Disclaimer: I don't own Will and Grace or its characters.
Chapter Forty-Five
A Second Love
At the beginning of November, Karen and Jack started to anticipate the delivery of their next child. The baby's room was finished, but the two of them hadn't seen it, wanted to be surprised by it along with the sex of their baby.
Grace let Karen leave work at the start of the month; she told Karen she wouldn't have to come back until the baby was six months old.
Jack himself had finished a play in mid October, and he hadn't gone back to the theater, wanting to be with Karen and the baby once it was born.
Karen spent the first week of November resting in bed a lot since she was tired most of the time. Jack would bring Elizabeth into the room and he would play with her on top of the bed while Karen watched on.
~~~
On the sixth, Karen woke up and got out of bed with a little bit of a struggle since her stomach was sticking out in front of her.
Jack felt her leave his embrace and he opened his eyes, surprised to see that she was out of the bed. "You okay Kare?" he asked, sounding a little worried.
"Fine poodle," Karen said absentmindedly. She put her hand on her stomach and then smiled. "I think it's going to be soon Jackie," she said, turning back to him.
"Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" Jack asked, sitting up in the bed.
"No, no Jackie," Karen said. "I can tell it's going to be either sometime today or tomorrow. I have a lot of energy right now, and I haven't felt like this in weeks."
"Maybe you should lay down Kare, get some rest," Jack said, getting out of the bed.
"Oh poodle, I'll be resting in bed when I deliver our baby," Karen said, laughing. "I want to do something before I have to go to the hospital."
"Why don't we just spend the day here Kare," Jack said, looking concerned. "I hate the idea of taking you out and not being close enough to a hospital when the time comes."
"Alright Jackie," Karen said after thinking for a moment. She kissed his cheek and then went over to the bathroom so she could change into her clothes.
~~~
Later that night, Karen kissed Elizabeth good night before Jack put her to bed. She was feeling a little tired, so Jack had insisted she go to bed early. She walked out of their daughter's room and over to their bedroom. She didn't even bother to change into pajamas; she just took off her shoes before getting under the covers.
As Karen lay back, closing her eyes, she felt movement in her belly and turned her head to the side. She tried to fall asleep, but after a few minutes, realized that she wasn't tired enough to go to sleep. Sighing, she got up and walked out to the balcony after pulling on one of Jack's coats.
Jack walked into the bedroom and saw that Karen was on the balcony. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder softly. "You okay?" he asked gently.
"Yeah, I just didn't feel like sleeping," Karen said calmly.
Smiling, Jack put his arms around Karen's shoulders and held her to him. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.
"I love you too Jackie," Karen said, leaning back against him.
They stood like that on the balcony for a few minutes before Jack shivered a little. "It's freezing out here Kare," he said. "Let's go inside before you get sick."
"You mean we get sick," Karen corrected him.
"Right, come on," Jack said, putting his hand on her back and leading her into the room.
"Jackie, I'm going to go check on Ebie," Karen said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "So you go ahead and sleep."
"Kare, you'll tell me if anything's wrong?" Jack asked, looking up at her worriedly.
Without saying a word, Karen made him stand up. She then pulled his lips to hers, and they kissed fervently. "I promise I'll tell you poodle," she said a little breathlessly when they had pulled apart.
Jack smiled and hugged her gently. "Don't stay up for too long, you should get some sleep," he said, putting his hand on her stomach.
"I won't," Karen said. She turned and walked out of the room, going over to Elizabeth's. She went inside and over to the crib, looking down at her daughter. As she stood there, gazing at her sleeping daughter, she prayed inwardly that the child in her womb was a girl. While she had nothing against having a boy, she knew that Elizabeth wanted to have a little sister.
Elizabeth sighed in her sleep then, rousing Karen from her deep thoughts.
Karen glanced down at Elizabeth one last time before she left the room. She knew she should go to bed, but she felt like walking for a little bit. So, she turned back and went down the hallway, resisting the urge to peek inside the new baby's room. She stopped in front of the room that was next to the baby's and opened the door, going inside.
This was one of the extra rooms they used for guests. As Karen looked around, she realized that it needed to be re-painted very badly. Shaking her head, she walked over to the closet and stepped inside. She kept some photo albums in here, and she wanted to move them to another room so she could get to them a lot easier in the future when she wanted to look at them. She went up on tip toe to reach the shelf the albums where on when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Crying out in surprise, Karen collapsed on her hands and knees. She took deep breaths, wondering if this pain was what she thought it was. Several minutes later, she got her answer as another pain shot through her stomach again.
"Jackie, Jackie!" Karen yelled out, using the shelves of the closet to stand up. She walked slowly out of the room, one hand on her stomach.
"Kare, is it...?" Jack asked, running down the hallway to her. When she nodded, he put his arm around her waist and helped her over to the stairs. "Rosario!" he yelled as they started down.
"Is it time Miss Karen?" Rosario asked, hurrying out of the living room. She saw that Karen's was holding her stomach, so she turned and left so she could tell Driver to get ready.
"Poodle," Karen said, clenching her teeth as another contraction began. "I want to get Kath; I want her to be in the room with us."
"Okay, I'll tell Ro-" Jack started to say when the maid came out to the foyer.
"Miss Katherine will meet you at the limo," Rosario said.
"Thank you Rosie," Karen said breathlessly as they left. "Keep an eye on our Ebie while were gone!"
When they got down to the parking garage, Katherine ran up to them. "I had a feeling when I visited this afternoon it might be your time today," she said, walking with them over to the limo where Driver was waiting. "So I stayed dressed."
With Jack's help, Karen got into the backseat. She sat back on the seat, letting out a sigh of relief. "Kath, you're going to be with us while I deliver," she said as the limo took off towards the hospital.
"I know Kare," Katherine said, holding her sister's hand. "I would have been surprised if you'd told me otherwise."
Jack kissed his wife's forehead gently and said, "You want to try the breathing exercises now?"
"Not yet poodle," Karen said, looking at him gratefully. "It doesn't hurt that much."
"That may mean this will take some time Kare," Katherine pointed out.
"I don't care, just as long you guys stay with me," Karen said.
"Of course we will," Jack said quickly.
Karen smiled and picked up his hand which was holding onto hers. She placed a soft kiss on the back of it and then closed her eyes as she felt the start of another contraction.
