Chapter Text
Leanne stepped outside and inhaled the fresh scent of pine. The smell always bringing her back to the camping trips she used to take with her husband and kids before the accident. A small bittersweet smile flooded her face as she briefly relived those precious moments. She returned to reality when she felt a small flutter in her abdomen, looking down at the large swell of her belly, she placed one hand on her stomach, and the other behind her hip. Rubbing her hand in small, gentle circles, she felt her unborn child wriggling around inside of her. The sudden and abrupt dance routine made her think that the baby was also enjoying the fresh air. Letting the early morning sunlight trickle through the trees and onto her face, she grabbed a book and waddled down to the dock.
Neal and Leanne had decided to take some time away before the baby came. She had grown restless of the boring home life routine after Craig put her on maternity leave. The daily stresses of the hospital were beginning to threaten her pregnancy. Craig informed them that with Leanne’s age and fragile pregnancy, it would be a good idea for her to unwind and get used to a normal routine before the baby came. The rustic weekend getaway was Neal’s idea, remembering the days his family owned a cabin, (he longed for somewhere quiet and secluded.) Somewhere Leanne and him could escape the city and enjoy each other’s company. They agreed on renting a small wood cabin located an hour and a half outside of LA.
It took more effort than expected to lower herself into the short wooden dock chair. Her protruding belly making any type of bending a struggle. Sitting down, she felt the exhaustion take over her body. She hadn’t been sleeping lately, it seemed as though every time she went to lay down to sleep, the baby wanted to do anything but that. It had gotten to the point where even walking a few feet robbed her of her energy.
Finally finding a comfortable position, she listened to the soothing sounds of the lake brushing against the shore. Opening her book, she winced at a slight twinge in the bottom right side of her belly. She had been feeling those little pangs since the early hours of the morning. She put her book down on her lap and planted a hand over the spot where she had felt the tweak.
Looking down at her belly, humming to herself she noted the change in the pains. They were not normal Braxton Hicks contractions, they were early labor contractions. Wrinkling her nose slightly, she continued to run her hand over her belly. “Alright baby, take it easy in there, mommy's not quite ready for you.”
“Did you say something?” Neal smiled as he walked up the dock behind her, planting a kiss on her temple. Leanne looked up at him and smiled, he smelt of coffee.
“No no, just talking to our little nugget here.” She patted her belly and smiled wider.
Neal smiled and sat on the edge of the dock, dipping his bare feet into the cool water. “I’m surprised you’re up so early. I felt you tossing and turning most of the night. Were you not comfortable?” A yawn escaped his mouth as he turned around, noticing the light dark circles under her eyes.
Leanne laughed, “Comfortable is not a term one uses in the ninth month.” She shifted her weight in her chair, “The baby was moving lots and-“ she paused, remembering the light pains she had been experiencing since this morning. “and well I just hope I didn’t keep you awake.” She didn’t want to ruin their getaway by worrying him.
“Not at all.” He leaned back and patted her noticeably swollen bare feet. He turned to face her, shifting into an Indian style position. He lightly grabbed her feet, placing them both in his lap. Neal took her right foot and gently started to apply pressure in slow circles.
“Ugh, Neal. You treat me like a queen.” She groaned, closing her eyes and relaxing more into her chair. He looked up at her and continued massaging, his brown eyes twinkled as he sat there admiring his wife. He took small mental notes of the way her face seemed to glow in the soft morning light and how her hair waved in the brisk lake breeze. Within minutes, Neal heard small wisps of air escape her lips. A smile spreading across his face as he realized she had fallen asleep, her hands softly resting against her belly. Neal was careful not to wake her, taking her feet from his lap he got up and ran back up to the cabin to get his camera. Not many people knew of Neal’s love of photography. When Leanne found out, she printed out a few of his pictures and placed them in frames around the house. What she didn’t know was that Neal had recently started putting together a surprise album for the baby. When he had gotten back, he noticed her head had fell to the side a little. He focused the camera, adjusting the aperture and shutter speed and snapped a few shots of her. She looked so peaceful and he knew she needed the rest. Noticing some clouds rolling in, he took off his sweater and placed it carefully on top of her.
Leanne woke when she felt another pang in her belly, this one slightly stronger than the last. Concerned she ran her hand over her stomach, whispering softly, “hey, what did I tell you little one?” Looking up she had forgotten where she was for a moment, blinking the sleep from her eyes she noticed Neal’s sweater covering her. Sitting up a little straighter, she wondered where he had gone. Pushing herself towards the edge of the seat, she stood up, stretched a little and looked around. He must have gone back up to the cabin. Leanne shivered lightly, noting the drastic change in the weather since she had fallen asleep. The clouds had rolled in, bringing a chilly breeze with them. Pulling Neal’s sweater over her head, she began to walk back up to the cabin, pausing midway as another pain drummed across her stomach. Leanne shook her head lightly, pushing away the pain and continuing her trip back up to the cabin.
When she went back into the cabin she found Neal in the kitchen preparing lunch. Hearing the door close Neal turned around to find her in the doorway with his sweater on. The sleeves hung over her hands, due to her small frame, the fabric hugging her midsection due to her belly. A smile spread over his features, reaching his eyes, “You are so beautiful.”
