Epilogue
Jennie
"Stop it! That tickles!" I giggled, pulling away from Lisa.
"You really want me to stop?"
"No," I pouted dramatically, sticking out my bottom lip. "You're not done yet."
"Then stop moving so I can concentrate." She laughed.
I held as still as possible as her hand curved around the bottom of my foot, gripping it lightly as she dragged the nail polish brush across my toenail. The tip of her tongue popped out of her mouth just a bit as she frowned, focusing on not getting any hot pink polish on the surrounding skin.
I scrunched my eyes shut and tensed my whole body, trying not to wiggle too much, but every time she moved her hand against my foot, I damn near jumped out of my skin.
"Ah!" Yelling out, I pulled my foot back again.
Lisa glared at me playfully, her beautiful eyes shaded by her not-really-angry brows as she exhaled through her nose like a bull. "Do I have to hold you down?"
I rubbed my very swollen pregnant belly. "Isn't that how we got into this predicament in the first place?"
"Psh, whatever." She rolled her eyes. "There was no holding you down for that. It was more like trying to cover your mouth as you were screaming, 'More, Lisa! More,'" she teased in a high-pitched voice as she humped the air. "Now hold still and let me finish."
"That's what she said." I giggled.
Lisa huffed as she finished up the last couple toes, flashing me warning glances out of the corner of her eye.
"You ready to go up to bed?" She asked as she blew on my pinky toe.
"Yeah, I think tonight is the night. I can feel it." I said confidently, rubbing my belly again.
"You've said that the last two nights, babe." She patted my butt as I turned out the family room light, and we headed upstairs to our room. We'd been in our brand new house for less than a month and it still smelled like fresh wood and new carpet. I loved it. We had decided on a large five-bedroom craftsman-style model with clean lines and a cozy, woodsy interior. Lisa had been such a trooper about helping me decorate and get everything ready before the birth of Little Manoban, even when I was too tired to go to the stores myself. She was constantly texting me pictures of furniture and lamps, schlepping home items that I'd given the thumbs-up to. And now, we were down to the wire.
"No, I mean it, I've been very crampy today and my back is killing me." I eased into bed, trying to convince myself that this would be the last night with this tiny alien in my belly. "Plus, I went on an extra long walk with the girls today, even though I almost froze my tush off, and I ate two bowls of mom's chili at dinner."
"Two bowls of chili?" Lisa teased. "Maybe I should sleep on the couch."
"Very funny. Get over here and snuggle me."
My due date was only one week away, but I was not-so-silently begging this baby to come out tonight while Lisa was home. She'd be leaving in the morning for a three-day road trip with the Wild, and while I knew it was a possibility, I really didn't want to have our baby without her.
"You know,"—she pulled the covers back and crawled in next to me, her arm flexing with each movement—"I've heard that vigorous sex sometimes triggers labor."
"I'm a labor and delivery nurse. You think I don't know that?" I rolled my eyes at her. "Plus, you used that last night and nothing."
"Nothing?" Lisa sounded dramatically pained by my answer. "You called God's name so many times last night that either you were enjoying yourself or you were having a massive prayer session while in bed with me."
I smacked her chest and rolled onto my left side, facing her, so I could breathe easier.
"If you change your mind, you let me know." She kissed the tip of my nose. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too." I sighed happily.
She lifted my T-shirt and kissed my belly. "And I love you, baby."
She had done that every night she'd been home, and I swear the baby knew when she was there, responding with lots of little kicks after Lisa talked to him, or her. It would be nice to know what we were having, but karma came around and smacked me in the face for teasing Jisoo about not finding out. Lisa refused. She wanted it to be a surprise. I would never admit it, because everyone knows I like to be prepared, but I was excited for the surprise too. My whole relationship with Lisa had been surprise after surprise, right down to this pregnancy, so it just seemed fitting that the sex of the baby be a surprise too.
The next morning, Ruby, Jane, and I sadly kissed Lisa good-bye, and I switched from begging Little Manoban to come out to begging it to stay in. Lisa would be home in three days. I could keep my legs together until then.
The first two days were a breeze. Ruby and Jane went to school during the day and I lay on the couch over at my mom's, keeping her company while they finished their own construction. With the money from the land she'd sold to Lisa, she'd slowly redone all of the guest rooms and completely gutted the bathrooms on the guest wing of the inn. Now, she was working on her and Fred's end. She knocked down a few walls and reconfigured the apartment, downsizing from three to two bedrooms by combining two of the rooms into a large master suite. She was elated that construction was almost done and she'd soon have her apartment back. She was keeping the smaller bedroom as a playroom/guest room for Ruby and Jane, and eventually Little Manoban, to come and play at Gigi's house.
The third day was a little tougher. Braxton Hicks contractions were kicking my butt, making everything sore. Mom took the girls to school for me while I once again parked it on her couch.
