Archive of Our Own

Tommy’s doctor hadn’t expected him to make it all the way to his due date on account of his age. She’d explained that geriatric pregnancies carried a higher risk of pre-term labour, and the risks grew the older the parent was, so being that Tommy was 48 and a male carrier (who therefore already had a higher chance of pre-term labour), she’d told Tommy and Buck repeatedly to expect an early labor, probably even NICU time for their little girl.

Of course Tommy knew there was only so much control he had over when he went into labor, but when the doctor told him that he took it as a challenge to keep his daughter in as long as possible. He’d always been stubborn, usually wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, and had never liked being told he couldn’t do something. All that meant he’d been doing his absolute damndest to make it even remotely close to his due date. His goal simply to avoid NICU time, to not have the baby until she was big enough to survive on her own.

It wasn’t always easy at times, especially when grappling with the knowledge that even if he did everything just right, it still could happen despite his best efforts. But Tommy would never be able to live with himself if he didn’t try, and he definitely was doing all he could. His doctor was impressed if not genuinely surprised that he hadn’t delivered yet by 36 weeks. She had him coming in twice a week for monitoring, and both Tommy and the baby were doing perfect.

The same thing happened at 37 weeks, then 38, and then 39. Every day that Tommy didn’t go into labor he was relieved, and every extra week their daughter hadn’t forced her way into the world too early was a victory in Tommy’s books at least.

Tommy was awoken on his due date by Evan bringing him breakfast in bed. “Evan, what did you…?” He rubbed his eyes and looked at his husband as he realized what Evan had done. “You didn’t have to do all this.” Tommy said as he looked at the spread- pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit, orange juice, the works. He sat up in bed and upon further inspection found the pancakes were chocolate chip pancakes and Evan had made a big ‘40!’ on the pancake at the top of the stack.

“Well it’s not every day you make it to your due date after basically being told there was no way it was going to happen.” Buck pointed out. He was so proud of his husband- Buck knew how much this meant to Tommy, and Buck was so glad it had happened considering how out of their control it really was. Of course Tommy had been doing anything and everything he could to achieve this too, and it had paid off.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Tommy smiled. He really had done it. It was his due date and she was still safe inside him. And now when she came she’d be ready. She’d be okay. He slid closer to the side of the bed and held out his hands for Evan to help him up. “I gotta pee before I can eat breakfast.”

Buck chuckled fondly and helped Tommy up out of bed. The baby had dropped into Tommy’s pelvis last week, and since then he’d been having an extra hard time standing up from a sitting position. Buck never teased Tommy for it or complained though. Tommy was doing all the hard work, and putting up with all the discomfort. Helping him when and where possible was the least Buck could do.

Tommy went to the bathroom and did this business, then returned to their bedroom and went up to Evan. “Good morning.” He smiled and pecked his husband on the lips.

Buck happily kissed Tommy back and chuckled, “Morning.”

Tommy grabbed Evan’s hand and pressed it to his belly where the baby was kicking. “And Elena also says good morning daddy.”

Buck smiled and kept his hand on Tommy’s belly as he crouched down so he was eye-level with Tommy’s bump. “Good morning princess.”

Tommy smiled at his husband as Evan continued to talk to the baby for a moment, before they both sat down on the bed to eat breakfast.

Later that day Tommy had an appointment with his doctor, who came into the room shortly after Tommy and Evan arrived at the clinic.

“Well Tommy I gotta say I am shocked we’re here.” Dr Turner smiled as she entered the room. “It’s not very often I’m proven wrong, but you did it.”

“You told him he couldn’t do it and he took that as a challenge.” Buck told Dr Turner proudly. “And Tommy doesn’t lose.”

“Clearly not.” Dr Turner chuckled. “Tommy how are you feeling?”

“Relieved.” Tommy was quick to say. “And pretty damn proud of myself to be honest.”

“You should be.” Dr Turner told him. “Let’s see how you and baby girl are doing.”

Tommy and the baby were both doing well, and now all that was left to do was wait for labor to start. He’d have to go back to see Dr Turner every couple days now if he didn’t go into labor soon, but Tommy wasn’t phased at all. He’d do whatever he needed to to ensure the best possible outcome for their daughter.

