[GothPop]

Alex, who was not experiencing constant labor pains, was very much on the verge of sleep. But because he knew his partner was in pain, he fought to keep his eyes open. Or at least, conscious. Every now and then, the hand rubbing Alex's back would go slack, but it was corrected rather quickly, as he was jolted back to consciousness. He was used to being awake early and to bed early, so the sneaking around late at night the last few months had caused him to miss sleep. But he knew it was nothing compared to what Elliot was going through, so he owed it to him to stay with him.