JENNIE
It's Christmas Eve, and Lisa was out doing what women do best. And that's last-minute Christmas shopping. Throughout the day, while wrapping presents and baking cookies, I noticed I was having contractions. I blew what I was feeling off. In the past month, I've had Lisa rush me to the hospital about fifteen times, with nothing coming about. The joke was on us. All because our daughter thought she would be funny to act like she wanted to come into the world, but she wasn't. She was testing us.
Damn false labor alerts.
I set the last tray of cookies in the oven, then finished placing the last of the presents under the tree. As I put the last gift under the tree, a sharp shooting pain roamed my lower abdomen. The pain was all too familiar, and it was a feeling as if I was getting my typical menstrual cramps. I looked at the time, then sat on the floor, waiting to see if it happened again. And it did. Four minutes later.
Oh, shit...
I hurried to my phone and called Lisa.
"Hello, babe. Did you need me to pick up something?" She answered.
"No. I was calling to see how much longer until you're home."
"I shouldn't be too much longer. Why? What's going on?"
"Well, I've been having contractions all morning, and now the timing of the contractions are four minutes apart."
Lisa chuckled. "That little stinker. I'm sure she's teasing us again."
I shook my head. "I don't think so, Lisa. These contractions feel much more different from the other times she had us going to the hospital. I think she's ready to come, finally."
"Four minutes apart, you say?"
"Yes. And the contractions are fucking painful. I'm serious, Lisa. I think she's ready to come today. Please get your ass home. Unless you would like to deliver her yourself."
I removed the phone from my ear and looked at it after hearing nothing on her end. Call ended, it says. She hung up on me!
I set my phone down on the table, then headed to the bedroom to grab my bag. I didn't even have to pack a bag. Lisa had already packed the bag I had in the bedroom when I first went into the hospital. And have been bringing it each time we've gone in. I set it by the door; then I got a whiff of cookies burning. Shit! I rushed to the oven, removed the tray of cookies, and set it on the cookie rack to cool off. The cookies were burnt, but they weren't burnt that badly. I'm sure Lisa will eat them with the sweet tooth she has.
While cleaning up my mess, I noticed my contractions were getting closer and closer and realized they're now three minutes apart. I made sure I turned off the oven, then I hurried to the couch and sat, praying Lisa would hurry and get her ass home.
Half an hour later, and she's still not home.
And the contractions are now two minutes apart.
Lisa will be delivering this baby. On the side of the road, I'm sure.
I grabbed my phone and called Lisa. "Ah, Love? Where the hell are you? The contractions are two minutes apart now!"
"I'm almost there. I swear. Don't let her come out, not until we get to the hospital!"
I hope she's trying to be funny. Because if she is. she's not funny at all.
"Just get here. She's coming today, no matter what."
I hung up with her, and within minutes Lisa was home, rushing me to the car and nearly forgetting the bag I set next to the door. When she got in the vehicle, she shifted into reverse and pressed hard on the gas pedal, causing our heads to fly backward. "Damn it, LISA! I want to get to the hospital alive."
"Why did you wait so long to call me?"
"Because. I thought they were false contractions again."
"I understand that, but this time it's closer to her due date. Four days before her due date, that is."
Lisa's right. But I honestly thought it was the Braxton Hicks again. "I know," I moaned in pain, holding my stomach. "The contractions started as they did in the past, and they were like that all morning. Suddenly, they were coming faster and faster, and then I got a sharp shooting pain like I would get when my menstrual cycle would start. And that's when I called you."
Lisa shook her head. "You still should have called me."
"Lisa. There's no time to argue and tell me what I should have done because I think my water just broke," I angrily breathed after feeling a warm feeling gush between my legs.
Lisa's head snapped my way with widened eyes. "Keep her in there as long as you can. We're almost there," she panicked while stepping harder on the gas.
I breathed in and out fast, trying to calm myself of the pains I was feeling, then I squealed, "Oh, God! Oh, God! She's coming!"
