Unexpected
Chapter 37
*3 months later*
*Harry’s POV*
I stood in the hallway outside room 352 in the maternity ward at the hospital. Chloe had gone into labor 3 hours ago and was being prepped to give birth to our first child. I knew she was in a great deal of pain and her emotions were running wild so I called her mother and got her a last minute plane ticket to London. She and Tess should be on their way to the airport as we speak. Everyone else was sitting in the hallway with me either on a bench or on the floor. It was currently 2:18 in the morning on March 2nd and everyone was exhausted. Liam and Aleanbh sat across from me, Aleanbh with her head on Liam’s shoulder. By the looks of it, she was sleeping. Sammie and Niall were leaned back to back staring into space. Zayn and Louis were having a thumb war but neither was very good at it.
I paced back and forth in front of the room waiting for the doctor to call me in and let me know what was going on. Chloe and I had held out with finding out what the gender was and we were very proud of ourselves for doing so. I was absorbed in my own thoughts when I was startle by a loud sound. It took my half-asleep mind a moment to figure out it was a scream. I looked over to Liam and Aleanbh and saw a pool of liquid forming around Aleanbh.
“What happened?” Liam asked, alarmed. He was now fully awake and ready to run to the moon and back if he had to.
“My water broke!” Aleanbh said, her face contorting in pain. “It hurts!”
“What hurts?” Zayn asked.
“Everything! The contractions are starting,” she said, trying to get up from the floor.
“No, stay down,” Liam instructed. “I’ll go get a nurse.” He ran off down the hall and rounded a corner to find someone to help Aleanbh.
“Great timing,” Louis said.
“I’m sorry, Harry,” Aleanbh apologized, “I know this was supposed to be yours and Chloe’s night. I’ve ruined it, I’m so sorry.”
“No, Aleanbh, don’t apologize,” I said, feeling bad that she thinks she’s ruined everything. “It’s wonderful that our children could have the same birthday!”
She sent me a small smile as Liam came running back around the corner with a nurse pushing a wheelchair hot on his heels. She helped Aleanbh into the chair and pushed her into one of the rooms in the hallway while Liam stayed out with the rest of us.
“Why don’t you go in?” I asked. He’d been talking about how he wanted to see his child just as it was being born.
“I’m afraid,” he admitted. His hands were shaking and I could practically see the adrenaline running through him. He was on edge and now completely wide awake.
“Well, Daddy Payne,” I said with a smile, “welcome to the rest of your life.”
“You, too, Daddy Styles. I hope you have a boy, that way our kids can play together all the time,” Liam said, sitting next to me on the floor.
“They can still play together even if it’s a girl, Liam,” I told him.
“I know,” he said, leaning his head against the wall, “but I think it’d be cool to have boys.”
I nodded in agreement and let myself drift off into a light sleep.
*Chloe’s POV*
I was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to some machines with nurses running all around me. My contractions had hardly any time in between them now and I knew the baby was coming within the hour. I braced myself as I felt the next contraction coming and, to me amazement and displeasure, it was far worse than any I’d had so far.
I yelled and caught the nurses’ attention. “What is it?” one of them asked.
“It’s getting worse!” I yelled through gritted teeth.
“Would you like the father in here?”
I nodded and kept my eyes squeezed shut, hoping to keep my mind off of the pain I was having.
I heard one of the women leave the room and soon Harry was in there with me.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
I glared at him and, lucky for him, he got the hint.
One of the nurses lifted the blanket to see what was going on and made a little gasping noise. She rushed out of the room without saying a word.
“What?” I asked Harry as if he would know. “Why did she leave like that?”
He shrugged and gave me a half smile. “Would you like me to take a look?”
I shrugged and answer and he made his way over to the bed and lifted the blanket. He made the same noise as the nurse, only deeper.
“What?” I was becoming worried now, since I hadn’t been in this situation before and I had no idea what the gasping noise meant.
“I think she might have left,” he said, “because the baby is coming. Now.”
*Aleanbh’s POV*
The nurse had wheeled me into one of the rooms in the maternity ward and helped me onto the bed. They gave me a shot with a big needle that went right up next to my spine. After that experience, I think it’s safe to say that Troy is the only child I will ever be having. Nurses rushed around the room and one tried to call the doctor in but he was busy. Just the news I wanted to hear right now.
