Chapter Text
“Dory, darling, are you sure you’d be okay going to the party?” Julia Turner asked as she folded some clothes atop the slight swell of her pregnant belly. “I think you should be resting Dory, save up your strength for D-Day.”
“Mom, I cannot miss this party!” Dorian whined, trying to get his costume to fit over the large swell of his midsection, “this isn’t like any normal party!” Dorian told her as he continued to adjust the hem of his shirt.
Dorian Turner was a fifteen-year-old guy living in typical American suburbia. He had dark hair and light blue eyes with a well-built frame save for his swollen belly. He was tall and quite pale, accentuating his pregnant stomach even more. Dorian, like others his age and older, was pregnant, carrying the hopes of future’s society.
He was not too interested in history, but the importance of The Cleansing was recognized by everyone. Decades ago, due to factors like war and famine and natural disasters, the population of Earth dwindled to less than a fifth of what it used to be. Society in many nations collapsed altogether, and it was only due to technology and perseverance that humanity persisted.
However, as years passed, scientists and economists realized that with declining birth rates and lack of population growth, humanity would soon go extinct in a century’s time. Thus, a novel concept was born. First tested in a small town in rural Canada, the Gestation , as it soon came to be known, was a period of time set by international law wherein men and women alike had to be impregnated and give birth, thus increasing the population.
At the aforementioned small town, the Gestation consisted of biannual insemination in both males and females ages thirty to forty, and throughout its decade-long run, it saw the births of over a thousand children, with an average of a hundred babies per annum. These children would then be sent to special facilities overseen by the government wherein they’d raise the next generation with the explicit goal of rebuilding the world. However, some participants were allowed to keep the babies with the necessary paperwork, to raise a family of their own, and to preserve the human connection of familial ties.
With the success of the Gestation , the Canadian government widened the initiative’s reach to a nationwide mandate. Of course, it came with public outcry and calls for human rights violation, but most people saw it as a way of repopulation and thus chose to overlook the flaws the system had. However, it must be made clear that this initiative was at first limited to healthy men and women ages eighteen to forty-five, and would see many adjustments in different countries as time went on.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee was the overseer of the plan's implementation all across the globe, designating other smaller committees to work with national governments to adjust and change the laws to each country’s need. America was one of the last countries to implement this initiative into law as there were many vocal activists against the notion of forced pregnancy. However, with compromises in other sectors–mainly tax exemptions, government-supported maternal and paternal healthcare, and so on–the public was satisfied and it was signed into law.
The American Gestation was different from the original Canadian one in that it states that men and women upon their fifteenth birthday, would be inseminated and would carry on their pregnancies until they gave birth. This would go on for thirty years, one insemination each year on the man or woman’s birthday, with the last impregnation occurring on the man or woman’s forty-fifth birthday. Other countries meanwhile preferred ages twenty to fifty, due to people saying fifteen is too young. Still, the argument between teeangers being pregnant and the negative effects of being pregnant at fifty could cause the baby and the carrier are still ongoing.
Thus brings us back to Dorian Turner and his family. Dorian was an average teen who lives with his mother, Julia, and his elder brother, Will–short for William. Julia is a single mother, not because their biological dad left them, but because she chose to keep the two pregnancies that turned out to be William and Dorian, wanting children of her own but never really caring for romantic relationships. This was not unusual, many of Dorian’s friends and acquaintances had single parents as well.
Julia was currently forty-four, and five-and-a-half months pregnant with her second-to-last baby. With her birthday falling in the middle of May, she was due around late January to early February, in contrast to her two sons who were both due in late October to early November. She has long black hair and a youthful face with blue eyes and a kind smile. She was fairly tall for a woman her age, and was also fit, frequently joining other moms in yoga and other exercises.
Dorian’s brother, meanwhile, was basically him just a year older. William was tall, with black-hair and pale blue eyes, he was tanner than Dorian due to his love of basketball–something he now rarely gets to play due to his pregnancy. William and Dorian had always been close, being only one year apart meant that they went through life together, with one exception being last year when William became pregnant for the first time.
