#anyways so dorothy told them about christmas and all they heard was decorations and cookies | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cecehathaway · 6 years

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Subway Stop | Para

Tagging: Dorothy McCoy-Turner, Ryan Andersen, & Alex Temple-Price; mentions of Will Turner ( @willthebaker ), Eric Andersen ( @nerdyeric ), & Daina Ivanova ( @drdaina ) Location: The Turner Home, The Q train & Manhattan General Hospital Time Frame: Afternoon, Thurs. Dec. 14, 2017 General Notes: When 3 friends happen upon the subway together, a few unexpected occurrences take place. Panic attack tw

Dorothy put a fresh batch of cookies to cool on the stove while she waited for Ryan’s arrival. The dinner and movie double date plans were almost completely in place but she knew that she and Ryan had made plans to prepare the dinner together. She set up what she could for their dinner preparations and was about to pull out a container for the cookies to go into when her phone buzzed. Checking the device, Dorothy let out a small groan with a whispered, “Crap,” to herself before calling up Ryan. She didn’t know how close he was to the condo but once she had an answer, she said, “Hey...so… don’t hate me but I forgot that I have a doctor’s appointment in, like, an hour. Soo… when you get here, I’m gonna have to go but! If you want to you can come with me? I’ll be ready as soon as you get here, and then we can go. The subway station’s right down the street and it’s practically a straight shot to Manhattan General on the Q.”

Ryan grabbed his keys and made his way out of the apartment, locking the front door. He was heading to Dorothy’s, to spend some time with his friend. Just as he reached the car, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, Ryan saw Dorothy’s name appear on the screen and answered. “Hey babe, oh right? Like I could ever hate you.” Ryan smiled into the phone, unlocking the door to his car. “I’m about five minutes away. I’m good to go with you. Just hang on a sec, and I’ll be right there. See you soon D.” Ryan said his goodbyes and ended the call. He started the engine and made the quick journey over to Dorothy's. The traffic was good, so he made his way there fairly quickly. Sending a text to Dorothy to let her know he was there, Ryan made his way to the door, knocking lightly as he put his phone away. “Let me in woman!” Ryan teased.

Once the call wrapped up, Dorothy went to hers and Will’s bedroom in search of a coat to put on. She debated changing her clothes but since Quinton didn’t seem to be making any progress from her last appointment in trying to make her arrival, Dorothy figured she was safe to stay in her same outfit for date night and rummaged through the closet. Almost all of her winter coats were too small for her to properly wear and the maternity coat she bought was sent to the cleaners just that morning, but she did have a couple of caped coats that she could put on. When she heard the knocks on the door, followed by Rosie perking up from the foot of the bed, and Fiyero’s eager barks, Dorothy snatched one of the caped coats off of the hanger and waddled back out and to the door. She smiled and rolled her eyes hearing her friend’s voice from the other side of the door and when she opened it, she grinned while Fiyero eagerly rose up to greet Ryan first. “Admit it: you sneak him extra treats whenever you’re over here don’t you?” she teased before leaning in to hug him. “I just have to grab my purse, hat and gloves and then we can get going. The cookies are done, and as soon as we get back from the appointment, we can start cooking!”

Smoothing a hand down his jacket, Ryan waited for Dorothy to answer. He couldn’t believe baby Quinton wasn’t here yet, Ryan had no patience and hated waiting. “I thought those big feet would mean you cover ground a lot quicker,” Ryan teased when the door finally opened. He ducked down, stroking Fiyero. “No, he can just smell the perfection on me, it's attractive to dogs.” He grinned at Dorothy, standing up and leaning forward into the hug with Dorothy. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before he pulled back. “You go grab your stuff and I’ll sneak a cookie.” He walked into the apartment, calling Fiyero after him. Sneaking the cute dog a bit of cookie couldn’t harm him. “Are you sure you want to take the subway? I don’t mind driving,” Ryan called, making his way to the kitchen. He sneaked a cookie and broke a piece off for Fiyero, making sure Dorothy wasn’t there to see. Munching on his cookie, Ryan made his way back to the front door.

