Gift of Sound

On the morning of February ninth, the day he reached his milestone of forty weeks, Ash woke up feeling very uncomfortable. His lover had woken him up right before he left so he could tell him goodbye, then gave him a quick kiss and left for school. CC had the day off work and had been asked to stay over today to help Amy with Logan and Casey, as well as to keep an ear out for him. With his official due date being two days away, he couldn’t blame Andy for wanting someone capable of driving around.

At the moment, everything was eerily quiet, so he figured that everybody was laying down for naps, or out running errands. There were times when their crazy drummer would be gracious enough to take Amy out to get some shopping done, especially if they were running low on groceries or other household products they needed, and it wouldn’t be a big surprise to find out that that’s why the house was so quiet. Still, he shrugged off the silence around him and started to push himself into a sitting position so he could get up. Given that their baby girl had grown quite well over the past few months, his belly was huge and he often had a hard time moving around when his lover wasn’t there to help him up.

When he finally managed to sit up and get his legs over the edge of the bed, Ash pressed a hand to his lower back to help support it. It’d really been hurting lately, even though Dr. Morgan assured him it was normal for that to happen this late in pregnancy, and he was sick of it. Sure, he loved their daughter and loved being pregnant, but the pain was something he could go the rest of his life without.

He slowly shuffled to the bathroom, where he had to sit down just to empty his bladder, something he’d had to do for several months now. He couldn’t see to aim because of how big his belly was, so he hadn’t even bothered once he got to the point that he couldn’t see so much as the tip of his dick while standing up. It was while he was sitting there on the toilet, taking a deep breath to calm the pain in his back, that he realized why he’d woken up feeling so uncomfortable. He felt a strange tightening sensation in his lower back that worked around to his front, then both heard and felt a pop before liquid started pouring out of his ass.

“Oh, my Godsmack,” he groaned, grabbing his belly and hunching over as he realized what was happening. “CC!”

He waited a couple minutes for the contraction to end, hoping his friend was somewhere in the house and could hear his cry. When no response met his ears, Ash tried calling out to him again, only to be met with more silence. He somehow managed to get his boxers and shorts pulled up, then get off the toilet before leaning against the bathroom counter to finish pulling them up.

“Andy, is there any way you can get outta school early?” He’d managed to type out the text while sitting on the toilet, his phone now on the bathroom counter beside him.

“No. I have a huge test next period. If I skip, the teacher won’t let me make it up later, or give me any extra credit work in place of it,” his lover responded a short time later.

“Where’s CC? I thought he was supposed to be over here keeping an ear out for me?” he asked in his next text.

“He took Mama out grocery shopping, and to pick up diapers for Logan, and a few other things for Casey. Why?”

“I need to get to the hospital, and soon. My water just broke.”

“How far apart are the contractions, mio deviante? If they’re far enough apart, you might be able to drive yourself if neither of us can get in touch with CC.”

“I haven’t timed them yet.” He groaned and glanced at the time on his phone as another one started. “One just started, though. I’ll let you know how far apart they are when the next one starts.”

“All right, hang in there. I’m gonna try to get in touch with CC for ya. You can try yourself so he knows something’s really wrong, if ya want. If not, just get your bag and BE CAREFUL.”

“Will do, mio profeta. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Our baby girl, too.”

With a sigh, Ash headed back to their room once this latest contraction ended, knowing that time was of the essence. He really didn’t wanna have to drive himself the fourteen miles to the trauma center Dr. Morgan’d told him to go to when he went into labor, but it was looking like he might have to. They weren’t going to the hospital he’d been taken to a little over a year ago when he tried to commit suicide because it wasn’t big enough and they might have to transfer him to the trauma center anyway, if something went wrong.

Fifteen minutes later, as he sat in the chair by their shared desk, he felt that familiar tightening in his lower back begin, groaning as it moved around to his belly. He gripped the sides of his belly, the baby kicking unhappily as the contraction strengthened, and tried to breathe his way through it. So far, CC hadn’t answered any of his calls or texts, nor had Andy texted him to let him know he’d gotten in touch with him.

“I think I’m gonna have to drive myself. The contractions are fifteen minutes apart, and my water broke probably no more than five before I first texted you,” he typed out, then tapped the “Send” button.

“You still haven’t been able to get a hold of CC?” his lover asked.

“No. Have you?” Ash countered.

“Nope. Just BE CAREFUL, and drive slower than you normally would so that if you have to pull over for a contraction, you can do so safely,” Andy told him. “Hell, make sure your hazard lights are on, too, mio deviante.”

