Jake And Jessica Ch 10

This is Chapter 10 of J&J. It should be a good read for those of you who enjoy a good story. Thanks to Todger65 for his continued editing. Feedback and Votes are welcomed.

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Chapter 10: Crazy Girls!

Jessica lay in her bed watching TV before getting up to go to Northside Medical to work an eight hour shift in the ER. She just got done throwing up for the second time today. She was having really bad morning sickness. Thankfully, she was beginning her second trimester so it should ease off in the next few days. She had already gotten a shower and was getting dressed when she received a text.

'Hope you have a wonderful day honey! Love You!' Jake sent her.

'Have fun down in Baxley! Bring me back a souvenir.' She replied.

Jake was down in Baxley, GA where the Hatch Nuclear Plant was located. He would be down there for three days and come back on Monday. This was his first trip out of Atlanta to a plant. He was excited to go but would miss his beautiful wife and her ever growing baby.

She went out to the car and drove to work hoping it would be a good day. As she drove down the highway to the hospital she listened to her tunes, enjoying her last moments of solitude and peace before being thrown into the clutches of the ER of Northside Medical Center. She parked and walked into the hospital getting ready for a long day. She knew she needed to inform them of her pregnancy but didn't want to until she started to show.

She started working on her patients as they came in, dealing with general sickness of children to the one child abuse case she saw. She never liked it when a child came in with visible trauma from abuse. She felt bad for the child named Jonathan as his father had broken his arm after he went into an episode of PTSD. She knew it wasn't the child's fault but she felt even worse as his father who he loved was going to jail for assault.

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Jake rode down with Zach as they were driving a company vehicle. It had been a long time since he had been out of the big city of Atlanta. He found the back roads drive to be rather nice once they got off Interstate 16. Nothing but trees and Zach to keep him company.

"So, just to let you know before we get there; Plant Hatch is pretty old but a nice plant. They are nice people down here but they can be stubborn and don't like outsiders. Just stick with me and you'll be fine." Zach said as he drove.

Finally, they were close as they drove by the plant to make it to their hotel room. He saw the plant's cooling towers from afar seeing where he would be spending most of his weekend. This trip was a safety inspection for the entire plant. They would check everything from water levels to used uranium storage. Plant Hatch was getting close to having more depleted uranium than storage available. Jake and Zach were there to make a recommendation about moving it in small quantities to the Depleted Uranium Storage Facility in Nevada.

They made it to the hotel and went inside to get comfortable for the night. Jake texted Jessica before he went to bed.

'We made it here and are settled in' Jake sent.

'Good to hear. How was the drive?'

'Boring but the woods are a big change from ATL.'

'I bet! Had a long day in the ER'

'What happened?' Jake asked wondering how her day went.

'Had a kid come in with a broken arm. His father broke it during an episode of PTSD. They arrested him right in front of his kid and wife. I feel for the guy. War SUCKS!' She replied.

'Is the kid going to be ok?' Jake asked.

'Yeah, other than his father won't be there tonight.'

'Yeah, war does suck and people will be living with the scars of the last 20 years of constant war for decades to come. Zach and I seem to be getting along pretty well.'

'Well, that is good. Anyway, Amy just got in and we are going to watch a movie to unwind from today. I love you Jake!'

'I love you too. Rub your belly for me!' Jake replied turning his lamp off to go to sleep.

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Jake and Zach inspected the plant that weekend, covering everything that was needed by the quarterly visit requirement set by Nuclear Southern Guidelines. After leaving they drove back to Atlanta on that Monday with Jake driving. He didn't get an opportunity to drive without being in constant stop and go traffic that Atlanta was known for, just like other big cities.

"So, I bet you're going to go home and give Jessica a good time?" Zach asked.

"Yep, I might as well go ahead and tell you; Jessica is pregnant!" He said as he drove.

"You DOG! Congratulations man! When is she due?" Zach asked.

"She's due in September. We are having a party on Saturday and I was wondering if you would like to come? Our Family will be there." Jake said, implying 'our' and not 'both our'.

"Well, I got nothing going on. Can I bring a date?" Zach asked.

"You can bring a date and some beer if you would like." Jake replied merging onto I-75 North from I-16.

"Alright, what time?" Zach asked.

