Polaroid Cancer

Oliver was in a total frenzy when he first heard the news of Casey going into labor; he practically tried to climb out any windows that he could find. Until he was told that he could stay with her at the hospital while she gave birth and for a few days after she gave birth. Exhaling deeply, Oliver left an hour later with Matt and Maudie, both of whom looked rather stressed themselves.

When they arrive, Caleb is waiting nervously for them at the entrance, Niall resting on his side. As soon as Niall sees Oliver, a huge grin breaches his features and he begins to grab for him, making soft cooing noises. Caleb looks a bit resentful, but quietly hands his child over to Oliver, who smiles ruefully at the indignant father. Niall silences almost immediately, twirling a lock of Oliver’s hair in his small, chubby fingers and resting his head in the hollow of Oliver’s neck.

Caleb stiffly leads the way, not saying a single word or bothering to look behind him.
Tom is sitting down in what appears to be a waiting room full of chairs, two vending machines, a round table adjacent to the vending machines and flowers. Everywhere. Oliver is struck with mixed emotions upon seeing his brother, there is a fleeting moment of happiness at not seeing him for so long, a transient moment of anger that birthed into a wave of flushing fury which dulled down to a quiet rage. He decided to attempt to be civil with his younger brother since Tom had saved his life.

On the other hand, one powerful emotion seemed to be glued to Tom’s face: remorse. Even though he avoided Oliver’s gaze as much as possible, there was no way that expression was going to escape his older brother’s observant eyes.

Oliver pursed his lips in silent disapproval, Niall leaned forward and kissed him. Taken by surprise from this action, Oliver burst out laughing, causing everyone around him to twitch and stare in confusion. There were awkward escapes of laughter from everybody, all of them unsure whether to be loud or not.

A few minutes later, a nurse comes trotting out, everybody immediately jumps to their feet and rush around her like a flock of vultures. Their questioning gazes lock onto her broad face and dull, tired eyes, she gives them a side frown, “It would seem we will have to perform an emergency cesarean-section on Casey. The baby just isn’t pushing through-” Oliver steps forward, his face betraying him and the nurse knew at once the right thing to say, “don’t worry, we do c-sections all the time. There’s only a small percentage that anything could go wrong.”

Or, so everyone had thought she would know the right thing to say.

So, for the next few hours, Oliver paced back and forth, cradling Niall on his hip and taking long, excruciating breaths that kept everybody on edge.

“Look, Oli, I need t’tell yeh, m’sorry.” Tom suddenly blurted out, drawing closer to his older brother, who finally rooted himself in one spot, staring at him. “I’ve been holding this in for so long an’ m’really sorry for what I did to- to both of yeh. Yeh wouldn’t ‘ave run off t’England an’ go back to rehab for drug addiction again an’ Casey… wouldn’t ‘ave to worry about whether this baby is mine or yours.”

Maudie, Matt and Caleb sidled closer, incase Oliver decided to right-hook his brother in the face. Instead, Oliver faintly smiles and gives Tom a tight hug; Niall squeals in delight and hugs Tom around the neck.

“I forgive yeh. An’ I appreciate yeh apologizing. I guess that’s all I really wanted t’hear.”

Forty minutes later, the same nurse from earlier peeks out, a huge grin on her face. “Mr. Sykes?”

“Uh, yes?” Oliver hands Niall to Caleb and moves closer to the nurse.

“Ah, you can come back and see your baby now!”

Oliver’s stomach drops like a dead weight, he had been so wrapped up about his brother, it hadn’t completely registered that Casey was having a baby. The nurse beckoned him to follow her and he stumbled after, taking a quick, nervous glance behind him. Caleb was the only one who looked comfortable, he actually smiled and made a waving motion for Oliver to keep going. Taking a deep breath, he trailed behind the nurse, perspiration building up in his armpits and on his hands.

“Wait, here.”

The nurse disappeared for a few minutes, and practically hopped back out with a bundle wrapped up in a light pink blanket. Oliver couldn’t tear his eyes away as she handed him the tiny infant.

“This… this is a baby.”

“Ah, yep! Your baby, to be exact.”

“My baby… this is my baby.”

“Yes it is, sir.” The nurse looks slightly off put, at first, until Oliver relieves the tension with a wide smile.

“My baby,” the words rolled off the tongue so strangely, but he liked it just as much; he gently began rocking the baby back and forth, smiling all the while, his thick eyelashes just barely brushing his cheeks every time he blinks. Besides Casey, he has never felt so much affection, so much desire to protect something. This is his baby, and no one, not even his brother, could tell him otherwise. “Where’s Casey?”

“She’s in the recovery room, she needs some rest, but you can visit her. I can’t guarantee how coherent Casey’ll be, though.”

The nurse then leads Oliver farther into the hospital, and that’s when he sees her, lying on her back with sweaty, cherry-red hair framing her face in large curls laying limply on the bed. Casey’s chest slowly rises and falls in rhythm with his own.

“‘Ey, love,” Oliver says quietly, “wake up, love.”

Casey’s eyes flutter open a few times before she opens them enough to focus on who is talking to her.

“Oli…” she breathes, a weak smile touches her lips.

“Look, our baby girl,” Oliver tilts down so she can see her, “what should we name her?”

Casey closes her eyes for a couple of minutes, Oliver figures she’s fallen back asleep, until he hears her lightly whisper, “Av… Avery.” After that, she does fall back into a deep slumber, purple bags under her eyes, another smiles graces Oliver as he steals a long look at their baby.