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“Hello,” I whisper while taking Maria’s little hand with my thumb and index finger, worried I might break her. “Nice to meet you little Maria. I’m Dad number…three?” I look around in question, feeling dumb. We haven’t really discussed how we would do this dad thing. Well, in our defense, we don’t even know who the biological dad is yet, so it makes sense we wouldn’t know what to do. I suppose we still have time to figure that all out given Maria isn’t really going to know or care so long as she gets her needs met.
“This is your dad, Maria,” Rachel says with a soft giggle. She kisses the top of Maria’s head and inhales deeply. “You should smell her Alex. She smells so good. So new.”
Lucas and Seth bob their heads in unison. “She does,” Seth adds.
There’s a part of me that finds smelling a newborn baby to be so weird, but then there’s the other side of me that wants to do whatever Rachel tells me to do. That side wins out easily and soon I find myself pitching forward and smelling the top of little Maria’s head. Maria coos as I do so, and in fact, she does smell good. Really good.
“She’s amazing, Rachel,” I whisper before kissing her on the lips. “Absolutely perfect.”
“Thank you,” Rachel says while leaning toward me and kissing me again. “And I’m sorry for looking so…” She pauses and waves a hand toward herself, her smile falling slightly. “Gross.”
I scoff. “Gross? You could never look gross. You’re absolutely beautiful.”
Rachel chuckles and shakes her head. “I doubt it, but I will take it.”
I caress her cheek and press my forehead against hers. “It’s the truth. I can’t wait to get you home so I can get you into bed.”
Rachel’s face flushes. “We should be able to go home soon,” Rachel says with a tight grimace. “The doctors have given Maria the okay. We’re just waiting on me to heal a bit more before going home.”
“Is everything okay?”
Rachel bobs her head, but now that I am looking at her, I can see she’s in pain. She’s trying to remain strong for us and Maria. “It’s nothing unusual,” she says softly. “They only want to monitor me for a bit.”
“And then the real work will begin.”
I still at the voice. It’s been a while since I heard her, been too long since I last saw her, yet not long enough. Slowly turning around, I find Sarah, Rachel’s mom, standing in the doorway. Bryan hovers behind her, looking awkward like usual. My gaze drops to the bouquet of flowers in her hands. They’re beautiful. A mixture of pinks and whites. I wouldn’t know the flowers’ names, but they look nice. Bryan holds a basket filled with baby diapers, a few clothes speckled with bunnies in varying colors of yellow, pink, and blue. And a fluffy blue bunny. I would be impressed if it wasn’t for the fact that Sarah was a huge bitch the last time we saw her. I doubt she will be any more pleasant now.
“Mom,” Rachel says, sounding surprised. I watch her grimace as she straightens herself in bed. “What are you doing here?”
“I-I called her while you were sleeping,” says Lucas while rubbing the back of his head, looking sheepish. “I thought she ought to know that you made it out okay.”
Is he a fucking idiot? Why would he call Sarah now after all the fighting they have gone through? It would have been better to wait until after Rachel returned home—when her wounds are healed and she feels strong enough to deal with her mother. Not now, when she’s on painkillers and feeling terrible.
“And I am so happy you did,” says Sarah while dropping the bouquet on the nightstand nearest me and walking around the bed to Rachel’s other side. She waves Lucas out of the way, who stumbles in the process to make room.
Seth stands at the end of the bed, a dark scowl marring his face while he crosses his arms. He gives me a look, one that says, What the fuck, before turning back to Rachel and Sarah.
“We brought presents,” Bryan says with a stupid smile as he holds up the basket.
“Just put them on the chair, honey,” Sarah says with a flippant wave. “How are you, Rachey? You look terrible.”
I watch Sarah brush the hair away from Rachel’s face before pinching her cheeks.
“What are they feeding you in this hospital? Your skin looks dry and there is hardly any color in your face.”
“They’re feeding her,” Lucas says, his voice slightly shrill, making me think he’s finally realized inviting Sarah was a very bad idea. “And she’s getting all her nutrients.”
“I think she looks fine,” mutters Seth while casting a dark look at Bryan, who’s plopped the basket on a chair near him.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Sarah says haughtily. “I remember I looked pretty much the same when I gave birth. Although mine was a natural birth.”
What. In. The. Actual. Fuck. I know Sarah didn’t actually say anything bad, but her tone says it all—that Rachel should feel bad for not having a natural birth. It’s not like she could dictate what she wants. Emergencies happen, and it’s better to ensure the safety of mother and child.
“Oh, let me see the little one,” Sarah says while reaching for Maria.
Rachel pulls Maria closer and shakes her head. “Not yet. I’m not ready for anyone outside the family to hold her.”
Sarah straightens and crosses her arms. “Don’t be ridiculous Rachel. I am family.”
