Gift of Song

Two weeks later, everyone had embarked on their first ever Vans Warped Tour, right down to Shelby, who was once again their touring babysitter. Andy and Ash had returned from their honeymoon on the twentieth, which just barely gave them time to pack for said tour, and were just as happy and in love as they were the day they told everyone they were dating. Jake and CC had also announced their engagement to the guys, which sparked cheers from everybody.

Now they were parked in Houston, Texas, gearing up for the show at The Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park. Being a day shy of twenty weeks pregnant, going on stage was harder for the drummer than it used to be. He had to admit that he could reach his kick pedals a bit easier than he had before, given that his legs usually spread a bit wider than normal from his hips widening for delivery later on.

Since they were touring together and playing on the same stage, they asked the drummer of Falling in Reverse, Ryan Seaman, if he’d be willing to fill in for CC if he couldn’t perform for whatever reason. Having been at the show he’d announced his pregnancy at and seeing the effort he put in to doing his job, despite being halfway through said ordeal, the other drummer agreed to be put on standby. He even started listening to all of BVB’s works and drumming along with them so he’d already be prepared if he did have to fill in for the notorious Destroyer, which everybody considered a good thing.

“Ugh,” Ash groaned, flopping down on the couch beside the pregnant man. “I feel like shit.”

“What’s wrong, Ash?” he asked curiously. He was concerned about his friend.

“I just feel so fat. It’s like the menstrual bloating to the nth degree,” the bassist groaned, splaying a hand over his stomach. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d be asking myself if I’m pregnant.”

“Maybe you are. I mean, knowing you and Andy, you probably went at it like jackrabbits on your honeymoon,” CC said sympathetically.

“Although it’s none of your business, yes, we did,” he said, glaring at him. “But this isn’t like early-pregnancy bloating. This is more like mid-pregnancy bloating.”

“So basically what I’m going through right now,” he said, enlightenment dawning.

“Yeah. But I miscarried in March. I shouldn’t be feeling like this right now if I’m not pregnant.”

“Maybe you were pregnant with more than one, and while you lost one, another survived.” He wasn’t sure if that was possible, but maybe it was.

“I doubt it. I mean, I haven’t had any symptoms like I did with Rori.”

“Dr. Hill told me that every pregnancy is different. She told me that with her first, she was sick as a dog like us, but with her next, she barely had any symptoms,” the drummer told him.

“Eh, true. I still doubt it, though,” Ash said skeptically.

Knowing better than to argue, he just threw up his hands in defeat. Ash was a very stubborn man for being so damned girlie, and when he got to acting stubborn, almost nothing could change his mind. It was a wonder Andy managed to change his mind when he started acting stubborn, but maybe there was just something about the baby of the band that could get him to playing Devil’s advocate, if only in his own head.

With a sigh, the bassist curled up when he got up to go to the bathroom as if he was going to try and catch a nap. Other than when he’d been pregnant with his daughter, he’d never been known to want a nap in the middle of the afternoon, especially when they had a show that night, but even he could change. CC swore to himself that if he didn’t, he’d make sure Andy went to check on him so they knew that he was okay. They couldn’t afford to have two of them down this tour; otherwise, they’d have to drop out and go home.


Around late October, CC was sitting in the town house he’d finally bought with Casey and her nurse. Considering that he was about two or three weeks away from his due date, he was paying attention to any and all signs his body whispered to him, and Becki was even checking on him as regularly as she did his sister. He insisted that it wasn’t necessary, that he’d call her if he needed her, but she insisted on checking on him when she came upstairs to check on the eight-year-old.

He was really missing his lover, who was overseas on the UK Tour he’d had to skip out on with everybody but Ash. The bassist had chosen to stay home this time around because he wasn’t feeling so great himself, and he still swore that he was pregnant. Because he wasn’t feeling well and chose to stay home, Andy’d put his old bass skills to work and took over his role on top of lead vocals, which meant they only had to get one of the other drummers they were touring with to fill in for him. Sure, it was upsetting to have to disappoint the fans by being unable to perform live, but since they knew about his pregnancy, they understood.

On the morning of November sixth, the day he was officially thirty-nine weeks pregnant, CC woke up feeling worse than he had since before his morning sickness quit acting up. Dr. Hill assured him that their baby, an undoubtedly handsome little boy, was easily at least seven pounds. He was a bit small as far as she was concerned, all things considered, but assured him it was likely their bodies’ way of making sure he could be delivered. It was the same thing Ash’d been told during his pregnancy.