After what seemed like an eternity to Karen, the limo finally stopped, they had reached the hospital.
Jack helped Karen out of the car and then into a wheelchair that an orderly was holding for them. He stepped behind the chair and pushed it into the hospital. When they got to the nurse's station, he said a little worriedly, "My wife is having contractions."
The nurse quickly got up and led them, along with Katherine, over to a hospital room on the fourth floor. In the room, he gave Jack a hospital gown and said the doctor would come in to see them soon.
Katherine and Jack helped Karen into the hospital gown and then put her on the bed when the doctor came in to the room.
"Good evening everyone," the doctor said. "I'll be helping you with your delivery today. Now to start, I'd like to ask you a few questions." As the nurse who came in with the doctor hooked Karen up to a few machines, she asked about the contractions and how many weeks exactly Karen was pregnant.
"When will I be able to deliver the baby," Karen asked, gripping Jack's hand tightly.
"Well, we'll have to wait until you're dilated enough," the doctor answered. "That might take sometime." She nodded to Jack and then left the room, promising to get the epidural that Karen had asked for.
"Jackie, I have a feeling that this is going to take a long time," Karen said when the doctor was gone.
"It's okay Karebear," Jack said, gripping her hand as tightly as she was holding onto his. "I'm not going to go anywhere."
"Neither am I," Katherine said, getting up from the chair she was sitting on and going to the bed. "Unless you want me to leave of course."
"No Kath," Karen said, taking her sister's hand with her free hand. "You were there for Ebie's birth; you're going to be here for this one."
"Thanks. I feel very honored you know," Katherine said. She knelt down then and kissed her sister's forehead. "I love you Kare."
"I love you too little sister," Karen answered with a smile.
~~~
All through the night, the three of them waited in the hospital room, waiting to see when Karen could start delivering the baby.
Every time the doctor would check on Karen though, she said that it wasn't time yet. After the fifth time, the doctor said, "If this baby doesn't come within twelve or thirteen hours from now, you may want to consider a C-section Mr. McFarland; Mrs. McFarland."
When the doctor was gone, Jack said, "I'm sure you'll be able to deliver it naturally."
"Mmm-hmm," Karen murmured, her eyes closed.
"Better let her rest for a bit Jack," Katherine said. "And you should try and get a little bit of sleep as well."
"And you?" Jack said, staving off a yawn.
"I'll watch her, just in case we need to get the doctor or anything," Katherine said, sitting down in the chair she had pulled up to the edge of the bed.
Jack sighed and then rested his head next to Karen's arm on the bed; he closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.
Katherine smiled as she watched her sister and brother in law sleep. She felt her eyes start to lower and she sat up a little straighter in her chair. She couldn't fall asleep; she told herself, she needed to watch Karen. She kept almost falling asleep though, her head falling forward until she jerked herself awake. Finally, she got up from her chair and walked over to the window, looking out.
"Kath," Karen's voice said quietly behind her. "What time is it?"
"Hey, you should try and get some more sleep Kare," Katherine said, hurrying over to her sister.
"A contraction woke me up," Karen said.
"You're not feeling any pain from those?" Katherine asked. "It's been a while since you grabbed my hand really tightly."
"The epidural is helping," Karen said, shifting a little in the bed. "I feel like I'm here, but not here... if that makes any sense."
"Don't worry Kare," Katherine said, laughing slightly. "That can be a good thing; especially in this case."
Karen nodded and then looked down at her husband. "I love him so much," she said, smiling.
"You must, you're having his second child," Katherine pointed out. "I mean, your guys second child. There must be love there."
"I remember one time I told him that there was a reason he didn't have a wife and kids," Karen said, trying to bring up the whole memory. "I think he had complained bout why he couldn't be with this one guy... I can't remember."
"I hope this was before you got together," Katherine said sarcastically.
"Of course it was honey," Karen said, making a face at her sister. "Anyway, I told him that the reason he couldn't be with this guy was the same reason he didn't have a wife or kids; because God didn't want him to. Or something like that, my mind is a little fuzzy right now."
"Kare, whose idea was it to have a second kid?" Katherine asked.
"Jack's, but he let me decide in the end whether we were actually going to try and have one again," Karen said.
"What made you decide?" Katherine asked.
Yawning slightly, Karen murmured as she fell asleep again, "I wanted to give Ebie a sister, so she wouldn't be alone like I was growing up."
Katherine smiled as her sister's breathing got deeper and deeper. She had wanted to ask Karen about what sex she wanted her baby to be, and she had just gotten the answer. She already knew the gender of the baby, having asked Karen's doctor so she could decorate the room correctly. She hoped that Elizabeth and her new sibling would get along as well and she and Karen did now. Settling back in her chair a little bit, Katherine put her cheek on her hand and watched as Karen and Jack slept deeply.
~~~
Around six in the morning on the seventh, Jack was woken up by the door to the room closing. He sat up and looked around him in confusion; he had forgotten where he was for a minute. He turned to Karen and saw she was awake, looking at him with a small smile on her face. "Hey, how're you feeling?" he asked, taking her hand.
"I'm fine," Karen said. "The nurse just gave me another epidural, the pain was coming back."
Jack looked over at the other side of the bed where Katherine was, and saw she was asleep. "How did you get the nurse?" he asked.
"Kath got her," Karen answered. "I told her she needed to get some sleep now. But we have to wake her up when the doctor comes back in or she'll kill you."
"Me? Why me?" Jack asked, looking surprised.
"Because she's not going to kill her sister," Karen said, giggling a little at the expression on Jack's face.
"Right," he said, shaking his head. "Kare, I'm sorry I slept for so long and-"
"What are you talking about?" Karen asked, surprised. "You didn't sleep enough in my opinion. Now come here and give me a kiss poodle."
Jack got up from his chair and went over to Karen, kissing her lips gently. "Good morning," he whispered when he pulled away from her slightly. Then he knelt forward again and kissed her deeply. "I love you Kare," he said.
"Hmm, I love you too poodle," Karen said, smiling happily.
Jack was about to sit back in the chair when Karen grabbed his arm.
"Sit next to me until the doctor comes in, okay Jackie," she said.
"Anything you want Karebear," Jack said, smiling. He got up on the edge of the bed and settled back, carefully putting his arm around Karen's shoulders. He kissed her temple and said, "Get some sleep now."
