I will always be here for you-J.S
Warnings: Cussing, pregnancy, childbirth, rooster being sweet, jake being domestic af as usual, one big happy family, a plot twist oooo
this may or may not be the final chapter of this mini series. i haven’t decided how i wanna end this so i might make this the finale or i may continue. who knows?
Taglist: @emma8895eb @archetypesoflife @sarahjoestewy-blog @gizmodear @topguncultleader
sorry if i missed anyone!!
enjoy! it’s a longer one!
After finding out the gender of the baby, you and Jake had finally decided on a nursery theme. It was pink and tan with floral paintings on the walls. It was beautiful and made you almost emotional. You couldn’t believe you were now a week away from your due date and you had made it this far. Looking at the final product you called the baby’s room, Jake hugged you from behind, rubbing his hands on your very large belly. “It really is perfect isn’t it?”
You sighed, “It really is. Now all we gotta do is come up with a name.” Even though that was the only thing left on your to do list besides give birth, you had a lot more on your mind.
Since the baby shower, Rooster has been slowly showing a more sympathetic side of himself. While he hasn’t blatantly apologized, he has been doing small things to almost do it without the words ‘i’m sorry’.
You were just passed your 6 month mark sitting and waiting for Jake to get off work. You didn’t live far from where he was working at the time with the Dagger Squad, so you would walk there on Friday’s to see him come out all hot and sweaty.
It would be a miracle if you made it through the allotted time your doctor gave you after birth to not have sex. That man was asking for baby #2.
Bradley had come out first while you were waiting for Jake. He had seen you and changed the course of his path to come talk to you. “How’s the little girl doing?” He kept his arms at his side, as if afraid to touch you or move wrong and scare you off.
“She’s good, been kicking me a lot though.” You tried to muster out a laugh but you couldn’t. You couldn’t forgive Brad yet for what he did to you when you told him. You knew he was trying to make it up to you, but you couldn’t help but feel like he had an ulterior motive to his kindness.
“I wonder who she gets that from- I’m sorry.”
He looked to the ground. “It’s okay, but probably me.” He laughed and that was the first time you’d heard him laugh since your fling. It made you crack a smile and when he saw, his whole demeanor changed.
“There’s that beautiful smile. I miss seeing that.” You froze. What were you supposed to say to that? “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that. You do have a beautiful smile though. I hope she has your smile too.” Again, what were you supposed to respond with?? “I’ll just leave, I have to take Bob home anyways. You look amazing, you’re glowing. Everyone here sees it. Ask around.” You smiled and thanked him and off he went to his Bronco.
That Bronco. It’s seen things.
Again, when you were 7 and a half months along, you were in the commissary getting some stuff for the house when you had ran into Bradley. He took notice of the large size difference of your bump since your 6 month mark. “I don’t mean this to sound rude, but she’s getting big.” He let out a breathy laugh.
You couldn’t help but return the laughter. “Yeah, I’m really hoping she doesn’t destroy me. She’s getting heavy and she’s not even born yet.” That caused Bradley to smile.
“Have you and Jake picked out a name?” You looked up at Bradley.
“Uh- we. No, not yet.” You swallowed hard. Something had Bradley’s mind turning, and you could see it all over his expression. “Brad?” He looked up. “Do you wanna feel her kick?” His eyes lit up but he was hesitant to reach out.
“Are you sure? I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I’ve been too much, I just feel-“ You interrupted him before he could embarrass himself and took his hand and placed it on your belly. Almost immediately as if your little girl knew who was there, she kicked- and HARD.
You let out a grunt and gripped your stomach and bent over a bit, reaching for your cart. “Are you okay?!” Bradley immediately went to your aid. One hand was on the cart to keep it steady, the other on your right shoulder. He was studying your expression, looking for any signs of relief or pain. You took a deep breath and made yourself upright letting out a chuckle. Bradley was still on you, looking for any confirmation that you were truly okay.
“I’m okay, she’s just never kicked me that hard. Knocked the wind out of me.” You looked up and noticed how close he was to you. You watched his eyes drift down to your lips and you felt a surge of nausea swirl in your stomach. You cleared your throat and he immediately gave you space.
“I’m so sorry.” He swallowed hard, face turning red.
“It’s okay. I gotta get going though before my frozens melt.” You gave him one last smile before heading down the isle to the checkout.