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” he groaned, somehow tossing his legs over the edge of the bed. His belly sat heavily on the mattress between his legs, which he couldn’t even close anymore.

“You okay in there, Chris?” Becki asked, knocking on his door.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered, grabbing the bedpost to stand up. “Sorry if I scared you. It’s just harder to get up than it used to be.”

“It’s fine. I was just making sure you weren’t contracting or anything,” the nurse told him.

“You’ll be the first besides me to know if I do start contracting,” he promised.

“All right. I’ll have my walkie-talkie on me if you need anything,” she promised in return.

With a weak smile, he headed for his bathroom with one hand on his lower back, the other under his belly, using both for support. If he wasn’t mistaken, it felt like he was carrying lower than he had his entire pregnancy, which was already pretty low, according to Dr. Hill, and that was a sure sign of imminent labor. With his due date about a week away, it wouldn’t surprise him if he went soon.

Since he hadn’t been able to see his crotch or feet for months, he was forced to sit down to empty his squished bladder. While he was sitting there releasing every drop he could manage, he heard Becki call through his bedroom door that she was leaving to take Casey to a doctor’s appointment and would be back later. CC answered as loud as he could to make sure she heard him from the bathroom, and sat there for a minute or so longer to catch his breath again. Carrying a seven-pound baby around wasn’t nearly as easy as the women made it look and it took a lot out of him.

Just as he started to get back to his feet, he was stopped by a strange tightening sensation in his lower back that wrapped around to his front. It was kind of painful, but nothing he couldn’t tolerate, and only took his breath because it caught him by surprise. He breathed his way through it as best he could, shocked when he both heard and felt a pop before liquid rushed out of his ass like a burst water balloon. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he was going into labor, which was a bad thing.

Unable to get in touch with anyone but Ash, he was forced to make his way back to his room to get his phone off the nightstand once the contraction ended. He put the phone on speaker, not wanting to try to hold the phone up to his head in case he started contracting again while they were talking. CC only hoped and prayed that his friend answered since it was still pretty early, but Becki was unavailable and the rest of the guys were overseas, so it wasn’t like he could call anyone else. Besides, the bassist’d had to drive himself to the hospital while laboring with Rori, so he’d likely be more than willing to take him, even if he woke him up while he was sleeping good after a rough night.

“What’s up, Ceece?” his friend groaned, obviously unhappy at being woken up.

“I need you to do me a favor,” the drummer answered, feeling another contraction start up.

“What’s wrong?” He sounded more alert suddenly, as if he sensed his pain.

“My water broke…no more than…five minutes ago,” CC said, trying to breathe through the contraction and talk at the same time. “Becki’s not here…and I need a…ride to the…hospital.”

“Lemme get dressed and pack up Rori, then I’ll be over there,” Ash told him, rustling in the background signalling that he was getting up. “It was no fun trying to drive while in labor, and I’m not gonna make you do that when you don’t have to.”

“Thanks a…lot, Ash,” he groaned, the contraction reaching its peak. “I owe…you.”

“Don’t think anything of it, Ceece,” he told him. “I’ll be over there in a little while.”

“All right. Thanks…again.”

With a chuckle, the bassist ended their phone call so he could get himself and his daughter ready to leave their house. Even though he hadn’t been feeling well himself lately, he was still willing to get up and take a laboring friend to the hospital so his baby was born in a safe environment. He couldn’t be more thankful than what he was at that moment.

Once this latest contraction ended, CC started gathering the smallest things he’d need, like his keys, phone, and wallet, before finding his bag that he’d packed at least two weeks ago. Since he couldn’t pick it up because it was too heavy, he slid it across the floor, but was unsure of how he was going to get it downstairs. He stopped at the top of the stairs, having to sit down on the top step and grab hold of the railing beside him to breathe his way through yet another contraction. He was still sitting there when a knock sounded on the front door, and he glanced down to see if the door was unlocked.

“It’s open!” he called, his voice strained from the pain.

“Can you get up, Ceece?” Ash asked, standing at the foot of the stairs.

“Not…sure,” he groaned. His contraction was reaching its peak, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get up when it ended.

“Okay. Lemme know when it ends, and we can try sliding you down on your rear till your feet hit the foyer floor,” his friend suggested.

“How could…you tell?” CC asked curiously.

“Number one, I’ve been through this before,” he chuckled. “Number two, your voice is laced with pain.”

“I see,” the drummer sighed, his grip on the railing loosening. “It’s over…for now.”

