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[trueloveskid]

It's almost time for this to be over, she can tell. Any time now, really, and she's been ready for that for days. She waddles like a penguin anytime she goes anywhere, she can barely reach her own feet to put shoes on, and even sleeping has been uncomfortable lately. She's still unsure about what comes next, but at least Neal seems to think that they'll know what they're doing.

At least she'd found a different job, as the receptionist at a salon down the street. Answering phones is something she can do, they don't care if she sits all day, and since she'd started out as a client, they already knew her when they hired her. They also said they could manage without her for awhile after the baby's born.

Which she's really hoping is what's happening now. She's had twinges all day, irregular but unrelenting, and although she hasn't mentioned them to Neal, she knows that he probably knows something's up. She's been wandering around the apartment since she got home, even when he tried to insist that she should sit, because the book and the doctor both said not to go to the hospital yet, and that being active could help the process along. Besides, she's just restless and doesn't want to sit down.

She's in the kitchen getting a drink of water when it happens. There's a release of pressure, like popping the top off a bottle of champagne (or so she imagines, having never actually had champagne), and wetness down her legs. It's a good thing she's wearing a dress.

It's time, there's no doubt about it now, and she grips the edge of the sink as another contraction, a real one now, moves over her. "Neal!"

Comments

[alandwithoutmagic]

Neal was sitting in the family room when he heard her shout his name. He knew that something was up but given that this was the first time he'd done something like this, he didn't know what that something was. He'd wait for her to tell him, he trusted her but worry continued to gnaw at his thoughts. The strain in her voice, the need, she was calling him because she needed him. He bolted to the kitchen in a few quick strides and saw Emma gripping the counter.

"Oh no. We need to go. Now. Come on." He ran to her side and took her hand. She was grabbing it so tightly he winced. "Let me get you to the door and then I'll grab our jackets. What else do we need?"

Neal wasn't freaking out but he was talking very fast and his moments were jittery and uneven.