Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
B riar
Being back in Riverside for what was supposed to be my senior year is bittersweet. We couldn’t find a condo so Aaron and I are living in the hockey house. At least I have Ruby living here, and Annie is also back for veterinary school and living not too far away. The freshman living with us were alarmed at first when they met me at eight and a half months pregnant, but they’d both heard of Aaron and really looked up to him, so they agreed to no parties in the house this year.
While Aaron is in school, I work at Black Jack’s full time. I won’t be working the first few months after Nugget is born, so I want to make up for it now. Jace, my boss, was kind enough to give me day shifts since I am three weeks away from delivery and when night falls, I’m ready to sleep.
A bunch of guys come in to sit at a booth. There are six of them. I’m pretty sure they are on the baseball team. “What can I get you?” I ask the guy sitting on the edge closest to me.
“Whoa, you’re very pregnant,” he notes.
“You’re very observant. Did you want to order?” I ask.
The guy goes to open his mouth. His friend elbows him. “Bruh, she’s Aaron Murray’s girlfriend. Shut the fuck up,” his friend warns.
This isn’t the first time a patron is commenting on how pregnant I am. Some of them like to crack jokes at my expense. I’m at the point where I am too blissfully happy to care. But it is funny when I have a situation when someone knows Aaron, and they are scared of him beating their ass. So far that hasn’t happened.
“Sorry, I’ll have the BLT,” the guy says.
The rest of them give me their order without a hitch. I enter it into the system and go to the bar to collect their drinks.
I see Jace at the bar. “Are the customers behaving today?”
“Mostly,” I say.
Jack walks out of the kitchen. “I promised Aaron I’d have your back if someone starts something with you.”
“I promised him the same thing,” Jace says.
“Oh boy, I really need to remind my boyfriend I can take care of myself,” I say as I lift the drinks.
I head over to the table and place the drinks. After I walk back to the kitchen. Nugget gives me a good kick and I keel forward. Sofia is on day shift with me, and she notices.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’ve just been having these sudden cramps. It’s fine. It passed,” I assure.
“Um, Briar, my brother’s wife just had a baby this summer and they were staying with us. She had cramping pains, and they were called contractions,” Sophia states.
“Nah, I think these are Braxton Hicks. I would know if I was in labor,” I say to her.
For the rest of my shift, I feel the cramps off and on. By the time I get home and place my feet up on the coffee table, they have completely subsided.
Ruby walks through the door with Mack. “Oh hey, we were just about to cook something for dinner. Are you hungry?”
“You know you don’t have to worry about feeding me,” I assure my friend.
“Babe, we’re cooking anyway,” she declares.
“Thanks. That would be great. Do you guys know where Aaron is? I tried to call him, and he wasn’t answering.” I knew he didn’t have a class this time of day, so I wondered where he went.
“He’s meeting with Coach,” Macklin says.
“Oh, okay,” I say since he didn’t mention anything.
I start watching the soap opera I was watching with Catherine in the summer when she calls.
“Hi, Catherine, how are you?” I ask.
“Better now that my cast is off,” she replies. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m tired and ready to have this baby,” I admit.
“I’ll bet. Brody and I spent some time in the kitchen this morning cooking. I’ve made meals that you can freeze so you have something to eat once the baby comes along,” she says.
“Aw! Thanks. That’s so thoughtful,” I reply, followed by a howl as I feel a strong pain.
“Briar, are you okay?” Catherine asks with alarm.
“It’s nothing, it’s these stupid Braxton Hicks,” I explain as I rub my belly.
“Maybe you should go to the doctor and check it out,” she suggests.
“It’s okay. I’m really okay,” I repeat.
“If you’re sure, well, Brody and I wanted to drive out there this weekend to bring you the meals,” she says.
“That sounds amazing, but I think Aaron is going away with the team for training until Sunday morning,” I say.
Just as I say his name, Aaron walks through the door. He’s wearing worn jeans and a Riverside T-shirt.
“Hi,” I say. “I’m just chatting with your mom.”
“Oh good. Can you put her on speaker?” he asks.
I place the call on speaker.
“Hi, Mom,” he says.
“Hi, honey, I was just telling Briar that Dad and I made you guys some meals to freeze so you have something to eat once the baby comes. We wanted to stop by this weekend,” she recaps.
“Actually, I just came from a meeting with Coach. I’m not going out of town this weekend,” he tells me and his mom.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because you’ve been having these weird pains and I am not leaving you alone this close to delivery,” he says like it’s obvious.
“We have three weeks to go. I would’ve been just fine,” I assure him. “But it’ll be nice to have you here.”
He leans in and pecks my lips.
“So it’s settled then. We’ll stop by Saturday afternoon,” Catherine states.
“Sounds good. Thank you.”
“You kids take care,” she says.
“You too,” we say to her in unison.
