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1.
The first time Lucy thinks she’s in labor is when she goes to deliver Tim’s lunch to him that he forgot at home. She is 30 weeks pregnant, and she has just over 2 months to go. She has the day off but Tim doesn’t and honestly she misses him. So bringing him his lunch is just an excuse to see him.
She is just walking into the station with Tim’s lunch in hand when she feels a sharp pain. Shes used to feeling pain, she’s sore all over for the most part and it requires Tim to give her daily massages.
But this a different kind of pain, it feels like a cramping in her abdomen. She takes a deep breath, and blows it. She couldn’t go into labor now, their daughter was still growing and getting stronger everyday.
“Lucy?” A voice says and she turns to see Angela standing behind her looking at her in concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Lucy mutters and she tries to move forward but her abdomen cramps again making her drop the bag on the floor.
Angela rushes over and holds her up, there are several people crowding around them now. “Get Sergeant Bradford now!” Angela barks at someone. Lucy head is down trying to breath through the pain.
Angela helps Lucy to a chair and sits her down. “Where does it hurt Lucy?” She asks. Lucy shakes out her leg a little.
“It feels like cramping. Like a really bad period cramp.” Lucy says. Angela hums softly, and then Lucy hears heavy footsteps and a familiar hand pulling her chin up.
“Lucy.” Tim says. “What’s wrong?” Lucy looks at her husband’s concerned face and she hates that she has him worried. He’s already worried she’s going to go into labor when he’s at work.
“I just got this shooting pain in my leg.” She mutters. “It’s fine.” Tim looks over at Angela, and he doesn’t look convinced she’s fine.
“I don’t think she’s in labor Tim.” Angela says. “It just sounds like Braxton hicks which is common but it’s not real labor.”
“Tim.” She says and just sitting down helped her a little bit. “I’m okay.” Tim just studies her, and then pushes back her hair.
“Are you sure?” He asks. Lucy nods and pulls him forward to give him a kiss.
“I promise. I feel better now.” She says and it’s true. The cramping has gone away and she feels like she can breathe again.
“Okay.” Says Tim. “What are you doing here anyway?” Lucy points to his lunch bag on the floor, and Tim looks at it.
“You forgot your lunch at home.” She says softly. Tim smiles at her, and reaches for the lunch before standing up and helping her up.
“Thank you.” He says. “You didn’t have to do that.” Lucy shrugs, and Tim leads her to his office.
“Are you sure you are okay?” He asks. “If we need to—”
“Baby, I’m fine.” She reassures him. “Baby girl knows it’s too early.” Tim nods and starts pulling the food out of the bad.
“I love you.” He says. Lucy smiles at him feeling grateful for this life of hers.
“I love you too.”
***
2.
The next time Lucy thinks she’s in labor is when she’s 32 weeks pregnant. She’s at the farmer’s market with Tim and she suddenly feels something gushing. She pulls him to a stop, and he immediately has a concerned look on his face.
“Lucy?”
“I need to find a restroom.” She mutters. She lets go of Tim’s hand and hurries towards the public restrooms just beyond the market. She hears Tim behind her, but she slips inside before he can catch up.
She thinks she just peed herself which was embarrassing enough but— there was the possibly her water could have broken.
She hurries in a stall, and pulls her leggings down and she’s relived to see she did indeed pee herself.
Damnit.
“Lucy!” Tim calls from outside the bathroom. Lucy sighs and pulls up her leggings. And hurries out of the bathroom to her nearly frantic husband.
“I just peed myself.” Lucy tells him. “I thought my water broke.” Tim looks more panicked than relived when he hears this and looks her over.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Lucy says. “I just want to go home.” Tim nods and wraps an arm around her, burying his nose in her hair.
“Okay baby.”
“I’m sorry.” She says. “I know we were having a nice day and—”
“It’s okay Luce.” Tim says softly. “It’s okay. We can do this another time.” Lucy nods, and Tim leads her to the truck and helps her get in.
“It’s still too early for her to come.” Lucy says putting on a hand on her stomach. “She is still cooking.”
“Mmm.” Tim says. “You go easy on your mama there baby girl.” Lucy laughs and Tim kisses her again before he’s shutting the door.
She knows they have a while to go until they meet their baby girl but she cannot wait until they do.
***
3.
The next time Lucy thinks she is in labor is when she is 35 weeks pregnant and she’s alone in the house. Tim is out doing errands, but she stayed home because she was feeling under the weather. She lays on the couch, one hand over her head and sighs softly. Everything is getting harder for her to do, from simple things like putting on her shoes to sleeping and eating. She feels huge, and like she could indeed give birth at any second.
