Life in the Tracy household was never quiet. There was always some form of chaos taking place. The form of chaos taking place now was the impending birth of Jefferson and Lucille Tracy's newest baby. The nursery was nearly done, and the family was preparing the room for their newest member. Clear plastic was taped to the floor and paint cans were strewn all over. The painter and his assistant were currently removing their tools from the room so they could reveal the finished product to the expectant mother and father.
"Are you excited Lucy?" Jeff walked behind his wife with his hands clasped gently over her eyes. He had employed a couple contractors to add on a small room for the newest addition to their family and he'd also hired painters to come in and decorate for the new baby.
"Jefferson, I know they've been painting in there." Lucy giggled slightly at her husband's actions. He seemed to be extremely excited over the birth of their fifth child. Both of them had their fingers crossed for a girl, but they both agreed that another boy would be fine too. So far the name choices were for a girl: Anastasia Sophia Tracy while for a boy it would be: Alan Shepard Tracy
"I know that. But are you excited about seeing the finished product? I know I can't wait to see what the design looks like. Remember, we informed the painters we wanted it to be gender neutral. I don't know what they deem to be gender neutral." Jeff chuckled softly over their situation.
Jefferson and Lucille Tracy were expecting their fifth child. The reason they say child was because they had no idea whether the baby was to be a girl or a boy. They had gone in for the ultrasound to find out, yet their newest baby seemed to be shy or incredibly stubborn. He or she refused to show what they were to the technician and expectant parents. The baby always managed to keep their legs crossed and hide their gender during each appointment. It got to the point that both the mother and father gave up on knowing what their baby was going to be…the baby wanted to remain a surprise.
"You know I am. But then I just want to begin setting up the crib and preparing for his birth." Lucille placed her hands over her husband's hands.
"Him, you sound so sure that we are having another boy." Jeff leaned down next to Lucille's head and whispered in her ear.
"I call the baby a he, because we already have four boys…what's one more? I just have a feeling that your mother is right in her belief that it is another baby boy." Lucille smiled warmly. Instinct told her it was a boy as well as her mother in law; Lucille was planning on decorating the nursery with boy themed items. But she would need to get to it soon. The baby was due to be born in about seven weeks. Rounding the corner, Jeff stopped and Lucille who was holding her husband's arm stopped too. The expectant parents held in a bated breath.
"Mr. & Mrs. Tracy, I am pleased to present you with the finished painting in your new baby's room." The painter stood in front of the closed door. He wanted to keep it a secret up until he presented it to the family. Jeff and Lucille had been fine with the surprise painting because as they explained to the painter…this newest baby was a surprise in and of itself. A surprise pregnancy as well as a surprise gender, as the baby was not cooperating when revealing its gender.
"Thank you Fredrick, please show us the room." Jeff beamed. He was excited to see the room.
"It would be my pleasure Mr. Tracy." Fredrick smiled at the parents and slowly opened the door. Jeff still covering Lucille's eyes directed her to watch her step and together they entered the newest nursery. It was nearly finished. All it needed was furniture and toys…then the baby to complete the room.
Jeff gasped as he gazed at his newest baby's room. He removed his hands from Lucille's eyes and she too gasped upon seeing the room. Jeff stepped up beside his wife and looked down at her to see she had tears in her eyes. The room was beautiful. It was painted in soft earth tones, the walls being a warm golden brown and little woodland creatures being painted together all over the room. The ceiling was an off white and the border near the ceiling was powder blue.
"Do you like it?" Fredrick entered the room and upon seeing Lucille's eyes filled with tears panicked. He was afraid the room was not to their liking. He calmed when the expectant parents smiled warmly.
"I love it! Thank you Fredrick!" Lucille brushed her tears away, smiling warmly at the painter. He was an old friend from high school and he claimed to feel honored when Lucille and Jeff asked him to paint their newest baby's nursery.
"You are an exceptional painter Fredrick. Thank you for doing this for us. It is perfect." Jeff continued to look around the room with a smile. He couldn't wait to set up the crib and get the room finished. They had a crib and all the fixings for the room, but they hadn't wanted to set it all up until the nursery was finished being built and painted.
"I'm glad sir. I appreciate the opportunity given to me." Fredrick smiled back at the happy parents.
"Fredrick…you've known me since high school. Please stop with the sir and Mr. Tracy." Jeff clapped his old friend on the shoulder.
"Okay Jeff." Fredrick blushed. Even after knowing Jeff since high school and meeting Lucille who accompanied her husband to the ten year class reunion, he hadn't yet gotten used to being complimented for his art or referring to his old friend by his first name. In high school, he had called Jeff by the nickname that had been given to him by their group of friends.
"Now, let's negotiate payment." Jeff left Lucille in the nursery. She was sitting in the rocking chair that had been placed in there prior to the painting taking place.