“Miss Kennedy?” One of the nurses said, her voice sounding cautious as if she was afraid to talk to me.
“Yeah?”
“Is it alright if I call the father in?”
I nodded just as another contraction hit. They were getting to be worse with less time in between.
The nurse hurried out of the room and returned quickly with Liam in tow. He smiled when he saw me and all I wanted to do was rip out all of his hair.
“How’s it goin, love?”
“How’s it goin? Liam, I have to push a fucking baby out of my-“
“Okay, sorry I asked.” He looked at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign he was nervous. “How long do you think it will be?” he asked one of the nurses.
She lifted the blanket and made a small noise that sounded like a hum. “An hour or so, maybe,” she answered, turning back to whatever she was doing before Liam had interrupted her.
He took a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room and rested his head in his hands.
“Liam?” I said, motioning for him to come over to me.
He stood and walked slowly over to my bed. I grabbed his hand and held it in mine, sending him a small smile.
“Yeah?” he asked after I hadn’t said anything.
I continued to smile as I felt another contraction begin. I started squeezing his hand and watched his face go from somewhat relaxed to completely terrified. His eyes widened and I saw him clench his jaw together. The muscles in his hand tightened as he tried to get some of the pain to go away but there was no way I was letting go until this thing passed. Thankfully for Liam, it was short. I let go of his hand and he jumped out of reach. He looked at me sadly before making his way back to his chair where he remained for one more hour until the baby decided to make its arrival into the world.
*Harry’s POV*
I paced back and forth in the room as I waited for the nurse to return with the doctor. After about 5 minutes and 2 more contractions, they hurried in and the doctor put on some gloves and a blue mask. He lifted the blanket and positioned himself at the end of the bed, ready to help Chloe get my child out.
“Okay, Miss Douglas, I need you to be strong for me,” he said in a light voice. “When I get to 3, push as hard as you can. 1…2…3!”
Chloe groaned as she struggled to do as the doctor instructed. I saw the veins in her neck bulge as she pushed with all of her might.
“Good!” The doctor exclaimed. “This is going to be a fairly quick birth, I see. One more time, when I get to 3, push. 1…2…3!”
Chloe pushed and groaned and tried to keep herself together all at the same time. I watched as the doctor’s face moved into a smile. Although he was wearing a mask, I could tell he was smiling by the way his cheeks puffed out. Almost immediately, a wailing came from under the blanket.
I saw Chloe fall bad, red-faced and sweaty, onto her pillow. I rushed over to her and took her hand in mine.
“You did it,” I whispered, a smile on my face.
The doctor told us he would be right back and left the room with our baby. He hadn’t told us the gender but I had no problem with that. We’d be able to keep the mystery going for a little while longer.
The nurses worked around me to clean Chloe up as she lay exhausted on her bed. The doctor returned a few minutes later with a baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
“Congratulations, Mr. Styles,” he said, holding the bundle out to me. “It’s a girl.”
*Liam’s POV*
I sat in the chair in Aleanbh’s room waiting for the doctor to come in. He was busy delivering another baby so he wasn’t able to get to us immediately. There were a thousand thoughts running through my head as I watched Aleanbh trying to keep her cool.
Was I going to be a good father? Was I going to make the right choices?
The door opening pulled me out of my thoughts and the doctor walked in. He shook my hand and pulled on some clean gloves.
“Hello, Miss Kennedy. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, but, I’m sorry to say, your friends have beaten you in the race to give birth.” He situated himself at the end of the bed and lifted the blanket up so he could deliver our child.
I smiled to myself and mentally congratulated Chloe and Harry on having their baby. I wonder what it is?
The doctor began giving Aleanbh instructions and I watched as she struggled to follow them. After what seemed like hours but was only about 5 minutes, I heard a cry. I realized my baby boy had been born and I felt tears form in my eyes. The nurses cleaned Aleanbh up and the doctor left the room with the baby.
I was unable to move from my spot until he returned with a bundle of blue in his arms.
“Congratulations,” he said with a smile, handing me my son. “You’re the parents of a healthy baby boy.”
I choked back tears as I looked down at my son. His eyes were closed and he was sleeping peacefully in my arms. I took him over to Aleanbh and let her hold him. In that moment, I knew that nothing would ever go wrong again. We were a happy family.
