The Human Side

by Cori Garrison

  Not too long after, she pulled the car into the parking space at the Jewelers. “Just wait until you see the ring Jackson, you’ll think it’s a new toy right?” She reached in and unbuckled him from his seat and headed inside.

  “I see you brought back up this time.” The young man who had helped her earlier said as they walked in. “Who is this handsome guy?”

  Sam smiled. “This little stud is Jackson, our oldest.”

  The young man’s eyebrows went up. “Your oldest? You two must be some baby making machines!” He laughed good-naturedly.

  “I guess that’s one of the perks of having two women in a relationship huh?” Sam laughed.

  “You’re serious aren’t you? How old is your other child if you don’t mind me asking?” The young man’s face grew more serious.

  “Well, it’s a long story, but we have a little boy Jace who is five weeks old and hopefully will get to come home from the hospital in the next few weeks. And my girlfriend is eight weeks pregnant.” Sam couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his face. “Okay, in all fairness, Jace is not biologically ours. He was kind of an unexpected miracle. As my girlfriend would say, he’s our reminder that life always has a human side and he’s our human side.”

  The young man looked at her thoughtfully. “I’m not sure I understand?”

  “It’s simple really. All of us have things about ourselves that we are afraid to share with others. Sometimes it’s because of things that have hurt us in the past. In Jace’s case, he’s our reminder of how precious life is and how fragile it can be. We can either chose to love and embrace our human side, however painful that can be at times or we choose the easy way. Everyone is worthy of being loved. Jace did nothing to end up an orphan; he deserves parents that love him. Because of things that have happened in my past, I could have allowed my fear that I would lose him to either medical complications or to the system win out and simply chose to be indifferent to his plight. I chose love, however difficult it might be.” Sam smiled again, shifting the baby in her arms.

  The young man just nodded, pulling out the ring box and opening it. “I hope this choice won’t be difficult at all.” He smiled and held it out to her.

  “I don’t expect it to be. It’s more beautiful than when I was in here earlier. Thank you!” She signed the paper showing that she had picked it up, hitched Jackson higher on her hip and walked to car holding on tightly to the bag with it inside.

  ****

  Jenna opened the garage door and stepped inside the house. She smelled dinner cooking and smiled. I love that Sam works from home. There is nothing like coming home to the house smelling like Chef Gordon Ramsey’s kitchen and a beautiful blonde woman waiting for me.

  She was running later than normal because she had stopped to visit Jace before heading home. It was time to feed him again, so she stayed long enough to feed him his bottle. Bottle, well it was really a skinny looking tube with a nipple on the end. It didn’t really look like a bottle. She hoped her delay hadn’t ruined dinner. She stopped as she stepped into the open kitchen, seeing flowers on the table. Oh shit, now I really hope I didn’t ruin dinner or she’s going to be pissed.

  Sam stepped around the corner from the stove and was startled to see Jenna standing there. “Hey baby, I didn’t hear you come in.” She walked over and took Jenna by the hand, leading her to a bar stool at the island. She had to keep her in here with her, and away from the bedroom. “Why don’t you sit here, have a glass of sparkling grape juice and talk with me while I finish dinner for us.”

  Jackson toddled in the kitchen just as Jenna was about to start the Spanish Inquisition on why all the pomp and circumstance with dinner. Perfect timing son, just like you knew. Sam smiled at him. “Look who is home!” She said to the small boy, who looked up at Jenna sitting on the stool and squealed at her.

  She laughed and picked up the excited baby. To Sam she said “I’m sorry I’m late honey, I stopped to see Jace and it was time for him to eat so I went ahead and fed him. He did great both times I tried today and the nurses said he’s doing well with the bottle. His breathing has been fine all afternoon too.”

  Sam stopped as she walked past, kissing Jenna on the temple. “I know. I have my ways.” Jackson squealed with delight as he usually did when they kissed, thinking it was a game. Jenna just squinted her eyes and stared at her.

  “What are you up to? Did you wreck the car or something?” Jenna questioned with suspicion.

  “What am I sixteen? No, I did not wreck the car and I didn’t get a ticket either in case that was your next question. Can’t a girl just make a nice dinner for the woman she loves?” Sam answered with an innocent look on her face.

