#luk

"So, what was this big change you needed to talk about?"

Dumping his cup on the table, Ashton sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees after fishing out the scrumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

He set the paper on the table, surprising the band when they realised it wasn't some random notes he had come up with or some new designs and drawings to promote the band like he usually did.

It was a copy of all the dates they had agreed upon for this tour and where they would be playing. All the venues that had agreed and been booked in advance. Now he had a round of confused faces staring at him, wondering what he was thinking and why he wanted to talk about the schedule.

Here goes nothing.

"It's these dates here, before we go home to Sydney," his index finger tapped on the date that had been annoying him the most. The show that was scheduled on (Y/n)'s due date.

That show wouldn't be possible for starters. (Y/n) would either have just had the baby by then, or she would be ready to pop. Ashton couldn't do a show that night in case (Y/n) needed him, if she hadn't given birth already then he would need to be there for when she did. And if she did have the baby then he couldn't play the show and just leave his family behind.

"What about them?"

"We need to rearrange them… all of them." He dragged his index finger up and down the row of dates that was annoying him; at least six dates.

Not to mention the fact that the last number of shows back home in Sydney would need to be pushed back a week or two so Ashton's family was accomodated.

He knew (Y/n) had been right; even if she hadn't been pregnant, this tour was still done in favour of everyone else. Ashton had gone ahead with it because it was always the way and he didn't think he had anything pressing that needed to be taken into consideration.

He had a family now; he was going to have a child of his own that would need to be put first in everything he did and every other tour and show he performed from now on.

"All of- why? What's happening then?" Luke's brows shot up in surprise as he looked between the crumpled page of dates and Ashton, who looked a mix between uneasy and overly excited, all mashed up into one.

"What's come up all of a sudden, you said you didn't have anything conflicting on all the dates when we planned the tour." The confusion in their manager's voice made Ashton wince.

He knew this was short notice and he knew it wasn't great to agree and then go back on it and ask for arrangements to be made to suit him better, but what else could he do? If he'd of only checked the dates with (Y/n) in the first place, he would have found out a different way that she was pregnant and he would have gone back and ecstatically told them no, these dates weren't suitable for his growing family. But there was nothing he could do about that now.

"(Y/n)'s pregnant. Her due date's around here," his eyes remained solely focused on the page as he pointed to the date in question, "and I've gotta be there with her. Then I can't just leave them to finish these dates, so we'll need to put a break in there, or you play without me."

His shoulders rose at an angle and an open-mouthed grin pulled at his lips as he spoke entirely in jest, of course.

He knew the band weren't to go and play without him, that was something none of them would ever do.

He could feel his heart taking flight and radiating a core bass beat throughout his system until Ashton was sure his skin was thrumming and vibrating. He was certain that if anyone were to look at him close enough they would be able to see the timing of his heartbeat thumping through his skin.

He grinned as Calum almost spilt his own drink to try and lean over from his seat to wrap an arm around Ashton's shoulders, reeling him in for a sideways- but nevertheless tightly embracing- hug.

Their words- and shouts- of congratulations was so overwhelming that Ashton felt like he was about to go deaf.

"We'll have to cancel quick before people start buying tickets… I'll see if the arena's can postpone for a month, push everything back one month. Then you should have the time off you need."

"Thank you… I didn't know when I agreed to it all and I don't want (Y/n) worrying I won't be there."

He made her a promise. He said he wouldn't miss any aspect of this pregnancy, that he would be right there by her side and he meant every word. He wasn't missing a thing. This tour would just have to accomodate Ashton for a change.

Each tear that cascaded down her face felt like a droplet of glue poured onto her skin.

Her skin was heating up from the exhersion of trying not to cry, trying to hold the tears at bay and make sure no noise escaped her lips. Combined with how sticky the tears made her face feel and how tight it made her features, (Y/n) just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear.

Her fingers were digging into the edge of the mattress so tightly that she expected clumps of foam to stick beneath her nails and tear apart from the bed. The sheets were going to be crumpled too where she was holding on and scrunching the material between her fingers. An act to try and stop herself from making a noise or tensing up to the point she pulled a muscle.

This was something that (Y/n) had dreaded would happen.

She had been relieved, over the moon, when Ashton said she was fine to come on tour with the band despite the fact that she would be heavily pregnant by the end of it. They had no issues when changing the tour dates and pushing back the last few dates to accomodate the birth. Everything seemed to have gone so smoothly and according to plan.

