So another delay in between chapters, my bad! I haven't had much time to devote to writing lately until recently. But here she is, another chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 5: A Family At Last
As the sunlight streamed in through their bedroom windows, Caesar was surprised to open his eyes and find his wife's brilliant violet eyes watching him. Usually he woke up before her and got to watch her sleep for a bit, listening to her peaceful sleeping breaths ease him into a conscious state. She smiled as she watched him open his eyes, reaching her hand over to stroke his hair gently as he awakened.
Caesar gave out a sigh as he stretched and rolled onto his side so he was facing Kara, putting his arm around her and pulling her closer. "You beat me to waking up today," he observed groggily. She chuckled and joked that she had to show him up by waking up before him at some point. Knowing that she sometimes had nightmares about that horrible day at the Dogma Rift and getting separated again, Caesar was suddenly worried that she had a bad night and hadn't slept well, and that he had slept unusually hard through it and hadn't been able to comfort her this time.
"Did you sleep okay, my love?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern. "Next to my beloved husband, how could I not?" She said in a happy tone, and his concerns were alleviated. He knew she wouldn't have been in this good of a mood if she had had a rough night. Bringing a hand up to gently brush a strand of hair out of her face, he took a moment to admire his wife before he and his Countess had to get up and tackle their duties for the day. The city really never did run itself, as much as he wished it would sometimes. He knew he couldn't just spend all day every day appreciating his wife, so he made sure to sprinkle little moments into every day. He still couldn't believe that he got to wake up with her every day, just like he couldn't believe they had been married and returned from their honeymoon over a month ago.
Kara was about to suggest they get up and start their day, when he wrapped his arms around her and told her that she was forgetting something. Before she could think on it, he wove his hands through her hair, bringing her face to his in a tender kiss. Kara wove a hand into his hair and deepened the kiss. When he pulled away, he whispered, "good morning, beautiful." "How could I forget such an important morning ritual?" She said, before adding, "good morning, my sweet love."
She kissed him again briefly, and when she pulled away after a moment Caesar was about to suggest that they get ready and go down to breakfast, except the look on her face gave him pause. She was suddenly paler than usual, and had an expression of distress on her face. Seeing Kara in any kind of pain or distress was his least favorite thing in the world. Now he was concerned, and immediately leaped into action caring for her, asking if she was okay and what she needed. He helped her sit up, and started stroking her hair comfortingly, not sure what to do. All his tasks and concerns of being Count for the day immediately escaped him-his focus was solely on her.
Suddenly, Kara put her hand over her mouth and immediately got up and ran to the bathroom adjacent to their bedroom. "Kara?" Caesar called out in concern, not hesitating to get up and run after her. Sprinting across the short distance to the bathroom, Caesar pushed the door open to find Kara slumped over the toilet, vomiting violently. He immediately went over to her and knelt down next to her, holding her hair back and stroking her back. When Kara stopped getting sick, he pulled her into her lap so her head was resting against his chest as she curled up into him. He felt her trying to catch her breath as he held her comfortingly. "I don't know what happened there," she said, in the smallest voice Caesar had ever heard escape her lips. "It's okay," he whispered comfortingly over and over to her, and in an attempt to comfort himself as well. He held her closer, suddenly gripped with the fear that he could lose her again, this time to a violent illness.
"I think I'm okay now," he heard her say to him. But he wasn't going to let her have a busy day of work with him after that incident. He wanted her to relax and rest. He wanted her to be okay. Before she could attempt to get up, Caesar rose, scooping her up in his arms in the process. Before she could object, he was carrying her back to bed. He set her down gently, delicately kissing her forehead as he rested her head down on the pillow. He covered her up with the blankets, and knelt down on the floor next to her so he was eye level with her. She looked over at him in a haze. He could tell she wasn't fully recovered. He stroked her forehead and said, "You aren't doing anything today except resting, and that's it." She opened her mouth to protest, but he put a finger over her lips and said, "Kara, I want you to be okay. Don't worry about anything. I took care of this whole city by myself for a year, remember?" He could tell she knew protesting was fruitless, so she replied, "Okay, but don't overwork yourself, I worry that you do sometimes." Caesar looked at her with the utmost fondness. Even when she was sick, she couldn't stop worrying about him. He noticed her starting to fall asleep again, and knew he made the right call. He went downstairs to start the day, knowing she would be on his mind even more than usual.
