5 Reasons To Love Again

Chapter 128

I was woken up by Belinda taking my vitals. From the stiffness in my legs, which I could thankfully feel again, I had been asleep for some hours. Chase was sitting next to my bed holding Jackson. "What time is it?" I asked them. "Oh, it's past midnight sweetie. I sent everyone else home to get some rest. I'm spending the night here with you." Chase answered me. I nodded and said that I needed to use the bathroom so Belinda helped me to walk over there and of course it was time to change my pad. I had almost forgotten what it was like to wear a pad since it had been almost a year when I last wore one. I washed my hands and with Belinda at my side, crawled back into bed. I situated myself and then held out my hands for my baby. Chase put him in my arms and I cuddled my little bundle of joy.

Jackson stirred and rooted around so Chase helped me with my gown and the baby latched on. My milk hadn't come in yet but the colostrum was good for him. Of course, Jackson was still hungry and whimpered when nothing else would come out of me. Belinda had some formula ready to supplement with until my milk did start. I fed him the formula and he finished it quickly. Chase took him from me to burp him. Belinda insisted that I stay hydrated and poured me a glass of water. I drank it and smiled at the sight of Chase with a baby. My heart melted as he grinned back at me. When Jackson fell back asleep, Belinda checked his diaper and changed it. My stomach growled again and Chase laughed quietly, "I'd be surprised if you weren't hungry. You really went through a lot yesterday and your body needs calories to produce milk and you're still losing blood. I'll get you something to eat."

"Can you throw in something sweet too? I'm feeling the need for some sugar." I begged him. He nodded and left the room. About ten minutes later, he came back with Jake and some to-go bags. I was surprised, "That was fast! How did you manage that?" Jake looked at me sheepishly, "Well, I had some trouble sleeping and so I was already in Charleston picking up some food when Chase called me. I hope that you are in the mood for Taco Bell." I smiled at him, "I'm starving so hand it over." I ate and was glad to see that Jake had gotten enough food for him, Chase and Belinda too. She took hers to the staff break room while we at in mine. Before I could ask about dessert, Chase slid a chocolate bar with peanuts on my table to me. I thanked him and took the first bite in happiness. The flavor melted across my tongue and I felt my tiredness catch up with me again. Jake noticed and said, "Get as much sleep as you can sweetheart. You've been through a lot." I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth first before I would let myself go back to sleep.

The next time I woke up, I heard Jackson start to fuss. Jake was up like a shot and picked him up, "Hey there little man, don't cry, Daddy can fix your problems." I giggled a little and held out my arms for the baby, "Well, unless you grow some boobs, he's needing mommy right now." Slipping the gown off my shoulders, I helped Jackson attach himself to my breast. Jake looked fascinated by his son feeding. When I was dry, I let Jake hold the baby and Chase handed him the little bottle of formula and helped him sit down to feed him. "How long did it take for your milk to come in with Lexine?" Chase asked me. I thought back, "Um... It took two days. I had to supplement in the beginning with her too."

After Jackson was done eating, Chase showed Jake how to burp him. Unfortunately this time, a little formula came out with a belch. They had forgotten to lay a burp cloth on Jake's shoulder so he got a little damp and smelly. The look of alarm on Jake's face was enough to send me into giggles. Jackson just stared at his father's face and yawned. Then a recognizable sound erupted from his lower half and Jake froze. I giggled harder and even Chase was chuckling. The baby was blissfully unaware that his bodily functions was horrifying one of his dads. "Uh, wow ok. Is that normal for babies?" Jake sputtered out. We nodded at him and then Jake scrunched up his nose, "Guys, something smells bad here." Amused, I crawled out of bed and showed them how to change his diaper. Jake had to take some pretty big gulps of breath to deal with the mess but Chase handled it better since as a doctor he's seen it all. When baby Jackson was all cleaned and falling asleep again, Jake tried cleaning off his shoulder but it didn't help much. Chase took pity on his and took him to his office to find an extra shirt for him.