Chapter 2: Hey There Delilah

Note: Hey guys! Here's chapter 2! I hope ya'll enjoy! Thanks for all of your amazing reviews and support. You guys are totally what keeps me updating. Time to meet baby Ward!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. They are from AOS and have just ruined my life and this is my way of coping. The story is actually my idea though so that's pretty cool!

At the beginning of Skye's pregnancy, Leo stayed far away from her. He was scared she was going to be like Jemma when she was pregnant so he could usually be found in the kitchen with Ian strapped to the front of him in a baby carrier while he came up with new recipes. He realised the kitchen was the perfect hideaway from pregnant women when Jemma got pregnant and the smells prevented her from getting anywhere near it. Melinda just went about her business and Jemma was always near Skye to provide comfort when needed. Phil and Grant, however doted on Skye at all hours of the day; neither of them straying far from the pregnant occupant of the house.

Skye was nervous about being pregnant and starting a family. She had no idea how to raise a child and never had a mom or dad to show her anything. The nuns took care of the little ones in the orphanage, leaving her to mostly fend for herself and she knew that wasn't how she wanted her child to be. She had seen the way the nuns took care of the little ones before, and recently had been learning a lot from Jemma. Luckily, she had Grant and Phil to help keep her calm.

Grant played the part perfectly of doting baby daddy and husband, but it helped that Skye wasn't a pain at all while pregnant. He would go to every ultrasound they had with Jemma and every obstetrician appointment out of town. If Skye and Jemma wanted to shop for baby clothes, he would drive the women to where they wanted to go and then stand or sit near the door almost like a bodyguard while the women shopped. Every once in a while Skye would hold up a onesie or little dress saying something along the lines of "Daddy's little girl" to get his nod of approval. Where Jemma was loud and screaming with demands at home while pregnant, Skye would bat her eyelids and smile and Grant would get her anything she needed. Her demands weren't really demands, but more like favors with her saying please and thank you. Even while pregnant she didn't want anyone to fuss over her, but if Grant wasn't close by to watch over her, Phil wouldn't be far away.

Skye found herself seeking out Phil a lot as her pregnancy progressed. She had given him a framed print out of her first ultrasound with "Hi Grandpa!" written on the bottom in her pretty handwriting. She spent a lot of her spare time in his office with him, reading a book while he did paperwork and then jumping up off of the couch so Phil could feel the baby kick. The first time it happened Phil actually yelped from her sudden jumping up and Melinda and Grant came running into the room only to stop at the door and laugh when the wide-eyed Phil was standing at his desk with his hand on Skye's stomach. After that, it became a common occurrence for Phil to be doing paperwork and all of a sudden Skye would bolt up and run out of the room and Phil would know it was because the baby was kicking and somebody had to feel it with her.

During Jemma's pregnancy, her and Jemma had stopped receiving work to do in the mansion and became full time residents and family. New staff was hired and very much utilized while Jemma took care of her son and Skye slept off her exhaustion from the pregnancy. Everyone noticed that Skye was almost always tired, but somehow still maintained her bubbly personality when she was awake. The staff that was hired liked Skye a lot and were always quick to get her anything. Grant always told them where he could be found if she needed anything. She had burst into a room many times and run up to Grant the few times they weren't together to pull his hand to her growing baby bump so he could feel a kick. The first time she had done it he had to sit down with his hands still on her stomach and looked up at her with wide eyes, "We're going to have a baby, Skye". She would just laugh and sit on his lap, engaging him in a heated kiss.

The first time the ultrasound looked like an actual baby she cried and squeezed Grant's hand. They were having a girl. They sent the ultrasound to Gramsy who called them and then started to send baby things all the time. It was her first great grand-baby after all and all of the knitted blankets and hats were adorable. Skye had dragged Grant to many baby stores to pick out the perfect furniture for the baby's nursery. He was patient and carried everything for her. Melinda had surprised everyone when they got back with a beautiful painting for the nursery that she painted herself.

The biggest difference with pregnant Skye was that she was more affectionate when it came to Grant. She was always near him (which wasn't really new) and it seemed like every couple of minutes she wanted to be held or hugged (which Grant was all too eager to provide). She would find Grant whenever she wanted to take a nap and have him lie down and hold her as she drifted off. He never complained. He couldn't find a single reason why it would be bad that she was so attached to him. Most of the time he had a book resting on the night stand to read while she slept since honestly he didn't want to be too far away from her as well. He knew she was safe if she was close to him and he found he was drawn to her like a magnet anyways. A few times, Grant had snuck out of the room while Skye took her naps to work on a special project with Phil. They wanted to build her a rocking chair similar to the one that Leo gifted Jemma with when she was pregnant.

