sam_mm (sam_mm) wrote in morningstar_mnr, @ 2011-04-02 21:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | alec, anghara, emma |
Apt 8160, mid evening, Ang, Alec, Emma +NPC (closed)
Ang had been feeling fine all day, and now, settled happily in the bath was soaking away another of those annoyingly niggly back aches she’d been having for over a week. It really did work, the warm to almost hot water soothed, the lavender oil calmed, and the soft strains of Vivaldi’s four seasons kept the baby from kicking too much. Perfectly relaxing and she sighed happily as she sank a little deeper into the water. The only downside was needing help to get out of the bath, in case she slipped of course, but even then, nothing compared to a sleepy Ang waddling to bed with a sleepy baby not kicking her crazy and actually getting some sleep!!! Now there was a thing.
She was just starting to sit up again when her back twinged a little, and she stopped to ease it again, closing her eyes and slowly sliding back downwards. Holding on to the sides of the bath she was definitely feeling sleepy when something else happened. Her womb clenched, almost like, no, just like a contraction. But Ang didn’t worry, she’d been having Braxton Hicks for over a week, and the midwife had told her just this morning that the baby wasn’t ready to come out yet and to stop worrying... she still had several weeks to go and to go home and rest. A few minutes later she had another contraction, stronger, and longer lasting, but she put that down to Braxtons too.... she even added more hot water to the bath, because the water looked funny and was getting cooler. It never even dawned on her that her waters had broken, and that this was it. She was too relaxed, and too comfortable to move just yet.
Leaving Gavin sleepy-eyed and moments away from sleep after reading through the story book for the third time, Alec knocked gently on the bathroom door and poked his head in. “Pruney yet?” he teased.
“Mmmm? Oh, no, not yet, just, deliciously relaxed, although those Braxton Hicks contractions are back.” Ang smiled and almost yawned, “I am thinking we might need a bigger bathtub though, one we could both sit in comfortably, side by side? With some nice jacuzzi jets or something?”
Alec grinned. “Take it up with maintenance. I don’t do plumbing.”
Well, he could, truth be told. But it was most often a dark, wet affair and part of the benefit of being a tenant meant he could delegate the really bad jobs.
Then he sobered a little. “Anything I can get you for the cramps?”
A particularly strong one had her wincing, despite the hot water and scented oils, “Mmmm, how about a nice cup of tea? That would really help about now, I think I finished the other one some time ago?” Indeed, the empty cup sat on the saucer just to the side of the tub.
“Sure.” He pushed his way into the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him to keep the steamy heat in. “Want me to bring the gingersnap tin too? Or change the CD over while I’m here?”
“No, tea will be fine, I’m good for the rest,” she moved slightly in the bath, getting more comfortable, “Is Gavin all right?”
“He was still fighting like a trooper when I left him, but I suspect he’ll be out like a light by the time I go back past,” Alec replied, his love for his son apparent in the smile that tugged at his mouth as he picked up Ang’s teacup and saucer. He nodded at her belly, “I hope that one’s as susceptible to Goodnight Moon.”
“Have we played that one for them yet? If not, maybe you should, ow!” She looked down, a rather fierce contraction rippling across her belly, “That hurt, a lot more than a braxton hicks should, and if we haven’t, now might not be a good time to start? But, soon as yes?”
Alec’s brows came together in a knot of concern. “Are you sure you’re alright? There’s nothing else I can do?”
Ang frowned, “Do you have a stopwatch?” She wasn’t entirely worried, but that last contraction had felt a lot stronger, “I mean, maybe hit start and we’ll see how long before the next one? In the water I might not have really noticed a couple if they were weaker, but, that one I couldn’t miss.”
That sounded rather serious and Alec’s face reflected it, but gamely he nodded. “Sure, hold on. I’ll go get mine from my office.” He turned quickly, the teacup rattling on the saucer as he exited.
While Ang waited for Alec to come back, sure he’d check on Gavin while he was out of the bathroom, she focused on breathing, hers, and what was going on in the bath, which was thankfully nothing else so far....
