Title: Special Unexpected Delivery
Author: Sgt. Pepperony
Fandom: Avengers (MCU)
Rating: T
Pairing: Steve Rogers/Wanda Maximoff
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the MCU characters.
This one I am a little nervous about so do tell me what you think.
Wanda groaned as she woke up. The was a dull throbbing in her lower back and if she dared to lie on her left side, there would be a shooting pain in response. Wanda did not know what was causing it. It was definitely not appendicitis. She had been through that when she was younger, so the cause of this pain was confusing to her. She looked at the empty bedside table and wondered where Steve was. Then she saw the clock (09:45) and it confirmed that she had overslept, and Steve was probably somewhere in the Compound.
She grabbed her phone and saw there were two text messages from Steve:
'Morning Doll. I got called in at short notice – looks like a mission - and thought I would let you lie in since you were a little under the weather last night. Love you x.'
'Turns out I was right. We need to go to Bahrain. It should take a week. Love you xx.'
Wanda smiled a little. They had been married for around a year, but they were still living in the Compound since they were still active members of the Avengers. Wanda did not mind so much. While they were married, they were not ready to start having a family, which meant they would have had to find their own place, preferably in Brooklyn. For now, it was easier to stay in the Compound in case they were needed at short notice, much like today.
After ten minutes of lying in bed, she decided to head to the kitchen to find some paracetamol to relieve the dull ache in her back. No one was around from the look of it. It seemed Rhodes had taken her place on the Bahrain mission. She pressed the glass against the water dispenser on the fridge and went to grab the paracetamol from the medicine cupboard. However, the shooting pain in her became worse all of a sudden and Wanda had to brace against the counter to stop herself from collapsing on the floor. However, the pain was so excruciating that she had to sit down and clutch her side. She tried to get back up to grab her phone, but the pain was too unbearable, and she was unable to get to her feet without the pain becoming worse.
There was a damp feeling between her thighs and she noticed that it was blood. Now she was incredibly scared. She was alone. She was bleeding between her legs and the pain in her side was excruciating.
Then she heard a voice call, "Anyone home?"
"TONY!" she yelled to get his attention in case he walked in and did not see her.
It seemed by the tone of her voice had caused Tony to run to the kitchen in concern and when he found her slumped with the bloody patch on her pyjama bottoms becoming larger by the second, he froze in horror. He snapped out of it quickly, however.
"Okay, keep calm. What's going on?"
"I don't know. I woke up with a pain in my side and it got worse and now I am bleeding."
"Right," Tony said bending down to her level and he helped her to her feet. Wanda whimpered at the pain. "We're getting you to the hospital. It'll be quicker if I take my car."
Usually Tony would be worried about the fabric of his car seats getting dirty, but with Wanda still bleeding, it was pay through the roof for new car seats or cost Wanda her life. Wanda was still in agony and clutching her stomach as Tony drove to the nearest town.
"Wanda, is there a chance you could be pregnant?" he asked.
Wanda thought about it. She was on the Pill and she and Steve were using condoms. However, she had not been as consistent as she should have been and there were a number of occasions where the condom had broken. It was a possibility and that possibility that she could be having a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.
"I could be," she whimpered. "I think I am losing the baby if I am."
Tony drove as fast as he could, possibly getting a few speeding tickets in the process but he did not care. Eventually, he stopped the car outside the emergency room and he helped her through the triage area. Once they got to the desk, Wanda braced against it in a bid to keep herself standing.
"Listen, she's in agony. We need a doctor like now," Tony said, his tone rather antsy. "She might be having a miscarriage or something."
"Okay, hon, can you tell me your name?" the nurse asked summoning the nearest doctor.
"Wan-Wanda Max-" She froze as she felt a slight popping sensation in her stomach and then liquid pooled on her feet. "Oh god."
Tony looked up confused because the liquid seemed too thin to be only blood and Wanda had not collapsed from the sudden loss of it. It did have blood mixed in, however. The doctor who had come over to them had a wheelchair and Wanda was ordered to sit down as they wheeled her to the bed.
"So you think you going through a miscarriage?" she asked as Wanda was helped onto the bed. The nurse on the desk had brought over an ultrasound machine and the doctor placed gel on Wanda's belly.
