Fast forward roughly 9 months.
"Hello baby, baby, baby. Gucci, Gucci, goo!" I say into Shay's stomach. "Do you get annoyed with people doing this?" I question in regards to be touching and talking to her belly.
"Sometimes but that's more with strangers. Don't worry though you don't, I'm used to you," she laughs as I take a seat next to her.
"So you seriously don't know if it is a girl or boy?" I question.
"Nope, we wont a surprise. As long as our baby is healthy we are happy," she responds a smile taking over her face.
"Would you at least please tell me what you're thinking for names. I can keep a secret, I swear!"
"You can't keep a secret to save your life. I told you about the surprise party I was throwing for Jessie and you barely kept it to yourself for a week."
"That's unfair. I still firmly believe that Jessie slipped something in my drink that day, like a truth serum or something."
"uh huh, whatever helps you sleep at night."
"She has a point," Mason pipes in as he sits across from us, "I remember telling you that I stole my sister's money when we were younger and the next time you saw her the first thing out of your mouth was you blurting my secret to her."
"I feel that this is unfair because now I have two people ganging up on me and that is what us adults call bullying," I pout, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Come on guys, she did keep the dance at our wedding a secret," Jessie says as he joins our conversation.
"See! Thank you Jessie. Finally, someone who is on my side," I say sticking my tongue out childishly.
Life has been good. Mason and I have been going strong for a while now which has been great. Lizzy and Grace keep telling me they are going to set a date for their wedding but they are both so undecisive they keep putting it off. Thankfully Lizzy got that dreadful cast off of her leg because she was seriously becoming a nightmare with it. Mum just keeps getting more gorgeous as the days go on. She is seriously glowing. Mental note, ask mum what skin care products she is using because I seriously need to invest in them. And of course, Jessie and Shay are better than ever. They had a blast on their honeymoon and now they are just getting ready for their little baby. It really should be any day now. Although Shay is smiling, I can tell she's ready for it to come out.
And me? Well I am still the clumsy girl that I have always been but now I am a clumsy girl who has a Mason to take away some of the embarrassment. I'm passing all of my classes at Uni which is such a relief and I'm still working at Bunnings.
"You know," I start as I turn my attention to Shay, "I watched a childbirth once in health class when I was in high school and let me tell you, it is the best form of birth control I have ever seen. The woman's vagina literally got ripped open and they had to stitch it back up and let me tell you, it did not look pretty."
"Ava!" mum says sternly as she joins us, 'was that really necessary to share?"
"No, I guess not," I mumble and give an apologetic smile to Shay.
"It's okay Ava, I guess if it's going to happen, it's going to happen."
We are all relaxed and just enjoying ourselves when I feel something warm on my leg. I reach down and touch it and realise it's wet. I look up at Shay and realise it is coming from her. Leaning over to her, I whisper in her ear, "Shay, I don't want to embarrass you but I think you might have peed yourself."
She looks down and her eyes widen. She turns to Jessie and he looks at her strangely.
"My water just broke," she says, barely showing any emotion.
"No, you peed yourself," I say shaking my head at her.
"Your water broke," Jessie questions ignoring me, although it comes at as more a confirmation, a statement.
"My water broke," she repeats confirming what she originally said.
"I've got to go get the over night bag. You just stay their and I'll get it all sorted," Jessie says and rushes off to their room.
"Oh my god, your water broke!" I yell jumping up as I finally register the situation.
I help Shay off of the couch and me and Mason help her into the car. I see mum helping Jessie gather their things and she tries her best to calm him down a little bit. He comes out looking determined and hops into the driver's seat. He pops the window down and says "I'll meet you guys there," before speeding off down the road.
"Come on guys," mum says as she leads us out of the house, "make sure to lock the door behind you."
©
When we get there Jessie and Shay are already in their own room. We get the directions and make our way there. Excitement is running through my veins and I practically skip down the hall.
When we get there Jessie tells us that it could still be hours but I don't even care, I'm just so full of energy.
I decide to make myself useful and offer to go for a drink run. I take everyone's orders and Mason and I make our way to the food court.
"It's kind of fun walking through a hospital, don't you think?" I say as I swing our hands back and forth.
"I think you and I have different definitions of fun," he says laughing at me.
