"I'm exhausted." Jade admits, falling into bed next to Beck "And not the good 'I feel accomplished' kind of exhausted. I actually feel like I could sleep through the rest of this pregnancy and still be tired."
"Well, you have a few things going on." Beck reminds her "Trying to film a guest arc, growing two humans at the same time, raising two other humans on top of that...it's a lot."
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Jade groans, slipping under the blankets "You think I'm doing too much."
"I never said that."
"Your face says it every time I complain about being tired."
"I know you can handle it." Beck assures her "Especially because you have, what? Two scenes left to film for NCIS? Then you can just be home and relax as much as you can."
"Tell that to Lennon and Charlotte."
"That's why I said 'as much as you can'." Beck chuckles "I know they'll never let you completely relax."
"Just think, a few months from now and there will be twice as many of them." Jade reminds him
"We knew we were going to be outnumbered." Beck smiles "Once you're outnumbered it doesn't matter by how many."
"That's true, I suppose." Jade admits "I'm going to try and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
"Of course." Beck tells her as he kisses her goodnight "I love you."
"Love you."
The next few days are even more hectic for Jade, which she didn't think would be possible. Production is pushing to finish her last episode of NCIS by the end of the week, so her schedule is even more jam-packed. Despite being more than half-way through her pregnancy, her terrible morning sickness has barely subsided. And she's tired. No matter how much she sleeps, she's just tired. There's nothing bittersweet about her wrap on NCIS, as much as she enjoyed working there. She's ready to get home to her family and to relax for a bit before their new additions make their arrival.
However, that night she has trouble sleeping. No matter what she does, she feels uncomfortable. She tosses and turns and finally results to getting out of bed to walk around so she doesn't wake her husband. But the sudden absence of her presence does wake Beck up, and he follows her downstairs.
"Everything alright?" He asks her, stumbling tiredly into the kitchen
"I think so." Jade sighs, leaning up against the kitchen island "I don't know. I just feel weird."
"Weird how?"
"Weird like I'm absolutely exhausted, but I can't fall asleep for anything." She explains "It doesn't make any sense."
"Do you think there's something wrong with the babies?"
"No, they're moving around just as much as usual."
"Well maybe that's what it is?"
"Maybe." She shrugs "I'm sorry, the whole point of me coming down here was so that I wouldn't wake you up."
"If you think there's something wrong, I don't mind being woken up." He assures her
"I don't even think there's anything wrong. I just can't get comfortable."
"Come back to bed then." Beck suggests, nodding towards the kitchen doorway "We can put a movie on or something until you...are you okay?"
Jade is wincing now, pushing against the island as she looks down at her feet.
"Jade?"
"I'm alright." She nods as she stands upright again "I think I'm having Braxton Hicks."
"We should go to the hospital then!" Beck exclaims "C'mon!"
"They're not real contractions, idiot." Jade reminds them "They're just practice for the real thing. They don't hurt the babies, they don't hurt me, they're just uncomfortable."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." Jade mimics his tone "I'm not far enough along for them to be real. Let's just go back to bed and put a movie on or something like you said. I'll fall asleep eventually."
And she does fall asleep eventually, although it's close to four in the morning before she does. Beck gets up early the next morning to intercept Lennon and Charlotte before they can wake Jade up, knowing how badly his wife needs her sleep right now.
"The babies are just making her a little extra tired today." Beck explains to them "That's all."
Their house is big enough that they could play inside somewhere without waking Jade up, but Beck opts to take the girls in the backyard for the time being. They switch back and forth between swimming in the pool and jumping on the trampoline, and he tries to take in every moment that he can with just the two of them. Before long there will be twice as many little girls in his life, and he doesn't ever want any of them to think that he loves one or two of them more than the others.
By lunch time, the two little girls have exhausted themselves and are growing cranky. Beck feeds them and helps them clean up enough to nap, then puts them both to bed so that they're hopefully in decent moods by the afternoon. After leaving Charlotte's bedroom, Beck ventures across the top floor of the house to his and Jade's own to check on his wife.
She's awake and lying in the fetal position in the middle of the bed, an uncomfortable look on her face.
"Jade?" He says quietly
"I think we should go to the hospital." She tells him through gritted teeth "These are hurting like they're real."
"Alright." He tells her calmly, although he's panicking on the inside "Let me call Stephanie to come and watch the girls while-"
"This is her week off, remember?" She reminds him "Call your mom."