“I was planning on it, mio profeta,” he answered, sighing as the contraction ended.

Now that the contraction had ended, he knew he had about fifteen minutes to get his shoes on, grab his bag, keys, and wallet since he already had his phone in his pocket, and get out to the car before the next one started. Driving a stick was already difficult enough, considering that he was used to riding a bike, and he knew it was going to be even harder while in labor.

Somehow he managed to gather all his things, which included an outfit to bring their daughter home from the hospital in, and get to the car right before the next contraction started. Again, it was fifteen minutes after the last one, but he still wrote the time down in a little notebook he had so he’d remember when he felt the next start up. Ash slowly breathed his way through the pain, which wasn’t much but would get worse as time passed, the key in the ignition and ready to go. When the contraction ended, he immediately stomped the clutch and turned the key, glad that the car turned over quickly and with ease.

He quickly readjusted his mirrors so he could see, then put the old beauty in Reverse so he could back out of the Biersacks’ driveway. He still thought of this house as theirs since he hadn’t sold his cabin and refused to, even though he’d practically moved in after getting pregnant. Once out in the street, he quickly shoved the gear-shifter to First and let the clutch out slowly as he hit the gas and took off. Hopefully he’d get a decent ways from the house before he had to pull over because of the next contraction hitting.

It was about five miles away when he felt the familiar tightening in his back start up, and he immediately shifted into Neutral and guided the car to the side of the road as it got worse. He checked the time on his phone as he sat there, breathing through the pain, and noticed that this one came only thirteen minutes after the last. That wasn’t too big a difference in the spacing, but he knew that his labor was progressing a bit now for sure. He quickly wrote the time in his little notebook like he had the others, glancing in his mirrors as he waited for the contraction to end. Every car that came up behind him paid no attention to the hazards that were flashing and passed right by, showing how narcissistic their owners were.

“Finally,” he sighed, depressing the clutch and shifting back into First when the contraction ended. “Maybe I can get there in one piece.”

He checked his mirrors again to make sure nothing was coming before pulling back onto the road. Luckily nothing was, not that it would’ve mattered since he had his hazards on and they’d have to slow down for him until and unless they got into a safe enough situation to pass him. Ash kept his attention on the road as much as he could while paying attention to the signs his body gave him, not wanting to drive through a contraction because he missed the signs.

Only four miles from the hospital, he felt that same tightening in his back and had to shift into Neutral and guide the car off the road once again. As he checked the time on his phone, he saw that this contraction was only thirteen minutes after the last one, and hoped they wouldn’t get any closer together until after he reached the hospital.

A sudden knock on his window while he was breathing through the pain startled him enough to cause him to gasp and look up. He saw a state trooper standing by his window, likely wondering what the problem was since he was sitting on the side of the road with his hazards on. He quickly rolled down the window, already getting his voice geared up to speak in falsetto so he could lie to the trooper, to a degree. The man wouldn’t have been able to see his crotch from where he was standing because of his belly, and with the breasts he’d developed over the course of the pregnancy, he’d easily pass for a woman.

“What seems to be the problem, ma’am?” the trooper asked. Good, he already thought he was a woman.

“Well, I went into labor about…half an hour ago,” Ash ground out, pitching his voice slightly higher than normal. “I couldn’t get in touch with my boyfriend, who’s in class…at the moment, or our friend…so I had to drive myself.”

“What hospital are you on your way to? I can give you a police escort,” he told him, his expression turning concerned.

He quickly told him the name of the trauma center and that it was only four miles away, then said that he might have to pull over again for a contraction like he’d done this time before they got there since he was driving slower than normal. The trooper nodded his head and headed back for his car, where he quickly opened the door and got in. Ash could see him on his radio just before he turned on his lights and pulled in front of him, and he knew he was radioing Dispatch to let them know he’d found an expectant mother who’d just gone into labor on the side of the road. At least now, if something really bad happened, he had someone who could call for help easier than he’d be able to.

When the contraction ended, he depressed the clutch again and put his car in gear, quickly flashing his headlights at the trooper to let him know it was safe for him to rejoin traffic. He flashed him a thumbs-up in his rearview mirror and pulled out ahead of him, going at a slow enough speed that he could keep up and not feel uncomfortable trying to drive at while he was in labor.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to pull over for a contraction again until he was parked at the hospital, and the trooper was standing by his door by then, anyway. He checked the time and saw that, again, the contractions were thirteen minutes apart, and wrote the time down in his notebook. Once it ended and he felt like he’d be able to walk, he allowed the trooper to get his bag from the other side of the car and make sure his doors were locked before he helped him up to the maternity ward. He couldn’t have been any more grateful to the man, whose badge read Trooper A. Kovac, if he tried.