A couple days passed and there was still no sign of labor. Evan was at work- which he’d gone to reluctantly and only after nearly 45 minutes of Tommy convincing him to go. Evan wanted to start his parental leave now, but Tommy kept telling him to wait until Elena was born and then start so he could maximize his time at home with the baby. Maddie had come over with Nash while Jee-Yun was at school.

“You’re not at all bothered that labor hasn’t started yet?” Maddie couldn’t help but wonder as her and Tommy sat in the living room and chatted. Nash was down for his afternoon nap in the guest bedroom in a pack’n’play, meaning Maddie and Tommy were able to have an adult conversation.

Tommy shook his head. “No, not really.” He shrugged. “I mean sure it feels like there’s a bowling ball in my pelvis and I can’t get up from the couch without help and I have to pee every ten minutes but I don’t mind.”

“I can’t tell if that’s sarcasm or not.” Maddie confessed with a chuckle.

“I’m being serious. She’ll come when she’s ready.” Tommy insisted. He looked down at his belly and absentmindedly ran a hand over it. “Besides, she’s- she’s safe right now, you know? I’ll never be able to protect her as well as I can right now.” Tommy hadn’t even given birth yet, but he was already starting to grieve the sense of security he felt knowing that he was with her every moment of every day.

Maddie nodded in understanding. She knew that feeling. “I get it.”

“Yeah.” Tommy sipped his water, then added, “So as long as she’s good, so am I.” And Tommy meant it. He really did.

“We gotta stop meeting like this.” Dr Turner joked when she entered the room at Tommy’s 41 week appointment.

Tommy chuckled. “Won’t happen too many more times, I promise.” He told her.

“No, it can’t.” Dr Turner said. She did a thorough job checking over Tommy and the baby, finding everything was a-okay as usual.

“Everything looks good?” Buck asked as he watched Dr Turner finish her usual exam.

“Yes, but I meant what I said before when I said we have to stop meeting like this. Going a little overdue is okay. But going too far overdue can create problems I’d like to try and avoid if we can. You’ve had extremely good luck with this pregnancy, Tommy, and it would be a shame to start pushing that luck now when we’re so close to the finish-line.”

Tommy swallowed hard. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s time we consider induction.” Dr Turner said simply.

Buck was admittedly getting a little antsy to meet their daughter, but he only wanted to do what would make Tommy the most comfortable.

Tommy absent-mindedly rubbed his hand over his belly as he considered what Dr Turner was saying. Everything had been going well, and he understood what Dr Turner was saying about not pushing his luck, but Tommy wanted to let nature run it’s course. The chances of them having another baby after this were slim- if any- and so Tommy wanted to savor this, he didn’t want to take any short cuts. A small part of him felt like induction meant failure. “How much longer could we wait?” He wondered.

“I absolutely cannot allow you to go over 42 weeks. If you still aren’t in labor by then, induction with Pitocin is necessary.” Dr Turner warned.

“Okay. So we wait til 42 weeks.” Tommy said simply.

“Tommy, Buck, I think we should consider starting sooner,” Dr Turner started.

“I’d rather try and do it on my own without Pitocin, Dr Turner,” Tommy explained. “I obviously don’t want to risk her health or safety, but if she’s still doing well, I’m in no rush to get her out.”

Dr Turner pursed her lips and looked at Tommy’s chart again as though she was considering.

Tommy turned his head to the side and looked down. “Fucking hell.” He muttered under his breath to himself. 

Buck squeezed Tommy’s hand, unsure what to do or say just yet.

Tommy sighed and looked back up at Dr Turner. “What if we do a membrane sweep today, and then you send me home with medication I can take if I’m still not in labor by 12:01 A-M day-one of week 42?” Tommy bargained, desperate to avoid the pitocin at all costs. “And if that still doesn’t work I’ll be at the hospital at 9 A-M that same morning to start the Pitocin.”

“Fine. Deal.” Dr Turner agreed.