"Be there at 3pm, dinner will be at 5:30pm." Jake replied.

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Jake and Zach made it back to Atlanta unpacking their stuff from the company vehicle. They put their bags into their own cars before going inside to begin the reports they needed to make after their visit. It would take them a day or two to write them up before submitting them.

Jake checked his work phone for any messages and had two. One was from Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, GA requesting confirmation of their visit next month. The other was from Jane Collier down in HR on the 5th floor. She left the message Friday wondering if he could call her when he had a moment to spare. He dialed her extension and a few rings later she picked up.

"Hi, Mrs. Collier. It's Jake Edwards, I just got your message. You wanted me to call you?"

"Uh, Yes. Is it ok if I come up?" She asked.

"Um Sure, I'll let them know you're coming up." Jake said.

"Ok, I'll be up in about ten minutes or so." She said hanging up.

About 15 minutes later she walked into his office.

"Hi Jake." She said and sat down in the chair.

"Hi Mrs. Collier, what can I do for you." He asked a little concerned as she came up to speak with him in person.

"Um, I hate to ask but as of 2020, primary beneficiaries are required to submit a copy of their Birth Certificate. I need a copy of Jessica's in order for it to be active. I apologize for the inconvenience." She said with a smile on her face. Now Jake was worried as it would show information such as baby 1 of 2 and list baby number 2's name.

"Um, ok. You're just going to submit it right?" He asked with a lot concern on his face.

"Yeah, it's no biggy." She said to him and got up walking to the door and went back down the elevator. Jake was now very concerned as his secret would be out in the open with Southern Nuclear having it. He put Jessica on the beneficiary policy as his wife. Now he figured that he was going to get caught in the biggest lie in the State of Georgia. He had to talk with Jessica when he got home.

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Jake walked in the door and into the waiting arms of Jessica. She pulled him down to her kissing him very passionately. He reached for her belly feeling the slight baby bump that was forming. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her close and put his head to her neck.

"I missed you Jess!" He said as she embraced him.

"I missed you even more." She replied. A moment later Amy walked down the stairs to see them hugging each other.

"Hey Jake, welcome back! She cried for you every night!" Amy said obviously teasing Jessica.

"Liar! It was only for the first night." Jessica replied.

"Hey, can we talk about something in a little bit. It might complicate things for us." Jake said, visibly worried.

"What's wrong?" Jessica replied.

"Just a complication at work. But we can talk about it later. Right now, I'm really hungry." Jake replied putting it off until later.

Later on after eating a nice plate of baked chicken, with green beans and pasta noodles, they settled down in the living room.

"So, what's going on Jake?" Jess asked him with Amy sitting in the rocking chair next to Jess.

"The Human Resources person who processed my application came up to see me after I got back. She said that she needs your birth certificate as a new law requires primary beneficiaries have a birth certificate on file." He paused before adding, "I'm worried that our secret will get out and we will be shamed, outcast and even thrown in jail." Jessica just pulled him to her and held him.

"We need that beneficiary policy. I don't understand, I was able to put you on mine at Northside Medical without a problem." Jessica said.

"Give it to her!" Amy replied which caught the attention of Jake and Jessica.

"Are you crazy?" Jake asked.

"Well, I'm sane on any normal day. What I mean is, she can't willingly divulge personnel information without a court order. She is held liable by confidentially clauses just like Jess and I when we treat a patient. If she were to release that information, you can sue the fuck out of her and Southern Nuclear for a boat load of money." Amy said as if she was stating a fact.

"She's right Jake. Just give her my birth certificate." Jess said and kissed him. She released him from her kiss, "Nothing can keep me and you from one another."

"Okay, I'll give it to her on Thursday." Jake said.

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Jake, on Thursday took Jane Jessica's Birth Certificate. He walked into her office handing her it. "Here's the Birth certificate you need."

"Thank you Jake, I apologize for the inconvenience." Jane said to him.

He walked out worried but went back to the 8th floor to get to work on his next project, which was to start an action plan to upgrade the newly acquired Bellefonte Nuclear plant in north Alabama. He and Zach were in charge of the redesign and upgrade proposal. He had a grand idea but needed Zach to help him with it.

Jake was sitting in Zach's office thinking about his bold idea when Zach said something to him. "Jake, you in la la land over there?" Zach asked.