The one thing (Y/n) feared was that she wouldn't feel well when she was on tour with them. The last thing she wanted was to be an inconvenience to the band when they had already changed their dates once for her already and when she was here with them on the tour. She didn't want to slow then down, didn't want to worry Ashton or make anyone think she was a nuisance.

The morning sickness had dragged on a bit, but by the time they went on tour it was mostly under control. Now as the pregnancy had progressed, (Y/n) was starting to feel uncomfortable, this last week especially.

Horrid back pain that wouldn't leave her alone, the baby pressing and weighing her down like she was carrying a ton of weight and not just a little baby.

Not to mention the fact that travelling on the tour bus meant being cooped up for long periods of time. (Y/n) had taken to walking up and down the length of the bus to stop her muscles from seizing up and to try and help her back ache.

Her head angled down until her chin was almost pressed down into her chest and she tried to take deep breaths through her nose in a vain attempt to settle her system. It didn't seem to matter which way she tried to lay, nothing made her comfortable and when she felt like this, sleep was inevitable.

Her heart gave out a rocketing beat that made each blood vessel quake when she felt a warm touch on her lower back.

Her heart seemed to hum in response to the low groan that Ashton let out and she froze, holding still to try and work out whether he was awake or just moving in his sleep.

He was awake. His hand gripped her hip more firmly, giving a strong squeeze before his arm seemed to shift and worm its way around her waist so he could reel himself closer to her. Ashton had been laid on his left side before, facing the window, clearly he had turned over because (Y/n) could feel his face meshing up against her lower back. Each mellow breath he took fanned hot and tingling through the lounge shirt she wore to bed.

"What's up baby? Why're you awake?" Each word murmured against her spine in between her hips and made her shiver.

She didn't have the nerve to answer because she knew if she did, Ashton would hear the catch in her throat and the uneven tone of her voice. He would figure out that she had been crying, and then she would worry him unnecessarily. (Y/n) didn't want that. She didn't want to panic him when this was just aches and pains; this was to be expected at this stage.

When she didn't provide him with an answer, she felt his hand slowly sliding around from her hip until he was suddenly cupping the base of her stomach with his palm.

His voice was groggy and thick with sleep as he muttered into her back "Is she keeping you up?"

"Hmm," with a small murmur of agreement, (Y/n) reached down and curled her hand gently around his wrist. Her thumb traced across Ashton's skin as she moved his hand a bit further up until he could feel the little but incessant round of kicks she was feeling.

The kicking and wriggling wasn't a problem because as strange and relentless as the feeling was, it wasn't painful, at least not yet anyway. It was the strain in her lower stomach and the pressure on her lower back that was the problem for (Y/n). Their baby moving about and showing that she was awake wasn't what was keeping (Y/n) up right now. But she wasn't going to admit that to Ashton and have him start worrying; that wouldn't be fair on him.

She wasn't going to comment either on the fact that Ashton was still so adamant that they were having a girl. Since the moment she told him she was pregnant, he had it in his head that they would have a daughter. (Y/n) knew that if they did have a boy, Ashton would be just as thrilled and would fawn over them, it was just the way he expected fate to go.

They hadn't found out yet, they didn't want a gender reveal, they wanted it to be a surprise.

"Try and lay down baby."

Ashton shuffled back a bit and tugged his arm that was around her waist, gently trying to usher (Y/n) to lay down beside him again. He couldn't imagine that she would make herself feel any better by sitting up on the side of the bed. She wasn't moving and if she wasn't about to go to the toilet, then she might as well try and rest and try to get some sleep. Even if she couldn't sleep, she still needed to relax or it was going to be a long night and she would feel worse for it in the morning.

His hand stayed glued to her stomach, thumb stroking across her skin through her shirt as he felt her carefully swing her legs back up onto the bed. Sometimes it felt like they were lying on a water bed with how the tour bus swayed and bumped and stuttered on the roads as they went from city to city, country to country every other day.

But as she tried to sink down into the mattress again, it felt like she had laid on the tip of a blade which had sunk into her spine. A twinge rolled through her hips as she took a sharp breath and felt the weight of the baby adding to the sudden, striking discomfort.

Ashton felt it. He felt whatever shudder that tore through (Y/n) and the way she seemed to choke on her breath like something something struck her and she was in pain.

His senses seemed to come flooding back to him and he opened his eyes, adjusting quickly to the darkness surrounding them so he could push up on his right elbow and lean over her, his other hand glued where it was against her stomach.

