(TEN DAYS LATER)

Mir wiggled around in his seat as he listened to the radio show's host announce MBLAQ as their latest guests that night, but he just couldn't seem to focus on her voice for more than a few seconds before the pain would distract him once again. He'd been having cramps—and really bad ones at that—since earlier on in the morning, but he'd just shrugged them off as best he could in favor of going about his usual schedule, like it had originally been planned. However, as the hours went on, and as he moved about more and more for make-up, travel, and pee breaks, the pain just seemed to grow increasingly unbearable, until he had to actually beg Bear-hyung to cancel everything so he could go home and rest instead. But he'd been denied immediately, and sent along with the others to go to the show, since his pregnancy had been the main reason MBLAQ's image had dropped off as of late, and this interview would surely help to boost it back up again.

But as the host went about asking for their names and nicknames, all he could do was grip his chair's arms tight, and inhale deep breaths through his nose to keep the others unaware of his state for as long as possible; it was his fault they were in this position in the first place, so he knew he had to bear it to make up for his mistake. "Bang Cheolyong," he found himself answering though, when the time came, and he grit his teeth as another sharp wave of burning ache stabbed at his spine. "Mireu-ah," he finished, his breath lost, and he looked back at each of his hyungs to make sure none of them had noticed his inner turmoil; nope, he was still in the clear... or he'd thought so at least, because just as soon as the introductions were done, and the host had called for a commercial run, Thunder, Seungho, and Joon all turned to see if he was okay, while G.O. wandered off to go ask for a wet cloth and some water.

"What is it, Mireu? Is the baby moving too much? Does it hurt?" Thunder asked.

"And tell us the truth, maknae," Seungho cut in. "If you're not comfortable or feeling well, you need to go back home to rest yourself."

Mir looked about at the others to gauge their worried expressions, and maybe even to give in, because it was really just too much for him to handle at the moment, but then he glanced back over to his mic and headset, and remembered the whole reason they were even there in the studio to begin with; that changed his mind quick enough, and he instead sat back in his chair with a forced smile to deter their nervousness. "No hyungs, there's nothing wrong with us, I promise. So let's just do the show and get ready for our photo-shoot later on, okay?"

The older four looked skeptical of his response, but they sat back nonetheless, readjusted their equipment, and pushed on into the interview when the host welcomed the listeners back from the ads. And Mir tried to do the same as well, but a mere five minutes was all he got through before he was bent over in his chair again, his hand pressed to the underside of his tummy as the pain all migrated down to that one point. He whimpered, moaned, and panted, and felt his knees knock together in shame when a hot liquid began to trickle down the insides of his legs. "Oh no," he murmured, just low enough for no one else but himself to hear. "No, baby, not now..."

"What is it, Cheolyong? Tell me," Seungho whispered at his side, but he just shook his head and pushed his chair further under the table, to keep his mess and turmoil from being noticed even more. He was embarrassed about it to say the least, and since he knew how important this interview was to all of them, he didn't want to further ruin their image by confessing that he wasn't in the best shape to carry on to the end... That could lead the host into berating them even more than their anti-fans did already, and then what would happen to them and the baby?

"Mireu, you really don't look so well," Thunder leaned in on his other side, his eyes shining in worry as he reached out to touch at Mir's cheek, only to have it swatted away. "Please, just tell us what's wrong."

Mir slumped forward and slammed his fists down against the table—as if that would help to ease the pain barraging his insides—which quickly and easily (against his wishes) drew in the attention of the others, and both Joon and G.O. abandoned their talk with the host faster than she could protest, in order to jump up and rush to the maknae's side just like Seungho and Thunder had already done. "Cheolyongie, what happened?" Joon asked, before he ran his hand up over Mir's back to try to get him to relax; it didn't help much. "Come on, you have to tell us. We don't like seeing you like this."

They all moved in closer when their only reply was a heavily pained moan, followed closely by Mir's ragged and shallow breathing, and then the host screaming out when she too got up to go investigate, and found her feet splashing through the puddle of fluid that led back to none other than the maknae. And when Seungho and G.O. looked over to see it for themselves, they immediately knew what had happened.

