Hope for All- chapter 49
The family enjoyed Jonathan's first night home. They allowed him to talk for pretty much the whole meal; even Samantha didn't interrupt him as he talked about his time at camp. By dessert, Jonathan had worn himself out and was ready for bed. He was past the age where he needed to be tucked in at night, but both Angela and Tony felt the need to do it anyway.
The next few days before Labor Day were spent trying to get the three of them ready for school. Angela convinced Tony to go school supply shopping one day and then clothes shopping the next with the kids. She was secretly hoping the extra walking would spur on labor, but nothing happened except her needing a long nap when she got home.
They hadn't made any official plans for Labor Day since they weren't sure when Angela would go into labor. Angela, however, called all of Tony's friends from Brooklyn to surprise Tony and take him out for a few hours. She figured he needed a guy's day before the babies came.
"Morning sweetheart… Happy Labor Day!" laughed Tony as he curled into her side.
"It will only be a Happy Labor Day if labor actually starts Tony…" she said with a great deal of irritation.
"I know sweetheart. These guys aren't quite ready yet to come meet us. You were still only dilated one and a half centimeters on Friday. They will get here soon! By this time next week, we can start trying some of those suggestions the doctor said" said Tony as he tried to comfort Angela.
"One week Tony and not a minute later! I gave up counting after eight times last night how many times I had to use the bathroom!" she practically shouted.
"I know Angela…" he started to say as Angela cut him off.
"No Tony you don't know! You don't know how miserable I am and have been for weeks now! My ankles are swollen, I'm out of breath after barely walking a few feet, I'm in the bathroom literally every two hours or less… I've never been this uncomfortable and you have no idea Tony!" she yelled as she then burst out crying. Tony wasn't sure what he was supposed to do but figured it was safe to try and comfort her, wrapping his arms around her as best he could.
"I'm sorry Angela… I really don't have any idea what you are going through. I wish I could take it on myself. I hate seeing you upset or in pain. Can I do anything for you?" he asked as he continued to hold her as her crying started to subside.
"No Tony… I'm the one who is sorry. My emotions are all over the place right now. I'll be okay and these little ones will be here before we know it" she said as she started to run her hand over her belly. The babies were moving a lot- they could see little feet and arms poking around, making both of them smile.
"Did you see that Angela? That was definitely a little foot! Well at least they are in the right position!" he chuckled as he followed the movements.
"So I've got a surprise for you Tony! I know we didn't make any plans for today obviously, but I called up the guys from Brooklyn and they are going to take you out later today to hang out, maybe play some pool or poker or something. Get you out of the house before we are both stuck here for the next few months!" she laughed.
"Angela! You didn't have to do that! What if you go into labor?" he said.
"They're keeping you local Tony so if anything happens, we can call and let you know. Then when you get home, we can have a small barbecue with the family" she said.
"You're the best Angela!" he said as he leaned over and kissed her passionately. They spent the next few minutes enjoying each other's company. Angela was hoping it turned into more but Tony managed to put on the brakes.
"Nice try Angela… one more week! Now if you don't mind, a cold shower is calling my name!" he said as he kissed her one last time and headed into the bathroom, leaving Angela shaking her head, wondering if she could make it another week.
Tony headed downstairs after yet one more cold shower. He secretly couldn't wait until next week. It had been almost two months since they had sex and he missed being intimate with Angela. He still had no idea how they kept their relationship platonic for all those years- well he did and it involved a lot of cold showers.
He started to defrost a bunch of burgers and hotdogs. He figured he could run out to the store and grab the rest of what he needed for an impromptu barbecue. He waited until Angela came downstairs and headed out to the store. He came back about forty five minutes later. Angela was sitting with Jonathan and Samantha on the sofa.
"Hey everybody! Whatcha doin?" asked Tony as he put down the grocery bags.
"We're having a contest to see who gets the most baby kicks! Samantha has six but I've got seven!" said Jonathan with a satisfied grin.
"Dream on dweeb! We are still keeping track!" said Samantha. Angela just shook her head and laughed.
"Hey it's entertaining!" said Angela as Tony gave her a questioning look.
"Can I get in on this contest because I'll be a shoo-in to win!" said Tony as he came closer.
"No fair Tony! This round is for Sam and I!" shouted Jonathan. Both Samantha and Jonathan continued to talk baby talk to the babies and placed their hands on her stomach. Both Angela and Tony smiled at how excited they were getting, at how they were already bonding with the twins. Once the contest ended, Jonathan ended up the winner, throughly pissing off Samantha. The doorbell rang before their arguing could escalate.