"What was that?" Caution flooded his voice and a sceptical look took over his features because he knew (Y/n) was in pain, but he also knew what his wife was like. She didn't like to tell him these things, she didn't want to feel like she was a bother or worry him.

"J- just my back, it's aching."

It was a small relief to feel Ashton's hand move around from her stomach so his palm was against the small of her back near the dip in her spine. Helping her as she tried to turn, no longer able to lay on her back like this. It was too uncomfortable and the baby weighed down harder like that and made it a struggle to take deep breaths.

His hand remained on her back, giving a bit of weight and push to help her until (Y/n) seemed to find some sort of ease in laying on her right side with her knees pulled up as much as she could manage.

Once she settled, she buried her face into the pillow and closed her eyes, breathing a little easier when she felt Ashton's arm loop back over her waist again. His elbow was a comfort against her side and his bare chest moulded up against her back like he was propping her up, letting her lean back into him if that was what she wanted.

His lips pressed feather-like, open mouthed kisses against her throat and his hand slipped beneath her shirt, fingertips beginning to trace patterns against her stomach.

She tried so hard to turn her mind off, to listen to the sounds of the passing traffic or focus on the feeling of Ashton's breaths, soft and lulling against the back of her neck. Anything to take her mind off the pain in her lower back.

But then she felt him move, just a little until his cheek was pressing against her arm and he was curved around her almost like a blanket, and she realised he was whispering something.

He wasn't talking to her; he was saying something to the baby.

"…and it's way past your bedtime. Let mama sleep."

A faint glimmer of a smile pulled at (Y/n)'s tired lips and she tried to let herself sink further into the mattress, tuning out to whatever else Ashton was whispering because it wasn't her that he was talking to. That was a private conversation.

Hopefully she would feel better in the morning, when they got off the bus and she could move about more. Perhaps she was only feeling like this because today was a travelling day and it made everything worse when she could only walk so far and do so little.

She hoped tomorrow would be better.

***

Once again Ashton found himself scanning the room, eyes roaming over each person he came across until he found the one he was looking for. The one that played on his mind no matter where he was or what he might be doing.

As soon as his sights set on her, his eyes began to narrow and his breath caught in his lungs when he observed her.

It took him all of a minute to watch (Y/n) before he grumbled through a sigh and reached to the left to pass his guitar over to Michael. He didn't say a word or wait for a confused response, as soon as the guitar neck was out of his hand, Ashton crouched down at the front of the stage set up. One hand pressed to the floor of the stage and with that he jumped forward, boots thudding as he landed on the main floor of the venue in the section that would be the pit where the crowds would stand and clamour together to get closer to the stage.

His hands flexed at his sides, a light layer of sweat sticking his plain oversized t-shirt to his skin as he aimed for (Y/n).

She had been stood down here watching the band do their first checks of the day now that the stage was set up.

While it had been set up they had all quickly checked into their hotel- since they were in this city for two shows- then they had a quick wander round before coming back here late in the afternoon.

But now (Y/n) seemed to be drifting off into her own world, her body turned to the side so she wasn't really facing the stage anymore, that wasn't what was bothering Ashton though. It was the fact that she was stood leaning her upper chest backwards at an almost uncomfortable angle, and since the moment she had come down here, Ashton had noticed where her hand was.

Her hand hadn't moved from where her palm was planted against her lower back. She seemed to be pushing at the base of her spine like her back was causing her some trouble, and that was worrying.

When he reached her Ashton reached out a hand to gently grip her elbow, catching her attention since it was clear she hadn't heard him approach.

"Are you gonna go sit down?"

A frown formed on (Y/n)'s lips as her head twisted to the side, eyes wide and landing on Ashton straight away. Her free hand reached out for his forearm, holding onto him like she was silently trying to reassure him, but her other hand remained on her lower back. Pressing into the dip in her spine where her main discomfort had come from for the past few days.

"What?" Confusion lit up her eyes as she gave his arm a light squeeze. It seemed a rather strange question to ask her out of the blue when he had just been up on stage practising.

Usually he would come over and ask what she thought, if she liked how he played since guitar wasn't his main assortment to play on stage. Ashton didn't normally come over and ask- though it sounded more like a demand than a question- her if she was going to go and take a seat instead of standing here. It wasn't like the fans were about to crowd in and squash and consume her in their midst.

