Chapter 16
It was well into the morning before Janet finally woke up. Rainy Sundays
seemed to do that to her, and plus she was tired. Ever since her sixth
month of pregnancy, a good night's sleep seemed to elude her. She sighed,
sitting up slightly and turning to her husband. "Did I ever tell you how
uncomfortable this is?"
"Only about seven billion times."
Janet laughed softly. "I know, baby. I'm sorry. I don't know how you put up with me. And I know I complain a lot, but I really love this."
Jack smiled, caressing her cheek. "And I love you." He leaned over like he was going to kiss her but stopped, as his lips were inches from hers. "We're not going to pull a Ross and Rachel when I kiss you, are we?" Watching Friends had become a nightly ritual throughout Janet's pregnancy, and due to the high amount of reruns, he caught up on ten years over a period of nine months. In the last days of Rachel Green's pregnancy with Emma, the exact moment she went into labor was when Ross Gellar kissed her.
"Hope not."
His mouth met hers, and to the great relief of both of them, she didn't go into labor. At least not right then. However, the baby did start kicking, and the small gesture never failed to make Janet giggle with happiness. Janet lay there for a moment, the swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. "I'm bored."
Jack laughed as he got up and wrapped his arms around her. "Come on. I'll make you breakfast and we'll watch another movie." Janet smiled. "I'd like that."
"Of course you would. You can't cook to save your life."
"Hey!"
He dodged the pillow that she threw and left the room.
Twenty minutes later, they were settled on the couch, Janet snuggled up against him. She took a quiet breath as the pain from this morning returned. She hadn't wanted to tell him before, but she had been having tiny contraction for the past couple of hours. Janet knew he would just freak out, and she knew nothing would happen until much later, maybe even days later. Nevertheless, they were getting to intense for her to ignore. "Hey, I'll be right back, okay, hon?"
Jack gave her a puzzled look but released his grip on her, watching as she went into the kitchen. A gut feeling told him to follow her, and a few seconds later he heard her scream. He ran over to her side. Janet was standing at the sink, breathing heavily. She tried to keep her voice calm and steady as she told him that her water just broke, but the small tremors betrayed her. Then, with no warning, she abruptly turned and buried her face in his chest. "God, Jack..." she whimpered. "Contraction. It hurts."
"We're going to the hospital."
The birth went by with fairly no problems. To the baby, that is. Janet was sweating pretty profusely, her damp hair matted to her skin, and Jack was sure his hand would never be the same again. He tried to remain calm and remember what Terri and told him, whispering words of reassurance. Still, Janet had yelled obscenities at him the whole time. Her voice grew increasingly loud with each painful contraction. But it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered except for the beautiful, albeit crying every single second, little girl lying in Janet's arms. Because after 19 hours of intense, yet worthwhile labor, Baby Nicole Riley Tripper finally entered the world.
Twenty minutes had gone by and the proud parents couldn't take their eyes off their new daughter. Nicole, mercifully, had finally stopped crying and was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms, her tiny hand clamped around Janet's finger. "Look, honey." Janet's voice was breathless, as if she couldn't yet take it all in. "Look what we did."
"I know." Jack's voice was unusually tight and full of emotion. "She's absolutely perfect. Just like her mama." He leaned in to kiss her lips softly. "I love you."
All of a sudden, a look of pain and sheer terror crossed Janet's face. She gripped tightly the first thing she could latch on to, and consequently, Nicole began to whimper. Jack picked up his daughter, rocking her gently, and her cries ceased. "Sweetie? Janet, what is it?"
She didn't respond right away, simply gripped onto his hand and squeezed. Tears formed in her eyes. "God...it hurts. I...I need to push again. Why do I need to push again?"
"WHAT? Are...are you sure?"
"Jack, I've been doing this for almost a full day now. I think I know what I'm talking about. I don't know why; all I know is it hurts like shit, and you're not helping. Go get Terri."
As if on command, the perky blond sauntered into the room. "You three doing okay? A couple more minutes, then we have to take her and check her vitals for the birth certificate."
Janet vaguely heard her friend speak the words. True, she had gone through the same thing not half an hour ago, but the pain was honestly like nothing she had ever felt before. "Terri...do something. I'm having contractions again."
Recovering from her surprise, Terri quickly vamped into nurse mode. She knew she wasn't an obstetrician, but she wasn't a complete ignoramus when it came to pregnant women. She had seen it done enough times to feel remotely confident, and the one fact she was certain of is that she sure as hell wasn't going to allow any more people brought into the delivery then was absolutely necessary.