Kai would be picking Ruby and Jane up from school and taking them to his house for the weekend, but he was on notification that if Little Manoban decided to come out, we wanted the girls to come to the hospital.
"How ya feeling?" Fred asked, bringing me a blueberry bagel with plain cream cheese—my favorite.
I sighed. "Like I have an eight-pound bowling ball trying to drop out of me every second."
"Wow." Fred shook the image from his head and disappeared back into the kitchen.
After scarfing my bagel down like I was in a race with somebody, I decided that maybe a shower would be a good idea. I carried my plate to the kitchen. "All right, Fred. I'm gonna head home and shower."
He turned around from the sink and pulled his brows in tight, peeking at me over his glasses. "Want me to walk you?"
"Nah, I'm okay." I turned to leave and felt a big sneeze coming. Leaning against the island, I crossed my legs at my ankles and squeezed tight, prepping for the sneeze in advance. "Ah-choo!"
"Bless you."
"Thanks." I started walking out of the kitchen and exactly what I didn't want to happen, happened. Pee started dripping down my leg like an upside down fountain.
"Uh…" Fred froze as he walked around the corner to inspect the splat noise he was hearing on his kitchen floor.
Wait.
That was a lot of pee. I clenched my muscles together to make it stop, but it didn't work. Holy crap, that wasn't pee—my water just broke!
"Fred!" I panicked, my eyes flashing to his.
"Do you need help to the bathroom?" He stuttered, reaching for some paper towels.
"My water just broke!" I yelled, waving my hands around like a completely insane first-time mom, not the calm and cool nurse I was supposed to be.
Fred's face turned red as he rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the puddle underneath me. "Uhhh… I don't know what that means."
I rubbed my eyes with my hands, praying this was all a dream and that I'd wake up and be sleeping on the couch. "It means that my water just broke and the baby is coming today."
Fred started running in circles from the island to the kitchen table, back to the island, back to the table.
"Fred!" I didn't want to move and slip and hurt myself or the baby. "Grab the phone and call my mom."
He took his phone out of his pocket, but before he could dial, the front door opened.
"Soph!" Fred called out, still staring at the puddle on the floor like he was afraid it was going to get up and start running after him.
"What's all the yelling about—" Mom froze when she walked around the corner. "Did you pee?"
"No. My water broke."
She gasped. "Holy shit!"
My mom never swore. I wanted to laugh, but I was afraid the pressure on my belly would force poor Little Manoban to slide out and land in the puddle on the kitchen floor.
"Here's what we have to do: Mom, you grab a towel and lay it on the seat of your car. Then we're going to drive to my house and grab the bag in the closet by the front door, and you're gonna drive me to the hospital. Fred, I know she's practicing before her game, but can you try and get a hold of Lisa?"
"Sure thing. Do we know where she is?" Fred asked.
I sighed. "Chicago." All I could do was pray that the stars would align and she'd be able to get back in time.
Everyone started moving all at once. Mom grabbed a wad of paper towels and cleaned up the floor so that I could walk to the front door safely. Fred helped me down the steps and into the car while mom ignored my plan and instead sprinted along the trail through the woods to my house and grabbed the bag. She sprinted back, threw it in the car, and we were off.
"Well look at you." Dr. Newman grinned at me as she came into the room and grabbed a set of latex gloves out of the box on the wall.
"Hi." I sighed. Using my arms, I tried to adjust myself to sit up in the bed.
"Relax, relax." She touched my shoulder, stopping me from getting up. "What's wrong? I thought you were ready to get this baby out of you."
"I am, but Lisa's out of town. We can't get a hold of her."
Mom, who was sitting in a chair next to my bed, reached out and squeezed my hand. "Fred has left a few messages and we're gonna keep trying."
"Relax back. I'm just gonna check you real quick."
Dr. Newman's hand slipped under the blanket on my lap. A quick pinch as she was pulling her glove off, frowning slightly.
"What?" I asked, panic swelling up in my chest.
"How long ago did you say your water broke?"
"Uh…" I looked at my mom and then at the clock on the wall. "About six hours ago?"
"And you had your epidural three hours ago?"
I nodded.
"Okay, because you're at nine centimeters. This baby will probably be here in about an hour, maybe less. We're gonna start prepping the room."
My heart sank. "Okay."
My mom stood up and draped her arm over my shoulders, leaning her head against mine. "Oh, honey, I know you're sad, but I'll be here and we'll see if we can keep trying to get a hold of her. Maybe she can come home earlier and at least be here tonight sometime."
Everything from that point on moved very quickly. They had the room prepped in no time, my legs in stirrups, and Dr. Newman was in her gown with her clear face guard on, sitting at the end of the bed.
Taylor, one of my coworkers and good friends, stood next to me, watching the monitor and holding my hand.
