Rifiuto: Non Mirena
A/N: Written: 2013.- Licia
"Are you excited, sweetheart? Your baby sister will be here soon." The little girl in Zane's arms leaned down to peck her mother quickly on the lips.
"I'd have thought you'd have wanted a boy."
A familiar chuckle. "How many times do I have to tell you, Jojo, I will be perfectly content if all four of our children are girls."
"Four? We are not having four!" She lay back against the pillows, taking slow, easy breaths as Allison gently checked her progress. "There is no way in Hell I'm letting you touch me again after this one's born." She bit her lip, whimpering as the next contraction grabbed her around the waist.
"You're eight centimeters, Jo-"
"That's good, right?"
"Um, yeah. Jo, you've done this before-" Zoe said, coming over to check her blood pressure.
"Don't aggravate a woman in the midst of labor, Zoe, it won't end well." Zane said, shifting Caterina on his hip. Allison gently tapped her ankles, and she lifted her legs so Allison could check her progress.
"Did we miss it? Is the baby here yet? It hasn't been born yet, has it?" The camera turned, panning to see Kevin and Jenna tumble through the infirmary doors, out of breath and excited.
"Please tell me you didn't speed from the airport." Allison scolded as her two oldest children hurried over; after giving both Zane and Jo each a hug, she stole Cate from Zane.
"We didn't, Mom. Well, maybe a little. But we wanted to make sure we didn't miss it." Kevin replied, pulling away from Jo.
"You two are fine. She's still dilating and her water hasn't even broken yet-" Carter's voice came from behind the camera. The sound of something bursting brought everyone's attention back to her thought.
"You had to say it, didn't you, Carter?" Zane and Zoe helped her sit up; he perched on the edge of the bed behind her, holding her close. Pressing a kiss to her shoulder, the young Section Five Head took her hand.
It was surreal, watching these home videos, knowing that this wasn't her life- it could have been her life, if she hadn't left Eureka, if she and her Zane had decided on what they were, if she'd accepted the original Zane's proposal. She pulled the throw on the arm of the sofa over her lap, picking at the material in silence as she watched her and Zane's middle daughter enter the world.
"Here she is! Here's your baby girl, Jo!"
Allison lifted a screaming newborn from between her legs, and she relaxed back against Zane, feeling him kiss her temple. "I'm so proud of you, Jojo."
Once the baby was laid in her arms, she turned her gaze to his. "Annaleigh."
"Hmm?" Zane had to tear his gaze from the newborn in her arms.
"Annaleigh. This is Annaleigh."
He smiled softly at her. "It's perfect for her."
She sniffled, surprised to find that she had started to cry. Maybe it was the entire situation, or the fact that she felt as though she were starting to become attached to all three of the girls no matter how hard she tried not to- and that, was an issue in and of itself. She was getting attached, something she shouldn't be doing. These weren't her children, this wasn't her timeline.
The video about Eleanora's birth was drastically different to Cate and Anna's. She could already see the rifts that had slowly begun to appear in their marriage, and while it was still a happy occasion, there was evident tension between the two. Clearly, she had begun to pull away from Zane- had she started the affair by then, or was it after Eleanora was born? If she hadn't wanted another child, why had she had another?
By the time she finished both videos, she decided that her counterpart was an idiot, for giving up such a wonderful, amazing man. Setting the cup in the sink, she made her way upstairs, going to check on the girls. Stopping outside Annaleigh's door, she sighed. A moment passed before she pushed the door open, poking her head in. The twelve-year-old was sound asleep, curled up under the blankets, clinging to a stuffed mouse dressed in a witch's costume- it was quite adorable, and Jo slowly knelt down by the bed reaching up to stroke her fingers through the black curls.
Something, deep in her heart, told her that of all three of the girls, Annaleigh was hers. Not just in DNA and looks, despite the timelines, despite everything, Annaleigh was hers. This was the little girl her counterpart had been closer too, but not for the reasons she should have been. She was probably closest to Annaleigh because she believed that Annaleigh was her last, and had been disappointed when she'd gotten pregnant with Eleanora.
That's not right. A child isn't a bargaining chip; a child is an extension of love. Nothing more, nothing less.
The girl shifted under her touch, and Jo couldn't help the smile. "Mama."
"I love you, baby girl." Then, she leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to the girl's forehead before slipping out of the room and going to her and Zane's room. She quietly changed out of her clothes into a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top, before crawling beneath the blankets and cuddling close to Zane. In his sleep, he shifted opening his arms and allowing her to curl into his chest. Once she was settled, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her head. "I don't understand how she could not love your girls. They're not even mine, but I love each of them as if they were."