"Okay, but I can't really sleep for too long Jackie," Karen warned him. "The contractions wake me up."
"They don't hurt do they?" Jack asked anxiously.
Karen smiled and kissed his chin. "No, the epidural takes care of that really well," she said, smiling. She then snuggled up against Jack and closed her eyes, falling asleep very quickly.
~~~
At eight o'clock that morning, there was a knock on the door of the hospital room.
"I'll get that," Katherine said, getting up from her chair. She straightened out her wrinkled t-shirt and opened the door. "Hi Edward," she said with a little surprise.
"Good morning, Jack, Karen," Edward said, staying outside the room. "I just came to check on how you're doing."
"I'm fine, but we're still waiting," Karen said.
"I also wanted to let you know that Will and Grace are here, they have your daughter with them," Edward said.
"How is Ebie?" Jack asked.
"She was crying a little bit earlier when she got here," Edward said, smiling. "She wanted to see you guys, but I told her her little brother or sister was going to be here, and she calmed down after that."
"Tell her we love her," Karen said, putting her hand on her stomach as another contraction came. She was a little startled, as it was only three minutes since her last one.
"I will, good luck," Edward said. He touched his wife's cheek gently before turning and walking back to the waiting room.
"Kath, since you're up, could you get the doctor for me?" Karen asked as another contraction occurred.
"Are the contractions closer now?' Katherine asked. When her sister nodded, she ran out of the room to fetch the doctor.
"Hopefully it won't be too long now poodle," Karen said as Jack got off of the bed where he had been sitting with her.
"I can't wait Kare," Jack said, kissing her hand. Then he took off their wedding rings and Karen's engagement ring. "What do you want to have Kare, really?"
"Never mind Jackie," Karen said with a smile. "It doesn't matter."
"But-" Jack was about to say when the doctor and Katherine came into the room.
"Your sister let me know the contractions are closer together now," the doctor said quickly. She then checked on Karen and said, "Well, it looks like you're ready to deliver Mrs. McFarland. I'm going to go get prepped. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
Karen sighed and settled back onto the bed. "God it took a long time," she said. She looked over at her sister and held out her hand. "You said you were going to stay for the delivery."
"I know, just give me a moment to catch my breath," Katherine said, walking over to the bed. She took Karen's free hand and asked, "Are you feeling nervous at all?"
"A little, but I think this is going to go perfectly," Karen said in a calm tone of voice, even though she was gripping Jack's hand tightly and Katherine's as well.
"I hope it's not too painful Kare, you know I hate to see you in any kind of pain," Jack said, kissing her softly.
"Don't worry poodle," Karen said. "I'll be fine."
Just then, the doctor walked into the room with a nurse. "Alright Mrs. McFarland, in a few minutes I'll have you start to push," the doctor said, getting some things ready at the side of the room. After a couple of minutes, she walked over to the bed. "Okay, now push as hard as you can for me."
Karen looked up at Jack with a loving expression and mouthed 'I love you' to him before she face forward and pushed with all of her might.
It took a long time of pushing and then stopping for Karen to get her breath back before the doctor finally said, two hours later, "I think a couple more pushes should be good enough Mrs. McFarland."
Closing her eyes briefly, Karen rested for a minute before she would have to push again. While it wasn't painful, the whole process was making her extremely tired.
"Okay, now push again for me please," the doctor said.
Taking a deep breath, Karen pushed as hard as she could and felt tears snake down her cheeks along with beads of sweat from her forehead. When she finally stopped, she breathed harshly and said, "Oh god, I don't think I can do that again."
"Just one more time, I can see that the head is coming," the doctor said in a supportive tone of voice.
"No, no, you can do a C-section, I'm not pushing anymore," Karen protested, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Kare, it's only one more time," Katherine said, surprised at what her sister was saying.
"Lemme talk to her," Jack said. He knelt down so his lips were at Karen's left ear. "I know it's hurting you Karebear, and I'm so sorry about that, but it's only one more time and then you'll be able to see our baby's face for the first time. Just one more push Kare, do it for me, please," he whispered.
Crying softly, Karen nodded and then when the doctor directed her to push, she did so. Pushing as hard as she could, a scream escaped from her lips as she felt the baby leave her body. She fell back against the bed sobbing now and completely fatigued.
"Congratulations," the doctor said over the baby's cries. "It's a healthy baby girl."
"Oh Kare, we have another girl," Jack said, sounding happy and awed. He kissed Karen's lips softly and wiped the tears off his face and then off hers. "You're so beautiful Kare, I love you," he whispered to her when the doctor asked him to cut the umbilical cord.
"I'm so happy for the both of you," Katherine said, stroking her sister's forehead and drying her cheeks with a towel. "A little sister for Ebie."
Karen smiled and squeezed her sister's hand. "Thank you for staying," she said weakly.
Katherine didn't say anything, but kissed her sister's cheek.
Once the baby was cleaned up and checked over by the nurses, the doctor handed the baby girl to Karen, saying congratulations once again.
When she and Jack were alone in the room with their baby, Karen motioned for him to sit next to her. "She's so beautiful," Karen whispered.
"She looks like her sister," Jack said, smiling and putting his arm around his wife.
"She's got your color hair though Jackie," Karen pointed out smiling up at him. She looked back down at the baby and studied her a little more closely.
Jack was right, the baby looked like Elizabeth; the two sisters had the same facial features, but the baby had Jack's darker brown hair.
"I wonder what color her eyes are," Jack said. He reached out with his free hand and put it on the top of their daughter's head.
"Take her poodle," Karen said, giving the baby to him.
"Hello sweetie," Jack said, smiling down at the baby. He brushed her cheek with his fingers. "I'm your dad."
The baby shifted in Jack's arms then, and she opened her eyes, looking at her parents for the first time.
"Jackie," Karen breathed out in happiness. The little girl had the same colored eyes as Jack and Elizabeth.
"She's beautiful," Jack said, echoing what Karen had said earlier. He held her for a few moments and then gave her back to Karen. While they watched their baby fall asleep, he thought of a name. "I've got a name Kare," he said quietly.
"What is it poodle?" Karen asked, looking at him.
"Sophia," Jack said simply. He glanced at Karen and smiled before looking at their daughter again.
"Sophia," Karen repeated. "It's beautiful Jackie, perfect."
"Why don't you pick the middle name?" Jack suggested.
