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She couldn't stand it any longer! Amanda struggled to sit up, she bit her lip to keep her cry of pain from escaping, as she got to her feet she gently rubbed her baby.
"Please, Kid! Give me a break with all the kicking, huh? You've been really active today, so you should be sleeping." She felt several kicks of rebellion against her hand and her eyes swelled with tears as her organs were brutalized. "I know. I know." Amanda whispered as she slowly made her way downstairs. Amanda took a deep breath with each step she took, I hate stairs, she thought. Amanda barely acknowledged the sound of keys in the lock, but jumped with surprise when the door open and Jake came in. Each was startled to see the other.
"What are you doing up at 4 in the morning?" Jake asked taking off his jacket and taking in the painful look on her face.
"What are you doing not being in your bunk bed?" Amanda asked as she slowly made her way to the living room. She felt Jake come up behind her, he took her arm, and led her to the couch. Jake was surprised how short she was without her shoes.
"I was covering the night shift for a friend. Having a rough night?" He asked as he propped her bare feet up on a pillow.
Amanda rested her head against the pillows and sighed. She winced as she answered, "A rough 24 hours. I've been kicked all day and most of the night." A small smile pulled at her lips when she felt Jake gently rubbing her stomach.
"Poor baby. You were going to get something from the kitchen?" Jake as he sat watching his hand rub her belly.
"No." Amanda drew in a sharp breath and tried to roll over on her side. Jake laughed softly and helped her ease over. He rubbed her back hoping to ease her pain. "I know, Kid. You want a song. You just…" Amanda's words were lost in a sigh.
"A song?" Jake asked with a goofy smile. "What kind of song?" Amanda tried to suppress a smile as Jake questioned her with excitement. "When did you start singing to the baby?"
"Since I moved in." Amanda admitted.
"Really?" Jake asked surprised. "Come on, dish it out." Jake pinched her bare foot. "Come on!"
Amanda laughed and rolled over to face him. "Kathy started it."
"AH!!" Jake said with a laugh and relaxed, kicking off his shoes.
"Well, I've been having a lot of stress lately. With having no place to go and a baby I didn't know how I was going to take care my emotions got the better of me. Kathy heard my sobs and she came in my room to ask me what was wrong. " Amanda laughed at the memory. "I didn't know what to say so I told her it was being pregnant and hormones."
Jake shook his head. He wanted to laugh with her but it hurt to think of her upstairs, feet from him, sobbing. He hated that he wasn't the one that heard her and went in to give her comfort, but it didn't sound like he could trump Kathy's ability to calm her.
"So she sang you a song?" Jake asked touched by the bonding that seems to have taken place between Kathy and Amanda.
"No. She told me a story." Amanda motioned for Jake to help her sit up. "I should say, she told the baby a story."
Jake gave her huge smile. "What kind of story?"
"It was a mixture of fairy tales. Like the three bears in the gingerbread house being visited by Little Red Riding Hood. It was really cute, cheered me up." Amanda smiled at Jake as he rubbed her foot and tried not to enjoy Jake's touches and caresses.
"That's good." Jake forced himself to keep his hands off Amanda, and it was an uphill battle. "When did you upgrade to singing?"
"About a week ago the Kiddo here was in a big kicking mood and she told a story but it didn't make a difference so she decided to sing instead, she even had music, and almost immediately the kicking stopped and all was quite for the rest of the night." A look of pure ecstasy crossed her face. "That was a good night, haven't slept that good in ages."
"And so…" Jake gestured with his hand for Amanda to finish his thought.
"And so since then when I've had a long night of kicking some music and a song seems to induce relaxation for us." Amanda gestured herself and the baby.
Jake couldn't miss the fact that Amanda didn't make any direct reference to the baby. Yes, she called her (I'm betting on a girl, Jake thought) Kiddo but that's it. Does she know she's doing it? He wondered. It would have to be difficult to not call the baby he or she just out of simple habit.
"Then you left your music down here." Jake stated understanding finally.
"Yes." Amanda laughed. "Kathy was down here earlier, treating us to her musical talent. She is a good singer and tells wonderful stories.
"She has a wonderful sense of humor." Jake agreed. "So… what were you planning on singing?"
Amanda blushed and rubbed her stomach. "Usually it's a disc of kids songs. You know: Three Blind Mice and Humpty Dumpty."
"Is that what you were planning on singing tonight?" It warmed his heart thinking of her bonding with her baby with lullaby's.
"I hadn't decided." She admitted, slowly rising to her feet.
"I want to sing." Jake said, the excitement in his voice reminded her of a five year old.
Amanda laughed as she picked up her portable radio and headed for the stairs. "You didn't sing very well, Jake." Amanda laughed at the look on his face.
"I doubt the baby will care."
"I'm sure not, everything sounds different to him." Amanda slowly made her way up the stairs with Jake nagging her.
"I won't be loud and I'll do my best to sing a decent song." Jake put on a pleading look when Amanda turned to face him at the top of the stairs.
"Fine, fine." Amanda let out a long sigh and headed to her room. She smiled at the laughter she could hear coming from Jake.
Amanda lead Jake into the bed. She handed him the radio to plug in while she made herself comfortable on the bed.
"I just pick a song and sing?" Jake asked while he was on his knees looking for the plug under her bedside table.
"Yes but there's more to it than that." Amanda said quietly.
"Like what?"
"You have to sing to the baby."
"That's the plan."
"Yes, it is, but the song is for the baby. And since you're not me, he can't feel the vibrations. So..." Amanda was cut off when Jake rose to quickly and slammed his head under the table.
"I have to sing the song while resting my head on your stomach?" Jake asked in surprise. He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he asked to sing to the baby but this wasn't it. At Amanda's nod, Jake rose to his feet and kicked off his shoes. He eased himself onto the bed, laying next to Amanda, he rested his head on her stomach.
"The first song is Ragtime Lullaby, do you know that one?" At Jake's nod Amanda pushed play on the CD. Jake started singing in a very low, soft voice. Amanda almost couldn't hear him but she felt the baby relax and almost instantly she was asleep.
Won't you play the music so the cradle can rock,
to a lullaby in ragtime.
Sleepy hands are creeping to the end of the clock,
play a lullaby in ragtime.
You can tell the sandman is on his way,
by the way that they play,
As still as the trill of a thrush in a twilight high.
So you can hear the rhythm of the ripples on the side of the boat,
as you sail away to dreamland.
High above the moon you hear a silvery note,
as the sandman takes your hand.
So rock-a-by my baby, don't you cry my baby,
sleepy-time is nigh.
Won't you rock me to a ragtime lullaby,
So rock-a-by my baby,
don't you cry my baby,
sleepy-time is nigh.
Won't you rock me to a ragtime lullaby
Jake could tell by Amanda's breathing that she had fallen asleep and with the sudden lack of kicking from the womb he assumed that the baby was settled for the night as well. Jake slowly got off the bed, he grabbed the throw blanket and laid it over Amanda. He kissed her forehead before he quietly left the room. He stood few several minutes admiring a sleeping Amanda before he felt his own exhaustion catching up with him. He climbed into his bed, without even changing his clothes, and instantly feel asleep. He dreamt of Amanda and the baby.