Wanda nodded, "Or an ectopic pregnancy. I can't be that far along."
"Let's see what we are dealing with. If it is an ectopic pregnancy, we'll have to take you into surgery."
The doctor put the probe on Wanda's stomach, however, thumping hooves of a heartbeat could be heard. The doctor squinted at the screen and then back at Wanda's stomach. "Wanda, do you know when your last period was?"
Wanda was not sure since the Pill had been playing havoc with her menstrual cycle. One month she would get a period as normal, but then she would not have one for three months and the last period she had was about seven months previously, though it had been very light.
"Seven months ago, I think," Wanda replied.
The doctor turned the screen to her and pointed to a baby-shaped figure in the middle of her uterus. "Wanda, I think you're seven months pregnant, and we need to get you to delivery now. Your waters have broken, and you have suffered a major placental abruption."
The look on Wanda's face went from shock to horror in a matter of seconds as the doctor and the other doctors pulled the bars of her hospital bed.
"Wait, is she going to be okay?" Tony asked.
"Sir, we need you to wait in the family area. This is major surgery and Wanda is going to have to go under a general anaesthetic."
"Tony, call Steve please," Wanda cried as she was wheeled away.
"I will, I'm not leaving the hospital until he's here."
-o-
Tony was pacing around the waiting room, his phone pressed to his ear and his hand running through his hair. He had been trying to get through to Steve for the last hour, but he had not answered much to Tony's frustration. It seemed that the quinjet had gone under a point of bad connection because getting hold of Natasha, Sam and Rhodes had fallen through as well.
He had called Pepper as well, and she was on her way from a conference in New York City. Mostly because he knew that Pepper would know what to do since he was freaking out. Probably not as much as Wanda was at the moment. She was about to become a mother and she had not prepared at all. Not to mention that the baby was premature and could have potential health problems from lack of pre-natal healthcare. Assuming that it survived the birth.
"Mr Stark," the doctor said walking up to him in blue surgical scrubs. "She's out of surgery and is currently in the ICU and is being given a blood transfusion as we speak."
"And the baby?"
"The baby is in the NICU. Our paediatrician estimates that Wanda was about thirty weeks along so the baby's lungs are underdeveloped and he had to be resuscitated after we took him out the womb. You did the right thing getting Wanda in as soon as possible. If it had been any later, neither would have survived. Have you had any luck getting a hold of Wanda's husband?"
"No. He's out the country and is on a mission. I don't think he has had a chance to look at his phone. I'll keep trying. I'll stay with her in the meantime."
"Good, because she is going to need all the support for the next few days. Come on, I'll take you to her."
Tony was led to the intensive care unit where Wanda, who was asleep, as white as the sheets around her, a cannula in her nose and a blood bag attached to her hand. He took a glance at her vitals and noticed how low her blood pressure was and how slow her heartbeat was. The nurse was making notes on a tablet and she handed it to the doctor.
"The anaesthetic should wear off in a moment. Though so she has time to recover from the surgery, we recommend that she rests for the next twenty-four hours," the doctor explained. "Depending on how well she recovers, she might be able to see the baby tomorrow."
Tony sat down in the chair beside the bed. It was only lunchtime and he was utterly exhausted. However, he had trained his brain to stay awake in stressful situations, so he kept himself awake, mostly so Wanda would at least see a face she knew.
A few minutes later, Wanda's eyes fluttered open and she blinked in confusion as her eyes adjusted to the bright light, the noise and the soreness in her lower belly. She turned her head and saw Tony sitting in the chair. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but he honestly did not know how to comfort her.
"Hey, how do you feel?" he asked.
"How do you think I feel?" she asked tiredly.
Tony snorted and grabbed her a glass of water. "The baby is in the NICU. They are saying it is touch and go at the moment, but you can't see him until tomorrow in case you develop an infection."
"It's a boy?"
"I think so," Tony turned to the nurse who nodded her head. "I've been trying to get a hold of Steve but I think everyone's phone has cut out. I don't think we're going to get much until the end of the week."
"Thanks for trying I guess."
"So, you genuinely did not know you were pregnant?"
