Prompt: Restless
Rating: K+
Though she was exhausted, sleeping wasn't something that came easily.
She just couldn't get comfortable. Anywhere.
When she first went to bed, she'd curl up on her side the way the midwife had instructed her, Becker's arm around her middle and she'd fall asleep but be awake after a few hours.
Sometimes she was too hot, and reluctantly eased herself out from under her husband's arm, careful not to wake him.
Sometimes she was too cold, and she'd cuddle as close to him as she could, seeking his warmth.
Most of the time, though, she was just uncomfortable.
Restless.
She'd try to go back to sleep, using all of the tricks and tips she'd both heard and read on the Internet. But when after an hour she found herself lying on her back, staring at the ceiling as her baby moved and kicked beneath her palm, Becker snoring softly beside her, Jess would creep out of bed as quietly as she could and seek solace elsewhere in the house.
The places she'd woken up – well, been woken up, after Becker had worriedly searched the house in search of her – were varied and not always usual.
There was the time she'd fallen asleep in the bath – covered instead by a blanket instead of bubbles, having climbed into it fully clothed and obviously without having filled it with water.
There was the time he'd found her in the rocking chair in the nursery, the gift from his parents a much welcomed one by the mum-to-be who liked to sit there sometimes, looking at the room that would soon be their son or daughter's.
She'd been found on the couch in the living room more than once, and curled up on the big arm chair in the conservatory twice, too.
Each time he found her somewhere new, Becker would check the time before deciding what to do. If it was still early, he'd make sure she was comfortable and let her sleep. If it was possible, he'd join her – either claiming another chair or couch or sometimes making up a bed for himself on the floor.
With that thought in mind, Jess slid out of bed as the illuminated clock display taunted her.
One AM.
She was tempted to either stay in bed and try to get back to sleep or maybe even wake Becker and see if he could help her sleep but she resisted both impulses. He'd had a long day, she knew, having to deal with two anomalies as well as introducing the first of his changes to his soldier's training regime. When he hadn't been out in the field, he'd been putting his men through their paces in the gym – not that she'd been watching on surreptitiously on the ADD screens, of course.
Deciding to let him rest while he could, she snuck out of their room and stood in the hallway, debating where she wanted to go.
The nursery was always a possibility; it was one of her favourite places in the house now, after their bedroom. It felt peaceful and calm, and it never failed to make her smile to think that in a few short weeks, their baby would be there.
Oh, she knew the baby wouldn't be sleeping in the nursery for a while; the Moses basket was there and ready to go. But it still gave her a sense of serenity to sit in the now fully furnished room and be surrounded by little visual reminders that she and Becker were about to embark on the next phase of their lives together.
She was tempted, but decided she wasn't going to be able to settle in one place so made her way to the staircase instead.
She walked through the middle floor of the house, where the guest bedrooms were. Though she knew the beds were comfortable, she didn't want to use one of them, knowing that once the baby was born, there'd be a number of visitors, some of whom might want to stay the night, and she didn't have either the time or the inclination to make and re-make beds in preparation.
Once downstairs, she debated whether she was hungry. Maybe that was what was keeping her awake? She stood in the kitchen, in front of the fridge with the door wide open for a few minutes, frowning at the contents before closing it when she realised nothing inside it appealed to either her or the baby.
The living room was the obvious next place to try, but Jess bypassed it in favour of the conservatory, setting in her favourite seat overlooking the garden.
She smiled as she remembered how much had taken place in the outside space of their home. Becker had proposed to her there, offered to make her old family home their home, and she'd accepted without hesitation when she realised he wanted it just as much as she did. After the proposal had come their wedding, their garden the chosen venue as they said their vows in front of their nearest and dearest.
Without a doubt, it had been the best day of her life. At least to date, she thought, fondly letting her hand rest over her stomach as her child moved as if to remind her of its presence. She was reasonably the certain the day their baby made its appearance in the world would be on a par with their wedding day.
Curling up as much as she could, she tugged the throw they kept on the back of the couch over her legs and continued to look out of the window, her eyelids finally starting to grow heavy as the sky outside began to get lighter.
He woke at five AM, reaching for her when he didn't feel her pressed against him. Becker sighed, cracking open an eye when his hand encountered nothing but air and cool sheets and he didn't hesitate in pushing off the blankets and going in search of his wife.
Wondering where he'd find her and in what position, Becker checked the bathroom first, relieved she hadn't decided once again that the empty bath was the most comfortable place to sleep. He checked the nursery, smiling to himself at the sight of the room even though it was empty.
The guest rooms, also empty, were checked next, as was the living room and the study-come-home office. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd found her asleep over the keyboard though he was pleased that she wasn't there, either.
The kitchen was empty and there were no dishes in the sink so he ruled out the possibility that she'd woken up for a midnight snack and made his way to the conservatory.
He shivered at the temperature in the room but still smiled when he found her, curled up on the small couch facing the garden.
Instead of waking her, knowing she wouldn't be able to get much sleep before their alarm went off, Becker made his way back upstairs to their room, getting their duvet from the bed before taking it back down stairs. He settled it over her before shifting her gently, sitting down before lowering her head onto his lap.
Running his fingers through her hair as she slept, a small smile on her face, Becker kept watch as the sun continued to rise.
Continued in 'Twinge'