Now however, they were pregnant together, and thankfully the house would only have three pregnant people for another year since already they’d started to feel the pain and inconveniences of having every inhabitant be pregnant.
Regarding the Gestation and the pregnancy as a whole, as mentioned before, everyone must be impregnated on their fifteenth birthday which leads to varying average due dates since it depends on the person’s birthday, which in turn depends on their parent’s birthday and so on and so forth. In short, take a person’s birthday, add nine months, and you would get the average estimated due date in that person’s time gestating. Of course, slight differences occur if you take into consideration the possibility of a multiple pregnancy, or even early labor or overdue labor.
Being early or being overdue could be seen as a blessing or a curse. It is set in stone that any person must be impregnated on their birthday, and thus in normal circumstances, three quarters of the year would be spent pregnant, the other three spent resting. With possible adjustments to their scheduled due dates, this could lead to more resting periods or less depending on whether one gave birth early or late respectively, but it is incredibly unlikely for anyone to have less than a month of rest between pregnancies.
With it being Halloween, and with Dorian’s birthday falling on the 29th of January, this meant that his due date was estimated to be on the 30th of October. That was yesterday. And as much as his mother pestered him on staying home and resting for his first birth, Dorian could not miss his friends’ annual Halloween party.
Adjusting the buttons of his costume, Dorian stared at himself in the floor length mirror. From the front and in his apparel, it wasn’t immediately clear that he was heavily pregnant. His striped suit and combed black hair, along with light makeup to look the part of a pregnant Gomez Addams, Dorian looked like every other teen on Halloween. He had gone to his friends’ every year since he entered school, so why would this year be any different?
“Let him go mom,” Will said from the couch, clad in only a sweatshirt and shorts as he rubbed his belly aimlessly. “His girlfriend suggested a couples costume so he really wants to go–”
“She’s not my girlfriend!” Dorian blushed, bringing his hands to support his belly as he awkwardly waddled behind the couch–he still had to get used to that for the next thirty years. He lightly slapped Will on the back of the head as he placed his belly on the couch to support the weight somewhat.
“Mom! Dory hit me!”
“Hit him back,” she said, not looking up from her pile of laundry. “You guys are going to be the death of me. Dory, don’t you remember what happened last year? How close we had been to delivering a baby in the back of my car.”
“Hey! We made it in time!” Will argued, “it wasn’t my fault my water broke whilst I was taking a shit and didn’t notice!”
“That was why I did not want you getting outside,” Julia sighed, “you know what, honey? You can go to that party–it’s too late to stop you anyway–but if you feel slightly off, call me, alright? I’ll have Will pick you up.”
“What if I’m in the middle of something?” Will groaned as he stood up from the couch and turned to face Dorian, showing his younger the full might and swell of his second pregnancy, “like–say, making out–”
“Who wants to make out with you?” Dorian squinted at him.
“C’mon, who doesn’t?” Will flexed, and it might have seemed intimidating or cool if it was not for the beach ball-sized mound of flesh attached to his middle.
“I will tell you to use protection, but who am I kidding–”
“Mom!”
“Oh did I say aloud?” She looked at them, acting surprised but both boys knew she was inwardly smirking, “sorry kids, don’t mind me. Do you guys have any idea when you’d be back?”
“No,” they both answered.
Julia sighed, a hand coming to rest on her pregnant belly which looked puny compared to her sons’. “Fine, just…get home safely, okay? And Will! You’re due on the 5th! If you feel contractions, call me, and I’ll take one of my friend’s cars to pick you both up.”
“Sounds good,” Will gave her a thumbs up, before turning to his brother. “So Dory, are you ready to leave?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, a hand caressing his round stomach as he felt the light flutters of his child. “Let’s go,”
“And Dory–” Will whispered as he held the front door open for his brother, “if you get a girlfriend, don’t forget to tell me all about her. Although–”
“Shut the fuck up,” Dorian glared, opening the door to his mom’s car as he hoisted himself into the passenger seat.
“Funny how you knew who I was talking about,” Will responded, similarly having difficulties climbing into the driver’s seat. Both pregnant boys tightened their seat belts around their swollen bellies, and Will began driving to one of Dorian’s friends’ houses about five minutes away.
