Hi, readers! This is just a short (somewhat, this chapter is longish) story that came to mind, and I thought I would write it and share it!
Disclaimer: Cause of Death belongs to EA. Jade, however, is my own creation. Title is taken from the song Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion, maybe because I have no good title ideas.
Mal Fallon stood in a hospital room, looking down at a tiny person in a hospital-issue bassinet.
For several long hours, he had sat by Natara's side as that child was brought into the world.
Jade Madison Fallon. Their daughter.
The newborn's tiny chest rose and fell as she breathed softly. Her tiny eyelids twitched. She was the spitting image of her mother. As a bed noisily rolled down the hallway outside, she let out a whimper and threatened to awaken.
Not wanting the child to wake Natara, Mal scooped the baby into his arms, gently bouncing her. Jade furrowed her little eyebrow and curled her small pink hand into a fist.
"I'm pretty new to this," he whispered. "You'll just have to hang with me, okay?" As if she understood him, her whimpers grew softer.
He gently touched her soft pink cheek and dark hair. "You look a lot like your mom," he noted. "That's gonna be a problem when you're sixteen, because I'll need to keep my gun loaded to keep the horny boys away."
Jade snuggled into his arms, letting out a content sigh. Mal sat down, taking care not to jostle her.
"I kinda deny this when people tell me, but I'm gonna spoil you. Just don't tell Mommy I said that, okay? It's our secret." He bit back an amused smile. "One more thing... try not to go number two when it's my turn to change you. Let Mommy handle that."
Natara held back a sigh. She had been awake for a few minutes but hadn't wanted to interrupt. The sight of Mal cradling their small newborn daughter in his strong arms made her laugh softly.
Mal looked up. "Looks like you're back among the living."
Natara gave him a look. "Just for that, you're in charge of diaper duty!"
CoD-CoD-CoD
Dim light from the moon spilled through the window blinds, illuminating the room with a soft glow. It was a beautiful night, but neither of them had ever felt so lost.
Four month old Jade flashed a toothless grin as she kicked at a stuffed animal. To her delight, the toy let out a musical tune.
Natara absently adjusted the baby's shirt. "What do we do?" she whispered, glancing up at Mal.
He let out a long sigh. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice low.
Only today had they learned that their daughter had been born blind. Although they had noticed something unusual, the diagnosis was a complete shock to both of them. She wouldn't respond when they held a toy within her eye level, and when they spoke to her, her gaze would travel away.
It saddened them to know that those pretty hazel eyes would never see.
Natara rested her head on his broad shoulder. "I guess we just keep doing what we've been doing."
"I guess so." Mal put his arm around her and reached down, gently shaking Jade's tiny hand. The baby cooed at the sound of her parents' voices.
In that moment, they had never felt so terrified.
CoD-CoD-CoD
By the time Jade was six months old, anyone could tell she had both Mal and Natara wrapped around her little fingers, especially her father. And not only her parents, but also several of their coworkers.
"She's getting so big!" Amy exclaimed, tickling Jade playfully. The baby squealed happily in response.
Natara smiled. "Yeah, she sure is." She reached over and gently touched Jade's cheek.
Ken leaned against the chair Amy sat it. "C'mon, Ames, you've had her for ten minutes. Let me have her."
"It should be my turn. I wasn't here the last time they brought her," Blaise argued.
Natara bit back a frown. Although she was close friends with all of her coworkers and trusted them, she refused to leave the room until Jade was back in her arms.
"Hey, I should be next!" Kai whined. "We're buddies! And I'm the awesomest one here!"
Mal approached them from the coffee machine. "Maybe we should stop bringing her. It always leads to World War Three."
At the sound of Mal's voice, Jade lit up and giggled, lifting her arms. Mal picked her up and blew a raspberry on her stomach. Jade cooed cheekily and playfully smacked him, surprisingly harder than he expects.
"Ha! I really like her!" Blaise laughed.
"Damn, Mal, I bet Natara can't let you take her to the toy store," Ken noted.
"Oh, no. They'd come home with the whole store being hauled by a trailer." Natara rolled her eyes.
"Would not," Mal defended.
"Alright, lovebirds, give her back to us," Blaise insisted.
Maria Yeong stepped out of her office. "This is my precinct, and as Captain, I say that it's my turn to hold her."
"...Yes, Captain."
CoD-CoD-CoD
Jade was ten months old when she said her first word. She was sitting on Natara's lap, chewing on a teething ring.
They had just returned from a checkup. Despite being blind, Jade was a very happy and healthy baby who rarely cried. Her parents could tell that she was already showing signs of high intelligence.
Mal sat down on the couch and handed Jade her stuffed bear. "I finally found it under the car seat," he said. "You really ought to thank me for that."