"Terri? You're...you're really, really scaring me. Say something. Tell me what's wrong."
"You guys? Did anyone ever tell you that you were having twins?" Dr. Kenderson entered the hospital room then and Terri walked toward him quickly. "Seems like Baby B wanted to play hide and go seek."
"Ah...and I take it she didn't show up on the ultrasound."
The two parents were still in shock, but Janet could only think of one thing. "I have to do this again? It was bad enough the first time."
Dr. Kenderson nodded, patting her knee. "Afraid so, kiddo. And it has to be now. This baby doesn't want to wait."
Jack took Janet's hand, which had fallen limp from his the moment she heard the news, and rubbed it reassuringly. "It'll be okay." Evidently, Nicole didn't like being stripped from her father's arms, for she began to wail, but her sobs quieted as Terri rocked her gently, humming a soft lullaby.
Almost a split second later, Janet cried out in pain from the seemingly never-ending contraction. "Please, let me push...let me push. Get this baby out now," she exclaimed, tears mixing with the sweat drenching down her face.
"Janet, hon, I know it hurts, but you can't push yet. Just breathe for me, okay? We have to figure out where we're at."
"You're doing great," Jack whispered softly as the grasp of his hand tightened. "I love you."
"I hate you," she whimpered. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."
"Okay, Janet," Kenderson announced. "Two or three pushes and we should be all good to go. You ready?"
She nodded swiftly, as she felt Jack's fingers entwine with hers. Thank God for him. She really needed him there, with her, telling her that everything would be okay.
"And here we go...push, Janet, push! 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...good!"
She leaned into her husband's arms the second the contraction was over. "That's my girl," he murmured, sitting on the edge of her bed so he could hold her better and help her gain a better position. The much-needed rest was short-lived, however. The next contraction was fast approaching.
"I need you to do that again, all right? Give me a good one now!"
He couldn't get to the number ten fast enough as pain seeped through her whole body. After going at the same action for nearly 24 hours, every muscle ached, and even some muscles she wasn't aware she had.
"That's great, just great. We've got a really good position now. I need you to push really hard, all right? Now!"
Janet sighed, somewhat exasperated, but nonetheless, gritted her teeth and bore down as hard as she could. Her body felt as if it were on fire as she pushed.
"Janet, sweetie, nothing's happening. We need you to push harder."
"What? No..." she whined. "Just get the baby out now. I can't do this...I'm too tired."
Jack tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, kissing her cheek in the process. "I know, honey. I know. I know this is hell, and I know you're tired. But you can do this, sweetie. You're the strongest woman I know. I love you so much."
"Janet, this has to happen now!" Dr. Kenderson interjected.
Jack rubbed her hand reassuringly and she struggled to a sitting position, took a deep breath, and pushed. "Oh my God!" she yelled. She couldn't help but scream as the pain reached an almost unbearable level.
"Hard, Janet! Hard, hard, hard, hard, harder! There we go...the head's out."
Janet smiled at that moment, then felt the need to push again. She just wanted to get this over with as fast as she could, but this last contraction was by far the worst ever. Janet gripped Jack's hand tightly, praying for it to be done with. She prided herself on being a very strong person, but this hurt like nothing she could have ever imagined. She buried her face in Jack's arms as she bore down harder than she ever had before. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her lower body felt as if it were literally being pulled apart. But, for all the pain, all the unbelievable, intense pain, it was all worth it...again. They had another little girl.
An hour later, Jack held his two daughters in his arms as his wife slept peacefully a few feet away for the first time in months. Nicole Riley and her younger sister Samantha Taylor had already come back from vitals and were becoming restless. It was obvious they were tired of lying in one position and was anxious for their mother, and it was at that moment that Janet woke up.
"Hey." she said softly, smiling at the sight of her husband holding their two small children. "Are they okay?"
"Yeah...they're both perfect."
The past couple of weeks had been...eventful, to say the least. There were a bunch of sleepless nights, and what the imminent future held was sickness and toddler terrors and unanswerable questions and never enough time in the day. Times two. But Janet knew that she wouldn't trade a second of any of it. No way. It was times like these, though, that she wondered. Janet sighed, her patience wearing thinner by the moment. Nicole was fine, sleeping peacefully in her crib. Samantha, however, chose to spend the entire evening crying.
