The Broken Fairytale
Chapter 12 - How to Name a Baby.
The next day Ruth was waiting to here how much longer she was going to be in hospital when Jay returned from visiting their little girl, baby name book in hand.
"What's that?" Ruth asked curiously not able to see the title of the book her
husband was closing "You don't read…" She looked slightly shocked.
"We need to name her!" He flashed the book briefly in front of Ruth's face before flopping into the familiar chipped seat by her bedside flicking through the pages feverishly.
"She isn't going to melt if we don't name her!" Ruth rolled her eyes slightly
"But still!" Jay protested flicking through the book as Ruth watched "She needs a name!"
"She does." Ruth nodded
They both fell silent obviously thinking about what they could name their little girl.
"How do you pick a name for a baby?" Jay wondered out loud minutes later as he slammed the book down on his lap "she's been alive all of a week and a half how are we supposed to know if she's a Lucy, Becky, Michelle, Taylor or a Pricilla."
"Pricilla?" Ruth snorted "What book are you reading? 1001 names from the 1800's?"
"The big book of baby names!" Jay told her simply "and don't look at me like that! Its in the book!" he protested "Why don't we just stick with Lucky?"
"No chance, she sounds like a porn star! Anyways I actually have had an idea." Ruth told him as he scanned the next page "And it might have been caused by me reading that book when you left it on your bedside table." She added blushing
"Really?"
"Well I had some ideas." Ruth blushed pulling out an identical baby name book and gesturing at the little tags sticking out the top of it where she had marked the pages with the names she liked on."
"Someone was a little too over prepared!" Jay laughed as she blushed.
"I looked back through last night." Ruth explained "This place is ridiculous at night, you cant sleep with all the damn beeping!" Ruth said pulling a face "Anyway there were several I liked but one stood out."
"What was it then?" Jay asked closing his own book and looking up at Ruth who had opened her book onto the page and was sliding her finger down she stopped and held the book in his direction.
"Isabella." Ruth told him "Isabella Maryam."
"Oh Ruth its so… perfect." Ruth saw tears building in his eyes
"Hey don't cry on me!" Ruth suddenly said as he turned to face her
"Nan would be proud." he said simply he hadn't even thought of including his Nan's first name as their daughters middle name but it was such a lovely sentiment.
"Isabella Maryam Faldren." Ruth smiled and Jay nodded.
"She scares me." He admitted suddenly "River wasn't that small when she arrived at Nan's, Isabella is so fragile and tiny…"
"Your not scared of frogs but your daughter sends shivers down your spine!" Ruth laughed.
"What if I break her?" Jay blurted out
"Jay she's a baby not a vase!" Ruth laughed slightly and then looked serious "I'm going to be a rubbish Mum…"
"Nah your not!" Jay reassured her "I'm going to be the rubbish parent!"
"I will probably leave the baby in the crib and try and feed the vase instead…" Ruth blushed
"Ok no one could do that." Jay laughed "I think were are expecting the worst aren't we?"
"Quite possibly" Ruth laughed as the door opened. She looked up expecting it to be the doctor but instead she saw a much more familiar face.
"Toby!" She grinned as the nervous male entered the room
"Hey Ruth, Jay." He smiled nervously "How are you doing?"
"I'm good." Ruth nodded "A little sore but that's to be expected."
"And the baby…" he looked as if no one had told him what was going on.
"She's doing well." Ruth smiled "Stop looking so nervous and get over here!" She held out her arms and Toby approached letting her hug him close. She winced slightly as he pulled away.
"Oh god did I.." Toby jumped back panicking that he hurt her
"No, Stop worrying!" Ruth smiled "I have a bit of an infection on my caesarean scar."
"Oh.." Toby scratched the back of his head on in the nervous way only he did.
"Toby stop looking at me like that!" Ruth scalded him irritably "I won't break you fool."
"Sorry." He muttered smiling slightly "So a little girl?"
"Yep." Jay grinned proudly
"And I can't even visit her, well not technically…" She winked at Jay "Luckily I have a husband who is willing to risk a telling off to take his supposedly bed ridden wife to see her daughter." She smiled at Jay who squeezed her hand comfortingly smiling back.
