Case File 102

Case File Name:

A shift.

♤Chapter One Hundred-Two♤

I smiled happily as I adjusted the loose white pants on my waist—along with the brown bandeau top.

Today we're taking maternity pictures—which I've decided to keep slightly casual.

I just want to capture my bump.

I also want to save this moment in time—something that I'll never get to go back to.

I suddenly glanced over, noticing Tazmin walking into our bedroom.

She wore baggy jeans and a white t-shirt with slides that she slid off as she walked over to me.

With a bouquet of white roses?

"Tazmin," I smiled, glancing up from the bouquet to meet her dark eyes.

"Beautiful flowers for my beautiful wife," she said, laying the flowers on the nightstand and leaning down to briefly kiss my lips.

I smiled, running my hands around her waist, "Thank you baby,” I murmured against her lips, “Now I see why you left earlier.”

Tazmin hummed, trailing soft kisses past my lips and across my cheek, "I couldn't help myself," she said, now placing soft kisses down my neck, "I enjoy watching your face light up every time I give you flowers mama."

My smile grew, "I love you," I whispered as she pulled away from my neck.

But only to briefly kiss my lips.

"I love you too baby," she whispered back, eyeing my partially exposed body, "And you look perfect."

I felt my smile grow more bashful, "You look perfect too baby," I said, trailing my hands up her back.

Tazmin smiled down at me, "The photographer is setting up whenever you're ready," she told me.

I instantly nodded a few times, "I'm ready right now," I didn't hesitate to say, feeling beyond excited to do this photoshoot.

My wife nodded, grabbing the flowers from behind me, "I'll put these in a vase for you," she said, guiding us both out of our bedroom.

"Thank you, baby," I said, leaning into her side as we walked out into the main living area.

Where some of our furniture had been moved out of the way for the photographer's setup.

There was the white backdrop, the studio lights, and then the bulky camera he held.

We preferred taking these at our house mostly for the memory and also because I keep getting Braxton Hicks contractions so we wanted to stay closer to the hospital.

"I'll be over in a second," Tazmin said as she walked over to the kitchen.

I nodded, now turning toward the photographer who flashed me a curt smile.

"Ready to start Mrs. Moretti?" he asked me, which immediately earned a nod from me.

"How should I pose first?" I asked him, hesitantly walking over toward the white backdrop.

"Let's start with some standing portraits and then we'll do sitting," he said, walking closer to the backdrop.

And as he began motioning me for each pose, Tazmin was back over by the sidelines of the white backdrop—watching as we captured each solo picture.

Until eventually, it was time for Tazmin to get in the pictures with me—which felt so much more natural than being alone.

I could feel a physical shift in the room, suddenly feeling so much more comfortable as we held the different poses.

Until eventually Tazmin insisted on a lunch break, which she offered the photographer to join in on.

Mason was very nice from what I could tell so far—he also had an incredible portfolio which he showed me while my wife rolled out the pizza dough and began adding sauce and toppings.

"I already have a really good idea for the next few photos of you guys," Mason said as Tazmin slid the homemade pizzas into the oven.

"I'm really excited to see how this all turns out," I said, glancing over when Tazmin opened the fridge.

And pulled out a container of homemade brownies.

I don't even know when she made those—all I could really focus on was my mouth suddenly watering.

"You're actually the best," I told my wife who slid the container over to me and grabbed a few plates.

Mason smiled as he glanced between us, "Your son is going to be a really lucky guy," he said as Tazmin walked over to sit with us at the kitchen island.

"Very lucky," Tazmin said with a growing smile, "He's not even here yet and he's already spoiled."

I smiled, "Spoiled feels like an understatement at this point," I said, watching as Tazmin made me a plate of two brownies.

"Yeah, but also having two moms is really cool too," Mason said as Tazmin handed him a plate with a brownie, "I grew up with a single mom, but I would've loved to have two of her."

I smiled slightly, "She must be really amazing then," I said, taking a bite of my brownie.

Mason nodded, "She is—and somehow she manages to pay for most of my college, but I try to do gigs like this to still help out," he explained, picking up his brownie to take a bite.

Tazmin tilted her head, "Your work is really good to be in college," she said, earning a nod of agreement from me.

Mason smiled, "Yeah, I've been really passionate about photography since I was fifteen maybe?" he said, visibly thinking back to the time he started, "I'm really only in college to have a back up plan aside from photography but so far it's going really good."

