lissen

          chuckling, she drums her fingers lightly on the table as she talks, her head resting on her other hand.   ‘   darn, and here i thought you  were  emily.   ’   —  false , considering she knew which class she had with which twin.   ‘   — orrr … you could  JOIN  us in the fun that is  the sims . it’ll be fun !!   ’   she straightens up in her chair at the admission.   ‘   great , then how do you feel about grabbing some brunch at denny’s after lecture ??    ’

⟫ ⏐ OPEN.

          ‘    —  DAG DAG .   ’   jamie greets casually as she slides into the unoccupied seat. it was a fairly new thing, currently on its way to become a  terrible  habit — blame it on spending  way  too much time on playing  the sims  with emily in their free time.   ‘   so ,   ’   her grin widens as she catches the other’s attention.   ‘   …  you like  eggs  ??   ’

“Well if you ever need any help, or a night off, Em and I would love to look after him.” She assured the twin, letting the baby pull and tug on her finger in order to entertain himself. “Don’t feel bad, people understand. He’s just a baby,” she cooed softly, voice quiet as she held Jaxon in her arms. She’d never seen Elyssa so docile before after she went on her little punching rampage, so this was a rather pleasant surprise. Maybe the baby was changing her; she’d heard of things like that happening. “Do you like being a mom?” She asked suddenly, taking her eyes off of Jaxon for a moment to look at Elyssa. “I mean,” she paused, “you didn’t really seem like the mom type.” That was much more Emily’s trait, and Aubrey absolutely adored that about her.

The older woman giggled at Jaxon gurgled, tugging at her blonde hair as she smiled down at him. Well, that was official; she definitely wanted a baby in the future. She hardly heard Elyssa as she stood with the baby in her arms, rocking him lightly back and forth where she stood. After a moment she looked up, noticing Elyssa sitting down and sat down beside her, adjusting Jax in her arms. “He looks like both of you,” Aubrey shook her head with assurance, grinning. “How are you feeling?” She turned to look at the younger woman, hoping she was recovering well from the birth. “I‘m sure you’re exhausted. Does he keep you up all night?” She asked softly, kissing the babies tiny fingers as he reached up for her.

Aubrey watched the exchange for a moment, the small baby in Elyssa’s arms basically radiating life. “Yeah, I mean, I planned on it.” Aubrey nodded with a smile, putting her things down. She had thought about bringing Admiral but in the case that Jaxon was home, she didn’t want to overexcite the piglet, and he was still in the process of getting all his tests done so she didn’t want Jaxon to get sick. At the offer the blonde’s eyes lit up, nodding eagerly at the chance to hold him. Once the baby was in her arms, Aubrey looked down at him with bright eyes. “Hi, baby…” she cooed softly, biting down on her lip as she lightly caressed his chest with her finger. “You’re so handsome,” Aubrey smiled with a nod of her head, heart swelling. Being a mother sounded like the best job in the world, granted Elyssa was a little young. Aubrey wanted to be as good a mother as her own. “He’s beautiful, Elyssa.” The older woman looked up at her girlfriends sister, smiling sincerely.

Aubrey knew Emily was in class today, but she wanted to stop by her place and maybe help out a bit in terms of cleaning up around the place - there were a lot of people living in a small apartment, so that meant a lot of mess. Plus, she could wait for her girlfriend and maybe surprise her when she got out of class. In the meantime, however, she planned on cleaning - she didn’t expect anybody else to be around. Keying into the apartment with her spare, Aubrey was surprised (but delighted) to find that Elyssa was cradling Jaxon in her arms, humming him to calm in her arms. “Oh,” Aubrey breathed out softly, “Hi, sorry. I didn’t expect anybody to be around.” She voiced, eyes fixated on the newborn. “Is that…is that him?”

Charlie: hey, if i have to witness it, you have to hear about it. relationships are all about sharing.

Charlie: at least someone cares about my entertainment needs

Charlie: would we really be watching the movie though? ;)

Charlie: i'm okay

Charlie: at least they're keeping things fresh, you know? they're stealing my tv time but making up for it with drama

Charlie: i know i'm sorry :(

Charlie: i'll come over to yours as soon as i'm home

elyssa: but i don't wanna hear about it...

elyssa: of course i care.

elyssa: i mean.. no cause we'd get someone to watch jaxon (;

elyssa: if you wanna talk you know i'm here.

elyssa: i mean hey at least you have... some entertainment?

elyssa: it's okay not your fault i just really miss you

Charlie: if i'm not being interrupted by my parents fighting then i'm basically being forced to sit here watching chloe with her tongue down becas throat.

