"Hey everyone guess who is knocked up?" Manny stood on a cafeteria table in the middle of lunch a few hours later. As Manny continued Emma and Jay both cringed. Apparently they needed to be more careful about where they talked about the baby.
"Emma Nelson is pregnant." Manny repeated the phrase a few times so everyone got the message loud and clear.
Emma's head dropped at the table she was sitting. Jay rubbed her back and soothed her as she sobbed. Everyone was either looking with wide eyes or whispering about them.
He gently helped her up and out of the school. She didn't lift her head the whole way there. He sat her down at the picnic table on school grounds and knelt down in front of her. He sighed, "Emma people where going to find out sometime. You can't just shut down."
She shook her head, "I have a right to be upset right now. My ex best friend just revealed to all of Degrassi I was pregnant. It can't get much worse now."
Jay sighed again, "Alright enough of the pity party Emma."
Emma glared at him, "How would you like it if your best friend told the whole school that you were pregnant?"
Jay conked his head, "Em, your forgetting that this is our baby. I just had my ex girlfriend tell the entire school that I'm a baby daddy."
"Um, no. Manny said nothing about you. All she said is I got knocked up," Emma said in an angry mock tone.
Jay cringed away, "Can we not say knocked up? T his is our family your talking about, and I understand your upset but you need to calm down."
"Fine, whatever. I want to go home, please," Emma said crossing her arms.
"Okay fine. Let's go," Jay said helping Emma up and into the car. They rode home in silence, and entered the apartment in silence.
"Are you better now? Do you want something?" Jay asked trying to stay supportive of her. He understood she was upset and hormonal but she was being awful moody.
"I'm fine. I just want to be left alone," Emma spat back at him and sat on the couch and played with her nails.
"Can you not be so crass with me Emma?" Jay said standing behind her. He had a clear tone in his voice. This was going to be a long day.
She shrugged, "Why should I?"
Jay groaned, "Alright Em, I understand your upset but we're still in a relationship and I still love you so you can't just shut me out."
Emma sighed and Jay joined her on the couch, "Jay I know that, I'm not stupid but I'm under a lot of stress."
Jay wrapped an arm around her, "I know Babe but talk to me please."
She shrugged once again, "Why bother? You're just going to sit there and say I love you over and over again. We've gone over this before."
"Okay, if I promise not to say that then will you talk to me," Jay was trying his best to be all she needed but it was becoming tiring right now.
"I just don't like the way people found out. I don't like that she said knocked up either, and I hate that she was my best friend and how easily she could do that to me," Emma ranted on and Jay listened carefully.
"Okay, I don't like it either and I understand you're hurt but you have to move on and be excited about our family," Jay tried his best to give her advice. However it was not his forte.
"I am excited about it. I really am but it's just something so big and I'm nervous," Emma said trying not to cry.
Jay held her a little closer and soother her, "Em, you have no idea how nervous I am. My dad left when I was 3 I barely remember him. I have no idea how to be a father."
Emma chuckled, "Yah okay. I saw you with Eli when they visited. You're great with him, and if you're half as good with our child then I'll be happy."
Jay laughed, "Half as good? Try twice as good with our child because he belongs to you too."
Emma's face lit up talking about her new little family, "Say that again... Our child, our family."
Jay kissed her forehead with a grin, "Our child, our baby, this family."
"I feel better now, thank you," Emma finally said and sighed. She snuggled into Jay's chest.
"I love you. I can say that now right?" He teased her a little and hugged a little tighter.
She giggled and nodded. The very same words slipped out of her mouth as she drifted off into a nap. Jay held her close in his arms. He ran his fingers through her hair, and thought of him and Emma.
xxx
"Babe, where did you put my leggings?" Emma asked trying get ready for her eight and a half month check up. She had out grown all her jeans and shirts. She had resorted to leggings, Jay's t-shirts and sweaters.
He tossed them to her from the basket in the hall, "Do you want help?"
She sighed and nodded, "It's a sad day when I can't even put my own pants on anymore."
He chuckled and smiled at her, "I don't mind helping. You're nearly 9 months pregnant, you have an excuse."
She rolled her eyes and stepped into her leggings, "I've blown up like a balloon. As much as I love this baby, I hate how fat I've gotten."
Jay chuckled, "Emma, you're not fat, you're pregnant. You are absolutely stunning if I do say so myself."
She stuck her tongue out at him, "You don't count, you're the one that made me this way."
Jay shook his head at her playfully, "We'll I hope no other guy is calling you stunning because you're all mine."
"Oh okay then Babe, let's go," Emma chuckled and waddled down the hall. She had baby clothes thrown everywhere. She really needed to get organized.
"Jay come on," Emma yelled down the hall. He jogged down the hall and out the door right behind her.
"We're home Em, wake up," Jay whispered. She had fallen asleep on the way home from her appointment.
She stirred and smiled kind of embarrassed, "Sorry, I don't sleep very much at night now."
Jay helped her out of the car, "Oh yeah? This is the first I'm hearing of this."
Emma waddled across the parking lot and shrugged, "I'm just really uncomfortable that's all. I can never get comfy."
"Em, you need to be getting some sleep. Come on, let's to have a nap, I promise to lay with you all afternoon," Jay said pulling her slowly to the bedroom.
She nodded and laid down in bed with him. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't snuggle into him the way she always had. It was as if she was to fat to be close to him anymore. She groaned and got out of bed. Jay jumped up and followed. She locked herself in the bathroom and sat down on the floor.