I immediately nodded, "So good—we'll definitely be hiring you again for future projects," I said as I continued eating my brownie.

"I would really appreciate that," Mason said as he set his brownie down to drink some water.

Meanwhile, I focused on eating the rest of my brownie—listening to Mason's insane college stories.

They still weren’t as insane as mine but it was definitely cool to hear about some of his.

We also discussed possible newborn photos for Tahir as we all ate the pizza Tazmin made.

Which I happily had three slices of.

At some point, I even ate another brownie while I ate the pizza.

Until it was time to get back to our shoot.

"Perfect—Taz can you look down at her stomach for this one?" Mason asked.

Tazmin immediately nodded, glancing down as her hands remained on my stomach.

At least until I physically winced.

"It's Braxton Hicks again," I said before my wife could grow worried.

"We can take a break," Tazmin offered, gently running her hands along my stomach.

I shook my head, "No it's fine I'm..." I trailed off, wincing again as I suddenly reached for her arms that I gripped for dear life, "Tazmin I—"

"We're taking a break," she cut me short, her dark eyes openly trailing my face.

I nodded a few times in a row, feeling so breathless that I couldn't possibly string together a response.

Mason immediately set his camera down, "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked in concern.

I shook my head, "No-no it goes awa—"

I cut myself short, inhaling sharply when the pain in my stomach tripled.

Tazmin immediately knelt in front of me, her hands steadying my hips, "Breathe with me, baby. Just like we practiced," she said, her voice calm but commanding.

I tried to mimic her slow, steady breathing, but the sharp, tightening pain had me panting unbearably. 

My heart nearly pounded out of my chest as I leaned into her, gripping her wrists for support.

"Breathe, baby," Tazmin said again, her eyes locked on mine as she tried to keep me grounded.

"I don't think... this is Braxton Hicks anymore," I forced out, knowing this pain was too strong to be just another false alarm.

Fuck. 

Tazmin's expression grew serious, "We're going to the hospital," she said, already moving to take control of the situation.

I felt another contraction hit, and I let out a sharp gasp, doubling over in pain.

"Tazmin, I... I can't," I whispered, feeling tears burn in my eyes. 

She quickly shook her head, grabbing her phone from the table and sending a quick text before slipping on her slides, "I got you Mil. It's going to be okay," she assured me. 

Mason nervously took a step forward, visibly concerned about the current situation, “Is there anything I can do to help? Should I call someone?" he asked us. 

"No, we've got it," Tazmin said, supporting my weight as I leaned heavily on her, “We appreciate everything you did today."

Mason quickly gathered his equipment, giving me a concerned look, "Good luck, Mrs. Moretti," he said softly, quickly grabbing his camera bag, "I'll come back for the backdrop at a better time," he told us, rushing past us toward the front door. 

"Thank you again, Mason!" I painfully called out before the front door gently shut, drawing deep breaths in even if the pain only got worse. 

"Yes that's it—breathe, baby," Tazmin said, guiding me toward the garage door.

Every step felt like pure fucking agony—I swear the contractions were coming faster and more intense. 

I clutched my stomach, breathless, leaning heavily on my wife, "Tazmin, I can't... it's happening so fast," I breathed out, scrunching my eyes closed. 

"You can, and you will," Tazmin said firmly, her grip on me never faltering, "We're almost to the car."

I nodded, walking at her slow pace toward the Mercedes she helped me into—immediately leaning back in the seat as she buckled my seatbelt for me. 

Until she closed my door and walked to the drivers side of the car, sliding in beside me and starting the car.

The drive to the hospital was a blur. 

Tazmin drove with precision, her knuckles white on the steering wheel—but her calm voice filled the car, reassuring me through each wave of pain.

"We're going to make it, okay? You're doing good Milena," is what she kept saying, her eyes flicking between the road and me.

Meanwhile, I was deathly gripping the seatbelt, my breaths coming out in shaky pants as the contractions grew stronger and closer together. 

"Tazmin please hurry," I nearly pleaded, feeling warm tears escape my eyes and slide down my face. 

I don't know if I can do this. 

"I'm hurrying, baby. I promise," Tazmin said, her voice entirely controlled—but I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she tightened her jaw as she navigated the streets, weaving through the heavy three o'clock traffic.

Until finally, the hospital came into view. 

I swear Tazmin wasted not even a second of time. 

