Disclaimer: I wish.
And Happy Father's Day to alll the dads out there. This is the last chapter of the Joy Marriott Saga that I had going, at least until I get inspired again. Hope everyone enjoyed it!
What It Means to Be a Father
Derek stood in front of the nursery window, Tyler balanced on his hip. "There's your brother."
"What's his name?"
"Alexander Morgan."
"Alexander… Can I call him Alex?"
"Of course." He set Tyler on the floor. "What do you think?"
"He's a little scrawny."
"He's a baby. He's only seven pounds."
Alexander Morgan, seven pounds, three ounces, 20 inches long, born at four twenty nine in the morning on October 23rd. He texted the entire team and hers and his families.
"Where's Mama? Can I see her?"
"Come on."
Hotch had brought Tyler over around eight and the first thing Tyler wanted to do was see his baby brother. Derek had left Joy, still sleeping, and taken care of Tyler.
He peeked in and saw her sitting up. "How are you?"
"Sore."
"Mama?"
"Hey…" She opened her arms. Tyler ran in and hugged her tight. "I missed you, Mama."
"I missed you too."
"I saw my brother."
"What do you think?"
"We can keep him."
"I hope so," she laughed. "Did you tell Uncle Aaron thank you?"
"Yes. Jack wants a little brother too."
Derek laughed.
"He should talk to his dad," Joy said.
The nurse stuck her head in. "Should I bring Alexander?"
"Please."
Derek sat in the hospital chairs and watched Tyler talk to Joy. He was dead on his feet, but he wasn't missing a single moment of this.
The nurse wheeled Alex in. Joy immediately reached for her baby, cradling him. She held him so Tyler could see.
"He looks like me, a little."
"Yes, you both have my eyes." She lifted those eyes to Derek. "He has Derek's nose."
Tyler squinted. "Yeah, I guess. And he has no hair, like Daddy."
"That'll change. I'm hoping he has curls, like you."
Tyler tugged one of his curls. "I don't know…"
"My momma is on her way, so are your parents." Derek stood up. "But we have a few hours. And Hotch will call the team later. Penny will be the first to visit." He sat on the edge of the bed. "But I thought a few hours as a family was a good idea."
"I love it," Joy flicked her eyes up. "Want to hold him again?"
Derek grinned and reached for his son. His son.
Alex opened and closed his mouth as he moved from Mama to Daddy. Derek cradled him against his chest, his hands covering most of the baby. He turned to Joy. "I'm going to make this work."
"I know you will." She raised one hand, resting it on Derek's shoulder, leaning against him and watching Alex.
"He doesn't do much," Tyler wrinkled his nose.
"Just you wait, he'll start crawling and touching your things and you'll be wishing for when he didn't do anything," Derek teased.
"Want to get married in June, give myself enough time to lose the baby weight."
He looked up. "That's less than a year."
She nodded. "I know. I want this."
He leaned over and kissed her, mindful of the baby. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Me three?"
"You three," Derek laughed.
Tyler curled against Joy's other side and she wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
Derek glanced from them to Alex, sleeping in his arms. He wanted this with every fiber of his being, to come home to Joy and his sons, to have somebody waiting for him at home.
"Isn't it amazing?" Joy murmured, trailing a finger over Alex's nose. "I remember holding Tyler for the first time and it suddenly hit me."
"What?"
"How much I could love him."
Derek's heart swelled. "Yeah."
Alex opened his eyes, unfocused.
"Hi, Alex. It's your first day," Joy said. "I love you so, so much."
"I love you, too, Alex. I'm your Daddy, and that's Mama and your big brother, Tyler." Derek lifted him and kissed his forehead. "You are a miracle."
His eyes closed again and his little fist clutched Derek's shirt.
He was a goner.
That's what it means to be a Father
I never knew that I could feel a love so deep
"Father's Day" from Children of Eden
