October -

The envelope that held their baby's gender sat on the kitchen table waiting to be opened. Jessica really wanted to know, but she wasn't ready to know just yet. She knew that sooner or later she'd open it, but until then she was oblivious.

"Danny, when do you think a good time is to open the envelope?" Jessica asks as she sits at the table with the twins who ate their breakfast.

"I don't care, whenever you want." He says in an irritated tone.

All morning he had been rushing around the apartment getting ready for work. He was running on three hours of sleep. It was a long night of working, tending to crying toddlers and having so much on his mind that it seemed impossible to close his eyes and relax.

Jessica clears her throat and sighs. "Maybe we can open it tonight when you get home from work."

"Whatever you want." He says. It was almost as if he wasn't even listening.

"Mama, more oatmeal!" Wyatt smiles

"More? Already! Oh you little chunk. How about you, Scar, more?" Jessica says looking at her

She sat in her high chair pouting. She didn't touch her oatmeal once.

"Yucky yucky!" She screams

Jessica sighs in exhaustion "You have to eat. Why all of a sudden do you think oatmeal is yucky?"

Scarlett grabs her full bowl of oatmeal and throws it at Jessica. It gets all over her blouse and the kitchen floor.

"Scarlett! No, no, no! Bad girl!" She says sternly

The whole time Danny stood there with his face in his phone. Now Jessica had a screaming baby and a hungry baby going against her.

"Daniel, do you think you can put that damn phone down and help me?" Jessica raises her voice

Danny looks up, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

"What do you want me to do?" He says

"What do you mean what do I want you to do? I want you to help me! Me, Scarlett, and our kitchen floor are covered in oatmeal!" Jessica was so frustrated. Her morning went from good to bad very fast, Danny was on her last nerves.

Danny sets his phone down and picks Scarlett up from her high chair setting her in the corner.

"You're in time out, missy." He says

Scarlett continues to crash and makes even more of a mess of herself. Jessica just rolled her eyes. Putting her in time out was no help.

When he comes back to the kitchen to grab his phone Jessica about lost it.

"That's it, go! Get out, go to work and pout some more! I can't look at you for another second." Jessica yells

Danny slams his hand on the counter. "I don't know what you want from me! I'm buried in work, I don't have time for temper tantrums from you and the twins!"

"Oh, temper tantrums, huh? I'll show you a temper tantrum if you don't get out of my sight!" Jessica says

Danny grabs his coffee, brief case, and rolls his eyes. He walks to the door, slides on his shoes, jacket, and slams the door as he leaves.

"I can't believe your father, you know that?" Jessica says to Wyatt who sat in his high chair patiently waiting for more oatmeal.

//-//

Jessica's morning was much more difficult after sending Danny to work early and tackling the morning alone. Her day started off on a bad note, but the twins never failed to cheer her up.

Even though she was extremely late to work, the ride to the daycare was lots of fun. Scarlett and Wyatt were giggling and playing which always warmed Jessica's heart.

Walking into work wasn't that bad either. She was greeted by all her coworkers who excused her for being late.

As Jessica was working and taking calls, Mary walks in to greet her with some tea.

"Hey, Jess! Gosh, pregnancy looks great on you!" Mary smiles as she hands her a cup

Jessica sighs then smiles "Ha! Thank you! Sometimes I forget that I'm pregnant on crazy days like these!"

"I noticed you were late, is everything okay? Rough morning I assume?"

Jessica nods "I apologize for being late, but I dealt with a temper tantrum from Scarlett that involved me and my kitchen being covered in oatmeal! Then there is Danny, who is a different story." Jessica rolls her eyes

Mary sits down "Danny? Everything okay with him?"

In this moment Jessica wanted to nod and say 'yes, he's just fine!' But I'm reality he wasn't. He hasn't been for the last few weeks. Jessica was worried and scared.

"Work has been hard for him. He's in a funk but he'll get out of it." Jessica says

"I'm sorry, I hope things get better!"

"Sorry again for being late! I feel extra terrible since I have a doctors appointment today and will be leaving early." Jessica sighs

"Don't you worry! I understand, Jess! Besides, you want to make sure that baby is healthy and happy."

"Yes, of course."