After we end the call, I try to convince Aaron that I am fine. That we are on schedule.
Ruby calls us into the kitchen since dinner is ready.
“Perfect timing, I’m starved,” Aaron announces.
We head into the kitchen and Aaron helps Macklin set up the table. They made some kind of a pork stew.
We start to eat and I feel a strong pain radiate across my stomach. I drop my fork.
“Shoot, that was painful,” I say.
Ruby frowns. “I think you should go to triage,” she advises.
Ruby and I have been talking a lot about what I need to do when the baby comes.
“What’s going on?” Aaron asks me, his gaze filled with concern.
“She’s been in pain all day,” Ruby states. Such an exaggerator. “You know Briar. She’s a tough girl, but she may be in labor.”
“I’m not in labor.” I laugh. “But I do feel a strong pressure on my bladder. I better go to the bathroom. Sorry for the TMI, Mack.”
“No worries.” He waves.
I waddle out of the kitchen, heading toward the bathroom on the main floor. As I’m walking my legs get wet. “Shit, I think I just pissed myself,” I say to myself, but when I turn around, Ruby and Aaron are following me.
“Ah, Briar,” Ruby says, sounding panicked. “I think your water broke. I don’t think piss falls out of you the same way.”
“Phew, that would’ve been really embarrassing,” I reply then I blink. “Wait, what?”
The words marinate as panic settles in. “Holy shit, are you saying Briar is in labor”? Aaron asks wide-eyed.
“That’s what I’m saying.” Ruby bobs her head repetitively.
“Okay, guys, we need to chill the heck out and get me to a hospital before I deliver Nugget in the Bronco,” I say to Ruby and Aaron. Mack is still in the kitchen. I don’t know if it’s because he’s scared to come out here.
“Damn, we didn’t pack our bags for the hospital yet,” Aaron says.
“I didn’t buy the baby a sleeper to come home in. We don’t have clothes for our baby,” I begin to cry.
“Okay, relax, this is going to be fine,” Ruby soothes. “Aaron, you take Briar to the hospital. I’ll pack her a bag and go pick up some baby stuff.”
“That sounds like a good plan. Shit, where did I leave my keys?” Aaron asks, walking all over the house looking for them.
“I think you left them at the front door, S-shit. . .” Another contraction hits and I howl from pain.
“What should I do? Should I pick you up?” Aaron offers.
“I’m soaking wet. Maybe grab a towel so I don’t get the Bronco dirty,” I say to him.
“I don’t care about the Bronco right now,” he counters.
“Aaron, please. We also don’t have the car seat installed. OMG, our baby won’t be allowed to leave the hospital.”
“Mack, get out here,” Ruby shouts.
He peeks through the kitchen door. “I thought the kitchen may be safer now.”
“Come, we need to go get them what they need,” she says to him.
“Here, take my credit card,” Aaron says to Mack. “Briar, let’s go. If your water broke then that baby could be coming sooner rather than later.”
We head toward the door. Aaron has his keys and his hand is at my lower back.
“Ah, guys,” Ruby says. “You aren’t wearing shoes.”
“Shit,” Aaron growls.
“We can’t even leave the house like normal humans. How are we going to raise our son?” I start to cry.
“No, don’t cry, Buttercup,” Aaron pleads. He helps me slip into the white Crocs I have at the door and he puts on his sneakers. We head out to the Bronco. Aaron places a towel on the seat and helps me into the car.
“I can’t believe how unprepared we are,” I pout.
“We’ll be fine. Think positive,” he says.
“How can you be so positive at a time like this?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “My dad always taught me that under stress I should only have positive thoughts.”
I take a deep breath and try to focus on good things. We are going to be able to meet our little Atlas soon.
I blow out a breath just as another contraction hits. “Shit, Aaron, speed up. This is so painful,” I groan.
The next several hours fly by in a blur of stress, anticipation, pain, and excitement. Atlas is finally here and he’s healthy and perfect.
“You did good, Buttercup,” Aaron says, kissing my lips.
“We did good,” I correct.
The nurse moves us to a maternity room. I’m dozing off when Aaron’s parents enter the room, his father is pushing his mom in a wheelchair.
“Congratulations, you two,” they say, and they both kiss us.
Aaron passes Atlas over to his dad and he grows teary. “Aren’t you a handsome fella?”
“Pass him over, Brody,” Catherine complains playfully.
“You got it, baby. We have a grandson,” he says, and he places Atlas in her arms. She holds him close to her heart and kisses his forehead.
“Dreams do come true,” she mutters, and it takes everything inside me not to break down and cry. When I look over at Aaron, I see that he’s holding on by a string, but he’s holding on and so will I because this is a happy moment for our family, and I don’t want it marred in sadness. I realize I just referred to these people as my family and it’s true. In the nine months I’ve been pregnant that is what they have become.