March
Aiden sits across the table from me, in a booth with Alex. Gemma sits next to me, playing with a straw and humming quietly. It’s March 28th and Mike’s been gone for four days now. Today Pierce The Veil is playing in Reno, Nevada with A Day To Remember. It’s one of the last shows on this tour, which is good, because I miss Mike so goddamn much. Since we’ve bought our own house, so many things have changed between us. We have more privacy for just the simple things like having a conversation, sex, sleeping, and even getting dressed. Everything just feels more comfortable now that we have our own home.
The night before Mike left, the guys all came over and we cooked steaks and chicken on the grill, swam, sat around the fire pit on the patio, and just caught up before they left for Seattle. Jaime even brought Jess, which was nice, because I could actually talk with her. We had met previously in Las Vegas, but we haven’t spoken since then. She’s such a sweet woman and she makes Jaime so happy. I completely approve of their relationship.
Last night Mike Facetimed me at eleven. He was drunk, but we still talked. He told me how apparently, some crazy fan girl at the signing, before the show, was talking about how he would be much happier with one of his ex girlfriends. Mike said that he got so mad that he left the signing about fifteen minutes into it. He went on a long, drunken rant about how he wished people would mind their own business and that if they were true fans, they would respect his decisions and me. Then he told me he loved me about a million times, until eventually, we both fell asleep. When I woke up this morning, the call was still going, except for the fact that his phone was buried under the covers. God. I actually miss being woken up by his snoring. That’s saying a lot.
I sigh, watching as our waitress sets down our food. In front of me she places half a tomato and mozzarella Panini and a cup of chicken noodle soup. Aiden lifts his stupid vegetarian burger out of the basket and looks over at me.
“Is there anyway you could possibly get me tickets to tomorrow’s San Diego show?” He takes a bite and then smiles at me.
“Hmm.” I set my napkin on my lap and then reach for my Panini. “I don’t know. I’d have to call Mike.”
“Could you call?” Aiden gives me puppy dog eyes. “Pretty please? I really want to see A Day To Remember!”
“So you’re going to have me call my boyfriend, who’s in the other band that you don’t care to see?” I smirk and rip the bread into smaller pieces. “I don’t think so…”
“No, no!” He sets his burger down again. “I want to see Pierce The Veil too! I’ve just seen them already and I kind of have this band bucket list thing…”
“You’re pathetic.” I wipe my hands off on my napkin and pull my phone over, scrolling around for Mike’s number. “Why didn’t you just buy them like a normal person?”
“Because I’m not a normal person?”
“That’s very true.” Alex giggles quietly.
“Here!” I hold the iPhone in front of his face. “It’s dialing.”
“No!” He swats my hand away. “I don’t want to sound like a crazed fan.”
Rolling, my eyes I press the phone to my ear and take another bite of my food. Mike picks up within four rings and coughs a few times, before speaking. “What’s up, babe? We’re getting ready to go on...”
He’s been smoking. I can tell by the coughing and the tone of his voice. If he was home, I’d be mad. Apparently, babies who are exposed to marijuana while in the womb can have smaller head circumstances, higher hyperactivity rates, and lower IQ’s. So obviously, I’ve stopped smoking. Mike still smokes, but he does it either outside or waits until he’s driving somewhere. The same obviously goes for his cigarettes. But he’s on tour right now and I don’t mind him smoking. I actually miss smoking with him. In the past, it’s lead to some pretty amazing sex.
“Are you high?”
“Possibly.” He laughs quietly. “Seriously, though. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong…” I lean forward, taking a sip of my water. “But my sister’s boyfriend would love some tickets to see you guys tomorrow.”
“Um…” He clears his throat. “Well, I guess. Why didn’t he buy them himself?”
“Because he’s a dumbass.” I shrug. “Nothing more to it.”
“Hey…” Aiden glares and I kick him under the table.
Mike laughs. “Well, I know what he looks like. Give him my number and tell him to text me when he gets to the venue. I’ll come out and bring him in.”
“You’re the best, Michael.” I grin and lean back against the booth.
“I know, I know…” He laughs and I hear Jaime in the background. “Baby, I hate to cut you short, but I really have to go. We’re going on.”
“That’s fine, baby. I love you. Play good.”
