Page 11 of In Love With My Best Friend

The buzzer goes off from the door and I tell them, “We gotta go, dinner is here. Love you guys,” I hang up the phone and tell Larissa, “Stay here. Keep your feet up. I know you’re tired.”

“Okay, but I don’t mind helping,” her eyes never leaving mine. She always makes eye contact with me and I have to say, I fucking love it.

“Let me spoil you, Baby,” I tell her as I make my way to the door.

Larissa

It’s two days later when it happens. I woke up in severe pain. More than just the back pain they warn you about. I could barely walk or breathe. I sit up and slide my legs over the side of the bed and a light instantly turns on.

“What’s wrong?” Jake asks.

“I think, uh, we need to head to the hospital,” I barely breathe out. Talking is now hard. This is happening a lot faster than all of the books said it would. They said to be prepared for a long labor for your first child.

“Are you sure?” I know he means well, but the pain that is ramping up isn’t helping me.

“I’m freaking sure,” I breathe through the contraction somehow.

He’s up and getting dressed, grabbing our bags and the diaper bag. I hear him throw it down by the front door and then he’s back helping me get dressed.

“What do you want to wear?” I look down at the nightgown I’m wearing. I don’t want to change, but I can’t wear this and slippers outside. The weather is starting to change and it’s getting colder at night.

“Leggings, a shirt, and my deck shoes.” I want to be as comfortable as possible.

“Grabbing them now, then I’ll help you get dressed.” He runs into the closet and comes back quickly. I go to stand up and another contraction hits me.

“Shit, that hurts,” I grumble. Jake whips my nightgown up and over my head. I’m naked underneath and I’m not dealing with undergarments at this point.

“Fuck, you need a bra. Hold on,” he says as he turns to leave. I reach for his wrist, “Jake, no. I won’t be able to handle it constricting me.”

He throws my shirt up and over my head and helps me get into it. Then he drops down onto his knees, as he helps guide my leggings up my legs, next he’s helping me stand to finish dressing me. I slide my feet into my shoes and then we’re both walking to the door.

I’m breathing through the excruciating pain and I’m cussing every pregnancy book I can at this point, though it’s all in my head. I can see Jake is frazzled enough. I don’t want to make it worse.

“Ready?” he asks. I nod my head yes and step onto the elevator with him as he carries the bags. We put the car seat in his truck the other day. He was grumbling the whole time saying it was time to turn my piece of shit car into mincemeat. I simply said, “We have more important things to deal with right now than a car.” He shut up after that.

We make it to his vehicle in no time. Jake practically lifts me up and buckles me in.

“Jake, Jake!” I grab his attention. “I promise I’m okay. We’re going to get through this,” I tell him.

“We are. I know we are, I’d just feel better if we were at the hospital already,” he states as he shuts the door and hops in the driver’s seat. He reaches for my hand and holds it the entire way, through every contraction and every light we get stuck at.

We make it to the hospital and Jake throws the truck into park and flies around to me. I guess he called ahead because there are nurses waiting for us at the entrance with a wheelchair. I grumble, “I can walk.”

“The hell you will, Larissa. Please, listen to them,” he whispers into my ear.

“Fine, but did you call your parents? I promised we’d call them as soon as we were here,” I relay the information I may have forgotten.

“I’ll call them while I go park the truck. Go inside, I’ll be by your side in three minutes,” he states and gives me a quick kiss. The tightening in my stomach has me nodding to the nurses.

I hate seeing Jake leave, but I know he has to move the truck. I look back one more time as they wheel me in and all I see are Jake’s tail lights.

Jake

It was a grueling four hours. That’s how long it took start to finish. The nurses said it’s rare for it to be this short of time for your first child. I thought it was too damn long. To see Larissa in pain and then push with all her strength. She did it though and delivered an eight-pound ten ounce and twenty-two-inch, handsome baby boy. It took us a bit, but we both agreed on the name Elijah Michael Price.

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