This chapter is a little longer. Hope you enjoy it.
As always your reviews are really great thank you. Its a slow story so hope you guys don't mind that
It had been sometime since Sadie last came to give them information. Schmidt and Winston had got slightly more edible food that what the hospital could provide. It wasn't up to Schmidt's normal standards but he hope the comfort food would help a little... It didn't but at least they had eaten.
Nicky's phone bleeped which confused him the only people that sent him messages were sitting here or currently in surgery. When he looked at his phone he saw that the message was from Sadie, she had sent him a recording which he immediately played.
He knew what the sound was as soon as he pressed play, and he smiled for the first time since getting into his car after work. Though it still wasn't quite reaching his eyes
"What is that noise?" Schmidt enquired. "It's her heartbeat." "Jess's?" From Winston who looked even more confused. "No" was all that Nick replied he had tears in his eyes again but this time they were from wonder. Just hearing that little heartbeat gave him hope. Maybe things could be ok.
"Wait a minute HER heartbeat." Cece was the one to catch on to Nick's slip on tongue. He looked up from his phone and his this time he genuinely smiled at his friends expression "err yeah, we found out a while ago but Jess wanted it to be a surprise for everyone else... Surprise!"
"Wow man, a little girl. But that scared ya when you found out?" Winston who had known Nick the longest caught on first to what it must have meant to Nick to find out that he and Jess were having a little girl.
It was 2 days before Christmas and Jess, Nick and Winston were flying out to Chicago for the holidays. Jess was around 5 months pregnant so it would be the only time she could fly before the baby arrived.
Nick hadn't quite gotten round to tell his mom about Jess's pregnancy yet, wanting to do it face to face. Nerves were flying high because he didn't know how she was going to react. She didn't seem overly happy when they got married.
"Jess come on or we will miss our flight." "I'm trying Nick but I can't seem to get everything into the case. It won't shut." Nick walked over and between the two of them they managed to get the case shut. "Whoo team work by the Millers" Jess sang. "You are so odd." "Yes but you love me anyway." "Absolutely, can we go now?" "Yep I think I have everything."
"Guys come on the cab is downstairs." Winston yelled from the hallway. Nick picked the case off the bed and helped Jess stand up. She wasn't huge but the defining bump she now had was making it difficult for her to move around.
They had finally got everything into the cab including themselves and sped towards the airport. Before when Nick went back home for Christmas he use to take a stupid o'clock flight because they were cheaper. But Jess was having none of it.
The airport was crowded everyone trying to get to where they wanted to be before Christmas. When they finally got to the check out they were one of the last to check in on a very full flight due to this they found that none of them were sitting together. It was going to be a long four hours for them.
The time past pretty quickly before they found themselves boarding the plane. Thay waited until the queue had gone down completely the less time they spent in the plane the better. Nick was carrying Jess's hand luggage as well as his, when they boarded the plane he walked past his seat so he could stow her case away. "Do you need anything out of this bag Jess? Before it goes away." "Actually please Nick. I need my phone and the kindle. Oh and my purse and the headphones. And I have some snacks in there to can you get those." "Anything else Jess?"she ignored his sarcastic tone completely "No that should be it thank you Nicolas." He handed the stuff to her having to lean over the person who was on the aisle seat. Poor Jess was not going to be comfortable in the middle, but his seat was not better. "Don't try getting anything out the case by yourself, if you need to open it get me." "Nick I will be fine. You better sit yourself down, the flight attendant doesn't look happy."
She was right so he quickly made his way back up to his seat and sat down.
He had right it had been a long flight and when they finally touched down in Chicago, he had never been so pleased to see it. Jess did as she was told and stayed seated so Nick could reach for her bag. It was sweet how much he cared and he was really good at taking care of people especially when it came to her and the baby. Plus she didn't want to admit that she had enough trouble reaching the bag before she was pregnant she would probably end up hurting her and the people around her if she tried now.
She plopped herself on some chairs while the guys collected the luggage from the belt. When they brought it back to her they got out all of their winter clothing. It was freezing outside with temperatures reaching zero. Growing up Winston and Nick had gotten use to the brutal winters but still they had been living in LA for quite sometime.
It was Jess who was going to suffer the most even back home she managed to get cold. She was trying to put on as many layers as she could, it wasn't an easy feat. All her winter clothes were new so unlike the others who were well worn in and stretchy. Nick tried to hold back his laugher of how she looked in her many (many) layers. He didn't think it was wise to laugh at a pregnant woman he had learnt a few times of the consequences of Jess's newly heighten hormones. He gave Winston a side ways glance, he was biting his the side of his month trying to look anywhere but Jess. "Do either of you want to say something." Nick tried to pull off a straight face "not at all Jess, shall we go and see how long the queue is for a cab?"