Skye would also wake Grant up in the middle of the night to satisfy her other cravings. He thought she was insatiable before, but seeing her pregnant really changed his opinion on that. She was almost constantly touching him in some way and some days he wouldn't even leave their room until after noon. He had always found her extremely beautiful to begin with, but there was something different about her carrying their child that just drove him wild. The pregnancy had accentuated her curves even more, filling her breasts and the slight adjustment in her hips gave them a fuller appearance that accentuated her small waist. Her pregnancy was almost all in her stomach. You couldn't tell from behind that she was even pregnant. Grant's reaction to her changed body had gotten to the point where they would duck into random rooms and lock doors just to worship each other, and if people had heard the moans and screams while walking by they didn't mention it.

Where Leo would surprise Jemma with baby gifts when they were pregnant, Grant would spoil Skye with things for herself. He would buy almost anything he thought she would like and wrap them and have them sitting in a room for her when she walked in. He had taken her out countless times to go out to meals or get ice cream (which was partially selfish on his part because he wanted to show off his wife to everyone). He took her on dates to the movies and treated her to spa days with Jemma and Mel.

On a cool morning in September, Delilah May Ward (or Lyla as she was affectionately called) made her debut. Skye and Grant were the only ones in the delivery room as she had remained pretty calm throughout the process. She was ready to meet their baby and Grant's eyes shimmered at the strength that she had shown through labor. Her only sign that she was in extreme pain was when she would squeeze his hand. He might have had a bruise or two when all was said and done but he didn't even notice as soon as his daughter was put into Skye's arms.

Skye looked down at her for the first time, "Hi baby. I'm your mom." She looks up at Grant, "Holy crap, Grant! I'm a mom! And you're a dad!" He got a goofy grin on his face and sat down next to her in the hospital bed and stroked a finger along the side of the baby's cheek. He placed a kiss to Skye's forehead and she closed her eyes to savor the feel as he wrapped an arm around her. "You did beautiful, babe. She's perfect." Skye handed the little one to her father and he sat and stared at her. Grant had held Ian a few times, but he didn't realise how little babies were until he was holding his newborn daughter. He suppressed the urge to cry as he held her and after a few minutes Skye asked for her back, not wanting to be separated for long.

Grant chuckled and gave Lyla back to Skye and got up to grab the others so they could meet her. Before he walked out the door he looked over at the bed and sighed as his heart swelled. Skye was looking down at their daughter with a smile, stroking her cheek with a finger and softly talking to her. Grant couldn't believe how lucky he was as he looked at the two most important girls in his life and walked out the door to grab the family in the waiting room.

Phil and Melinda were the first ones to hold who they had affectionately referred to as their granddaughter. Skye handed her over to Phil and said "Meet your granddaughter. Delilah May Ward" and both of them had misty eyes as they looked down at the small pink bundle. They had named her after Melinda and she was clearly touched as she bent down to cup Skye's cheek in her hand. Grant was standing close by like a watch dog guarding his pup. Phil chuckled at how protective he was already, "Don't worry Grant. We promise we'll be careful with her." He chuckled because he knew it was true, but just couldn't help himself. Leo looked on while holding Ian in his arms. The one year old was a spitting image of his dad with curly hair, but where Leo had blue eyes, Ian had Jemma's soft brown ones.

Jemma walked over to Skye while everyone doted on her daughter and hugged her. "How are you feeling, love? I was exhausted after little Ian and your labor was longer than mine!"
Skye smiled at her best friend and surrogate sister choosing to come see her instead of the baby first, "I think right now I'm running on adrenaline and excitement from meeting our little one. I'm sure in about an hour I'll pass out and sleep for days." Jemma laughed and gave her best friend one last hug before walking over and meeting Lyla.

Grant then chose that time to come over and sit with his wife and mother of his new child. He kissed her and looked at her adoringly. "Do you need anything? I can ask the nurse for some water."
"I just want you with me for right now if you don't mind."
"I never mind." and with that he wrapped an arm around her and laced their fingers together.

Phil and Melinda handed the baby to Jemma and walked over to the couple. "She's beautiful you guys. We don't know who is going to spoil her more; her parents or her grandparents!" the group laughed at the clearly excited "grandparents". Phil pressed a kiss to Skye's forehead, "You did so good sweetheart. Grant bragged all about how great you did. I'm proud of you. Both of you."

Melinda then squeezed Skye's free hand. "I'm honored you guys chose her middle name after me. She's perfect you guys and I know you'll be great parents. You have a lot of support at the house. We're here for you guys every step of the way if you ever need anything."

The group left the new family to bond and went home. Ian was getting antsy; it was 3 am when Miss Lyla decided to grace them with her presence and everyone was exhausted having been there since early in the morning the day before. When the new family was alone, Skye and Grant sat in the bed together while holding Lyla between them. Neither of them could take their eyes off of her. Skye fell asleep in Grant's arms and he drifted off soon after with Skye and Lyla in his arms. Yeah, I could definitely get used to this was the last thought to cross his mind and he drifted off.