Charlie: like, i'm just trying to watch a movie? and they come in and take over like it's cool i wasn't here first or anything.

Charlie: plus everyone steals all the good food first and that's mostly what i'm sad about

Charlie: i probably could've gotten out of it but my mother is very convincing. also i kinda wanted to be here to see daddy's little princess get ripped into for ruining chicagos career lmao

Charlie: i'm not getting back until saturday night :( i can come crash at yours when i get back unless you'd rather i wait until morning?

elyssa: awh, charlie.. i'm sorry to hear that, and gross.. i don't want to hear that cause beca's like.. my step sister now??

elyssa: if jaxon and i were there we'd watch the movie with you. aww charlie..

elyssa: i don't like when you're sad.

elyssa: well shit sounds like your easter is going well while i'm over here with my siblings and jax.

Charlie: hey. lazy easters are better than what i'm dealing with.

Charlie: it's so boring

Charlie: it's gonna be such a shitty week without you two

Charlie: i wanna come home so i can be with you guys

elyssa: what's going on over there?

elyssa: i wish you didn't have to go to your parents.

Charlie: how are you doing? how's jax?

Charlie: tell him i miss him and i wanna facetime you guys later.

Charlie: hows your easter going?

elyssa: doing great, he's great too he misses his daddy.

elyssa: he misses you so much. please do.

          he had never really put much thought into feelings when it came to elyssa.  what they had before they were expecting was nothing more than a friends with benefit situation,  one where he knew he  wouldn’t  have a problem not catching feelings for the girl.  now,  with a baby in the mix,  with her being the mother of his  SON,  he was starting to see her in a new light  –  or more so the feelings he was trying to keep at bay were starting to surface.  whichever way you wanted to look at it.  &  really,  at this point,  openly having feelings for elyssa didn’t seem like the worst thing he could be doing.  they could be a happy little family.   ‘ does it hurt?  like a lot? ’   of course it does,  you goose.   ‘ is there anything i can do for you?  do you want any food?  –  are you allowed to eat? ’   he just has  SO  many questions,  so bare with him.

          he returned the smile.  a soft,  gentle one at that.   ‘ i wouldn’t be anywhere else,  e. ’   there was no way in hell he could think of  ANYTHING  he would rather be doing than getting to be there for the birth of his son.  he was just as excited about meeting the little guy as elyssa was.  it was strange though,  as eager as he was for him to finally arrive,  parts of him was also dreading it.  it was terrifying thinking about the fact that within the next twenty-four hours,  he would be responsible for a little human.  not exactly something he ever expected he might  ACTUALLY  be capable of until recently.   ‘ nope,  not true.  i’ve always leaned more towards my dad.  it’s always a possibility. ’   though maybe that was because his dad was a little more relaxed than his mom.  huh.  turning his attention back to her,  his fingers continued tracing small patterns over her stomach as he spoke.   ‘ also chloe texted while i was on the way,  she had to stay back at work but she said she’ll get here as soon as she can. ’

        having charlie around during this entire pregnancy, the feelings elyssa had for him after a few months  were getting stronger and stronger. it was as if she couldn’t be away from him for five minutes without missing him. maybe that was the hormones talking, but also what if it was actual feelings for him back then? of course now, her feelings for him are true and genuine. only problem is that she’s scared, she’s scared that if she tells him how she feels about him, he could laugh in her face or just let her down easy. of course elyssa came off as very rude and bitchy before all this pregnancy started to happen, but ever since then she was more calm and nice  and she was feeling... feelings. feelings for charlie. hearing his question, elyssa gave a soft chuckle and nodded her head, “uh yeah, but i mean the contractions are just a bitch, but when they pass it’s not too bad.” she assured him then smiled at the other questions. “can you get me some ice please?” she asked him and breathed out softly as she felt another contraction hit her. wincing a little, she shook her head just a bit, “i’m not really hungry.” she breathed out again once it passed. 

