May 20th, 2013
She knew the small voice inside of her telling her if you ignore it, it will go away was so terribly wrong about this, but it didn't stop her from ignoring it anyway. It was a lot easier to pretend it wasn't happening, and maybe, somehow, this thought would telepathically transfer to her unborn daughter and she'd stop forcing herself out of her mother when she was trying to throw a surprise party for her best friend. Those aren't labor pains you're feeling, she tried to convince herself. Stop being so paranoid. They're the same false labor pains you've been having for weeks.
It probably was a ridiculous idea to throw a party only days before her due date, but she read that 70% of first time mothers were overdue. Ezra was more than hesitant, but she managed to use the right opportunity to persuade him to go along with her plans.
"Ughhhhh."
Several days before, Aria groaned loudly as she bent down to retrieve an old styrofoam takeout container in the back of the second shelf, selfishly hoping to wake up her boyfriend who was sleeping far too long for her liking. She didn't feel guilty; if she couldn't sleep at night due to the many downsides of pregnancy, he wasn't allowed to sleep in either. She opened the container and immediately closed it again, gagging, the sight and smell of leftover steak nearly causing her to vomit. She tossed it into the trash can beside her, then went for the next container. This time, she didn't even open it. It followed the previous container and landed in the trash with a heavy thud. Before she went in for the next questionable food product, she stood up straight and stretched her sore back. Being full-term in her pregnancy, every movement she made proved to be uncomfortable, and bending down in front of a fridge that desperately needed to be cleaned only added to the discomfort.
"What are you doing?"
She looked up to find a sleepy, disheveled Ezra wearing a pair of blue boxers and a white t-shirt. Not that she looked better with her overstretched Hollis College t-shirt and black yoga pants, complete with a messy ponytail she hadn't brushed in two days. He yawned and ran a hair through his messy hair. She normally found his early-morning self to be rather lovable, but on this morning, she stabbed him with the daggers in her eyes.
"Cleaning out all of your crap in the fridge," she answered. She realized in the last couple days that the whole "nesting instinct" wasn't a myth. Yesterday, she had the sudden urge to dust and disinfect the entire apartment at 6:30 a.m. This morning, she realized how little space they had in their fridge when a bottle of ranch dressing fell onto her toes when she tried to return the orange juice. She was beginning to worry that they weren't at all prepared for their child who was expected to arrive shortly. "Can you tell me exactly what you achieve from keeping three-month old steak? Ezra, we went to that restaurant on Valentine's Day."
"That wasn't that long ago." He walked over to her and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, then leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "Good morning to you too."
"It's May," she informed him. "Are you conducting a science experiment? Or do you find enjoyment in watching your very pregnant girlfriend clean up after you?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking," he said sarcastically. "'I'm going to put my leftovers in here and never take them out just to irritate my girlfriend.' You know me so well."
"You're a jerk," she stated point blank, then decided to use this opportunity to her advantage. She turned away from him and grabbed a bottle of salad dressing, checking out the expiration date, as she said, "so, I'm throwing a birthday party for Spencer on Monday."
"Uhh, what do you mean by party?"
She didn't answer him.
"You're due on Wednesday," he reminded her, staring at her as if she had just casually suggested they rob a bank. It was a pretty absurd request and she knew that.
"Most first-time moms go at least five days past their due date," she pointed out, looking up at him. They were both well-informed by their doctor that a due date was only a rough estimate. "I have to do this for Spencer. Please don't give me a hard time." She tossed the bottle into the can. Thud.
"I know you want to make Spencer happy, but you need to save your energy," he told her. "Buy her a friendship bracelet. Bring her out for lunch. A party is a lot right now. She'll understand." He was right. Yesterday, she fell asleep on the way home from the grocery store, which wouldn't have been odd if it weren't in the mid afternoon. But it wasn't enough to convince her.
She bent down and reached for a glass container, then opened it to find a compact square of old lo mein that had started to grow fuzz. She tilted it slightly so he could see it, then cocked her head to the side in disbelief. "If you know you aren't going to eat it, why bother?"
