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Sam had fought demons, angels, spirits, wendigos, and all sorts of other things no one should have to even think about but he knew he’d never seen anything as horrifying as this.
He winced at the grunts and screams coming from the woman and tried to look away. It didn't help.
No, nothing had ever terrified him like this did.
Beside him, Faith looked like she was the living embodiment of the phrase “about to weep in despair” while Dean looked slightly green himself. Buffy looked slightly scared but determined.
Faith reached out and he gripped her hand as they both stared at the screen in front of them.
“We have to be there,” she whispered to him. He shook his head.
“Shut up,” he muttered. “I’m trying not to think of it.”
“Sam, we have to be there when that baby comes out. We have to actually be in the room.”
Sam let out a breath as the woman on screen was handed the child she had just given birth to. “I think every mother I know has said that going through labor was completely worth it in the end.”
Faith turned to him and he noted that her eyes were still wide. “Were they all insane?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Wow,” Buffy said as the lights came on. “I have to do that.” She took a deep breath and looked at Dean. “I can do that. I’ve stopped the world from ending tons of times and fought a hell god and the First. I can do this.”
Dean nodded. “Definitely.” He swallowed, looking like he was trying to convince himself that labor was going to be easy. “Piece of cake.”
Buffy brightened. “Oh, cake. We should go eat. I’m starving.” She made a face as she began to push herself up, shooting Dean a grateful look when he helped her. “Aren’t you?”
Dean shot a look at the screen that Sam couldn’t identify and then shook his head. “Not as much as I was before we got here.”
Buffy’s lips twitched, her amusement clear, as Sam stepped forward. “Faith and I will get the car while you guys wrap it up in here.” He looked at Buffy. “That way you don’t have to walk so far.” He smiled as Dean narrowed his eyes.
“You’re sweet, Sam.” Buffy stretched up and kissed his cheek. “And just for that, you can pick where we eat. As long as it has cake.”
“You’re a brilliant man,” Faith said as soon as they had left the room. “Genius.”
“I try.”
Faith glanced over her shoulder as the elevator doors opened and they hurried inside. She let out a sigh of relief as the doors closed behind them before anyone else could join them. “What the hell made us agree to be back up birthing coaches?”
“The fact that we’re always with Buffy and Dean which means we’d be the ones able to help out with getting her to the hospital quickest.” Sam paused. “That, and before we knew we’d have to come to these classes, we thought the idea of Dean having to come to them was hilarious.”
“Irony is such a bitch,” Faith muttered.
Thinking of the video that they’d just had to sit through, Sam could only agree. His only comfort was that Dean was just as terrified as he was, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
“Did you see the way that baby just ripped that woman’s skin before it slithered out of her like some sort of—“
“For the love of God, Faith, do not make me think about that.” Sam shuddered.
“I’m just saying—“
“No. It’s bad enough that we had to watch the video. But we’re going to have to watch that actually happen to Buffy.” Give him a good ritual to research any day. “So I’m not thinking about it.”
“Yeah.” Faith nodded. “Good idea.”
“Babies,” Faith said as she shot up in bed. She let out a breath as she turned to look at Sam, who had turned over on his side, blinking his eyes open.
“What?” he asked, voice thick with sleep.
“Do babies have teeth?” she demanded, thinking of the dream she’d just had.
Sam shook his head as if to clear it. “What?” he repeated.
“Babies. Do they come out with teeth? Sharp teeth that could cut through a person and gives them a way out in case something goes wrong with the birth?”
Sam stared at her, horror clear in his eyes. “Why do you put images like that in my head? Jesus.”
“If they’re in my head, they’re going to be in yours. I’m not suffering alone.”
“I hate you,” Sam groaned, turning his face towards his pillow. “And I’ll be damned if I’m ever getting you coffee or breakfast again.”
“You know we could get lucky. There could be some huge apocalypse that’s about to go down when Buffy goes into labor. One that’s so big that they need us there, no matter what. And then Dean could stay behind and be a coach all by himself.” Well, she could hope.
Sam seriously considered this before he sighed and shook his head. “We can’t. They’re counting on us. And I think if I ditched Dean while Buffy was in labor, he’d hunt me down and do who knows what to me and once he was done, it would be Buffy’s turn.” He looked at her. “For the record, if that happened, I’d take you down with me.”
“Damn it.” Faith dropped back down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “You realize that thing is just inside her, waiting, like a bomb that’s ready to explode at any moment?”
“Don’t talk about it,” Sam ordered as he sat up, rubbing his hand over his face.
Faith thought about it for a few moments. “I need a drink.”
“Alcohol. Thank God.”
“And then we’ll have sex.”
“Good.” Sam nodded as he stood and headed towards the small fridge. “Perfect. We’ll have so much sex we won’t be able to think.”
“But you’re not getting me pregnant,” Faith told him.
“Not as long as there’s a God in heaven, no.”
“Good.”
Alcohol and sex, Faith decided, were going to be the only way she was getting through the next few weeks.