"You did real good,"
CJ reluctantly looked up from the infant
sleeping soundly in her
arms. She smiled when she saw John
standing in the doorway.
"Hey," she whispered,
motioning with her head for him to come into
the room.
He
walked over slowly and hesitantly sat down in the chair by
her
bedside. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine,"
she replied, but when John cocked his head questioningly she
sighed.
"Tired and sore, if you want the truth but look, John.
Look
what we did,"
"What YOU did," he countered, his
voice full of admiration for the
mother of his child. He reached
out with both hands. "May I?"
"Sure," CJ
carefully handed the sleeping bundle to John, wincing
slightly at
the discomfort the action caused.
"Are you ok?" he asked, accepting the baby and holding it close.
"John,
think about where the baby came from and accept that I'm
going to
be in pain for a few days. It was worth it though, more
than worth
it."
"He's beautiful isn't he?" John murmured,
entranced as he watched
his son breathing.
"He really
is," CJ smiled. "No wonder you think so though, he's
your
spitting image."
"You really think so?" John
squinted, examining his son's features
carefully.
"You can't see it?"
"He's got my hair color, and lots of
it," John pointed out, pushing
back the tiny cotton hat to
reveal dark locks of soft hair.
"Not just his hair. His
nose, his chin, even his eyebrows are just
like yours. And believe
me, I've already experienced his temper,"
"I think
both of us can take responsibility for that trait,"
John
laughed, stiffening as the baby stirred in his arms. He
looked down
and found himself staring into his son's eyes. "Can
he see me?"
"I don't think so, he won't be able to focus for weeks yet,"
"He's only focused on one
thing at the moment," John said, as the
baby made sucking
motions with his mouth. "You definitely need your
mom for
this, baby boy," John leaned down and gently kissed his
son's
forehead. Standing up he placed the baby in CJ's arms. "Do
you
want me to go?" he asked, as CJ began to unbutton her
nightdress.
"If it makes you feel uncomfortable,"
"No. No, I'm fine with it if you are,"
CJ didn't answer but
instead gently rubbed her nipple against the
baby's lips until he
latched on and began to feed hungrily. The
three of them sat
quietly for a few minutes, John mesmerized by the
scene before
him. Less than 24 hours previously, both he and CJ had
been at his
ranch awaiting the baby's arrival and now here he was.
CJ
spoke quietly. "I know this is only the second time I've
fed
him, but I can't tell you how natural it feels,"
John
smiled. They sat in silence again, the only sound in the room
coming
from the feeding baby. After several minutes, John sighed
and
spoke. "About what happened…at the ranch…between us…I
never
meant…"
"John, not now," CJ pleaded quietly, "Let today be a good day,"
He nodded. "Ok. I think maybe I should…"
"Yeah, maybe you should," CJ agreed.
"I'll come back later?" he asked, walking towards the door.
"I think I might try to get some sleep
if that's ok? I'm pretty
tired,"
"Sure," he managed a smile. "CJ?"
"Uhuh?" she asked,
distracted slightly as she eased the baby from
her breast and sat
him up, placing a hand under his chin as she
rubbed circles on his
back to wind him.
"Has he got a name?"
"Yeah. Yeah, he does. His name is Joel Patrick."
"Joel. I like it," he said. "Sleep well, both of you,"
"Here,"
CJ accepted the
powder from John and sprinkled it liberally onto
Joel's bare
bottom. Taking his ankles between her fingers, she
raised his legs
and placed a diaper beneath him, quickly making
short work of
fastening it.
"You're getting pretty good at that,"
John commented, as she pressed
shut the studs on the baby's
one-piece.
"After the first couple of times, I think it
was imperative for your
carpet that I get it right," CJ
laughed.
John cringed, remembering the day Joel and CJ came
home from the
hospital. Both his and CJ's attempt at changing the
baby's diaper
had ended with the diaper falling off and Joel
showing his
displeasure all over the floor.
"And it
only took a week," CJ continued, kissing her son's feet
before
slipping on a pair of cotton socks. "Don't you just love the
way
he smells. Mmmmmmm, I could eat him all up,"
"I
don't think that would be a good idea," John scooped the
baby
into his arms and cuddled him close. Walking out of the
make-shift
nursery, he made his way down the hall and into the
living area, all
the while whispering to his son who was quickly
dozing off. John
laid him in his Moses basket and covered him with
a blanket.
"Is he sleeping?" CJ asked, coming into
the room and sitting down on
the sofa behind John.
"Like
a baby," John answered, straightening up from his
crouched
position on the floor and moving over to sit beside CJ.
"So, what
did Abbey say when you spoke to her?"
Both
he and CJ had decided it would be best if they kept the birth
a
secret for a few days, just until they both got used to the idea
of
having a newborn to look after. Luckily for them, the hospital
had
kept to the hospital/patient confidentiality clause and so the
press
was none the wiser. It also meant that no-one back in D.C.
knew
that CJ had given birth and CJ hadn't been relishing her
inevitable
conversation with Abigail Bartlet.
"She was
pissed," CJ yawned, leaning back into the sofa and rubbing
her
eyes with the back of her hand. "She agreed, though, that it
was
probably best that we keep it quiet for another week or so,
just
until he's a little bit older for traveling. Then it's going
to be
interesting. The questions from the press are going to be
non-
stop. Why were you in Texas?' Why did you keep you son's
birth a
secret?' Oh my God, your son looks exactly like the
Vice-
President!'"
"Technically, CJ, that last
one's a statement, not a question.
Also, he doesn't look exactly
like me. I've been studying him
and he definitely has your
lips."
"Oh well then, we definitely won't have a problem then," CJ mocked.
"It'll be fine, seriously.
We'll think of something. It's not
going to be a problem, CJ, I
promise,"
CJ plumped the cushion and rested her head
against it, closing her
eyes. "I won't take any bets on
that," she murmured.
