*As always thank you for the reivews I greatly appreciated them. Thank-you.
*You know who I own
The nurse and doctor cleaned everything up as Dave was holding the baby. Alex was exhausted and hungry. She hadn't eaten since earlier that morning. The doctor congratulated her before she left the room. The nurse said to her, "Alexandra, you did great. He is a beautiful baby. He's a big baby but he is so beautiful. Are you formula feeding or breast feeding him?"
"Breast feeding," she said.
"Okay. I'm going to remove the IV and the epidural and then you can try to feed him. I think he should try to eat something."
"Okay," said Alex. The nurse brought in the anesthesiologist to remove the epidural that was in her back. They told her she would probably have some bruising. The nurse then removed the IV. "Okay. I know this is probably a bad idea but I need to use the bathroom," said Alex.
"Do you need help walking to the bathroom?" asked the nurse
"Yes. I have to go really bad though. I haven't gone for a while. Dave, can you help me to the bathroom?"
"Sure, Alex. Mom do you want to hold the baby before Alex feeds him?"
"You know I do. Let me see my grandson."
"Here you go," said Dave as he handed the sleeping baby to Donna. Dave helped Alex out of the bed and escorted her to the bathroom. When she was finished he helped her back to the hospital bed.
"All right, Alexandra. Are you ready to try to feed him? I don't know how much he's going to eat but you should try to feed him at least and see if he latches on."
"Okay," said Alex. Donna handed the baby to Alex and Alex had to wake him up to eat. He started crying. "It's okay, baby. Mama's sorry. Do you want to eat?" She did what she had to and he latched on. It was a success. He ate for a while. "This baby has a big appetite," she said.
"Well, I wouldn't expect anything less he was 9 lbs 6 oz. Of course he'd have a big appetite," said Donna.
"It kind of hurts. I don't know if I want to breast feed," said Alex.
"That's up to you," said Dave. "Can I go get the girls?"
"Yes. Go get them," said Alex as she finished up feeding the baby. Dave left the room and walked to the waiting room.
The nurse supervised and said, "Alexandra, we're trying to find you a room. Once we find you one we're going to move you into it so you can get settled. And you and your husband both have hospital bracelets. You both can use them to get the baby out of the nursery okay?"
"Okay," said Alex.
"All right, Alexandra, everything seems to be going well in here so I'm going to go check on other patients. I'll be back in a little bit to move you to another room."
"Okay, Thank-you," said Alex.
"You're welcome and congratulations," she said before she left the room.
"Alex, do you want something to eat?"
"Yes. I'm starving," she said.
"All right. I'm going to walk down to the cafeteria to get you something. Is there anything you would like?"
"Do they have chicken strips or something like that?"
"Yeah and French fries."
"Okay. Can you get me chicken strips and French fries?"
"I sure can. What do you want to drink?"
"Iced tea if you can," said Alex.
"Okay. I'll be back," said Donna as she got up from the chair.
"Thank-you so much," said Alex.
"No problem." She said as she left the room.
Dave walked into the waiting room. It was just a little after 10 and Chelsea was out like a light. Athena was sitting reading a magazine. "Athena, your brother is here," he said.
"Really?"
"Yep. He came about 9:20 p.m. He was a big one."
"How big?"
"9 lbs 6 oz and 21 inches long."
"Wow."
"Do you want to come see him?"
"Yeah but what about Chelsea?"
"I'll carry her to the room."
"Okay," said Athena. She put the magazine down and got up out of the chair. Dave scooped Chelsea up and carried her to the room.
When they walked into the room Alex was holding the baby and he was awake now. He had the biggest dark brown eyes Alex had ever seen on a baby. There was no denying he had her eyes. She looked up to see her family standing there and said, "Hey, Athena. Do you want to hold your brother?"
"Sure," said Athena as she walked over to Alex. Alex handed her the baby. "He is so cute!"
"Thank-you."
Dave was getting nervous watching Athena hold the baby and said, "Be careful with him, Athena."
"Dad, I got him. I know how to hold babies."
"I am just making sure you don't drop him."
"Dad, I'm not going to drop him."
"Okay. Where's my mom?"
"She went to the cafeteria to get me some food. I told you earlier I was hungry."
"Oh. Do you want me to wake Chelsea up so she can see the baby?"
