2 weeks later:

January was proving to be an incredibly busy month for the president as he prepared to deliver his State of the Union address to the country while he simultaneously juggled the latest overseas political conflict and being a father to a 3-week old baby. Given how contentious the last few Congressional voting sessions had gone, the last thing he needed were claims that he wasn't operating on all cylinders and was allowing external factors to distract him. With a new baby came more than several sleepless nights as well as an increased desire to spend more time with his family whenever possible even if that meant fighting tooth and nail to ensure that his schedule actually allowed for that to happen.

Walking into the Oval, Cyrus delivered the latest draft of the State of the Union address on the president's desk and took a seat on the couch as Fitz joined him.

"So how many hours of memorization should I expect to do this evening given the latest changes to my remarks?"

"Eh about an hour or so" Cyrus estimated shaking his head back and forth, "I told Jim not to make too many changes to it. After all, you're a new dad who's not sleeping much these days so you don't have the luxury of time to memorize an entirely new speech only four days before you're set to deliver it in front of all of Congress and the entire nation."

"This is Jim we're talking about Cyrus" he told him with a raised eyebrow as he turned his head to look at him, "that man would rewrite an entire speech only two minutes before I was set to deliver it if it wasn't for us setting some ground rules about what a dick move that is"

Laughing at the accuracy of the statement, Cyrus ran a hand over his face and looked over at Fitz, "that's true, Jim can be quite the asshole when he wants to be but let's face it, the man is one of the best speech writers in the Western world, next to our Liv of course"

"That he is" Fitz agreed pursing his lips as he did so

"Speaking of incredible speech writers and new mothers, how is Olivia doing? I haven't really seen her since she came back from the hospital"

Releasing a breath as he stood up and began walking around the Oval, Fitz put his hands in his pockets as he looked down.

"Everything okay sir?" Cyrus asked furrowing his eyebrows

Turning to look at him he gave him an unconvincing smile, "Yeah I guess. I'm just worried about Liv that's all"

"Worried why?"

"I don't know, could be absolutely nothing but she's just been really withdrawn and quiet since she came home. I could be completely misreading her about what's going on which wouldn't surprise me since I've been so damn busy with this Kashfari crisis and preparing for the SOTU address" he rambled on quickly

"Sir, I don't have any children of my own but believe me that isn't from lack of pestering on my husband's side, but from what I understand having a newborn isn't easy for any parent. They cry, they fuss and they generally make life miserable for the first few months but then things get better, from what I hear" Cyrus told him in an attempt to try and empathize with him.

Giving him a slight smirk he shook his head at him, "so I take it you're still refusing to give James the smushy baby he wants?"

"Sir, don't even get me started on that poor man's delusions" he told him waving a hand at him dismissively

"Cyrus, you're going to have to budge one way or another on this issue and soon. James has been bugging you about a baby for over eight months now and you're still peddling that 'I'm too busy' crap. It's never going to be the perfect or right time to have a baby. Something is always going to happen or come up that's going to give you a brand new excuse for why you can't do it. If you love him and want him happy then I say take your own advice and give for what you love."

Releasing a frustrated sigh, Cyrus stood up and walked over to the president, "sir, with all due respect, I see what having a new child has been doing to you. You're not sleeping properly and I won't even begin to guess how your eating habits have changed as of late and I've barely seen your wife for more than a few minutes in passing so forgive me if I'm selfish for wanting to sleep and eat like a normal human being"

Raising his eyebrows at him semi-amused Fitz shook his head at him, "this isn't eternal Cyrus. Once Sophie gets to be a couple months old she'll start getting on a normal sleeping pattern and things will begin to once again get back to normal for me and Liv. I have three other children remember? This isn't my first time at the rodeo"

"I've never liked cowboys sir" Cyrus deadpanned

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Fitz just looked at his Chief of Staff, "Cyrus, go talk to your husband and make a decision on this baby thing because I promise you, when he comes over to visit with Sophie and he holds her, he's going to make your life a living hell until you agree to a baby."

"Fine, I'll go talk to my husband as soon as you go talk to your wife and figure out what's going on with her. This isn't like Liv to be quiet and withdrawn. I'm sure she's fine sir but with Olivia, you can never be too careful"

Pointing to the revised speech sitting on his desk, Cyrus turned and walked out of the Oval leaving Fitz to wonder and worry if there was something more he should or needed to be doing for his wife.

Walking into Dr. Jameson's office a few days later, Olivia waited patiently for her OBGYN to arrive. After the long labor and delivery that she'd experienced, she'd sent the doctor a beautiful bouquet of flowers and an incredibly heart-felt note thanking her for her great care throughout her pregnancy and support during her delivery. She realized that she hadn't been the most graceful delivering pregnant woman but Dr. Jameson's reassuring smile throughout the 6+ hours of delivery had been her saving grace during that very painful time.

Giving her a warm smile as she stood up to hug her when she walked in, Dr. Jameson pulled back and took Olivia's hands as she looked at her, "you are certainly glowing Olivia and you look wonderful, per your usual"

"I'm glad to see the façade is working because I tell you what, little Sophie is a night owl!" she told her with a soft laugh as they both took a seat

"How is your precious little one doing?"