Wanda shook her head. "My cycle has been screwed up because of the Pills and I never had any of the other symptoms. I gained a bit of weight but not enough that it was evident there was a baby inside me. I didn't even feel him move."
At that point, Wanda started weeping. A combination of the shock, exhaustion, hormones and genuine fear for her son's health. Steve was on the other side of the world with no idea that he had just become a father. He was usually her rock in stressful situations, though even he would probably be floored by this just as much as she was. Tony could only put his hand over hers and squeeze it in reassurance. Just then, his phone beeped and saw it was Pepper telling him that she was in reception.
"Pep's downstairs so I am going to bring her up. Do you want anything to eat?"
Wanda shook her head and Tony nodded in understanding. He got up and walked out of the intensive care unit and found Pepper in reception. Eventually, she spotted him and walked over to hug him.
"Is Wanda okay?" she asked.
"She's in the ICU. She lost a lot of blood and they want to ensure she has no post-op infections," he answered.
"What about the baby?"
"A boy. There were complications. Wanda was only seven months along so even without the placental abruption the baby was going to face problems." Tony had to sit down as he was feeling a little light-headed. "You should have seen the look on her face. I have never seen anyone so terrified in their life."
Pepper sat beside him and wrapped her arm around him, "It's going to be okay. We'll help her and Steve get through this. Speaking of Steve-"
"Nothing. I think we're going to have to wait for him to come back because there is no way this is going to go well over the phone."
"True. I guess we will have to wait and make sure Wanda's okay."
-o-
The next morning, Wanda had perked a little bit that indicated that she had recovered from the surgery well and there was no sign of infection. It seemed that Tony had gone home rest upon Pepper's orders and keep trying to get a hold of Steve because Pepper was in the chair. Pepper did offer some comfort at least.
"How are you feeling?" Pepper asked.
"My stomach is still sore, but I want to see him," Wanda replied.
"I don't know sweetie. You still are recovering yourself."
"Please. He's all alone, ill and scared. I just want to see him and reassure him that he is going to be okay."
Pepper looked to the nurse who then went to speak to Wanda's doctor outside. It seemed like they were agreeing to this based on Wanda's condition. When the nurse came back in she said, "You have thirty minutes."
Pepper went to get a wheelchair and helped Wanda into it. The neonatal intensive care unit was on the same floor as the maternity ward, so they were there in a matter of no time. The nurse asked which baby they were visiting, and Wanda explained that it should be baby Maximoff. Wanda had not changed her surname when she married, but she knew that she had to register her son as Maximoff-Rogers. Wanda showed her hospital bracelet and the nurse matched the incubator to the number on the bracelet. The nurse nodded and led them to an area to clean their hands and put on a pink paper gown.
"Your son came into the NICU having been resuscitated so he's been intubated. He also is suffering from jaundice and is anaemic. The good news is that he has not coded since he was brought in or regurgitated his milk. So, he's a little fighter."
"Just like his father," Wanda whispered.
They finally reached the incubator holding the baby and Wanda was taken aback by the sight of her son hooked up to wires and tubes. He was so tiny and yellow. Wanda's bottom lip quivered.
"It's okay," Pepper whispered. "It's okay."
"He was in me this whole time?" Wanda asked. "I never felt him move. He could have died and I would not have known."
At that point, she began crying. The other parents looked over with sympathy while Pepper tried to comfort her. The poor woman was clearly shocked, hormonal and terrified. She had a little boy. She was a mother. The more she said it in her head, the more she started to believe it was true.
"Can I hold him?" she eventually asked.
The nurse nodded and instructed Wanda to lift the front of her hospital gown. Gently, the nurse put the baby on Wanda's chest, "This will help him feel better."
At that moment Wanda felt a warmth overcome her. The little weight pressed against her was the best feeling she had ever felt. She stroked the little hand that rested on her collarbone and kissed the top of the newborn's head.
"Sweetie, you okay?" Pepper asked softly.
"Yeah, I think we're going to be okay. We just need some time and love. Then we'll be just fine."
-o-
3 days. 3 Pounds, 3 Ounces.
"I never thought I'd say I was glad to be back in fifty-nine-degree weather," Natasha said as she, Steve, Sam and Rhodes left the quinjet.