Lisa squealed her tires as she turned the corner, parking right in front of the emergency doors. She hurried out of the car, grabbed a wheelchair sitting outside the doors, then opened my door and helped me out. She grabbed my bag, then pushed the wheelchair as fast as she could inside the doors, yelling, "We've got a baby coming any second! Help!"
A nurse came out behind the counter, came to our aid, and began hurrying me to where I needed to be. "I have to go park my car. Where will she be?" Lisa asked as she walked beside the nurse and me.
"Second floor, delivery area," the nurse responded.
"I'll be right back. Don't go having that baby until I get to the room," Lisa insisted before she rushed away.
I got to the floor I needed to be, then they got me into a room, hooked me to the machines, then called my doctor. Thank God, my doctor was a couple of rooms down, delivering another baby. Because if Lisa had to be the one delivering our baby, I think she'd panic and faint.
Lisa got to the room finally and rushed to my side. "How are you doing?"
"How do you think I'm doing?" I snapped as she grabbed hold of my hand. "Oh, God, the pain!" I yelled, clenching forward.
The nurse quickly examined me, then looked at Lisa and me. "Oh, yes. She's dilated to ten, and I can see the crown of her head popping through. I'll go grab your doctor," she said as she stood.
Lisa lowered to my face and ran her fingers through my hair as she kissed my lips. Then she smiled. "We're about to meet our beautiful comedian. I know she's going to be as beautiful as you," she said, gently pressing her lips to mine.
~~~~
Thirty minutes later, I delivered a healthy, beautiful little girl into this crazy world we live in. And I couldn't be any happier to meet her, finally. "Congratulations," the doctor said as he placed her in my arms.
"Do you know what you're going to name her?" The nurse asked.
Lisa smiled as she looked from me down to our daughter, then she turned her head and said, "Yes. We're naming her Ella Jane Manoban."
I didn't want to look away from our little girl. She's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life, and I couldn't get over the fact that I pushed out a seven-pound baby out of my hoo-hah. This just goes to show how strong we women truly are.
I was so in awe as I looked at our princess and still couldn't believe Ella was officially here. "We got our Christmas present early. And she's the best Christmas present ever," I quietly said, placing my finger in her little hand, and when she squeezed, my entire body melted, with a couple of tears trickling down my cheek.
Lisa kissed my forehead. "You did good, momma. She looks exactly like you, and I love how she has your dark-colored hair and eyes... my two beautiful girls, right here. And I couldn't ask for anything better in my life."
~~~~
After two days in the hospital, Lisa was finally able to bring Ella and me home. It was the longest two days of my life as I'm not too fond of hospital stays. And now that we're home, I can finally relax and enjoy what's given me hell these last couple of months. Even though Ella was tough on me and had teased Lisa and me this past month, I wouldn't trade her in for anything.
While in the hospital, I asked that nobody would come and visit us. It's not that I didn't want anyone coming and seeing what Lisa and I were excited about. I wanted those two days to bond with Ella, with nobody interrupting. I already had nurses and doctors interrupting Lisa and my bonding time with her, and I didn't want anyone else doing what they were.
Now that we're home. I wanted to get a couple of pictures of Ella in front of the Christmas tree and send them to my friends. With Ella sleeping in her baby seat, Lisa set her in front of the tree. I took a couple of pictures, then set up the timer, and with me holding Ella, we took a family picture.
After sending the pictures to my friends, I laid a sleeping Ella in her bassinet, then Lisa and I sat in front of the tree handing out our gifts to each other, with me insisting she opens her first. Lisa quickly opened her as she wanted me to open my first, and by the way, Lisa was opening her gifts from me, I could tell on her face there was something she had for me that she couldn't wait for me to open.
Lisa looked at me and excitedly smiled. "You better hurry and open your gifts before Ella awakes," she said, lifting a gift she wanted me to open first.
"Let me check on her quick," I said, setting the gift down.