"I haven't seen you sit down since we got off the bus this morning, go and rest."

One hand stayed curled around (Y/n)'s elbow, but the other wafted out towards the hundreds of seats surrounding the stage in the venue.

The band would be messing about on stage prepping and getting ready for a little while longer, so (Y/n) could sit in here. She could go back to the dressing room if she wanted, but Ashton wanted her to sit down.

He knew she hadn't slept well last night and he also knew that she hadn't bothered to sit down and rest since they got off the bus early this morning. She followed with everyone else as they looked around the venue, her and Ashton went for a wander round and into a few shops while they had the morning spare.

He presumed she would take it easy once they got back here to the arena, but (Y/n) had seemed intent on not sitting even for a moment. Even when Ashton had sat down with Michael for a bit before they started the sound checks, (Y/n) had been walking and wandering the corridors near the dressing room like she couldn't sit still. It was unnerving.

Ashton knew this wasn't normal for her. All the other venues they had played these last few months, (Y/n) had been tired. She would take a seat, she would lie down in the dressing room, she would take it slow and try not to overdo it. These last few days she seemed the total opposite.

"B- I'm fine, I'm watching the setup." Shifting her hand from Ashton's arm, (Y/n) motioned towards the stage.

It didn't matter what venue they went to or what city or how the routine was always the same, (Y/n) wanted to watch. She didn't want to miss a thing, and she enjoyed seeing them set up, how they joked around, recorded a few things for the fans online. It was all part of being here for the tour.

Although a small nagging twinge of worry settled in (Y/n)'s chest at the way Ashton was looking down at her. He was scrutinising her, observing her, checking for what was wrong because he knew her like the back of his hand, and he knew something wasn't right.

She didn't want to sit down in case it made her back seize up. Staying cramped on the tour bus with limited movement had made her rest a bit too much and the discomfort wasn't going away. (Y/n) didn't want to sit down and feel like that again, and she didn't want her back to get worse if she relaxed too much. Moving about made her tired beyond belief, but it seemed the better option.

"So it's got nothing to do with you holding you back all afternoon?" With an arched brow, Ashton pointed to where her hand was still glued against her back.

He got his answer when (Y/n) grimaced and couldn't meet his gaze, focusing instead on a stray piece of confetti on the floor that hadn't been swept away yet.

"Tell me."

"We were on the bus for hours, I want to keep moving, it makes me feel better."

It might not have been the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie and Ashton could see that in her eyes when she finally looked up at him and brought her hand away from her back to entwine their fingers together.

"Well I'd feel better if you sat down just for five minutes. You're seven months pregnant. So please," with a wave of his hand he pointed towards the seats closest to them, though he didn't care where she sat as long as she tried to rest.

They both knew if she didn't Ashton would just keep a closer eye on her and he would be panicking more and more.

Taking a step closer, (Y/n) pushed up on her toes and pressed a slow kiss to his lips, feeling his other hand curl around her hip to pull her that much nearer to him until their chests were touching and the curve of her bump was pressing into his abdomen.

A quiet murmur of "I'm okay," left her lips, desperate to stop Ashton worrying over her because that wasn't fair. Not when he was on tour and had more pressing things to worry abouot.

Her steps were slower than usual when she turned away from Ashton and aimed for the nearest row of seats she could get to. She could feel Ashton's eyes burning into the back of her frame, as if he were checking that she was actually going to do as he pleaded and take a rest. She didn't dare wander off because she knew he would only follow her and hover until she took it easy.

She felt a mixture of relief and worry when she took a seat on the first row, closest to the stage and the standing area that would be filled to the brim with fans in a matter of hours.

Her back felt a bit more at ease once she was seated, but there was a dull ache in her hips that spread round to her abdomen until (Y/n) tried to shimmy around to get comfy. She ended up sinking down in the seat until she was slouched like a teenager in a school classroom they really had no interest for.

Her knees parted to the sides, her weight balanced on her toes to keep herself from sliding off the chair. And both hands settled on her rounded stomach, moving up and down her bump to try and settle the baby who was now fidgeting and waking up.

As soon as she lifted her head her eye caught Ashton just as he clambered back up onto the stage like a crazed fan trying to meet the band. The moment he was stood up on the stage, he was looking in her direction like he was making sure she hadn't tried to sneak away, and his features softened when their eyes locked. She could still see that essence of worry flooding those hazel eyes though.

