Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock or Wizards of Waverly Place.
I know I haven't updated in forever and I know I suck for that. But I've been really struggling in school and trying to get used to my medicine. It's working, by the way.
Alex wanted to be there when Mitchie woke up. But, she also desperately wanted to see the baby. Looking at Mitchie's sleeping form, she realized it could be a while before her girlfriend actually woke up. So, a quick trip to the hospital nursery would be okay. Besides, Connie would be there just in case Mitchie did wake up.
"I have to see him," she said to Connie, standing from her chair. She'd been sitting there for nearly a half hour, ever since Mitchie had passed out. She'd been worried about that at first, but the doctors had assured her that it was completely normal for mothers−especially those as tiny as Mitchie−to be exhausted after the birth. She just needed a little rest to get her strength back up, and then she would be fine.
Connie nodded at Alex, understanding. "I want to as well." Her eyes shifted to her daughter. "But it doesn't seem fair that we see him before her."
Alex bit her lip, feeling somewhat guilty. Connie had a point. But then again, Mitchie had seen him a little bit before they took him away. She didn't want to cheat Mitchie out of seeing her son first, but the temptation was just too much.
A soft knock on the door was followed by it opening and Steve poking his head inside. "Am I allowed to come in?" he asked timidly.
"By the doctors, yes," Connie told him stiffly. "By me, I'm not so sure."
Alex looked back and forth between her girlfriend's parents nervously. She had a feeling a tiny fight was about to break out. Part of her didn't want them to be too loud because she didn't want them to wake Mitchie. But the other part of her wanted them to be as loud as can be so Mitchie would wake up and then hopefully they could see the baby.
"Connie, you know I hate this stuff," Steve said pleadingly. "I couldn't stand seeing her like that."
Connie sighed and dropped her angry face. "I know you couldn't. It wasn't easy for me, either."
Alex nodded, understanding somewhat. She knew parents never liked to see their kids hurt and it nearly killed them inside, but she didn't know that specific feeling. But she did know that seeing Mitchie in agony tore her heart to shreds.
"Is there anything I can do?" Steve asked, feeling like he should do something to make up for not being there for his wife and daughter when they needed him.
"Yes, actually," Connie said, standing from her chair. "Alex and I want to go see the baby. So you can stay here in case Mitchie wakes up while we go see him."
Steve nodded. That was fair enough. He'd caught a glimpse of the baby when the nurse had carried him away to the nursery. Not long after the doctor had come out to congratulate him on his grandson, but he hadn't gone down to the nursery to see him yet. He didn't feel he had the right since he hadn't even been able to stomach the delivery.
"I thought you said you didn't want to see him before Mitchie," Alex said when she and Connie were out in the hall, on the way to the nursery. They were both still in their scrubs. The old Alex would have probably used that to her advantage and tried to cause mischief by sneaking into the restricted areas and switching clipboards so that patients would get the wrong operation by "accident." But the new Alex only cared about seeing a new, very important person in her life and getting back to the other very important in her life in a hurry.
"I didn't, but I could tell Steve wanted some time alone with Mitchie," Connie said, looking down at her shoes. "He's going to apologize to her for not being there, say how proud he is of her, and tell her that he loves her… Even if she is asleep and can't hear him. And then he's going to cry, but he's not going to want anyone to know."
Alex looked at Mrs. Torres in awe, amazed at how much she understood her spouse. The tiny smile on Connie's face told Alex that this was one of the things she loved about her husband. She only hoped that she and Mitchie could be like that many years into the future.
"Do you feel like crying?" Alex asked softly.
"I will, later," Connie said. "I'll cry for her, and I'll cry for me. For her because of how proud I am of her for taking responsibility like she has. And for me because my baby's all grown up and doesn't need me anymore."
"She still needs you, Connie," Alex told her. "She needs you now more than ever. She'll always need you."
