To those of you that celebrate, I hope you have a great Christmas, and for those of you that don't celebrate, have a great weekend!
I know this Christmas is going to be different for a lot of people, so if you're on your own and you want to chat or anything, I'll be around over the festive period so feel free to drop me a PM.
Rachel cradled her new cousin in her arms, rocking her slightly as Shelby and Jimmy helped Amy get settled in bed, carefully handing her to Amy when she held out her arms, surprised when Amy took her daughter with one hand and cupped Rachel's cheek with her other, "thank you for staying" her eyes locked on Rachel's, "thank you."
Rachel smiled and kissed her Aunt's cheek, "thank you for letting me stay."
"You're so amazing" Amy nuzzled into Rachel for a moment before resting her forehead against her niece's, "and I meant what I said Pretty Girl, no matter how many babies I have, you're always welcome here and I will always make time for you."
"Thank you" Rachel said softly before adding, "I love you."
"I love you too" Amy kissed Rachel's forehead, "so, so much."
Shelby let her sister and her daughter have their moment before asking, "does the little one have a name or are we just calling her baby?"
Amy smiled and looked down at her daughter and gently traced her index finger over the newborn's cheek before meeting Jimmy's gaze, getting a smile and a nod from her husband, "Eden" she said softly, "Eden Rachel Cullen."
"Rachel?" her head snapped up.
Amy nodded, "if that's okay?"
"Of course, but you don't, you don't have to."
"No, but we want to" Jimmy told her, "and who knows, giving her your name might give her some of the strength, the compassion, the resilience that you have" he told her as Amy passed the baby over to Shelby for a cuddle, allowing Amy to put her arm around Rachel.
"Thank you" Rachel smiled shyly before looking up at her Aunt, "are you okay?" she asked when she felt Amy beginning to shake again.
"Mhmm" Amy let her cheek rest against Rachel's head, "I'm tired and a little sore but I'm okay."
Jimmy opened the wardrobe, taking out a blanket and laying it over Amy, remembering she'd complained of being cold after having Lily and Max, "how about I go make you something to eat?" Rachel suggested, knowing that her Aunt hadn't eaten all day.
Shelby knew Amy was about to protest so she spoke before her sister could, swaying gently with Eden in her arms as she told Rachel, "that would be very helpful Baby, thank you."
Amy nodded and yawned, knowing Shelby and, most probably, Jimmy too would only argue if she said no, "thank you Pretty Girl" she smiled, sitting up so Rachel could get off the bed.
Rachel made her way downstairs and began looking for something to make her Aunt, she wanted to make her something tasty and filling but also something nutritious. She'd found a new love for cooking, she'd always hated cooking for her dads, knew how much trouble she'd be in if she made any mistakes, if they didn't like what she made. Shelby and Amy however had given her the freedom to experiment, to try new things and she'd found that actually, she really enjoyed cooking. Not only that but she quite enjoyed learning about the nutritional values of food, learning, not only about which foods tasted good together, but which foods would provide a balanced diet.
She eventually took out a wholewheat bagel, slicing it in two and spreading a little mustard over the surface before adding a filling of sliced turkey, spinach, avocado and tomato, deciding to pour her Aunt a glass of orange juice too before heading back upstairs.
Eden was now in Jimmy's arms, curled into her Daddy's chest as Shelby sat beside Amy on the bed, her arms around her sister, talking softly to her as Amy laid against Shelby. They looked up when they heard Rachel come back into the room, "oh my God that looks amazing" Amy's stomach rumbled in agreement, she hadn't really felt hungry before, but now she'd seen the sandwich Rachel had made for her she was suddenly ravenous.
"Enjoy" Rachel smiled as she handed the plate over and put the juice down beside the bed.
"I'm sure I will, thank you" Amy smiled before taking a bite, groaning in delight as she did so.
"What did you put in there?" Jimmy chuckled, "crack?"
Rachel laughed, "you must have hidden that too well for me to find" she joked, "it's turkey, spinach and avocado with a little mustard and tomato.
"It's amazing" Amy mumbled through a mouth full of food, "I'd let you try it but Rachel made it for me. Not you. So I can't."