“What can I help you with today?” the nurse at the nurse’s station asked when they got there.

“I found this young lady on the side of the road about four miles from here,” Trooper Kovac stated, letting him lean on him. “She went into labor and couldn’t get in touch with her boyfriend or their friend, so she had to drive herself here. I merely gave her a police escort from the point at which I found her.”

“And what’s your name, hun?” she asked, turning her attention to him.

“Ashley Purdy,” he answered, his voice still pitched to falsetto to fool the trooper.

“What doctor has been caring for you throughout your pregnancy so we’ll know who to get in touch with?”

“Dr. Scott Hicks.” It wasn’t the entire truth, since he hadn’t taken over till thirty weeks, as planned, but that was the doctor he’d been told to call when he went into labor.

“All right. I’ll get you a wheelchair that you can sit in while you fill out this paperwork for me, and then we’ll get you into a labor and delivery room while we contact Dr. Hicks,” the nurse told him.

“Thank you,” he ground out, another contraction starting.

“Whoa, easy there,” Trooper Kovac said, tightening his grip on him. “We don’t want you falling.”

“Thanks, Trooper,” Ash ground out. “You didn’t have to…stop and check on me…but you did.”

“All in a day’s work, ma’am,” the trooper responded, helping him into the wheelchair the nurse brought moments later. “That’s part and parcel of my duties as a trooper, and I’m happy to make sure you and your unborn child are safe.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” he sighed, the contraction ending.

“Again, it’s an honor, Miss Purdy. You take care now, ya hear?”

“Oh, I will. Of myself and my baby.”

With a smile, Trooper Kovac tipped his hat to him and left, still honestly thinking he was a woman.

“I managed to get in touch with Dr. Hicks for you,” the nurse told him as he turned in the paperwork a short time later. “He said he’s on his way, and that he’s sending a nurse from his practice named Sierra that already knows everything that’s gone on during your pregnancy.”

“That’s great,” he sighed as she wheeled him to the labor and delivery room, noting that she seemed a bit upset that Dr. Hicks’d done that.

“All right, I need you to get changed into that gown for me so I can get you on the monitor,” she told him, stopping the wheelchair beside a bed. “Once I get you on the monitor, I’ll help you into bed, then leave you be until your doctor or nurse gets here, whichever one comes first.”

“Thank you,” Ash responded. He purposely left his shorts on under the gown, not wanting her to realize that he was a guy.

After she got him hooked up to the monitor, which showed he was between contractions and the baby’s heart rate was right where it should be, she helped him into bed and left him be, just like she said. He managed to get his phone out of his pocket and text Andy to let him know he was safely at the hospital and awaiting Dr. Hicks’ arrival, to which he got a relieved response. He still hadn’t gotten in touch with CC, but he was still trying so that he could bring him to the hospital after school ended. The only thing Ash could do now was lay back and wait.


Over at the local high school, Andy was worried out of his mind about his sweetheart and their daughter. He didn’t like the idea of him driving himself to the hospital while in labor and cursed CC’s timing, but knew it had to be done if he wasn’t so bad off that an ambulance absolutely had to be called. He’d just barely been able to focus on his test in third period since his ADD was kicking in from his worrying, but somehow he’d gotten through it and felt like he should still pass.

While he was at lunch, CC finally answered him an apologized for not being there when Ash went into labor, but he was understanding since they hadn’t known exactly when it would happen. The crazy drummer promised to be waiting at his house for him so he could take him to the hospital as soon as he got home from school, which caused him to sigh in relief once again.

He sat at his usual table, fidgeting badly as he waited on the guys and Sammi to get their food and make their way over to the table, really wishing he could sneak off for a cigarette. They finally got over there after what seemed like an eternity, but was really only five minutes, and knew something was up almost immediately just by the way he was acting. Jinxx was the first to ask what was wrong while Jake and Sammi gave him curious looks, and he had to take a couple deep breaths before he could speak. After all, it wasn’t every day that a guy’s boyfriend went into labor with their unborn daughter.

“I’m really distracted and don’t wanna be here right now,” he said softly, trying to make sure no one overheard him.

“What’s going on, man? You’re so fidgety you look like you’ve eaten a Mexican jumping bean,” Jake said.