"In case I needed it," he replied as Aria dumped the contents into the trash. "Let me take over."
She was also still learning what it was like to live with a guy, and more specifically, what it was like to live with Ezra Fitz who clearly had a minor hoarding problem she didn't know about until the last few months. "Do you want to do it because I've been cleaning up your mess all morning," she asked with a growing smirk, "or because you're afraid I'll throw out some priceless moldy chinese takeout that's shaped liked the members of Hootie and the Blowfish?" It was so much fun to tease him.
"Don't tell me you threw away Darius Rucker," he joked with a big, adorable grin.
"He's sitting at the bottom of the can," she told him, moving out of the way as he took her place. She found she did get in the way a lot, something she wasn't used to until she started growing a watermelon-sized baby in front of her.
He started removing items from the refrigerator and placing them on the counter while she carefully situated herself onto one of the kitchen chairs. He opened an old styrofoam container and brought it to his nose, causing an immediate look of repulsion. Aria gloated from her chair, where she no longer had the pleasure of inspecting the mystery leftovers.
"You can throw Spencer a birthday party, but it's going to be here," he compromised, dropping the container into the trash. "And it's going to be a small, low-key get-together in the afternoon with a few friends. This isn't going to be a Hanna party."
Feeling like a kid who was waiting for her parent's permission, she said,"Got it, Dad."
"I think I would prefer if you didn't say that again," he requested. "It's strange."
"You better get used to it real soon," she warned him, holding her stomach.
The stupidly happy look that magically appeared on his face made her want to kiss him, but he beat her to the punch when he leaned down to give her a sweet kiss. She wrapped her hand behind his head and pulled him closer. She could feel his smile against her own as their lips pressed together.
Luckily, Aria's friends had all completed their first year of college and were back in Rosewood for summer break. For Aria, finishing her second semester of college during her third trimester of her pregnancy proved to be more difficult than she had ever imagined. Ezra frequently voiced his fears that the stress would be too much for baby Rosalie, so she ended up stressing out about being stressed and felt like she was perpetually traveling across a figurative tightrope. She had to maintain the perfect balance. Falling one way meant sacrificing the health of her baby, falling the other way meant failing her education. They wondered how it would work when they had an actual baby to care for, but they decided to cross that bridge when they came to it. Everything would be fine, she told herself. It always was.
The group of friends only had a few weeks before everything would become way too hectic to plan a get-together. Spencer was reluctantly traveling to New York for a five-week internship at a law firm, highly encouraged by her mother to test the waters in the family business. In a few days, Hanna was starting a new position at local fashion boutique in Rosewood. Emily found a job as an assistant swim coach at a community pool in Brookhaven. And, well, Aria was about to pop out a baby and then spend the next eighteen years making sure it stayed alive, so she'd probably be a little tied up for the next couple decades.
Today, they were getting together one last time before Spencer went to New York and Aria had the baby. Spencer thought she was coming over to keep Aria company while Ezra was at work, but instead, she would celebrate her birthday with her best friends and boyfriend. Aria donned her favorite sleeveless navy and pink tribal print maxi dress.
"Do you have a better knife?" Emily wondered as she attempted to frost Spencer's birthday cake. When Aria didn't answer, she looked behind her where she was supposed to be making a salad. She had her palm on her forehead, feeling a little dizzy and nauseated. Emily looked concerned and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Aria replied, forcing a smile. "Just needed a second."
"You sure?" Emily asked, putting her knife down. "Why don't you sit down?"
"I'm pregnant, Em. I'm fine," Aria reassured her. "There are more knives in the drawer to your left."
The refrigerator door opened and Aria turned to find Hanna on a mission, shuffling through the recently organized contents.
"Hanna," Aria groaned in annoyance, "you're supposed to be keeping an eye out for Spencer."
"Relax," Hanna told her, "I'm just looking for something to drink."
Aria sighed and opened the oven to check on the lasagna, when she unexpectedly felt a sharp pain in her back. She promptly closed the door and rubbed her lower back.
