Polaroid Cancer

“Casey! You need to get over here now, please!”

“Uh, um, okay! Hold on!” Casey grabs her car keys, still pressing her cellphone to her ear and flies passed Oliver to the front door of her apartment, “Okay, okay! I’m leaving right now, okay?!”

“Where yeh goin’?” He asks.

“Jayde is gonna be having the baby, Oli!” Casey practically screams as she slams the door behind her. Poking her head back in, she asks nicely, “You coming with? Sorry for yelling at you… Jayde is freaking me out.”

Oliver notices that Casey’s phone is no longer in use. “Lets go before she pops that babe out on th’ floor.”

Soon the both of them arrive at Jayde and Caleb’s house, they both help her into the backseat so she can lay down. “Hurry the fuck up, Oliver! Thank you so much, Casey, I have no idea where that twat of a husband of mine is at!” Oliver slams on the gas pedal and in less then ten minutes they arrive at the nearest hospital.

Oliver hastily offers to go inside and get a wheelchair, not wanting to be around the crazy pregnant lady anymore. Leaving Casey to help Jayde sit up and get out of the car, they hobble to the entrance and Oliver is nearly running with the wheelchair skittering in front of him. He helps settle Jayde in her seat and pushes her through the entrance door.

“She’s gonna be having a baby and I have no idea what to do!” Casey panics as Jayde starts cussing Oliver out for not getting the wheelchair fast enough and not driving quickly enough to the hospital, “Please, help!”

The desk lady says calmly, a comforting smile on her lips, “A nurse is on her way now, don’t worry, she-”

“Jayde.” Casey interjects.

“Jayde, will be well taken care of.”

“Okay, good,” Casey sighs, “Her husband should be her shortly, but I’m not sure how shortly… and he’s supposed to be in the room when Jayde is giving birth.”

“Well, when that baby is ready to come out, it’s coming out,” Someone says behind her. Casey twirls around to be confronted with a male nurse whose nametag read Ben. “Just relax, we have everything handled and we are going to be taking her now. Sit down in the lobby. When her husband gets here, Melinda will direct him on where he needs to go.” There is a pleasant smile on his face as he says all of this.

Oliver and Casey flop down on separate chairs, both of them letting out a drafty sigh. “Remind me t’never get yeh pregnant… fuck, she is scary.”

Casey lets out a whimper of a giggle and grabs his hand.

Waiting was the painful part. Caleb had shown up ten minutes later in a frayed tizzy as he practically dived into the hospital. He barely said ‘hello’ to Casey and Oliver as he muttered how pissed Jayde was going to be with him for not being there for her. Caleb disappeared down a hallway.

After two hours of sitting in the lobby, Oliver and Casey were escorted by a nurse to a room with two beds and offered for them to sleep there. It would be a long while before Jayde was going to actually push the baby out. Both of them crashed soon after laying down.

“Casey… Casey…” Someone is shaking her shoulder, she blinks a couple times and stares up at who is saying her name, “Casey! Finally, you’re awake!”

“Uhwha-?”

“He’s a boy! He’s a beautiful baby boy! You’ve got to see him, come on! Come on!”

“Okay, hold on!” Casey leaps to her feet, her heart is racing with excitement. Oliver is close by her side, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes but still looking as thrilled as she is. They both are holding each other’s hands tightly, both of their palms are sweating with eagerness.

Caleb is practically bouncing in front of them as he swings open the door and ushers them inside. When they walk in, Jayde is cradling a little bundle wrapped in a light blue blanket. Both new parents are beaming down at their baby.

“Come closer, you two,” Jayde whispers. Casey stands up close to the bed and stares down at him. The tiny infant stares back up at her with wide eyes, a thick tuff of brown hair pokes out from beneath the blanket. “His name is Niall Wolton Lockhart. How do you like it?”

Casey swallows reflexively and abruptly tears are rolling down her cheeks, plopping on the floor and bed sheets. “I-I love it, Jayde. I love you guys so much.”

“We love you too, Caseyfish!” Caleb says, hugging Casey tightly from the side. “And you!” Caleb pulls Oliver into the hug. “I can’t believe we’re parents! Isn’t it awesome?!”

“Yes!” Casey says, grinning at him.