"She's doing beautifully, thank you for asking. She's up every 4-5 hours these days but from what I hear that's normal for the first few months"

"It is. Once she hits about three months she'll start adjusting to a much longer sleep pattern which I'm sure will be much welcomed" she told her with a smile as she looked at her. "And thank you so much by the way for the beautiful bouquet of flowers, I absolutely loved them"

"Are you kidding me, of course! After what I put you through when I was giving birth it was the least I could do" she told her as they both laughed at the memory.

"You were actually one of the nicer ones! I've just about seen it all so believe me when I tell you that child labor pains is a carte blanche to do and say whatever you want because no man will ever experience that type of agony"

"Amen" Olivia told her as she nodded her head in agreement.

"Now" Dr. Jameson began immediately catching on to the fact that although Olivia was laughing and smiling with her, there was just something that was slightly off, "how are you, really?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine" she told her with a small smile as she furrowed her eyebrows at her slightly confused.

"Olivia, I know you. You just had a baby, you're sleep deprived as most new parents usually are and you're trying to keep it all together on the outside while you figure out how to deal with everything on the inside. I'm a mother of three, believe me, I've been there" Dr. Jameson told her comfortingly.

Releasing a sigh as she looked down at her hands in her lap, Olivia looked back up at her with tears welling up in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip trying to keep them from falling.

"I don't know how moms do this" she told her softly as she reached up to wipe away a tear. "I'm physically and emotionally exhausted all the time and feel like the worst mother in the world whenever people call wanting to visit and see the baby and all I want to do is crawl into bed and not get up for days. Am I just an awful parent?" she asked her sadly as she put her head in her hands.

"No" Dr. Jameson told her as she stood up and walked to the front of her desk and removed Olivia's hands from her face and held them in hers, "you're a new, first-time mother and its completely and utterly normal"

"if this is normal than why does it feel so awful?"

"Because you've never experienced this before" Dr. Jameson told her reassuringly. "Olivia, you need to see this situation as objectively as possible and understand that there's quite a few things at play, not to mention the fact that your particular situation is heightened by the fact that you also happen to be somewhat of a high profile individual, what with being the First Lady and all"

"Factors like what?"

"For starters, your hormone levels are completely out of whack and will continue to be that way until they start getting back to normal in a couple weeks. Secondly, newborn babies require a lot of time and attention. Yes they are beautiful and precious and a complete blessing but they will also drain you of your sleep and whatever little energy reserves you have left post-labor. You need to take care of yourself Olivia and ask for help whenever you need it. There's no shame in admitting that you're tired and need help."

Sighing as she looked up at the ceiling as she continued to hold back tears, she finally resigned herself to the fact that if she didn't let some of them fall, she'd end up having a breakdown in a very unfortunate way. Crying freely in front of her doctor, Dr. Jameson leaned down and enveloped her in her arms.

"Olivia, you need to talk to someone so you don't keep this all bottled up inside"

"I just don't want to seem like a failure" she told her as she softly sobbed

Pulling back to look her in the eyes she shook her head at her, "You're not a failure, you're a new mother. Right now you're experiencing what we call the 'baby blues' or postpartum depression It's when your hormone levels bottom out post-delivery and it feels as if you have no control over your emotions. Most new mothers I've seen go through this become incredibly sad or depressed, some have shown signs of withdrawal from normal everyday activities and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to engage and be social with their loved ones even their own babies when they're feeling so emotional"

"How do I make this stop? I swear I feel like I cry at the drop of a hat and I don't want Fitz to worry so I parade around acting like everything's okay and then I breakdown in the shower the minute he leaves"

Giving her a sympathetic smile, she sat down next to her and turned to face her, "first thing you do? Be honest with him and let him know what's going on. As president I know he's incredibly busy and he may not have picked up on the signs of PPD but the longer you hold this in, the longer you don't say anything to anyone and continue this charade, the worse it's going to be once it all comes to a head. You need to be healthy, in every sense of the word, so you can be the best mother you can be for your precious baby girl" she finished as she gave Olivia an encouraging hand squeeze.

Smiling over at her as her tears finally stopped flowing, she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wasn't catastrophic like she'd been imagining and maybe there was, after all, a way out of this deep, dark hole that she found herself currently in.

"Thank you Dr. Jameson and I'm sorry that I turned this visit into a therapy session" she told her with a chuckle

"It's my pleasure, believe me. I saw you through your entire pregnancy and delivery so now my job is to make sure that you and Sophia are healthy and that she's growing and developing the way she should be. You have an incredible little girl so I want you to enjoy her because believe me, they grow up much too quickly"

Looking over at the picture of Sophia that now hung on the wall behind Dr. Jameson's desk that contained pictures of all the babies she'd helped deliver, she smiled thinking about her little girl, "she is quite amazing" she started as she nodded. "She has her father completely wrapped around her little finger and that man is a total goner for her" she told her shedding some light into the relationship between her husband and child.

