Chapter Twenty-Four
Progesterone is such an unpredictable little thing; it always makes people do things they never dared to think of before.
In the dead of night, seven months pregnant, Yuzuru lay on his side in bed, his eyes wide open, wide awake.
I slept too much during the day, and now my mind is unusually clear. For some reason, tears, like beads from a broken string, quietly slid down the corners of my eyes, soaking my pillow.
Yukimura, who was sleeping lightly, woke up immediately when he noticed the movement of the person next to him.
In the darkness, he felt the dampness on Yuzuru's face and panicked instantly. He propped himself up and asked urgently, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" He then tried to get out of bed, throwing off the covers. "No, we have to go to the hospital right now!"
"No..." Yuzuru slurred, his voice thick with emotion, but his tears flowed even more fiercely. "It's just that I feel so uncomfortable in bed. I can't go out to play during the day, and I can't get a proper rest at night. Waaah—" Before he could finish speaking, he burst into tears, looking as wronged as a child who had been wronged, and he couldn't stop crying.
"Waaah, I didn't want to cry either. I really don't know why, I just couldn't control myself..." Yuzuru choked up, tears streaming down his face.
Yukimura's heart melted instantly. He quickly grabbed a tissue and carefully wiped away her tears, his movements so gentle that he was afraid of hurting her.
He turned around and poured a cup of warm water, then held it to her lips: "Drink some hot water to calm down. It's okay. Cry if you want to. I'm always here with you."
Yuzuru leaned against him and cried on and off for a while until he was exhausted. He drank some hot water, his eyelids gradually became heavy, and soon he fell into a deep sleep.
Yukimura gently laid her down, tucked her in, and gazed at her pale sleeping face in the moonlight streaming in from the window. He then slowly leaned down, his fingertips gently stroking her swollen belly, his voice as soft as a feather: "Baby, be good, don't make Mommy too tired."
As the due date drew closer, both the Momozawa and Yukimura families were on edge. The mothers from both families even moved in to take care of Yuzuru's daily needs.
The baby's movements became more and more frequent, often turning over in the womb. One afternoon, Yukimura sat on the edge of the bed, gently placing his palm on Yuzuru's belly, and whispered, "Good baby, say hello to Daddy."
Not long after he finished speaking, a small bulge suddenly appeared on his round belly, and a small, clear handprint slowly emerged.
Yukimura's eyes lit up, and he immediately placed his large hand gently on it. His warm palm pressed against the small mark, as if he could feel the little guy's vibrant life force, and his heart was filled with tenderness.
Three days later, in the dead of night, Yuzuru suddenly woke up, feeling a warm sensation beneath him, followed by an inexplicable discomfort.
She tried to quietly get out of bed to go to the bathroom to check, but as soon as she moved, Yukimura beside her woke up instantly, his voice hoarse from just waking up, but full of vigilance: "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"
"I should be fine, but something feels off." Yuzuru propped himself up and sat up. "I'll go to the restroom to check."
Yukimura didn't dare to delay and immediately got up to help her out of bed, carefully accompanying her into the bathroom. A few minutes later, Yuzuru came out, his face a little pale: "It seems...it seems my water broke."
Yukimura's heart tightened, but he forced himself to calm down. He first helped Yuzuru sit down on the sofa and gently comforted him, "Don't panic, we're all ready. I'll go call Mom and Dad now."
He quickly ran upstairs, knocked on the door, and informed the elders of the situation. Both mothers immediately sprang into action, picked up their pre-packed maternity bags, and the family hurriedly drove to the hospital.
On the way, Yuzuru began to experience intermittent, dull pains in his stomach, which became more and more frequent.
In the back seat of the car, Yukimura held her hand tightly, his palms sweaty, his eyes filled with undisguised worry, yet he still tried to remain calm and comforted her: "Bear with it, we'll be at the hospital soon, I'll stay with you the whole time."
Upon arrival at the hospital, the doctor, whom I had contacted in advance, was already waiting, and I quickly completed the check-in procedures.
After the examination, the doctor smiled and said, "You're already two centimeters dilated. The progress is going very smoothly. Just wait patiently a little longer."
But the contractions grew more and more intense, and Yuzuru's forehead was covered in cold sweat as he lay on the hospital bed, clutching the sheets tightly in pain.