As promptly as Ryan mentioned her feet,

Dorothy

lifted her hand to swat the back of his head. “That’s what you get,” she stated before sticking her tongue out at him and then returning his hug and kiss. She then waddled off, threading her arms through the coat on her way to grabbing her other belongings. “They’re snickerdoodles!” she explained from the other room, and when she returned, she was adjusting her hat on her head, oblivious to the cookie piece Fiyero was currently finishing off. “It’s okay. The subway will let us off like a block away from the hospital, and we won’t have to worry about any traffic. They just want to see if I’ve dilated anymore or not since nothing’s really changed over the past week. Still two centimeters, and still the same sort of cramping,” she finished with a pout and a scowl, and yet she knew if things still hadn’t changed, there was a good chance they would want to induce labor sometime over the weekend, which she wasn’t really looking forward to either. “Okay, let’s get going.” Dorothy then followed Ryan to the front door and locked up after them before heading to the elevator and out of the complex. “I think I jinxed myself with all of the times I told people that Quinton better not stay in there until Christmas. It seems like he’s taken that as a challenge.”

Munching on his snickerdoodle, Ryan made his way to the front door to meet Dorothy. The cookie was nice, filling him up just enough before they could come back later to cook. “If you’re sure, I don’t have a lot of gas anyway so it's probably for the best,” Ryan shrugged. He paused, glancing at Dorothy. “I know we’re friends and I can appreciate your ass, but I think describing the state of your cervix is a step too far,” Ryan teased. He had flashbacks to the birthing video and shuddered. He stepped out the door first, waiting as Dorothy locked the door. With the door locked Ryan walked out of the complex by Dorothy’s side. On the street, he glanced at his car to make sure it was in a safe enough spot until he returned. “Quinton better come out before christmas, I have no patience and he’ll be in trouble if he makes uncle Ryan wait much longer. I’m betting this Sunday will be the day. It’s supposed to be a day of rest, so ironically he’ll come out kicking and screaming,” Ryan grinned. He walked along, making his way to the subway. “Are you nervous for the birth? It's just days away. I can’t imagine facing something like that.

Dorothy gazed forlornly at her bump as though the look might wish Quinton here soon. She let out a loud sigh and then playfully rolled her eyes at Ryan, “Oh please, you’ve told me you thought one of your balls was smaller than the other. You can handle hearing about dilation.” She chuckled at him and kept walking with him. “You’re telling me! He was already supposed to be here last week, so he’ll be in double trouble if he holds out that long.” As they reached the station nearest the condo, Dorothy smiled a bit, “I’m a little nervous but since it’s not happened yet. I’m mostly just ready for him to get here, you know? Sometimes when I really think about it though, I do get a little scared about it all, but I try not to think on it too much.” They paid for the ride and got to the platform to wait for the next arrival, and once the bullet train screeched to a stop and the doors opened, Dorothy stepped inside with him and sought out a seat. The car wasn’t too full, thankfully but no sooner after Dorothy sat down was she feeling an ache across her lower back. “Ugh. Well my back apparently isn’t a fan of the subway. But it shouldn’t be too long of a ride. There’s only a few stops between here and the hospital.”

Ryan huffed with a smile. He was mostly teasing, but the anatomy of the female body was a still a scary prospect. He glanced at Dorothy, “difference is my balls are lovely to look at. I don’t think your cervix has the same appeal.” He walked along, trying not to go too fast for his nine month pregnant friend. “He’s taking his time, just like his mom huh? Testing our patience and then making a grand entrance.” He was eager to hold Quinton, get his snuggles with the little boy. Ryan already knew he was going to be adorable. How could Will and Dorothy have a child that wasn’t beautiful? “I’d blabber about how it's natural and stuff, but you know all that. Just think of that beautiful boy in your arms and it will be worth it.” Ryan walked along, going onto the platform to wait for the train. They weren’t waiting too long. Ryan kept close to Dorothy as they climbed on. He sat next to Dorothy and placed a hand on Dorothy's back, rubbing it. “You okay D? We shouldn’t be too long.”