That was why she hadn't said anything. The last thing (Y/n) wanted was for Ashton or any of the band to see her as a burden. They had already changed the schedule once to accomodate her and the baby when her due date would come around.

(Y/n) didn't want to worry Ashton or make any fuss when she was just feeling the kind of aches and discomfort she should have expected from being seven months pregnant and touring round the world with her husband and his band.

Now (Y/n) didn't know what to do with herself.

It had been alright going to sit down for a while, but then she could hardly get herself back up again out of her seat and once she was up, she felt like she had been put on slow motion. Practically dragging her feet as she walked or rather shuffled, unsure where she was going, just knowing that it felt better to keep moving slow and being busy because when she sat down, although she was resting, it showed her just how uncomfortable she truly felt.

For the last ten minutes (Y/n) had been hiding out in the toilets because for one, it was an empty space. She could sit down or just stand over the sink and close her eyes and try to recalibrate herself and feel better. It was somewhere that no one would bother her and she could hide out so Ashton wouldn't see how uneasy she now felt.

(Y/n) wondered whether or not to turn around and go back to hiding out in there, but decided against it. She needed to go and sit down again, to show her face and maybe try and force herself to take a nap and see if that helped.

The walls were vibrating with the sound of the second warm up act and it made her head thump worse than Ashton's drumkit.

She knew this meant that there was only half an hour or so before the band would be out on stage. The sooner they went out and performed, the sooner tonight would be over and (Y/n) could sit at the hotel and will herself into feeling better and getting a proper night's rest.

"Hey, we thought you'd got lost." A smile graced Calum's lips as he fiddled with the ear plugs hanging around his neck and made a beeline in (Y/n)'s direction.

He huddled up beside her until their ebows nudged and when he loosely draped an arm around her shoulders, he was pleased to find (Y/n) leaning into his side with her head just about touching his shoulder.

They had missed her while they had been getting ready and having a quick celebratory drink, a new habit before they went out on stage. They figured either she had wandered too far and couldn't get her bearings in this new venue or she had found a quiet place to sit down and rest or take a nap. Calum was glad he'd found her before they went out on stage.

"You feeling okay?"

He didn't receive an answer. (Y/n) didn't know what to say. Her headache was getting worse, but her stomach was churning like a cement mixer and she didn't feel like she had the ability to talk, let alone work up a good enough lie to calm down one of her close friends. Calum would be able to see she wasn't feeling her best, just like Ashton could.

He bent forward to try and look down at her, catching that vague faraway look in her eyes and the fact that her right hand was pressed into the side of her stomach near her hip. Something wasn't right.

"I'm gonna get Ash."

A hasty reply was on the tip of (Y/n)'s tongue, desperate to say no and tell him she was just having a dizzy spell or something to calm him down, but the words wouldn't form.

Calum got one step away from her before her left hand reached out and grabbed his arm with such force that both of them tremored and Calum felt like a stone of dread had sunk to the pit of his stomach. He spun back around to face her, reaching out to steady her as she looked like she was about to fall, but he ended up watching her in growing fear instead.

Her right hand shook as it moved away from her stomach and suddenly pressed against her inner thighs where her gaze was focusing on.

Both of them were stunned into silence and panic dwelled in (Y/n)'s chest like her lungs were filling with fluid as she pulled her trembling hand away. Her thighs were damp. There was a faint tinge of pinkish, reddish blood on her fingers when she pulled her hand away.

"I…" She didn't know what to say. It was hard enough to lift her head and manage to look up at Calum when their eyes locked.

He felt her hand tighten around his arm, but it was the look in her eyes that hit him to the core. He could see what she was trying to say without her needing to express the words.

'Don't leave me.'

With a sharp nod of his head, Calum slid his arm from her shoulders so he could hold onto her waist instead. He didn't want the risk of (Y/n)'s legs giving out or her being in too much pain to walk and stumbling over. He felt her hand reach up to grab onto his shoulder, holding tight as she leant into his side and they made a slow walk down the corridor.

"I got you."

They seemed to be on the same unspoken path; they needed to find Ashton. As much as (Y/n) didn't want to worry him, she didn't have a choice now. She needed him. She needed help. Something wasn't right and she couldn't try and cope with this and leave Ashton oblivious.

It was a short walk towards the backstage area of the venue where everyone else was gathered. Their crew, their managers and tour staff, the rest of the band and their families.