"Oh, come on, Sammie," Janet whispered softly, rocking her daughter in hopes of quelling her wails. "Don't you want to be quiet like your sister?" Sam's only response was a shrill, piercing cry, as she tugged on a lock of Janet's hair for emphasis. Janet laughed in spite of herself. "You're just a little rebel, aren't you?"
Jack quietly crept into the apartment, standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Janet's back was to him, and he didn't dare make a sound. He was content just to watch this mother-daughter moment.
"Don't you tell your father about this, okay? It'll just be our little secret." Her voice started off soft and breathless, but soon became stronger as she sang a soothing Paula Abdul song. "Good night, my love / Pleasant dreams and sleep tight my love / May tomorrow be sunny and bright / And bring you closer to me."
Sam's cries soon turned to occasional whimpers, and then tapered off completely. Even as Janet placed her in the crib next to Nicole, she still didn't make a sound. Jack smiled at his wife, who he could tell was so proud of herself.
Janet watched her daughters sleep for a few minutes before turning out the nightlight. "Your mama's not a complete failure, is she?"
At that precise moment, a strong, warm pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Janet turned to find Jack's face inches from hers as he softly kissed her cheek. "Quite the opposite," he whispered softly. "You're the best mom in the world." "You're home early," she responded in a murmur, careful not to wake up her children, especially after she had invested so much in putting them to sleep. "Did you see all that?" "Of course I did, and I think you're wonderful. I love you."
"I love you too, baby. Just let me put Sammie down and I'll be there in a minute." After a few failed tried, Janet finally got Sammie into her crib, still asleep. Miraculously, she was still asleep when Janet left the room. She blew her daughters a kiss, turned on the nightlight, and closed the door. Not all the way shut, but closed enough so that the air conditioning or wind wouldn't blow it open.
Jack was already half asleep when Janet came out of the bathroom, but opened his eyes immediately when his wife appeared before him. All the pregnancy weight was gone, and Janet was wearing a silk red nightie that accentuated her curves perfectly. Her naturally wavy hair was loose and framed her face, making her look sexier than ever. "It's been six weeks," were the first words out of her mouth as she crawled onto the bed, absently beginning to play with the buttons on his shirt, "and I missed you. The girls are asleep, and they'll be out for the night." He smiled at her. "Are you trying to seduce me?" "I might," she cooed softly, trailing kisses up his neck. "Is it working?" "You know it," Jack playfully growled, kissing her softly before taking her and flipping her onto her back. Janet giggled, then became serious as his eyes locked with hers. He stared for a few seconds, and then kissed her with a passion that neither of them had felt for a long time. "You better be ready, hon. It's going to be a long night." "So the prince kissed Sleeping Beauty and then they all lived happily ever after..." Jack and Janet were in the midst of their fourth fairy tail, and their rambunctious daughters showed no signs if going to sleep any time soon or even slowing down. "Why do we havta go bed, Mommy?" Nicole asked for the twelfth time.
"Because, Nic," Jack sighed. "If you don't, you'll be grumpy tomorrow. And we can't have grumpy little birthday girls."
"Don't wanna!" Sammie screamed.
"Hey!" Janet said softly, suddenly struck with an idea. "The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you wake up, and the sooner you get presents."
Presents were the magic word. Nicole and Samantha were spoiled rotten, and they lived for the latest new toy. "Okay," they relied in unison. "We'll be good now." True to their word, the two little girls were soon sound asleep.
Janet smiled, as she and Jack pulled the covers over them and turned off the lights. "Night, girls. Love you."
"Love you, too," came two perfectly chorused sleepy voices.
Janet stood in the doorway for a while, Jack's arms wrapped around her waist. They were a handful most of the time, and they drove her crazy, but it was these times that she couldn't imagine her life without them. Sam was sucking her thumb and Nikki was snoring lightly. Those two were the most important people in her world, and she wouldn't trade a moment of the insanity for anything. "Makes everything worth it, doesn't it?" she whispered softly.
"Absolutely." The girls had been crazy and hyper all afternoon, so finally Janet had to put them down for a nap. They complained, because they hadn't had a nap for weeks and were 'too old', but Janet stood firm as she marched them into their room. She knew that if they didn't have at least a little bit of sleep, they'd crash the minute the party was over.
