It feels like the phone is ringing forever before Jade's mother answers, when in reality she picks up almost immediately.
"Hi sweetheart." Kaitlyn Parker says to her daughter "Good morning."
"Good morning..." Jade sighs "Are you on your way to work?"
"Not quite yet." Kaitlyn tells her "I just got your brother on the bus, I'll be on my way in a few minutes."
Her parents had never been married. They found out they were expecting Jade after only about six months together, when they were sophomores in college. They split up before Jade ever had any memories of them being together. Her mother had married her step-father, Chris, when Jade was six. They had her younger brother, Tyler, two years after that.
Kaitlyn did the best that she could to co-parent with Jade's father, John, but he made it rather difficult...and still does. His work required him to travel a lot, and it seemed like he dedicated more time to that than he did his daughter. He's been popping in and out of Jade's life for the better part of the last sixteen years, and it doesn't look like that will change any time toon.
"I need to tell you something, Mom."
"What is it?" Kaitlyn asks "Are you alright?"
"I'm alright." Jade assures her "I, uh...I had a baby..."
"I'm sorry?" Kaitlyn isn't sure that she has heard her daughter correctly "What was that?"
"I had these really awful period cramps overnight that just kept progressively getting worse. Melissa brought me to the ER this morning because it was hard for me to walk..." Jade explains, her voice catching as she starts to become emotional "Apparently they were contractions. I...I was pregnant, and I didn't have any idea."
"Oh my god." Kaitlyn gasps "Is everything okay? Are you okay?"
"Other than being completely shocked and scared...I'm okay, yeah. The baby is okay too, he's healthy."
"He?" Kaitlyn clarifies "Wow. I...I can't believe this."
"We couldn't either." Jade admits "Beck was here. He called to wish me luck on my final and once I filled him in, he was here right away."
"It's his, right?"
"Of course it's his!"
"Just checking..."
"He uh...he's with the baby right now." Jade continues "Since we're not married, he has to take a paternity test before they'll let him sign the birth certificate. It's their way of trying to safeguard things, I guess..."
"Birth certificate...so, you're going to keep him then?"
"We are..." Jade nods "I know that it's completely crazy, Mom. But we both agreed that there was no way that we could give him up. We have no idea what the logistics are going to be...obviously I can't bring a baby back to my dorm and there's not a ton of room for us at Beck's place, but we're going to figure it out somehow..."
"I'll come help you." Kaitlyn offers "Give me an hour or so to pack an get everything sorted, but I'll be on the first available flight out there."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know, but I want to."
"Thank you, Mom." Jade thanks her "I really appreciate that."
She's even more appreciative that she doesn't have to beg. At the end of the day, neither Beck or Jade know anything about taking care of a baby. Tyler is twelve now, Jade barely remembers his infancy...let alone if or how she helped to care for him. If they're going to do this, they're going to need help...and she would much rather prefer help from her own mother instead of Beck's.
"Of course, sweetheart." Kaitlyn tells her "Alright, I'm going to let you go so I can get everything sorted. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"Okay."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Oh, and Jade?"
"Yeah?"
"Congratulations."
"Thank you." Jade says "Bye, Mom."
She ends the call and places the phone beside her on the bed, wiping the few tears from her eyes that had started to form. It's not that she's upset, at least not at this moment, she's just incredibly overwhelmed by everything that has happened today already...and overwhelmed by the idea of parenthood.
"We're back!" Beck announces as he wheels the plastic bassinet back into the room "They opted to do a blood test instead of saliva, unfortunately. But this little guy took the needle prick like a champ."
"Poor thing." Jade frowns "He's spent most of his life being poked and prodded with things."
She supposes she's to blame for that too. If she had paid better attention to her body, if she had noticed just one symptom, maybe things would have worked out differently. Maybe she could have gotten some prenatal care, maybe the baby would weigh more, or maybe there would be less mystery surrounding his health.
"Jade?" Beck's voice catches her attention "Did you hear what I said?"