He went downstairs to eat breakfast, responding to the steward's concerned inquiries as to where Lady Drisdall was. He informed him what had happened this morning, and he assured Caesar that he would make sure she got something to eat when she woke up, and that the family physician would be summoned later in the day. Caesar thanked him and noted a twinkle in the steward's eye as he went off, as if he had suspected something of the situation that Caesar had not. Not dwelling too much on that, Caesar finished his breakfast and went up to his office to try to get a good deal of work done today.
The hours surprisingly passed by fast as Caesar had gotten lost in his paperwork for the day, when the steward came in to inform him that the family physician was now with Kara, and that she had eaten today when she woke up. He was pleased to find that the steward smugly told him she was just fine now, and that she was just sick in the morning. Caesar was about to leave his desk to go see his wife before he was hit by suddenly processing that she had only gotten sick this morning, and that she was totally fine now alleviated his concerns that she had contracted an illness. He thought back over the first month of their marriage, their spirited honeymoon activities, and it all made sense-she was pregnant.
Caesar realized he had been sitting there for the better part of an hour lost in his realization, before snapping out of it and going to meet with Kara to see what the physician had concluded. He had hardly been so desperate to see Kara in his life, and he rapidly rose from his chair and began running to their bedroom; but it turned out he didn't have to even go that far, because as soon as he opened the door to his office, Kara was right on the other side about ready to open the door and come see him. He could tell he had startled her somewhat with his abrupt opening of the door, but she just stared at him for a moment before smiling at him with the utmost excitement.
—
Kara had woken up early that day, earlier than Caesar, to her surprise. The sun hadn't quite risen yet, but she could tell it was early morning. She was a little annoyed with her internal clock for waking her up this early. The mining season was about to commence, so she and Caesar were at the busiest time of the year preparing for it. They had a long day of work ahead of them, but she was at least glad she and Caesar were a team and could get through it together.
Kara had tried to go back to sleep seeing as she had a couple hours until she and Caesar should get up and start the day, but she couldn't fall back into a slumber. A strange feeling had washed over her, and she had a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, almost like the onset of naseua. In an attempt to take her mind off this feeling, she turned on her side and gazed at her husband in admiration as he lay sleeping on his back. He usually woke up before her, so she rarely got to take in his sleeping presence. She smiled affectionately as she took him in. He looked so peaceful, so serene. She listened to the slow and steady rise and fall of his breaths, and all she could think about was how absolutely precious he was. She put her free hand over his heart, and she heard him murmur her name in his sleep.
She admired him for a while, tracing little circles on his chest with her hand before she eventually moved it back to her side. When she moved her hand, she saw him stir and open his eyes as the sun started beaming in. He looked at her, a bit surprised to see her already awake and staring at her. Of course, he was concerned about her and asked if she had a rough night and if she was okay. She had slept well up until she had randomly woken up early, but she didn't want to worry him by telling him how strange she had felt that morning. She knew she should have, but she didn't want to worry him if she couldn't help it. They had a lot of work to do that day, and she knew he would want to drop everything and start doting on her if she had told him he felt the least bit off.
She was preparing to say they should get up when he told her she was forgetting something and she was a bit confused for a moment before he was pulling her closer and kissing her. She was wondering how she could forget to kiss her husband good morning, and to make it up to him she kissed him again briefly before an unavoidable wave of definite nausea seized her. Caesar definitely noticed, as he immediately grew concerned and was helping her in her attempt to sit up. She needed to get up now, as she knew her morning was about to get messy.
Running to the master bathroom, she heard Caesar call her name in a very concerned tone before she became violently ill. Within seconds, Caesar was beside her, holding her hair and stroking her back comfortingly. When she was done, Caesar drew her into his lap and was cradling her comfortingly. She could hear him whispering to her that it was okay, and she was wondering what could bring this on.
After a few moments, she told Caesar she was okay now in whatever voice she could muster. Not surprisingly, he wouldn't let her walk as he scooped her up and brought her back to bed. She knew he wouldn't let her work today and before she could even try to protest he was already reassuring her that it was fine. She figured the best way to put him at ease was to rest, and she could feel herself suddenly become very tired and fall back asleep again within moments.
