"Beck?" Jade calls from the master bathroom into the bedroom "It's done."
"Three minutes already?" He asks as he walks into the bathroom "It didn't feel like that long."
"Really? Because to me it felt like an eternity."
"Doesn't matter." He assures her "All that matters is the fact that it's done and all that stands between us and knowing is just flipping it over."
"Right." Jade nods, reaching for the plastic stick on the counter "Oh, I can't do it. You do it."
They're a bit older now. Beck has recently turned twenty-five and Jade will do so in the upcoming months. After some discussion and consideration, they've decided that they're ready to have a baby. Really ready this time, not just ready in the sense that they're okay with going along with a decision that the universe made for them. They're ready to try on their own. After about six weeks of trying on their own, Jade's period is late.
"I'll do it." Beck nods, placing a hand on her shoulder as he reaches for the test and turns it over, revealing the results on the other side
"Oh my god." Jade gasps
There's two pink lines staring back at them from the center of the plastic test on the counter, confirming exactly what they hoped it would.
"You're pregnant!" Beck exclaims "We're having a baby!"
He pulls her close to him and kisses her, but notices immediately that she's not nearly as enthusiastic as he is.
"What's wrong?" He asks her "This is what we wanted!"
"What if something goes wrong again?" She says quietly "What if we get ourselves all excited only to have it turn out just like last time? I can't go through that again..."
"It's going to be different." He promises her "I'm manifesting that and putting it out into the universe."
"You're right." She nods "You're right, if we manifest it...then it'll happen. Everything is going to be fine."
"That's my girl." Beck grins, kissing the top of her head "Hey. We're having a baby."
"We are." Jade laughs "We're having a baby."
This time around they choose to keep the news to themselves for the time being, just incase. They see a doctor to confirm the pregnancy and make sure everything is healthy, which it is, but don't share the news with any friends or family just yet.
With no one else knowing about the baby, Beck is Jade's only support system through the first twelve weeks of her pregnancy. He's there for her through all of the horrible morning sickness, which they learn comes at all times of the day not just in the morning, all of the hormonal changes, and all of the fear about the possibility of losing the baby again. She does make it to her second trimester though, and at that point everything is still looking incredibly healthy.
They're in LA for Easter when they share the news with their families. Their parents are not only happy for them after knowing how much pain the loss of the baby two years prior had caused them, but are also ecstatic at the thought of their first grandchild. Jade's younger brother, Tyler, who is now sixteen is thrilled at the thought of being someone's fun uncle. But his father is quick to remind him that he'd be competing with Robbie Shapiro and Andre Harris for that title as well.
Their friends couldn't be happier for them either. Cat is again getting ready to tour and begs Jade to 'keep the baby in' until she has a break and can come back to be there. Once again, Jade promises to do her best.
When Jade is sixteen weeks, they have another doctor's appointment. There's the usual physical exam to make sure everything is okay with Jade, and then a sonogram to check on the baby. She's just barely showing at this point, so getting to see the baby on the screen in front of them is a reminder to Beck and Jade both that there's a little life growing inside of her that they both helped create.
"Everything looks great, you guys." The doctor assures them as she moves the wand around Jade's abdomen "The spine is developing just the way that it's supposed to and they're moving around quite a bit, so those muscles are getting stronger too."
"It's moving around?" Jade asks "Why can't I feel it?"
"The baby is still tiny." The doctor informs her "So it's completely normal for you not to be able to feel anything. He or she is about the size of an orange right now, but over the next few weeks they'll grow to be the size of a banana and their arms and legs will catch up in proportion. So you'll start feeling that movement real soon. You're also going to start showing more."
"Oh, okay." Jade nods "As long as there's nothing to worry about?"
"Nothing at all." The doctor assures her "Would you two like to find out the gender?"
"It's not too early?" Beck asks "We can do that?"
"If you'd like."
Beck and Jade exchange a glance, both already knowing what the other wants. Of course they want to know. They're planners. They need to have as much time as possible to discuss names and figure out everything that they need to buy and then actually go and buy it.
"We want to know." Jade tells her
"Alright, let's take a look, shall we?" The doctor smiles "Now, do you want me to write this on a card for a gender reveal or-"
"No." Beck and Jade say in unison
They've already discussed that. They think gender reveal parties are stupid and unnecessary, and they want the special moment when they find out to be with just the two of them. They'll tell their family and friends later.