Two hours later, as Janet was getting ready for the party, two very energetic girls up from their nap met her. She made them both take a bath, and during that time, she laid out their party outfits on their beds. They both wore stockings and strappy shoes, much to Nicole's delight and Sam's chagrin. But because they were two different girls with very different identities, Janet tried to make the outfits reflect that. And they loved them, partly because they were only for special occasions and they didn't get to wear them that often. Nicole loved Barbie's and other very girlie things, so her outfit was a black skirt with a pink short - sleeved cropped baby tee that said Princess. Samantha, however, was the complete opposite. She hated Barbie's and took immense joy in beheading those of her sister. She was a tomboy through and through, and her little outfit was a simple denim skirt and a yellow shirt that was embedded with the words 90% Angel, 10% Devil. It only took them ten minutes after they got out of the tub to change into their party clothes before they came out to model for their mother.
"Adorable," Janet proclaimed, hugging them both. Just then the doorbell rang. In walked, Larry, Terri, and RF, and later came some of their friends from preschool.
Jack came fifteen minutes later, and the girls rushed to him. "Daddy!" "Hey, my little angels!" he said, spinning them around. Then he handed Janet the cake. "Here, babe. I think its still all in one piece." "It should be," she said as Terri followed her into the kitchen.
"Gosh..." Larry said as son as the women were gone.
"What?"
"I'm sorry...I just, I can't believe they're four already." "Oh, I know. Time flies by so fast," he said, watching hid daughters run around and play with their friends. "But really...Nikki, Sam, and Janet are the best things that ever happened to me."
"But you and Janet? Never saw that one coming." That moment was when Janet and Terri came out of the kitchen. "We heard that!" Janet walked over and perched herself on the edge of the sofa. Terri tied to do the same, but Larry caught her and grabbed her around the waist. She let out a slightly high pitched giggle that no one except Larry had ever heard from her and leaned into his arms. "Hare dare you talk about us when we're not here?"
"We weren't talking about you, babe," Larry said. "We were talking about Jack and Janet."
"Oh, and that makes me feel so much better." "Aww, sorry," He pouted, and Terri laughed and kissed him softly. They pulled away when they caught Jack, Janet, and Furley staring at them. "What?" "Speaking of not seeing things coming..." "I know, I know!" Terri cried, hanging her head. "I'm probably crazy, but...I don't know. I guess it's kind of like you guys. You spend so much time with someone, but you never really know them until something happens that makes you change everything. Your whole way of thinking...it's like, you just wake up and see somebody that's lived next door to you for ages, but it's like you're seeing them for the first time. It's weird, but good."
"Very profound." Jack laughed. "Hopefully that smartness can rub off on him."
"Hey!"
The party had been over for hours, but the remnants were still strewn all over the floor. The five grownups had just finished cleaning up and were chatting when Nicole and Sam walked back in. Sammie, who had always been the more outgoing of the two, pushed her sister forward. "Nikki says she knows the ABC's." Sam, who had for the last few days been slightly jealous that Nikki knew the alphabet while she didn't, wanted to try and psych her out. So, in the meanest four year old voice she could muster, she hissed, "You're gonna choke."
Nicole pushed her sister, slightly but enough to get the point across. "Am not." She looked at the ground for a moment, and then began to chant softly. "A, B, C, D, E, F...G...G..." At that point, her face crumpled, and she ran into Janet's arms, crying.
"Oh, sweetie," Janet whispered softly, trying to comfort her small daughter. "It's okay, honey. It's okay."
"No, isa not. Now yous gonna like Sammie and you won't love me no more."
"Nicole Riley! Nothing could ever make me and Daddy stop loving you. We'll love you always always. And the same goes for Sammie." Samantha quietly walked up and tapped her sister on the shoulder. Nicole looked at her sadly, tears still stained to her cheeks. "I choked. You tolded me I would. Go ahead and rub it in."
"That's not what I was gonna say." With that, Samantha took Nicole's hand in hers and led her to the front of the room. "You may have forgotted some, but I didn't."
Nicole smiled. "You'd do that?"
Samantha shuffled her feet quietly. "What are sisters for? Just don't hug me. That's icky." But her sister hugged her anyway, and she found that she was actually hugging back. Nicole annoyed her to death most of the time with her girlie attitudes and ways, but she was her sister, and Sam loved her.
Together, they began again. When they got to the part that made Nicole stumble, she paused. Sammie looked at her and continued on, and soon she could hear Nikki's voice harmonizing with hers. They finished the alphabet, and took a bow as the grownups clapped.