She woke up hours later, and the steward came in bringing her food and informing her it was mid afternoon already. She had never been more thankful for the steward, not only because she was absolutely starving, but she knew he had been reassuring Caesar and making his day as easy as possible. She had felt significantly better when she woke up, and was perfectly fine after she ate. She was wondering what it was about the morning that made her sick.
When she was done eating, the steward had brought in the family physician, and she started asking Kara questions about what she had experienced that day. Kara had walked her through it, the physician smiled knowingly at her and asked her if her cycle had been late-and then it hit Kara-it had been late. Very late. She and Caesar had been so busy she hadn't even noticed. And she had gotten sick this morning. She thought back over the events of her honeymoon and it all made sense. When she saw Kara processing it, the physician said, "Well, Countess Drisdall, I'm pleased it's not concern that's in order but congratulations."
Kara was very happy she was already sitting in that moment because she was floored. She and Caesar were going to be parents. She almost couldn't process it. Then she realized she shouldn't be processing it alone. She desperately needed to find Caesar, and immediately set off for the office. As she approached the door, her hand was almost on the handle when the door flew open, revealing just the man she wanted to see on the other side. He stared at her wild-eyed for a moment, before she watched his expression soften as she smiled at him, sensing he may have just come to the same realization and had been about to go run to her as well.
All of a sudden, she found tears of happiness running down her face as she softly told him, "I'm pregnant." His face lit up and he lifted her up and spun her around, laughing with pure joy. "We're going to be parents," he said, still trying to process it, "we're going to have a family." Now he was the one crying out of joy. "Yeah," she replied softly while wiping the tears from his face. She knew this moment meant a lot to him too. They both dreamed of having a family, of giving their children a happy and peaceful childhood. Kara and Caesar spent the rest of the day basking in their happy news.
—
Kara woke up to see Caesar watching her, and it was like balance had been restored to the world. Kara was four months into her pregnancy now, and she wasn't really getting morning sickness anymore. She still had a suspicion that Caesar had been waking up earlier in case she had gotten sick so he could comfort and dote on her. She wasn't surprised at all that he took the doting husband role to the extreme now, but she was worried he was doting on her too much and taking too much work on so she could take it easier.
No one outside the household knew about the future addition to the Drisdall family just yet, but it was getting harder to hide it, as Kara was showing more by the day. They were preparing to tell everyone very soon, but Caesar and Kara just wanted to bask in their own joy privately before it extended to everyone.
Kara smiled at her husband, and he kissed her cheek and rested a hand on her stomach that was swelling with their child. "And how are my loves today?" He asked, staring at her with utter admiration. "Perfectly well, my love," she replied. "That's what I love to hear. Good morning, beautiful," he said before pulling her into a kiss. They got ready for their day, and after breakfast, Kara made her way to the study to write Yulie, Miu, and Cisna about her and Caesar's happy news. She had a recent letter from Yulie to reply to anyway, so the time was right.
She had been walking to the study with Caesar when the steward approached them stating that they had important visitors. Caesar and Kara looked at each other quizzically, not expecting any visitors. The steward said he had already let them in and Caesar replied saying, "Well, that might not have been the best move, but"- before he could finish, Yulie and Eldore approached behind him, leaving Kara and Caesar pleasantly surprised.
"Oh my gods, what are you two doing here?" Kara asked happily, opening her arms for Yulie as she came forward to hug her. "You didn't think you could keep us away for too long, did you? Besides, we haven't seen you since your wedding, and you haven't written to me for over a month after promising you would." "Well your timing is impeccable, because I was about to devote the morning writing to you," Kara said, pulling out of the hug and smiling back at her friend. "Well now you get to devote the morning to talking to me instead of writing," Yulie replied before adding that she wanted a glimpse into the life of Countess Drisdall. Kara observed that their news was still secret for now, as neither Yulie nor Eldore seemed to notice yet. She was showing enough to notice, but it was only visible from the side at this point.
"I was traveling to Faria and Yulie insisted on tagging along," Eldore started, "naturally, we couldn't resist a visit to our favorite Count and Countess. If you two don't mind, of course." "Mind? You both are always welcome here," Kara said, and she truly meant it. She was so glad to see them. Kara turned to greet Eldore and give him a hug, and when she pulled away she heard Yulie gasp in realization. Kara knew then that the news had been found out before she and Caesar could tell it themselves, and Kara looked at her husband, seeing on his face that he had made the same observation before looking at her.