"Hm?" She hums "No, I didn't. I'm sorry, I zoned out."
"S'okay." He assures her "I was just saying that the nurse who did our test said that a social worker is going to visit us. There are programs that can help us get a carseat and some clothes for him just to get us on our feet."
"Oh, okay." She nods "Good, that's helpful. I just got off the phone with my mom, she's flying out here apparently."
"So she took it okay?"
"I guess." Jade shrugs "I dunno, s'hard to read people over the phone."
"I'm glad she's coming." Beck tells her "For your sake."
"Thanks." Jade nods "So, uh...how was the test? Is everything all taken care of?"
"Not yet. They said it can take up to twenty-four hours for the results to come back." Beck informs her "And unfortunately, I think they just come on a standard piece of paper or even electronically. I don't think there's a dramatic unsealing of the envelope like they do on Maury."
"Today feels more dramatic than any episode of Maury I've ever seen." Jade manages to laugh "And I hate to ruin the surprise for you, but Beck Oliver you are the father."
"I know." Beck smiles, leaning down to kiss her gently "I never had a doubt."
"Good." She smirks "So...did you think of any names while you were gone?"
They'll have to name him before either he or Jade can be discharged. Over the years they've thrown out a few hypothetical baby names to each other, but it isn't anything either of them have ever seriously considered or discussed. Obviously now it's a topic that needs to be taken more seriously.
"Not any first names..." Beck admits as he gently lifts the baby out of the bassinet "But...I have an idea for his middle name."
"Okay?"
"I think it should be Beckett."
"Oh how very humble of you." She laughs
"It's not an ego thing, I swear." Beck assures her as he sits down on the bed beside her "It's just...my middle name is James because that was my dad's name. Maybe his middle name is Beckett because it's my name, and then one day his son's middle name is whatever we end up naming him."
"Alright, let's adjust to the idea of him before we start worrying about our grandchildren." Jade teases "But I don't hate the idea. We could kind of start our own little family tradition."
"Yeah." Beck agrees "So, you're good with it?"
"I'm good with it." She nods "But he needs a first name more than anything."
"Any thoughts?"
"I have a few..." She shrugs
"I'd love to hear them."
"Alright..." Jade says "Well, I had liked Benjamin...but Benjamin Beckett sounds a little too close to Benjamin Button."
"Yeah, maybe not the best combination." Beck chuckles "I'm willing to be flexible on the middle name if you really love Benjamin though."
"He doesn't look like a Benjamin." Jade admits as she looks down at their son, fast asleep in her boyfriend's arms "It doesn't fit."
"Okay, so not Benjamin then."
"That leaves me with Finn, Liam, or Jackson." Jade says "Any of those do anything for you?"
"I kind of like Liam..." Beck tells her with a smile "Liam Beckett Oliver. It sounds good."
"Is that his name?"
"I think it is."
"Liam..." Jade says softly as she gently brushes her thumb against the baby's cheek "What do you think, little guy? Is your name Liam?"
The baby stirs a bit in his sleep, yawning as he stretches an arm above his head before settling back down again with a content look on his face.
"He likes it." Beck says confidently "His name is Liam."
"S'nice to meet you, Liam." Jade tells the baby "I apologize in advance, because we have no idea what we're doing."
"We'll figure it out." Beck assures her "We always do."
It's just after eight pm when Jade's mother arrives at the hospital. It's clear she had come straight from the airport, she has her suitcase in tow along with a neck pillow.
"Mom..." Jade lets out a sigh of relief as Kaitlyn rushes to hug her "Thank you for coming."
"Of course." Kaitlyn assures her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her daughter's ear "How are you feeling? Physically and mentally?"
"Physically, I'm a bit sore." Jade admits "Mentally...I'm so overwhelmed, Mom. I can't wrap my head around this."
"I'm having a hard time adjusting to this, I can only imagine how you feel." Kaitlyn sighs "I mean...we just saw you at Easter...you didn't look pregnant at all."