"That was too hot," Sam added.
"Well, it's a good thing we got it done quickly or else you two would be dead," Rhodes commented.
Steve was quiet. His phone kept beeping and when he looked at his phone, he saw that he had at least fifty missed calls from Tony. Pepper had called at least ten times.
"You okay Steve?" Natasha asked as they walked into the kitchen. However, she stopped when she saw the patch of blood on the floor and Wanda's phone on the side. "Has anyone checked if Wanda is in the Compound?"
Steve pressed the phone to his ear as he called Tony. He got an answer on the first ring, "Please tell me you are in the Compound."
"Yeah, we just got back. We've seen the blood, Tony, what is going on?" Steve asked, his voice filled with worry.
"Wanda collapsed at the Compound so I had to take her to hospital."
"Right, I'm on my way." Steve hung up and ran his hand through his hair. "Wanda's in hospital."
"Okay, calm down. It's probably nothing serious," Sam attempted to reassure.
"There's blood on the floor Sam."
"Listen, Sam, you drive him to the hospital," Natasha ordered. "Just let me know if she is okay."
Sam nodded and grabbed Steve's arm to take him to the garage. Steve's heart was racing with worry as Sam drove to the next town. He had no idea what had happened to Wanda to cause her to be taken to the hospital, but the blood was not a good sign that is was something minor.
When they finally got to the hospital, Steve asked where Wanda was, and he was told she was in the maternity ward.
"Maternity?" Sam asked the triage nurse. "Are you sure?"
"That's what the computer is telling me," the nurse replied. "Wanda Maximoff, 30th October 1989?"
"Yeah," Steve replied. "That's definitely my wife."
"She's registered in the maternity ward-"
"Thank man, I'll take it from here," Tony said coming up to the desk. Tony led the two to a waiting room and took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know how to break this to you."
"Is Wanda okay?" Steve asked.
"Well, she's no longer in the ICU so I would say yes. If you asked me that three days ago, I would be giving you an entirely different answer."
"Tony, just tell me what happened."
"Okay, Wanda had a baby three days ago." Steve looked blankly at Tony, as though he was certain it was a joke. Wanda was not pregnant as far as he knew, nor did she appear to be pregnant when he left so unless New York was nine months into the future, he had no idea how Wanda could have delivered a baby hours after he had left. "Trust me, I wish this was a joke, but I am telling you the truth."
"Steve, do you need to sit down?" Sam asked. Steve nodded dumbly and they went to grab a seat. "Did Wanda tell you she was pregnant?"
"I don't think she knew herself until they were about to cut her open," Tony answered.
"Cut... What happened?" Steve asked.
"The placenta tore away and it caused heavy bleeding. They reckon Wanda was only seven months along. She's fine now. The baby on the other hand… He's rather ill and is in the NICU."
Steve felt rather light headed and had to put his head between his knees.
"You okay Steve?" Sam asked.
"I think so," Steve answered. "I need to see Wanda."
"Okay, just take it easy. She's been through a rough time in the last couple of days," Tony said. "She's in room number two."
"Tony, thank you, for being there."
"Don't mention it."
Steve walked slowly to Wanda's hospital room. He had no idea what to say to Wanda. He was in a lot shock at the moment, and he was nervous in case he said something that upset Wanda. He did not know how Wanda had reacted to the situation. He did not know whether she wanted to keep their baby. It had been an incredibly traumatising experience for her.
When he got to the room, he gently opened the door. Wanda was sitting up in the bed, reading a baby book. She looked smaller somehow and ghostly pale.
"Wanda?" Wanda looked up and saw Steve standing there close to tears. Wanda started to cry as well and Steve gathered her into his arms. "I'm so sorry."
"Steve, I was so scared."
"I know, I know. I should have been with you." He pressed a kiss to her hair and rubbed her arm. "How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad. I don't feel as sore as I have done but I can't quite stand yet. The shock has worn off a lot. You should see him, Steve. He's so beautiful."
"It's a boy?" Wanda nodded with a smile. "Tony said he's very sick."
Wanda nodded sadly, "His lungs are not developed so he's on a ventilator, and he had jaundice and anaemia, but he's a little fighter." Steve kissed the top of her head and took her hand. "Do you want to see him?"