Janet smiled. Her husband had his arms around her waist, her two daughters were getting along - for the moment anyway - and she had her best friends by her side. She had waited forever for this moment. Everything was perfect.
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this....
"Only about seven billion times."
Janet laughed softly. "I know, baby. I'm sorry. I don't know how you put up with me. And I know I complain a lot, but I really love this."
Jack smiled, caressing her cheek. "And I love you." He leaned over like he was going to kiss her but stopped, as his lips were inches from hers. "We're not going to pull a Ross and Rachel when I kiss you, are we?" Watching Friends had become a nightly ritual throughout Janet's pregnancy, and due to the high amount of reruns, he caught up on ten years over a period of nine months. In the last days of Rachel Green's pregnancy with Emma, the exact moment she went into labor was when Ross Gellar kissed her.
"Hope not."
His mouth met hers, and to the great relief of both of them, she didn't go into labor. At least not right then. However, the baby did start kicking, and the small gesture never failed to make Janet giggle with happiness. Janet lay there for a moment, the swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. "I'm bored."
Jack laughed as he got up and wrapped his arms around her. "Come on. I'll make you breakfast and we'll watch another movie." Janet smiled. "I'd like that."
"Of course you would. You can't cook to save your life."
"Hey!"
He dodged the pillow that she threw and left the room.
Twenty minutes later, they were settled on the couch, Janet snuggled up against him. She took a quiet breath as the pain from this morning returned. She hadn't wanted to tell him before, but she had been having tiny contraction for the past couple of hours. Janet knew he would just freak out, and she knew nothing would happen until much later, maybe even days later. Nevertheless, they were getting to intense for her to ignore. "Hey, I'll be right back, okay, hon?"
Jack gave her a puzzled look but released his grip on her, watching as she went into the kitchen. A gut feeling told him to follow her, and a few seconds later he heard her scream. He ran over to her side. Janet was standing at the sink, breathing heavily. She tried to keep her voice calm and steady as she told him that her water just broke, but the small tremors betrayed her. Then, with no warning, she abruptly turned and buried her face in his chest. "God, Jack..." she whimpered. "Contraction. It hurts."
"We're going to the hospital."
The birth went by with fairly no problems. To the baby, that is. Janet was sweating pretty profusely, her damp hair matted to her skin, and Jack was sure his hand would never be the same again. He tried to remain calm and remember what Terri and told him, whispering words of reassurance. Still, Janet had yelled obscenities at him the whole time. Her voice grew increasingly loud with each painful contraction. But it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered except for the beautiful, albeit crying every single second, little girl lying in Janet's arms. Because after 19 hours of intense, yet worthwhile labor, Baby Nicole Riley Tripper finally entered the world.
Twenty minutes had gone by and the proud parents couldn't take their eyes off their new daughter. Nicole, mercifully, had finally stopped crying and was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms, her tiny hand clamped around Janet's finger. "Look, honey." Janet's voice was breathless, as if she couldn't yet take it all in. "Look what we did."
"I know." Jack's voice was unusually tight and full of emotion. "She's absolutely perfect. Just like her mama." He leaned in to kiss her lips softly. "I love you."
All of a sudden, a look of pain and sheer terror crossed Janet's face. She gripped tightly the first thing she could latch on to, and consequently, Nicole began to whimper. Jack picked up his daughter, rocking her gently, and her cries ceased. "Sweetie? Janet, what is it?"
She didn't respond right away, simply gripped onto his hand and squeezed. Tears formed in her eyes. "God...it hurts. I...I need to push again. Why do I need to push again?"
"WHAT? Are...are you sure?"
"Jack, I've been doing this for almost a full day now. I think I know what I'm talking about. I don't know why; all I know is it hurts like shit, and you're not helping. Go get Terri."
As if on command, the perky blond sauntered into the room. "You three doing okay? A couple more minutes, then we have to take her and check her vitals for the birth certificate."
Janet vaguely heard her friend speak the words. True, she had gone through the same thing not half an hour ago, but the pain was honestly like nothing she had ever felt before. "Terri...do something. I'm having contractions again."
Recovering from her surprise, Terri quickly vamped into nurse mode. She knew she wasn't an obstetrician, but she wasn't a complete ignoramus when it came to pregnant women. She had seen it done enough times to feel remotely confident, and the one fact she was certain of is that she sure as hell wasn't going to allow any more people brought into the delivery then was absolutely necessary.