Alex was running late, between getting last minute decorations for the Nutcracker and still trying to make sure that it all turned out perfectly. So as she got on the subway, a couple of bags in hand from the craft store she closed her eyes and started to think through her mental list of everything that she had to do, and quietly groaned as it seemed like the list had managed to get longer since the last time that she thought through it. Sighing, she opened her eyes only to realize that she recognized the two people sitting in front of her, “Hey!” Alex smiled at Dorothy and Ryan, “How are both of you?”

Along with a playful roll of her eyes, Dorothy quickly stuck her tongue out at Ryan for his teasing. “I’ll thank him not to be like me in that way.” She smiled at Ryan, still appreciating his remarks to her and whether she wanted to or not, she was picturing in her head, getting to hold her newborn boy sometime soon. That thought stayed with her until they were seated on the subway but soon after they pulled away, Dorothy found herself wincing as what started as a dull but uncomfortable ache in her back was soon spreading towards her front. While clamping a hand to her thigh, Dorothy nodded her head, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding some seconds later. “Yeah, I’m okay. I think.” she added, not entirely sure of her own words. She was staring at the floor when she heard Alex’s voice and looked up, lips forming a smile at the familiar face across from them. “Hey, fancy seeing you here,” she commented as the dull ache lingered. She appreciated Ryan’s back rubs but couldn’t help thinking about where this unusual pain was headed.

Ryan frowned at Dorothy, concerned for her. He knew pregnant women had a lot to pain when carrying the baby and couldn’t begin to understand it. Just the thought of a little person kicking at his organs made Ryan’s stomach turn slightly. Ryan kept rubbing Dorothy’s back as he heard Alex and glanced her way. “Hey, I’m good, how are you?” Ryan said. Glancing down the aisle at the other people. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long and Dorothy could get back home to relax. Ryan loved looking after his friend. “We’re heading to the hospital because baby brain here forgot.”

Alex was glad to see both of them, glad that she at least had someone to talk to as the train kept going. “I’m good, I’m headed to the theater with the last of my Nutcracker set pieces, or at least I hope are the last, i can’t seem to get it right, I’ve been to the craft store so many times this week,” Alex rambled as she looked at them a little concerned, “Dee’s going to the hospital, everything okay?” the woman asked, worried that something was going on, or maybe that she was in labor.

Hearing why Alex was on the subway made Dorothy’s eyes widen. “Oh The Nutcracker’s this weekend!” So maybe Ryan was right about her with pregnancy brain. She quickly looked at him and before he could comment on it further, she uttered, “Shut up,” and fought a losing battle against a smile before the pain started in on her. Quickly shaking her head, she told Alex, “I’m fine, really!” It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. “I’m almost a week past my due date and only two centimeters dilated, so I’m supposed to go up and check for any progress wi--” Her words swiftly plunged into an agonizing moan; she initially believed it to be some persistent Braxton Hicks but with her inability to speak unlike any time before, she wasn’t so sure. As far as textbook information, and handling patients went, she could say she knew the difference between false labor pains and legitimate contractions. Experiencing it firsthand was entirely different. She couldn’t finish her sentence or let Ryan and Alex know that she thought it was actual labor pain. However much time passed, by the time the contraction dulled enough for her to speak again, there was an abrupt yank and drag of the subway car, coupled with an ear-splitting screech of metal on metal. People on the car with them gasped, cursed, squeaked and looked frantically about as the line of cars rapidly slowed down without a platform station in sight. After nearly being tossed from her seat, Dorothy had one hand clutching low on her belly while her other hand reflexively gripped Ryan’s knee like an armrest. Her mouth fell agape while the rest of her became frozen in dread. “...Someone please, please, please tell me we’re not about to be stuck here…”

