Chapter 54: Chapter 54

"Is this really necessary?" I mumble unhappily, rolling my sleeves up. The nurse overhears me and tuts in disagreement before spinning around on her heel. She glares at me sternly, looking annoyed.

"Yes, this really is necessary." The nurses responds, her lips fixed into a thin line. I widen my eyes a little at her attitude and glance at Jake. He's leaning against the wall, hands stuffed inside his jacket pocket. When we make eye contact, his lips twitch up into amusement. His entire posture screams out 'I told you so' and I glare at him in return, hating how smug he looks right now.

He waggles his eyebrow at me, blue eyes shining brightly as he notices my unhappy expression. My response is to glare at him further, eyes trained into thin slits.

"Come on Muffin, it's only a few blood tests." Jake chuckles in defeat, shaking his head.

"I don't like needles," I mutter under my breath, shuffling on the rough paper that's laid onto the hospital bed. I sigh and glance around the room warily. The walls are decorated with several different pregnancy posters.

"Your right arm please, not the left." The nurse instructs me bluntly, holding the needle. I suppress the feeling to roll my eyes and roll down my sleeve before pulling the other one up. Goosebumps erupt over my bare skin and I shudder, feeling a cold draft wash over my arm.

"Are you cold?" Jake asks, walking up to me and draping an arm across my shoulder. I nod grimly and lean against him automatically, resting my head against his stomach. It's too cramped for all three of us to be so close in such a tiny space but I don't care. Jake's scent immediately calms my nerves down and I willingly hold my right arm out towards the nurse.

"Close your eyes," Jake whispers, planting a kiss on the top of my head. I do as he says and suck in a breath as I wait for the familiar feeling of a sharp jab. I'm very aware I'm being difficult however the pregnancy is making me incredibly uncomfortable and irritable. I hate being poked and prodded in the hospital and it feels like I'm always here.

"You're all done," the nurse smiles tightly after a few minutes and I eventually release the breath I'm holding, slumping my shoulders in relief.

"Thank you," I murmur. Jake reaches forward, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear —

"See, that wasn't too bad."

"You're right. I guess I'm just tired from the constant appointments." I tell him. He nods his head, sympathy flashing through his eyes.

"We'll get these sent off today and you should get your results in the next few days Emily." The nurse comments, handing me a plaster for my arm. I nod at her, knowing how the timeline works at this point.

"Her next scan is in two days, right?" Jake confirms, supporting me as I stand off the bed. His arm immediately drapes across my waist, pulling me to his side protectively.

"Yes, that's correct," the nurse replies, handing me a medical papers to take home with me. I clutch them tightly in my hand and give the nurse a small goodbye smile.

"Thank you," I thank her quietly, turning to leave the room. Jake's hand tightens around the handle when the nurse stops us in our tracks —

"Hang on," she interrupts, shuffling papers around on her desk. Jake and I both stop and turn around, a curious look on our faces.

"Is everything okay?" Jake asks immediately, his face twisting into a worried expression.

"Yes, everything is fine. I thought you two may want to have a look at these. It's a baby class for young parents, seems perfect for you. They have a very good support team too, if you ever need someone to lean on." She responds, surprising both Jake and I.

Her eyes drop to my stomach for a brief moment before she smiles again, leaning forward to hand us a leaflet. I reach out and take it, giving her a grateful smile in return. The leaflet has a young couple on the front, the girl clutching her very pregnant stomach.

Having a leaflet aimed at teen pregnancy causes me to feel hopeful and relieved. It reminds me that I'm not the only person to go through this.

"Thank you, this is a great help." I respond truthfully, glancing up at Jake who's looking down at the leaflet. He appears to be in a daze, his eyes unblinking as he stares at the papers in my hand.

"Jake?" I whisper quietly, pulling him out of his trance. He immediately makes eye contact with me, giving me a small reassuring smile in response.

"Yeah, thank you." Jake finally says, breaking the silence in the room. As we leave, I turn towards him, wanting to know what he was thinking. He pauses for a moment before shrugging, a hopeful look on his face —

"It feels like we're not the only people who believe we can do this anymore."

I smile at his words because he's right.

*****

"Pizza or Indian?" I ask, flicking through the choices on my phone. I'm struggling to decide between them both and feel myself growing increasingly agitated as time goes on. I'm crazing the cheese from the pizza along with the carb filled goodness. However I'm also craving the spice of an Indian curry.

Did I mention I also really want chicken?

"Urgh, I can't choose!" I groan, tossing my phone to the opposite side of the couch and huffing in annoyance. I pout childishly and ignore Jake's amused stares from the corner of my eye.

"I leave a prison full of crazy guys to come back to my girlfriend who's a starving crazy person..." Jake mutters under his breath —

I gasp and snap my head towards him, giving him my best glare.

"I heard that!" I yell, tossing a cushion at him. Jake easily dodges it and chuckles before standing up and walking over to me.

"I'm playing with you Muffin." Jake smirks, leaning down to quickly plant a kiss on my lips. I make a small non-human like grunt in response before letting out a deep sigh.

"I really, really don't like being hungry." I mutter, watching as Jake picks my phone up. He remains silent as he presses a few buttons on the screen, giving me a side glance every few seconds. Eventually, he drops the phone back down —

"Move up," he instructs and I shuffle upwards, sitting up so that Jake can take a seat next to me. Our plan is to Netflix and chill for the rest of the day, without the chill.

Jake sits down and immediately picks me up in one swift move, placing me back down onto his lap. He begins placing soft kisses down my neck, taking his time to allow his lips to linger on my skin. I sigh contently, melting against him whilst his lips work wonders on my body.

"You smell good," his voice rumbles down my ear and I feel butterflies fill my stomach from his hushed tone. Within minutes, I feel my eyes grow heavy along with my body from Jake's tender kisses. It's been a long day and my mind is exhausted, drained and sleep deprived. It doesn't matter how long I sleep, I'm always tired. Despite trying not to show it, the pregnancy really is taking its toll on me.

Jake and I haven't spoken about it yet but I know that he sees it too. I catch him looking at me with worry in his eyes when I struggle to move without being in pain. I feel his arms wrap around me protectively, his hushed whisper sending me into a sleepy state —

"I love you."