She is just about to drift off to sleep when a a sharp pain in her abdomen makes her sit up suddenly. She groans as the pain continues making her close her eyes shut.
She breathes through the pain, in and out, in and out. Her doctor told her at her last appointment she would be probably having Braxton hicks a little more often. And they were normal, if they went away and weren’t consistent she was fine but if they were consistent she probably needed to go in.
She could tell they were going away and she blows out a breath of relief. Her daughter was looking good, but Lucy wanted her in there a little bit longer.
“Stay in there a little bit longer baby girl.” She mutters. “We can’t wait to meet you though.” She feels her daughter kick and she smiles running her hand down her stomach.
Lucy hears the door open, and Tim comes into the room holding some bags. “Hey baby.” He says coming over to give her a kiss. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She mutters. “I had some Braxton hicks. But—” Tim drops the bags and sits down next to Lucy and pulls her closer.
“Are you sure they were—”
“I’m sure Tim.” She says. “They didn’t last and I feel fine now. I told baby girl to stay in there for a little bit longer.”
“Good.” Tim says and he puts his hand on Lucy’s belly. Lucy feels their daughter kick, and Tim’s face lights up.
“Oh I can’t wait to meet her.” He mutters. Lucy laughs and leans over to rest her head on Tim’s chest.
“Me neither.” She mutters. “Me neither.”
***
4.
The next time Lucy thinks she’s in labor is when she’s 36 weeks pregnant. She is now on maternity leave and even though she’s no longer working, she’s exhausted. She doesn’t get any sleep and she’s constantly just moving around in the bed and that keeps Tim up too.
She wants to keep moving around, so she doesn’t feel as exhausted. She is just cleaning up the kitchen when she feels a sharp pain in her back.
She has had a lot of aches lately, a lot of swelling and pain but she’s used to it. This however is something different.
She groans as she bends over holding her back. She doesn’t know how long she is bent over but suddenly Tim is in front of her.
“Lucy?” He says bringing her up with concern all over his face. “What’s wrong?”
“My back hurts.” She mumbles. There’s no use keeping it from Tim, she doesn’t want him to be worried but he would get it out of her no matter what.
“Oh baby.” He says. He goes behind her and rubs it a bit, before she’s standing up straight again. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” She says. Her doctor did tell her that aches and pains were pretty common. And the only reason to be concerned is if they don’t go away. If they did go away, it was probably just a false alarm but if they didn’t go away it could be a sign of early labor.
“It’s better now.” She says. Tim is still behind her rubbing circles on her back. “Maybe I’m working too hard.” Tim makes a soft noise behind her, and then comes around to the front and holds out his hand.
“Go rest Luce.” He says. “Please.” Lucy doesn’t hesitate and lets Tom lead her to the couch, she lays down and Tim bends down to kiss her.
He pulls back and studies her like he’s in awe of her. “You are incredible Luce.” He says. “I’m sorry you are in so much pain.”
Lucy shrugs, and reaches up to touch his cheek. “It will be worth it.” She says and Tim nods in agreement.
“Let me put these groceries away and I will join you okay?” He says. Lucy nods and he gives her one last kiss.
All of this would be worth it in the end. Every single false alarm, all the pain it would be worth it.
And she couldn’t wait.
***
5.
The next time Lucy thinks she’s in labor is when she’s 37 weeks pregnant and she gets more Braxton hicks. She’s just cooking in the kitchen when she feels another sharp pain, one that has her bending over in pain.
It’s so uncomfortable and painful, that she falls to the ground and rolls over on her back and just lays there.
At this point she just wants to have the baby, and to be done with all these aches and pains. And all these cramps that feel like her insides are going to burst out.
“Lucy?” She looks up to see Tim looking down at her, his eyes searching her face.
“What happened?”
“I thought I was in labor.” She says. “It hurt and I fell.” Tim raises his eyebrows at her, looking a little amused.
“Braxton hicks suck.” She mutters. Tim gets down on the floor and helps her up. She sits up, and leans against him. “This is all your fault.” Tim snorts a little, running his fingers through her hair.
“How so?” He asks. She tips her head back so she can really look at him.
“You got me pregnant.” She says. “You did this.”
“Mmm.” Tim says and he stands up and then helps her up, he wraps his arms around her waist and sways them back and forth it. “Pretty sure it takes two to make a baby.”
