This Is The Time-Chaper 10
Title: This Is The Time-Chapter 10
User: bluangleyes75
Pairing: Rob and Kristen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Kristen has unexpected side effects, she calls her mom for answers
Disclaimer: I don’t own then, I don’t even know them, but a girl can dream. All mistakes are mine.
Previous Chapters:
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)
Lying in the bed, surrounded by her gigantic pillow, she sniffled and plucked another Kleenex from the box. Wiping her nose with a disgruntled sigh, she blew the hair out of her eyes and rubbed her itchy eyes.
“Babe,” she croaked.
“Yeah,” he called from their bathroom where he stood brushing his teeth.
“Will you please bring me a hair tie?” She asked him in a nasally voice.
Stepping into their room, he waited for her to look at him before shooting an elastic band towards her.
“Thanks,” she grumbled as she dug around in the pile of covers to retrieve it.
Dressed in only a pair of jeans, he crossed to the closet and stepped in, but not before turning to wink at her.
Struggling to maneuver into a sitting position, she wheezed and fought with her blankets until she was free, then haphazardly gathered her hair and secured it on top of her head.
“You feeling any better, Love?” He inquired; re-emerging from the closet, fully dressed with his shoes in his hand.
Shrugging, she sneezed violently before she could answer. Wrapping her arm around her middle, she winced and cried, “Owe!”
“Do you still think it’s only allergies?” He sat on the edge of the bed leaned to feel her forehead to check for fever.
“I don’t know…Do I feel warm?” She cradled her stomach and leaned into his touch.
“Nut, uh, you feel normal,” he told her, pulled his hand away and shoved his feet in his shoes.
“Then probably,” she collapsed back into the pillows and sighed, watching him until his shoes were tied and he stood to look at her. Lazily, she reached a hand out. Bending across the bed, he clasped her limp fingers in his and brought them to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles.
“No, Babe,” she giggled, “Help me back up.”
Laughing, he tugged at her gently until she was once again upright. Leaning to kiss her forehead, he reached out and rubbed her stomach. “I’ll be home late. Call me if you need anything. I’m sorry you don’t feel well, wish I could stay home and take care of you,” he spoke gently before pulling away and looking into her red-rimmed eyes.
“We’ll be fine, Baby. Have a good day and don’t worry about us.” She smiled and sniffled as she reached for another tissue.
“Okay, I’ll take the dogs out before I go. Maybe a hot shower will help with the congestion,” he suggested as he grabbed his stuff and made his way to the door.
“Ma…may…maybe,” she stumbled over her reply and ended with a sneeze, followed by a groan.
“Ugh, Love!” He gave her a sympathetic look and turned to walk back to her.
Throwing her hand in the air, she signaled for him to stop and not come back, as she grabbed for another tissue. Bringing it to her nose, she wiped furiously and spoke around it, “Go, Babe, so you can get back home. I’m gonna take a Sudafed, like the doctor told me to, and then take a shower. We’ll be fine. I promise. I love you,” she assured him, then offered a wink, before blowing her nose full force.
“Love you too, Kris.” He winked back and exited their room.
When she was certain he’d made it downstairs and that she was alone, she tossed her tissue in the bin, extracted two more from the box, shoved one in each nostril, and collapsed against the tower of pillows propped against the headboard.
****
Waking, she plucked the tissues from her nose and turned her head to see what time it was. As the fog from her sleep lifted, she groaned realizing that it was only 9:30 in the morning and she really had to pee. Tossing the tissues, she crawled from bed and hissed at the pain in her belly from her overly full bladder. Deciding to shower and try medicine, she hurried to the restroom and prayed for relief in any form she could find.
The steam from the hot shower in combination with her doctor-approved decongestant actually made her feel more human. Stepping from the bathroom wrapped in an oversized bath towel, she stopped at the foot of the bed and waited for the sneeze she felt creeping up on her. Turning her eyes to the light, she wrapped her hands around her belly, one under it and one across it, to brace herself. As the sneeze exploded from her, she cringed when she felt a sensation she hadn’t been expecting. Standing shocked, she refused to move her hands, but crossed her ankles and squeezed her legs together tightly.
“Fuck me! Seriously?” She called out to the empty room. Straightening, she turned on her heel and trudged back to the bathroom. Dropping her towel, she reached to turn on the water in the shower again and threw her hair into a high pony tail while the water warmed, grumbling the whole time.
Stalking to her nightstand, she grabbed her cell and typed out a quick text.
Mom…I need you. I need you to be brutally honest with me…Please. Taking a shower. Will call you in a few. -K
Making her way back to the shower, she was hit with an unexpected sneeze and froze again. Not sure if she should laugh or cry, she crossed her legs and crouched down, and yelled out again, “What the fuck,” before hurrying to take her second shower of the day.
****
Once she was dry and dressed, she grabbed her phone and her tissues and sauntered to the kitchen. Tossing the box onto the counter, she poured herself a glass of juice and settled at the kitchen table to call her mom. Hitting the speed dial button, she brought the phone to her ear and propped her head in her hand. Before the phone could ring twice, her mom answered.
“Kristen? What’s wrong?” Jules answered, sounding slightly panicked, “What’s wrong?”
“Mom, I’m fine, but I need to know why no one told me what really happens when you’re pregnant. This shit’s crazy and I feel blindsided,” she deadpanned into the phone.
“Oh,” her mom almost whispered, before breaking into a hearty laugh.
Kristen snapped her head up and narrowed her eyes as she stared across the table, focusing her gaze on her sleeping dogs. “Are you laughing?” She sounded irritated and started bouncing her leg on the ball of her foot.
“Sorry, sorry,” her mom struggled to get her amusement under control. “Did something happen?” She asked seriously, but couldn’t help breaking into another chuckle.
“MOM! Seriously,” Kristen sounded exasperated and flung herself forward to rest her head directly on the table.
“What are you doing?” Her mom snorted into the phone.
“Calling you for support, but you don’t seem very sympathetic and you’re starting to piss me off,” she mumbled.
“I’m sorry, Baby Girl. I just didn’t expect…You’ve been handling things a lot better than I expected and…and…You just make me laugh,” her mom finished with yet another chortle.
“Mom, stop! I sneezed and peed myself! This shit isn’t funny. Why didn’t anyone tell me all the joys of being pregnant? Is there like a fucking rule out there somewhere that women who’ve been through this don’t tell other women who haven’t?” She grumbled and sat up in her chair, glaring at nothing in particular.
“You what?” Her mom roared with a fresh round of laughter, not even trying to curb it.
Kristen threw herself back against the chair and pouted at her mom’s total disregard for her plight. Bringing her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, she shook her head and tried to control her anger, but the more her mom laughed, the less angry she felt. Jules wheezing with laughter in her ear slowly broke her down until she couldn’t help but smile at her mom’s obvious entertainment. When her smile grew to the point where she couldn’t hide it anymore, she started to chuckle and let it grow until she was doubled over, legs crossed, hysterical with deep belly laughs.
“Mom,” she cried, as she wiped her eyes and tried to control her laughter. “Mom, please…” she begged, her shoulders still shaking.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry Kris…I…I…” her mom stuttered as she calmed herself.