She pulled up to the entrance, barely putting the car in park before she rushed around to my side.

"We're here baby, I got you," Tazmin said, carefully helping me out of the car—her arm tight around my waist as she led me inside. 

The hospital staff acted quickly when they saw me. 

A nurse even rushed over with a wheelchair—which I immediately sank into with relief, gripping Tazmin's hand as she followed closely.

"It's happening so fast," I whispered, my heart racing so fucking fast as another painful contraction struck me, "I'm scared." 

Tazmin kneeled down next to me, "You're strong Mil," she said, her dark eyes never wavering from mine as she gently cupped my face, "We've got this—and I'm not leaving your side, okay?"

I nodded, my breath just as shaky as my body, "Okay," I forced out in a whisper. 

The nurses wheeled me into the nearest available delivery room with Tazmin by my side every step of the way. 

Within minutes, I was lying on the hospital bed, my contractions beyond fucking relentless. 

But I clung to Tazmin's hand the entire time, her voice my anchoring me to the present moment. 

Even if it all felt like such a painful blur that I prayed to be over. 

I don't remember a lot of it—just the firm hospital bed and the doctor's echoey voice as he talked to my wife. 

I also remember the bright fluorescent lights overhead and the quiet murmur of voices—which were the nurses and doctors checking in as the hours dragged by.

Time became something weirdly distant, a blur of tightening pain and moments where I held onto Tazmin like she was the only thing keeping me grounded. 

I didn't talk—I could barely even fucking breathe. 

I just sat there in the world of my own head, praying for it all to go away. 

With each contraction, I focused on Tazmin's voice—how soft it was or how she was so presently here with me while I felt so fucking far away.

Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor—or the soft caress of Tazmin's fingers through my hair as she whispered the calmest of words in my ear.

I kept my eyes on hers when it felt like the hours would never end. 

"You're doing amazing baby," she said over and over again, her voice strong even when I could see the tension in her shoulders, the worry flickering behind her usual calm facade.

There were brief moments when I saw flashes of nurses moving around, but everything else faded into the background. 

I focused on Tazmin's hand squeezing mine, keeping me focused and present.

Until there was a shift? 

It was something deeper—a sense that it was finally fucking time.

The room filled with more people. 

Quick commands from the doctor that felt distant—echoed in my mind as my feet were propped up and open. 

I felt my wife's grip on my hand tighten while her dark eyes stayed locked on mine—keeping me grounded. 

I also felt so protected. 

Everything is okay with her here with me. 

"Just one more push, baby," she murmured, her voice strong and soothing even as my body screamed for it to end. 

And then, after what felt like fucking eternity—

I heard it.

It was a soft cry, but it cut through the chaos of the room like a lifeline.

I blinked hard as tears blurred my vision, my breath catching in my throat when I realized what it was.

Tahir's first cry. 

A sharp, beautiful sound that made everything around me fall away—even the brutal fucking pain. 

Tazmin's face lit up with a smile so wide that it made my heart burst in my chest. 

"He's here baby," Tazmin whispered, brushing my damp dark hair from my forehead as I nodded almost rapidly.

The nurses moved quickly as they did their jobs—but my world immediately narrowed to the small bundle they brought over, placing him in my arms.

Tahir. 

I felt an indescribable rush of emotions hit me at once as I stared down at him. 

His little hands were balled up into fists, his face pink and scrunched as he cried under the bright lights, wrapped in a hospital blanket away from the cold sterile air. 

I couldn't stop the tears that flowed uncontrollably down my face as I cradled him close, pressing my lips gently to his soft forehead.

Tazmin leaned down as she took in the sight of our son, her eyes heavy with tears she didn't bother hiding. 

Especially when I handed him over to her. 

"He's perfect Milena," she whispered to me, her voice so unrecognizable—so heavy with emotion as she held him protectively in her arms. 

I nodded, feeling so beyond overwhelmed and exhausted. 

But I was also in shock. 

Tahir is here—that's him in my wife's arms. 

"We did it," I breathed out weakly, my heavy eyes falling closed—finally able to relax and breathe again. 

After long hours of pain and labor—everything finally faded into the background as I relaxed against the stiff hospital bed with so much blurring around me. 

But for the first time in hours, everything somehow felt still? 

Especially as I listened to Tazmin gently calm Tahir's cries down, allowing me my very own moment of peace. 

We did it.