My goddaughter was a tiny little thing, but the many hospital covers her father had piled on, added to the pillow pile beneath her head, made her seem minuscule, excluding the large belly. It seemed so out of place on her frame as she slept soundly.
"Sweet Pea?" I asked, watching my goddaughter turn from her left side to her right as her eyes began to open.
'Hi" Miley whispered, smiling, "why are you here?"
"We were gonna surprise you" I told her truthfully, "For Thanksgiving, and I came a few days early."
"Thanks"
"How do ya feel?" I asked, referring to the stitches.
"Fat." She complained, crossing her arms.
I chuckled, "well if you have enough energy to feel like that, then nothing else is bothering you?"
"My feet are really swollen" she offered, "and my back aches."
"Anything appendix related?" I asked, still laughing softly.
"Nope" she answered.
"Then I have a request" I told her, sitting down beside her.
"What?" she asked as I pushed away her bangs.
"When do I get to meet the boy who turned my baby goddaughter into a balloon?"
"He's right there" she told me, pointing towards the doorway. The trademark sandy hair of my favorite zombie-slayer came into focus as he walked towards us, taking a seat on Miley's other side.
"Well hey there" I greeted. Jake Ryan was as hard to imagine a father as Miley to be a mother, and yet it was obvious in his eyes, the way he sat gingerly so as not to shake the bed, the way he tenderly traced his fingers on her stomach, that he was in love. He wasn't going to bolt any time soon, and he wouldn't dump all the baby work on Miley. "I'm Miley's Aunt Dolly."
"Hi" he said, smiling up at me with his perfect white teeth, "Miley's told me a lot about you."
"I hope it was good"
"Some good, some funny, but none bad" he told me truthfully. A bump came from behind us, I turned to see a pale young girl, she couldn't have been more then eight. In her arms she held a wobbly hospital tray, and behind her was a nurse.
"You're awake!" the girl said, surprised.
"I'm awake" Miley agreed, sitting up as I moved the rolling table in front of Miley for the tray to go on. The little girl proudly gave her mother the tray as she sat between Miley's legs and helped place the tray down carefully. She smiled happily across at Miley, somewhat expectant.
"Thanks" she said, graciously, "and I'm guessing this cutie wants an autograph?"
"Yes please!" she screamed, bouncing up and down on the bed.
"Alright, what's your name?" she asked good naturedly as she took the pen and paper the nurse offered her.
"Sophie!" the girl answered excitedly.
"Aw, I love that name!" Miley cooed, writing a couple quick sentences on the paper before signing her name. "Do you want one from Jake too?" she asked. Sophie nodded excitedly. Gladly he signed his name.
"Do ya want one from me too?" I asked, taking the paper.
"Yes, please" the nurse requested. Of course, the girl wouldn't recognize her, too young, but the nurse looked old enough to.
"Ya know if ya want her daddy can sign it too, if you come back later." I offered, passing the paper back.
"Will I be here?" Sophie asked, biting her lip.
"Yeah" she answered, "We'll be back then" she told us, taking Sophie off of the bed, "Say good bye Soph"
"Bye!" she said, cheerfully hopping out of the room.
"Bye Sophie!" we chorused, waving.
"I really do like that name" Miley told Jake as she dug into her pancakes.
"You like every name" he sighed exasperatedly.
"Not true!" she defended, "I like all GIRL names!"
"Well what if it's a boy?" he asked haughtily.
"Your choice, anything except Jake Jr." she told him.
"Cruel, cruel girl." He sighed, leaning back on the bed.