Hearing her mother’s sniffles over the phone, Kristen started laughing again, only serving to set off another round of giggles between the two of them. Writhing at the table, she held her belly tightly, the muscles of her stomach starting to feel the strain of her guffaws. Crying out quietly, she jumped from the table and started to walk around in an effort to calm herself and squash her merriment.
“Shhh, listen mom. I can’t…I can’t…I can’t laugh anymore. Call me when you’re calm,” she managed to stutter between her chortles.
“Oh shit, sorry. Give me a few and I’ll call you right back,” Jules, swallowed hard and tried to compose herself, but failed miserably, breaking into another laugh and snorting.
“Bye Mom,” Kristen hit the disconnect button on the phone and slid it onto the counter before grabbing the countertop and leaning over it, swinging her hips to alleviate the pressure she felt in her belly, as she fought to control her own giggles. When she felt sufficiently calmed, she straightened and went to refill her glass of juice. Standing with the refrigerator door open and her hands full with the carton and the glass, she was rocked by a kick that caught her in the ribs and took her breath away. Turning abruptly to set everything down on the counter, she took in a deep breath and massaged her side. Just as she was catching her breath again and blinking away tears from the pain, her phone rang.
“Mom,” she cried into the phone, “I really need you.”
“Awe, Baby. You want to come to the office? You can come hang out for a bit and we can chat?”
“I don’t wanna drive. Can you come here?” She sounded hopeful as she replaced the juice in the fridge.
“Kristen…” Jules sighed into the phone and rustled some papers around.
“Mom,” she begged as she made her way back to the table.
“You should get out. Everyone misses you. What if I sent someone to come get you?” Her mom tried to make it sound more appealing.
“Who?” She asked, giving her mom the benefit of the doubt.
“Your brother maybe?” Jules thought aloud. “Let me call him and you both could come in and hang out for a while. We can order lunch and you two can play video games?”
Kristen stared out the window and sighed heavily. She really wanted to talk to her mom, but if it was impossible for her to come to the house, she would have to go to her. “Yeah, okay…But, if you can find a way to get away, can we go home and you meet us there?”
“Sure Babe, let me call your brother and see if he can come get you. Get ready, ok?” Jules’ calm and motherly tone soothed Kristen instantly.
“I’m ready. Just let me get a change of clothes in case I pee again,” she deadpanned, sending Jules into another fit of laughter.
“Ugh Kristen! I’ll text you in a few minutes and let you know when he’s on his way,” she cried into the phone, “Bye!”
****
Pulling into the driveway of her childhood home, she recognized Cameron’s car in the driveway and bounced in her seat. Turning to Taylor, she reached out and smacked his arm before pointing her finger in the direction of her other brother’s car.
“Did you know he was coming over too?” She asked with apparent giddiness in her voice.
Taylor shrugged and smiled. “Mom said she was gonna call him, but we didn’t know if he was working today. Guess he’s not.”
Reaching to hit the garage door button, she started to gather her stuff while Taylor pulled the car in and hit the button to close them off from the world, just in case any paparazzi were lurking. Barely waiting until the car was in park, she bounded from the interior, let Bernie and Bear out of the back seat and they all scurried into the house. Throwing the door open, she dumped all of her stuff on the floor and yelled out for her brother.
“Jesus Kris, you don’t need to yell,” he appeared in the kitchen and gave her a curious look.
“Sorry, I miss you though! How are you?” She bounded up to him and smacked him on the arm before raising up on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Better than you, from what I heard from mom,” he wrapped his arms around her and drew her as close as he could.
“Whatever,” she snorted.
Hearing the door behind them close, the siblings turned to see Taylor walking in and tossing his keys on the counter.
“What are you doing standing around? We gonna play or what?” He looked at Cameron and Kristen briefly before grabbing a soda from the fridge and making his way to the rec room, Bernie and Bear hot on his heels.
Kristen toed off her shoes, kicked them next to the garage door and searched for something caffeine free in the fridge before she followed her brothers.
Settling into the middle of the couch, so she could be between the two, she sat cross-legged and dug her phone from her back pocket, perching it on her knee and wiggling back into the couch to get comfortable. Cameron handed her the remote and smiled as Taylor switched everything on and walked back to the sofa, taking a long sip of his soda and setting the can down on the coffee table in front of his spot.
“Ready?” He asked, looking at Kristen and winking.
“Bring it on, I’m gonna kick your ass,” she winked back and leaned forward, wedging her belly between her folded legs and the cushions of the couch, readying herself to get her game on.
“Never,” Taylor laughed and hit the button to start the game.
“Bullshit, Bro…I’m putting my money and Kris. She always kicks your ass,” Cameron laughed and settled his neck on the back cushions of the couch.
“Fuck you,” Taylor mumbled without looking away from the TV, stretching his thumbs before settling them on the controller and leaning forward like his sister.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Cameron laughed, causing Kristen to smile and nudge his leg with her knee before attacking the controller.
Watching the screen intently and wiggling her body with every movement her character made on the screen, she bit her lip and made ridiculous noises with every fail and achievement she made in the game. Cameron sat by her, quietly shaking with laughter at her antics and cheered her on every once in a while. Between his words of encouragement for his sister, he made sure to razz his brother and try and get him to lose concentration. Twitching her nose, with the movement of her fingers, Kristen sniffled and attacked the buttons on the controller with a vengeance, garnering more encouragement from her older brother the more vicious she became. Laughing at his passion and at Taylor’s frustration, she was blissfully unaware of a sneeze creeping up on her until it was almost too late.
“Pause the game,” she screamed, but didn’t stop her fingers on the controller or take her eyes off the screen. “Tay! Pause…Time out, Time Out, TIME OUT!”
Cameron sat forward as fast as he could and held his hands out for the controller, honing in on the screen to get a feel for what she was trying to do in case she needed to hand it over to him and he needed to take over. Just as she was about to do just that, the game paused and Taylor turned his attention to her. Seeing her twitching her nose, he started to laugh, just as she dropped the controller and braced herself for her sneeze by wrapping her arm around her stomach, covering her nose with her free hand and clenching her pelvic muscles tightly. Just as she let loose of the sneeze, both boys screamed, “Don’t pee!” and burst into hysterical laughter.
With wide eyes, she looked at Taylor then to Cameron who were both doubled over laughing at her earlier misfortune. Turning slightly red, she reached out an arm on either side of her body and smacked them in one fell swoop. “Dicks!” She cried, before breaking out into her own giggles and struggling to extricate herself from her spot between them. Having been in the same position for so long, she felt stiff and was having a hard time getting free from where she’d sunk into the cushions. When they boys realized that she was struggling, they quickly stood and tried to muffle their laughter as they reached out and offered her helping hands.
Finding her way to her feet, she was unsteady for a minute and Cameron reached out to steady her. “You okay?” He sounded concerned as he held her arm and looked at Taylor.
“I think so. That game made me dizzy and I think my leg’s asleep,” she admitted and brought her hand to cover her throat, a roll of nausea washing over her.
“Want to sit back down?” Taylor offered and placed his hand on her back to support her better.
