A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone, 6 weeks now heading to the hospital everyday and yesterday was just not able to get the update out.
Chapter 55: The Name Game
Eddie sits leaning against the headboard in bed reading the baby name book with a mini book light and every once in a while, she makes notes on a note pad in her lap and sticks arrow stickies on pages in the book.
She looks over next to her when her sleeping husband shifts and begins to enter the land between asleep and awake.
"Good!" Eddie bright greets as she reaches over and flips on her bedside table lamp "You're up!" She adds causing Jamie to squeeze his eyes closed trying to block out the light.
"Here. I've made some notes." Jamie hears his wife say as something hits his shoulder.
He slowly opens an eye and looks towards his wife to see her holding the notepad out to him.
Reluctantly he sits up and tries to wake up "I take it you can't sleep again?"
Eddie nods "Yup."
"Can I at least go to the bathroom first?" Jamie requests.
"Fine." Eddie accepts as she snatches the notepad back towards her plopping it back on her lap.
"Thank you." Jamie mutters as he slowly gets out of bed, stretches and pads his way to the bathroom.
A comfortable silence fills the air as Eddie continues to read - her eyes following her finger as it skims down the left side page, then the right side page of the book before flipping a page.
Suddenly Eddie lets out a loud boisterous laugh.
"What's so funny?" Jamie calls from the bathroom.
"I just discovered that there are female variants of David!" Eddie quips with a laugh "Daveigh, Davetta, Davida, Davina…" She begins to list "Oh! Davetta Reagan…" She tries out in thought "Davina Reagan." She tries again "Hmmmmmm."
"No." Jamie rejects as he walks back in the bedroom.
Eddie looks up and frowns "Why not?"
"Hi my real name is Edit…" Jamie recites "…but Eddie is just easier all around so would you like her to go with Vetta? Etta? Vina?"
Eddie rolls her eyes in defeat "Fine." She relents "I see your point."
"Wait, wait!" Jamie then laughs "Davie! Davie Reagan!"
Eddie thinks about that for a moment "Oh I think you might be on to something…"
Jamie's face scrunches up "Eddie I was kidding."
"I know. I know we aren't going with a variation of David but…you know what would be cool though…" Eddie states as she looks expectantly at her husband "Edit – Eddie, Jameson – Jamie."
Jamie looks at his wife waiting for more but he doesn't get it "Um yeah that's our names…" He slowly agrees "And?"
"We both have full name but then both our shortened names end in 'ie'.
Jamie looks at his wife "I repeat… and?"
"How are you not getting this? Our baby's name needs to be a full name that when shortened it also ends in 'ie' like us!"
"Like Davie…" Jamie slowly deduces in thought.
"Yes like Davie…" Eddie confirms "…but NOT Davie." She adds as she ponders her revelation "Also needs to be a unisex name like Jamie and Eddie." She decides.
Jamie opens his mouth to protest but Eddie cuts him off "Don't even start – there are girls named Jamie and you know it."
Jamie sighs "Fine."
Silence.
"It's not a bad idea though." Jamie admits.
Eddie smiles happily "Great, now we've narrowed it down!"
"To a million names instead of two million." Jamie retorts.
Eddie shrugs "Gotta start somewhere."
"I guess." Jamie sighs as he walks towards the bed and holds his hand out for the notepad "Alright what did you come up with?"
But instead of handing him the pad, Eddie rips the top page off and crumples it up "Doesn't matter we're starting over with our new parameters."
Jamie scratches his head "I could have at least looked."
"Fine." Eddie states as she unexpectedly tosses the rolls up paper at him causing Jamie to have to quickly reach up to catch it.
"I need coffee." Jamie decides as he turns for the door "I'm not used to you being so chipper this early in the morning."
"Your fault for knocking me up!" Eddie counters.
Jamie stops walking and turns back to face his wife "No, it's your fault because you're wearing me out with your insatiable need for sex."
"Which is a result of you knocking me up!" Eddie defends.
"Fine." Jamie relents "If agreeing with you let's me go to the kitchen to make coffee. You win. Can I go now?"
"What if I said no?" Eddie challenges.
Jamie eyes his wife then turns and walks out of the bedroom anyway.
Eddie snickers and turns her attention back to the name book "Ugh how many more D pages are there?" she mutters as she quickly flips trying to find the end before finding it and sighing "At least the E's should be quick – doubt it even has Edit in here." She adds as an after thought.
Then Eddie pauses a moment before quickly flipping to the 'E's'. She begins looking for her name "See I knew it!" She announces a moment later "I'm not even in here!" She unhappily exclaims as she gets up and makes her way to the kitchen and up to her husband who is making coffee "How am I supposed to take this book seriously…" She rants as she holds the book up waving it "…when I'm not even in it!"
Slowly Jamie closes his eyes a moment and heavily sighs – he really just wanted his coffee first…
"What?" he finally questions having not followed her ramblings.
