Previously on You Fill My Heart...
"Welcome home, Emma" Ricky whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his daughter's forehead. Amy smiled at the sight. "Welcome home, Amy" He smiled, leaning in and giving his wife a loving peck"
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Day 1
Chaos. Complete and utter chaos. That's what was happening throughout the apartment since walking through the door, 8 hours ago.
In that time, Ricky and Amy both realized that this time around, it was going to be completely different; what they thought they knew went out the window in dealing with their new, extremely difficult, child.
Emma hated being wrapped in anything except one small pink blanket from the waist down, only - not allowing her small arms to be pinned, or anything to cover her head, or else she would screech and fuss. She didn't like being alone and wanted someone's constant attention. But the oddest, and most challenging, thing to them was that she didn't like bottles and only wanted to be breastfed; refusing the attempts every time, which ultimately led to being with Amy for a large majority.
Emma was about the size of a loaf of bread, with premature lungs that had no trouble letting out cries that shot like cannonballs throughout the small space: going from 0-90 in nothing flat, and very little - if anything - seemed to help in calming the small baby down. She was small, and sweet, and John adored her… for all of 10 minutes.
By the time the first hour had passed, John was over her and her constant crying, and he let everyone know it by acting out and whining himself. He was having a hard time adjusting to the change, desperately wanting to be close to his mother - which in turn made it hard on her because she was constantly holding the baby, since nothing in the apartment was prepared yet. Amy's aggravation only fueled Ricky's as he was left to deal with John's behavior and reactions when Amy would keep him at bay - not wanting him to accidentally hurt the baby by bumping into her. John didn't understand this new situation he was in, and his feelings of frustration only grew with each minute that he wasn't the center of his parents attention and the small being held mainly by his mother screeched from every room of the apartment.
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"Why do these things even come apart?" He asked aloud, shuffling the scattered parts around in a circle before reaching for a white instruction sheet. "They do one job, why can't they be left assembled?"
Flicking the hair back from her eyes with a single shot of her head, "Probably because it would be near impossible to put them places." She switched arms, "Shouldn't you have put these together already?"
"Hey", he half shouted, unintentionally, "They said she wasn't supposed to come home for another month -'' Picking up a silver rod and connecting it to a white peg, "Had I known we were getting her today, I would have had all of this done! I didn't anticipate bringing her home 7 hours ago!"
"Would you keep your voice down?" She hissed, placing a green pacifier inside her daughter's mouth, keeping it there with her index finger, "I'm trying to get her to sleep."
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" John shouted, barreling through the living room at full speed with a Tonka truck in one hand, and a Spiderman action figure in the other, stopping to pounce on the mattress laid out in front of him.
Scooting back a little to avoid her toddler's body colliding with the infant in her arms, "John!" Amy scolded, removing the hand holding the pacifier out to stop him from coming closer, "You have to be careful, you almost hit her!" She looked to her husband, "Can you get him, please?"
Rolling his eyes, he put the two metal bars he was holding down by his feet. "John" Ricky said gently, picking the boy up from the mattress, and putting him back on his feet by the bed, bending to his level. "You can't run around anymore, buddy. You have to be more careful around the baby, okay?"
John puckered his bottom lip out, using his little fingers to play with it as he shrugged, keeping his eyes down. "I want Mommy to pway with me" He whined, twisting his bare foot against the hardwood floor.
Ricky looked to Amy, who was busy switching the fussy infant from her arms to her chest in an attempt to calm her down - It didn't work. Giving him a look, she sighed, patting their daughters back. He took John's hand, directing his attention to the pile of scattered rods and pegs on the floor. "I have an idea, why don't you help me put this bed together for the baby?" He shook his hand, "That way we can play together and mommy can put Emma to sleep."
John looked down again, twisting his other bare foot into the hardwood now, "I - I want mommy" he sulked, rubbing the hand that wasn't holding his dad's, against his eye.
Ricky sighed, "I know buddy, but mommy is busy with the baby" his tone was gentle, as he guided the boy by the hand over to the disassembled bassinet on the floor "See all that?" pointing, "That's the baby bed, but it's not done yet, so mommy can't put Emma in it yet. You wanna help me put it together? It's really fun" Looking at his son, he smiled when John gave a slow nod, and sat on the floor.
Day 2
"NO! No want dose!" John hollered, swiping at the bowl of cereal placed in front of him, kicking his feet in protest under the table to polish off his morning tantrum.
Ricky rolled his eyes, placing the knocked over cardboard box back upright. "You said you wanted cereal" he said patiently, holding firm to the box to keep his whiny 2 ½ year old from knocking it over again.
John shook his head, "I no want it!" he half whined, half screamed, placing his head in his hands as he broke into slobbery sobs.
He rolled his eyes again, looking at his wife who was busy jostling their newborn in an attempt to calm her, before putting his attention back on the boy. "Ok, if you don't want cereal, what do you want?" he went to the cabinet, opening it. "Do you want a pop tart, a granola bar, fruit snacks?"
"NOOOOOO!" John screamed, tears heaping from his eyes as he held his bottom teeth with his index and middle finger on his right hand, while the left rubbed his eye.
His father exhaled deeply as a response, clenching his jaw as his patience wore thinner and thinner with each passing second, "I'm not doing this this morning."
Noticing his demeanor, "He's just tired, Ricky" Amy stated, annoyed, "he didn't get much sleep last night." Putting the small baby inside the now put together bassinet by their bed, she waved her son over, "Come here, buddy." He obeyed, still crying, as he practically ran for the comfort of his mother. She swiped some hair from his forehead, "are you tired?" He shook his head, his crying starting to escalate. "Did Emma keep you up all night too?" He repeated his previous actions, now starting to choke on his cries and pull on her robe. A knock at the door sent her stare to her husband, busy pouring a pot of coffee into a large mug, "Who is that?"
His brow furrowed, "I don't know", leaving his mug on the counter to attend to the knocking. Yanking on the knob to reveal the person on the other side.
"Am I interrupting anything?" She asked quietly, motioning towards the boy in the living room.
He shook his head, closing the door once their guest stepped inside, "It's been an eventful morning. He stated flatly, "No sleep and lots of crying."