Listening to Alex, Ryan nodded at the mention of the play, reminding himself to he’d have to buy tickets to support his friend. Eric was so getting dragged along with him. Ryan had been so focused on Alex, he jumped in his seat with Dorothy moaned. Startled, Ryan turned to Dorothy, his stomach twisting in knots. “Damn, are you okay?” Ryan said, leaning closer and rubbing her back a bit more. It was a stupid question, of course she wasn’t okay. It's not like she was in labour though. She wasn’t allowed to do that. Not on a train, not with Ryan in the room. There was parts of Dorothy’s body Ryan was not happy to see, giving birth included all those body parts. “What the hell is going...” Ryan jolted, his words cut off when the train shifted and then stopped. “We’re fine, we’re fine.. Right?” Ryan asked, glancing at Alex for support. “Dorothy, you moan like that all the time right? Baby kicked you in the lung or something, right? Right?” Ryan was going to be sick, his body was going into panic.

The moment the train stopped, Alex sighed, figuring at this point there was just further proof that her production had been cursed. With everything that had gone wrong, including the fact that she was still feeling sick, clearly she had done something wrong to make the universe hate her. Alex just wished that she knew exactly what that was as she texted Dale to tell him that he was in charge or dress rehearsal because she was stuck on the subway - and hoped that he’d be able to handle it because it didn’t make her feel any better about the fact that she was missing it. However, as she finished her text, she listened to the moan that Dorothy gave and her eyes widened. “Dee….how far apart are your contractions?” Alex slowly asked, looking up at her, realizing that with how far along she was and how in pain she was that she was probably in labor. And while she had spent the majority of the time with Henna when she was giving birth to Sara, she really didn’t anticipate that she’d be with another friend when they went into labor too, though she really wished that she’d paid a little more attention to the doctors with Henna so she’d have a better idea of what to do now.

Dorothy didn't quite hear her friends at first. Internally, she was having a bit of panic herself that if they were stuck for very long, she would end up giving birth right there in the car of a subway train. There were too many things wrong with that, not the least of which being that it would mean her husband missing their son’s birth, and she knew it meant as much to him as it did her. But she was a nurse practitioner, and she couldn't let her panic go on for long, especially since there was a good chance she might have to talk her friends through this, somehow. Finally snapping out of it, but ignoring the low chatter of other riders, Dorothy looked to Alex, and then Ryan, and then back to Alex again. “I don't know yet… that was the first big one I've had. But we may have to time it going forward because the closer they are, the more likely that I'm having this baby here.” She then looked to Ryan, “And no, I wasn't kicked in the lung, that was a contraction… are you okay?” She asked, grimacing at the look on his face and then shook his knee a little, “Ryan?” but a moment later, a voice came through in the speakers overhead, confirming what they all already knew: they were stuck. The problem was being looked into, everyone was being advised to remain calm, and finally, they were all thanked for their patience. The announcement seemed to drag on because by the time it finished, another contraction started, causing Dorothy to unintentionally squeeze the life out of Ryan’s leg.

Leaning back against the seat, Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This couldn’t be happening. This could not be happening. He felt the panic rise. It wasn’t just some lady giving birth, it was Dorothy, one of his closest friends. He hated seeing her in pain, but there was nothing he could do to help her. They needed to get this train moving. “I haven’t even done birthing classes yet!” Ryan said, eyes snapping open and looking at Dorothy. “Can’t you… hold him in? We’re nearly at the hospital. I’m not ready for this, none of us are. He’s waited this long just… cross your legs?” Yes, Ryan had watched the birthing video, but he’d been too busy screaming to pay attention to it. He moved his hand off Dorothy’s back. Looking over at Alex with wide eyes, Ryan tried to calm his panic. “This is all you, if she’s giving birth on a train, I’m going to go wait outside and smoke a cigar like the old days. This can’t be happening.” He took another deep breath. From now on, Eric was getting dragged along on Ryan’s adventures with pregnant women. ‘It’s not that bad Ryan’, ha, yeah right! And Will! Where the hell was Will? They were back dicks, Ryan was kneeing them both in the balls for not suffering with him. “Have you wet yourself yet?” Ryan asked Dorothy, he knew that was part of it. Something to do with water. “You know what I mean.”

