A Never Ending Spiral
Chapter Ten
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the characters I create, obviously.
The next morning…Greg and Lisa are still asleep, it's a Saturday, when Jess comes in. Greg has his hands wrapped around Lisa's stomach in his sleep, and her back is pressed up against the front of his body. And her hands are over his hands.
"Mom? Dad?" Jessica asked, softly, coming over to the bed. She gently shook her Mom's arm, and Lisa opened her eyes and smiled softly at her daughter.
"Hey baby. What is it?"
"Can I lay with you?"
"Absolutely." Lisa said, and made room for Jess. Jess climbed in and snuggled up to her mother.
"Mom, I love you, Caleb, Daphne, and Dad, so much." She whispered.
"Oh, I know you do, sweetheart." Lisa said, kissing Jess's hair. "We love you, too."
"I know. Most of my friends ask why I have such a big family, but I don't really know the answer. I guess it is because it's what works for us, and we all love each other so much, that if we weren't a big family, we wouldn't be a family at all." Jess said.
Lisa thought about it.
"I guess you are right. I cannot imagine life without my children and Greg, and this new baby, once he or she is here."
"I can't either." Jess said, and hugged her mom tightly. Lisa hugged her back, feeling how lucky they all are, to be together.
Two months later…Lisa is getting ready in the morning. She just got out of the shower and is only in a towel. Greg is just buttoning his shirt up and then comes in to perfect the scraggly hair, Lisa goes out and manages to pull on some knee-length cotton pants, but is having trouble attaching her bra. Greg comes in at that moment, smiles, and walks over, stopping behind her.
"You know you always ask me to do that." He whispered in her ear. She smiled and he took the two clasps from her. He did up her bra and then reached around and placed his hands on her expanded stomach.
"I love you." He whispered, rubbing her stomach, now quite prominent, at seven months.
"I love you too." She whispered. Then, Jess opened the door.
"Hey Mom, you ready to go?" She asked. Jess is going with Lisa to her second ultrasound, the one that will determine the baby's sex, if Lisa wants to know, now. She didn't before.
"Hey Jess. Yes, I'm almost ready. Dad was just helping me get dressed."
"Okay." Jess said, and shut the door and headed downstairs. Lisa finished getting dressed and then went downstairs. Greg followed her.
"Well, I will see you at work in a few hours. Allison should be here soon to pick you two up." Greg said.
"Okay." Lisa said, and kissed him on the lips. He left, he has a lecture to teach this morning, which he gladly offered to do for Lisa. Lisa and Jess waited five minutes before Allison rang the doorbell. Lisa went up to get it, but Jess was up first.
"No, Mom. Relax. I'll get it." Jess said. Lisa gave her a grateful smile, which Jess returned and then went to answer the door.
"Hey Jess. Ready to go?" Allison asked, stepping into the house wearing jeans, a green button-up shirt and one of her usual button-up vests in black.
"Yeah, Allie. Mom, can you get up alright?"
"Yes, I think so." Lisa said, and gently pushed herself to a standing position. Jess came over and took her arm and led her to the car with Allie in front. Jess helped Lisa into the front passenger seat and then climbed in the back. In no time at all, they were at the doctor's, and Allie waited in the car while Lisa and Jess went in.
"Lisa House to see Dr. Smith."
"Alright. It won't be long." The woman at the desk said. Lisa nodded and sat in a chair. Jess sat next to her and laid her head on Lisa's arm. Ten minutes later and a door opened…
"Lisa House?" A nurse said. Lisa stood with help from Jess and they followed the nurse to an exam room.
"Make yourself comfortable. Dr. Smith should be in soon."
"Thank you." Lisa said, and the nurse left.
"Jess, are you alright?" Lisa asked, looking at her daughter in a chair, from her place on the exam table. Jess is fidgeting.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Just really excited to see an actual photo of my sibling!" Jess said, smiling.
"I'm glad." Lisa said, and then Dr. Smith came in. She's a nice, fifty-two year old woman with light red hair and kind green eyes.
"Hello Lisa. How are you today?"
"Perfectly alright. I slept great last night, and am fairly happy today."
"Good, good." Dr. Smith said. "Well, let's take your blood pressure and then we can get to the ultrasound." Dr. Smith replied. Lisa nodded. It was when she turned around that she saw Jess.
"Now, who is this?" Dr. Smith asked, smiling.
"This is Jess, my eldest daughter. She's twelve." Lisa said, knowing full well that Dr. Smith will react to this.
"This is Jessica Elizabeth House?" Dr. Smith asked, tears brimming her eyes.
"That's me." Jessica said, in a voice very like her mothers. She looked very like Lisa, as well, with the hair and the eyes. The only thing that wasn't Lisa was the mouth, and how it could conform to a smirk. But she had the full lips of Lisa and everything.
"Darling, the last time I saw you, you were just a baby in your mothers arms. You probably don't remember it, but I certainly do."
"No, I'm afraid I don't." Jess said.
"Lisa, she looks so much like you, except that twinkle in her eyes and the smirk that can easily play at her lips. Those are Greg's qualities."
"Yes, they are." Lisa said. "Jess, Dr. Smith is the woman that delivered you, and Caleb and Daphne too. That picture that is on the mantle, with you in the arms of a doctor, that's Dr. Smith." Lisa said. Jess immediately remembered, and smiled.
"Yes, I know the picture. It's nice to see you again." Jess said, smiling broadly.