"Maybe you should take over for Hanna," Emily suggested without looking up from the cake.
"And trust her to finish making lunch? I think I'm all set."
"You don't have anything in here," Hanna whined, still rummaging through the fridge..
"I bought two liters of soda," Aria made known.
Hanna shut the door and faced Aria, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, you don't have anything good."
"If you mean that we don't have any alcohol, then you're right." She didn't bother asking Ezra to buy the alcohol, knowing she was lucky for being able to host the party in the first place. It also secretly made her happy knowing she didn't have to watch everyone else drink.
"Not even beer?" Hanna complained.
"All out," Aria said. "Get back to your window."
"You should ask Ezra to pick some up on the way home," Hanna requested. "I'll pay him back."
"Okay," she gave in, "but only if you go back to your spot at the window."
Hanna opened the fridge again and grabbed a bottle of water before making her way back to the window, taking a seat on the arm of the couch next to it. Aria designated Hanna to this task, knowing she probably wouldn't be any help with the meal, and also worried that one of her neighbors would let Spencer into the building as they frequently did. Aria grabbed her phone from the counter and texted Ezra. "Hanna wants you to stop by the liquor store on your way home. Thank you! Love you! " For this request, she needed a little more sucking up, so the exclamation points were necessary.
Time passed quickly as Aria and Emily worked diligently in the kitchen to ensure they finished before Spencer arrived. Toby and Caleb were busy trying to hang a "Happy Birthday" sign over one of the doorways, having already blown up about a dozen balloons.
Emily grabbed the tube of icing and starting writing on the cake while Aria cut up vegetables for the salad. "Can't believe you're going to be a mom any day now," Emily said, trying to make conversation.
"Tell me about it," Aria replied, scraping tomatoes into the salad bowl.
"That doesn't sound very enthusiastic."
"Would you be enthusiastic about giving birth?"
"No, but I would be excited about meeting my baby."
"I'm too anxious to be excited," Aria explained, giving Emily an apologetic look for her poor attitude. "For the birth, for making sure I don't accidentally kill her, finances..."
"Everything is going to be fine," Emily promised. "You're going to be great parents, and you have me until August to help you out, maybe Hanna too. "
"Speaking of which," Aria said, directing Emily's attention to the window. Emily followed her eyes. They found Hanna perched on the arm of the couch, staring at her iPhone. They watched her for a few moments, waiting to see if she was actually doing her job. When Aria realized Hanna seemed to be lost in another world, Aria slowly pushed herself out of her chair and ambled her way to the living room before snatching the phone out of Hanna's hand.
"I'm watching the window," Hanna insisted, looking at Aria with guilt-ridden eyes.
"This is important," Aria told her with a stern voice. "I don't want her walking in before we're ready. Please, Han."
"Does it really matter?" Hanna wondered. "She'll be happy either way. You know what would probably make her even happier than a bunch of people jumping out of the shadows and scaring the shit out of her? A fridge full of alcoholic beverages."
Aria crossed her arms in front of her and stared Hanna down.
"Fine," Hanna surrendered, turning towards the window and looking down at the sidewalk. "Oh, look. She's coming. See? I told you I wouldn't let you down." Hanna shot Aria a proud grin.
Aria rushed to turn the lights off, then buzzed Spencer inside. "Spencer's here! Hide!" Toby and Caleb looked at each other, shrugged, and hid beside the door, where they'd be out of sight once Spencer opened the door. Emily dropped the knife and crouched behind the kitchen table, while Hanna reluctantly kneeled behind the couch. Aria chose to hide in the hallway, where she wouldn't have to do any crouching or kneeling.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in!" Aria shouted nervously. "The door is unlocked."
A second later, the door opened and everyone shouted "Happy Birthday!" That is, everyone besides Aria, who jumped out of the hallway and immediately experienced a terrible pain that radiated down her back and travelled to her front. When the pain went away seconds later, she yelled a delayed and frazzled "Happy Birthday!", causing everyone to look in her direction, instead of focusing on the birthday girl.
Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away.
"And you were afraid I was going to ruin it," Hanna joked, plopping herself onto a kitchen chair. She grabbed a sour cream and onion chip from the kitchen table and popped it in her mouth. Caleb shot his girlfriend a look of disapproval, while Emily smiled sympathetically at her friend who was in more discomfort than she was letting on.
After kissing Toby hello, Spencer quickly went to Aria and gave her a big hug. "You didn't ruin anything," she said, enveloping her friend's body, then pulled away. "But you're out of your mind for doing this."
"So I've been told," Aria replied, trying to smile through the discomfort. "But I wanted to."
"Where's Ezra?"
"I wasn't lying about that part," Aria explained. "He's working today and won't be home for a few hours."
"Make sure he doesn't forget about the drinks," Hanna reminded her, overhearing their conversation.
"Don't count on it," Aria told her, making Hanna pout. "He hasn't answered any of my texts today. His phone must be dead or something."
"Call the school," Hanna suggested.
"I'm not going to call a high school so I can ask one of the teachers to provide alcohol for former students who can't legally drink."
Giving up, Hanna dug into the bowl of chips and grabbed a handful. She started munching on another chip. Emily emerged from the hallway with a stack of board games, as per Aria's request. When Hanna caught sight of this, she raised an eyebrow in disapproval. "Is this really how we're going to celebrate Spencer's 19th birthday?" she asked in disbelief. "You know why they're called board games, right? Because they're boring."
"That's not why they're called board games, Han," Spencer corrected her, looking through the variety of games. "But if you want, you are free to take Caleb to Aria and Ezra's bedroom. I would be careful, though, because I hear the bed has some magical fertility powers."
Everyone stifled a laugh at Spencer's dry joke, besides Hanna, who took a seat on the couch and grabbed a small box. "Charades it is."
The game of charades turned out to be a lot more fun than Hanna-or anyone for that matter-had expected. Aria served lunch and everyone brought their plates into the living room to enjoy. Hanna and Emily were on a team and had to act out the word "fetch," where Emily pretended to throw a ball for Hanna to catch. Aria and Caleb mentally guessed what the word was pretty quickly, with Spencer and Toby catching on soon after. Needless to say, no one said a word because they were having too much fun watching Hanna run around pretending to be a dog, becoming more and more frustrated that no one knew what she was trying to be. When Toby and Caleb had to act out a "penguin," Spencer shouted "Aria!". Aria pretended to be offended, but she had to admit it was definitely true and a little funny. When it came time for Aria and Spencer, they picked a card and had to act out "Titanic."
Easy. All they had to do was recreate the classic pose with Jack and Rose in front of the ship, and everyone would understand. It was iconic. Aria put her arms out to her sides as Spencer stood behind her, about to wrap her arms around her petite friend. Suddenly, Aria's hands flew to her stomach and her eyes clenched shut, crouching over in pain before anyone had a chance to guess.
"Uh, constipation?" Toby guessed.
"Someone shot you?" Hanna guessed.
And this was the moment she realized that her telepathic communication to her daughter wasn't getting through, either that or Rosalie had a cruel sense of humor and decided to give her mother a special surprise of her own in the form of excruciating pains that may or may not be associated with the beginning of labor. Aria heavily breathed in and out while everyone watched, and after about ten seconds, she stood up straighter. Spencer helped her over to the couch and made her sit down. "Do you think this is it?" Spencer asked in concern.
"Do you think she should go to the hospital?" Emily added, who didn't sound surprised that this happened.
Aria rapidly shook her head. "The doctor said I don't have to go until my contractions are 5 minutes apart, and I've only had about four or five today."
"Only four or five!?" Spencer repeated in shock. "Only?"
"I've been having them like this for about a week, but never this bad," Aria informed them.
"Someone get Ezra," Emily demanded.