"Edit." Eddie explains "Edit is not in this book." but then Eddie gets a thought and flips the book back open searching for something "Oh sure it's got Jameson!" She huffs out in annoyance.
"Well I'm sure if you were looking in a European baby name book you'd find Edit and not Jameson." Jamie reasons.
"Son of James." Eddie reads not even paying attention to what Jamie said "That's it? That's what your name means? How boring is that!"
"Gee. Thanks." Jamie deadpans.
"Hang on." Eddie suddenly states as she put the book on the counter turns and disappears back towards the bedrooms.
"Like I'm going anywhere." Jamie mutters as he looks back at the hot black liquid still brewing into his cup.
A few moments later Eddie reenters the kitchen looking at her phone in her hands "Hah!" She triumphantly exclaims "Edit – prosperous in war. I'm a fighter!"
Jamie jostles that around in his mind "Well that's actually completely accurate."
"And way more interesting then 'Son of James'." Eddie points out.
"What's Marie?" Jamie curiously inquires so as Eddie searches her middle name on her phone, Jamie picks up the book and fans the pages looking for 'M'.
"Well that's a long winded explanation." Eddie notes and she reads and reads and reads. "In France, Marie came from Latin 'stella maris' which means 'star of the sea' however it is also a biblical name because it is the French version of Mary but it also has Hebrew origins and it just goes on and on and on."
"Kinda like you do sometimes." Jamie notes as he puts the book back down satisfied "Very appropriate."
Eddie lifts her head from her phone to glare at her husband.
"What?" Jamie defends "I'm just saying your parent did good! Both names suit you!"
Eddie thinks about his words "Well if that's the case, your parent's did good too – son of James – sounds very dutiful – that fits you to a T!"
But then Eddie groans "Great." She grumbles out "Now I just put more pressure on us to find the perfect name."
Jamie sighs as he again looks at his cup "Eddie, I think you're over thinking it. It's like my Dad said, we'll know it when we find it."
Eddie's face frowns as she studies her husband's face but then she just starts to shake her head "When did I become the worrier and you the carefree spirit?"
Jamie lets out a laugh as his coffee finishes and he moves to grab the milk "Okay let's not go that far. You just want to find the perfect name. I get that." He adds as he pours some milk in "I do too but we'll find it, I promise.
Eddie huff out a breath of air "I'm only at the D's!" Eddie whines as she picks up the book again waving it a bit to accentuate her point as Jamie puts the milk back in the fridge "There's another 22 letters to go!"
"Give me the book." Jamie instructs with a laugh as he picks up his cup "Let me look a bit."
But Eddie holds the book back from him "But what if you skim past a name I like?"
"Well if I skim past it, clearly I don't like it that much then do I and considering this is joint decision..."
"We'll look together." Eddie decides instead as she moves towards the couch.
"Fine." Jamie relents as he moves to follow so the couple sit down on the couch and start going through the book together.
Eddie yawns.
"You're tired." Jamie points out "Go back to bed."
"I'm not." Eddie rejects as she rests her head on her husband's shoulder.
"You yawned." Jamie again points out.
"Thank you Captain Obvious."
"That's Lieutenant Obvious." Jamie counters "Gotta wait another 4 years for Captain."
Eddie slowly lifts her head to look at her husband.
"Well its not like I'm gonna stop now." Jamie defends.
Slowly a smile creeps up on Eddie's face.
"Oh don't start." Jamie rejects.
"What?" Eddie defends "Can't I be proud of my husband? He's very smart I'll have you know!"
"Well I hear the wife is no slouch either." Jamie counters as he leans over and places a light kiss on Eddie's head "If fact she kicks ass."
"Sweet talker." Eddie giggles before making a surprised expression "Um you know who else kicks ass?" she prompts as she picks up her husband's hand and places it on her stomach "Your daughter."
A grin breaks out on Jamie's face "Yeah?" he questions.
Eddie nods as they both wait.
And wait.
"I don't feel anything." Jamie finally states.
"Because she's not doing it now." Eddie pouts before getting a thought "Say it again."
"Say what again?" Jamie asks.
"k.i.c.k.s. a.s.s." Eddie spells out.
"Why?"
Eddie grows annoyed "Just do it!" She chides.
"Kicks ass." Jamie states as instructed.
The baby moves.
"That's why!" Eddie declares while Jamie's mouth falls slightly open.
"You try it." Jamie prompts.
"Kicks ass." Eddie states.
The couple wait but nothing happens.
"Kicks ass." Jamie repeats again.
Jamie and Eddie both feel the baby move and a super arrogant grin appears on Jamie's face "That's my girl."
"And that is our first confirmation she will totally be a Daddy's girl." Eddie deduces.
"That's proof of nothing." Jamie dismisses.
"We'll see." Eddie knowingly offers.
There is a moment of pause before Jamie leans towards his wife's stomach "Kicks ass."
Again the baby moves.
Jamie proudly grins.
...
