Weapons of War

"I talked to the doctor, she says stay here unless they get any worse or any more frequent." Shea announced as he walked into the bedroom to find Riley, sitting on the edge of the bed, hands on her knees. He asked her, "You okay?"

She looked up and nodded, and she couldn't help but chuckle, albeit a very small one, at the sight of Shea, still in his underwear, now carrying his crumpled up suit in his hands. He rolled his eyes at her and disappeared into the closet, which was when she asked him, "Did I hear voices downstairs?"

As he changed into something more day time appropriate Shea called out, "Yeah, Noah's spending the day with Craig and Kelly."

"He is?" She asked, looking over at him as he left the closet in a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt.

He nodded his head and sat down beside her, telling her, "They're talking about having a kid, we happen to have one... so you know. Kid free day for us."

"You can't just rent our kid out." Riley stated, not being able to stop the small giggle that escaped her lips at the thought.

Shea smiled to her, leaned over and kissed the top of her head and informed her, "I traded him, they get kid experience and we get a babysitter all day. This whole parenting thing really should be looked at from a business stand point, honestly. You get so much more done."

This time Riley let out a real laugh, which triggered yet another, hopefully, Braxton Hicks contraction. So Shea held one hand, the other pressed firmly against the bottom of her stomach, until it was done, which was when he got up and grabbed her ankles, lifting them up onto the bed. She asked him, "What are you doing?"

"You're supposed to lay down and relax, doctors orders." Shea instructed her, he crawled onto the bed with her, and pulled her back into his chest as he said, "So I'm gonna join you."

"Alright drunky." She joked, and he gently pinched her thigh, she laughed.

He kissed the back of her shoulder through her t-shirt and told her, "I'm skipping practice tomorrow morning. It's an optional."

He was surprised when she didn't argue, instead she reached back and brushed her fingers through the hair at the back of his head and said two things he didn't expect, "Okay, but you really need a haircut."

Shea removed his hand from her stomach to run it through the length of his hair before he said, "Yeah well, you know, my hairdresser went and got herself put on bed rest."

"You know an actual hairdresser that lives three streets over you know." Riley fired back with a smile.

"Yeah but I've gotten so accustomed to you, besides, I don't want someone else's boobs brushing up against me." Shea said with a grin.

Riley smiled and told him, "Good, you better not Mr."

He wrapped both arms around her the best that he could, pulled himself nice and close, kissed her jaw and then her cheek, and told her, "Only you."

She was silent for a moment, before she spoke softly, almost timidly, "Can I ask you something without you getting upset? And for you to be honest with me no matter what?"

"Okay..." He was apprehensions to even respond. He didn't like the sound of where this was going.

Again in a timid and quiet voice, Riley asked him, "Have you ever, in the length that you've been in the league and we've been together considered or even thought about it? You know... sleeping with someone else?"

He had to admit he was almost stunned. That wasn't what he was expecting to hear. Riley had never given any hint that she ever thought that he had ever even maybe been unfaithful, in fact, during their entire relationship, Shea was sure that was the one thing Riley knew he would never do. Or a least that's always what he thought.

When she was met with silence she told him, "It's okay if you have you know. I can imagine what those trips are like, with all the single guys, and at the same time I also can't imagine how lonely they must get. I wasn't asking to accuse you Shea, I was just curious."

"I've never, not even once thought about it Riley, I've never even gotten the urge to think about it. I'll talk to the occasional woman at a bar on the road but out of me being nice, or just bored, and it's never the way you're thinking. Why would I ever need to?" She smiled gently, more to herself, upon hearing him say that, which was when Shea realized she wasn't asking to be curious so much as she was asking because of her own insecurities, so he continued, "Everyone always says the single guys have it the easiest on the road; they can go out and drink and stay out late and have a different girl in every city... but I've never been interested in that, not when I have you at home Riley. There's nothing I could possibly need out of anyone that I'm not getting from you. And even, on the odd chance that there was, I'd never do anything to hurt you like that. I've never once wished I didn't have you at home, so that I could do whatever on the road, because having you to come home to every road trip is so much better than anything I could get from some girl in a city twice a year."

