"Beck?" Jade calls out as she enters the foyer of their house and closes the door behind her
"Living room!" He calls back to her
Jade readjusts her bag on her shoulder and follows the sound of her husbands voice. There's voices coming from what she can only assume is the TV, but the only noise that can be heard in the otherwise quiet house is the echo of her heels as they click across the tile.
"Hey." She smiles when she sees him, sitting on the couch with Charlotte fast asleep against his side
"Hey." He greets her with a kiss as she sits down next to him "How was your day?"
"Not bad." Jade admits "If we stay on track next week, we should be able to wrap the whole thing by Friday."
"That's great!" Beck tells her
"How was your day?" She asks him, leaning over to look at Charlotte
"We did okay, this one was feeling a bit under the weather though." Beck sighs as he readjusts his arm around Charlotte "She got a bit clingy at bedtime, so I told her she could stay down here with me and wait for you to get home but of course, the news is not nearly interesting enough to keep her awake that long."
"Poor baby." Jade frowns, reaching over to feel the little girl's forehead "Did she spike a fever at all?"
"No, I think it's just a stomach bug or something along those lines." Beck tells her "She's been complaining that her tummy hurts."
"Well whatever it is, I think I might have it too." Jade admits "I have a killer headache and I've been nauseous all day."
"Maybe it would just be best if we all went to bed then." Beck suggests "We don't need anyone getting any worse, especially with you so close to wrapping."
"I think that's a good idea." Jade agrees "Let's get to bed."
Beck gently takes Charlotte in his arms before standing up and carrying her upstairs to her bedroom. Jade follows behind him, turning out all of the lights as she passes each switch.
Over the next few days, Charlotte starts to feel much better. She's significantly less clingy and is back up running around with her sisters in no time. Jade, however, starts to feel worse and worse. She writes it off as fatigue at first. They work long hours to make sure their movie wraps on time, so she isn't getting enough sleep to fight off the bug. But then after being home with Beck and the girls for a few days and not working at all, she still doesn't seem to feel any better.
"I think I might have the flu." She groans, rolling onto her side "This sucks."
"Call the doctor then." Beck shrugs "They'll be able to get you some meds to clear it up."
"Yeah, but I hate the doctor." Jade rolls her eyes "Or at least going. The woman herself is plenty nice."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No..." Jade sighs "It's stupid to call Stephanie in or make one of our parents drive over here to watch the girls for an appointment that will probably only take fifteen minutes. I'll go alone."
So Jade calls the doctor and makes an appointment for later that afternoon, and then stays in bed away from the kids until it's time for her to leave so she can avoid potentially spreading her sickness to them. Beck kisses her on the forehead instead of the lips when she leaves as well, just in case. She promises to be back within an hour, then heads off.
Beck puts Hazel and Sutton down for their naps, then accompanies Lennon and Charlotte to the backyard so they can play on the trampoline and swing set. Both girls eagerly try to convince their father to join them, but Beck assures them that he enjoys watching them have fun much more than he enjoys anything else. An hour comes and goes and Jade still doesn't return, but he's not worried. If something was wrong, she would let him know immediately. He keeps his phone in his pocket and on full volume, but he doesn't let his wife's absence bother him too much.
Eventually Jade does call, and lets him know that everything went alright at the doctor's and that she's on her way home. It's approaching dinner time at that point so Beck asks her if she's feeling well enough to stop and pick something up from one of their favorite restaurants, and Jade says that she is. So Beck puts the order in and Jade brings it home, and their girls are thrilled that they get to enjoy their favorite pasta at home in their casual clothes rather than having to get dressed up to go and get it.
"Everything go alright at the doctor?" Beck asks her as they clean up dinner "You've been kind of quiet since you got home."
It hadn't been too alarming, he knows she doesn't feel well. But it's unlike her not to at least fill him in on what the doctor's verdict had been.
"Well..." She sighs, setting down the plate she had been washing to make sure their kids are playing in the living room and definitely out of earshot "I don't have the flu."