The time that really stood out to you though was just 2 weeks ago. You were at the doctor getting your checkup to see how your baby was doing and moving. You were in the waiting room when Bradley walked in carrying a sickly looking Javy on his shoulder. He talked to the nurse before she took him back, leaving you and Brad alone in the waiting room. He took notice of you and asked to sit down next to you.
“Javy came into work looking awful and refused to go home. I finally convinced him to come in when he threw up and the puke was green. I think he has food poisoning.” He let out a laugh at the expense of his friend.
“I’m just here to check up on our girl here.”
“Our?” Your eyes went wide as you caught your slip up.
You started to correct yourself but he quickly fixed it for you. “You and Jake are going to be amazing parents. You guys are going to have a beautiful baby girl.” You suddenly felt a pang of guilt at his words.
“Brad.” You took his hand. “I know you aren’t active in the pregnancy and you didn’t want this baby to begin with, but it is OUR baby. You and me. We made this.” He looked at you and started tearing up.
“I’m so sorry. I panicked. I wasn’t ready and I didn’t know what to do. Then I saw how happy you were that you were pregnant and I realized that was what I wanted. I may not want to be a dad yet, but the way your as radiant as ever with that beautiful belly made me realize one thing. I want you to be happy, and if this makes you happy then I’m okay.” He took a ragged breath, “I know you and Jake are happy and that we take over that father role, and I’m okay with that. I’ll happily watch on the sidelines if that means I get to see you smile.”
You didn’t know what to say. Should you forgive him? Should you call his bluff and remind him of what he said to you? The way he made you feel?
“Don’t say anything, I don’t ever expect you to forgive me.”
“But I do.” He looked at you with wide teary eyes. You nodded to confirm what you had just said.
“Thank you…please don’t feel obligated to make me a part of the baby’s life. It never has to know if you don’t want it to.”
“Can we try to be friends Brad?” He smiled and nodded.
“I’d like that. I can be Uncle Brad if you-“
“No. I think when she’s old enough, she should know. I’ll have to talk to Jake but, I think he’ll understand.”
Bradley froze in his spot. “I- really- please. Don’t feel like you need to do that just because I apologized.”
“I’ve been thinking it over since the baby shower Brad. I saw the way you looked when we discovered it was a girl. It broke my heart that you aren’t able to connect with something you helped create. This baby is equal parts of you and me, so shouldn’t it know both of its parents?” Bradley still hadn’t moved. “Brad, I’m serious. I asked myself, ‘if I was raised never knowing my dad and being told my stepdad was my real dad, how would I feel?’. The answer? I’d feel betrayed. I don’t want our child to feel that way.”
“Thank you.” It was barely above a whisper, and his voice sounded broken even at such a low volume. Before he could say another word, the doctor came out and called your name. You said your goodbye and waved and you hadn’t seen him since.
You hadn’t yet brought it to Jake and you didn’t bother texting Bradley as you didn’t have a solution yet. Gazing upon the room soon to be full of laughter and diaper changes, you knew in your heart it was the right thing to do. Even if Brad wasn’t always around, he deserved to at the very least meet her.
“Hey babe.” You turned around in Jake’s arms to face him. He looked at you with such admiration, it made it hard for you to say what you wanted to. You didn’t want to hurt Jake.
“I’ve been thinking about Bradley.” Jake’s face became one of confusion. “He is her dad and I’ve told you about how he’s been lately. I think he’s sincere and I think he deserves to at least meet her. If I grew up being told my dad was someone else and never knew my real dad I’d feel hurt. I don’t want baby girl to be hurt.” Jake sighed and nodded.
“I understand but I don’t know. How do we know he’s not just doing this to try to kick me out and weasel back in? What if he just wants to claim you and the baby for housing allowance? Time off?” Jake had a point, but you would never leave Jake. He’s done so much for you and always a drop of a hat.
“You know I would never leave you right? After everything you’ve done for me I’d have to be an idiot to walk away. Look at the life you’ve made for us. A cute adorable house, my comfortability during my pregnancy, and now a nursery for baby girl. You’ve given me safety and stability and pure happiness, Jake. I’d be a fool to leave you.” Jake smiled and planted a kiss on your forehead, staying there for a moment and took a deep breath.
“Of course. She’s not due for another week anyways.” You both grabbed the others hand and went downstairs to finish off your Sunday evening.