"You passed." She joked, and Shea let out a small chuckle, kissing her jaw again.

"I meant what I said."

"I know... I didn't say it to upset you or anything, please don't think that I think you're off sleeping around with any girl that looks at you when I'm not around." Riley told him, and Shea nodded his head slowly. He knew that. She bit down on her lip, and then she finally admitted to him, "I guess sometimes I worry that... I'm scared that you're gonna realize that you could find something better and leave."

Shea's brows crunched together as he watched her, she was avoiding his eyes and staring at the door across from them. So he asked her, "Where did that come from? Why would you ever think that?"

"I think I've been thinking that for our entire relationship. It's like the shoe theory or something."

Shea's brow raised, "The shoe theory?"

"Yeah, you know, like when you're really happy and you're just constantly waiting for the other shoe to inevitably drop and ruin it all?" When she said this Shea let out a small breath of air, and for the second time that morning he pulled her close to him, and Riley let out a small laugh at herself as she wiped at her cheeks and muttered, "I guess Christina fucked me up more than I realized."

"I'm not going anywhere Riley. You and me? We're gonna have a couple more kids, put them through hockey and baseball and whatever else they want to do, and we're gonna see them graduate and go to college and get married and have their own babies. I'm right here, and I'm not leaving you, not now, not ever. We're gonna be bickering on the porch in Kelowna when we're old and grey haired." He reached out with one hand and wiped her cheeks for her, before he turned her head so that he could see her face, and he leaned down and kissed her softly. When he pulled away he reinforced to her, "I'm not gonna leave you, I am not going anywhere."

- - -

The next morning Shea found himself sitting on the couch in the living room watching Sports Centre with Pekka. Riley's contractions had stopped around midnight, and they had been home free, so to speak, since. Noah and Craig had decided they were having a sleep over after building a fort in the living room, so not only had they gotten a kid free day and night but it seemed another few hours of it as well.

Pekka nudged him and Shea turned to look at him, and, in a slightly lowered voice, Pekka asked, "How are things? With you and Riley?"

"They're good. I think things are finally settling down and going back to normal you know? I think we've gotten most of what needed to be said, said and now it's just making sure we don't go backwards with it all." Shea told him honestly. He was in a different place now than he was three years ago when it came to his teammates; sure there were things he still kept private, and there were a few guys in the locker room he didn't feel totally comfortable sharing things with, but guys like Pekka, James and Craig, he didn't feel the need to keep things from them like he had in the past.

Curiously Pekka asked him, "Do you think you'll be able to do that... you know... once the baby gets here? Two kids is a lot of responsibility, a lot of stress."

"I know, but that's why I'm getting Riley on board with once every one to two weeks sending Noah to a babysitter. Taking a little bit of the stress off of both of us, but mostly her. It's just... gonna be a process I think." Shea admitted. He turned to look back over the couch when he heard footsteps on the stairs, and when he saw Riley he asked, "What are you doing up?"

"I'm thirsty?" She asked, walking right past the back of the couch and into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, looked around and then asked, "Did you eat all my yogurt?"

"No... you ate them the other day, remember? I came home from practice and you'd eaten like four of them." Shea reminded her, and while Pekka snickered Riley rolled her eyes.

She joked, "And you didn't go get me more? How rude."

"Got a little sidetracked... you know... when you decided to start having contractions four weeks before your due date." Shea fired back, and Riley turned and stuck her tongue out at the back of his head, which Pekka caught, causing him to choke on his mouthful of water.

Shea raised his eyebrow at Pekka, who coughed and sputtered a few times before he set his glass on the coffee table and said, "This house is very entertaining when the two of you aren't sniping at each other."

