The next day…
Fin sat on Elizabeth's hospital bed and stared at the baby. "A brother?"
"Yep. His name is Jacob."
"I like that name. It sounds like Daddy's name."
"Yeah. Jack and Jacob."
"And Joe?"
"Yes. They all start with J."
"That won't be confusing at all," Jack teased.
"Hush, Jack. I like his name."
"If we used the name I liked, it would be easier."
Joe entered the room with Pop and Aubrey. Aubrey walked over and immediately hugged Elizabeth and kissed Jacob's head. "He's so cute, Beth. And so little. Can I hold him?"
"Yeah. Jack can hand him to you once you sit in that recliner there." Aubrey climbed up on the recliner and held her arms out.
"Mama!" Joe noticed she didn't have the baby anymore so he immediately wanted her.
Jack picked him up and put him next to her on the bed. He tried crawling onto her lap but Jack grabbed him before he could. "Joe, Mommy has a sore tummy. You have to be really gentle and careful."
Elizabeth saw him about ready to cry and put two pillows on her stomach so she would have a cushion. "Jack, I'll take him."
He was only three and a half but he wasn't a tiny baby anymore. She let Jack put him down so that his legs were straddling her and not touching her stomach. "Hi, sweet boy. I love you so much."
"Home, Mama, pease?"
"I can't, baby. Maybe tomorrow or the next day."
Joe fell asleep a few moments later and then woke up when Jacob needed to eat. Joe didn't like that and started crying so Jack helped Pop, take Aubrey, Joe, and Fin to the waiting room after kisses and hugs.
Jack held Joe, hoping he would fall back asleep. "Daddy, home?"
Jack felt like he should stay with Elizabeth and Jacob but he felt pulled to Joe too. "Mama needs me here, bud."
"I need you," he said, falling into another sobbing fit.
"Shhh." Jack walked outside for a moment with his son and sat down on a bench. "Joe, tell me what's going on."
Joe sat back and looked at Jack. "Pease home, Daddy. Want Mama too."
"I know, bud, but Mama has to stay here with your new brother."
"No brudder! Want Mama!"
Pop brought the girls outside too and sat next to Jack. "Has he been sleeping?" Jack asked Pop.
"Not much. He knows things are changing."
Jack held him for a bit longer and noticed he had gone back to sleep. "I hate to have him go with you and end up keeping everyone awake."
"Its ok, Jack. We will get through it and he will be fine."
Jack kissed Joe's head and gently handed him to Pop. Then he picked up almost five year old Finny. "Bye, sweetheart. Can you help Pop with Joe and try to keep him happy?"
"Yes. I'm the big sister!"
"Yes you are. You're a great big sister. I love you."
"Love you, Daddy."
Finally after giving Aubrey a hug, the group was on their way back home and Jack headed up to Elizabeth and Jacob.
….
Elizabeth's parents showed up the next afternoon to see Jacob. William immediately took him from Jack, obviously taken with the little guy.
Charlotte also showed up with Joe because he had been begging to see his Mama. Charlotte put Joe right next to Elizabeth on the bed and sighed. "Has he been giving you problems, Mom?" Elizabeth wondered.
"Yeah. He's exhausted mostly but he misses you both."
"Well, I miss you too, Joey," she told him. "I get to come home tomorrow I think."
"Home, Mama."
"Baby, I need you to listen to Mama." He looked up at her and pouted. "Are you listening?"
"Yeah."
"I need you to be good for Nana and Pop for one more night. Can you do that?"
"No," he said as he started crying, his exhaustion taking over.
"Babe, what if I went home tonight? I could stay with him," Jack offered. "Plus I need a shower."
"Sure. That's fine." She looked down at Joe. "Would you like that, Joey? Daddy will go home with you."
"Yeah," he whimpered. "Seep, Mama."
"Ok, love, you sleep. I'm going to feed your brother."
William handed Jake to Elizabeth. "What a gift he is, Bethie. What a gift you are," he told her, kissing her cheek.
"Thank you, Dad."
….
William, Grace and Jack took Joey home that afternoon, promising to return the next day to bring Elizabeth and Jacob home.
"Is Finny coming home, Jack?" Grace wondered.
"I texted Pop and he says she wants to spend the night again with Aubrey so it's just us and Joey."
Joey smiled at him, happy to have Daddy coming home at least. "Nemo and Bub?"
"They are at Pop and Nana's. I'll get them later, ok?"
"Yeah."
Jack leaned toward his son and kissed his forehead. "I love you, Joey." It hurt his heart to see Joey anything but happy.
"Up, Dada?" He raised his arms.
"I'll hold you once we get home, bud. Remember we stay buckled when the car is moving?"
"Yeah."
Once they arrived, Joey struggled to unbuckle himself in his hurry to get to Jack. "Joe? What is it?"
"Want you!" He flung his arms around Jack's neck and held on.
"I'm here."
"Stay, Dada. Stay home, pease?"
"Yes, I will stay here with you."
"Mama?"
"Mama will come home with Jacob tomorrow."
Jack carried him in and got him settled with his Dory movie so he could run up and shower. When he came down, Grace mentioned something.
"Instead of Will and I in the downstairs guest room, we will stay upstairs. Why don't you and Beth stay down here so she doesn't have the stairs to contend with?"
"Good idea. Dad, will you help me move Jacob's crib down here?"
"Of course."
"You boys do that. I'll see what we can whip up for dinner." Will looked at Grace. "Hush, Will. I can cook things."
"Well, sure, but in all fairness, we have had a cook for the last thirty years for a reason."
She frowned in mock annoyance and shooed them upstairs.
