[shooshoo]

"No, no," Sam said immediately. He reached out a hand to Jason who took it, clutching tightly. "I'm okay, honey. It just felt different then the Braxton-Hicks contractions."

Sam took a bite of the bacon and immediately regretted it. He grabbed a napkin and spit it out, his mouth filling with saliva in a way he knew meant he was about to throw up. He pushed away from the table and hurried as quickly as he could to the sink and vomited.

"Okay," he said weakly. "Apparently bacon is not okay again."

[Runde]

Jason held Sam's hair back from his face as he vomited into the sink. He rubbed Sam's shoulders until he finished and started the garbage disposal.

"Poor thing. Do you have to lay down?"

[shooshoo]

Sam cupped his hand under the faucet and rinsed his mouth out, spitting it into the sink. "No. We have to finish getting things ready for everyone."

[Runde]

Jason leaned against the counter. "Alright. Take it easy, though. There'll probably be enough interesting smells in here without you throwing up." Jason gave a quick peck on the head of Sam and set out to start preparing the beds.

[shooshoo]

Sam rubbed at his belly, frowning as another mostly painless contraction tightened around his middle. He looked at the clock this time, just in case.

The bacon was a no though the smell wasn't really making him queasy at least. He sat down to eat the eggs, taking a couple of bites before he realized he actually wasn't hungry.

Sam gnawed on his lower lip briefly before standing up and heading into the living room to straighten up.

[Runde]

Jason straightened up his back, sore from having been bent over. The relatives would probably be here any minute, and he probably looked terrible, but at least all of the rooms were ready. He grabbed a spare blanket to drape over the couch in the living room and headed out to see Sean straightening up. The room was immaculate -- nothing was out of place.

Jason placed the blanket on the couch and took a step toward Sam.

"It looks great."

[shooshoo]

Sam looked at him with a soft smile, before motioning for Jason to sit on the couch with him. He pulled Jason as close as he could, clinging a little to his husband.

"I just want a moment together," he said softly. "This is probably the last time it's going to be just us. Our family will be here anytime now and then so will our daughter."

[Runde]

Jason leaned his head on Sam's and placed a hand on Sam's belly. Sam was right; after the birth, it would never be just the two of them. He thought about speaking but decided against it and just let the silence take hold of both of them.

The doorbell rang.

[shooshoo]

Sam shifted on the couch, inching his way towards the edge of the cushions before holding his hands out to Jason. "Pull me up?"

Jason did and once he had Sam standing, he kissed him lightly. The front door swung open and in a bustle of noise, Jason's parents came in.

"Jason? Sam?" Jason's mom, Nora, called out. "Where are you guys?"

[Runde]

"We're coming, Ma!" Jason shouted. He took Sam's hand, led him to the door and greeted his parents with hearty hugs. His mom was affectionate, as always, and his normally-stonefaced father, John, was even beaming with delight.

"I'm so proud of you, son." John said, and gave Jason another embrace.

[shooshoo]

Nora hugged Sam as tightly as she could, rubbing a hand on the small of his back. "How are you doing, honey? You look ready to burst."

Sam laughed a little, kissing his mother-in-law on the cheek. "I am ready for her to be born. I won't lie. She's been keeping me up every night this week."

[Runde]

Nora squeezed Sam again, and Jason couldn't help but laugh. "C'mon, Ma," he said as he draped his arm over her, "He's going to be doing a lot of social interaction. Best if we don't wear him out now. How was the drive up?"

[shooshoo]

Sam couldn't help but be a little grateful as his belly tightened again. He took a look at the clock. Okay, so 38 minutes. John was looking at him a little thoughtfully when Sam stopped looking at the clock.

"You okay there, son?" asked John quietly, surprisingly discrete. He put a hand on Sam's back, steadying him. "You got a little pale there."

Sam nodded, biting his lip again. "Just tired."

"Why don't you go lie down," John suggested, using his hand to guide Sam towards the steps. "Let Jason entertain us for a bit."

Sam looked over at his husband who was happily talking to his mother. He nodded and smiled at his father-in-law. "Maybe that's a good idea."

[Runde]

Jason gave a look to his husband that asked "what's up?" and got a "nothing!" look in response, so he decided to take the cue and lead his parents to the living room to sit down.

"Just set your stuff anywhere. We'll take care of it when we have to."

[shooshoo]

"When are Sam's parents getting here?" asked Nora, moving their bags off to the side as John took care of their coats.

John hung the coats up and looked up the steps thoughtfully. It may have been awhile, but John was pretty sure he saw Sam have a contraction.

"I'm getting us a drink," John said, waving Jason away as he tried to get up instead. "Talk to your mother. She's got so many questions about the birth."

[Runde]

Jason laughed and gave a slight eyeroll. He turned to his mom,

"They should be getting here soon. They texted a little bit ago that they'd be a little delayed, some kind of issue with the plane. I think it'll be good for Sam that everybody's getting here in stages. Poor guy can only take so much at one time." Jason leaned back and continued, "But how are you guys?"

[shooshoo]

"We're so excited," Nora said happily, squeezing Jason's hands. "Now if only your brother would get over his squeamishness about birth, we could all be together for this."

Nora took the glass of water John handed her. "Does Sam want us in the room? Where do you plan on doing this anyway? This is so different to me. All I did was go to a hospital for you and your brother and got put to sleep for a C-section."

[Runde]

Jason leaned forward so his elbows were resting on his thighs. "We'll be doing it downstairs in the basement. It's nice and cool, and with all the windows we can control the light." He paused and, with a hint of nervousness, continued, "He's going to be doing it with no meds. I totally think he can, but it's going to be hell to watch him struggle though that, you know? We have a doctor on speed dial, so no worries there." He cleared his throat.

"So have you heard from Joseph at all?"

[shooshoo]

"He called before we left and told us to tell you that he'll see you soon. And he's sorry that he won't be here for the birth," John said, nudging Nora lightly. "Your mother tried to guilt him into coming."

Sam shuffled around the bedroom, not sure if he wanted to lie down. His back was aching again and he rubbed at it to no avail. His breath caught and he gripped the edge of the dresser as another contraction rolled over him. The baby stretched and shifted with it, a flurry of kicks to his ribs, protesting the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing.

[Runde]

Jason cast a jokingly scornful look to his mother before breaking it and chuckling. Nora's infamous guilt trips were a trademark of Jason's family. It was said that the McClains could influence anyone with a single look.

The doorbell again rang, and Jason went to answer. Jason raised his eyebrows and welcomed her in before making a dash up to the bedroom. He quietly opened the door and informed Sam that his sister had arrived.