Betty's pov (38 weeks pregnant)
"Mama, I had a nightmare," I hear a small voice say.
I sigh, sitting up. I had been trying to fall asleep for what felt like hours. I'd been having cramps all night and had not been able to find a comfortable position.
"What is it, Juju?" I ask, rubbing my eyes. I hold my arms out, and Juju jumps onto the bed and settles into my lap.
"The- there was a mean guy, and he- he was trying to- to hurt me," Juju said, crying.
"Hey baby, it's okay, no one's gonna hurt you," I say, hugging her closer to me.
'But- but it felt so- so real," Juju sobs. I hear a rustling next to me, and Jughead sits up.
"Hey girls, what's going on?" He asks, yawning.
"Juju had a nightm-," I start, and then pain hits. I shut my eyes and my breathing deepens. It lasts a few seconds before I'm able to talk again.
"Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" Jug asks, while Juju stares silently up at me, fear in her round eyes.
"Nothing I just... I just had a really bad cramp," I say lightly.
Jughead raises his eyebrows in skepticism. "Are you sure that's what it was?" he asked, looking at my stomach.
I take a deep breath, wanting to ignore the question. "Juju had a nightmare," I finish.
"That's not what I asked," Jughead says.
"I don't... I don't know..." I tell him.
"Betts, you know what it is," he says, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "What's with this sudden reluctance?"
I shrug. I can't explain it, really. "It just... doesn't feel right," I say finally.
"Betty, we've been ready for months. It's all gonna be fine, I promise," he says, standing up.
"Mama, what's going on?" Juju asks as pain shoots through me once more and I have to lean back.
"Your mom is gonna have the baby soon," Jug says for me as I recover from the contraction.
"GrayGray's gonna be here soon?" Juju asked excitedly as I get off of the bed and look around, unsure of what to do.
"I think so, Julie," I say, finally deciding to pull on some leggings first, then a jacket.
"Yayayayayay," Juju shouts, twirling around the room. I laugh softly, turning to Jughead.
Our eyes meet for no more than three seconds, and yet in that gaze we had years worth of conversations. We shared our emotions with each other, our fear and excitement and unsureness and love. It was so short and yet powerful, and it could have lasted years.
I slip some sandals on and then make my way to the bathroom. As soon as I sit down, I feel water gush out of me and pain worse than before hits. I have to grab onto the counter to not fall.
"Juggie, I think my water just broke!" I call to him.
"Oh shi- shoot, really? Right, let's get going then" He says, and I clean up the water that had made it to the floor and go back out to the bedroom, where Jughead is packing a few last minute things into the hospital bag.
"Jules, go get on some shoes and a jacket," I tell her, and she runs off to her room. "I'm gonna call my mom."
I dial her number, and after a few rings, she picks up.
'"Are you having the baby?" she asks immediately.
"Yeah, should be," I say, smiling.
"Oh my gosh! Okay, where are you, all of that?" she says excitedly.
"We're at home, we're gonna leave," I pause a minute as another contraction hits, and then continue, "in a few minutes. Juju's awake, she's putting on shoes. We'll be at the hospital in fifteen minutes probably. Don't rush, Juju can stay with us for a while. I just want her to be able to sleep a little before she meets her brother, you know?" I say.
"Of course. Don't worry, I remember the plan," she tells me, and I can tell without seeing her that she's smiling.
We had worked out a plan together a few weeks ago. When I went into labor, my mom would get Juju and take her to her house where she could eat and sleep. She would be there a little of the day, but not all, and she would get to come meet her brother once he was born. She would stay with my mom for as long as need be, and since my mom had a key to our house, she would be able to go home and get whatever she needed.
"I'm ready, Mama!" Juju says, running back into our room.
"Great" I tell her. "Okay, mom, I'll see you soon, bye," I say.
"Bye, honey," she says, and we hang up.
"Alright, Jules, let's get in the car," I say.
"Where are we going?" Juju asked as we walk there.
"The hospital, so that mommy can have Grayson," Jughead fills in as another contraction hits.
"Am I gonna be there?" she asks.
"You're gonna be there at the beginning, and maybe a little in the middle, depending on how it goes, but not when Gray is actually born," Jughead tells her.
"Aw, why can't I be there?" Juju asks as Jughead helps her into her carseat.
"You're not old enough yet, baby, but if you're old enough next time I have a baby maybe you can be there, if you want to," I tell her.
"You're gonna have another baby?" she asks, looking excited.
I bite on my lip. "Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say," Jug whispers, a faint smile dancing on his lips.
