by A. Aubry
I tilted my head to look up at him, “I’d do anything for you. Besides, it’s a beautiful name.”
“You are the best,” Jackson smiled and brought his lips close to mine.
“Right back at ya,” my smile matched his as I closed the distance between our lips.
I had the most amazing man in the world…
Chapter Twenty
The next seven weeks flew by thanks to spring training and the beginning of the Twins’ regular season. Jackson had attended every day of spring training to support his team and I loved how much he still got involved with his friends and teammates. Though he wasn’t traveling with the team when they were on away games, he never missed a home game. While I sat out in the crowd with Alexandria, Jackson sat in the dugout with his team.
Next week, he would be beginning some training exercises once again with his team. He was hoping to be back in the game by mid to late May or even early June. When Jackson set his mind to something, it usually happened. It made me sad that I wouldn’t get much time with him after his season started, but Jackson loved the game of baseball and I was not going to stand in his way. Every day that Jackson was away at spring training with his team, I was researching doctors in Minnesota that I could follow up with for our baby. Today was our first appointment, my ten-week appointment to be exact.
Jackson and I walked into the doctor’s office, his hand excitedly squeezing mine every few minutes. The nurse led me back to the lab where they proceeded to take as many bodily fluids out of me as they could. Nobody told me about that portion of being pregnant and when the nurses told me it was something that would regularly happen? Yeah, I might have said ‘what the fuck out’ out loud. When we were escorted back to a room and left alone, Jackson kissed where my Band-Aids were on my arm and hand because my veins were being stubborn in giving blood. I didn’t ask him to do that, but he was sweet and caring and that was what made him even more amazing.
As I sat up on the examination table, I tugged Jackson closer to me, snaking my arms around his waist, “You have been very sweet the last several weeks…”
Jackson chuckled and put his hands on my thighs, “Is this you complainin’?”
“No, of course not! I love how sweet you are,” I smiled and hugged him tight.
“Good. I’ve just wanted to make sure that you are taken care of and are comfortable.”
“That’s what I was supposed to be doing for you, Jackson. You were hurt and in the hospital because of me and I wanted to take care of you.”
“Baby, you have got to stop thinkin’ about it that way. I am fine. You are carryin’ our child so that means that you are the top priority in our house,” Jackson quietly scolded me.
“But I wanted to take care of you for a change…”
“Madeline Joyce Ryder, you do take care of me even when you think that you don’t.”
“I love you,” I smiled innocently. Even when Jackson scolded me the way that he was, he could never resist giving into that smile and when I told him that I loved him.
He kissed my lips softly, “I love you too.”
There was a knock at the door and a man in a white lab coat walked in with a younger woman in pink scrubs following close behind him.
“Madeline Ryder?” The man asked.
“Yes, that’s me,” I said quietly.
He walked over and extended his hand to me after Jackson and I parted, “Mrs. Ryder, I’m Dr. Oliver and this is my PA, Veronica. This is your first appointment for your pregnancy?”
I nodded and took his hand, “Yeah, we found out when Jackson and I were living in Florida for his spring training. When I called the office, they said to wait a month before coming in, but we just moved back up here a few weeks ago.”
“That is correct, usually we have our patients wait a month but that is okay that you had to delay it. And this is Mr. Ryder, I presume?”
“Yes, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you,” Jackson smiled and shook his hand.
“Likewise. Now Madeline, I will just have you lay back on the table and roll up your shirt slightly. Since you are about ten weeks along according to the time you took your test and how long you waited to come in, we should be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat,” the doctor instructed as he walked around the table to the ultrasound machine.
I did as I was told, and the doctor told Jackson that he could come up beside me as he turned on the computer screen. Jackson took his place at my side and grabbed onto my hand. Dr. Oliver put some gel on my stomach and began to search the area with the probe attached to the machine on my right. The loud sound that came out of nowhere caused me to jolt slightly causing Dr. Oliver to chuckle.
“That’s your baby’s heartbeat,” he said and pointed to the picture on the screen that showed a very small baby figure within a large black oval.
Jackson’s face split into a grin as he squeezed my hand, bringing it up to his lips. I used my free hand to wipe away a happy tear that escaped after hearing the sound of my baby’s heartbeat. The doctor clicked a few buttons on his keyboard before he moved the probe a little bit.
“Did you two want to find out what you are having?” The doctor asked as he handed me a towel to wipe off the gel.
“You could tell from the ultrasound?” I asked.
“No, there is a blood test that we can do that can tell you this early if you’d like to take it.”
I looked up at Jackson, “What do you think, Jack? Should we find out or force ourselves to wait?”
His mouth fell open, “You’re kiddin’, right? We should find out!”
I giggled and turned my attention back over to the doctor, “I guess we have our answer.”
The doctor nodded and made a note in my chart for the lab to also run that test. After an hour of a full check up from head to toe, Dr. Oliver said we would find out the news in a few days. Jackson looked like he was walking on sunshine with the smile that was plastered on his face. As he helped me into his truck, I was finding myself more and more excited about the impending results. A few days now seemed way too long.