"Is it worth dealing with a hurricane?"
"Not really."
"Then let her sleep. She can see him tomorrow when they come to visit. Let her get some sleep. She's had a long day."
"How long are you going to be in here?"
"The doctor said I can leave on Friday."
"All right," said Dave.
The baby started crying. "All right, Alex, here. I don't like when babies cry," said Athena.
Alex reached out her arms for the baby. "He does have a set of lungs on him. He must have learned to scream all the times he heard me screaming and your dad yelling when he was in the womb." Donna came back in the room with Alex's food. She pulled over the table and laid it down. Alex handed the baby to Donna so she could put him in the incubator. Donna brought the table over to Alex and Alex ate her food. She acted as if she didn't eat for days. "Thank-you, Donna."
"You're welcome."
"So what is his name going to be?" asked Athena.
"No idea yet. We wanted Chelsea to help us decide."
"Oh," said Athena. "So I guess he won't have a name until tomorrow then."
"Probably not."
"All right," said Donna. "I think we're going to leave. It's been a long night and I know you want to get moved and get settled in so you can get some rest. I'm going to take the girls home and put them to bed. Dave, are you going to stay here with Alex tonight or are you going to come home?"
"I don't know. I'm probably going to stay here for the night with her so she's not alone."
"You don't have to stay with me. You can go home to get some sleep. You can stay with me until I get moved but you don't have to stay with me all night. You should get some sleep."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Dave. I'll be fine."
"All right. I guess I'll be home after she gets moved and settled in."
"Okay. I'll see you when you get home and Alex, I'll see you tomorrow. And congratulations," she said.
"Bye, Mom."
"Bye, Donna and thank-you for being here tonight."
"Bye," she said as they left the hospital.
"Alex, you did so good tonight. I thought there were a couple times when you were going to give up but you didn't. I'm proud of you," said Dave.
"Thanks. I'm surprised you made it through the delivery. You only had to leave the room once and that was it. I'm proud of you."
"Thank-you."
"So. About that birth control the nurse was asking about."
"What about it?"
"Are we going to use any birth control?"
"Do you want to?"
"I don't know, Dave. I do want another baby but not for a long time at least 2 years. What do you think?"
"I prefer if you didn't use birth control but it's your body."
"I don't know. I won't get the IUD implanted because that lasts for 5 years. And there's too many issues. I don't like getting the depo shot. If anything I want to use the pill again."
"So you're going on the pill?"
"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking about it."
"Like I said it's your body and your decision," said Dave.
"Hmm. I don't know. I just don't know if I can deliver another 9 lb baby," she said.
"I know. I look at him and then I look at you and I'm like that baby came out of her?"
"I was thinking the same thing."
"No matter how big he is he's still cute."
"I love his eyes. Did you see his eyes?"
"Yeah. They're really dark brown and big. He has your eyes and you know how much I love your eyes," said Dave.
"I know."
Dave walked over to the incubator and started taking pictures of him with his phone. He was proud of the baby. The nurse knocked on the door and Dave said, "Come in."
"Hi. Alexandra, we found a room for you and it's ready. So we can get you moved in there."
"Okay," she said.
Dave took her trash from her dinner and threw it away. The nurse brought in a wheelchair. Dave helped Alex out of the bed and helped her to sit in the wheelchair. The nurse got the incubator, Dave grabbed Alex's hospital bag and pushed Alex to her room. When they got to the room Alex said, "I can get myself out of the wheel chair now."
"Okay. I was just helping you."
"I know but I'm just letting you know I can get myself out."
"All right. Where do you want me to put your bag?"
"You can put it on the chair over there," she said pointing to the chair. Dave walked over and put the bag on the chair.
"Alexandra, are you keeping the baby in the room with you tonight?" asked the nurse.
"Yes that would probably be easier for you and I'm going to be here for the next couple days so can you please call me Alex? I really don't like being called Alexandra."
"Sure. And since you're keeping the baby in here with you tonight let me show you where we have the diapers and blankets. We also have a pacifier if you want him to use one."
"Okay," said Alex as she walked to the incubator. The nurse showed her where she could find everything she would need. "Thank-you," said Alex.
"You're welcome. I'll be in a couple times through the night to check on you. If you need anything you can buzz me all right?"