"Saved by the bell!" laughed Tony as he opened the door. Philly, Eddie, Joey and Pee-Wee came through the door.
"Tony!" they all shouted.
"So you ready to have some fun before these kids get here? And by the look of Angela, not a moment too soon!" laughed Joey.
"How are you married Joey?" asked Tony as he smacked the back of his head.
"C'mon Tony! Let's go play some pool! We found the only pool hall in town! Drinks are half off today too!" said Philly.
"Alright, alright! Okay Angela you know where we are going. If anything happens, call this number and I'll be right home! Samantha and Jonathan… you take care of Angela until I get home and then I'll barbecue for us all!" he said.
"Have fun sweetheart!" said Angela as they kissed goodbye, the guys practically dragging him out the front door, making sure to make fun of him on the way. They pulled up to the pool hall and headed inside, calling the first available table. The guys started a tab at the bar and refused to allow Tony to pay for anything. Tony was a much better player than the other guys so they decided their only way to have an edge on him was to supply him with beer- lots of beer.
"So Tony… what's new?" chuckled Pee-Wee.
"Funny… the only thing in our lives is the countdown until these babies get here. Angela is so miserable. We've agreed that if they still aren't here by next week, we will try somethings to try and start labor. She will be thirty eight weeks so it will be safe for them to be born" said Tony as he won his third game in a row.
"You know what they say really does the trick right?" said Joey with a wink.
"What?" asked Pee-Wee with a genuine lost look on his face.
"Sex you idiot! It gets things… ya know… moving…" said Philly.
"How would you know?" laughed Tony as he started his third beer.
"I've got women friends! And I got into a conversation with my parole officer after his wife had their fourth baby. Said by that time the kid basically fell out! But for the first one, he had to ya know… help things along…" said Philly.
"So Tony you gonna 'help things along' with Angela?" asked Eddie with a chuckle.
"We have a whole list of things to try! But yes that is on the list too if need be. If it were up to me we'd just wait until they were ready but she's just so uncomfortable and miserable… sometimes I wish I could just take away all the pregnancy stuff from her and carry the burden for a while…" he said.
"Keep drinking Tony because we have a way of making that happen!" laughed Pee-Wee.
"Huh?" asked Tony as he missed his shot.
"Finally! My turn!" said Joey as he took the pool stick and made his shot. They played a few more rounds of pool, followed by a couple games of darts. By the time they were ready to head back, all but Philly, their designated driver, were more than a little drunk. They stumbled in through the front door, startling the family.
"Hey everyone!" shouted Tony.
"Dad… are you drunk?" asked Samantha.
"He's had a few alcoholic beverages, that's correct…" said Eddie as he burst out laughing.
"Looks like you all had a few drinks…" said Angela.
"Except me Angela! Like I promised I was the DD for the afternoon!" said Philly.
"Thank you Philly" said Angela as she managed to get up off the sofa and walked over to Tony.
"Even after a few drinks, I still wiped the floor with these guys in both pool and darts! There's not a game I can't beat these guys in!" laughed Tony as he leaned over to kiss Angela, nearly toppling over.
"How about another competition for all of you guys I truly think the rest of the sober world over here, particularly Angela, will love. See how truly manly you and your friends are…"'said Mona with a smirk.
"You're on Mona! What is it? What sport? I can take them all on!" shouted Tony.
"Just wait here, I'll be back…" she said as she headed up to her apartment. A few minutes later, she came back down with a box in her hands and a devious smile on her face.
"Alright boys… let's see who's the real man in the group. This is called a TENS machine. I dated this scientist a few months ago and he showed me this machine. I had a feeling I'd be able to use it…" she said with a laugh.
"What does it do?" asked Jonathan.
"So it's meant to send mild electrical stimulation to muscles in pain to help alleviate the pain. After one of our dates, he… well he hurt his back… so I put this device on to help with the pain. He mentioned that it can also be used to show expectant fathers what labor is like, with each stimulation being like a contraction. So the idea here is to see which of you men can make it all the way to level ten. My money is on none of you!" laughed Mona.
"So wait… each level represents the different stages of labor? So a level ten is when the baby is ready to come out? These guys get to experience that? Oh this I've got to see!" laughed Samantha.
"Maybe we should make a little wager… you know… sweeten the pot… how about twenty bucks to the guy who lasts the longest?" asked Mona.