"Alright." He nods, reaching into his pocket for his phone "I'll call my mom."
"Beck." Jade reaches out and grabs his hand, a terrified look on her face "I'm scared. I can't lose another baby."
"Everything is going to be fine." He assures her as he dials his mom's number, trying to hide the fact that he's scared too
Priya is at the house within twenty minutes and Beck and Jade are out the door not long after. They're both terrified, although neither one of them would ever want the other to know. Jade is barely thirty weeks at this point, and it's for sure too early for their babies to be born healthy.
"You're dilating, so the contractions you're feeling are real." The emergency room doctor tells her "This is too early, even for multiples. We're going to admit you and see if some terbutaline will do the trick, and we'll get your regular physician here so she can take a look as well. Alright?"
"Whatever needs to be done." Beck tells him "We just want to make sure everyone is alright."
Jade is admitted to obstetrics and hooked up to an IV of terbutaline to hopefully stop her contractions. The hospital contacts her regular doctor, who makes her way over from her office as soon as she can.
"Let's take a look at these two and make sure everything is alright." She says as she pulls the ultrasound machine over to Jade's bed and turns it on "You said these contractions started last night?"
"More so early this morning, but yeah." Jade nods "I just thought they were Braxton Hicks."
"That's a fair assumption to make, given how far along you are." The doctor nods as she places the wand on Jade's stomach "You've been working, haven't you?"
"Well yeah, but-"
"I think she's overworked herself this time around." Beck cuts in "With her morning sickness being as bad as it is, she hasn't been able to-"
"That's still a problem?" The doctor asks
"Unfortunately."
"How often would you say it's bothering you?"
"On a regular day?" Jade sighs, looking to Beck "Two or three times. More than that on a bad day."
"Well, that could be part of the problem here..." The doctor sighs "I'm going to put you on some extra vitamins in addition to your prenatal ones. We'll start with a B6 and see if that helps, and an occasional glass of Pedialyte might not be the worst idea in the world either. The vomiting is depleting you of a significant amount of nutrients and whatever you have left is going straight to the babies...who seem to be doing well, by the way."
She turns the screen so that Beck and Jade can see the image of their twin girls, who are so close together they look like they could be cuddling with one another.
"They're okay?" Jade clarifies "Both of them?"
"Yup." The doctor smiles "They're both still head up, which is a good thing for now. Two strong heartbeats as well."
"Thank god." Beck lets out a sigh of relief "We're excited to meet them, but not quite yet."
"I know you're not going to love this Jade, but I'm prescribing you bedrest." The doctor tells her "You need to take it easy for the next few weeks, you overworked yourself. You can get up and move around to eat meals, go to the bathroom, and shower, but otherwise I want you in bed."
"But-"
"No buts, Jade." Beck cuts her off "The doctor is saying this is what's best for you and the babies, so you're going to listen."
"What about the short film you're doing next month?" She asks him "Who will take care of Lennon and Charlotte?"
"Stephanie will." He reminds her "That's what we pay her for."
"Full term with twins is only thirty-seven weeks." The doctor informs them "If you can make it to thirty five or thirty six, we should still be okay."
"See?" Beck rubs his wife's shoulder "It won't be for that long. But we have to do what's best for the babies."
"Right." Jade nods "This is what's best for them."
At first, Jade doesn't mind the bed rest. It gives her an excuse to stay in bed and catch up on her sleep, and just relax in general. After about a week though, she starts to grow bored of it. Sometimes Stephanie will bring Lennon and Charlotte in to color with her or watch a movie, but for the most part she's on her own in her bedroom either reading or watching movies. Her mom and step-mom both visit, as does Tori once or twice, and Cat frequently brings Eli over to play with Lennon and Charlotte so that she has an excuse to keep Jade company while Stephanie keeps an eye on all three of the kids, but it all still starts to become rather mundane to Jade. Her nausea and morning sickness have improved some but not completely, and now the extra weight on the front of her body is starting to cause her pain in her lower back. She's absolutely miserable but when she remembers who she's doing it for, things seem a little better.
"Charlotte is in bed." Stephanie says quietly as she peeks into Beck and Jade's bedroom "Do you want me to..."
"No." Jade shakes her head as she rubs Lennon's back gently "She's fine with me for now."
"Alright." The nanny nods "Do you need me to get you anything?"