"Gamma?" Joey said, walking in the room.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Hungry."
"Me too. What do you want to eat?" He shrugged and joined her at the fridge.
"Spaghetti and meatballs?" she asked, taking a package of ground turkey out of the freezer.
"Yeah!" he said happily. "Yum!"
….
Julie made her girls dinner and picked at her own food. She was missing Mike. He had been working extra in the hospital lately and she felt like she never saw him. Where Jack had chosen the ER, Mike wanted less chaos and a somewhat slower pace so he went with Pediatrics. He was great with their own girls so she assumed he was great with all the children.
When she heard a bowl hit the floor, she knew Meredith was done. She loved to toss whatever food was left in her bowl over the side of her tray to see the mess it made.
"Mare, no no, sweetie!" Julie sighed and quickly wiped up the tray and floor and then concentrated on Meredith's hands and face.
The month before, Julie had finally decided to quit her job and stay home full time with their girls. She had loved her job but staying with them was what she found fulfilled her. Right now though, it was a lot when she just wanted quiet and Mike.
Claire and Kendall were talking loudly, some would say yelling, and Meredith was joining in because that's what a two year old does with their older siblings.
"Ok, dinner is done. Bath time!" she announced. "Then bed."
To save time and energy, she used her and Mike's big tub and bathed all three at once.
Mike walked in around eight, when she was getting everyone settled in their beds and relaxed. He knew what time it was so he stayed out of the girls bedroom because they would all want him as soon as they saw him, undoing all Julie's work to get them quieted.
He quietly snuck past the door and to his and Julie's room to take a shower.
Julie heard the shower turn on and her heart started beating faster. She finished the book she was reading and kissed the girls before turning out their light.
"Night, babies. Love you."
"Night night," Meredith said quietly, bringing a smile to her face.
Julie just got to her and Mike's door when he showed up right in front of her.
"Hi," she whispered, slipping into the room. He smelled so good, soapy and clean and like him.
He opened his arms and she walked into them. "Hi, honey."
"I feel like I haven't seen you in so long." She leaned back just enough to give him a long, slow kiss.
"I'm here." She nodded and smiled at him.
"I'm glad."
"What's dinner? I'm starving." He walked away toward the kitchen.
"Macaroni and cheese and I made you a steak too."
"That's sounds great."
"Ok, well, I'm going to bed."
"All right. I'll be in in a while. I'm just going to watch TV for a bit."
She nodded and walked away, disappointed. After laying alone for awhile, she went to find him. All she wanted was to be next to him and he seemed oblivious.
When she walked into the living room, he was asleep on the couch, his dinner plate on the table. She picked it up and took it in the kitchen to wash it and start the dishwasher. She didn't know why she was being so sensitive. Now she was crying into the sink. She shook her head at herself. How selfish was she? He was exhausted too.
"Hey," he whispered into her ear right before his lips found her neck. "Let's go to bed, babe." She turned and he saw the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You don't cry if it's nothing, Julie. Tell me."
"I'm selfish, Michael."
"You are not selfish, honey."
"I am. I just wanted you and I got so deep in my own head that I was upset and angry that you chose food and TV over me. I know you're tired, probably more than I am, and I still…I'm sorry, Mike." Now after admitting that, she was embarrassed too.
"Julie, look at me, babe." She met his eyes after a moment. "I'm sorry that I made you feel like I chose something else over you. I didn't mean to make you feel that way. You are certainly more important than television."
"Please don't apologize. Your work is important to you and I need to learn to let you relax first."
"You are important to me and the girls. That being said, I don't know how you feel unless you tell me."
Her cheeks reddened. "I guess my kisses are not as persuasive as they used to be."
He thought back to the kiss they shared in the bedroom earlier and mentally kicked himself. She tried to show him, he was just not paying close attention. "I disagree, but I'm willing to practice if that will make you feel better."
She smiled and hugged him. "Thank you for being you, Mike."
"I love you, Julie. Very much."
"I love you too."
….
The next morning, Jack woke up and Joey was right next to him, sleeping on Elizabeth's pillow.
The poor guy didn't want to sleep anywhere else. "Dada? See Mama now?"
"Soon, bud. Let's eat breakfast."
"Potty."
"Ok, potty first then breakfast."
Jack whipped up a batch of blueberry waffles and turkey bacon for his in-laws and him and Joey. Afterwards, they got a text from Elizabeth that she was ready to come home.
"Joe, do you want to stay here with Grandma and Grandpa or come to the hospital to get Mama?" Jack asked, already knowing the answer.
"Mama! I Go!"
"All right! Let's go get changed and we will go get them."
About an hour later, Jack pulled into the parking lot at the hospital and walked inside with Joe and the car seat for Jacob.
He let Joe push the button with the number three on it and they rode the elevator up to Labor and Delivery.
"See Mama, see Mama," Joe chanted as he skipped along next to Jack.
When they walked in the door, Elizabeth was dressed and bending over the bed to change Jacob's diaper.
"Mama!" Joe yelled as soon as he saw her.
"Joe, hang on, buddy," Jack told him before he threw himself at Elizabeth.
"Remember, Mama has a sore tummy. You need to be careful."
"All better, Mama?"
"No, sweetie. It's going to take awhile." She handed tiny Jacob to Jack and sat next to Joe on the bed where he had climbed. "I love you, Joe."
"Up, Mama."
"I can't pick you up. You're such a big boy and I don't want to hurt my tummy. Can you stand up here so I can hug you?"
He stood and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Home, Mama."
"Yes. Home sounds great."
****One more chapter to go my friends****