Alex really had no idea what to do, and wished that she was going to be able to remain calm like the person on the intercom advised - though she also knew that he had no idea of what was going on in this car to have time to freak out about that. However, she also knew that between her and Ryan, Alex probably knew more of what was going to happen. Which was a scary thought in and of itself. “You know you can at least help a little, you don’t have to look,” Alex said to Ryan, really not wanting to think about having the baby on the train, “Plus Henna was in labor for like six hours, so it could still be awhile, so take a couple of breaths, okay?” she advised Ryan, even though she was also telling herself the same thing, “So next contraction, we’ll time it and see from there if we need to ask if there’s a doctor on the train. Or something.”

Dorothy tried to let go of Ryan’s knee but her grip only grew stronger as she sat there with no other option than riding out the pain. She let out a breath and after making herself fill her lungs again, she found her voice towards the tail end of that contraction, “My, um… my water hasn’t broken... yet… so...that’s good,” she told them, knowing that she was going to have to try to talk them through this and hopefully not raise worries any more than they already were. “I didn’t think the pains this morning were actual labor pains because they weren’t that painful to begin with, but obviously I was wrong there…” Sighing, Dorothy finally released Ryan’s knee and leaned forward a little. “Do either of you have service on your phone? Can anyone send calls or texts out?” She bit her lip, hoping that they could call 911 and potentially expedite getting all of them off of the subway. Her mind was trying to spread her thoughts thin but she managed to keep it together. It was delayed but she only just realized what Ryan was asking before and gave him an unamused sideways stare, “I can’t hold him in though, Ryan. That’s not… it doesn’t work that way. Just… don’t say it.” It was the perfect ‘I told you so’ moment considering he offered to drive them to the hospital.

Ryan looked wide eyed at the two girls. No, this could not be happening. You didn’t just give birth on a train. Think of the cleaning bill! “At least you didn’t get my beautiful car seats wet,” Ryan said, glaring slightly at Dorothy. They wouldn’t have had this problem if he’d driven! Ryan wasn’t stupid though, he wasn’t going to anger a pregnant woman in pain, he didn’t want a punch to the balls. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his phone. “No service but I’ll tell Will what's happening. Maybe they’ll send when I get signal,” Ryan said. “If your waters break, I will scream, I mean it Dorothy.” He didn’t handle emergencies well, this could not happen. Despite his panic, he reached over to Dorothy, offering his hand. “Just remember, despite sleeping together, I had no involvement in the pain you’re currently going through. Don’t break my hand, please. ”

”What?” Alex asked at Ryan’s comment, completely confused until she realized that it was probably some inside joke that she had no context for. And probably wouldn’t understand with trying to figure out what to do. She already wasn’t that great in an emergency to begin with - even if she did sort of kind of have an idea of what was going to happen. “Okay, I do have like one bar of reception on my phone, so do I call 911 or is there someone else that you’re supposed to call ? Or should I call Will? Or both? I don’t know, which one would be better….”

Dorothy huffed to Alex, “Ignore him,” while giving Ryan a little glare right back. She then took another deep breath and stared at the floor, contemplating whether or not she was going to brave its filth to lie down or not. Sitting on the hard subway seat was far more uncomfortable than the hospital cots, but she had no idea how long they were going to end up on the subway car. “Call nine-one-one first. Someone on another car has probably already called if they have service--if but Will’s already going to be at the hospital. We can try to tell him what’s going on after we try to get some help down here.” She then looked back to Ryan, seeing his hand and then promised him, “I’m not going to break your hand, I promise. And thank you for your hand but I told myself and Will that I wasn’t going to hold any hands through the contractions...for that very reason.” Dorothy wasn’t sure if she had the strength to actually break anyone’s hand but she wasn’t going to test it to find out one way or the other. “Can you guys can help me to my feet and I can try walking around?” She heard someone in the corner muttering to herself about their situation, sputtering every type of paranoia possible while tearing at her own fingernails. Dorothy gave the woman a long stare and then sighed, looking back to her friends, “Maybe not to that end of the car though…”