Three days later was when Tommy finally snapped- not his water, unfortunately, but his patience. He was uncomfortable, miserable, and so over being pregnant. He just wanted to meet his little girl. Despite that, he still didn’t want the induction, wouldn’t even let himself take the stupid Cervidil Dr Turner sent him home with. He didn’t want to admit failure, but Tommy did desperately want this to be over.

And when Buck got home from his shift, he could tell that Tommy was getting severely uncomfortable and desperate to go into labor. He understood why Tommy didn’t want to get induced, but Buck couldn’t stand by and do nothing while the love of his life was so uncomfortable. So Buck decided to set out to do what he could to take matters into his own hands. He waited until Tommy had gone for a late-morning nap to set his plan into action.

First Buck called Hen seeing as she was his Captain and Buck didn’t plan on returning to work again until his parental leave and at least half his accumulated PTO was all used up.

“ Hey, is it finally starting ?” Hen asked upon answering the phone. For weeks now, anytime Tommy or Buck called anyone, they asked if it was time, which at this point was quite understandable but annoying as hell too.

“Not yet.” Buck sighed. “But I’m starting my parental leave now.” He told her.

“ Tommy told me I wasn’t allowed to take you off the roster until he was in labor. ” Hen warned. The decision was ultimately up to Buck, but Hen was trying to caution him against the idea of going against what his severely pregnant husband had said.

“I know.” Buck assured her. “And I know he’s not in labor quite yet, but he will be soon one way or another. And I don’t want to risk not being here for him at this rate.”

“ Good man. ” Hen clearly agreed with what Buck had decided. “ Let us know when it finally happens ?”

“Of course.” Buck agreed. He wrapped up the phone call with Hen, then called Maddie next.

“ Hey Buck, is it time yet ?” Maddie asked.

“No. But we sure would like it to be.” Buck told her with a heavy sigh. “When you were overdue with Jee-Yun, you tried all kinds of stuff to try and trigger labor, right?”

“ Yeah I did, but, ” Maddie started.

“What did you try?” Buck grabbed a pen and pad of paper.

“ God what didn’t we try ?” Maddie sounded like she was thinking. “ Walking, curb-walking, spicy food, sex, eating dates, bouncing on a birthing ball, eating pineapple, different teas ,” She rattled off. “ Nothing worked for me .”

Buck made some notes as Maddie listed things off. “Nothing?”

“ Most of the at-home induction methods aren’t really scientifically backed. ” Maddie explained. “ But they do have a lot of anecdotal evidence. Some folks swear by things, and for others, nothing works .”

“Right.” Buck mumbled.

“ If Tommy’s up for it, nipple stimulation and/or sex do have some actual research to suggest they can help. ” Maddie added.

Buck added those to his list and put stars beside them. “Okay.”

“ Most of it doesn’t hurt to try. I mean curb-walking isn’t fun, but it’s harmless. The only thing some swear by that I couldn’t bring myself to try was castor oil .” Maddie continued.

Buck wrote down ‘castor oil’ with a question mark next to it. “Got it. Well thanks for the advice Maddie.”

“ Of course, tell Tommy I said good luck .” Maddie requested.

“Sure.” Buck agreed and wrapped up the call. He wouldn’t tell Tommy good luck from Maddie just yet. Because he wasn’t going to tell Tommy about this plan just yet.

Tommy didn’t want to be induced. He wanted to do this on his own. Except now Tommy was getting too uncomfortable, but was too proud to admit it. So to Buck, it seemed the best way to help his husband was to help him without telling Tommy he was trying to help him. Plus if he didn’t tell Tommy and it all failed, then Tommy wouldn’t have to worry about any kind of feelings of failure.

Buck did more research over the course of the early afternoon- pouring over parenting blogs, medical websites, and Reddit threads. He made detailed notes and plans, planning out when to do what, how to do things without Tommy noticing, the works. He had a grocery order delivered as he needed some extra things they didn’t have on hand, and got ready to set his plan into motion.

Tommy was sitting on the couch watching the game later that afternoon, with his cellphone balanced on top of his belly, on a call with Sal, who was watching the same game. Originally Sal was going to come over to watch the game with Tommy, but one of his kids, Gio who was four, had gotten sick, and Sal had offered to sacrifice himself and do all the caring for Gio in order to keep Gina and the other two kids from getting it too. So Sal was now starting to get sick and had called from the in-law suite attached to his garage where he and Gio would be staying until the illness had run it’s course.

