'Hey, where did Lili and Cam disappear to last night?'

'You know, that's a good question, I don't know.'

'Maybe they wandered off to make a little cousin for Tessi?'

Esposito looked at his partner with a fish-eye. 'Dude, that's my sister you're talking about. My sister doesn't have sex.'

'Then how is she a mother?'

'Easy. Her and Cam went to Build-a-Baby.'

'Is that what you'll tell Tessi when she asks how babies are made?' Ryan laughed, steering the Nissan into the parking tower at Saint Vincent's. It was so much fun be able to tease his partner about his new status as a proud papa. 'Still doesn't explain where they went to last night.'

As if on cue, Esposito's phone jangle with a text from Cam. Sorry we had to jet last night, I got called into work and Rosie was vomiting so Lili went up to your parents. Call please, I need to know if I have a niece or nephew.

Esposito looked at his watch. It was almost six in the morning, but he knew that if his mother didn't get the call first there'd be hell to pay so he sent a quick text back - haven't told Mami and Papa yet, you'll know when they know. It was a little cruel to do to his brother-in-law but it'd be far less stressful than what would happen to him if Rosalita didn't hear it first.

They parked and Ryan looped around to get Dell out of his booster seat in the back; the toddler stirred for a few moments.

'Daddy? We goin' see my baby?'

'Yeah, but you can sleep a little while longer, Dell. She's asleep too.'

'No' tired. Wan' see my baby.'

'Soon, big guy.'

With Dell on his father's hip and his head on his shoulder as he dropped into sleep again, the trio of men went in the back-way Honey-Milk had shown them so they could get past the guard-dog receptionist she knew was on duty. They headed up to Meredeth's floor and Ryan immediately took Dell into the lounge while Esposito went into his wife's room.

He opened the door to find Honey-Milk writing in a chart, a stack of them beside her, while in the bed, Meredeth was still out for the count, and beside Meredeth's bed was the bassinet with his daughter.

'Jenn,' Esposito hissed to get her attention, and the nurse looked up.

'Hey, you guys are all back?'

'No, just me and your boys. The rest are home in bed with promises of visitation the moment they wake up, so like around ten-ish I'm guessing.'

'Good idea. Your little girl's a strong one, all her check-ups are normal and she had a wet and muddy diaper change since you got a little rest.'

Esposito smiled, took off his coat as he went to pull a chair over beside his daughter's tiny little bed and just watched her sleeping.

'Hey little princess,' he murmured. 'You have no idea what you're in for. You have a busy day ahead of you. You're going to get to have a snack from Mommy, and a bath in a tub, and lots and lots of visitors. And I know all you want is to be safe and warm and that's what my job as your daddy is, and Mommy's too. But don't forget about me today, okay? I know Mommy's got the big boobs to feed you but I'm the guy taking all the pictures and making sure nothing happens to you.'

Tessi gurgled in her sleep, her mittened hands up by her face and gave a cute little lip pucker like a smile.

'Aw, see you know who I am.'

'She sure does. You talked to her lots, she knows your voice.' Honey-Milk gathered up her completed chart work, brushed her hand over Meredeth's head in a big sister way before she left. 'I'm going to shower and meet my boys. You think we'll be alright to visit around eight?'

'Sure.'

'Oh, and once Meredeth's awake, Harvey said she's not on any dietary restrictions. And also the lactation specialist will be in around seven thirty to help get Meredeth started with nursing. Oh, and don't forget about-'

'Jenn.' Esposito shushed her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. 'We're in good hands, okay? You need some rest too, you know.'

'Okay, I just don't like to leave my girls, you know? Well of course you do, what am I saying?'

Esposito pulled Honey-Milk in, charts and all, for a warm embrace. 'Thank you, Jenny, for everything.'

'Uh-huh,' was all she could manage without breaking down from sheer exhaustion. 'I'm going to go drop these off. I'll see all of you in a bit.'

Esposito shut the door behind her, then pulled up his chair so he was beside both his girls, sleeping like princesses. Because he was used to napping where he could, he dropped his head forward and began to doze lightly.