She saw that Eldore had a confused look on his face at watching Yulie's realization and Caesar and Kara's exchanged glances, and Kara wasn't sure what to say next. Before she could rack her brain for something to say, Yulie interjected, "Well, you two certainly have been busy lately, haven't you? Seems like you definitely have a lot to catch us up on." Mrs felt her face turn bright red, and Caesar came over to her and put his arm around her shoulder comfortingly.
"How far along are you?" Yulie asked. "Four months," Kara replied, before nervously adding, "We were just about to tell you, and we were going to tell you guys first before everyone found out, but…" "We didn't want to jump the gun on announcing it," Caesar took over, "and we wanted to bask in our own joy together for just a little while before telling anyone. Our lives don't really remain private for long, we just wanted to have this for a bit." Caesar gave Kara a little squeeze as he finished explaining, and they both looked at their friends expectantly.
"Gossip does follow the House of Drisdall like flies do honey," Eldore said, smiling. "And the Drisdall family is getting bigger, I couldn't be happier for you, my friends," he added. "I can't believe you two are going to be parents," Yulie said, "You two are really going to have your hands full, huh? A city to run and a child to raise." "If our child is anything like Caesar, yeah, our hands will definitely be full," Kara said jokingly, playfully nudging Caesar's side. "Hey," he said, laughing himself.
"Well, we have a lot to catch up on," Yulie said, linking her arm in Kara's, "right, Eldore?" "Indeed," he agreed, "I believe a garden stroll would be good on a day like this?" "That sounds perfect," Kara agreed. "Don't keep her walking too long," Caesar said. "I'll be fine, my dear. It's a garden stroll, not a trek through the Lagnish," Kara replied, taking his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. "Wait, you're not coming with?" Yulie questioned. "No, I have a lot of paperwork to get through today." "And he won't let me join him in diving into work right now," Kara chimed in. "Of course he's doting on you," Yulie said, smiling, "No surprise there." "Just don't overwork yourself, okay?" Kara said, her voice tinted with her own concern, "We can't have you collapsing from exhaustion before our child even gets here." She gave her husband a tender and comforting peck on the cheek before she walked away with Yulie and Eldore to spend the day with her dear friends.
Kara spent the rest of the day catching up and laughing with her old friends, and as Caesar joined them at dinner and for the rest of the evening she delighted in seeing her husband relax a bit. He had been working himself too hard lately, and she was worried the toll it would take on him before their child even arrived.
Even though Caesar was the one working himself ragged, it was Kara who dozed off on his shoulder as the party were talking the evening away around the fireplace. She was stirred when Caesar carefully got up to pick her up off the couch and carry her to bed. "Sorry," she murmured sleepily as she found herself in Caesar's arms. "For what?" He said, amused. "For falling asleep early and ruining the party." "We'll still have time to catch up tomorrow, don't you worry," Eldore reassured her, chuckling at the sight before him of a sleepy Kara being scooped up by Caesar. "Yeah, besides, you're growing a whole life inside you. It must be exhausting. You need your rest," Yulie agreed. "Alright," Kara murmured as she fell asleep in Caesar's arms again as she let him carry her off to bed.
Yulie and Eldore departed for Faria late the next morning after breakfast, and after hugging her friends goodbye, she handed Yulie a letter containing the latest news in House Drisdall. "Since you're going to Faria anyway," she said, "if you could give this to Miu." "Of course!" Yulie replied, "I suspect it contains some important news, so I won't spoil it." She added with a wink. "Thank you, you two have a safe trip. Thanks for stopping to see us." "Hey, you're not getting rid of us that easily," Yulie said, "We're coming back in a few months to meet the newest Drisdall. Besides, it takes a village, right? You two are gonna need all the help you can get." "Hey, that's…totally true," Caesar conceded, scratching his head. As they bid their goodbyes and watched their friends depart, she heard Caesar say "Man, we have great friends." Kara wholeheartedly agreed, feeling less nervous about becoming a mother with such friends behind them. Caesar turned and offered her his arm, saying, "Well, shall we, my love?" "We shall," Kara said, taking his arm as they walked back into the mansion.