Lucille felt a small twinge, but brushed it off. It was directed more towards her back, so she figured it was simply the muscle strain of having a large belly. She was extremely heavy with child and with this being the last birth that was planned, Lucy wanted to take advantage of having a midwife and experiencing a homebirth. It was without a doubt going to be the type of experience she would never forget.
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At thirty five weeks pregnant, Lucille Tracy was finding sleep evasive. She couldn't find a comfortable position no matter how she lay and it was really beginning to get on her nerves. Lying on her sides put her back in a pinch and lying on her back made her stomach cramp. So, Lucille was reduced to sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery…rocking back and forth trying to ease the ache in her back and lower stomach.
She gently rubbed her stomach and hummed. She was doing needlepoint to try to make herself tired. She couldn't really explain it. Not only was she unable to get comfortable in bed, but she had boundless energy. She figured after her busy day that she would undoubtedly sleep, but no. She vacuumed, swept, mopped. She washed the dishes, put them away. Washed and folded the laundry. Rearranged the nursery and cleaned her four son's rooms while they were away at school. She didn't know what her problem was. Not even the chamomile tea worked to ease her off to sleep.
Lucille set her needlepoint off to the side. Her back and lower stomach was really starting to bother her. She inhaled deeply when a sharp spasm hit. She held her breath for the duration and let it out when the spasm eased off. These spasms had been going on all day. Lucille hadn't mentioned to Jeff that she was having Braxton Hicks contractions, because she didn't want to alarm him. They were Braxton Hicks after all, no sense in causing panic for something totally natural.
Feeling slight fatigue, Lucy figured now was as good a time as any to try to return to bed. Standing up, Lucy held her arms out to the side to gain her balance before walking and gasped sharply when a splash of water fell at her feet. She paused, her eyes widening at the realization of what had just happened. Looking down slowly, she saw the puddle on the linoleum floor. It was clear, and wide spread. Her water had just broken.
Slowly, Lucille eased herself back into the rocking chair. Her nightgown was dripping wet and her slippers were soaked. Taking a deep breath, Lucille tried to figure out if she could make it back to the bedroom where her husband slept. They would need to call the midwife and quick. As Lucille tried to stand she was dismayed when a contraction hit. It was strong, much stronger than what she was experiencing earlier. It practically took her breathe away.
As the contraction eased off, Lucille had to sit for a few moments to gather herself. This was real and it was happening. The baby was coming and there was no stopping it. Taking another deep breathe, Lucy heaved herself out of the rocking chair and stood up straight. Shuffling slowly, she made it to the door of the nursery before another contraction hit.
Gripping the door frame tightly, she groaned quietly. The contractions were progressively getting stronger. She knew from her previous births that labor sped up when the amniotic sac was broken, and she knew she would be in trouble if she didn't get to her husband soon. Breathing through the contraction, Lucille's grip on the door frame eased as the contraction ebbed away. That was how labor felt for her; it was like the water in the ocean or a lake.
The moment she was sure the contraction had gone, she slowly made her way towards her bedroom. Jeff was in there and he could contact their midwife. Upon opening the door to their bedroom, Lucille had to stop. Another hard contraction had just hit. It made her weak in the knees, so weak in fact that she slowly eased herself to the floor. Leaning against the frame, Lucy breathed through the contraction. The moment it was over, Lucille began calling from the door to her husband.
"Jeff. Jeff wake up!" Lucy tried not to call for her husband to loudly. She didn't want to awaken her other four children whose rooms were around the corner from the master bedroom.
"Lucy? What's the matter?" Jeff sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. It was two in the morning and he had to be up to go into work at five. He didn't notice his wife's current condition or position from the looks of things.
"I need you to call Janine. It's time!" Lucille rubbed her hand across her abdomen. There was a cramp building up and she knew she was about to have another contraction. It was only a matter of time.
"Why?" Jeff yawned deeply. His eyes were barely open, and he couldn't see Lucille sitting in the doorway without lights. Leaning over, he turned on his bedside lap and quickly shot out of bed upon seeing his wife sitting on the floor. "Lucy! What are you doing on the floor?"
"My water…it broke." Lucille cut off the conversation as she went into another contraction. Jeff offered his hand to her and she gladly took it and squeezed tightly.
"How long?" Jeff winced at the pressure of Lucille's grip. For such a small woman, she certainly had a strong grip. Lucille let out a shuddering breath as the contraction eased off. The contractions were getting closer.
"I think they are about five to ten minutes apart." Lucille grimaced as she felt another contraction building up. If she predicted correctly, it would hit in the next four minutes.
"Okay, hold tight. I am going to run downstairs to get my cell phone." Jeff stood from his kneel and stepped over Lucille. He turned on the hall light and raced downstairs. He located his cell phone in the kitchen on the counter. Unplugging it from the charger, he quickly turned it on. As it started up, Jeff ran back upstairs. He had to get Lucille up off the floor and into bed.
