Normal

A Whole Lot of Trouble

Jessica was looked over by Dr. Rice as soon as she was brought into the hospital.

Now, it was an hour later and Jessica was in a hospital room connected to some I.V's and a fetal monitor was wrapped around her belly.

Jessica was now fine but had fainted due to exhaustion and the stress of the past few days.

Dr. Rice walked into the room for another check up and after he was finished he said. "Well, the good news is, that your baby is fine and you are not dilated what so ever. However, your blood pressure was a little high when you first arrived and I can understand the stress of these last few days that were put on your family. But, from now on, absolutely no stress. You are a week or so away from your due date so, we want to keep him in there for as long as possible. I'm going to release you later on in the evening. When you get home, I want you to be on bed rest. You can get up to use the bathroom then straight back to your bed. The living room is fine as well, as long as you lay on the couch with your feet up. Oh, absolutely no showers. I don't want to risk you falling. You can bathe but with help."

Jessica sighed in some relief; she was glad her baby was okay and she would accept bedrest with no complaints.

Jessica thanked Dr. Rice then he left to give her some time to rest. Ruth, Wayne, Patty Ann and Ashley were all in the room with Jessica. All had been worried and were now glad that Jessica and the baby were just fine.

"Wayne, why don't you all go home so you all can rest?" Jessica said as she looked at her oldest son. "You can come back to pick us up when I'm released."

Wayne looked to Ashley and his little sister and they nodded. They stood up and hugged Jessica then left the room.

Once they were alone, Jessica looked over at Ruth and said. "I'm so sorry, Ruth."
"What are you sorry for?" Ruth asked gently.
"Because I took you away from everyone." Jessica said. "We should be surrounded by family right now, but..." she let out a sigh and tears formed in her eyes.
"It's okay, Jess." Ruth said as she held Jessica's hand. "Everyone understands and they all send their well wishes. They just want you and the baby to be okay. So, please, don't stress over that."

Jessica nodded and wiped her tears away. She smiled at Ruth and Ruth smiled back. The rest of the day was spent with Jessica getting rest and she was able to get some sleep as she waited for Dr. Rice to release her.

Later that evening, Wayne had come back to the hospital while Ashley and Patty Ann made dinner so Jessica could eat something and didn't have to worry about cooking.

Dr. Rice finally released Jessica and Wayne drove his parents back home.

Ruth helped Jessica up the stairs and into their bedroom. Also, Ruth helped Jessica take a quick bath then into pajamas.

Jessica then got into bed and sighed in relief at being home. Ashley had taken a tray upstairs so Jessica could eat in bed. Ashley also volunteered to help around the house with whatever needed to be done.

Since their school was out for the semester, Wayne and Ashley decided to stay over at the house just so they could help Jessica while she was on bedrest. Also, they wanted to spend time with Jessica before the baby was born.

They would head home to pack some clothes then come right back the next day.

The rest of the night was just spent with all the family getting some rest and making phone calls to let everyone know that Jessica and the baby were okay.

The next afternoon, Ashley and Wayne made their way back to the house. That night, the family had a movie night. They all dressed in their pajamas and laid around the living room watching a movie. Jessica laid on the sofa with her feet up.

They all ate some snacks and just enjoyed their time together. After losing Roy, it was crucial now more than ever to make as many memories they could together.

*December 8, two days before due date*

Three days later, Wayne and Ashley had gone to the grocery store to stock up on some food and supplies.

There was a severe weather warning for later that night. The meteorologists on the news said that there was going to be heavy snow and he suggested no one should be out on the roads. Also, there was going to be a snow day for all schools in the area. Patty Ann was really happy about that.

As Wayne and Ashley put away the groceries and supplies, Jessica was being led back to bed by Ruth.

Jessica sat down on the bed and sighed.
"Honey, you okay?" Ruth asked as she pulled the blanket up to cover Jessica.
"Yes. I'm okay. I'm just so uncomfortable." Jessica replied as she held her belly with both hands. "He's so low now, and I, uh...I lost my mucus plug. It's getting close to meeting our baby boy. I'm a little nervous." She chuckled.
Ruth sat down next to Jessica and put her hand on Jessica's belly. "I can't wait. I want to see what he looks like." She said with a smile on her face.

They stayed quiet as they felt the gentle movements of their baby. They wanted to cherish the last few days of this pregnancy.

"I think he's worn himself out." Jessica giggled. "I think he fell asleep."
"Why don't you get some sleep too?" Ruth said. "I'll wake you up for dinner."
"Okay." Jessica said as she sunk back into the bed.

Jessica drifted off to sleep while Ruth walked downstairs to see how the children were doing.

Patty Ann was in the living room reading a book while Ashley and Wayne were in the kitchen putting away everything they had bought.

Ruth greeted them and thanked them for getting what they needed for the bad weather that was to come.

Ruth looked out the window and said. "Whoa, it's getting bad out there. Glad y'all made it back in time."
"Yeah, I know." Ashley said. "There's people still out there and I hope everyone gets to their homes safely."
"They still have a bit of time but yes, I hope so too." Ruth said. "Oh, Wayne, I already made sure the back up generators are in working order, so we are good just in case the power goes out."

Ruth then helped them put away the rest of the supplies which were flash lights, extra batteries, candles and a few odds and ends. The weather would clear up in a day or so but they still liked to be prepared for any sort of situation.

Two hours later Jessica stirred; she groaned and held her belly as pain shot through her abdomen. She sat up and breathed in and out.

It passed a moment later and she waited to see if the pain would return. When it didn't, Jessica laid back down again. She looked over at the window and saw that it was snowing heavily. She could see the snow was already piling up.

Ashley had gone upstairs to wake Jessica up so she can join everyone for dinner.

"Oh, you're up!" Ashley said as as she smiled. "Dinner is ready."
"Thank you." Jessica said as pulled the blanket away from her.

Ashley helped her up then helped her down the stairs.

"Did you and Wayne get everything?" Jessica asked as they made their way to the kitchen.
"We did." Ashley replied. "The snow is coming down pretty hard now. We made it back just in time."

They made it to the kitchen table and Jessica sat down then everyone dug in. They all ate and talked. Everyone was enjoying their meal until Jessica dropped her fork .

Jessica breathed in and out, her head bowed and her eyes closed, one hand on her belly.

"Jess, what's wrong?" Ruth asked worriedly.
"Nothing." Jessica said as the pain passed. "It's just Braxton Hicks. It was just...it was just really painful. I'm okay now."
"Are you sure?" Wayne asked.
"Yes." Jessica said as she picked up her fork. "I'm positive." She smiled. "Now, let's get back to this delicious food. Little man is liking it a lot!"

Everyone went back to eating and Jessica discreetly looked at the clock. It was twenty minutes since the last contraction she had. She hoped and prayed that they were indeed Braxton Hicks contractions. If not, then she knew that she would be in a whole lot of trouble.

Sorry for taking so long to update. Hope you all are still enjoying this story.