—
Five months had passed by in the blink of an eye, and to say that Caesar had hardly felt as if he had time to prepare to be a father, not that he felt like anything could really prepare him. After Yulie and Eldore's visit, the couple spread their news to the rest of their friends and their city. The arrival of the newest Drisdall was becoming the most anticipated event of the year.
And it was most anticipated by Kara, who was becoming uncomfortable and ready to have their baby any day now. The family doctor was always around in anticipation, and had placed her on strict bed rest until the baby came. He tried to make it as bearable as he could for her, but he knew she couldn't stand it. He knew Yulie and Eldore said they were coming back soon, but he was hoping it would be sooner rather than later. It would cheer Kara up.
As if they could read his thoughts, Yulie and Eldore walked through the door, greeting him happily. He emphasized how happy he was that they were here, that they would cheer Kara up immensely and provide her some entertainment. "Bed rest?" Yulie said, "you mean that baby STILL isn't here yet? Baby Drisdall sure is taking their sweet time. Poor Kara, she must be so uncomfortable." "Indeed, we arrived at the perfect time," Eldore said, "this surprise will do her good." "Well let's get going then!" Caesar said, leading the way.
Opening the door to their bedroom, Caesar saw Kara reading her fifth novel of the week, resting the book on her belly that was fully swollen with their child. She looked up at him and offered a smile. "How are you doing?" He asked, walking over to her and sitting on the bed at her side, taking her hand and kissing it affectionately. "I've definitely had worse experiences," she said, "but I can't take this much longer." "Well, I have a surprise that will hopefully cheer you up a bit." She raised an eyebrow at him, before he watched her face light up when she saw Yulie and Eldore walk through the door. Kara held her arms open as Yulie bent down to hug her as best she could.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you both," she said. "You definitely look like you could use some more company," Eldore said, "although we were expecting to be meeting your baby by this point." "You and me both, Eldore," she said with a chuckle. "Sorry to disappoint." "But enough baby speculation," she said, as if waving the topic away with her hand, "how was Faria? How's Miu? Please tell me what's going on in the world, I beg you."
"Miu is doing great and is running Faria admirably, of course. She sends her congratulations and promises to visit soon," Eldore informed her. Kara nodded, and they both listened to Yulie and Eldore talk about their travels for hours. Before they knew it, the day had turned into evening and it was already dinner time. Despite the protests of Caesar and their friends, Kara insisted on going down to dinner with them, arguing that she couldn't stay confined to this bed ALL the time and it would be good for her. Bedsides, it wasn't every day they had friends visiting.
Caesar eventually conceded, helping her out of bed and down the plentiful mansion stairs to the dining room, where he helped her into her usual seat next to him. Caesar was anxious about Kara being out of bed for so long, and she looked more uncomfortable than usual, grimacing throughout the meal. Caesar had already been attentive to her, but now never took his eyes off of her out of pure concern. Luckily Yulie had noticed too, and asked Kara if she was okay. Caesar took her hand and squeezed it, and she answered Yulie's question by saying that ever since they got up she had been experiencing droves of pain. "Kara, honey, I do believe you're having contractions," Yulie pointed out. This time she grimaced and squeezed Caesar's hand so hard he wanted to grimace in pain, but he knew the intense pain she was going through and didn't want her to feel bad.
"Why didn't you tell me before dinner?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern. "I didn't think they would get this bad this fast. And I needed something to distract me, because I'm so not ready." At this, Caesar got up and kneeled in front of his wife, taking both her hands, "Kara, are you kidding me? You are the strongest woman I know, and you can handle anything. We are going to have this baby and I know you are going to do great, okay? Now, we're gonna get you upstairs and back into bed." She nodded, and Caesar stood to help her up, while Eldore rushed to their aid to take her other arm. Caesar looked at him and nodded his thanks, as they helped her back upstairs.
They got Kara back into bed, and Yulie ran to get the family doctor, entering their room with her in tow. Before leaving to give her and Ceasar some privacy, Eldore and Yulie both squeezed her hand and wished her luck.