Connie stopped and looked at Alex, a bit shell shocked. "Do you always say stuff like that?"
Confused, Alex shrugged and stopped too. "I don't know. I guess."
"Wow." Connie lifted her hand and softly grabbed Alex's jaw in between her thumb and index finger, examining the girl's beautiful face. "No wonder Mitchie loves you so much," she said quietly. "You're gorgeous, and you say all of the right things at the perfect times."
Alex grinned and blushed when her face was released. "Well, not always. She threatened to hit me in the car on the way over here."
"That was the labor talking," Connie said, waving off the comment. "But you were such a trouper throughout the entire thing. I'm really proud of you."
Alex blushed even deeper. "Thank you," she said as she started walking again to cover up the fact that she was extremely embarrassed.
"You've been a trouper throughout all of this, actually." Connie began walking again also. "I have to ask you… Why? Why do you put yourself through this when you don't have to? Out of all of the girls in New York City you could have, why did you choose Mitchie if she comes with so much baggage?" she asked, genuinely curious. To her, Alex's decision to be with Mitchie didn't make sense. "Why take on so much responsibility if it's not your burden to bear?"
Alex was silent for a moment, thinking up her answer. "I guess it's because I didn't choose Mitchie. I just… Fell for her. I really didn't want to, trust me." She smiled at the memory of almost crying over it that day in her room with Harper. Now that seemed so silly. "There's just something about her that I couldn't resist, and still can't. She's special. And she makes me believe I'm actually capable of accomplishing great things." Alex looked to Mrs. Torres. "Before I met Mitchie, I was careless and reckless. And I didn't care about anyone but myself. That's different now. I'm different now. My universe used to revolve around me and me alone. Now, it revolves around Mitchie. She's my sun, I guess you could say." She looked down at the ugly blue scrubs she was still wearing, a shy smile on her face. "And now, I have two suns. One is Mitchie, and the other is Samuel."
Connie digested all of what Alex told her, trying to grasp the fact that someone so young could have such strong feelings. Alex and Mitchie both still had so much life to live, yet it seemed as though Alex had already decided that her entire future involved Mitchie.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?" Alex asked, a puzzled look on her face.
"For loving her."
"There's no need to thank me for something that comes as naturally as breathing."
Once again, Mrs. Torres was taken aback. Seriously, how did this kid come up with this stuff?
"I can't believe she named him Samuel," Connie said, changing the subject when she didn't know what to say in response to Alex's amazing statement.
"I like it," Alex said. "It's an older name, but it's kind of dying out. So many people go with crazy, new names nowadays. Or they just stick to the overused classics like Michael or Matthew. Samuel is old, but not overused. I think it's perfect. And we could always call him Sam."
"I intend to," Connie said as they finally reached the nursery window. "But I guess you have a point."
"'Course I do," Alex said slightly smugly. That was one thing that sure as hell didn't change. She still loved being right.
"Where is he?" Connie asked, looking around at the sleeping infants.
Alex scanned the room quickly before her eyes landed on a tiny, reddish-colored baby in the back of the room. He was in a clear box-looking thing with a tube attached to his nose. Now asleep, his tiny little fist was curled up close to his mouth. Even from the distance, Alex could make out a head of dark brown, nearly black, hair.
"That's him in the back," she said with a small smile.
Connie's eyes flashed to the incubator across the room. "How do you know?"
"I just do," Alex said, pressing her nose up against the glass for a better look. "And plus, they had to put him in an incubator and he's the only baby in one."
Connie rolled her eyes. "Smart ass," she said, smacking Alex on the arm lightly.
Alex only chuckled and kept staring at the baby across the room. He was so tiny, so fragile. She wondered how much he weighed and how long he was. She also wondered how long it would be before she could formally meet him. Her hands itched to pick him up and hold him. But she knew she couldn't. Not before Mitchie.
"She hasn't woken up yet?" Alex asked when she and Connie returned to Mitchie's room after staring at Samuel for over ten minutes.