Karen breathed in carefully, thinking for a few moments before breathing out. "What about Madeline?"
"Madeline...it's different," Jack said, thinking. "But I think it's pretty."
"Sophia Madeline McFarland," Karen said, looking down at the baby.
"Our daughter," Jack said, holding Karen to him more tightly.
Smiling, Karen looked up at her husband and kissed him deeply for a few moments before they turned their attention back to their baby.
~~~
A half hour later, Katherine opened the door to the room. "Sorry to barge in, but this one wouldn't calm down," she said leading Elizabeth into the room. "She wants to see you guys and her new sibling."
"You didn't tell her she has a-" Karen began to say as Jack got off the bed to get Elizabeth.
"I thought you guys should show her," Katherine interrupted smiling brightly. "Oh, Will and Grace are getting antsy out there, when can we come back so they can see the baby?"
"Give us twenty minutes," Jack said as he walked back to the bed. When Katherine had left, he sat back on the bed next to Karen. He kissed Elizabeth's cheek and said, "This is your sister Ebie, Sophia."
"Sissy?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at her mother after gazing at the baby.
"That's right Ebie," Karen said smiling. "Let her sit closer to me Jackie."
Once she was closer to the baby, Elizabeth reached out and took one of the tiny hands that were outside of the blanket Sophia was bundled up in. "Sophie?" she said, staring at the baby.
Sophia stirred again and opened her eyes.
The two sisters regarded one another for a long time, Karen and Jack watching intently.
A smile appeared on Elizabeth's face and she giggled. "Sissy!" she cried, waving hello to the baby.
Karen laughed and kissed the top of Elizabeth's forehead. "That was so wonderful," she said, looking at Jack.
"Yeah, they seem to like each other," he replied, smiling gently.
The door opened and Will and Grace hurried into the room.
"We know you said twenty minutes, but we couldn't wait to see it," Will said before Karen could yell at them.
"Ooo, it's a girl isn't it?" Grace squealed when she saw the pink blanket around Sophie.
"Yes, you guys, this is Sophia Madeline McFarland," Jack said proudly, taking the baby from Karen. He got off the bed and went over to Grace, handing her Sophia carefully.
"Oh, she and Ebie look a lot a lot alike, except for the hair," Grace said as she studied the baby.
"She's beautiful guys," Will said when he had finally managed to take the baby away from Grace. "Just like her sister."
As Edward and then Amber and Patrick took turns holding Sophia, Karen took Elizabeth into her arms and whispered, "You'll be a good big sister to Sophie honey, right?"
Elizabeth nodded her head, a solemn expression on her face. She then wrapped her arms around Karen's neck, hugging her tightly. "Love 'ou Mama," she said.
Jack turned to look at Karen and was surprised to see her and Elizabeth hugging. He was also surprised to see that there were tears on his wife's cheeks.
Karen seemed to notice Jack's stare and she opened her eyes, smiling at him.
Returning the smile, Jack mouthed, 'I love you,' before turning his attention back to Katherine, who was now holding Sophia for the first time.
~~~
Later that night, Edward, Katherine and their kids were getting ready to leave.
"Kath," Karen said as her sister made a motion to pick up Elizabeth. "Could you guys give us some time to be alone?"
"Of course Kare," Katherine said. She pushed her children and husband out of the room gently and said to Edward, "Go on back home and I'll catch a taxi once they give me Ebie."
"Alright, be careful though," Edward said, kissing her cheek.
"I will love, don't worry," Katherine said as they walked toward the elevators, leaving her to sit on a chair in the hallway.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Jack was sitting on the bed with Elizabeth in between him and Karen like before.
The three of them were silent, even Elizabeth, watching Sophia as she fell asleep.
"It's so fantastic poodle," Karen whispered. "We're a real family."
Jack nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "It feels so much truer now," he commented after thinking for a minute.
Karen smiled and leaned against him, brushing Elizabeth's cheek with her fingers.
They remained like that for a long time, until a nurse came and said that Elizabeth would need to leave since visiting hours were over.
While Jack held Sophia, Karen hugged her daughter and kissed her good night. "You're going to see us tomorrow honey," she said when her daughter started to whimper a little. "So no crying okay?"
Elizabeth sniffled a little and then nodded. She waited for her father to hand Sophia back to Karen and then stood up so Jack could pick her up.
"Give your sister a kiss first little one," Jack said.
Getting down on her knees, Elizabeth knelt and then placed a kiss on her sister's cheek. "'Ight," she said.
Jack then picked her up and held her tightly before going out into the hallway. "I love you Ebie," he said, kissing her cheek. "Sweet dreams." He then handed her to Katherine. "Thanks again for today," he said.
"It's not problem Jackie-boy," Katherine said as she settled Elizabeth on her arm. "You better get back in there and say good night to your baby, the nurse is going to be by in a minute."
"Bye Kat, night," Jack called as his sister in law walked down the hallway to the elevators.
~~~
Once the nurse had taken Sophia to the nursery, Jack started to get the couch ready for him to sleep in that night.
"Jackie, what are you doing?" Karen asked in surprise.
"Umm, getting ready to sleep," Jack said, looking at her.
"Honey, no," Karen said shaking her head. "You're sleeping here with me."
"Oh, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to," Jack said.
"Poodle, I'm fine. I know you're blaming yourself because I was in pain again, but I don't blame you," Karen said. "So snap out of it and get on the bed so I can kiss you!"
Jack was a little taken aback, but then he smiled and hurried up on to the bed, lying down next to Karen. When they were settled, he turned to her and kissed her deeply, his hand on her waist.
When they pulled apart to breathe a few minutes later, she said, "I love you my sweet Jackie."
"I love you my gorgeous Karebear," Jack whispered, stroking her cheek with his hand.
Smiling, Karen snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes.
When he realized Karen was asleep, Jack looked down at her and smiled, feeling happiness well up in his heart. He was married to a wonderful woman, and he was a father to two beautiful little girls. He kissed Karen's forehead gently, wondering how he could be so lucky as to have her and their daughters.
Karen sighed in her sleep and then put her arms around Jack's neck. She opened her eyes and half asleep said, "Love you Jackie," kissing him on the mouth before settling back on his chest.
Jack grinned and then closed his own eyes, relishing in the fact that he was married to a woman whom he loved so deeply. He fell asleep a few minutes later, both of his arms around Karen, holding her tightly to him.
