travisjackson

[travisjackson]

"I hear that." Travis chuckled before sitting up a little straighter. "I definitely am panicking. It's just easier to hide I guess. I lost a kid, Ben. You think none of that is going through my brain right now?" He asked his brother curiously. "Alright. What do you want to do? That's what it comes down to." He shrugged. "Not sure I can provide an opinion." @benjaminxjackson

"I know what you mean. I get tons of emails those notifications just makes it hard to focus but some days when I feel like not being productive I leave my notifications on and use that as an excuse," he replied chuckling softly running his hands through his hair. Ben knew he was in need of an hair cut and a shave. "Aww, I hope so too," he added nodding his head.

"I get it, I would do the same if I was getting ready to be a dad. Seriously I feel like you handle all of this. I think I would be in panic mode twenty-four seven if I was getting ready to be a dad and before the kid comes," he chuckled. Ben admired his brother's composure and he could not wait to meet his niece. "Ya me too. So one of the reason I stopped by was to get your advice and finally decide what to do with the blue print since I am finally in the right mind space and plus I am thinking of making moving out of my place downtown." he spoke looking at his brother. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

It felt like everything was moving so fast and in slow motion all at once. A nurse came in, then more, and then doctor's joined in. Bella started crying in his arms and he was moved back from her. He didn't realize he was asking what was going on or even the tears rolling down his cheeks as he called Lili's name. As she stared seizing, he was removed from the room entirely and the door shut after him. Bella still cried in his arms and he felt all hope leave his body. But he was still a parent and he needed to act like it. "Shh, Bella. It's okay. Mommy is gonna be okay." @lilianaxjackson

END

The absence of her daughter's warmth against her chest was easily noticed, and Liliana felt a short wave of relief, knowing that whatever this was her daughter was safe. Tears poured down her face, her head splitting. She responded to his words, but at this moment the words were incoherent, noticed by the nurse that had walked in at that moment. It had been enough to call for help while she flattened the bed. Liliana barely registered what was going on, not her daughter's cries, or her husband's distress, or the colour fading from the doctor's face when he looked at the urine bag, then the monitors, then her. To Liliana it hardly mattered, as her eyes rolled back and her body began to seize. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

[travisjackson]

"You and me both." Travis laughed with him as they watched over the kids. "It is." He agreed, even though he was sure that most of the kids liked to pretend they were too cool for such a thing. You can tell they were enjoying it, though, by how they were smiling while playing with the kids. "So, how have you been?" He had heard about the wedding and didn't want to pry, but was curious how the other teacher was doing. "How's the school year been?" @hudsonxelliot

"Well that makes me feel old," he laughed, though he nodded his head. "I bet they do," he had been teaching a while and while not as long as some of the kids had been alive, he knew that it was likely those older students did remember what this was like. "I wish we would have, too," Hudson agreed with Travis, "it's good for the older kids just as much as the elementary ones," even if the high schoolers did not want to admit such a thing most of the time. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

He nodded as he looked to the sky for a moment. "That's true. I thought the same." Plus with the baby coming, he wanted to get one more in, but he wasn't about to rub it all in Anthony's face. "It depends, really. Sometimes it's fine and others is colder. Last year was definitely worse." Travis told him as he got into the kayak. "Always does no matter where you live it seems." @anthonyxblake

Anthony gave him a small smile, “Yeah,” he continued to push the kayak into the ocean. “seems we aren’t going to have weather good enough to do this much longer. Figured I’d get one last go in,” he shrugged his shoulders as he loaded himself into the kayak, “I hear the winters can get pretty brutal around here,” Anthony commented, “New York wasn’t great either,” not by a long shot, “ocean makes everything a bit more extreme, huh?” He tried to joke with the man. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

Seeing her, his face fell and he started to panic. "Lils?" He said and touched her cheek as she slurred out her words. He quickly took Bella May and placed her in the hospital bassinet before pressing the emergency button on the wall. "Lili, they're on the way, okay?" He said and tried to meet her eyes. "Just focus on me, okay? Can you do that?" He asked her; his heart thumping loud against his chest. "They're on the way." He repeated again while holding her cheek and pressed a kiss to her head. @lilianaxjackson