"You too. And you can call me Alyssa." Alyssa said, and then she took Lisa's blood pressure and lifted her shirt and spread the gel on her abdomen. She then began the ultrasound. Jess held Lisa's hand while Alyssa did the ultrasound.
"The baby is perfectly healthy. Would you like to know the sex?" Alyssa asked. Lisa nodded.
"It's a…girl." Alyssa said, smiling. Lisa sighed, clearly relieved.
"I'm happy. I love boys, but girls are wonderful as well." Lisa said. Jess smiled.
"A new sister." She said, holding on to Lisa's hand. They smiled at each other.
Once in the car, Lisa picked up her cell phone and called Greg.
"Hey love." He said into the phone.
"Hey."
"How did it go?"
"It was fine, the baby is perfectly healthy." Lisa said, keeping him in suspense.
"And? The sex of the baby is?"
"A girl.
"Good. I am happy."
"I'm glad." Lisa said.
"Are you on your way home?"
"Yes. We are actually just pulling up."
"Okay. Well, when I get home later, you have no idea the kinds of pregnancy-acceptable dirty things I want to do to you." Greg said. Lisa laughed.
"Okay. See you later." She said.
"Yes. Love you." Greg said back.
"Love you too." Lisa replied, and hung up. Jess then helped her into the house and they both waved at Allie before she drove off to work. Once inside, Lisa sat down on the couch and groaned.
"Are you alright, Mom?"
"Fine." She said, rubbing her stomach casually. "My back just hurts."
"Okay. Well, I'll be upstairs. And Emily is coming over in about twenty minutes, if you remembered."
"Oh, I did." Lisa said. "And Jess?" Lisa said, as Jess began going upstairs.
"I am going to go up and take a nap. Will you help me?"
"Of course." Jess said, waiting for Lisa at the foot of the stairs. On the way up the stairs…
"Jess, I'm really tired, so if you are going to be loud, please, take it downstairs, so I can sleep."
"Of course we will." Jess said, as they made it to the top of the landing. Jess went to her room and Lisa to hers. Lisa immediately crawled under the covers and was instantly asleep. She awoke an hour later, much more refreshed. She also found a note on the pillow next to her.
"Dad dropped off the twins at his lunch break. Em and I are watching them. Love you." Jessica wrote. Lisa smiled and slowly got up from the bed. She stretched, yawned, and rubbed her belly. She then went into the bathroom and checked herself out in the mirror before heading downstairs. She found Jess and Em in the kitchen, giving the twins apples with peanut butter. Jess looked up when she heard Lisa come in.
"Hey Mom. Good nap?" Jess asked, smiling.
"Yes, very." She said, going over to the twins. "Hey Caleb and Daphne. Did you have fun with Daddy at work?" She asked, kissing each of their heads. They stood up on their chairs as to make that easier for her.
"Yep!" They said in unison.
"Good." Lisa said, and turned to Emily.
"Hey Emily. Wonderful to see you again."
"You too, Mrs. House."
"Please, feel free to call me Lisa."
"Alright." Emily said, and smiled. She had always liked Jess's mom.
"Thank you for watching them. I really needed some sleep. I'm just so tired all the time."
"I know. I see it on your face. It's okay. They are agreeable with me."
"That's good." Lisa said, pulling down a glass from the cupboard and pouring herself some water.
"So, Lisa, how much longer?" Emily asked.
"Two months. Not too long now."
"No, not too long at all. I'm sure you can't wait."
"No, I can't." Lisa said with a smile, joining the girls and the twins at the table.
"Don't get me wrong, I love carrying a baby, but when this is your forth, it gets tiring. And, it's just tiring in general."
"I'm sure it is." Emily said, nodding. Lisa smiled and then placed her hand over her belly, rubbing a spot. Lisa laughed.
"The baby is playing soccer with my stomach." She explained, at the girls' confused stares.
"Oh." Jess said, and placed her hand where Lisa had removed her own and laughed too, when the baby kicked it. Emily did the same after Jess was done, and also laughed, smiling big. A few hours later…Emily is spending the night, and Greg is just getting home. He comes into the kitchen to see Lisa pouring herself some apple juice, a craving of hers lately.
"Hey love." He says, moving closer. She set her glass down and turned to him, smiling.
"You look so beautiful." He said, and kissed her gently, with his hands on her belly.
"Thank you." She said, smiling up at him as he had his hands on the side of her stomach, massaging. After dinner…
"Em, I'm going to go up and lay out the sleeping bags." Jess said to her friend.
"Alright. I'll be right up." She said. Jess nodded and disappeared. Greg had gone into the living room to watch some tv. Emily cleared the dishes for Lisa while Lisa relaxed on a chair in the kitchen. Emily hesitated before going upstairs, and Lisa saw it.
"Emily? Is there something you want to talk about?"
"No. No. It's fine." Emily said.
"Emily, just so you know, you don't have to be shy with me. If you ever need advice, don't be afraid to even call and ask for me. I will help."
"Okay. Thanks." Emily said, and went upstairs. Lisa shook her head and joined Greg in front of the tv. She settled down carefully next to him, his arms cradling her.
On the news, a young girl had gone missing.
"I don't want that to ever happen. To any of our kids." Lisa said, tears in her eyes.
"Sh…it's okay." Greg whispered, and held her close and kissed the top of her head.
"I know. I just don't."
"I know. And I don't either. Trust me." He said.
"I do." She replied, and eventually quieted down and they just watched the rest of the news before going upstairs together, to go to sleep.