Upon entering the master bedroom, Jeff was greeted with Lucille curling over her belly. She seemed to be experiencing another contraction. After dialing the midwife's number he placed it on speaker. He needed to get Lucille off the floor as soon as the contraction let up. He whispered to Lucille soothingly until she sat back up. Sweat was building up on her forehead. Jeff brushed her bangs from her forehead and gently kissed her temple.
"Hello?" A tired voice answered Jeff's call.
"Hello, Janine. It's Jefferson Tracy. Lucille's water broke and she is having contractions." Jeff couldn't be tired if he tried right now.
"Are you sure her water has broken?" Janine questioned. It was not uncommon for families to call when experiencing false labor.
"I…am positive. You…can…check the…nursery…floor." Lucille panted. The pain was increasing and she was unable to sit up any longer. Slowly she eased herself to rest back on her elbows.
"I'll be there in the next ten minutes. Jeff, get the towels and warm water ready. I will contact the paramedics to remain on standby. This is not good. You are in premature labor, and you may need to be taken to the hospital. Might I suggest you have a family member come over should you need to leave for the hospital?" Janine shuffled around quickly and Jeff and Lucille could hear her shutting her front door and starting her car.
"I'll do that as soon as we disconnect." Jeff used the edge of his sleeve and wiped the sweat from Lucille's forehead. He offered her a hand as she grimaced…going into another contraction.
"Do it now. I will see you in a few minutes. Have your door unlocked and I will just come in." Jeff nodded silently before running down the hall. He was trying to be quiet so as to not awaken his four sons, but this was a huge event.
"Done, good bye Janine; see you in a few minutes." Jeff unlocked the front door and turned on the porch light. Jeff disconnected the call with the midwife and immediately called his mother and father.
"Jefferson Tracy, do you have any idea what time it is?" Ruth Tracy answered the call, sleep evident in her voice.
"Mom, I'm sorry for the early morning call but it's kind of urgent. I need you and dad to come over. Lucille went into labor and the midwife is on her way. Janine is worried about Lucille being in premature labor." Jeff hurried back up the stairs.
"We'll be right there. Let me get your father and we will be there shortly!" Jeff could hear his mom muttering to his dad, referring to him as an old coot that had to wake up.
"Thanks mom. Please hurry. Lucille is on the floor right now and I need help getting her up and into bed." Jeff dropped to his knees beside Lucille.
"We're on our way Jefferson." Ruth calmed her frantic son and he could hear his dad grumbling in the background.
After Jeff disconnected the call, he sat by Lucille's side. It was all he could do to not pick up his wife and take her to the hospital, but it was against her wishes. She had convinced him that after this fifth child was born…she wanted to have her tubes tied. She didn't want any more kids. He agreed with her. Five kids was the perfect number for their family. Because of her decision to have a tubal, she wanted to pursue a homebirth complete with a midwife.
Lucille inhaled and exhaled through the contractions, each one occurring about five minutes apart. The laboring process was progressing quickly and in no time at all Jeff heard three sets of feet running up the stairs from the front door. He knew it was the midwife followed by his mom and dad. Hearing the running sets of feet was like an answered prayer.
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Ruth and Jeff together managed to help Lucille up off the floor and back into bed. Grant had gathered the four other now awake Tracy sons in the living room for a movie marathon. Gordon had woken up earlier hearing the commotion and dragging his blankie with him approached his mom and dad's bedroom…but had been intercepted by his paternal grandfather.
"Wrong way sonny. Let's go see if your brothers are up. We can break the rules and have some hot chocolate, but just this once okay." Grant nuzzled the five year old on the head and proceeded to walk around the corner. There closing their bedroom door was Scott and John, comforting a crying Virgil. The seven year old middle son had obviously heard his mother's distressed cries as the contractions progressed.
"Grandpa, what are you doing here?" Scott held his middle brother close to his side and pet his hair. It was futile to try to get Virgil to stop crying. All of the boys had heard a bunch of loud noises followed by a door slamming shut to muffle a woman's scream.
"Well, mommy and daddy needed grandma and me to come tend to you boys. Your little brother or sister is about to be born." Grant reached out a free hand and ruffled Virgil's hair. The seven year old boy had tears shining in his brown eyes, and Grant couldn't help himself. He slowly lowered to his knees, setting Gordon down and gathering all four grandsons into a group bear hug.
"Is mommy going to die?" Virgil sniffled; he hiccoughed and began to whimper when he heard his mother cry out from beyond their bedroom door.
"No, mommy is not going to die. She is just fighting with the stork to free your baby brother or sister from his evil grasp." Grant tried to bring a smile to his grandson's faces, and his little speech had worked. "Now how about we go down and fix up some hot chocolate and sit down to watch "Wreck it Ralph", you boys liked that movie didn't you?"
"Yeah, but won't we get in trouble having hot chocolate after bedtime?" John asked timidly. He didn't want to get in trouble.