"I'm okay." Jade assures her with a small smile "Beck is going to be home soon, I'll be able to manage. You're free to go, if you'd like."
"Alright, thanks." Stephanie smiles "I'll see you in the morning."
"See you in the morning."
After giving both girls their bath, Stephanie had begun getting Charlotte ready for bed first. At that point, Lennon wandered into her parents' room and climbed into bed with Jade, and Jade was more than content to let her lay there with her and cuddle. She feels guilty for not being around and as present for her two oldest children as she could be. There's nothing she wants more than to be up and running around and playing with them everyday, but its just not possible.
"Mama?" Lennon says quietly
"Yeah, Bubs?"
"Can I sleep here with you tonight?"
"Not the whole night." Jade tells her "But I'll let you stay until Daddy gets home. Okay?"
"Okay..." Lennon sighs
"You okay?" Jade asks her "You seem all bummed out."
"I just want the babies to be born already so that you don't have to be in bed all the time."
"I know, baby..." Jade frowns as she kisses the top of her daughter's head "I want that too. But I have to stay in bed so that the babies don't come out before they're ready to. If they're born too soon, they could get really sick."
"I don't want them to be sick."
"Me either, that's why I have to stay in bed."
"How much longer until they're here?"
"You'll be out of school for the summer." Jade tells her "Or at least that's the hope."
"That's a long time still."
"Not really." Jade shrugs "Just a few more weeks."
"Well, it feels like forever." Lennon pouts
"I know, I'm sorry." Jade nods "But hey, you know what?"
"What?"
"You're going to be such a special helper when they do finally get here."
"Really?" Lennon's face lights up
"Duh." Jade scoffs "You and Charlotte both. There's going to be twice as many babies so your dad and I are going to need twice the help. Plus, Charlotte is going to be new to the whole 'big sister' thing, so you're going to have to teach her everything you know."
"I can teach her." Lennon smiles "I'm a good big sister."
"You're a great one." Jade assures her as she hugs her daughter tightly
Beck comes home a few hours later and finds Jade asleep in the middle of their bed. He's confused for a moment until he looks closer and sees that Lennon is fast asleep on Jade's side, and the sight brings a smile to his face. The two of them fell asleep as close to each other as they could without Jade's belly getting in the way, and they're facing each other. Jade has an arm draped across Lennon protectively, and they both look so peaceful.
Beck sets his bag and his jacket down in the arm chair next to the door and tiptoes quietly across the room. He lifts the blankets off of Lennon and gently picks up Jade's arm to move it so he can scoop their daughter up in his arms.
"What are you doing?" Jade gasps quietly as she wakes up "Oh, hey."
"Hey." He smiles "I was just going to put her in her own room. Is that okay?"
"That's fine." She yawns "I told her she could only stay until you got home anyways."
"I'll be right back." He tells her as he picks Lennon up
The little girl barely stirs as he carries her out of their bedroom and back to her own. He lays her down in bed gently and covers her up, kissing her forehead before leaving to go back to Jade.
She's moved back to her side of the bed now, and appears to be sleeping again when Beck returns. It's late, so Beck decides to just get ready for bed and crawl in next to her. As he settles in, Jade reaches over and grabs his arm, pulling it around her waist.
"I thought you had fallen back to sleep." He admits as he cuddles closer to her
"No, not yet." She tells him "I was waiting for you."
"Oh." He smiles "Well, I'm here now."
"Good." Jade yawns "I was getting lonely."
"How are you three doing today?"
"They're fine, but I've been better."
"Kicking the hell out of your ribs?"
"Yeah." Jade nods "And my back hurts."
"I'm sorry." Beck sighs, rubbing her arm before replacing his own around her waist
"S'not your fault." Jade mumbles into her pillow
"Well it's half my fault."
"Yeah okay, true I guess."
"I wish there was something I could do to make it better."
"Just lay here with me." Jade tells him "I already feel a little bit better."
"Fuck, Jade...I'm so sorry." Beck apologizes as he rubs her back
"Stop apologizing, it's annoying the hell out of me." Jade snaps at him "Just get rid of the bucket."
"Alright, alright..." Beck says as he hands the bucket off to the nurse "Do you want some ice chips?"
"Yes, please."
Jade had finally gone into labor in the middle of the night in the middle of her thirty-eighth week, which was considered to be 'late' for twins. She's progressing relatively quickly compared to how she had with Lennon and Charlotte, but her contractions are intense and making her vomit frequently.