He was back before too long, a stopwatch dangling from a cord around his neck and a cup of fresh tea in hand. He set the latter down beside Ang and then found himself a gingerly seat on the closed toilet. “Alright,” he fiddled with the stopwatch. “Let me know when.”
Ang nodded, and then looked up, “Did you check on Gavin? Maybe we should call Emma, no, let’s wait on that until we know more, but, nothing yet.” She paused, breathing in, and then, as she reached for the tea it began, “Oh, now!”
Alec stabbed the button and watched the numbers whirl by. Eyes glued to the little screen, he flung out a hand, reaching for one of hers. “Squeeze,” he demanded. Distantly he hoped she’d wouldn’t break tradition and break any of his fingers.
Ang batted his hand away, “I want tea, keep timing, it’s still going.” She picked up the cup and took a sip, setting it back down on the side of the bath, then winced a little, before relaxing again, “It’s done, how long? And hit start again, we need to know the spacing too.”
She was tempted to ask him to turn the hot tap on, but, somehow she didn’t think he’d want to do that.
Alec’s brows drew closer together as he glanced up from the stopwatch, pushing the buttons reflexively when she instructed. “Just over a minute long. That’s awfully short, isn’t it?”
Ang looked up at him, “Er, no, not really, those are considered quite long, and um, rather later in labour than the short ones.” She was not going to panic, she’d done this before, it was all going to be fine. “I think you should call Emma, get her up here for Gavin, and um, oh yes, leave me here for a bit longer.”
A part of her was thinking this wasn’t a bad place to give birth.... at least it was clean and probably very comfy for the new baby to come out into warm water and the dim lighting she preferred, rather than cold air and bright lights in a maternity unit. “Oh, you might want to get hold of the midwife too? Let her know we’re well underway and she might want to come here not the hospital?”
Alec, already starting to move, suddenly absorbed the whole of what she said and stared at her stupidly. “What?! We can’t-you can’t! What if something goes wrong?”
“If it goes wrong you call 911, or security, but right now I am comfortable and safe, and junior is kicking merrily away so I’m guessing they’re fine too.” Ang looked up at him, and smiled, “Don’t panic love, anyone would think we’ve never done this before.”
Alec’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. He just stared - dumbfounded...until finally, not knowing what else to do, he spun on his heel to go fetch the phone from the bedroom. He needed to get Emma, then the midwife, no, security, no - the hospital? Or maybe the midwife?
Definitely Emma though. That he knew.
Ang chuckled, and sipped at her tea, one hand patting her stomach gently, “Are you ready then little one? I guess so, and at least this time I'm somewhere comfy and safe that I like being. Shall we do this together? Just you and me? No need to answer that, your daddy will be back soon and I have to think on what else I can get him doing, he needs to be doing stuff right now not thinking. Sometimes, I think he thinks too much.”
Another contraction hit, and she frowned a little, feeling an urge to push, but she resisted for the moment, breathing deep and even, and concentrating on calm and happy thoughts until Alec came back.
Alec burst back into the room, phone in one hand, the other waving eccentrically as he spoke, looking harried and slightly wild. “Okay, Emma’s on her way, midwife called...who next? The hospital? Or security to let them know we’ve called the hospital?”
He continued stream of thought, barely pausing to breathe. “How are you? Need anything? What can I do?”
Ang by comparison was calm and serene, almost perfectly comfortable. “Well you can warm some of the soft baby towels, baby will need to be wrapped up in those once they’re out of the water, and best to get the paramedic scissors out of the first aid kit, I think they’re still wrapped, so should be sterile, and two of my freezer bag clips? They’ll need to go through the steriliser, you know the one in the kitchen that steam sterilises the bottles? The plastic can take it, oh, and before you ask, they’re in case you have to cut the cord love.”
It was amazing to her how clear her mind was, they’d only got the steriliser out the other day to clean it and make sure it still worked as part of their preparation of the apartment. The crib was made up, and the hospital bag packed, so she knew they had everything ready. It had barely been a minute, and now another contraction rolled through her, “Oh, love? Call the midwife back, tell her I need to push, so she needs to get a move on! Oh, and call security to get her up here fast?”
She panted a little, trying not to push, but accepting that baby was definitely coming, and definitely faster than last time she’d done this!