“Love you too.” He says, before hanging up. At this point, the guys give their phones to Casey and walk on stage. I’ve been apart of their backstage rituals for about forty different shows, so I pretty much know the steps by heart. Shots of whiskey, a short prayer, Tony and Mike doing stupid stretches, Vic’s last minute vocal warm ups. Then they hand their phones over and walk out.
“And?” Aiden smirks, before taking a sip of his soda. “What did he say?”
I take another bite of my Panini and point to my phone. “You have to get his number from my phone. When you get to the venue, you can text him and he’ll bring you in.”
“Holy shit…” His eyes widen. “Thank you so much!”
“Yeah, yeah.” I smile at him and then go back to my food.

It’s almost eight at night by the time we make our way to the car. Aiden is driving and Alex is in the passenger side, so that leaves the backseats for Gemma and I. It sure makes a lot of sense, stuffing a pregnant woman in the cramped backseats. I open the door and help Gemma in, make sure she’s buckled, and then stand back up.
But when I straighten, I hear a pop, almost as if I cracked one of my knuckles. My entire body freezes and I look down, as nearly a gallon of warm water rushes from between my legs. It soaks the front and back of my black maxi dress within seconds and crashes onto the asphalt.
“What the is taking so goddamn long?” Alex calls from the front seat. “Get in the car.”
I stare down at my belly and hold my hands under it nervously. What the hell is happening? I’m not due until next Tuesday and even then, the doctor said most woman go past their due dates. I can’t be in labor. I just can’t. Mike’s in Nevada.
“Lana, get in the car!” Aiden groans and leans back.
“M-My water just b-broke, you asshole!” I stutter uneasily, looking into the car.
“What?!” Alex turns around in her seat. “Why?”
“I-I don’t know!” I snap, as a slight cramping sensation radiates over my lower belly.
Alex unbuckles her seatbelt quickly and swings her door open, smacking into the red car next to us. The alarm starts going off and I flinch at the noise. “Shit…” She mutters and gets out of the car, reaching for my arm. “What do we do, Lana?”
“Take me to a fucking hospital, Alex!” I look back down at my stomach and then hold my hands underneath it, as I start to lower myself into the car. “Gemma, move over…”
“Is the baby coming?” Gemma crawls to the other seat and looks at me with wide eyes.
“Yeah…” I push my head into the headrest and sigh shakily. Alex hops back in the car and Aiden looks back at me.
“You’re not going to have it in my car, are you?” He asks, his face paler then usual.
I breathe out again, staring at the ceiling of the car. “If you don’t start driving me to a fucking hospital, I just might.”
He cringes and then turns back around, pulling out immediately. “We shouldn’t have taken my fucking car.”
“Alex, I need you to call Dad.” I say, reaching into my purse.
She turns to me. “Why can’t you do it? Are you in pain?”
Sometimes, I think she has mental problems. What kind of question is that? “Because I have to call Mike! I’m not asking! Call Dad right now, Alex!”
I search around in my purse, my hands shaking terribly. This is so fucking typical. I had a feeling that this might just happen. I shouldn’t have let Mike leave this time. Now he’s in another goddamn state.
I hold my phone to my ear, still holding my belly with my other hand. There’s silence and then the other line begins to ring. The more rings that pass, the deeper my heart falls into my chest. Pick up. Pick up, dammit. I hear his voicemail and I curse under my breath, dialing the number again. At this point, I can hear Alex talking on her phone to our dad. Gemma is watching me and Aiden is driving above the speed limit.
“Lana?” It’s not Mike’s voice, it’s Casey’s.
My eyes widen. “Casey! You need to get Mike right now!”
“What? Why, Lana?” He asks, talking loudly.
“My water broke, Casey! Get Mike!”
He’s silent for a few seconds. “But he’s playing… They’re…in a middle of their set.”
“CASEY, I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD I WILL KILL YOU, IF YOU DON’T GIVE THE PHONE TO MIKE!”
“Lana bear said a bad word.” Gemma giggles and points to me.
“Hush.” I push her hand away.
Casey is silent again, probably thinking of what to do. “O-Okay, don’t hang up…”
I sigh in relief and continue to hold the phone in place. Alex turns to me again. “Dad asked if you’re having contractions?”
“Not yet.” I say quickly. “It just feels like cramps.” I can suddenly hear music on the other side of the line. It stops slowly and I overhear familiar voices.
“Lana?!”