Hanna grabbed Aria's phone from the coffee table and handed it to Aria. She quickly dialed Ezra's number, but he didn't answer. She called again. And again. Hi, you've reached Ezra Fitz. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you. She never hated hearing his voicemail as deeply as she hated hearing it today. When she opened a new text to him, she realized he had yet to reply to any of the messages she sent in the last couple hours. She furiously texted, "Hi. Pretty sure I'm in labor and it would be great if you answered your phone. Love, Aria." Right after she pressed send, another contraction overwhelmed her. It felt like her entire stomach, lower parts, and back were contracting, like a painful muscle cramp, only fifteen times worse. If this were only the beginning of the pain, she now understood why women said childbirth was the most excruciating experience a human being can go through.
"Do you want me to call the main office?" Spencer volunteered, putting a comforting hand on Aria's shoulder.
Aria shook her head. "No, call my mom," she pleaded. Ella worked a few classrooms down from Ezra, so it would be easier for her to relay the message. It would also kill two birds with one stone as she needed her mother anyway. "Can you drive me to the hospital?"
Spencer, Hanna and Emily rushed Aria to the hospital while Toby and Caleb promised to clean up in the apartment. Emily called Ella as they rushed out of the apartment, who said she would find Ezra and meet them there as soon as possible. Aria was checking in when Ella finally called back.
"I found him," Ella said, noticeably out of breath. "He was having a meeting with Lindsey and left his phone in the classroom."
"Why would he leave his phone when I'm in labor!?" Aria demanded angrily.
"I don't know, honey, but we're on our way," Ella told her. "Hang in there."
A nurse wheeled Aria to her hospital room with Spencer tagging closely behind. Hanna and Emily were trying to find a parking place, not wanting to put Aria through anymore anxiety as she labored in the front seat of the car, yelling at Spencer that she was going to plop a bloody baby onto the floor of her car if she didn't hurry the fuck up and park. Once Aria was settled into her room, Spencer held her hand to help her through the fear and pain. Aria was in too much pain to realize how kind and nurturing her best friend was even after being verbally abused.
Twenty minutes passed before Ezra frantically sprinted into the hospital room. Aria cried in relief as he rushed to be by her side. She immediately let go of Spencer's hand and grabbed onto Ezra's, as if fueled by instinct. "I'm really scared and I need you," she muttered through sobs. Her face was red and glistening with a mixture of sweat and tears.
"I'm so sorry, I was giving the students a practice test for the AP exam and put my phone on silent and I wasn't really thinking since I didn't think this would happen so soon and I went to help a student and then your mom came in..." he was talking extraordinarily fast. She was about to call him out on lying when she squeezed his hand as another contraction hit her. "I don't care, just don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere," Ezra promised, and she belied him. "I'm right here and we're going to meet Rosalie soon."
She simply nodded, too overwhelmed to respond. Her eyes were clenched shut as she worked through the contraction.
"I love you and you're so brave," he told her.
Aria nodded again, taking a few breaths. "I love you too."
Spencer quietly walked out of the room, careful not to interrupt.
Rosalie Ella Fitz made her entrance on May 20th, 2013 at 11:06 p.m., weighing a petite 6 lbs. 4 oz. and measuring 19 in. long. Thankfully, the labor progressed quickly and smoothly with minimal complications and Aria delivered her daughter after 8 hours of labor and two hours of pushing, and what quickly became known as the longest day of her entire life. Even longer than the time she was stuck in a box with a corpse senior year.
She and Ezra had been living together for nine months and were well-accustomed to the less glamorous sides of sharing a life with someone. On more than one occasion, they had serious bathroom conversations while one of them was using the toilet and the other was taking a shower. They had taken care of each other when Aria was sick with the flu and Ezra caught it soon after, resulting in a repulsive two weeks of sneezing, coughing, snotty noses, vomiting and diarrhea. When Aria was 37 weeks pregnant and could no longer reach her legs, Ezra volunteered to shave them for her before they had sex against a wall. But nothing, absolutely nothing that Aria had shared with Ezra throughout their entire relationship was as intimate and disgusting as childbirth, which had a long list of moments where she could have died from embarrassment if she weren't in excruciating pain and getting a baby out of it. It felt like he was helping her push out a giant poop in a room that also included her mother and a handful of medical professionals. And let's just say that the baby did in fact come with poop, but it was a don't ask, don't tell situation that she was never going to speak of again. The entire experience, surprisingly, made her love the man even more than she ever thought possible and she knew there was no one she'd ever feel more connected to. If a man found her beautiful after witnessing a baby's head crowning from her vagina, she knew she could happily experience all the unglamorous parts of life with him.
