Class Partners (closed with shooshoo)

[shooshoo]

"I'm sorry," Ben said, his voice broken. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you and called earlier."

Another contraction started and he gripped Will's hand tightly, trying to follow along as Will coached him through the contraction. Will was keeping calm and controlling everything. It definitely helped keep him at least a little calm.

"Why did this happen?" asked Ben, clutching Will's hand. "I was being so careful."

[cashewmanz]

"Hey, don't apologize. You're going to be fine," Will said sternly, he took Ben's face in his hand and forced him to look in his eyes. "You hear me? Fine. I don't want to hear this woe is me crap," he said, using stronger language than he was used to.  
  
"The doctors are here, they're doing what they can. They'll get this under control and we'll get back to our lives," he said, hoping to God he was right.

[shooshoo]

Ben nodded, meeting Will's eyes. The nurse hooked up a bag to his IV and the doctor returned a few minutes later to give him the steroid shots for the baby's lungs. Ben just held onto Will's hands and watched him as everything was happening. Sandy settled on the bed behind him and rubbed his back, watching the monitors.

"Her heart rate is just fine, Ben. She's not in any distress so there isn't any urgency to deliver. We'll just let the medication work and try to stay calm," Sandy said soothingly. She smiled at Will gently. "How are you feeling, Will?"

[cashewmanz]

"A little tired, a little stressed out, but otherwise fine," Will smiled back. "We appreciate the concern though," he said, looking down to his belly and giving it a soft pat. Thankfully the baby inside was settled for now.  
  
"And what did I tell you, Ben? You're doing great," he gave the other man a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Do you think we'll be able to go back home?" he asked the professionals in the room.

[shooshoo]

"We're going to have you stay the night to see if Ben's labor stops. If it does and he's not dilating, you can go home. And Ben, you're going to go on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy," the doctor said as he checked the monitors as well.

"Okay," Ben said quietly. He put his free hand on his belly, stroking gently. "Stay inside for me, baby."

[cashewmanz]

"Is there somewhere I can stay that's a bit more comfortable than the chair?" Will asked, gesturing towards his pregnant body. "I want to stay by Ben tonight, and...well, I should probably be a bit better situated."

[shooshoo]

Sandy looked thoughtful. "You could sleep in the other bed or we could bring in a recliner chair. The chair might actually be more comfortable"

Ben shifted on the bed, breathing slowly. "The chair would be better. He needs to sleep at an angle. It keeps the baby calmer."

[cashewmanz]

"Even now he's thinking of me. How lucky, right?" Will practically swooned. He shortly agreed on the chair as it was brought in for him with a blanket and some extra pillows. He set himself up with the right support in the right spots and laid back to relax. "You were right, this is more comfortable. Thanks, Sandy."

[shooshoo]

"No problem," Sandy said, looking at the monitors. "Her heart rate is still good and the contractions are slowing down. We're looking good. How are you feeling, Ben?"

"Exhausted," Ben said, reaching for Will's hand again. "I don't feel as uncomfortable though. Except for the monitor band. Can I take it off?"

"Not yet, sweetheart," Sandy said apologetically. "We have to keep monitoring the two of you until we're sure we've stopped you labor."

[cashewmanz]

"You'll be able to sleep, I'm sure," Will said confidently. It had been a trying day for the both of them, and he didn't see the monitor band stopping Ben from sleeping it off. "Everything will be fine in the morning, you're already making good progress," he yawned.

[shooshoo]

"Go to sleep," Ben said to him, rubbing the back of Will's hand with his thumb. Will needed to sleep just as much as he did. The last thing they needed was both of them ending up on bedrest. At least they had gotten the nursery mostly finished. All they had to do now was wash all the clothes, blankets, and sheets.

Sandy settled in another chair, her feet up on the edge of Ben's hospital bed. Ben watched her as she seemed to fall asleep between one breath and the next. As tired as he was, he doubted he would fall asleep as quickly.

[cashewmanz]

"Alright, alright," Will whined as he rolled over to find a comfortable spot in the chair. "Goodnight, Ben," he said through a large yawn as he shut his eyes. Will fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of how close they were to having their babies and being fathers. It should have been a stressful dream, as it was normally. But for once, his brain must have had its fill of stress, and offered him something nice to sleep to.