Alec already had the phone to his ear by the time he was crossing the threshold of the bathroom again, barking down to security that they had visitors coming, in a hurry, and that they needed to be let through. He punched end on that call, digging through a drawer in the kitchen for Ang’s plastic clips, without even letting the poor guard on duty get a word in edge wise and immediately dialed another number, trying to get through again to Ang’s midwife.
Emma let herself into the apartment with her key, and let Lily off the leash to go play with Faith, “Ang, Alec? You guys still here?” She grinned and hung her coat up, dropping her overnight bag by the door as she headed for the kitchen, lounge, wherever people were.
Alec skidded out of the kitchen, a few loose clips tumbling to the carpet, phone tucked between his shoulder and ear. “Emma, thank God. Ang is-no, not you,” his attention shifted in a flash, going from Emma to the person on the end of the phone line. “You’re not Emma.”
Emma chuckled, and went to help him pick up the clips, “Where’s Ang? Bedroom? Lounge? Bathroom?” She put the last few into his hand, “And what are those for?”
Ang let out a shout from the bathroom, “Emma, tell Alec to get the midwife to hurry!”
“You hear that?” Alec asked the phone. “Yeah. Ready to push she said....I don’t know, just get here. Fast.”
A little beep and Alec hung up on that call too, dropping the phone to address Emma. “Ang is in the bathroom. Giving birth.” He thrust the plastic clips toward her. “Will you run this through the bottle steriliser?”
“Sure, no worries,” Emma wasn’t sure she believed this frazzled and nervous bloke was Alec, Alec who never lost his cool, never panicked.... “Go on, back to momma daddy, she’s gonna want to update you or something? I’ll be in shortly.”
She turned her back before she laughed, “Oh, what were these for? Or just a random thought?”
“Cutting the cord!” Alec called, already half-way down the hall, taking the trip back to the bathroom at a jog.
To Ang, when he reached her, he said. “Emma’s here, she’s washing the clips. Mid-wife’s in route, so are paramedics. Security’s been warned.”
For a moment longer his mouth continued to work, but not knowing what else to say, nothing came out. He could just look at his wife, feeling useless and unprepared.
Ang had shifted down a little in the bath, and turned the hot tap back on so the water didn’t get cold. She’d just finished another contraction, “Oh good, now, did you put the towels on the radiator to warm?”
Water gurgled down the overflow, taking with it any last traces of soap or anything chemical, and Ang sighed, “Oh, and I’m not sure we need paramedics, but, perhaps best to be prepared, I think we’re well underway, I can feel the head almost with my fingers.”
Emma came in, with a cup of tea, “Right, steriliser’s running, anything else do you need Ang?”
Any last traces color left in Alec’s face drained away as he mumbled, almost too soft to hear, “Towels...I forgot the towels.”
Emma raised her brows at Alec, then turned back to Ang, “I made tea, but I can drink it if you don’t want it, I guess Gavin is already asleep?”
Ang frowned, another contraction starting, “Um, yes, you have it, little busy here,” she panted in between bursts of words, and then had to grit her teeth and push. Once that was done she looked up, “Alec, is the front door open? Emma, warm some towels up for the baby please,” she reached down, and felt the head, almost there. “We’re close now, very close. Move!”
It was almost pain free, something she’d never dreamed could happen, but this was actually quite enjoyable. Even Alec being completely loopy didn’t worry her, she relaxed back into the bath, letting the warm water lap around her soothingly. She almost felt she could do this again... but now was so not the time to mention that.
Alec jammed with Emma in the doorway, earning himself a glare, but after a second of fumbling he popped through after her, both them hurrying off to fulfill Ang’s directions.
It took him only a moment to check the door - unlocked and cracked open - then he was going back, managing to spent one ridiculous moment wondering if he was going to wear a track in the hallway carpet.
“Door’s open,” he told Ang. “But she’s still not here. Next time, we find one closer.”
A heartbeat later he realised what he’d said and felt for a moment like he might pass out.
“There’s, oooh, going to be a next time?” Ang grinned, then shook her head, “I don’t know, hun, let’s get this one born first huh?” She shifted in the water, feeling the wave of the next contraction coming, “Get ready to catch the baby? Just in case?”