“ God is the ref deaf and blind ?” Sal huffed over the phone.

“Maybe he’s trying to get fired so he can collect unemployment insurance.” Tommy deadpanned.

“ Fucking hell .” Sal grumbled.

Buck was quiet as he came into the living room with a snack-tray for Tommy. Tommy had been eating more small meals and snacks through-out the day as he didn’t have enough room to eat full meals anymore, and Buck had been happy to cater to that. And the easy thing with a snack tray to watch the game with, was that it wasn’t suspicious to add spicy foods to it. Hot wings with sauce a little hotter than what Buck normally made them with, Jalapeno poppers with spicy cheese instead of the regular cheese Buck normally used, and some chili-lime mixed nuts were all on the tray along with some regular non-spicy snacks like fresh cut fruits and veggies, pickles, and mini naan dippers with sauce to dip in. Buck also included a couple antacid tablets on the tray because he was trying to induce labor, not heart-burn.

Tommy looked up at Evan and smiled. “Thank you.” He murmured sincerely. It’d been hard letting Evan take care of him more and more as the pregnancy had progressed seeing as Tommy was so used to being independent. But now Tommy was coming to realize it wasn’t so bad letting Evan take care of him and by extension their daughter- and Evan sure did an excellent job of it.

Buck smiled at Tommy and left him to watch the game, smiling widely as he overheard Tommy telling Sal that Evan ‘always knew just what he needed when he needed it’. Buck knew Tommy was talking about the snacks, but he knew how much further than that it went, and the irony was not lost on Buck.

After the game and after dinner- where Buck had also found ways to include some extra spice- Buck convinced Tommy they should go for a walk ‘ for the fresh air ’ and ‘ to get out of the house for a couple minutes ’ and because ‘ it could be their last time doing anything together without the baby ’. Buck had carefully pre-planned a route that included lots of places they could stop and sit if Tommy needed to rest, and off they went for their walk. While they walked Buck patiently listened as Tommy talked about his fears regarding medical induction day and how he was feeling about it all, while Buck made sure to contribute to the conversation when necessary as though he wasn’t hell-bent and determined to make sure they didn’t make it to that day.

No signs of labor started overnight, but Buck wasn’t deterred. In the morning Buck nonchalantly brought Tommy a cup of red raspberry leaf tea along with Tommy’s breakfast.

“What’s this?” Tommy wondered as he picked up the mug and smelt what was inside. Evan had been feeding him all kinds of different things all pregnancy long, and for the most part he’d just been going along with it but it was a little hot out to be drinking hot tea with breakfast.

“It’s a new tea Maddie recommended.” Buck explained. “I think you’ll like it.” He added.

Tommy shrugged and went along with it, it didn’t hurt to at least give it a try and make Evan happy, right?

Luckily for Buck, Tommy decided he liked the tea. After they got back from another walk that Buck had nearly bullied Tommy into taking after breakfast, Buck made a large batch of an iced version and put it in the fridge. Tommy was still none the wiser and with the iced version, could and would keep drinking it throughout the day.

Tommy was sitting in the nursery in the rocking chair, reading Chicken Soup for the Expectant Parent’s Soul- making himself cry in the process over some of the stories- that afternoon when Evan brought him another snack tray that included dates, which they usually never ate or even kept in the house. Tommy looked at them in confusion for a moment before it dawned on him that eating dates was- anecdotally- supposedly a way to induce labor. And suddenly all the spicy food, and the different tea, and the walking was beginning to make more sense. “Evan?” Tommy called out just as Evan had exited the room.

Buck poked his head back into the nursery. “Yes?”

Tommy looked at the dates again, then up at his husband. “Are you trying to put me into labor?” He asked.

Buck shuffled back into the room properly. “Yes.” He admitted sheepishly and crossed his arms over his chest. “You just seem to have gotten so uncomfortable and miserable the last couple days and I can tell you just really want her to be here already and I know you really really don’t wanna do the pitocin, so I thought I’d do what I could to try and help it happen naturally.”