"I can see that. How are you, Amy?"
Amy adjusted John's body on her lap - his loud cries settling to bearable whines - "Tired." She looked at him, "I'm going to try to put him back down. Could you watch her for a while?" Gathering John into her arms, she took off into the bedroom, closing the door.
His gaze went to the woman in his living room, "Do you want some coffee or something?"
"No, I'm fine. I just thought I'd come up here to see her before I opened up the shop." Bunny beamed, standing over the bassinet, "hi, sweetie" smiling as the tiny baby yawned and batted her yellow covered arms, green eyes opened wide.
"Her name is Emma" He stated, taking a sip from the mug in his hand, fighting his drooping eyelids with each hot sip cascading down his throat.
She reached out to touch the yellow sleeved arm in front of her, "Well hello Emma." Emma cooed in response, making both adults smile.
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Closing the door softly, "I know, I know. I haven't forgotten about you" Ricky walked over to the crying baby lying in the bassinet, beckoning for his attention. Placing the necessary supplies next to her, he went to work, unbuttoning her yellow onesie as she squirmed under his grasp. "At least I don't have to nearly break my neck changing you like I did your brother" he teased, finishing the task just as another knock came. Taking a few steps, he yanked on the handle, blowing air from his cheeks when he saw none other than Madison and Lauren standing right in front of him.
"Amy" He whispered, shaking her shoulder lightly, "Amy, wake up."
The second shake waking her, she blinked a few times before answering. "What's wrong?" Amy tiredly asked, rubbing her face with her hands in an attempt to shake the sleep from her body. She looked at him, panicked, noting that his arms were empty, "Where's the baby?"
Putting a finger to his lips as a warning to keep her voice down as their toddler snoozed beside her, he put his other hand out to help her off the bed. "She's in the living room...with your friends"
She looked at him confused, "What friends?" The frown on his face giving the answer away. "What are they doing here?"
"I don't know, they wanted to see the baby or something. Just let them see her and then get rid of them before they wake up John." Tone laced with sheer annoyance, he carefully descended into John's small bed, threading his fingers behind his head against the headboard. Seeing no reason to argue with him, she threw her arms up in defeat and walked away, stopping only when he started talking, "She's been changed, so she'll probably be hungry shortly."
15 minutes later a swift kick caused his eyes to shoot open. Biting his bottom lip with his teeth to prevent from cursing as the throbbing pulsated from his wounded shin, he slowly made his way out of the bed, carefully shifting one of John's legs off of him in order to stand up. Picking up the discarded pair of jeans from the floor by the door, he quickly tossed the blue flannel pajama pants he'd been wearing, and buttoned up the jeans.
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"Doesn't that like - hurt?" Madison cringed, watching her friend in front of her.
"A little" Amy answered honestly, shifting Emma's weight to assist in helping her latch on to her left breast after detaching from it for the second time, stroking her small hand with her thumb as she nursed "but she's gotta eat so…" She eyed her friends, watching as they shifted with uncomfortable smiles on their faces, about to say something when her husband stepped into the room, grabbing his jacket from the kitchen chair. "Where are you going?"
Grabbing the small pad of paper and a pen from the magnet designated on the fridge, Ricky started writing. "John's still asleep, I'm going to head out to the store for some things so we don't have to go out this weekend." He popped his head up to look at her, "Need anything?"
"I made a list before we left the hospital- can you hand me my purse?" She asked, motioning toward the black bag hanging on the coat rack by the door. Ripping the paper from the pad, he nodded, walking over to retrieve the purse and handing it to her. Trying her best to rifle through it with one hand, she looked at him, "Can you take her for a minute so I can actually find it?"
He nodded, "yeah sure - is she done nursing?"
Pulling the baby's sharp gums away from her tender boob, she nodded, "Just about", straightening out her arms to pass their whimpering daughter off to her father who took her with ease, smiling as she settled in his grasp. Dumping the contents out onto the mattress, she sifted through the pile of half full make-up tubes, and candy wrappers until she found the folded piece of paper. "Could you get some more of these?" Holding up a sheer package, "the hospital only gave us a few and I want to make sure we have some when I need them"
Shifting the squirmy infant to his chest - grasping her neck firmly with his left hand while his arm supported her bottom - he reached for the items his wife was handing to him, eyeing the small square package with curiosity. "Does it matter what brand, or do they need to be this specific one?"
She shook her head, shoveling the pile back into her purse, "not really, any nursing pads will do." Noticing her friends uneasy and disgusted expressions, she half chuckled, "oh come on, you two can talk about sex everyday, but nursing pads makes you uncomfortable?" Madison and Lauren didn't respond, only shrugged awkwardly, making her chuckle again.
Swiping the hair out of her face, Amy buttoned the flannel she was wearing, "hurry back please," she pleaded, taking the baby back into her arms, situating her to lie on her chest.
"I will" Ricky smiled, leaning down to peck her lips. "You be good" he teased Emma, placing a light kiss on her small head before giving his wife another quick one and heading towards the door.
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"So did Ricky actually have to give you blood?" Madison inquired, munching on a handful of goldfish she pulled from Amy's purse. "Isn't that what they do if you're on like the brink of death or something?"
"Madison!" Lauren scolded, swiping at her best friend's arm as her eyes enlarged. "That's so insensitive!"
"It was just a question, I mean Grace told us Ricky gave her blood -"
"It's fine" Amy stated, shifting the newborn to her other arm as she began to fuss, "It's a fair question…. Yes, Ricky gave me blood because I was essentially on the brink of death" She stared down at the baby, letting a tear slide down her cheek. "Pushing her out nearly killed me because I hemorrhaged and…" her voice cracking, "and I - there was so much blood…"
"Okay, okay that's it - we're done talking about this!" Lauren stated firmly, moving over to the side of the bed to comfort her friend who had started crying.
"Shhh" Amy whispered, putting the pacifier that Emma kept pushing out with her tongue, back into her mouth. Wiping her eyes with her free hand, "I'm ok", sniffling, "it's all just a little… too fresh. I -"
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to - " Madison started, reaching out for her friend's hand.