Ryan sighed and withdrew his hand. He stood up, removing his jacket and placed it down on his seat, moving to help Dorothy. “If anyone says anything, I’ll kick them in the teeth,” Ryan promised with a fake smile on his face. He went to help her stand, wanting to do whatever he could to relieve the pain. “If you want to lie down I’ve got my jacket and shirt, just as long Alex promises to hold everyone back when they see my amazing body,” Ryan joked. He always joked around when he was nervous and worried. There wasn’t anything he could really do to help. Dorothy was a friend, one of his closest friends. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. “I’ll try to send Will some texts to let him know what's going on.”

Alex quickly called 911 and explained the situation and was promised that the train was going to be worked on and that help was on the way. Which was a little bit of a relief, though not a lot considering the fact that they were still stuck - and it seemed like this wasn’t going to be like in the movies where there was conveniently always a doctor whenever people were trapped and in labor. Which was a little bit of a shame, since that’d probably make it easier for everyone. “Okay, yeah we can try walking if you want,” Alex nodded as she went over to help her, remembering that Henna had done that when she was in labor too, “I think that there’s enough room in the car that you’ll at least be able to get a little bit of relief. I hope.”

Dorothy clamped her lips together at the thought of Ryan having to kick someone in the teeth; she hoped it wouldn’t come to that but the paranoid woman was making her antsy. Not long after her friends helped her to her feet and she had taken a few steps, she started to say, “Thanks you gu--” but stopped herself. It wasn’t a contraction yet, this time, but she did feel her leggings growing wet where her thighs met. She looked down--a useless effort considering how far out her stomach was these days--and back up with more concern in her eyes. “Uh oh…” she uttered, knowing it wasn’t the most assuring response to give her friends, or anyone within earshot.

Ryan paused, glancing at Dorothy with horror. What the fuck did she mean ‘uh oh’? Who even says that? He glanced down at Dorothy and saw her ‘uh oh’. Fuck his life, this was not happening. “If we’re to remain friends, I do not want to see your vagina,” Ryan said, the panic rising. He left Dorothy to Alex, feeling his breathing increase, the breaths sharp and fast. He was going to faint, or maybe he was dying? Death would be welcomed right now. Twenty five decent years was a good run, right? “I’m just gonna...” Ryan collapsed into the nearest chair, nearly sitting on someone's lap. It had been years since he had last had a panic attack. Years! “Get married they said, make friends, they said,” Ryan puffed out, leaning on some strangers leg. He could not do this. He could not watch Dorothy reenact that video. “Shouldn’t have gotten your leg over,” the guy next to Ryan said, gesturing towards Dorothy. “I’m gonna punch you when I finish dying.”

Alex’s eyes widened the moment that Dorothy said “uh oh” figuring out what had happened, even though she saw the wet spot on her friend’s leggings which only confirmed what had happened. And the fact that Ryan was also panicking was not going to help any, because she could already feel her anxiety starting to bubble up with just trying to help Dorothy, and taking a deep breath, she let it out slow in hopes that she’d be able to figure out what to do. “Okay Ryan, take some slow, deep breaths, and and we’ll figure it out from there,” Alex assured him as she then looked at Dorothy, “And same’s going to go for you. 911 knows, and contractions are still far enough apart that we should still have some time, so deep breaths.”