"How's it goin' in there, baby?" Beck smiles as he talks to Jade's abdomen "You still nice and comfy?"
"She better be." Jade scoffs, running a hand over her stomach "She still has three months left and there's no way in hell I'm letting her out before she's ready."
"Where is she?" Beck asks
"Right here."
Jade takes his hand and presses it to the left side of her abdomen. They wait for a few seconds and then both share a prideful grin when they feel their daughter's foot press up against her father's hand.
"Wow." Beck sighs "That's still so amazing to me."
"What, that she's in there? Or that she's that strong?"
"Both." Beck admits, resting his head against her stomach "She's going to grow so much while I'm gone, I can't believe I'm going to miss it."
"You mean I'm going to get so much fatter while you're gone."
"Hey now, that's not what I said." Beck chuckles "By the time I get back, she's going to be even stronger and driving you even more insane."
Beck had been offered the lead role in a period-drama movie about a World War II. It will most likely be the biggest and most successful movie he's ever worked on, but in order to film it he'll need to be on location in France for two months. Jade will not be traveling with him for the first time since they've been married, as she was advised by her doctor not to fly. She's about to move into her third trimester of pregnancy, and doesn't want to risk activating premature labor. Beck is of course upset that she can't come with him, but at this point he knows its not about him or what he wants anymore. It's about what's best for the baby.
"Yeah, don't remind me." Jade rolls her eyes "But don't worry about us, we're strong independent women who can take care of ourselves."
"Of course you are." Beck smiles at her "I'm not worried at all."
But he does worry while he's away, and he can't help it. It's the longest he's ever been away from Jade since he met her, and while FaceTime is great it doesn't do justice to seeing the person you love face-to-face in front of you. Jade struggles a bit with it too, although she'd never admit that to Beck. Pregnancy is hard. Her body is changing and her hormones are all over the place, not to mention the fact that she has to pee every twenty minutes and can no longer find a comfortable position to sleep in and its making her cranky.
Her mother and brother come to visit her for a long weekend right before her brother gets ready to start his junior year of high school. That cheers her up a bit, especially having someone around who has been pregnant before and knows what it's like.
"I feel like it wouldn't be this hard if he was here." She admits to her mother "He makes everything easier."
"Him being here wouldn't change anything about what's happening to your body." Her mother reminds her "There's nothing either one of you can do about that. But I promise you that once you hold that little girl in your arms for the first time, none of it will matter anymore."
"So I've been told." Jade nods
"Have you picked a name yet?" Her brother asks her as he opens the fridge "Is it too late to throw the feminine of 'Tyler' into the conversation?"
"I think the feminine of Tyler is still just Tyler." Jade reminds him with a laugh "But yes, it's too late. We've narrowed it down to three names that we really like."
"Well what are they?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"I would." Tyler sighs "That's why I asked."
"We'll tell you when we finally decide on what it's actually going to be." Jade tells him "We don't want anyone's opinions but our own to influence the decision."
Once Beck returns home, a huge weight is lifted off of both of their shoulders. Neither one of them needs to worry about the other, and now Beck will be there whenever the baby decides to come. He still has a few scenes left to shoot for the movie, but they're filming those in New York and he can be home at a moment's notice if he needs to be. But he doesn't. When the movie wraps, Jade is still pregnant. She's uncomfortable and cranky, but the baby is doing well.
"I want her here now..." Jade sighs as she shifts in bed, trying to get comfortable "The doctor said she's head down, and we have everything ready...I'm ready for her to come now."
"She's obviously not ready yet though." Beck reminds her as he wraps an arm around her waist and rubs her bump gently "And her being ready is the most important part."
"I think it's happening." Jade says calmly as she appears in the doorway to their office
"What?" Beck looks up from his computer "The baby? Right now?"
"I think so, yeah." Jade nods, running a hand over her bump "I know I'm not due for another week still, but my water definitely just broke."
"It did?" Beck exclaims, leaping to his feet and knocking a stack of papers over in the process "Jade, that's not an 'I think', that's an 'I know'. We have to go to the hospital!"
"Beck, it's alright." Jade assures him, taking both of his hands in her's "Just go upstairs and get the bag, and I'll call the hospital."
"No, no..." Beck leads her out of the office and into the living room, helping her sit down on the couch "You don't do anything, okay? I'll call the hospital. You just sit here and stay calm."
"I'm pretty calm already." Jade chuckles "You on the other hand..."