Leanne blushed, pushing some windblown hair off her face with her sleeve. “I’m glad you think so, because I feel like a whale.” she said looking down at her stomach, her bangs falling into her face once again. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her midsection, his head dipping down to press his lips against her own.
“You are always beautiful to me.” He whispered, the vibrations tickling her lips. She looked up into his bronzy brown eyes, half smiling. Her heart swelled with love for him. She tilted her head to the side as he kissed down her neck, her eyes closing. She started to squirm, breaking the embrace, which caused Neal to break the contact he had with her skin. “Neal as much as I love this… I gotta pee!” she said pushing fully from his arms and running to the bathroom. “And whatever you’re cooking is starting to burn!” he heard her yell from behind the closed door.
Jumping out of his lusty daze, he lunged back into the kitchen and to the stove, rescuing their meal. “So I was thinking,” he raised his voice a few octaves so she could hear him. “We’re supposed to get a storm later. After lunch we should take a walk before the weather turns.”
“Sure!” she shouted back after nursing another pulse of pain. Her concern growing the more frequent the pains came.
“And maybe after that, I could run us a nice candle-lit bubble bath.” Neal shouted again but with a hint of seductivity in his voice.
Hearing the cockiness in his voice, she grinned, making her way from the bathroom towards the kitchen. “Sounds wonderful.” She approached him, running her hands across his back and settling on his hips. “So what’s for lunch?” she asked peaking around his broad shoulder, too short to peer over.
“I felt like making omelettes, how do you feel about that?” He turned, wafting the savoury aroma towards her with his hand.
Leanne’s mouth watered, inhaling the appetizing scent of various spices. “Mmm, did you hear that, baby girl? Daddy’s making us some cheesy goodness.” She rubbed her achy sides, still somewhat sore from the last contraction.
Neal had made the omelette fairly large so that they could split it. Cutting it in half, he placed one half on a plate and handed it to Leanne. Thanking him, she set it down on the kitchen’s island and reached for the peanut butter in the cupboard. Her weird cravings still flaring. Neal watched from the corner of his eye, cringing in disgust.
After their meal, Neal took care of the dishes while Leanne rested on the couch. She was feeling quite full, both with baby and omelette. Laying on her back, she caressed her midsection. “Neal, I think your child likes your cooking. She’s unusually calm.” He walked over to her.
“That or you just put her in a peanut butter coma.” he smirked, kneeling at her side. “I still don’t understand how peanut butter and eggs could even taste remotely good together.” he said shivering. The baby starting to move at the sound of Neal’s voice.
“Hey, get back to me when you’re nine months pregnant, buddy.” she scoffed, hitting his arm. “Besides, peanut butter is delicious, pregnant or not.”
He loved when she got snarky. Pulling up her shirt just enough to expose the bulge of her stomach, he planted soft kisses all over her belly. She ran a hand through his sleek dark hair. “I think...” he paused kissing her again, “that we should go for a” another peck “walk”. This time planting a kiss on her lips. Leanne brought a hand to his face with a smile. “Good idea.”
As Neal pulled Leanne to her feet she flinched. Another pain coursing through her body. Neal looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”
Slightly hunched over, Leanne rubbed an area of her belly. “She must have been enjoying the attention. She’s protesting our walk.” Leanne laughed it off, still trying to hide from Neal that she was contracting. Grasping her tummy, she walked towards the door.
With a worried expression, Neal grabbed his camera, tossing the neck strap over his head. He stopped her at the door, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. “Leanne, are you okay?”
“Of course, Neal. Don’t be silly. I’m fine.” She smiled and walked out the door. It was getting harder to convince herself that things were fine, never mind convincing Neal.
They walked slowly down a leafy tunnel of fall colours. Their hands intertwined, she leaned her head on his shoulder. The smell of rain in the air and the sounds of constant thunder in the distance. Every now and then, Neal would stop to take a photo. There was a moment in particular when he stopped to take a photo but Leanne kept walking. He got his shot but he paused as he watched his wife’s strut ahead with a subtle waddle. Everything was perfect, the way the tree tunnel framed her, the lighting, etc. Raising his camera in preparation, he called her, “Lee!” As she stopped and turned, Neal snapped a picture. A curious expression on her face, her hair was caught in a mid motion twirl, the moisture in the air curling the ends of her hair. Her ever growing belly peeking from her unzipped army green jacket. She had never looked more beautiful. Smiling, she dropped her chin, pulled back her jacket and placed a hand on her belly. She was posing for a picture. Neal captured the moment. Grinning, he them caught up to her.
Leanne grunted, stopping dead in her tracks. This one had taken her by surprise. Her eyes widened as a contraction hammered at her abdomen. Feeling something wet gush down her leg, she grabbed at Neal’s arm, emitting a loud gasp. Her water had broken. It was official, she was in active labour. Leanne couldn’t hide it from him any longer, the pain had significantly progressed. Bending, he placed a hand on her stomach. Noticing her wet pant legs, he realized her water had broken. He looked her in the eye. Her bottom lip slightly quivering. The fear rose in both their faces as they realized their baby was two and a half weeks early. Leanne’s eyelashes fluttered as moisture started to fall from the sky, perfect. The storm had hit, thunder blaring above them as they hastily made their way back into the shelter of the cabin.