He Shoots, She Scores

“Ya know” Carrie says to Lacey as their three 3 year olds run past them in a game of tag “I was so worried about Emmy being bored when the girls went back to school, and then you became my neighbor and now I see more of you then I do of my children”

“I didn’t know what to expect either with Jason just going into Kindergarten and having another on the way on top of the twins” Lacey stopped mid sentence sitting straight up “Ooo if I didn’t know any better I would say that was a contraction”
“Oh I’ve been having Braxton Hicks contractions no joke for at least 2 weeks now, and let me tell you this if Jeremiah isn’t a hockey player he’ll be one hell of a soccer player”
“I can’t wait to have this baby, I am so done with pregnancy” Lacey says rubbing her belly
The girls go quiet for a minute and when they hear the front door open they know the boys are back from their golf game”
“DADDY” Emmy squeals
“Hi princess” Nate says back and the giggling that follows makes Carrie smile a few minutes later he enters the kitchen with Emerson perched on his shoulders laughing hysterically
“How are you girls feeling?”
“Uncomfortable” they reply in unison
“Mommy, I hungry” Emmy says from Nate’s shoulders
“Ok I’ll make you some lunch, do you want grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese”
“Macaroni and cheese”
Carrie nods and gets up grabbing a pan and putting water in it “Lacey if you want your boys can eat here too, I have to make the whole box and its only Emerson who’s going to eat it”
“Thanks it saves me cooking. Nate where’s Tyler?”
“Putting his golf clubs away” Nate says setting Emmy in her booster seat as Lacey waddles her way to the front door to tell Tyler to grab the twin’s booster seats
Carrie turns the burner on and sets the pan on top and turns to grab the box from the cupboard. Hearing a sharp inhale Nate turns to see his wife with her head on the counter
“Baby?”
“I’m fine”
“Labor?”
“Braxton Hicks, I think”
Nate walks over to her behind the counter and rubs her back soothingly
“Hey you never do that for me” Lacey says walking back into the kitchen with Tyler close behind her
“That’s because the last time I tried to give you a back rub while you were pregnant you punched me and said it was all my fault you were- your words not mine- fat and undesirable, I have decided since then to keep my hands to myself”
“That’s why I’m pregnant again right? Carrie you ok?”
“First of all my child is in the room keep the how’s and why’s of Isabella to yourselves and yes I’m ok, thank you Nate”
“You’re welcome baby, I hate seeing you in pain”
Carrie raised an eyebrow at him “hate’s seeing me in pain, yet gets me pregnant 4 times” she says to Lacey
“This time it was an accident” Nate says throwing his hands up in defense
“What happened to child in the room keep it to yourself?” Lacey says as Tyler ushers the twins in the room
“You make a good point, however Nate unplanned and accident are 2 different things”
“Right sorry”
“Mommy, you has an owie?”
“Yeah honey but mommy’s ok”
“Emmy kiss it make it better mommy” She says hopping down off her booster seat “Where you owie” Carrie tries to stifle her laugh and points to her belly “Baby Miah has an owie?”
“No Emmy baby Jeremiah is the owie”
“That’s not nice” Michael says from his spot next to Lacey “mommy, baby bella a owie?”
“No she isn’t, at least right now”
“We kiss the owie too” Ryan says wiggling free of his booster seat next to Tyler and pulling Michael with him
“Someone is taking a picture of this right?” Carrie asks as all 3 kids kiss her belly and Lacey nods
“Is better now?” Emerson asks
“Yes thank you guys very much so much better”
“Be nice baby” Michael says
“Yeah, Mrs. Gerbe is nice, you be nice too” Ryan adds
“Thank you boys I’m sure Jeremiah will listen to you for sure, now why don’t you guys go sit down and I’ll get you some macaroni and cheese”
The girls were home, homework was done and everyone was in bed. Nate looked at Carrie his eyes full of concern
“Carrie, are you sure you’re not in labor?” Carrie looked at him with a raised eyebrow “I know what you are going to say, you’ve been in labor 3 times you should know what it feels like but seriously babe, that’s at least the 4th Braxton Hicks contraction you’ve had in the last 3 hours, are you sure?”
“Even if I am in labor Nate the contractions are way too far apart to even bother going to the hospital, if we go now and they say I am in labor I’m going to be there for like 18 hours”
Nate just shook his head and got dressed for bed
With Lacey and Tyler
“Tyler”
“Yeah?” he says walking into their room after tucking Jason in
“You might want to call your parents and tell them they might have a granddaughter soon and maybe put mine on warning.”
“Do you really think it’s time? Should we go now?”
“No, I don’t know what I feel yet but it’s certainly not normal or comfortable”
Tyler nodded calling his parents in Canada and then Lacey’s in the Falls, he came back a few minutes later with a heating pad for her to lay on.

