Julia's baby, Bk 2 - Oh, Mama.

Chapter 6 - Frustrations

 Julia managed to ignore Oliver's phone calls and stay in bed for about two days. Sort of. She was scared for the babies, she was petrified, but she was also lonely. Beth couldn't be here all the time and her mom had stuff to do. Beth's mom was working again. Levi was around working from his room. 

It was kind of easy at first. Watch a movie. Watch the street outside. Watch a movie. Then the second day came around and she remembered she wasn't allowed to get out of bed. So Julia and Beth spent the morning ...watching movies. More movies. Oh wow, another movie. She was so tired of movies. Julia groaned when Beth offered another one and rolled over onto her other side. What did people do when they were stuck in bed? Seriously? She was so tired of it.  Just had to ... stay here. A little longer. Make the babies stay inside. This was not as much fun as it looked. After lunch Beth had to go with her mom to go shopping, as Levi couldn't walk without a cane and her own mom couldn't lift heavy things and had to care for her baby, so Julia spent the afternoon trying to read.

Oliver called at least once an hour. Every hour. Julia would glare at the phone and then turn it off. He was in Sydney with Amanda and she didn't want to talk to him. He'd even sent her a photo of that giant opera house, like she'd care, and at one point he'd sent her a message about checking blood sugar levels. Thanks. Really. She glared at her phone. He was a bit slow about that. 

She lay in bed on the third evening, after everyone had gone to bed, and wasn't tired. Julia stared up, the lamp on beside her, watching some fly buzz around her ceiling. Felt her babies shift and wriggle a little before settling back down. What had the doctor said? She didn't think they were conjoined? She couldn't tell? Julia's heart fluttered with panic all over again. So, they were in some kind of dangerous ...sac. Situation. They were tying their cords up in knots. And they were so close that the doctor wasn't sure they weren't literally attached? How could a doctor not know that? Not just that but apparently her body was already trying to open up like that scary video had showed. Why didn't it hurt then? And what had the doctor meant about a stitch? 

She was tempted to try and feel it. Julia didn't. She was too freaked out about the idea. She remembered she had some informational booklet about the 'stitch; but she didn't want to read it alone. Beth and her mom were out, still, they'd gone to the movies. Her mom was asleep and Ben was asleep, so waking her was bad.

Naturally she got up and headed for Levi's room. It felt as natural as going to Beth somehow. Julia crawled into bed beside him, hearing him inhale in surprise, and then he was twisting around and wrapping an arm over her.

"Julia? You're supposed to be in bed." He sounded sleepy, groggy, the smell of his body washing over her as he shifted closer. There was a flash of something, warmth, affectionate, but he hid it pretty fast. Julia realised he'd had the same expression on for weeks, the same tense face, with the occasional attempt at a joke. Sometimes he got protective, sometimes that bled through, but she hadn't gotten such a affectionate look for weeks. 

"I can't sleep. You're warm." That excuse would work tonight. Even if it was summer in Australia, it wasn't warm tonight, and Julia snuggled into his side as much as her tummy would allow. Like usual she felt her butterflies return, her skin tingle where he touched it, her own heart racing a bit faster. She had to focus. Julia could have easily have fallen asleep in his arms like this.  "Did you tell Oliver?"

"No." Levi admitted and she felt his other arm come under her head, both arms wrapping around her, a soft shuddering breath as she pressed against him. "Julia, you're with Oliver. We can't snuggle."

"I'm going to break up with him." She wasn't even sure if they were 'together'. Did sex count? Julia was confused. It made Levi react though. She felt his chest expand fast, like he'd breathed in fast. "I just- I don't want to be alone. I have to read something and I want company."