They spent a good portion of the next day the same way they’d spent the night. When they finally emerged to eat, James and Jeremiah were elbow deep in cleaning the hot tub. All Jake could do was laugh. “That’s fucking hilarious!” he said as he watched them scrubbing the sides of the now empty hot tub with the scrub brushes that were usually used to do that task, as well as clean the pool.
“What are you laughing about, baby?” Delilah asked.
“Look at Jay and ‘Miah. They have no idea what happened in that thing last night.”
“By the way, you two, you christened my hot tub”, Brie said with a smile.
“No, we didn’t”, Jake retorted.
“Yes, Jacob, you did. Your mother and I have never done anything in that hot tub. That pool you kids love to swim in, however, is another story”, David said as he sipped on a glass of tea.
Delilah laughed. “I told you, Jacob. That’s what you get for assuming. You made an ass of yourself.”
“Damn it!”, he cursed under his breath, then looked at his parents. “You’re not upset, are you?”
His parents laughed. “Are you kidding? Listening to the two of you for the MAYBE two minutes we did brought back a LOT of memories”, his mother said.
“Ah, yes, the night following the Lake Tenkiller rally. THAT was a GREAT night”, David said with a chuckle.
“Did we make you reminiscent or did we make you head upstairs to make more memories?”
“We were reminiscent so we went upstairs and relived the glory days.” He looked at his wife. “I still can’t believe how limber you are.”
“Yoga. That’s what’s done it. Lots and lots of Yoga”, she said with a smile.
“I know.”
“Can you do a back bend, Brie?” Delilah asked.
Brie laughed and stepped around from behind the island in the center of the kitchen. She bent over backwards and put her hands on the floor, palms flat. She looked at her new daughter in law. “Does this answer your question?”
“Almost. How do you stand up from that?”
Brie looked at David. “Baby, spot me and make sure I don’t hit anything… including my head on the floor.” David went over to where she was bent over and placed a hand at the small of her back to guide her over. Brie swung her feet over her head and went into a hand stand momentarily, then her feet came to where they belonged. She stood up after making sure she didn’t scuff her shoes, then gave her husband a kiss in gratitude for making sure she didn’t hurt herself.
Delilah applauded. “That was amazing!” she said. “You got that limber from doing Yoga?”
“Yep. Not a lot of it, but enough to keep my limber.”
“I can’t even believe you’re that limber, Mom”, Jake laughed.
“And you just saw it with your own two eyes. Imagine how your father feels. He sees it on a regular basis and he still can’t believe it and we’ve been together for nearly twenty five years.”
“How does your health hold up?”
“I'm a diabetic, so I’m sure to eat plenty of carbs and I work out a lot. I’ve been doing to same workout regiment since before I met David.”
“I wasn’t a slouch when we met either. I’d been working out daily. But, when we met… OH DEAR GOD, the first time I worked out with her, she nearly killed me. But, I wanted definition and I needed to lose the beer gut I’d been working on for ten years. She helped me lose it and get the abs I’d been trying to get for several years and keep them. I’m in my sixties and I’m in better shape than I was thirty, forty years ago.” He slid his arms around his wife’s waist. “And it’s all thanks to this angel.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek.
She smiled. “I love you too, honey. Now, I have a question for you. When the hell are you going to get out of my hair and go into the studio again?” she laughed.
“When Danny and Mikey get over the shock of finally being grandpas. I’d just become a grandfather for the first time and I still worked. Those slackers…” he laughed.
“Not everyone has your work ethic, baby. I’m sorry.” She turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s ok. I get to stay with you.”
“I can’t WAIT until all of the kids are out of the fucking house so I can retire and we can sell this fucking place.”
“Actually, Mom and Dad, can I talk to you two about that?” Jake asked.
They looked at their second born son. “What is it, Jake?” Brie asked.
“I was thinking that maybe I’ll buy it from you instead of you guys selling to someone who wouldn’t appreciate it and the memories our family has built here.”
David and Brie exchanged a look then looked at their son. “Talk to us closer to when we’re talking about selling, like after Marc and Jessi are out of the house. It’s a good idea, and we like it, but we’re not ready to sell it just yet”, David said.
“Marc and Jessi have how much longer in school?”
“They’re almost fourteen now, so about four more years.”
