savior || luke hemmings

ch. 36

It's been a month since Luke had transformed the once dark, cold space of my basement into the warm, cozy space our of new apartment. Granted, there wasn't much we were paying for except for food, but, it was all our own. And, as the arrival of our child approached, the happier I became.

I was sitting on the small, beige couch that sat adjacent from a forty-eight inch television that was mounted on the wall. I had a book of baby names in my hand, I had been studying it all day in hopes of finding a name that just stuck out. So far, though, I've been having no luck. Everything is quite ordinary for me- I just want something different, something that will mean a lot to both Luke and I.

Luke is sitting next to me, strumming the strings of his acoustic guitar rather softly- it's kind of late in the evening and he doesn't feel like bothering my grandparents- and humming. I let out a frustrated cry and slam the baby name book shut causing Luke to stop playing his guitar. He sets the guitar down at his feet and moves closer to me. Putting on arm around my shoulder he pulls me into him and I settle my head on his shoulder.

"What's eaten at ya?" He inquires and I just hand him the book. "This book is bothering you?"

"Yes? The names in this book suck. They're all so, what's the word I'm looking for..."

Luke flips through the book, "plain?"

"Yes. Plain. And they're so common. I guess I just want a name for our child that's different, unique... Not ordinary."

I wriggle myself free and stand from the couch. I walk across the carpeted floor on the living room and head straight to the tiny kitchen. Opening the cabinet closest to the stove, I grab a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips before making my way back to the couch. Luke grabs the bag out of my hand and removes the plastic clip that was keeping it sealed and grabs a handful before handing it back to me. I graciously take it, shoving two chips into my mouth at once.

I'm pregnant and I've become an eating machine. 

Feeling a sudden jolt in my stomach, I place my hand on my ever-growing belly and rub, a smile growing on my face. Little, yet-to-be named, Hemmings has been kicking up a storm these last few days. At first, I was terrified that something had gone wrong in the pregnancy, but I quickly came to love the feelings of being woken in the middle of the night with tiny foot stomps. 

Placing my hand over my stomach, I rub the spot where the baby is kicking. Luke sees this and a concerned expression plays on his face. He quickly sets the bag of chips onto the coffee table and moves closer to me.

"Is everything okay?!" He asks as he shifts his gaze from my eyes to my belly and then back to my eyes again. I laugh despite of myself. You see, I haven't told Luke that the baby has started to kick. Weird, I know. I guess I just wanted to have a special "baby-mommy" moment.

"Everything is fine." I reassure Luke. "Here, give me your hand." Luke stretches out his hand and I grab in in my own before placing it on the lower, right side of my stomach. I watch Luke's expression contort from curiosity to pure glee as he feels the baby kick for the first time. "This is amazing, isn't it?" I inquire.

"Amazing?" He asks happily. "This is more than amazing. Vera, we made this thing." He explains as he slides himself down the couch a little bit. Resting his head on my stomach, he rubs circles in my thighs as I run my fingers through his unusally long locks of golden hair. He shifts his head and softly kisses my stomach before resuming his position next to me. He pulls me in and I rest my head on his shoulder. "This is everything I could've asked for and more."

I look up at Luke, our eyes locking in a loving gaze. I tilt my head up and gently peck him on the lips before resting my head on his shoulder again. We stay in silence like this, the both of us enjoying the movement of our child. It's crazy to think how a year ago, I hated everything about my life. Now, I wouldn't trade a damn thing if it meant ending up in this very position.

____________

The next morning, Luke and I found ourselves sitting the cramped waiting room of Doctor Alvarez's office. After an hour and a half of waiting, and reading the same copy of Parent magazing three times, Judy, our nurse, called us in. Swiftly I got up from the chair and followed the nurse through the frosted glass doors; Luke wasn't far behind, my purse in one hand and the copy of a baby book he was reading in the other.

I sat down on the teal-colored examination chair as Judy prepared herself to take some vitals. After a few minutes, when my blood pressure was all checked out and some blood was taken, Judy handed me a gown and exited the room.

Groaning, I stepped onto the floor and shimmied myself out of my sweatpants and underwear. "This is my least favorite part of it all." I admitted as I pulled my t-shirt over my head. Quickly glancing at my bare body in the reflection of the metal cabinets that lined the wall opposite of where I was standing, I admired myself. My belly was growing more and more each day; perfectly round and home to a seemingly healthy baby. From the corner of my eye I catch Luke eyeing me and turn to him, a small smile on my lips.

"You know, they say pregnant women have a certain glow about them and boy, is that the truth. You were always, and will always be, beautiful to me but right now, God Ver, you're fucking glowing. And I love you so much, I'm so lucky." He admits, his eyes never leaving mine.

Still, after all this time and all we've been through, Luke manages to make me blush. "Stop it." I laugh, still not used to the idea of someone loving me. "I love you too."

I slip the gown on and hop back onto the examintaion table just as Doctor Alvarez knocks on the door. After telling her that it was okay to come in, she slowly opens the door, medical chart in hand, and enters the room. Closing the door behind her, she places the chart down on the counter and puts on a pair of gloves. Smiling, she walks over to me, "how's everything been since I've last seen you?" She asks as she sits down on the stool in front of my legs. 

I shrugg, "everything's been great. The baby started kicking so we're really excited about that."

"That's wonderful! Yup, it's about that stage of pregnancy." She squeezes some gel onto the tip of the wand and instructs me to open my legs. I do as I'm told and cringe at the temperature of the lubrication as the wand enters me. "Oh stop it." She laughs and Luke quietly cackles to himself int he corner. I shoot him a dirty look and he stops, focusing his eyes on the sonogram screen.

"Well, Doc, can you tell us what we're having yet?" Luke opens his mouth as he gets up from the chair and walks over to my side, grabbing my hand.

"I can in just... One..." she pauses and sticks her tongue out in concentration. "Ah, yes. Well, it looks like you two are going to be proud parents of a baby girl!" She happily explains as she continues to move the wand around.

Luke and I share glances with each other as Luke squeezes my hand. The doctor finishes up her examination and writes me my montly script for prenatal vitamins, along with some iron pills because apparently I'm a bit difficient in that. 

As she exits the room, Luke tosses me my clothes and I rush to get dressed, too exited to share the news that I'm having a daughter. My feet are a bit swollen so Luke hands me my spare pair of slippers that I've been carrying with me lately and I slip into them before following Luke out of the examination room.

Luke is absolutely glowing right now, rambling about how he can't wait to tell the boys that they're going to be uncles to a baby girl. My mind quickly flashes to the future where I see Luke and his friends trying to scare off a boy that reminds them too much of themselves.

"I have the perfect name for her." Luke proudly says as he pulls out of the parking lot.

"Oh yeah?" I ask, eyebrow raised.

"Yes. Jasey. Jasey Rae."

Jasey Rae. A favorite of mine, a song both Luke and I love. I think we've got a winner.