A/N: A short fic about the birth of Drake and Jaclyn’s first child written for a fanfic challenge on Tumblr!
“Don’t you dare try any funny business today, Rowan. I’ve got my eye on you.” Drake narrowed his eyes at his wife.
“Huh?” Jaclyn set down her book and scrunched up her face in confusion.
“Playing dumb… clever, babe.”
“Drake, it’s way to early for me to even guess what you’re on about. I’m not in the mood.” Jaclyn quipped, an edge evident in her voice. She didn’t have much patience today. At 37 weeks pregnant, her constant heartburn, back pain and lack of sleep left her pretty snarky. Drake just shook his head and returned to eating his breakfast.
—
Early that afternoon, Jaclyn was preparing her lunch time smoothie. She didn’t have much of an appetite for anything solid, but the doctor stressed the importance of eating nutritionally dense foods for her and the baby, so Drake had insisted she at the very least had smoothies. Most afternoons on weekends Jaclyn looked forward to them making lunch together, but after snapping at him this morning he had been keeping to himself. They had been frequently getting on each other’s nerves as Jaclyn rapidly approached her due date.
Every night for the past week she had tossed and turned, keeping him awake too. She didn’t mean to be so aggravating, but her constant complaining about being in pain coupled with her short temper, and their sheer exhaustion lead to both of them being on edge. She looked into the living room and saw him sprawled across the coach taking a nap. A small smile tugged at her lips seeing him so relaxed. She put away the blender, not wanting to wake him, and poured herself a glass of water instead. She wasn’t hungry anyway.
Jaclyn leaned back on the counter, absently watching the TV that Drake had left on when she felt it; a pop and a rush of liquid. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the puddle at her feet.
“Fuck… oh no. Fuck. FUCK! DRAKE!” Jaclyn’s shrill cry jolted him awake. He fell off the couch, scrambled to pick himself off the floor and ran into the kitchen.
“What?! What’s wrong?!”
“My water broke!”
Drake’s mouth hung open in shock when he saw the puddle at her feet. He was about to launch into a panic, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the half empty water jug on the counter right next to Jaclyn. Pursing his lips, he let out the breath he had been holding.
“Haha, Jaclyn. You got me. I should’ve expected with Maxwell as a best friend you wouldn’t be able to resist an April Fool’s prank. I’m going back to my nap now.”
“April Fools?! Is that what you were talking about this morning? This isn’t a joke! Look at the puddle at my feet!”
“I admire your dedication, babe. You got me good. A successful, and if I may add, not funny joke.” He said dryly. “The water is a nice touch but you probably should have hidden the pitcher after pouring it all over the floor for the full effect.” He motioned to the half empty pitcher on the counter.
“You think I would joke about something like this?? Ugh, you’re impossible Drake! Please call the OB-GYN.”
“No way. I’m not falling for this. I’m going to call and it’s going to Maxwell or something on the other line. Joke’s over, Jac. I’m exhausted. I’m going back to sleep.”
Suddenly, Jaclyn let out a cry, gripping the counter for support as her contractions started.
“Drake, if you don’t pick up the damn phone and call I’m going to kill you. Call the OB-GYN for instructions right now.” She pleaded.
“Oh my… Oh shit… you’re not joking. This is real isn’t it?! Jaclyn, she’s not supposed to come yet. It’s three weeks too early! The nursery isn’t ready. The hospital bag isn’t packed. I haven’t installed the seat in the car. She’s not supposed to come out yet!” The pitch of his voice rose with every word until he was practically squeaking.
“Well she’s coming!” Jaclyn gritted her teeth through the pain.
“Right. OB-GYN. Calling. Now.” Drake nodded with each word trying to calm himself down. It wasn’t helpful for both of them to be in hysterics.
—
12 gruelling hours later, Jaclyn opened her eyes after a much needed rest to find Drake cradling their new baby girl in his arms, admiring the tiny human they made. “You’re perfect little Chloe Marie Walker.” He cooed. She silently watched the two of them together, thinking just how lucky she was to have these two as her family. Jaclyn would go through all 10 hours of labour a million times over to bring their beautiful baby into the world. She really was perfect.
“Hi mommy.” Drake whispered when he realized Jaclyn was awake. He walked over to the bed and placed Chloe in the bassinet next to them before hopping in beside Jaclyn on the hospital bed.
“Hi daddy.” She whispered back, a big grin spreading across her face. This was real… they were parents responsible for a human life now.
“You were spectacular today. I’m sorry I was such a pain the ass this morning. I really thought it was a prank.” Drake said sheepishly, running his hand over hers tenderly. His touch sent shivers down her spine. “You know… This kid is going to be called ‘April Fool’ by anyone with a sense of humour for the rest of her life now. That’s like the ultimate April Fool’s joke… I think Maxwell will be proud of what you’ve accomplished today.” He joked.
“She’s only been here a couple hours and we’re already on board with the terrible dad jokes.” They both laughed heartily.
She glanced at the clock and noted that it was only 11:55pm. There were still a few minutes left in the day to mess with him. “Maxwell will be so proud. He was so excited when I asked him to be a guardian.”
“I still don’t know how I let you talk me into that. Maxwell being an option as the primary caretaker of our child in the event of our demise is one terrifying thought.”
“Speaking of guardians… Savannah turned us down when I asked her. She was honored we asked, and was sorry to have to say no. I took the liberty of asking someone else to be Chloe’s other guardian.”
Drake frowned, outwardly confused that his own sister would say no to something this important to him. “She said no? Who else did you ask?”
“I asked Olivia. She was happy to accept.” Drake’s eyes widened so big she thought they might pop out of his head. Unable to keep it in, Jaclyn burst out laughing so hard she started snorting.
“Oh you little liar!!” He exclaimed taking mock offence. “Savannah said yes didn’t she? God, Rowan you almost put me in an early grave.”
“You should’ve seen your face!”
“You’re evil Mrs. Walker. So evil.” Drake poked her playfully.
“Something tells me this will be a momentous day for us forever, huh, Walker?” Jaclyn smiled snuggling closer to her husband. “Happy April Fool’s Day, babe.”