"Mommy and daddy gave me special permission to hype you boys up on sugar." Grant winked at the two oldest, getting across to them that he would take the blame for giving them sugar at close to three in the morning.
Grant led his four grandsons down stairs into the kitchen where he pulled five mugs out of the cupboard and adding hot chocolate powder to the bottom before adding hot tap water and warm milk to the mugs. The hot chocolate could stand to be nuked a little in the microwave, but Grant didn't want any of the boys to burn their tongues on the hot liquid.
Putting each of the mugs on a tray, Grant directed his grandsons to sit on the couch, and before he gave them their hot chocolate…he piled blankets up on the four boys and tucked them in. They were sure to fall asleep; all four of them looked exhausted. Grant put the movie on and sat in the recliner beside the couch and watched the movie with the boys. He smiled when within the first thirty minutes each boy slipped off to sleep. The warm hot chocolate had been just the trick to ease them off to sleep, while the movie distracted them from Lucille's cries upstairs.
He watched the remainder of Wreck it Ralph by himself and when it ended, he started the movie over. He would restart it as many times as was necessary to distract the youngsters from getting close to their parent's bedroom where Lucille was laboring. She was already going on two hours so far since her water broke. It would be a few more hours yet before the newest Tracy made his or her debut into the world.
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Jeff sat on the bed beside Lucille and held her hand while he ran a cool damp cloth over her sweaty forehead with the other hand. Lucille was dilated almost 10 cm. after only three and a half hours of labor. Jeff cast a grateful glance at his mother when she reentered the bedroom; she had gone down to check on Grant and the boys in the living room. It had been Jeff's suggestion that should the boys wake up that his dad or mom distract them with a movie and hot chocolate in the living room…well away from the master bedroom.
Jeff gently caressed Lucille's shoulder before pulling a bit of her blonde hair away from her shoulder and kissing her collarbone. She was doing so well. Already she was at approximately nine cm and she had been able to silence her cries for the most part. She only broke just about every bone in Jeff's hand as payback for the pain. Lucille pushed up on her hands, bending her legs at the knees. She panted slightly, a contraction coming on strong.
"I…I feel…like I need…to push!" Lucile ground out as the contraction let up. The midwife came forward and quickly checked Lucille again. She nodded at both Jeff and Ruth; Lucille didn't see the midwife's confirmation that it was decidedly time to begin pushing. She had her eyes closed tightly as she braced for another contraction.
"Lucille…Lucy. You're right, it's time. You are about to meet your son or daughter." Janine spoke softly to the laboring mother. The expectant mother nodded, her brown eyes alight with fear of the unknown. "Don't push; just let your body do all the work. The baby will come when it's ready."
Lucille nodded again. She had been going to a doula as well as the midwife and they were both strong advocates for allowing the baby to come on its own…not forcing it out when it wasn't ready. She felt her stomach muscles tighten and it brought a pained grimace to her face. Her body was trying to naturally ease the baby out of his or her compact home for the last eight months.
"I feel it. It's coming." Lucille grunted out as she resisted the urge to push.
"Okay Lucille. Easy does it. You can do it." Janine sat at the foot of Jeff and Lucille's bed before forcing Lucille open her legs to be examined. "Okay, we have a breech presentation. Lucille, whatever you do, do not push. Not until I give the word." Janine grabbed her cell phone before hitting a number on speed dial.
"Hello, this is Janine Rosenthal, I am a midwife, and I currently have an ambulance on standby for a premature birth. Better dispatch the ambulance, I have a breech presentation and may require oxygen and transport for mother and baby." Janine spoke quickly and professionally before hanging up. It was really happening.
"What is breech?" Jeff had temporarily forgotten what he'd been taught growing up on the farm. The birth of a child made the new father-to-be slightly out of his mind…that combined with the fatigue of decorating the nursery and being woken up at two in the morning.
"The baby is being delivered feet first." Janine peered down, checking Lucille again. "Lucille reach down here, you can feel your baby." Janine grabbed one of Lucille's free hands and directed it down between her legs to grip her baby's feet. Jeff leaned over and peered down. Sure enough the baby's feet were presenting first, instead of head first.
"Ruth, I need you to go keep watch for the ambulance, they will need to bring a stretcher up to transport Lucille and the baby. They both need to be checked out." Ruth nodded at Janine's gentle orders before hurrying out of the room. As much as the new grandma to be wanted to witness the birth of her newest grandchild, she didn't want to keep the paramedics waiting. A premature breech birth had so many factors that could go wrong. It didn't take a rocket scientist to understand the types of complications that come with premature births or breech presentations.
Trekking through the living room, Ruth allowed a soft smile to rise on her face. Grant was asleep and somehow all four boys had piled up in his lap, blankets and all only to fall asleep as well. Grandma Ruth opened the front door and stood watching through the screen door, the ambulance would arrive shortly.
