***in' Perfect
Are you just trying to be strong for me?
Alli POV-
"Fuck! It hurts!" I screamed, holding tightly to Zack's hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he said over and over. "Fucking hell. She can't come this early, Zack. She can't, she just can't," I told him, tears streaming down my face. Every inch of my body hurt in some way. Lexi still hadn't come to the room, and both Brian and Zack were at my side, taking care of me while the doctor was in and out. "You should call Fate...let her know where you are," I told Brian, panting heavily. A contraction had just ended. The pain medication was finally beginning to work, too.
A soft knock came at the door and I half expected a nurse or a doctor to be coming in to check me again. I was just ready to have the baby already. I wanted to have her, and her be okay. I was tired and in pain, and I just wanted it to all be over. "Aunt Alli!" a small, sweet voice called, followed by the sound of little feet running. "Little Jimmy!" I said, managing a smile. Lexi walked in, followed by our best friend Laura. Tears filled my eyes once more as Little Jimmy climbed into Zack's lap. "You're Sacky V!" he said. Zack laughed and nodded. "Yep, that's me. You must be Connor," he replied, letting go of my hand. Laura took it into hers and kissed my forehead. "I told Lexi I'll forgive ya'll for not callin'. Listen to me...you remember when Connor was born? How scared I was? What did you tell me?"
"That you could do it...you were strong, and everything was gonna be okay," I answered. "That's right...and it was true. Everything turned out just fine, and you're gonna be okay, Al. You and this baby...who Lexi tells me is gonna be named Belle? Beauty and the Beast always was your favorite," she chuckled.
Zack POV-
Belle weighed three pounds even. She was fifteen inches long. She also had a really hard time breathing. The doctors took her away as soon as she was out and her cord was cut, I didn't even get to do that. Alli cried, and we all took turns trying to comfort her. She wanted Lexi most of all, so Brian walked with me to the cafeteria to get something to drink. "I wish I could've done something, man," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. "There's nothing you can do, though, Zack. She's here, and she's gonna be fine...Belle and Alli are both gonna be fine," he told me. "Everyone keeps saying that but I can't be so sure, man. What the fuck did Alli do to deserve this? She's had such a hard fucking life. This isn't right...and I can't leave her now. I can't leave her here in Atlanta and go back out on the road," I replied. "You have to make a decision, then. We can pull out of the tour if we need to. Will we get in trouble for it? Probably, but family comes first, you know that...and I'm positive Alli and Belle are both gonna be fine because...Alli's strong. She's made it this far without breaking...and Belle...she's your kid, dude. You're one of the strongest people I know. She's gonna fight, and she's gonna live. I can't imagine how you feel. I don't have a kid, but if I did, I'd be scared, too. Just...if not God, or whatever...trust in Jimmy. He won't let anything happen to her," he told me. He patted me on the shoulder and walked outside for a smoke.
I made my way back up three levels to where Alli's room was. She was alone now, Lexi had ridden with Laura to get something to eat and to go buy some things she needed. I sat on the bed and took Alli's hands into mine. "Al," I said quietly. She swallowed hard and blinked back tears. "She's gonna be okay, right?" she asked. I nodded and kissed her knuckles. "She's gonna be fine," I told her. "Promise me..." she whispered. "Baby, I promise. Belle's gonna be fine," I replied. She nodded, but broke. "Come here..." I said, lying down next to her, motioning for her to come closer. She scooted over, laying her head on my arm, burying her face into my chest.
"I'm gonna stay here with you...the band's gonna pull from the rest of the tour," I told her. Alli pulled away and looked me in the eye, cupping my chin in her hand. "No. Absolutely not," she said. I was confused. She didn't want me there? "What?" I asked. Alli shook her head and kissed my lips softly. "We'll be fine. Belle's gonna be here a while...at least three or four weeks...until she weighs at least six pounds and can breathe well on her own...you're not pulling from the tour. I'm gonna stay with Laura when they discharge me, and Lexi's gonna go with you...take care of all the VU stuff, and I'm gonna stay here. They told me that it's likely that no one even gets to hold Belle until she gets out...she's too fragile. You go and make those kids happy, babe...if anything happens and we need you, then you can come back...but we'll be just fine," Alli said.
"Are you just trying to be strong for me...or do you mean that?" I asked her. Alli smiled a sleepy smile at me. "A little bit of both, I guess. I'd hate for you to disappoint all those kids because of me. I know me and Belle mean a lot to you...but you mean a lot to those kids...I love you, Zacky...but we'll be fine. I promise."
