Author's Note: I recently watched "Where Did I Come From?", and even though I've seen it countless times before, I suddenly realized we never saw Rob and Laura's first moments in the hospital as parents. That, of course, led me to write this! It seems only fitting to make it a belated birthday gift for Leigh Ann (leighann415). Please do R&R this bit of fluff! Thank you!
Rob couldn't take his eyes off Laura. She was sound asleep. The doctors had given her some powerful drugs during the delivery, but they'd assured him she would wake up any minute now. In her arms lay the most beautiful baby Rob had ever seen. This day had been by far the strangest in his life, but seeing that little miracle, it was all worth it.
Just then, Laura's eyelids began to flutter. She was awake, and she looked around the room in confusion. "It's OK, honey. Everything went just fine."
Laura's mind began to clear, and then she noticed the bundle in her arms. "Oh, Rob!"
"I've just been sitting here, staring at the two of you. It's amazing, isn't it?"
"It sure is. Millie told me what childbirth was like, but this is unbelievable. We have a baby!"
"We do," Rob agreed. "What do you think we ought to name him?" He had been trying to think of names while Laura slept, but he couldn't think clearly enough.
Laura looked down at the baby she held. Somehow, she knew exactly what his name should be. "Richard. Richard Petrie."
"Richard….Richie...I like it," Rob said. "It's perfect, honey." He leaned over, kissing her cheek. "But what about a middle name?"
"Oh, Rob, we don't really need to decide that right now," Laura said. "For now, we can call him Richie. That's enough."
Rob nodded. Only then did he remember that the hospital had lent him a pair of doctor's scrubs to replace Buddy's pants, which were much too big on Rob. He remembered the chain of events that had led to him removing his pants in the writers' room before he left to get Laura and come to the hospital. "You know," he said. "I bet this whole experience would make a great sketch. I mean, a father so nervous that he loses his pants and ends up taking his wife to the hospital in a laundry truck?" He laughed, shaking his head at the absurdity of it.
Laura smiled. "It was pretty funny, but I doubt anyone would believe that could actually happen."
"Well, why not? It did happen, and I've got the pants to prove it!" He pointed to a chair next to him, on which Buddy's pants sat.
"If nothing else, we've got a great story to tell our son one day," Laura said. "I bet most birth stories are pretty much the same. But his won't be."
"No, it sure won't," Rob agreed. It was hard to imagine telling this story to their little boy someday. Right now, he was so small and fragile. But he knew this baby wouldn't stay a baby for long. Kids grew up. He looked back up at Laura, amazed once again that she was his. "Our son is the luckiest baby in the world."
"Really? Why is that?" Laura asked, knowing her husband was setting her up for one of his jokes. Rob certainly wasn't perfect, but he always knew how to make her laugh.
"Because he has you for a mother. You're going to be the best mother ever."
Laura blushed. "How do you know that? I've only been a mother for a few hours."
"Because I know you, and I can already see how much you love him."
All Laura could do was sigh. It was true. She'd never known she could love anyone the way she loved this child. But she also knew she loved Rob. Even though he'd been crazy lately, there was no one else she'd have wanted to go through this with. "I think our son has a pretty great father, too."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Rob said. "I barely made it here. I'll probably have a nervous breakdown before he reaches kindergarten!"
"Oh, Rob, don't say that. You just got a little carried away because you care so much. You wanted me and the baby to be safe. That's perfectly natural."
Somehow, Laura's words had calmed him. She was right, too. He didn't know the first thing about what needed to be done had Laura gone into labor before she could get to a doctor. The thought of something going wrong had terrified him. "I don't know what I'd have done if anything happened to you today."
"But I'm perfectly fine, darling. You can stop worrying," Laura said.
"I know you're right, honey. But, in a few days, you're going to go home with this baby, and then we become parents! That's when it gets really scary!"
Laura held the baby in one arm, so that her other arm would be free. She took Rob's hand in hers. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. This is new for both of us, and we'll figure it out together."
Rob wanted to protest. He didn't feel ready for any of this. But something in Laura's expression stopped him. From now on, nothing about their lives would be predictable. But even with all of the uncertainty ahead, Rob knew one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt: he and Laura loved each other. As long as that was true, they could handle anything.
The End