Steve shook his head.
"She's exhausted, Alex," Connie told her. "She's been through a lot today. We all have." Steve nodded his agreement. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? It could be a while before Mitchie wakes up again."
"No way," Alex said, shaking her head ferociously fast. "I'm not leaving this hospital until Mitchie does."
Steve and Connie exchanged a glance, communication going between them. Yes, Alex Russo was a keeper.
"Fair enough," Connie said. "But at least go see your parents."
"My parents are here?" Alex asked, clearly surprised.
"Yes, didn't you know?" Connie asked. Alex shook her head. "When I went to get a water out of the vending machine over an hour ago, they were in the waiting room… Along with Justin, a younger boy, Caitlyn, a red-haired girl, and a boy with black hair."
"That would be my younger brother Max, my best friend Harper, and our new friend Gabe," Alex said, listing the people in accordance to Connie's description. "Wow, seems like the gang's all here. Well, I guess I should go see about them."
Alex turned to walk out the room, but stopped to look at Mitchie over her shoulder. The girl was still sleeping peacefully in the bed, her heart rate normal according to the monitor. Her hair was filthy with dry sweat and her makeup was smeared, but she was still the most beautiful human being Alex had ever laid eyes upon.
"If she wakes up, please come get me," she said, looking to Mrs. Torres.
"I will. I promise," Connie said quietly, nodding.
When Alex entered the waiting room, she was greeted by a chorus of yelling and a stampede of her family and friends swarming her, all screaming questions at her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Alex yelled, putting her hands up in defense. "Back off!"
The shouting stopped and everyone took a step or two back, staring at Alex intensely and waiting.
"Yes, she had the baby," Alex said, answering the first question. "It's a boy, and she's named him Samuel. He was really small, so he had to be taken straight to the incubator. I don't know his length or weight. And Mitchie is sleeping right now, so I don't think she's up for visitors just yet."
The group surrounding Alex let the information sink in. Smiles spread across everyone's faces, even Mr. Russo's.
"Is he in the nursery?" Theresa asked excitedly.
"Yeah, can we see him?" Caitlyn chimed in, anxious to see her godson.
"Yes, he's in the nursery, and yes, you can all come see him." Alex held up a finger as a warning. "But we need to walk there calmly and quietly and we can't make too much noise while we're looking at him because there are other sleeping babies that we don't want to wake up."
Seven pairs of heads nodded at her, showing they understood and took her warning seriously. Alex couldn't help but feel like she was talking to a bunch of kindergarteners. Well, maybe not in the case of Gabe and Caitlyn. But when it came to her parents, brothers, and best friend, oh yes.
Alex started to lead them all down the hallway to the nursery. There was no noise but the sounds of eight pairs of feet padding across the linoleum floor.
"How'd you all even know to be here?" she asked over her shoulder.
"Justin called us," Jerry said, gesturing to his wife and Max.
"I was at your house," Harper said with a shrug.
"Harper, why were you at my house if I wasn't there?" Alex questioned.
Another shrug from the red head. "I wanted to be there."
"Harper texted me," Caitlyn jumped in, stopping the banter between Alex and Harper before it really started. "And then I called Gabe."
"Thank God for cell phones, I guess," Alex said as they entered the hall with the nursery. "Okay, everyone be quiet now," she warned as the group's steps slowed and they approached the window.
Alex smiled, her eyes immediately going to the back where Samuel was. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed, but in a good way. She loved him so much already, and she hadn't even gotten within two feet of him yet, much less held him.
"Which one is he?" Justin asked, scanning the babies all sleeping quietly in their tiny hospital beds.
"The cute one, of course," Alex said proudly.
"They're all cute, Alex. But which one is he specifically?" her father asked.
"All the way in the back." Alex pointed, putting her finger on the glass.
The entire group stood on its tippy toes to see over the other babies to the back. A collective gasp came from them all.