Tommy felt tears stinging his eyes and this time it wasn’t because of the Chicken Soup book. He knew his husband loved him and Tommy loved Evan to the ends of the earth, but every now and then something like this happened and reminded Tommy just how much Evan loved him and just how well Evan knew him. And it never failed to blow Tommy away by how loved and seen Evan made him feel. “Thank you.” He whispered.

Buck knelt down next to the rocking chair and took Tommy’s hand which he squeezed and kissed the back of. “Of course.”

Tommy smiled at Evan before popping one of the dates in his mouth and after chewing he asked, “So what else is on the list?”

That afternoon they went for another walk, except this time Buck made Tommy curb walk most of the way.

“Whoever came up with this clearly wasn't someone who had to do it.” Tommy huffed towards the end of the walk. He had one hand on the bottom of his belly and the other on Evan's shoulder for some stability as he walked the curb. He hadn’t been able to see his feet in months and was just a little worried about mis-stepping and falling.

“I'm sorry,” Buck started.

“No. Don't apologize. I asked for this.” Tommy reminded Evan. “Either she really likes it or she hates it because she is kicking like no tomorrow.”

“You're sure it's just her kicking and not contractions?” Buck asked.

Tommy glared at his husband, thoroughly unimpressed with the accusation. “I’m pretty sure I know the difference between kicks and cramps, Evan.”

“Sorry. Shutting up.” Buck said quickly, not wanting to piss Tommy off.

Soon they got home and after using the bathroom, hydrating, and using the bathroom again, Tommy went for a nap while Buck did some further research on the next thing on his list. It was one he'd needed Tommy to be aware of the plan for it to be possible, and so he hadn't been totally prepared for it yet.

A couple hours later a bleary eyed Tommy came into the kitchen. “What's next?” He asked.

Buck grabbed Tommy both a water and a glass of the iced raspberry leaf tea. “You might not like it.” He confessed as he set the drinks in front of Tommy.

“What is it?”

Buck bit his lower lip and pulled a manual breast pump out from where he’d stashed it.

Tommy’s brows furrowed. “Evan,”

“I know you decided you don't want to chest-feed. And that's totally fine and I support you no matter what. Plus I wanna be able to help with late night feedings, and everyone knows most fathers don't produce enough milk to keep their baby fed without needing formula top ups anyway.” Buck reassured Tommy.

“Then what…?” Tommy trailed off, confused as to where this was going.

“ But , nipple stimulation or pumping can help induce labor. It's one of the few methods that some research actually backs.” Buck explained. “And if you pump and manage to collect colostrum we can freeze it and then it's basically medicine for her if she ever needs it- which you did say you wanted to do a while back.”

Tommy nodded in understanding. He didn’t love the idea- he still had internalized homophobia and other insecurities (thanks to his father) which told him child-bearing was a woman’s job. For the most part being pregnant was okay but for some reason the idea of pumping or chest-feeding made him feel like he was doing something wrong. Tommy had no problem with other fathers chest-feeding their kids, but it was something he didn’t feel he personally could do because for him and only for him it was a sign of weakness and something shameful. 

Tommy put on a brave face and tried to take comfort in reminding himself Evan’s next step could’ve been something worse. Tommy grabbed the glass of water and chugged a bunch before sitting down at the kitchen table and pulling his shirt off.

Buck quickly assembled the pump that he had washed and disinfected in anticipation for this. “I promise if this doesn't work the next one is a lot more fun.”

“Then why are we doing this first?” Tommy grumbled as he took the pump from Evan.

“Because you wanted to do this anyway?” Buck told him.

Tommy gave a short hum in response. Tommy had thought he’d feel better about the idea of collecting his colostrum by now than he did. But he reminded himself that it would be good for Elena, and could help him meet her sooner, and so he began pumping. “Fuck that feels weird.” He muttered. “I'm definitely not sad I'm not doing this long-term.”

“That’s totally valid.” Buck assured his husband.

They did manage to collect some colostrum which was the only good thing that came from the experience in Tommy’s opinion. No labor, no baby, no desire to reconsider chest-feeding, and sore oversensitive nipples for hours after.