Emma had been coming in to let them know the towels were warming, but now, waited outside. Some things you just did not need a crowd for, and to her, this was one of them. Instead she headed for the front door to see if she could see anything happening outside, like a midwife arriving or anything.
Functioning on something akin to auto-pilot, Alec did as he was told, all but climbing into the tub with Ang, plunging hands and arms into the steaming water - feeling, searching,...trying to tell himself over and over that he was ready, they could do this, everything would be okay....
Ang pushed, teeth clenched, and her face screwed up in effort. She had a death grip on the side of the bath with one hand, and the other braced against the side for her to push against. Strained grunts were all she could manage, but she kept looking down and saw the head push clear, followed by a shoulder. Another push followed hard on the first, and suddenly the baby was floating free, “Catcher up, come on Alec gently now though?”
She was out of breath, flushed bright red with the effort, but there, right in front of her, a baby.... their baby.
Alec scooped, settling the tiny, wrinkled body into his dripping arms, screaming for Emma. “Emma! Towels! Now!”
Caught unawares, and still by the front door, Emma turned only to hear the lift ping. She paused, caught between two demands, then looked down the corridor, security with a midwife, excellent! She turned and ran for the towels, warmed up nicely on a radiator, and headed for the bathroom, “Do you need the clips yet? The steriliser is only just about finished?” She headed into the bathroom and saw Alec with the baby, “Oh lord, and the midwife is just about arriving. I’ll see about those clips.”
She wrapped a towel around the baby and Alec’s arms, no sense in trying to cover the baby up properly right now, then backed off and headed for the kitchen.
“I think she’s a little stunned love, then again, you look pole-axed.” Ang smiled tiredly, “Just one more thing, and then hopefully we’re done? You ok? Can you see if it’s a boy or a girl?”
He didn’t have to check. He’d known, from those early ultrasounds, and had confirmed, without really meaning to, when fishing her out of the tub. “A girl,” he told he wife. “A little girl.” He freed one of his hands enough to wipe the little cheeks with one corner of the towel.
She looked perfect - ten fingers and toes, two eyes - but she wasn’t crying yet. Shouldn’t she have been crying?
“Come on, princess,” he whispered down to the little one in his arms. “Say hello to Mommy.”
Emma came back in, with the plastic clips, and the midwife, just as Ang felt the urge to push again. The midwife set her bag down and took one glance to assess everything, “Ah good, freshly sterilised?” At Emma’s nod she opened the two clips and smiled at Ang, “Ready for anything huh? I bet you weren’t quite ready for this, but you seem to have done a fantastic job so far, let’s just get you finished off shall we?”
She clamped the cord in two places, and looked at Alec, “Turn the baby over and give it’s back a rub, that should get them grumpy and they’ll start making noises.”
Ang pushed and with a heartfelt relief delivered the afterbirth. “I feel the distinct urge for clean water, this stuff is um, not so nice now?”
Alec, with his hands full rubbing and patting gently, trying to urge his daughter into proving she’d inherited her mother’s lungs, nodded at Emma. “Can you get the water? I can’t, she’s not...”
He glanced at the midwife, his uncertainty beginning to flood back.
Emma took one look at the water, and backed off, “Er, eeew? But I do have more warm towels?”
“Oh good, here,” the midwife cut the cord, and handed Emma the scissors, “let me have the baby a moment?”
She took the baby, and turned her back over, “Oh, a girl, she is gonna be adorable,” She opened the baby’s mouth and gently set a finger into it, the baby sucked right away, “and there you are,” she said as the baby’s eyes opened. “No more sleeping for you right now, someone was a bit worried you weren’t gonna be here.”
She handed the baby back to Alec, “She’s fine, just a bit quiet and sleepy, but she’s breathing fine, and she has reflexes that work.” The baby had a grip on her finger and she had to wriggle a little to get it loose.
Alec hiccuped, a reflexive urge to laugh, as his eyes grew wet for reasons that had nothing to do with the water he’d splashed all over himself playing around in the tub. “Hey,” he cooed softly, locking onto those small, uncertain-colored yes. “Hi, there.”
