To be continued

"I'll Never Let Go!"

"And this....is you and mommy!" Lucy held up a drawing to the laptop screen. He saw two stick figures, one of which had a circle above the legs with a smaller stick figure inside it.
"That's beautiful babydoll. I especially like little Luca in mommy's tummy." He said with a smile, referencing Lucy's attempt at drawing her little brother. He looked up at his wife and smiled at her irritated face, making her laugh at their charming daughter.
"Okay Lu, go back to the table with those markers, I don't want you marking up the couch." she instructed her daughter. Lucy got up from the couch and skipped back to the kitchen table.
"I'm sorry babe. They keep making me stay longer." He apologized.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not due for another month and a half. You'll be back before then." she reassured him, trying her best to hide her actual feelings for his sake.
"Is his birth really the only thing you're worried about?" he asked her.
"Well, Lucy is a handful, but you're the one making the money and goodness knows we need it. So.." she told him, but seeing his unsure reaction, she continued, "Don't see it as you not being here to support me. See it as you paying for my doctors' appointments." She tried to reassure him until he finally agreed.
"That's true. I am the only one bringin' home the bacon." he joked with her.
"Hey don't forget I'm stuck here with your daughter!" she said reacting to Lucy climbing over her back.
"Hey. Anna. It takes two to tango." he said with his snarky tone.
"I LOVE TANGO!!" An excited Lucy shouted from behind her mother. Anna looked at her husband with her jaw dropped to see his face thrown back from laughter.
"Lucy!" she shouted, trying not to laugh, but failing when she saw her daughter strutting across the living room as if she was dancing with someone. Anna quickly turned the computer around so he could see his crazy daughter being her wonderful self. He laughed even harder once he saw her then calmed down enough to say,
"Lucy, I miss you so much!" Hearing this, she ran back to the computer and got an inch away from the screen and said,
"I miss you too daddy!" Anna pulled her farther away from the screen.
"back up sweetie he can't see you" Lucy went back into the kitchen so Anna turned the laptop back to face her. A buzzing noise pulled him away from the screen.
"Hey babe, I've got to go, they need me back at the conference." He said while scrolling on his phone.
"Okay, I love you!" She told him.
"I love you too, H&K's" he said then hung up.
"The screen exited the video chat window. She let out a sigh and said,
"H&K's" to her desktop photo from their wedding.
"Where did daddy go?" Lucy asked her mother.
"He had to go work more, sweetie." She said, grabbing her daughter and sitting her on her lap.
"I miss him, mommy." Lucy said, looking straight into her mother's eyes and melting her heart.
"Oh honey," She wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter.
"I miss him too" She kissed her daughter's forehead.
"I love you mama" she mumbled into her mother's shoulder.
"Oh, I love you too baby" Anna gently held her daughter's face in her hands and touched her nose to Lucy's.
"Do you want some dinner?" she suggested. Lucy threw up her hands, her face still in her mother's grasp, and yelled,
"MAC'n'CHEESE!" she shouted. Anna separated their noses and gave her a shocked look.
"Oh really? Mac'n'cheese ha?" she overacted for her daughter.
"Hehehe yes!!" Lucy replied, showing Anna that her over-acting worked.
"Because I was thinking we could go see your cousins!" she said excitedly, expecting the same excitement from Lucy, but was surprised when she didn't get it, "Don't you like playing with Maye, Junior, and Levi?" she pried at her daughter's feelings.
"They're all older than me...." she admitted to her mother.
"Lucy. You're their adorable little cousin. They love you!" She encouraged her.
"You mean like you love me?!" Lucy got excited at the idea.
"Maybe not quite as much," she said, but seeing her disappointment, she added, "But that's only because I love you sooooo much!" This got Lucy excited again.
"Well then what are we waiting for?!" She tried to escape her mother's arms, but couldn't get out.
"No! I'll never let go!" Anna screamed, tickling her side. Lucy's chuckle of a laugh made her smile.
"Stop Mama! Let go!" Lucy shouted through her laughter, squirming to get free. Anna finally let go and let Lucy calm down.
"Okay, now go get your shoes on. The play ones though, I don't want to see you in your sparkly ones!" she told her daughter who was skipping back to her room.
"Ughhhh okay" Anna said to herself, grudgingly getting up to get the food she was bringing to her sister's house.
She stopping in her tracks and grabbed the wall.
"Are you okay mama?" a sweet voice came from behind her. She winced, waiting for the contraction to end, before replying,
"Yes baby," she slowly exhaled, then said to herself under her breath, "that one hurt." Lucy hugged her mother's leg tightly, and Anna rested her hand on Lucy's back.
"Do you want to help Mama with the food?" she looked down for an answer, which was a nod from Lucy. Anna grabbed the veggie tray off the kitchen counter and handed it to Lucy, "Here, two hands and one step at a time, love." Lucy slowly walked out the door, being very careful not to spill anything on the tray. Anna grabbed the two soda bottles from the fridge, locked the front door, and beat Lucy to the car.
"Okay thanks love! Now go get buckled in!" Anna grabbed the tray from her, opened the van door, and backed into the driver's seat. Looking into the rear-view mirror, she asked her daughter, "You ready?" and with the last click of her car seat, Lucy gave her mother a thumb's up. They both sang along with every song on the radio during their ten-minute drive to Anna's second home: her sister's house.