Yukimura was so anxious that he couldn't sit still. He kept wiping her sweat and handing her water. He couldn't help but pace around the ward, looking so helpless that both mothers disliked him, saying, "Stop wandering around here. You're just making us more annoyed. Go outside and wait!" They chased him out.
In the early hours of the morning, as the sky began to lighten, Yuzuru was wheeled into the delivery room.
As the morning light faded from the night, before the sun had fully risen, a loud, clear, and powerful cry of a newborn baby suddenly pierced the tranquility of the early morning.
When the nurse came out carrying the swaddled baby, Yukimura, who was guarding the door, immediately rushed over, his voice trembling: "How is the mother? Is she alright?"
"Don't worry, the delivery went very smoothly!" the nurse said with a gentle smile. "The mother will be out soon. Congratulations! It's a beautiful little girl, and she's very sweet. She gave birth not long after entering the delivery room."
"Thank you, thank you..." Yukimura thanked him repeatedly, his gaze falling on the little one in the swaddling clothes.
The tiny baby, with a furrowed brow and wrinkled face, was moving its little mouth and clenching its tiny fists, sleeping soundly and innocently, looking so adorable that it melted his heart.
The two mothers followed the nurses to make arrangements for the babies, while Yukimura remained standing at the door of the delivery room, his eyes fixed on the door.
Not long after, Yuzuru was wheeled out, his face pale and his lips chapped, but his spirits were relatively stable.
Yukimura immediately stepped forward and took her hand, his eyes instantly reddening and filling with tears, his voice choked with emotion: "How are you? You've had a hard time, Yu."
Yuzuru smiled weakly and asked softly, "Have you seen the baby? How...how is she?"
"She's fine, especially adorable, don't worry." Yukimura leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. Hearing this, Yuzuru's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he wearily closed his eyes and fell asleep.
In just a few days, the little one grew up quickly, her skin became fair and tender, and her eyes became round and bright, making her especially adorable. She also loved to smile; whenever someone walked in front of her, she would grin and reveal a toothless smile that was so sweet it melted everyone's heart.
When Mina brought Xiao Yufeng to visit, she couldn't take her eyes off the little guy and was incredibly envious: "Oh my god, he's so cute! I really wanted a little girl, but I ended up with a little Tezuka."
She poked the little guy's cheek. "When I was pregnant, I ate sour things every day, thinking it was going to be a sweet-smelling baby girl. I didn't expect it to be a stinky boy."
Yuzuru smiled and said, "Xiao Yufeng is also very cute, well-behaved and sensible."
Mina sighed, gave her a "you don't understand" look, and then asked, "Have you decided on a name yet? What's it called?"
"Get up, call him Zhiyu." Yu Sheng looked at the crib, his eyes full of tenderness.
"Yukimura Tomoyo, wow, that sounds so good!" Mina exclaimed repeatedly.
The two followed their gaze and saw that Xiao Yufeng was standing obediently by the crib, his little head close to the baby, staring blankly at Xiao Zhiyu in the swaddling clothes, without moving.
Yuzuru and Mina exchanged a smile, and Yuzuru asked softly, "Little Yufeng, why aren't you saying anything? Don't you like your little sister?"
Xiao Yufeng raised his little face, which was just like Tezuka's, and stared at Yuzuru with bright, dark eyes, his tone earnest with a child's unique tone: "My little sister is so cute, Auntie, can I have her?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly turned around, took out a brand-new robot toy from his little backpack—his most treasured possession, which he even slept with—and presented it to Yuzuru with both hands, his little face full of "sincerity": "I'll trade this for it!"
Yuzuru and Mina were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter in unison, their laughter clear and heartwarming.
Yuzuru suppressed a laugh, reached out and gently ruffled Xiao Yufeng's hair, and said softly, "No, Zhiyu is Auntie and Uncle's darling."
Seeing a hint of disappointment on Xiao Yufeng's face, she added, "But when your little sister grows up, you can come and play with her often, teach her to build blocks and play with toys, and be her big brother, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yufeng's serious little face instantly lit up. He nodded vigorously, carefully put the robot toy back into his backpack, and then went back to the crib to obediently watch over the sleeping Xiao Zhiyu. He looked extremely serious, as if he had already taken on the responsibility of being a "big brother".
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