⋆𖦹.✧⋆˚

Ohhh this is fun. You didn't specify what kind of work, I hope it's OK that I just wrote from the experience of a bad day at my job. Also added in another cutsey detail that you didn't ask for. I hope this is OK! Lots of sweetness and comfort 😊 Thanks so much for the request 😘❤️

xxx

You're eight hours into your twlelve hour shift, and you've already agreed to stay over for an extra four hours to help day shift. The unit is on fire. You've helped admit four babies, run to deliveries, done care times on babies that aren't yours, and helped other nurses with feedings. Your charge nurse has been tied up helping with a critical baby, and as the second most senior nurse on the floor you feel responsible to help the newer girls.

You've been running around responding to alarms, and after adjusting a baby's CPAP mask to make the pressure sensing device stop beeping you quickly glance at the clock. It tells you that it's now late enough that the cafeteria is closed, and you think to yourself that it's been a while since you've had to work straight through without lunch. You think there might be a granola bar in your locker, but you're more concerned about escaping to a vending machine for more caffeine.

Your charge nurse interrupts your thoughts of caffeine to say, "Please, really, I need you to go eat. We don't need you passing out on top of all this. There's something for you up at the desk."

You groan, "It's fine. The cafeteria is closed and I said I'd grab a blood sugar on the baby in 26 in fifteen minutes."

"I can grab the blood sugar, and I just told you that you have something at the desk. Go, I'm telling you." she insists.

You raise your eyebrows at her. "I'm not taking a full lunch. I'll be back in fifteen."

She gives you a look, "Take your lunch. You're no help staying over for dayshift if you're down in triage by then."

You walk out of the room, taking the long hallway out of the unit and massaging your lower back while you walk. You push the button to open the double doors at the end of the hall, and are surprised to see your wife standing at the desk. You smile and tilt your head, asking "what are you doing here at three in the morning?"

She walks towards you, kissing you once softly. "You haven't answered your phone since you got here, I figured it was busy. I'm guessing you haven't eaten?", she says holding up a McDonald's bag.

You laugh, "I haven't, and the cafeteria is closed."

She smiles, "I figured. Come on, let's eat. I brought you a Coke too, but you need to promise you haven't already had more caffeine"

"Oooooh, not since I left home. My hero" you say, gesturing with your fingers for the drink.

You take a long sip from the Coke and lead Vicky to your empty break room, clear a few snacks from the table to make room for you both to sit. You're not sure anyone has made it back to eat. You're generally not allowed to have food on the floor, but on hectic nights the snacks come out, and tonight everyone has been snacking at the nurses station in between tasks. Management will be here in a few hours and you make a mental note to tidy up the snacks before then.

"Busy like chaotic or busy like really sick baby?", Vicky asks.

"Both. Charge has been tied up helping with a critical kid and the rest of us have been running around putting out fires. It doesn't help that they keep coming, it feels like we have babies coming out of our ears." you say as you start eating. 

She laughs, "Got it, the babies need to calm down, can't they feel the vibe? The inn is full."

"Exactly. We're going to have to start double bunking twins soon, I don't understand where they're all coming from."

"Let's make sure we don't contribute to that, ok mami? That's part of why I'm here. You can't reslly go a whole shift without eating now, you know?" she says, a hand falling to your stomach.

You look down at your abdomen, your stomach big enough that you sit a bit back from the table. You're 28 weeks along, a gestation that feels very real to you considering your work. You've cared for babies as premature as 22 weeks, and you've been mentally picturing the size of your baby since you reached that stage. At 28 weeks you know that she's big enough that she would be slightly oversized in the palms of your two hands, her eyes are open by now, she probably has hair on her head, and her skin is still somewhat fragile.

You smile, "We won't be contributing, I promise. I've been making sure to drink enough water tonight even though I've been running. And she's moving around in there appropriately, kicking away while I take care of other babies"

"I'm glad you've been drinking water." she says, smiling.

"I did agree stay stay over for dayshift, for the first four hours."

She groans, giving you a look. "Are you sure that's the best idea? This is your third night in a row, should you stay late on top of it?"

You grimace, "maybe not, but days is already short and we keep admitting babies".

"Can this be the last time you stay over until the baby comes, please?"

The "please" gets you, she's just worried about you and the baby. "Yes, I promise." you say, meaning it.

"Gracias, lo aprecio mucho. Los quiero mucho muchísimo a los dos. Lo sabéis, ¿verdad?"

You smile, taking her hand "Lo sé. Nosotros también te queremos. Gracias por estar pendiente de nosotros."

"Por supuesto. Siempre estoy pendiente de mi esposa y de mi hijita. Ustedes son mi mundo entero, mi vida."

"Eres demasiado dulce para nosotras" you say, kissing her softly.