"He's so little!" Theresa gushed.
"Has he been in the sun?" Max asked.
"No." Alex looked at him like he was stupid, which… Everyone knew he really was.
"Well then why does he have a sunburn?" Max blinked stupidly.
"He doesn't have a sunburn!" Alex exclaimed. "He's just red!"
"Then what's wrong with him?" Max said a little worriedly, looking over to the baby again.
"Nothing! He's perfect, okay?" Alex grabbed Max by the front of the shirt and shook him a little, anxiety and frustration taking its toll on her.
"Okay, that's enough," Jerry said, grabbing his daughter's shoulders and pulling her away from his youngest son. "Alex, I think you and I need to take a walk."
Alex shook her shoulder from her father's grasp and pushed through her friends and family members, jogging down the hall. She needed to get away. She couldn't let them see her break, see her shaken. They couldn't see her tears.
When she got to the waiting room, she was relieved to find it empty. She collapsed into a chair, put her head in her hands, and cried. Hunched over, her shoulders shook as her tears moistened her palms.
"Alex?" She heard the soft voice of her father right before a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder.
She lifted her head, tears still in her eyes and mascara smudged. "What?"
"You know Max didn't mean anything by his comment," Jerry said, kneeling in front of Alex. "He's… Well, he's Max." This was the only explanation he could come up with, but it was enough.
"I know." Alex sighed and closed her eyes, causing more tears to fall, making tear tracks down her cheeks. "I'm just so scared there's something wrong with him…"
"Why?" her dad asked softly.
"Because they said he could die, Dad," Alex said, her voice catching at the end. She swallowed the lump in her throat and bit back more tears. "They took him away right after he was born because he was in danger of dying since he's so small." She looked away from her father and stared at the wall instead. "And he can't die. He just can't. It would destroy Mitchie. It would destroy me."
She said nothing for a little while, just tried her best to hold in her tears while she stared at the off-white hospital wall and sniffled.
"I love him so much," she said, finally releasing a sob.
As she crumpled, her father's strong arms caught her. Jerry held Alex as she went limp, curling into his body. She pressed her face into his shoulder and cried uncontrollably, her body shaking almost violently as she convulsed with sobs. She was so glad no one else was around to see this. Only she and her Daddy would know that for a brief moment, she allowed herself to be weak.
"Alex," Jerry said, pushing Alex away a little so she could look at him.
Her face was soaking wet, as was the fabric of his shirt, and she had black streaks on her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy and her nose was a rosy pink. She looked at him with so much fear, she reminded Jerry of the time he taught her how to ride a bike and she fell, scraping her knees.
Life had been so much simpler then. When she'd fallen, he'd run over to her, and picked up the crying six year-old in his arms. She'd looked up at him, eyes full of tears. All he had to do was clean her scrapes and give her kiss on the cheek, and everything was alright. She was as good as new.
But she wasn't that little girl anymore, he realized. She was eleven years older, and eleven years wiser. A band aid and a kiss on the cheek wasn't going to fix everything. Her life was much more complicated now.
"Look," he said quietly. "Babies are born prematurely all the time, and much sooner than only a month. Babies born up to three months premature survive and live normal, healthy lives. I'm sure whatever the doctors did was only precautionary and part of hospital procedures. Samuel is going to be fine."
Alex was silent for a little while, biting her lip. "You think so?"
"I know so," Jerry assured her.
"Alex?" Steve Torres stood in the doorway. He'd been waiting for a break in the conversation, trying not to interrupt this touching moment.
Alex quickly wiped at her eyes and cheeks, trying to clean her face a bit. "Yeah?"
"Mitchie's awake," Steve said. "She's asking for you."
Alex and her father both stood, Alex going over to where Mr. Torres held the door open. Jerry put his hands in his pockets and watched her walk away. No, this near-woman wasn't his little girl anymore.