As I stood, Lisa reached for my hand and held it firm. "Let her sleep. She'll let us know when she awakes."
I pouted. "I just want to take another look at Ella."
"Let her sleep. You'll have plenty of time to look at her," Lisa smiled, pulling my hand to sit.
"Fine," I sadly said, sitting back down.
She chuckled. "Open this," she said, handing me the gift again.
I ripped off the wrapping paper and looked at Lisa. Her smile was vast; it made me smile and more curious about what she had inside the box. I looked back down, opened the box, and pulled out a picture. The picture was inside a beautiful frame, and it was of Lisa proposing to me inside the Eiffel Tower. "Awe. I love this!" I emphasized in awe, leaning to her and pressing my lips to her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
I opened the rest of the gifts, and I thought I was done, but when I stood to check on Ella, she pulled my hand. "Hold on there, woman. There's one more you didn't open," Lisa excitedly said.
"More?"
She nodded, then stood and reached into the tree. "I saved the best for last," she said as she removed a box that was hidden entirely inside the tree. She handed me the small box with a smile, "I hope you'll like this one."
"I'm sure I will," I said as I tore off the wrapping paper and dropped it to the ground. I opened the box, saw keys, and looked at her, confused. "Keys? What are these keys for?"
The corners of her lips rose rapidly, took my hand, and walked me over to the door leading to the garage. She slowly opened the door, turned on the light, and walked me into the garage. What I saw was not there two days ago and gasped. "You're joking, right?" I asked, shocked.
I walked closer, then stopped and turned around. "Take a look! She's all yours," Lisa happily said.
"A Cadillac Escalade?"
"Yep, I brought her home yesterday. That's what was taking so long when you called me, saying you were having contractions. I was in the middle of signing the paperwork." Surprise after surprise. It's always surprising with Lisa. I walked over to the brand new white SUV, opened the door, and looked inside. "Wow..."
"Keep checking her out. I'll listen to Ella."
"Okay," I said, sliding into the driver's seat. I placed my hands on the steering wheel and smiled, then I turned around and looked to the seat behind me. Lisa had another car seat ready for Ella.
"Wow, Lisa. You really went all out!"
Lisa stepped partially in the doorway, listening, then she walked to me and smiled as she stood in between the opened door and me, and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Love. I figured now that Ella is finally here, you would rather have a larger SUV, now that you will be lugging around an extra body along with a stroller whenever you need to go shopping or out for whatever you need to do that day. After you feed her, we can take her out for a spin to see if you'll even like it. We have thirty days, and if you don't like it, we can trade it in for something else."
"No. We won't have to trade this in. I already know I'll love it."
Lisa leaned forward and stared me in the eyes. "Enjoy your new ride, Love. I love you."
I smiled while looking into her eyes. "I love you too. Thank you so much. You didn't have to do this."
"I know. But I wanted to. I want only the best for my two favorite girls," she said, making my heart melt. And before I could say anything, her lips were against mine. I reached my arms up around her, and just as I deepened the kiss, Ella loudly cried. Alerting us, she wasn't happy.
We both giggled. "I think someone may be hungry," Lisa snickered as she stepped back, extending out her hand for me to take.
I hurried to her, lifted her from the bassinet, then sat on the couch, opened my shirt, and let her feed off me. "She's a lucky girl," Lisa said as she leaned over my shoulder.
"Why is that?"
She walked around the couch, then sat next to me and rubbed her finger against the palm of her hand, getting Ella to squeeze it, which she did. She smiled, then looked at me, widening her smile. "She's drinking off something I want to have my mouth wrapped around," she breathed a chuckle. "Not to mention, she has a beautiful mother."
I wanted to smack her, but I giggled anyway. "You're lucky. If Ella wasn't in my arms, eating. I'd punch you."
She laughed. "No, you wouldn't. You would open your shirt wider and say come and get it."
"Behave," I giggled. "You know what the doctor said. But if you forgot. I'll remind you of what he said. And that's no sex for another four to six weeks."
