the sun came through the window, signalling that a new day had begun, but that wasn't what woke him up.
"Lucile? Are you okay?" he called after his wife, who had just run out of the room.
"Lucy?" he said in concern when he got no answer, getting up.
"Lucy, are yo…oh," he said, spotting his wife with her head over the toilet, puking her guts out.
He sat down next to her, pulling her hair out of her way. "it's okay, Lucy. I'm here."
lucy pulled away from the toilet, wiping her mouth "this never gets easier" she said leaning back against him.
"Hmm," he said nodding "but it's worth it isn't it?" he said, laying his hand on her belly, where a little bump was forming.
"yeah, yeah I guess it is," she said smiling, laying her hand on top of his.
"You okay to get up?" he asked, Lucy look really pale, more so then she did with all their other boys.
"Yeah, I'm fi-" Lucile said starting to get up, before being throwing up into the toilet again.
"dad, where's mum?" Scott asked that morning.
"your mother not feeling so well today, Scotty," he said, working on their breakfast. "she resting upstairs, now, do you have your bag packed?"
school started in an hour, and he needs all the boys ready to go.
"Yeah, it's all packed," Scott said, "that smells good."
he chuckled "thank you, Scott, now eat up while I go make sure your brother is ready," he said, giving Scott a plate of pancakes, they weren't blueberry like his wife makes but they were still good, at least he thinks so anyway.
"sure dad" Scott said already digging into his pancakes.
john was in his first year of school, Scott in his third year and Virgil being only three, didn't go to school, but with Lucile sick in bed with morning sickness, he had to take Virgil with him as he drops the boys off to school.
One week later.
She was laying in bed; her morning sickness should have gone away by now, it never lasted this long with all her other children, plus she was never so sick that she can't even get out of bed with the others either.
Jeff was worried and stressed, she could tell… she tried talking him into calling his mother, into seeing if she could come down and help, but Jeff insisted that he got everything under control.
"mum?" Scott said shyly walking into her and Jeff's bedroom.
"yes, sweety?" she asked as Scott walked up to the bed.
"I made this for you in class today," Scott said, showing her a card with 'get well soon, mum!' written on it in blue marker.
"Oh Scotty, thank you," she said, "can you put it on the bedside table for me?"
Scott put it on the bedside table and climb on to the bed, laying near her.
The motion of the bed making her queasy but no way was she going to throw up in front of Scott, he didn't need to see his mother like that, she thought taking a deep breath.
"why is baby making you sick?" Scott asked with a pout. "it's not nice."
"baby doesn't mean too, it just something that comes with the whole being pregnant, sweety," she said, running her hand through Scott's hair.
"Scott, what are you doing in here?" Jeff said, standing in the doorway, hands on his hips "your mother needs her rest."
"Sorry dad," Scott said, getting off the bed "I just want to give mum the card I made her," Scott said.
"that's nice of you Scott, but your mother still needs to her rest," Jeff said ruffling Scott's hair. "go on, I'm sure one of your brothers will want to play with you,"
"Okay…I'll see you later mum!" Scott said running of the room.
jeff walked over to her. "how are you feeling Lucy?" Jeff said, kissing her forehead gently, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"i… I have been better," she said, "our Scotty is too sweet," she said smiling.
"hmmm, I think I know where he gets it from," Jeff said softly. "John was telling me that his class learnt about the original moon landing today," Jeff said with a grin.
"he did?"
"uh huh, was chattering away in the car the whole way home," Jeff said, smiling. "he's an astronaut in the making, I tell you."
she chuckled lightly "what have our other two boys been doing?"
"well Virgil found that walls are a good place to practice his drawings," Jeff said sarcastically.
"he didn't?" she asked, smiling, she remembers doing something very similar when she was around Virgil's age.
"he did, lucky I caught him before he got too far," Jeff said, shaking his head. "why is it always around that age, that they're always getting into mischief- lucy?"
she didn't hear what Jeff said next because she lost conscience before he could finish.
She woke up in the hospital, all her boys sleeping around her. Jeff was holding her hand, his head resting on his arm, fast asleep. Her baby boys were all snuggled into her, fast asleep.
She must have moved her hand because when she looked back at Jeff, he was awake.
"Lucy, you're awake," Jeff said in relief, keeping his voice down so not to wake their boys.
"what happened?" she asked, she faintly remembers what happened, but she can't make out all the details.
"You..you collapsed, I was so worried," Jeff said, leaning his forehead against her forehead "please don't ever scare me like that again, I thought I lose you."
"don't be silly, you won't lose me, I promise," she said, smiling up at the love of her life. "but why did I collapse in the first place?"
"because you were so dehydration from being sick all the time, your body couldn't take it any more," Jeff said.
"that makes sense-wait! is the baby Okay?!" she asked, her eyes going wide.