"Ash," Calum's teeth sunk into his lower lip when he locked eyes with the drummer and looked between him and (Y/n) huddled into his side. "You're gonna have to take (Y/n) to the emergency room."

"What?" The drink in Ashton's hand spilled over his fingers as he hastily dumped it on the nearest surface before making a beeline for them.

He reached them in a fluster, already coming over in a cold sweat of panic that made the leather pants and vest top he wore stick to him like a second skin. "What's wrong?"

A lump formed in (Y/n)'s throat and again she couldn't find the will to utter any words. All she could do was let the tears fall and set her glossing eyes on Calum, praying he could form the words for her.

"She- she's bleeding." Calum leant forward to whisper the words like they were the world's darkest secret; it didn't seem fair to let everyone else hear when this was clearly a personal predicament. He could see the panic sparking within Ashton's eyes as (Y/n) shakily held her hand out near her thigh and looked down, letting the drummer see the where the blood was coming from.

"Shit! Oh baby- I knew you weren't well."

Another wave of tears rolled down (Y/n)'s face as she let go of Calum's shoulder, no longer leaning on him. She took a step forward and dropped her head against Ashton's chest, trying so hard not to burst into sobs and have others looking and listening in.

Both hands scrunched up in Ashton's vest and she was glad when he straightened his back and let her lean her weight into him without a word. His hand rose to cup the back of her neck, fingers tangling in her hair while his other arm curved around her waist to pin her in his embrace.

"The- the show…"

Deep down (Y/n) knew there wasn't much choice in this situation. She couldn't wait for the band to go out on stage and do their performance; she couldn't wait until the show ended to go to the nearest hospital. If they did that something could happen to the baby.

And although (Y/n) could ask one of the band's partners to go along with her, she really didn't want to do that either. She wanted Ashton to be with her because she had no idea what was happening or if the baby was okay; if she got bad news then he needed to be there.

Ashton wouldn't be able to go out on stage anyway, not now he knew something was wrong. His mind wouldn't be on the show, he would be panicking and dwelling and working himself up into a frenzy worrying about his family. His place was right here with her, and he wasn't going anywhere except to the hospital with (Y/n).

"The show doesn't matter; we need you two checked over, okay?"

***

With a grunt, Ashton fished around in his pocket until he grappled with his phone and once it was in his hand, he tossed it onto the chair behind him. The phone might be on silent mode, but the constant alerts and vibrations were making him furious to the point he wanted to launch the phone out the window.

The messages from the band were comforting, asking if they needed anything, if they had any news, to message when they knew what was happening. That was fine. And he'd sent a quick text to his mum, not wanting her to hear over the news that the show had been cancelled and something was wrong.

But it was everything else that was irritating him. The alerts from all over social media. Fans asking what was happening, outraged and concerned and irritated that tonight's show had been cancelled right before the band were due to go out on stage.

Ashton didn't want to deal with that. He didn't want to see what the fans were saying or have their messages coming through, the speculating and well wishes and outraged rants.

It was going to take a while for management to talk to the venue owners and see if a new date could be rearranged so the fans didn't miss out on the experience. But of course, that depended on what happened here and now in the hospital.

Ashton turned back to face the bed (Y/n) was anxiously lying on and without a word he reached down for her hand again.

He was glad they didn't have to wait long once they arrived in the emergency room. Sitting and dwelling and worrying wouldn't do (Y/n) any good; and people had started to stare. Not that Ashton could blame them when he'd been sat there in thick heeled stage boots, tight leather pants and black eyeliner and eyeshadow making him stand out in the bright illuminating lights.

(Y/n) sat up a bit straighter, her head leaning on Ashton's arm at her left but both their attentions were completely focused on the nurse.

When she came in (Y/n) had some bloods drawn, an exam, they'd put her on a monitor and both her and Ashton almost cried with relief when they heard the baby's heartbeat sound strong and steady. Now they were getting an ultrasound.

(Y/n) tried to ignore the uncomfortableness of the sonogram pressing right into her bladder. She wasn't sure whether to look at the screen or at the nurse, but settled on the nurse in the end because it was easier than trying to analyse the image of their baby and guess whether something was terribly wrong or not.

"Well you've not lost a lot of amniotic fluid which is good, and there's no haemorrhage either."

(Y/n) nodded, feeling Ashton sighing in relief beside her before he leant over to press a longing kiss to her temple. That was good news. One of the first things they'd been told was that it looked like her waters might have broken which had been frightening to hear.

