We Can See STARS

Future Chapter 6: January 2025

"Babe? Jamie?"

"mmmmm??"

It was the middle of the night, the day before we were going to leave. But if I had to be up, then he was gonna get up too. "Babe, I'm feeling nervous."

He turned around, keeping his eyes closed. "Mmmm....what for?"

"The room is nowhere next to done, I don't know if I'll be okay with traveling while being this huge and I'm afraid of barfing on the plane."

Silence

"Jamie? J?"

"Ow baby it's okay."

"But...what if it isn't?" He moved his hand around. Although his eyes were closed I knew he was looking for mine.

"I promise I'll work on the room the minute we get back. If not, I'll buy a laundry basket for the baby to sleep in for the first few weeks. Pregnant women fly all the time. We can call the doctor again in the morning though if it makes you feel better."

"Okay."

"And we can bring a pack of wipes on the plane if you barf all over yourself. We'll even bring a bigger barf bag just in case. I'll help clean it up and you can change into another shirt on the plane."

"Okay. You're so smart." He smiled slightly which made him look funnier with his eyes closed.

"Can I fuckin sleep now?"

"Yes baby, thank you." I reached over and kissed his face. I still felt anxious so I got up to walk around the house and drink some water. I sat down on the couch and wrote some of my worries in my notebook. With the pregnancy I had to stop taking some of my medications. This did no favors for my anxiety and depression. When Jamie was around I could be okay but if he was on the road I had to find distractions or call up Ana. After half an hour I went to the bathroom and crawled back into bed. After doing some deep breathing and visualizations, I was able to fall asleep.

—-

"Can you tell me now?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"Yeah!"

"Really?!"

"No!"

"But whyyyyyyy??"

"It's a surprise."

Jamie and I were on our way to the airport and he still hadn't told me where we were going. The suspense was killing me. When we got to the airport, I started up again.

"Babe." Nothing. "Jamie." Nothing. "J." Nothing. "Jojo." He swung around and I flashed my cheesiest grin knowing he was about at his wits end. We made it through security and started walking toward the gates. I read all the destinations as we walked past: Cabo, Jamaica, Cuba, Turks and Caicos... He stopped and turned around.

"Okay kid, you ready?"

"YES!"

He handed me a small box. In it was a tiny toy in the shape of a frog. "Omg...are you serious???"

"Absolutely." He guided me to our gate. San Juan, Puerto Rico. The island my mom's family was from. I hadn't been in years and was beyond happy to go back with him and our little guy. "Thank you J. This means a lot."

"I thought you might like it."

—-

Our week in Puerto Rico was nothing short of an absolute dream. The resort was all inclusive so everything was taken care of for us and we didn't have to think of anything the whole time. I would have loved to drink but at least the virgin cocktails were still delicious. Jamie would work out early in the morning and be back just as I was waking up. We took sunset walks along the beach until I couldn't stand any more and got nice and tan during the day. It was so nice to enjoy our little getaway before our lives changed in a big way.

On the way home though, I started thinking again about everything waiting for us. All the work we had to do. And the bigger I got the more evident it was that the time was getting closer. Thankfully, I was able to get some much needed sleep on the plane.

It was so nice to finally be home. Our getaway was nice and relaxing but there's nothing quite like being in your own familiar space. We still had a few more days to enjoy together before Jamie had to report for practices and team meetings again. Just as we were getting into our house, Jamie seemed a little excited. Like more than just being back home excited. We made a beeline for our room and dropped our bags. I plopped onto our bed and fell back.

"D, I have a surprise for you." What surprise could he possibly have 5 seconds of us getting home? I held my hand out. My sign for him to help me back up. Once he hoisted me up he covered my eyes and started leading me through the house. "Okay, babe, this is weird. Do my eyes really have to be closed?"

"Yes, I want you to be surprised."

"Okay..." We stopped and he turned me 45 degrees to the right. Then, I heard the switch click on.

"Tada!" He removed his hand and all at once I saw what he had done. Our baby's room was done! All of the furniture put together, the painting immaculate, set up just how I wanted it, including the dresser. "Jamie!! How...??? When...????"

"I got the number for the designer that Bish and his wife used for their kids. I knew you liked the way theirs turned out. She got some help with the furniture and they put it all together while we were gone."

"Jamie, this is amazing." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Damn hormones...and loving husband! I swiftly turned to him. "You're the best." He brought his hand to the side of my face, using his thumb to wipe the tears that fell, and embraced me tightly. I loved this man.

"I think you're amazing, kid. I can't wait to meet our son."