Toby could just feel the love radiating between the two of them, he felt an overwhelming urge of happiness as he watched Ruth gazing lovingly into Jay's eyes. He had seen her at the lowest of lows, he knew more than she thought he did about her and her past, he knew she was actually a very insecure but wonderful person and it meant so much to him see her finally happy, finally coming out of her shell and proving that actually the real Ruth Winters is nothing like the icy façade she used to fix in place to protect herself form the outside world.
"Jay you must take Toby to see Isabella." Ruth told Jay suddenly distracting Toby from his thoughts
"Isabella? That's a beautiful name." Toby smiled
"You approve?" Ruth asked with a lopsided grin "We just decided."
"I love it." Toby nodded "And I'd love to see her."
"Jay take him." Ruth nodded towards the door "I can look after myself for half an hour, you never know that doctor might appear…"
"Oh you know your just as bad!" Jay winked as he stood up
"Hey! I do not leave my patients waiting for four hours." She replied folding her arms. He lent down and kissed her on the lips.
"No you leave them for five!" He winked waving Toby over. "Come on."
"Take care Ruth." Toby nodded kissing Ruth on the cheek "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask."
"I wont." She nodded "Thanks Tobes."
He nodded and followed Jay form the room leaving a rather lost looking Ruth behind fiddling with her own drip.
"Alright mate?" Jay asked as they walked "You look like there's something on your mind."
"I'm fine." Toby nodded "Just thinking back, You have been very good for her."
"I hope I have." Jay said a hint of nerves in his voice
"I know you have." Toby smiled "I remember when I started to get to know her, When I realised she wasn't actually a bitch like she pretended to be. I thought she need someone, someone special to help her be who she really is. It takes a special person to help someone like Ruth show their true colours."
"I never thought she would ever accept me." Jay admitted suddenly "Boy did she hate me."
"She hated everyone, but really I think she only hated everyone because she didn't know how to communicate with them or how to trust them." Toby shared his thoughts "But here she is, Married, looking after a nine year old and having just had her own baby. She has grown so much as a person."
"She has." Jay nodded "Having a friend like you helps to."
"Nah its all down to you."
"It isn't" Jay shrugged as they reached the neonatal ICU "There are many people who have helped her grow into the person she deserves to be, you, Nick, Adam, River, Ellie… Everyone who has had a positive effect on her. Everyone has helped her come this far. She also has helped herself but Isabella will be the icing on the cake. I can feel it."
Toby smiled and nodded as Jay pushed the door open.
Silence fell between the two men as they wandered up to the little incubator containing Isabella.
"Hey Little Girl, your Uncle Toby's come to see you." Jay smiled slipping his finger into the incubator and grinning manically as she immediately grasped it looking up at him with her bright blue eyes.
"Jay she's gorgeous." Toby said slightly awestruck by the fragile but beautiful little child.
"Have a go." Jay encouraged Toby removing his finger form the little girls grasp.
Toby gently and slowly moved his hand into the incubator and rested his finger against her open palm. The little blue eyes so similar to Ruth's stared up at him and then he felt the little tug as she closed her tiny little fingers around his giant one.
"Its like magic." Toby told Jay "Absolute magic."
"Oh yes." Jay beamed "I can't wait until Ruth can officially come down her but after I ripped her caesarean scar open moving her last time I haven't dared bring her again and she agrees its better to be safe than sorry.
"Definitely if she's got to look after this little thing." Toby nodded pulling a silly face at the child
"I can see your going to be her favourite uncle!" Jay laughed slightly as they stepped back from the incubator.
"Just let Ruth know she can call me anytime, babysitting, company, anything, I will come." Toby said as they walked towards the door
"Thanks mate." Jay nodded pulling him into a manly hug and clapping him on the back.
"You must be Jay."
Jay did not recognise the voice as it echoed down the corridor towards them but Toby did, he spun around and grinned at the familiar face.
"Maggie?"