Amy shook her head, focusing solely on the being in her arms, "I know you didn't, it's okay"
Footsteps pattered in from the hallway, the figure standing by the bookshelf holding his light blue blanket in one hand while the other rubbed into his eye socket.
"Hey buddy" Amy smiled at him tiredly.
He rubbed his other eye, pulling the blanket over his head, taking still half asleep steps until he reached the end of the mattress, "Hi"
Lauren looked at Madison, "I guess we should get going" Lauren stood, giving her best friend a half hug as Madison headed for the door. "Let us know if you need anything" as she pulled on the knob and stepped out, Lauren following behind her.
Pulling the blanket further over his head, he walked over to the side of the bed that his dad normally slept on. She took his chubby hand, stoking it lightly with her thumb. "Did you have a good nap?" He rubbed his eye again, nodding. "You wanna get in bed with mommy?" She asked him gently, knowing he'd jump on the offer. When he nodded vigorously and began to climb the mattress, she had to put her hand out to steady and warm him. "Be careful of Emma, John"
Situating himself comfortably to nestle into her side, his fingers went to his little sister's, smiling when she grasped his index finger, "her dot wittle hands" he observed, running them over her oversized yellow onesie, drawing back when she raised her small covered arms and sneezed "Uh oh" - causing Amy to giggle softly, as she laid her down on the mattress,
"It's okay, she just sneezed." Reaching over to the end table closest to her side of the bed she tossed a fresh diaper and a pack of wipes onto her lap. "You wanna help me change her?" She asked John who was now cocking his head in curiosity at the infant.
"No!" he stated forcibly, drawing back again, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head from side to side quickly, "yucky!"
She chuckled, undoing the buttons on her daughter's onesie, "Ok," glancing at him, "do you wanna talk to her while I change her?" He didn't answer, just stared at her again, matching his brown eyes to her bright green ones, seemingly calming her.
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Daddy" He whisper-shouted from his place on the floor, repeatedly pushing the red triangular button on the toy crane in his hands, "daddy, it bwoken!"
Rearranging and shuffling things into the cabinets, "It's not broken, John, we took the batteries out." He stated, not even turning to look at the pout no doubt playing on his son's face, as he crammed two cereal boxes between pancake batter and fruit bars.
Sure enough, seconds later he was met by the boy pulling on his jeans, crane in hand. "Fix it, daddy" he whined, his squeaky voice raising an octave to signal to everyone that he was on the verge of a meltdown.
Taking the toy from his hands, Ricky placed it on the table, "We took the batteries out because you kept waking up Emma with it yesterday. It's too noisy to play with right now"
"Fixxxx ittt" John whined again, starting to bounce on his feet, and paw at his father's arms, "pwease, daddy!"
Shaking his head, he glanced over at his wife who was seemingly busy divulging the book in her lap, headphones placed in her ears, to help him out. "Amy!" He snapped his fingers at her so as to not wake the baby - she didn't notice. "Amy!" He tried again with the same result.
At that point John had started in on his meltdown, "Pweasseeeee", the tears streaking his cheeks as he grabbed the toy from the table and shook it, hoping that his father - who just kept shaking his head - would cave in to his demand. He didn't.
Re-reading the same passage of text about the war of 1812 for the 4th time, she sighed softly and closed her eyes, chewing on the pen in her hands as the song changed. When she opened them, upon feeling something being put in her book, she was met by her crying son, holding out the same stupid toy she had thrown across the floor just the day before. "I'm not putting the batteries back in that thing." She started firmly, pushing it away from her. "Go play with something else, this toy is too noisy." But that wasn't an acceptable answer as he continued to cry in short hyper bursts.
Rubbing her temples with her index finger and thumb, Amy sighed again, "John, please stop, you're gonna wake Emma." She looked to her husband, "can you handle him, please?"
"I already did" Ricky snapped unintentionally, frustrated by the whole mess. "I told him no, so he went to you - as always. Now, it's your turn"
"Yeah well I'm trying to get some of my homework done." Putting the toy on the floor in frustration, she put her hands on her son's in an attempt to calm him down enough to stop crying. "Forget about this toy, okay? It's not happening. Go play with your quiet toys or - " A knock at the door cut her off. She looked over to Ricky, "who is that?" He shrugged, as another knock followed.
Getting up, she shook her head, "You deal with it, I'm going to the bathroom."
Rolling his eyes in response, he ventured towards the door, accidently nudging one of John's other toys off the bookshelf and sending it to the floor with a loud thud - waking the once asleep baby who let out a cry. "Great"
Another loud knock mixed with his children's coupled crying, was enough to make him want to snap. But instead he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, picked the crying baby up, and walked over to the door, scooting John back from it to prevent from getting hit as he turned the knob: revealing the blonde, the brunette, and the tall jock perched in the small space of the doorway.
"It's about time." The brunette stated impatiently, flipping her bangs back with her fingers and readjusting her shirt. "What, can we not come in?"
He was about to answer her when Amy came back into the room. "What was that noise?" She asked, pushing a strand of messy hair behind her ear absentmindedly as she turned her head to see none other than Grace, Adrian, and Jack now standing inside their apartment. She clicked her tongue against her teeth, shooting Ricky a glare as he stood there with their daughter lying in his right arm, while he gripped John's shoulder lightly with his left one, his gaze apologetic.
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"Daddy, dose my cars!" He whined, uncrossing his arms and pointing to the toys his father was scooping up from the floor, in protest. Ignoring his shouts, he continued scooping up various toys from the floor, putting them inside a wicker basket by his feet until it was full. When it was he moved over to the other toys scattered across the left side of the room, grabbing them three at a time to speed up the cleaning.
"How does he have that much stuff?" The Jock asked from the other side of the room, watching as his friend piled things into baskets and boxes.
He continued his task, "because he's a kid, and kids play with a different thing every week. And because Amy doesn't tell him no." He glanced at the toddler trying to take a few pieces from the cardboard box. Giving him a glance and shaking his head at the boy - causing him to put on his "mad face" - he stood up, taking a basket with him and placing it on the dresser. "And when we get her toys in here, it's really going to be messy."