  Jenna watched Sam carefully over the rim of her wine glass as she sipped the juice. Jackson tried to grab the glass from her hand “You want some?” She held the glass to his mouth and carefully tipped it so he just barely tasted it. He bounced excitedly saying “More, more.”

  Sam laughed “Great, now everyone will think we are feeding him booze when he goes nuts every time someone has a wine glass. Won’t he be disappointed to discover when he’s eighteen that his moms have been letting him drink sparking grape juice from a wine glass?”

  Jenna giggled. “I won’t tell him if you don’t.” She eyed Sam again. “Are those new jeans?” She asked.

  “Nope. I can finally fit my fat ass back in to them though. It’s only taking me fourteen months to get back to the size I was before I got pregnant with Jackson.” She frowned with fake disgust at the little boy. “You wreaked havoc on my ass son.” She patted his chubby cheek and smiled with affection. “I don’t mind too much though because I wouldn’t trade you for a size four pair of jeans.”

  Jenna smiled as she let her eyes run down Sam’s long legs and then back up to her ass while she was turned away stirring something on the stove. “Well, for the record, I am in love with your ass and everything else about you.”

  Sam smiled over her shoulder at her. Let’s hope so because I don’t think I could take it if you don’t say yes tonight.

  Jenna strapped little Jackson in his high chair and sat dutifully at the table while Sam brought the food to her. She kept a watchful eye on Sam as they ate dinner and chatted. She’s up to something, what could it be?

  After dinner, Sam shooed Jenna into the living room to relax on the couch. She picked up Jackson, pulled the ring out of a drawer in the kitchen and stepped against the wall just on the other side of the living room. She whispered into the little boy’s ear “Go take this to mommy ok? Go take it to mommy.” She put the box in the little boy’s hand and stood him down on the floor, directing him to the living room. “Take it to mommy” she whispered.

  A few second later, she heard Jenna’s voice “What do you have Jackson Shawn? Give it to mommy. Now where in the world did you find….” Sam heard nothing but silence so she stepped around the corner into the living room. Jenna was kneeling on the floor, the box was open and she was staring at the ring.

  Sam knelt down beside her, taking the box from her hand and pulling the ring out. She reached for Jenna’s hand and Jenna looked up at her with tears in her eyes. “Jenna. I love you more than I ever thought I could love another person. You have been with me through the darkest times of my life, when Jake died and my parents walked away from me. You’ve been there with me for the birth of one son, you’ve opened your heart and my mind to another son and you are carrying our new little baby. I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife, will you?” She held out the ring.

  Tears rolled down Jenna’s face as she reached for Sam. “There is nothing that I would love more in this world than to be your wife and for you to be mine. Yes, I will marry you if you promise to never stop loving me.” She kissed Sam with such force that she almost knocked her backwards on to the floor.

  “Careful, our son is still up. As soon as he goes to bed, we can go to bed too.” Sam held Jenna’s hand with her left hand and carefully slid the ring on her finger,
bringing it to her mouth and kissing it. “I love you.”

  Jenna captured Sam’s face with her hands and kissed her deeply again. “You make me so happy, I can’t express it with words. I need to show you.” She stared into Sam’s eyes for a minute. “I’ll get the baby ready for bed.”

  Sam reached out and pulled her back before she could get up. “One more kiss.” She said before leaning to her. She savored the softness of Jenna’s lips for a moment. “Okay, go get him ready for bed and I’ll meet you in there to tell him goodnight.”

  Thirty minutes later, the baby was bathed and in his pajamas. Sam entered his room and found Jenna had just laid him down in his bed. “Goodnight baby boy. Mommy and mama love you so much.” She bent down and kissed him. Jenna leaned down, kissing his cheek. “Mama will see you in the morning.” She turned, reaching for Sam’s hand and led her out of the room.

  They walked without speaking until Sam pulled them to a stop in front their bedroom door. “I want this to be a night you never forget.” She slowly opened the door, stepping aside so Jenna could walk in.