Winston was very glad that it was mainly Nick on the end of Jess's hormone outbursts and he had to admit that his normally grumpy argumentative friend seemed to deal with it very well.
Jess's eyes narrowed at the pair but decided to let it go, and followed them out of the airport.
They wanted a ridiculously long time for a cab, they took turns waiting inside. So they could each warm up a little. But they finally reached Nick's old childhood home. Jess and Nick got out whilst Winston went on towards his. "Here we go." Nick mumbled to himself. The issues between his mom and Jess were difficult to manoeuvre. Though it wasn't as bad as when they first met at his fathers funeral still not great though.
They let themselves in and the house as chaotic as it was when Jess first came here. Family members everywhere all talking over one another and arguing. "Hello? Ma?"
"Nicky, so great to see you." She gave him a extremely tight hug "you too Ma" as soon as she let go Jamie rushed over and nearly knocked Nick to the ground "hey brother" Jamie had been an emotional wreck he spilt up with this girlfriend that he planned to marry and had stayed at home ever since. "Jamie let go of you brother." "It's just so good to see you Nick, really could do with you here after everything." He started crying into Nick neck. "Yeah ok Jamie, but please let go now." Jamie reluctantly let go. "Hey Jess!" It was now Jess's turn to be super hugged by Jamie at least he was a little bit more gentle in his approach. Nick was worried that Jamie would notice the bump, but as Jess was wearing so many layers and well it was Jamie. They were safe.
"Hello Jessica, good flight. "It was ok thank you Bonnie, little.." "Good good.. Now Nicky" her voice soften when she turned back to her son "why don't you take you luggage up to your room and then you can come back down have something to eat and tell me all about what's going on." "Sure Ma."
When up in the room the couple breathed a little. "I'm sorry Jess, I'd hoped she would have soften a little." "It's fine." Nick knew that she was lying Jess liked everyone and tried so hard to make other people happy that it hurt her especially where Bonnie was concerned. "Do you want help getting out those clothes Mrs Miller." "Why Nicolas you aren't suggesting anything naughty are you." She tried her seductive look, not that she had to try very hard where Nick was concerned "As much as I want to, and always want to. I was thinking more so that my beautiful wife didn't look like she was about to go trekking in the North Pole." "What this look not working for you Nick?" "Jess ever look works for me." She laughed her throaty laugh. "Actually I am boiling up in this if you could help."
It took sometime but they eventually got all the layers off. "Ah there she is." His hands were round her waist and her arms around his neck they both leaned forward with the intention of a serious make out kiss. When Jess dropped her arms suddenly which went to her stomach and stepped back "Whoa" "Jess? What's the matter?" "The baby" "what about the baby Jess tell me I'm kind of freaking out here." "The baby finally kicked. Here." She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach were she felt the first kick. "What really?" They both had what Winston and Schmidt described as their baby smiles. Every time some that involved the baby happened they would get a smile that the others had never seem before.
"Come on baby kick again for us." Nick was loosing hope of feeling the kick when suddenly he felt the movement from Jess's stomach "Wow. That is amazing." Jess had been so worried that she hadn't felt it yet Sadie had told her not to that all baby's kick in their own time and this being part Nick Miller, of corse it was going to kick later rather than sooner. Nick wiped the tear from Jess's cheek and leaned in to finish the kiss from before this time though it was a gently loving kiss, he held the side of her head while his other hand was with her on her stomach.
"Nicky! Are you coming down at some point!" Nicks sighed and touched Jess's forehead with his own. "She has been taking tips from Winston and Schmidt on the art of interrupting us. I'd better go before she comes in here. You sure you don't mind waiting here." "No not all Nick you need to spend time with your Mom, I'm super tired anyway." "Ok thanks Jess." He gave her a final kiss and went back downstairs.
As Nick had predicted his mom was as happy as he had hoped. "But you have barley been married, don't you think you guys are rushing into it." "Yeah it's a bit fast Ma, but it's happening." "I bet she tricked you into this, trapping you." "You have to stop saying things like that, Jess isn't like that, I know meeting her for the first time wasn't the ideal situation but we are married now and she having you first grandchild can't you be a little bit pleased for us." "I suppose so, I still don't think it's a good idea. As much as I love Winnie and fat Schmidt not the best place to have a child." "Those guys are just as excited about this as we are, we just have to stay with them a bit longer still we can save to buy our own place. The baby took us by surprise. A good one though.." "Fine I suppose I should say congratulations then." "Only if you mean it." "Are you happy, that's the important one?" "Ma, I have never been as happy as I am now. Jess and the baby mean everything to me." "Congratulations then." "Thank you."