          he’s not too sure what their limits were at this point.  they had gotten extra close during the pregnancy  &  in his opinion,  they basically acted as if they really were a couple,  which was nice.  but also after a few tips from his mother after calling her up freaking out only a few nights ago,  he’s learned that hey,  she’s in  PAIN  &  he probably  shouldn’t  do a lot of things he wanted to do.  no matter how  cutesy  they were.  still,  he moved his hand from hers only for a moment to gently brush the hair from the girls face with a small smile before returning his hand back on top of hers.  that’s better.   ‘ do they know how long it will be? ’   let’s be real,  he has no idea about this part of a pregnancy.  he  DID  try watching a documentary about it,  which…  didn’t really work out in his favor considering he sat there with his eyes closed for most of it.  childbirth is beautiful they say.  try telling that to the poor boy who went in head first  &  almost ended up with his head in the toilet.  it wasn’t pretty.

          a small snort of laughter as he gave her hand a squeeze.   ‘ thanks for coming? ’   oh,  ely.  sweet,  sweet ely.   ‘ i wouldn’t miss this for the world,  are you kidding me? ’   now,  he may be a dick to some   (  if not most  )   people,  but his parents  DID  raise him to be a decent human being  &  this baby was as much his responsibility as it was hers.  of course he was going to be there for the birth of his son.   ‘ do you think he’ll listen to me if i tell him to hurry up?  ‘cause we all know i’m going to be the favorite parent. ’   he’s kidding,  of course.  still,  that doesn’t stop him from letting his fingers trail over her stomach,  leaning closer as if speaking directly to the baby.   ‘ hey,  buddy.  i know it’s super comfy in there,  but your mom  &  i really wanna meet you.  so how about you do us super proud already  &  hurry up. ’   ah,  yes,  he ought to listen to that.

        hanging out with charlie before the whole pregnancy thing happened, elyssa didn’t think that she would end up like this. getting pregnant with his child, and catching feelings for him through the whole process. it was hard to keep these feelings in, but not as hard, since she hasn’t really told him yet. every so often, the pain of the contractions would hit her again, earning a wince from elyssa. the pain was just intense, but she didn’t want to get medication of it. she wanted to power through and do her best to tolerate it. with her mom’s wedding coming up, she knew she would be needing a plus two besides charlie, and this time adding their baby boy to the invite. a pause then a breath as she glances over at charlie, “uhm maybe a few hours, i’m not entirely sure. depending how much longer it takes for me to get fully dilated.” she said slightly rubbing her belly. she was happy that he was here and didn’t have to wait for him and he would be present for when she would start pushing. 

          charlie was on alert pretty much twenty-four-seven lately.  the fact that elyssa could go into labor at literally any point,  it was a scary thought.  the closer the due date came,  the realer all this became.  one minute it was nothing more than  oh,  there’s a baby in there,  but now,  the fact that,  HEY,  that baby is going to be a living,  breathing human being on the outside world in only a matter of time scared the absolute  shit  out of him.  still,  he needed to put all his fears aside  &  step up to be there for both her  &  their son.  

         he was in the middle of a game of call of duty with chicago when his phone vibrated,  not really paying attention to his phone until the match had finally come to an end.  almost without thought,  the controller dropped from his hand as he stood up in an absolute panic,  a little shaky as he continued to stare down at the text.   ‘ shit. ’   without giving his older brother any indication as to what was happening,  he grabbed his backpack before  finally  turning back to chicago.   ‘ she’s having the baby. ’   trust chloe to not be around in his time of goddamn need.  fuck work.

         the only downside to living in new york was the fact  none  of them felt the need to have a car since public transport was so common around the city,  which,  in turn,  meant they had to find their own way to the hospital.  at least an uber wait wasn’t  TOO  long.  though the trip through the traffic was,  &  maybe they should’ve just settled for another way that wouldn’t include sitting in traffic for god knows how long,  but alas.  with chicago in the front seat talking to the driver,  charlie pulled out his phone,  sending a panicking text to chloe to see if she had gotten the same message  &  then one to emily telling her he was on his way.

         it was a good almost  forty  minutes of an exhaustingly stressful uber ride before they finally pulled up outside the hospital.  thanks for literally nothing,  new york.  he grabbed his backpack,  not really waiting for chicago to catch up to him as he rushed in through the doors  &  to the desk,  giving the information before being told he had to go to the maternity ward to find out specific rooms.  again,  thanks for nothing,  new york.  another few minutes passed as he moved to the other ward,  giving elyssas name before  finally  being given a room number.

