Between the Lines: If I Only Knew Then
Chapter 4: Baby's On The Way
Told you this would be a two chapter weekend. I was so excited about this chapter, I couldn't wait to post it. Plus I wanted to get a few more of these done before season 3 starts.
This may be my favorite chapter of this series thus far, because its all Juliette and Avery. Sweet pre-baby moments ahead. Enjoy!
Same disclaimers.
It was unfair really. She'd spent all that time on bed rest, praying that the baby wouldn't come early. Now it seemed like the kid had taken up permanent residence in her uterus. Two days past her due date, Juliette was miserable. Her OB had told her that if the baby wasn't delivered in three more days, they would induce. Currently, however, her feet and ankles were swollen beyond recognition, her face was puffy, and she was constantly burning up. Which is why the terrace sofa was her location of choice.
"The weather man said there is a chance of snow tonight."
"Great." Juliette responded to Avery with absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever. She glanced up at him as he lingered in the doorway, clearly wanting to stay inside where it was warm, but not wanting her to be outside alone. "So we can get snowed in and not be able to get to the hospital, on the off chance she ever decides to make an appearance."
He stepped out into the cold air, pulling his leather jacket a little tighter around him. "It's like a half an inch they are expecting. It won't even stick to the roads."
That did it. She cut her eyes in his direction and glared at him. "How am I supposed to know that?!" she snapped. "I'm not from Ohio like you. We don't get snow down in South Alabama, remember."
"Yeah, but you've been in Nashville for like six years ..." he was going to continue, but her icy stare and raised eyebrows stopped him from sticking his foot even further into his mouth. "You sure you don't want to come inside? It's really cold out here," he said as he crossed his arms, still trying fight the chill in the air.
"It's like 102 in there!" She bit the words out.
"It's 74," he responded calmly.
Suddenly her shoulders slumped and she looked down at her hands. "You don't have to stay," she mumbled quietly, and Avery could tell she was trying not to cry.
He stepped fully out onto the terrace and sat down in the chair next to the couch. "Right, like I'm going to leave you here alone in your condition," he said sarcastically, she could still hear compassion and gentleness hidden just beneath the surface of his voice.
"You were the one who told Emily she could leave." She knew she sounded like a child. It was as if she had completely lost control of her emotions ... and she didn't like it.
Avery raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to look at Juliette. "She had a date tonight. She's been so busy making sure you are okay that her social life has suffered. That's why I wanted her to meet Paul." Avery had introduced Emily to a songwriter friend of his two weeks earlier and they hit it off immediately. He was secretly pretty pleased at his matchmaking skills, but he wouldn't say that around Juliette. She was less than thrilled to not have her assistant's full attention.
"Yeah, I know," she responded, a pout firm on her face.
Avery sighed and sat on the edge of the chair, leaning closer to her and meeting her eyes with his. "Plus, Juliette, do you honestly think that I wouldn't be here if Emily was? Sometime in the next seventy two hours, you're going to be giving birth to my daughter. Our little girl. I'm not going to chance missing that."
"I know. I'm sorry." She wiped away a tear. "I'm just in a mood. I am tired and I can't sleep. Every muscle in my body hurts. My feet are the size of pineapples and I just want things to be normal again." By the time she stopped talking, she was nearly sobbing. She struggled to sit up and place her feet on the ground.
"And they will be," Avery said as he moved to help her. Once she was sitting up, he sat down beside her. "Although, I think that what we both considered normal won't ever be normal again. But that's okay. It's a good thing."
Juliette rubbed her large round belly as she fought to regain her composure. "I just want her here."
He nodded, knowing that feeling of anxiousness all too well. He'd felt it since the moment she told him she was pregnant in that hospital room all those months ago. "Me too."
"And I'm scared about labor," she admitted. "She keeps getting bigger the longer she's in there and I'm terrified of the pain." She looked over at him with pitiful red-rimmed eyes and all he saw was terror in them. "I don't know if I can do it. I've heard all these horror stories and ..."
He placed a finger on her lips to quiet her worries and smiled at her with reassurance. "You can do this, Juliette. Women have been having babies since the beginning of time. You'll be fine. Plus, I hear they have really good pain medication on the labor and delivery floor. And I'll be right there with you the whole time."
Juliette shot a genuine smile in his direction. "Have you talked to your mom? When is she coming down?"
"Assuming we won't be going to the hospital until Saturday," Avery said with a sigh, "they will probably come down tomorrow. Should be here by dark."
"You're dad's coming too?" It surprised her. Diane had made several trips on her own, for a few baby showers and to help out while she was on bedrest, but Juliette hadn't seen Ed since the trial was over. She knew Avery had spoken to him occasionally, but nothing substantial had come from it.
"She says they are both coming," he answered with a shrug. It was a topic he still tried to avoid as much as possible.
"That's good," she nodded. She tried to push herself off the sofa, but was unsuccessful. "Can you help me up?"
"Bathroom break?" he asked, knowing her well.
"Why else would I be getting up?" she asked sarcastically.
Juliette waddled from the terrace into her bedroom and bathroom. As she moved back through the room afterwards, she passed the bassinet that was ready and waiting in the corner, and she paused. Running her fingers over the beautiful dark wood cradle that Deacon had found in a barn somewhere and had refinished as a baby gift, Juliette smiled, thinking of how soon it would be filled with her little bundle of joy. Resting on top of the tiny mattress was the soft white blanket that Avery's mother had quilted, the letters EBB monogrammed in pale pink letters. Evelyn Barnes Barkley. They had debated the name for a long time. But in the end, it was Diane who had suggested Evelyn. It was the name of her grandmother, who had instilled a love of music in her, which carried over to Avery and grew exponentially. Both Juliette and Avery loved it.
Juliette bent to straighten the quilt once more, when she froze. Her eyes went wide and she glanced down at the leg of the sweatpants she was wearing. "Avery!" she called, knowing he had gone into the living room to warm up after she had come inside. She waited for a moment and then called again.
This time he appeared immediately in the doorway. "What is it?" he asked, concern in his voice.
"I ... I think my water broke," she said, her eyes wide.
It seemed to take a few seconds for this news to register on Avery's face. When it did, he felt a rush of fear for a short time, but quickly regained his composure. He could tell that Juliette was about to go into panic mode and he knew that he had to stay as calm as possible to prevent that. He walked over and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. She relaxed at just his touch. "Okay. I'm going to go grab your bag and my keys. You just sit down on the bed and I'll be right back."
He turned to go, when she called his name again softly. He turned back to look at her.
"Next time we come back to the house she'll be with us," she said.
He nodded, clearly emotional at the thought.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For giving me a family."
He walked back into the room, placed a soft kiss on her forehead and then went to grab everything they needed.
Juliette placed a hand on her stomach and then quietly spoke to the little girl she would meet in just a few hours. "Thank you for being my family."