Seeing his back turned, John walked over to the dresser, standing on his tiptoes to reach the object he wanted. Unable to get it without jumping, he tried again, stretching his body further but not enough to reach. "He-elp me" he declared, still trying to stretch his small arms further.
Turning around Ricky took the step over to him, removing his grabby hands from the basket, and guiding him away from the dresser. "It's cleanup time buddy, we'll play with your toys later" He looked at the pout playing on the boy's small face, as his arms crossed over his chest and his breathing increased. "Getting mad isn't going to help - we have to clean up so we can put the baby stuff in here. When we get done then we'll play with your toys, okay?"
He shook his head, "No!" making a beeline straight for the cardboard box that housed his favorite gray and blue Airplane. "I pway with my airpwane!"
Finding it best not to fight with him mainly for his temperament, Ricky nodded, "Ok, you can take your airplane - but that's it. Mommy is going to put all your toys away in your new toy box after dinner so your toys won't be all over the floor anymore, okay?"
"Why?"
"Well…" he trailed, glancing at the panels leaning against the wall, "so we can make more room in here for the baby's stuff: her bed, and clothes, and toys, and - " before he could finish his sentence, John took off out of the bedroom. He let out a frustrated breath and stood.
He's a cute kid" Jack chuckled, un-stuffing his hands from his pockets when his friend stood up and grabbed a panel from the wall.
Tugging it over to the center of the room, Ricky searched the side for the plastic baggie taped somewhere towards the bottom. Coming up empty, "Cute and difficult" he looked to the next one.
Holding the panel in place, "yeah but now you have 2 of them - that's exciting, right?"
He raised his brow, "if by exciting you mean stressful… sure." Finding what he was looking for he tossed it on the bed. "What is everyone doing here anyway?"
Jack shrugged, "Grace wanted to see the baby. Figured since you guys came home you'd be having visitors. Adrian was there when I came by to get Grace so she wanted to tag along. I told Grace it was a bad idea, but she insisted that Amy and Adrian were good now so…"
Ricky's forehead creased at his statement, fishing through the baggie "I don't know anything about those two and I don't care to."
"Yeah but you're okay with Adrian wanting to see your kid though?"
"Should I not be? She was around John. If Amy is fine with it, then I don't see any issue with it." Bringing a screw to a designated hole in the crib panel, he twisted it. "Why does everyone want to come by and see our kid anyway?" He shook his head lightly, realizing how that statement sounded. "Sorry, I haven't slept much the past couple of days, and honestly the constant influx of people is starting to grate my nerves."
"Well you did just have a baby, and you and Amy are the only friends we have that has kids - "
Ricky let out a light chuckle, "Is that supposed to be a compliment? That's what sex does." He didn't look up while he fished around the bag, bringing another screw into his fingers.
Jack's grip got tighter on the white piece, "You two were careful, right? Like Amy is on the pill and stuff?"
Looking up at his friend, Ricky glared, "Of course Amy was on the pill - " his jaw was starting to clench in frustration, and before Jack could counter his statement, he put up a hand to stop him. "You know what never mind. Hand me that screwdriver over there"
Obeying in silence, Jack handed the red and blue screwdriver over. Feeling the stares his friend was giving him as he turned the tool clockwise to lock the screws in place, "What?" Ricky asked annoyed, moving on to the next screw.
"Did you guys ever decide on a name?" Jack questioned, pulling another white panel from the wall.
"Emma." Ricky stated flatly, not even looking at him as he held a silver ring between his teeth as he continued the turns of the screws to complete the base of the crib.
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"She's so small - Adrian, look how tiny she is" Grace adjusted the blanket as Amy handed her the now fed infant, who squirmed at the handoff. "Look at those little hands" she gushed, running her finger down Emma's arm, letting her grip her index finger. She stared admiringly down at the baby, swiping her thumb across her cheek. "I want to have a baby." The statement caused her friends to choke on their beverages in unison.
"Whoa there," Amy began, wiping her chin of the excess water dripping down from her choking fit. John stood beside her, climbing up the mattress to perch himself on her lap awkwardly before being shifted to sit between her crossed legs, his SpongeBob coloring book spread across her feet. Kissing the back of his head as she rested her chin atop it, she set her sight back on her daughter in her friend's arms. "You sure that's a good idea?"
"Not right now" She scoffed, looking to Adrian, then Emma, and then to John perched in his mother's lap. "I was talking about when I get out of college -"
"Good luck" The two brunettes said in unison. Glaring, Grace's lips parted, brow furrowed.
Adrian scoffed, crossing her right leg over her left and clasping her hands together, "you honestly believe that the way you and Jack have sex, that you won't end up pregnant before graduating college?"
Amy's eyes enlarged as she slid her fingers through John's hair, pushing her hands to cover his small ears before Adrian got the chance to speak again. John leaned into her touch, using his hands to take hers off of his ears. "Hey buddy, why don't you go make daddy a picture?" She enthused, motioning to the page of the sponge in large rimmed glasses - trying to make leaving the room sound more appealing than staying on the bed with her.
"You can make Jack one too!" Grace chimed in, trying to help Amy out so that the boy wouldn't be subject to their girl talk.
He gathered up his book and 5 crayons from the mattress before jumping off and heading towards the hallway, back to the bedroom.
Adrian rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, he's gonna find out eventually"
Amy glared at her, her bottom lip parted just enough to show her teeth, "yeah well not today, alright?"
"You're married, you two don't talk about sex when he's around?"
"No, we don't"
She pursed her lips, "He's never walked in on you two - really?"
"No, of course not!" Amy's voice pitched, fidgeting, "Ok...maybe once - but he was tired and Ricky was sure he didn't see anything. We are careful. " Adrian chuckled in response. Amy furrowed her brow, "We are!"
Adrian nodded, flipping her hair, "uh huh, no, obviously -" pointing to the chair next to her, "that's why Grace is literally holding your baby - how does John think she got here anyway?"
Amy bit her bottom lip, "I don't know, he just knows she's here -" She covered her face in her hands, partially embarrassed and partially because she was getting annoyed, "can we just stop talking about my 2 year old knowing about sex, please?"