He sniffed and looked over at Ang. “Ready to say hello, Mum?”
“In a mo, I just, feel icky right now, and I want to be sure I’m not gonna have any problems,” She looked up at the midwife, “So glad you decided to join us, I mean, damn she rocketed out. If I’d realised, we could have called you earlier?”
“No worries,” the midwife fished out the afterbirth, checking it over for tears and problems, “seems all clear, let’s get you drained, rinsed and dried off shall we?” She pulled the plug, and wrapped the afterbirth in a plastic Ziploc bag.
“Oh, yes please?” Ang smiled, “Then I can maybe get a cuddle from our new daughter?”
Emma came back in, with more warm towels, “Can I stop heating towels now? Oh, and wasn’t it always go boil some water? When did it become warm the towels?” She had a tray of mugs with her, little bowls of instant coffee, tea bags, sugar and a jug of milk on it. “I couldn’t manage the kettle too, but it just boiled if anyone wants anything?”
“When you already have the warm water,” Alec replied vaguely, sounding more like himself now that the worst seemed to be behind them. “And when you have a handy steriliser already up and running.” He ran one finger down his daughter’s tiny nose, which earned him a slow uncertain blink, and smiled over at Ang. “She’s beautiful. Just like you.”
“Me? Right now I feel limp and bedraggled, never mind beautiful,” She smiled though, as the last of the water drained away and the midwife turned on the taps to get fresh clean water running and grabbed a body puff to start rinsing Ang off with it. “I could do with a cuppa now Emma, thanks love, you are a star, and I suspect we probably have enough towels, at least, for the baby?”
Emma grinned, “I have a large one warming for you too right now, just holler when you need it, I’ll get the kettle, and then, maybe we could take this out of the bathroom?”
Alec shifted to stay out of the way, their daughter still swaddled close in his embrace. “Could you check on Gavin, Emma? On your way through? He’s probably fine, but still?”
The midwife carried on helping Ang get cleaned up and rinsed off, while everything went on around them, “Are you gonna be able to get up or do you have those noodle legs new mothers sometimes get?”
Ang grinned, even as Emma nodded and left the room, “I should be fine, but, I might need a little help getting upright.”
Alec continued to stay close, but out of the way, as the midwife helped Ang to her feet and helped her with towels. “Anything I can do?” he offered, though not really expecting he could, not with his arms full.
Ang wobbled a little, but once upright she was able to lean against a wall quite safely while the midwife grabbed a clean towel and dried her off as much as was possible. “There we go, now a dressing gown, or something and perhaps we can get you checked over on the bed?”
Ang smiled, and held on to the towel, “I think the towel will cope for now and we’ll head for the bedroom and sort it all out there yes? Alec, can you make it that far?”
He smiled. “I think I can manage. I’m not the one who just gave birth.”
It was a stumbling sort of progression, but Ang managed to get to the bed, where a thoughtful Emma was laying out towels over the comforter, and had already sorted out clean night things and yes, even managed to get a cup of tea to the nightstand. Ang lay down with a sigh of relief, and then shooed everyone else away. Some things only the midwife needed to see!
Emma was itching to hold her new sister, but with Gavin asleep she had no real way of getting Alec to relinquish her, so instead she tried to make sure he had everything he might need for the both of them. A diaper, vest, sleep-suit, clean dry t-shirt and joggers for him (she’d left out underwear but going in that drawer might have been a step too far even for her) and even his usual soda ready for him. So she sort of herded him in that direction, the lounge, before asking anything, “So, did you guys pick names yet or anything?”
Alec kept his voice soft and gentle for the benefit of the little bit in his arms even as he replied to Emma. “Ang doesn’t like picking names before hand. She wants them to be here first, get to know them.” He chuckled a little. “Gavin didn’t have a name several weeks.”
He nodded down at his daughter. “We’ll try to be quicker with you, Princess.”
“Can we get her dressed yet? Or does she need more checks and stuff done?” Emma wanted so badly for everything to be all right, she just didn’t like the thought of losing any of her family, they were all still too new in some respects, in the case of her sister, brand new and only just arrived. “Does she have hair? What colour? Or is it sort of, not clear yet?”