“Jesus, I’m not an invalid. I need to pee. Will one of you call mom and see if she’s coming. I need to eat and if she’s running late, I’ll just make something here,” she tried to get their attention off of her and onto something else as she took a couple steps to try and get around them.
“Yeah, sure,” she heard Taylor agree as she walked off slowly, trying to stay upright and fight the feeling of motion sickness that was washing over her in waves.
****
Emerging from the bathroom after emptying her bladder and splashing cold water on her face, she was surprised to see only Cameron standing in the rec room waiting for her with her phone in his hand. Stepping towards her, he held it out and gave her a small smile.
“You got a text and mom’s here with the food. You okay?” He seemed concerned.
“Yeah, I guess. Playing that game made me kinda woozy,” she wrapped her hand around his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked.
“Maybe eating something will make you feel better,” he offered.
“I hope so,” she sighed.
They stepped into the kitchen, where Jules was fluttering around pulling containers of Chinese food out of a large bag and setting it all out on the counter while Taylor sat on the counter watching. Sensing new warm bodies in her space, she spun around and smiled widely at Cameron and Kristen. Wiping her hands on a dishtowel resting on the sink board, she tossed it haphazardly and rushed to gather Kristen in her arms.
“Rough day?” she cried as Kristen embraced her back.
“Yeah, I guess. It’s better now,” she smiled into her mom’s shoulder.
“Hungry? Sorry, I got stuck in that meeting a little longer than I thought,” she smoothed her hands over Kristen’s hair and placed a kiss on her forehead before releasing her.
“It’s okay mom. Can we eat now?” She asked, releasing Jules and moving to grab plates from the cupboard.
Handing them to her brothers and her mom, she went to the food to fill her plate, but stilled when she went to take a spoonful of spicy chicken. Dropping the spoon, she looked into the other containers and scowled when she didn’t find what she was looking for.
“Mom,” she cried, “Is everything spicy?”
“No, but if you’re afraid of heartburn, I stopped and got you Tums,” she smiled and reached into her purse, pulling out a vat of peppermint tums and holding it up to show Kristen.
“I fucking love you,” Kristen smiled and went back to the spicy chicken.
Taking her full plate to the table, she set it down and went back to the fridge for a bottle of water before settling down to eat. She watched the boys fill their plates as she took small bites and reveled in the feeling of being home with her family. Jules leafed through the mail while the kids hovered over the food and just as Taylor and Cameron were getting ready to sit down she spoke to Kristen, “So, what is it exactly you want to know about pregnancy that you haven’t been able to figure out,” she asked looking at her daughter directly.
“Uh, we’re gonna go finish the game while we eat,” Taylor stuttered and rose from the seat he had just sat in, gathering his plate and ducking his head to hide his blush.
“Uh, yeah…we…we’re…Come find us when you’re done, Kris,” Cameron followed quickly on Taylor’s heels.
Kristen laughed and turned her head to the doorway. “Chicken Shits,” she called out and shifted in her seat to get comfortable again so she could eat.
Jules carried her own plate to the table and pushed her glasses on top of her head. Taking the seat next to Kristen, she set the Tums on the table next to her daughter and took a bite of her food. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Kristen trying hard to rid herself of the overwhelming sensation of nausea.
“Not feeling well?” Jules asked, taking a bite and looking at Kristen.
“Playing that video game made me feel sick. I think the motion…” she tried to explain and shrugged, the thought of the game on the screen making her worse. Setting her fork down, she placed her elbows on the table and cradled her head above her plate.
“You okay?” Her mom asked, reaching out to wrap her hand around Kristen’s forearm.
Nodding and taking deep breaths, Kristen fought the nausea washing over her. Moving her hand to her belly, she rubbed wide circles and concentrated on the soothing feeling instead of the rocky feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her mom took a few more bites before setting her fork down and watching her daughter intently.
“You gonna get sick, Sweetie?” She asked quietly.
Kristen could only shrug and sniffle slightly, afraid to speak for fear of abandoning her deep breathing. Just as she was about to say something, she bolted from her chair and rushed for the bathroom. Jules sat for a minute and stared at Kristen’s empty seat before standing from the table to fix a couple pieces of toast and a large glass of ice water. Padding down the hall with the Tums tucked under her arm and the plate and glass in her hands, she went into Kristen’s room and set them down on the nightstand then went to knock on the bathroom door.
“Baby, you okay? You need anything?” She called through the closed door.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks, Mom,” Kristen opened the door and leaned against the jamb.
“I made you toast. You want to try that and lie down for a bit?” Jules offered reaching to tuck Kristen’s hair behind her ear then down to stroke her belly, smiling at the sight of her baby standing in front of her carrying her own baby.
“Yeah,” Kristen nodded and grabbed her mom’s hand, tugging her to the bed with her.
She crawled in and pushed her back against the headboard before reaching for the toast and bringing the plate to rest on top of her stomach. Jules crawled in and sat next to her daughter, placing her glasses back on her face and digging her phone out of her pocket to check a text and her email while Kristen ate. When Kristen was finished with her food, she took a long drink of her water and scooted down onto the bed. Lying on her side, she crept closer to her mom and rested her head on her thigh. Tossing her phone aside, Jules reached to run her fingers through the ends of Kristen’s hair and waited for her to start talking.
Drawing in a deep breath, Kristen pinched at the seam of her mom’s jeans briefly before starting. “So, when I have the baby do I have to sign something saying I won’t tell anyone about all the downfalls of pregnancy?” She teased.
“Ha, Ha…No,” Her mom chuckled and looked down when Kristen turned her head in her lap to look up at her.
“How come no one talks about all the bad stuff?” She looked up at her mom with wide eyes and Jules couldn’t help but think back to when Kristen was a toddler and used to lie in her lap the exact same way.
“Because, you’ll forget. The good will outweigh the bad and then we seem to forget it all,” she tried to explain as she lifted her fingers and traced them softly against the perfect arches of Kristen’s eyebrows.
“There is no way I am ever going to forget all this,” Kristen muttered and let her eyes fall closed under the perfect touch of her mother’s fingers.
“Ah, but you will,” Her mom looked across the room and remembered back to when Kristen was born, silence blanketing the room while she remembered her baby girl being placed in her arms for the first time.
“Bullshit,” Kristen coughed out and drew Jules’ attention back to the present.
“Okay, you might not forget, but when they hand you your baby, everything that seems unbearable right now will almost be forgotten,” She looked into her daughter’s eyes. “You will never love anything as much as you’ll love your children and the first time you hold them you will not think that any of this was so bad, because it will all have been worth it.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Kristen studied her mom’s face for any sign that she might be lying, but couldn’t find any. Offering a small smile, she nodded and turned her cheek back to her mom’s leg and Jules resumed stroking her hair.
“I just hope Rob is happy with one, because I don’t think I can do this all again,” she mumbled.
“Awe, you say that now, but wait. If it was all so horrible and miserable I would never have had you,” she teased.
“You must have had easier pregnancies,” Kristen tried to reason.
“No, you both gave me a run for my money. I was so miserable with your brother. I could barely walk, he sat so low. I had sciatica and horrible stretch marks. I had heartburn so bad, I had to sleep sitting upright for months. I was so moody, I thought your dad was for sure gonna walk away or kill me before I could give birth,” Jules reminisced.
