Growing with J.A.C.I.E. (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Chapter 6

We were actually halfway. I was twenty weeks pregnant, which meant I had twenty more to go. Time seemed to have gone by so fast, but at the same time another twenty weeks sounded like an eternity. Jack and I were in the waiting room, in the same place we had originally gotten the confirmation that I was pregnant. My leg bounced nervously, a mixture of excitement and anxiety swirling within me.

"Jacie, calm down," Jack teased, nudging my shoulder. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

I shot him a playful glare. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one with an alien growing inside of you."

He chuckled, reaching for my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Our baby is not an alien. If anything, they're a meerkat."

"You know I'm going to be incredibly disappointed if I don't give birth to an actual meerkat now."

"That would be terrifying."

I jokingly pouted. "But they're so cute!"

It wasn't long until my name was called. We both stood up, Jack keeping my hand firmly in his. A nurse led us through the corridors towards the ultrasound room. It had been eight weeks since the last time we saw our meerkat, it was such a nerve wracking thing to know we'd get to see them again. Not nerve wracking in a bad way. In a purely good way. The thrill of seeing something that otherwise wasn't visible was unmatched.

"Alright, Jacie, let's get you comfortable here," the sonographer already in the room said, gesturing towards the examination bed.

I climbed onto the bed, smiling at the fact that my request to be addressed as Jacie instead of Jennifer was being followed. Jack took the chair beside me, his eyes filled with joy and anticipation. He was grateful for every moment that could let him experience our meerkat as well.

The sonographer took a seat on the stool in front of the machine. "If you want to lift your shirt, we can have a look at your little one again."

I did as I was told, tucking the shirt underneath my bra to keep it in place and pushed my jeans further down my hips so they wouldn't get dirty. As soon as I had done my job, the sonographer tucked tissue paper around the hems and pulled out the gel. This time, the gel had been warmed up a little, making it feel a lot less cold than it had done in LA.

A black and white image showed up on the screen as the wand made contact with my skin. It was just a mess of noise that I couldn't make sense of. Luckily, the sonographer knew exactly what she was looking for. She added some more pressure and manoeuvred the wand around carefully. Eventually, something recognisable showed up. Right there, on the monitor, was our baby, not as a fuzzy blob anymore, but a more defined form.

There were actual details. I could see the shape of a head attached to a little body. It was a real human being and it was growing inside my body. There were even faint hints of tiny hands and feet.

"Look at them." Jack murmured, his hand squeezing mine.

"I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that's a person and not a meerkat," I whispered back with a giggle.

He shook his head. "They'll always be our meerkat."

Our eyes were glued to the screen as the sonographer continued to do her work. She looked for specific angles, freezing the image when she got what she wanted, and measured the important things. At some point, we even got a clearer view of the feet. It was incredible. We just got to watch as the sonographer silently went through all of her tasks.

It was a mesmerising half hour, focused on different aspects of the baby's anatomy. With each passing moment, the realisation that there was a tiny life inside of me grew. It wasn't just an abstract idea that came along with the growing bump. It was our child.

Eventually, the silence was broken by the sonographer. "Everything looks healthy and normal. Your baby is developing well, and all the measurements are within the expected range."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Although my hopes had been high, it was still such a comfort to hear everything was okay. I quickly looked over at Jack, who was already beaming with pride. Our little meerkat was doing just fine.

"Do you want to know the sex?" the sonographer asked, adjusting the settings on the machine.

We had already discussed this long before our appointment. Our thoughts and opinions about it shifted a few times. We didn't care about whatever our baby ended up being. It didn't matter at all. Still, the curiosity was so great.

"Yeah," Jack answered for us as I nodded in agreement.

"Well, then," the sonographer adjusted the wand and pointed towards a specific area, "if you look here, you can see you're having a little girl."

My heart skipped a beat at the news. It felt so surreal. I'd been surrounded by boys most of my life, it almost felt like that was just how things were meant to be. But, now, Jack and I had actually created a new life that went against everything I already knew. And I couldn't be more excited.

"A daughter..." Jack softly gasped, his eyes glossing over.

It didn't take long until a few tears slipped out and rolled down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away and gave me the biggest grin. A grin I hadn't seen that big since he saw me walking down the aisle at our make-up wedding. I squeezed his hand in return, smiling back at him.

The sonographer continued her examination, explaining various aspects of the baby's development, from the beating heart to the tiny fingers. I was mesmerised, overwhelmed by the realisation that we were creating a new life together. Once the sonographer completed the measurements, she handed us a set of ultrasound images. Jack held them with a gentle touch, studying each one as if trying to remember every detail.

As we were walking back to the car, Jack let out a content sigh, "I never thought I'd be so emotional about having a daughter. But seeing her on that screen, it hit me."

"I have a feeling she'll have you wrapped around her little finger," I chuckled, nudging his side.

"Oh, no doubt about that. I'm already a goner."