"Terri? You're...you're really, really scaring me. Say something. Tell me what's wrong."
"You guys? Did anyone ever tell you that you were having twins?" Dr. Kenderson entered the hospital room then and Terri walked toward him quickly. "Seems like Baby B wanted to play hide and go seek."
"Ah...and I take it she didn't show up on the ultrasound."
The two parents were still in shock, but Janet could only think of one thing. "I have to do this again? It was bad enough the first time."
Dr. Kenderson nodded, patting her knee. "Afraid so, kiddo. And it has to be now. This baby doesn't want to wait."
Jack took Janet's hand, which had fallen limp from his the moment she heard the news, and rubbed it reassuringly. "It'll be okay." Evidently, Nicole didn't like being stripped from her father's arms, for she began to wail, but her sobs quieted as Terri rocked her gently, humming a soft lullaby.
Almost a split second later, Janet cried out in pain from the seemingly never-ending contraction. "Please, let me push...let me push. Get this baby out now," she exclaimed, tears mixing with the sweat drenching down her face.
"Janet, hon, I know it hurts, but you can't push yet. Just breathe for me, okay? We have to figure out where we're at."
"You're doing great," Jack whispered softly as the grasp of his hand tightened. "I love you."
"I hate you," she whimpered. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."
"Okay, Janet," Kenderson announced. "Two or three pushes and we should be all good to go. You ready?"
She nodded swiftly, as she felt Jack's fingers entwine with hers. Thank God for him. She really needed him there, with her, telling her that everything would be okay.
"And here we go...push, Janet, push! 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...good!"
She leaned into her husband's arms the second the contraction was over. "That's my girl," he murmured, sitting on the edge of her bed so he could hold her better and help her gain a better position. The much-needed rest was short-lived, however. The next contraction was fast approaching.
"I need you to do that again, all right? Give me a good one now!"
He couldn't get to the number ten fast enough as pain seeped through her whole body. After going at the same action for nearly 24 hours, every muscle ached, and even some muscles she wasn't aware she had.
"That's great, just great. We've got a really good position now. I need you to push really hard, all right? Now!"
Janet sighed, somewhat exasperated, but nonetheless, gritted her teeth and bore down as hard as she could. Her body felt as if it were on fire as she pushed.
"Janet, sweetie, nothing's happening. We need you to push harder."
"What? No..." she whined. "Just get the baby out now. I can't do this...I'm too tired."
Jack tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, kissing her cheek in the process. "I know, honey. I know. I know this is hell, and I know you're tired. But you can do this, sweetie. You're the strongest woman I know. I love you so much."
"Janet, this has to happen now!" Dr. Kenderson interjected.
Jack rubbed her hand reassuringly and she struggled to a sitting position, took a deep breath, and pushed. "Oh my God!" she yelled. She couldn't help but scream as the pain reached an almost unbearable level.
"Hard, Janet! Hard, hard, hard, hard, harder! There we go...the head's out."
Janet smiled at that moment, then felt the need to push again. She just wanted to get this over with as fast as she could, but this last contraction was by far the worst ever. Janet gripped Jack's hand tightly, praying for it to be done with. She prided herself on being a very strong person, but this hurt like nothing she could have ever imagined. She buried her face in Jack's arms as she bore down harder than she ever had before. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her lower body felt as if it were literally being pulled apart. But, for all the pain, all the unbelievable, intense pain, it was all worth it...again. They had another little girl.
An hour later, Jack held his two daughters in his arms as his wife slept peacefully a few feet away for the first time in months. Nicole Riley and her younger sister Samantha Taylor had already come back from vitals and were becoming restless. It was obvious they were tired of lying in one position and was anxious for their mother, and it was at that moment that Janet woke up.
"Hey." she said softly, smiling at the sight of her husband holding their two small children. "Are they okay?"
"Yeah...they're both perfect."
The past couple of weeks had been...eventful, to say the least. There were a bunch of sleepless nights, and what the imminent future held was sickness and toddler terrors and unanswerable questions and never enough time in the day. Times two. But Janet knew that she wouldn't trade a second of any of it. No way. It was times like these, though, that she wondered. Janet sighed, her patience wearing thinner by the moment. Nicole was fine, sleeping peacefully in her crib. Samantha, however, chose to spend the entire evening crying.
