Love Interrupted by evergreenwriter83
Landslide by evergreenwriter83
June 1, 2013


So, take my love, take it down
Oh climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring you down, down


"Today's going to be the day folks. I know someone will be happy to see something other than this room, right?"

"You have no idea."

Nick didn't know how to react. Happy? Terrified? His palms were sweaty. Lauren's head was elevated just slightly on the hospital bed and the giant mound that was his child was trying to OnStar his way out.

Lauren had been in this room the past eight weeks. Nick was pretty sure he hadn't slept for about that long. His eyes felt gritty and his teeth had a layer of gunk on it that was probably a combination of Egg McMuffins and coffee - six sugars, two creams. He knew people would probably get a caffeine high the minute he opened his mouth.

He had been the perfect student. He had watched god knows how many videos on childbirth. He had swaddled Nacho and squeezed the fat booger in the baby sling as he paced around the house.

But everything he had practiced for had gone out the window as her blood pressure had spiked and her body had swelled like Violet Beauregard after she had stolen that bubble gum from Willy Wonka. Now he was going to have to don scrubs and survive the one video that he had avoided with a passion...

"We'll get the team ready for your c-section," Dr. Decker said. "We'll be in there in about, oh, twenty minutes."

The doctor smacked Nick on the back. "It's showtime son."

---


This is THE VOICE!

Yazzy juggled her IPad and her Code Red Mountain Dew as she wound through the group of contestants getting hair, makeup, and wardrobe thrown on at supersonic speed. She almost tripped over a guitar and the sound of a kazoo had her praying that the hopeful from Team Blake would be sent home this time around. Gimmicks can only work so long after all.

"Hey, Yaz, did we get Elton yet?"

She turned her head to see a whirl or curly brown hair settle down around a chiseled, strong face. She really hated guys that had better hair than most women and Andy was one of them.

"No, he's holding out. I've put out a pretty tempting package. I mean Blake and Shakira's contestants wouldn't blend well with him, but Adam would love having him working with his group. I'm getting closer."

Andy smiled. "Just work your charm."

The whirl took off again. Yazzy took another deep swig of her Code Red. She had three twelve-packs still stored in her little hidey hole in Adam's room. No one would think to look for the sugar-laden, fat-laden drink among his natural holistic froo-froo shit. She smiled at the thought.

She was a smart, smart chick.

And a maybe pregnant one, but she pushed that thought aside.

She had Elton to worry about.

---


"Kids, this like a football game. Everything's tightly scripted. There's no surprises. Just relax and we'll be meeting your son here shortly."

Nick almost snorted. If there was a game that was full of surprises it was football. The sweat from his palms left big streaks along his scrub pants. His bright white sneakers were stretched to the limit by the bootie covers they had given him.

"I can't feel a thing," Lauren whispered. She reached for my hand and he took it, squeezing it gently. Nick had never seen a bigger fucking needle in my life than the one they had shoved into her spine just a little while ago. He would have passed out if he hadn't watched those videos. YouTube had everything.

"We're going to prep you," one of the nurses said calmly. She began to swab something across the giant baby cave that was Lauren's stomach. "This is an antispeptic."

Nick waited for Lauren to say something about the warmness or coldness of it since she had always remarked about the gunk for the ultrasounds, but she didn't. She just stared up at Nick, her eyes full of worry.

Her worry increased his worry. He swallowed hard.

"We're going to put the sterile drapes and screen up now," Dr. Decker said. Another nurse stepped right in. "I'm going to put a catheter in your bladder and we'll be ready."

The noises in the room were muted. Nick's ears were ringing. He had five, maybe ten minutes before his world flipped upside down. He blinked quickly to brush off a wave of dizziness. Lauren had a death grip on his hand, squeezing so tight the tips of Nick's fingers were turning white.

"Do you want a seat?"

Nick glanced behind him to see a nurse hovering by a short round stool. He nodded, realizing his knees were actually shaking. He practically collapsed on it.

"Okay, we're going to make the incision," Dr. Decker said. He sounded excited. Nick wondered how someone who delivering twenty or more babies a day could still be so excited.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's gonna be okay, Boose," he mumbled.

But he wasn't sure.

---


The minutes ticked away. Actually, they were more like seconds, but to Yazzy they felt like an eternity. Three cans of Code Red Mountain Dew had filled her bladder enough to take the test she had stored in her bag.

She wondered how he would take the news. Would he be happy? Would he be pissed?

He shouldn't be pissed, of course, she reasoned. It took two to be irresponsible.

The EPT logo was mocking her. She knew the answer was there by now, but she was hesitant to look. Her grandma would be rolling over in her grave. Or then again, maybe not. After all, her mom and dad were married before her mom got pregnant and that hadn't mattered. In the end, her dad had jumped ship faster than a sailor with a pissed off lobster in his pants. Before she could second guess her decision, she grabbed the stick and stared down at the telltale screen.

She exhaled.

---


"I'm going to make a horizontal incision in your lower abdomen. You might feel it just slightly."

The blood throbbed in Nick's ears. If Lauren said anything, he didn't hear.

"And now another one in your uterus..."

It was so simple when Nick was younger. The only thing that mattered was getting laid. Words like uterus weren't even in his vocabulary. Neither was placenta previa.

A suction sound brought him back to the hear and now, breaking through his own thumping heart.

"Nick!"

Lauren sounded panicked.

"You'll feel a bit of tugging," the doctor said, obviously after the fact. "Nick, lift her head just slightly to see."

"I don't want to see!"

The horror in her voice surprised Nick. After weeks of bed rest he was sure she'd want to see. He glanced over and saw the back of a dark haired head. His breath caught.

There was a living, breathing human being born.

"He's out!" the doctor said. Nick sank back down in the chair.

The room was quiet again as a nurse whisked the baby to a side table. The oddness of that sank in.

"Why isn't he crying?" he asked.

"It sometimes takes a minute." the doctor said. He was still with Lauren, no doubt already prepping for restitching.

"Nick, go see," Lauren begged.

But he didn't have to. A second later a very pissed off cry rent the air. The nurses began to coo over the wiggling screamer. Nick's body rose unconsciously. He walked towards his son, pulling out his phone. This was a moment he'd never get back. That first picture for little Zac's baby album.

The camera clicked on its own, his finger slipping onto the snap button right before the phone dropped. His eyes were locked on the baby.

A baby that couldn't be his.


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