"Make it fifty" said Angela as she took the box from Mona.
"Fifty bucks? I'm in! I'll go first!" said Eddie.
"No way… I've seen my wife in labor… there's no way I'm doing that!" said Joey.
"C'mon guys! It won't be that bad! Okay I'm in!" said Pee-Wee.
"We are all in! I'll go last though!" said Tony.
"Alright let the fun begin! Eddie is up first, then Pee-Wee, Philly, Joey and then Tony!" said Mona. She opened up the box and adhered the electrodes to Eddie's stomach and turned on the machine.
"So the manual says that settings one to three are what women experience with typical period pain. From there, it represents different levels of contractions up until ten, with ten being the highest level" said Samantha as she read the instruction manual.
"So this is level one everyone" said Angela as she pushed the button, a satisfying smile crossing her face as Eddie already called out in pain. He continued to cry out in pain until he gave up at level five. Mona, Samantha and Angela could not contain their laughter as Eddie hobbled away in pain.
"You're a wuss Eddie! It can't be that bad!" said Pee-Wee. As soon as the first shock happened, Pee-Wee doubled over in pain, ripped the electrodes off and fell to the floor. By now, all the guys were silent while all the women were doubled over laughing.
"I… I don't think so… fifty bucks or not, I'm not doing that!" yelled Philly.
"I told you so! I pass too… no way, no how!" shouted Joey.
"Alright, let a real man show you how it's done!" said Tony as he sat up against the pillows on the sofa. He was able to tolerate the first three levels, only making a slight grimaced expression. By level six, he was starting to double over, tears starting to form in his eyes.
"You want to stop Tony?" asked Angela as she wiped away her own tears from laughing so hard.
"No… keep…going…" he managed to whisper.
"Alright… you asked for it…" said Angela as she hit level seven. What everyone could only guess was a string of Italian curse words came rushing out of Tony's mouth. Sweat was pouring down his face. He had no idea how, but he made it through level eight. By level nine, he was thankful Angela was pregnant because he didn't think he'd be able to bear children ever again.
"Congrats Tony! You've made it to the last level! Remember this is what Angela is going to be going through very soon. Are you ready?" asked Mona.
"I… no… yes…" he started to say when Angela hit the button for level ten. Tony was officially doubled over on the floor and ripped the electrodes off of his stomach, still curled up on the floor in agony. He remained in that position for at least five minutes, which was about the same time it took for everyone to stop laughing. Slowly, he crawled back onto the sofa, tears of pain and relief falling from his eyes.
"Oh my god Angela… I… I had no idea that was the pain you're going to be in! I can still feel that pain!" he said as Angela came to sit next to him. She did her best to hold back her laughter as she rubbed his back and pulled his still curled body closer to her own.
"Welcome to womanhood Tony! It's not all glitz and glamour. Was it worth the fifty dollars?" asked Angela.
"No! But it was worth being able to know just what you're going to be going through soon" he said.
"Well Tony… we didn't know this was coming so we will wait until you recover for the next part of today's festivities!" laughed Philly.
"Whatever it is I pass!" said Tony as he was finally able to sit up.
"No way Tony! It's not quite as painful!" laughed Joey.
"How about we start getting the food ready, once Tony can stand! Jonathan and Samantha, why don't you start setting up the food and the guys can head out the back" said Angela. Soon it was just Angela and Tony left alone in the living room.
"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Angela.
"Yes I'm fine. And fifty bucks richer! Pay up!" he laughed.
"You'll get yours Micelli, trust me!" she laughed as they stood up and headed into the kitchen. Tony set up the barbecue and within the next couple of hours, they all enjoyed the food and company. Tony and the guys sobered up as they ate the food and enjoyed the afternoon. Before they were about to head back to Brooklyn, Philly got out a big box and brought it over to Tony.
"If we had known Mona's plan, we wouldn't have wasted our money on this but since we did, you've got no choice!" laughed Philly.
"Does it have a battery powered electric shock system attached? If it does, there's no way!" laughed Tony.
"Nope! Nothing electronic I swear! But it is something that's going to give you another glimpse at pregnancy!" said Philly. He pulled out of the box a fake pregnancy belly with straps and a belt.
"What is that?" asked Tony as he side eyed the contraption.
"It's one of those fake preggo bellies! So you can really feel what it's like for Angela! The guys chipped in and we have a bet going to see how long you could stay in it!" said Eddie.
"Philly gave the longest time of twenty four hours but the rest of us said you wouldn't last more than five hours max!" said Joey.
