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Trinity
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The day after my little scare with the practice labor Juniper came to see me. She was nearly as far along as I was, but she didn't have any blood pressure issues and therefore she wasn't on bedrest. I was actually really jealous of her right now, but I was doing my best to not let it bother me that much. We all had our own struggles in life and right now this was mine.
"Hey Trin." She came into my room after knocking. She didn't wait for me to tell her to come in, but I had been expecting her, and it was how we usually did things anyway.
"Hey Ju." We used the playful nicknames that had somehow become funny to us when we got pregnant.
"So, how are Raegan and Rika doing today?" She asked me as she sat a bag on my bedside table and leaned in for a very awkward hug. It was only awkward because it was hard for her to lean over me because my belly got in the way of her belly.
"Good, I think." I grimaced. "We had a scare last night." I laughed it off a little, but I watched as she tensed up for a moment.
"What kind of scare?" She had paused in the process of pulling over a chair from the table.
"Nothing major, just some practice labor pains. Or that's what Griffin called them. I thought I was going to die with how much it hurt." I was remembering the pain and fear of the night before and shuddered at the thought of it all.
"Now you're scaring me." She laughed. "I don't want to be in pain."
"I don't think either of us have a choice in that matter." My laugh came out strained and tense. "It will all be worth it in the end though, right? When we get to hold our beautiful babies in our arms."
"Yeah." She was smiling happily. "It will be nice. And our babies will be able to grow up together, that will make it even better in my opinion."
I had been thinking the same thing. Juniper was my best friend. For a while she was my only friend really. I know that no matter what happens to me, Juniper will be there to help me through it. She is the first person after Reece that comes to mind when I want to share my secrets with or tell my exciting news to. And I was glad that I was going to have her with me on the journey of motherhood.
Together Juniper and I would be figuring out the ins and outs of how to raise not one, but two babies at the same time. It was a special thing to share with your best friend.
As that thought made its way through my head there was another knock at my door, and another person walked in unannounced. She too was expected and had done this same thing many times.
Nikki had just come in with Elias in her arms. I loved seeing my nephew. He was so cute. This had become a regular thing for us. Juniper and Nikki would come to have lunch with me, and we would do a video call with Emmalee while she ate lunch as well. She was literally due any second now so it was like we were on baby watch for her as well as me.
It felt like so many of the people around me were about to have their babies. I mean, Acacia was due within the next couple weeks. It seemed like Emmalee was due forever ago, I could have my babies at any time, Juniper and Rawlynne were due toward the end of December. Ella was due in January if my memory was correct, Falena was due in March. And even though no one knew about it, Shawn and Dietrich were due around the end of February or beginning of March. All of us were due within the next three months or so.
We had just started the lunch, the food that Juniper had brought was passed out by Nikki while I did my best to hold onto my nephew who was now four months old and could move around a lot more than when he was first born.
I thought it was adorable though, the way that Elias would reach for things and try to explore everything. He was so curious and inquisitive for such a young baby. I remember joking with Noah last week about it. I had told him that I was happy to see that Elias seemed to be a normal baby and that he didn't seem to be born as a stick in the mud like his daddy. Reece found it funny and laughed; however Noah hadn't seemed very amused.
Just as Nikki finished passing out the food, Juniper had finished setting up the computer, and Emmalee was on the screen waving happily.
"Hey!" She looked so full of energy, and her smile was infectious.
"Hey Emmalee." I beamed at her as I handed the baby back to Nikki. "How are you feeling?"
I couldn't believe she was further along than me and was that energetic, but I think that was just how Nikki was though. She was just a happy and chipper person.
"I am great. I just love being pregnant and feeling the baby move inside of me."
"That's because you only have one." Juniper joked with her.
We started to eat our lunch and talk about all sorts of things. Pregnancy woes, labor fears, baby raising woes. We were all there to just support and help each other.
At one point we were all four laughing very hard at something Nikki said. Apparently, Noah could be very squeamish when it came to Elias, and the result had us cackling. However, Emmalee's laughter had turned into a hiss before she sucked in a breath.
"Oooh." I could tell that she had reached down to grab her belly.
"Are you OK?" Nikki asked her.
"It's probably nothing. I think I just laughed too hard." She grinned though whatever pain she was feeling, but I could tell that it was worse than she was letting on.
She grimaced for a moment. Another hiss of pain passed through her clenched teeth as she tried to ignore it. She couldn't ignore it though, because her eyes popped open and we could all see how surprised she was.
"Oh."
"What?" All three of us asked her at nearly the same time.
"My water just broke." I watched as a small smile spread across her face even as the pain seemed to intensify.
"Really?" I was shocked. "Oh my Goddess, Emmalee, go get Carter." I was so excited. I wished I could be there for her. I wanted to go to the hospital to see the baby like I did for Nikki, but I couldn't.
"Get me for what?" Carter came walking out of the other room after having heard me shout at the computer.
"Oh, Carter babe, my water just broke." Emmalee seemed as calm as could be, Carter however was instantly flipping out.
The chaos on the other side of the line was funny to see. The three of us were laughing like crazy until Juniper got a call and stepped aside to answer it. Still, I enjoyed the show until Carter disconnected the computer so he could take Emmalee to the hospital. I was so excited to see pictures of my new nephew, I couldn't wait to meet him.
As I looked around me I realized I was alone now. Nikki was calling Mom to tell her about Emmalee being in labor, she would most likely take the plane out there so she can see the baby tonight. And Juniper was still on the phone as well, a big smile on her face.
"I am going to go tell Noah what happened, I know I can call him and all but he's just right down stairs." I could tell that Nikki just wanted to see Noah and celebrate the baby coming with him in person.
"OK, I will see you later." I kissed Elias on the cheek as Nikki leaned in and gave me a hug.
Right after Nikkie left the room, Juniper, who had seemed to have ended her call but was frozen in a state of happy shock, finally sank back into her chair. I say she was in happy shock because she wasn't saying anything, and she was clearly shocked by the phone call but she was practically grinning from ear to ear.
"What's with you?" I asked her with a laugh in my voice.
"She's in labor." She sounded like she couldn't believe it.
"I know, we just watched it on the computer. Were you sad that you missed it because of the call?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I'm not talking about Emmalee." Juniper was smiling wider now.
"Huh?" I was confused.
"Acacia." She looked up and beamed the happiest smile in the world at me. "Acacia is in labor. Cedar just called me. She's having the triplets today."
"What are you waiting for? Go!" I was about to laugh at her. She was in so much shock that it was like she didn't know what to do.
Once the shock had worn off, Juniper left. She hurried to the hospital to be with her brother and meet her new nephews and niece. Later in the day, I was texted pictures of my nephew Carter Junior as he slept soundly in Carter's arms. And in the early evening Juniper sent me pictures of her two nephews and niece, Beech, Cyprus, and Ashle.
I nearly cried when I saw the babies. All four of them were so cute. And I couldn't believe that both Juniper and I had our families expanded on the same day. It was such a joyous and happy day.
