Chapter 16
Jax
“The baby just doesn’t seem to be ready yet,” the doctor told us at Eliza’s appointment on her due date. “There’s no way to know for sure, but I’d say it’ll be at least another week or two until we meet them.”
Eliza shook her head. “The baby might not be ready, but I sure as hell am.” She pointed toward me and Carter. “I’m ready for you two to take over.”
Eliza must not have realized I was joking because she seemed flustered by my question. “Oh, I mean-”
“I was just kidding. Of course you’re not. Your focus is going to be on school.”
“So, you’re sure the baby isn’t coming sooner than that?” Eliza sighed.
The doctor gave her a knowing smile. “Like I said, there’s no way to know for sure, but that’s my best guess.”
Eliza shrugged. “At least Thanksgiving won’t get messed up.” She turned toward the doctor. “Carter’s whole family is coming down. Jax’s parents can’t make it, but we’ll see them in a few weeks when the baby is born.”
“It sounds like it’s going to be a great day,” the doctor said. She looked at Carter. “I’m glad you get to spend it with your family.”
“I am too,” Eliza said. “They’re the best. I’m so lucky to have all of them.”
“Lots to be thankful for this year.” The doctor winked at Eliza. “Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’ll see you back here next week to check on how things are going.”
We made Eliza’s next appointment then got back into the car to head home.
Eliza groaned as she struggled to get into the car. “I’m not excited to have this baby inside of me for another two weeks or more, but at least we should be able to celebrate Thanksgiving without any interruptions.”
“Now that you said that, the baby is going to end up being born on Thanksgiving,” I joked.
Two days later, there were no signs that the baby was any closer to arriving.
Our guests, however, did arrive. Carter’s moms had gotten to our house late Wednesday night and Olivia and Ronan’s families arrived early in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day.
They were all planning to stay through Saturday, which I was very excited about.
Carter wasn’t so sure how she felt about having a full house for three days now that we were past Eliza’s due date.
I wasn’t worried though. The doctor had said one to two weeks. They would be long gone by then.
“How do I always seem to forget how hard it is to prepare a Thanksgiving meal?” Carter asked as she and her mom worked diligently to prepare all of the food while I provided moral support.
“You’re doing a fantastic job,” I told her as I took a sip of my wine.
“Thanks for the support, babe,” Carter grumbled.
I put both hands in the air. “Hey, I offered to help and you said I’d probably end up burning down the kitchen.”
“Am I wrong?” Carter asked with a laugh. She bent down to give me a kiss as she passed the table.
“Nope. You’re exactly right, which is why I’m sitting here sipping my wine and cheering you two on.”
“I personally love having a cheerleader while I cook,” Momsy Reagan said.
I bowed toward her. “Glad I could be of service.”
I heard footsteps and looked over to find Eliza coming into the kitchen.
“Anything I can do to-” Instead of finishing her question, Eliza grabbed her stomach and cringed. “Oh fuck,” she screamed.
I jumped up from where I was sitting and ran over to her. I rubbed her back, because I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to do. I really should have done my research like Carter.
After recovering, Eliza gave Reagan an apologetic smile. “I’m really sorry about that. I’ve just never felt something so painful.”
“Was it a contraction?” Carter asked as she went to stand by her side.
“Does a contraction feel like your whole body is attacking you from inside? Because if so, yes.”
I looked to Carter for the answer, but she just shrugged. “I assume so. I’ve never been pregnant.”
“Lucky you,” Eliza said with a demonic laugh.
Carter pulled out her phone and hit a few buttons. “We need to time how far apart they are.”
Eliza nodded. “Cool. I’ll let you know when I’m attacked again.”
Her next attack came fifteen minutes later. “Is that normal?” I asked Carter.
Carter gave me a confused look. “Didn’t you read the book I gave you?”
Ah, yes… the book. The perfect thing to treat insomnia. “I started to, but I fell asleep.”
Carter laughed. “Of course you did. Normally, when they start, they’re farther apart than fifteen minutes, but it’s no big deal. It normally takes a long time for active labor to start during someone’s first pregnancy. It could also be Braxton Hicks.”
I nodded as if I had any idea what she was talking about. “Should we call the doctor?”
Carter shook her head. “Not yet. We’ll see where things are at after we eat dinner.”
Eliza put her hand on her stomach. “Thank god, because I’m starving.”
Reagan walked over and rubbed Eliza’s arm. “About ten more minutes until everything is ready.”
Right as the food was being set on the table, Eliza had another contraction. Carter looked at her phone as soon as it happened. “Twelve minutes. They’re getting closer.”
