The next morning, Jessica was released from the hospital.

Sarah and Lily had heard of Jessica's trip to the emergency room and immediately rushed over to see her.

They told her to rest and not worry about the bookstore. They would take care of everything.

Jessica thanked them immensely and was yet again, grateful that she had such great friends by her side.

Emily was right by Jessica's side and after Sarah and Lily left, she took the opportunity to speak to Jessica.

Evan had to work at a construction site and Emily promised him that she would take good care of Jessica.

Emily walked upstairs to check in on Jessica. She found Jessica, sitting up against a mountain of pillows. Jessica was relaxing and reading a book.

When Jessica saw Emily walk into her bedroom, she smiled at Emily and closed her book to talk.

"Thank you, Emily for being so calm yesterday. I was so scared but...but you made me feel at ease."  Jessica said as Emily sat down on the bed by Jessica.

Emily smiled a warm smile and said. "You don't have to thank me." Her smile faltered and she bowed her head. She then looked up and looked into Jessica's eyes. "Jessica, I'm so sorry for pushing you away. All you did was help me after I lost my baby and I just...I just let my grief and anger get in the way of our relationship. We had gotten so close and..."
Emily has tears rolling down her cheeks and so did Jessica. "...and that all went away. But yesterday was a wake up call for me. Seeing you buckle over in pain and seeing the fear in your eyes just made me realize that...I shouldn't punish you for something that no one could control. The loss of my baby wasn't my fault. I know that now. When we were waiting in the waiting room for an update on you and the baby, all I could do was pray. I didn't want you to go through another miscarriage. I prayed that my niece would be okay. I'm so glad you both are alright."

Jessica's tears matched Emily's and she hugged Emily. Emily hugged her back.

They stayed comforting each other for a while longer then they pulled away.

They stayed talking until lunch time and Emily went to make them something to eat. 

Emily brings their lunch upstairs on a tray and they both sit on the bed and eat. They talked some more and were on their way to rebuild their relationship.

After lunch, Emily helps Jessica find some information for Lamaze class. There were a few classes at the same hospital Jessica's doctor worked at.

The next class would be taking place in two weeks. So, Jessica signed up for the classes through the phone. She hoped that this class would help her and Evan for what's to come.

*October*

Two weeks later, Jessica has just entered her eighth month and today was the day of the Lamaze class. It was a Wednesday and the class would start at 1 pm.

Evan wanted to treat Jessica to lunch first, so they went to a restaurant with a relaxing atmosphere.

As they ate their food, they discussed baby names.

They went over a few names for their daughter that they had in mind but didn't settle on one just yet.

After they ate, Jessica drove them to the hospital where the class would take place.

Jessica's belly has grown a bit more now and her belly almost touched the steering wheel. She was a little concerned because she had one more month to go in the pregnancy. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to drive.

Once they arrived, Evan held Jessica's hand and he led her inside.

Jessica held her belly with her free hand; the baby kicking and moving around. She smiled at the feeling of her baby girl. Even now, she was still in a bit of shock that she was pregnant. She couldn't wait to hold her baby in her arms.

Before entering the room that the class was being held, Jessica used the bathroom then after she and Evan walked into the room.

A few soon to be mothers and fathers were already there. They were all five minutes early and all were speaking amongst each other.

Evan and Jessica found a corner and sat down on some chairs. Evan placed his hand Jessica's belly and felt the baby move around. Jessica smiled at Evan and he smiled back.

Before they knew it, the instructor of the class walked in and began.

"Hello, soon to be mommies and daddies welcome." She said enthusiastically. "I would like everyone to choose a mat to sit down on the floor. Then we will go around the room and introduce ourselves."

Everyone moved about the room and all began to sit down on the floor.

Evan helped Jessica sit down on the floor and Jessica was a little annoyed at the instructor for making pregnant women sit on the floor.

"Hello, my name is Jessica and this is my husband Evan." Jessica said when it was their turn to introduce themselves. Evan waved and said a quick shy hello.

Jessica could feel that Evan wanted her to talk. So she went on. "And this right here..." she placed her hands on her belly. "...is our daughter. We haven't chosen a name yet but we are working on it." She giggled.