"I think you've more than earned it babe" Jimmy smiled as he looked at the baby in his arms, "so I suppose, just this once, I can forgive you for not sharing."
Shelby kissed Amy's temple, "we're going to get off" she told her, "let the three of you have some time together before Lily and Max get home."
Amy put her sandwich down and hugged Shelby tightly, "thank you" she whispered, "thank you so much."
Shelby kissed Amy again, "thank you for letting me be here" she said as she tucked Amy's damp hair behind her ear, "I'll call you tomorrow, but if you need anything in the meantime, it doesn't matter what it is or when you need it, you call me yeah."
"Yeah" Amy didn't realise she was crying until Shelby wiped at her tears, "I love you Shel."
"I love you too Amy" Shelby held her sister until she'd calmed down a little, "okay?"
Amy nodded and wiped at her eyes, "a little overemotional apparently."
"What's new" Shelby teased as she stood from the bed, looking over to Jimmy, "you look after them" she told him.
"I always do" Jim nodded.
"I know" Shelby moved to hug her brother in law before kissing his cheek, "congratulations."
Amy meanwhile gestured for Rachel to come closer, "I love you Pretty Girl" she whispered, her hands on Rachel's cheeks holding her gaze, "you, you're just amazing Rachel, I don't know if you'll ever realise just how much you being here helped me today" she kissed her forehead, "and I meant what I said, having Eden, that doesn't change anything, if you need me, all you need to do is call me okay?" Rachel nodded, her face still cradled in Amy's hands, "I love you so much Rachel."
Rachel smiled and nuzzled against her Aunt, "I love you too" she whispered, "and thank you for letting me be here."
"You have nothing to thank me for, nothing at all" Amy pulled Rachel into a hug, Rachel hugging her Aunt back just as fiercely.
"Okay?" Shelby asked, draping her arm around Rachel's shoulder as they walked out to the car, "I know that that was…"
"It was amazing" Rachel whispered.
Shelby smiled, she knew her sister and her daughter had developed a bond she'd probably never be able to explain, or even fully understand, and seeing them together today, seeing the comfort Amy had found in Rachel only reinforced that belief, but Shelby loved that, loved that, after years of emotional neglect, Rachel had formed a bond with Amy that would make anyone else believe they'd known each other forever.
Shelby smiled and pulled her daughter closer, "it was" she nodded, "but I didn't know if you might feel a little overwhelmed by it all."
Rachel shook her head, "I'd have left if it was, I'm okay."
"Good" Shelby kissed Rachel's temple, "how about we grab a pizza on our way home? I don't know about you but I'm exhausted."
"I can't believe it" Rachel suddenly felt like she was riding a wave of endorphins that had come from nowhere, "I was there, I was holding Aunt Amy's hand as she gave birth, I was one of the first people to hold Eden."
"You were" Shelby smiled, her daughter's happiness almost infectious, "after her parents you were the first person that held her."
"It was amazing!" Rachel beamed as she got into the car, "I am kinda hungry now though."
Shelby tossed Rachel her phone as she started the engine, "order us pizza, either for collection or delivery, whatever you want."
Rachel ordered the pizza to be delivered to their house, so, when they got home, Shelby suggested they both showered and changed into their pyjamas so they could have a lazy evening.
"What are you looking at?" Shelby asked as she joined Rachel on the couch after her shower. She'd briefly seen the webpage Rachel had open on her phone as she'd walked into the room and she couldn't be certain, but she was pretty sure she'd seen the Ohio State University logo on the screen.
Rachel jumped, she'd been so caught up in what she was reading that she hadn't heard Shelby come into the room, "nothing" she closed her browser, "I…" she shook her head, "it doesn't matter."
"Okay" Shelby held out a glass to Rachel, "if you're sure."
Rachel nodded and sipped at her juice, it had just been a fleeting thought, she wouldn't be able to pay for college anyway, she'd have to get a job after she graduated High School so she could start paying her way. Shelby meanwhile decided not to push the subject, Rachel had another year or two before she really needed to start thinking about college, she'd give the girl some time to think about her options before she asked her what her plans were.