Caesar didn't know how many hours had passed since Kara had gone into labor, but he noticed the sun coming up through the window. The tiredness he was feeling was likely nothing compared to the pure exhaustion Kara was feeling. He did this to her. He wanted to take the pain away completely, but all he could do was let her absolutely abuse his hand by squeezing the life out of it as she screamed in pain. Every few minutes he would wipe the sweat from her brow with his free hand, but ultimately he felt kind of helpless. The doctor encouraged Kara that she was almost there, just one final push and they could meet their child. He knew she was exhausted, and it was all he could do to encourage her and squeeze her hand. She squeezed his hand in return, the most painful one yet. Caesar thought he was generally tough, but this almost took him down. Caesar was focusing on the pain his hand was in for a moment when suddenly, a baby's cries filled the room. Not just any baby's cries, their baby. "Congratulations, my Lord and Lady," the doctor said, "it's a boy." The entire moment was a blur for Caesar as he processed the fact that they now had a son, that they had brought a child into the world. He was only shaken from his thoughts as he watched the doctor, holding their now swaddled baby, hand him to Kara. He watched his wife, exhausted and dripping with the intense sweat of labor, happily take their son and greet him.
The only other time he had seen her smile so big was on their wedding day. "Hey, you. Welcome to the world," she said, as she held their baby in her arms. Happy tears started streaming down her face and blending with sweat as she held him. Caesar took the cloth he had been using to wipe her face and tenderly wiped her cheeks and forehead. She looked up at him and smiled, tired and happy. "Would you like to hold him?" She asked him. "Of course I would," he said. She handed him their son, and nothing prepared him for this moment. Their son looked up at him with Kara's purple eyes, and had a little tuft of his dark brown hair on his head. His skin was paler like Kara's, and he was beautiful.
In that moment, Caesar felt his world expand. Kara had always been his entire world, but now his entire world was his wife and his son. He looked at Kara and then back at their son—this was his family, something he had longed for. Caesar found tears rolling down his cheeks now as he sat on the bed next to Kara, and she brought her arm up to caress his cheek. "Well? What do you think?" She asked him. "He's absolutely perfect. Especially since he has your beautiful eyes." She just laughed at him, probably too tired to say anything more. He kissed the top of her head in a gesture of pure affection, and said, "you did so well, my love." He had often been in awe of Kara, but that moment when he was watching her after bringing their child into the world took the cake. As the doctor finished tending to Kara and cleaning up, she stood up and said, "Well, what's left now is to name your little one." Caesar looked at his wife, and they both sat there for moment looking at their son, wondering what name they were going to decide on.
Hours later, Caesar was sitting in bed next to Kara, one arm holding their son and the other around Kara as she was leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder as she slept peacefully getting some much needed rest. He watched her for a moment, taking her in as he had so many times before, and thought about how it never got old. He could honestly admire her forever and not get sick of it. As Caesar sat basking in the warmth of his family, he almost couldn't believe he was this lucky. That even just a couple years ago he was absolutely miserable and heartbroken, thinking he'd have to endure life without her forever, and now she was not only here, but she was his wife; and she had given him a child. He thought there was no one more fortunate than Caesar Drisdall.
Caesar looked up as the door opened, and Yulie, Eldore, and to his surprise, Leonard walked in and approached them. "They're both sleeping," Caesar warned in a whisper. "Oh my goodness," Yulie whispered as she approached, "what an absolute cutie." "Do you want to hold him?" Caesar asked her. Yulie eagerly agreed, and she took the baby from his arm. "I'm your Aunt Yulie," she cooed at him. "Do you have a name yet?" She asked Caesar. "We decided on Vincent." "Vincent Drisdall…" she said, "what a great name. I think it suits him." Eldore and Leonard agreed, and they stood over Yulie's shoulder, watching Vincent.
Caesar looked at Leonard and said quietly "Hey, man. This is a great surprise." "I couldn't let Yulie and Eldore see the highly-anticipated newest Drisdall before me, even though I was a bit late," Leonard replied. "Heh, fair enough." "Cisna wanted to come with, but couldn't get away right now. She said she will definitely write soon, though." "I'm sure Kara will love that," Caesar assured him. "How's she doing?" Eldore asked, nodding at Kara. "Exhausted, naturally. I'm just glad she's finally able to get some rest. She did so well today." Kara sighed in her sleep and brought her arm around to rest on his chest over his heart. Caesar gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face, causing her to let out a soft "hmm?" that made Caesar's heart melt before she opened her stunning eyes and looked up at him.