“How are you adjusting to the life of a baseball player’s wife?” Alexandria asked me as we sat across from each other at our favorite mom and pop family diner.
“It’s been an adjustment with moving to Florida for a little while then back here. It will be even more of an adjustment when he gets back in the game and has away games,” I laughed as I took a sip of my milkshake. Even at ten weeks, I was having cravings and it was always for a chocolate milkshake.
“You said you were going to travel with him, right?” She took a bite of her French fry that was coated in ranch dressing.
“Yeah, but after a certain amount of time…I won’t be able to anymore…” I insinuated.
“Why? Are you planning on coming back to work?” She asked excitedly.
I hadn’t exactly told my best friend that I was pregnant yet. We wanted to tell our families which we did at three weeks, but after that it was something that Jackson and I wanted to keep to ourselves for a little while. Today, while I was telling Alex over lunch, Jackson was telling Owen while he was at Target Field doing some exercises with the medical staff. We weren’t ready to make it total public knowledge yet, but we wanted our best friends to know.
I shook my head with a knowing smile, “No, I’m not coming back to Pioneer Press.”
“Then what is it?”
“Well…after a certain number of weeks in a pregnancy, you are advised not to fly and travel…””
“WHAT?!”
I giggled and shushed her now that some of the restaurant’s attention was on us, “Jackson and I are going to have a baby, Alex. I’m ten weeks along but we are waiting to tell everybody. Our families have known for about seven weeks, but we wanted to wait to tell the public because this is something special for us.”
Alex reached over and took my hands, “I can’t believe you’re going to have a baby, Maddie! This is so exciting! When are you due?”
“The doctor sa
id November 13th is my due date when Jackson and I went to the doctor a few days ago.”
“A thanksgiving baby!” Alex cheered.
“Yeah, well for this baby, we have a lot to be thankful for,” I explained sadly.
“What do you mean?”
“I got pregnant about a week before Jackson was shot. If I would have lost him, then this baby would have been the only piece left of Jackson that I had…”
Alex frowned as she squeezed my hands in hers, “Maddie, I know what happened to Jackson has been hard on you. I can’t imagine if something like that happened to Owen. But, you also cannot keep thinking negative thoughts like that. Jackson is healthy and you two are happy. You are going to be a mom, Mad! That’s the most exciting thing for a woman.”
I nodded, “You’re right.”
My phone began to buzz, and I pulled it out of my purse. The caller ID told me that it was the doctor’s office. It was the call that Jackson and I had been waiting for. I held up a finger to Alex and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Madeline Ryder?”
“Yes, this is she.”
“Mrs. Ryder, I have the results back regarding the blood test that we did to find out the gender of your baby. Would you like me to disclose that information to you now?” The woman on the phone asked.
“Yes, I’ve been dying to know,” I smiled.
“It is such an exciting thing. From the test results…it looks like you and Mr. Ryder will be having a little girl.”
“I knew it!” I squealed and bounced in my seat.
The woman chuckled, “Congratulations. We will see you at your next appointment.”
I said my thank you and hung up. Alex looked at me as though I was crazy.
“What was that all about?”
I pursed my lips and tried to hold back another squeal, “I took a blood test when I was at the doctor a few days ago and they said they could tell the gender of our baby already. That call was the call I have been waiting for. I found out what we are going to have!”
“What are you having?!” She slammed her hands on the table.
I giggled, “I should tell Jackson first, but I will text you about it later.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes, “Fine…tell your husband first.”
On my way home from lunch, I stopped at a craft store. I bought a pink picture frame along with some supplies to decorate it. When Jackson and I were dating, he took a picture of me along with him whenever he traveled. He had said that it made me feel close even though I was far away. Now, he could take a sonogram picture of our baby with him whenever he would travel until she was born.
I rushed home and quickly decorated the frame. Writing ‘Daddy’s Girl’ in elegant cursive, I set the frame down and waited for it to dry. The sound of the garage door notified me that Jackson was home, and I checked the frame to make sure it was dry. I slipped one of our sonogram photos into the frame and hid it behind my back as Jackson walked in the door.
“Hello there, gorgeous wife,” he grinned and walked over to me, instantly wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Why hello there, handsome husband,” I giggled and kissed his lips quickly.
“What are you hidin’ behind your back?” He smirked as he brushed his hands against mine.
I bit my lip and smiled innocently, “It’s an updated picture for you to take on the road with you for when I can’t travel with you.”
He shook his head and chuckled, “Mad, you didn’t have to do that.”
Bringing the frame out from behind my back, I held it up for him to see, “Yeah, I think I did.”
Jackson studied the frame, taking a few minutes to process what it meant, “Wait…we are havin’ a girl?”
“Yep, Jackson Ryder is going to have a daddy’s girl.”
“I can’t believe it!” He yelled excitedly as he tugged me in close and kissed me deeply.
I sighed happily as he kissed me, “So, you are okay with not getting a little boy this time around?”