"Cheolyong!" Seungho shouted, pushing Joon and Thunder backwards so he and G.O. could grab onto Mir instead, and stand him up from his seat. "You should have said something! Do you know what could happen to the two of you if you just let this continue on without going to the hospital?"

"Hospital?" Thunder shouted from their backs, but Joon was quick to grab him and keep him at a distance as the five of them shuffled their way out into the empty hallway, so Mir could have proper air and privacy. "W-what's going on, hyungs? What's wrong with Mireu? Why does he need the hospital?"

"Doongie, his water broke," Seungho snapped back in response, but it wasn't because he was angry or put-off; no, he was just worried about Mir and the baby, and upset with himself for not realizing that this was happening sooner. He should have known, after reading all of those books, and going to all of those websites, and looking on as Mir had to take longer and more agonizing breaks that morning because his back and stomach were hurting more than usual, but he'd been too caught up in their schedules to really pay it much mind, and he'd figured that Mir would tell them if anything was awry; apparently, he'd been wrong. "Alright, Cheolyong," he said, as he turned back to Mir, and held his sweat-drenched face in his hands; that way, he could have the maknae's full attention. "We're calling for an ambulance right now, and you're going to get to the hospital soon. Until then, we just need you to stay calm, and breath properly to keep from passing out. Can you do that for us?"

Mir nodded his head vigorously, but then another strike of pain shot through his midsection, and he doubled over with a screech while Seungho struggled to keep him upright on the bench he and G.O. had sat him down on. He was having contractions, and although they were starting off few and far between, they didn't hurt any less from one session to the next, and he wasn't quite sure how much more he could take before he would beg for them to end it and just get the baby out another way. "H-hyung..." he whimpered, eyes glancing over to Thunder for a brief moment of comfort, but Thunder was sure he saw more, and so he shoved Joon away in favor of taking a seat beside the maknae to rub all over his back, stomach, and face, just to make sure that he was as relaxed as possible, even as he suffered as much as he was.

"Shh, it's okay, Mireu," he whispered, pressing his lips lovingly into Mir's soaked hair, before he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut against the next scream of agony that echoed throughout the hall; it pained him dearly to hear such things, and he would have much rather not been there to witness it all when it went down, but then who would Mir have at his side to make things better when it got too bad? No, he had to be brave, and it up for his daughter and boyfriend, or he wouldn't be anywhere near fit enough to take care of them later on. "Just stay calm, nae? You're going to be okay."

"The paramedics are coming now," G.O. but in as he rushed over to the other four, and even Seungho had to pause to soak the information in, because none of them had even noticed that he'd left. "They said it would be about five to ten minutes."

"What?" Mir yelped, his body beginning to rock back and forth on the bench. "No, no that's too long. I need them now. I want them here now. What if I have the baby before they get here?"

"Cheolyong, you're not going to have the baby yet," Seungho assured as he and G.O. exchanged a worried look over the two maknaes' heads. "You're in labor, yes, and the contractions have started, but there's still a long way to go before she's actually ready. If you continue to freak-out like this though, then there's no telling what might happen to you two."

"But why is this even happening right now?" Joon asked, kneeling down at Mir's feet, even though there was still a wet spot growing there that stained the knees of his pants. "Cheolyongie's not due for another three weeks at least."

Seungho sighed and avoided his gaze, even as the younger four all turned their heads in his direction; this was hard to talk about, particularly when Mir was sat there just about ready to give birth in the middle of the hallway, but he knew it would only make things harder if he tried to start keeping secrets now. "I... I don't know," he admitted, dropping his head low in defeat. "Sometimes these things just happen, and it can be because of complications, or it can even just be because the baby thinks she's ready to be born. Either way though, we can't over think things and make ourselves worry too much. That will only cause more problems for all of us, especially Cheolyong and the baby."

"Okay, we understand, hyung," Joon nodded, before he and the other three turned back to Mir, who had calmed down some now that the contractions had passed. "Look, Cheolyongie, you can't look at this as bad right now, nae? You're in labor, which means that the baby is going to come soon. You're going to be an umma! And Doongie is going to be an appa! And the hyungs and I are each going to be new oppas! That has to be a good thing, right? Right?"