"If you keep up this rate, we'll have both of those babies here by dinnertime." A nurse smiles at her "Keep up the good work."
"Thank you." Jade sighs, leaning back against her pillows "Beck?"
"Hm?"
"Hold my hand, please."
"Of course." He nods, taking her hand in his and squeezing it tightly "I'm right here."
"Thank you." She smiles at him a bit "I just want this to be over."
"It will be soon." He assures her "Then we'll have four perfect little girls."
"I'm sorry." Jade laughs
"Why?"
"I know you wanted a boy."
"S'alright. I love being a dad of girls." Beck smirks "Besides, I'm starting to think that having boys just isn't in our blood."
"I think it was, but it's not anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"That first baby, the one before Lennon that we lost..." Jade sighs "I think that was our boy."
"Well, then it wasn't meant to be, right?"
"Yeah, I guess not." Jade nods "Beck?"
"Hm?"
"I know you've always talked about wanting five or six...but I think these two have to be the last." Jade admits "This pregnancy has been...I just don't know if I can do it again."
"That's perfectly okay." Beck smiles at her reassuringly "You've been so amazing this whole time. You're my super hero."
"Thanks." Jade smiles briefly before her expression sours "Do you think you could get that bucket back for me?"
Within a few hours, Jade is ready to push. She's not thrilled about having to go through labor twice, but knows doing it naturally is going to make for a significantly easier recovery than a c-section would. Beck is right by her side, just like he was when Lennon and Charlotte were born. He holds her hand and kisses the top of her head, offering her words of encouragement as she brings their third child into the world.
"One more big push!" The doctor tells her "I've got a head!"
"You can do it, Jade!" Beck tells her "The first one is almost here!"
Jade groans as she puts everything she has into one last push, and then suddenly a baby is crying.
"Hey, we've got one!" Beck grins as a nurse places the screaming baby on Jade's chest "Hey, baby girl."
"Oh, hi." Jade gasps "Hey, kiddo. Happy Birthday."
"She's looking right at you, Jade." Beck tells her
"Yeah, I know." Jade smiles "Hey, Hazel. That's your name. Hazel."
"Hazel Monroe Oliver." Beck nods, kissing his wife's forehead "We're so happy to finally meet you."
"Alright, this little one needs to be cleaned up." A nurse tells them as she picks Hazel up "And you need to get her sister out."
"Right." Jade nods
"We've got another contraction coming." The doctor tells Jade as she looks at the monitor "Go ahead and push when you feel it."
It takes Jade a bit longer to get the second baby out. She's more tired this time and losing energy fast. Within twenty minutes though, there's another crying little girl on her chest and the world feels complete.
"You did it, babe." Beck grins, resting his forehead against her significantly more sweaty one "They're both here."
"Thank god." Jade admits, laughing "They're both so worth it, but that was rough."
"It's all okay now." He assures her "It's all okay."
After both babies are cleaned up, taken for tests, and given clean bills of health, the doctors and nurses leave Beck and Jade alone to spend time with the newest members of their family.
"They're both so tiny..." Jade smiles "I forgot how small they are at first."
"Yeah, we're staring all over again." Beck chuckles
They're sitting side by side in Jade's bed, each holding a baby. They're less than two hours old and look almost identical, the only thing really telling them apart being their different colored hospital bands and their hats that have an 'A' or a 'B' on them.
"This one is Hazel, right?" Beck clarifies as he rocks Baby A in his arms "We said the first one would be Hazel?"
"Right." Jade nods "And this one is Sutton."
"Hazel Monroe Oliver, meet your sister...Sutton Grace Oliver." Beck grins as he introduces the babies to one another "I know you two probably know each other quite well at this point, but me and Mommy and your sisters are looking forward to getting to know you ourselves."
"Can you believe we have four girls?" Jade smiles at her husband "Because I can't."
"I can." Beck laughs "I'm already thinking about how expensive their weddings are going to be."
"Oh, let's worry about getting them home first before we worry about weddings." Jade nudges him
"You were right though, four is enough." Beck admits "They...they make the family feel complete. Beck, Jade, Lennon, Charlotte, Hazel, and Sutton."
"The Oliver's." Jade grins
"The Oliver's." Beck agrees with a wink "I love you so much. And I love our family."
"I love you too." Jade leans over and kisses him "I can't wait to bring them home."