“Dandelion fuzz,” Alec told her. “And it’s light now, but might get darker as she gets older.” Or maybe, just maybe, she’d inherited her mother’s fiery locks? He could hope. “And there are still tests that’ll need to be done, paperwork to be filled out...but I think they can wait until tomorrow. If we’re lucky.”
“I should check with the midwife, when she’s done with Ang? But, can I at least hold her?” Emma looked up at him, openly trying the puppy eyes look that had never worked, but what the hell, “You could change clothes while I do? And I promise, no dropping the baby.”
Looking at Emma, Alec couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, dry clothes does sound nice. Come on, then,” he said, nodding his head encouragingly.
“Oooh,” Emma moved forward and remembering how she’d taken Gavin from either Ang or Alec when he was still a baby slid one hand under her new sister’s head and neck, as the other slid round her side to lift her carefully from the wet fabric of Alec’s shirt, “I can wrap her in a clean towel, I have one of those here.” She turned away, and settled carefully on the sofa, laying the baby on the towel, and wrapping it carefully around her, “You should go change, we’ll be fine here.”
He trusted Emma - he did - but Alec still took his sweet time gathering up his clothes, watching for a moment or two before finally feeling good enough to turn his back and head for the spare bathroom to change.
Emma barely noticed, she was too wrapped up in staring at the baby, who lay quietly, staring right back at her. She held her close, wrapped in the towel, and smiled, “Hello my new sister, we weren’t expecting you quite yet, but I think we were ready nonetheless. I hope you’ll like it here. Ang and Alec, well, they’re good parents, you couldn’t hope for better really. And then you have me too.”
The midwife, fresh from finishing with Ang paused in the doorway, listening to Emma, “Well, it’s a good thing too, because I think you’re probably the best thing that could have happened here tonight, Dad was, shall we say a little frazzled?”
Emma chuckled, “Yep, but, I’m guessing either Ang want’s the baby back or you need to check her over some more?”
“Right on both counts, but, you can come too, Mom is nicely settled now and I think she’s ready for a spot of company.” The midwife smiled, “Are you ok to carry her or should I do it?”
Emma stood up, baby in her arms, and moved carefully across the floor, “Oh no, I’m fine, and Alec just went to change into clean clothes, he won’t be long.”
She was right. By the time they’d made it back to the bedroom, Alec was falling into step behind them, feeling infinitely better and looking forward to Ang meeting their daughter face-to-face.
Ang looked up from where she was propped up amongst a whole heap of pillows as they trooped in through the door, and grinned, “Emma, how did I guess you’d be the one holding the baby?” She chuckled, shaking her head a little, “Alec you look a little more like yourself now, did you check on Gavin again?”
The midwife took the baby from Emma and laid her down on the bed, the other side from Ang, “I’ll just have a little check of missy here, and we’ll be right as rain soon enough.” A quick check of reflexes followed, making the baby whimper slightly, before the midwife nodded, “Well she’s all present and correct, responding well, scores will be perfectly normal, so I see no reason for you to go into hospital with her at all. I’ll pop by in the morning for a couple of days, see how you’re getting on, but I suspect I’ll be coming in more for a rest than to do any real work. You and your family seem to have everything well under control here.”
Emma moved up next to the midwife, diaper, vest and sleep-suit in her hands, “Um, can I? It’s been a while and, well, we wouldn’t want her to mess all over mom now would we?”
Alec found a place on Ang’s other side, settling delicately on the mattress and just barely leaning against the pillows. “It’s not every day your wife gives birth in the tub, I think I was entitled to a little worry.”
And he’d never live it down he was sure.
Ang nodded at Emma, and then both she and the midwife watched like hawks as Emma carefully put the diaper, vest and sleep-suit on the new baby before equally carefully lifting her and passing her over to Ang, “Here you go momma, all fresh and clean and warm, ready for snuggling.”
Alec relaxed further, settling now that everyone was where they belonged. Gavin safe and sound asleep, Emma nearby and happy, Ang at his side, and his daughter - wee and tiny and new - content and safe in his wife’s arms.