You finish eating and drink every drop of the Coke, you're only allowed so much caffeine now and you savor it. You never get enough sleep between twelve hour shifts, sometimes it feels like the caffeine is the only thing that keeps you going. You're counting down until you can have Monsters again, although you expect you'll be running on fumes with a newborn regardless of how much caffeine you'll be allowed.

"I really should head back baby, I'm sorry. Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it. It was good to see you for a few minutes in all this chaos."

"Of course, anything for my girls. I'll make breakfast when you get home, don't stop for food on the way." she says, smiling.

"That sounds amazing, you're spoiling me." you say, standing up from the table. 

She pulls you into her arms, your belly a small wedge between your bodies, "That's how it's supposed to be. You're growing a whole person for us, let me take care of you."

"Yeah, yeah", you mutter, swaying in her arms as she hugs you.

"Hey. What is it you tell moms? You have to take care of yourself to take care of baby. That's extra true for you, you have to take care of yourself for our baby and all the babies on the unit."

"I knowww, I knowww." you whine. She's right, you're aware. "Using my own nagging nurse phrases against me."

She laughs, "You need to be nagged a little. Sólo significa que te amo."

"Yo también te amo. Más de lo que puedo expresar con palabras."

You kiss her one last time before you head back onto the unit, watching her walk down the long hallway out. She turns to blow you a kiss before she exits the double doors, and you smile. She's been wonderful to you throughout your pregnancy, taking extra care of you and looking out for anything you might need.

xxx

At the end of your sixteen hour shift you feel like you're hobbling back to your car, your feet are so swollen. You give your car a minute to heat up and crank your music, trying to drown out the echos of alarms in your head. The drive home takes longer because of the road conditions, there was enough snow overnight that all of the local schools closed for the day.

You walk up your front steps and start to hold your keys up to unlock the door, but it opens for you. Vicky smirks at you, she's effortlessly gorgeous in a baggy t-shirt and boxers, her wavy hair slightly messy, tattoos on display. She looks like days spent together at home, laid back and carefree, your favorite version of her. 

You smile at your wife as she says "Mi esposa trabajadora, de vuelta a casa después de un día larguísimo. Aunque fue su culpa." 

You laugh at the end, "Todo empezó de forma tan dulce antes de que empezaran las quejas."

She hugs you when you fully enter the door, her hands eventually moving to the sides of your stomach. "I'm glad to have my girls home. The shower is on and waiting for you, and I'll bring a warm towel up from the dryer."

You drop your head onto her shoulder, "You are truly the best. I've told you that, right?"

She laughs and kisses your head, "I've heard it a few times, but you can keep reminding me... Adelante, el agua está corriendo."

Not needing to be told twice, you head towards the shower. The water is the perfect temperature and she put a shower bomb in the stream, the whole room smells like citrus. As promised, you hear the door open and she appears with a warm towel. She leaves it on the towel bar, saying she needs to go check the food.

You towel dry when you're done, putting on the pajama set she laid out for you. She really thought of everything, it was incredible. You step your swollen feet into your oversized slippers and walk towards your bedroom. Moments after you sit down Vicky appears with a tray of food, an omlette and toast with orange juice. You notice the lack of bacon, she's been obsessed with what things you're allowed to eat these days, and bacon is forbidden. The nurse in you knows this, but it's a mixture of sweet and amusing when your wife reminds you.

She sets the tray down for a moment to pull the heated blanket over you, already warmed up to the perfect temperature, then places the tray alongside you. The food is perfect and you eat in between conversation, telling Vicky about the rest of your night. "We admitted two more babies, the critical baby tried her hardest to crump on us, and the blood gas machine went down right in time for morning labs. It was insane and we were on our rollerskates all night, but we made it. I kept my assignment for the first round of dayshift and helped them settle in the last admission."

"Sounds wild. I'm sure dayshift appreciated you staying over, but you made a promise. ¿Te acuerdas, mami?"

You smile, "Recuerdo que lo prometí. No more sixteen hour shifts."

"That's my girl. Now let me rub your feet... How many days off do you have?" she says, moving to the end of the bed, uncovering your feet, and taking your slippers off.

You groan as she starts rubbing into your tender arches, "Four days off, and I already told them I wasn't picking up on call." 

"Gracias. Quedémonos en casa mañana y relajémonos juntos." She's working magic on your feet, her fingers applying the perfect amount of pressure in all the right places.  

"Suena como un buen plan, mi amor." you say as you finish the last of your breakfast. "Esto estaba deliciosa, gracias. Y como siempre eres maravillosa con tus manos."

She smirks, "I try. Now let's go brush our teeth and get you to bed, it sounds like you were bullied by a bunch of preemies all night."

You laugh, "I was in fact bullied by a bunch of preemies. And their alarms", you say with a groan.

She kisses you and says "No alarms for four days. Not a single one."

"You say the most beautiful things to me", you say as you kiss her again.