"Joon, shut up, this is not the time to talk like that, okay?" G.O. whispered in his ear, before he swatted the dancer across the back of the head. "Haven't you ever heard about what kind of moods pregnant people get into when they're about to give birth? Cheolyong will tear your head off if you keep acting all cheerful like this, and I'm sure you would rather be there to see the baby when she's born, than when he and Doongie bring her home, nae?"

Joon stopped talking in an instant, and instead looked over to Mir, who was in the middle of squeezing Seungho's and Thunder's hands as hard as he could as another contraction hit, and hard. "Wait! I thought that the contractions were far apart, hyung!" he shouted at Seungho, before he leaned in and rubbed his hands over Mir's stomach for much-needed comfort as screams and moans began to burst forth from Mir's mouth. "So why is he feeling another one when the last one only just finished?"

"I don't know!" Seungho shouted back, his tone layered over in nothing but fear and concern, and Joon felt his own heart skip a beat when he realized it for himself. Something was happening inside of Mir, something big, and important, and not one of them knew if it was going to turn out good or not. No, all they could was sit there and wait with Mir until the paramedics came... and then hope and pray as hard as they could that he and the baby would turn out okay in the end.

"Alright, let's all just stop it!" G.O. snapped, before he slowly motioned back to Mir and the obvious distress that he was in. "This isn't the time for that, babos! Now shut up and watch over our maknae!"

Seungho and Joon obeyed without question, or hesitation, and they too focused their attention once again on Mir, who was leaning over onto Thunder for support against the weight of his over-sized stomach, and for the fingers that were wiping away his tears even as they formed in the corners of his eyes. He had never felt anything quite like this before, and although he knew labor and childbirth were very painful processes, he'd never expected it to be this bad, to the point where he could feel his skin burn from the heat he was creating, or the rivers of sweat that poured down his forehead, all along his back, and not to mention the hard pressure in his abdomen that only tightened and strained his muscles more then they were ever supposed to be whenever another contraction started... which, he found, were far too close together for his liking.

"Shh, Mireu, the paramedics are almost here," Thunder whispered against his temple, but all he could answer with was a quiet whimper. "Just take deep breaths and relax. The hyungs and I are here for you, and we're going to be there at the hospital too. Shh, I love you, Mireu, I love you so much..."

"We all do, Cheolyongie," Joon added with a smile, his hand rubbing gently over Mir's knee. "And the baby too, of course. I can't wait to meet her, you know. I bet she's going to be just as cute as you are."

G.O. sighed when he heard the words echo out into the hall around them, and he reached out to place his hand on Joon's shoulder in a second, subtle attempt to get his nonsense to stop, but he was intercepted halfway there, and instead turned to look at Seungho, who smiled up at him before kissing his knuckles. "Just let it be, Byunghee," he murmured, pulling G.O. closer, until they were wrapped up in their own embrace. "He only wants to help."

"S-sorry," G.O. stuttered. "I just thought that—"

He was cut off when Mir let out another shrill shriek of agony, and could only continue to stand there in shock when Seungho's arms tightened around his middle, no doubt in fear for what those piercing noises were going to bring. And he had to admit that he was scared too, he was sure they all were, especially Mir and Thunder, but Seungho was their support, he was their leader, their most fearless member; he was the one who needed to stay composed, and knowledgable, and first to give support whenever something went down, but in that moment, all G.O. could feel was utter terror. Seungho was just as lost as he was, yes, and he was just as shaken up by the idea that Mir was on the verge of childbirth right there in that hallway, even though he wasn't due for another few weeks at least.

His heart broke at the thought, and he was suddenly more than tempted to relocate his hands up to Seungho's face—which would have immediately revealed their newest relationship development, much against the promise they had made—where he could touch at his perfect skin, and smear those hot tears away, but he was stopped by an odd commotion coming from down near the main doors, and when he turned to see just what it was, he found four paramedics sprinting towards their panic-stricken group. "Later, Seungho," he said, before their hug broke, and they returned their focus to their maknae to ensure that he got to the hospital safe and sound before the baby decided that she was really ready to be born.