"Shh, shh, the baby's okay, Lucy. Calm down" Jeff said, squeezing her hand.
she sighed in relief. "that's…that's good."
"Mummy awake!" John said, waking out the other two sleeping boys.
"mum!" Scott said, smiling a big smile.
"Mummy! Mummy!" Virgil said, cuddling her. In the next couple of seconds, she had all her sons hugging.
"Okay boys, that's enough, let your mother breathe," Jeff said, smiling a small smile.
Months later, valentine day.
Her morning sickness last way in her last trimester, only going away two months before she was due to give birth.
She was in the hospital for a significant portion of that time. Jeff's mother had come down to help, which she was so thankful for.
She was feeling a lot better now and being It being valentine day, Jeff was taking her out for dinner.
"you'll love this place lucy," Jeff said, smiling as he drove the car.
"I'm sure I will-oh!" she said, feeling something that she has felt three times already.
"Lucille, you okay?" Jeff asked her.
hmmm, this is too good of an opportunity to pass up, she thought.
"Yeah I'm fine, I just remembered I forgot to get you a valentine present," she said, doing her best sad face while trying not to bust out laughing…or whimper from the contractions.
jeff smiled "oh lucy; you don't need to get me anything, just having you and the boys, is enough for me."
oh, you'll like this present Jeff, she thought, laughing internally.
"yeah, but I feel bad about it," she said, sighing sadly "can we stop on the way to the restaurant, I know just the place where I can get your present, please?" she said, giving jeff her best puppy eyes.
Jeff was no match for her puppy eyes; nobody had to ask where Scott got his puppy eyes from.
jeff sighed "okay, where is it?"
"oh..just the hospital…" she said nonchalantly
"wait what?.." Jeff said, momently stunned before connected the dots.
"What?! you're…it's happening?!" Jeff asked, to which she nodded, laughing now.
He couldn't believe it; grandma had told them that Mum had gone into labour. He's going to meet his new baby brother or sister in the morning! He was so excited; he was finding it hard to sleep.
Would the baby have his hair colour or red like John's hair or maybe blank like Virgil's hair….or blond like mum? He thought looking up at his ceiling, wide awake.
What would the baby be like?…oh he just couldn't wait, he thought grinning.
"Scotty? you're awake?" John asked, peeking his head through the door.
"yeah, what is it John?" he asked, sitting up.
"couldn't sleep, too many-" John said, climbing on to his bed.
"thoughts?" he asked, to which John nodded. "yeah, same," he said laying back down.
John laid down next to him, so they were both looking up at his ceiling, it was comforting laying next to his brother like this.
"do you think mummy okay?" John asked.
"mum? Yeah, I think she fine. she has done this before, and she has dad with her so.," he said, looking at his little brother.
"I guess… I wonder when grandma will realise that we not asleep?" John said, smiling slightly.
He smirked, "knowing grandma, not long.."
A giggle was their only warning before Virgil jumped on them both, flattening the air out of them and making them squeal in surprise.
"you're right Scotty," grandma said, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and a grin. "good job Virgil."
"oh…why you little traitor," he said, trying not to smile as he started to tickle Virgil.
John moved away, so not to get kicked by the wiggling three years old, which was admittedly a good idea.
This never gets old, he thought with a grin. Plus hearing his brothers laugh was one of his favourite sounds.
"Okay, that's enough boys," grandma said, "bed and this time for real."
"there someone here to see you," the nurse said before Scott ran into the room, followed by John and Sally who was holding Virgil, the three-year-old looking like he just woke up.
"mum, dad!" Scott greeted them, running up to her, eyes going wide at the baby in her arms. "is that?…"
"yes, this is Gordon, Scotty," Jeff said, ruffling Scott's hair. "your new baby brother"
"hi, Gordy, I'm your big brother Scott," Scott said looking at Gordon with wide eyes filled with wonder and love.
John had come up to the bed, climbing it slightly so he could see better.
"he's got blond hair..like mum," John said, wide-eyed.
"he does, doesn't he kiddo," jeff said, lifting John up into his arms so he could see better without falling.
"what you say, Virgil? I want to meet your little brother?" Sally asked the child in her arms, coming closer to the bed.
"little brother?" Virgil asked, sucking his thumb.
"Virgie, come look," Scott said grinning. "you're a big brother now."
sally placed Virgil down on the bed.
"Come here sweetheart, come meet your baby brother," she said, beckoning her now second youngest over.
virgil looked down at Gordon, his nose scrunching up. "he looks weird."
she chuckled "that because he's a baby, dear."
Gordon giggled, looking up at his immediate older brother. Virgil froze, eyes going wide. "hi…," Virgil said, eyes not leaving Gordon.
She and Jeff chuckled. Their children can be so adorable at times; they wouldn't have it any other way.