Over the next six months Jeff was more of a husband to Emily than Robert
was. He ran errands; feed her when she was too tired, and was the one who
was there when she needed him. She usually slept, propped up on her bed
with all of her precious pillows. Jeff eventually moved into the next room
in case she was too weak to cry out loudly during the night.
Lucy visited almost every day, and when Emily was finally in her eighth month, she began to stay home on the weekends.
"Lucy!" Jeff exclaimed when he looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. "Whadda youse doin' heah?"
She walked to the other side of Emily's bed and squeezed her hand. "I tole' me dad dat I had t'ings ta do."
Emily swallowed dryly and opened her mouth, about to speak.
"Shhh." Lucy shushed her, and stroked Emily's hair. "Ya need ta rest." She glanced up at Jeff. "An' judgin' by da looks 'a you, I'd say you need ta rest too."
Jeff didn't argue, instead he stood, kissed his mother and wrapped an arm around Lucy as a "thank you".
Lucy placed her free hand on top of Jeff's and squeezed it lovingly. She watched him close the door and sighed, smiling weakly at Emily and settling further in her chair.
-----
Lucy shuddered involuntarily, her scowl spreading.
Emily awoke from her light slumber and looked at the young girl, furrowing her brow in confusion.
Lucy coughed loudly in her sleep, causing Emily to jump. She held out a hand, ready to wake Lucy and ask what the matter was, but she suddenly felt a kick from her swollen belly. She placed the outstretched hand on her stomach, eyes wide, a smile growing on her face. She reached out her hand once more and shook Lucy gently. "Lucy, Lucy!"
Lucy awoke with a start. "Wha-what? Is somet'ing da mattah? Is it time?!" She asked, her voice alarmed and suddenly fully awake.
Emily smiled at her, the corners of her eyes crinkling up. "No deah, the baby kicked me."
"Oh! Really? Can I—Can I feel?" She inquired bashfully.
"'Course deah!" Emily struggled to sit up.
"Don't hoitcha self now!"
Emily smiled kindly at her helper. "Thanks, but I have done this before, let me remind you."
Lucy put a tan hand on Emily's stomach and waited, eyes wide and shining. She suddenly jumped back and let out a small cry, her hand flying to her mouth.
Emily laughed. "Strange isn't it?"
Lucy nodded, then realized that Jeff was in the next room, asleep. "Has Jeff umm..."
Emily shook her head.
Lucy turned towards the door.
"Jeff!"
"Jeffery!"
"Jeff! Come 'ere!"
-----
Jeff opened his eyes sleepily, not wanting to leave the dream he was having. He faintly heard someone calling his name. He sat up and stretched.
"Jeff! Come 'ere!"
/Lucy?...Mom!/ He threw back the covers violently and skidded into his mother's room, wild hair and searching eyes ablaze. "What?! What happened?!" He asked, panting coarsely.
Emily tittered at her son's concern.
Lucy rolled her eyes, a smile on her face and one hand on Emily's bulging belly. "Come here would'ja?"
Jeff slowly calmed down, realizing that there was no emergency.
Lucy took his hand and placed it next to hers.
"Well why'd ya cawl me in heah if—" Jeff let out a yelp and pulled his hand back as if his mother's stomach had burned it. "What da..." He looked from face to face in search of an answer.
Emily laughed, ending it in a cough.
"Dat's da baby Jeff." Lucy said softly, gazing up at him, eyes glistening.
"Oh," He said softly, extending his hand again. "Dat's—dat's me sistah?"
Emily nodded, on the verge of tears. "Or bruddah." Emily wrapped her arms around her son, and he in turn dragged Lucy into the group hug. The three fell asleep a few minutes later.
-----
Jeff awoke for a second time, the sun's earliest rays peeking in the half- shut window and dancing over his eyelids. He tried to sit up, but found he couldn't. He looked down and realized that somehow his mother had disappeared and he and Lucy had spent most of the night holding onto each other. He blushed crimson and tried to pry her off without waking her. Her hands fell away easily to his surprise.
/I shouldn't wake huh, she'd pro'bly jus' be embarrassed./
He thought to himself, not knowing how wrong he was.
-----
Lucy awoke soon after Jeff had left, and immediately she shivered and went into a coughing fit: huge hacking coughs that shook her whole body. She held her hand over her mouth, as she had always been taught, but when she pulled her hand away, she saw blood. Panicked, she ran to the closest bathroom and threw up what little she had been able to get down the day before. She quickly washed her hands and splashed cold water on her pale face.