When Meredeth awoke, she was in her private suite again. She blinked to clear the fog away; the dull aching muscles between her legs helped put her on alert. Adjusting her pillows, she smiled as she saw sitting her in the chair right beside her bed, looking a little more rested and freshly shaven. He had his feet propped on another chair and his chin on his chest, his hand limp on her bed rail. Reaching over, she squeezed it gently.

'Wake up, daddy.'

Esposito breathed deeply, lifted his head up. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, saw that Meredeth was awake and smiling at him. 'Hey mama. How are you feeling?'

'Sore down there, but so happy I did it.'

'You were amazing. You have my undying respect. I've never been so proud of you in my life.'

Meredeth heard a soft coo from the bassinet, shifted so she could sit up in bed Esposito moved the bassinet on wheels over so it was between himself and Meredeth's bed, the better to see their little girl. 'Hi Tessi. Hello my love.'

'Honey-Milk said the lactation nurse will be up soon to help you feed her.' He paused, frowned. 'How will we know when she's hungry?'

'Lanie and Lili told me about that one, they called it the goldfish face, where the baby kinda purses up her lips and sticks her tongue out.'

''They're both moms so I'll take your word for it. Hey, got something for you.' Esposito reached into his bag, pulled out a small parcel for Meredeth. 'I think you'll get a kick out of it.'

'And I didn't get you anything.'

'You gave birth to my child. That trumps everything. Plus my birthday's in two weeks.'

'And we'll have a great day. Oh, Javi, this is adorable!'

Meredeth pulled out the post-baby sized top made of black organic cotton that read 'You Think I'm Cute, You Should See My Baby' in bright yellow letters.. She held it up at arm's length, then put it in her lap, and gave him a look. 'You got Castle to get you this so could all match, didn't you?'

'Yes. I had an idea for a family portrait, not one of those super-cheesy Sears things, but some nice photography by Sloan Machado, that you and I can wear our jeans and these shirts, and Tessi can wear her onsie that matches. He also got another one for me that has 'Mommy' instead of 'Daddy' on the chest so when she's out with you or me, it'll make sense.'

'Come here.' Meredeth leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. 'You're the best, Javi, I love you.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

There was a knock on the door and a redheaded nurse who looked like she should be stomping a runway in Milan popped in. 'Hi there,' she said in a sweet, perky voice. 'I'm Jude, and I'm here to get you started with breast-feeding Meredeth.'

Jude picked up Tessi, saw she was wearing her NYPD Cute onsie already. 'Well, aren't you the stylish one for breakfast?' she crooned, passing her to Meredeth who had already unfastened the shoulders of her hospital gown and was sitting topless as Jude showed her the way to put the baby against her breast to nurse.

'That's it, there you go, and if the baby doesn't latch on right away, it's okay, they're new to it too. It's a learning curve for you both.'

'Oh, I think...yep, there she goes,' Meredeth giggled, unsure of what to think of the sensation of the tiny little one suckling heroically. 'How will I know if she's getting enough or if she's overeating or if she's allergic to milk or something like that?' She bit her lip as her brows drew together, a sure sign to Esposito she was feeling unsteady. 'Shouldn't I already know these things?'

'Like I said, it's a learning curve. The important thing is to not feel guilty that you don't have all the answers just yet. You've only just woken up from your post-birth rest, you're not going to have learned everything in that little amount of time by osmosis. The best ways to tell is if your little girl's wetting her diaper six to eight times a day, at least, your breasts are nice and soft after feeding her and that when you give her skin a little pinch like this -' Jude demonstrated and Tessi was so involved with her feeding she didn't even notice '-it bounces back to a nice healthy colour.'

'You're doing great Mere.' Esposito had quietly turned on the video camera, not wanting to miss a single moment of these first hours of his daughter's life. He zoomed in on Tessi, who was keeping her big dark eyes focused on her mother's face, looking up at her as if to ask 'am I doing this right, Mama' while her fingers rested on Meredeth's skin. 'This is my beautiful princess' first snack time. It's almost seven am on April the tenth and she is a whole four and a half hours old.'

'I'm sure I look lovely,' Meredeth laughed, and Esposito smiled back at her.