“I need to call Daina too. Or make sure Will does. If she’s not already at the hospital.” She had no idea. She had her call list packed away with hers and Will’s overnight bag, but she knew Daina needed to be notified that she was in labor. But seeing Ryan show signs of a panic attack momentarily shifted Dorothy’s focus. She nodded, in agreement when Alex said what she was thinking to Ryan. “It’s okay, Ryan, I promise. For all of us, I’m going to do everything in my power not to have that happen.” She let out a short sigh, unsure of how she could make the situation better. “Just listen to what Alex said and take deep breaths. Fill your lungs in through your nose and let it out through your mouth.” She could feel another contraction coming on and the pain was too crippling to stand upright through. Dorothy wanted to go down to her knees but she reached for one of the nearby center aisle poles to help support her staying on her feet. It came and went in about the same amount of time as the others before it. Unfortunately, this had gone on for another two hours before the car received an update overhead, letting them know that another subway train was coming along to push them to the nearest station and get them all out. By now, Dorothy couldn’t manage standing anymore and took up Ryan’s offer for his coat while she lay on her back, circling her hands across her bump. An agonized cry left her but through the pain of another, more painful contraction, she could hear the paranoid subway rider some short distance away, muttering more loudly than before about her giving birth and how disgusting and unsanitary it was--how she didn’t know what the air supply was down in a subway car, and if the power went out, they all might freeze down there and-- “¡CÁLLATE PENDEJO!” Dorothy screamed through gnashed teeth, enunciating each syllable with stabbing staccato in her voice. Undoubtedly, she looked and sounded like the crazy, pregnant lady but in that moment, she didn’t care. It got the paranoid rider to stop adding to hers, Ryan’s, Alex’s and probably other’s current panic and anxiety. As the contraction lessened again, taking most of the pain with it, Dorothy groaned to her friends, drained by the whole ordeal, “Ughhh, I hope that other train comes soon. I don’t know what’s worse at this point--these contractions or Chicken Little over there but I can’t take it.”

Ryan leaned forward, his elbows going to his knees so he was leaned forward. His eyes closed as he breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. Deep breathes, steady breathes. He had his aunt's voice in the ear, she’d been with him the last time this had happened. This wasn’t about him, despite how scared he was. He hated seeing his friend in pain but he had to man up and do the right thing. He wasn’t the scatterbrained boy that slept with everyone, he was a married man, an almost dad. Straightening, he nodded at Alex to let her know he was okay. By this point Dorothy was on the floor, clearly in pain. “Oi,” Ryan called to a young woman, she probably had kids at home. She knew the pain. “Move everyone up and out the way,” Ryan said, not bothering to see if she listened. He glared at a few of the men nearby, daring them to argue but they stood and moved out the way, giving them space. Then, Ryan moved over to Dorothy, placing a hand on her shoulder as he got onto the floor. His poor expensive jacket and trousers. “I’m okay,” Ryan said, moving behind her. His legs going either side of her to offer support. “Lean into me, tell me if you need anything, okay?” He was shaking slightly, nervous. He wanted help, he just wanted Dorothy to be okay. “You owe me a jacket,” Ryan joked, trying to distract Dorothy. “My ass looks fantastic in these trousers too.”

Alex really tried to calm down as time went on, But the waiting and the trying to keep track of Dorothy’s contractions and the whole stress of being stuck in the subway was a lot to handle. She was glad that Ryan was able to calm down a little, but she still couldn’t help but wince when Dorothy yelled. She didn’t think that there was anything that she could do to help with the suggestions, but figured that maybe there was a way to distract Dorothy. At least until the new train came. “Okay, how about you try not to think about the pain, and think about what’s the first thing that you want to do with your son when this is all over?”

Dorothy couldn’t have been more grateful she wasn’t alone on the subway through all of this. She was was glad for Ryan being able to calm down and took him up on using him as a headrest while she lay down. And she was in debt to Alex for helping encourage her to keep calm, breathe and most recently, helping to take her mind off of their stressful situation. For a moment, she shut her eyes and listened to what Alex suggested, struggling as another contraction started. While taking as deep breaths as she could, Dorothy let herself wonder what he might look like. It was a thought she liked to revisit often; would he have dimples like her and Will? Would his curls be tough to tame like Will’s? Would he inherit her warm russet eyes, Will’s blue-green eyes? Neither of theirs. Would she see her parents in him at all? Perhaps in his personality? Her eyes snapped opened as the subway car was lightly jolted forward. The other subway train had arrived and was beginning to push the stuck cars slowly forward. Dorothy’s eyes flew open from the movement. “Thank goodness,” she breathed while others on their car cheered and clapped. “She looked up at her friends and said, “As soon as we can...we need to call Daina and Will.”

