Jill and Jack

High pitched screams pierced the silence as Jill gave a resigned sigh and  rolled out of bed for the third time that night.  She groggily stretched out realizing  she still had her house coat on from the last time she flopped into bed.  The robe had gotten significantly more use than any pair of jeans these last few months.  A particularly shrill  screech jolted  her nerves to the surface, prickling her skin.  I’m coming as fast as I can manage, she thought as she tied her long hair back with heavy arms.  Jill gave a light scowl to the sleeping form beside her as she resigned herself to the task at hand.  No wonder he wants more kids, she thought, his day job makes night waking my territory.  Jill reflected on how parenting might be more enjoyable if you got to sleep and only see them when you aren’t working.  It’s almost hard to leave them alone with their babies, thought Jill, you need to find something to do that can’t have babies and is when they are home.

Making it to the kitchen, Jill  worked under the small light of the stove to whip up a bottle of formula in the new fancy machine they have nowadays.  Jack really shouldn't need more feeding tonight, but she was desperate to try anything that might make this quicker.  Her arms seared as they stretched out to grab the bottle while  cries continued to pierce the silence.  It was often hard to leave her  crying baby to get things ready but she knew from experience to not  bring him out here in the light.  Each scream was a shot through her heart, her entire body ached to respond.  Reaching the door Jill stopped for a moment and took a slow, deep breath to steady herself.

Jill entered the dark room to loud wails  making her head pound.  As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see an angry scrunched up face peeking over at her.  Shit, you’re really awake, this won’t likely be quick, she thought.  As Jill picked up the baby, she softly said “what keeps waking you tonight, tell me what I can do to sooth you”.  Jack continued his wails that rang through Jill's ears.  Jill followed her  basic routine which started with the diaper.  Still dry.  She sat and tried the bottle on Jack which typically works wonders.  He grew completely furious, flailing his little limbs about.  Just shut up, please! I’m trying everything I can think of, she thought realizing she was just about out of ideas. She could feel tears of frustration and pure exhaustion threatening to form.  Why on earth are you up so much tonight, nothing seems to be bothering you.  Jill slowly stood up,  feeling every aching  muscle in her body, and started walking around the small room.  Adjusting the baby in a somewhat more comfortable way, Jill started lightly bouncing the rather heavy, loud weight in her arms.  “Jack, my little baby, I really need you to do your best to settle down and please, by God, be quiet.”  Jill's eyes continued to fall shut without her awareness, either view was black after all.

The fog in her mind suddenly started to fade away as her senses brought back her focus, they had identified something unusual.  Eyes wide and heart pumping,  Jill realized her arm was wet.  Curious, Jill moved the baby to investigate.  Jack’s face crumpled up as he returned to his cries of displeasure.  “I need to get a look at you little man, something is up with you”.  Seeing that there was no spit up or excess tears, Jill discovered Jack was drooling on her.  This seemed rather odd and rang a bell in Jill's head that she couldn’t quite get to through the fog.  I suppose crying for extended time could cause drooling, but I’ve also never noticed it before, she mused.  After several more laps of the small bedroom, Jill realized what had come to her mind.  Gently, she wedged her finger into her babies’ mouth as he wiggled and grunted.  Pressing lightly on the bottom gum Jack gave a cry and Jill unmistakably felt something hard.  Well shit, she though, that at least explains things.  Jill put her baby down in the crib and left the room.  Jack exploded in cries as he realized his warmth and comfort had abandoned him.  Jill made her way to the medicine cabinet, determined to get as much rest as possible in the small amount of the night left.  Wish I knew this the first time you were up!  I should have known there was something amiss, she thought.

Jack swallowed the medication and enjoyed being back in his mother’s arms.  Her light movements calmed him back down and he slowly  fell quiet.  The silence seemed to spread through Jill like a sip of hot tea.  Looking at the calm baby, she decided he would likely take a change to the chair.  Arranging pillows to take the weight of the baby left her arms searing in pain from finally being able to rest.  Jack wiggled around getting comfortable.  You only get me for a bit now, so settle to sleep quickly.  Jill pulled out her phone.  Her eyes burned from the glaring phone light, she squinted as she scrolled along.  She opened an article sent from a friend.  As she noticed it had been sent only an hour ago Jill felt a connection to the other moms she knew and took some peace that she was not alone.  Oh Erica, seriously? thought Jill, you might have the baby craze, but I can’t say I’m in the same place.  The title of the article read “How soon should you try for your second baby?”.  Jill had no interest in thinking about more babies.  How could it be humanly possible to do what she was trying to do with more babies around?  She smiled to herself as she recalled her hopes that this round would give her twins.  Twins! she thought, those parents must be zombies.  She  couldn’t grasp  how it was humanly possible.  Thinking of new babies, Jill reminded herself to take her pill before going back to bed as she was pretty sure she had forgotten it earlier that day – or it would be the previous day now.  With Jacks increasingly frequent night waking this past month it’s been hard to remember even the day of the week.

Jill woke with a start to her phone hitting the floor, the noise echoing in the heavy silence.  Adrenaline raced up her veins as her mind pulled urgently to the situation.  Jack gave a start but quickly went back to his peaceful dose.  Jill felt a stream of guilt realizing she had fallen asleep while holding the baby.  As her heart steadied she looked down at her peacefully sleeping baby.  A warmth spread through her chest as her eyes traced his form.  Jack was such a small thing.  Unlike adults, babies are rather adorable, graceful sleepers.  Jill could feel the warmth from his body pressed up against hers, breathing in and out, soothingly rhythmic like waves crashing onto a shore.  Such a change from their previous encounter.  Jill sat there in that  moment, her need for rest forgotten.  She whispered, “I may not like being woken up, and you may not be great at letting me know why, but somehow I love you more than I could possibly imagine”.  

A dull and persistent pain from her eyes reminded Jill of her need for rest.  Smoothly transferring the sleeping baby to his crib, Jill crept out like a ninja.  She tossed the almost full bottle in the sink with the other two and collapsed on her bed.  Too tired to bring up the blankets she knew her house coat would be enough for what would remain of sleep that night.  Next to her,   her husband continued to snore lightly, peacefully unaware that anything interesting had occurred.  Without thinking, Jill brought her hand to her stomach and pressed lightly.  An old habit from when she was pregnant.  Her last thought was that maybe one day, once she was getting more sleep of course, she would possibly consider another child.  Grinning at how completely illogical that thought was after her night, Jill finally drifted off to a deep sleep.  Unknown to the rest of the world, the small embryo buried inside her continued to grow, waiting to be discovered.