Liliana smiled at her husband, uttering a quick 'love you' to him when she watched him exit the room. She didn't know how long he had been gone for, not having the urge to take her cellphone to check while she had her daughter. But she struggled keeping her eyes open, her head feeling like it was about to burst open. Colour had drained from her cheeks, her arms trembling under her daughter's minor weight and feeling considerably more weak. She'd slid back into her pillow, resting Bella more against her chest. By the time Travis had returned, turning off the lights and moving towards the bed, he seemed to be like a blur. The spots in her eyesight making him even less visible. She couldn't even understand what he was saying, as if he spoke a whole different language. Gaelic? "I don't-- I-- the baby." She eventually managed to say, her speech slurred as if inebriated. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

Travis was on a high. He was completely in love with his daughter and was in awe of his amazing wife for all she did. It was truly a perfect day and he couldn't get over that all this was real. It was something Travis never thought would do again for himself and yet, here he was. It was a dream come true and he couldn't have been happier. Holding her for a bit after things settled and he informed his family about the newest arrival, he knew Lili wasn't feeling the greatest and wished there was more he could do. So when she asked for a new compress, he moved to give her their daughter and get one. "Yeah. I'll see if we can turn these lights off too." He said, placing Bella May in her arms and kissing her head softly before going out to get what she needed. After grabbing one from a nurse, he came back and turned the lights off. "There. Hopefully that'll help." He walked over and gave her the compress. "Should these migraines still be going on? Should we get them to check into it?" @lilianaxjackson

As far as births go, Liliana felt like she lucked out, having gone from contractions to giving birth to her little girl in just a few hours in between. She'd wanted this all of her life, to have a child to call her own and share with a doting husband. Now that she held her Bella May, she could barely keep her eyes off of her, feeling the warmth radiating off of the infant she had been carrying for close to nine months. She didn't want to miss a second. Of how tiny lips seemed to move and press together, the small sounds that she made, even to her little cries. Her maternal instinct was on par as well, ignoring her bodily discomforts and letting her back pain and headache in the back of her mind. She'd barely noticed that hours later, the sun had already begun to set. She'd been blissfully content watching her husband hold his daughter, watch how her godmother seemed to instantly take to the new addition of their small family. She was already excited to go home and be a proper family. The more time seemed to pass by, the more her smile faded little by little. With her head pounding, her fingers aching, she reached for the ice compress, which by now had already melted and lost its cooling ability. "As much as I love watching you with her, could you maybe get a new compress?" She asked him, her voice down a volume as she usually did when suffering a migraine. Her expression was pale, but that wasn't unusual during her migraines. And she did blame the hospital lighting. "I'll hold her for you." As if she needed an excuse. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

Travis nodded and rubbed her back. It was strange for him being back in this situation. Memories of Darcy having their son hit him, but he forced them away so he could be here in the present with Liliana. He knew being calm was the key here since she was going to be the one going through a lot and he needed to be that rock for her. After helping her get changed, they took off to the hospital and before he knew it, the doctor said she was ready to go. Holding her hand, he smiled as he pressed a kiss to it and nodded. "You can blame me all you want, baby. She's just eager to see us."

It felt as if all Travis did was blink and there was a little, crying girl on his wife's chest. Liliana did amazing and he had tears going down his cheeks as he watched his wife hold their daughter, their Bella May. @lilianaxjackson

"Yeah, closet by the door." She nodded, letting out a breath, narrowly escaping between two closed lips. At least she had been prepared with that. But she still felt like she was several steps behind. Thinking about it, she realised that she had been ignoring this feeling in her stomach, thinking it was just Bella moving or she ate something wrong. Could it be she was having contractions all this time? But Travis seemed calm, collected so she focused on him entirely. Matching her nerves to his seemed easier that way, and it felt like it had gone by in a breeze for her to get a new change of clothes and for them to rush to the hospital. The contractions got worse however and she realised what women meant when they said they 'felt the need to push' "Looks like someone is eager, you're fully dilated." The doctor said when she had barely been clad in a paper gown and the doctor came in to check on her. There was a wave of panic, all of this going too fast for her to catch up and she found herself grasping onto Travis' hand, one that instinctively tightened at the next contraction. She didn't even have enough time for Julieta to be there. "If this is any indication of what a whirlwind she'll be, we should be worried. I blame you." @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

As Lili nodded, Travis slipped into their bedroom to get her a change of clothes. He had barely gotten some bottoms for her when she called his name. He quickly rushed to the bathroom and looked at her as she held her stomach and looked like she was in pain. "Okay. Okay it's fine." He told her and moved towards her. "We can get you changed and head out. We have the bag together, right?" @lilianaxjackson