Kaitlyn will admit she feels just as guilty for not noticing that anything had been different about her daughter when she saw her only six weeks prior. With the two of them currently living on separate coasts, she only sees Jade a few times throughout the year...surely she would have noticed that something significant had changed.
"I didn't look pregnant, I didn't feel pregnant..." Jade sighs "I dunno, looking back I guess there were signs that I could have missed. I threw up a few times at the beginning of the school year, but I wrote that off to the stomach flu because I didn't have any reason to believe that it was anything else. My boobs were a bit sore, but that's something that always happens around the time that I get my period, and I never stopped getting my period. Apparently it was just spotting, not an actual cycle...I just don't get it. I only gained like five pounds, and I wrote that off to being back in school and not eating well...but I guess that's the only part of this that actually makes sense because that's about what he weighed when he was born..."
"Five pounds?"
"Five pounds, nine ounces." Jade nods "He's so small, Mom..."
"But he's healthy?"
"That's what they're telling us."
"That's what is important right now." Kaitlyn touches Jade's arm gently "He's healthy, you're healthy...nothing else leading up to that matters."
"I know, that's what I keep telling myself." Jade agrees "I just can't help but feel stupid, you know? I should have noticed, that's such a major thing happening with my body. Some maternal instinct should have kicked in, I should have figured it out way back in the beginning like everyone else does."
"You're not the first woman this has happened to, sweetheart." Kaitlyn reminds her "Like I said, it doesn't matter what happens now. All that matters is what happens moving forward."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Where is everyone?" Kaitlyn asks, looking around the room
Jade is the only one there. The baby is no where to be found, and neither is Beck.
"I sent Beck home to change." Jade says "He was on his way to work when I called him this morning, he was still wearing his uniform. He's going to grab some different clothes, probably take a shower, and be back later. They took the baby to the nursery for the night, but if you want to see him I can-"
"Why don't we take a walk down to see him?" Kaitlyn suggests "Get you out of bed? I'm assuming you haven't moved much today, and it will probably feel good."
"Sure." Jade nods "Let's do it."
She hasn't been out of bed much all day; only to go to the bathroom, which was just a few feet from her bed. The nursery is much further, at the end of the hallway that her room is in, and she begins to feel the soreness in her muscles as she walks arm-in-arm with her mother. Jade knows that postpartum recovery isn't easy and while she isn't looking forward to it, she's glad that Kaitlyn is there with her for the time being.
"Which one is he?" Kaitlyn asks as the two of them stand at the window to the nursery "Can you tell?"
"They have name tags, so yes I can tell." Jade chuckles "S'hard when they're all wrapped in the same blanket though. He's in the second row, third from the left."
"Oh my, he is tiny..." Kaitlyn gasps as her eyes land on the baby "But oh, so precious. He's beautiful, Jade."
"Thank you." Jade manages to smile as she watches her mom watch the baby "We named him Liam...Liam Beckett Oliver."
"I love that." Kaitlyn admits "It it suits him."
"We thought so too." Jade smirks "I can ask to have him brought back to the room so you can hold him. I can see in your eyes that you want to."
"He's sleeping, I don't want to wake him."
"He's a baby, all he's going to do is sleep." Jade shakes her head as she grabs Kaitlyn's arm "C'mon, I'll let them know you want to see him."
Meanwhile, Beck is sitting on his bed in his room at his apartment. His roommate, Ashton, sits in the chair at his desk, while his other roommate, Ian, leans against the doorframe.
"Is that even possible?" Ian asks "I mean...pregnant women...I don't want to say they're fat, but you can tell there's something in there!"
"He's smaller than the average newborn, and they think he was sitting far enough back in her pelvis that she didn't really show." Beck shrugs "We don't know how it happened, all I know now is that it did."
"You're someone's dad now..." Ashton shakes his head "That's wild."
"I know." Beck agrees "I'm still trying to come to terms with it, so is Jade. Listen, guys, I know that this is a bachelor pad and I don't think it would be for that long but...Jade can't bring the baby back to her dorm, the university won't allow it. Would it be okay if we-"
"Of course, man." Ashton nods, looking to Ian "We would never turn you away without anywhere to go, especially with a kid. But you had been planning to move in with Jade, so we do have a different guy planning to move in here at the end of the month..."