Chapter Forty-Five
A Second Love
At the beginning of November, Karen and Jack started to anticipate the delivery of their next child. The baby's room was finished, but the two of them hadn't seen it, wanted to be surprised by it along with the sex of their baby.
Grace let Karen leave work at the start of the month; she told Karen she wouldn't have to come back until the baby was six months old.
Jack himself had finished a play in mid October, and he hadn't gone back to the theater, wanting to be with Karen and the baby once it was born.
Karen spent the first week of November resting in bed a lot since she was tired most of the time. Jack would bring Elizabeth into the room and he would play with her on top of the bed while Karen watched on.
~~~
On the sixth, Karen woke up and got out of bed with a little bit of a struggle since her stomach was sticking out in front of her.
Jack felt her leave his embrace and he opened his eyes, surprised to see that she was out of the bed. "You okay Kare?" he asked, sounding a little worried.
"Fine poodle," Karen said absentmindedly. She put her hand on her stomach and then smiled. "I think it's going to be soon Jackie," she said, turning back to him.
"Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" Jack asked, sitting up in the bed.
"No, no Jackie," Karen said. "I can tell it's going to be either sometime today or tomorrow. I have a lot of energy right now, and I haven't felt like this in weeks."
"Maybe you should lay down Kare, get some rest," Jack said, getting out of the bed.
"Oh poodle, I'll be resting in bed when I deliver our baby," Karen said, laughing. "I want to do something before I have to go to the hospital."
"Why don't we just spend the day here Kare," Jack said, looking concerned. "I hate the idea of taking you out and not being close enough to a hospital when the time comes."
"Alright Jackie," Karen said after thinking for a moment. She kissed his cheek and then went over to the bathroom so she could change into her clothes.
~~~
Later that night, Karen kissed Elizabeth good night before Jack put her to bed. She was feeling a little tired, so Jack had insisted she go to bed early. She walked out of their daughter's room and over to their bedroom. She didn't even bother to change into pajamas; she just took off her shoes before getting under the covers.
As Karen lay back, closing her eyes, she felt movement in her belly and turned her head to the side. She tried to fall asleep, but after a few minutes, realized that she wasn't tired enough to go to sleep. Sighing, she got up and walked out to the balcony after pulling on one of Jack's coats.
Jack walked into the bedroom and saw that Karen was on the balcony. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder softly. "You okay?" he asked gently.
"Yeah, I just didn't feel like sleeping," Karen said calmly.
Smiling, Jack put his arms around Karen's shoulders and held her to him. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.
"I love you too Jackie," Karen said, leaning back against him.
They stood like that on the balcony for a few minutes before Jack shivered a little. "It's freezing out here Kare," he said. "Let's go inside before you get sick."
"You mean we get sick," Karen corrected him.
"Right, come on," Jack said, putting his hand on her back and leading her into the room.
"Jackie, I'm going to go check on Ebie," Karen said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "So you go ahead and sleep."
"Kare, you'll tell me if anything's wrong?" Jack asked, looking up at her worriedly.
Without saying a word, Karen made him stand up. She then pulled his lips to hers, and they kissed fervently. "I promise I'll tell you poodle," she said a little breathlessly when they had pulled apart.
Jack smiled and hugged her gently. "Don't stay up for too long, you should get some sleep," he said, putting his hand on her stomach.
"I won't," Karen said. She turned and walked out of the room, going over to Elizabeth's. She went inside and over to the crib, looking down at her daughter. As she stood there, gazing at her sleeping daughter, she prayed inwardly that the child in her womb was a girl. While she had nothing against having a boy, she knew that Elizabeth wanted to have a little sister.
Elizabeth sighed in her sleep then, rousing Karen from her deep thoughts.
Karen glanced down at Elizabeth one last time before she left the room. She knew she should go to bed, but she felt like walking for a little bit. So, she turned back and went down the hallway, resisting the urge to peek inside the new baby's room. She stopped in front of the room that was next to the baby's and opened the door, going inside.
This was one of the extra rooms they used for guests. As Karen looked around, she realized that it needed to be re-painted very badly. Shaking her head, she walked over to the closet and stepped inside. She kept some photo albums in here, and she wanted to move them to another room so she could get to them a lot easier in the future when she wanted to look at them. She went up on tip toe to reach the shelf the albums where on when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Crying out in surprise, Karen collapsed on her hands and knees. She took deep breaths, wondering if this pain was what she thought it was. Several minutes later, she got her answer as another pain shot through her stomach again.
"Jackie, Jackie!" Karen yelled out, using the shelves of the closet to stand up. She walked slowly out of the room, one hand on her stomach.
"Kare, is it...?" Jack asked, running down the hallway to her. When she nodded, he put his arm around her waist and helped her over to the stairs. "Rosario!" he yelled as they started down.
"Is it time Miss Karen?" Rosario asked, hurrying out of the living room. She saw that Karen's was holding her stomach, so she turned and left so she could tell Driver to get ready.
"Poodle," Karen said, clenching her teeth as another contraction began. "I want to get Kath; I want her to be in the room with us."
"Okay, I'll tell Ro-" Jack started to say when the maid came out to the foyer.
"Miss Katherine will meet you at the limo," Rosario said.
"Thank you Rosie," Karen said breathlessly as they left. "Keep an eye on our Ebie while were gone!"
When they got down to the parking garage, Katherine ran up to them. "I had a feeling when I visited this afternoon it might be your time today," she said, walking with them over to the limo where Driver was waiting. "So I stayed dressed."
With Jack's help, Karen got into the backseat. She sat back on the seat, letting out a sigh of relief. "Kath, you're going to be with us while I deliver," she said as the limo took off towards the hospital.
"I know Kare," Katherine said, holding her sister's hand. "I would have been surprised if you'd told me otherwise."
Jack kissed his wife's forehead gently and said, "You want to try the breathing exercises now?"
"Not yet poodle," Karen said, looking at him gratefully. "It doesn't hurt that much."
"That may mean this will take some time Kare," Katherine pointed out.
"I don't care, just as long you guys stay with me," Karen said.
"Of course we will," Jack said quickly.
Karen smiled and picked up his hand which was holding onto hers. She placed a soft kiss on the back of it and then closed her eyes as she felt the start of another contraction.
After what seemed like an eternity to Karen, the limo finally stopped, they had reached the hospital.