"Hi," she said groggily, stroking his chest with her thumb. "I didn't mean to wake you, you need to rest, my dear." "It's alright," she said, "wait, where's…" she started before sleepily taking in her surroundings and seeing Yulie holding Vincent with Eldore and Leonard standing behind her. "Hey, you guys, " she said, yawning, "Looks like the cat dragged Leonard in." "As if I was going to miss this," he replied. "We love having you here," Kara said, before adding, "Besides, Vincent needs to meet his Uncle Leonard along with his Uncle Eldore and Aunt Yulie." "I'm…Uncle Leonard?" He said, looking touched. "Of course," Kara said, "you're all family to us, we love you guys." She yawned again from exhaustion and buried her face further into Caesar's shoulder and was fast asleep again.
Before he knew it, Caesar found himself yawning with her. He hadn't gone through all Kara had just gone through, but he had been awake with her for over 24 hours, watching in complete awe as she brought their son into this world. He felt his own eyes grow heavy as he began to fade into the realm of sleep with Kara.
—
Kara woke up genuinely not sure what time it was or how long she had been asleep, all she knew was that Caesar was still there holding her. She looked up to see him still sleeping peacefully. With the events of the last couple days being an absolute daze of pain and exhaustion for Kara, she took a moment to get her bearings, and looked to the side of the bed to find Yulie curled up in the chair next to Vincent's bassinet, where she was sleeping next to the sleeping baby. Carefully sitting up, she looked over to the two couches at the foot of the bed and found Leonard on one and Eldore on the other. They must have stayed up all night with Vincent so she and Caesar could get some rest, Kara observed, and the sight of it made her heart full.
Upon feeling Kara sit up, Caesar stirred and woke up, immediately asking her if she was okay. "I'm fine, love, look: everyone's asleep." He looked around and took in the sight as well. "I think they stayed up watching Vincent all night so we could sleep," she observed. "Hmm," he hummed, before adding, "they're all pretty great, huh?" "Yeah, they're okay," Kara said jokingly, and as she continued to take in the sight of her caring family before her, she started to cry again. Naturally, Caesar was immediately attentive, brushing the tears from her face. "Kara?" he asked with concern tinting his voice, "Are you alright? Do I need to send for someone?" She waved off his offer, saying "I'm okay, I just...I never thought I deserved a family like this, and I certainly never thought I would be so fortunate as to have one...But then I met you, and that all changed. We not only have a son, but these wonderful friends who are our extended family. I'm just so happy." Caesar gently placed two fingers under Kara's chin and lifted her head up a bit to look at him. "You, my dearest, have always been deserving of love, have always been deserving of a family like this. It's why I tried like hell to make you see that when we first met. I wanted nothing more than to take you away from all that pain, knowing I would give anything to put a smile on that beautiful face and show you how much I love-" Kara cut him off with a brief but passionate kiss, resting her forehead against his when they pulled away. "I love you," she said, with the utmost conviction. "And I love you," he replied. "Well, it was a very roundabout and painful road getting here, but I believe you have accomplished your goal from when we first met," she pointed out. "It definitely has been quite a journey, you and I have had. But it has made me never take you or our family for granted." "Mmm," was all Kara could hum in response before they heard Vincent, now awake, start cooing from his bassinet.
She was about to get up to get him, but Caesar beat her to it, insisting she stay put. He gently picked Vincent up and returned to sit on the bed next to her. "Do you want him?" he asked. "Please," she said, and Caesar handed their son to her. They leaned back against the pillows on their bed, Kara found Caesar's arm around her again as she rested partially against him. Now that she had gotten some rest, she had a chance to really take him in. He had Caesar's dark brown hair, but what really stunned her was that Vincent had her violet eyes, and they were looking right up at her. "He has your beautiful eyes," Caesar pointed out, as if reading her mind like usual. "I know," she replied, "I don't know if I'll ever get used to having someone who looks so much like me. I can't believe we brought this person into the world." "I know," he said, looking at Vincent, "this is the beginning of our greatest adventure yet, Mrs. Drisdall." "Our greatest adventure...Yes, it is." Kara looked from her son to her husband, her entire world, right in front of her. Caesar was right-their lives together, their family, truly was their greatest adventure. Kara had truly never been happier.
Another chapter in the books! I'm thinking I might wrap this fic up with a little epilogue next, just because I like to tie my writing projects up into a little bow! To anyone who has read this, I genuinely hope you have enjoyed it!