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"I can't do it." Lucille whimpered as a particularly strong contraction hit. She kept resisting the urge to push and she felt her walls of determination begin to crumble.
"Yes you can Lucille. Just stop and breathe. Your baby is right there, in a few moments you can push. I need you to wait until the last shoulder is through before you can push. You are almost through." Janine monitored the baby's progress. At last the left shoulder made it through and Janine began urging Lucille to push. After three or four strong pushes, the baby's head slipped free of the womb.
"Here's your baby Lucille. Good job sweetheart!" Janine praised Lucille for delivering her baby. Quickly Janine retrieved a towel and a nasal bulb to suction the baby's mouth and nose of any remaining fluid. She briskly rubbed the newborn with the towel, trying to prompt the newborn to cry.
"Why isn't she crying?" Jeff sounded frantic at the ensuing silence. The baby had yet to cry, loudly declaring their entrance to the world.
"It's a girl?" Lucille kissed the baby softly on the top of its head. Janine suctioned the baby's mouth and after flicking the newborn's feet, was rewarded with an angered cry from the cold newborn.
"Good job baby!" Janine checked the infant over and smiled in relief when the baby began pinking up. Slowly the midwife checked the baby and smiled ruefully before declaring the baby's gender to the proud parents. "Nope it's not a girl. It's a boy!"
"My baby! Oh my Allie!" Lucille crooned at the newborn, kissing his temple softly relieved to see her newest son. "It's okay, don't cry sweetheart! Shh, mommy is here."
"A boy? My boy! My baby boy!" The disappointment at having another son was short lived as the relief of a so far healthy baby began to sink in. "Lucy, good job sweetheart!"
Jeff rejoiced with Lucille and newborn son in his arms. Now their family was complete. All that was left was for Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon to meet their newest baby brother. Jeff wanted to go skipping down the stairs proclaiming loudly that he had another son, but decided against it in favor of holding his newest baby boy in his arms.
"Hi Alan, I'm your daddy." Jeff whispered softly to the crying newborn. Slowly the crying eased and Jeff was graced with his son opening his bleary blue eyes. "Hi son, it's okay. Don't cry. Daddy is here to protect you." Jeff crooned at the newborn and smiled warmly when the baby yawned. Not even out of the womb for a full ten minutes and already the baby was tired.
The peaceful dawn morning was punctuated by the shrill siren of an approaching ambulance. Jeff sat on the bed beside his exhausted wife and kissed her forehead. He could hear the paramedics coming up the stairs and soon he and his wife with their newborn son would be whisked away to the hospital.
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Grant was startled awake by two unfamiliar voices talking to his wife. Opening his eyes he felt his heart leap into his throat when he observed a couple paramedics wheel a stretcher in from the porch. Ruth was walking ahead of them, talking ninety to nothing. He was only able to pick up snippets of what she said. However, what he heard only served to make him panic. He heard Ruth say something about a breech presentation and Lucille's exhaustion. Those two factors alone were a dangerous mixture.
He looked around to see that all four of his grandsons had crawled into his lap and were fast asleep. Scott was cradling the five year old Gordon to his chest while his own head was reclined back against Grant's shoulder. John on the other hand was laying more sprawled out across Grant and Scott's legs…while he hugged Virgil to him. John's head was pillowed by Grant's arm. Dear old grandpa was irrevocably trapped by his grandsons; all he really wanted was to find out if everything was okay.
Approximately twenty to thirty minutes passed as Grant tried to figure out a way to free himself from the grandparent trap, but it was no use. Grant however froze when he heard the paramedics talking softly, accompanied by a loud infantile wail. Peering through the living room's doorway, Grant could see Lucille strapped to the paramedic's stretcher and she was cradling a small silver bundle. Grant immediately recognized the silver bundle to be a space blanket.
"Dad, after the kids wake up; could you and mom bring the boys to the hospital? I would like for them to meet their new baby brother…Alan." Jeff quietly spoke from the doorway. Not quite willing to venture into the living room and possibly awaken his sons.
"Yeah, absolutely." Grant wanted to ask more, but one of the paramedics approached the still bedraggled father and Jeff hurried out of the house, wearing only his pajamas, housecoat and slippers as they were the proof of his exhausting morning and entire day thus far. Grant sat in stunned silence as he heard the back doors of the ambulance slam closed before the siren began its high pitched cry. He had a new grandson. Another grandson and his name was Alan.
"Grant…he's beautiful." Ruth walked into the living room and sat on the couch across from her husband. "Lucy did such a good job."
"Did I hear you right earlier? Alan was breech?" Grant spoke in a soft voice, unwilling to disturb his slumbering grandsons from their sleep.
"Yes, you did. His feet came out first, but I missed the rest of the birth after that. I came down here to watch out for the ambulance." Ruth brushed a tear from her eye. She was so proud of both Lucille and Jeff.
"Is Lucy okay? What about Alan?" Grant was concerned for his daughter in law and newest grandson.