“Ha, see you do remember. This is the stuff that no one talks about. You tell someone you’re pregnant or they see you’re pregnant and they make it sound like it’s all unicorns and fucking rainbows. No one talks about becoming psychotic, puking your brains out, peeing your pants, no sleep, swollen feet…” she trailed off and adjusted to take pressure off her belly before continuing, “and whatever else bullshit happens. Instead of saying ‘Ah, congratulations’ they really need to say, buckle up, your life and your body as you know it now will no longer exist and it sucks.”
“I remember, but it was worth it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I would go through all of that again tenfold as long as I knew I would have Cameron or you as my reward in the end. If it was so bad, Kristen, I would never have gotten pregnant with you.” Jules assured her.
Rolling to her back and turning her body so she could dangle an ankle off the side of the bed, she rested her neck on Jules leg where her head had been, Kristen clasped her hands over her belly and stared at her mom with an intensity that Jules wasn’t expecting.
“Tell me…realistically…what childbirth is like. I need to be ready,” Kristen requested with a serious expression and wide eyes that told her mom she was scared and wanting to know how to prepare.
“I might scare you away, but if you really want to know I’ll tell you. There’s no going back now anyway. The baby will come, no matter what I tell you or how bad you think it is,” Jules winked and took a deep breath indicating to Kristen that she was getting ready to get down to the nitty gritty.
“Wait,” Kristen brought her hand up in front of her mom’s mouth and placed her pointer finger against her lips to silence her. “Do I want to know?” She sounded terrified all of a sudden and drew her lip between her teeth and bit down.
“The thing is,” Jules grabbed Kristen’s finger and lowered it back to her baby bump, where she spread her own fingers out and stilled, “you can know or not know. I’m sure you know the basics, enough to get you through. But I could tell you birth stories about every nasty, disgusting, terrifying thing and you can be prepared for everything, but you’ll also be worried sick until you have the baby,” she admitted and shrugged.
“Nooo, I don’t want to freak out more,” Kristen laughed and rolled her head on her mom’s leg. “I’m already scared, Mom. Don’t make it worse,” she cried.
“You asked. I was just gonna be honest with you,” she laughed back and patted the belly that held her first grandchild. “It’s okay to be scared. You always say that being scared is a healthy thing for you, it drives you. It won’t be any different in this situation Baby Girl. You will be terrified, but everything will happen the way it should and in the end you will have your child; the child you’ve been working so hard to take care of for all of your pregnancy. And don’t think it ends there,” she continued.
Kristen cocked her eyebrow and studied her mom’s face waiting for an explanation.
“You will be terrified for the rest of your life, but in an absolutely amazing way. You will want to protect your babies, but also give them room to grow and be themselves. You will always worry about them…if they’re warm or cold, if they’re happy, if they’re hungry, if they need anything. You will always want to do better for them than you think you’re capable of. You will always want to know where they are, but you will also not want to smother them too much. For every time they do something to piss you off, there will be equal if not more times that they amaze you and make you proud. From the second they place your baby in your arms, your life truly does change forever. In that moment you realize that your life is over and the only thing that will ever matter is your child…their wants, needs, desires, and happiness is what you will live your life for.” Jules explained as tears surfaced in her eyes, as well as in Kristen’s. “Who the hell has time to dwell on heartburn and wet pants when your mind is so busy trying to work through all that?” She winked at Kristen, setting free a single tear that she quickly swiped away.
Kristen looked at her mother in amazement and didn’t attempt to hold back her tears at all. As they overflowed and ran down her cheeks, she moved to clench her mom’s hand on her belly in her own. “See, I knew there was something I was missing. I should have come to you a lot sooner. This is the shit you all should have been telling me all along,” Kristen tried to be sarcastic to lighten the situation.
“I think we have, Baby Girl…You just needed to take the time to listen,” Jules reached to wipe her daughter’s cheeks. “And give up some of your control. You can’t control this Kristen and I know that scares you, but it’s life…okay?”
“Okay,” she mumbled and turned back onto her side.
“You still feel sick?” Jules asked and Kristen nodded. “Take a nap.”
“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Kristen whispered.
“Yeah, Baby Girl,” she answered and rubbed her daughter’s back.
Just as she was starting to drift off, Cameron walked in her room and bent down to see if her eyes were open. Peeking at him through her cracked lids, she fought to focus on him and offered a slight smile.
“I have to go,” he whispered and winked at her. “I have to work tonight and I need to get some sleep. You okay?”
“Yeah, thanks for coming over and hanging out with me,” she croaked.
“When you say you need me, I’ll be here,” he leaned over and kissed her cheek then straightened enough to kiss his mom’s cheek. “Sleep well, Kris. Bye, Ma!”
She let her lids drop closed again, the feeling of her mom playing with her hair, lulling her into slumber. The sound of her phone ringing didn’t even make her flinch and when she felt her mom reach for it, she didn’t object. Sitting on the edge of consciousness, she listened to her mom speak, but didn’t have enough energy to say or do anything.
“Hey Rob,” Jules whispered. “Yeah, she played video games with Cam and Tay and the motion made her sick, so she’s sleeping.”
Her mom’s fingers continued to slide through her hair and gently massage her back before repeating the same route and pattern.
“Yeah, they brought the dogs over with them. Taylor can bring her back when she wakes up.” She said quietly and gave ‘mmm, hmm’ sounds as Rob answered her.
Kristen pressed her cheek into her mom’s leg a little more firmly and brought her hands to tuck them under her chin as she drew her legs up closer to her body.
“Of course she can stay here until you come get her. Mmm, hmm. Yeah, no…while she’s asleep, I’m gonna go work in the home office. We’ll be here.”
Kristen smiled at the thought of getting to spend more time with her little brother and mom before going home.
“We talked, I hope it helped. I think she’s just coming to that point where it gets uncomfortable and this is scary for her. Having no control is not something Kristen is used to…” Her mom said and tried to see if Kristen was asleep, but couldn’t get a good look at her face.
“No, she didn’t say anything about names. She’s still not talking about it?” Jules questioned and waited for the reply that Kristen couldn’t hear. “Well, it’s not like the baby won’t get a name. Give her some time,” Jules continued softly, trying to assure Rob that not having a name for the baby right now was not the end of the world.
Listening to her son-in-law on the phone, she suddenly stilled her striations on Kristen’s back and shook with silent laughter. Scowling, Kristen tried to push against her mom’s leg to still her, but the shaking continued as Jules answered whatever ridiculous thing Rob had said to make her laugh.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, Rob! I would kick your ass myself if you called Uma for suggestions. No wonder she’s refusing to discuss names. You can’t threaten Kristen like that and expect her to respond. If you threatened to call Uma, then she probably won’t give you a name until you’re ready to take the baby home from the hospital, maybe even after you’re home” Jules laughed and explained, trying to not wake Kristen.
Smiling coyly in her mother’s lap, Kristen did a silent fist pump and internal happy dance that her mom had taken her side and put Rob in his place. Threatening her with Uma Thurman had been a joke she didn’t find funny and she was putting her foot down to prove a point. Finally giving into exhaustion and wanting to not feel the nausea, she floated off while her mom tended to her in a way no one else could and talked to her husband on the phone.