"Oh, come on, Sammie," Janet whispered softly, rocking her daughter in hopes of quelling her wails. "Don't you want to be quiet like your sister?" Sam's only response was a shrill, piercing cry, as she tugged on a lock of Janet's hair for emphasis. Janet laughed in spite of herself. "You're just a little rebel, aren't you?"
Jack quietly crept into the apartment, standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Janet's back was to him, and he didn't dare make a sound. He was content just to watch this mother-daughter moment.
"Don't you tell your father about this, okay? It'll just be our little secret." Her voice started off soft and breathless, but soon became stronger as she sang a soothing Paula Abdul song. "Good night, my love / Pleasant dreams and sleep tight my love / May tomorrow be sunny and bright / And bring you closer to me."
Sam's cries soon turned to occasional whimpers, and then tapered off completely. Even as Janet placed her in the crib next to Nicole, she still didn't make a sound. Jack smiled at his wife, who he could tell was so proud of herself.
Janet watched her daughters sleep for a few minutes before turning out the nightlight. "Your mama's not a complete failure, is she?"
At that precise moment, a strong, warm pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Janet turned to find Jack's face inches from hers as he softly kissed her cheek. "Quite the opposite," he whispered softly. "You're the best mom in the world." "You're home early," she responded in a murmur, careful not to wake up her children, especially after she had invested so much in putting them to sleep. "Did you see all that?" "Of course I did, and I think you're wonderful. I love you."
"I love you too, baby. Just let me put Sammie down and I'll be there in a minute." After a few failed tried, Janet finally got Sammie into her crib, still asleep. Miraculously, she was still asleep when Janet left the room. She blew her daughters a kiss, turned on the nightlight, and closed the door. Not all the way shut, but closed enough so that the air conditioning or wind wouldn't blow it open.
Jack was already half asleep when Janet came out of the bathroom, but opened his eyes immediately when his wife appeared before him. All the pregnancy weight was gone, and Janet was wearing a silk red nightie that accentuated her curves perfectly. Her naturally wavy hair was loose and framed her face, making her look sexier than ever. "It's been six weeks," were the first words out of her mouth as she crawled onto the bed, absently beginning to play with the buttons on his shirt, "and I missed you. The girls are asleep, and they'll be out for the night." He smiled at her. "Are you trying to seduce me?" "I might," she cooed softly, trailing kisses up his neck. "Is it working?" "You know it," Jack playfully growled, kissing her softly before taking her and flipping her onto her back. Janet giggled, then became serious as his eyes locked with hers. He stared for a few seconds, and then kissed her with a passion that neither of them had felt for a long time. "You better be ready, hon. It's going to be a long night." "So the prince kissed Sleeping Beauty and then they all lived happily ever after..." Jack and Janet were in the midst of their fourth fairy tail, and their rambunctious daughters showed no signs if going to sleep any time soon or even slowing down. "Why do we havta go bed, Mommy?" Nicole asked for the twelfth time.
"Because, Nic," Jack sighed. "If you don't, you'll be grumpy tomorrow. And we can't have grumpy little birthday girls."
"Don't wanna!" Sammie screamed.
"Hey!" Janet said softly, suddenly struck with an idea. "The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you wake up, and the sooner you get presents."
Presents were the magic word. Nicole and Samantha were spoiled rotten, and they lived for the latest new toy. "Okay," they relied in unison. "We'll be good now." True to their word, the two little girls were soon sound asleep.
Janet smiled, as she and Jack pulled the covers over them and turned off the lights. "Night, girls. Love you."
"Love you, too," came two perfectly chorused sleepy voices.
Janet stood in the doorway for a while, Jack's arms wrapped around her waist. They were a handful most of the time, and they drove her crazy, but it was these times that she couldn't imagine her life without them. Sam was sucking her thumb and Nikki was snoring lightly. Those two were the most important people in her world, and she wouldn't trade a moment of the insanity for anything. "Makes everything worth it, doesn't it?" she whispered softly.
"Absolutely." The girls had been crazy and hyper all afternoon, so finally Janet had to put them down for a nap. They complained, because they hadn't had a nap for weeks and were 'too old', but Janet stood firm as she marched them into their room. She knew that if they didn't have at least a little bit of sleep, they'd crash the minute the party was over.