"Can we?" Steve grabbed the wheelchair and helped Wanda into the chair. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a little sore."
She guided him to the NICU and showed him where to clean his hands and put a gown on. The nurse gave them a sweet smile and Wanda immediately smiled when she saw her little boy again, only the jaundice was not as severe as it was.
The tubes took Steve by surprise. He knew his son had difficulties but he did not expect the sight. "He's so small," he said.
"They said he was three pounds three ounces," Wanda replied. "I apparently was only seven months along."
The nurse helped place the baby on Wanda's chest. Steve still could not quite believe his eyes. His son was beautiful, even with the various things attached to him. He reached out and touched the little hand. The baby wrapped the palm of his hand around the finger and opened his eyes. They were the most beautiful blue eyes Steve had seen.
"Hi, I'm your dad. Sorry I have not been here but I am here now," he whispered.
"You want to hold him?" asked the nurse. Steve nodded and Wanda allowed the nurse to take the baby and place him under Steve's t-shirt. "Just hold him softly."
Steve was scared that he would unintentionally break him due to his strength. He was so tiny. "It is okay, Daddy is not going to let anything happen to you."
"You know after he was born, I debated whether I could keep him. I didn't have you, I was scared and in shock. We had nothing prepared. I was scared about how you would react. All I wanted was my mother or Pietro. The second I saw him, I loved him. And I want him. I want to raise him knowing he's loved. I don't want him to be passed around or forgotten."
"He won't because he is ours." Steve kissed the top of his son's head. "You have a name for him?"
"I was thinking James Pietro."
Steve leaned in and pressed his lips softly against Wanda's. There was a gentle smile against his lips as he broke apart from them. "It's perfect. Isn't it James?"
-o-
Two Weeks. 3 pounds, 8 ounces
"He looks like a little alien," Natasha commented. "A cute alien but… that's rude, I am sorry."
Wanda smiled as she attempted to change the tiny diaper James was wearing. "He's a little alien." James whined at the disturbance. "I know sweet boy. Mummy is almost done."
"Have they said how long he could be in here for?"
"They don't know for certain. It depends on how well he responds to treatment. He's only two weeks old so it is early days."
"How long until they said you can go home?"
"Tomorrow. I'm not sure I want to go."
"You can still visit him every day."
"I know, but it doesn't feel right that I am going home when he is still in here, but I know at the same time he can't go home and here is the best place for him."
"Hey, Wanda," the neonatal nurse, who they found out was called Nicole, said coming up to the incubator, "you doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous to leave." Wanda finished changing the diaper and washed her hands with the hand sanitiser. "But he's in the right place for what he needs right now."
"Well, jaundice and anaemia have passed so it is just a case of trying to get him to breathe on his own."
Wanda nodded and asked, "Is he okay for a cuddle?"
"From his vitals, yes he should be okay."
Wanda sat in the chair as Nicole took James out of the incubator and placed the baby on his mother's chest. Wanda smiled and gently stroked James' hand.
"I can't tell who he looks more like you or Steve," Natasha commented.
"He's got his father's eyes. I think his hair is dark like mine though," Wanda answered. "Okay James, Mummy won't be in the hospital but she and Daddy are going to see you every single day. So you keep fighting and one day you can come home." There was the look of dread that coated Wanda's face. What home would James have to go home to? "Steve and I are going to have to find a new place because he can't come live in the Compound. We'll work something out won't we?"
"You've got time, and you know that we all have your back so whatever you need… Laura said she'll send some of Nate's old stuff. You know, once James gets better."
Wanda smiled sadly and whispered, "You'll get better I promise and Daddy and I are going to have a good home for you to come home to okay?"
-o-
Five Weeks. 3 pounds, 11 ounces.
"It's not the biggest but it will do for what we need," Steve commented as they looked around the apartment. Wanda was circling the living area. "The walls could do with some paint and we'll have to get a good monitoring system in."
"It's good for now," Wanda replied. Her mind was a little elsewhere because she was not entirely sure if they would have to get the apartment. James had been diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus and was in surgery at that moment. She bit her nails a little and Steve walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "He's just so little."