Tom's house stood at the corner of a quiet street in the neighborhood, situated beside a large oak tree, the house was fully decorated with stereotypical Halloween things. Whether it be jack-o-lanterns scattering the front lawn, cobwebs lining the roof, or skeletons hanging throughout.
Dorian observed the steady flow of teenagers coming and out to Tom's house, as well as some parents accompanying their kids. Tom's parents were famous in their community, their Halloween parties being the most famous of them all.
Anyone could come in and out at anytime, and since everyone who was maybe interested in drinking alcohol were Gestating , there was no chance of having drunk teenagers screaming throughout the entire night. Everyone was pregnant or resting to some degree, and Dorian told himself that before stepping out of Will's car.
He observed the many partygoers with various costumes streaming into the house. The Gestation–aside from increasing birthrates throughout the world, made for some interesting Halloween costumes.
There was a twenty-something-year-old guy dressed up as Spiderman–a heavily pregnant Spiderman that is. His date, dressed as Wonderwoman, looked pregnant also, but not as far along. There was a group of teens about his age dressed in secret service suits, some of them sporting slight bumps. Their 'president' was a taller guy sporting a bump that rivalled Dorian's in size. There were a few bare-chested heavily pregnant guys with belly-paint, some older teens Dorian assumed to be in the resting period showed no bumps at all, able to indulge in any costume and vice.
"Dory!" A soft voice rang out beside him, "wow! You look…"
Dorian turned to the voice, and spotted Leah, dressed as Morticia Addams. She was a freshman just like him, but she had skipped second grade making her a year younger. Thus, unlike most freshmen, she still hasn’t yet either given birth nor possesses a very pregnant belly. In fact, Leah had just been impregnated last September on the fifteenth, and so today she would be about six weeks along.
Leah wore a long black dress with light jewelry, a dusting off makeup to give off that Morticia look, and dyed her brown hair a deep black. She seemed to be wearing heels since she and Dorian were about the same height. In the dim light, Dorian observed her flushed face as she stepped closer towards him.
“Hi,” she whispered, grabbing his hand, “you look…”
“Hey, if you’re gonna say I’m fat just say it,” Dorian said to which she sputtered, “Leah, my due date was yesterday, I’m a fucking whale.”
“N-No,” she shook her head, “I was gonna say you look…handsome…”
“Oh,” Dorian blushed, “um…thanks…”
“Guys! Stop flirting and get in here!” A voice came from the porch of the house. Dressed in what Dorian could only describe as Blackbeard if he had stuffed into a cardboard box ready to go on shelves, was Tom. An eyepatch hid one of his eyes, and a cap rested atop his mop of black hair. Tom has been a close friend of theirs since middle school, and right now he sported a seven-month pregnant belly. Not large, but definitely clear that he was pregnant.
“We’re not–”
“Dory!” An arm slung over his shoulder as a blond guy his age bumped his bare pregnant belly against Dorian’s. “Man! Do you see us! We’re huge!”
“Cal!” Dorian smiled at his friend before pulling away to observe the blond. Calvin was a tall, lanky, blond guy. He was handsome and well-built before the whole Gestation thing. He was only a week behind Dorian in terms of pregnancy, with Calvin sporting a belly ready to pop not unlike his friend.
“You’re not…wearing anything,” Dorian observed him. Calvin was shirtless, his bare belly jutting out as much as Dorian’s suited one. Both of their bellies were rid of stretch marks, but Calvin’s seemed to be glistening, like he had applied a dozen oil coats on beforehand. Slung over his shoulder was a club of some sorts that looked more like a mangled mess of cardboard and tape.
“I’m Hercules! Y’know? From the movie?”
“I…”
“You look like a fucking male prostitute!” Tom shouted from the porch, “guys seriously get your asses in here!”
“Come on,” Leah grabbed Dorian’s hand and dragged him into the house, Dorian rushed to steady himself with one hand, her pace seeming like a marathon runner’s when compared to his waddle. Looking over his shoulder, Dorian saw Calvin among the crowd of pregnant partygoers, chatting with some of their classmates.
