Alternate title: Three Men and a Baby

[axemeaquestion]

Holy hell of a morning.

After Coach had gotten shot, the motherfucking mountain man, the one the other called Marshall, didn't waste time. The other woman quickly introduced herself as Jean, a nurse and Marshall's wife, and had barely started trying to stop Coach's bleeding when Marshall brought up the bunker. It was less of a reccomendation and more like a demand. With Coach bleeding as bad as he was coupled with Rochelle's condition, which he would bring up later, the faster they got out the better.

And it was just in time, because as soon as the four of them got out of the hospital and made their quick introductions. Well, introductions coupled with arguing, especially when it was brought up who had shot Coach. Jean was about to shut them up with the roar of a horde did it for her. It didn't take more than a second for them to decide what to do. They abandoned the van (temporarily, they hoped), carried Coach and Rochelle into Marshall and Jean's pickup truck, piled in, and drove the fuck out.

Coach managed to stay conscious, even with all the blood he was losing. Rochelle, though, was out hot (pun intended) in her feverish condition. Jean did her best with the both of them. She said there was a doctor at the bunker, a co-worker she escaped with before she found Marshall again, who could give them a lot better help. Otherwise, between driving and trying to stablize the others, Jean and Marshall didn't have much focus to explain themselves and the bunker. As soon as they were out of the woods, that story was being saved.

The horde finally caught up when they got to the bunker. The slow opening door didn't help. But a crescendo later and the door opened enough for them to crawl under, and all that's left was to shoot the zombies trying to do the same until the door slid closed, just as slowly.

It finally did, and Coach leaned against the wall. He panted, hard.

"God DAMN..."

Jean moved over to him and offered an arm. Marshall was already carrying the unconscious Rochelle in both arms of his own arms, seeing as he wasn't sure how good of an idea it was to haul a pregnant woman over his shoulders.

"Gotta agree with that shit." He grunted. "Doc better still be here."

Comments

[axemeaquestion]

'I'm trying' Rochelle wanted to say, but all that came out was a groan with a pang of pain hit her. She pushed back the worst of a whimper and waved him off. Fuck, this was starting to hurt. And lying down wasn't cutting it, either. A few seconds after Nick left, Rochelle rolled to the edge of her side of the bed and shakily got herself up.

Then she felt something drop. She looked down.

Oh, god dammit.

MEANWHILE (I'M DOING THIS TO MAKE IT MORE SUSPENSEFUL EVEN THOUGH YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO ROCHELLE)...

Travis was asleep in his room. It wasn't that late, but it had been a long goddamn day and the good doctor crashed as soon as he hit the old, dirty mattress.

[candyass]

Oh goddammit.

HE'S MISSING ALL THE ACTION.

Because he's running like hell to get to the doctor's room and banging ont he door. "Hey, Doc? get your goddamn ass up! Something's wrong with Rochelle."

Travis, don't make him come in there.

[axemeaquestion]

IF YOU WERE ROCHELLE YOU WOULD WANT TO MISS ALL OF THIS ACTION.

Also god dammit, Travis was having a decent dream about a time when Vegas strippers weren't zombies when the banging on the door woke him up. He slipped off the mattress and stumbled to his feet and opened the door.

"Jesus, what's going on?"

[candyass]

WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, SHE CAN'T. Baby's gotta come out sometime, Rochelle.

And Nick sympathizes. He misses non-zombie strippers... it's kind of soul crushing to think about what Vegas is now.

But there's a possible baby on the way or something.

"It's Rochelle. Something's going on."

[axemeaquestion]

God dammit everything sucks.

Travis hazily reaches for his glasses. "Okay, okay--" He puts on a professional, serious tone as best he can in his half-asleep state. "Take me to her."

Meanwhile, Rochelle was still staring down at the mess she made. Her water broke, and the stretchy track-pants she wore for comfort were soaked in all the right spot.

"SHIT."

And holy delayed reaction, Batman.

[candyass]

It does.

Goddammit, baby, why couldn't you have waited until morning? It's too late for this.

But yeah, okay. He's taking him back to his and Rochelle's room.

"She said she couldn't get comfortable and told me to get you... I couldn't tell if she was in pain, but..." he thought she might be.

[axemeaquestion]

"I am now!"

Rochelle could hear them coming back. At that, Travis quickened his pace and craned his head around the door.

"Ohhhh, dear."

Rochelle looked up at Travis' remark and went redder than any color her face has ever been in her life. Oh, god dammit. She wish she could blame it on an uncontrollable bladder or something. At this point she'd rather piss herself in front of everyone than push a person out of herself. But Ro wasn't stupid. She knew what was happening.

And god damn it all.

So did Travis. He rushed besides her and gently took her shoulder.

"I think it's time." Travis tried to sound as comforting as he could, but a clearly bewildered looking Rochelle shot him a look. "No shit, I know, I know. Come on, let's get you and that little girl in the med room and I'll wake up Jean."

[candyass]

"Jesus..." Nick watched as Travis rushed in to look at Rochelle. Shit, shit... so it was time, huh?

Nick wasn't even sure how the hell to feel about this. Rochelle was gonna push out a kid.

Their kid.

For now he just went to help her up... had to get her to the med room soon. Shit, shit... how was this going to go? He didn't even know where to begin...

[axemeaquestion]

At first, Rochelle had just been speechless. Now that Nick was helping her too, she favored his side as she was lead out. Finally, she let out a huffed laugh of disbelief. It was breathless and slightly crazed, the same way she would laugh when her adrenaline when they would barely make it to a saferoom.

"I thought I could hold her in for another day. Huh?"

yeah no she's still freaking out she's just in figurative shock.