"Alright" Adrian pushed her hands up in mock surrender, "Let's get back to Grace thinking she can avoid getting pregnant then -" Eyes fixating back to her left, she put her hand out for her friend to continue.
Grace shot her another glare, "we're careful - like doubly careful; we use condoms every time, and I'm on the pill. So yes, Adrian - I'm making it a point to wait until after college."
"Honey," Adrian laughed, "I was on the pill too, and we used a condom… and it still broke, and I got pregnant." She turned her attention to her right, "What about you, Amy?"
Biting her lip again, she found a loose strand of thread on her sleeve, avoiding the eyes now peering at her, "My birth control failed…" she trailed off, pointing to the infant blinking back sleep as proof. "It can happen, Grace. Being careful isn't enough because something can still happen."
Looking between her friends and then to the baby in her arms who had begun to make noises, she sighed, "Ok, fine, I get it…. Besides, I don't even know if Jack wants kids."
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Is it supposed to be this small - did we miss a piece?" Jack questioned, shifting the right side of the crib, while Ricky shifted the left to rest against the wall.
Pushing it a few more centimeters toward Jack's direction, Ricky nodded, "It's a mini crib - my mom bought it for me when I got this place for John to sleep in when he came over. I needed a crib for him when he outgrew his bassinet thing, but the space was small, so my mom found this. Plus, John never really slept in it much, so it's basically brand new." He shifted it a little more to the left, "And with a new baby, anything reusable is being used - there is no point in buying new stuff"
Jack nodded, pushing the white crib away from the wall to give a little wiggle room, "Money's pretty tight, huh? With two of them?"
Taking a step back to make sure everything was centered, he scratched his eyebrow, "Money was tight before Emma, now… well, we'll make do, I guess."
"Daddy…" John walked slowly, holding up his green sippy cup to signal that it needed a refill, "more juice!"
Grabbing the small mattress from the floor, he took the sippy cup from his hands, giving his son clear instructions - "go see if mommy has Emma, and if she doesn't, ask her to get you some more juice, okay?" Taking the sippy cup back into his grasp, John awkwardly ran out of the room.
Jack took a step back, stuffing his hands into his pockets again, "Do you think he understood that? He doesn't seem to talk much."
"John understands what he wants to, and he talks when he wants to" He stuffed the mattress inside the bars, pushing with the tips of his fingers to slide it in perfect place, chuckling to himself, "He's just like Amy"
It was silent for a minute as Ricky walked back and forth in the small space, wrangling diapers, blankets, toys, and whatever else he could fit on a shelf or in a basket. Jack broke the silence, twisting his sneaker into the carpet. "Think Grace being around the baby would open her mind up to the possibility of having kids one day?"
Ricky stilled a second before taking a blanket from the pile and folding it. "Slow down a minute - she's not even out of high school yet. Wait until you're both out of college at least before even thinking about having a baby."
"I'm not talking about now. I want to finish college and get a house and get married and all that before I start having kids."
"Yeah, good plan, stick to it,"
Jack nodded, fumbling his fingers through a small basket of wooden blocks, "I want a bunch of kids - like 5 or 6 - just running around all the time." He took the block out, twirling it around between his thumb and index finger, admiring the way the pink lettering caught the light, "I was an only child, and I don't know, having a bunch of kids just sounds like fun"
"You're kidding, right?" Ricky chuckled, putting a stack of diapers in a bin inside the crib.
Jack stared at him, "You don't think Grace would go for that? Is six too many? Do I need to lower the number?"
Ricky laughed louder, his eyes squinting in amusement - "Do you honestly think any woman wants to have 6 kids?"
"What about you and Amy?"
"What about us?"
Jack stuffed a hand back into his pocket, "How many kids do you guys want?"
Moving across the room again, Ricky opened up the armoire on the wall, revealing a pile of neatly folded pajamas with various designs on them. Combing through them, he pulled out the pile, placing it on the bed before sitting down himself. "We were perfectly fine with 1 - just John - but then she got pregnant with Emma and considering she nearly killed Amy…" He trailed off, fighting back the lump that was forming in his throat, taking a shirt with a green dinosaur on it between his fingers, "...another one isn't in the cards for us anytime soon - like distant, distant future - if ever."
"Yeah, but it can't be that hard, can it?" Jack questioned, stacking the blocks he'd taken out of the basket. "You just give them attention, and food, and love and all that - I mean if I get a good job - or join the NFL - then we won't have to worry about money, so…"
Ricky scoffed, separating the pile he'd made into two separate ones before getting up to gather a box from the floor. "So, it takes a lot more than just attention, love, and money to raise a kid - A LOT more." He was about to say more when a light knock interrupted him.
"Am I interrupting?" She asked, stepping into the room further when he shook his head at her question.
Jack's mouth opened, before closing, and then opening again - "Nope, Ricky was just giving me some advice."
Pushing her hair back with a rake of her right hand, she pursed her lips before turning her attention to the piles of things scattered across the floor. "Ok, well, John spilled juice all over the floor by the fridge."
Ricky cocked a brow but just shook his head as a response. "How did he - never mind, I'll get it,"
"C'mon, mommy…." John tugged on her hand with both of his, beckoning for her to follow him. She sighed and let him lead her away from the door.
Ricky let out a frustrated breath, turning to Jack, who just stared at him, "Still think six kids are a good idea?"
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"She's so cute," Adrian admired from her spot in the chair next to Grace, smiling when the infant pushed the pacifier out of her mouth to yawn sleepily. Reaching out to put it back in, her hand lingered on the rubber, raking her brown eyes over the sleeping baby's face - "You - you think they would notice if I took her for a few hours?"
"Adrian!" Grace shouted through a whisper, tightening her grip on the blanket, brushing her fingers.