  The only light in the room came from candles lit on one of the dressers. The TV was running the fireplace screen saver and the iPod was playing softly in the background. The bed was covered with little strips of red paper. Jenna looked around the room, tears gathering in her eyes as she reached for one of the red bits of paper, holding it up to look at it. On it was a sentence written in Sam’s handwriting. Your beautiful eyes. She picked up another one. Your gentle heart. She looked up at Sam with questioning eyes.

  “They are all the things that I love about you.” Sam said quietly.

  Jenna looked at the bed. My God, there has to be a hundred of these. She began picking more up, reading them as she went. The way you love our son. She read another one. The way you look at me.

  Sam began to pick them up. “You can read these in the morning, I promise. Right now, I need to show you something else.” They quickly finished picking them up and Sam laid them on the bedside table. She turned and reached out, gently brushing Jenna’s hair over her shoulder. “You are so beautiful. Let me show you how much I love you, how happy I am that you said yes.”

  Jenna didn’t answer with words, but simply nodded; her eyes never left Sam’s. Sam reached for the bottom of Jenna’s shirt and slowly pulled it off, letting it to drop to the floor and then unhooked her bra. She carefully slid the straps down and bent her head to gently kiss Jenna’s shoulder.

  Jenna’s hands came up, softly holding the back of Sam’s neck. She leaned her head to the side, offering her neck to Sam’s magical touch.

  “So soft.” Sam whispered as she continued her feathery kisses across to the other shoulder. “So beautiful.” Her hands reached for the tie on Jenna’s scrub pants. She pulled it loose as she continued to kiss the hollow of Jenna’s throat. The tie came loose and she let the pants fall to the floor. With a gentle kiss on Jenna’s lips, Sam knelt to the floor, pulling Jenna’s satin bikini’s with her.

  Jenna looked down, brushing Sam’s hair back so she could see her face. Sam looked up at her and the expression on her face brought tears to Jenna’s eyes once again. How about the way you look at me. Like its Christmas and I’m the present you’ve wanted since you were five.

  Sam gently kissed Jenna’s left thigh and then stood again. “Lay back on the bed baby.” As Jenna scooted back on the bed, Sam quickly removed her own clothes and then reached for a bottle of lotion on the table. “Roll over baby.”

  Jenna rolled on to her stomach and felt Sam’s weight shift on the bed. She settled with her knees on either side of Jenna’s thighs, reaching down to massage Jenna’s shoulders. As she massaged, she feathered soft kisses on Jenna’s ears and neck. “I can’t wait for you to be my wife.” She whispered.

  Jenna started to speak, but Sam put her fingers to her lips. “Shh. In a minute. I’m not finished.” She moved her hands to massage Jenna’s back, paying special attention to the spots she knew bothered her. After a few minutes, she gently turned Jenna slightly “Roll over honey.” Jenna rolled over obediently, carefully turning between Sam’s legs.

  Sam leaned down and kissed her, deepening the kiss as Jenna’s hands held her face. She pulled back after a minute, seeing the disappointment in Jenna’s eyes she reassured her. “Don’t worry; I won’t leave you hanging.”

  She added more lotion to her hands and began to massage the front of Jenna’s shoulders, moving down to rub her pectoral muscles. She leaned down, kissing a trail between Jenna’s breasts and then continued kissing until she reached her belly button. Jenna’s hands had once again found their way to Sam’s hair, gently encouraging her to continue the attention.

  Sam’s kisses became more targeted as she found Jenna’s right breast, sucking it briefly before moving to the other one. She felt Jenna arch underneath her. “So, so beautiful.” Sam whispered. She continued her attention on Jenna’s neck, before finding her mouth with a kiss that embodied all of the emotion she felt for her. Her hand slid down between Jenna’s legs as they continued to kiss. Her long fingers gently traced their way to the treasured spot. She entered her gently and began to stoke slowly.

  Jenna held on to Sam tightly, moaning into the kiss as she felt fingers enter and begin to move inside her. She had never felt so loved, so treasured, in her entire life. A whirlwind of emotions tumbled through her mind as she thought about the first time they made love. She had never anticipated falling in love with Sam, much less building a life and a family with her. Her body started to move in rhythm with Sam’s strokes, their kiss had not broken.