Monday morning came and as you woke up, you had peed yourself. “Shit.” It smelled and you were lucky Jake had already gone to work. You quickly got up to clean yourself before heading back to get the sheets washed when you nearly collapsed from unimaginable pain in your abdomen. “No, no, no, no, no. Not now!! You’re too early!! Fuck!!” You searched for your phone in a panic when the pain wouldn’t go away. You yelled out in pain and quickly dialed the first number you could get your hands on in your emergency contact list. The ringing hit your ears and you didn’t even wait for a voice as soon as you heard the line connect.
“My water broke! I’m going into labor!”
“Oh my god!! Shit!!” You recognized Natasha’s voice anywhere. “Oh my god!! Someone find Jake NOW!” Her voice was commanding as voices chattered on the other side. You groaned out in pain again before it subsided and you felt like you were going to pass out. “How far apart are your contractions?”
“I don’t know, I woke up and thought I peed but then I got this bad pain and it just now went away.”
“Shit shit- where is he?! Stay calm, grab onto something we’re getting you help-“ Another wave came on and you yelled out, nearly screaming. “Oh my god you’re not far apart. FIND HIM!!” Voices filled your ears, and you picked out Bob’s panic.
“I haven’t seen him all day! Coyote went to find him. Where’s Maverick?! He’ll know what to do!” You tried to giggle at Bob’s adorable voice. He was always cute when he was nervous, like a kid who had been caught eating halloween candy when he wasn’t supposed to.
You yelled out in pain again and Natasha’s words became faded. You heard her yelling and screaming at people before finally you heard ‘just give me the phone please’ followed by a calming voice.
“Hey, just breathe. They found Jake, he’s on his way to get you. You got this. Stay calm and focus on your breathing. Breathe with me.”
You knew it to be the one and only Bradley Bradshaw.
You yelled out again, the pain still not subsiding. You had no clue how long it had been since your water broke in your sleep, so you had no idea how long your body had technically been in labor. “Breathe in for four,” you took a breath in, listening to his voice. “One, two, three, four. Now hold it for four-“ He calmly and slowly counted you through each breath, a nice change of pace from Natasha’s yelling and you felt your body relax with each number. It felt like time slowed down as he spoke to you and you felt peace amongst the contractions. “You got it, keep breathing okay? Jake should be there any minute now. I’m sure he’s speeding like the devil to get to you. You’re gonna be okay. You’re so strong, you can handle this no problem.” He kept giving you encouragement as you felt another wave of pain. You gritted your teeth as you yelled, this one worse than the last. You felt your vocal chords ripping at the intensity of your scream, you didn’t even hear the door slam open downstairs.
“Hey, you’re okay! Breathe Y/N!! Breathe! Remember in for 4, come on do it with me!” Bradley’s voice distracted you from Jake’s yelling until you physically felt Jake around you. He was sweating, and he looked so afraid, you must’ve looked horrible to cause him such fright. “You got her?”
“Yeah I got her, thanks Rooster. Tell Maverick I won’t be back today.” He hung up the phone and grabbed the hospital bag and quickly scooped you up, practically running to the car.
You blinked and you were in a hospital bed with an epidural. The nurses and doctor were all in the room, Jake at your side gripping your hand and giving you little bits of motivation. In all honesty, he was more of a wreck than you were, you thought he might pass out.
Even with the medicine, you’d been in extreme pain, causing you to become dizzy and weak. You’d been at this for nearly 5 hours now and you were only 3 cm dilated. They gave you all they could to speed it up, and the doctor even said he’d suspected you’d been in labor for nearly 15 hours now including the morning.
“The head isn’t in position! If this baby drops, it’s gonna wrap the chord on its ne-“ Before you could comprehend what the nurse was saying, you felt a shot of pain and the heart monitor went out. All the staff jumped to remove you from your stand and get you to an emergency C-section. You started to freak out, you couldn’t lose your baby, and you didn’t want to die either. You were so scared and just when you needed Jake the most, he was told to wait outside.
The last thing you remember is the doctor telling you it’s gonna be okay before you blacked out from pain.
When you woke up, it was the next morning from the time on your clock on the wall. The TV was playing some cooking show really quietly and you felt incredibly weak. You could barely muster a breath, let alone move your head. You felt a hand on yours and you slowly tried to turn your head. To your left, Jake was in a chair, a blanket and pillow accompanying him. His eyes were red and puffy, and you assumed the worse. “I’m so happy you’re awake.” He leaned in to give you a soft and gentle kiss, which you reciprocated.