"Babe, what's the matter?"Jay asked kindly. He leaned up against the door. She didn't answer, she sat on the floor of the bathroom crying. Jay waited for an answer but when all he heard was a sniffle he got worried.
"Babe, open up please. I'm here to help," Jay pleaded with her. She sighed and flipped open the lock on the door. She knew that if she didn't unlock the door then he would just go get something to open it himself.
He stepped inside cautiously and sat down beside her, "What's the matter Em? Did I do something?"
Emma sniffed again, "Yeah, you made me fat."
Jay chuckled and pulled her onto his lap, "Boo, you're not fat, you're pregnant. You'll be back to the old you in no time after the baby is born."
"No I'm really really fat. I feel like by sitting on you I'm crushing you," Emma whispered and looked down at her large stomach.
"Emma stop with the fat talk. You're gorgeous and perfect no matter what. I love your body right now, I mean you're carrying a little part of me and you," Jay explained nod held her stomach.
"It's not just my stomach though, my ass is huge and my thighs are even bigger," a few tears escaped her eyes. Jay quickly wiped them away.
"Em, you're perfect. How many times do I have to tell you? Your ass is flawless, trust me I tend to look at it a lot, and this whole pregnancy thing has done wonders for you're chest as well."
She giggled and hit his chest, "Same old Hogart."
He laughed and tickled her side. She squirmed a little and laughed a lot. Suddenly they were sitting in a puddle. "Em? Did you just pee on me?" He was afraid to hear the answer because if she hadn't then her water had just broken.
Slowly Emma turned to Jay with red cheeks, "No I didn't. I think my water just broke."
Jay's eyes widen and he quickly got up off the floor. He quickly got into some dry jeans and handed her some sweatpants. She waddled down the hallway as best she could. Jay came up behind her with all the stuff they had packed for this moment.
"You ready to be a Daddy?" She asked with a smile getting into the car.
He nodded and kissed her cheek. Suddenly she held her stomach and gasped. A contraction, Jay held her hand the whole way through it.
They went quickly into the hospital and Emma was immediately admitted. She was moving along quickly. Spike and Snake arrived quickly and waited outside the room.
The birth went quickly. Emma gave birth to a little baby girl. Jay named her Kayla Christine Nelson-Hogart.
"Em, wake up. We get to go home today," Jay whispered in her ear softly. Kayla laid in a crib at the foot of Emma's bed. Emma didn't budge. She had been passed out since the moment of Kayla's birth. No one thought much of it because of her lack of sleep lately. I had been 24 hours now and Jay wanted to wake her.
"Emma Nelson come on, wake up Baby girl," Jay tried again a little louder this time. Still no response, Jay started to get a little worried.
"Emma?! Can you hear me?!" Jay said loudly this time. He was worried. What of something had happened to her? She had been asleep since giving birth. Still no response.
Jay walked out into the hall and over to the nurses station half in a panic, "Excuse me? My girlfriend in there just gave birth yesterday and has been sleeping since. I can't get her to wake up."
The Nurse looked up from the clipboard in her hand. She nodded, "I'll go have a look in a second. I just have to call a doctor down too."
Jay nodded, "Thank you." He returned into the room and Emma still hadn't moved. He stood next to the bed and stared at her seemingly still body. He had never heard of anything like this before so he wasn't sure what to think.
The nurse followed my the doctor walked in. Jay gave a small half hearted smile and walked over to Kayla. He smiled at his new sleeping daughter. He felt a pang in his stomach, what if Kayla took Emma away from him forever?
Jay shook his head, he couldn't be so quick to think the worst. He also could not blame this on Kayla if there was something wrong. This wasn't her fault. Jay suddenly felt guilty for not noticing this earlier. His breath became slightly uneven. What if there was something seriously wrong with Emma?
The doctor took the light to both of her eyes and searched for her pulse. He checked her vitals on screen and did some hush hush talking with the nurse. The finally sighed, and that made Jay cringe a little. "Um Mr. Hogart, you might want to sit down."
Jay got really nervous and then sat in the chair near Emma's bed. He prayed that this was nothing serious, just extreme exhaustion or something. "It seems as though Ms. Nelson has slipped into a coma. We're not sure when this happened or why but it has. I suggest that you call her parents and also that you have the baby released," the doctor said in a very professional way and then they exited the room.
Jay felt his breathing get a little heavier. Kayla was still asleep in her hospital crib. Jay took Emma's cold hand and laid his head down on her bed. He began to cry. What was he going to do without her? How was he supposed to tell her parents? What was he going to do with Kayla? He would try his best but the situation was going to be demanding and difficult.
He wiped his tears, he needed to be strong for Kayla. He pulled out his cell phone, "Hi Christine. Listen the doctors just gave me some news... Yes Kayla is fine. It's Emma... Maybe it'd be best if would come here... Thanks, Bye."
Christine and Archie walked in the room. Jay was seated next to Emma's bed just staring at her. His eyes were red as if he had been crying. Christine sat down with Archie on the other side of the bed, "I'm sorry to tell you this but Emma is in a coma. The doctors don't know when or why or even when she'll wake up. They're going to run some tests. They said all we can do is wait though."
Christine sucked in a harsh breath and began to cry. Archie soothed her lovingly. Jay cursed to himself, he wanted to hold Emma when she cried, and even when she didn't cry. He wanted the love of his life back. He almost started to cry again but stopped himself.
"I'm going to go have Kayla released. Then I'm going to find a doctor and some answers," Jay stated not loudly but so they heard. Archie nodded and Jay took Kayla down the hallway with him.