"So I don't think that was a good sign." Anna told her sister, Kay.
"That's the tenth one you've had?" Kay asked.
"This week." Anna confirmed, popping a baby carrot into her mouth and crunching.
"It's Wednesday, An." Kay said, attempting to convince Anna of how truly bad it was.
"It wouldn't even worry me if he were here. You know? But he's not." Anna continued to speak with food in her mouth.
"It should worry you anyway; practice contractions shouldn't happen that often until you're at least eight and a half months. You should go see Barb." Kay suggested to Anna that she see their family friend who specialized in pregnancy issues.
"Alone? Ughh, I don't know." Anna showed her discomfort with the idea.
"I'll go with you, okay? It's important." Kay offered.
"Is David able to watch Lucy?" Anna tried to find more reasons not to go.
"He'll be happy to, Anna. You're good. Okay? You're good," Kay saw Anna's troubled look, "David missed Maye's birth because he was in Iraq. Your husband is in Houston. He's not gonna miss it. Alright?" Kay offered Anna her hand and she squeezed it, letting a tear glide down her cheek.
"I hate Texas. It feels like I'm in high school again," Kay didn't know what she meant, but she caught Anna's tears and smiled, letting her sister rant, "what is so damn important about this conference that they won't let him be here?" Anna continued, gushing the frustration she had to keep hidden from Lucy. Kay grabbed her sister by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
"Anna. You will get through this. Okay? Think about it and a challenge to your marriage. You vowed to push through good and bad situations," Anna smiled at this, gazing at the sparkling ring on her finger as Kay continued, "You were bless with a wonderful man who loves you and would do anything for you and look," Kay rested her hand on her sister's belly, "he showed it!" she laughed.
"Kay!" Anna let out a laugh that she really needed.
"Seriously, Anna, you are bringing life into the world pretty soon! That's amazing!" Kay continued to encourage her.
"Oh my god!" Anna screeched, grabbing her sister's hand, still resting on her baby belly and slide it down and to the right. Kay's face lit up.
"Hey slugger! calm down! You still have a month and a half of growing to do!" Kay spoke to her nephew with a smile. They chuckled to each other.
"That one was the biggest kick I've felt yet!" Anna was surprised with the baby growing and moving around like crazy. Anna's smile, however, turned into a harsh wince and Kay's turned to concern. Kay looked at the ground, saw a puddle of water, and smiled. She smiled until she saw a drop of blood join the water like slow motion, followed by more blood falling faster and more frequently. She quickly got up and ran to her husband outside who was playing with the kids.
"David! I need you right now please!" Kay attempted to sound normal for the kids' sake. David ran and met Kay at the door,
"She's in labor, but something's wrong," Kay leaned to the side so he could see Anna, "She's bleeding. She shouldn't be bleeding. Keep the kids outback, especially Lucy. I'm calling an ambulance." Kay quickly turned around and grabbed the phone.
"Kay!" Anna screamed, holding the bottom of her belly while trying to stand up.
"Anna, Anna, Anna. Sit down." David ran over and caught his sister-in-law, slowly bringing her to the ground so she wouldn't fall.

"Hi. My sister. In labor. Seven months. 5727 Lily Drive. Bye." Kay spoke into the phone faster than it took her to sign her name. David brushed the hair out of Anna's face, seeing that she was unconscious.
"Kay," she couldn't hear her husband; she was too busy packing a bag full of food, blankets, and anything else they might need.
"KAY!" she snapped out of it this time. Seeing her sister on the floor, she slid next to her husband, moving her sister's head to her lap.
"She just fainted, she'll be fine. I'll finish packing." he got up to grab waters and a jacket.
"David. I need you to call him," he gave her a look of confusion while stuffing the jacket into the bag, "he is not going to miss the birth of his child for work." Kay continued and he froze. He dropped the bag and grabbed the phone, not wanting his sister-in-law, a woman who was basically his baby sister, to suffer through the same thing they did with their oldest.

Lucy ran into the house laughing, but the happiness left her face once she saw her mother.
"What's wrong with mommy?!" she screamed, jumping on her leg and not letting go.
"Stop! Lucy! Let go!" Kay tried to pull her off.
"No!" Lucy shrieked, "I'll never let go!"