Tom wasn’t at the porch by the time they reached it, Dorian deduced that he must’ve gone inside. With Leah leading the way, Dorian grabbed his belly with both hands and shuffled through the crowd, more than once bumping the tip of his stomach into another very pregnant bump. All of this moving around was making his baby restless, the child stirring in his womb as he tried to soothe its movements.
“Here,” Leah gestured to a chair, “sit down for now, do you want anything?”
“Some punch would be nice,” Dorian lowered himself down with a grunt, rubbing his suited belly, “and do they have snacks.”
“I’ll get them for you,” Leah gave him a soft smile before vanishing back into the crowd.
“Ready to pop–huh?” A voice Dorian didn’t recognize said from his right. He turned, and saw someone dressed in a mime costume and makeup, sporting a bump that was much larger than his. The mime was rubbing his black and white belly soothingly, in the dim light, Dorian could make out an outie at the tip of the rotund globe.
“A day overdue,” he responded, “what about you? You look a lot bigger than me.”
“Twins, due in a week,” the mime told him, “been feeling contractions all day, still wanted to come here though.” He sighed, continuing to make circles along his large belly.
“Do they hurt?” Dorian asked, “or are they like…normal cramps?”
“Oh, you’re a freshman?” The guy asked, “sorry, I’m a senior, kinda used to everyone I talk to being a veteran regarding pregnancy. As for your question, they are definitely much worse. Well, to be honest, they’re pretty distinctive, but I hear that it differs between people. For my first time well, I barely felt anything before my water broke, but right now I have this sense that I’m gonna give birth today.” He sucked in a breath and began rubbing his belly quicker, “fuck…here’s one, you wanna feel?”
Dorian reluctantly extended his hand and placed it on the guy’s bare belly. Instead of the usual layer of fat or softness a pregnant belly usually possesses, the guy’s belly was rock hard, as tight as a drum, and Dorian could feel the light sloshing of his amniotic sac, as the muscles around his belly contracted and tightened.
“Hoo…that was a bad one,” he leaned back into his chair, closing his eyes. “Oh god–holy fuck–”
Dorian retracted his hand quickly, fearing that he had somehow hurt the guy beside him. But when he observed the man, his eyes were still closed as he rubbed circles unto his large belly, pain was still evident in his facial features. “Did I hurt you?”
“N-No it’s just…ugh–” the guy hunched forward, grabbing his belly with both hands as he let out a loud groan. “Fuck…my water broke…oh fuck…okay…can you…help me get up?”
“Oh! O-Okay…” Dorian rushed to stand as quick as he could and awkwardly helped the mime stand as well. Their bellies lightly touched for a second, and Dorian could feel how hard the guy’s belly was getting. “Do you need a ride to the hospital? What can I do–”
“I’m fine, thanks though…” he groaned, cupping his belly with both hands as he waddled into the crowd. “Emily! It’s go time! Get in the fucking car!” He disappeared into the crowd.
“Hey,” Leah appeared a moment later, holding two large glasses of what Dorian assumed to be some punch, as well as a massive bowl of chips. “Kinda stole these for you, don’t let anyone know.” She handed a drink and the bowl to Dorian before lowering herself down on the seat beside Dorian. “Huh…it’s wet…someone must’ve spilled their punch.”
“Uh–actually…”
“Guys! What the fuck are you doing in the corner!” Tom appeared in front of them, brandishing his cardboard scimitar. “There’s a dance floor, there’s a pool–both the ball kind and the swimming kind–there’s a fucking DnD session going on for gods’ sake and you two are just hiding–Oh!”
“Shut up,” Leah glared at him, “if you say one more word I’m gonna punch you. I don’t give a fuck if you’re pregnant.”
“Control your wife–” Leah took a step closer, “–Mr. Addams! See Leah, I wasn’t–”
“There you guys are!” Calvin, still shirtless and very pregnant, appeared beside Tom. “Come on, let’s go to the pool! They’re playing beer pong but with pregnancy cravings–it’s fucking stupid and also hillarious.” He grabbed Dorian’s arm, their bellies bumping yet again. “Or do you wanna go dance Dory?”
