FicWad

I was peeling away strips of painter's tape when he called me from the airport. Geoff and I had spent the long weekend painting the now bare bedroom a supple shade of purple and green, trying our hardest to make it look like a normal nursery. We'd even picked up a crib and changing table from a yard sale in one of the richer neighborhoods in the city, which Geoff had being fixing up and painting white. There wasn't much to the room, but it was a start. It was something that I could be proud of and I know Gee would die over.

Stripping away the last of the offending blue strips from around the window, I plunge my hand into my pocket and open up my phone, "Hello?"

"Berty?" his voice sounds low and muffled, he must have just landed.

I laugh to myself and toss the wad of tape into a nearby trashcan, "Hi, hun."

He sighs softly into the phone, "Well, I'm here. But the plane is taxiing, and I still need my suitcases."

I cock an eyebrow, propping open a window to get the paint fumes out, "Suitcases? I thought you only took one?"

There's a shift of fabric and soft laughter, "Yeah, my mom bought me so much stuff for the baby I needed to buy another suitcase to get it all home."

I roll my eyes and step out of the room, stretching out my back and grunting, "Well, lemme head over to the airport, because by the time I park you'll be ready to go."

Gee whimpers softly in pain, "Okay, see you then."

I blink and stop in my tracks, "What's wrong? You sound hurt..."

Sniffling, he shifts the phone and I can hear a series of rattles and clinks as he struggles up from his seat, "My back hurts from the ride and the baby keeps kicking my liver."

I coo sympathetically and wander down towards the kitchen, the smell of pizza wafting into my brain, "I'll see you in a few minutes, babe."

Gee giggles madly, "Babe? That's a new one."

I grin to myself and grab the car keys out of the junk drawer, stuffing an old biscuit into my mouth, "I'm testing out pet names."

I hear several bells and doors in the background, and he just sighs over all the chaos, "I'll see you when you get here."

I hang up and stuff the phone back into my pocket, as well as the keys, and make my way out the door. It's surprisingly warm for March, and the sky was clear and a brilliant shade of aquamarine. A cool breeze sweeps by as I unlock the car. the ride to the airport seems long, and I keep fidgeting with the radio, darting back and forth between an obscure rap station and bubbly classical music. When I pull onto the freeway, a heavy, nauseating nervousness settles in my stomach and I begin to ponder the last five months. Can Gee and I really handle a baby? And would he be willing to just hand her over to me?

The low roar of airplane engines rumble overhead, and I peer up to see a massive jet soaring over the crowded expanse of asphalt and cars. I pull off the freeway and towards the airport sprawl, navigating my way through tunnels and gates and row after row of glinting cars. The glass dome covering the terminals glints almost menacingly in the sun, and I hold back a sigh. I need to be strong. Gee needs me to be strong. I grab a small pink stub from the meter gate, watching in a dull fascination as the mechanical arm raises and beeps incessantly when I drive though the opening. It takes me a good 20 minutes of circling the maze of Fords and Jeeps and Hondas before I finally find a spot in the far corner on the second level. I wander down towards the entrance, humming to myself. I feel a shudder go down my leg, and sound my phone starts to screech and crackle in the cavernous parking garage.

"Yo?"

"Dammit, Bert hurry up! People are staring at me..."

It's Gee, and he sounds exhausted. I walk out, and avoiding traffic, into the large white building, "I'm here now. Where are you?"

Silence, before he picks up again, "Baggage claim, none of us have gotten our bags yet."

"Well, I'm inside by the check in, I'll be down in 2 seconds."

I hang up and my eyes dart up towards the ceiling, looking for some sort of sign or directions to the baggage claim. It points towards a set of non-descript elevators. So with a shrug, I head that way with my hands tucked neatly into my pockets. As I draw closer to Gee, I can't help but to smile at myself. He's gonna be so fucking excited when he sees the new nursery. The dull rumble of scattered voices reaches my ear, and I look to my left and see a mass of people all crowded around the wide, spinning carousel, searching for their precious parcels. Gee's perched near the back, eyes scanning for not only his things, but me as well. He's looks even bigger than when he left, and his raven hair is tangled and strewn across his face. But it's definitely a sight for sore eyes. I'm coming up to the crowd from behind, so maybe I'll take this opportunity to surprise him.

In fact, I think that's exactly what I want to do.

I quicken my pace and lighten my treads, almost like I'm floating over towards him. I open my arms in a wide arc, and encircle them around his stomach, giggling as he lets out a frightened gasp and clenches in my arms. I start to kiss the back of his neck, nuzzling him deeper as he begins to relax in my arms.

"Je-Jesus Bert," he pants, turning to face me, "Don't do that!"

I bite my lip and grin stupidly, "Did you get your bags?"

He nods curtly, motioning down to the large, grey pieces of luggage at his feet. I scoop up the two lumbering suitcases and head towards the exit, "It's a bit of a walk towards the car. Think you can manage?"

He doesn't answer, and when I turn to ask again, he's leaning against a pilaster, both arms clasped around his stomach and look of fear etched into his face. I instantly drop the bags and dash over to him, pulling his chin up, "Gee? What's wrong? Are you sick?"

But he just starts laughing. It's breathless and frightened, but laughter nonetheless. I cock my eyebrow, and step back a few paces, "What's gotten into you?"

He gives out another wheezing giggle, "I-I think my water just broke..."

