Babydoll

Very close to the end of this novel. The finale awaits. Thank You for those who have afforded me patience in this endeavor. This is a direct continuation of the previous chapter. This is meant to be a dramatic series filled with Romance, Intrigue, Taboo, and most of all Sex.

Once again, I am sorry for the delays that occurred over time. I had several requests to finish the story. The finish has been in the works for some time. It just took time to bring it all together in a way I felt comfortable with.

Like I have said before, please give the story a chance. Everyone is looking for their own path in a story. Your path may be different from the author's (mine). In the end, it is the author's story told from his perspective and creative energy. That is why I am always appreciative of those who put forth a good faith effort in their personal artistry. I have attempted to do so here.

My goal has always been to pull in all of your senses, while helping you imagine this journey.

Anyway, any likenesses or similarities of character are purely coincidental. I hope you will read the previous chapters, if you haven't. But, you can always jump in here and go fill in the missing pieces provided in the earlier stories.

This is a taboo topic, so I know that it is offensive to some. The material is erotic to me, because it is forbidden in society. This is purely fantasy. Hope you enjoy the fantasy.

(One last note - again): I received another comment about how this story doesn't belong in this category. You cannot be serious. What is the main theme of the story in its totality? The main theme of the story is about Jim and his relationship with his sister told from Jim's perspective - it is his account of that story. It is told from a first person angle throughout. Ashley is present throughout the whole story. Even if she isn't present in a particular scene, she is present in the background. I could understand if she was a small part of the story, but she is in every chapter. Who is the story named after? Jim's nickname of Ashley. Yes, she is a tragic character to a great degree and Jim is a flawed character, but those are the circumstances of the relationship. Please, just like in life, this story is complex. I tried to write a realistic, dramatic fantasy. I wasn't attempting to write a stroke story. There is a place for completely whimsical fantasies. That wasn't what I have attempted to do here. I hope you will appreciate the story for what it is. In this endeavor, I have come to realize that I am not going to please everyone, but I am appreciative of how many have enjoyed the story - thank you.

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(Two months later)... I had just finished my last final of the fall semester, when I came home. I was definitely shot and wanted to relax, but Jill was waiting for me at the door. She seemed very nervous and it had me worried when she greeted me, "I need you to come over here and sit down."

It was only a few days before Christmas as I went to the sofa and sat while Jill sat next to me, "I haven't wanted to bother you, because you've been busy with school, but now that you are done with your finals, I need to let you know... I'm pregnant."

I smiled from ear-to-ear, but was also nervous as shit, when I leaned in to hug and kissed her.

"So you are alright with this," She asked seeking confirmation.

"Yes, that was the goal we set out for," I affirmed. "How long? Have you seen the doctor?" I peppered her with endless questions.

She answered them one-by-one. Apparently we had been successful over our honeymoon and yes she had been to the doctor. She was a couple months pregnant and the baby would be born in July.

She was happy that I was happy and so we went about making plans for a busy holiday. We would head to my home to deliver the news and then head to her parents to see them. I would have 4 weeks off and then have to get back to my studies with the arrival of the Winter/Spring semester. It was even more imperative now that I remain on track and get out of school, because I was going to be responsible for another life and currently Big was the one with all of the responsibilities, but it was also Big that had wanted this to happen.

The following week, on Christmas Eve, we made our way home. We left early and arrived at noon. Everyone was getting ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We were having Christmas Eve at the house like we usually do. Everyone was there including Joe and Jan. We waited until we sat down for dinner at 7pm and spilled the beans.

To say the least, everyone was flabbergasted and overwhelmed, but it was joyous. Even Ashley, with Mitch at her side, seemed genuinely warm to the idea. No one could contain themselves and they immediately sprang up one-by-one to come over and hug Jill.

After dinner and dessert and before we were going to open packages, I snuck off upstairs to the bathroom. I had seen Ashley heading that way earlier with John. She had apparently taken him up to change his diaper. I headed to the bathroom first and looked to see the light on in her room. After finishing in the bathroom, I headed to her room, where she had finished up and was looking out the window as John stood in his crib.