"You don't?" He asks her, confused "What is it then?"
All of her symptoms were a dead ringer for the flu.
"I..." She begins, rubbing her temples "Beck, I'm pregnant."
"You're what?"
"Pregnant." She repeats "Thankfully with just one this time, but still pregnant."
"That doesn't make any sense." Beck says "I mean, we stopped trying. We're actually taking precautions at this point to avoid it."
"Apparently not enough of them." Jade shrugs "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" He assures her, taking her in his arms "This is great, Jade. Honestly. I'm just a little surprised, but I'm thrilled! I promise! Are you okay, though? I know you said you wanted to be done after the twins, and I know how hard the last pregnancy was on you."
"I'm still processing it." Jade admits as she rests her head against his chest "Obviously I love the little turd already and I'm already thinking about it. But...five is going to be a lot."
"It'll be a lot, but it won't be anything we can't handle." Beck assures her as he hugs her tightly "I love you and I'll be here for you no matter how you need me to be. Just like I was with the other's."
"I know you do and I know you will be and I love you for it." Jade smiles, looking up at him
"Hey, since you don't have the flu...it's okay to kiss you on the lips, right?"
"Right."
"Alright." He smirks before kissing her "I love you too. And I love that little guy or girl."
"Let's be real, Beck. It's a girl." Jade sighs "We wouldn't know what to do with a boy."
"You're right." He agrees with a laugh
"I just want you to know..." Jade tells him "That you're without a doubt getting a vasectomy now."
"Fine." Beck chuckles "That's probably for the best. I'll call my doctor on Monday."
"Good plan...I have a sonogram picture in my purse." She tells him "Do you want to see?"
"Is that even a question?"
"Hello?" Cat singsongs as she steps onto the Oliver's back patio "Anyone home?"
"Hi Aunt Cap!" Lennon waves from the pool
"Hey Aunt Cat!" Charlotte is quick to add as well
Hazel and Sutton also smile and wave to her, but are more interested in splashing Beck than they are in actually saying hello.
"C'mon, Dad!" Eli exclaims as he grabs Robbie's hand and pulls him towards the water "Let's swim!"
"Alright, alright." Robbie chuckles, taking his t-shirt off "Not so fast though, buddy. You've still got your shoes on!"
Cat watches as her husband assists their son in removing everything except his swim trunks, and can't help but grin as they both run and jump into the pool to join Beck and his daughters. She watches them swim around and splash for a few minutes, then walks over to the patio table to join Jade.
"Hey there." Jade grins, peeking into the baby wrap on Cat's chest "How's she doing?"
"She's great." Cat grins as she looks down at her daughter, sleeping peacefully against her chest "She's so mellow."
Two month-old Amelia Lynn Valentine-Shapiro, or Mia as she is known by most, is in fact a very mellow baby. Unlike her older brother, she was a great sleeper from the very beginning and really only ever fusses when she's hungry or uncomfortable. Cat and Robbie weren't really sure how Elijah would adjust to her, seeing as he had been an only child and his parents' only concern for so long, but he absolutely adores her.
"Enjoy that while you can." Jade chuckles "Before long, she'll be out there splashing around and causing trouble with the rest of them."
"Yeah." Cat smiles, rubbing the baby's back "Remember when they were this little? Or remember when there was only Lennon?"
"Time really does fly, doesn't it?"
Lennon is eight now, and will be close to nine by the time her newest sibling arrives. Charlotte is six, as is Elijah, and Hazel and Sutton just turned three.
"How's baby Oliver doing today?" Cat asks her friend
"She's good." Jade tells her, crossing her arms over her bump
She's six months now, and thankfully having a much easier pregnancy than she had with the twins. She still considers Charlotte to be her easiest of all, but she isn't bedridden this time around and her morning sickness stayed in the first trimester so she's taking this one as a win.
"She?" Cat raises an eyebrow at her "Is that confirmed?"
