A/N: I know, I know. It's been awhile. Once again, I have a lot going on. I won't bore you with details. I will, however, give you some awesome details about my girl duskri123. She just had her first OF published and released this week! And because I'm so excited for her and her story A Mile High, I will invite you to check out her blog where you can find all the details about the story, as well as where you can purchase it. So head over to bethanykris dot blogspot dot com to find out all about A Mile High and other writing projects she's working on!

Prompt from dcurley1: Meltdown

Rated: M for language

Character/Pairing: Bella/Jasper

Style: Not Drabble

Word Count: 1,356

Not beta'd so any mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters from the Twilight Universe. I merely make them go a little postal.

Nuclear

It had been a shit day. There was just no other description. It was as if Murphy's Law had become a menacing storm cloud, hovering over my head all day while wreaking its havoc by ensuring everything that could go wrong did.

As if not sleeping worth a damn due to horrific heartburn wasn't bad enough, being woken to the sound of my little man, LJ, vomiting loudly made for an epic start to the day. Having to stick the sniffling, puke-covered boy in a warm bath—still in his pajamas—while the smell caused me to heave just made me feel like a shitty mom. It was when I discovered the last of the thawed, homemade strawberry jam LJ liked on his toast was gone that I began silently cursing whoever was working against me.

When I went in to tackle the ever-present mound of laundry and found a still damp load of Jasper's undershirts in the washer, I made a mental note to thank my husband for taking some initiative. That mental note was quickly scribbled out upon realizing every single t-shirt that should have been a pristine white was actually a pale pink. Where the red handkerchief that caused the mess came from, I'll never know. My day was made even better when I picked up the bottle of bleach only to find it empty.

Despite knowing it was asking for trouble to take LJ out and about on a day that started with vomit, I had little choice given the growing list of items we needed from the store. So I put on some comfy clothes, threw my hair up in a messy bun and got LJ ready to go so we could get what we needed from Wal-Mart and get back home. A lesson in futility was beset upon me when, not two miles from home, my SUV blew a tire, causing a near car accident and jarring LJ so badly he promptly threw up all over himself...twice.

Thinking I had this issue licked by easily calling AAA, I was promptly informed otherwise when immediately told that Jasper had not bothered to renew our membership earlier in the month. Telepathically cussing out my husband with every expletive and its variant I could think of, I begged to be able to renew over the phone no matter how much it would cost. Really, I should have known it was going too easily, because when I went to reach for my wallet to read off the numbers from our handy dandy credit card, I realized that I had managed to leave the house without my purse. After informing a very disturbed customer service representative that I was not in fact muttering obscenities at her and finally just rudely hanging up on the poor lady, I set out to change the flat tire as quickly as I could in my limited female way.

After taking thirty minutes to do what would have taken AAA next to nothing, I was finally able to get turned around to take my aching body and pukey, screaming son back home. Once LJ was scrubbed down and tucked away for a nap, I went to retrieve his poor, abused car seat so that it could be washed out as well. Finally finished with that mess, I glanced at the wall clock only to realize the entire day was shot and that Jasper was due home anytime. Knowing his propensity for liking dinner to be ready or close to being finished upon his arrival, I opted to start cooking over grabbing the shower I so desperately needed. I really should have known better.

Turning toward the sound of the back door opening, I tucked the loose strands of my hair behind my ears as best I could and pulled part of my grubby t-shirt up into my armpits to stifle the smell that was emanating from them despite my copious use of deodorant. As soon as Jasper stepped into the room and walked over to me, the involuntary look of disgust on his face told me everything I needed to know before he ever even opened his stupidly male mouth. "Jesus, babe. I know being a stay-at-home mom can be rough, but couldn't you have at least grabbed a shower today? Thank fuck we're not having another kid anytime soon, huh?"

It took less than a second for my right arm to fly away from my side and for the crack of my open hand connecting with Jasper's face to echo across the otherwise deadly silent room. My eyes, burning brightly with fury and unshed tears, met his shocked baby blues with no hesitation and no regret.

"How dare you," I said, each word enunciated with perfect clarity. The volume of my voice was very low, but that meant more bad things than good. "You have no right to come in here and judge me after the day I've had. You might be the bread-winner in this house, but it's not too fucking hard to sit behind a god damned desk all day. The day you can do my job with no complaints and come out at the end of it looking pristine will be the day I kiss your feet. Until then, you can keep your caveman thoughts to your-fucking-self."

I'd managed to keep the tears at bay during my speech, but now that I was walking as swiftly as my screaming lower back and hips could manage, I felt their scalding trails on my cheeks. Not even caring if I disturbed LJ from his much needed nap, I slammed the bedroom door shut as I finally let the entirety of my rage loose. Seeing the small pile of brightly colored goodies in the middle of the bed only spiked my blood pressure more. With a roar of fury, I stomped over and swept an arm across the top of the comforter, knocking a new box of four and eight ounce bottles to the floor. Spying the unopened Wubba Nub pacifier, I picked it up and chucked it at the wall. I angrily ripped open the package of newborn sized diapers and began tossing them so that they lay scattered across the room. The small case of baby wipes was soon shoved aside as well. The sight of a teeny tiny onesie laid out on top of a small, oh-so-soft blanket was enough to make me choke on the tears falling in torrents off my face.

As my eyes drifted to the top of what had been a merry stack of surprise baby supplies for when Jasper walked in after work, I felt my heart skip a beat. Sobbing now in earnest, I snatched up the small picture with a shaking hand and felt my legs give out beneath me. Landing hard on my butt, I scooted so that my back was supported by the bed and wrapped my left arm around my barely there baby bump. I rocked back and forth while keening with emotional agony. The meltdown I had so valiantly fought against during the day's earlier events had finally succeeded in bowling me over like a tidal wave.

Forcing myself to look at the picture in hand, I focused on the grainy image. In the middle of a sea of black, white, and grey was the profile of our yet-to-be-born son or daughter. I felt my heart lurch at the idea of Jasper not wanting this baby. I had been so sure that he would be happy. Sure it would be different with two kids instead of just one. Of course it would be more difficult still given LJ's seemingly constant bouts of illness. But to me it was worth it. Any potential hardship was more than worth having another little love. I let my head fall back against the mattress as more tears slipped down my cheeks and hoped to hell the one time I had let my temper get away from me had knocked some sense into that man's head, because come hell or high water, this innocent baby would be here before we knew it.