[shooshoo]

Ben decided that bed rest just flat out sucked. He was bored, uncomfortable, bored, cranky, and bored. He had been sent home from the hospital with strict instructions not to do much of anything. He was allowed to move from the bed to the couch, get up to go to the bathroom and get food, and that was about it. The apartment was messy, the clothes and blankets for the babies weren't washed, and Ben was getting sick of eating food that was dropped off for them by one of his staff at the restaurant.

Will was working and trying to help take care of Ben but he was so pregnant himself that he didn't have the energy to cook or clean. Ben didn't blame him at all. In fact when Will got home from work Ben would pull him into bed and massage his swollen feet and aching back, anything to make him feel better.

He flipped through the channels again, sighing at nothing when he just left it on a baseball game to pass the time. He sipped at his water and jumped when the doorbell rang. He shuffled himself over to the door and opened it when he saw his sister standing there with two huge suitcase and a pissed off expression on her face.

"Joy?" Ben stared at her. "What are you doing here?"

[cashewmanz]

Will had been attempting a nap on the couch when the commotion began. "...Ben? Who's there?" he called from the living room. He was pinned down by his belly and was straining his neck trying to see over the bulge in his abdomen. He groaned in annoyance as he rolled from side to side, trying to swing his legs over the edge so he could stand. With a grunt of effort, he managed to get himself on his feet.  
  
Now that he was standing, he could see Ben's sister in the doorway. They'd never met before, but he recognized her from the pictures. He wondered if she knew about him...Ben had said they didn't talk very often. Will decided to stay back, knowing his wasn't out of sight, but avoiding talking until the situation grew clearer.

[shooshoo]

"Go sit down," Joy said, urging Ben back towards the couch. She saw Will by the couch and she sighed, shaking her head. "You are both idiots."

"Hey," Ben scowled at her. "Don't call Will an idiot."

Joy shut the door behind her. "Neither of you are in any condition to take care of each other right now. I shouldn't have had to hear from Mom that you're on bedrest because you almost gave birth at 31 weeks. Oh and that your new boyfriend is just as pregnant as you."

Ben sat down heavily, trying to get comfortable. "That doesn't explain why you are here?"

"I'm here to take care of both of you until the babies are born. No arguments." Joy looked around the apartment. "You need to rest, both of you."

[cashewmanz]

Will was a bit confused on what to say to the irrate woman in their apartment. "Hi Joy," he managed as she bustled about the apartment, silently criticizing the mess they were in. And it was a mess. Clothes laid out unwashed, their bed was unmade, the kitchen was in shambles and old food lay out everywhere.  
  
"Thanks for coming!" he called after her as she ran from one room to the next, "It's goo to finally meet you," he added.

[shooshoo]

Ben groaned and leaned his head on Will's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I specifically asked Mom not to tell her. She's kind of insane and can work anywhere. She mentioned coming after the baby was born but that was scrapped once you came into the picture."

Joy came back into the living room. "Okay I'm going to get started with laundry and then change the sheets on your bed. Is someone from the restaurant bringing food by."

"Ethan has been coming by," Ben said tiredly. "You really don't have to do this, Joy. We're fine."

[cashewmanz]

"Hey now, Ben, don't be so hasty," Will said loud enough for Joy to hear. "This will finally get me off my feet," he muttered. He'd been doing a lot for Ben the past few weeks, and while he wouldn't ever complain, he also couldn't lie to himself. If he worked too hard soon he'd be in pre-term labor and neither of them wanted that. "Thanks, Joy," he said gratefully for the two of them, though Ben clearly disagreed.

[shooshoo]

Ben looked over at Will, looking guilty. "Are you feeling okay? I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Joy came back into the room, holding out bottles of water to the both of them. "I know our relationship has been kind of shitty, Benny, but I want my big brother to have the baby he's always wanted safely. If that means I wait on you hand and foot for a little while so be it."

[cashewmanz]

"Oh stop," Will swatted at him playfully, "I was trying to be funny. And if she's willing to wait on us, who are we to say no? Besides, I want to get to know your family, and this seems like a good start," Will said as he crossed the room to Joy to take a water bottle.  
  
After a few big gulps, he looked at her carefully. "We're not interrupting anything important for you, are we? Don't feel the need to put your life on hold to be here 24/7."