The next morning, Aria nursed her tiny daughter in her arms, unable to erase the awestruck smile from her face. Ella and Zack had just left after visiting that morning, suggesting that Aria should spend some quiet time with her family before more visitors arrived. It was so odd to think of it that way. Prior to yesterday, Aria's family included her parents, Zack, and Mike, and within a matter of hours, Aria's family became Ezra and baby Rosalie. It was a big adjustment, but not one she was unhappy to transition into. Ezra snoozed on the pull-out couch beside her after the two of them were awake most of the night, having difficulty sleeping with nurses walking in and out to check on Aria and the baby. Her eyes traveled between her boyfriend and daughter, every minute noticing another way she resembled her father, and causing her to fall deeper and deeper in love with the little girl who shared his last name.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in," Aria whispered, not wanting to wake Ezra up or disturb Rosalie. She pulled the hospital blanket over her breast, in case the visitor was someone she didn't want to expose herself to.
Light footsteps emanated from the doorway until she was able to see Spencer and Hanna carrying flowers and a balloon, which brought a tired grin to her face. She already knew that Emily sadly couldn't join them until later in the day, not wanting to call out on her first day of work.
Aria lowered the hospital blanket so her friends could see Rosalie, who had a head of dark hair. She gently pretended to wave the baby's hand, and in a baby voice, she said, "Happy Birthday Auntie Spencer."
Spencer smiled, focusing on the newborn in her best friend's arms while placing the gifts on the table at the end of the bed. "Happy Birthday mini Aria," she quietly replied in complete admiration with the tiny girl. "She's beautiful."
"All I can see is the back of her head and Aria's boob," Hanna remarked, causing Spencer to glare at her, so she quickly added, "but I already know she's very pretty. I mean, look at her parents."
Ignoring Hanna's comment, Aria smiled apologetically at Spencer. "I'm sorry I went into labor at your birthday party."
Spencer laughed softly when she heard Aria's apology. "She's a better surprise than some birthday party. I still think you're crazy for even considering to surprise me when you were so close to having a baby."
"Honestly, once the real pain started, I completely forgot about it," Aria admitted, focusing on her daughter. "And once I held her for the first time, all the little things that mattered before seemed so insignificant." She would never get over staring at all of the baby's tiny little features, learning something new every minute.
Spencer smiled, then looked behind her where Ezra was sleeping soundly. He wasn't waking up for anything. "What about him?"
"He's not a little thing," Aria said, glancing at Ezra, then down at her daughter was asleep with her mouth open, her lips no longer latched onto her mother's breast. "Rosalie is part of him, and for the record, she sleeps just like her Daddy. See?"
Her friends hesitantly stepped closer to take a look, but were still a safe distance away. "Guys, I don't care if you see my boob," Aria laughed, but attempted to fix her hospital gown anyway. With permission, they each moved to the side of her bed and finally received a good glimpse of the little girl. It was undeniable that she was Aria and Ezra's daughter, from the full head of dark hair to Aria's little mouth and chin.
"Aww, she's smiling," Hanna pointed out happily.
"My nurse said that's gas," Aria informed them. "But I like to pretend she takes after Ezra."
"Ezra has a lot of gas?" Hanna joked.
"Ezra laughs in his sleep," Aria clarified, then pretended to think for a minute. "But he does have gas too."
"I didn't need to know that," Spencer announced, making a repulsed face. "Can I hold her?"