Adrian pulled back, eyes still fixated on Emma, "What? It's not like they wouldn't thank me, " she stated, clasping her hands together on her lap, "Amy looks exhausted, and Ricky is busy with John so… "
Grace's lips parted as her brow knitted together, "So, you're not stealing their baby!" It was silent for a second as Emma squirmed, letting out a grunt before settling again. Grace tightened her grip more, moving the baby further away from the brunette as she saw the sadness in her friend's eyes. "Maybe we should get going…"
"I was only joking," Adrian half chuckled, uncrossing her legs and scooting closer to the edge of the chair. She shrugged, "Besides, it would never work - she looks too much like Amy."
"What about Amy?" Footsteps made their way down the small hallway into the living room. He stood there, watching the blonde and brunette, as he asked the question.
Shooting her head up in surprise at him, she looked over at Adrian before speaking. "Um- Adrian was just saying how much Emma favors Amy." Subtly clenching her teeth as she side eyed the brunette - "Right, Adrian?" He didn't say anything, just lifted one eyebrow.
Sensing the tension in the room, Jack pulled his keys from his pocket, twisting them around his index finger on his left hand. He looked at Grace, "About done here, I've got practice later this afternoon."
She nodded, "Yeah, but I - um -" shifting in her seat to slowly stand up. "She just went to sleep… I don't know if I should wake her -"
Ricky stepped in front of Jack, pushing his hands out towards the blonde, "I'll take her." She pushed the infant up further into her arms to make the handoff, gently transferring the small body into his strong arms - the movement causing her to stir slightly, pushing the pacifier out again, and releasing little whines while batting her left arm against his chest. Adjusting the blanket under her body to rest her more comfortably inside the crook of his right arm, he guided the rubber pacifier back in: holding it in place with his thumb as he bounced her gently and made shushing sounds with his mouth.
Staring a bit too long at his friend, Jack opened the door slowly, lingering behind a step as the two women exited the apartment. "Call me if you decide you wanna go ahead and do it. I'm free tomorrow - we can use the truck." Ricky nodded in response as he took the knob and exited the space, closing the wooden door behind him.
Do what? What are you doing?" Amy asked, coming up behind him. She fixed her shirt, tugging it away from her sensitive chest, as she pushed her hair behind her ear again.
Moving away from the spot by the door, he put his left index finger up at her before placing the dozing child in the swing placed next to the drum set. Seeing that Emma was content, he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, twisting the cap off, and taking a big swig. She stood there, waiting for the answer as he took another large gulp from the plastic bottle. Twisting the cap back on and setting it on the counter, "I asked Jack to help me move some furniture to our storage unit - if Leo says it's alright." Opening the fridge back up, "I want to make more room for all the baby stuff -" pulling out a plastic bag of lunch meat and setting it on the counter, "besides, it's not like we need all the bulky furniture anyway, especially with -" He was cut off by the sound of a cry coming from behind him.
"John..." She sighed, not even bothering to turn around to see what she already knew - that her son had woken up his sister, again.
Turning around to take the 10 steps to the swing, Ricky stood there, staring at the sight in front of him: John's large airplane perched on top of the baby's legs, while two small ones - one on her head, and the other on her chest - were lined in sync on the small child's body. "Look, Daddy, all my airpwanes!" John giddly declared, showing his dad his creation with a big smile on his face and his arms extended above his head.
He gave his son a furrowed brow as he removed the toys from his daughter's whimpering body. "I'm happy you want to play with her," he spoke softly, handing the plastic pieces back to him as he leaned down to kiss Emma's head, "but you can't play with her like that - she's not a toy, buddy. You have to be gentle with her." He guided him away from the swing by the hand, back to the sofa bed to his mother, where he pouted against her.
"You're not in trouble, John" She pulled him into her embrace, kissing his temple, "but babies need a lot of sleep, so we need to let Emma sleep when she wants to, okay?"
He nodded against her cheek, arching his back and pulling on his bottom lip, "O.K."
Turning up the dial on the swing, he watched as her eyes fluttered closed again before walking over to the sofa bed, holding his hands out to the boy, "we'll make some lunch while the baby sleeps."
Accepting his father's invitation, he lifted his arms to be picked up, grinning and resting his head on Ricky's shoulder as they took the small steps to the kitchen. "Ch-eez san-ich," John declared, lifting his head off Ricky's shoulder to fiddle with his jacket zipper: pushing it up and down repeatedly.
Smiling at his son, he looked over at his wife - "Grilled cheese and tomato soup sound good?"
Lifting her head from her history book a fraction - but not enough to physically look at him - she nodded, biting the end of the pen cap from the pen in her hand, "yeah, that's fine."
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"Just lay down, and close your eyes, " He instructed, scooting more into the small mattress, both hands under his cheek as he stared at the boy across from him. "Emma is asleep, and mommy is asleep, so now it's time for you and Daddy to take a nap." John shook his head as a response, pushing the covers away from his torso. Ricky sighed, pulling them back on him, "just a little nap," returning his hands to the previous position.
John decided to play along this time, nodding and closing his eyes. Letting out a relieved breath, Ricky closed his eyes, too.
5 minutes later, light snoring filled the room.
Opening one eye, he peeked over to his left. Smiling when he discovered the teen - in his bed passed out against the pillow - he opened the other eye. Throwing back the covers, his movements were quick and quiet as he exited the bed and made his way over to the cardboard boxes. Taking one of the smaller boxes into his arms, he dumped it over, spilling its contents onto the carpeted floor: plastic cars and foam blocks scattering themselves within the small space.
Expectant to see his dad's gaze on him, John looked up - relieved that his back was still turned and the snores were getting louder: the sign that Ricky was in a deep state of sleep Sprinting over to the open door, he stuck his head out, watching as his mother lay face down against the mattress in the living room; her snores matching that of his dad's.
Nodding his head, John made his way over to the other cardboard box, dumping its contents of larger toys, before moving on to the wicker basket filled with medium-sized plastic Lego blocks and stuffed animals. Now satisfied that his entire floor pretty much consisted of his belongings, he made a quiet stride out the door, down the hall, and into the kitchen.