"Yes, Thank-you."
"You're welcome and try to get some rest tonight," said the nurse before she left the room.
Alex kissed the baby. She pushed the incubator closer to the bed and then climbed into the bed. "Alex, are you sure you don't want me to stay?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine. You should go home and sleep in our bed instead of one those uncomfortable hospital chairs."
"Okay. Well, I'm going to go. You seem to be doing all right. I'll be back in the morning. Probably around 9 okay?"
"That's fine. I love you."
"I love you too," he said as he walked over to the bed. He kissed her before he walked over to the baby and kissed him. "Bye, Alex."
"Bye, Dave. Good night," she said. Dave walked out the door and headed home. Alex turned on the TV. and laid back. She started watching something on E! and shortly after she turned it on she fell asleep. It wasn't long before the baby started crying. Alex got out of the bed and picked him up. She figured he was hungry so she fed him. When she was done feeding him she changed his diaper. When she was finished she gave him the hospital pacifier even though she hated them because they were so big and put him in the incubator. When he went back to sleep so did she. He woke up every two hours for her so Alex didn't get that much sleep.
The next morning Alex was sitting in the hospital bed holding the baby when the nurse came in to check on her and the baby. "Good morning, Alex," said the nurse.
"Morning."
"How was your night?"
"Rough. I was up every two hours."
"Did we pick a name for the baby?"
"Not yet. We're waiting for our 4 year old daughter to see him. We want her to have a say in his name."
"Oh. That's sweet. I have some paperwork for you to fill out. It's insurance information and to get him a social security card. And have you decided if you were going to use any form of birth control?"
"I don't think I am."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. If I change my mind I'll talk to my doctor about it."
"Okay. You got the hospital menu right?"
"Yes, thank-you."
"And you're breast feeding how is that going?"
"Good. It hurts but he's eating."
"It will hurt for a while. How often is he eating?"
"About every 2 hours."
"That's good. I'm just going to check him out. I'm going to check his heartbeat. Okay?"
"Okay," said Alex as she handed the nurse the baby.
She checked his heartbeat and said, "Perfect." She handed the baby back to Alex. "do you need anything?"
"No. My husband is on his way. He's bringing me breakfast."
"Okay. I'm going to leave and just remember if you need anything just buzz me."
"Okay. Thank-you." The nurse left the room and Alex said to the baby, "she's nice and everything but she's getting on my nerves." Alex flipped on the TV and E! was still on. She saw that they announced the birth of the baby on the television. "Look. They're talking about you already and you're not even a whole day old."
A few minutes later the baby started crying. Alex looked at her cell phone clock. It had been 2 hours since he last ate. She started to feed him when Dave walked into the room and said, "Good morning."
"Morning. I'm surprised you're up this early."
"It's 8:30. I've been up since 6:30. I had to get Chelsea ready for school. She was upset because we didn't wake her up to see the baby."
"Did you tell her she would see him today?"
"Yes and I showed her a picture and she was still upset. I had to fight with her to go to school. She didn't want to. She wanted to come here with me."
"I would have let her miss a day. She's in K-4 she's not going to miss anything."
"That's true. So how are you doing?"
"Good but I'm so tired and sore. And I feel so dirty. I really need to take a shower."
"Well, after you eat and you're done feeding the baby. I'll keep an eye on him and you can take a shower and get some rest."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank-you. So what did you get for breakfast?"
"I just stopped at McDonald's. I got you a sausage, egg and cheese bagel and I wasn't sure if you could drink coffee so I got you orange juice."
"Thank-you," she said.
"You're welcome. I ate mine on the way."
"Okay." Dave put Alex's food on the small table. Alex finished feeding the baby and when he was done eating she handed him to Dave and began to eat her food. "Did you hear from Mr. Schuller yet?"
"No, not yet. I would have thought we would have heard from him by now."
"That means it can't be good."
"Maybe the judge didn't give us custody."
"Maybe but isn't it a little dangerous to leave Kaylee in the care of her mother. She's not stable."
"I know."
"Did you see they reported the baby's birth on E!?"
"Yeah and they announced it on the radio this morning."
"I hate this fame thing. It's like you don't know who you can trust and who you can't. Did you tell anyone about the baby?"
"No."
