"Kessler, right? Heather Kessler?" A different nurse asked. Nether Gil nor Heather had seen where the nurse had come from, but Heather nodded to her, telling her without words that she was indeed the woman in question.
The nurse smiled before continuing.
"I just started my shift and thought I'd offer; Would you like to come in and hold your granddaughter?"
Heather looked up at Gil for a moment then nodded. Her hands shook as she followed the nurse into the room. A few babies were crying, several cooing. Gil walked in after Heather, his hands shoved in his pockets. She glanced back at him, a half smile upon her face.
As the nurse stopped by the bassinet Zoe's baby was in, Gil stood by the door closely observing Heather and the nurse. The nurse said a few things, then motioned for the woman standing next to her to pick the infant up.
Heather hesitated for a moment, but once she was calm enough she bent at the waist and very gently lifted the unnamed baby out of the bed. She cradled her, the crook of her elbow supporting the baby's head and neck while her left arm supported her body.
Slowly, Heather walked over to where Gil was standing. The infant fussed quietly, so Heather talked quietly to her, smiling at her.
"She's beautiful," Gil commented as Heather stood next to him.
"Mmm-hmm," Heather smiled. "Zoe would have been so proud to have such an adorable daughter." She lowered her voice as the sentence left her lips.
"Have you picked out a name yet?"
She didn't answer right away, fearing she might cry. Gil caught on to this and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"It's okay," He told her. "It'll be okay."
Silence fell between the two. The only sound in the room was the fussing and crying of the other babies. Heather looked down into the face of her granddaughter, attempting to pick the perfect name for the child in her arms.
"Katie," She quietly said. "Your name is Katie."
Heather looked up at Gil, then back down at newly named Katie.
"She looks like a Katie," Gil grinned. "It really suits her."
Gil and Heather quietly talked, Katie still in her grandmother's arms. As four hours passed and Heather still hadn't put Katie down, the nurse approached them; Telling them to get some sleep and come back afterward, she very gently took the baby back to her bed.
"Well…. Let's go get some breakfast." Gil held the door open for Heather to walk out first.
"Sure. But first, I just want you to know, I really appreciate everything you've done."
The walked along in silence, the only sound being their padding feet upon the linoleum. As they walked along, Gil slipped her hand in his. She looked at their entwined fingers then up into his eyes. Neither said a word, for words were not needed. And as he pulled her closer toward him, wrapping hi arm around her shoulder, it felt to the both of them as if everything was all right.