A/N: 40 Theme Challenge for my TLF universe: Plots, Shocks And Romance.
Credit to British-Prophetess on Deviant Art 3 Enjoy! xx Mariah
Melinda was a wreck.
She'd tossed and turned the night before, leading to a sleepless night for her as Katie hadn't seemed to have gotten the memo about her mother's own sleeping troubles. Jim had tried to comfort her every time she woke up. She felt terrible, she'd woke him up every time she had jolted up in her sleep. But he had calmed her time and time again with reassuring smiles, hugs and kisses.
Today was a big day in their lives as parents.
Katie was getting her first set of needles and the fact that they were going to be sticking a needle in her baby's tiny arm, and injecting her with some foreign substances that were hopefully going to protect her from every bad virus out there. It still made her uneasy.
It still didn't make sleep come any easier.
She didn't like the thought of her daughter being in pain. So when Katie cried at virtually six in the morning on the dot like she'd been prone to every day since they had brought her home eight weeks ago, Melinda had jolted up out of the bed for the final time with wild eyes and her hair all out of place. Jim groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling his pillow over his head. He'd taken today off to be there with Melinda and Katie.
He knew she'd be like this, he knew she needed him to be there for her and Katie. Katie needed him too. He loved Melinda, but she was a little insane sometimes. It was one of the things he loved about her the most.
He heard Melinda singing softly in her husky sleep laden voice. He loved to listen to Melinda and Katie together.
He loved both of his girls so much.
He threw the pillow off of his head and rolled back over onto his back just as Melinda walked closer with their eight week old daughter cradled in her arms. She smiled sleepily at Jim and walked toward the bed more, shuffling her feet until she reached the bed. With a practiced precision she had learned over the past weeks, she shuffled onto the bed as Jim fluffed her pillows in time for her to lean back against them.
She smiled gratefully at her husband as she cradled their baby in her arms.
Katie was contently looking up at her mother with her wide eyes, but at the same time waiting for Melinda to get on with her feeding. Jim leaned over and kissed the baby's head as Melinda single handedly got herself set up and helped Katie get settled.
Jim laid on his side and just watched them.
Even eight weeks later he was having a hard time getting over how beautiful his little girl was, and how beautiful it was to watch her and Melinda interacting with each other.
There was a time when he and Melinda had both thought these moments wouldn't happen, that they would never get to hold a baby that was theirs in their arms.
She looked down at the baby as she nursed and ran her finger over her little nose, smiling softly before looking up at her husband.
"Do we have to take her to the doctors today?" She asked softly, biting her lip as she looked at her husband.
"We have to Mel. It's the best for her." He said simply.
"She's going to hate us so much." She sighed, running her fingers over the baby's forehead.
"She won't remember it. I promise. Do you remember getting shots when you were her age?" He asked, looking at her intently.
"No. I guess you're right." She sighed.
She finished feeding and Melinda passed her to Jim to burp her while she straightened her sleep top.
The infant let out a mighty burp and Jim grinned sleepily, lying back on his pillow, lying Katie down on his chest. She yawned against his t shirt, grabbing it in her small fist.
He kissed her small head and turned to look at Melinda, a sleepy smile on her face. She moved to get off the bed. He stretched out an arm, reaching for her.
"We don't have to be at the doctors til 9. Lay with us." He smiled.
She turned her head so she was looking at Melinda intently. She laid down on her own pillow and snuggled closer to the pair. She stared at the baby.
"She's kind of perfect, isn't she?" She asked softly, running her fingers over Katie's back.
"She's pretty much the most perfect thing we've ever done. Aside from getting married that is." He smirked.
She poked him gently in the cheek. He kissed her finger gently.
"I love you," he smiled. "Thank you for being the mother to our child."
"And thank you for being the father to our child," she whispered, kissing him. "I could've never made perfection without you."
He laughed and kissed her again, looking to the baby who burped again and giggled.
"She's definitely part your child." She laughed and rubbed her daughter's back.
Melinda bounced her leg up and down as they sat in the doctor's waiting room, waiting for them to call Katie's name.
It had been forty minutes of waiting, and that was after Jim tried to use his way of smiling to the nurses.
Jim held Melody in his lap, making funny faces at the infant as she wobbled on his lap.
"Who's a pretty girl? Who's a pretty girl?" He stuck his tongue out at the baby who giggled and didn't seem to really pay him any mind.
"Katherine Clancy?" A kind nurse called when the door leading to the examination rooms opened.
Melinda immediately felt her heart start to race as she watched Jim stand up and cuddle their baby to his chest.
She picked up the empty car seat and the diaper bag and followed him as he followed the nurse.
How was he so calm?
They entered the cheery room that was painted in a bright yellow. The nurse had Jim lay Katie down on the scale as she weighed her and took her measurements.
