What Matters Most
He woke to a quiet whimpering sound and was confused for a minute as to where he was. He was in bed with Steph, arms wrapped around her middle, in a protective nature. He untangled himself from her and slipped out of bed. He walked over to the bassinet and looked down at the baby wrapped in a pink blanket. He stared in awe at the child with a pink knit hat on her head, silky black hair sticking out the sides. There wasn't a whole lot of hair, but what there was had a bit of a curl to it. He hoped it was curly like Steph's, but just more manageable.
He noticed the baby's eyes were open and they were the same sparkling blue color that Steph had, and he hoped that never changes. He reached down and gently picked her up and settled her into the crook of his arm. He walked over to the rocking chair and sat down and started to slowly rock her. He still couldn't believe that she was here. It had been a long and bumpy nine months, but here they were. He gently slid his finger down the baby's cheek and under her chin. He reached down to tuck her hand back into the blanket but she grabbed onto his finger. They sat staring at each other for a few minutes before he heard Steph start to wake up.
He glanced her way and smiled at her. "She woke up but doesn't seem to need anything right now Babe. You can go back to sleep if you want." Steph shook her head and pulled herself out of bed. She gingerly walked over to them and picked up the baby from Ranger. She then sat both of them on Ranger's lap and he wrapped his arms around both of them. He looked at Steph and she had tears falling down her cheeks. "Babe what's the matter?" "I'm just so happy she's finally here." He wiped her tears away and continued to rock all of them.
They were still all sitting in the rocking chair when a nurse came to check on them. Ranger quietly asked her to take a picture of them and she was happy to do so. They made a striking looking family. The baby was the perfect combination of her parents. "I just wanted to see if you needed anything", she said, "but it looks like you have everything you need. Just hit the call button if you need me." She quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Carlos, we should probably call our families now and let them know she's here. Our exit from your parent's anniversary party didn't go unnoticed. I'm surprised there isn't a gang outside our room, trying to break in here." "Don't worry Babe. Tank was in charge of crowd control. Let's get this little one back in her bed and get you showered and dressed. Then, I'll let Tank know who to let in."
Once Steph was cleaned up and back in bed, Ranger brought the baby to her. She finished feeding her and then handed her back to Ranger for a new diaper. He had just given her back to Steph when there was knock on the door. Ranger went over and opened it. He let everyone in and it seemed to Steph that everyone they knew was there. They all made their way over to her and the baby. Ranger came over and sat on the bed beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Everyone, we're delighted to introduce you all to our daughter, Isabella Gracelyn Manoso. I think that she is the perfect combination of both of us."
Isabella opened her eyes at that moment and everyone gasped. "Steph, she has your eyes" said her mom. "Yep, everything else seems to be from Carlos, except for the hair. It already has a kink to it so it will probably end up curly like mine. I just we can keep it under control better."
"Babe, it doesn't matter what her hair ends up like. We'll love her even if she was bald forever."
"I know."
"Babe, she's here and healthy and has a very large, extended family that loves her and that's what matters most."
~The End~