"Uh, oh yeah. I was thinking about our project here." Jake said.

"Any grand Idea's?" Zach asked.

"Kind of. How much total output do they want?" Jake asked.

"4,500 Mega Watts with a proposal of 3 reactors. Only problem is that even with the most advanced designs, we will still be short by nearly 500 MW of total output."

"That's what I thought. So how about a combo plant." Jake said.

"What do you mean?" Zach asked perplexed.

"We need 500 more Mega Watts, but building a 4th reactor will be over budget and more power than we need; even for future needs. I suggest we make the plant a Combination. We know that the government in putting pressure on Coal plants to renovate or build new with clean coal technology, and are also giving huge incentives for plants that diversify their power generating.

My proposal is this:

1. 3 Advanced Pressurized Light Water reactors with 1,380 MW's per reactor.

2. 4 Coal Carbon Advanced Clean Generating Turbines with a total power output of 600 MW.

3. 2 Natural Gas Turbines with 250 MW's of generating capacity.

4. Solar PV array's affixed to the roof structures that can produce power when it's sunny with a maximum amount of 20 MW's, and that can be added to at a later date.

That's my Combo plan. I know it sounds more expensive and it will most likely be, but it adds redundancy and cross generating platforms into the same area."

"It's a good idea, but not enough land." Zach said.

"I know; that's why I was thinking of a broad area approach. The Bellefonte reactors and solar PV's in the same area, and then have the Coal and Gas right here." Jake said pointing to a map on the table showing a 30 mile radius around Bellefonte.

"This guy is selling all of that land and it is big enough for a plant. Plus, it sits right next to a set of train tracks that would be perfect for a coal plant."

"Alright, run with it. Make your proposal while I figure out how to make 3 reactors do the work of 4. Maybe yours will be the winner." Zach said as Jake got up walking back to his desk to start etching out his idea. He knew the plan was ambitious but hoped it was the best solution.

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"So, I gave her your Birth Certificate earlier." Jake said as he and Jessica were eating some Chinese food.

"Yeah well, I had a very interesting day." Jessica replied.

"How so?" Jake asked.

"I had three asthma cases, five with general sickness, and one broken leg from a fall. I ended up telling the kid about how I received several broken bones all at once. It made him laugh and not feel as much pain. I also notified the hospital about my pregnancy." Jessica told him.

"Well that sounds like you lifted his spirits." Jake replied,"And how is our little one today?"

"Oh, the little one is making me cranky. So, how are we going to tell everyone at dinner Saturday?"

"Oh, I was thinking we would just say, 'we're having a baby'. I invited Zach over. I told him you are pregnant."

"Okay. Be sure you catch mom when she falls over. It's amazing we've been able to keep it a secret this long."

"True, but I think everyone will be happy for us." Jake said and kissed Jessica on the lips. "Together forever!"

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Saturday came with Jake getting the grill ready for some very good cooking. It was a warm day being April 16th. Jack and LJ were the first to arrive as Anne had a school event to attend. LJ was now a little angel as she went over to Jessica. Jessica bent down to look LJ in the eyes.

"Hey Little Jill, how are you?" Jessica asked her.

"Hey Jess, I missed you." LJ replied hugging Jessica.

"I missed you too. I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit as I've been busy lately and a little sick." Jessica said which got the attention of Jack. "How about I keep you for a weekend?"

"Sure! Then I can go swimming." LJ replied.

"Sure can! Come on, let's go talk while the guys start up the grill." Jessica took LJ into the living where they talked and played 'go fish' while waiting for the others to arrive.

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Jack joined Jake out back while he started to prepare the grill.

"How are you Jake?" Jack asked.

"Doing really great; fitting in just nicely at Southern Nuclear. Jessica and I are really great. Amy is the best friend anyone could ever have." Jake replied.

"When is Jessica due?" Jack abruptly asked.

"How did you know?" Jake shot back.

"Well, that stomach is poking out just a bit and Jessica said she had been sick. That was like an automatic for me, as we were informed of your wishes of wanting to have children." Jack said.

"You are alright with us doing that? Having children?" Jake asked as they had never really discussed it one on one before with him.

