AN: After Thursday's episode, we all need some good Jo and Luna fluff where they're both happy and together! I swear if Krista doesn't make this right I'm going to cry a river and then riot on twitter!
Jo sighed yet, all of her exhaustion faded away as she walked into Luna's room on the Ped's floor. Luna had graduated to her own room a month ago after her bout of Aspiration Pneumonia. She had been taken off the ventilator, although she was still on supplemental oxygen. Since then, she had also gained a pound and a half and now weighed 6 pounds. Her preemie was now a little baby, still small, but absolutely perfect. Luna was doing so well and Jo couldn't be more proud of her little fighter.
"Hello, my Little Moon," Jo said as she went over to Luna's crib and looked down to see her swaddled in the white and blue star blanket that Jo had hung over her incubator since she was four weeks old.
Luna woke up and let out the most adorable yawn, but immediately her face contorted into a grimace as she let out a cry. Jo cooed as she carefully lifted Luna out of the crib and was careful with her oxygen and other monitors as she moved over to sit in the rocking chair. The move from the crib to the rocking chair without disturbing any of the monitors or oxygen tubes was a delicate dance that Jo had become an expert at.
Luna's fussing continued, but the second Jo picked her up, she started to calm. By the time they settled in the rocking chair, Luna had calmed down and was staring up at her with big blue eyes. Jo smiled down at Luna as they rocked back and forth and held her baby.
"Mama had such a hard day today. I don't remember my first year of residency being this hard, but Auntie Carina is kicking Mama's butt. And she speaks in Italian at a hundred words a minute, so I can barely keep up. I think I'm going to have to learn Italian if I want to keep studying with her. Can you help your Mama learn Italian, mia bella luna?" Jo said as she trailed her finger down Luna's cheek.
"But how was your day, Luna? Were you good for Dr. Hayes and your nurse Jackie?" Jo asked as Luna just stared up at her before Jo reached for the tablet and looked at Luna's chart. "Oh, I see you ate a lot today, and you were able to burp, but you peed on the nurse again. I thought we agreed we liked nurse Moria? And then you got some playtime and a good nap, no poopy diapers. I guess you're saving that for Mama, but let's try not to poop in the tub again?"
Jo continued to talk to Luna and tell her all about her day as she stared up at her. Luna became fussy again, and Jo got her a bottle, then burped her, and changed her diaper. Sure enough, she was saving the poop for Jo, but thankfully she didn't ruin her onesie. Jo got her cleaned up and then pulled out the spaced themed play mat and set it on the floor, gently placing Luna in the middle for a bit of tummy time. She also put on some soft music and dangled the little rocket ship in front of her as it seemed to be Luna's favorite, or at least she stared at it more than the other toys. Luna usually didn't like tummy time, and after a few minutes, she began to fuss, so Jo moved her onto her back where she wiggled her arms and legs and stared up at the little rocket ship that Jo clipped to the overhead bar.
Luna wasn't too active as she was still technically a newborn despite being three months old. They had to subtract from her due date, and so technically, Luna was three weeks old. Yet, she seemed so big to Jo, despite the fact that she was only 6 lb. She couldn't help but remember how tiny she was when she was in the incubator, and here she was, moving around and turning her head. She just seemed to have grown so much in such a short time. Luna wiggled around for a while until she decided she was done and began to cry. Jo swept her up into her arms and held her close, enjoying their snuggle time.
As it got dark, Jo ordered food from the cafeteria and ate dinner one handed as she held Luna. After dinner, Jo got Luna set up for a bath. Because of her sensitive skin, she only got one every few days, but they were Jo's favorite days as she got to play with her in the water, and Luna loved the water. Jo filled up the bath in the adjoined bathroom, and nurse Jackie came in to help Jo unhook Luna from all of her monitors and the oxygen tubes. Finally, Jo completely undressed her and wrapped her in a fresh swaddle blanket before going into the bathroom and setting Luna in the baby tub. Jo sat down on the ground next to the tub and grabbed a cup as she gently poured warm water over Luna's stomach in the swaddle. Luna's eyes immediately fluttered close as she seemed content in the bath.
"Yeah, you like the warm bath, don't you, Little Moon," Jo said with a smile as she poured the water over her body again.