The rest of the group said a hello to Jessica and Evan. The next couple went next and as Evan and Jessica listened intently, a few of the couples turned their heads to speak to each other.

They were commenting quietly about the obvious age difference between Evan and Jessica.

Soon the instructor began the class. She walked around the room and talked about the basics.

The instructor then instructed the fathers to sit behind the mothers and let them lean against their chest with the help of a pillow placed between them.

Jessica laid back against Evan and smiled. He placed his hands on her belly. She smiled then placed her hands over his.

They had a short moment together before the instructor gave the next step.

They spent an hour or so going over different breathing techniques and positions to help them through their labor.

Evan was actually listening intently and making sure to get things right. Whatever would help Jessica, he wanted to do it well.

"Good job, mommies and daddies!" The instructor said. "You all did wonderfully. Now, dad's...when your wife goes into labor, she's going to need you to be strong for her. She is going to go through the most painful thing a woman can ever go through. All of her energy is going to go to getting the baby out. She is not going to care about anything else. So, dads, you all need to be there for her and reassure her as much as you can. Now remember, she may scream at you, she may say that she hates you, but just know, she does not mean it. So, take cues from her. By that I mean, if she says to massage her back or if she needs something, you do it. If she says for you not to touch her, then you back off. But always, always reassure her."

As Evan listened, he grew nervous. He's never been there for anyone in a such a way. There has never been a time that someone he cared about needed him to be the strong one.

Evan's mind began to race until his thoughts were broken by Jessica.

"Evan, will you help me up? Please." She said.

Evan shook his head and looked around. Everyone was getting up from the ground.

Evan stood up first then helped Jessica from the floor. She smiled at him and kissed his lips. He kissed her back then they pulled away.

"What's going on?" Evan asked.
"Didn't you hear? We are taking a small break then we are going to watch a video." Jessica said. "They have snacks and refreshments. I'm hungry! Baby girl wants something to snack on." She said cutely then giggled.

Evan's worry melted away for a moment and smiled at Jessica. Her smile was able to calm him down.

They all made their way to the room next door where all sorts of snacks and drinks were being served.

All the woman quickly grabbed plates and filled them up with food.

The men stayed back and allowed them to go first.

"Is this your first?" A man next to Evan asked.
"Uh...yes." Evan answered. "How about you?"
"Third." He answered. "Yep. This will be me and wife's third child." He then asked. "You and your wife planning on any more after this one?"

All the other men listened closely.

"Oh, uh...we haven't really talked about that." Evan said nervously. "We...we didn't even plan this pregnancy. It was shock to us."
"So...how are old you? How old is your wife?" The man asked boldly.

The man and the other fathers had whispered their theories before. The man that was speaking to Evan was the only brave one to ask.

Evan not knowing any better replied. "I'm 26 years old and Jessica is 46 years old."

All the men raised their eyebrows and looked at each other.

Before anyone else could say anything, some wives had called their husbands over to get some food.

Evan soon forgot about the interaction and sat next to Jessica. There were seats they could sit on and most of the mothers were now talking to each other.

Jessica was currently talking about her experience in her first trimester to two other mothers that were there. Evan sat quietly and drank some water. He was starting to feel uncomfortable.

After eating their food, the instructor called for everyone's attention.

Jessica grabbed Evan's hand and placed it on her belly.

"She's moving around so much!" She said happily. "Do you feel her?"
Evan nodded and smiled a little. "I sure can."
"Ow!" Jessica said.
"What's wrong?" Evan asked in a panic.
Jessica chuckled and said. "Nothing. She just kicked me in my ribs."

"Okay! Now, I am now going to start the video now." The instructor said. "This video will show you all exactly what happens during all the stages of labor. So buckle up everyone!"

The video began and soon Evan's eyes grew wider and wider as the video progressed.

Jessica grew nervous; even though she was watching the video and it was telling her what to except, she knew she would not be prepared.

When the video got to the point where the woman was pushing the baby out, Jessica closed her eyes and just concentrated on her baby.