"Knock, Knock," I said as I entered the room. Ash turned while I approached. She had a forlorned look.

I shook my head as I entered her space, speaking quietly, "You don't look very happy Ashley."

"I'm happy... I'm happy for you Jimmy."

"You will always be my first... John will always be my first."

"Get over yourself Jimmy... I've just got a lot on my mind," she said nearly under her breath and with a bit of a derision.

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

She punched me in the arm, "I've told you about that."

I kissed her cheek, looking at her knowingly and left the room and headed back down the steps. I knew after what happened in the past that I couldn't spend too much time with Ash, because I didn't want Jill to become paranoid. I'd already suffered the consequences of that. Not long after I had made my way back downstairs, Ash joined us and we opened our one traditional gift.

On this night, after we each had opened our one gift, we made our way to the church for midnight mass. We had many reasons to make it to Church for Christmas this year, some good, some bad. We were all in unison, sitting together and enjoying the evening of pomp and pageantry. It was good to see so many family and personal friends that were home for Christmas. This had become a rare occasion over time. It was around 12:30am when we arrived home and we headed off to bed.

The next day was a traditional Christmas spent in a usual manner. After gifts and food and visiting, we went to bed early, awaiting our long drive to Jill's house and another celebration. One year earlier we had spent the entire holiday at Jill's parents. I was a little nervous and apprehensive knowing that Jill's parents would be reticent about the situation with their daughter and her being pregnant. They had asked us to wait until she graduated before having children. In fact, that had seemed to be part of the negotiations on them accepting our union.

Well, we went about it in the same manner as we had with my family. We developed a plan in the hours of travelling the Interstate on the way there. We had decided and told them while we were having dessert after dinner that evening - the day after Christmas. There was no screaming, just a lot of explaining. They rehashed their fears and were a little put off in the beginning, but soon they accepted the situation and warmed to the idea of being grandparents.

There was going to be a baby, we were married, and it was what it was. Jill's mom monopolized her time and George, Andy, and I went about watching football. Of course we went to her grandmother's place like we had the previous year and all of the announcements were made there. It was traditional like when we had been there before.

A couple days later, the car was packed with gifts and packages from the shopping Jill and Betty had done for her pregnancy. We headed back home to spend time together and to get some rest. There would be my graduation ceremony, I had decided to attend, and my family would be in town for that and then our classes would kick in the following week. My graduate class schedule for law school was going to be tough and I was going to have to help Jill get caught up with her own academic standing.

Jill had decided that she needed to get back to school to allay her parents fears. She said she would take the summer off, but she would only be 7 months pregnant when the semester was over and she could handle it. I was hesitant to tell her that I didn't want her wearing herself out, because in my mind, this was our first experience at having a child. I made a deal with her that she could take the classes I had taken in past semesters. That way she could use my notes.

Winter turned to Spring and we took it easy over Spring Break. Jill still wanted to work while she was pregnant. I wasn't fully supportive of that notion either, but she let loose on me one night during what I guessed was a hormonal induced outrage, letting me know, "I'm not going to be your fucking charity case. I want some things and I want the baby to have some things."

Jill started showing big time around late February and March. We had decided to just sit still for Spring Break and have a staycation. I had gotten a little gig doing a legal internship during the semester, since I was now in law school there was a local firm that allowed me to do what I had done for Big. I let them know that I would be able to help them for a couple of years and then I would be heading back home to be a junior associate in my grandfather's firm. It really all worked out well and it helped bring some more money in.

It was in April when Jill began to have some issues. I got home late one Friday afternoon to find her laying on the couch with what she described as a Migraine headache. I went and got some cool washcloths and got her to drink some cool water, because she said she felt like she was burning up. I was worried, so I called her doctor, who returned my call an hour later. Her doctor told me that I needed to take her to the urgent care facility near the University and keep her up to date.