When I hear his voice, I immediately feel tears rising into my eyes. “You h-have to come home now.”
“I am.” He says. “I am, baby. I’m on my way.”
“H-How are you going to get here in time?” I sniffle, wiping a few tears off my cheeks.
“I’m gonna drive right to the airport. It’s not that long of a flight.” I hear a door slam and then the jingling of keys.
“You’re not g-going to m-make it!”
Mike curses quietly. “Lana, stop it! I promised you. I’ll be there in two hours. The flight is only about an hour. I’ll be there.”
More tears roll down my cheeks and I stop trying to wipe them away. I just sit there silently, with my phone pressed to my ear. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” Mike replies immediately. “You’re about to meet our baby girl… No more tears, okay?”

I’m scrolling around on my iPad, while lying in a hospital bed. There is a small pillow under my back, and it’s helping me to be somewhat comfortable. It has been an hour since my water first broke, and since then the doctors have asked for a urine sample, blood sample, signed paperwork, and I’ve gotten another exam and ultrasound from my OB/GYN. Then finally, they let me change and I got a room. Now, I’m just chilling in the room with an IV in my arm, my dad asleep in the chair next to my bed, and my sisters and my mom waiting in the lobby for Mike’s parents.
But the longer I sit still in this bed, the more noticeable the pain becomes in my lower regions. I set my iPad down and sit up, looking around the room. “Dad?”
“What’s wrong?” His eyes open slowly, but he doesn’t move.
“I think my contractions are getting worse…”
“Really?” He sits up and eventually stands, looking down at his watch. “How far apart are they now?”
“Ten minutes.” I try to readjust my pillow, but I can’t get comfortable. The ache in my lower back is driving me crazy. “And they’re lasting for fifteen seconds.”
“I’ll go get the doctor… Maybe he can give you the epidural.” My dad pats my knee and the walks out, greeting someone at the door. I turn my head and see that Vivian and Victor are walking in, looking in my direction.
“Sweetheart! You don’t look like you’re in pain at all.” Vivian grins and sits down on the edge of the bed. “How are you?”
“I need the epidural soon.” I sigh. “My dad was just going to see if they could give me it.”
“Just think, we didn’t have anything like that when I had Victor and Michael.” She laughs loudly and glances at her husband. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah.” He looks at me and smiles faintly.
“Have either of you spoken to Mike?”I ask quietly.
Vivian nods quickly. “He called me before the plane took off. It should be landing in about fifteen minutes. Don’t worry sweetheart… I was in here for hours with Michael.”
That sounds pretty fucking pleasant to me. My vagina already feels like it’s about to fall off, and now I’m being told this could last for hours? Just what I wanted to hear. All I know, is that Mike better get his ass here.

“GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! This shit isn’t working!” I yell, making Alex look at me from across the room with wide, frightened eyes. My mom watches me and bites down on her bottom lip hard.
“It’s not going to take all the pain away.” My nurse continues scribbling away on her clipboard.
“Well, give me more! I’m fucking dying!” I prop myself up on my elbows and start whimpering. “Can’t you numb something?”
“Sweetheart, you were given the highest amount possible.” She laughs a bit. “This stuff isn’t street drugs. If administered incorrectly, it could paralyze you.”
“Why the fuck are you laughing?!” I bend my legs and groan loudly, squeezing the thin white sheets. “Have you ever had a baby come out of your goddamn vag?”
The nurse looks back down at her notes, her face red. Next to me, my mom chuckles a bit and sits down on the edge of the bed. She touches my arm and sighs, her smile falling. “It’s okay, Lana… Deep breaths.”
I can feel my contraction lessening, as I look over at her. Is she really being nice to me? It has to be a sign of the apocalypse. She hasn’t laughed at any of my jokes or said one encouraging word to me in years. It’s such a foreign feeling to have my mother soothingly stroking my arm. I smile the best I can at her and then take a deep breath, feeling another contraction coming.
The door opens suddenly and everyone’s attention turns to the front of the room. Mike strides in wearing a black beanie, sweatshirt, and gray jeans. One look and I sigh in relief. “Baby…”
“Told you.” Mike smirks and trots over, sitting on the side opposite my mother. He sighs heavily and touches my face. “You shouldn’t doubt me.”
“It’s about time.” Alex mutters from the head of my bed.
