Chapter Twenty Four
“I’m so exhausted,” Jen complained, sinking down onto the plush bed, relieving the ache in her feet. She let out a soft groan, kicking her sandals off. Giving her a sympathetic smile, JC changed into his pajama bottoms and tugged his shirt off before coming to the bed next to her.
“Is there anything I can get you?” He asked her softly.
“Only if you can get this kid out of me NOW,” she pouted, sighing a little. She shifted on the bed to lay down, letting out a loud sigh. “Did you have a good day?” She asked, turning her head to look at him. A lazy smile crept onto his lips.
“I did baby. Thank you,” he said, leaning over to kiss her lips gently. He allowed his lips to linger there a moment longer before pulling away, looking into her eyes. Bringing his hand up, he rubbed her cheek gently. “You’re beautiful Jen.”
“Oh yeah, because whales are real beautiful,” she snorted, rolling her eyes.
He frowned at the comment. “Why are you so down on yourself, Jenny? I know we all joke around at times, but you’re truly beautiful. Why can’t you just accept the compliment?” He asked.
Her frown mirrored his. “I’m sorry. I just… well, I don’t know,” she said softly. “I don’t FEEL very attractive, you know? I’m sorry,” she repeated, offering him a weak smile.
“Just think baby, that little guy in there will be out sooner than you know. Just hang in there till then.” JC had no idea how right he was.
~*~
Hurrying into the bathroom, Jen gave a little grunt as she struggled to adjust to the light burning her eyes. She’d been having little pains on and off all day but had passed them off as stress related due to the party. They’d continued through out the night and seemed to be getting worse. She was beginning to worry.
She headed over to the toilet, but before she even got her panties down she felt her water break, sending her into a slight panic. Her heart thumped in her chest as she tried to find her voice in order to call for her husband, who was sleeping peacefully in the next room. Her son apparently wanted to make an entrance much like his sister had nearly eleven years prior.
“Jace,” she called, her voice coming out as a strained whimper. She doubled over when a sharp pain struck her, gasping. “Jace!” She called, a little louder.
He heard her weak cries and thought nothing of them at first. However, when his brain registered things, he sat straight up, rubbing his eyes. “Jen?” He responded.
“Josh!” Hearing the panic in her voice, he hurried into the bathroom and found her, one arm wrapped around her middle, the other holding onto the sink, trying to keep herself upright.
“What’s the matter baby?”
“M-my water broke!” She cried.
~*~
He paced the waiting room as Jen was being examined, praying to God that all was well with their child. While she had been early with Abbi as well, there had been a lot of complications there and he just prayed that this delivery went smoother than the other.
“Dad?”
Looking up at the voice, JC offered his youngest daughter a tired smile. He felt horrible for getting them up and out of bed at such a late hour, but they’d insisted on accompanying their parents to the hospital for the birth of their baby brother.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering if I could have some change to get a soda?” She asked, pointing to the vending machine at the opposite end of the waiting room. Even as she said it, her eye lids drooped and he knew if she didn’t get some caffeine into her body, she was going to fall asleep before long. Not that it would be a bad thing, of course, but he needed the support of his daughters right now.
~*~
To say that this entire ordeal was emotionally draining on the family was an understatement. JC went back and forth between the waiting room and the delivery room. Jen’s family had long since arrived, though JC’s hadn’t. They were, after all, flying all the way in from Maryland.
“Have they said how much longer it’ll be?” Randy asked, leaning back against the hard chair of the waiting room. He’d arrived with his parents and brother not long after JC and the girls. That had been almost five hours ago.
JC gave a weary sigh and shook his head no. “They don’t think it’ll be much longer because she’s just about fully dilated. But they won’t say just how long,” he said, looking over to his children. Julie was leaning heavily against Jen’s brother Brandon; her eyes closed, mouth slightly open, it was obvious that she was out of it. Abbi, on the other hand, had found a more comfortable resting place: her grandfather’s lap. He gave a smile and nodded to Jen’s parents.
“I’d better get back in there,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll be sure to pop out here before she starts pushing to let you guys know how it’s going. Things look good right now, so just… pray they remain that way,” he said curtly before heading back into the delivery room to be with his wife.
~*~
“Alright mommy… this is. One more push and you’re going to have your beautiful little boy in your arms. His head is out. One more!” Doctor Monroe chanted, trying to coax her exhausted patient. The family had been there for nearly seven hours now. Jen was beyond tired.
Squeezing her husband’s hand with all of her might, Jen clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, pushing as hard as she could, praying that it would all be over. A cry tore from her throat as she fell back against the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks, mixing with sweat. The sound of a baby’s cries filled the room, causing an intense amount of happiness in the hearts of the exhausted parents.
Their baby boy was here at last.
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