Nothing exciting happened that evening or overnight despite more walks, more tea, more spicy food, and more dates. In the morning Tommy was feeling even more uncomfortable and more than ready to start labor. “What else is on the list? You said the next thing was fun?” He asked Evan after breakfast.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to- and it actually is a we thing- but if it makes a difference I’ll do all the work for it too.” Buck explained as he washed their breakfast dishes.

“What’s that?” Tommy wondered.

Buck looked over his shoulder at Tommy. “Sex.”

“Sex?” Tommy asked.

“Yes. Sex. Specifically with you bottoming.” Buck confirmed.

“Not sure if I even could top right now if I wanted to with this belly in the way.” Tommy muttered. “You really think it could work?” 

“There’s even research that says so. Sperm has some of the same hormones that Cervidil mimics which help induce labor. Also in theory it helps you feel good and relaxed with the brain chemicals it creates.” Buck and Tommy had been having anal sex until around 34-ish weeks when Tommy started feeling too much like a beached whale to enjoy it, and the pay off was less and less worth the effort it required- especially considering that other, easier methods of getting each other off were available. Earlier on in the pregnancy Tommy hadn't wanted any kind of sex at all and then around 25 weeks or so he got painfully horny and changed his tune real quick.

Tommy nodded in understanding. “Well,” He started. “It does sound more fun than another round of curb-walking.”

Buck smirked at Tommy.

Tommy grinned back at Evan and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards their bedroom.

After they finished and showered together Tommy was tired, so Buck left Tommy to nap while he went to make lunch and start some preparations for dinner- marinating some beef in a spicy marinade to make tacos with later.

Buck did all his prep for dinner and had lunch mostly ready, leaving just a few steps to do right before serving it, then used the downtime to review some of the tips and tricks for dealing with newborns he’d been learning and saving- things like swaddling techniques and the like. He spent some time on that and falling down parenting-tip rabbit holes on the internet, before he shut it all down to finish making lunch for himself and Tommy who would likely be waking up any minute now.

---

Tommy woke up to the feeling of intense cramping in his stomach and all through his back- contractions. Touching his belly to find it hard confirmed his theory. Unfortunately for Tommy the relief he felt that it was finally happening didn’t outweigh the pain and he clenched his jaw and cradled his belly as he did his best to breathe through it. Tommy didn’t call for Evan just yet. No sense in getting Evan all worked up if it was just one contraction. A little less than a minute later the contraction subsided, and Tommy let himself go limp in the bed and focus on returning his breathing to normal. He laid still for a few minutes, waiting to see if another contraction would come just yet or maybe if he could fall back asleep. After maybe five minutes another one started, and Tommy did his best to count how long it lasted- almost a full minute, it turned out. 

Once the second contraction subsided, Tommy took a moment to recover before getting out of bed. He waddled into the ensuite to go pee, then returned to their bedroom just in time for another contraction to hit. He gripped the railing at the foot of the bed as he breathed through it. This was definitely happening, and sooner rather than later from the seems of it. Tommy did his best to count through the contraction but got distracted part way through at the sensation of something wet running down his legs and pooling at his feet. He knew he hadn’t pissed himself, and after the contraction subsided enough for Tommy to check, he found the fluid clear. “Oh.” He said out loud to himself as he realized his water had broken. This really was happening. He was in labor right now. Their daughter would be born soon. Maybe even today. She was finally coming.

Once the contraction finished, Tommy grabbed a dirty towel from the laundry basket and dropped it on the floor where his water had broken, then changed his clothes. By the time Tommy was changed and dressed enough to leave the house to head to the hospital, another contraction- number four- had hit. He breathed through it, and when it ended he grabbed his water bottle and left his and Evan’s bedroom in search of his husband.

Buck had just started to finish making lunch- about to add a spicy sauce to their noodles- when Tommy came into the room, he glanced over and smiled then turned his attention back to making lunch. “Hey, how was the nap?”

“Ev, baby, stop.” Tommy said gently, not wanting to alarm his husband.

Despite his confusion, Buck put the sauce down before it landed on the noodles and turned to look at Tommy. “What’s up? Is it the spice? Is it giving you heartburn?” Buck frowned.