“What are you even doing in here?” My mother rounds on Alex. “I can’t have you fainting. Go sit out in the lobby with everyone else.”
Mike continues stroking my forehead and I close my eyes, a horrible groan coming from my throat, as the contraction reaches its peak. When my eyes open again, Mike is as white as a sheet and staring at me with wide eyes. “FUCK….” I grab onto the material of his sweatshirt and squeeze it, pushing slightly.
The nurse steps over immediately and shakes her head. “No, no! You can’t push yet! Your doctor will be here in twenty minutes.”
Whimpering, my head tilts back and I stare at the ceiling, breathing heavily. “I-I…It’s coming….”
Mike wipes a bit of sweat from my forehead and then smiles nervously. “Calm down, baby.”
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down! I’m fucking dying!” Another contraction radiates throughout my body and I grip him tighter. “You’re did this to me!”
He stares at me with his mouth open, unsure of what to say. “I-I… Sorry.” Then he pushes a few pieces of stray hairs off my forehead. “Close your eyes and breathe, Lana. Only a few more minutes until you can push…”

Mike’s fingers are so tightly intertwined with mine, that I’m surprised he’s not crying in pain too. His face is still abnormally white, but he’s being a bit more encouraging. He stares down at me, smiling nervously and running his fingers through my sweaty hair. But I can hardly make out any other sounds beside my own screaming and panting. I’m sure it is quite obnoxious, but I felt like I’m being ripped in half. Nurses are walking in and out of the room, holding clean towels and leaving with bloody ones. I eventually had to stop watching them, because it was making me nauseous.
I’ve been pushing for nearly twenty minutes, and every second it’s becoming harder and harder to do. The doctor stands up and says something, but I can’t quite understand him. Mike then leans down and runs his thumb over my damp forehead, smiling reassuringly. “One more time, Lana… One more push.”
I nod quickly and squeezing his hand tighter, a shrill noise escaping my lips as I push as hard as I can. Then my head drops into the pillow and I exhale loudly, staring up at the ceiling. From the corner of my eyes, I watch as Mike’s smile widens.
“You did it, baby.”
And then, I hear it. It is the most beautiful noise that I have ever heard in my twenty years and six months on this planet. I look toward the doctor and he hands a little baby, actually Mike and I’s little baby, to the nurse. The baby’s eyes are still closed and she hasn’t been cleaned up yet, but she’s crying quietly. As my eyes follow the nurse out of the room, I’m in complete awe. I don’t even care about the pain anymore. That little girl has been growing for nearly nine months, inside of my belly. She’s my baby. Mike’s too, I guess, but still mine. And now, we’ll be able to hold her and feed her and dress her in cute little outfits and sing her to sleep.

“Seven pounds and three ounces, and seventeen inches long.” Mike smirks and lies back down on the empty side of my bed. He rests his head on my shoulder and reaches over, stroking our baby’s little arm. When the nurse took her out of the room, she cleaned her off, weighed her, measured her, checked her vitals, took her footprint, and put her in a little pink onesie. Now she’s wrapped in a pink blanket and lying in my arms, her little brown eyes opening occasionally and staring up at me.
“She’s so beautiful…” I murmur, still in shock that I get to keep her. She’s not someone else’s. I can hold her for as long as I want to and not have to give her back.
“We definitely made a good baby.” Mike kisses my shoulder and smiles up at me. “Have an idea on the name yet?”
I nod and sit up more, careful not to disturb her. “Yes… Your daughter’s name is Isabelle.”
“Not Isabella?”
“Nope. Just Isabelle.” I look over at him and smile. “Want to meet her?”
“Are you kidding?” Mike laughs nervously and holds his arms out. “I’d love to meet Isabelle Fuentes! I just hope she likes me…”
“She loves you already.” Giggling quietly, I move the little pink bundle toward him and cautiously set her in her father’s arms. Mike then moves back toward the pillows and my arms hover close to his. “Be careful…”
He rolls his eyes dramatically and then smiles at me. “Lana, baby, she’s not going anywhere. I have her.”
My cheeks go red. “Just…making sure.”
Mike runs his fingers over the tiny pink blanket and then her little pink hat. “Hey, baby…” He smirks to himself. “You’re so beautiful… I can already tell that you’re gonna have boys chasing you around. And I’m gonna hate all of them.” I watch him, smiling and resting my head on his arm. My eyes feel heavy with sleep, so I close them slowly, still listening as Mike continues to talk to her.