They were sat at opposite ends of the couch later that evening, pizza box discarded on the coffee table, Jasper settled on Rachel's lap, silently watching a movie together when both their phones beeped with a message from the Corcoran family group chat. "Who is it?" Shelby asked, rubbing absentmindedly at Rachel's feet, knowing her daughter had her phone and not really wanting to get up to get her own.
Rachel read the message and smiled before handing over her phone, Shelby too smiling at the message from Jimmy, a picture of Lily and Max cradling their baby sister announcing Eden's birth, Amy and Jim wanting their older children to meet Eden before they told anyone else. The picture was sent with a short message, 'Eden Rachel Cullen, born at 4.42 this afternoon, 9lb 5oz. Eden and Amy are both doing great and Lily and Max are arguing over who can cuddle her next!' It didn't take long for the chat to be filled with congratulations from the rest of the family, everyone excited about the new arrival.
Seeing the message reminded Shelby of something and she pulled herself from the couch, and grabbed her own phone from where she'd left it, just like when Lily and Max had been born, Shelby had taken a couple of pictures of Amy and Jim's first few moments with their child, her favourite one of Amy holding Eden in her arms, her gaze fixed on her daughter, Jimmy looking at his wife in complete awe as he reached out to tuck a lock of Amy's hair behind her ear. She selected all the photos she'd taken and sent them to her sister, reminding her again that she loved her and she was only a phone call away if she needed anything.
"Tired?" Shelby chuckled as Rachel let out a loud yawn.
She nodded, "sorry."
"You don't need to be sorry, we can finish this upstairs" she gestured to the movie, "or tomorrow if you want to sleep in your room."
Rachel shook her head, "can I share with you tonight?"
"Of course, you don't have to ask. Want to go up now?" Shelby sat back on the couch, once again beginning to rub at Rachel's feet.
"Can we try and finish this first? If I go to bed now I think I'll probably be awake super early."
"Sure" Shelby smiled, "we can go up whenever you're ready."
Rachel didn't make it to the end of the movie, she barely lasted another thirty minutes before she drifted off to sleep, her feet in Shelby's lap, Jasper curled into her side. Shelby reached for the remote, pausing her movie so she and Rachel could finish it another time and as silence filled the room, Shelby found her mind wandering back to the day Rachel had been born, tears pricking at her eyes as she thought about the brief moment she'd seen Rachel, the moment her daughter's eyes had met hers for what Shelby assumed would be the first and only time.
Even now, several months later, when she and Rachel had been through so much, Shelby still couldn't quite believe that Rachel was with her, that she had her daughter back, that she could talk to her, hold her, she could spend the rest of her life showing her daughter how much she loved her. She stayed on the couch for a while before wiping her eyes and gently rubbing Rachel's leg, "Rach" she said softly, "Rachel."
"Yeah" Rachel mumbled, shifting slightly, waking Jasper who jumped off the couch and left the room.
"Let's go up to bed Baby, you'll be more comfortable than on the couch."
"But I wanna watch the movie" Rachel pouted as she rubbed at her eyes, frowning slightly when she realised the movie was no longer playing on the TV.
Shelby chuckled, "you need to sleep, we can finish it tomorrow."
Rachel pushed herself to sit up, her frown growing when she saw Shelby, "you've been crying."
"I'm okay" Shelby tried to reassure her, "it's nothing."
"Mom" Rachel reached out and took her hand.
Shelby ran her thumb over the back of Rachel's hand, "I'm okay" she said again, "I was just thinking about the day you were born, I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again, and I, I just feel so incredibly lucky that I have you back with me, I wish it had been under better circumstances but I didn't think it would ever happen at all."
Rachel smiled, relieved nothing serious was wrong with her Mom and she reached up to wipe at her cheeks before hugging her tightly, letting out a yawn as he head fell onto her Mom's shoulder, "I'm glad you got me back too Mom" she yawned again, "but I think you're right and I do need to go to bed."
"I'm your Mom" Shelby chuckled, "I'm always right. Now, come on. Let's go to bed, we've got a movie to finish watching in the morning."