/Jeff can't know,/ An inner voice told her. /He gots enough problems widout youse interferin'./ Shaking, she got rid of any evidence of her "problem" and walked back into the bedroom she had run from, sinking up to her chin in down quilts.
-----
All during the next month Jeff confined his mother solely to her room. He brought her meals in and did any housework that needed immediate attention.
Lucy helped when she was able, having grown up around her handy-man father, but oft times she'd start into her coughing fits and have to rush to another room.
Emily began to get worried and finally confronted Jeff.
"Aww Ma, don't getcha self all wound up. She's fine."
Emily looked her son in the eye dubiously.
"'Sides, she'd tell me if sumptin' was wrong." He said, a little uncertainly.
After that, Jeff made sure to keep a close eye on his best friend. One day, as Jeff and Lucy were joking around while they worked on the family's car, minus chauffeur, Lucy was sent into one of her coughing spasms again. Standing and still laughing, she tried to rush into the house, but Jeff grabbed her arm and pulled her back. His face became serious.
"Lucy, ya gotta tell me what's goin' on."
Slowly realizing that she had been found out and that there was no backing out of it, she sat back down on the ground. A large cough shook her body; she turned away from him and spat in the grass. Turning back, tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"Jeff I—"
"Lucy...dat's blood." He said, swallowing hard.
"I know." She said tearfully, and began coughing again.
"Why din't ya tell somebody 'bout dis?" He questioned, growing angrier by the second. "Why didn't ya tell me?!" He whirled on her.
Lucy suddenly sobered up and matched his anger. "It ain't like I killed somebody Jeff." She said, glaring up him.
"Yeah, it is Luce. Like ya killin' yaself by not lettin' me get ya some help soonah. Like ya killed da trust dat took all our lives ta build up." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a habit he had developed over the past few months.
She stood and wrapped her arms around him, despite his protests. "Jeff, I didn't want ya ta get upset."
"Upset?" He asked, incredulous. "Why would I be upset? My best friend's coughin' up blood and she din't tell me."
Eyes shining, she looked at him. "I knew how much youse were carin' for ya mudda, an' I din't wanna get in da way. I figga'd dat ya had enough problems widout addin' mine in."
Relenting, he put his arms around her frail body and stroked her hair absently. "I jus' don't want ya ta hoit no more...come on, let's getcha to a hospital."
Lucy visited almost every day, and when Emily was finally in her eighth month, she began to stay home on the weekends.
"Lucy!" Jeff exclaimed when he looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. "Whadda youse doin' heah?"
She walked to the other side of Emily's bed and squeezed her hand. "I tole' me dad dat I had t'ings ta do."
Emily swallowed dryly and opened her mouth, about to speak.
"Shhh." Lucy shushed her, and stroked Emily's hair. "Ya need ta rest." She glanced up at Jeff. "An' judgin' by da looks 'a you, I'd say you need ta rest too."
Jeff didn't argue, instead he stood, kissed his mother and wrapped an arm around Lucy as a "thank you".
Lucy placed her free hand on top of Jeff's and squeezed it lovingly. She watched him close the door and sighed, smiling weakly at Emily and settling further in her chair.
-----
Lucy shuddered involuntarily, her scowl spreading.
Emily awoke from her light slumber and looked at the young girl, furrowing her brow in confusion.
Lucy coughed loudly in her sleep, causing Emily to jump. She held out a hand, ready to wake Lucy and ask what the matter was, but she suddenly felt a kick from her swollen belly. She placed the outstretched hand on her stomach, eyes wide, a smile growing on her face. She reached out her hand once more and shook Lucy gently. "Lucy, Lucy!"
Lucy awoke with a start. "Wha-what? Is somet'ing da mattah? Is it time?!" She asked, her voice alarmed and suddenly fully awake.
Emily smiled at her, the corners of her eyes crinkling up. "No deah, the baby kicked me."
"Oh! Really? Can I—Can I feel?" She inquired bashfully.
"'Course deah!" Emily struggled to sit up.
"Don't hoitcha self now!"
Emily smiled kindly at her helper. "Thanks, but I have done this before, let me remind you."
Lucy put a tan hand on Emily's stomach and waited, eyes wide and shining. She suddenly jumped back and let out a small cry, her hand flying to her mouth.
Emily laughed. "Strange isn't it?"
Lucy nodded, then realized that Jeff was in the next room, asleep. "Has Jeff umm..."
