Chapter Twenty Nine

It was a week later. I felt… huge. I didn't know how I could possibly get any bigger, but I had three months to go. It was getting harder and harder to move around and do everyday things, but Jack was always helpful and would help me with whatever I needed.

I wasn't sick anymore. Thinking back to how sick I'd been made me shudder, but also how much Jack had to do to keep me healthy.

Jack was my hero. He would get me my vitamins and make me breakfast and always take care of everything, while he let me do what he called "the heavy lifting." Then, he would always look at me with that boyish smile and say, "Literally." It made me laugh every single time.

I woke up this morning to find that Jack wasn't next to me. He never was, though. He always started the day early, making breakfast, cleaning the apartment, and then working. I understood why he always insisted on taking care of everything while I was still asleep. It was because if I was awake, I would try to help. And he just wanted me to relax and take care of myself and the baby. How wonderful was he!

Anyway, I opened my eyes to find Jack's side of the bed empty. In the darkness, I could see the door open and Jack come in with a breakfast tray full of different breakfast foods because as he said, I had impossible to perceive pregnancy cravings. "Good morning," Jack smiled.

I rubbed my eyes. "Good morning." I put my hand over my large belly and smiled. That smile quickly turned into a frown. "It's too early!"

"What? It's already eleven, sleeping beauty!" Jack set down the tray.

"No, Jack!" I sat up. "My water broke."

"Oh my god."

•••

"No! It's too soon!" I screamed in pain. I was wheeled into the emergency room on a stretcher. Jack had called 911 and we made it to the hospital quickly

"You're going to be okay," Jack was running to keep up with me.

"Doctor Fields is five minutes out," a nurse said.

I was still screaming in pain, sweating like crazy, clutching my belly. Jack kept up with me and stood outside the room as they transferred me to a hospital bed. "Jack!" I yelled. He ran in and stood next to me. I leaned my head against his chest as he held my hand. I continued screaming. My god, this hurt. Forget about all of the sickness and pain I had experienced thus far. This was the worst pain I had experienced in my entire life.

Dr. Fields ran in a minute later. "She's still laboring," another doctor said.

"Okay, let's see what's going on here." Dr. Fields sat down to look.

Jack stroked my head as I continued to scream. The nurse looked at the monitor, meanwhile I had stopped screaming. "What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Contractions have stopped," the nurse said.

"That's because the baby isn't ready," I was panting.

Dr. Fields came back over. "I'm going to stitch up your cervix."

"What?" Jack asked.

"It'll delay delivery for a few weeks, give the baby a chance to mature."

Jack clutched my hand. "And that's safe?"

"There are significant risks," Dr. Fields explained. "Maternal morbidity is about thirty percent."

"Rose could die?" Jack asked.

I looked at Jack. "What do we do, Jack?" I asked, crying. "I don't wan to lose the baby but I'm scared. What do we do?"

Jack took a second. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. Dr. Fields is going to sew up your cervix, and I'll be here with you the whole time. This is going to work. You're gonna be okay. You're not gonna die. Okay?" Jack had his hand on my sweaty cheek. "Say it."

"I'm not going to die," I cried.

"Promise me."

"I promise you," I said, still crying. Jack held my hand as Dr. Fields sewed up my cervix.

Everything was fine. I was fine after the procedure, and contractions had stopped. Jack had his arms wrapped around me. "So is everything okay now? Are we out of the woods?" He asked.

"Not entirely," Dr. Fields said. "I have to put her into trendelenburg."

"What is that?" I asked.

"It means you'll be lying face upward on a tilted bed. Your pelvis will be higher than your head," Dr. Fields explained. "It could prevent you from going into labor again."

"How long is she gonna have to stay like this?" Jack asked, as Dr. Fields started to slant the bed.

"Probably until she gives birth." She stood up. "I'll give you guys a minute. The nurse is right outside if you need anything."

Jack kissed the top of my head. "It's going to be okay, Rose." He put his hand on my belly lightly. "Daddy's looking out for you."

I looked at Jack with tears in my eyes. "I'm scared, Jack."

"I know," he took my hand and kissed it. "It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."

"I'm practically upside down," I chuckled. "This baby better be worth it."

"She will be."

