Symphony

Slower than Usual

Around half-hour, after Nikki had the cervical sweep, she and Jack have decided to take a slow walk around the hospital grounds, "Could you walk any slower," Jack speaks as he stops waiting for Nikki to catch up again.
"Sure, let me just get my running shoes on, Jack you're not the one forty-one weeks pregnant," She responds sarcastically, Jack looks at her with a small smile on his face and waits for her to catch up and places his hand on her back gently.
"Shall we get something to eat?" Jack asks looking at his phone. Nikki nods simply and the head back into the hospital and head to the nearest coffee shop, they both get a bottle of pop each and a sandwich before heading back outside and sitting down on the bench near the entrance.

Nikki sits down and Jack passes her sandwich to her, "How long does she want to take, I'm fed up of being pregnant now, she's taking so much longer than the girls..." Nikki sighs.
"Don't worry, anyway you haven't even had any contractions yet."

She looks at him raising an eyebrow, "They've started, that's why I've been walking so slowly if you must know," Nikki says.
"What! How far apart?" Jack asks.
"Twenty minutes or so," She speaks.

Jack takes a bite out of his sandwich and shakes his head at her knowing she will tell him when she thinks it's time to go back to the ward. Once they have ate their sandwiches Jack and Nikki sit talking on the bench for a while about anything they could think of with most their conversation falling to the girls and work.
"I wonder how Poppy is getting on in school? Did she go in okay after this mornings meltdown?" Nikki smiles as she strokes her bump as she is starting to feel odd sensations.
"She was fine, walked in like a trooper she found her friend... what's her name, the one with the eyepatch and glasses?" Jack asks.
"Imogen?" Nikki asks.

Jack nods with a smile "Yeah she found her and went in," Jack smiles happily.
"I'm glad she went in okay, and Maddison and Freya?" Nikki asks.
"Golden, Maddie went straight in to play, Freya took a little more copsing, turns out her hearing aid battery was flat, poor mite couldn't hear a thing, switched them over and she was fine," Jack responds.
"Oh god. That is my fault, I was meant to change them last night," Nikki says as she is suddenly reminded.
"Don't worry about it, It's happened before it will happen again, she just can't tell us yet," He chuckles as he waits for a response from Nikki but instead she stands up and turns around to face him, "Where are you going?" He looks down at the bench to see a wet patch and a puddle underneath the bench.

"I think my waters have just broken," Nikki responds with a chuckle in her voice.
"About time, little lady" Jack smiles as he places his hand on her bump, "Back inside?" Jack quizzes and she nods. Jack stands up and puts their rubbish in the bin before taking hold of her hand and walking slowly back inside with her.

They arrive back on the ward and Nikki heads back to the bay she is in before she can go down to delivery and gets herself changed into dry pyjamas, while Jack heads to find the midwife about the progression so far, Sarah comes back over to Nikki who has just sat herself down on the bed. Jack follows over also and places Nikki's wet pyjama bottoms in a plastic bag before putting them in her hospital bag.
Sarah goes a quick examination and confirms that her waters have gone and that everything seems to be coming naturally, she leaves them be for a while and tells them that she will be back every so often to check on her.

Five hours later, there is still so sign of the baby coming, Jack had been sat playing solitaire for the past fifteen-minutes, while Nikki had been attempting to nap in between the contractions that were coming every twenty minutes. "Okay?" Jack asks as he places his phone down on the bed.
Nikki nods and lays on her side trying to get comfortable, "Yeah, just want her hear now," She mumbles.
"Jinxed yourself Nik, She's definitely a lazy wee thing," Jack smirks.
"I know, just my luck to have a forth and it be as lazy as her Dad," She responds.
"Hey, I heard that," Jack smirks.
"I know, you were meant to hear that, Come on little lady, we've waited long enough," Nikki smiles.

Jack takes hold on her hand and gently runs his thumb across her knuckles like he always does and smiles up at her, looking her in the eyes lovingly. Before either of them can speak Jack's phone begins to ring, he looks down at the caller ID and sighs, "It's my Ma."
"You better get it, or you will never hear the end of it," Nikki smiles and Jack nods in agreement, he stands kissing Nikki on the head, "Won't be too long," Jack speaks and kisses Nikki on the head once again before leaving the maternity unit.

Jack steps outside and answers the call, "Mum?"
"Jack, glad I could get through to you, I called a couple of times," Josephine speaks.
"Oh the signal isn't that strong here, is everything okay?" Jack asks.
"Yes, I picked up the girls for you, any sign of the baby yet?" Josephine says.
"No, still nothing, Nikki's waters broke five hours ago, we're in for a long wait," Jack explains.
He finishes off talking to his Mum who also alerts him to Poppy's bump to the head at school and quickly speaks to Poppy about her day at school before ending the call and heading back into the maternity unit.