“God, I can’t believe the time that’s passed”, Jake said with a laugh.
“And you think WE can? You just got married last night, Jacob. It seems like just yesterday I was getting out of the shower when my water broke and I went into labor with you”, Brie scolded her son.
“And Jordan”, David added. “I was a fucking wreck that day.”
“Not that you let me see.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
---------------
A few weeks later, Delilah awoke in the dead of night to get up and run into the bathroom. The sound of her retching woke Jake and he got out of bed to see what was wrong. “Is everything ok, honey?” he asked as he knelt in the floor beside her to hold her hair as she threw up.
When she could speak, she looked at him and let him know what wrong. “I’ve felt weird all day. Hell, I’ve been feeling weird for a few weeks now. I think I might be pregnant.”
“Do I need to head out and buy a pregnancy test so that we can know for sure?”
She took a deep breath through her nose and nodded. “I don’t have one. I’ve been scarred to get one, but I’m about three weeks late as it is, so we should probably find out.”
“Ok, baby. Let me slip some shoes, a shirt and a jacket on and I’ll go get this for you.” He helped her back to the bed and slipped some shoes on, then grabbed a shirt from the closet and his jacket. He looked at the clock next to the bed. It was almost time for him to get up for work, which meant his parents were up. On his way out the door after giving her a kiss on the forehead, Jake left the small little house that his parents had given him and his wife so that they could have their own space. He headed through the house to go to the garage, and saw his parents. “Hey, son, what’s going on?” Brie asked as she got breakfast for the six remaining at home ready so they could head out to school.
“Delilah’s puking, been feeling weird, and she’s three weeks late”, Jake said with a sigh.
“She’s pregnant.”
“We think so.”
“We know so”, David said. “Remember how many children we have and how many pregnancies there were.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you two would have this down to a science by now. I’m still gonna go get her a test, then I’m going to get ready for work when I get back.”
“You want to be sure. We totally understand. What are you hoping, she is or isn’t?”
“Is. I’m hoping and praying that she is. I’m looking forward to fatherhood.”
“If she is, do you want a boy or a girl?”
“I don’t care, just so long as it’s healthy.” He sighed. “Well, let me go get this thing so I can go in and work a fucking double tonight.”
“Why all of the sudden are they scheduling your for doubles?”
“Hell if I know, Dad. All I know is that they’re working me doubles and I’m tired as hell.”
“Go get your woman a pregnancy test and come home and get ready for work”, Brie said. “Breakfast will be waiting on you when you get home.”
Jake nodded and headed toward the garage.
---------------
That afternoon while he was with his interns working on his research, his cell phone buzzed in his lab coat pocket. “Hello?” he said when he answered it.
“Hey, baby. How’s everything going today?” his wife asked.
“Not bad. We’re getting close to a break through, I can feel it. Once we’ve got it, we can start clinical trials. But, something tells me you didn’t call to ask me how my day’s going, Delilah, my love. What were the results of that test you took earlier?”
“You’re just as bad as your father about getting down to brass taxes, Jacob Micah Draiman.”
“Would you please just answer the question, Delilah?” he asked as he took a sip of the coffee he had in his cup. He was already tired and fighting to keep his eyes opened. He needed a nap, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. His body had gotten used to eight hour days, then out of nowhere they started him working multiples without warning. It was a shock to his system, but he’d get used to it again. And that’s what coffee and Mountain Dew were made for.
“Well, sweetie, I took the test about an hour after you left for work because that’s when I got up. I actually called out of class today because I feel like hell. Anyway, it was positive. We’re going to be parents, Jake.”
Jake broke into a smile. “That’s awesome! I’m so fucking happy. That news just helped me wake up a little bit, to be honest with you.”
She giggled. “I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
“You always are, whether you know it or not, beautiful. Have you told my parents yet?”
“Oh, yeah. And they agree with me that we should wait until Hanukkah to tell your siblings. That way I can get a little more control of the morning sickness.”
“And I totally concur. That way, we can tell everyone at the same time.”
“And that was my reasoning.”