"I know," he whispered.
"Is everything okay with the apartment?" the real estate agent asked.
"It's great, honestly," Wanda replied wiping a tear from her eyes. "Sorry, our son is in surgery at the moment. Heart surgery."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Listen, I do have another viewing but if you want I can put your offer on hold until you are more certain."
"Thanks," Steve replied. "Come on, we best go to the hospital and wait."
The wait was agonisingly long. Steve kept going to the water cooler because his nerves were getting the better of him and Wanda had her head buried in her hands. An hour or so later, a doctor came out with a small smile that relaxed Steve a little.
"He's out of surgery and back in a recovery area of the NICU. It went really well. No coding and it closed with no problems," she said. The breath Wanda had been holding in realised and Steve pulled Wanda in for a hug. "Give him half an hour and you should be able to see him"
Wanda started crying in relief. "God, he really is your son isn't he?"
"Yeah, he doesn't know when to quit does he?" Steve chuckled.
-o-
Ten weeks. 4 pounds, 9 ounces.
"This is incredibly blue," Sam commented as he rolled some blue paint on the walls. Now that James was getting better, Steve thought he would risk starting to get his nursery for him to come home. He was out of the incubator now, but it was just trying to get him to gain enough weight and monitoring his breathing.
"Wanda picked it out," Steve replied rolling the paint on the other wall. "In her defence, it did not look so bright on the tin."
"So, how are you coping? I know that the last ten weeks have been rough on you and Wanda, but I know you've been holding a lot in." Steve loaded more paint on his roller and painted on a little more aggressively. "Case and point."
"I could have lost them both. Wanda was on her own when she went into labour. If Tony had not found her in time…" There was a catch in Steve's throat. He did not want to think about it. "It hasn't been easy, but someone has to be the strong one out of the two of us. There was a couple in the NICU and their son was getting progressively worse with each day, and it broke them. It's easier for me to support Wanda in her low moments. It isn't healthy for James to come home to a quarrelling family just as much as an unclean home."
"Fair point I guess, but if you need to let out some emotion, you know that we still have a punchbag. There must be therapy groups you and Wanda could go to with other parents who went through the same thing."
"Yeah, the doctor said there were support groups. It might be a good idea for the both of us to speak to people who know what we're going through."
"Anyone in!" Tony called through the apartment.
"In here!" Steve called back.
Tony came in holding a box and looked around the room, "Are you trying to blind your son?"
"It wasn't this bright on the tin," Sam replied. "What's in the box?"
"Well, something which has been in development for a while." Tony opened the box and pulled out what looked to be a tall fan but with no blades. "Introducing the Stark Industries Air Purifier. I just thought since you said James could be facing breathing problems in the future, and I thought that I would try to make his life easier at home so I thought this could be a good moving in present."
"That is… amazing. Thanks, Tony," Steve exclaimed.
"And I also got you a state-of-the-art monitoring system so that if something is the matter with him, it will alert you and call the emergency services right away. Just to give you some peace of mind."
"Tony, I can't thank you enough for this, and for everything. We wouldn't even be having this conversation if you hadn't saved both their lives."
The tears started pricking in Steve's eyes again and he had to sit down in the rocking chair. Sam patted Steve on the shoulder. "You okay man?"
"Yeah, it just hit me how close I was to losing them both."
"Hey, Wanda's fine. James will pull through," Tony started. "You'll be able to put this behind you and focus on the future."
"Easy to say that."
"Steve, what's going on?" Sam asked.
"The paediatrician said that even with all the treatment they are throwing at him, James could to face loads of challenges for the rest of his life."
"Namely?"
"Chronic lung disease, heart problems, some learning disabilities, and he will be more susceptible to illnesses. Basically, everything I have suffered aside from the learning disabilities."
"Well, you can use that to your advantage. You know what will come so you can prepare and hey, that means you can empathise with him," Tony pointed out. "It's probably not the best thing to bond over but you know, it gives him a hope that he can become big and strong like his daddy."
Steve snorted and sniffed. "I guess you're right. We can do this. And they only said it could happen."