"They were both doing fine. Janine went with them to monitor Lucy's vitals…but she was pleased that the birth went so smoothly. Lucy is exhausted, but then she has good reason to be…and Alan has a healthy set of lungs on him." Ruth reached over to take Grant's hand in her own. She felt such relief. Nothing had gone wrong with the premature birth of the Alan and both mom and baby were headed to the hospital to get checked out.
"That is like music to my ears Ruth. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that everything went well with the birth. I was worried when I woke up and saw the paramedics, but I know they are in good hands." Grant smiled at Scott, his eldest grandson. The boy must have sensed his grandfather's anxiety over the situation and he nuzzled his grandfather's shoulder before falling into an even deeper slumber. "Looks like I won't be leaving this chair for the next few hours."
Ruth stood up before extracting both Gordon and Virgil from their older brother's grasps and setting them on the couch beside her. She exchanged the movie Wreck it Ralph with some other child appropriate Disney movie and pressed play, before setting both of her two younger grandson's heads upon her lap. She gently pet their hair, and smiled in amusement when the little boy Andy played with his little cowboy doll. She had always adored the movie Toy Story…there was just something about it, she didn't know what it was.
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Scott opened his eyes and was greeted with total silence. Looking around he noticed that he and his brother John were curled up together in the recliner, their grandfather nowhere to be seen. Sniffing appreciatively, Scott untangled himself from the blankets that where wrapped around him and his brother and he slid out of his dad's recliner. He noticed both Gordon and Virgil were lying on the couch, sleeping soundly. Taking another sniff, Scott followed the smell of freshly made pancakes and sausage to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen however, instead of seeing his mother and father, he was greeted with the sight of his paternal grandmother standing at the stove and his paternal grandfather pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Grandma, Grandpa? What are you doing here?" Scott asked curiously. He couldn't remember if drinking hot chocolate and watching Wreck it Ralph after bedtime was a dream or not.
Grandma Ruth turned around and smiled at her eldest grandson. She motioned with the spatula she was holding to the plate of pancakes and sausage, and Scott recognized the gesture as an order to grab a plate and tuck in to his morning meal. His grandfather grabbed a fork and put two of his grandmother's homemade buttermilk pancakes on a plate before sticking a couple sausage and doing the same. Handing the fork to Scott, Grant grabbed a small glass from the cupboard before pouring orange juice into it. Placing it on the table, Scott sat down and just stared at his grandparents.
"What's going on? Where are mom and dad?" Scott felt worried. His mom would always wake him up for school, and he noticed the clock. He was over two hours late for class, and he hadn't turned in his homework assignment! "I'm late!"
Scott tore into his meal like he hadn't been fed in several days and he paused when both of his grandparents began laughing at his actions. He set down his fork and glared at them. His perfect attendance record was ruined now. All because his grandparents decided not to awaken him and help him get ready for school.
"What is so funny? I am late for school! John, Virgil and Gordy are late too!" Scott jumped out of his chair at the table and raced into the living room to awaken his younger brothers. They had to get up and eat breakfast so they weren't any later than they already were.
"When do you think we should tell them they aren't going to school for the remainder of the week?" Ruth leaned over and whispered to Grant. It was funny to see how flustered Scott was getting over being late for class. He was always prompt and that coupled with his reaction to it being a little after 10 o' clock in the morning, was certainly something to behold.
Scott came running back into the kitchen dragging his three bedraggled little brothers with him and he ordered them to hurry and eat their breakfast. After all four boys sat down at the table to eat, grandpa Grant began to laugh. Ruth found his laughter infectious and she too was absorbed in laughter. All four boys looked at each other, forks poised at their mouths. The joke was totally lost to them.
"What so funny ganma…ganpa." Gordon was confused, his five year old mind not understanding what was so funny. At Gordon's innocent little question coupled with his adorable inability to properly say 'grandpa or grandma', Ruth and Grant began laughing even harder. THe elation they felt was something that could not be rivaled.
"Yeah, what's so funny? I don't get it." John set his fork down on his plate and grabbed his orange juice before taking a sip. He could not understand what was so funny…they were late for school!
"Oh boys. You aren't going to school today." Ruth beamed at her four grandsons, they had no idea that today was a very, very special day.
"What? But why?" Scott gaped at his grandmother. He had to turn in his homework assignment or he'd get a zero and that would be his first 'F' on an assignment.
"We are going into town today. Mommy and daddy are meeting us there." Ruth winked at Grant…the signal to keep quiet as to the surprise. "Don't worry. I called your school and told them you wouldn't be in for the next few days. They agreed to accept your homework next Monday Scotty."
"But we can't go into town if you called us in sick. Isn't that considered playing hooky?" Scott didn't want he or his grandparents to get in trouble with the truant officer.
"No sweetheart. You have good reason to be out of school sick. Finish your breakfast and go get dressed so we can go. It's a surprise." Ruth smiled proudly at her grandsons. They were certainly in for a surprise.