"I'm alright!" He assures her, already half-way up the stairs "Just stay there!"
They have a car pick them up in the alley behind their building, not wanting to alert any paparazzi that might be camping out front to the fact that Jade is in labor. Her contractions start to get worse on the drive to the hospital, and Beck notices a break in her previously calm demeanor. It's almost relieving to him, because if she's panicking he can focus on keeping her calm instead of panicking himself.
They arrive at the hospital just before eleven thirty in the morning. After hearing that Jade's water broke, she's admitted to labor and delivery immediately, and hooked up to a fetal monitor to keep an eye on the baby. At this point, Beck starts calling their parents, who all thought they had at least another week before the baby was going to arrive, to keep them updated on the situation. His mother wants to change her travel plans to be there the next morning, but after a stern look from Jade he advises her to keep her regular ticket for the following week. They don't want too many people arriving to meet the baby at once and overwhelming them.
Cat is in London, preparing to play the last show on the European leg of her tour before she heads home for a month to relax before she heads to Australia and New Zealand for the next one. She's heartbroken that the baby decided to come early and she won't be there when the she's born, but Jade assures her that whether she meets the baby a few minutes after she's born or a few days, that she's is still going to love her Auntie Cat just the same.
Jade's labor is not easy. A full twenty-four hours after she was admitted to the hospital, she's still only seven centimeters dilated and not even close to being able to push. At this point, she's given a dose of Pitocin to help speed the labor up and it helps some, but it doesn't help the fact that she's exhausted.
"I just want to sleep..." She tells Beck
"I know..." He tells her sympathetically "Hopefully that little girl decides to make her appearance soon and you'll be able to."
"We're both actors." She reminds him with a tired smile "We should have known our daughter was going to be dramatic."
Jade is finally dilated enough to push at seven thirty that night, thirty-two hours after she was first admitted. If she had gone much longer there was a possibility of needing a c-section, something she wanted to avoid at all costs.
"Oh my god, I can't do this!" Jade cries, an exhausted and defeated tone in her voice "I don't have any energy left."
"You can do this and you will." Beck encourages her, squeezing her hand tightly "You just have to get her shoulders out, physics will do the rest."
"I'm trying, Beck. But I can't."
"Here comes another one, Jade." The doctor tells her, watching the contraction monitor "Get ready to keep pushing."
Jade lets out a scream so loud and so painful-sounding, that even Beck is scared. He had prepared himself for the worst, but somehow this seems even worse than that.
"I've got a head." The doctor tells her "C'mon, Jade! Keep it up!"
"Just a little bit more, baby." Beck encourages her "She's almost here! Think of the baby, do it for her."
Jade puts everything she has into one last push, praying that its enough to get the baby's shoulders out. The pressure on her pelvis disappears and people start cheering. Beck is kissing her and her vision is a bit fuzzy, but she sees the doctor hold up a bright pink, crying, baby that's covered in blood. She watches as a nurse clamps the baby's cord and shows Beck where to cut it, then takes her away to be cleaned up.
"You did it, Jade!" Beck says with tears in his eyes "Look, she's here!"
"She's...yeah." Jade grins as she falls back against her pillows
Her expression goes from smiling to blank almost instantly, but to Beck its as if it's happening in slow motion.
"Jade?" He says to her, shaking her shoulder a bit "Jade? What's wrong?"
A monitor on the wall starts beeping rapidly and a nurse pushes Beck out of the way as she tends to Jade.
"We need to move her, right now." The nurse says to another as they detach Jade's bed from the wall "She's hemorrhaging."
"She's what?" Beck asks, but gets no response "What does that mean?"
Jade is whisked away from him and taken out of the room before the baby is even fully bathed.
"What do I do?" Beck asks a nurse "Should I go with her?"
"You won't be able to follow them where they're taking her." One of the prenatal nurses tells him "Just stay here with your daughter."
Beck once told his high school acting teacher that he had never experienced true terror, but he realizes now this must be what that feels like.
He has twenty minutes with their daughter after she's born, and then she's taken to the nursery to have some tests done. Beck watches from the window as she's examined by different nurses and doctors, and eventually he's informed that she's perfectly healthy. Their beautiful, perfect in every way, daughter is completely healthy and has no issues whatsoever despite the dramatic circumstances surrounding her birth. As Beck watches her sleep in her plastic bassinet behind the nursery window, he decides that she looks just like Jade. Same nose, same shaped eyes, and same light brown hair. Beck is certain that other people will be able to find traces of him in her but right now he only sees her mother, and all he can think about is how worried he is about his wife. He twists his wedding band around his finger nervously as he keeps a watchful eye on the infant.
