Page 84 of Lift Me Up

"Georgie?" Sienna's voice is loud and high pitched, and the sound of the car whirring in the background.

"Hey, yeah. It's me. Is everything okay?"

"It's time."

It's time? Noah mouths to me, eyebrows knit in confusion.

"Time?" I ask, a bit confused myself.

"Oh shit. Ow. Ok. Um. It's time. Like... fuck that hurts, baby time."

"Baby time? Oh shit, baby time!" I throw myself out of the bed, struggling to find pants. Noah is in a constant state of panic next to me, grabbing everything he can that we don't need. We need clothes on and keys and then we're out of here.

"Noah, call Franny," I tell him to keep him on track, and he nods, going off to do that. "Sienna, is there anything you need?"

"An epidural?" She wheezes. "No. Nothing. Just get to the hospital. I can't see this taking long."

Don't jinx it, I think.

She does, in fact, jinx it. Noah and I arrive at the hospital just minutes after Ricardo and Sienna do, and they've barely got her in a gown and bed before she's asking for an epidural. She had no intention of ever going without one, according to her binder entitled 'birth plan' that she shoved at me the second I sat beside her.

It's hours of Sienna crying and laughing through contractions, and finally getting that epidural after all before Noah and I excuse ourselves to the waiting room so Sienna can start pushing. We look at all the happy depictions of mothers and their children on the walls. Such a happy ward floor in comparison to others in this hospital. I think about how I was just here a few weeks ago on a floor full of sick people, and it was so hard to imagine then that a floor like this, full of new life and happiness and love could even be in the same building.

"This is... intense." Noah breaks our silence.

"It is." I agree.

"The waiting is killing me. It was like not knowing how you were in here. But this time, I know it's a positive outcome. I didn't know what would come of you." He says, eyes focused somewhere else.

I swallow. "I'm so sorry I did that to you."

He nods. "I understand your reason why, but it's still difficult for me. You left my parent’s house alone, almost dying."

"I wasn't dying⁠—"

He turns to me with narrowed eyes, "Did they or did they not admit you to the hospital for suspected septic shock."

"I… they did." I concede when the glare grows darker.

He shrugs it away, putting his arm around me and pulling me close. "I have you here and now, and that's what matters. I don't think I could do this without you."

"Sit in a waiting room?" I tease, chuckling when poking his side results in a tight squeeze.

"Life, Georgie. I don’t think I could do life without you.”

The words take my breath away, and though I don't pull back, I can still look up to see his face, open and raw with emotions. "Noah."

"Georgie."

I sigh when he brushes the hair out of my face, "It's going to take me a while to get used to all this. I am not trying to seem like I don't want that with you. I do. It's scary, but I want that with you. I want everything with you."

"What if this is us someday?" He gestures around to the room, and I know what he means. I swallow hard.

"Do... you want children?" I ask him.

"Of course, one day. Do you?"

It's not exactly the conversation I expected to have, but I suppose if the topic were to ever arise, I guess here and now would be the best place for it.