He took in a shaky breath. “She wasn’t head down, and she caught herself in her umbilical chord and flatlined, when they got you back there you went with her. I was so scared that I would lose you both. After hours, they finally brought you back in here to me. You were fast asleep and so pale I thought you were dead. When they hooked you back up and I saw your heartbeat, I broke. You are so amazing, you know that? You are so strong and I love you so much.”
“But…what about? Baby girl? Did she-“ You were starting to breathe quickly and Jake was a blubbering mess. You assumed she didn’t make it due to your state of health. He went to speak when another voice appeared followed by a face to match.
“She’s beautiful. She looks just like you.” You followed to see Bradley. Your eyes widened.
“I didn’t know what to do, they wouldn’t tell me anything, so I called him. He helped me through it all. They wouldn’t even let me see her.” Jake leaned down to cry into your hand. You hadn’t even thought about that. Jake wasn’t your husband nor was he your child’s father. Of course they would only tell Bradley the information as the proven biological father.
“I took Jake up there to see her through the window. But only I was allowed to hold her after your surgery.”
“I came running as soon as I saw his name light up on my phone. I knew something was wrong. When I got here and they figured out who I was, they scrubbed me up and shoved me into the room to keep an eye on you if you were to wake up. They wanted you to have a familiar face there so you wouldn’t panic, but they only allowed the mother’s parents or the father of the child in.” You couldn’t believe he showed up.
You couldn’t believe Jake went to him.
“They pulled her out and I heard her cry-“ he choked back his tears. “It was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. They cleaned her off and handed her to me, to get skin to skin while they stitched you up. She’s stunning Y/N. I’m so proud of you.”
“What happened to me in there Brad?”
“It was horrible.” Jake spoke up now. “The nurse came out and told me Brad gave the responsibility to me to decide whether or not I wanted them to try and save you. Bradley gave me the choice. I couldn’t handle it.”
You looked to Bradley. “When she finally was born and they took her away ti be cleaned, all your monitors started going off. You were losing too much blood too quickly. They asked me the question and I couldn’t do it. Jake is your partner, so I thought it best for him to be the one to decide since he took the responsibility when I decided to leave you in the dust. Watching you bleed out on that table killed me. You became pale, your under eyes turning yellow. I thought you were gone.”
“I donated blood for you.” Jake looked at you, attempting to pull himself together. “They wanted Bradley too but I was the only match for your blood type out of us two. So they took a ton of blood so you could be okay.” You tugged on Jake’s hand to give him a kiss. You wanted to cry.
“Thank you Jake. I don’t know where I’d be without you. I love you.”
“Don’t thank just me. As much as I hate to admit when I’m wrong, Bradley has changed. I remember wanting to get him sent on different orders for months. I wanted to tear him from the sky on every training exercise. Now, I owe him everything for what he’s done today.” Jake looked at Brad and extended a hand for him to shake.
“Bradley.” He turned to you and sat on the bed by your feet. You reached out with your other hand and grabbed his, Jake helping you sit up. “Thank you. I knew something had sparked in you the moment I saw you at the gender reveal. You’ve changed so much since I told you about our girl. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“But you were when it mattered. You talked me through my contractions on the phone. The peace I felt when you calmly spoke to me was such a relief. You ran a snap of a finger when Jake called for you. You two hate each other!” All three of you laughed. “Both of you, I really am so greatly for you two. I couldn’t have done it without you. And Brad, I’m so glad to got to see her, hold her. I’m really happy you were there with me when Jake couldn’t be.”
Just then a nurse walked in. “Ah! Moms awake! How are we feeling mom?”
The nurse checked all your vitals and checked on your scar to make sure everything was normal. She said the weakness is nothing to worry about and that it will go away with time.
“Do you want to see her?” You nodded as she stepped out and returned in a bit with a clear bassinet. A swaddle of pink blankets lay in it. The nurse took her out and placed her in your arms, pulling your gown down for skin to skin.
“I’ll leave you be to soak it all in and have some privacy. I’ll come check on you in awhile. Congratulations.”
As she stepped out, you burst into tears. “Did you pick out a name?” You turned to Jake. “Either of you?”
“I did.” Jake spoke up. “It’s not official yet in case you hated it. Bradley doesn’t even know her name yet.”
“You have a name?” Bradley spoke up, clearly as clueless as you.