"Then maybe the doctor did or the nurses. I don't know. I would have liked to announce my own son's birth but I guess I don't get that opportunity."
"Just be glad the paparazzi isn't here," said Dave.
"Thank God for that. Anyway, did Athena go to school today?"
"She left the house so I'm assuming she did. Did you tell your parents you had the baby?"
"No."
"Why, Alex?"
"Because they don't need to know. I don't want them in my life."
"Alex, I understand you don't want your mom in your life but your dad should know."
"I know he should but I don't want to call that house and talk to my mother. I have nothing to say to her and I don't want to hear anything she has to say. My dad will find out from the tabloids. That's how my mother finds everything out anyway."
"Alex, I think you're being unreasonable. Your dad should hear it from you."
"Dave, don't lecture me. When I feel like telling my dad I will."
"All right. What's all this paperwork for?" asked Dave looking at the papers.
"That's insurance information I need to fill out and a paper I need to fill out to get him a social security card. It's a little hard to fill out when he doesn't have a name."
"That's true. Um Alex, I think he needs his diaper changed."
"You can change it. I'm eating."
"I don't know how to change a diaper."
"You don't know how to change a diaper? How do you not know how to change a diaper. You had three kids before him. I know you never changed Chelsea's but you never changed Athena's or Keilani's?"
"No. I never learned how to."
"Dave. You can't be serious."
"I'm serious."
"Fine," said Alex as she got up out of the bed and took the baby from Dave. She laid him in the incubator to change his diaper. He had his first bowel movement of course Dave would not know how to change a diaper at that moment. While she was changing his diaper he started crying.
"Alex, why is he crying?"
"Because most babies don't like getting their diaper changed. He's fine."
"Okay."
Alex gave him his pacifier and snapped his onesie. She wrapped him up in his blanket and gave him back to Dave. She went to wash her hands, then sat back down and finished eating. "When I get out of here you're going to learn to change his diaper. It amazes me that after 19 years you still don't know how to change a diaper."
"I never learned."
"All right, Dave, I'm going to go take a shower. Will you be all right with him?"
"I'll be fine. Go take your shower."
"All right," said Alex as she walked over to her hospital bag and got out her toothbrush and a change of clothes. She walked into the bathroom and started the water. When she was under the shower she felt so much better. When she was finished she came out of the bathroom with her hair pulled up in a messy bun, a pair of Dave's sweatpants on and a t-shirt.
"Are those my sweatpants?" asked Dave
"Yeah," she replied.
"I thought after you had the baby we'd be passed that."
"They're comfortable."
"Keep them."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
A few hours later Donna came to visit with Chelsea. They stopped to get a teddy bear that said "It's a Boy!" from the hospital gift shop and a balloon. After they paid for the stuff for the baby they walked to the elevator and went up to Alex's room. Alex had just finished feeding the baby and was changing his clothes when they came in the room. Chelsea ran to her mom and said, "Mama!"
"Hey, Chelsea."
"I miss you, Mama. When are you coming home?"
"Tomorrow."
"Is my brother coming too?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Donna walked over and said, "Hi, Alex. Chelsea was so excited to get here. Sorry that she yelled. I hope she didn't wake him up."
"No. He was already awake. He just finished eating and I was changing him."
"We got you this from the gift shop," she said as she handed her the balloon and the bear.
"Thank-you."
"You're welcome."
"Mama, can I see my brother now?"
"Yes, Chelsea, hold on," said Alex as she picked the baby up out of the incubator.
She put him down to Chelsea's level and Chelsea looked at him and said, "Why does he have a paci?"
"Because he needs one just like you did."
"Oh. He's cute. What's his name?"
Dave and Alex looked at each other and Alex said, "We don't know yet. We wanted your help."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Do you think his name should be Benjamin or Evan?"
Chelsea looked at him for a minute and said, "I think he should be Benjamin."
"Benjamin?"
"Yes, Mama."
"Okay. Here is your new baby brother Benjamin Michael Bautista."
"I like how that sounds," said Dave.
"Me too. And he does look like a Benjamin," said Alex.
"I like the name Benjamin. As long as he doesn't get called Benny or Benji," said Donna.
"Ew. I would never call him Benny or Benji. Benji reminds me of that dog," said Alex.
"Exactly. That's why I would hate for him to get called Benji."