*Harry’s POV*
I stood in the hallway outside room 352 in the maternity ward at the hospital. Chloe had gone into labor 3 hours ago and was being prepped to give birth to our first child. I knew she was in a great deal of pain and her emotions were running wild so I called her mother and got her a last minute plane ticket to London. She and Tess should be on their way to the airport as we speak. Everyone else was sitting in the hallway with me either on a bench or on the floor. It was currently 2:18 in the morning on March 2nd and everyone was exhausted. Liam and Aleanbh sat across from me, Aleanbh with her head on Liam’s shoulder. By the looks of it, she was sleeping. Sammie and Niall were leaned back to back staring into space. Zayn and Louis were having a thumb war but neither was very good at it.
I paced back and forth in front of the room waiting for the doctor to call me in and let me know what was going on. Chloe and I had held out with finding out what the gender was and we were very proud of ourselves for doing so. I was absorbed in my own thoughts when I was startle by a loud sound. It took my half-asleep mind a moment to figure out it was a scream. I looked over to Liam and Aleanbh and saw a pool of liquid forming around Aleanbh.
“What happened?” Liam asked, alarmed. He was now fully awake and ready to run to the moon and back if he had to.
“My water broke!” Aleanbh said, her face contorting in pain. “It hurts!”
“What hurts?” Zayn asked.
“Everything! The contractions are starting,” she said, trying to get up from the floor.
“No, stay down,” Liam instructed. “I’ll go get a nurse.” He ran off down the hall and rounded a corner to find someone to help Aleanbh.
“Great timing,” Louis said.
“I’m sorry, Harry,” Aleanbh apologized, “I know this was supposed to be yours and Chloe’s night. I’ve ruined it, I’m so sorry.”
“No, Aleanbh, don’t apologize,” I said, feeling bad that she thinks she’s ruined everything. “It’s wonderful that our children could have the same birthday!”
She sent me a small smile as Liam came running back around the corner with a nurse pushing a wheelchair hot on his heels. She helped Aleanbh into the chair and pushed her into one of the rooms in the hallway while Liam stayed out with the rest of us.
“Why don’t you go in?” I asked. He’d been talking about how he wanted to see his child just as it was being born.
“I’m afraid,” he admitted. His hands were shaking and I could practically see the adrenaline running through him. He was on edge and now completely wide awake.
“Well, Daddy Payne,” I said with a smile, “welcome to the rest of your life.”
“You, too, Daddy Styles. I hope you have a boy, that way our kids can play together all the time,” Liam said, sitting next to me on the floor.
“They can still play together even if it’s a girl, Liam,” I told him.
“I know,” he said, leaning his head against the wall, “but I think it’d be cool to have boys.”
I nodded in agreement and let myself drift off into a light sleep.
*Chloe’s POV*
I was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to some machines with nurses running all around me. My contractions had hardly any time in between them now and I knew the baby was coming within the hour. I braced myself as I felt the next contraction coming and, to me amazement and displeasure, it was far worse than any I’d had so far.
I yelled and caught the nurses’ attention. “What is it?” one of them asked.
“It’s getting worse!” I yelled through gritted teeth.
“Would you like the father in here?”
I nodded and kept my eyes squeezed shut, hoping to keep my mind off of the pain I was having.
I heard one of the women leave the room and soon Harry was in there with me.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
I glared at him and, lucky for him, he got the hint.
One of the nurses lifted the blanket to see what was going on and made a little gasping noise. She rushed out of the room without saying a word.
“What?” I asked Harry as if he would know. “Why did she leave like that?”
He shrugged and gave me a half smile. “Would you like me to take a look?”
I shrugged and answer and he made his way over to the bed and lifted the blanket. He made the same noise as the nurse, only deeper.
“What?” I was becoming worried now, since I hadn’t been in this situation before and I had no idea what the gasping noise meant.
“I think she might have left,” he said, “because the baby is coming. Now.”
*Aleanbh’s POV*
The nurse had wheeled me into one of the rooms in the maternity ward and helped me onto the bed. They gave me a shot with a big needle that went right up next to my spine. After that experience, I think it’s safe to say that Troy is the only child I will ever be having. Nurses rushed around the room and one tried to call the doctor in but he was busy. Just the news I wanted to hear right now.