'I've never seen anything so gorgeous in my life.'

He set the camera to Stand-by and pulled out his cellphone, and called his parents. His father picked up on the second ring.

'Javi? You have news on Meredeth?' he asked in rapid-fire Spanish.

'You have another granddaughter, Papa.'

Esposito blinked, held the phone away from his ear as he heard his father yell in joy, hollering for Rosalita and Constance, who picked up the other extensions at the house.

'Mijo, you have a little girl?' Rosalita asked, clearly dissolving into joyful tears. 'What is her name?'

'Constance Tessiana Marie Esposito. We're calling her Tessi for short.'

'That is just beautiful.' Now it was Constance who spoke, in just as wobbly a tone. 'When did she make her appearance?'

'Two-thirty-one this morning, and she's a big girl, eight pounds two ounces.'

'Oh my goodness, was Meredeth okay?'

'A superhero. No cuts, no stitches, nothing.'

'Tell her we'll be by this afternoon,' Rosalita said, 'I need to let them know at the bakery that I will be there only a half day.'

The parents all said another round of congrats and when Esposito turned back after hanging up the phone, he saw Meredeth had finished nursing and was being shown by Jude how to settle Tessi against her shoulder to burp her so that her head would be supported as well. 'Can I try?' he asked Jude.

'Of course, Daddy.' Jude put a soft white cloth on his shoulder and passed him the infant, who fussed only a moment until she heard Mommy and Daddy's voices again telling her everything was just fine. She flatted one palm against Esposito's shoulder, curling the other hand near his collarbone to steady herself against him. 'Such a strong thing already, aren't you?' he asked her softly.

'That she is.' Jude took his hand which rested on Tessi's back and showed him the technique most favoured for the over-the-shoulder burp. 'You want to move the air up so always move from teh base of the spine up to the back of the neck.'

'Okay. Like this?'

'That's it. She had a small breakfast since that's all she had room for, being such a new thing, but-'

Tessi gave a little lurch and sounded like a bubblegum bubble had popped. Esposito paused his ministrations and looked at her. 'Was that a burp or a fart?'

'That's a burp. Farts are higher-pitched,' Jude laughed, then 'awed' when Tessi leaned against Esposito's chest. 'Someone wants cuddle time with Daddy.'

'Absolutely. Meredeth, do you want to put on your visiting pjs?'

'Oh, good idea.' Meredeth slipped out of bed carefully, pulled her loose fitting t-shirt and baggy black shorts from her bag. 'There, now I look somewhat more presentable. Javi?'

'Yeah?'

'Could you get me something to drink? That sedative made my mouth feel like I've been chewing on cottons balls.'

'Of course.'

Unsure of whether or not the cafeteria would be open or not, Esposito went into the hallway and saw the entire Ryan clan approaching. Dell was now wide awake and holding his mother's hand tightly; his grin was as excited as Esposito's.

'Javi!' He dropped his mother's hand like a hot-coal and wrapped his arms around Esposito's shoulders when he crouched down. 'We see my baby?'

Ryan shook his head. 'Dell thinks he's got a new playmate already.'

'Yes, we can see the baby, little bro, but she's very little. She's not even a whole day old.'

'She suh-leepin'?'

'Auntie Merry just finished feeding Tessi so you can go in quietly.'

They filed into the modest room, pulled up chairs around Meredeth's bed. The new mama was cuddling Tessi, making Dell stretch on his tiptoes. 'Mama, I wanna see 'er.'

'What do we say, Dell?'

'Puh-lease may I see?'

'Good boy.' Honey-Milk picked her son up, let him lean over to examine the new addition. He dramatically sucked in a breath and said, 'Oh mama, she an angel?'

The rest of the gang had to smother back laughs at the toddler's adorably cute observation. 'Her name is Tessi.'

'Tessi,' Dell repeated. 'Best baby ev-er.'

Ryan shook his head, took his son onto his lap. 'Give a few years, you'll be saying girls are gross.'

'Not her.' Dell looked at the newborn and felt a funny little rush in his tummy when he saw her open her eyes and look right at him. 'Pretty Tessi.'


R&R&Enjoy.