Shea scoffed and Riley said, "We don't snipe... actually we yell... very loudly."

"You yell." Shea stated, making her roll her eyes at him.

Shea turned his attention back to Sports Centre, which was when Riley dropped a glass onto the kitchen floor, but before he could even turn around she said, "Shea..."

He joked, "Did you break something again?"

She let out a breath of air, leaned one hand against the kitchen counter and the other on her stomach as she told him, "Yes... but... my water just broke."

Both Shea and Pekka whipped around, and as Shea was getting up from the couch he asked her, "What? For real?"

She turned her head over her shoulder to look at him, eyes narrowed, and deadpanned, "No, I just peed myself uncontrollably, dumbass."

Pekka stifled his laughter the best he could at her comment, and Shea simply rolled his eyes, and, when his sock clad foot stepped in the liquid on the floor he made a face and said, "You weren't kidding."

She looked up at him, intent on shooting him a death glare but instead she ended up doubled over, leaning both forearms against the edge of the counter top while her head rested on her arms and she let out a long breath of air. Shea rubbed her back gently, the same way he had for hours when she had been in labor with Noah.

Finally, when the contraction subsided Shea grabbed the phone from the holster on the counter and called the doctor while Pekka took hold of Riley's arms and guided her to couch. He couldn't help but crack a joke, "At least it's leather."

She let out a small chuckle, and took in a deep breath, surprised when Pekka held out his hand for her. She took it, squeezing as gently as she could, nothing near close to every time she squeezed Shea's hand the night before.

Again he joked, "You're not gonna break my hand Riley."

She rolled her eyes, but they were interrupted when Shea approached and stated, "She wants to know how dilated you are."

"How in the fuck am I supposed to know that? I can't even see my feet anymore." She grumbled, and when Shea shot her a look, his cheeks slightly pink she said, "Oh hell no. You are so not looking up my skirt."

"It's not like I haven't seen it before." He stated, making her narrow her eyes at him.

"I swear to god Shea, do it and you pull back bloody stumps." She told him, making Pekka snicker, but the minute another contraction started her tune changed pretty quick, "Oh god, hurry up."

By the time the contraction subsided Shea was in the kitchen, still on the phone with the doctor, pacing the floor in front of the island counter and Riley was trying very hard to mimic Pekka's low, calming breathing. It wasn't working very well.

"What did she say?" Riley asked when Shea hung up the phone.

As he approached them he told her, "Nothing you're gonna like. We're gonna wait for the paramedics... but if things get... she may have to walk us through this on the phone if they don't get here on time."

Riley stared at him, blinking slowly as Pekka stated, "Big home birth... sounds... horrifying."

"Might be the only option though." Shea stated, calm as could be which was only irritating Riley even more.

"Hospital people. I'm going to the hospital. Where they have lots and lots of drugs." Riley stated, rolling her eyes when Shea gently pushed her shoulder back down and into the couch when she tried to stand up.

Pekka grinned at her, "Women have been giving birth at home with no drugs for centuries you know."

Riley turned to him, eyes narrowed, and said, "Do you want me to knee you in the nuts? Because I can still do that you know."

Pekka gulped, looked at Shea and stated, "Maybe Brooke and I don't need our own baby."

"Do not put her through this. It's cruel and unusual punishment." Riley told him, and Shea rolled his eyes at her dramatics. She looked up at Shea and pleaded, "Please just take me to the hospital, I just... I can't do this here. We so cannot do this here. Seriously, we cannot do this ourselves."

"Relax, I paid attention the first time." He told her confidently.

"You did?" She asked softly.

He shrugged, "Sort of."

She rolled her eyes, "Nope, that's it. I'm closing my legs and we're going to the hospital. I can do it."

"You'd rather risk having this baby on the side of the road then here in the comforts of our own home?" Shea asked her curiously.