User: bluangleyes75
Pairing: Rob and Kristen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Kristen has unexpected side effects, she calls her mom for answers
Disclaimer: I don’t own then, I don’t even know them, but a girl can dream. All mistakes are mine.
Previous Chapters:
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)
Lying in the bed, surrounded by her gigantic pillow, she sniffled and plucked another Kleenex from the box. Wiping her nose with a disgruntled sigh, she blew the hair out of her eyes and rubbed her itchy eyes.
“Babe,” she croaked.
“Yeah,” he called from their bathroom where he stood brushing his teeth.
“Will you please bring me a hair tie?” She asked him in a nasally voice.
Stepping into their room, he waited for her to look at him before shooting an elastic band towards her.
“Thanks,” she grumbled as she dug around in the pile of covers to retrieve it.
Dressed in only a pair of jeans, he crossed to the closet and stepped in, but not before turning to wink at her.
Struggling to maneuver into a sitting position, she wheezed and fought with her blankets until she was free, then haphazardly gathered her hair and secured it on top of her head.
“You feeling any better, Love?” He inquired; re-emerging from the closet, fully dressed with his shoes in his hand.
Shrugging, she sneezed violently before she could answer. Wrapping her arm around her middle, she winced and cried, “Owe!”
“Do you still think it’s only allergies?” He sat on the edge of the bed leaned to feel her forehead to check for fever.
“I don’t know…Do I feel warm?” She cradled her stomach and leaned into his touch.
“Nut, uh, you feel normal,” he told her, pulled his hand away and shoved his feet in his shoes.
“Then probably,” she collapsed back into the pillows and sighed, watching him until his shoes were tied and he stood to look at her. Lazily, she reached a hand out. Bending across the bed, he clasped her limp fingers in his and brought them to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles.
“No, Babe,” she giggled, “Help me back up.”
Laughing, he tugged at her gently until she was once again upright. Leaning to kiss her forehead, he reached out and rubbed her stomach. “I’ll be home late. Call me if you need anything. I’m sorry you don’t feel well, wish I could stay home and take care of you,” he spoke gently before pulling away and looking into her red-rimmed eyes.
“We’ll be fine, Baby. Have a good day and don’t worry about us.” She smiled and sniffled as she reached for another tissue.
“Okay, I’ll take the dogs out before I go. Maybe a hot shower will help with the congestion,” he suggested as he grabbed his stuff and made his way to the door.
“Ma…may…maybe,” she stumbled over her reply and ended with a sneeze, followed by a groan.
“Ugh, Love!” He gave her a sympathetic look and turned to walk back to her.
Throwing her hand in the air, she signaled for him to stop and not come back, as she grabbed for another tissue. Bringing it to her nose, she wiped furiously and spoke around it, “Go, Babe, so you can get back home. I’m gonna take a Sudafed, like the doctor told me to, and then take a shower. We’ll be fine. I promise. I love you,” she assured him, then offered a wink, before blowing her nose full force.
“Love you too, Kris.” He winked back and exited their room.
When she was certain he’d made it downstairs and that she was alone, she tossed her tissue in the bin, extracted two more from the box, shoved one in each nostril, and collapsed against the tower of pillows propped against the headboard.
****
Waking, she plucked the tissues from her nose and turned her head to see what time it was. As the fog from her sleep lifted, she groaned realizing that it was only 9:30 in the morning and she really had to pee. Tossing the tissues, she crawled from bed and hissed at the pain in her belly from her overly full bladder. Deciding to shower and try medicine, she hurried to the restroom and prayed for relief in any form she could find.
The steam from the hot shower in combination with her doctor-approved decongestant actually made her feel more human. Stepping from the bathroom wrapped in an oversized bath towel, she stopped at the foot of the bed and waited for the sneeze she felt creeping up on her. Turning her eyes to the light, she wrapped her hands around her belly, one under it and one across it, to brace herself. As the sneeze exploded from her, she cringed when she felt a sensation she hadn’t been expecting. Standing shocked, she refused to move her hands, but crossed her ankles and squeezed her legs together tightly.
“Fuck me! Seriously?” She called out to the empty room. Straightening, she turned on her heel and trudged back to the bathroom. Dropping her towel, she reached to turn on the water in the shower again and threw her hair into a high pony tail while the water warmed, grumbling the whole time.
Stalking to her nightstand, she grabbed her cell and typed out a quick text.
Mom…I need you. I need you to be brutally honest with me…Please. Taking a shower. Will call you in a few. -K
Making her way back to the shower, she was hit with an unexpected sneeze and froze again. Not sure if she should laugh or cry, she crossed her legs and crouched down, and yelled out again, “What the fuck,” before hurrying to take her second shower of the day.
****
Once she was dry and dressed, she grabbed her phone and her tissues and sauntered to the kitchen. Tossing the box onto the counter, she poured herself a glass of juice and settled at the kitchen table to call her mom. Hitting the speed dial button, she brought the phone to her ear and propped her head in her hand. Before the phone could ring twice, her mom answered.
“Kristen? What’s wrong?” Jules answered, sounding slightly panicked, “What’s wrong?”
“Mom, I’m fine, but I need to know why no one told me what really happens when you’re pregnant. This shit’s crazy and I feel blindsided,” she deadpanned into the phone.
“Oh,” her mom almost whispered, before breaking into a hearty laugh.
Kristen snapped her head up and narrowed her eyes as she stared across the table, focusing her gaze on her sleeping dogs. “Are you laughing?” She sounded irritated and started bouncing her leg on the ball of her foot.
“Sorry, sorry,” her mom struggled to get her amusement under control. “Did something happen?” She asked seriously, but couldn’t help breaking into another chuckle.
“MOM! Seriously,” Kristen sounded exasperated and flung herself forward to rest her head directly on the table.
“What are you doing?” Her mom snorted into the phone.
“Calling you for support, but you don’t seem very sympathetic and you’re starting to piss me off,” she mumbled.
“I’m sorry, Baby Girl. I just didn’t expect…You’ve been handling things a lot better than I expected and…and…You just make me laugh,” her mom finished with yet another chortle.
“Mom, stop! I sneezed and peed myself! This shit isn’t funny. Why didn’t anyone tell me all the joys of being pregnant? Is there like a fucking rule out there somewhere that women who’ve been through this don’t tell other women who haven’t?” She grumbled and sat up in her chair, glaring at nothing in particular.
“You what?” Her mom roared with a fresh round of laughter, not even trying to curb it.
Kristen threw herself back against the chair and pouted at her mom’s total disregard for her plight. Bringing her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, she shook her head and tried to control her anger, but the more her mom laughed, the less angry she felt. Jules wheezing with laughter in her ear slowly broke her down until she couldn’t help but smile at her mom’s obvious entertainment. When her smile grew to the point where she couldn’t hide it anymore, she started to chuckle and let it grow until she was doubled over, legs crossed, hysterical with deep belly laughs.
“Mom,” she cried, as she wiped her eyes and tried to control her laughter. “Mom, please…” she begged, her shoulders still shaking.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry Kris…I…I…” her mom stuttered as she calmed herself.