“I love you, Isabelle… I love you and your mommy, and I won’t let anything bad happen to either of you. I love you so much that one day, you’re probably going to hate me, but just understand that I’m trying to protect you from all the bad things out there. Your daddy’s changing the world for you, baby.”

The door slams against the wall and knocks a clipboard over. “HOLA, MI AMIGA!” Vic yells and steps inside the hospital room, holding a huge teddy bear. Jaime runs in a few seconds later, laughing and pushing Tony backward.
I look up from Isabelle and grin, holding the little baby closer to my body. “It’s about time you three showed up.”
Mike opens his eyes slowly and fixes the front of his sweatshirt. “She’s breastfeeding. Come back in like ten minutes.”
“Ooh, looks like I’m here just in time then.” Tony smirks and walks over to the bed, sitting down on a random chair.
“We’re not coming back in ten minutes!” Vic scoffs and sets the teddy bear on it’s own chair. “We’ve just arrived from Nevada, and I’m here to see my niece.” Then he sits on the edge of my bed. “How was delivery?”
“Terrible.” I sigh and glance over at Mike. “I thought he was going to pass out.”
Jaime starts to look through a nurse’s abandoned cart. He pulls out a pair of gloves and a facemask. “Did you stand by her head or her—”
“Head.” I interrupt. “I couldn’t let him see whatever was going on down there. I heard that guys don’t look at us the same way after they see a baby come out of there.”
“It was probably for the best.” He rubs the back of his head. “I was a tad lightheaded...”
I fix the front of my tank top and smile, bringing Isabelle back down. “Mike, let Vic sit down. He can hold Isabelle.”
He sighs and stands up. “Vic, did you bring me new clothes? I want to get changed.”
“Yeah, it’s by the teddy bear.” He points to the other chair and then flops into a seat, while Mike grabs his clothes and walks out of the room quietly. Vic then leans toward the bed. “Is there any specific way that I need to hold her?”
I nod and scoot toward the edge of the bed, ignoring the dull pain still coming from my lower half. “The most important thing is to support her head. Babies can’t hold their own heads up for awhile, so when you hold her, rest your arm under her head.”
“Gotcha.” Vic watches Isabelle and extends his arms, taking the little bundle carefully. “She’s so little…” He says immediately, realize how light she is.
“Seven pounds and three ounces.” I giggle and sit back against the pillows. “Her measurements are pretty average.”
“Hey little Isabelle…” Vic smiles down at her. “I’m the coolest uncle you’ll ever have.” He moves slowly, touching her little fists with his finger.
“You’re the only uncle she’ll ever have.” I smirk and run my fingers through my hair.
“Hush, Lana… She doesn’t have to know that just yet.” He smiles up at me and then goes back to Isabelle. “Well, I’m very proud to say that you and my brother have made a very good-looking baby.”
“Haven’t we?” My smile widens.
“Well, anything that has Lana’s genes is bound to be good-looking.” Tony mutters from the head of the bed.
“Still trying to get in her pants, Tony?” Jaime chuckles and pulls the blinds back, exposing a few rays of sunlight. “You know Lana, the whole water breaking incident kind of caught us all off guard. We were in the middle of a song.”
“I’m sorry…” I say sarcastically, taking my eyes off Isabelle for a few seconds. “I didn’t plan for my water to break during one of your shows. What did you guys end up doing?”
“We only had one song left.” Tony shrugs.
“I picked the most simple song and had Casey play it the best he could.” Vic laughs quietly. “The crowd got a kick out of it, and he loved all the attention afterwards.”
Jaime rolls his eyes. “He’s such a loser.”
Smiling, I watch as Mike strides back into the room. He shuts the room door and then moves toward the bed, sinking down next to me in a pair of basketball shorts and a different sweatshirt. He kisses my arm and smiles innocently up at me. “You okay?” Mike whispers.
“Of course…” I reach over and run my fingers through his long hair. “How about my Mikey?”
“I feel like a dad.” He rests his head on my shoulder and slowly closes his eyes. “It’s a cool feeling.” Giggling, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his forehead.
“I love you."
“I love you both.” He murmurs, stroking my side gently. “I love you both so much.”

Notes

ONLY ONE REMAINING CHAPTER!