Chapter 7 – Hi Partner!

Walt flopped over, his arm falling smack into Nick's face. Frowning, Nick gently moved his son's little arm back down to his side. He turned to see Sophie's feet sticking out of the covers and pushing into Jess' cheek. As if sensing he was looking at her, Jess opened her eyes and offered a sympathetic smile.

"You know," Nick whispered. "When you said we should spend more time together as a family, this is not exactly what I had in mind." Jess bit her lip, trying not to giggle.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I forgot how creepy it is when the evil queen in Sleeping Beauty turns into a dragon." Jess eased Sophie's foot from her face. Lifting the covers, she peered down at her daughter. "How does she sleep like that?" she asked.

Nick shrugged. "She's a Miller. I'm pretty sure I slept inside a Dumpster once."

Jess shuddered. "Remind me NOT to ask you about that story."

Nick grinned. "I don't remember much about it, anyway. It was one of my last adventures with the great mistress known as tequila."

In his sleep, Walt mumbled something about fire and "yucky" kisses. He whimpered and snuggled closer to Nick's side. "Shhhh, little man," whispered Nick, gently patting his son's head. "It's all right." He looked back at Jess, who gazed at him with an odd expression. "What?" he asked.

"You," she said, slipping her arm around the tangle of children's arms and legs. She carefully edged closer and ran her fingers through Nick's thick hair. "Look at you, being all daddish. It's adorable."

Nick gave her his best turtle face. "Whatever," he said. "Remind me to pitch that DVD in the morning." She noticed his attempts at a surly tone were already fading as he leaned his head closer to her hand. She continued to slowly brush his hair with her fingers. When he opened his chocolate-brown eyes, his expression was soft. "You know … OOOOF!" Nick yelped as Walt gave him a swift kick in the stomach.

Jess winced and shook her head. "He always was a good kicker."

Biting back a curse, Nick rolled Walt away, hoping it was out of kicking distance. "Hey," he said, rubbing his wounded stomach. "I thought you promised our kids would 'never come between us.'"

Smiling at the memory, Jess said, "Oh no, that was only when we were having one. With two, all bets are off."

Nick rolled his eyes. "NOW you tell me."

Jess laughed out loud, and quickly clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes shooting to Sophie. Thankfully, neither child moved. She remembered well when she uttered that phrase to Nick.

It was almost eight years ago when Jess looked down at the slender stick in her hand, watching in slight horror as the two pink lines appeared. "Ruh Roh," she whispered.

Nick and Jess had only been married about a year and a half at the time. Things at the bar seemed to be going well, and her principal loved how she was working wonders with her newest round of so-called "problem" kids. Now everything was going to be turned upside down. Jess gulped. She loved Nick Miller with all her heart, but change was not something handled well.

Jess stuffed the test into the garbage in the bathroom. She shoved it down to the bottom of the silver container. He could still see it, she thought, before unrolling a large wad of toilet paper and jamming it into the garbage can. Her eyes darted to the cabinet. She grabbed the bag of cotton balls and tried to shake some over the toilet paper. "Why. Won't. You. Come. Out?" she snapped at the fluffs of white, before ripping the bag open, sending cotton everywhere. She scooped them up from the floor and dropped them into the can. Looking at the pile, she snatched the jumbo-sized box of Q-tips and dumped them all in for good measure, before she dashed from the bathroom.

She flopped onto the couch in their small living room. What am I going to say to Nick? she thought. She could only image the amount of panic moon walking this would incite. Jess picked up a pen and paper from the table and started to scribble. Good reasons for having a baby, she wrote. 1. Someone we can love. 2. Someone who will have your incredible brown eyes and my sense of style.

Jess stopped and sighed. These were great Jess-arguments, but maybe not so great for Nick. She tried to put herself in Nick's mindset, even pulling down the corners of her mouth into a turtle face. "I'm Nick Miller, and the world is dark and grey," she said. Then she looked at the pad of paper. 3. Great tax write-off, she wrote. Jess smiled. She could DO this.

An hour later, Jess groaned. "I cannot DO this," she said. The room was covered in crumbled pieces of paper. Jess had somehow managed to pull her hair back and into a wayward bun with several pencils sticking out. She had hoped each one would give her the magic answer as to why Nick should be ecstatic about having a baby. A baby we did not plan, and probably cannot afford, and have no idea how to raise, she thought, and face planted into the couch.

Hearing the key in the lock, Jess jumped up. As fast as she could, she scrambled to scoop up the papers. Hearing her husband come through the door, she quickly shoved them all under the couch, as the clink of glasses signaled the opening the refrigerator.

"Hi babe," Nick said wearily as he walked into the living room, twisting the cap off a bottle of beer. He gave her a quick kiss before he launched himself into a chair. Jess tried to respond, but her voice stuck in her throat. Does he have to look all scruffy and sexy? she thought as she looked down at him. With his sleeves rolled up and his tie askew, he looked so much like the night of their first date-that wasn't, and the night of Cece's wedding when he came racing after her and they "uncalled it."