"We don't need it confirmed." Jade laughs "It's for sure a girl, I can feel it in my gut. Beck and I don't know how to make boys. Believe me, we've tried."
"Well maybe since you weren't trying this time, you'll get a different result." Cat shrugs
"Somehow I doubt that."
"If you're so sure it's a girl, have you started talking about names yet?" Cat asks as she rocks Mia a bit "I know you two are notorious for saving that for the third trimester."
"We haven't really yet, no." Jade admits "Or at least I haven't. Beck really likes Adaline for some reason, but I hate it so that won't be it."
"Like the movie?"
"Exactly like the movie." Jade rolls her eyes
"I suppose there's worse places to draw inspiration from." Cat chuckles as Mia starts to fuss "Oh c'mon, really? I just got done talking about how good you are!"
"Do you need to feed her?"
"No, she ate before we came." Cat tells her "I think she just wants to be held instead of wrapped up
"Mom!" Elijah calls from the pool "Come watch me!"
"Eli, I can't right now. Your sister is-"
"Let me take her." Jade offers
"Are you sure?"
"Well you said she just wants to be held, right?" Jade shrugs, holding her arms out "I can hold, and I can rock. Lord knows I've had the practice."
"Thanks." Cat smiles as she hands the baby over to her friend "I'll be right back, I promise."
"Take your time." Jade tells her as she cradles the infant in her arms "Oh, oh, oh, I know. I know. Shh...you're okay."
She bounces Mia lightly in her arms for a bit, rocking back and forth as she does so. Eventually the baby quiets down, looking up at her with big eyes.
"Hi Miss Mia." Jade smiles at the baby "You look just like your mommy, huh? You sure do. I'm working on a little best friend for you, I promise. She just needs a few more months and then she'll be here. The two of you are going to be a real handful, just like your mom and I were...but you'll be such good friends."
When Cat came over to the pool to watch Elijah, Beck noticed that she no longer had the baby wrapped up on her chest. A bit confused, he looked back to the patio table and saw that the baby was with his own wife instead. A smile spreads across his face as he watches her rock Mia and talk to her, even though he's too far away to hear what she's saying. In that moment there were two things Beck Oliver had never been so certain of in his life, one being that Jade is the best friend, the best partner, and the best wife he could ever ask for. And the other? That his daughters, all five of them, have the greatest mother in the world.
"I told you, no vowels." Jade groans, laying back against her hospital bed "First names that start with vowels just don't sound right in front of our last name."
"I think Addie Oliver is cute." Beck shrugs
"Ugh, shortening it to Addie is even worse." Jade scoffs "Absolutely not. Adaline is out."
"Can we go back to Hailey then?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it sounds too close to Hazel." Jade reminds him "We'd be mixing them up constantly."
"We already mix them up!"
"That's not something we should be proud of."
"Well, we're getting nowhere with this." Beck sighs, closing out of the baby name app on his phone and setting it on the table "I suppose we'll just have to call her Baby Girl for the first few hours."
"There's worse things." Jade admits as a nurse comes in to check on her "Besides, I'm sure it'll be easier once we see her."
"You're ten centimeters." The nurse smiles "I'll go let the doctor know."
"That was fast." Beck says as the nurse leaves
"Yeah well..." Jade smirks "The more you have, the quicker it goes."
"Thank god we're not having Lennon again." Beck jokes "She was what? Thirty-two hours?"
"Mhm." Jade nods "Thirty-two hours of labor and then another hour of pushing on top of that."
"Well hopefully this one goes a bit quicker." Beck smiles, positioning himself next to her bed and grabbing her hand
"I'm sure it will." She agrees as he kisses the top of her head
"Last one, best one. Right?"
"Something like that." Jade rolls her eyes again, but smiles this time "I love you."
"I love you too."
And it does take her significantly less time to push this baby out. After three contractions and three pushes, the doctor has a strong enough grip on the baby's shoulders to grab her.
"One more push, Jade!" She encourages her patient "I've got her shoulders, just give me one more push to slide her out!"
