One month later…
It had been a month since Punk had gotten the job for the local newspaper and he had already published three columns within the month, which was quite a lot, some people barely even managed to get one out. It was a much more quieter environment than what he was used to at the garage. He had his own office, his own computer, his drawers to put paperwork in. What he loved most about having his own desk, was having a space to put pictures of his family, staring at them to give him motivation to write something.
His boss continued to love his work and categorised Punk as the joker, he found the stories hilarious and even more so because it was real life. Punk figured it was easier to write about real life experiences than making up stories that would take hours, as soon as he remembered something that happened to him, he just wrote, and wrote, for hours on end. The stories that seemed to intrigue most people were the ones about his sons. He was thoroughly enjoying his work and was thankful for the opportunity he was getting.
AJ was now seven months pregnant and in the hormonal, angry, 'nobody touch me unless you have food' stage of her pregnancy, and she had started back at work as well, speaking to her patients to see how they had been getting on while she had taken her absence.
Tate and Thomas seemed to acknowledge their mothers tiredness and thin level of patience, and they had actually been behaving rather well these past few weeks. They were good kids, she could never complain.
Punk was halfway through finishing the nursery. The only things to be done were to hang the curtains up, fill the drawers with all the clothes, diapers and baby grows AJ had been buying, and build the changing table which he had left until last. The room really was crushing his manliness everytime he walked in. It was definitely fit for a princess. The boys made fake hurling noises every time they got forced to go in, stating that they didn't like pink, and pink is for girls.
"Ok…" AJ stood up slowly, placing her hand on her tummy, "I'm going to keep you off the medication for now, you seem to be making progress, just keep doing what you're doing, the exercises must be doing you the world of good." AJ smiled as she walked her current patient out.
"They really are." The young woman nodded.
"Well keep them up, but if you feel things getting worse, talk to me at our next appointment and I'll prescribe you with more medication." AJ smiled as she opened her front door, "It was really nice to see you again." She smiled to one of her many polite and kind patients.
"You too." The young woman smiled as she headed out, being AJ's last patient for the day, AJ couldn't have been more relieved to see her leave.
She shut the door over and cleared up in the living room, putting all her folders back in her working cabinet and heading into the kitchen where Tate and Thomas were sitting at the table with their colouring in books.
"You two ok?" AJ asked her son's, feeling so uncomfortable at this point, her tummy was huge and she felt like she was just going to pop.
"Look at my drawing." Tate waved his mother over and showed the drawing he was colouring in, far from neat, but very cute.
"They're great." AJ smiled to both of them, "We can put them on the fridge once you are both done, yeah?" AJ suggested as they nodded, "You guys hungry?" She asked them.
"Yeah." Thomas piped up in his small voice.
"Do you want to come to the store with mommy to get some donuts and cookies?" AJ asked curiously, never seeing them stand up so quickly, "Ok, go get your sweaters." AJ asked them, watching them run away and upstairs, grabbing her car keys and wallet from the kitchen counter. She didn't even know if she would be able to fit behind the wheel.
Later that night…
"Oh, yeah…" AJ moaned, "Phil, that feels so good." She crunched into a cookie as she lay on the couch with her feet in Punk's hands, helping his irrational fear and her pregnancy related sore feet. Anyone standing outside the room would have thought they were up to something else.
"I think this actually might be better than sex." AJ admitted in her moment of relaxation.
"So not only..." Punk began, "Am I your peasant foot rubber, but now you're insulting my manhood at the same time?" Punk raised his eyebrows.
"C'mon, you know sex is overrated." AJ said, her eyes on the TV as she enjoyed her cookie, almost falling asleep with how relaxed she was feeling.
"Sex is overrated?" Punk raised his eyebrows her way, "Are you kidding me?"
"This is a conversation you're going to put in your column, isn't it?" AJ realised, only saying what Punk was thinking.
"Well I'm sure everyone would love to read about the joy your are to come home to." Punk smiled sarcastically, feeling her kick his chest with her foot.
"I am a joy." AJ stated, "Serious talk though… what are we doing for Tate's birthday in a few weeks?" AJ asked her husband. She couldn't believe that Tate was turning five in just a few short weeks, and then two months after that, it was going to be Thomas's fourth birthday. All her children had just weeks apart from their birthdays. There was an unknown chance that their daughter could even be born on Thomas's birthday, since AJ's due date was round about.
"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Punk asked his wife.
"Well it's not like he goes to school, where I can invite other little boys round…"
"That's what will happen when he goes to school?" Punk asked with horror.
"Yes." AJ rolled her eyes with a snap, "When this one goes to school…" She put her hand on her tummy, "She's going to have sleepovers and you aren't going to get to sleep. Deal with it." AJ said as Punk shook his head at the years to come.
