im just in love with barley okay

/ / /

"Okay, Mom is on her way right now," he said. "She'll meet us at the hospital."

"Okay." You closed your eyes and breathed through your lips. "What if this isn't actually birth? What if it's just one of those false alarms? I'll feel so bad for waking everyone up for nothing..."

"No, no," he said. "Mom told us that it was a good thing to go to the hospital in case anything happened, remember? Even if it's just paranoia or us being worried. She'll be there."

You nodded and swallowed hard. "I just wish I knew what was real and what wasn't. This is so weird."

"Uh... oh! The book said that all you gotta do is  time your contractions," he said, turning onto the highway. You took in a deep breath; the hospital was only about ten minutes away. "So if they're five minutes apart, then you know you need to be in the hospital. Or something. Are you contracting yet?"

You shifted in discomfort. "Not yet. Wait..."

His eyes darted to you as you gripped his upper arm and groaned. "Okay, yeah, I'm contracting. Okay. It hurts."

"Check the time, check the time!"

You lifted up Barley's phone and turned the screen on. You groaned. "It's three thirty-two."

"Okay, in five minutes we will know for sure if you're giving birth. How are you feelin', baby? You okay?" 

You worked through breathing as the pain vanished in a slowly dissolving wave. "I'm okay."

He reached for your hand. His thumb made circles around the back of your hand. "I know it hurts, baby. Deep breaths."

You nodded. There were tears in your eyes, and you weren't sure if it was pain or fear of the unknown that was causing them. He lifted up your joined hands to wipe the tears away from your cheek with the back of his fingers. He offered a confident smile, a soft one full of love and care that made you feel a little better.

"If this is it," he said, "then that means that we get to bring our baby home even earlier than we thought. That's exciting, huh? In a few months, he'll say his first word. He'll be crawling and getting into things... he'll be trying all these new foods..."

"And in a few hours, maybe we'll be holding him," you whispered. 

"Yeah." His voice grew faint as he pulled into the hospital. He undid his seat belt and looked at you. "Maybe we will."

Your tear filled eyes met his and you undid your belt. The pain was starting to grow severe once again. You nodded. "Barley, it is time."

/ /

"We suspect that you'll start pushing anywhere within six hours," the nurse said, washing her hands at the sink after she checked you.

Barley helped you cover yourself back up with the thin sheet. He stroked your hair as you rubbed your stomach. "It'll take that long?"

"It doesn't happen as quickly as movies say," she said, smiling. "Just sit tight, I'll be around." 

"Thank you," you said. As she left the room, shutting the door behind her, you looked up at Barley. He sank back down in his stool and scooted close to you. His fingers intertwined with yours. "This baby business takes a little too long."

"What if there was a spell that gave you the ability to just grow your baby in half a second and birth it whenever you wanted? That'd be useful right now, huh?" 

You scoffed and laughed. "Stop." 

"Just tryin' to entertain you, baby," he said. 

"I know." Your eyes widened. "Oh! Barley, you made a mix for the baby to come into the world to. Do you have it?" 

He fished around in the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a tape. "Right here. I've been carrying it with me since we found out."

"Do you think he'll have your eyes or mine?" you whispered. 

"Yours. If he's lucky."

You shook your head. "I hope he looks just like you, Bar."

"So do I," Laurel said. She had silently poked her head into the room. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Mom," Barley said. He let go of your hand to rush over to her. He enveloped her in a hug. 

Ian came walking in behind her, a stuffed bear in his hands. He skipped greeting his brother and brought you the plush. "I'd say it's for you, but really it's for the baby."

You took it. "Aw, Ian---"

"I wanted to get my nephew his first present," he said.

You looked at the plush in your hands. It held a magic wand and wore a sparkly blue wizard hat. "How fitting. Thank you." 

He grinned. Barley slung his arm over his brother. "Aw, Uncle Ian bought our kid his very first wizard toy!"

"Yeah," Ian laughed. "I just thought it'd be cute." 

"It's so cute," you said. You glanced over to Laurel, who placed a hand on your arm. "Hey, Laurel."

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked. 

"I'm okay," you said. "A little uncomfortable and even though they gave me all the medicine, I still feel a little pull and they say that's when I'm contracting..." 

Barley elbowed his brother and jerked his head to the hall. "Want to get away from all the girl talk?" 

"Sure," Ian replied. 

"Hey, Bar, this is your son doing all of this to me," you said, raising your eyebrows. 

Everyone laughed and Barley and Ian slipped out of the room quietly. They went to the vending machines outside of the waiting room. Barley shoved in a couple of dollars and bought them each a Mountain Doom, and then they stood by the window and watched the cars drive by on the busy highway.

"How are you really feeling? Nervous?" Ian asked. 

Barley shrugged. "Maybe a little bit." 

"You know you'll be a great dad," he said. "You did a pretty great job raising me, anyway." 

"Thanks." He smiled. "I just worry about... not being there for him. Or her." 

Ian's eyebrows pulled together. "What do you mean?" 

"Sometimes I feel like I can't see myself in their entire future," he admitted. He sighed and dropped his head. "I can't see what it'll be like raising a baby. I only had a dad for three years. Then he was gone."

"Barley, he was still your dad," Ian said, "and you aren't going anywhere."

Barley sighed and gave a sad smile. "It's just... easy to worry. I don't like being scared but it's hard not to be when you've got a wife and a kid depending on you. No wonder Dad tried everything to give us a shot to meet him."

Ian nodded. "You know, this is coming from my big brother who once fought a dragon for a shot to see his dad and for me to see my dad. Barley, relax. You are gonna be a great dad and you shouldn't waste your time now being scared about possibilities!"

Barley slowly smiled, his fears dwindling. "So the apprentice has become the master. Thanks, little brother."

Barley wrapped his arms around his little brother and held him tightly. He scruffed up his hair and released him with a chuckle. It finally hit him that he had already raised a kid and brought him out into the adult world. He had been there for all of it, and Ian had turned out alright.

/ /

Six hours went by agonisingly slow. You were so nervous that by the time Laurel and Ian were whisked out of the room and the doctors checked to see that you were dialated to ten centimeters, you were trembling and your arms were as numb as your lower half that had been numbed by medicine.

Barley took your hand as the nurses prepared you for delivery. "Hey, I love you."

"I love you, too." You looked at him nervously, and he pressed play on the player so that his birth song played. "You really think I can do this?"

"I know you can," he said. He kissed the top of your head and gripped your hand tight.

"Don't let go of my hand," you warned. Your voice went soft. "Please."

"Never, milady," he said.

"Okay," the nurse at the foot of your bed said. "Deep breaths."

You inhaled deeply. "And don't pass out on me, Bar."

"A warrior such as myself couldn't," he told you, but as you started to push, he couldn't help but feel more than a little lightheaded. "Warriors don't pass out, Barley."

You shook your head. "You talking to yourself really doesn't make me feel better---"

"And push," ordered the nurse.

You closed your eyes tight as you pushed with everything inside of you. You let out a loud groan of pain and effort as you stopped with a panicked gasp. You wanted a break, but they were already pushing you to push again.

"I don't know if I can do this," you whispered.

"Baby, come on," he said. His lips were by your ear. You pushed again. "You're doing it, you're doing it. You are so awesome, babe, and you've never been hotter and I mean that."

You didn't respond but you squeezed his hand tighter in yours and looked up at him for a brief moment, before you were ordered to push again. You did, and everything stopped in a rush of calm.

At the same moment, a baby wailed into the air, and you and Barley collectively felt your hearts fill and break together.

/ / /

part 4 to come soon