"Alex…"
Alex turned in the doorway and looked at her father. "Yeah, Daddy?"
"I love you."
She offered a small smile. "I love you, too."
"And…" Jerry swallowed, trying to find the courage to say the next words. "I'm proud of you." And he was. He was finally over only seeing Alex's past. He'd thought she wasn't really in love with Mitchie in the past, thought she wasn't prepared to be a parent. But once he saw the way her eyes lit up when she saw the baby, saw her crying in that waiting room, and thought back to all of the times he'd seen her with Mitchie, that all changed. Alex was different, better, more grown up. And she could handle this.
Alex smiled wider, pride welling in her chest. She was smiling so wide, actually, her face hurt. She wanted to rush over and give her father a huge hug, to let him hold her as she squeezed him until her heart was content. But she knew she couldn't do that right now. It would have to wait. Because she had other responsibilities to which to attend.
"Thanks, Daddy."
And with a small wave, she turned and started making her way down the hall with Steve towards Mitchie's room.
"You told me she was awake."
Mitchie opened her eyes to the sound of Alex's voice.
"I am," she said groggily.
Alex's face brightened when she saw that her girlfriend was awake, a smile forming on her lips. She went over to Mitchie's bed and pulled up a chair to the bedside, sitting in it as she took Mitchie's hand.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"Tired." And Mitchie's voice sounded it. "But other than that, pretty okay. The nurse is about to bring him in." A peaceful smile made its way to her face.
"Do you remember what you named him right before you passed out?" Alex questioned, hoping she did and hadn't changed her mind. Alex had become attached to Samuel.
"Samuel," Mitchie said with a slight nod. "But I want to call him Sam."
"That would make sense," Alex said, chuckling slightly.
"Miss Torres?" a sweet voice said from across the room. It was the blond nurse from earlier, and she was standing in the doorway. "Are you ready to meet your baby?" she asked with a pleasant smile.
Mitchie's heart started pounding as she nodded, not trusting her voice.
The nurse backed into the room, pulling one of the beds the hospitals kept the babies in. She wheeled it right up to the side of Mitchie's bed.
Mitchie's breathing nearly stopped as she looked into the small bed, where he was, swaddled in a blue blanket and fast asleep. He still had a red tint, but that was expected. Atop his head was a puny blue beanie, covering dark brown, almost black hair.
The nurse picked him up ever so gently, careful to support his head. Slowly, she handed him to Mitchie.
As soon as her baby was settled in her arms, Mitchie began to cry. She looked down at him with tears in her eyes, taking him in. He was perfect. He had a tiny, little button nose and full, little lips. His eyes were closed, but she'd read somewhere that newborns sometimes had blue eyes. If not, he was sure to have brown eyes, much like hers and Shane's. She just hoped he had hers.
She carefully reached up one of her hands and gently stroked her fingers down the side of Sam's face. He had the softest skin she'd ever felt. She, as gently as she could, removed the little hat, revealing a full head of hair. Some babies were born bald, but this wasn't one of those babies.
Amazed, she stroked his head with three fingers. His hair was so soft and fine.
From the sensation of gentle fingertips being rubbed across his scalp, little Sam stirred. He moved his arms, flexed his miniature fingers, and opened his eyes.
Mitchie gasped and looked down into a perfect mirror of her own eyes, only smaller. They were deep and dark. No question about it, he'd gotten her eyes.
She never knew it was possible to love something as much as she loved her son, only a little over an hour old. But she loved him more than life itself. Her heart was swelling so much that she felt it would burst.
"Hi," she whispered down to the infant staring up at her, calm yet clearly confused. "I'm your mom," she said, as if he would understand her. She shifted her body so that Alex was in his line of sight. "And this is Alex." Tears were forming in her eyes again and her voice started shaking. "And we love you so much, Sam."