"You're right about that." Liliana smiled, it being the face she fell in love with after all. She was certain that even if it was the face of him at the age of a hundred years old, it would still look as dashing as it would now. That thought was wiped from her thought soon enough, however. The sheer embarrassment of it all. And as he asked if he should get her a change of clothes she slowed in her step before giving him a silent nod. She continued her way towards the bathroom, figuring she'd wait for Travis before undressing -- at this stage, she needed the assistance. It was when she walked in however that the cramp returned, one that didn't go away when she pressed her hand against it. In fact, it felt worse than before, causing her to grip onto the counter. "Trav!" She called out to him, waiting until he appeared in the dooropening. "I think you were right." She winced, breathing out sharply as she rode out the contraction. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

"Makes things easier, honestly." Travis laughed a little and relaxed back. "It's good. Lili's been having some headaches, though, so hoping they calm down after Bella's born." He sighed. He was worried about his wife, but hoped that once the pregnancy was over, everything would be okay. "Definitely a little of both. I think I've gone over the nursery several times making sure everything is safe." Maybe he was being overly cautious, but how could he not be after he lost his son? "Good. I'm glad you're doing better." @benjaminxjackson

Ben smiled at his brother's words as he took he sat down on the couch too after the other moved their things and after his brother sat down. "You have nothing to be sorry about and I do know that very well since mine is often in that mode," he added joking back with a smile and grin on his face. "How is that going? You must be very excited and nervous?"

"I am doing good. Finishing some plans and getting ready for an event," he answered. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

Travis had always loved the set up for combined PE for the elementary kids and the high schoolers. Ever year, the kindergarteners had a blast playing with the older kids. Standing at the sidelines of the gym watching them play, he looked over at Hudson and nodded. "It does. Probably been going on so long now most of your kids remember what this was like being their age." He smiled a bit. "Wished we did this when we were in school. Would've been a great time." @hudsonxelliot

starter for @travisjackson

location: kismet harbor elementary school

Every year, the elementary school and high school had a combine physical education class. It was a great way for the elementary students to experience interactions with upper classman and for the high schoolers, it was for them to give back as they'd be graduating in the coming summer. It had led to Travis and Hudson getting to know each other well, "Seems like the kids are really enjoying it this year," the whole thing was a distraction and truthfully, he didn't know how far the rumors of his ended engagement had traveled.

[travisjackson]

He nodded. "We'll still keep an eye on it." Travis said before giving her a playful look. "There's nothing that could ruin this pretty face, dear." He teased and he kept holding onto her as she attempted to sit. His face fell, though, as she hissed and then her cheeks were turning red. "What?" He asked as she said his name and he watched as she moved to pull down her sweater and he moved from her a little. "What happened?" He asked and then she clarified and he smiled. "It's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed." He moved after her a little. "Want me to get you a change of clothes?" @lilianaxjackson

“Oh.. I haven’t had those yet so that could be.” Even with how forgetful she was, she felt like she would remember having those. Turns out, she even forgot how much time they had left before her daughter would leave the safety of her womb and into a colder world. She was both terrified and excited. “Don’t frown, you’ll ruin that pretty face of yours.” She told him, reaching out to caress his cheek before she sat down. Or attempted to. There was a sore feeling below her belly, one that caused her to hiss again and then groan, a warmth spreading between her legs. How in the — her cheeks flushed red out of embarrassment. She had been to the toilet like half an hour ago. “Travis.” She groaned, looking up at him all red. “Please carry on as if nothing happened.” She told him, pulling down her sweater as she slowly and uncomfortably made her way to the bathroom. “I just peed myself.” Even though, she really didn’t. @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

Travis watched her eyes go wide and she shrugged. "It could be the Braxton hicks." He rubbed her back softly. "You're not that far from your due date, though, babe. It wouldn't be a surprise." They were only a week away from her due date so it wouldn't be a bad thing if Bella May wanted to come early. "Okay, well, let's keep an eye on it and please sit down." He begged and moved to help her sit back on the couch. @lilianaxjackson

"I don't know, it's --" Liliana clearly looked uncomfortable, her hand pressing against where she felt the cramp slowly waning, but not fast enough for her liking. "A contraction?!" She squeaked, large eyes looking up at him. They still had ways to go, was it even safe to go into labour now? All of a sudden she forgot how many weeks along she was, and from how many weeks the child was fully developed. All the baby classes just evaporating from memory. "No.. I think it's just a cramp, it's gone now." She nodded, offering him a smile, even if she didn't let go of his arm. "Guess I went to pick it up to fast." @travisjackson