She kissed my cheek and snickered. "I know. I was only messing with you," she said, just when the doorbell rang. "I'll get that."
Lisa walked to the door. I looked away from Ella and to the door when I heard a voice I didn't recognize. Lisa closed the door, and as she walked towards me, my brows lowered when I saw her carrying a couple of boxes. "What's that?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. There's no sender listed on the boxes, but they addressed the packages to us both."
She sat down and set the boxes on the table in front of us. "Well, open them. I'm curious to see what they are," I said when Lisa leaned back against the couch, staring at the boxes. She grabbed the smaller box, opened it, and pulled out a vase filled with flowers, with a card poking out that said Congratulations. She looked back in the box and tipped it upside down, shaking it.
"No card or nothing inside."
Huh... "Maybe one of my friends sent them and forgot to place a card inside. Or a card could be in the bigger box. Why don't you open and see? I'm inquisitive now," I urged.
Lisa opened the giant box, looked inside, then looked at me. "No card in here, either," she said as she looked back into the box and started removing the wrapped gifts. "Wait... there's a card at the bottom."
She sat back, opened the card, and then I noticed her mouth dropping. "Who's it from?"
Lisa looked at me wide-eyed, then handed me the card. "See for yourself."
I took the card from her hand, and as I read it and saw who signed it,
I swallowed hard. "Kendal?"
"I'm shocked," Lisa said.
"How did she know I had the baby? Did you tell her?"
Her shoulders shrugged, and she shook her head. "I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine."
Lisa unwrapped the gifts, and I was amazed at what she sent. Numerous clothes, blankets, toys, and baby essentials.
"Wow. I'm fucking shocked. Never would I ever expect anything like this would come from Kendal. Especially after what happened with us," Lisa said, surprised.
I handed Ella to her, then looked at everything Kendal had sent. I was floored as all the clothing were expensive name brands. Chanel, Burberry, Dolce Gabbana, Fendi, and more. Same with the blankets. "Wow, Lisa. Do you realize what she sent here? She spent damn good money on all of this," I said, looking her way. "Are you sure you didn't say anything to her?"
She shook her head. "I have not talked to her since the day we were in court."
I thought for a second; then it hit me. "Does your brother know I had the baby?"
"Maybe. I'm sure my parents said something to him. Now that would make sense. Which only means they're still talking. Well, whatever makes the two happy, I guess," she shrugged. "All that matters to me is that we're happy. In which I would think we are..."
"Oh, we are," I assured.
Lisa looked at the gifts Kendal sent and sighed while extending out her hands. "I suppose I'm going to have to call and thank her for these."
"You don't have to. I already thought of calling and thanking Kendal."
~~~~
I laid Ella in the bassinet I had next to the bed, then climbed into bed and snuggled up to Lisa. "I can't believe we made something as precious as Ella. So fucking amazing," I said in awe as I caressed the tips of my fingers along her chest.
Lisa curled her finger underneath my chin and tilted my head back. She lowered to my lips, passionately kissed me, then smiled as she parted from my lips. "We can definitely make more of those precious little ones. Because I'm willing to give you whatever you want. Meaning as many of those look alikes as you wish to have."
Wanting to tease her, I smiled, arched a brow high, and said, "So, what you're saying is, you're willing to give me like six, seven, or even eight of those precious human beings?" Her eyes widened, then I noticed her sexy Adam's apple bobble up and down. I couldn't help seeing her reaction and giggled. "I'm kidding. I only want like three or four kids."
She tightened her hold around me and smiled. "As I said. I'll give you as many as you want because I'm the luckiest woman alive to have you in my life. And if that means giving you your six, seven, or eight kids as you so said, then so be it. And my reasoning is that the woman I chose to bear my children is the most beautiful woman on earth who's given me a beautiful little girl already. I would love to have more of those little cuties running around the house," she said, kissing my forehead, then my lips, causing me to turn into mush.
~~~~~~~~~~