•••

Nina came into my room a few hours later. Jack was fast asleep on the chair next to me, and although I desperately wanted to sleep, I couldn't. Being upside down made every position uncomfortable.

"Hey," Nina whispered. "Can I come in?"

I smiled. "Of course."

She walked over and sat down next to me. She pointed to my belly and smiled. "Can I?"

"Of course you can," I answered, and she placed her hand on my belly. "She hasn't been kicking as much. Is that bad?"

Nina shook her head. "No, she's probably just asleep. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, good," I sighed in relief.

"Today must have been really scary for you," Nina whispered.

"Yes, it was." I looked down at my belly. "It's crazy to think about what she's survived already." I put my hand on my swollen stomach, and I felt her kick.

"What do you mean?" Nina asked.

"She was most likely conceived on Titanic," I began. "Which means she survived a sinking, time traveling, a Fallopian tube, and countless health problems. And she's not even born yet."

Nina looked at me and smiled. "She's strong, just like you. You survived all of those things along with her."

"This is supposed to be the one place where she's safe and out of pain," I said quietly. "It just concerns me to think about what's to come."

"Don't go there," Nina said. She must have known to stop my imagination and paranoia before I drove myself crazy. "Rose, pregnancies are hard sometimes. We have advanced medicine that makes it easier and safer than ever before, but things can still go wrong. It doesn't say anything about this baby's life or future. I promise."

"The world's a scary place, you know?" I took a deep breath. "It's been so scary so far, and I just don't see that going away once she's born."

"Well, that's normal," Nina chuckled. "Jack's twenty one and I'm still worried about him as if he's a toddler who trips on his shoelaces. Of course you'll worry about your child. It has nothing to do with what you've been through. It's because you'll be a parent."

"So you felt this way too?" I asked.

Nina nodded. "With both Jack and Gabby. They both drove me crazy." She smiled. "This baby is going to wreak havoc on your emotions. You're going to be so overwhelmed by how much you love her that you'll want to cry. She'll look up at you with such love, like nothing you've ever experienced before. And down the line, she'll make you so angry that you just want to scream. But all of that is just going to make it that much better. You'll love her unconditionally, and the relationship between a mother and daughter is something truly special," Nina explained. I never understood what it was about Dawsons and how they could always put me at ease.

"I never had that," I told her.

"Neither did I. Not with my own mother, at least."

I looked up at her, somewhat surprised. She seemed to be the type of woman who had the amazing mother, and that's how she knew how to treat her own daughter. "You didn't?"

Nina shook her head. "I grew up in a cold household. My parents weren't really interested in being parents, and I was just in the constant care of nannies while my parents went frolicking around Europe or Asia or South America. My whole childhood was just doing stupid and reckless things in attempt to get their attention."

"What happened in the end?" I asked, possibly nosily.

"Well, there was a boy across the street who always invited me over to spend time with his family. He had no siblings, and although his parents were always around, he was also lonely at times. He became my best friend, his parents were like my parents… I finally had people who looked out for me, and not just because they were hired to do so. And years and years later, I married that boy."

"That's amazing," I smiled. The story was so heartwarming. "I didn't realize how similar we were."

Nina nodded. "My mother in law was a better mother than mine ever was, and when Jack told me about your childhood, I was determined to give you exactly what I found in Michael's mother."

I never imagined anything like what Nina was telling me. My mother was nothing like her, and neither was Cal's mother. I never thought I'd be given some sort of maternal love. "Thank you. You've given me so much support, and I don't know what I can do to thank you."

"Take good care of my granddaughter and we'll call it even," Nina winked.

"So after the way you grew up, was it harder for you to raise Jack and Gabby?"

"I thought it would be," Nina began. "But it wasn't. I knew how I wanted to raise them, how I wished I was raised. And yeah, we weren't perfect, but I raised them into people that I'm proud of. And I know that you and Jack will be able to do the same."

I smiled as she spoke. She gave me so much hope for the future, for our future as parents and the future of our child. Nina put me at ease about everything. And more than that, she knew what it was like to go through what I was going through. "So you were scared like this? When you found out you were pregnant, and throughout you're pregnancy?"

"Well, sort of. My pregnancy was a lot like yours, but also somewhat different," Nina explained. "I married Michael when I was twenty five, right after I graduated from med school and Michael graduated from law school. We both really wanted kids, but our careers mattered to both of us. So, we waited until we were settled with our separate jobs to try to have a baby. We tried for years to have a baby, and for whatever reason, we just couldn't."