Riley looked down at her stomach and spoke firmly, "You are going to stay in there if you know what's good for you or so help me god I will make you wish you were never born."

Shea tried his best to hold back his laughter, Pekka on the other hand simply chuckled at her, and Shea told her, "Threatening him isn't gonna help."

"Yeah, ever heard of a hostile uterus? Babies don't like those so much you know. At least that's the word on the street." Pekka joked and Riley rolled her eyes.

"Pretty sure that's totally not what that even means." Riley stated, before she looked up at Shea and said, "I don't want to do this here."

Pekka, clearly for once deciding that a private moment should be, well, private got up and disappeared to somewhere and Shea took the spot on the couch next to Riley that he had been occupying. He grabbed her hands and told her, "It's gonna be fine. This a last resort thing."

"What if something happens? This is four weeks early, we didn't even hit the six week mark yet." She was starting to panic and Shea was getting worried that he might not be able to calm her back down. She looked over at him with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm scared."

"So am I, but Riley, we'll be fine. This is gonna be fine."

Pekka came around the corner and said, "Sorry to interrupt your little private moment but uh... pretty sure your rides here and now I can go home and try to erase all of this from my mind so it doesn't completely change my opinion about having my own child."

Shea looked over at Pekka for a moment before he looked down at Riley and said, "We're the lucky ones, we don't even have to do anything."

- - -

"I really fucking hate you." Riley muttered as she leaned against the wall by the door to her hospital room. Shea, standing behind her, simply pushed his fingers into her back, firmly, but not painfully, rubbing her skin through the hospital gown.

Progress since arriving at the hospital two hours previous had slowed to a near halt, Riley was exhausted and irritated, and Shea just wanted this whole thing to be over with already. He pressed a soft kiss to Riley's head and said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. I just hate you right now, and I'm gonna hate you until this is over." Riley informed him, but he already knew that. She pulled one forearm from the wall by her head and rubbed her palm across the middle of her stomach as she said, "You know, when I said stay in there I didn't mean forever."

Shea smiled gently, and he told her, "You scared him."

Riley, as if needing a distraction, turned to Shea and asked, "Who has Noah again?"

Shea couldn't help but chuckle at that, and he told her, "Craig and Kelly dropped him off with Quinn and James an hour ago. They're gonna bring him here once this one decides to grace us with his presence, but if that doesn't happen until after Noah's bed time they'll keep him and bring him in the morning. Relax, we got it all figured out. You just focus on this."

"This thing better not still be in me by the time it's Noah's bed time." Riley muttered, and as Shea helped her back into her hospital bed she stated, "You should never have any doubt that this kid is yours right now."

Shea, getting comfortable again in the chair next to her, raised his eyebrow as he cracked open a bottle of water and asked her, "Why's that?"

He choked on his mouthful of water when Riley said, "He inherited your trait being stubborn as fuck."

There was a knock on the door, followed by the door being pushed open and Dr. Adrian walking into the room with a smile as she asked, "How are you feeling?"

Riley blew air from her puffed out cheeks in an attempt to move the piece of hair hanging in her face, which Shea reached out and did for her when the air did nothing and muttered, "Like I'm gonna go stand in front of a mac truck in about five minutes."

Shea rolled his eyes, a smile on his face, and Dr. Adrian simply smiled and said, "Well at least you still have a sense of humor."

"Who's jokin'?" Riley asked. Shea couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"Well let's see if maybe baby is ready to come into the world yet?"

As she got situated to do all of the little checks Riley muttered, "Doubtful, stubbornness is a family trait around here."

"Oh." Both Riley and Shea looked over at Dr. Adrain, who was now looking up at Riley in surprise.

"What?" There was a slight panic to her voice when she asked.

They were met with a smile, "We got a head of dark hair so far."

"Really?" Riley asked softly, smile on her face as she looked over at Shea.

Shea, who was trying so hard to hide the tears in his eyes, smiled and joked, "What did you expect, a blonde?"