Chris sat in the bed with his outstretched legs crossed at the ankles and his back pressed against the headboard. It was 6:23AM and he and Dodger were meant to be leaving for the daily run in exactly seven minutes, but he was yet to get out of bed. He was watching Denise get some much needed sleep after an entire night of tossing and turning- a figurative expression as she was nine months pregnant. She'd been warned that the beginning and the end of a pregnancy were the worst, but nothing could've prepared her for the level of discomfort she was in. It was caused by Braxton Hicks, the "absolute bitch"- in Denise's words- Dr. McCullough spoke to them about. She explained Braxton Hicks repeatedly because she knew how anxious Denise was and didn't want Chris to make unnecessary trips to the hospital. Every time she saw the young mother, she'd remind her that "not all contractions mean the baby is coming." Denise tried to keep that in mind, but every time she had a contraction- that would be her first thought and she would immediately start panicking.

Even though Denise was sick of being pregnant, it was evident she wasn't mentally ready to go into labor. She was scared and it was understandable seeing as it was her first time. How badly was it going to hurt? Was she going to defecate on the table? What if there were complications while she was trying for a natural birth and had to have an emergency c-section? How badly was that going to hurt? What if something happened while she was in surgery and she died? What was going to happen to Chris? Then there was her worst fear of something happening to her baby because what was she going to do if she lost her first baby? How would she and Chris recover from that?

Chris knew how scared and worried Denise was about it all. Every since they returned from New York and Emilia forced her to take her maternity leave, she'd only her pregnancy on her mind. That had its pros and cons because while she could prepare herself for parenthood, she could also let her anxiety chew away at her. From the questions she'd asked herself and Chris, it was clear it was chewing away pretty quickly. Chris was great though, he remained calm and reassuring. He even said all the right things:

"Sweetheart, I promise I am going to be there to hold your hand the entire time."

"Nothing bad is going to happen, you are going to have a safe and uncomplicated birth."

"It's going to be painful, yes. But at the end of it, we're going to have a baby and it'll be worth it."

"Believe it or not, I am still going to think you're beautiful even if you poop on the table."

That he'd saved for last because he knew it would make her laugh.

"Good morning," Chris whispered, gently brushing Denise's hair out of her face as she stirred from her restless sleep. She stretched as much as her body would allow, whining when the dull aches stabbed at her lower back. "I know, sweetheart." He sighed, soothingly running his hand up and down her arm. "It'll be over soon, okay? It's already the thirteenth and Jack's supposedly due tomorrow, I'm sure it's any day now."

And that was the other reason Chris wasn't getting ready for his run: he was scared Denise would go into labor while he was out, even if it was just for half an hour. As the date got closer, he got more paranoid about leaving Denise. Denise was playing it cool because she didn't want him to lose too much of his daily routines, but he knew her. It was kind of a no-brainer, she'd had panic attacks about less. If her water were to broke while he wasn't around, she would definitely have a panic attack, even if she was already at the hospital with Dr. McCullough.

"What time is it?" Denise changed the subject because she didn't want to think about giving birth; her chest tightened at the thought of it each time. She caught sight of the hands on the clock before Chris could answer her. "Why are you-" She was cut off by a sudden contraction. She grimaced and adjusted her position, slowly breathing through that contraction like every other contraction she'd had so far courtesy of Braxton Hicks.

"Should I be timing these?"

"No," Denise quickly shook her head. "They're irregular, it's not- no, they're just Braxton Hicks contractions. It's nothing to worry about." She told him, but she felt like she was addressing herself more. She didn't want to go into labor yet, she wasn't ready. Jack was due tomorrow, she'd be ready tomorrow. "Why are you still in bed?" She looked over the edge of her side of their bed; Dodger was no longer sleeping on the floor. "Dodger's probably downstairs waiting for you."

"He is," Chris nodded.

"So go for your run?" She suggested.

"I don't really feel like it today," he lied.

"I'm not going into labor until tomorrow."

"No no no," he corrected her with a chuckle. "You're not due until tomorrow, but you can go into labor at any time." She rolled her eyes, forcing herself to breathe as she ignored the uncomfortable feeling her anxiety was leaving in the back of her throat. "It's not a big deal, we'll just skip it today. It rained last night, the ground's wet anyway."

"Just because I'm due tomorrow doesn't mean I'll have the baby tomorrow, you can't change daily routines to accommodate my pregnancy. And you sure as hell can't be by my side twenty-four-seven," she told him and he smirked. "Chris," she laughed at his 'wanna bet?' face. "Go for your run," she urged and he sighed. "I'm just going back to sleep, nothing exciting is going to happen. Jack knows how much I like things going according to plan," she rested her hand on her belly. "He won't be out today."

"Fine," he decided after a long pause. "My phone will be with me, so you can call me if you need anything." She nodded and he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I'll be back in half an hour, forty minutes tops." He told her and she nodded again, yawning as she closed her eyes. "Okay?" He quizzed for reassurance and she nodded again, snuggling into her pillow. "You'll call if-"

"Oh my God," she opened her eyes, laughing. "Yes, I am going to call you if I need anything and you are going to be back in half an hour, forty minutes tops." He chuckled, getting out of bed. "Just go, I'm going to be fine. Don't Geminis hate clingy people?"

"They don't hate clingy people, they just like personal freedom." He answered her rhetorical question as he walked over to the dresser to get a change of clothes; she laughed. "If we're bringing star signs into the conversation- aren't Virgos secretly the biggest attention seekers?"

"I don't think I'm ever secretive when it comes to wanting attention," she quipped and it was his turn to laugh. "And I'm also not secretive when it comes to wanting to sleep, so if you'd just go for your run so I can have some peace and quite- that'd be lovely." He rolled his eyes and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" He sang back. It was a reference to Dwayne Johnson's character's song in 'Moana' which the two of you watched again last night, for what felt like the hundredth time. Denise giggled then dozed off, listening as Chris continued to sing to himself behind the closed door.

Chris brushed his teeth and changed then exited the bathroom, smiling when he saw Denise had fallen asleep. He checked on her again before he took his leave, gently kissing her forehead. He then grabbed his phone, AirPods, arm band, and slid his phone into the case as he made his way downstairs. Dodger was already waiting by the door, looking up at his leash. He allowed Dodger to drink some water before he leashed him in preparation for their run, drinking a glass of water himself. As they were marking their way out of the house and towards the road, Dodger abruptly stopped which jerked Chris to a stop too.

"What's wrong, pal?"

Dodger glanced back at the house then yanked his leash out of Chris' grip, sprinting back in the direction they'd came. Chris ran after him, "Dodger! Dodger, what are you-" Before he could finish his sentence he remember that dogs had a sixth sense about things. "Denise!" He sped up, scrambling for his keys from his back pocket. "Move!" He instructed Dodger, who had been scratching at the door and fumbled with the lock. "Babe, I'm coming!" He successfully unlocked the door and ran inside. Dodger bolted up the stairs with Chris right on his tail. When they came to the bedroom, Denise was wide awake and on her feet with tears in her eyes. "Hey," Chris rushed to her side, taking her hands in his. "What is it?"

"C-Chris, my w-water broke."