Jill argued, but I insisted and it wasn't long before we arrived at the Urgent Care facility. The nurse said that Jill's blood pressure was elevated, but Jill insisted that it was just stress from school and working and she would be alright. The nurse and doctor gave her a thorough check over and said they would forward her information to her doctor and we should see her doctor on Monday. Otherwise, they wanted Jill to just take it easy.

When we saw her doctor, the doctor insisted that we buy a blood pressure monitor, because Jill's blood pressure was slightly elevated. She said this was sometimes normal with women who are pregnant, especially those who are carrying a baby for the first time, gaining weight and maybe not getting the exercise they were before, and they are trying to keep the same lifestyle. Her suggestion, like the other doctor, was to take it easy.

Jill called her workplace and asked them to take her off the schedule. The one problem was with Jill's finals coming up there would be stress, but I promised to help as much as I could. Well, I couldn't take the tests for her and she couldn't help but worry as most college students do during those times.

Jill made it through those weeks, but there were times when she definitely had worries that created tension. I got our food, made her warm baths, massaged her, and made sure she got the right amount of sleep. It was all wearing me out a bit, but it was what I was supposed to do. It made me wonder about what Ash had gone through when she had Little John - and I hadn't been there for her.

You know I even called Ashley and spoke with her about it. My apologies for everything were effusive again and she blew those off. Yeah, she would tell me to shut up, but she was very empathetic about the situation. We spoke more than we had in a couple of years and we were becoming the close confidants we used to be. The Winter/Spring semester finished the first week of May and Summer school wouldn't start for a couple weeks. I would be attending summer school, but Jill wouldn't. It was decided that she wouldn't be going back to school until the beginning of the Fall semester.

It was only a couple months until the baby was to be born and because of all of the hyperactivity related to Jill's difficulties, we had found out that the baby would be a girl. We had also decided upon a name. Her name would be Paige Elizabeth Jameson. This would be a tribute to both of our families. Paige after my maternal grandparent's last name (Page), Elizabeth after Jill's mother, and Jameson was my paternal surname.

I was in a class, during the second session of Summer School, when I received a buzz on my cell phone. I saw that the call was from Jill and I slowly slid out of the class, hoping not to cause a stir, "Jim, you need to come home... please come home."

I hated to interrupt the Professor, but I told him my wife was pregnant and please excuse me it was an emergency. He nodded and I was gone.

I was home within 20 minutes and I was worried to death. I was right to be worried, because Jill looked like she was in a lot of pain and in shock - white as a ghost. I carried her in my arms to the car. Racing to the hospital, I begged Jill to hang on. She sat quietly with her eyes closed, occasionally groaning, remaining colorless, like she was about to pass out.

I raced in through the emergency room front door and to the desk asking for help, "My wife is pregnant... she's not doing very well. She's in shock." I was so worried I could hardly register the questions they were asking.

"I was in class at school and she called... I raced to get home..." I answered, "She's got to be alright."

They went out and got her and raced her into the emergency room on a gurney. I tried to follow but they wouldn't let me. I was ushered to the waiting room and sat there with the worst worry I could imagine. Time seemed to crawl by. Fifteen minutes later a nurse came out and told me, "Your wife isn't well. It seems her blood pressure is really elevated. We're trying to stabilize her blood pressure, but we might have to go ahead and deliver the baby to take the stress off of her."

All I could do was nod. I felt so alone. It was just us. Sure we had some friends around, but the families were hours away. Under different circumstances I would have called them, but at this moment, all I was thinking about was Jill and the baby.

Another 15 minutes later and Jill's OB/GYN arrived at the emergency center. "Jim, I don't have much time to talk, but we've got to deliver that baby. We're going to have to do a C-Section." With that she was off and on her way into the operating room.

My world was spinning. I was in a daze wondering how it could have all gone wrong. Sure there had been issues, but this was life threatening on all counts. I couldn't lose Jill. I was so torn up. I sat in a corner crying as a nurse brought the chaplain in to talk to me. He took me to their little worship area and we prayed before I finally begged him off, "I'm alright... I'll be alright."