Jack helped Karen out of the car and then into a wheelchair that an orderly was holding for them. He stepped behind the chair and pushed it into the hospital. When they got to the nurse's station, he said a little worriedly, "My wife is having contractions."
The nurse quickly got up and led them, along with Katherine, over to a hospital room on the fourth floor. In the room, he gave Jack a hospital gown and said the doctor would come in to see them soon.
Katherine and Jack helped Karen into the hospital gown and then put her on the bed when the doctor came in to the room.
"Good evening everyone," the doctor said. "I'll be helping you with your delivery today. Now to start, I'd like to ask you a few questions." As the nurse who came in with the doctor hooked Karen up to a few machines, she asked about the contractions and how many weeks exactly Karen was pregnant.
"When will I be able to deliver the baby," Karen asked, gripping Jack's hand tightly.
"Well, we'll have to wait until you're dilated enough," the doctor answered. "That might take sometime." She nodded to Jack and then left the room, promising to get the epidural that Karen had asked for.
"Jackie, I have a feeling that this is going to take a long time," Karen said when the doctor was gone.
"It's okay Karebear," Jack said, gripping her hand as tightly as she was holding onto his. "I'm not going to go anywhere."
"Neither am I," Katherine said, getting up from the chair she was sitting on and going to the bed. "Unless you want me to leave of course."
"No Kath," Karen said, taking her sister's hand with her free hand. "You were there for Ebie's birth; you're going to be here for this one."
"Thanks. I feel very honored you know," Katherine said. She knelt down then and kissed her sister's forehead. "I love you Kare."
"I love you too little sister," Karen answered with a smile.
~~~
All through the night, the three of them waited in the hospital room, waiting to see when Karen could start delivering the baby.
Every time the doctor would check on Karen though, she said that it wasn't time yet. After the fifth time, the doctor said, "If this baby doesn't come within twelve or thirteen hours from now, you may want to consider a C-section Mr. McFarland; Mrs. McFarland."
When the doctor was gone, Jack said, "I'm sure you'll be able to deliver it naturally."
"Mmm-hmm," Karen murmured, her eyes closed.
"Better let her rest for a bit Jack," Katherine said. "And you should try and get a little bit of sleep as well."
"And you?" Jack said, staving off a yawn.
"I'll watch her, just in case we need to get the doctor or anything," Katherine said, sitting down in the chair she had pulled up to the edge of the bed.
Jack sighed and then rested his head next to Karen's arm on the bed; he closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.
Katherine smiled as she watched her sister and brother in law sleep. She felt her eyes start to lower and she sat up a little straighter in her chair. She couldn't fall asleep; she told herself, she needed to watch Karen. She kept almost falling asleep though, her head falling forward until she jerked herself awake. Finally, she got up from her chair and walked over to the window, looking out.
"Kath," Karen's voice said quietly behind her. "What time is it?"
"Hey, you should try and get some more sleep Kare," Katherine said, hurrying over to her sister.
"A contraction woke me up," Karen said.
"You're not feeling any pain from those?" Katherine asked. "It's been a while since you grabbed my hand really tightly."
"The epidural is helping," Karen said, shifting a little in the bed. "I feel like I'm here, but not here... if that makes any sense."
"Don't worry Kare," Katherine said, laughing slightly. "That can be a good thing; especially in this case."
Karen nodded and then looked down at her husband. "I love him so much," she said, smiling.
"You must, you're having his second child," Katherine pointed out. "I mean, your guys second child. There must be love there."
"I remember one time I told him that there was a reason he didn't have a wife and kids," Karen said, trying to bring up the whole memory. "I think he had complained bout why he couldn't be with this one guy... I can't remember."
"I hope this was before you got together," Katherine said sarcastically.
"Of course it was honey," Karen said, making a face at her sister. "Anyway, I told him that the reason he couldn't be with this guy was the same reason he didn't have a wife or kids; because God didn't want him to. Or something like that, my mind is a little fuzzy right now."
"Kare, whose idea was it to have a second kid?" Katherine asked.
"Jack's, but he let me decide in the end whether we were actually going to try and have one again," Karen said.
"What made you decide?" Katherine asked.
Yawning slightly, Karen murmured as she fell asleep again, "I wanted to give Ebie a sister, so she wouldn't be alone like I was growing up."
Katherine smiled as her sister's breathing got deeper and deeper. She had wanted to ask Karen about what sex she wanted her baby to be, and she had just gotten the answer. She already knew the gender of the baby, having asked Karen's doctor so she could decorate the room correctly. She hoped that Elizabeth and her new sibling would get along as well and she and Karen did now. Settling back in her chair a little bit, Katherine put her cheek on her hand and watched as Karen and Jack slept deeply.
~~~
Around six in the morning on the seventh, Jack was woken up by the door to the room closing. He sat up and looked around him in confusion; he had forgotten where he was for a minute. He turned to Karen and saw she was awake, looking at him with a small smile on her face. "Hey, how're you feeling?" he asked, taking her hand.
"I'm fine," Karen said. "The nurse just gave me another epidural, the pain was coming back."
Jack looked over at the other side of the bed where Katherine was, and saw she was asleep. "How did you get the nurse?" he asked.
"Kath got her," Karen answered. "I told her she needed to get some sleep now. But we have to wake her up when the doctor comes back in or she'll kill you."
"Me? Why me?" Jack asked, looking surprised.
"Because she's not going to kill her sister," Karen said, giggling a little at the expression on Jack's face.
"Right," he said, shaking his head. "Kare, I'm sorry I slept for so long and-"
"What are you talking about?" Karen asked, surprised. "You didn't sleep enough in my opinion. Now come here and give me a kiss poodle."
Jack got up from his chair and went over to Karen, kissing her lips gently. "Good morning," he whispered when he pulled away from her slightly. Then he knelt forward again and kissed her deeply. "I love you Kare," he said.
"Hmm, I love you too poodle," Karen said, smiling happily.
Jack was about to sit back in the chair when Karen grabbed his arm.
"Sit next to me until the doctor comes in, okay Jackie," she said.
"Anything you want Karebear," Jack said, smiling. He got up on the edge of the bed and settled back, carefully putting his arm around Karen's shoulders. He kissed her temple and said, "Get some sleep now."
"Okay, but I can't really sleep for too long Jackie," Karen warned him. "The contractions wake me up."
