The Crown (Prince Harry fanfic #5)

Chapter Eighteen

Harry couldn't be calm. It was absurd for Lucy to think so. Lucy managed to keep herself calm. Harry swallowed his excitement and tired to stay neutral. A smile broke across Lucy's face and it was safe for him to do that. It was when Harry jumped up and down that Lucy became annoyed. He was on his feet quickly, as sand swirled around him. His eyes dropped down to his wife, who still sat on the sand.

Dropping down beside Lucy, Harry's hand ran along her back. "Are you in pain?"

Lucy swallowed. "Give me a minute."

He nodded and waited beside his wife. Lucy showed pain on her face, but she didn't look to be in too much pain. His fingers ran along her skin in circles. After a moment, Lucy nodded to her husband, and he helped her up.

"We need to keep track," she said, "how long the contractions are and then the time in between."

"Okay." Harry got on his mobile and started to keep track. "Are you ready to go back to the car?"

"Yeah."

His arm snaked around Lucy as they slowly made their way back to the car. Harry's excitement started to ware off; his focus was on Lucy now. The pain wasn't bad now but it was bound to get worse. The way back to the car was going to be tricky, with the thirty-minute trek and Lucy might have issues with the uneven ground. It also had started to get dark, and both had their mobiles out with their flashlights on.

It was slow moving to the car, with Lucy wanting to be sure of her footing before she fully stepped. This added more time to the trek. And then Lucy and Harry were almost to the car when the next contraction hit. Lucy stopped immediately, with Harry pulled beside her. She hunched forward a little, hand on her stomach, as if there was a tightening on her abdomen. He waited beside her.

"You're okay, Luce. You're okay."

Lucy let out a hiss and nodded. "Did you keep track?"

"Yep," Harry said. "I have one job. I'm going to do it right."

Her back straightened and she looked forward. "Let's go."

Once back at the car, Harry helped Lucy in and he ran around to the other side. She had already buckled herself in as Harry started up the car and got the hell out dodge. Harry kept to the speed limit, and any time that he pressed down a little harder to make the car go faster, Lucy scolded him. She kept saying, "The last thing we need to do is die." Harry went back to the speed limit. The back roads took more time and were less smooth than the expressway. His high-beams were on as the car drove in the now complete dark.

"Harry, pull over," Lucy groaned. He did as he was told and then turned to his wife. Her back was arched and she had taken off her seat belt. Her hose faced the rood of the car. "How long?"

Harry checked the time. "Twenty-five minutes between the contractions. Contractions last one minute."

Lucy squeezed Harry's hand. The contraction subsided. "Off we go."

Harry started to drive again.

Twenty-five minutes seemed to be the magic number between contractions. Harry pulled over every time. The contractions lasted a minute each. Then the car went again. The normal two hour drive, took a bit longer too in the dark, until they reached the lights of the expressway. Once back in London, the contractions were twenty minutes apart, however there wasn't a need to go hospital yet.

"I have to make some calls," Harry said. "Will you be okay?"

Lucy nodded.

"Call me down if you need anything or contractions start up again." Harry rushed upstairs to make calls and grab the go bag.

The last contraction Lucy had was right after they got out of the car. By that thought, Lucy had time until the next contraction. With a hand pressed to her back, Lucy paced around the kitchen, waiting until her husband returned. She had shed most of her clothing, with the heating pounding on her again. She chugged some water. Lucy went back to pacing.

Inching across her skin, another contraction began. There was a splash at her feet. Lucy glanced around her stomach to see that her water had broken. The contraction suddenly got a lot worse. "Harry!"

There was a rush of feet as he came down the stairs and into the kitchen. He finished up a call and looked at Lucy. "You're wet?" Harry paused. "Your waters broke."

Harry rubbed Lucy's back as she let out a groan. Her contractions were able to get closer together and a lot stronger. Soon they would've had to go to hospital because their baby was coming now. He pressed his thumbs into her lower back, like he was taught. Lucy moved slightly under the pressure.

"Who did you call?" she asked with a deep breath.

"Wills, Siobhan, Tony, Dad, the doctor and a few other people."

Lucy scoffed. "You called all those people in what, a matter ten minutes?"

Harry smiled. "There was really only one thing I needed to say to them: Lucy is in labor." He paused but continued to apply pressure to her back. "Perhaps I should've made it more dramatic. Should I have been been freaking out some more? Dads do that, don't they?"

"You weren't freaking out?"

"No. I called Wills first, and I... happened to be freaking out. Then he told me to calm down. I needed to be calm for you. I am calm now."

"No, you're not."

"No, I'm not." Harry chuckled. "Am I good at pretending?"

"Yes." Lucy stood straight again. The contraction was over. "How long did the contraction last?"

Harry checked the time. "One minute and twenty seconds. However, that wasn't ten minutes I was upstairs."

Lucy looked at her husband. "How long?"

"Seven minutes."

"It's time to go to the hospital." She wiped her hands on her pants. "Did you grab the bag?"

"I called hospital too. They're waiting for us. Siobhan is taking care of everything." Harry stepped forward. His hands rested on her shoulders. "By this time tomorrow, Luce, the baby will be here. We're having a baby."

"We're having a baby, literally right now." Lucy hugged Harry. He planted a kiss on her head, already soaked with sweat. His hands ran up and down her back. "You ready?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you?"

Lucy pulled back. "I'm always ready. I'm a badass."