“I’m down,” he said, handing Leah back the drink and the bowl of chips. She stared at him with a slight frown, “lead the way pornstar–”
“I’m Hercules!” Calvin argued as they disappeared into the crowd.
The next few hours were filled with a lot of dancing, playing games, chatting with friends, singing, and most of all–bathroom breaks. With the baby now resting so low, Dorian had to go to the bathroom very often, and with free punch and snacks, he was thankful that Tom had four bathrooms in his house.
Dorian wasn’t sure how long they’d been partying for, but on his twentieth bathroom break, whilst he was about to get up from the toilet, he felt a sharp jab to the side of his belly. He let a small gasp, bringing a hand to his stomach as he felt it harden beneath his palm. His thoughts flickered back to the conversation with mime–he ought to learn the guy’s name–and realized that what he was experiencing now was a contraction.
It was a light one, not too bad, and as he flushed and got dressed, he considered his options. He could call Will right now and have him pick him up and go to the hospital, or the both of them could enjoy their respective Halloween parties and once it was over, he could act like he had felt his first contraction and have his brother bring him to the hospital then.
He decided on the latter option, and as he exited the bathroom and another very pregnant guy rushed in behind him, Leah appeared. “Hi,” she smiled at him. “Dorian…do you wanna…go outside? I know a place we could…walk…to…”
“Oh,” he smiled at her, his mind still on the fact that he was had had a contraction, “well, where are we going to–”
“Dory! It’s Hudson’s turn now, you’re next!” Calvin appeared, his belly still glistening. “Cleared your bladder?”
“Why haven’t I seen you go to the bathroom once?”
“Oh, my bladder is just a void.”
“He goes at the same time as you,” Leah deadpanned.
“Leah! You’re no fun,” Calvin lightly punched her shoulder, “mind if I still your boyfriend for a bit?”
“She’s not–” “He’s not–” Dorian was pulled away by Calvin thereafter. And as he got back to Tom’s gameroom and back with the other boys, the contraction was momentarily forgotten–that was until he had another one.
They had been playing a game on Tom's console in his basement gameroom. Dorian was laying on one of the bean bags, his belly resting heavily atop his frame as he rested a bowl of chips on it. Beside him, sitting on the floor, was Calvin, who was playing Mario Kart with a dozen others.
Dorian felt a pain creeping up on his back as his belly began to contract, pressure began to build up in his lower belly as his stomach hardened. He lifted the bowl of his belly and placed a hand on it, his heart dropping as he felt his belly be as hard as a rock.
The contraction passed a few moments later, but Dorian realized that soon enough he would give birth. It was almost midnight, and Dorian made a mental note to stay until then since his mother wanted him home by one.
"Dory! Care to join us?" A guy wearing a banana costume–one of Dorian's friends, but he didn't recognize who–said.
"Um," he hesitated, "I'm not feeling well…"
"You're just pregnant!" Calvin slapped his leg, "c'mon Dory, you're just a bit bigger than me!"
"I was about to head out–"
"One round!" Calvin said, and the others cheered. Dorian relented.
One round did not exist when playing video games with friends, and Dorian was consumed by furious gameplay. They played Mario Kart for a bit where Dorian felt his third contraction–a little less painful than the last–before moving on to Smash. After a few matches, Dorian was on a roll, and as he excitedly played, a contraction caught him off guard.
"Ughh," he groaned, dropping the controller and wrapping his hands around his belly. Some friends rushed forwards asking him what was wrong, "cramps," he lied.
"Are you in labor?" Tom asked him, but Dorian shook his head.
"You know, maybe the baby doesn't agree with how much chips I ate," Dorian glanced at the nearly empty bowl with a fake smile. "Imma head out, see you guys tomorrow."
"Will we see you in the hospital?" Calvin joked, but his eyes showed worry. "Tell me how it goes bro, so I can prepare."