"I totally get it." Beck assures him "It would just be for a week or two until we can figure something else ou-"
He's interrupted by his phone buzzing in his pocket. Upon pulling it out to view the screen, he sees that his mother is finally calling him back. Beck had been trying to get ahold of her all afternoon, wanting to fill her in on the situation, but she had been busy at work.
"It's my mom, guys." Beck says to his roommates "She doesn't know yet. Would you guys mind if..."
"Say no more." Ashton stands up and pushes Ian out the door "We're out of here."
"Thank you!" Beck calls after them as he hits the button to answer the call "Hey, Mom..."
"Hi." She greets him "I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. It's been crazy this week with the end of the school year coming."
His mother, Priya, teaches kindergarten, and has for the last fifteen years. Beck doesn't know how she still has the patience for it, but she claims to still enjoy the work. It was convenient too when he was growing up; once he was old enough to go to school, she had holidays and summers off to look after him...so he never had to go to daycare.
"I totally get it." Beck says as he walks over to close his bedroom door, hoping for a bit of privacy from his roommates "I'm just glad I finally got ahold of you. I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" Priya asks "Is everything alright?"
"It's going to sound absolutely crazy...so I need you to just let me get everything out before you ask any questions. Okay?"
"Okay..."
"Jade's roommate took her to the ER this morning because she had really painful cramping, like so painful that she couldn't walk...let alone go to class." Beck begins to explain "I met them there, and the doctors ran some tests...and it turned out that she was pregnant...and in labor. She had a baby, and now we have a son...you have a grandson."
"Beckett James, what exactly are you trying to pull here?" Priya asks "If you think this is funny-"
"Mom, I'm not joking. I wouldn't joke about this." Beck assures her "I know...it's a lot to take in. We're still trying to wrap our heads around it ourselves. I-"
"We just saw her when you were here for Easter." Priya reminds him "She didn't look pregnant."
"I know, that's the crazy part." Beck agrees "She had no clue. It's called Cryptic Pregnancy, it happens when a woman's body hides all symptoms of pregnancy from her and sometimes they don't even know about the baby until they're already in labor."
"That's ridiculous." Priya scoffs "What woman wouldn't realize that her body is going through that significant of a change?"
"Apparently it's more common than you'd think."
"So now what?" Priya asks "What do you two plan to do about this?"
"We're not entirely sure what happens next, we're still trying to figure all of that out." Beck tells his mother "But we did decide that we're going to keep him...we named him Liam. Liam Beckett Oliver."
"S'a nice name..."
"He's small. Only five pounds, nine ounces. But he's healthy." Beck continues "All ten fingers, all ten toes, all of his organs fully developed...we got lucky considering the circumstances."
"You sure did."
"I have some pictures I can send you too, when we hang up." Beck offers "And I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, I just wanted to tell you over the phone rather than in a text message."
"Well, thank you for that." Priya sighs "I...I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, Beck. You're both young, she's still in school...but I'm glad to hear that the baby is healthy. You're father and I are both going to want to meet him."
"Of course!" Beck assures her "Yes, absolutely. Once we figure out what we're going to do and where we're going to live, we'll start working out the logistics for us to bring him there or for everyone to visit us here. I promise."
"Good. Let us know if you need anything in the meantime."
"Thanks, Mom." Beck says "You'll fill Dad in?"
"Yes, but he'll probably end up calling you himself to confirm." Priya warns him "These are pretty outrageous circumstances."
"I know." Beck agrees "We're going to be explaining ourselves to a lot of people over the next few weeks, I think."
"You absolutely will be." Priya informs him "Well, you should be getting back to your baby. I'll fill your father in, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Like I said, let us know if you need anything."
"Thanks, Mom." Beck tells her "I love you."
"I love you too." Priya says back "And congratulations, I suppose."