Alex smiled as Dorothy seemed to calm down a little at the idea of imagining the baby, which allowed for her to give a little sigh of relief, especially when the door to the subway car opened. “Okay, everything is going to be alright,” she smiled as she looked to see if the paramedics were there yet, though she didn't really see anything, “I think they’re going to get everyone else off, and then come get you, so do you think you can sit up yet, or do you just want to wait?”

Feeling the train get pushed along gave Dorothy more hope that she wouldn’t end up delivering right there on the floor. When they came to a stop again, she turned her head in time to see someone working the doors open. Most of the platform was taped off but some people were waiting--most of them probably wanting to bear witness to the whole fiasco--but police officers were keeping people back while paramedics were standing by close to the doors. The paranoid subway goer threw herself at the door, blubbering about how the people at the doors were her hero. Dorothy rolled her eyes while turning Alex’s question over in her head. “I think it might be best for me to wait here. I don’t feel the most confident about getting up right now…” Grateful as she was for all of the help from her friends, the internal discomfort from labor was coupled with the external discomforted of damp leggings. At this point, the less movement she had to do, the better. Luckily, others on their car were swift in exiting and a few wished her luck and uttered ‘congratulations’ on their way out. Dorothy sighed with a soft smile as the EMTs prepared to enter with a stretcher in tow. After getting through their questions and another contraction, She looked to Alex and Ryan, “Well...this has definitely been one for the books... Alex, are you still going to make it to the theatre?” She didn’t know if there was a certain time she had to be there or not, but the realization hit her only a second later and she donned a frown, “It looks like I’ll be relying on that recording of The Nutcracker after all.”

Alex nodded at what Dorothy said, agreeing that it was probably better to just wait, considering that at this point she was pretty much nearing the end of helping her friends through labor expertise - which she was really hoping would never come again. Though considering that it had happened with both of her friend that had gotten pregnant so far, it seemed like it might actually be something the universe kept on repeating. “I don’t think that I am,” she admitted as she looked at the clock, “It’s going to be over in about half an hour and by this point I’d rather just stay with you and make sure that you’re alright. It was just dress rehearsal and Dale was there so they could probably function without me. I hope,” she chuckled at her friend, “And don’t worry, i’ll make sure to film all three so you’ll be able to see the best night’s performance.”

Ryan was relieved to finally see an end to their troubles. Things were progressing along and before long, the EMT’s were there to help. He let the girls talk, watching the EMT’s get everything ready. He was just glad Dorothy wasn’t going to give birth on the floor. Ryan stood up, picking up his jacket and rolling his eyes. Yeah, that was done for. His poor jacket. “Want me to come to the hospital with you until you meet Will?” Ryan interrupted them, looking at Dorothy. “You make sure he texts me after to let me know you two are okay.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Dorothy’s forehead.

As the medics came in and moved her onto a stretcher, Dorothy couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed for the scene created, even if it was all out of her control. It meant a lot to her that both Alex and Ryan were going to stay with her. “Yes, please stay, for as long as you can or want to, Ry. And thank you, Alex--both of you--for being here.” She really was looking forward to date night with Ran and Eric, and seeing the Nutcracker Alex had been working so hard on, but Quinton had other plans for the weekend it seemed. Giving her friend’s hands a quick squeeze, she then held her stomach as the paramedics raised the stretcher and wheeled her to the platform, moved her up to ground level and into the waiting ambulance just ahead of her friends. Ever thankful for the fresher air again, Dorothy took a few deep breaths before the back doors shut and they were driven off to Manhattan General.

#para: Subway Stop #ch: AlexT #ch: RyanT

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