[candyass]

"Coulda tried holding her in until morning at least, huh?" He asked, flashing his best smirk even if he was kind of, sort of, really freaking out. Goddammit, they were having a baby and he had no idea what to do.

"Guess she really wants out."

[axemeaquestion]

"No shit." Rochelle grunted. Okay, she could really feel it now. Ow. Ow. Ow. "Jesus, she's impatient."

She got it from you, obviously, Nick.

[candyass]

Hey, you can't blame him!

Now if her first word is 'tits' that'll be on him.

Nick reached out to rub a hand over her back as they finally made it to the med room. He had to let her go so she could get situated, but he didn't stray far at all.

Jesus, the kid was really coming out...

[axemeaquestion]

Rochelle nodded and touches the hand on her back--as much as she could. She appreciate it. But shit.

It was late enough that most people were in their rooms. With Travis' help, Rochelle got on the bed and laid down.

"Jesus--"

"I know." Gingerly, Travis propped Rochelle's legs up. "Okay, let's have a look?"

"Shit, you already KNOW the baby's coming--"

"I do, but I gotta figure out how soon."

[candyass]

Nick came back to her side when she was laid down, one hand coming to rest on her shoulder while he looked at Travis.

"It'll be alright, Ro," he tried to sooth, rubbing her shoulder lightly.

[axemeaquestion]

Travis reaches into the nearby cabinet and grabs a sheet to throw over Rochelle's legs. Then he goes to try and get her sweat pants off as gingerly as he can.

"Yeah, yeah..." Rochelle tries to relax and takes Nick's hand. Then another contraction suddenly hits her. "Auuugh, jesus! Nevermind!"

[candyass]

Nick really didn't know what the hell to do here. Telling her to breathe or relax and shit didn't seem like the most helpful thing at the moment when there was pain and no drugs to really help ease it up at all.

Shit, he wished they had something though.

He let her take his hand though, giving it a squeeze. "C'mon, Ro. You can do this."

[axemeaquestion]

Don't worry Nick, Rochelle does it herself. She takes a breath and tries to relax as much as she can in the bed while Travis looks under the hood. So to speak. You know.

"You tell yourself that next time you got to push a person out of yourself, okay?"

Squeezing his hand back regardless, Ro just sounded more breathless than irritated.

"Oh, yeah." Travis says from behind the sheet. "She wants out and it's happening soon."

"Great," Rochelle huffs out and lolls her head to the side.

"This could be the sooner the better, Rochelle."

"What the hell is going--"

Most people were asleep. Most people. Coach woke up. He has the door halfway opened when he sees what's going on and stands there with a deer in the headlights look.

"--Oh."

[candyass]

"Seriously?" Soon.

Shit.

The kid was going to be here soon and Nick was trying to not freak the hell out.

There was almost a little bit of relief when he saw Coach even if all he got was a bit of a glare. "What do you think's going on? The kid's gonna be here soon apparently, Big Guy."

[axemeaquestion]

"Oh my god, I hate all of you." Rochelle groans and hits head against the pillow.

On the bright side of this entire situation, Rochelle's open legs aren't spread in Coach's direction. Both of them are glad for that. Coach lets out a swear and closes the door behind them.

"What do you need, little sister?"

"Out!"

Travis finally looks up. "You're not fully dialated just yet, it's not time to push."

"When?"

"I don't know, Ro. Maybe half an hour, maybe six hours."

[candyass]

"Six?" Jesus, Nick wasn't sure he was looking forward to Ro going through this for six freaking hours. He had a feeling it was going to get way, way worse too... well, if fucking movies and TV were anything to go by.

Not like Nick had any personal experience here.

"So, what do we do? Just wait?"

[axemeaquestion]

"Just wait." Travis straightened up. He took Rochelle's legs off the stirrups and covered her properly with the sheet and some extra time.

Rochelle just groaned.

Meanwhile Coach is standing there.

[candyass]

Nick could wait... well, he didn't have a choice and nothing short of a Charger rushing at his ass could get him to move right now. He gave a look at Coach, who was still just standing there.

"You gonna come in or just gawk, big guy?"

[axemeaquestion]

The woman in question tried to get as comfortable as she could. It was easier said that done. The pressure on her pelvis wasn't doing her favors. She could tell already, this little girl wanted out soon. And while that meant she would be pushing it out of her sooner than she wanted to, it didn't mean she'd have to wait six hours either.

She tries to take a deep breath.

"Now what?"

The question's rhetorical. So she has the baby then... what? Then what the hell were they supposed to do with a child they officially didn't even want. Shit. Rochelle felt stupid for putting this off.

Coach frowned and shakes his head.

"Just lemme know what I could do to help."

[candyass]

"We get you through this," Nick said, even if he was thinking along the same lines. They were going to have a baby they hadn't planned for in a goddamn bunker with zombies just outside.

What the hell had they done?

What were they going to do with her?

He shook his head and tried to shrug off the thoughts. Had more pressing things to worry about and he had no idea how the hell to answer Coach. "You, uh... ever had experience with this kinda thing, Coach?"

He'd never asked Coach if he'd had a family before the whole apocalypse crap happened, but if he had more experience than just his gig teaching health? That'd be a load off.

[axemeaquestion]

"Then what?"

Like Nick would know. Rochelle lolled her head back. "Shit... I should've figured this out a long time ago."

It's not like it hadn't been on her mind.

It didn't SEEM like Coach was bothering Rochelle anymore, so he quietly stepped towards Nick. Nick was the only one he ever mentioned having a family to, so he nods.

"Much as my wife would let me."