When Debbie found out that she was going to have a biological grandchild, she was in disbelief. She always thought she would have grandchildren, whether it be from Brian, Michael or even Emmett and Ted and when Mel and Lindsay became apart of the family and they had Gus, she quickly considered him her grandson. But to have a biological grandchild? She never thought that would happen - until Michael told her that Mel and Lindsay wanted him to father their second child. Even more surprising was how quickly Mel became pregnant. But what more could a doting mother (some may say a little too doting) ask for?
As the months quickly passed, with their various problems - Mel thinking she could work just as hard as she did before she was pregnant being one of them - Debbie grew more excited at the idea of having a little grandson or granddaughter to show them her ways. When the day finally came for her grandchild to be born, she was the first one Michael called when he found out. She immediately rushed over to the hospital and she waited the hours it took for the baby to arrive.
After nine hours of labor, baby Jenny Rebecca, affectionately called JR, was born. The happy parents, which included Michael, were the first ones to see the girl, who looked so much like her father. When it was time for Debbie to see the little girl, Lindsay had stepped out to get ice chips for Mel and Michael went to tell his friends how perfect his little girl was. So when Debbie walked into the maternity room, it was just her, Mel and the baby.
Spotting the woman who was like her second mother, tears welled up in Mel's eyes. Having watched Lindsay go through labor years before, she assumed it would be just like that. But hers was the exact opposite. It was so much harder than she ever expected. It was also hours longer than her wife's, so seeing the woman who was the only maternal source in her life walk into the room, all her emotions made their way to the surface. Debbie immediately noticed the emotional change in Mel's face and quickened her pace so she could comfort the women she considered her daughter. As she walked past the couch, she put her purse down and rushed over to the hospital bed. She bent over and pulled the woman into an infamous Debbie Novotny hug.
"What's the matter, baby?" she asked quietly. With the sense of relief rushing over her as Debbie hugged her, Mel wrapped her arms around the woman who had stepped in and given her motherly advice, motherly advice her own mother should have been giving her, had she not been a homophobic asshole. To her mother's defense, she did try to accept the fact that her daughter liked women, but at the end of the day, she just couldn't accept it and Mel cut her out of her life, not wanting that negativity in her life. When Mel didn't let go, Debbie crawled into the hospital bed, which in turn led Mel to rest her head against Debbie's shoulder when the older woman was comfortably resting against the plump pillows. She sniffled while she thought about what she was going to say. As silence fell over to the two women, Debbie softly started rubbing the brunette's back affectionately.
"I -," Mel paused as she wiped snot from her nose on the hospital gown she was wearing, "I don't know. It was all so weird. Seeing you walk into the room -" She stopped herself, unsure of where she was going with that sentence. She didn't want to admit to Debbie that she wished her mother was there. "That was a hell of a lot harder than I ever thought it was going to be. Lindsay made it seem so easy." She looked up at Debbie, tears glistening in her eyes. There was also the possibility that she wouldn't be able to have another kid because of her endometriosis.
"It always is, sweetie," Debbie said as she affectionately cupped the woman's chin with her free hand and rubbed Mel's cheek with her thumb.
"What if I can't have any more?" Mel asked, her voice cracking. Her and Lindsay hadn't completely ruled out the idea of having another child, but she was pretty sure that after this one, they'd be done. The idea that there was a possibility of her never having another biological kid freaked her out, though. Hearing the crack in her voice, Debbie's heart broke. She knew exactly what the younger woman was going through. After Michael, she wasn't able to have any more kids and that freaked her out at the time. But now she was happy with how things worked out. She had a wonderful son, she had his friends who she considered her kids and she had two beautiful grandchildren. What more could she ask for?
With the baby sleeping next to her, Debbie pulled her arm away from Mel's body and rolled the hospital bassinet with JR in it over to the bed before carefully picking her granddaughter up. She moved around so Mel could look at her daughter, moving the blanket away from JR's face so they could get a better look.
"Look at this beautiful little girl," Debbie said, the baby sighing in happiness at being held by her grandmother. Both women laughed as JR's eyes fluttered open for a few seconds and then cuddled into the warmth of Debbie's body. "I've been where you are, sweetie. It's not easy, but you have this bundle of joy to keep you busy, to love," she said. Tears started rolling down Mel's face as she rested her head against Debbie's shoulder again. That's when Debbie started to cry, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "And you have Gus and Lindsay," Debbie added. "And you have everyone else in this clusterfuck of a family, for better or for worse," she said as she laughed through her tears. Mel also started laughing and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. At this point, both Michael and Lindsay had come back, but they hovered in the doorway, watching the interaction between grandmother, mother and granddaughter.
"We sure are a clusterfuck," Michael said quietly to Lindsay.
"Yeah, I'm not sure if JR'll know what she's been thrown into," she said as she laughed, which caught the attention of Mel and Debbie. They both smiled at their family members as they walked in, allowing the small family to enjoy the new life in Debbie's arms.