"You can do it, baby!" Beck assures his wife as he squeezes her hand tightly "I love you so much!"
Jade groans, but puts everything she has into one last push. Before long a baby is crying, and the room is full of cheers.
"Oh my god." Jade laughs as the doctor holds the baby up for them to see "Beck..."
"It's a boy!" Beck grins as the baby is placed on his wife's chest "We had a boy, Jade!"
"I can see that..." Jade smiles up at him "I would have never thought..."
"Me either." Beck admits "But look at this, he's here!"
"He sure is..." Jade coos as she strokes the baby's cheek gently "Hey there, little guy. Welcome to the family..."
"We're going to have to have the name argument all over again." Beck reminds her as he kneels down to get a better look at the baby "I mean, I wasn't prepared for this at all."
"Neither was I." Jade assures him "But, we haven't needed any boys names yet...so there's still plenty to choose from."
"That's true." Beck grins "Wow, the girls aren't going to know what to think."
"I'm not even sure I know what to think at this point." Jade laughs "We have a son..."
"We sure do." Beck leans forward and kisses her forehead "The most handsome son in the world."
Stephanie and Jade's mother, Kaitlyn, bring Lennon, Charlotte, Hazel, and Sutton up to the hospital the next morning to visit their parents and the baby, as it had been late by the time both he and Jade had been given clean bills of health and allowed visitors the night before. They opted not to tell anyone about their surprise, wanting to see the look on the girls' faces when they told them in person.
"Mommy!" Sutton is the first to exclaim and run over to Jade's bed "We missed you."
"I missed you too, pretty girl." Jade smiles "I missed all of you."
"Is that the baby?" Charlotte asks
"Sure is." Jade tells them, repositioning the baby in her arms so they can see him better "This is your new baby brother."
"Brother?" Lennon gasps "Really?"
"Really." Beck chuckles "We were just as surprised as you."
"But you said it was a sister!" Hazel insists "You lied!"
"Alright, technically we never really knew for sure. We just had a gut feeling." Beck tells her as he lifts her up onto the bed to see better, then does the same with Sutton "We were wrong, and that's okay. It happens. He's kinda cute, huh?"
"Yeah, kinda."
"He's so cute!" Lennon coos "Can I hold him?"
"In a little bit, okay?" Beck tells her "Let's give everyone a chance to settle down first."
"Okay." Lennon nods, not taking her eyes off of the baby
"Does he have a name?" Kaitlyn asks, looking down over Jade's shoulder at her new grandson "Or have you not gotten that far yet?"
"He has a name." Jade assures her "Ladies, allow me to introduce you to our newest family member...Dominic James Oliver."
"Oh, I love that." Kaitlyn tells her daughter as she squeezes her shoulder reassuringly "Little Dominic."
"Fits pretty well, doesn't it?"
"It does."
"Daddy's middle name is James too!" Charlotte points out
"Sure is." Jade nods "That's why we picked it. I got to pass part of my name to Lennon because she was our first girl, and Dad wanted to pass part of his name to Dom since he's our first boy."
"And our last." Beck is quick to add "Enjoy him while he's small, girls. Because there's not going to be any more babies after this."
"Aw man!" Sutton groans, which causes her parents to laugh
"Do we get to take him home now?"
"No, not yet." Beck shakes his head "He needs to stay here with Mom until tomorrow so the doctors can make sure they're both one hundred percent healthy, but we'll be home as soon as they tell us we can leave. I promise."
"All of you get together." Kaitlyn orders the family as she pulls her phone out of her purse "Let me take your first official family photo!"
Beck helps Hazel and Sutton sit on either side of Jade while she holds Dominic in her hospital bed. Beck holds Charlotte on his hip and stands off to one side of the bed, while Lennon stands on the other. Kaitlyn miraculously manages to get a picture where everyone is not only looking at the camera, but also all smiling at the same time. Beck and Jade both choose to post it to their instagrams, along with one of Dominic's newborn pictures and matching captions that read: 'Dominic James, you make us complete.'