Finally, Mitchie handed off Sam to her mother, who cried as soon as he entered her arms. Next, Steve held him, jokingly counting off ten fingers and ten toes "just to make sure." When it was Alex's turn, Mitchie's parents decided to give the girls some privacy, choosing to go to the cafeteria for some coffee.
Alex didn't even hear the door close behind them as she stared, wide eyed at the baby whose life was literally now in her hands. She was scared to make any sudden movements for fear of dropping him or making his head go at a bad angle or something like that.
After a little while, though, Sam started to fuss.
"You're too stiff," Mitchie told her. "Loosen up a little."
Alex wanted to protest or just simply give him back to Mitchie, but she knew that would be terrible. It was easier just to hand him off as soon as he so much as whimpered. She needed to learn how to do this. So, she let the tension out of her shoulders and did her best to put on a smile. As soon as she did, Sam started to calm.
"How'd you know to do that?" Alex asked, amazed.
Mitchie shrugged. "I didn't. I just felt like that's what needed to be done."
Alex stared at Mitchie for a few moments before looking down at Sam again, whose eyes had just drooped closed.
"He's asleep," Alex whispered to Mitchie.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "He's probably going to be hungry when he wakes up. And I'm going to have to feed him." A sense of fear tingled through her body.
This didn't go unnoticed by Alex. "I don't think breastfeeding hurts, Mitchie," she said.
"I'm not scared of it hurting, I'm just nervous about it in general."
"If you don't want to do it, you can always feed him from a bottle," Alex said softly, looking down at the sleeping baby again and smiling. "I'm sure he won't mind, as long as he gets food."
"Yeah…"
It was silent for a few minutes as they each just watched Sam sleep. Mitchie stroked his head gently as Alex sat on the edge of the bed, holding the baby. But there was something on Alex's mind, and she had to say it before Mitchie's parents came back.
"Did I ever tell you that by falling in love with a mortal and choosing a life with them, you automatically have to give up your wizard powers?" Alex asked softly, looking from Sam to Mitchie.
Mitchie blinked a few times. "No, you haven't told me that."
Alex nodded. "That's why my dad doesn't have powers anymore. He won his family's wizard competition, but when he met my mom, he gave up his powers for her. Now my uncle is the family wizard."
Mitchie let the information sink in. "So, what you're saying is…"
"When it comes time for the family wizard competition, whatever the outcome, it doesn't matter for me because I'm giving up my powers for you and Sam," Alex said, nodding again.
"Alex, I can't let you do that!" Mitchie said in an urgent whisper.
"And I can't imagine a life without you," Alex countered. "But I can imagine one without magic. I've been prepared to lose my powers since we started with wizard lessons. Justin's going to win without a doubt. Max is a moron and even if I study my ass off, there's no way I'll catch up to Justin. It used to bug me, but none of that matters to me anymore. Because I have something better than magic."
Mitchie stared at Alex for a few moments, swallowing. "And what's that?"
"Love," Alex answered without hesitation. "As long as I have you and Sam, I'll have all I ever need."
Mitchie's face flushed a rosy color as Alex leaned back on the bed, resting her back against the pillows with Mitchie, Sam still in her arms. Mitchie leaned over ever so slightly and kissed Alex softly on the lips before also placing a gentle kiss atop Sam's tiny head. Then she snuggled in closer to Alex and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.
"I love you," she said in a tired voice, about to fall asleep again.
Alex smiled. "I love you, too, Mitchie," she said as the other girl's eyelids fluttered closed. She shook her head a bit and looked down at the snoozing newborn in her arms. "And I love you, too, Sammy."
And with that, she leaned her head back on the pillows and let her exhaustion take her over as well. When Mr. and Mrs. Torres returned, they found the small, new, and unique family fast asleep, cuddled up in each other's warm embraces.
The next chapter… Will be the last. It's been an amazing ride, and I can't thank you guys enough. You've been amazing and thank you for sticking with me this far. But hey, don't be too sad. We still have the sequel!
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