"I'm not in labour?" She was almost afraid to ask, but surely if she hadn't lost a lot of fluid, then she might not be in labour.

The nurse's smile was kind and calming as she shook her head.

"Not definitively; you barely started to dilate, maybe one centimetre at best which is safe for now, but baby is low down. We'll keep you in overnight just to be safe, but you'll need to be on bed rest to be safe."

(Y/n)'s lips parted and her head shook as she tightened her hand around Ashton's, unsure who to look at now. "I can't."

"You have to." Ashton's response was automatic and made (Y/n)'s lips curve into a frown as she stared up at him. The couple barely heard the nurse excuse herself on the errand of finding (Y/n)'s bloodwork results so they could talk more about that in a while. Clearly she was giving them a moment alone to talk.

This was good news and bad at the same time. (Y/n) was relieved she wasn't in labour, although clearly she had been on the verge of going into labour. She didn't want that, but bed rest wasn't an option either. She couldn't do that, it just wasn't going to work.

"No… no I'll just have to slow down, stay on the bus or in the dressing room. It- it's not like I'd be doing much anyway, I'm not the one on stage."

It wasn't like (Y/n) was part of the band, her job wasn't to be up on the stage performing each night. If it was then she could fully agree, she couldn't do that in this state of health. But she wasn't. She was on this tour as Ashton's wife, she was supporting him and here so she could be with him and they wouldn't be apart, especially not at the later stages in her pregnancy.

She could take it easy, spend the days resting on the tour bus or in whatever hotel they might stay in. They could confine her to the dressing room and instead of watching the shows and being around the excitement and adrenaline and the overpowering music, she would listen from afar and rest. She wouldn't be doing too much if she just tagged along and mostly sat down, even if that didn't feel like something (Y/n) would be able to do very well.

She would certainly try her best, but going home or going on bed rest wasn't a true possibility.

The look Ashton was giving her made (Y/n)'s heart do summersaults and she felt the baby flutter with the adrenaline they both felt. He had that pointed look on his face, pointed chin, pursed lips and his teeth biting down on the corner of his mouth. Eyes constricted and focused solely on her as he tightened his hold on her hand.

"Baby," he seemed to sigh through the word, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand before he looked back down at her. "No you can't, you heard what she said-"

"I'm not- I'm not going home on my own Ash." Alarm shot through her voice that wavered with the threat of tears.

Going home wasn't an option. (Y/n) didn't want to travel home on her own when she felt like this, nor did she want to stay home alone. Bed rest couldn't be possible that way and she wouldn't stay home alone with no one around her or no help, not to mention being there without Ashton. She couldn't do it. The thought alone was terrifying and sent her heart into a frenzy enough to reckon with a heart attack.

Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes made Ashton's heart lurch up into his throat and his stomach tightened. Within an instant his arms were around her, cradling the back of her neck and the other arm swooping around her waist, reeling her into his chest and abdomen like he was trying to fuse them together.

He merged his lips with the top of her head, nestling into her hair and breathing in her scent as he felt her face press tightly into his chest until her nose was squashed against his sternum.

The last thing Ashton wanted to do was upset her; he was trying to look out for her. He was trying to keep her and their baby safe and well. They were his priority. This tour didn't matter in comparison with what was right here in his arms; his family.

"You're not going anywhere on your own, baby." He soothed, the words a deafening promise because of the truth wrapped around them.

He didn't mean it like that. He wasn't trying to imply that (Y/n) should go back home on her own and stay home while he finished the tour with the band. Ashton would never do that, he couldn't part from her and especially not now, not with this news.

His mind was on overdrive at the fact that (Y/n) had almost gone into labour, that she had just started to dilate which was a bad thing. Labour was going to be early now, it might not be today or this week or next week, but (Y/n) wasn't going to make it to full term.

No way was Ashton going to tell her to go home alone and he would be there when he couold or when this part of the tour ended. If she went home he meant that he would be going home with her. If (Y/n) needed to be home on bed rest then that's where they would go. The rest of this tour would just have to be delayed until (Y/n) had the baby and Ashton knew his family were safe and well.

"You said you'd need me, and I'm right here. I promised I'd be with you through everything, didn't I? We'll just have to figure something out. It's okay."

He would talk to the guys and to their management and tour team, he would figure something out. Whether that be the tour taking a break now and delaying the rest of the shows until after the baby was born. Or whether they could figure out some way to keep (Y/n) close but well rested and safe. They would sort something out.