Page 2 of Law And Awe (Pirates After-game Press Conference: All It Takes Bonuses and Shorts #1)

TWO

STERLING

October

“This is insane.” Jamie sounds nervous, on edge.

I don’t blame her, I’m nervous too.

We’re about to get Jamie pregnant.

Fuck, even the thought is weird.

“Let’s just keep going. They said the third door.” I take her hand and turn back to see Jules as he smiles nervously. Then we start walking down the long hallway. We’re in the service hallways of a private medical practice.

We came here last week for tests, and the month before, and the month before. It’s been a lot.

But the three of us want this. We’ve talked about it a lot ever since Jules and Jamie both agreed, and yeah, we’re excited, happy, ecstatic even. The nerves are here to stay though.

The thing is, we’re probably gonna be nervous until the baby is born. I mean, we have three different jobs plus taking care of Ava to think about, and having a newborn baby is no easy feat. We planned it all out so Jules would be in the off season when the baby is born and for a couple of months after, at the very least. Then I’m taking a few weeks off to take over the mantle while Jamie is still recovering.

All throughout the pregnancy, Jules will be playing almost every day since the season is starting next week. The doctors have assured us that Jamie’s in great health and there shouldn’t be any complications like there were for Rose. Hearing her say that helped ease some of my worries, of course, but nothing will get rid of them completely.

For either Jamie or me.

Yes, she’s more than a decade younger than Rose was when she was pregnant, but it’s still fucking terrifying.

We have a plan.

This is going to work, of course it is.

I squeeze Jamie’s hand harder.

“Hello, Jamie,” the doctor says with a big smile as soon as we open the door. Having to hide every single thing we’ve been doing for so long has admittedly been exhausting, and it’s not like that’s ever going to change. Well, it might change when I finish my residency and Jules retires, in like a million years.

I know perfectly well my boy will be in the NHL until someone kicks him out. He’ll go kicking and screaming, but he’ll go.

I’m not in any kind of rush, and I do think we can make it work even with the spotlight constantly trained on us.

Jules and I step out after the doctor explains once more what the procedure will be like, and then we wait. Hugging and leaning against the hallway door, I just close my eyes and think positive thoughts the whole time. If it doesn’t work, then it’s not like we can’t try again—fortunately we can afford it—but we all want it so much now , that I know we’ll be crushed if it doesn’t work.

We went with intrauterine insemination this time, though the doctors told us there’s also the option of taking a few of Jamie’s eggs, fertilizing them in a lab, then putting them back in and seeing if they stick. We’re open to that option if this doesn’t work, but we thought, simply... well... having them just put Jules’ semen into her was easier this time around.

Jules hated having to jack off in the clinic, and he went bright fucking red when I asked—not too quietly—if he wanted any help. He gave me a murderous glare, but it made all of us relax a little in the moment.

Apparently, they chose the healthiest sperm to be injected into Jamie, so it has the best chance at “taking.”

It doesn’t take long at all before the doctor is coming out, with Jamie walking behind her. I look at her worriedly and ask, “Shouldn’t you like, keep lying down?”

She rolls her eyes at me so hard that I’m scared she’ll see her own brain.

“You don’t know shit, Josh.”

“I know a few things,” I mumble. “Got your sister pregnant, didn’t I?”

Jamie smiles, sadly, but it’s still something. “Yeah, you did, and I bet your boys weren’t as far up in her uterus when you finished as Jules’ are in mine, so just relax, okay?”

There’s a moment of silence, and then Jules bursts out laughing. “I know even less about vaginas than Ster, and I have to say, she’s right. Let’s just go home. We could research what we can sacrifice to the gods, or whatever, and put Jamie’s feet up there.”

I chuckle and take both their hands. They smile at me, then hold on to each other as well.

“We’ve got this, boys.” Jamie’s voice rings out with confidence, and somehow, she transfers a bit of it to me, too.

“We’ve got this,” I repeat with a nod. And keep repeating it in my mind all the way home.