"Just because I'm big doesn't mean I'm gonna have the baby today!" He and Calvin both knew it was likely a lie. "Do you…wanna come with?" He asked, quietly.
Calvin looked to be contemplating it, but then he looked down at his own bare, distended belly, and shuddered. "No thanks, maybe next time."
Dorian left the gameroom to find Leah sitting on a chair waiting for him in the almost empty house. She was on her phone, but when she saw his unmistakable form, her smile turned force as she walked towards him.
"So…" she whispered, "Do you want to where I was talking about?"
Dorian looked at her apologetically, "sorry Leah, but…" he rubbed his belly, "I think I'm gonna head home…I think…"
"Is it the baby?"
"Yeah…" He admitted, "had my fourth contraction a minute ago…guess I'm gonna be a dad, huh."
"Yeah…" she said, "do you want me to walk you…home? Or is your brother gonna pick you up?"
"He's probably still parting," Dorian sighed, "but that would be nice. Thank you, and–"
He was interrupted as a contraction erupted from his lower belly, with a grunt, Dorian leaned on the wall with one hand and rubbed his lower belly with the other, taking heavy breaths.
“Dory–” Leah grabbed his arm, looking at him worryingly, “are you okay? Are you in labor?”
“Probably,” he grunted out, taking a deep breath.
“For how long?” She asked, “oh my god, Dory–do you want me to call my mom? Or your mom? Or the ambulance?”
“I’m fine Lee,” he whispered as the contraction subsided and he could stand normally again. “I’m just gonna go home, it’s been a fun party.”
“Yeah,” she nodded absentmindedly, still observing Dorian closely. “C’mon, you don’t want to pop the baby out here do you?”
He laughed, “God, Tom would kill me if I gave birth at his place.” He began waddling out the near-empty home and onto the suburban street where there were still some teenagers in costumes walking around. Leah accompanied him on the short walk, observing him as another contraction coursed through his belly just before they reached his home.
“You’re gonna be okay?” She asked, “I’m worried.”
“I’ll be fine,” Dorian assured her with a soft smile, “millions of guys my age have gone through it, it’ll just be like any other birth.”
“Alright,” Leah nodded, stepping back from the home before turning around to head back to her house.
Dorian entered his home with a spare key and hurried upstairs as quickly as he could with a belly ready to pop at any moment. He knocked on his mom’s room before entering, finding her sound asleep in her bed, cradling her swollen stomach.
“Mom,” he gently shook her as she stirred awake, “I’m in labor.”
“You are?” She shot awake, rubbing her wide eyes. “Has your water broken yet?”
“Not yet,” he replied, biting his lip. “I was thinking I’m going to go shower and then we can go to the hospital?”
“Y-Yeah,” she nodded, standing up and observing her youngest son. “Are you ready Dory? This is…this is going to be the first of many more births to come.”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” He chuckled, feeling the baby stir in his lower stomach.
“Go get cleaned up, I’ll go grab everything and call Will.” She said as she left the room to get ready herself.
Dorian then headed to his room and into his personal bathroom where he washed off all his makeup and took off his suit and pants. In the bathroom, he was left naked save for his briefs, and as he wrapped his hands around his taut and dropped belly, he observed the full-length mirror. He observed how over the past nine months he had gotten so big, and how tonight would be the end of it.
Stepping into the shower, he was suddenly hit with a massive contraction. Dorian bent over, just able to mask his cry of pain with a loud groan as he felt the pressure already building in his belly become too much. Then, the pressure relieved itself, and Dorian felt as if something inside him popped. A moment later, Dorian felt water dripping down his legs, and as he stared at the dry showerhead, he realized that his water had broken.
Another contraction hit him not a minute later, like a sheer stabbing pain, it coursed through his lower belly as he felt the baby within shift downwards. The refreshing shower did nothing to soothe his pain as his belly felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. He felt pressure building even more, and was also beginning to feel the first sensations of an urge to push. Dorian held it.
Getting out of the shower, he wasted no time drying himself and putting on some oversized clothes. Grabbing his wallet and phone, just as he was about to descend the stairs he had yet another contraction. Grabbing the railings as tightly as he could, he took deep breaths, the urge to push was back, but if he knew anything about giving birth, it was that it wasn’t yet time.