“No.” Tommy assured, about to continue with an explanation.

Buck kept guessing. “Do you wanna stop trying to start labor?” He wondered. Induction day was only two and half days away now, Buck couldn’t blame Tommy if he wanted to just stop and let things happen however they were gonna turn out without them trying all these insane things to try and make something happen sooner.

Tommy chuckled and confessed, “It’s a bit late for that, actually.”

Buck looked confused.

“My water just broke.” Tommy explained calmly. “And I’ve had a couple contractions too- four since I woke up about 20 minutes ago?” He estimated.

Buck stared at Tommy for a moment in shock. Despite the fact that they’d been actively trying to make this happen for three days, he suddenly didn’t feel prepared for it at all, and it definitely didn’t feel real. “You- really? You’re sure?”

“Evan, I am absolutely positive.” Tommy confirmed. “And I’d appreciate it if we could get in the car before the next contraction starts.”

“Right.” Buck mumbled. That would make sense. What he’d read told him that it was hard to walk through labor contractions if they were strong enough, and with four contractions in twenty minutes it was definitely hospital time. And holy shit it was hospital time .  “Right, oh my god, okay,” Buck frantically began making sure nothing had been left turned on in the kitchen that shouldn’t be. “We need the um, the hospital bag.”

“It’s already in the truck.” Tommy reminded Evan. “What I do need is more water and ice in my cup.” He added, holding the cup out. It was a huge bright-teal metal thing with a handle and a hard plastic straw that Evan had gotten for Tommy shortly after they found out about the pregnancy to encourage Tommy to drink enough water. At first Tommy hated the thing, but now he didn’t go anywhere without it.

“Got it.” Buck grabbed the cup and refilled the water and ice quickly. “Do you have your phone?” He asked as he patted his pockets to check for his own phone.

“Yep.” Tommy confirmed.

Buck somehow simultaneously felt like his mind was racing a million miles a minute yet also like it was suspended in syrup- making everything sticky and slow. “Okay. Um my wallet,”

“By the front door in the bowl, along with the car keys, where they belong.” Tommy reminded Evan.

“Right.” Buck nodded. “Okay.”

“We have everything.” Tommy told Evan calmly, as he grabbed Evan’s hand and pulled him in close, forcing Evan to stop for a moment. It was obvious his husband was panicking and Tommy wanted to help make that better, not worse. “It’s okay. We’ve got this. Now let’s go get our girl.”

Buck looked at Tommy as he realized his husband was right and he smiled. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go have a baby.”

Tommy smiled back at Evan.

Labor progressed fairly quickly, and just a couple hours later the sound of a baby’s cries pierced through Tommy’s delivery room, as Tommy slumped back against the bed, breathing heavily.

Buck quickly dabbed Tommy’s forehead with a wet cloth, then helped him pull the hospital gown down off his chest to make space for their daughter.

“Alright dads,” Dr Turner said as she quickly wiped off the baby’s face. “Here she is.” Dr Turner said and placed the baby on Tommy’s bare chest, covering her with a towel.

Tommy was quick to move his hands to hold her in place. 

Buck looked at their daughter as she began to calm down the moment she was placed on Tommy’s chest. She had a full-head of dark hair, Tommy’s cleft chin, ten perfect little fingers and ten perfect little toes, and beautiful deep blue eyes. “She’s perfect.” Buck murmured, instantly in love in a way he hadn’t thought possible. He’d already loved her before, but suddenly it was different now- more intense, more real. 

It wasn’t the best angle for Tommy to see her, but she was here and she was okay and that was all Tommy needed, causing tears of joy and relief to start sliding down his cheeks. Suddenly all the nausea, the back pain, the bathroom trips, the weird food aversions and cravings, and the last several hours of pain were all far more worth it than Tommy could’ve imagined. 

“Tommy, are you okay?” Buck asked worriedly.

Tommy nodded. “More than okay.” He whispered. “Welcome to the world, Elena Madelyn Kinard.” He said softly as he used the corner of the towel to clean off her face a little better.

“You did it.” Buck smiled at his husband.

“We did it.” Tommy amended. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Buck leaned in and pressed a kiss to Tommy’s lips.