"Okay." Scott prodded his little brothers along as they all finished their breakfast before scampering off to go get dressed. It was very unusual to be out sick and not really be sick.
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Scott sat in his usual window seat in his mom and dad's car. They drove through town, and at seeing the school Scott ducked down in his seat. He didn't want to be seen out of school if he wasn't really sick. John, Virgil and Gordon all just stared at their older brother, confusion clear on their faces. Scott was not pleased about missing school for the next couple days, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Grandpa Grant glanced in his rearview mirror and laughed as he noticed Scott ducking down in his seat. It was recess and all of Scott's friends were outside near the fence. It was obvious Scott was afraid his whole family would get in trouble.
"Scott sweetheart…I already told your teachers and your principal that you would be out of school until next Monday. It is fine. You won't get in trouble dear." Ruth tried to reassure her eldest grandson, but smiled bemusedly when Scott sat back up. They were well away from the school yard and now Scott had nothing to fear.
"But I am not sick! How can I not get in trouble when I am playing hooky? Shouldn't I have a doctor's note if I am going to be out of school for the next week?" Scott folded his arms across his chest in exasperation.
"No dear. Trust me, when you find out what the surprise is…you will be glad to be missing school until next Monday." Ruth looked over her shoulder at each of her grandsons. Gordon was swinging his little legs, trying to kick the driver's seat from his booster seat. Virgil sat beside Gordon's booster seat; he was staring at his feet miserably. He wanted to see his mommy. He had a bad dream…he dreamt that he could hear her screaming, but he couldn't find her.
John sat beside Virgil, behind the passenger seat. He was looking at all the cars driving by them on the four lane road. So far he had counted twenty eight black cars, sixteen red cars and he had seen an unusual yellow car. He was bored. Their grandparents had loaded them into the car almost forty-five minutes ago and they hadn't told them where they were going yet. John broke his gaze to look across to the other side of the car to see Scott, he was pressing his head against the glass.
Scott looked downright miserable and frustrated. Not only did he have no idea where their grandparents were taking them, but he had missed school. And he would continue to miss school for the next week. Heaving a heavy sigh, Scott lifted his gaze alarm crossing his features when he realized they were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Hospitals were never a good place to be.
"Here we are boys." Grandpa Grant parked the car and shut it off, before opening the door and disembarking the vehicle. He opened Scott's car door and held it open to allow Scott to slide out, before he himself leaned in to extract Gordon from his booster seat. The little redhead looked around, he was enthralled. This place was new to him and he viewed it as an adventure.
"What are we doing here grandpa?" Scott asked as he took hold of his grandfather's free hand before walking across the parking lot.
"We are here to introduce you boys to someone very special. Today is his birthday and he has been just dying to meet you boys." Grant winked at Ruth, this was about all they were going to say.
"What his name?" Gordon began sucking on his thumb, Grant removed the boy's thumb from his mouth and held his arms close to his side. The little five year old had picked up sucking his thumb for some reason, and everyone thought it was just a phase…one that came with separation anxiety. Gordon really only sucked his thumb when neither his mom nor dad were in his sight.
"Can't say. It's part of the surprise." Grant released Gordon's arms in favor of ruffling his hair. The little redhead giggled at the affectionate hair tousling and wrapped his arms around his grandfather's neck.
The sliding doors opened and in walked the Tracy family. Grant lagged behind a little so Ruth could get ahead of him. She approached the front desk and carried on a quiet conversation with the nurse before turning and motioning for everybody to follow her. Grant lead his grandsons to Ruth and as a unit, they embarked through the halls. There were many turns and before anybody realized it they were in an elevator going up to the third floor.
"Are you sure mommy and daddy are up here?" Virgil held onto his grandmother's dress and looked up at the grey haired woman. She nodded at him mutely, and he redirected his gaze back to the floor and his feet. He just wanted to see his mommy. He wanted to know she was alright.
"Just a little further, then you boys can meet the birthday boy. He probably won't say anything, but I am sure he will be happy to see you." Grant pet each of his grandsons on the head, and led the way when the elevator doors opened up…allowing the Tracy family to exit the small cramped room. "There is the room right down there." Grant held up his finger and pointed to the room just down the hall. The door was standing open and Jeff came stepping out…almost sending his family was approaching.
"Hey guys, how did you all sleep?" Jeff crouched down and enveloped all of his sons in his arms. He was glad to see them.
"Okay, but we are missing school. That's okay right?" John spoke up softly. He was like Scott and he didn't want to get in trouble.
"That is just fine. Come on, there is someone very special your mom and I want you to meet." Jeff smiled up at his parents, before standing to give them a hug. He was elated. "You all need to be quiet though. The birthday boy is sleeping right now." Jeff whispered to each of his sons. Lucy had just finished breast feeding the baby and they had been able to get him to go to sleep and they didn't want him to wake up just yet.