"But after a while, you could?" I asked.

Nina shook her head. "We still couldn't conceive a baby. But there's something called in vitro fertilization, or IVF, where they fertilize the egg outside the mother's body. And thank god, it worked." She smiled. "It didn't end there, though. I started bleeding about halfway through, I was put on bedrest for months, just like you. And scariest of all, I once had an ultrasound where they thought Jack had an incredibly rare, incredibly dangerous disease, where he would die at only a few years old." Nina shuddered at the thought, and so did I, just at the thought of Jack not being here and instead being sick his whole life. "I was scared the entire time. I was scared I was going to miscarry, I was scared he would be sick, and I was scared I was going to bee a bad mom. So don't worry, you're not alone."

"So when did it finally click that everything would be okay?" I asked.

"When I held him in my arms," Nina looked over at Jack and smiled. "When your baby is born, they immediately put them on your chest. It's the most incredible, most special feeling in the world. And when you hold your little girl, it'll all be okay."

I had tears in my eyes. This conversation had been so awakening and so helpful. "Thank you so much."

"Of course, Rose. You're another daughter to me at this point," Nina smiled. "And I couldn't have asked for a better wife for Jack."

•••

It was a few weeks later. It was the afternoon, and Jack was at work. I was trying to take a nap, but I couldn't. I heard someone knock on the door. "Rose, you awake?" The voice whispered.

"I'm always awake." I opened my eyes to see Gabby standing in the doorway. "What's going on?"

"I just didn't know where to go," Gabby smiled sadly. "I was tired of being in my apartment all alone. And I figured you were all alone too."

I smiled. "Sit."

I turned on the TV, and we watched TV for a little while. "How's the baby?" Gabby asked.

"Kicking like crazy," I rubbed my belly, trying to get her to stop. "She keeps me up at all hours."

Gabby smiled. "She?"

"Did you not know?" I asked. "Yes, we're having a girl."

"Do you know what you're going to name her?" Gabby asked.

I nodded. "Yes, but we're not going to tell anyone until after she's born."

"I can just call her little Gabby until then."

"Shh, baby, please stop kicking," I whispered.

"Is there anything I can do?" Gabby asked.

I smiled and rubbed my belly. "Jack can usually talk her down."

"I can try," Gabby smiled. She put her hand on my belly and smiled. "Hi, baby. I'm your Aunt Gabby. And when you're here, I'm going to take you shopping, and I'm going to spoil you rotten, and I'm going to babysit you whenever your parents can't be with you."

"Thanks," I smiled, rubbing my belly. "She stopped. I think she's asleep."

"Is it weird being upside down?" Gabby asked.

I smiled. "It was at first. I'm kind of used to it now."

We watched TV for a few more minutes, and I started to fall asleep. "Do you want me to go?" Gabby asked.

I shook my head. "No, you can stay as long as you want. I'm just gonna sleep for a bit."

•••

It was a few weeks later. I was at thirty six weeks, so I was allowed to go back into a normal position. It felt really weird, considering I'd been practically upside down for ten weeks. The baby could be born any day now.

Jack got to my room after work and sat down. "Hey," he gave me a kiss.

"Hi," I smiled. "How was work?"

"It was okay," Jack yawned. "How are you feeling?"

"Baby's been kicking like crazy," I rolled my eyes. "And I still feel wonky from being upside down." Jack chuckled. "This isn't funny."

"Oh, I know," Jack kissed me. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Jack had his hand on my belly, which always made me happy, and always calmed the baby down. "I don't know if I can go through this again, you know?"

Jack smiled. "You don't have to unless you want to."

"Maybe I'll feel differently in a few years. But this pregnancy has been nearly impossible." I put my hand on his. "I just wanted to tell you that."

"Thanks," Jack said. "And I mean it. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too."

Jack leaned over to kiss me, but I pulled away. "Ouch." I put my hand on my belly.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

I looked over at him with a nervous smile. "I think I just had a contraction."

A/N: This story is winding down, and there are only a few chapters left. But I hope you guys enjoyed the story! I love seeing your reviews and everything, and hope you guys read my other stories as well.