Emily shook her head.
Lucy turned towards the door.
"Jeff!"
"Jeffery!"
"Jeff! Come 'ere!"
-----
Jeff opened his eyes sleepily, not wanting to leave the dream he was having. He faintly heard someone calling his name. He sat up and stretched.
"Jeff! Come 'ere!"
/Lucy?...Mom!/ He threw back the covers violently and skidded into his mother's room, wild hair and searching eyes ablaze. "What?! What happened?!" He asked, panting coarsely.
Emily tittered at her son's concern.
Lucy rolled her eyes, a smile on her face and one hand on Emily's bulging belly. "Come here would'ja?"
Jeff slowly calmed down, realizing that there was no emergency.
Lucy took his hand and placed it next to hers.
"Well why'd ya cawl me in heah if—" Jeff let out a yelp and pulled his hand back as if his mother's stomach had burned it. "What da..." He looked from face to face in search of an answer.
Emily laughed, ending it in a cough.
"Dat's da baby Jeff." Lucy said softly, gazing up at him, eyes glistening.
"Oh," He said softly, extending his hand again. "Dat's—dat's me sistah?"
Emily nodded, on the verge of tears. "Or bruddah." Emily wrapped her arms around her son, and he in turn dragged Lucy into the group hug. The three fell asleep a few minutes later.
-----
Jeff awoke for a second time, the sun's earliest rays peeking in the half- shut window and dancing over his eyelids. He tried to sit up, but found he couldn't. He looked down and realized that somehow his mother had disappeared and he and Lucy had spent most of the night holding onto each other. He blushed crimson and tried to pry her off without waking her. Her hands fell away easily to his surprise.
/I shouldn't wake huh, she'd pro'bly jus' be embarrassed./
He thought to himself, not knowing how wrong he was.
-----
Lucy awoke soon after Jeff had left, and immediately she shivered and went into a coughing fit: huge hacking coughs that shook her whole body. She held her hand over her mouth, as she had always been taught, but when she pulled her hand away, she saw blood. Panicked, she ran to the closest bathroom and threw up what little she had been able to get down the day before. She quickly washed her hands and splashed cold water on her pale face.
/Jeff can't know,/ An inner voice told her. /He gots enough problems widout youse interferin'./ Shaking, she got rid of any evidence of her "problem" and walked back into the bedroom she had run from, sinking up to her chin in down quilts.
-----
All during the next month Jeff confined his mother solely to her room. He brought her meals in and did any housework that needed immediate attention.
Lucy helped when she was able, having grown up around her handy-man father, but oft times she'd start into her coughing fits and have to rush to another room.
Emily began to get worried and finally confronted Jeff.
"Aww Ma, don't getcha self all wound up. She's fine."
Emily looked her son in the eye dubiously.
"'Sides, she'd tell me if sumptin' was wrong." He said, a little uncertainly.
After that, Jeff made sure to keep a close eye on his best friend. One day, as Jeff and Lucy were joking around while they worked on the family's car, minus chauffeur, Lucy was sent into one of her coughing spasms again. Standing and still laughing, she tried to rush into the house, but Jeff grabbed her arm and pulled her back. His face became serious.
"Lucy, ya gotta tell me what's goin' on."
Slowly realizing that she had been found out and that there was no backing out of it, she sat back down on the ground. A large cough shook her body; she turned away from him and spat in the grass. Turning back, tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"Jeff I—"
"Lucy...dat's blood." He said, swallowing hard.
"I know." She said tearfully, and began coughing again.
"Why din't ya tell somebody 'bout dis?" He questioned, growing angrier by the second. "Why didn't ya tell me?!" He whirled on her.
Lucy suddenly sobered up and matched his anger. "It ain't like I killed somebody Jeff." She said, glaring up him.
"Yeah, it is Luce. Like ya killin' yaself by not lettin' me get ya some help soonah. Like ya killed da trust dat took all our lives ta build up." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a habit he had developed over the past few months.
She stood and wrapped her arms around him, despite his protests. "Jeff, I didn't want ya ta get upset."
"Upset?" He asked, incredulous. "Why would I be upset? My best friend's coughin' up blood and she din't tell me."
Eyes shining, she looked at him. "I knew how much youse were carin' for ya mudda, an' I din't wanna get in da way. I figga'd dat ya had enough problems widout addin' mine in."
Relenting, he put his arms around her frail body and stroked her hair absently. "I jus' don't want ya ta hoit no more...come on, let's getcha to a hospital."