"A tiny little girl." The nurse smiled when she took her height.
"Just like her Mama," he quipped.
"Only 20 inches since birth, that's only two inches of growth." The nurse chuckled. "She has gained a good amount of weight. She's around fifteen pounds. Is she nursing well? Or do you have her on formula?"
"She nurses about eight times a day," she answered. "She's good, very easy natured and doesn't fuss when she's hungry, just like her dad."
Jim smiled.
The nurse finished up and left them with the promise that their pediatrician Dr. Chinn would be with them shortly. Jim sat on top of the exam table with Katie in his arms.
Melinda smiled from where she sat in the chair, staring at her husband and daughter together. Like he couldn't get over seeing them together, she loved watching her husband and daughter together.
It was everything she had dreamed of and more.
A knock at the door interrupted them before she could say anything to her husband about how cute the two of them looked together.
"How's it going in here?" the younger doctor smiled at the couple.
"It's going pretty well. Mama's a little nervous though." Jim smiled at his wife who had begun bouncing her leg again nervously.
She stopped immediately.
Melinda smiled softly. Dr. Chinn patted her shoulder as she walked by her.
"It's all routine." Dr. Chinn grabbed the chart and took a look at the notes the nurse had made.
"So I'm told." She sighed. "That's why Jim's holding her though. He's tougher."
"Looks like she's growing like a weed. A little on the tiny side but still growing nonetheless." Dr. Chinn said softly.
Jim smiled. "We knew she was going to be tiny, like her Mom. It's what I like most about her..."
"Me or her?" She raised an eyebrow as Dr. Chinn smiled at the couple.
"Both of you." He grinned.
Dr. Chinn interrupted the two of them.
"So we're going to give Katherine her 8 week shots. There will be two in total. One will go in her arm here..." Dr. Chinn pointed to her right bicep area "And we will do the other one here..." She pointed to her small thigh.
She went on to explain which shots she would be getting.
She got nervous when Dr. Chinn asked Jim to strip her down to her diaper and cuddle her as close as possible for the one in her right arm. She watched as Jim cuddled the baby and kissed her head several times as Dr. Chinn got the syringe ready. She bit her lip and closed her eyes as she heard Dr. Chinn ask Jim if he was ready. She squeezed her eyes tightly so she didn't have to see.
She knew the first shot had happened when she heard Katie squawk and start to cry. She opened her eyes when she heard Jim whispering words of comfort. She wiped her tears as she watched Jim switch the baby to his other arm so her leg was exposed.
She moved closer to them and held the baby's hand as the second shot was given to her in her thigh.
Katie broke out into full blown sobs when the needle was removed from her leg.
Melinda didn't give Jim time to react before she scooped the baby out of his arms and against her chest. Katie immediately nuzzled into her mother close, seeking comfort in her embrace.
"She did well." Dr. Chinn smiled as she watched the baby for a moment. "She's in perfect health, keep doing what you're doing. If for some reason she develops a fever, please don't hesitate to call the office. If it's after hours they'll patch you to me. I'll give you a few minutes to settle her."
Melinda was thankful when the doctor left, she didn't know what to say to the woman who had just intentionally hurt her daughter.
Jim approached Melinda with the sleeper Katie had been wearing in his hands. She had sat down on the chair she had vacated after the first shot.
"That wasn't so bad." He murmured, kissing her hair.
"Speak for yourself." She whispered, tearing her eyes away from the baby. "That was terrible."
He gave her a half smile and crouched beside the chair she was sitting in and kissed her head. When Katie had calmed down enough, Jim helped Melinda redress her before putting her in her car seat and covering her with a blanket before leaving the examination room.
The baby fell asleep in her seat before they had even got back down to the car.
"See? She's probably forgotten about it already..." He joked as he snapped the car seat into place with a practiced precision.
"I'm sorry I'm just paranoid." She sighed as she got into the car herself.
Jim smiled as he got in the driver's side. He took her hand and kissed it.
"If you weren't paranoid, I'd be worried there was something wrong with you." He laughed before putting the keys in the ignition and heading for home. "She'll be fine. It's just routine."
"That was awful, she was crying and my heart broke." She wiped away another tear.
"Hey, hey... honey, every baby cries, but she needs the shots so she doesn't get sick or get Polio." He reassures her. "Just remember that this will all help in the long run."
"Yeah, not helping." She laughed and then kissed him.
"If you were cleared I'd pull over and calm you down," he laughed and then winked as he pulled onto their street.
"Just wait, only one more week baby." She said with a smile.
He chuckled and parked in their driveway, kissing her as Katie cried out.
"See, flashbacks to the needle's mark." She pushed him away and hopped out. "Oh mama's here baby."