3 am With Nate and Carrie
“Nate” Carrie says shaking him lightly “Nate come on wake up” he rolls over away from her “Nate wake up!” she says a little louder she stops for a moment taking a deep breath and trying to relax as the pain once again starts “Nathan! If you don’t wake up I’m going to have this baby on the bed!” she about yells in his ear once the pain subsides
“What? Are you, is it, I…. I’ll uh call your parents to watch the kids”
“No, just go get Tyler or Lacey to watch them call my parents to meet them as soon as possible”
“Right, Tyler and Lacey?”
“Our neighbors you idiot”
“Right, love you too sweetheart” he says sarcastically
Nate bolts out of their room and down the stairs and out the front door towards Tyler and Lacey’s house

3 am With Lacey and Tyler
Tyler sat up with a jolt feeling Lacey move next to him
“What’s wrong?”
“Call my parents, and yours and the hospital”
“Now?”
“No dumbass next week….. I’m sorry babe”
“No it’s ok I’m half awake and you are in labor okay here we go call the parents”
“Hospital first”
“Call the hospital”
“Go see if Nate can watch our kids”
“Call the hospital get the best friend, call the in-laws got it. Lacey”
“What”
“I love you”
“Tyler”
“Right going”
Tyler jogs out of the room down the stairs and out the door towards Carrie and Nate’s
“Enzo!” He hears Nate as soon as his feet hit the porch “Dude you gotta watch my kids”
“What? No, why? I, you have to watch mine Lacey’s in labor”
“Oh no”
“What?”
“So is Carrie, like really in labor”
“So is Lacey”
“Go wake your kids up man, looks like we’re both making this a family event” Nate says running his hands through his hair
“Right, Gerbs, did you call the hospital?” Tyler asks phone to his ear
“Shit”
“Don’t worry I got it you call family. Hi, yes my wife is in labor and so is my neighbor. Yes I know that sounds weird, yes I’m sure, my wife’s are about 4 minutes apart, hold on, Nate?”
“Uh, I should know this, um 3 they’re about 3 apart”
“He said 3, yes minutes. We’ll be there in maybe 10 minutes, 15 if we can’t wake our kids up. Thank you” he hangs up the phone as Nate talks to his mother in law “Ok we’re good”
“Yes mom, ok we’ll see you there. Could you do me a favor and call my parents? Thanks I appreciate it” Nate hangs up the phone and looks at Tyler “Ok Lacey’s parents are on their way to women and children’s, so are my in laws. Your parents are headed to the airport your mom said she was glad she fell asleep in her day clothes, and my in-laws are calling my parents. We should go get our wives now”
“Right” Tyler turns to go back into the house “Hey Gerbs, in case I don’t get to say it before Jeremiah is born congratulations”
“Thanks Enzo, congratulations on Isabella too, just in case”
Both guys head back into the house, telling their wives the situation and waking up their kids. It’s not long before they are at the hospital and their kids are asleep in the waiting room with their grandparents
With Carrie
“Hey Lacey, want to go for a walk?”
“Oh I take it they told you the same thing, it will help speed up labor”
“Of course”
“Don’t they realize the 6 kids in the waiting room belong to us we are not new to this, yes I’m ready to walk. Let’s go look at the babies that already came into the world”
“Oh the drugged up ways to say the nursery”
“Walk preggers”
Carrie smiles at her friend as they make their way down the hall
With Nate
Carrie was asleep when they finally wheeled the basinet back into the room; inside it wrapped up in a blue blanket with his last name on his wrist was his son. It had been a full 5 minutes and he was still just staring at him. Hearing wheels at the door Nate looks up to see Tyler wheeling in a basinet with a pink blanket inside
“Lacey’s asleep” he whispers and Nate nods “Have you picked him up yet?”
“No, after 3 kids you think this would be a cake walk, but he doesn’t seem real. Have you picked her up yet?”
“No I’m in the same boat with you. By the way just a forewarning, boys are distance pissers”
Nate laughed slightly “Forewarning, girls poopy diapers wipe front to back or you’re going to end up giving her like 8 baths a day”
“Good to know”
“Ok pick them up on 3?”
“Yeah, 1, 2, 3” both of them reached into the basinets picking up their kids
“Hey little man” Nate says as Jeremiah opens his brown eyes to meet Nate’s “Oh you got my eye’s mommy’s gonna be jealous”
“Hey princess” Tyler says cradling Isabella and she lets out a small sigh sleeping away in his arms
Tyler stayed only for a minute or 2 before leaving so that he and Isabella would be back in the room when Lacey woke up. As Nate was placing Jeremiah back in the plastic basinet Carrie wakes up
“Hey there beautiful”
“Hi” she mumbles back
“They brought Jeremiah in a little while ago and your mom text me everyone is coming up to see him in about an hour” She only nodded and rubbed her eyes “I love you” he says with a smile kissing her forehead
“You’re always so sweet and lovey after I have a baby, even though I’m so mean to you when I’m in labor. Stop doing that you’ll make me look bad”
“I’m sorry, I just fall in love you with a little more every time” Carrie only smiles at him pulling him down by his shirt to kiss him
“Ya know” she says looking into the basinet at their son “He looks just like you”
“Heaven help us if he’s anything like me”
“There are worse people to be like”
“Yeah but he’s going to test our patience, he and I are going to fight. He’s probably going to spend half his summer playing hockey and the other half in a cast.”
“So he’ll be a kid”
“I can see him now in hockey gear that will be his first love, until he finds her, his you, the girl who makes his head spin and finally shows him hockey is a game and life centers around her”
“You’re going to make me cry”
“Yeah that too, when he heads off to college or his first NHL team he’ll act all tough and then ball his eyes out the whole drive there. If he has the unfortunate life of being anything like me”
“I hope he’s exactly like you” She says quietly sitting up and kissing his shoulder from where he sat on the side of her bed