“And my parents are right there with you. Nice to know we’re all in the same page.” The line was silent other than the sound of her retching. His heart sank. Damn it!, he thought. And I’m not there to make her feel better. This is not what I had hoped for. But, it will be ok. I’m off tomorrow during the day. When I’m not sleeping, I’ll be right there with her, so it will be ok. I’m not gonna stress too much. He spoke when he didn’t hear the retching anymore. “It’s gonna be ok, baby. I promise. The sickness should be done in a few more weeks. After I get off the phone, I’ll start calling some people I know so that we can find a good doctor.”
She sighed. “I hate this puking shit. Why am I puking?”
“Because your body’s adjusting to the hormones that are being released. My mother can explain it better than I can, believe it or not. I’m not an OB/GYN.”
“Ok, then I’ll go talk to Mom about what’s going on so that you can start making your phone calls.”
“Sounds like a plan to me, baby”, he chuckled. “Hey, I love you.”
“Hey, I love you too.”
He laughed. “Bye, baby, I’ll see you when I get home in the morning.”
“Ok, sweetie, see you then. Bye.”
He hung up with a huge smile on his face. His interns had never seen him smile like this. “Dr. Draiman, what’s going on? Did you just get some good news from home?” Dr. Emerson asked.
“Yeah, actually. I’m going to be a father.”
“Congratulations!” they all said.
“Thanks you guys. It means a lot. But, this also means that we’re going to have to bust our asses to finish this shit so that we can get into clinical trials ASAP. I’d like to be in clinical trials by the time my wife is six months pregnant.”
“Just starting clinical trials?”
“Yes, that way after my child is born, I can spend a little time with them and my wife then come back to work. It makes my schedule a little more flexible.”
“Doctor, will we be experimenting over Hanukkah and Christmas?”
“Long enough to check on what we’re doing, then head home. But the sooner we can get into clinical trials, the sooner I can take a LOA and be with my family.”
---------------
Jake sent his interns home at three that afternoon with instructions to return to the hospital by five that evening. If he had to pull a double, so did they. It was good practice for after leaving med school. After they left, he made his rounds. His favorite Army Corporal had another stroke and had regressed another year. She no longer thought she was fourteen. She thought she had just turned thirteen. “Yvette, how are you feeling today?” he asked when he walked into her room.
“Not so hot, Doc. I feel like I’ve just been run over by a Mac truck.” The left side of the poor girl’s face didn’t budge as she spoke.
“Well, let’s check you out here and we’ll see what’s going on here. How’s that sound?” he asked as he pulled his pen light from the pocket on his scrub shirt. “Follow the pen with your eyes.” He moved the pen in several different directions slowly then noted any changes in her chart. Other doctors talked to themselves. Jake had always been taught that was the first sign of insanity: talking to yourself in front of others. After noting the eye movement, or lack thereof on the left side, her checked pupil dilation and noted all of those changes in her chart. He sighed at looked at Yvette. “Looks like I need more tests, honey.”
“MORE?” she asked.
“Yeah. I need to see the extent of the damage from this more recent stroke. The left side of your face seems to be paralyzed which has me thinking that the clot that keeps causing these damn strokes is sitting on the nerve that controls that side of your face. You should have regained some use of that side of your face by now and you haven’t.”
“And you’re concerned.”
“That’s putting it mildly. I’m worried.”
Her handler spoke up. “You’re awfully blunt for a doctor.”
“Well ma’am, if you knew my parents you’d know why. My parents are both extremely blunt.” He looked back at Yvette. “I’m gonna go submit the orders for these tests and I’ll be back to check on you later. Sound good?”
“Sure does, Dr. D.”
“Great, I’ll see you later, Yvette.”
“Bye, Dr. D.”
He walked out of the room and spoke with the nurses, giving them any orders they needed to take care of the young corporal. “Now that you have what you need, I’m gonna go find something decent to eat before the next half of my shift begins. I want a rush on those tests and to be notified once the results are in. Understood?”
“Yes, Dr. Draiman. I’ll let you know when they’re in personally.”
“Thank you, nurse. You have my cell and pager number. Let me know if something happens and I’ll be here in a heartbeat.” He headed off toward the chow hall to see if he could find something down there that didn’t have pork in it so that he could put something on his stomach. He was feeling a little nauseous because the last thing he’d eaten had been at five o’clock in the morning. It was time to eat or he wasn’t going to make it through the rest of his shift. Then he would find a quiet place to rest his eyes until he was called, texted, or paged.
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