"Fuck! It hurts!" I screamed, holding tightly to Zack's hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he said over and over. "Fucking hell. She can't come this early, Zack. She can't, she just can't," I told him, tears streaming down my face. Every inch of my body hurt in some way. Lexi still hadn't come to the room, and both Brian and Zack were at my side, taking care of me while the doctor was in and out. "You should call Fate...let her know where you are," I told Brian, panting heavily. A contraction had just ended. The pain medication was finally beginning to work, too.
A soft knock came at the door and I half expected a nurse or a doctor to be coming in to check me again. I was just ready to have the baby already. I wanted to have her, and her be okay. I was tired and in pain, and I just wanted it to all be over. "Aunt Alli!" a small, sweet voice called, followed by the sound of little feet running. "Little Jimmy!" I said, managing a smile. Lexi walked in, followed by our best friend Laura. Tears filled my eyes once more as Little Jimmy climbed into Zack's lap. "You're Sacky V!" he said. Zack laughed and nodded. "Yep, that's me. You must be Connor," he replied, letting go of my hand. Laura took it into hers and kissed my forehead. "I told Lexi I'll forgive ya'll for not callin'. Listen to me...you remember when Connor was born? How scared I was? What did you tell me?"
"That you could do it...you were strong, and everything was gonna be okay," I answered. "That's right...and it was true. Everything turned out just fine, and you're gonna be okay, Al. You and this baby...who Lexi tells me is gonna be named Belle? Beauty and the Beast always was your favorite," she chuckled.
Zack POV-
Belle weighed three pounds even. She was fifteen inches long. She also had a really hard time breathing. The doctors took her away as soon as she was out and her cord was cut, I didn't even get to do that. Alli cried, and we all took turns trying to comfort her. She wanted Lexi most of all, so Brian walked with me to the cafeteria to get something to drink. "I wish I could've done something, man," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. "There's nothing you can do, though, Zack. She's here, and she's gonna be fine...Belle and Alli are both gonna be fine," he told me. "Everyone keeps saying that but I can't be so sure, man. What the fuck did Alli do to deserve this? She's had such a hard fucking life. This isn't right...and I can't leave her now. I can't leave her here in Atlanta and go back out on the road," I replied. "You have to make a decision, then. We can pull out of the tour if we need to. Will we get in trouble for it? Probably, but family comes first, you know that...and I'm positive Alli and Belle are both gonna be fine because...Alli's strong. She's made it this far without breaking...and Belle...she's your kid, dude. You're one of the strongest people I know. She's gonna fight, and she's gonna live. I can't imagine how you feel. I don't have a kid, but if I did, I'd be scared, too. Just...if not God, or whatever...trust in Jimmy. He won't let anything happen to her," he told me. He patted me on the shoulder and walked outside for a smoke.
I made my way back up three levels to where Alli's room was. She was alone now, Lexi had ridden with Laura to get something to eat and to go buy some things she needed. I sat on the bed and took Alli's hands into mine. "Al," I said quietly. She swallowed hard and blinked back tears. "She's gonna be okay, right?" she asked. I nodded and kissed her knuckles. "She's gonna be fine," I told her. "Promise me..." she whispered. "Baby, I promise. Belle's gonna be fine," I replied. She nodded, but broke. "Come here..." I said, lying down next to her, motioning for her to come closer. She scooted over, laying her head on my arm, burying her face into my chest.
"I'm gonna stay here with you...the band's gonna pull from the rest of the tour," I told her. Alli pulled away and looked me in the eye, cupping my chin in her hand. "No. Absolutely not," she said. I was confused. She didn't want me there? "What?" I asked. Alli shook her head and kissed my lips softly. "We'll be fine. Belle's gonna be here a while...at least three or four weeks...until she weighs at least six pounds and can breathe well on her own...you're not pulling from the tour. I'm gonna stay with Laura when they discharge me, and Lexi's gonna go with you...take care of all the VU stuff, and I'm gonna stay here. They told me that it's likely that no one even gets to hold Belle until she gets out...she's too fragile. You go and make those kids happy, babe...if anything happens and we need you, then you can come back...but we'll be just fine," Alli said.
"Are you just trying to be strong for me...or do you mean that?" I asked her. Alli smiled a sleepy smile at me. "A little bit of both, I guess. I'd hate for you to disappoint all those kids because of me. I know me and Belle mean a lot to you...but you mean a lot to those kids...I love you, Zacky...but we'll be fine. I promise."