"Good news," he said, and Jess caught his signature hint of sarcasm. "We might actually make a profit this month. That's right, I think we might make about $100, meaning I can take you for dinner, or we can actually get a bigger pot for the drip in the roof." He pointed two fingers at her and winked.

Jess smiled. She knew he was kidding, but the fact that the bar was actually turning a profit was big news. Nick had always managed to make all the payments and meet payroll, including his own check, but that usually left the bar just breaking even. This was a big deal, no matter how much he downplayed it. She leaned next to him. "That's my sexy mogul," she said, and leaned to kiss him, but ended up jabbing him with one of the pencils stuck in her hair.

"Ow!" Nick yelped. "Hey, is that a new hairdo? I'm guessing they call it 'frazzled teacher?'"

Jess shot up as if he'd shocked her. She stared at Nick for a moment, trying to remember all the things she was planning to say. This won't be terrible. We'll be partners in this. It will be a great adventure. We'll do to it together. Instead, all that came out of her mouth was, "Hi partner!"

Nick laughed. "Ooooookay." He eased up from the chair. "I'm going to grab a shower."

Jess tried again to speak, but this time only a squeak escaped her lips. Nick stared at her. "Jess, are you okay? You're being weird. And I am saying that as a man who had an actual conversation with a guy who told me he was a reincarnation of Eli Whitney. Did you know he invented gin?"

"The cotton gin," Jess mumbled.

"Yeah, okay. You all right?"

Jess stared at him, but could only numbly nod her head. Nick gave her a curious look, but simply planted another brief kiss on her lips before heading into the bathroom. She slid down onto the couch. You big chicken, Jess admonished herself. "Bwauk, bwauk, bewauk," she clucked, flapping her arms in her best chicken-mode.

"Hey Jess," called Nick. "What happened to all the Q-tips?"

"Uh, art project?" she yelled back quickly.

Nick did not respond, but she heard him turn on the water for the shower.

Jess shook her head. "You can DO this, Jessica," she hissed to herself. "You are a strong woman. Get yourself in there NOW." She paused. "Ugh, I AM a know-it-all."

Pulling herself up, Jess marched into the bathroom. "Nick?" she spoke loudly to be heard over the shower.

"What, babe?" he said.

Jess took a breath. Here goes, she thought. "There is something wrong. Well, not wrong, exactly, but not what you might expect." She bit her lip. "Nick, there comes a time when all the things you thought were scary seem silly and small, and that's what happened to me today. I realized that you and I is not just you and I but something more than you and I. And I liked that, and I want this and I want you to want this, and he or she will never come between us. It will just be more us, you know?"

She paused for a minute, unsure any of that made sense. "Uh Jess, you lost me around 'something wrong,'" Nick said from the spray of the shower.

Jess sighed. "Nick, I'm pregnant."

Shutting her eyes tight, she held her breath as all movement in the shower froze. Only the soft hiss of the water made any sound in the echoes of the bathroom. Eventually, the water shut off. Nick leaned out of the curtain. "You're what?" he asked simply.

"I'm pregnant."

Nick's face went a little pale, and Jess wondered if he might faint. She wanted to take a step closer, but remained still as several expressions of panic contorted Nick's features, reminding her of the night of the game of True America when he kissed her for the first time. Well, she thought, at least there are no ledges in the bathroom.

When he spoke, his voice came out as a squeak. "When did this…did we…not safe?"

Jess stared at him for a second before she understood. "Oh, I think it was that night…the twirliness…the car," she looked down as her face flushed crimson. Nick's questioning gaze turned into a goofy grin. "Oh yeah," he said with a laugh. He looked at Jess, as if for the first time.

Without another word, he stepped out of the shower and walked to her. She knew the uncertainty shown in her eyes, but she could not hide her fear from him. "I'm scared, too, Nick," she whispered. "But this baby will be us – you and I."

Nick reached for Jess, but suddenly realized he was dripping wet and rather naked. "Oh geesh," he said, and pulled the large, red towel from the rack next to the shower. He pulled it around his waist and looked at her again. This time, he placed a hand gently on her cheek. "A baby, huh?"

Jess nodded and bit her lip. He pulled her close and pressed his lips softly to hers. She clung to him, feeling the wetness against her cheeks and unsure if it was his damp skin or her own tears.

Nick leaned back and rested his hand on her stomach. "Hi partner," he said. Jess laughed. Nick looked back at her and she gasped at the flood of emotions racing his eyes – pride, possessiveness, and panic all mingled with an awe that shook her to the core. "Okay, let's do this," he said, and she knew he was all in.

Now, years later, Jess smiled at her husband across the bed. "Hi partner," she whispered. Nick smiled back, pulling the memory she offered. "Hi," he said.

Nick glanced at the kids. "You know, I think the car is a bit roomier than this," he said in a low voice.

Jess laughed softly. "You trying to go for three?"

Nick winked and raised his eyebrows. Jess giggled as they untangled themselves from the children and began to sneak out of the room.

"Mom?" Sophie called. Jess and Nick stopped, their shoulders slumped in unison.

"I'm here, sweetie," Jess said, turning back to the bed.

Nick rubbed his face in his hands. "Yeah, that DVD is toast," he mumbled, and followed his wife back to bed.