“I did. Her name will be Caroline Mae Bradshaw.” You and Bradley both shot shocked faces his way. “Caroline after your mother, Carol.” He gestured to Bradley. “Mae after your mother, Mary Mae.” He gestured to you. “I feel it only appropriate for her to take her father’s name. I don’t feel right giving her mine. So, she’s a Bradshaw.”
“Jake. You don’t have to-“
“I want to Bradley. She’s yours. I love Y/N and this beautiful baby girl with my entire being, but I did nothing to make her existence. It doesn’t matter if her creation was an accident. You still played a huge part without even knowing it and after all you’ve done for Y/N over the last few months, I think it’s only fitting.” You broke out into sobs. You were overcome with so much love and emotion you couldn’t handle it. Watching the two men in your life connect right in front of your eyes, getting something you never thought you would. You looked at Jake.
“Do you wanna hold Caroline then?” Jake nodded as he carefully took her from your arms.
“She really is beautiful, but I think you don’t give yourself enough credit Brad, look at her again.” Jake sat down next to you as Brad took the chair at the bedside. You all took a good look at her as she slowly began to open her eyes.
She may have had some of your defining features like the shape of your lips or the point of your nose, but her dark head of hair and beautiful deep brown eyes were all Bradley. She was a beautiful mix. She looked up at Jake with wide eyes, studying his face. “Hi prettt girl, I’m your stepdad. This is your mom,” he tilted her up a little so you could wave a coo at her, “and this is your dad.” He looked at Bradley, handed her over so he could hold Caroline.
“Hey peanut. It’s dad.” She let out a couple excited breaths at the sound of his voice and it caused you to laugh. “I think she likes me.”
“She better.” You chimed in.
You leaned your head against Jake as he wrapped his arms around you. “Why don’t you get some more rest okay? I think we got this. You need to gain your strength back so we can take you gorgeous girls home.”
You muttered out a small ‘okay’ as Jake adjusted you to wear he could hold you while you slept. “You take care of mom, I’ll take care of the little one.”
“Deal.” Bradley got up to go rock Caroline while Jake brushed through your hair with his fingers and quietly talked to you while you drifted off to sleep.
To an onlooker, it was a beautiful view. Bradley rocking his brand new baby girl, cooing at her and talking to her. You fast asleep after the accomplishment you made today and the hardship your body went through. Jake right there by your side, propped up on an elbow, fingers brushing your hair while he hummed softly to get you to rest.
Despite the differences between the three, they came together to make a beautiful family. A happy trio for one pretty special kid.
(a year and a half later)
You were hosting your first get together for the dagger squad since you gave birth. You and Jake agreed to give it a year for your recovery since you took your time regaining your strength. Bradley was often over to take care of Caroline so Jake could focus on you. You were sick for months after giving birth. In and out of the hospital for the first 4 months of Caroline’s life. Once you got better, you and Jake got a marriage license and you officially became Mrs. Seresin. You enjoyed the first couple months of your marriage in private while Bradley took over Caroline. So after a year, you were well and back to your normal self. But, Jake wanted to give it a few more months just to be safe, so here you are with an 18 months old and a new last name.
You had Caroline in a wrap against your chest while Jake was in the kitchen cooking. Bradley was setting up in the living room with Natasha and Bob. You had just gotten Caroline dressed and headed down the stairs as everyone started to arrive. You greeted everyone and Caroline babbled to a few of the pilots. She was quite fond of her Uncle Bob.
Everytime Bob was over Caroline just clung to him. If Bob set her down or stopped giving her attention, she started to whine. It was cute but poor Bob couldn’t catch a break. So today, she was glued to your chest.
You walked into the kitchen as Jake began plating the food. “Are you nervous?” He asked when he. priced you coke in.
“A little bit, but I think it’s all going to turn out.” He set the last plate down before grabbing your hand.
You both walked into the living room where everyone was started to get drinks and catch up. “Lunch is ready but first we have something to announce.”
As Jake was talking you reached into your back pocket and pulled out a little white stick with a plus sign on it. You shouted, “We’re pregnant! Baby Seresin due i. 8 months!” You we’re already a month along, but decided to wait until everyone was together to announce it.
The room burst into hoops, hollers, cheers and congratulations. You looked to Jake as he kissed you.
“Don’t call me in a panic this time, because I won’t be able to to shit.” Bradley quipped as you all began laughing.
“Shit!” You all fell silent as Caroline said her first word.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” You pinched the bridge of your nose as the laughter fired up again. With a little Bradshaw and a Seresin on the way, you were going to have your hands full.