"They don't hurt do they?" Jack asked anxiously.
Karen smiled and kissed his chin. "No, the epidural takes care of that really well," she said, smiling. She then snuggled up against Jack and closed her eyes, falling asleep very quickly.
~~~
At eight o'clock that morning, there was a knock on the door of the hospital room.
"I'll get that," Katherine said, getting up from her chair. She straightened out her wrinkled t-shirt and opened the door. "Hi Edward," she said with a little surprise.
"Good morning, Jack, Karen," Edward said, staying outside the room. "I just came to check on how you're doing."
"I'm fine, but we're still waiting," Karen said.
"I also wanted to let you know that Will and Grace are here, they have your daughter with them," Edward said.
"How is Ebie?" Jack asked.
"She was crying a little bit earlier when she got here," Edward said, smiling. "She wanted to see you guys, but I told her her little brother or sister was going to be here, and she calmed down after that."
"Tell her we love her," Karen said, putting her hand on her stomach as another contraction came. She was a little startled, as it was only three minutes since her last one.
"I will, good luck," Edward said. He touched his wife's cheek gently before turning and walking back to the waiting room.
"Kath, since you're up, could you get the doctor for me?" Karen asked as another contraction occurred.
"Are the contractions closer now?' Katherine asked. When her sister nodded, she ran out of the room to fetch the doctor.
"Hopefully it won't be too long now poodle," Karen said as Jack got off of the bed where he had been sitting with her.
"I can't wait Kare," Jack said, kissing her hand. Then he took off their wedding rings and Karen's engagement ring. "What do you want to have Kare, really?"
"Never mind Jackie," Karen said with a smile. "It doesn't matter."
"But-" Jack was about to say when the doctor and Katherine came into the room.
"Your sister let me know the contractions are closer together now," the doctor said quickly. She then checked on Karen and said, "Well, it looks like you're ready to deliver Mrs. McFarland. I'm going to go get prepped. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
Karen sighed and settled back onto the bed. "God it took a long time," she said. She looked over at her sister and held out her hand. "You said you were going to stay for the delivery."
"I know, just give me a moment to catch my breath," Katherine said, walking over to the bed. She took Karen's free hand and asked, "Are you feeling nervous at all?"
"A little, but I think this is going to go perfectly," Karen said in a calm tone of voice, even though she was gripping Jack's hand tightly and Katherine's as well.
"I hope it's not too painful Kare, you know I hate to see you in any kind of pain," Jack said, kissing her softly.
"Don't worry poodle," Karen said. "I'll be fine."
Just then, the doctor walked into the room with a nurse. "Alright Mrs. McFarland, in a few minutes I'll have you start to push," the doctor said, getting some things ready at the side of the room. After a couple of minutes, she walked over to the bed. "Okay, now push as hard as you can for me."
Karen looked up at Jack with a loving expression and mouthed 'I love you' to him before she face forward and pushed with all of her might.
It took a long time of pushing and then stopping for Karen to get her breath back before the doctor finally said, two hours later, "I think a couple more pushes should be good enough Mrs. McFarland."
Closing her eyes briefly, Karen rested for a minute before she would have to push again. While it wasn't painful, the whole process was making her extremely tired.
"Okay, now push again for me please," the doctor said.
Taking a deep breath, Karen pushed as hard as she could and felt tears snake down her cheeks along with beads of sweat from her forehead. When she finally stopped, she breathed harshly and said, "Oh god, I don't think I can do that again."
"Just one more time, I can see that the head is coming," the doctor said in a supportive tone of voice.
"No, no, you can do a C-section, I'm not pushing anymore," Karen protested, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Kare, it's only one more time," Katherine said, surprised at what her sister was saying.
"Lemme talk to her," Jack said. He knelt down so his lips were at Karen's left ear. "I know it's hurting you Karebear, and I'm so sorry about that, but it's only one more time and then you'll be able to see our baby's face for the first time. Just one more push Kare, do it for me, please," he whispered.
Crying softly, Karen nodded and then when the doctor directed her to push, she did so. Pushing as hard as she could, a scream escaped from her lips as she felt the baby leave her body. She fell back against the bed sobbing now and completely fatigued.
"Congratulations," the doctor said over the baby's cries. "It's a healthy baby girl."
"Oh Kare, we have another girl," Jack said, sounding happy and awed. He kissed Karen's lips softly and wiped the tears off his face and then off hers. "You're so beautiful Kare, I love you," he whispered to her when the doctor asked him to cut the umbilical cord.
"I'm so happy for the both of you," Katherine said, stroking her sister's forehead and drying her cheeks with a towel. "A little sister for Ebie."
Karen smiled and squeezed her sister's hand. "Thank you for staying," she said weakly.
Katherine didn't say anything, but kissed her sister's cheek.
Once the baby was cleaned up and checked over by the nurses, the doctor handed the baby girl to Karen, saying congratulations once again.
When she and Jack were alone in the room with their baby, Karen motioned for him to sit next to her. "She's so beautiful," Karen whispered.
"She looks like her sister," Jack said, smiling and putting his arm around his wife.
"She's got your color hair though Jackie," Karen pointed out smiling up at him. She looked back down at the baby and studied her a little more closely.
Jack was right, the baby looked like Elizabeth; the two sisters had the same facial features, but the baby had Jack's darker brown hair.
"I wonder what color her eyes are," Jack said. He reached out with his free hand and put it on the top of their daughter's head.
"Take her poodle," Karen said, giving the baby to him.
"Hello sweetie," Jack said, smiling down at the baby. He brushed her cheek with his fingers. "I'm your dad."
The baby shifted in Jack's arms then, and she opened her eyes, looking at her parents for the first time.
"Jackie," Karen breathed out in happiness. The little girl had the same colored eyes as Jack and Elizabeth.
"She's beautiful," Jack said, echoing what Karen had said earlier. He held her for a few moments and then gave her back to Karen. While they watched their baby fall asleep, he thought of a name. "I've got a name Kare," he said quietly.
"What is it poodle?" Karen asked, looking at him.
"Sophia," Jack said simply. He glanced at Karen and smiled before looking at their daughter again.
"Sophia," Karen repeated. "It's beautiful Jackie, perfect."
"Why don't you pick the middle name?" Jack suggested.
Karen breathed in carefully, thinking for a few moments before breathing out. "What about Madeline?"