Two hours later, as Janet was getting ready for the party, two very energetic girls up from their nap met her. She made them both take a bath, and during that time, she laid out their party outfits on their beds. They both wore stockings and strappy shoes, much to Nicole's delight and Sam's chagrin. But because they were two different girls with very different identities, Janet tried to make the outfits reflect that. And they loved them, partly because they were only for special occasions and they didn't get to wear them that often. Nicole loved Barbie's and other very girlie things, so her outfit was a black skirt with a pink short - sleeved cropped baby tee that said Princess. Samantha, however, was the complete opposite. She hated Barbie's and took immense joy in beheading those of her sister. She was a tomboy through and through, and her little outfit was a simple denim skirt and a yellow shirt that was embedded with the words 90% Angel, 10% Devil. It only took them ten minutes after they got out of the tub to change into their party clothes before they came out to model for their mother.
"Adorable," Janet proclaimed, hugging them both. Just then the doorbell rang. In walked, Larry, Terri, and RF, and later came some of their friends from preschool.
Jack came fifteen minutes later, and the girls rushed to him. "Daddy!" "Hey, my little angels!" he said, spinning them around. Then he handed Janet the cake. "Here, babe. I think its still all in one piece." "It should be," she said as Terri followed her into the kitchen.
"Gosh..." Larry said as son as the women were gone.
"What?"
"I'm sorry...I just, I can't believe they're four already." "Oh, I know. Time flies by so fast," he said, watching hid daughters run around and play with their friends. "But really...Nikki, Sam, and Janet are the best things that ever happened to me."
"But you and Janet? Never saw that one coming." That moment was when Janet and Terri came out of the kitchen. "We heard that!" Janet walked over and perched herself on the edge of the sofa. Terri tied to do the same, but Larry caught her and grabbed her around the waist. She let out a slightly high pitched giggle that no one except Larry had ever heard from her and leaned into his arms. "Hare dare you talk about us when we're not here?"
"We weren't talking about you, babe," Larry said. "We were talking about Jack and Janet."
"Oh, and that makes me feel so much better." "Aww, sorry," He pouted, and Terri laughed and kissed him softly. They pulled away when they caught Jack, Janet, and Furley staring at them. "What?" "Speaking of not seeing things coming..." "I know, I know!" Terri cried, hanging her head. "I'm probably crazy, but...I don't know. I guess it's kind of like you guys. You spend so much time with someone, but you never really know them until something happens that makes you change everything. Your whole way of thinking...it's like, you just wake up and see somebody that's lived next door to you for ages, but it's like you're seeing them for the first time. It's weird, but good."
"Very profound." Jack laughed. "Hopefully that smartness can rub off on him."
"Hey!"
The party had been over for hours, but the remnants were still strewn all over the floor. The five grownups had just finished cleaning up and were chatting when Nicole and Sam walked back in. Sammie, who had always been the more outgoing of the two, pushed her sister forward. "Nikki says she knows the ABC's." Sam, who had for the last few days been slightly jealous that Nikki knew the alphabet while she didn't, wanted to try and psych her out. So, in the meanest four year old voice she could muster, she hissed, "You're gonna choke."
Nicole pushed her sister, slightly but enough to get the point across. "Am not." She looked at the ground for a moment, and then began to chant softly. "A, B, C, D, E, F...G...G..." At that point, her face crumpled, and she ran into Janet's arms, crying.
"Oh, sweetie," Janet whispered softly, trying to comfort her small daughter. "It's okay, honey. It's okay."
"No, isa not. Now yous gonna like Sammie and you won't love me no more."
"Nicole Riley! Nothing could ever make me and Daddy stop loving you. We'll love you always always. And the same goes for Sammie." Samantha quietly walked up and tapped her sister on the shoulder. Nicole looked at her sadly, tears still stained to her cheeks. "I choked. You tolded me I would. Go ahead and rub it in."
"That's not what I was gonna say." With that, Samantha took Nicole's hand in hers and led her to the front of the room. "You may have forgotted some, but I didn't."
Nicole smiled. "You'd do that?"
Samantha shuffled her feet quietly. "What are sisters for? Just don't hug me. That's icky." But her sister hugged her anyway, and she found that she was actually hugging back. Nicole annoyed her to death most of the time with her girlie attitudes and ways, but she was her sister, and Sam loved her.
Together, they began again. When they got to the part that made Nicole stumble, she paused. Sammie looked at her and continued on, and soon she could hear Nikki's voice harmonizing with hers. They finished the alphabet, and took a bow as the grownups clapped.
Janet smiled. Her husband had his arms around her waist, her two daughters were getting along - for the moment anyway - and she had her best friends by her side. She had waited forever for this moment. Everything was perfect.
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this....