Jade stroked the stuffed animal's fuzzy fur, looking thoughtful when she touched its button nose.
"She looks like a tiny you when she does that," Mal said. Natara scooted closer to him, allowing Jade to settle in between them.
"You still think that's gonna be a bad thing when she's a teenager?"
Mal shrugged. "Depends. I like the idea of keeping her in her room until she's thirty."
"I know that's a daddy thing, but I almost think you're right," Natara laughed.
"See? I'm right sometimes." Mal pulled Jade into his lap, and her hand his lightly stubbled jaw.
"Dada..." she cooed, startling them both.
Mal grinned. "That's my girl."
Natara kissed Jade on the top of the head. "That's right, baby. Now you can get his attention whenever you need him. Sound good?"
"Dada!"
CoD-CoD-CoD
Although Jade hit most of her milestones on time, she had yet to take her first steps when she was nineteen months old. She had only recently learned to stand up by holding onto an object, preferably one of her parents' hands.
She grew more and more curious every day. She would feel something in her hand and if she decided it would make a good snack, she would put it in her mouth. The habit had led to the confiscation of many household items.
"Here, squirt. I had to go all the way to the store to buy you some cookies." Mal feigned exhaustion as he placed a cookie in Jade's small hand. Grinning at the familiar feel, she stuffed it into her mouth.
"Cookie," she said, her words muffled.
"Okay, don't choke yourself. Mommy said no more sugar, so if she finds out about this, we'll both be in trouble."
"Mommy already found out," Natara said as she joined them in Jade's room. "We'll blame Daddy for it because he was the one who didn't listen."
"Dada," Jade reprimanded, trying not to laugh and failing miserably. She grasped at the object next to her, which happened to be her toy box, and pulled herself up, leaning against it.
They were both surprised when she took a hesitant step forward. Instinctively they reached towards her in case she were to fall. Jade took a few more wobbly steps before falling forward into Natara's grasp.
"You did such a good job!" Natara proudly hugged the little girl. Mal reached over and ruffled Jade's hair affectionately.
"Yup. You were walking like a little pro there. Now whenever you sneak cookies, you can get away with them before Mommy catches you."
Natara smacked Mal's arm. "If she tries, I'm blaming you."
CoD-CoD-CoD
Jade started school when she was five years old. She had already learned to read some Braille, and her teacher had suggested that Mal and Natara learn as well so they could help her.
She was attending regular public school with the rest of the children her age, and for two long weeks, the little girl had been nearly beside herself with excitement.
Her little backpack held her pencils and crayons, and she eagerly bounced up and down. "When do I go?" she begged. "I wanna go and play with other kids!"
"Hang on, hang on. We gotta get in the car first."
"Kai says ninjas poof themselves places," Jade suggested.
"Stop taking advice from Kai."
Jade sighed impatiently. "Why is Mommy taking so long? I think she wants me to stay here forever and ever until I turn old," she complained, jiggling her lunchbox.
"She's just being a mommy." Mal watched as Natara finally joined them in the doorway. She scowled at him. "Which is a very good thing," he added.
"I wanna go now!" Jade exclaimed.
"Okay, don't explode. We can go now."
"Finally! You people take forever!" the child exaggerated. She hummed to herself as her parents drove her to school. Upon coming to a stop in the parking lot, she could hear other children laughing and a flag fluttering in the September breeze. "We're really here?"
"We're here. We have to talk to your teacher again before we leave."
Jade frowned. "You guys don't stay here?"
"No, we gotta work, remember? But we'll be back here to pick you up."
"Oh," Jade sighed, feeling less excited as they made their way down the longest hallway she had walked through. She sat in a chair, swinging her legs as her mother and father spoke with another woman.
"Oh, she'll be just fine, Mrs. Fallon," Ms. Akers assured, picking up a small stack of Braille books. "I've seen some of the things you showed the Principal, and it seems like she's a very gifted young lady."
"She gets that from her mom," Mal said with a smirk.
"Daddy says I get my attitude from him. He calls it sarcasm," Jade interrupted.
The teacher laughed. "Well, Jade, I think you're gonna have a really fun day."
Mal and Natara stood up as the school bell started to ring outside. Jade hugged and kissed both of them goodbye, once again excited for her first day of school.
Once they were back in the car, they sat there for a long moment. "You think she'll be okay?" Natara asked softly.
Mal thought for a moment before turning the car on. "Yeah," he said. "She's gonna be okay. She takes after both us, after all."
Okay, advice time! Do you guys want me to end it here or add a part two? I could easily write more, because I have some good ideas for a second chapter. Hopefully this doesn't become a huge fic like my others that I need to work on…
Bye. Review?