“Dory! Looks like you finally popped!” Will said from the bottom of the stairs, his own heavy belly stretching far from his waist. “Can’t wait to see you go through the same pain as me!”
“You’re gonna give birth next week dipshit!” Dorian gritted his teeth before the pain finally ebbed away. “Where’s mom?”
“She’s already in the car,” Will replied, “you have to thank me for being on my way out since I got here in record time!”
“Shut the fuck up and help me to the car,” Dorian breathed out, already anticipating yet another contraction.
Will guided him to the car as quickly as two massively pregnant teenagers could, and helped him into the passenger seat. Will got into the cramped backseat as the car began speeding off, Dorian rubbing his belly to soothe the child within. Sweat glistened both his forehead and stomach, which was so hard and taut that it looked like an exercise ball, whilst the seatbelt clung to his taut stomach with barely any room left to maneuver.
“Hang in there baby,” Julia placed a hand on her son’s hardening belly, which began contracting beneath her palm. “Ooh, there’s a contraction right there, breathe through it Dory, just breathe.”
“I’m trying,” he sighed, the urge to push beginning to cloud his senses. “I want to push so bad…”
“I know love, I know,” she whispered, “just wait a bit longer, okay? We’re nearly there.”
Five minutes and another contraction later, they were at the hospital whereupon Julia dropped Will and Dorian off at the entrance as she went to find a place to park. Will helped Dorian to the reception, where they quickly told them that Dorian was in labor, and that it was his first time. Dorian told them that his water had broken almost thirty minutes prior, and that he was starting to feel an urge to push.
An orderly quickly came to whisk him to the paternity ward and after Julia arrived to take care of the paperwork, Will joined him in his room. Dorian’s room wasn’t anything special, it was a communal room of sorts with several beds and curtains separating laboring fathers. However, luckily for them, there was no one else other than Dorian present in the room, so the nurses quickly hooked him up to some machines and took his vials.
Before long, Dorian was changed into a hospital gown, given some fluids, and was waiting out his contractions. Beside him, Will and Julia sat waiting, anxious. Doctors came by frequently, checking his dilation, and by six in the morning, they cleared him for pushing.
Those five hours of labor was the worst pain Dorian had ever felt up until that moment. Ceaseless cramping in his belly, accompanied by searing pain in his groin as he began pushing and the baby begged to come out, coupled with back pain and nausea. Dorian was sweating everywhere, and as he placed his legs upon stirrups and pushed with all his might, he couldn’t help but let out a massive roar of pain as the baby began its descent.
The birth was a blur of senses and images to Dorian, whose brain only received the pain signals from his belly and groin as he pushed with every contraction. The baby wanted to come out, and he wanted it to come out. His first push saw the baby’s head beginning to emerge, and as he breathed through the next few contractions before resuming, soon enough the baby was crowning. Resting through the next contraction, he resumed pushing with all his might yet again and screamed as he felt its wide shoulders searing his opening, pushing harder than ever to make it stop.
With one loud, monstrous roar, he gave his last push and slumped back onto the bed as his belly deflated slightly and the baby dropped onto the doctor’s awaiting arms. A quick cut of the umbilical cord and some cleaning later, Dorian was holding his first baby–a daughter.
“You did great,” an older nurse told him with a smile, “it keeps getting easier.”
“It doesn’t,” his mom whispered once the nurse left, and Dorian laughed.
Of course, his time with the newborn did not last long, and he had to wave her goodbye as doctors came to take her away. Dorian did not realize he was crying until his mother wrapped her arms around him. Will looked at him with sympathy.
“I’m gonna miss her,” Dorian whispered, taking a deep breath.
“You’re gonna have your own family later,” Julia replied, “not yet…but you still have a chance.”
“Does it get easier?” Dorian looked at his mother, “losing your baby once you’ve given birth to it?”
“Never,” Julia smiled sadly, “but one must put duty over happiness.”
Dorian let his mother embrace him until he fell asleep in her arms.