Hearing her mother’s sniffles over the phone, Kristen started laughing again, only serving to set off another round of giggles between the two of them. Writhing at the table, she held her belly tightly, the muscles of her stomach starting to feel the strain of her guffaws. Crying out quietly, she jumped from the table and started to walk around in an effort to calm herself and squash her merriment.
“Shhh, listen mom. I can’t…I can’t…I can’t laugh anymore. Call me when you’re calm,” she managed to stutter between her chortles.
“Oh shit, sorry. Give me a few and I’ll call you right back,” Jules, swallowed hard and tried to compose herself, but failed miserably, breaking into another laugh and snorting.
“Bye Mom,” Kristen hit the disconnect button on the phone and slid it onto the counter before grabbing the countertop and leaning over it, swinging her hips to alleviate the pressure she felt in her belly, as she fought to control her own giggles. When she felt sufficiently calmed, she straightened and went to refill her glass of juice. Standing with the refrigerator door open and her hands full with the carton and the glass, she was rocked by a kick that caught her in the ribs and took her breath away. Turning abruptly to set everything down on the counter, she took in a deep breath and massaged her side. Just as she was catching her breath again and blinking away tears from the pain, her phone rang.
“Mom,” she cried into the phone, “I really need you.”
“Awe, Baby. You want to come to the office? You can come hang out for a bit and we can chat?”
“I don’t wanna drive. Can you come here?” She sounded hopeful as she replaced the juice in the fridge.
“Kristen…” Jules sighed into the phone and rustled some papers around.
“Mom,” she begged as she made her way back to the table.
“You should get out. Everyone misses you. What if I sent someone to come get you?” Her mom tried to make it sound more appealing.
“Who?” She asked, giving her mom the benefit of the doubt.
“Your brother maybe?” Jules thought aloud. “Let me call him and you both could come in and hang out for a while. We can order lunch and you two can play video games?”
Kristen stared out the window and sighed heavily. She really wanted to talk to her mom, but if it was impossible for her to come to the house, she would have to go to her. “Yeah, okay…But, if you can find a way to get away, can we go home and you meet us there?”
“Sure Babe, let me call your brother and see if he can come get you. Get ready, ok?” Jules’ calm and motherly tone soothed Kristen instantly.
“I’m ready. Just let me get a change of clothes in case I pee again,” she deadpanned, sending Jules into another fit of laughter.
“Ugh Kristen! I’ll text you in a few minutes and let you know when he’s on his way,” she cried into the phone, “Bye!”
****
Pulling into the driveway of her childhood home, she recognized Cameron’s car in the driveway and bounced in her seat. Turning to Taylor, she reached out and smacked his arm before pointing her finger in the direction of her other brother’s car.
“Did you know he was coming over too?” She asked with apparent giddiness in her voice.
Taylor shrugged and smiled. “Mom said she was gonna call him, but we didn’t know if he was working today. Guess he’s not.”
Reaching to hit the garage door button, she started to gather her stuff while Taylor pulled the car in and hit the button to close them off from the world, just in case any paparazzi were lurking. Barely waiting until the car was in park, she bounded from the interior, let Bernie and Bear out of the back seat and they all scurried into the house. Throwing the door open, she dumped all of her stuff on the floor and yelled out for her brother.
“Jesus Kris, you don’t need to yell,” he appeared in the kitchen and gave her a curious look.
“Sorry, I miss you though! How are you?” She bounded up to him and smacked him on the arm before raising up on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Better than you, from what I heard from mom,” he wrapped his arms around her and drew her as close as he could.
“Whatever,” she snorted.
Hearing the door behind them close, the siblings turned to see Taylor walking in and tossing his keys on the counter.
“What are you doing standing around? We gonna play or what?” He looked at Cameron and Kristen briefly before grabbing a soda from the fridge and making his way to the rec room, Bernie and Bear hot on his heels.
Kristen toed off her shoes, kicked them next to the garage door and searched for something caffeine free in the fridge before she followed her brothers.
Settling into the middle of the couch, so she could be between the two, she sat cross-legged and dug her phone from her back pocket, perching it on her knee and wiggling back into the couch to get comfortable. Cameron handed her the remote and smiled as Taylor switched everything on and walked back to the sofa, taking a long sip of his soda and setting the can down on the coffee table in front of his spot.
“Ready?” He asked, looking at Kristen and winking.
“Bring it on, I’m gonna kick your ass,” she winked back and leaned forward, wedging her belly between her folded legs and the cushions of the couch, readying herself to get her game on.
“Never,” Taylor laughed and hit the button to start the game.
“Bullshit, Bro…I’m putting my money and Kris. She always kicks your ass,” Cameron laughed and settled his neck on the back cushions of the couch.
“Fuck you,” Taylor mumbled without looking away from the TV, stretching his thumbs before settling them on the controller and leaning forward like his sister.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Cameron laughed, causing Kristen to smile and nudge his leg with her knee before attacking the controller.
Watching the screen intently and wiggling her body with every movement her character made on the screen, she bit her lip and made ridiculous noises with every fail and achievement she made in the game. Cameron sat by her, quietly shaking with laughter at her antics and cheered her on every once in a while. Between his words of encouragement for his sister, he made sure to razz his brother and try and get him to lose concentration. Twitching her nose, with the movement of her fingers, Kristen sniffled and attacked the buttons on the controller with a vengeance, garnering more encouragement from her older brother the more vicious she became. Laughing at his passion and at Taylor’s frustration, she was blissfully unaware of a sneeze creeping up on her until it was almost too late.
“Pause the game,” she screamed, but didn’t stop her fingers on the controller or take her eyes off the screen. “Tay! Pause…Time out, Time Out, TIME OUT!”
Cameron sat forward as fast as he could and held his hands out for the controller, honing in on the screen to get a feel for what she was trying to do in case she needed to hand it over to him and he needed to take over. Just as she was about to do just that, the game paused and Taylor turned his attention to her. Seeing her twitching her nose, he started to laugh, just as she dropped the controller and braced herself for her sneeze by wrapping her arm around her stomach, covering her nose with her free hand and clenching her pelvic muscles tightly. Just as she let loose of the sneeze, both boys screamed, “Don’t pee!” and burst into hysterical laughter.
With wide eyes, she looked at Taylor then to Cameron who were both doubled over laughing at her earlier misfortune. Turning slightly red, she reached out an arm on either side of her body and smacked them in one fell swoop. “Dicks!” She cried, before breaking out into her own giggles and struggling to extricate herself from her spot between them. Having been in the same position for so long, she felt stiff and was having a hard time getting free from where she’d sunk into the cushions. When they boys realized that she was struggling, they quickly stood and tried to muffle their laughter as they reached out and offered her helping hands.
Finding her way to her feet, she was unsteady for a minute and Cameron reached out to steady her. “You okay?” He sounded concerned as he held her arm and looked at Taylor.
“I think so. That game made me dizzy and I think my leg’s asleep,” she admitted and brought her hand to cover her throat, a roll of nausea washing over her.
“Want to sit back down?” Taylor offered and placed his hand on her back to support her better.
“Jesus, I’m not an invalid. I need to pee. Will one of you call mom and see if she’s coming. I need to eat and if she’s running late, I’ll just make something here,” she tried to get their attention off of her and onto something else as she took a couple steps to try and get around them.