"Mr. Oliver?" A nurse approaches him
"Hm?" Beck turns to face her "Oh, please tell me you have some information about my wife. Nobody here seems to know what's going on."
"Your wife lost enough blood during the delivery that she hemorrhaged." The nurse explains "It was most likely caused by the fact that her contractions stopped immediately and therefore she didn't have any pressure in her uterus to help stop the bleeding when the placenta detached itself."
"Well is she okay?" Beck asks her anxiously "Were they able to stop the bleeding?"
"The doctor was able to give her medication to re-stimulate the contractions again and apply the proper pressure to stop the excess bleeding." The nurse nods "She's still going to experience the same post-natal bleeding that other women do."
"Can I see her? Please?" Beck begs
"She's sleeping right now." The nurse informs him "But we have her in a room down the hall if you'd like to go sit with her. I'll arrange for a nurse to bring your daughter in as well."
"Okay, thank you so much."
The nurse leads him to a room down the hallway and around the corner from the nursery, then leaves to talk to someone about bringing the baby down. Jade is in fact fast asleep, but appears to be sleeping peacefully despite the oxygen tube in her nose and the IV stuck in her arm. Beck knows how badly she needs her rest, between thirty-two hours of active labor combined with an hour of pushing and then a hemorrhage...he wouldn't be surprised if she sleeps for a week. Eventually a nurse brings the baby in her plastic bassinet, and Beck cradles her gently in her arms as he sits down in the chair next to Jade's bed.
He feels like he can truly be in awe of his daughter, now knowing that Jade is alright. Even though she's only sleeping, he feels as if he could stare at her for hours and never get tired. Hours pass, and eventually Jade starts to wake up.
"Beck?" She says groggily as she begins to stir
"I'm here." He says, shifting the baby into one arm so he can take her hand "It's okay, I'm here."
"What happened?" She asks him, still sounding a bit disoriented
"You started hemorrhaging after the baby was born." Beck explains "The doctor's had to give you some medicine to stop the bleeding, but they took care it. You're okay now."
"And the baby?"
"She's okay too." Beck smiles "Eight pounds, three ounces, nineteen inches long. Perfectly healthy."
"Is that her?"
"Nah." He smirks "This is someone else's kid they're letting me hold for now."
"Shut up." Jade sighs, adjusting the oxygen tube in her nose "Give her to me so I can see her."
Beck carefully passes the baby, who whines a bit in her sleep as she's jostled around, to his wife, who tears up immediately.
"Hi baby girl." Jade says quietly to her "I'm your mama...and I'm so sorry it took us this long to get aquatinted. But I'll never leave you ever again."
She rocks the baby gently in her arms, and as she recognizes the sound of her mother's voice, the baby's whimpering stops almost immediately. Comfortable and peaceful again, a smile spreads across her little face.
"She looks just like you, Jade."
"She does, doesn't she?" Jade chuckles "That smile is all yours though."
"I knew you'd find something."
Beck carefully climbs into bed next to her and wraps an arm around her shoulders, holding both of them as close as he can. He has his whole world in his arms right now, and he's going to do everything he can to protect it.
"We're a little family now." He points out
"Yeah, we are." Jade grins "Beck and Jade and...did you fill out the birth certificate?"
"Not yet." He tells her "I wanted to make sure you were still okay with the name before I did."
"You know how much I love that name." Jade reminds him "Nothing could make me change my mind, not even a hemorrhage."
"Okay." Beck chuckles "Well then, welcome to the family Lennon Danielle Oliver. We've been waiting very patiently for you."
"Maybe not so patiently." Jade admits as she kisses the baby's forehead "Wow, she's perfect."
"She sure is, isn't she?" Beck agrees "Hey. We made that."
"Crazy, huh?" Jade laughs "I think we did a pretty good job though."
"Yeah, I think we did too." Beck tells her as he kisses the top of her head "I love you, Mama."
"I love you too, Dad." She says as she leans her head against his shoulder "Wow, that sounds so weird to say."
"Yeah, it does." Beck agrees with a smirk "Something tells me we'll adjust to it pretty quickly though."