"In a few years, maybe. I mean, we never know what will happen in the future, but right now, we're definitely planning to have another baby in a few years," I explain. I feel another contraction and grab onto the car door to steady myself.
"Can it be a girl next time?" Juju asks.
Jughead and I laugh. "We can't control that, Jules," Jughead tells her, still chuckling.
"Oh. Well, can you tell whoever does control that to make it a girl?" she asks.
I smile at her, my perfect little girl. "We'll pass the message on," I tell her.
A few minutes later, we pull into the hospital parking lot and after Jug helps me out of the car, we make it inside the hospital, where we're quickly put in a room.
They hook me up to a few machines so they can hear the baby's heartbeat and monitor contractions.
"How're you feeling?" Jughead asks once all of the doctors have left the room.
"Tired," I say, smiling lightly. Another contraction hits, then: "I want the epidural."
"I'll make sure to let them know," Jughead smiles.
"I don't like the needle though. I wish it didn't have that needle," I tell him.
"You'll be fine, Betty," Jughead says soothingly.
"Hopefully," I sigh. "I wanna sleep."
"They'll let you, probably. You aren't too far along, I don't think," Jughead says.
"Mm," I agree.
Nine long hours later, I was holding my baby boy.
"He's perfect," I say softly, admiring the sleeping baby I held in my arms.
"He really is," Jug agrees, staring down at us.
"Hey, Grayson," I whisper, stroking his arm.
He has dark blonde hair and blue eyes, and soft, perfect skin.
"He looks like you," I whisper to Jughead.
"Really? I think he looks more like you," Jughead replies.
"The more obvious features, maybe, but he looks like all the pictures I've seen of you as a baby," I say. "Besides, I've already got a child duplicate, Julie. You deserve one too."
"I'm afraid genetics don't care which parent has more lookalikes," Jug whispers.
There's silence for another few minutes where we soak up the time we have alone before Juju gets here with my mom.
Jughead's phone dings, and he reads the text. "Your mom's here. I'll go get her," he says, and then quietly leaves Gray and I in the room alone.
A minute later, he returns with Juju and my mom. "Okay, Juju, you've gotta be quiet," I hear Jug tell her as they walk in.
He leads her over to me, and her eyes widen when she sees her brother.
"Juju, meet Grayson Kade Jones, your little brother," I say gently.
"He's so tiny!" she says, looking at him with wonder.
"I know," I smile. I watch her look at him with complete adoration in her eyes, and my heart feels like exploding.
I finally pull my eyes away and look up at my mom, who had come in a few moments after Juju. "He's so perfect," she says to me.
"I know," I smile. I look back at Juju. "Wanna hold him?" I ask her.
Her eyes widen. "Can I?" she asks.
"Of course," I say delicately. "Drag that chair over," I tell her, pointing to a plastic chair in the corner of the room, and Juju gets the chair. Carefully, with Jughead's help, we get Grayson on Juju's lap.
"Do you like your brother, Juju?" I ask her.
"Yes!" Juju smiles happily. "He's perfect!"
I smile at Jughead, happy Juju loves her brother so much. "Let's hope this lasts," I whisper to him. He tries to hide his smile.
"Oh, my dad and JB are here," Jughead says a few minutes later. "I'm gonna go get them."
He returns a few minutes later, this time with Fp and JB behind him.
"Hi guys," I say, smiling faintly. "Juju's holding Gray right now."
The two of them walk over to the side of the bed where Juju is, and JB gasps when she sees him.
"He's so adorable," she says, staring down at the tiny baby. "Can I hold him?"
"Sure," I say, and although Juju doesn't look too excited to give Grayson to JB, she complies without argument.
"Hi baby, you're so cute," JB whispers to Grayson. "He's simply flawless," she tells me after a minute.
"Can I hold him?" Fp asks, and JB passes him into her dad's arms. Fp smiles at him. "Hey buddy," he says quietly.
The next few days passed in a tired blur. Although Grayson was not super fussy, he was still a baby, and Jughead and I had many sleepless nights cradling him. Juju complained a lot about him crying, no matter how many times we explained that that's what babies do.
"Well, why can't he just sleep? He'd be much happier if he just slept," she said one morning at breakfast.
"He's not always crying because he's sad. Since he's so little he can't talk, crying is his form of communication. He cries when he's hungry, or something hurts, or when he wants something, and, yes, when he is tired or upset," Jughead explains.
"When can he stop crying?" Juju asks.
"Well, you don't really ever stop crying when you're upset, but once he's able to communicate better, he'll stop crying so much," Jug says.
"That's gonna take forever," Juju sighs.
"It'll be here before you know it," I say.
"Doesn't feel like it," Juju grumbles.
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