"All right, Jennie. As soon as you feel the next contraction, go ahead and start pushing."
Tears streamed down my face, but I felt no pain. I didn't want to push. I wanted to keep this baby in until Lisa got here and could see it. I wanted her to hold my hand and kiss my forehead. I wanted her to be the first one to hold her baby.
My stomach tightened up as a contraction started. I squeezed my mom's and Taylor's hands and closed my eyes tight, pushing as hard as I could as Taylor counted down for me, "Five… four… three… two… one. Relax."
My head fell back against the bed and more tears fell.
Taylor gasped above me.
I looked up at her, but she was looking somewhere past me, over my shoulder. I followed her eyes and my breath caught too.
Lisa.
A sob escaped me as she whipped her coat off and threw it on the chair in the far corner of the room, still wearing her practice jersey.
"What are you— How did you—" I started to ask questions, but another contraction started. My mom stood up quickly, with tears streaming down her face, and moved out of the way, allowing Lisa to have the seat next to me. "Here, take her hand. It won't be long now," she whispered as she kissed her cheek.
I squeezed her hand tight and pushed again.
"Five… four… three… two… one. Relax." Taylor sniffed.
My head fell back again and I gasped for air.
"You're doing so good, baby." Lisa leaned over and kissed my temple but didn't remove her lips, instead resting them against my head as if she somehow knew that I needed physical contact with her.
"Good job, Jennie. The head is right here. I can see it. A head full of dark hair." Dr. Newman's eyes popped up over the blanket. "One more good push oughta get the head out."
"You got this, Jennie. One more good one," Lisa whispered into my ear. "Come on. Let's meet our baby."
A contraction started and I bore down as hard as I could, digging my chin into my chest, using every cell in my body to try and get Little Manoban out.
"Here we go!" Dr. Newman called out. "You wanna come down and look at this, Lisa? It's pretty cool."
Without letting go of my hand, she squatted and slid down my legs just a bit, peeking over the blanket.
"Holy shit." She breathed heavily. "It's here. I can see it."
Two more seconds of pushing and I felt the head come out, sending a tidal wave of relief over me as I struggled to catch my breath. I couldn't see Dr. Newman, but I knew exactly what she was doing as she squished and wiggled the shoulders to fit them through.
"Okay, Jennie. One more tiny push and you'll know whether you have a boy or a girl," she instructed.
This push wasn't nearly as tough as the others. I barely had to struggle and the baby slid out into Dr. Newman's arms. I waited a couple seconds and heard the best noise ever—a screaming newborn.
"It's a girl!" Dr. Newman called out, palming the baby's chest as she wiped her down and quickly cleaned out her mouth. That pissed her off, making her scream even louder. I lay in the bed, completely exhausted but mustering up just enough strength to squeeze Lisa's hand. She sat back down next to me and it was the first time I noticed the tears streaming down her face too.
"She's so beautiful, Jennie. Just like you." She leaned down and kissed my forehead over and over. "Thank you. Thank you for taking such good care of our little girl. She's the luckiest baby on the planet and she doesn't even know it yet."
"Of course she is," I said softly. "She already has a castle in her backyard."
"Here you go." Dr. Newman handed her to Lisa. "I have to clean Jennie up a bit, but I'll give you guys a minute."
My mom walked over and kissed my cheek, then the baby's cheek, then Lisa's cheek again. "I'm gonna step out. I'll come back in a little bit. You guys need time, okay?"
"Thanks, Mom. I love you."
She blew me a kiss and slipped out the door.
My heart swelled as I watched Lisa look at her daughter for the first time. Her eyes took in every detail of her little face. She put her pinkie finger in her tiny hand and her fingertips turned white as she squeezed as hard as she could.
"She's got good reflexes." She sniffed, grinning at me. "Gonna be a hockey player."
I laughed and grimaced in pain.
"Sorry," she apologized. "You okay?"
"Just sore." I smiled.
"If you want to come over here, she's gonna get her first bath as I clean Jennie up, okay?" Taylor put her hand gently on Lisa's shoulder, directing her to the warming table.
That was the last thing I remember before dozing off.
After a quick yet rejuvenating nap, the baby got a bath and it was time to nurse her. She latched on immediately and ate for a solid half hour before passing right out as they were moving us to our private room.
"This place is pretty swanky." Lisa laughed as she inspected the room, opening and closing all the cabinets and checking out the pull-out bed for her.
"Knock, knock." My mom peeked her head in the door. "Can we come in?"
"Of course." Lisa waved her in.
She came in, her eyes darting around the room, looking for the baby, with Ruby, Jane, and Fred right behind her. "I know it's almost dinner time; we won't stay long. They just wanted to meet her, and of course, I wanted to hold her one more time." Mom snickered.
"Where is she?" Jane started interrogating us before she was all the way in the room.