"Your mother asked me if I wanted to have a child with her, I said no as I see LJ as my own daughter. Even though we visit Jim every year on her birthday, she sees me as her father. I love your mother and all of you very much. You and Jessica will make awesome parents no matter what."

"Thanks Jack. Can you not say anything; we wanted to surprise everybody together. My supervisor Zach who I invited knows, but other than him and Amy everybody else is in for a surprise. Oh, and to answer your original question, the baby is due on September 7th."

"Alright." Jack watched as Jake started up the grill letting it warm up.

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A little while later everyone else showed up. Anne came in and greeted all of her children. Amy came in with Ella and her parents followed by Zach who had trouble finding their place.

Jake along with Zach, Jack and Mike were outback talking while the ladies stayed inside talking amongst themselves and watching Ella and LJ play. Amy and Jessica would smile at each other constantly trying not to give away the big surprise as Anne and Jill talked about work and a few TV shows they were watching together.

Jake along with the guys came in with a lot of steaks and put them on the dining room table. Jake announced to the girls that supper was ready. On the table was corn on the cob, salads, baked potatoes and steaks. Jessica was happy that it was ready as she was starving just sitting in the living room. Everyone joined the table and sat down with Jake and Jessica sitting next to each other. Everyone loaded their plates up waiting to dig in as they were going to say grace.

"Ella, would you like to say grace?" Jessica asked her.

"Yes please!" Ella replied. "Bless our food and this big family which I'm proud of to call my own. I miss my mother but I have found a new mother and father. Thank you Jessica and Jake for everything you have done for me. Amen!"

Jessica had a tear forming down her cheek which she hurriedly wiped away. "Amen!" Everyone said in unison.

Anne cut LJ's steak while she ate her salad. Jake and Jessica just watched everyone as they held hands underneath the table before digging in.

"So Zach, how is my Jake here fairing?" Jessica asked as she was meeting Zach for the first time.

"He is fitting in just nicely and is going to be making a name for himself. He has already impressed me with his far thinking ideas. I see where he gets his positivity and big heart from." Zach said looking at Anne.

"Why thank you Mr. Gonzales." Anne said.

"Please, just call me Zach." He replied to her.

Meanwhile, Jessica was woofing down her oversized plate in front of everyone. Jill was the first to notice. "Jess, slow down girl. You've already ate your entire salad and half of that Baked Potato." Which made everyone look at her plate.

Jessica chewed the remaining of her food in her mouth before replying. "Sorry, I'm eating for two!" Which stunned everyone except those that knew.

"What!?" Anne said. "Really?" Jill said both surprised.

"Surprise!" Jake and Jessica said together. Anne got up going over to them and hugging them.

"My two darlings, I'm so happy for you." Anne said shedding tears in front of everyone.

"I'm shocked, but none the less congratulations." Jill said and went over hugging Jessica before hugging Jake.

Ella got up and went over to Jessica. "I know you wanted me Jessica, but I will make sure I'm a good sister to your baby." Ella then hugged Jessica.

"Thank you Ella. I love you too." She said and kissed her forehead.

"Congrats to the both of you, may your little one bring you such joy." Zach said as he hugged Jessica.

"Thank you Zach, just keep my husband safe." Jessica whispered in his ear.

They all sat back down and continued eating. "So when are you due Jessica?" Anne asked.

"I'm due September 7th mom. Hold on, I'll be right back." Jessica got up going into their bedroom and retrieved her latest sonogram. She came back in hold the picture to her belly which was an 8/11 picture.

"Here is our little one!" Jessica said showing them the picture at belly level.

"Boy or Girl?" Jack said.

"We go in next week for a checkup. We haven't decided yet if we want to know." Jake said.

"It's a girl!" Amy said.

"Well Amy, you got a 50/50 shot of being right." Jake replied.

"If ever! When I was pregnant with the both of you, the doctor thought you were both boys. It wasn't until the sixth month that Jessica was positioned just right that we could not see a little peter." Anne said which earned a laugh for the majority of the attendees except Zach.

They all finished eating with all of them except Jake and Zach watching TV. They stepped outside to talk about work.

"So, I like your idea! I think the Combination Plant Idea is the way to go. It's cheaper, smarter and bolder and the Corporate Board will like it as they need to be seen as more environmentally friendly." Zach said as they were out back watching the water move around in the pool.