I don't own The Middle and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: Inspired by a Tumblr post that wouldn't leave me alone. Enjoy the fic!
Sue absolutely couldn't wait for her family to meet her daughter but she was especially excited for her father to show up. She shifted and grinned when the baby cooed. "It's been a pretty big day for both of us, huh? You are my parents' first grandchild so I'm pretty sure they're going to spoil you rotten."
Seated next to them, Sean grasped his wife's hand and watched her interact with their daughter. "You're a perfect mom already, Sue."
She blushed. "That's nice of you to say, Sean, but she's only three hours old. Let's give it some time."
"I love both of you," he declared earnestly before leaning over and dropping a kiss on the baby's forehead.
A knock on the door interrupted their private time. "Can we come in?" a clearly excited Frankie asked.
"We're dying out here!" Lexie cried.
The new parents laughed. "Come on in!" Sue was suddenly thankful they had staggered their families' arrivals because they would have been overwhelmed otherwise.
Frankie gasped the minute she laid eyes on her granddaughter for the first time. "Oh, she's beautiful. Congratulations, Sue and Sean. I'm proud of you, baby. Can I hold her?" She held her arms out eagerly.
Sue reluctantly handed the newborn over and teared up as she watched her mother and daughter interact for the first time. "I can't stop crying because of the hormones," she told a concerned looking Lexie.
"Oh, got it." Not for the first time, Lexie freaked out about everything that went along with pregnancy (she and Axl weren't ready to have kids yet, though. They'd probably put it off for a while longer now).
"What's her name? You two got all weird about it and never told us." Axl had run out of patience a long time ago and bothered his sister endlessly about the baby's name.
"Let me hold her, Frankie," Mike told his wife. He was just glad he didn't have to raise this one but would gladly take her off Sue and Sean's hands for a night (Frankie wouldn't be opposed to more but he'd put his foot down).
Frankie looked down at the baby in her arms and sighed. "I'm going to steal you back," she vowed before handing her over to her husband. Her arms immediately felt empty and she started plotting ways to steal her away from Mike as soon as possible.
"So, what is her name?" Brick prodded.
"Tell us!" Axl whisper-shouted so he wouldn't disturb his niece.
Sean grinned at Sue. "Go ahead and tell them."
Sue couldn't wait to see the look on her father's face. "Meet Caroline Frances Donahue. We're going to call her Carrie, though." She waited expectantly for her to father to process the news.
Mike immediately started rocking Carrie and froze. He stared at her in shock for about thirty seconds. "Caroline? After my mother?" he checked.
"Yeah. That day you first told me about her in the car on the way up to school really stuck with me. Why do you think I asked you so many questions about her afterwards? I wanted to honor Grandma Caroline because you loved her so much."
Mike gently handed Carrie over to Frankie. "I have to go to the bathroom," he told his family before turning around and bolting to the small bathroom in Sue's room. Much to his embarrassment (and anger), tears started pouring down his face. Why was this affecting him so much? He had never realized before how much his stories about his mother impacted Sue but now the proof was right in front of his face. After a few minutes, he pulled himself together, turned on the water, and wiped off the evidence of his breakdown. He hoped he looked presentable when he rejoined the others.
Frankie's heart broke for her husband when she saw the look on his face. "Sue, I think you finally succeeded in breaking your dad," she leaned down and whispered after handing Carrie back to her daughter.
Sue hadn't meant to make him dad and she felt a bit guilty about it. "Sorry," she apologized.
"I'm fine!" Mike lied, desperately hoping they'd believe him.
"He's not fine," Brick stage-whispered to them.
"Maybe I should name a kid of mine after Dad and make him cry again," Axl mused. Lexie swatted his shoulder and he glared at his wife.
"Be nice," she hissed.
"Thank you for naming her after Mom," Mike finally told Sue once he finally pulled himself together so he wouldn't start crying again. Unfortunately, his voice cracked and ruined all his efforts.
"You don't have to thank me. Honestly." Sue yawned as exhaustion finally caught up to her and didn't even complain when Sean picked up Carrie to deposit her in her bassinet.
"We should go. Do you know when we're getting discharged yet?" Frankie wanted to visit again but she'd gladly wait until the two of them went home. Sue shook her head. "Got it. Call when you know for sure." They all said their goodbyes, and then the Hecks left the hospital.
Carrie Donahue grew up knowing everything about Caroline Heck thanks to her grandfather, and the two of them were the closest (Mike adored all his grandchildren but he and Carrie had more time together since she was the oldest). Sue never once regretted her decision to name her daughter after the grandmother she never knew but loved anyway because of her father's stories.