-o-
16 weeks. 5 pounds, 11 ounces
Four months after he unexpectedly arrived, James was declared healthy enough to come home. Wanda was initially rather happy at the news, but when the day came, her anxiety was incredibly high. While James had been taken off ventilation, he still had a cannula in his nose, so Wanda was anxious as to whether he could cope outside the NICU, especially since they had to take home an oxygen tank.
"Here we go buddy," Steve said as he placed James into the car seat. "Coming home today." Wanda was twisting a teddy in her hands nervously. Steve looked at his wife and saw the anxiety coating her face. "Wanda, you okay?"
"I don't know if he is ready," Wanda answered.
"If the doctors were not so sure, they would not be discharging him."
"He just seems so little and helpless."
"I know, but he can't spend his whole life in here. We have a support network at home. We're more prepared than most for this."
Wanda looked at James who was sound asleep in the car seat. He was dressed in the most adorable lion onesie (courtesy of Sam), and despite the face, he had a cannula in her nose, he looked perfectly fine. Wanda nodded and whispered, "Okay, let's go home."
Wanda hooked her arm around the handle of the car seat and took Steve's hand as they walked out of the NICU. Once Wanda was confident that the car seat was safely secure, she climbed into the backseat with James while Steve drove home. It felt so unreal that they were finally bringing him home. Four months ago, she was never have thought this would happen. She only wished that they had more time to adjust to the idea of being parents before he arrived.
When they pulled up outside the apartment block, Wanda had to take a deep breath as she unbuckled the belt. She ran her finger along James' cheek and smiled softly. "It's going to be okay sweet boy. We're both safe now."
Steve opened the door for them and helped Wanda out while she grabbed the car seat. "You ready?" he asked.
"More than I will ever be," Wanda replied. Steve grabbed the baby bag and took Wanda's hand as they walked up the stairs to the second-floor apartment. The moment they walked through the door, it hit Wanda that they had managed to bring James home. She started weeping and when she put the car seat on the kitchen table, Steve wrapped his arm around her. "Sorry. I just can't believe we got him home."
"I know," Steve whispered pressing a kiss to her head. Wanda wiped her eyes and placed the oxygen tank on the table. She unbuckled the car seat, took James out and cuddled him close to her chest. "It'll be okay."
Wanda smiled softly and kissed the top of James' head. "Yeah, we'll through it. We've gotten through worse."
-o-
One year. 19 pounds, 3 ounces.
"Hi buddy," Steve said when he walked into the nursey to be greeted by his new toddler standing in his crib with his hands braced against the bars. James was smiling so brightly and bouncing that Steve could not help but smile. He lifted him out and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday."
Steve did feel his heart clench. A year ago, Wanda went into premature labour without knowing she was pregnant and both she and James had nearly died. He could not believe that the bright and bouncy little boy in his arm was the same tiny baby who had to live in an incubator for the first few months of his life.
Wanda leaned against the bedroom door and smiled at the sight of her husband and son. This time last year she had no idea that she was about to become a mother, but now she would not be without her baby.
It had not been the easiest time since they brought James home. They had admitted him into the hospital with a fever when he was six months old. Then there was the formal diagnosis of Chronic Lung Disease and he had been diagnosed with a hearing impediment in his left ear. However, they had worked out a treatment plan and the only time he really needed the extra oxygen was at night. Steve had thought about his pep talk from Sam and Tony, and he counted himself lucky that considering everything James could have faced, it was something that could be managed. There had been discussions of fitting him with a hearing aid as soon as he was big enough.
Yet, even in spite of his health problems, James was such a bright and happy baby that no one would suspect that he had a rough start in life. He had taken his first steps a few weeks before and was getting close to walking without support. He brought so much joy to those around him that it was so easy to forget how fragile he was.
Wanda walked over to Steve and James and pressed a kiss to her son's cheek. It was covered by a plaster holding his cannula tubes in place. Steve gently peeled the plasters off as Wanda checked the system's night report. No problems.
"Okay, sweet boy," Wanda said taking James from Steve. "The plan today is to eat as much cake as possible. Do you think you can do that?"
"Ma!" James yelled.
Wanda smiled and kissed her son on the cheek again. Steve leaned down to kiss Wanda on the lips. He could not have wished for a better life.
The End