Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić: A love in Serbia

Chapter Thirteen: Meeting Jace Demarco Murray-Jokić

Context: Jamal will be having a home birth with his family by his side. One thing he had to do was to do the shower birth with his dad helping out.

Kitchener, Ontario,
8:00pm

Vlade sits down on the bedside while Jamal waits for the go signal to start pushing. Nikola smiles seeing his two year old son sitting down on the bed making sure that his mother was feeling the comfort that he needed before the baby comes out. (Just a note: he's wearing a sports bra and some sort.) Yet, Nikola sat down despite of him feeling anxious about Jamal's process of childbirth. "Babe, it will be okay. I know, it's going to be very difficult," Jamal said caressing Nikola's cheeks. "Besides, I'm hoping the birth would be easier than the first one," He told him.

"No worries love, it will be fine," Nikola kisses Jamal on the lips and forehead. "I'm sure that our baby will arrive safely and healthy," He nodded and then turns to Vlade. "Mommy's going to have a baby soon," "Yay!" Vlade said cheering. Later on, The family set up the supplies for the shower birth. First thing they would do is Nikola's aunt will look after Vlade. Somehow, Jamal was laying down in bed as Nikola lays beside him.

1:10am,

Jamal was kneeling down on the rug where Roger starts timing his contractions. "You okay there Jamal? Do you feel any pain?" "Yes dad," He muttered. "Okay, let's count the contractions okay?" Usually, his contractions were 5-7 minutes apart. The next thing he would do is walk around to dilate his cervix. Branislav checks the cervix and he's at 7 centimeters. In the meantime, Jamal's grandma was a midwife who would help him out with the baby. "Do you want to walk around my love?" "Sure babe," He said. Jamal puts on his nightgown to walk with Nikola Jokic. "Let's walk around hm? So that it can help open up your cervix," They decided to walk around the block. However, he would be in a lot of pain and would stop to hold his baby bump with his both hands. "Okay, Okay. Let's get back to the house," Later on, he was laying in bed breathing and the contractions were starting to become more painful. All he could do was kneel on the bed when he was complaining to his dad that he needed to push. "It's okay, just let your body do its work," "I know dad," He muttered.

2:15am,

"Want to go to your room and cuddle with me?" Nikola asks his laboring partner if he would wanted to have cuddles. Jamal nodded and cuddled next to his Serbian boyfriend. "Babe, where's Vlade?" "Your Mom Sylvia put him in the crib," The thought of their firstborn son being in the crib made Jamal feel incomplete without their little bundle. "It's okay, he will be fine. I know you wanted to hold him before our second baby comes out," Nemanja comes to the room to pick up his two year old nephew Vlade from the crib and placed it near Jamal. Vlade may have been a young infant but worries for his mother as well, so he snuggles next to him instead.

Nikola Jokic: Mommy Jamal will be okay.

Vlade: Mommy.

Jamal holds Vlade for a moment before Nemanja takes him to the crib to sleep. Thus, Vlade clings on to his heavily pregnant mother. A relationship between a mother and a child is the strongest bond that any parents could ever have. "Vlade, it's time to go to sleep," He picks him up as the toddler looks back to his mom. "It will be alright my love," he and Nikola were napping together hoping that the contractions would calm down.

3:55am,

Jamal started crying when Roger noticed that the bed he was laying on in his room was soaked. "What's wrong?" "Dad, my water just broke," He complained. "It's alright Jamal, let's go to the other room," "It will be fine love. I'll stay with you when you push in the shower," They accompanied him to the bathroom in his parents bedroom, removed his nightgown and underwear. "Your baby bump will be showing, is that okay with you?" Roger wonders. He didn't mind knowing that he will have to push in the shower.