The word that Jess was pregnant got around pretty fast by the time that she woke up everyone was aware of it. The next 2 days went past in a blur of Christmas drinks family and friends in and put of the house. Neighborhood Christmas Eve party, which is the first time since arriving they had any chance to see Winston. Jess was overwhelmed by it all the holiday season for her normal just included her mom and dad trying to get along for her sake, sometimes Cece joined them. She loved this though, this is what Christmas was all about family and friends.
Christmas morning Jess woke up first the baby had a habit of using her bladder as a jumping castle. So she rush to the bathroom trying to get out of bed gently which was not an easy feat for her nowadays.
Coming back into the room before she got back into bed se went over to her bag, the rest of the gift that They had brought were already under the tree, but this one she wanted to give to Nick without anyone around. She wasn't going to wake him up but then decided that it would be good practice for him and truthfully she couldn't wait any longer to give him his present. "Nick?" She started out softly which wasn't working "Nick!" Said a little more harshly "Jess you have got to be kidding me." "Oh good your awake. I need to tell you something." "Does it have to be now Jess, it's still dark out for crying out loud." "Ok fine go back to sleep, I won't tell you that Sadie accidentally let slip what the baby was." "What!" That woke Nick up he sat up so fast, his hair standing on all it's ends. It was fairly funny. "How long have you known?" "A few days before we flew here. I was going to tell you but I thought this would be more fun." "Waking me up at the crack of dawn regarding life changing information.. Yeah Jess real fun." "No silly this is how I am going to tell you." She handed him the present. "Jess we said no presents" with the trip to Chicago and well the baby they had been trying to save money where they could. "This isn't really from me... It's from this little one." Patting her stomach lovingly. "See the tag."
Nick read the label that he hasn't noticed before. He read it out loud "To my Daddy, can't wait to spend next Christmas with you. Love Baby"
Seeing those words on written down it really did something to him. He carefully took the label off and put it on the bedside table, and carefully opened the wrapping paper. Inside was a tiny white tee-shirt folded up he looked confused at Jess who nodded to get him to continue. He picked up the little piece of material .. Are babies really this small? Then he saw what was written on the front of the it "Daddy's little Girl... A girl!" Jess was siting there smiling letting him take it all in. "I am in so much trouble. Even more if she looks anything like you." They laughed and Kissed and just spent time to together before they were disturbed by the rest of the house.
At the beginning Nick had been so sure that the baby had been a boy because having a baby was one thing but for that baby to be a girl was taking it to a whole new level. They had decided not to tell the others letting it be a surprise and Nick had started work on the nursery which he wouldn't let anyone see even Jess. Asking her if he could do it, it had meant so much to him Jess could only agree. They still brought the furniture together but even now it was complete Jess hadn't looked. He was going to show her this weekend.
Several hours later Sadie and new doctor came out "Mr Miller, I'm Dr. Green and I am the one that had been looking after your wife." "Hi doctor, how is she?" "The operation went well, we managed to stop the swelling and repair the injuries that we could, the rest her body will have to do by it's self with time, but we have had to put her in a medically induced coma only for a few days, her body needs to rest and this is the best things for her." "Ok is she going to be alright though?" "Until she wakes up there isn't much more we can say at this point, take one day at a time, but it is looking hopeful." Nick wasn't too sure if this was good news but at least Jess had a chance "and that baby?" He looked at Sadie, "still had a strong heartbeat Nick, we have put a monitor on so she is being continually watched. It's looking good Nick." She felt bad for him, he looked broken at least she could give him so news. "Can I please see her." "Yes we get a nurse to take you in to see her I am afraid that only one person can be in there though."
Nick just nodded, and the doctors walked off. Sadie given him a quick hug before she left "I'm going to head home. The doctors here are under strict instruction to call me for anything, same goes for you too. I've also told them that you are going to stay with her over night. I didn't think you would want to go." "Thank you Sadie."
Nick turned towards the others and they each took turns in hugging him. It wasn't the news that try were hoping for but it wasn't bad news. They were all feeling the effects of the day. "If you guys want to see her first you might as well head home" "You sure you don't wan to come with us Nick, there isn't much you can do for now." Schmidt asked he could see how tired his friend was. "No, I can't leave her, I wouldn't be able to relax there." "How about one of us stay here, you shouldn't be alone." "It be fine no point more than one staying here, I'm going to be in her room."
The nurse came over and one by one they went in to see Jess. Cece came out in tears she was usual the strong confident one, she ran over to Nick and gave him a big hug sobbing in his neck. "I'll be at the loft, you call us if se so much as twitches." "I will do." He passed the sobbing Cece to Schmidt who was also crying. It did not bode well for Nick that the rest of his friends were in tears after seeing Jess. The nurse came back for him. He went to say goodbye to the others with Winston promising that he would bring some clean clothes for Nick later one.
Nick left his friends and walked towards Jess's room.