“Yeah, sure,” she heard Taylor agree as she walked off slowly, trying to stay upright and fight the feeling of motion sickness that was washing over her in waves.
****
Emerging from the bathroom after emptying her bladder and splashing cold water on her face, she was surprised to see only Cameron standing in the rec room waiting for her with her phone in his hand. Stepping towards her, he held it out and gave her a small smile.
“You got a text and mom’s here with the food. You okay?” He seemed concerned.
“Yeah, I guess. Playing that game made me kinda woozy,” she wrapped her hand around his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked.
“Maybe eating something will make you feel better,” he offered.
“I hope so,” she sighed.
They stepped into the kitchen, where Jules was fluttering around pulling containers of Chinese food out of a large bag and setting it all out on the counter while Taylor sat on the counter watching. Sensing new warm bodies in her space, she spun around and smiled widely at Cameron and Kristen. Wiping her hands on a dishtowel resting on the sink board, she tossed it haphazardly and rushed to gather Kristen in her arms.
“Rough day?” she cried as Kristen embraced her back.
“Yeah, I guess. It’s better now,” she smiled into her mom’s shoulder.
“Hungry? Sorry, I got stuck in that meeting a little longer than I thought,” she smoothed her hands over Kristen’s hair and placed a kiss on her forehead before releasing her.
“It’s okay mom. Can we eat now?” She asked, releasing Jules and moving to grab plates from the cupboard.
Handing them to her brothers and her mom, she went to the food to fill her plate, but stilled when she went to take a spoonful of spicy chicken. Dropping the spoon, she looked into the other containers and scowled when she didn’t find what she was looking for.
“Mom,” she cried, “Is everything spicy?”
“No, but if you’re afraid of heartburn, I stopped and got you Tums,” she smiled and reached into her purse, pulling out a vat of peppermint tums and holding it up to show Kristen.
“I fucking love you,” Kristen smiled and went back to the spicy chicken.
Taking her full plate to the table, she set it down and went back to the fridge for a bottle of water before settling down to eat. She watched the boys fill their plates as she took small bites and reveled in the feeling of being home with her family. Jules leafed through the mail while the kids hovered over the food and just as Taylor and Cameron were getting ready to sit down she spoke to Kristen, “So, what is it exactly you want to know about pregnancy that you haven’t been able to figure out,” she asked looking at her daughter directly.
“Uh, we’re gonna go finish the game while we eat,” Taylor stuttered and rose from the seat he had just sat in, gathering his plate and ducking his head to hide his blush.
“Uh, yeah…we…we’re…Come find us when you’re done, Kris,” Cameron followed quickly on Taylor’s heels.
Kristen laughed and turned her head to the doorway. “Chicken Shits,” she called out and shifted in her seat to get comfortable again so she could eat.
Jules carried her own plate to the table and pushed her glasses on top of her head. Taking the seat next to Kristen, she set the Tums on the table next to her daughter and took a bite of her food. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Kristen trying hard to rid herself of the overwhelming sensation of nausea.
“Not feeling well?” Jules asked, taking a bite and looking at Kristen.
“Playing that video game made me feel sick. I think the motion…” she tried to explain and shrugged, the thought of the game on the screen making her worse. Setting her fork down, she placed her elbows on the table and cradled her head above her plate.
“You okay?” Her mom asked, reaching out to wrap her hand around Kristen’s forearm.
Nodding and taking deep breaths, Kristen fought the nausea washing over her. Moving her hand to her belly, she rubbed wide circles and concentrated on the soothing feeling instead of the rocky feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her mom took a few more bites before setting her fork down and watching her daughter intently.
“You gonna get sick, Sweetie?” She asked quietly.
Kristen could only shrug and sniffle slightly, afraid to speak for fear of abandoning her deep breathing. Just as she was about to say something, she bolted from her chair and rushed for the bathroom. Jules sat for a minute and stared at Kristen’s empty seat before standing from the table to fix a couple pieces of toast and a large glass of ice water. Padding down the hall with the Tums tucked under her arm and the plate and glass in her hands, she went into Kristen’s room and set them down on the nightstand then went to knock on the bathroom door.
“Baby, you okay? You need anything?” She called through the closed door.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks, Mom,” Kristen opened the door and leaned against the jamb.
“I made you toast. You want to try that and lie down for a bit?” Jules offered reaching to tuck Kristen’s hair behind her ear then down to stroke her belly, smiling at the sight of her baby standing in front of her carrying her own baby.
“Yeah,” Kristen nodded and grabbed her mom’s hand, tugging her to the bed with her.
She crawled in and pushed her back against the headboard before reaching for the toast and bringing the plate to rest on top of her stomach. Jules crawled in and sat next to her daughter, placing her glasses back on her face and digging her phone out of her pocket to check a text and her email while Kristen ate. When Kristen was finished with her food, she took a long drink of her water and scooted down onto the bed. Lying on her side, she crept closer to her mom and rested her head on her thigh. Tossing her phone aside, Jules reached to run her fingers through the ends of Kristen’s hair and waited for her to start talking.
Drawing in a deep breath, Kristen pinched at the seam of her mom’s jeans briefly before starting. “So, when I have the baby do I have to sign something saying I won’t tell anyone about all the downfalls of pregnancy?” She teased.
“Ha, Ha…No,” Her mom chuckled and looked down when Kristen turned her head in her lap to look up at her.
“How come no one talks about all the bad stuff?” She looked up at her mom with wide eyes and Jules couldn’t help but think back to when Kristen was a toddler and used to lie in her lap the exact same way.
“Because, you’ll forget. The good will outweigh the bad and then we seem to forget it all,” she tried to explain as she lifted her fingers and traced them softly against the perfect arches of Kristen’s eyebrows.
“There is no way I am ever going to forget all this,” Kristen muttered and let her eyes fall closed under the perfect touch of her mother’s fingers.
“Ah, but you will,” Her mom looked across the room and remembered back to when Kristen was born, silence blanketing the room while she remembered her baby girl being placed in her arms for the first time.
“Bullshit,” Kristen coughed out and drew Jules’ attention back to the present.
“Okay, you might not forget, but when they hand you your baby, everything that seems unbearable right now will almost be forgotten,” She looked into her daughter’s eyes. “You will never love anything as much as you’ll love your children and the first time you hold them you will not think that any of this was so bad, because it will all have been worth it.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Kristen studied her mom’s face for any sign that she might be lying, but couldn’t find any. Offering a small smile, she nodded and turned her cheek back to her mom’s leg and Jules resumed stroking her hair.
“I just hope Rob is happy with one, because I don’t think I can do this all again,” she mumbled.
“Awe, you say that now, but wait. If it was all so horrible and miserable I would never have had you,” she teased.
“You must have had easier pregnancies,” Kristen tried to reason.
“No, you both gave me a run for my money. I was so miserable with your brother. I could barely walk, he sat so low. I had sciatica and horrible stretch marks. I had heartburn so bad, I had to sleep sitting upright for months. I was so moody, I thought your dad was for sure gonna walk away or kill me before I could give birth,” Jules reminisced.