Sneaking another peak over at his mother, he turned to the cabinet; feeling a tiny little growl rise out of his small stomach. His eyes wandered around the small space - knowing where his favorite treats were and how to get them without being scolded by his parents. He put his arms out to the chair closest to him, ready to slide it across the floor to reach the cabinet that housed the two packs of cookies his dad had put away that same day, but when his mother let out a small but audible groan, he shifted course: removing his hands from the chair completely and instead grabbing the medium sized jar of peanut butter that just so happened to have the lid twisted off, and was within his reach by the sink. Taking it off the counter, but not able to get a spoon without needing the chair, John plunged his right hand inside; bringing the contents out and to his mouth with ease.
Just a few feet away, he saw a blanket moving, and the familiar yellow onesie covered arm stretched out - signaling that his baby sister was awake and was about to start crying at any second, which would wake up his parents.
Sprinting quickly over to her, he used the hand that wasn't clustered in sticky peanut butter, to pop the green pacifier back into her mouth like he'd seen his parents do many times before - knowing that it would put her back to sleep, or at the very least calm her to not scream her lungs out. Which it did.
He stood there for a few seconds, just watching her. His big brown eyes roaming over her tiny body inside the bassinet as her tiny arms and legs extended and then came back, in a very lengthy stretch. He cocked his head, three fingers deep inside the jar, and caught sight of her green eyes staring back at him. Her hand touched his arm lightly, and in a surprising instant, he leaned over and kissed the top of her head before moving away and back towards the kitchen.
Bringing the last of the sticky food to his mouth, he licked his hand in an attempt to rid it of all the peanuts and saliva that caked his chubby fingers - but after doing that 5 times and getting nowhere, he put the empty jar on the table, and quietly made his way to the bathroom.
He didn't bother to shut the door as he climbed on the step stool used to wash his hands and brush his teeth on a daily basis since he was still too short to reach anything on the sink without assistance, and turned on the water. Watching tiny shreds of his mess wash down the drain under the water, he grunted, before turning his attention to the large bottle of soap to his right. He knew what the bottle was because his parents had made him use it all the time, but they were also the ones who gave it to him when he had to use it because he wasn't allowed to do it himself.
He grunted again, whispering an "uh oh" to himself as his wet hands brought the bottle over; pushing down with his right hand once, then twice, then three times, until his left hand was covered in a disgusting mixture of peanut butter, spit, water, and now a mass of pink liquid soap.
A few minutes later after his hands were seemingly clean and rid of his afternoon snack, John stepped down from the stool and exited the bathroom before peeking his head into the bedroom adjacent and seeing his father, now lying on his back with his hand over his chest, still snoring. A smile crept its way on his face when he noticed that his mother was also still snoring in the same way she was before. But what he didn't expect to see was Emma's eyes beginning to squint as she fidgeted and little whines made their way across the room, signifying that she needed his mom.
He walked over to her quietly, "mommy…" he shook her on the shoulder, but got no response. "Mommy…" he shook her again, this time with both hands, "Em-ma crying." His movements caused her to twitch and groan, but not wake.
Jumping off the bed, he walked over to his whining sister and stroked her cheek lightly with his left index finger. "Shhh, mommy sleeping" he told her, putting his right index finger to his lips to tell her that she needed to be quiet: but her being a baby, he didn't understand that she didn't know what that meant, so she started to cry rather than listen to him.
"Mommy!" he shouted over the crying, trying to put the pacifier back into Emma's mouth like he'd done before, except this time it didn't work and her cries got louder each time he tried to shove it back in, upsetting her further.
Moving his feet a few fractions to his left, he stared at his dad's taken apart drum set; the shiny symbols heavy inside a mound of bubble wrap and clear tape, but the smaller one - the one that made his favorite 'rum pum' sound - was completely exposed resting in a box by itself.
"Mommy!" he yelled again as the crying was increasing in volume and she still wasn't waking. Glancing between his mother and his upset sister, he went to the floor, putting both hands inside the box.
The first hit was light, not yet gaining enough momentum to really make much sound. Putting his right palm flat against the surface, he hit it again and again and again with all the force he could; sending ripping waves of ear piercing shrieks, and shouting throughout the small apartment within seconds.
"SON OF A - JOHN!" He heard his father shout from the bedroom, seconds before seeing his confused and angry face standing in front of him; not even giving him a chance to back away from the box.
"Weren't you watching him?" Amy yelled at him, trying to be heard over the shrieking wails coming from the tiny human now in her arms.
"I was watching him!" Ricky shot back, pulling at his oily mess of bed head curls, "he must have gotten up while I was napping!" Seeing that she was getting nowhere in trying to calm the red faced infant, he stuck his hands out, "she's freaking out too much, give her here."
Obliging, she handed the baby over to him, curling her left index finger at the boy still sitting on the floor, to come over to her. Her eyes told him she meant business as he rose to his feet slowly, scratching his cheek as he looked up at her. "Sit." She ordered, pointing the same finger she used before, to direct him to the mattress. "Sit with daddy until I get back."
Obeying, he sat on the end of the mattress, looking down at his bare feet while still scratching at his cheek - knowing he was in trouble. A lot of trouble. And the sound of his mother's loud and annoyed grunts and huffs made it even more apparent that she had found his other messes, "JOHN!"
His lip puckered out, catching the attention of his father - who had calmed his shrieking sister into slightly less ear splitting cries. Ricky sat down next to him, stroking the back of his head with his left hand, "what did you do, buddy?"
Amy came back into the room, her right hand firmly gripping the roots of her hair while her left was clenched at her side. Her breath came out in short, angry bursts as she looked down at her pouting toddler. "Don't even start."
He shook his head at her, continuing the light stroking of John's hair on his neck, watching as her eyes raged at the boy. "Would you just calm down for a second? Calm down." Adjusting the infant in his arms, "It's just a mess, I'll clean it up."
"It's not that!" She huffed at him, "I -" swallowing the lump forming in her throat, "I just want some time to myself." Her eyes were pleading now, looking between their two children before meeting his face, "Is that too much to ask?"
Sighing, he put his hand out for her, which she accepted, "No, it's not." Brushing her knuckles with his thumb, he sighed again as the infant squirmed in his arms and yet another knock came from their door.
"Apparently it is" She sighed, removing her hand from his, and wiping a few stray tears from her cheek. Putting her other hand to her forehead, "Whoever it is, I'm done. I can't take another person today"
"What about two?" A husky voice asked from behind the wood.