Alex looked at the baby and said, "Hey, Benjamin. How does it feel to finally have a name?"
"Mama, can I hold him?"
"Yes, Chelsea, but you have to sit down first."
"Ok," she said as she sat down on the chair. "I'm ready."
"Okay," said Alex as she walked Benjamin over to Chelsea. Chelsea put her arms out for him. "You have to be very careful and hold his head," said Alex.
"Okay, Mama.".
Alex handed Benjamin to her and she held him like a pro. She made sure she had his head and held him under his back. She patted his bottom with one hand. "He's heavy, Mama."
"Tell me about it," said Alex.
Dave took a picture of Chelsea holding him because it was so cute. "You're doing good, Chels," he said.
"Thank-you, Daddy."
"So do you approve of him?" asked Alex.
"Yes," said Chelsea. She looked down at her brother and said, "Hey, Benjamin. I'm your big sister, Chelsea. I'm going to help take care of you and when you get bigger I'm going to teach you how to write your name and other stuff."
Alex just smiled and said to Dave, "She seems to like him."
"For now."
"I know. We should enjoy this while we can."
"Okay, Mama. He's getting heavy," said Chelsea.
"Okay," said Alex as she took Benjamin from her. "Donna, do you want to hold him?"
"Yeah," she said. Alex handed him to his grandmother.
"So Chelsea, how was school today?"
"It was good. We did our graduation song today and we colored."
"What song are you singing for graduation?"
"I don't know the name of it. I forget. Are you coming to my graduation?"
"I wouldn't miss it, Chels."
"Is Benjamin coming too?"
"Yeah."
"Good my friends can see him."
A couple hours later Donna thought it would be a good time to leave. Chelsea was starting to get restless. "We're going to go home now. We'll see you when you come home tomorrow, Alex."
"Okay. Thank-you for the bear and the balloon," said Alex.
"Bye, Mama. I love you."
"I love you too, Chels. I'll see you tomorrow when I get home."
"Okay. Bye," said Chelsea. "Can I say bye to Benjamin?"
"Sure."
Alex took a sleeping Benjamin out and brought him down to Chelsea's level so she could tell him bye. "Bye, Benjamin. I love you," she said as she kissed his cheek. "Bye, Daddy," she said before she took Donna's hand and left the room.
Alex put Benjamin back into the incubator and got into the bed. "I can't wait to get out of here. I am starting to hate hospitals."
"I never liked them."
"I know. By the way the nurse was in here earlier asking about birth control again."
"Really? What did you tell her?"
"I told her I wasn't interested in birth control."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"I thought you were going on the pill?"
"I might but I don't know. If I change my mind I'll talk to my doctor about it."
"All right. Even though I said I preferred if you didn't it's a risky move but it's your decision."
"I know."
"So Benjamin Michael Bautista?"
"Yeah."
"It kind of has a ring to it."
"It does. It sounds really good. I think it sounds better than Evan. And I'm glad we didn't name him Evan. It reminds me of Evan Bourne."
"Not to mention he doesn't look like an Evan. He's definitely a Benjamin."
Alex and Dave were sitting in the room talking while the baby slept when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Alex.
The door opened and Mr. Schuller walked in with flowers, balloons and a stuffed blue dog. "Schuller, what are you doing here?" asked Dave.
"I came to see how Alex was doing and I wanted to see the little guy."
"He's not so little," said Alex.
Mr. Schuller walked over to give Alex the flowers, balloons and the stuffed dog. He looked at the baby and said, "You're right he's not so little. How much did he weigh?"
"9 lbs 6 oz," said Alex.
"Wow. He's a big guy."
"Yeah. He's pretty big. So Schuller, I know you didn't just come here to check on Alex or see the baby. I know you came here for something else so what is it?" asked Dave.
"Dave and Alex, we need to talk about court yesterday."
"This doesn't sound good," said Alex.
*And there you have it Chapter 36! Benjamin Michael Bautista. I'm glad he has a name. ANd Chelsea is so cute at least she likes him for now. And I love how Schuller came in to suck up before he breaks the news to them. Tell me what you think. Please review. I love getting your reviews. And as always thank you for taking the time to read this chapter.
*Chapter 37: SChuller breaks the news to them. Alex goes home.