"Ok… so back to what we're doing for Tate? Why don't we just get a few people round, your mom, Seth, Paige, the neighbours, just have a little gathering. I don't assume you'll want to go out anywhere since your feet swell up just by going to the store for donuts." Punk said.
"Ok, so you'll make sure you'll get the day off?" AJ reminded him.
"I've already asked." Punk nodded, a step ahead of her.
"Good." AJ smiled. She always made sure her sons had the best birthdays ever, even if it was just small gatherings in their home.
Silence fell amongst them as they both watched the TV. AJ turned around to look at Punk, who evidently was still rubbing her feet. She gave him a hard time whilst pregnant, but she loved him really. He was such a great help and went out of his way to make sure she was comfortable and relaxed.
"You know I'm super proud of you, right?" AJ said with a hushed tone now.
Punk turned around to her, "Of course I do." Punk smiled sweetly to her.
AJ watched as Punk turned back around to the TV. She really didn't give him enough praise or thanks, he was the perfect husband and always there for her in her time of need.
Punk watched as AJ leaned forward and crawled towards him, grabbing the remote and muting the TV.
"What are you…" Punk watched as AJ swung her leg around him, straddling his hips with her hands on his chest as she looked down at him.
"Shh." AJ said quietly, running her hands down his chest, stopping them at the top of his jeans, leaning down and pressing her lips against his own, so soft and inviting for her, a tingle already forming in her tummy.
Punk had no idea whether AJ was coming or going these days, she was snappy one minute and then devouring him with her love the next. But it was his job to support her either way, whether she was yelling at him or kissing him.
A few weeks later…
"Tate, what do you say to Seth?" AJ asked her son, picking up the birthday wrapping paper in the living room.
"Thanks, Seth." Tate smiled up at his father's friend, smiling at his present from him, some monster truck to add to the rest of his endless toys.
"It's no problem, pal." Seth smiled to Tate.
AJ was glad to see her son having a great birthday, he had already got so many nice things from his mother and father early this morning, and from Thomas, never mind from Seth and Paige, his gran and the neighbours Punk and AJ were friendly with.
AJ was just coming up for eight months now and she just wanted her baby girl out of her. She was having trouble sleeping at night, or even getting comfy on the couch. She was finding it hard to keep working with her patients whilst being so big, but since her patients were so understanding they had a lot of patience for her.
"So, how you liking the new job?" Seth asked Punk in the living room while AJ was with Paige in the kitchen. Tate, Thomas and Seth's daughter Olivia out playing in the back garden with some new toys.
"It's great." Punk nodded, "It's different, but it's a good different." Punk admitted. He knew Seth was missing him, they got on very well in work.
"I read the paper every week now because of you. I never knew you could write like that." Seth admitted as Punk just shrugged with a wasted smile. He hated being complimented.
The day soon turned into late afternoon where the only visitor that was left at the house was AJ's mother. Everyone had gone home to let AJ and Punk settle Tate and Thomas down from the exciting day they had.
"Chew your food, Tate." AJ said as she watched Tate practically inhale his food from the dinner plate as she turned the oven off, her mother sitting at the table with her grandsons while she had sent Punk into the living room with a trash bag to clear up wrapping paper and empty boxes.
"So, April… tell me this, who is going to be watching you three children whilst you and Phil are at work?" Fiona asked curiously, "Surely you can't leave a newborn on it's own with a five and four year old." Fiona said as AJ rolled her eyes at her mother's need to start a war with her.
"Well I'm sure you wouldn't mind watching them for a few hours. Since Phil is working more shifts and I can't be distracted at home." AJ said.
"So you expect me to watch your three children for a full day? I told you April, you're going to fall flat on your face." Fiona said.
"Oh, mom. I really appreciate your support for me. I really do." AJ nodded sarcastically, throwing the dish towel down on the kitchen counter, "I'll find a babysitter then if it's so much trouble for you." She rolled her eyes.
"All your hard college work is going to be down the drain. I can almost guarantee you'll have to give up your job to be a stay at home mom." Fiona confessed, "I don't know what you're expecting, April. You think cooking two plates of food for dinner is hard enough? What about three? You only have two hands… where does the other child hold on to?" Fiona snapped at her daughter.
"You know what, mom. Just get out of my house." AJ grabbed her mother by the arm with force, pulling her from the kitchen table to which her sons looked at the dramatic scene.
"April, don't you put your hands on me." Fiona demanded as AJ kept tight hold of her mothers arm, marching down the hall and to the front door.
"Get out… get out of my house!" AJ shouted, opening the front door and pushing her mother out with no remorse, slamming the door shut behind her and leaning her back against it as Punk ran out from the living room at all the shouting.
"AJ… what is…" Punk paused as he seen AJ burst into a fit of tears, walking towards him and collapsing into his arms.
Punk dropped the half full trash bag and wrapped his arms around his wife, not knowing what all the shouting was about, supposing he would find out later after he comforted his seeming to be stressed and upset wife.
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