"I'm sure she does, with his eyes and your looks, I'll be surprised if he lets any little boys near her"

"Don't even get me started on how overprotective he already is of her. Did you know that he increased her Secret Service security detail to 6 guys? She's an 8 pound little thing and she has these six big SS agents protecting her. I can't even with him" she told her as she shook her head at her husband's antics as Dr. Jameson simply laughed.

"Such is the life of being the daughter of the president of the United States"

"I guess so, I just hope she still thinks it's funny when she's 17 and her dad refuses to let her date" Olivia finished as she smirked

Chatting for a few more minutes, Olivia looked at her appreciatively as she stood up to hug her, "thank you Dr. Jameson for taking the time to listen and reassure me that I'm not crazy"

"Anytime my dear, but I would highly encourage you to talk to your husband about what's going on so he knows how to support you moving forward. I understand that he's busy but after knowing him for the past several years, that man loves you and his kids above everything else so I know he'll want to be as supportive as possible but he can't do that if he doesn't know what's going on."

"You're right and yes, I will talk to him. He's a good man and an amazing father, I'm a lucky woman"

"Well I'm sure he'd say he's a lucky man" Dr. Jameson told her as she walked her to the door. "Call me if you need anything you hear me?"

"I most certainly will. I'll see you in a couple weeks for Sophie's first check-up."

Walking towards the door of the Oval office he checked his watch as he proceeded towards the back stairwell that led towards the nursery. Quietly opening the door, he smiled over at the nanny as she folded Sophia's baby clothes.

"Good afternoon Melanie, how's my little one today?" he asked walking over to the bassinet where Sophie lay admiring her butterfly mobile

"Good afternoon Mr. President, Sophia's having a great day today. She already had her bath and her bottle and I just lay her down a little while ago. Mrs. Grant should be returning shortly so I wanted to make sure Sophia was all ready for her by the time she returned."

"Where is Olivia?"

"She had an appointment with Dr. Jameson and should be back any minute now" she informed him as she put the baby's clothes in her expansive drawer set

"Oh that's right, I forgot she had that scheduled for today" he told her as he smiled and walked over to the bassinet. Leaning down to pick her up, he made a soothing shooshing sound as he noticed her begin to kick her little legs as he cradled her head and brought her up to eye-level. "Hi baby girl, I heard you're having a good day today" he cooed at her as he kissed her cheek softly.

Cradling her on his shoulder, he rubbed her back as he brought her over to the window in the nursery that overlooked the South Lawn. Speaking softly to her as he swayed with her back and forth, Melanie smiled at the scene as she quietly left the room.

"I'm sorry that I hadn't been up to visit you earlier but daddy's been busy with a few little things. Mommy's going to come back in a little bit and spend some time with you while I go back downstairs and finish a couple things with Uncle Cyrus."

Hearing her gurgle, he leaned her forward and kissed her forehead, "you know what else? Your older brothers and sister are excited to meet you in a couple weeks when they come back from Santa Barbara and I know they're going to fall madly in love with you like your mommy and I have" he told her with a smile

Leaning against the door frame smiling as she watched the scene in front of her, Olivia didn't want to interrupt their quiet bonding time so she quietly turned around and walked back down the hallway.

Later that evening…

After spending the past hour memorizing the latest revised SOTU speech, he rubbed his eyes as he looked at the clock. 10:40pm. Pinching the bridge of his nose as he yawned, he shook his head as he stood up. These late nights had to stop soon otherwise he'd be making stupid mistakes simply because he was exhausted. Picking up his suit jacket, he undid his tie as he walked upstairs to the private residence. Opening the door to their bedroom, he walked over to his closet and hung up his suit jacket as he called out for his wife.

"Livvie?"

Waiting for a moment to see if he heard a response, he furrowed his eyebrows when he didn't receive one. Figuring she was probably in the nursery with Sophia, he got in the shower to wash the day away. Coming back out and still not seeing her, he put on his silk pajama pants and walked towards the nursery.

Opening the door, he heard her melodic voice before he even saw them. Standing by the window as the lights of D.C. shone bright casting a peaceful glow over the city, he smiled as he listened to her, "up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, twinkle, twinkle, little star…"

Slowly walking over to them, he wrapped his arms around his wife as she held their little girl. Leaning down to kiss her neck softly, she stopped swaying when she felt him. Moving over to kiss the top of Sophia's head, Olivia rested hers on his shoulder as she watched him, "hi"

"Hi"

"Is she asleep?"

Looking down at Sophie over her shoulder, he kissed her head again when he noticed she was fast asleep sucking on her pacifier. "Yep, she's fast asleep. Want me to take her?"

"Yes please" she told him already passing her over to him.

Gently taking her so as not to wake her, he laid her down in her bassinet as he reached out for Olivia's hand, "C'mon, let's go talk"

Closing the door to their daughter's nursery, he led his wife back to their bedroom determined to find out what was going on in that head of hers.

TBC