broke, apparently. She yelled for me right after it happened. Can we go upstairs now? I'd like to be with my wife while she has my child."

Tiffany scooted off the stool she as barked orders at the other guys’ wives, telling them everything she would need. She and David then ran up the stairs to where Brie was.

Brie's breathing was labored and forced when David and Tiffany entered the room. She was in the middle of a contraction. David was across the room in no time, holding her hand. She squeezed with everything she had, that was a lot. He felt like his hand was being crushed, but he said nothing. She'd watched him get a gunshot wound cleaned and cauterized, he could help her through labor. He would help her through labor.

Tina, Nicole and Kristen came in the room with the supplies. Tina immediately went to mopping Brie's face with a cool damp rag. Kristen set out the warm towels, and Nicole started running the bath for the water birth that Brie wanted. Tina shoved a cup of ice chips at David. "Feed these to her while she's not contracting. They'll help keep her cool."

David nodded and took the ice chips. Tiffany was organizing everything else that needed to happen, then checked Brie to see how far along she was. She looked at David. "She's about five cm and 50% effaced. She's half way there already. She must have been contracting and dilating all night."

"I don't know. She never complained about anything."

"She wouldn't. You know better than that. She wouldn't want you to worry."

In the middle of a contraction, she yelled at them both, "Stop talking about me like I'm not here." She went back to trying to breathe through the pain.

"Sorry, baby", David said. "But, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't feel anything until I was in the shower. I was stepping out to get you when my water broke, then the contractions hit me like a sledgehammer."

"That makes sense", Tiffany said. "Contractions can do that. Be weak until the water breaks and then come one a million times stronger." She checked on Brie's progress again. "Brie, talk to me. On a scale from one to ten, how bad is it?"

"A 50 at least."

"David, when the next contraction hits, I want you to time it, tell me how long it lasts, then time the time in between that one and the next one."

David nodded, then grabbed his watch off of the bedside table. When the contraction hit, he glanced at his watch and noted the time on a note pad he had in his drawer. He rubbed her back as the contraction progressed, then when she set back against the pillows, he noted the time again, then waited for the next contraction.

Tiffany looked at him. "Taking notes?"

"Yes", he said as she squeezed his hand again and he winced. "Ouch, honey, that hurt", he said calmly, making another note of the time.

"I'm sorry, but I'm giving birth to your child here, I deserve a little leeway", Brie said.