His brow furrowed in confusion at who the voices belonged to before getting up for the third time that day to open the door. Eyes widening in both surprise and delight, when he saw them standing in front of him.
"We were in the neighborhood and Bunny told us you guys got released from the hospital, figured we'd drop in and see the baby - is now a good time?" Leo asked, his right hand clutching Camille's, smiling.
"No" Amy blurted, adjusting her robe
"Of course" Ricky stated, at the same time as Amy, causing her to shoot him daggers with her eyes.
He cocked his head at her, his face holding a very disapproving look. Relenting, she bit her bottom lip, and closed her eyes; taking John by the hand and leading them both out of the living room.
Turning his attention back to his guests, he blew air from his cheeks in embarrassment. "It's been a hectic couple of days - please, come in."
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"Thanks," said Leo, accepting the cup of coffee from the teen's hands. Taking a sip, he looked at him, "So you want to move some things out?"
Ricky's lips parted momentarily before he spoke, rubbing his hands together in a few seconds of panic, "Just to storage. Amy and I have a storage locker we stick John's old things in. I just thought if I could put some of the stuff we don't really use much in there, I could make more room here." He twisted his wedding ring around his finger, gauging their silence - another wave of panic rushing through him. "But if you don't want your stuff touched... I totally understand - I don't want you to think I'm just going to toss your family's stuff -"
Leo put his hand up to stop him from rambling further, "I don't mind at all. I'm honestly surprised you didn't already do it - I imagine it can get pretty tight in here sometimes."
Expelling the breath he was holding in, he nodded, "It's truly amazing to me how one child can acquire so much stuff in just a short amount of time." Taking a sip of the coffee in his hand, "And now with her -" he took another sip, "I'm putting together beds, swings, and playmats, and - it's just so much stuff."
"That they do - and it only gets worse. Wait until they are teenagers!"
"Please don't make me think about that. I'm not ready for it."
"Fair enough." Leo chuckled, setting his mug down on the coffee table, "Back to the furniture - I'll have my guys come get it over the weekend and bring it to the house. I'll put it somewhere so you don't have to fill up your storage unit with it all."
Ricky slid his palms across the fabric of his jeans, "You don't have to do that - I can bring it by with Jac -"
Leo put up his right hand to stop him, "I insist. Just wrap up what you want to move out and I'll have my guys take it away." He took another sip of his beverage, as the room fell silent.
"She looks so peaceful." Camille gushed down at the baby nestled in her arms; her tiny hands resting comfortably across her chest as she snoozed.
Watching the woman admire his daughter, Ricky smiled wide, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "Give it time. She may be small, but she can scream - and go all night doing it"
Camille smiled at him, adjusting her position on the sofa to get better situated, "And John, how does he like being a big brother?"
Before Ricky could answer her, a squeaky voice came through the room, "I no wike it!" John stood behind the chair, pulling at the string of his sweatpants.
Cocking a brow as to why his son was standing behind his chair without a shirt on, he reached behind him and led John to him, putting him on his lap. "We're still figuring out the adjustment" he shifted the boy further against his torso, "How to sleep again - mainly"
John rested his head against his father's chest, enjoying the attention he was getting. While lying against him, he saw something by the large man's feet that caught his attention. "What dat?" he asked, pointing to the red box sheltered by the coffee table.
Leo caught his eyes, "This?" He pointed at the box, "This is for you." Leo watched the boy's eyes light up; their movement followed him as he pulled the shiny package off the floor and onto the coffee table "You got a birthday coming up, don't you?"
John smiled and nodded against his dad's chest, running his finger over the gold band on his hand. Ricky did the same, patting John's leg softly with his right hand, while the left held his hand, "Yeah, Monday. Hard to believe he's gonna be 3 already."
"It goes fast, that's for sure." Leo smiled, turning his attention to his girlfriend holding the sleeping infant beside him, "Soon this one will be walking and talking, and you can discuss having another." Camille's face said what they were all thinking in the awkward seconds of silence that passed since that statement - too soon.
"I don't think that's gonna happen..." Ricky stated, looking down at his son pressed against his chest, before glancing up and over to his daughter sucking away at that infuriating pacifier, "These two are it for us." His tone held a twinge of sadness as he said it.
Nodding, in partial embarrassment and partial understanding, "Well that's fine too," Leo turned his attention back to John, taking the box into his hands, "Do you want to open it?"
Yes!" John loudly declared out, springing up on his dad's legs so fast he almost fell off of them. Steadying himself, he reached for the present being handed over to him; his small arms failing to grasp it fully on his lap, leading Ricky to have to hold it up as he tore at the shiny bright red paper. Three swipes of the paper revealed what was in the box. John's eyes grew wide, glistening in pure glee, "Look daddy, a big twain!" his squeaky voice shouted out, eliciting a motion to quiet down as the baby started stirring.
"Leo, you didn't have to -" Ricky rushed quickly, putting the train set on the floor by his feet - but Leo put his hand up again to stop him, giving him that look that said he wanted to do it, so he just nodded, "thanks."
"Say thank you, John" Amy's voice carried in through the hallway, catching the attention of everyone in the room - including the now awake infant rubbing her eyes with her fists.
"Tank you!" John shouted, again, jumping off of Ricky's lap and grabbing the box, trying to lift it to his chest to show his mother. "Look, mommy!" She gave him an enthused smile, fueling his giddy. "tan you pway wit me, mommy?" Just as she was about to respond to his question, a loud cry interrupted her, making her sigh as John's face fell in disappointment.
"I guess that's our que -" Leo rose to stand, adjusting his tie, "thank you for the coffee and for letting us crash your evening."
Camille rose too, adjusting the blanket in her hands to give Emma to Amy's awaiting arms. "She's so sweet" she gushed, lingering a few more seconds to admire her before joining Leo and heading towards the door. He took her hand, stopping in the doorway and turning around, "we'll see you all later. It was nice to see you, Amy."
Amy gave a fatigued half smile as her husband thanked them for stopping by and shut the door.
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MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope you enjoyed chapter 1. :)