“Ash went into labor about forty-five minutes ago,” Andy answered, still looking around like he was paranoid. “He had to drive himself to the hospital because CC took my mom and the kids out to run errands and neither of us could get in touch with him.”

“Why don’t you just go ahead and leave?” Jinxx asked. “Fourth period ain’t anything special, and Ash needs you.”

“I have another huge test in there like I did in third, and the teacher won’t let us make it up or give us extra credit work in its place if we skip. And it doesn’t matter what our reason is,” he answered, growling.

“Then take our lunch break and go smoke a cigarette. You look like you need one,” his blue-eyed friend suggested. “Since we’re in class together, I’ll cover for you and say you got a call from your mother, which never happens during school unless someone’s dying or something.”

“You sure you can pull it off, Jinxx?” he asked uncertainly.

“I’ve had that teacher for science class every year since freshman year,” the older guy chuckled. “He’s an idiot and believes practically everything I tell him. If I told him that E equaled PX-squared instead of MC-squared, he’d believe it.”

“All right, man. Thanks,” Andy agreed, rising from his seat. “I owe ya one.”

“Naw ya don’t. Count it as me paying your mom back for one of the many times she’s babysat Logan for us,” Jinxx responded, hugging Sammi.

With a smile, he turned and headed out of the café, quickly glancing around to see if any teachers or other faculty members were around. Luckily, none were, but he still pulled out his phone and pretended to be checking for missed calls while he headed off campus so it would look believable when he got to class if he was late. Once outside campus boundaries, he took his pack from his pocket, pulled one of the cancer sticks out, and quickly lit it. He sighed after inhaling the first drag of the Marlboro Red, his cigarette of choice, and took out his phone again to text his sweetheart.

“How’re ya doing, babe?” he typed out, then tapped “Send.”

“In pain, as was to be expected, but otherwise fine,” Ash responded a few minutes later. “Before you ask, the baby’s fine, too. And shouldn’t you be in class?”

“It’s lunch, mio deviante,” he responded, chuckling. “But Jinxx told me to get off campus and light up before fourth period since he could tell I needed it when I told the guys and Sammi what was wrong. He said he’d cover for me since we’re in the next class together.”

“So what cover story is he using?” He could sense his sweetheart’s smirk through the text.

“He said he’d tell Mr. Brownwood that my mom called me, and that she never does that during school unless someone’s dying, or it’s equally important,” Andy told him, chuckling at the memory. “None of my teachers know she’s a deaf-mute who can’t even text.”

“That should work then. But I gotta go. Another contraction just started, and Sierra just walked in as well.”

“All right. I’ll be headed to the hospital with CC as soon as school lets out and I get home. Ti amo molto, mio deviante.”

“Sounds good. Anch’io ti amo molto, mio profeta.”

Sighing now that he knew for sure that his sweetheart and daughter were safely at the hospital and in good hands with Sierra, he took his last drag before throwing the cigarette on the ground and stomping it out. Considering that lunch was only half over and Jinxx’d said he’d cover for him if he was late, Andy decided to go ahead and smoke a second one before even attempting to go to class since he knew he’d need it. He quickly texted the other blue-eyed Fallen Angel to let him know that he’d likely be late and to be prepared to spout bullshit when attendance was taken.

Jinxx responded by saying that he was always prepared to spout bullshit when it came to their little group, but still had his back, regardless. He laughed softly as he read his response, knowing that it was likely true since he seemed to be the most mature out of their little biker gang. It took his mind off the worry he felt for Ash and their as-of-yet-unnamed daughter, which was a good thing.

When he finally got to class, his friend was in the middle of bullshitting their teacher for him, who stopped him mid-sentence when he walked in only three minutes late. He immediately started grilling him, wanting to know why he’d come to class late, and he gave the exact same answer. He said that his mother’d called him, which she never did during school hours unless it was über important, and he felt the need to get off campus and call her back since he missed the call.

His science teacher, Mr. Brownwood, looked between he and Jinxx skeptically, but eventually permitted him to take his seat without a detention for being late. He stopped by their desk a while later after going over the day’s lesson and handing out worksheets to say that if they were lying, they’d done a damn good job since they both gave the same response, but not to let it happen again if he could manage it. Andy promised that it’d likely never happen again since it was very rare that his mother called him for anything, especially during school hours, and Jinxx agreed. Satisfied with their response, he walked back to his desk to grade some tests, and they sighed softly since he hadn’t caught them lying.

Now the only thing left to do was get through this class period, then he was free to head home and subsequently to the hospital to be with his Ashes.

Notes