  Sam finally broke the kiss and pulled her head back slightly to look into Jenna’s eyes. She could feel her pulsing around her fingers and knew she was close to orgasm. She wanted to watch her eyes when she did. “So soft and wet.” She whispered as she curled her fingers inside Jenna and stroked the sensitive ridges faster.

  Jenna tilted her head back slightly, fighting to keep her eyes open and hold Sam’s adoring gaze. She could feel the flush working its way up her body. “Oh God, mmm.” She purred as she shifted her hips to increase the pressure of Sam’s fingers inside her. Her eyes rolled back and shut briefly as she felt the first wave start.

  “Look at me baby, please. I want to look into your eyes while you cum for me.” Sam whispered.

  Jenna opened her eyes. She could feel tears again, but she couldn’t stop them. She was overwhelmed with so many feelings and emotions. The orgasm was different then she’d ever experienced, but no less pleasurable. The pulsing waves continued to overtake her body in gentle, excruciatingly slow contractions. “Sam.” She gasped as another one started. “I’ve never felt this before… oh my God I love you.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and Sam leaned to gently kiss them away.

  “Shh baby, I’ve got you. I will always have you. Always.” Sam crooned as she carefully laid down next to Jenna and rolled her on top of her own body, stroking her hair as Jenna laid with her head on Sam’s chest. “I love you so much Jenna. I can’t bear to think about you not being a part of my life. I want us to grow old together, enjoy grandchildren and life together.”

  They drifted asleep with Jenna laying on top of Sam, listening to her heart beat. As sleep claimed them, Jenna mumbled softly “My wife.”

  ****

  Later that same night a few miles away, Shawn was wakened at three in the morning by moans coming from Rebecca’s side of the bed. She blinked several times, trying to clear the cob webs. Is she having a sexy dream? She rolled to face her, reaching out her hand to touch her huge belly. Rebecca moaned again, even louder.

  “Becca, baby wake up. Are you dreaming or are you in pain?” Shawn asked as she gently rubbed Rebecca’s arm.

  She received no answer so she sat up and flipped the light on her side of the bed. She got up and walked around the bed, leaning down over Rebecca, gently shaking her. “Baby, wake up. Are you having pain?”

  This time Rebecca responded with a sleepy whine “It hurts Shawn, its hurtin
g me.”

  Shawn was wide awake. “What’s hurting you honey? Were you dreaming or are you having pains now?”

  Rebecca groaned again. “Oh God, I think I’m having a contraction!” She was wide awake now also. She was about to roll over to face Shawn when her eyes went wide open. “Shawn we have bigger problems than a contraction. My water just broke!”

  Shawn flipped the overhead light on, whipping the covers back to inspect. “Well, you are correct. I’m calling the doctor now and we better head to the med center.” As she dialed the doctor’s after hours emergency number, Rebecca cried out.

  “Shawn, oh God it hurts, it’s another contraction. They are too close together!” Rebecca’s eyes were wide with concern.

  Shawn left a quick message with the doctor’s answering service, tossing the phone on the night stand. “Its okay baby let me take a look quick.” She leaned down and kissed Rebecca’s forehead. “I’m right here, I won’t let anything happen to you or the babies.”

  She helped Rebecca roll to her back and positioned her legs. She reached for latex gloves from their medical bag that she had left by the wall. “Let me check quickly. If you’ve dilated too much already, I’m going to go ahead and call for an ambulance.” As she was about to attempt her check, Rebecca cried out as another contraction hit her. Shawn glanced at the alarm clock. Goddamnit, 3 minutes. She grabbed the phone and dialed 911.

  She did not stay on the line with them, knowing that she knew how to deal with this situation better than they could instruct her over the phone. Her problem was she didn’t have the equipment she needed.

  Rebecca was trying to stay calm, but tears were rolling down her face. She had been an OB nurse long enough to know that contractions three minutes apart and water breaking meant she most likely was dilated a considerable amount. She knew that’s why Shawn had abandoned trying to check her dilation and dialed 911 instead.

  Shawn took Rebecca’s hand and smoothed her hair back. “Listen to me. I will not let anything happen to you ok? I promise you. I have to run down to unlock the front door for EMS and I will be right back. I love you Becca.” She sprinted down the stairs, unlocking the door, flipped on the front porch light and ran back upstairs.