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Gee shifts restlessly on the bed, his gown crinkling against the starched sheets. I'm holding onto his hand, trying to keep my composure and stay seated on the small metal stool they've put by his bedside. The doorknob jiggles loudly, and the flustered looking doctor comes in, "We weren't expecting you so soon, Gerard," she mutters quickly, brushing her hair back and putting on a warm smile.

He shifts again, stretching his legs out in front of him, "Trust me, neither was I."

She comes over to the bed, pulling his gown up over his stomach, "How far along did you say you were?"

He shrugs softly as the doctor begins to feel along his stomach and pelvis, "32 weeks. Something like that. My due date isn't until May 13th."

She nods to herself, putting the tip of her glasses against her lips, "You look to big to be 32 weeks. And the baby feels big as well..."

I look up from the stool, "You're saying it could be older?"

She picks up his paper work, grey eyes darting across the tiny scrawl, "You said the due date was based on you're rape file, correct?"

Gee nods slowly, his face going pale and his grip tightening on my hand, "Is there something wrong with the baby?"

She shakes her head, surprisingly, "I want to do an ultrasound, see exactly how far along you are."

We both look at her somewhat petrified, but Gee whimpers out a quick, "okay" before she turns to leave. As soon as the door shuts, he goes pale and stares at me, trying to force back his tears, "This isn't right Bert! I can't be in labor!"

I sigh and run a comforting hand up his arm, "I know, but you were having contractions and you're dilated. Hate to break it to you."

He huffs loudly and flops back onto the pillows, petting his stomach softly, "Dammit, kid, we're not ready yet."

I snuggle up against him, pressing the side of my face against his rib cage, "Hush, Gee. You're body and the baby knows when it's time to come out, this is a good thing, trust me."

He sniffles heavily, threading his fingers through my hair, "My crotch hurts."

I laugh and kiss a patch of bare skin not covered by the wispy green gown, "You're in labor, retard."

He rolls onto his side, facing me fully, "Have you thought of any names yet?"

I blink at him, I hadn't. Not really. I thought he was going to name her, at least that's what we agreed on so many months ago. I shake my head slowly, "No, I-I thought you were naming her."

He smiles, "I am, but a few suggestions wouldn't hurt anybody."

I kiss him fully on the lips, my eyes fluttering shut when I feel him kissing back. The door opens again, and Gee pulls away hastily, tumbling onto his back once more. The doctor, as well as a pair of dark-haired nurses, pull in an ultrasound machine, making Gee cringe. One of the nurses looks up at me, and squeals, "Bert?!"

I look up, and find myself staring into a pair of bright brown eyes. I nearly fall off the stool laughing, "Kitty? Holy shit! I haven't seen you since grad school!"

She giggles loudly, her wispy black hair falling over her eyes, "I know, right? Jesus! How are you?"

The room falls silent as we both look around, trying to hold in our laughter as the doctor and Gee glare at us with fire in their eyes, "Can we hurry up?" Gee yelps, obviously in the throes of another contraction.

Kitty blushes and bites down on her pink-painted lips, "Sorry, sir."

I cup my hands around my mouth and stifle a giggle, laughing even harder as Gee whacks the back of my head. The doctor huffs loudly, and flips on the machine, giving Kitty a harsh look. The other nurse with her, a taller slimer girl, swallows her smile, but winks when I catch her gaze.

"What time did you go into labor this morning?" the doctor asks, running the scanner under Gee's stomach.

"Around 10. I'd just gotten off my plane and Bert was picking me up from the airport." he explains quietly, playing with the tips of his fingers.

The doctor nods, and pauses the image on the baby's head, which judging on the postion of the wand, is already in the birth canal. She studies the screen for a few minutes, and Kitty bounds over to the bed, grinning widely, "So how have you been?" she whispers.

I smile and look over at Gee, "I've been real good. I'm working at St. Joan's now."

She nods happily, "I moved to New York, but it was so friggin cold there. I just had to move back."

The doctor clears her throat loudly, catching my attention, "The baby is going to be okay."

I feel Gee's slick hand grasp onto mine for dear life as the doctor continues, wiping off his stomach and shutting the machine down, "You're about 5 weeks further along than we originally thought. So you're at 37 weeks, which is considered the breaking point for delivery." she explains, pulling a blanket over Gee's legs.

He nods very shakily, and I can feel his hand quaking in my grasp, "So, what now?"

The doctor looks up at a small clock on the wall, "Well, here in a couple of hours you're going to get an epidural, then you'll be ready to have your baby."

Kitty claps stupidly, "Congratulations!"

The doctor huffs loudly and walks out of the room, "Kitty, Lindsey, hurry up!"

The two women wave and smile before darting out the door in a fit of excited laughter. I smile and lay my head on Gee's arm, "So... 5 whole weeks. Guess you were pregnant when Frank..."

I trail off, chewing on the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something stupid. But Gee starts to tremble, and heavy tears bolt down his cheeks, "No... no, it can't be 5 weeks." he mutters, burying his head into his hands.

I blink softly and rub his back as he doubles over in the bed, "Gee... what's wrong?"

He takes in a gasping breath, trying to silence his sobbing, "If it's 5 weeks... then the baby isn't Frank's."


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Can you just smell the drama?! Sorry about the long wait, I like to keep a good sized gap between what I post and what I have pre-written, and with school I just got behind writing this story. But I'm back with a vengence!

Can you dig it?