I could tell Carter was anxious even though she was trying to stay calm. I didn’t say anything since I didn’t want to make Eliza nervous.
Soon, we were seated at the table as everyone joined us for dinner. Eliza reached her hand out toward the table. “Could someone pass the-” She grabbed her stomach. “Holy fuck!”
All of the kids at the table giggled in response to Eliza’s swearing. “Lize said a bad word,” Jada said as she brought her hand to her mouth to try to mask her giggles.
“How long was that?” I looked down at my wrist as if I was going to suddenly be wearing a watch.
Carter checked the timer on her phone. “Eleven minutes.” She focused her attention on Eliza. “How did that one feel?”
“Like a nice day on the beach.” Eliza’s maniacal laugh was back.
Carter chuckled. “Sorry. What I meant to ask was if it hurt more, less, or the same as the last one.”
“More. Definitely more.”
Carter nodded. “So, they are increasing pretty quickly. We will definitely call the hospital after dinner.”
Eliza took a few bites of her food, then pushed the plate away. “I can’t eat right now. I think I’m going to go lay on the couch if that’s okay with everyone.”
I jumped to my feet. “Of course it’s okay.” I put my arm out so she could grab onto it and helped her stand up.
“Shit,” Eliza whispered as soon as she stood up.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered back.
“I think I peed my pants.” Eliza looked down. “It’s still happening.”
Carter looked up at us with wide, anxious eyes. “What’s going on?”
I looked toward Eliza’s pants then back at Carter. “I think we have a situation.”
“Wait. Wh-” Carter’s eyes went even wider as she jumped up from her seat. “Oh my god, Eliza. I think your water broke.”
Olivia jumped up next. “Your water broke? You need to get to the hospital. We need to get you to the hospital. Holy shit.”
“Mommy!” Jada shouted. “Bad word!”
Carter already had her phone up to her ear and was walking out of the room. “I’m going to call the hospital.”
“I feel disgusting.” Eliza motioned in front of her pants. “Can we do something about this before we leave?”
I nodded. I could barely move because I was still stunned this was happening, but I somehow got her out of the kitchen and upstairs.
“You should put on something comfortable,” I instructed. I looked around the room trying to figure out what to do next. “Shit. I should have packed a bag when Carter told me to.”
“I have bags packed for all three of us,” Carter said as she walked up behind me.
Of course she does. I turned around, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her. “Of course you do. I love you so much.”
Carter gave me a quick kiss and pushed me away. “I love you too, but we don’t have time for that right now. We’re having a baby.”
Those words were music to my ears. With all of the craziness of the past hour, it hadn’t fully hit me that that’s what was happening. My child is coming. My heart beat rapidly, both from excitement and nerves. “We’re having a baby.”
“What did the hospital say?” Eliza asked as she struggled to put on sweatpants.
“They said we should go as soon as we can. This baby’s coming.”
I shook my head and chuckled. “On Thanksgiving.” I couldn’t believe it.
“It’s evening, so it won’t necessarily happen before midnight, but yes, you did jinx us.”
I shrugged and gave her an angelic smile. “They don’t call me Jinxy Jax for nothing.”
Eliza furrowed her eyebrows. “Who calls you that?”
“No one…” I laughed again. I might have been losing it a bit. “Until now.”
There was the sound of loud footsteps on the stairs, then Olivia ran into Eliza’s room. “What can I do to help?” she asked breathlessly.
Carter walked over to her sister and put her hands on Olivia’s shoulders. “Stay here and make sure everyone enjoys the rest of Thanksgiving. If you don’t mind, maybe clean up a bit.”
Olivia bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “And when can I come to the hospital?”
I looked at Eliza, whose face was pale, and could see how overwhelmed she was. The last thing she needed was a bunch of people surrounding her at the hospital. “We’ll keep you updated, okay?”
Olivia gave me a thumbs up. “Got it. I will make sure the house stays standing.”
“Much appreciated.” I walked out of the room and gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek as I passed her.
I went to our bedroom to find the bags Carter had packed for us, but I couldn’t find anything.
“They’re already in the car,” Carter said from behind me.
I turned around to face her. “How do you always do that?”
“Sneak up on you or know what you’re thinking?”
“I was talking about knowing what I’m thinking, but now that you mention it, could you maybe stop sneaking up on me?”
Carter smirked. “I’ll see what I can do.” She leaned in and gave me a kiss. “Also, I know you. Sometimes I know you better than I know myself, which is kind of freaky.” She gave me one more quick kiss. “We really need to go though.”