Lucy rolls her eyes, and drops her head to his shoulder. “I’m ready for this baby to come out.” She says. “Everything hurts. Every time I have cramps, I think I’m in labor and I’m tired.” Tim hums sympathetically and kisses the top of her head.
“It could be any day now Luce.” Tim says. Lucy sighs dramatically, and if she knows her daughter she would probably either be born on her due date or just before it but not late.
“She better not be late.” Lucy says. Tim laughs and rocks her again.
“She’s my daughter, she won’t be late.” He reassures her. “Will you baby girl?” He asks and he puts a hand on her belly. Their daughter gives a swift kick, and Lucy lets out a laugh feeling a little bit better.
“Good.” She says. “You are going to be an amazing dad. You already are.” Tim smiles and presses a kiss to the top of her head again.
“Thank you baby.” He says. “You are going to be an amazing mom.”
Some days Lucy can’t believe they are having a baby together but she really can’t wait for it to begin.
***
+1
next time Lucy thinks she is in labor, she actually is in labor. She is 38 weeks and a few days pregnant. She wakes up that morning, feeling normal and goes on with her normal routine. Tim is at work, but he promised he would be home a little earlier today. She’s in the kitchen making breakfast when she feels a gush, and she knows this time it’s not pee. She looks down to see a puddle of liquid on the ground.
It’s not much but it’s enough to know her water broke.
Fuck.
She grabs her phone from the counter, and dials Tim’s number knowing he would be on the road as soon as she told him.
“Lucy?” Tim picks up on the first ring and he already sounds concerned. She had been trying not to call him for the past few days just because she didn’t want to send him into a panic.
“Hi.” She says leaning against the counter and moving away from the puddle. “How’s your day going?”
“Lucy.” Tim says his voice almost a warning. “What’s wrong?”
“Well—” She says. “My water broke but—” She hears Tim getting up from his chair, and hears his door slamming shut.
“What?” He asks. “Are you sure?”
“Oh yes.” Lucy says. “This is the real deal.” Tim sucks in a breath, and then lets it out.
“Are you having contractions?” He asks. “Are—”
“Not yet.” She says and she looks down realizing she’s still leaking. “But I’m sure they are coming.”
“I’m on my way Luce.” He says. She hears his truck start and she wonders if he even told anyone he was leaving.
“Please drive safely Tim.” She says. She grips the edge of the counter, feeling her abdomen cramp a little.
Tim doesn’t reply, and she knows he’s focusing on getting home and not breaking any traffic laws.
Tim is at the house fifteen minutes later, and ushers Lucy out the door with their bags in hand. “How are you feeling?” He asks as they get on the road, she reaches up to hang onto the bar. Shes starting to get contractions and it’s like with every bump Tim hits she feels them more.
“Fine.” She says closing her eyes and breathing through her nose. She didn’t know what to expect with labor, knowing it was different with everyone.
“Lucy.” He says. “Breathe.” She’s not sure if it’s the adrenaline that this is the actual thing or what.
“Oh my god.” She mutters. “We are having a baby.” Tim lets out a laugh, as he reaches for her hand.
“Yeah we are having a baby.” He says. “Are you ready?”
“No.” She says as another contraction hits. “But we got this.” Tim pulls into the hospital parking lot, and squeezes her hand again.
“Yeah we got this.” He agrees. “We got this.”
***
Lucy is admitted right away, and hooked up to everything. The doctor comes to check her and she’s 4cm dilated. She groans as she falls back on the bed, and looks over at Tim.
“Don’t say it.” He says. Lucy rolls her eyes at him, but she feels herself smiling.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Sure.”
“It is your fault though.” She says. Tim stands up and comes over to the bed and kisses her forehead.
“It will be worth it.” He reminds her. She nods and looks at the baby’s heart monitor. It’s perfect.
“Love you.” She mutters.
“Love you too Luce.”
***
Lucy starts pushing four hours later, and in two pushes their daughter Charlotte Leigh Bradford is born.
Lucy is crying as her baby girl is placed on her chest, and Tim has tears in his eyes too as presses a kiss to both Charlotte’s head and Lucy’s.
“We have a baby.” Lucy whispers running a finger down Charlotte’s cheek. “We have a baby.” Tim lets out a laugh, and kisses Lucy too.
“It was worth it.” He mutters. Lucy laughs a little, feeling absolutely overjoyed at the thought of her little family.
“Yes.” She says. “It was all worth it. Because we got her.” They both look down at Charlotte who has her eyes closed.
Perfect. She was absolutely perfect.
And she knows it could only get better from here.