"Madeline...it's different," Jack said, thinking. "But I think it's pretty."
"Sophia Madeline McFarland," Karen said, looking down at the baby.
"Our daughter," Jack said, holding Karen to him more tightly.
Smiling, Karen looked up at her husband and kissed him deeply for a few moments before they turned their attention back to their baby.
~~~
A half hour later, Katherine opened the door to the room. "Sorry to barge in, but this one wouldn't calm down," she said leading Elizabeth into the room. "She wants to see you guys and her new sibling."
"You didn't tell her she has a-" Karen began to say as Jack got off the bed to get Elizabeth.
"I thought you guys should show her," Katherine interrupted smiling brightly. "Oh, Will and Grace are getting antsy out there, when can we come back so they can see the baby?"
"Give us twenty minutes," Jack said as he walked back to the bed. When Katherine had left, he sat back on the bed next to Karen. He kissed Elizabeth's cheek and said, "This is your sister Ebie, Sophia."
"Sissy?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at her mother after gazing at the baby.
"That's right Ebie," Karen said smiling. "Let her sit closer to me Jackie."
Once she was closer to the baby, Elizabeth reached out and took one of the tiny hands that were outside of the blanket Sophia was bundled up in. "Sophie?" she said, staring at the baby.
Sophia stirred again and opened her eyes.
The two sisters regarded one another for a long time, Karen and Jack watching intently.
A smile appeared on Elizabeth's face and she giggled. "Sissy!" she cried, waving hello to the baby.
Karen laughed and kissed the top of Elizabeth's forehead. "That was so wonderful," she said, looking at Jack.
"Yeah, they seem to like each other," he replied, smiling gently.
The door opened and Will and Grace hurried into the room.
"We know you said twenty minutes, but we couldn't wait to see it," Will said before Karen could yell at them.
"Ooo, it's a girl isn't it?" Grace squealed when she saw the pink blanket around Sophie.
"Yes, you guys, this is Sophia Madeline McFarland," Jack said proudly, taking the baby from Karen. He got off the bed and went over to Grace, handing her Sophia carefully.
"Oh, she and Ebie look a lot a lot alike, except for the hair," Grace said as she studied the baby.
"She's beautiful guys," Will said when he had finally managed to take the baby away from Grace. "Just like her sister."
As Edward and then Amber and Patrick took turns holding Sophia, Karen took Elizabeth into her arms and whispered, "You'll be a good big sister to Sophie honey, right?"
Elizabeth nodded her head, a solemn expression on her face. She then wrapped her arms around Karen's neck, hugging her tightly. "Love 'ou Mama," she said.
Jack turned to look at Karen and was surprised to see her and Elizabeth hugging. He was also surprised to see that there were tears on his wife's cheeks.
Karen seemed to notice Jack's stare and she opened her eyes, smiling at him.
Returning the smile, Jack mouthed, 'I love you,' before turning his attention back to Katherine, who was now holding Sophia for the first time.
~~~
Later that night, Edward, Katherine and their kids were getting ready to leave.
"Kath," Karen said as her sister made a motion to pick up Elizabeth. "Could you guys give us some time to be alone?"
"Of course Kare," Katherine said. She pushed her children and husband out of the room gently and said to Edward, "Go on back home and I'll catch a taxi once they give me Ebie."
"Alright, be careful though," Edward said, kissing her cheek.
"I will love, don't worry," Katherine said as they walked toward the elevators, leaving her to sit on a chair in the hallway.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Jack was sitting on the bed with Elizabeth in between him and Karen like before.
The three of them were silent, even Elizabeth, watching Sophia as she fell asleep.
"It's so fantastic poodle," Karen whispered. "We're a real family."
Jack nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "It feels so much truer now," he commented after thinking for a minute.
Karen smiled and leaned against him, brushing Elizabeth's cheek with her fingers.
They remained like that for a long time, until a nurse came and said that Elizabeth would need to leave since visiting hours were over.
While Jack held Sophia, Karen hugged her daughter and kissed her good night. "You're going to see us tomorrow honey," she said when her daughter started to whimper a little. "So no crying okay?"
Elizabeth sniffled a little and then nodded. She waited for her father to hand Sophia back to Karen and then stood up so Jack could pick her up.
"Give your sister a kiss first little one," Jack said.
Getting down on her knees, Elizabeth knelt and then placed a kiss on her sister's cheek. "'Ight," she said.
Jack then picked her up and held her tightly before going out into the hallway. "I love you Ebie," he said, kissing her cheek. "Sweet dreams." He then handed her to Katherine. "Thanks again for today," he said.
"It's not problem Jackie-boy," Katherine said as she settled Elizabeth on her arm. "You better get back in there and say good night to your baby, the nurse is going to be by in a minute."
"Bye Kat, night," Jack called as his sister in law walked down the hallway to the elevators.
~~~
Once the nurse had taken Sophia to the nursery, Jack started to get the couch ready for him to sleep in that night.
"Jackie, what are you doing?" Karen asked in surprise.
"Umm, getting ready to sleep," Jack said, looking at her.
"Honey, no," Karen said shaking her head. "You're sleeping here with me."
"Oh, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to," Jack said.
"Poodle, I'm fine. I know you're blaming yourself because I was in pain again, but I don't blame you," Karen said. "So snap out of it and get on the bed so I can kiss you!"
Jack was a little taken aback, but then he smiled and hurried up on to the bed, lying down next to Karen. When they were settled, he turned to her and kissed her deeply, his hand on her waist.
When they pulled apart to breathe a few minutes later, she said, "I love you my sweet Jackie."
"I love you my gorgeous Karebear," Jack whispered, stroking her cheek with his hand.
Smiling, Karen snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes.
When he realized Karen was asleep, Jack looked down at her and smiled, feeling happiness well up in his heart. He was married to a wonderful woman, and he was a father to two beautiful little girls. He kissed Karen's forehead gently, wondering how he could be so lucky as to have her and their daughters.
Karen sighed in her sleep and then put her arms around Jack's neck. She opened her eyes and half asleep said, "Love you Jackie," kissing him on the mouth before settling back on his chest.
Jack grinned and then closed his own eyes, relishing in the fact that he was married to a woman whom he loved so deeply. He fell asleep a few minutes later, both of his arms around Karen, holding her tightly to him.