“Miss Kennedy?” One of the nurses said, her voice sounding cautious as if she was afraid to talk to me.
“Yeah?”
“Is it alright if I call the father in?”
I nodded just as another contraction hit. They were getting to be worse with less time in between.
The nurse hurried out of the room and returned quickly with Liam in tow. He smiled when he saw me and all I wanted to do was rip out all of his hair.
“How’s it goin, love?”
“How’s it goin? Liam, I have to push a fucking baby out of my-“
“Okay, sorry I asked.” He looked at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign he was nervous. “How long do you think it will be?” he asked one of the nurses.
She lifted the blanket and made a small noise that sounded like a hum. “An hour or so, maybe,” she answered, turning back to whatever she was doing before Liam had interrupted her.
He took a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room and rested his head in his hands.
“Liam?” I said, motioning for him to come over to me.
He stood and walked slowly over to my bed. I grabbed his hand and held it in mine, sending him a small smile.
“Yeah?” he asked after I hadn’t said anything.
I continued to smile as I felt another contraction begin. I started squeezing his hand and watched his face go from somewhat relaxed to completely terrified. His eyes widened and I saw him clench his jaw together. The muscles in his hand tightened as he tried to get some of the pain to go away but there was no way I was letting go until this thing passed. Thankfully for Liam, it was short. I let go of his hand and he jumped out of reach. He looked at me sadly before making his way back to his chair where he remained for one more hour until the baby decided to make its arrival into the world.
*Harry’s POV*
I paced back and forth in the room as I waited for the nurse to return with the doctor. After about 5 minutes and 2 more contractions, they hurried in and the doctor put on some gloves and a blue mask. He lifted the blanket and positioned himself at the end of the bed, ready to help Chloe get my child out.
“Okay, Miss Douglas, I need you to be strong for me,” he said in a light voice. “When I get to 3, push as hard as you can. 1…2…3!”
Chloe groaned as she struggled to do as the doctor instructed. I saw the veins in her neck bulge as she pushed with all of her might.
“Good!” The doctor exclaimed. “This is going to be a fairly quick birth, I see. One more time, when I get to 3, push. 1…2…3!”
Chloe pushed and groaned and tried to keep herself together all at the same time. I watched as the doctor’s face moved into a smile. Although he was wearing a mask, I could tell he was smiling by the way his cheeks puffed out. Almost immediately, a wailing came from under the blanket.
I saw Chloe fall bad, red-faced and sweaty, onto her pillow. I rushed over to her and took her hand in mine.
“You did it,” I whispered, a smile on my face.
The doctor told us he would be right back and left the room with our baby. He hadn’t told us the gender but I had no problem with that. We’d be able to keep the mystery going for a little while longer.
The nurses worked around me to clean Chloe up as she lay exhausted on her bed. The doctor returned a few minutes later with a baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
“Congratulations, Mr. Styles,” he said, holding the bundle out to me. “It’s a girl.”
*Liam’s POV*
I sat in the chair in Aleanbh’s room waiting for the doctor to come in. He was busy delivering another baby so he wasn’t able to get to us immediately. There were a thousand thoughts running through my head as I watched Aleanbh trying to keep her cool.
Was I going to be a good father? Was I going to make the right choices?
The door opening pulled me out of my thoughts and the doctor walked in. He shook my hand and pulled on some clean gloves.
“Hello, Miss Kennedy. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, but, I’m sorry to say, your friends have beaten you in the race to give birth.” He situated himself at the end of the bed and lifted the blanket up so he could deliver our child.
I smiled to myself and mentally congratulated Chloe and Harry on having their baby. I wonder what it is?
The doctor began giving Aleanbh instructions and I watched as she struggled to follow them. After what seemed like hours but was only about 5 minutes, I heard a cry. I realized my baby boy had been born and I felt tears form in my eyes. The nurses cleaned Aleanbh up and the doctor left the room with the baby.
I was unable to move from my spot until he returned with a bundle of blue in his arms.
“Congratulations,” he said with a smile, handing me my son. “You’re the parents of a healthy baby boy.”
I choked back tears as I looked down at my son. His eyes were closed and he was sleeping peacefully in my arms. I took him over to Aleanbh and let her hold him. In that moment, I knew that nothing would ever go wrong again. We were a happy family.
6/16/13