Jackson laughed softly, “There’s always time for more children, and I will eventually get the boy that I hope to have one day.”
“You do know that you probably just jinxed us for all girls now…right?” I teased.
“A house full of daddy’s girls? I couldn’t complain then either.”
“Until all the females in the house are on their period.”
“Fuck. I didn’t even think about that,” Jackson playfully hit his palm against his forehead.
I giggled hugged him close, “That means you will be in charge of going out and getting us chocolate and ice cream.”
He smiled and rested his forehead against mine, “For you and our girls, I will do anythin’.”
My eyes glanced up at the ceiling as I pretending to be thinking hard, “Well…you can make me and our daughter a chocolate milkshake now that you are home.”
Jackson kissed my lips quickly and released me, “One chocolate milkshake comin’ right up.”
I followed him into the kitchen and sat at the island while he got the ingredients together for my milkshake. It was probably unhealthy having as many milkshakes as I had every day—which usually capped out at about three—but that was better than letting me have them almost every other hour of the day when I wanted them. Jackson turned on the blender and mixed everything up before pouring it in a glass and sliding it over to me with a spoon. I smiled and took a big spoonful into my mouth and hummed my approval. No restaurant had anything on the way that Jackson made the perfect milkshakes.
“How was training today? The medical staff give you some good news?” I asked as I continued to eat my milkshake.
Jackson nodded and leaned back against the counter, “Yeah, they said I was makin’ good progress. My shoulder and chest are a little sore so I’m not sure if I just overdid it. I was tryin’ to prove myself.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, “And what did I tell you about overdoing things, Jack?”
“It’s not goin’ to help me get any better any quicker,” he quoted back to me sarcastically.
“Exactly. You don’t want to go and aggravate your injury, sweetheart. You will heal up soon and be back on the field in no time.”
“It just kills me not to play, Mad. Sittin’ on the benches in the dugout? That’s not me.”
“I know it’s not, baby. I know how much it must suck, but you just have to give your body the time that it needs.”
He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. Jackson had been doing a lot of brooding lately because of the fact that he hadn’t played since the day he was shot. I couldn’t help but blame myself for Jackson not being able to play. If he would have never met me, he would have never been shot by Tony. Hell, Tony probably would have found me some way and shot me when I told him I didn’t want to be with him. Maybe that would have been better for all of us.
“No, Madeline. Stop thinkin’ like that,” Jackson said softly.
I looked up from where I was mindlessly stirring my drink and saw Jackson watching me closely. Sometimes, it was honestly like he could read my mind. It scared the hell out of me…like it did right now.
“What are you talking about?” I asked nonchalantly.
“This was not your fault. Tony was a psycho who had an unhealthy obsession with you. I hate to think about what would have happened to you if he got you alone and I wasn’t there to protect you.”
“If you wouldn’t have ever met me, you would be playing baseball right now, Jackson…”
He came around the island and pulled me into his arms, “It wouldn’t be worth anythin’ without you. I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t have you.”
I pouted and looked down at the ground, “You probably would have found someone else.”
“Stop it,” Jackson demanded sternly while lifting up my chin, “There is no one else in the world that I want more than you.”
Abandoning my milkshake, I wrapped my arms around Jackson’s torso an
d buried my face into his chest, “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you.”
He kissed the top of my head as his hand skated smoothly up and down my back, “Well you have me until death do us part, darlin’. What do you say we make some of my famous grilled cheese sandwiches and cuddle in front of the television? Would my wife like that?”
I smiled shyly and nodded.
Jackson took a step back and bent over to address my stomach, “Does that sound good to you, baby girl?”
I giggled, “It sounds wonderful. Can we wait to tell our families until tomorrow about how we are having a girl? I don’t want to spend forever on the phone…I just want to spend time with you.”
He stood up straight and brought my hand to his lips, “Uninterrupted alone time it is.”
Jackson walked back around the island while I sat and watched him make our dinner. He loved to cook for me just as much as I liked to cook for him. When each of our plates were filled with two grilled cheese sandwiches a piece, Jackson and I made our way into the living room. We flipped on the television, settled on a movie that was playing, and cuddled up together under a blanket as we ate. It was moments like these that made me so grateful that Jackson survived Tony’s attack. Moments where I felt loved and cared for, moments that were made just for me and my husband.
Chapter Twenty-One
Traveling had become harder and harder. I wasn’t more than six months along before Dr. Oliver told me that it was wise to stop traveling around with Jackson and his team. The major downfall to this order, Jackson’s baseball season was in literal full swing. He was gone every other week and sometimes longer than an exact week. It killed me because my connection with Jackson was so strong that I hated to be without him.
Today was the first full day without him in our home. He had encouraged me to write, and every day that I was with him I wrote like a madwoman. Yet today, there was no inspiration, all I wanted to do was sulk in mine and Jackson’s bed and hug his pillow. Sure, it was probably the pregnancy hormones that were causing me to act this way. But you try telling yourself that when for the last seven months of your life had been with your husband right by your side unless he was working. He was always a phone call away if I needed him and he would be right back by my side.