"You don't have to ask," Aria answered, gently extending her arms. Spencer reached down and carefully took Rosalie, cradling the delicate newborn in her arms. Aria immediately adjusted her hospital gown, then watched as Spencer adoringly stared at the baby and Hanna looked on next to her. "Hi Rosie," Spencer cooed. "I'm Auntie Spencer, and this is Auntie Hanna. But I'm going to be your favorite."
Hanna rolled her eyes. "And I'm going to prove her wrong."
Aria grabbed her phone from the table next to her and opened the camera, taking a few pictures of the three girls. She settled it back on the table a minute later. "It's funny, you know that saying? A woman becomes a mom when she becomes pregnant, and a man becomes a dad when he sees the baby?"
Spencer nodded, still entranced by the baby in her arms who had woken up during the exchange. Hanna was making faces at her, while Spencer was gently running her fingers through the tiny hairs on her head.
"I almost feel like it was the opposite with me and Ezra," Aria said, bringing a perplexed glance from both Hanna and Spencer. "I don't think it became real until I held her for the first time. It finally hit me that Rosalie was all mine to love."
"And mine," Spencer added.
"Excuse me? Did you just push her out of your vagina with an audience?"
"Touche," Spencer said. "But you can't stop me from loving her."
"And you can't stop me from spoiling her rotten," Hanna added.
Aria grinned. "I'll be happy if people love her almost as much as Ezra and I do," she said happily.
A loud ringtone echoed through the small hospital room and the visitors curiously looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Aria already recognized Ezra's ringtone, but couldn't reach his phone.
Ezra opened his eyes and smiled at the girls when he saw them, then pulled his phone out of his pants. "Hey," Ezra said, trying to mask the grogginess in his voice. "Is everything alright?" A pause. "I'm sure it's okay, but let me check with Aria." Ezra pressed the mute button, then looked at his girlfriend.
"Who is that?"
"Lindsey," he replied. "She wanted to know if she could stop by after school to meet the baby, but it's okay to say no. I know you're exhausted and your dad and Mike are visiting soon."
"I'm going to be tired no matter what," Aria told him. She would have to sleep for days to feel energized after the whole ordeal, which she knew wasn't going to happen for a long time. "I'm sure Rosalie would love to meet everyone."
Ezra smiled in agreement, then brought the phone back to his ear. "The more the merrier," Ezra announced. "It's room 302 in the maternity ward. We'll see you soon."
The mention of Ezra's colleague reminded her of yesterday's mishap when Aria frantically tried to get in touch with the father of her kid, only to discover that he was alone with Lindsey without his phone. She wouldn't have been suspicious whatsoever if he hadn't lied about it. She tried to suppress her suspicions, hoping she was being irrational and paranoid, and instead decided to focus on her new little family. It wasn't the time or place to be jealous, and it was difficult to be jealous with the happiness and love that consumed her. If you ignore it, it will go away.
Suddenly, Rosalie interrupted the silence with a loud wail that filled the room. Spencer quickly returned her niece to her mother's arms and Aria began making bouncing motions in attempt to calm her. "Shhh, shhh," Aria soothed, "What's the matter pretty girl? You just nursed."
"She wants her Daddy," Ezra said, coming over to the bed. As Aria struggled to keep her eyes open, he skillfully took his daughter from his exhausted girlfriend and gently cradled the baby in his arms. After rocking her for a few moments, she stopped crying, then stared at her father with her little blue eyes. Focusing on Aria, he told her, "get some rest" and carefully bent down to kiss her forehead. He took a seat on the pull-out couch and pressed another kiss to Rosalie's cheek, then quietly began making a variety of silly faces and sounds.
Aria was in for some stiff competition with a beautifully captivating little girl who weighed less than seven pounds.
Oh god, I am so sorry for how freakishly long this chapter is. It also took me like a week to write.
Thank you for all of the sweet reviews and nice words, whether it's on Twitter, Tumblr, or here. I am so grateful for them.
You know the deal. Reviews make me happy. Reviews motivate me. Reviews get you more chapters. Do you think we can get to 500 reviews with this chapter? Hmmm... :)