BROOKS It's been 3 weeks since Crystal and I got married and her doctor has given her the okay to get up and move around more with help. We decided not to have a honeymoon until after Marvin is born and is old enough for us to leave him with one of the sets of grandparents. Crystal has been having some pains in her stomach so we have an appointment in an hour with her OBGYN. Once Crystal was ready to go we headed to the doctor's office. There was a little wait but it wasn't too bad. As soon as Crystal was called back the nurse asked me to help her change into a gown so she could be examined. When the doctor came in she started the exam but it didn't take long for her to figure out what was going on. She told Crystal and I that the pains she felt were contractions. She said she was going into early labor and she was 2cm dilated but with how far along Crystal is, that Marvin wouldn't be in any danger of being delivered this early. I asked her what we needed to do and she told me that
CRYSTAL The pains are still pretty intense but they are still 4 minutes apart. I don't want to go to the hospital until they are 3 minutes apart like the doctor said. It's 7:30 a.m. and I've been up since 4:45 a.m. I'm starting to get sleepy but I've been trying to stay awake with Brooks. "Hey beautiful, why don't you try to get a nap? I can see your eyes are getting heavy." "I'm okay, Brooks." "Crystal, please try and get a nap in. I want you to get as much rest as you can." "Ok, Brooks. I will try to take a nap." I laid back and closed my eyes. When I woke up, Brooks was sitting next to me. "How was your nap?" "It wasn't long but it was good." "You've been asleep for the past 3 hours, beautiful." "It was not 3 hours." "It's 10:45 beautiful. Are the pains still bad?" "Honestly, no. I don't think I've felt any pain since I fell asleep." "I've been right here since you fell asleep and I haven't heard a peep out of you nor have I seen you hold your stomach." "Why would the
BROOKS After I got off the phone with Seth, I checked on Crystal. I told her I was going to make us salads for dinner. I headed into the kitchen and began to make them. I put 2 different kinds of dressing on the tray because I wasn't sure which one Crystal would want to use tonight. I grabbed the tray and headed back into the bedroom. I placed the tray on the bed and sat down. We began eating while watching TV. I noticed Crystal was taking her time eating and I asked if she was ok. "Oh, yeah I'm fine baby." "Crystal, I can tell something is either bothering you or you are hurting and not wanting to tell me." "I'm fine, Brooks. I'm trying to deal with the contractions, that's all." "If you are contracting more, you need to let me know." "I promise I'm fine, Brooks." "Ok, but promise me if it gets any worse you will let me know." "I promise, Brooks." After we finished eating I cleaned the dishes and called my mom to see if Jonah could cover for me at work tomorrow.
CRYSTAL I have been here for an hour now and the nurse who just came in to check me said I was only dilated to 4cm. The doctor asked if I wanted something for the pain but I told her no. I decided after our accident that I didn't want anything for the pain. I barely took my medicine when I had the broken wrist and leg and I managed through the pain then so I didn't feel like I would need it for giving birth. After another hour of laying there, the doctor came in and checked me. She told me that I had dilated to 6cm and things would probably progress pretty quickly now. I pray they do because these contractions hurt like hell! I was able to find a comfortable position to lay in for a while before the pain hit again. I looked up at the clock and saw that I had been here for almost 3 hours and still no baby boy. Another nurse came in and said she was going to check my progression and the look on her face as she took her glove off told me I must not have dilated much. She told us that
BROOKSAfter finding the test and Crystal and I talking, I fixed Crystal something to eat and she went and laid down after eating. I stood there leaning against the door frame watching her sleep and I couldn't help the thoughts that began racing through my mind. Was I going to be able to provide for her myself and provide for a baby? Was her dad going to kill me for not only asking for his daughter's hand but now he has to find out I got her pregnant? Were my mom and Ray going to kill me for getting her pregnant? I already know my mom is going to chew me a new one because we just had this talk not too long ago. I walked into the living room and sat down with my head resting in my hands. F*ck! I went from being the happiest man alive with her saying yes to marrying me, to finding out I am going to be a father and being terrified within 24 hours. I was happy about it at first but now I am scared to death. I honestly don't know how long I have been sitting here but when I looked up I saw
CRYSTALI woke up with Brooks's hand still on my stomach. I smiled and gently lifted his arm to go use the bathroom. When I finished my business, I jumped in the shower. As I stepped out of the shower Brooks was standing in the bathroom doorway. He was just standing there smiling. I asked why he was in such a good mood and he told me because he had a fiancee and a baby on the way. I shook my head and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. I pulled my wet hair up into a messy bun after getting dressed and told Brooks I was going to go to my dad's to get my insurance card. He asked if I wanted him to come with me and I told him he didn't have to. I was just going to get that and a few little things to bring back with me. He said he was thinking about taking Jonah out for lunch and I told him to go spend time with him. When I got to my dad's I saw his car was in the driveway. I went inside and yelled out that I was home. My dad came in from the back patio and asked how I was feeling. I
BROOKSI got up and Crystal and Jonah were still asleep so I took a shower. When I got out, I woke Crystal up and told her to get ready to go eat breakfast. I went and woke Jonah up and told him the same thing. Once everyone was dressed and ready to go we headed out to The hole in the Wall. It is a somewhat new place I've wanted to try. Once we were seated, Crystal looked over at Jonah funny. I asked if she told him and she shook her head. "Jonah got up last night when I was in the kitchen getting some water and he thought you were up. I think he may need to talk to you about something Brooks." She whispered to me. "Did he say what he needed to talk to me about?" She shook her head."Hey Jonah. Are you ok? Crystal mentioned you were wanting to talk to me." "Um. Uh. Yeah I'm fine. I was just needing some brotherly advice but it can wait." He said to me while trying to avoid eye contact."Jonah, You know if you need to talk to me you can. Is it something you would prefer to talk abou
CRYSTAL Seeing them both with tears warms my heart. I knew that they had to have been having a very deep heart to heart and I am proud of Brooks for trying to be there for Jonah. I am proud of Brooks for all the effort he has been putting in since I gave him a second chance and I cannot wait until I say I do and get to spend the rest of my life with him. I put the steaks in the fridge so they could marinate before being out on the grill. I cleaned up my mess on the counter and then went and sat on the couch next to Brooks while he and Jonah played a football game. When they finished their game, I went back into the kitchen and began prepping the sides for dinner. I cleaned the potatoes, peeled them, and cut them up. I then put them in the pot to boil. I got the ears of corn out and shucked them. After cleaning the corn, I put them in foil to place on the grill. I prepared the glaze for the carrots and put them in a dish to go in the oven. After I cleaned up my mess, I opened the bac