         with chicago following behind,  he made his way down to her room,  a few,  quiet knocks on the door that was slightly opened before just letting himself out.   ‘ hey. ’   GOD  he’s never been so happy to see her.  his bag found itself in the corner of the room as he ignored  literally  everyone else in the room to make a beeline for elyssa,  a hand settling over hers as he pulled up a seat next to her bed.   ‘ hey. ’   you already said that,  charlie.   ‘ how is  – ’   he’s not sure what he should be asking.  how is the baby?  how is she?  how is labor treating her?  alas,  he just settles for motioning towards her stomach with his free hand.

         hospital lights beamed down onto elyssa, showing many many machines beside her hospital bed, and an iv running through the top of her hand. laying there, elyssa was getting a little bored with waiting and very impatient. with the hospital puns that emily was making, elyssa wasn’t amused by any of it. she didn’t find anything funny, which made emily stop with the puns as they both waited to see what was to happen now. the doctors and nurses came in and out to check on elyssa, to see just how many more centimeters she had left before she would be able to start pushing. hours and hours had passed and she was already halfway there. all elyssa wanted, was for her son to be here already so she could head get the labor part out of the way and hold her son. 

it had been exactly nine months since elyssa found out about her own pregnancy. it was scary, but she had a great support system. she has her siblings, her best friends, chloe, surprisingly, and charlie. charlie had been there for elyssa the entire time and she was thankful for him. you could even say that she maybe caught feelings for him, although she would never admit that, since she likes to blame the hormones for how she is feeling about charlie. it was the hormones right? no elyssa, pretty sure you caught feelings for him. there’s no way that he could find out. he was there for her and it made her happy, but for all she knew, charlie might not even see her in that light. a few months ago, elyssa was asked if she wanted to know the gender, and they had told her. elyssa is having a baby boy and she couldn’t be more excited about it. walking around the apartment, she cleans up a little bit while emily is taking a nap since she is now on spring break and she’s pretty tired from doing so much. making her way around the apartment, she could feel a few kicks to her stomach and smiled as she rubbed it softly. 

suddenly, she felt it. there was water dripping down her leg as she looked down and felt herself start to panic. her arm is brought around her belly and hurries to emily’s room. “em, emily..” she calls out, waking her sister from her small nap as soon as she hears her sister call out to her. hurrying out of bed, emily opens the door and sees her sister, “hey what’s going on, are you okay?” she questioned and soon noticed she wasn’t looking so good, “i--it’s time.” elyssa breathed out causing emily to gasp and smile, “oh my gosh, oh my gosh, okay uh come on, let’s get you to the hospital.” emily rushed back to her bedroom and grabbed the one bag that they had packed close to the due date and today is that due date. with excitement, emily smiled and hurried to her sister and placed the bag on the couch, running back into the bedroom and grabbed her things. phone keys, and wallet. rushing back out, she felt around herself as elyssa eyed her twin confused like. “uhm.. having fun there?” she breathed out, her arm still wrapped around her belly. 

“i can’t find my god damn keys!’ 

she panicked and hurried around the house until elyssa sighed softly and shook her head, “emily.. you’re holding them.” with that, emily stopped and chuckled a little as she looked at her hands and saw her keys, “ha.. right.. okay come on let’s go.” she hurried her sister out to the car and helped her into the passenger side, then hurried to the drivers side. “i’m gonna text chloe and charlie and have them meet us at the hospital. 

                               emily: elyssa’s water broke.                                 emily: we’re heading to new york memorial hospital.                                 emily: get there as soon as you can. 

          really,  chloe wouldn’t have had any problems with coming over to keep the younger girl company whilst the rest of the household was out,  it just so happened chloe picked the right night to start a fight with beca.  they weren’t friends,  no,  but in chloes eyes,  they were basically family at this point  &  you should always be there for family.   ‘ ‘course.  who needs the others,  right?  they can have their fun,  we’ll have ours. ’   plus,  it would be  REALLY  good for her to have just  one  day without alcohol filling her system.  yikes.   ‘ don’t apologize,  silly.  but  i  apologize in advance for the fact i’m a hugger,  so like,  tell me now if you don’t want to be hugged during those times or forever hold your peace. ’   mostly because that’s the only way she really knows how to stop people from crying.  eyes darted between the sheets  &  the bed a few times before settling on shaking her head.  ‘ no,  it’s okay. ’   but,  what you  CAN  help her with  –  unzipping her bag,  she pulled out a plastic bag full of snacks  &  held them out for the younger girl.   ‘ you can take these  &  i’ll fix the bed  &  we can rendezvous in the living room? ’   wow,  okay,  army talk.