Give Me Love
Summary: Clare and Eli welcome the birth of their little girl.
Getting here had been overwhelming, even after Clare had found out this little girl was Eli's and not Drew's. They were both in college, both eighteen and nineteen, younger than they'd ever thought they'd be when they'd considered children. There'd been trust issues. So many trust issues that Eli couldn't even blame Clare for having. He'd cheated on Clare and he'd hurt her a lot throughout their relationship in highschool and Eli regretted it so much. Clare hadn't deserved it. He didn't even know why he'd done the things he'd done. He was just grateful that she'd given him another chance and that she was allowing him to be a part of she and Leyla's life.
"Let me see my god daughter!" Alli shrieked, throwing the door to the hospital open, allowing she, Jenna, Jake, Darcy, Imogen, Connor, and Jack to flood the room.
"If you continue to act like an insane banshee, you're going to get us all thrown out!" Jenna said as she threw back her sleek blonde hair, walking over to take a seat in a chair near Clare so she could see the baby.
"Besides, Jake and I get first dibs! It's our niece!" Darcy said, walking to her sister to give her a hug and then doing the same to Eli. "What did you name her?" She asked.
Clare smiled, staring down into her little girl's adorable, chubby face. "Her name is Leyla. Leyla Chloe Goldsworthy." She answered. "Do you want to hold her?"
Darcy gave a wide grin, immediatly taking the content child in her arms. "She's so beautiful, Clare. She looks a lot like you when you were a baby. Except for the hair color. And Leyla is such a good name for her."
"Okay, it's my turn. You did say that little Leyla-Bear is my niece." Jake said, throwing Darcy and Clare a teasing look before taking the baby into his arms, rocking her gently. "He laughed when he saw Alli beside of him, pratically breathing down his neck. "Here. Take your god daughter before you lose it."
Alli through the young man a glare before taking the little girl into her arms. "Oh." She breathed. "You are going to be so spoiled Princess Leyla. Between your parents, your grandparents, myself and Jenna, Darcy and Jake, and Imogen you aren't going to know what to do."
"Alli." Eli said, voice filled with warning.
The dark haired girl ignored him causing her best friend to smother a laugh. "And man, are you going to have a tough time when you get to highschool and are interested in boys!"
"Hey, who's to say she's gonna like boys?" Jack said from her spot beside Imogen.
"Can we please not talk about my daughter and her sex life in the future? She's just a couple of hours old!" Clare asked, shaking her head in amusement at her friend's antics, watching as they each took a moment to hold and admire the little girl.
Just then, the door opened and a nurse stepped inside. "Hey, I'm going to need all of you to leave. Mama and baby both need their rest."
Groans of disappointment filled the room as the friends were ushered out, leaving the room in peaceful quiet moments later.
"Did your other nurse already show you how to feed the baby?" The nurse asked, walking to the side of the bed.
Clare felt her cheeks heat up slightly before she nodded. "Yeah. And my mom explained it, earlier."
"Can Leyla stay in here with us while we sleep?" Eli asked the nurse polietly, staring at her.
Nurse Brodie nodded. "Of course. You two should be able to go home the day after tomorrow since there weren't any complications. Are you hungry, ? The cafeteria has some food prepared if you want to eat before you go to sleep."
The teenage girl nodded. "Yeah, could you please bring me something if it isn't too much trouble?"
The nurse nodded. "Congratulations on your baby by the way. She's beautiful."
"I can't believe we're here, Eli." Clare whispered tiredly, resting her head on his chest after they'd eaten. "We had so many problems in the past that I wasn't sure if there was hope for us, but we've both grown up so much and it feels so right, now. To share this with you."
Eli smiled and wrapped his arms around her, seeing his baby in the cradle next to his bed. "I know. I'm so grateful you let me back into your life, Clare. And I'm happy that Leyla is mine. Which sounds weird coming from an immature nineteen year old, but I love her so much already."
Things weren't always going to go perfect. They'd fight and there'd be complications. But that was purely a part of growing up. They were learning. All that mattered was that they loved each other and their little girl.
The End