“Lemme grab your bag so I don’t have to come back up for it,” Ash said, coming toward him. “How far apart are they?”

“Probably no more than fifteen minutes,” he answered. “I haven’t exactly timed them.”

“We should have plenty of time to reach the hospital before you have to push,” he told him, wrapping the strap around himself like he would his bass strap, the bag behind him. “I’ll be in front of you in case you get to moving too fast, okay?”

CC nodded and started scooting himself down one step at a time, thankfully able to reach the bottom before another contraction started. He sat there on the next-to-bottom step, breathing his way through it as he clutched his friend’s hand and the banister tightly. He’d let the bassist squeeze his hand while his now-husband rubbed his back while he was in labor, so it was only fair that he returned the favor, especially since his fiancé was overseas in the UK.

After the contraction ended, Ash managed to pull his friend up to his feet, which had laceless Sketchers on them, and made sure his door was locked before they headed down to his car. Little Rori was sleeping in his car seat in the back, and he hoped he didn’t wake the little girl up with any of the slightly animalistic sounds he was making and scare her. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Getting him settled in the ’68 Shelby Mustang was pretty easy, despite the pain he was in and the size of his belly. With that task done, his friend put his bag in the back seat next to his daughter’s car seat, then climbed in the front beside him. Ash seemed to be in a bit of pain himself as he took CC’s phone to text Becki, seeing as how he didn’t have the nurse’s number, to let her know where they were going. Once the text was sent, he cranked the car and started to back out of his driveway, suggesting that he call Jake and let him know what was going on, even if he couldn’t come home just yet.

“Hey there, mon animale,” Jake said, a cheerful tone to his voice when he answered.

“J-Jakey,” he responded, his voice shaky as a contraction started.

“What’s wrong, Chuppy? Are you okay?” his lover asked, that cheerful tone immediately turning concerned.

“I-I’m in…labor,” the drummer ground out, the contraction worsening.

“Are you still at home?” he asked, really concerned now.

“A-Ash is…taking me to…the hospital,” CC answered, trying to breathe. “B-Becki was…busy. Casey…h-had a…d-doctor’s appointment.”

“Well, I trust Ash. You’re in good hands with him,” the guitarist said with a sigh. “I’ll try to catch a flight back out there within the hour. I hope you realize Andy and Jinxx’ll wanna come with me.”

“That’s fine, mon amour,” he sighed, the contraction finally ending. “They’re gonna be uncles. Do you need to talk to Ash before we hang up?”

“Nah, not really. Like I said, I trust him with you and our son,” Jake answered, obviously smiling. “I know it’ll be a while, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you with all my heart and soul.”

“I love you just as much, Jakey.”

“I’ll see ya soon, sweetheart.”

“See ya soon.”

Before the next contraction hit, he ended the call to his fiancé and put his phone back in his pocket. He was glad to know that his lover was willing to cut their overseas tour short if it meant being with him, which made him feel as loved right now as if he was in the car with him. He knew this experience was going to be long and grueling, and doubted he’d actually give birth before his arrival.

Once at the hospital, Ash ran inside and got a nurse to come out with a wheelchair, grabbing his daughter, her diaper bag, and CC’s bag while she was helping him out of the car. He promised to come back down and move the car as soon as he was upstairs and getting admitted, at the very least. The nurse told him it was fine, so long as it was moved within half an hour, which drew a sigh from the bassist as he followed her to the elevator. She even offered to watch his daughter while he was moving the car, saying that she was a friend of Marissa’s and had recognized him.

At the nurse’s station in the maternity ward, CC was handed a clipboard to fill out some paperwork while the nurse behind the desk got him through the admittance process. He obediently did as asked, having to stop halfway through to breathe his way through a contraction, while the other nurse who’d brought them up took Rori to a little playroom nearby. It wasn’t much longer after that that Ash returned, a slightly pained look on his face, which made him worry about him, despite his own pain. His friend brushed it off and said he was just constipated and feeling a bit bloated, assuring him that he’d be fine and not to worry about him. The drummer shrugged and handed the clipboard back to the nurse, who finished getting him admitted.

He was moved to a labor and delivery room in short order, someone getting in touch with Dr. Hill while he changed into a backless gown and got hooked up to the fetal monitor. He was relieved to hear the quick heartbeat of his son, knowing that he was still alive, despite his pain, but still grabbed Ash’s hand. There was still a long wait ahead, both for his fiancé’s arrival and his son’s birth, but at least CC had one of his best friends by his side to help him through things for the time being.

Notes