"Right here," I answered, nodding my head toward our new daughter, asleep in my arms.
Ruby and Jane circled around me, standing on their tippy toes to see her, as Lisa videoed with her phone. Their eyes were wide, grinning at their new baby sister.
"What's her name?" Ruby asked.
I looked up at Lisa and smiled. "Go ahead."
"Her name is Ella. Isn't she cute?"
"She has a tiny head." Jane craned her neck to the side, trying to get a better view of Ella's head.
"It didn't feel so tiny a few hours ago," I mumbled under my breath.
Lisa chuckled at my joke. "You guys wanna hold her?"
Their heads nodded up and down like bobblehead dolls as they climbed up on the couch excitedly. Lisa took Ella from my arms and gently set her in both Ruby's and Jane's arms, right in the middle. "Okay, smile." She took a step back and snapped the first picture of all of our girls together. "Three more and I can start my own hockey team." She winked at me.
"Try telling me that when I'm not high on narcotics, okay?" I joked.
"She smiled at me," Jane squealed proudly.
"It's probably just gas, baby," my mom said to her. "It's too early for her to be smiling."
"Gas?" Jane curled her nose up. "Like… farts?"
Everyone in the room laughed.
"Yes, like farts," my mom answered.
"Sometimes I smile when I fart too," Ruby quipped.
Lisa laughed and held her hand out to Ruby for a high-five. "You and me both, kiddo."
After an hour-long visit, I'd had all I could handle and needed a nap.
"I'm sorry, Mom." I felt bad kicking everyone out, but I was so far past tired I felt like I could sleep for three days straight.
"No, don't apologize. We're gonna take the girls out to dinner and then go home and hang out. Kai said he'd take them next weekend instead, if that's okay?"
I nodded, trying to keep my eyes open. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, sweetie."
Ruby and Jane gave me careful hugs on the way out.
Fred came over and peeked down at Ella, who was passed out in my arms. "You done good, kid. She's pretty cute." He slapped a kiss on top of my head, shook Lisa's hand, and was out the door.
"Here, let me take her." Lisa lifted Ella out of my arms and sat down with her on her pull-out bed. "Close your eyes for a bit."
"I will. I'm just enjoying the quiet right now." I blinked slowly, taking in the sight of her snuggling with our daughter.
The evening news was on the TV and Lisa stared up at it, a sneaky smirk appearing on her face. Her smile was contagious, and I couldn't help but grin right along with her.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I had to know.
She nodded toward the TV. "They were just talking about the weather for the weekend. They're calling for rain. I was wondering what size Ella would be."
"For what?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "They're calling for rain. Gonna be a lot of puddles out there. She needs pink rain boots like her big sisters."
"She's got a while before she'll be ready to jump in puddles." I giggled, picturing tiny rain boots in my head. "What are you doing?"
She'd set Ella down on the couch and pulled her shirt off. Wiggling Ella's blanket loose from her chest area, Lisa laid her on top of her, skin to skin.
"I read that book, that What to Expect book, and it said it's really good for babies to be skin to skin with their parents."
"You read that book?" I asked, surprised by the revelation. I hadn't even read that book.
"Hell yeah. I wanted to be prepared." She was talking to me, but taking selfies of her and Ella. "Jennie, you should lie down and rest."
"I will. One more question." I shifted myself up in my bed. "I started to ask, but then Little Manoban decided she'd had enough of my uterus. How did you get here so fast? I thought Fred wasn't able to reach you."
"We never did talk, but he left me a voicemail telling me your water broke in the kitchen. Then my phone died."
Thinking back to Fred's face as he stared at the puddle on the floor made me snicker. "He was so freaked out."
"I could tell in his message. He's usually very calm, but he was all kinds of flustered. Anyway, it was like a messed-up version of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, minus the trains. I could not get a flight out of Chicago that would get me home before tomorrow and they had no available private planes, so I took a cab up to the Milwaukee airport and chartered a private plane from there."
A tiny lump parked itself in the middle of my throat. "You did?"
Her eyes shifted from Ella to me. "Of course. And let me tell you, it was the longest five hours of my life." She swallowed hard, looking back down at Ella. "Once I charged my phone, I kept trying to call Fred and your mom and you, but I couldn't get through to anyone. I didn't know if I missed it or what, but I prayed the whole way that I hadn't."
I wasn't sure if it was the hormones or the overwhelming sense of love and gratitude I was feeling, but my eyes filled with tears. "I can't believe you did all that for her. For us."
"Watching her come into this world was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I'm so glad I was able to get here in time."
"Me too." I sniffled.
"And I gotta be honest, I thought it was gonna be gross, but I was wrong. It was so cool. I can't wait to see it again."
"See it again? I'm gonna need a break for a while after that one."
The corner of her lip pulled up in an adorable smirk. "I told you I read that book. You got six weeks, tops."