//-//

Jessica left work around lunch time for another check up at the OBGYN. Danny was suppose to meet Jessica but he never showed and that really hurt Jessica. Especially since the appointment was planned a couple weeks back and he knew all along it was today.

"Your baby seems to be doing great! But your blood pressure is a little bit high. I'd like you to take it easy, okay? Just so we can avoid any future problems." Her doctor says

Jessica nods "I had high blood pressure with the twins too. This pregnancy just feel unbelievably different. The baby doesn't kick a whole lot, it's a little alarming."

"Every pregnancy is different. With twins you just felt every little movement. With one baby there is much more room, so it takes a lot to feel the movements this early. Your baby's heart is strong. Don't worry. I want you to take care of yourself."

"There were suppose to be two in here...." She whispers

"I know... but be happy you still have one."

"Of course. It scares me that maybe I could lose this baby too."

"You won't. Your baby is thriving."

Jessica tears up and sighs "Thank you."

"Now I'll see you back here at thirty two weeks! Take care of yourself and relax!"

//-//

Later that night it was just Jessica and the twins. Since their morning was so hectic Jessica decided to have an easy night. Left overs for her and cut up grilled cheese and pasta for the twins. After dinner Jessica let the twins get out all their energy as she laid on the couch and read some baby magazines. Danny was still not home yet. There was no word from him either.

Jessica had never been so worried for Danny. Something was obviously bothering him and she couldn't get it out of him. When she asked it was always the 'work' Excuse, but she knew that wasn't it. Something other than working being busy was getting to him. He was always so angry and frustrated. He was rarely ever home and when he was it didn't see like he was really there.

Before she knew it she'd have another little human to take care of and she would need Danny's help. Right now she felt so alone, almost as if she was doing it all by herself. She didn't want that.

Around midnight everyone was in bed. Jessica was exhausted and passed out on the couch. But her ear deafening ring time woke her up.

She jumped up and answered her phone. It was Danny calling.

"Daniel, where the hell are you?" Jessica yells

"Excuse me, miss? Your husband is at my bar. I think you should come get him. I'm getting ready to close but he's passed out on my table. he's had lots to drink." An older man says

Jessica was fuming "what!"

"Sorry to call so late. I tried to get him a taxi but I don't know where he lives. He doesn't have an ID on him."

Jessica was able to find out where Danny was. She was extremely angry with him. Now she knew where Danny was every night instead of being at home.

She quietly put the twins in the car while they were sleeping and headed over to the bar in the dead of night. On her way over, half asleep, with two children who were now wide awake, she kept thinking of what she was going to say to him.

When she arrives at the bar Danny was sitting on the curb with his head between his legs, passed out, with a bottle of vodka in his hand.

Jessica pulls onto the side of the road and gets out of the car. She grabs a water bottle that was in the car and throws it at Daniel. The cold water quickly wakes him up. When he sees Jessica standing over him, clearly pissed, he knew this wouldn't be good.

"What in the hell are you doing with yourself, Daniel? It's one in the morning and you're passed out on the curb outside a bar when you should be at home with your family! What has gotten into you? Look at you, you're a drunk! The man said you come here every night. So what, you're sneaking away every night drinking while I'm at home, very pregnant, taking care of two toddlers on my own? Are you fucking other women too?" Jessica yells

"What do you want from me!" He slurs

"I want you to snap out of this, whatever it is! Snap out of it! Stop making me feel like a single mom doing everything!"

"You do everything? I'm the one bringing in the money! That's a lot of stress!" He stands up and stumbles over to Jessica.

"Don't you dare come near me!" She shouts

"I hate my life. I hate everything about it! I'm stuck and in a trap! I do the same thing over and over everyday and I hate it!"

Jessica stands there and cries to herself. She had never seen Danny like his before. It scared her so much. He was a completely different man. She couldn't believe this was happening to her.

Sadness quickly became anger. Jessica runs up to Danny and slaps him across the face.

"I'm sorry your life is so miserable. You fix it, Danny. I'm tired of trying to solve this puzzle of yours. Find your own ride home. Be helpless, I don't care!"

Danny holds his face and goes numb. He watches as the love of his life gets in the car and drives off with his family. He falls back to the ground and begins to scream and cry. He was helpless, everything hurt.

//-//