“Ha, see you do remember. This is the stuff that no one talks about. You tell someone you’re pregnant or they see you’re pregnant and they make it sound like it’s all unicorns and fucking rainbows. No one talks about becoming psychotic, puking your brains out, peeing your pants, no sleep, swollen feet…” she trailed off and adjusted to take pressure off her belly before continuing, “and whatever else bullshit happens. Instead of saying ‘Ah, congratulations’ they really need to say, buckle up, your life and your body as you know it now will no longer exist and it sucks.”
“I remember, but it was worth it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I would go through all of that again tenfold as long as I knew I would have Cameron or you as my reward in the end. If it was so bad, Kristen, I would never have gotten pregnant with you.” Jules assured her.
Rolling to her back and turning her body so she could dangle an ankle off the side of the bed, she rested her neck on Jules leg where her head had been, Kristen clasped her hands over her belly and stared at her mom with an intensity that Jules wasn’t expecting.
“Tell me…realistically…what childbirth is like. I need to be ready,” Kristen requested with a serious expression and wide eyes that told her mom she was scared and wanting to know how to prepare.
“I might scare you away, but if you really want to know I’ll tell you. There’s no going back now anyway. The baby will come, no matter what I tell you or how bad you think it is,” Jules winked and took a deep breath indicating to Kristen that she was getting ready to get down to the nitty gritty.
“Wait,” Kristen brought her hand up in front of her mom’s mouth and placed her pointer finger against her lips to silence her. “Do I want to know?” She sounded terrified all of a sudden and drew her lip between her teeth and bit down.
“The thing is,” Jules grabbed Kristen’s finger and lowered it back to her baby bump, where she spread her own fingers out and stilled, “you can know or not know. I’m sure you know the basics, enough to get you through. But I could tell you birth stories about every nasty, disgusting, terrifying thing and you can be prepared for everything, but you’ll also be worried sick until you have the baby,” she admitted and shrugged.
“Nooo, I don’t want to freak out more,” Kristen laughed and rolled her head on her mom’s leg. “I’m already scared, Mom. Don’t make it worse,” she cried.
“You asked. I was just gonna be honest with you,” she laughed back and patted the belly that held her first grandchild. “It’s okay to be scared. You always say that being scared is a healthy thing for you, it drives you. It won’t be any different in this situation Baby Girl. You will be terrified, but everything will happen the way it should and in the end you will have your child; the child you’ve been working so hard to take care of for all of your pregnancy. And don’t think it ends there,” she continued.
Kristen cocked her eyebrow and studied her mom’s face waiting for an explanation.
“You will be terrified for the rest of your life, but in an absolutely amazing way. You will want to protect your babies, but also give them room to grow and be themselves. You will always worry about them…if they’re warm or cold, if they’re happy, if they’re hungry, if they need anything. You will always want to do better for them than you think you’re capable of. You will always want to know where they are, but you will also not want to smother them too much. For every time they do something to piss you off, there will be equal if not more times that they amaze you and make you proud. From the second they place your baby in your arms, your life truly does change forever. In that moment you realize that your life is over and the only thing that will ever matter is your child…their wants, needs, desires, and happiness is what you will live your life for.” Jules explained as tears surfaced in her eyes, as well as in Kristen’s. “Who the hell has time to dwell on heartburn and wet pants when your mind is so busy trying to work through all that?” She winked at Kristen, setting free a single tear that she quickly swiped away.
Kristen looked at her mother in amazement and didn’t attempt to hold back her tears at all. As they overflowed and ran down her cheeks, she moved to clench her mom’s hand on her belly in her own. “See, I knew there was something I was missing. I should have come to you a lot sooner. This is the shit you all should have been telling me all along,” Kristen tried to be sarcastic to lighten the situation.
“I think we have, Baby Girl…You just needed to take the time to listen,” Jules reached to wipe her daughter’s cheeks. “And give up some of your control. You can’t control this Kristen and I know that scares you, but it’s life…okay?”
“Okay,” she mumbled and turned back onto her side.
“You still feel sick?” Jules asked and Kristen nodded. “Take a nap.”
“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Kristen whispered.
“Yeah, Baby Girl,” she answered and rubbed her daughter’s back.
Just as she was starting to drift off, Cameron walked in her room and bent down to see if her eyes were open. Peeking at him through her cracked lids, she fought to focus on him and offered a slight smile.
“I have to go,” he whispered and winked at her. “I have to work tonight and I need to get some sleep. You okay?”
“Yeah, thanks for coming over and hanging out with me,” she croaked.
“When you say you need me, I’ll be here,” he leaned over and kissed her cheek then straightened enough to kiss his mom’s cheek. “Sleep well, Kris. Bye, Ma!”
She let her lids drop closed again, the feeling of her mom playing with her hair, lulling her into slumber. The sound of her phone ringing didn’t even make her flinch and when she felt her mom reach for it, she didn’t object. Sitting on the edge of consciousness, she listened to her mom speak, but didn’t have enough energy to say or do anything.
“Hey Rob,” Jules whispered. “Yeah, she played video games with Cam and Tay and the motion made her sick, so she’s sleeping.”
Her mom’s fingers continued to slide through her hair and gently massage her back before repeating the same route and pattern.
“Yeah, they brought the dogs over with them. Taylor can bring her back when she wakes up.” She said quietly and gave ‘mmm, hmm’ sounds as Rob answered her.
Kristen pressed her cheek into her mom’s leg a little more firmly and brought her hands to tuck them under her chin as she drew her legs up closer to her body.
“Of course she can stay here until you come get her. Mmm, hmm. Yeah, no…while she’s asleep, I’m gonna go work in the home office. We’ll be here.”
Kristen smiled at the thought of getting to spend more time with her little brother and mom before going home.
“We talked, I hope it helped. I think she’s just coming to that point where it gets uncomfortable and this is scary for her. Having no control is not something Kristen is used to…” Her mom said and tried to see if Kristen was asleep, but couldn’t get a good look at her face.
“No, she didn’t say anything about names. She’s still not talking about it?” Jules questioned and waited for the reply that Kristen couldn’t hear. “Well, it’s not like the baby won’t get a name. Give her some time,” Jules continued softly, trying to assure Rob that not having a name for the baby right now was not the end of the world.
Listening to her son-in-law on the phone, she suddenly stilled her striations on Kristen’s back and shook with silent laughter. Scowling, Kristen tried to push against her mom’s leg to still her, but the shaking continued as Jules answered whatever ridiculous thing Rob had said to make her laugh.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, Rob! I would kick your ass myself if you called Uma for suggestions. No wonder she’s refusing to discuss names. You can’t threaten Kristen like that and expect her to respond. If you threatened to call Uma, then she probably won’t give you a name until you’re ready to take the baby home from the hospital, maybe even after you’re home” Jules laughed and explained, trying to not wake Kristen.
Smiling coyly in her mother’s lap, Kristen did a silent fist pump and internal happy dance that her mom had taken her side and put Rob in his place. Threatening her with Uma Thurman had been a joke she didn’t find funny and she was putting her foot down to prove a point. Finally giving into exhaustion and wanting to not feel the nausea, she floated off while her mom tended to her in a way no one else could and talked to her husband on the phone.