Chapter 32
Gracelin swore under her breath. Being pregnant and trying to get comfortable enough to go to sleep was hard enough. But it seemed that everyone would wait until she was asleep to contact Jacen.
Jacen rolled out of bed and grabbed his comm link. He quickly shut off the alert and took it in the common room. He returned moments later and crawled into bed very carefully.
He wiggled his way back under the cover s. He was almost comfortable when Gracelin scared him.
"Who was it this time?" She almost wanted to laugh at the way he jumped.
"I tried to answer it before it woke you up. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'm not mad at you. But I would like you to tell me who it was so I can be mad at them."
"Now why would you want to be mad at Luke?"
"Luke! Again!"
"Yes, but this time it was nothing pregnancy related."
"That's kind of funny. Him calling you for advice on what to do with Mara being pregnant."
"I guess it is kind of funny. But Luke wants me to come with him to go to some diner. He thinks my grandfather and Obi-wan might have eaten there a lot."
"So he's still on his quest for knowledge about Anakin Skywalker?"
"I think that talk with Sabè had sparked the dying fire. He's been looking up things about that Senator too."
"Jacen! 'That Senator' could very well be your grandmother."
"I didn't mean anything by it, Gracey. I just never heard of her until I met you. I just forgot her name. I'm sorry." Jacen was still learning a few things about being around a pregnant woman, and he always remembered to share them with Luke.
1) be careful what you say around them. 2) be careful how you say things around them 3) and if you insist on talking and breathing get ready to say "I'm sorry" a lot.
"I didn't say I was mad, just show her some respect."
"Okay, I will, Gracey." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. A thousand sensations ran threw his system. She had doctor's orders to "rest" until the baby was born.
He knew she needed it. She had taken a while to start showing but now that she had, you couldn't hide her. The stress of the last few months was finally catching up with her. Her sleepless nights weren't helping either.
He tried to go to sleep but felt guilty because Gracelin was now wide awake.
4) Prepare to feel guilty.
He learned a little way to put her to sleep. He would lightly touch his finger to her forehead. He would lightly brush his finger between the middle of her forehead and the middle of her nose. He would also hum a song. It always, including now, lulled her to sleep.
She was soon asleep and he closed his eyes to join her in her peaceful slumber.
Gracelin was awoken by a shake of her bed. She opened her eyes to the harsh sunlight and instantly squeezed them shut.
"Ugh!" She said as she opened them up again when another shake disturbed her.
"Is it tomorrow yet?" Little Maria asked as she jumped on Jacen's side of the bed.
"What did Jacen tell you about jumping just yesterday?" She quickly sat down and crawled up to lay beside Gracelin. "Now what did you say?"
"Is it tomorrow yet?"
Gracelin opened her mouth but another voice came out. "Haven't you ever heard that tomorrow never comes?" Jaina asked from the doorway.
"But Gracey, you said that you might have the baby tomorrow." Maria asked almost worriedly.
"I won't know when I'm going to have the baby until that time comes."
"Oh." She said as if she understood.
"Sorry, Gracelin. I turned around to get an egg out of the cooler unit. When I turned around she was gone. I was trying to let you sleep."
"That's okay. I need to get up." Gracelin tried to roll out of bed but had to get Jaina to help pull her to her feet.
"Come on, Maria. Why don't you come with me and we'll get breakfast ready." Jaina said holding her hand out to her.
"I want to stay with Gracey!"
"It's okay. She can stay with me." Maria hoped off the bed and followed Gracelin to pick out some clothes for the day.
Jaina just put breakfast on the table. She was pouring a glass of milk for each of them when Maria came running in the kitchenette.
"Its tomorrow!" She hollered and started dancing.
"What are you talking about?" She stopped the child from moving so much.
"I think Gracey peed on the floor. Then she said a very bad word. She told me never to repeat it and come get you."
"Sith!"
"That's another bad word. I'm telling Aunt Leia."
"Tell Aunt Leia and I'll tell Jacen you were jumping on the bed."
Maria crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, you win!"
Jaina left the pouting child in the kitchenette and ran to check on Gracelin.
Luke was saying something about a trip to Tatooine he wanted to take. Jacen had just taken a bite of his bantha steak biscuit when her felt a strong pain in his stomach.
Luke's commlink began to buzz. "I swear if its Mara asking about eliboms again I'm going to loose it."
Jacen's stomach pain went away and he dismissed it and took another bite of his biscuit.
"Skywalker." Luke answered.
"Luke is Jacen nearby you. I tried to call him but there was no answer." She said hurriedly and all in one breathe.
"Jaina?" Luke asked.
"Gracelin's water broke, she's having the baby!"
Jacen choked on his biscuit. He grabbed his drink to help clear his air way.
Luke wanted to laugh at the way Jacen reacted but he decided that id might be best if he didn't. After all, his wife would be having a baby and there was no guarantee that he wouldn't react like that.
"We'll be right there!" Luke answered calmly.
"She hasn't had the baby yet, has she?" Jacen asked in a panicked tone.
"Calm down, Jace, it don't just drop out!" Jaina joked at her brother's expense. "You've got sometime but you better hurry."
"Jaina cut your brother some slack. We'll be there as soon as we can."
"You're no fun Uncle Luke."
"I know. Skywalker- out."
Jacen put his credits on the table and was already heading out the diner's door.
Luke had to catch up to him at the speeder. "Are you okay?" He noticed the nervous look on his nephew's face.
Jacen was pacing by the speeder. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life."
Luke clapped Jacen on the back. "It'll be fine. Now, lets go check on Gracelin."