"Okay dad." Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon whispered back in reply to their father's order.
Jeff led each of his sons and his parents into the room and up to a hospital bed. There sitting in the bed was Lucille Tracy, she sat there looking as gorgeous as ever, her long blonde hair braided and hanging over her shoulder. However in her arms, a small bundle was laying peacefully.
"You first Scotty." Jeff picked up Scott and set him on the bed up beside his mother and he looked into her arms to see that what she was holding was a baby. Scott's eyes widened and he looked up at his mom and dad with a big smile plastered on his face. This was the surprise?
"Meet your baby brother Alan Shepard Tracy." Lucille spoke quietly to Scott and kissed his cheek when he leaned in closer to his mom's side and the newborn baby.
"Hi, Alan. I'm Scott…I'm your big brother." Scott whispered to the baby. He smiled at his mom and kissed the newborn on the forehead when his mom suggested he do so. His smile grew even bigger when he got to hold Alan. This was way better than being at school. Who cares about homework assignments? This was by far the better option. Colorful dots shone in his eyes after several pictures were taken and his smile never left his face…not even when he had to give up holding Alan to let each of his brothers have a chance.
Jeff picked up John and placed him in Scott's vacated place and the little blonde peeked at the bundle in his arms before he too leaned in to kiss the baby on the forehead. His baby brother was adorable. His smile grew even more when his mom and dad removed the baby's knit hat to reveal his blonde hair. John was ecstatic…now he wasn't the only blonde boy in the house. He beamed with pride when he got to hold Alan and got his picture taken.
"Thank you for being blonde Allie. I love you." John kissed his baby brother again before hugging the newborn gently. The adults in the room practically melted at the heartwarming scene.
Virgil was next to sit on the bed and the first thing the seven year old did was gently pet Alan's face. He was in awe at how soft the baby was. His skin was warm, and smooth. He leaned up into his mom's lap and kissed Alan's cheek. As he leaned away, he felt a gentle tug on his hair. Reaching up to find what was holding onto his head, he felt baby soft hands clutching a lock of his brown hair.
"Looks like he doesn't want you to leave him just yet." Lucille gently untangled the newborn's tiny fingers from his big brother's hair. Jeff perched on the bed beside Virgil before taking the newborn from his mother's arms and holding him…with Virgil settled on the bed beside him. Virgil and Gordon were both too little to hold Alan on their own. For five weeks premature, Alan was heavy. He weighed in at a whopping 5lbs 2oz. That was good. It meant that he could likely go home sooner than most other premature babies.
"What do you think of your baby brother Virgil?" Jeff whispered quietly to his middle son and smiled when he heard the response.
"He's cute…but couldn't he have come with my hair color?" Virgil was disgruntled that his baby brother had blonde hair instead of brown like he and Scott.
"No, he wanted to come with hair to match John. Now you and Scott match while Johnny and Alan match." Jeff handed Alan back to Lucille after the photo of Virgil and Alan was taken. Helping Virgil slide off the bed, he quickly scooped up Gordon and deposited him in the spot where Virgil had just been sitting. "Here you go Gordon."
Gordon looked up at his dad his auburn eyes looking confused. He didn't understand why they had to be quiet, but each time he tried to talk at a normal voice his grandma would cover his mouth, reminding him to whisper. When prompted by his dad, Gordon followed his dad's pointing finger to see his mom holding a miniature person. It was sleeping.
"What is that?" Gordon remembered to whisper, but frowned when his dad coughed unconvincingly to hide the fact that he'd laughed at Gordon's question.
"That is your little brother Alan. Congratulations Gordon…you are now a big brother." Jeff ruffled Gordon's hair gently before taking Alan in his arms again. Gordon peered into the blanketed bundle and looked at the tiny person. He looked like one of those dolls that the little girls in his preschool class brought in for show and tell. Gordon hated those dolls.
"Can you take him back? I don't want one." Gordon was sure the baby in his dad's arms was one of those baby dolls.
"No, no. He is here to stay Gordon. Why don't you like him?" Jeff held Alan in the crook of his left arm and wrapped his right arm around Gordon's shoulder.
"He looks like one of those dolls that the girls bring in for show and tell." Lucille, Jeff, Ruth and Grant all hid their smiles at what Gordon said. He thought Alan was a baby doll…not a real baby.
"Well, I can assure you Gordon, he won't look like this for long. He will grow soon and before you know it the two of you can begin playing together." Jeff turned Gordon's head toward the camera and waited for the picture to be taken.
"Now, let's do a family photo." Ruth whispered, and Grant lifted each of his grandsons onto the bed surrounding their parents, and Gordon moved to stand by Jeff's left shoulder so Jeff could sit beside Lucille. The photo that was taken showed Lucille and Jeff holding Alan together and Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon all surrounded their mom and new baby brother. It was the perfect end to an even perfect day.