"Wait a minute! My dad has to wear this thing? In public? That's it I'm moving!" said Samantha with embarrassment and disgust written all over her face.
"What's in it for me?" asked Tony.
"You make it over twenty four hours, the money is yours! You don't… the closest one wins the pot! One hundred dollars!" said Philly.
"Can other people join this bet?" asked Angela.
"Angela! I think I've been through enough!" said Tony. He quickly changed his tune when he saw the look on her face.
"Just for that comment… I'll add fifty to the pot and say you make it eight hours. By midnight after tossing and turning for a couple of hours trying to get comfortable, you will cave and take it off…" said Angela.
"I'm in too!" said Mona.
"Alright, alright! Fine! Let's get this started! Two hundred dollars will be mine soon!" said Tony as he put on the fake pregnancy belly. He nearly fell over when he stood straight up.
"They didn't have a twin model so this was the best we could do Angela!" laughed Eddie.
"Where's the camera? Or at least a wide load sign on back!" laughed Mona.
"The first person to take a photo will lose their camera, understood?" said Tony.
"So first things first… bend over and tie your shoes Tony" said Angela with a smirk. They all burst out laughing when he nearly toppled to the ground. He finally gave up after multiple failed tries.
"Next! Do some basic exercises- jumping jacks, squats, things like that…" said Mona. He was able to do three jumping jacks before getting out of breath and one half squat that landed him on the ground.
"Oh good the next challenge! Getting up off the floor!" laughed Jonathan.
"Everyone laugh now! You won't be laughing when I'm two hundred bucks richer! Get all the laughs in now!" shouted Tony, needing to sit down he was so out of breath as he finally got to his feet.
"I think he just volunteered to clean up in here while we all go sit in the living room" said Angela as they headed back inside. It took him twice the amount of time to get everything done and when he was finally done, he collapsed on the sofa. The guys continued to make fun of him until they needed to head back to Brooklyn. Soon it was just Tony and Angela alone on the sofa.
"I take back everything I may or may not have thought about what it's like being pregnant! I can totally see why you want these babies to come now! We are still waiting until next week but you have even more of my sympathy Angela!" he said.
"You haven't even tried sleeping yet Tony! Which, speaking of, I think it's time to head upstairs. I'm exhausted! C'mon Tony…" she said as they both struggled to get up off the sofa. Angela was able to get up first and helped Tony up. She had to keep from laughing as he tried to maneuver the stairs.
They finally made it upstairs and got ready for bed. Tony was exhausted too and figured he'd be asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Angela took some time to fall asleep but soon she was fast asleep. Tony, on the other hand, could not get comfortable and spent the next few hours tossing and turning. As Angela predicted, by midnight, he was so frustrated that he took off the fake belly and threw it across the room, not so silently cursing losing all that money.
Two days later, the kids and Tony went back to school. Tony was thankfully only taking two classes and was ahead in the readings by almost two months. They had to move Angela's weekly Friday appointment to later in the afternoon due to Tony's schedule. He was able to take her right after his last class. She continued to get a clean bill of health but no signs of labor, much to her disappointment.
The following week Angela hit thirty eight weeks. Tony relented and they started all the things on the doctor's list to try and start labor. Monday and Tuesday they went for long walks down by the beach. On Wednesday, they tried spicy food. Tony made a batch of his homemade chili. Finally, after nothing seemed to be working, they decided to try the remedy with the highest success rate.
"Anything Angela?" asked Tony as he collapsed back on the bed, throughly satisfied after such a long time taking cold showers.
"Other than not fully realizing just how much I missed that part of our relationship… no. I think these kids are going to graduate college from in there!" she said.
"Well… eventually they will come out! Until then, let's make this our nightly routine again shall we?" he said with a smirk.
"Sounds good to me!" she said as she leaned over and kissed him before snuggling into him and falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Tony was up early as he had two early morning classes. He quickly showered and headed downstairs, getting breakfast for the kids and seeing them off for the day. He made Angela breakfast and brought it up to her on a tray. He was surprised she was still sleeping, but figured she needed the sleep after getting up multiple times throughout the night. He kissed her on the head and left for his classes.
A short while later, Angela woke up from a fitful sleep. Her back was sore, more so than she had thought from the previous couple of days. She saw the breakfast Tony had left her and came back to eat it once she finished in the bathroom. Just as she was about to eat, she felt an all too familiar pain move from her back to her front, causing her to grimace in pain.
To be continued…