[travisjackson]

Travis shook his head. "Definitely not. It's never a bad time." He moved his things and sat down on the couch. "Sorry. I've been focused and had my phone on do not disturb." He said and smiled. "Well, you know how to do that, huh?" He joked and sat back. "I'm good. Getting things finished up before the baby arrives. How about you?" @benjaminxjackson

"Hey, I hope I am not disturbing and did come at a bad time," he spoke with a smile as he looked at the his brother. Ben really hope he did not come at a wrong time. "I texted you that I was coming over but I guess my text did not send. Nothing much, just finished a meeting and decided to stop by and annoy my little brother," he half joked as he followed Travis towards the living room. "How are you doing?" @travisjackson.

[travisjackson]

With the baby due soon, Travis thought he'd do one last meeting of lake legion and get on in his kayak. He felt it had been a minute since he had gotten out in the water and he was gonna miss it, but he had a great excuse coming along. Travis had his kayak out and he was making sure his phone was in the waterproof case and attached it to his kayak in case Lili called, there would be no issues. Hearing someone, he turned around and his heart fell for a moment before nodding. He always felt bad when it came to Anthony and he wished all of this was different for the man. "Morning. And yeah. It's good to see you too." He paused to finish what he was doing. "Seems we had the same idea, huh?" @anthonyxblake

starter for @travisjackson

location: lake legion meeting

As the cooler weather approached, Lake Legion would be getting together less but there were still a few people foolish enough to brave the waters cold temperatures if they tipped over in their kayaks. Anthony had been enjoying getting out, even if he didn't always end up talking to someone. There was something peaceful about kayaking. Anthony was dragging his kayak over to the low spot on the beach next to someone else that was already getting ready. "Morning," Anthony gave a nod of his head, only then looking further to see that it was Travis, "nice, to, uh, see you again, Travis."

[travisjackson]

Travis smiled at her. "I certainly try to be." Liliana was his heart and being married to her was a dream come true. For the rest of his life, he would continue to try to the man she deserved. "I see that." He said with a smile. He tried to get around the couch before she went to get the sock despite her waving away his concern, but she already was trying to get it. As Lili reached out, Travis moved faster to get to her and he held onto her. "What? What happened?" He asked and studied her carefully. "Are you sure? Was it a contraction?" @lilianaxjackson

"Man of my dreams, husband of mine." She smiled. reaching with her free hand to caress her fingers through his hair when he leaned down and kissed her on top of the head. When he moved away again did she stand, albeit awkwardly to show him the sock from the table. "It's yellow." She smiled proudly, only for it to be replaced with a huff when she dropped it. "Butterfingers, I can do it." She waved away his concern, not wanting to give up her independence now that she still had it. She was already huge, and she still had ways to go. Or did she? A strange feeling pulsed through her once she had grabbed hold of the little sock, a frown pushing down her brows, her hand reaching out until she managed to get hold of his arm. "That's weird." She breathed, her other hand pressing against the side of her belly, trying to push away the feeling. "I think I pulled a muscle."@travisjackson

[travisjackson]

"Yes, ma'am. We have plenty. I mean prepped a little for us." He leaned down and kissed her head before he raised an eyebrow when she stood to pick up the sock she made. "It's adorable. You're doing great, baby." Travis smirked at her before he saw the sock drop and she went to pick it up. Rounding the couch, he rubbed his arm. "Please sit. I can get it." He tried urging her; not wanting her to get off balance or strain herself to get a sock. @lilianaxjackson

With the fact they found out about their baby girl well within her second trimester and her migraine flare-ups, Liliana had felt useless most of the times with the preparation for the nursery. Though she had prided herself with sorting the closet with clothes and supplies and making adjustments in the decorations whenever she felt somewhat normal. She looked up from her knitting, one of the things she could bring herself to do since watching the television only worsened her flare-ups, and smiled as her husband headed towards her. "What about that pasta you made last week, do we still have leftovers in the freezer? I've been craving that stuff all day." She answered him, putting down her knitting needles. "Look what I'm making." Liliana spoke, standing up and picking up the sock from the table she had already finished, sized for an infant. In her enthusiasm however, the yellow sock slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor, which resulted in some swearing as she clumsily bent over to pick it up. "I got it, I got it." @travisjackson