What more could he ask for - other than for this perfect moment to last forever?
“So, who’s got the camera?” The midwife asked cheerfully, “Because to me this looks like a family photo op that should not be missed!”
“I can get it,” Emma said, “and I could get Gavin too, I mean, family’s not family if he’s not here too right? I’ll even try not to wake him.”
“Good idea,” Alec replied. “Let Faith in too.”
He’d shut her in Gavin’s room, and last he’d seen she’d been peering up at him from under the crib with sad, confused eyes.
“OK!” Emma slipped off the bed, and out into the corridor.
Ang stared down at her new daughter, completely entranced, one finger tip gently tracing the soft cheeks, the little nose, oh she was adorable already!
Emma came back, sleeping toddler in her arms, Lily and Faith on her heels. “OK, Alec do you want to take Gavin? That way I can keep the dogs on this side of the bed? Or will Faith put her paws up on you and stay that way for a minute? You know, standing on the ground and like, leaning on you to look at the baby?”
“She’ll behave herself,” Alec promised. “She’s had lots of practice learning to be good around Gavin.”
But still, he held out his arms for his son - wanting to hold him.
Emma handed him over gently, then went round and settled on the other side of the bed, with Lily close to her. The midwife smiled, and lifted the camera, “OK, everybody who’s awake, look at me and smile?”
The flash went off, and the new baby, startled, let out a bit of a yowl, only to be hushed by Ang, who turned her closer in towards herself. The baby settled again, and Ang looked round, “I love you guys, and Alec, if we do this again, like you suggested earlier, we are so doing it this way again, right?”
Emma laughed, and ushered Lily off the bed, heading for the doors with a smile on her face, “I think you’re jumping the gun Ang, waaay too early to be talking about again yet!” She shook her head, then came back to see if Alec wanted to give her Gavin to put him back to bed, “But just in case I’ll take Gavin back to bed and then head home myself I think. Do you want me to walk Faith outside before I do?”
Alec shifted his arms, to facilitate Emma taking Gavin from him even as he turned his head to speak to Ang. “Never again. We’ll just have to have you stay in the hospital for the last month or so just to be sure.”
But he was teasing of course, and swooped in to kiss his wife before she could protest.
Then, with a grin and wink for Emma, he nodded. “If you would please, Emma. If it’s no trouble.”
“I have to take Lily out, and it’s no bother, I know you’ve taken her out for me in the past,” Emma grinned, lifting the still sleeping boy into her arms, “I’ll settle this one, take those two out, drop Faith back in and just head home, you guys need to rest up before missy there gets demanding!” She headed off whistling briefly to get the dogs to follow her.
The midwife finished packing her bag and wrote a few last notes in her log before tucking that into a pocket. “Well, I’m happy to head off and leave you too it, Ang if you could make a note of how long she feeds for and at what times, I’ll be able to work out if she’s getting enough and how you’re doing. Other than that, I’ll pop in tomorrow, probably in the afternoon, but daily for the first week. I’ll let the security guys know that downstairs shall I?”
Ang nodded, “Yeah, we can do that, and we’ll let Security know to let you up as well. Thanks for coming out, and um, I’m glad everything went so smoothly.”
The midwife grinned at her, “My pleasure, such an easy case you are, now, see you guys tomorrow, I’ll let myself out.” And she left.
Alec waited a beat, then turned to Ang again. “So what now, Mum?”
“Well, I need to see if this little lady will latch on, and then we both need to get some sleep,” Ang smiled sleepily, “Well, I do at any rate.”
Alec looked down at his brand new daughter and reached down to brush the back of his finger against her tiny, rounded cheek. “She’s so perfect.” He looked back at Ang. “Thank you.”
“Oh love, thank you, because without you, none of this would have happened,” Ang smiled, shifting carefully against the cushions to ease her new daughter round a little. “Now, how about you settle the house down and I’ll sort this one out, and then maybe you can put her in her crib for me? I don’t feel like moving too much right now, too tired, and a bit sore in places.”
“That,” he smiled, leaning down to brush a gentle kiss against his daughter’s forehead and sitting back up to kiss Ang as well. “I can do.”