About thirty minutes later they came to tell me that Paige was born and alright, but they needed to put Jill in ICU and monitor her. Her blood pressure had spiked for a while, but it was coming down. They needed to monitor her. They said that once her blood pressure and other vitals came down to a certain level that they would let me see her. I never prayed more in my life, and with my guilty conscience, I prayed a lot.

I finally called my mother and let her know what was going on. She said she would be on her way and she would call everyone else and she'd call Jill's parents, if I wanted. "No Mama, I have to call them."

After I hung up, I took a deep breath, nervous as nervous could be and dialed George's cell phone. "Hello Jim. All well?" he answered.

(Jim) - "George, you have a granddaughter, but Jill's not well."

(George) - "What?"

(Jim) - "Yeah, she went into what they call Eclamplsia and they put her in ICU to monitor her."

"My God Man," George rattled.

I heard Betty in the background, "George... George... what's going on."

George must have handed Betty the phone, "Jim, what is going on?"

I could hardly tell her "...I can't talk about it, but Jill had the baby. She's not well. They have her in ICU."

"Oh Jim. Ohhh..." she paused, "We're on our way. It'll be 8 hours before we can get there."

(Jim) - "Thank You... I'm so sorry."

(Betty) - "You just make sure and call if there are any changes.

I sat and waited another hour. No one would tell me anything. Finally they told me that I could see the baby. I walked to the delivery area and saw Paige. She looked like a normal newborn. That made it all that much harder to understand. I must have stood there forever.

Finally the OB/GYN came in and informed me that Jill was stable, but she was still having issues with her blood pressure and she wasn't out of the woods. It seems that she had some sort of seizure and the Doctor asked if there had been any signs. I told her exactly the way it had all gone down. She draped her arm over my shoulder and told me there was basically nothing different I could have done.

Finally, they allowed me to go back to ICU to see Jill. I was shocked to see her hooked up to machines. She wasn't on a ventilator, but they were supplementing her oxygen through a nosepiece. I held her hand and told her about the baby. She was unconscious and didn't acknowledge me. I held her hand for 15 minutes until I was ushered out of the room.

They told me that they had given her a tranquilizer and some other meds. Her blood pressure was still somewhat elevated, but was slowly dropping. After a while the staff dismissed me, so I went to look at the baby before heading out to the lobby where I sat and waited. I was surprised as hell, when Big, Gramm's, and Mama came walking in. It had only been 2 1/2 hours and home was nearly 5 hours away.

"My friend let us use his plane," Big explained. Turns out it was one of his good clients. We all went to see Paige and the nurse came to us during this time.

"We're going to move your wife to a room," the nurse explained. "Her vitals are within a range where we can monitor her in a regular room. The weight of the world seemed to lift from my shoulders. I called Jill's parents and let them know. They let me know they were about 5 to 6 hours away. I told them to please be careful and we'd be waiting on them.

It was after 9pm when Jill's parents arrived. Jill's mom walked in and took her hand and for the first time Jill opened her eyes. "Hey Mom," she spoke softly. Her father and I came up to touch her.

"God Girl, you had me worried to death," she could see me break down in tears. "I love you. We have a daughter. I'll get them to bring her to you." I pushed the button to summon the nurse to let them know that Jill was conscious.

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Slowly, but surely, Jill recovered. They wouldn't let her go home for a few days, because they wanted to continue to monitor her. She had a bit of a postpartum depression, where her mood swung. I had to keep up with my schoolwork and work and that irritated her to a great extent it seemed. She wanted more attention from me and then she didn't. Her mother came and stayed with us, but Jill stayed in the bed more than she didn't.

I did everything I could in my power, with the time I had, to get her back on track. She was good about nursing the baby and holding her for a while, but she stayed tired and withdrawn with what I would define as melancholy. I tried to talk to her about it, but she just said she was tired. It was very frustrating and everyone said I just needed to give her time.