"You know, it wouldn't kill you to agree with me sometimes."
"That is true but I'm not willing to take my chances."
I roll my eyes and let go of his hand when I reach the coffee shop. After paying, we sit down at a table while we wait for our drinks to be ready.
Maybe fun was the wrong word. There's just something about being in a hospital that makes me want to go out and save the world. It pumps energy through me and I don't know what to do with it. I have thought about being a nurse before but I don't think I would be a very good fit. I think I would be good with interacting with patients but when it comes time to put a drip in them or give them a needle I know I would freak out. It's just not my forte.
"Do you know what you want to do?" I ask Mason.
"Not really. I guess I wouldn't mind doing something like teaching but I just haven't found that thing I'm really passionate about yet, you know. How about you?" he responds.
"I guess I'm the same really. I mean I'm studying business at Uni which I enjoy, but I'm not one hundred percent sure what I want to do with it once I get my degree."
"What about a dream job? Is there anything you want to do but you just feel it wouldn't work out?"
"I guess I've always wanted to do acting. Like in movies or television shows. I loved drama when I was in high school, it was my favourite course but I never really thought about doing it seriously. I think I stopped myself before I allowed myself to get lost in a fantasy."
"Who says it has to be a fantasy? What is stopping you?"
"For a start, I'm only mediocre at acting. Secondly, I would have to move to America because you have no opportunities here to get anywhere. Even more so because I'm in Perth. I just don't think I would be able to move over there because I love living in Australia. Also, if I moved over there I'd be away from mum and Jessie and they are my whole life, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't just see them when I wanted too. And of course there would be the factor that I wouldn't have a job and the chances of me actually becoming a successful actor is super minimal."
"It sounds like you've thought about it a lot."
"I guess but like you said, it's my dream job. And that's all it will ever be."
"Ava," A voice yells and I look up to see that our order is ready. Hopping up, I go and grab the drinks and me and Mason make our way back to Jessie and Shay's room.
When we get in there we see that everyone has moved. Shay is now in the shower with a bikini on and Jessie is holding the shower head on her back. Mum tells me that this helps with her cramps. I hand out the drinks and we make ourselves comfortable in the room.
Time seems to take forever and this baby doesn't seem to want to come out. Probably a smart move baby, it is a scary world out here.
But that is just the thing. Time was moving so slowly until it wasn't because when that baby wanted to come out, everything moved so fast. Mason and I left the room and waited out in the hallway while some nurses and doctors entered the room. The wait seemed to last forever and I was almost considering going down to the food court to get some food when the door opened. Mum came out with a big smile on her face and the nurses followed.
"You can come in now," she says, grinning from ear to ear.
Mason and I stand up and make our way in. Jessie has the baby in his arms and he looks up at me when we enter the room.
"It's a little girl," he says and I can see the tears on his cheeks.
"A baby girl," I whisper coming closer.
"Do you want to hold her?" he asks me and I just nod my head, not trusting my voice at the moment.
I take her in my arms and she is so small I just want to protect her from everyone. She is absolutely gorgeous and I can feel myself getting emotional.
"What's her name?" I question, looking up at Jessie and Shay.
"Alyssa Ava Castel," Shay says with a smile on her face.
"Alyssa Ava?" I question with tears in my eyes.
"After one of the strongest people I know."
I smile through my tears and look down at Alyssa and I know she already has me wrapped around her little finger.
After I've had my fair share of her, she gets passed around so everyone gets to hold her.
"You look hot holding a baby," I say to Mason.
"Mm, do I now?" he whispers in my ear as he hugs me from behind, "should we make one of our own?"
"Ah, not yet thanks," I laugh as I pull myself away from him and I hear him chuckle behind me.
After a while we decide it is time to head home and leave the new parents to relax for a while. Mum drives us home, dropping Mason off on the way.
"She is so gorgeous," I say to mum.
"She reminds me of you," mum says looking at me.
"Well let's hope for everyone's sake that she doesn't turn out like me. I think one of me is enough to handle."
"It wouldn't be so bad," mum says earnestly and I give her a big hug and kiss on the cheek before I make my way to bed.
I close my eyes and here rain start falling. It is so soothing and my dreams that night were so pure and wholesome that I wrote them down first thing when I woke up so that I would never forget them.