The baby was now giving gentle kicks and she smiled. Jessica began to calm down and it was only now that she knew she could do this. Yes, she knew it was going to hurt and she may scream and cry, but she knew it will be worth to finally hold her baby in her arms.

Jessica opened her eyes and was now watching the rest of the video calmly.

Evan on the other hand, was watching with horror filling every inch of his body. 

This is what Jessica has to go through! No! I don't won't that for her! That poor woman. Oh god....

Evan's mind felt out of control. He has never felt this much fear in his life.

When the video stopped the instructor asked if there were any questions and a few couples raised their hands to ask.

Jessica felt at ease so, she didn't have any questions. But she did listen carefully nonetheless to what they were asking and the answers being given.

On the drive home, Jessica looked at Evan when she reached a stop light.

"Evan, honey, are you okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, yeah I'm okay." He said with no emotion.

Jessica's brow furrowed with worry but she couldn't say anything more because the light had turned green.

When they got home, they were greeted by Lola then they walked into the living room.

Evan sinks into the sofa and Jessica sits next to him. Lola sits on the floor right by Jessica's feet.

"Evan?" Jessica says.

Evan stares straight ahead and it's as if he doesn't hear Jessica.

"Evan?" Jessica says louder.
Evan turns toward Jessica and said quietly. "What?"

"What's wrong, Evan?" Jessica asked. "I know you and I know that there is something bothering you."

Evan looked into Jessica's eyes and suddenly, he began to cry. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Evan...sweetie what's wrong?" Jessica asked worriedly.

Evan didn't answer. Jessica reached for his hand but he moved it away and he jumped up. He began to pace in front of her.

"Evan, please! Tell me what's wrong?" Jessica said as she stood up up.

"You...that...I..." Evan tried to speak but he was sobbing too hard.

Jessica didn't know what to do. She watched him for a moment then he finally spoke.

"That...that poor woman in the video!" He said. "She...she was in so much pain! Then...then how the baby came out! The instructor said you...you will have to go through the same pain as that woman!" He stopped pacing and looked at Jessica. Tears streaming down his cheeks. "I don't want you to go through that, Jess. I...I...I don't want you to be in pain! This is going to hurt you! Why can't there be another way?!"

Jessica walked towards Evan and walked up to him. She quickly brought him into her arms and he melted into them. He sobbed into her chest and Jessica held him close.

Jessica let him cry it out and finally Evan began to calm. Jessica pulled away and wiped his tears away with her fingers.

"Evan, we've had this talk before but that video really showed us what it's like to have a baby." Jessica said softly. "It affected me at first, so it must have really affected you as well. It's obvious that it did. Honey, this is going to happen. I'm going to go into labor and be in an extreme amount of pain. But you know what?"

Evan shook his and looked into Jessica's eyes.
Jessica smiled softly. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her belly. The baby kicking from within.

"It's going to be worth it." Jessica said. "I'm going to through this pain to bring our daughter into this world. The pain is going to be temporary and then...and then we will get to hold our baby girl in our arms and the pain will be forgotten."

Jessica got emotional and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You feel her? She's going crazy." She said with a giggle.
Evan chuckled a little and nodded. "Yes, I feel her."
"She's almost here, Evan. She'll be here before we know it." Jessica said. "So please remember, that the pain is temporary and I'm going to be okay."

Evan took a deep breath then let it out. Jessica's words were sinking in and finally, he was starting to feel better.

Evan's tears had now stopped and he smiled. He brought Jessica close and kissed her lips. She kissed him back then he pulled away.

"I love you so much, Jessica." He said with so much emotion.
"I love you so much too, Evan." She replied.

That night, Evan went to bed in a better frame of mind. Jessica was right, their baby girl would be born soon and he'll have to be strong for Jessica.

For the first time, he felt that need to be a strong person. Jessica was the strongest person he's ever met and she has gotten him through some tough moments in his life. Especially the death of his mother.

Now, Evan wanted it to be his turn. He was determined to become a strong husband and father for Jessica and their daughter.

I hope you all are still liking this story.

More to come soon!

Help: I need help naming the baby! Please comment some names and I'll choose the one I like more.