After a few minutes, Jo began to unswaddle one of Luna's arms one at a time so she can gently wash them with a washcloth and a little bit of soap. She made sure to get in between her fingers and toes before Jo finally opened the blanket, and she rubbed the washcloth over her little tummy, gentle of the scars from her Bronchogenic cyst and the Nissen fundoplication a few weeks ago. They were just hairline scars now and Jo knew that by the time she was an adult, they would just be finger-length long. When she grew up and asked about the scars, Jo would tell Luna that her scars were nothing to be ashamed of because she was a fighter and her scars were a symbol of her survival. Jo finished washing her body and swaddled Luna back up before she gently rubbed the washcloth over Luna's cheek.
"Oh I know, I know. We don't like this part, do we?" Jo said to Luna as she fussed and turned her head away.
Jo tried to be as quick as possible, gently scrubbing away the stickiness leftover from the tape to her oxygen tubes and being as gentle with her baby's skin as she could. Jo finished up and grabbed the grey elephant baby towel as Luna cried. She unswaddled her from the wet blanket and picked her up, putting Luna in her lap with the towel as she quickly wrapped it around her. Jo held Luna close and cuddled her gently, rocking back and forth until Luna calmed down again before she drained the bath and went back into the room. Jo gently laid her down on the fresh crib sheets that Jackie had changed.
"Alright, diaper first and then, lotion, bottle, book, songs, and bed, sound good, my Little Moon?" Jo asked as she wiggled her fingers over Luna's tummy.
Jo hooked Luna back up to all of her monitors and got the oxygen tubes placed as she kicked. Jo grabbed the lotion and massaged Luna's gentle skin as she looked up at Jo with her big blue eyes. Jo picked out a fresh onesie, this one was a light blue with white outlines of little leaves all over it, before grabbing the matching blanket that Jo gently wrapped around her, but not yet swaddling her. The room had a little sink and countertop where Jo was able to make up a bottle before she chose a book from the shelf. Tonight's book was called 'My Little Brave Girl' and was one of the many gifts that Jo had received since she began the process of adopting Luna. The books had been her favorite as she settled in the rocking chair with the bottle and the book as she read to her Little Moon.
As Jo finished the book, she looked down at Luna, who was still working on the bottle. "You know, for someone who only drinks about 4 oz, you sure do take a while," Jo said as she smiled down at her and continued to stare at her as she ate.
These were her favorite moments of the day. The calm, quiet moments that she got to spend with Luna, just holding her and taking care of her. Jo transitioned into the role of Luna's mom faster than she could have ever imagined, although there were some hiccups here and there. Jo felt lucky that she still had lots of nurses and other staff at the hospital to take care of Luna while she was at work, yet she still felt every bit Luna's mom. She tried to be there when she woke up in the morning, she spent all her breaks there, and she was there to put Luna to bed at night. These days she practically lived in the room with Luna, and Hayes didn't have the heart to kick her out when she fell asleep in the rocking chair. At least it was better than the crowded Loft with Helm and Levi still crashing there. It was rough though, Jo couldn't take off her mask or ventilator helmet for very long, and she couldn't officially set up a cot, so she occasionally slept in the on-call room down the hall. Yet Jo made it work because she would rather sleep in a rocking chair than be away from Luna.
Jo heard a knock on the glass and looked up to see Bailey and Webber smiling at her as they waved. "Look, Auntie Bailey and Uncle Richard are here to see you."
Luna had finished her bottle, and Jo placed it on the shelf before she got up and walked over to stand in front of the window so Bailey and Weber could see her.
"Well, hello Luna, aren't you getting big and you look so happy in your Mama's arms," Bailey said as she waved and smiled at Luna.
"She's getting big, isn't she Wilson," Webber asked, looking down at little Luna and giving her a wave.
"She is, she ate a whole 4 ½ ounces tonight, and now she weighs 6 lb, she's getting so big," Jo said, smiling down at Luna with pride.
"Oh well, you gotta get big and strong so that you can keep your Mama on her toes, isn't that right, little missy," Bailey said as she cooed at Luna, who was fixated on her.
Luna had so many aunties and uncles who came by and visited her every day at the hospital. Even Meredith had managed to stop by and visit. Although they weren't allowed in Luna's room, they waved and smiled at her through the glass. Bailey and Weber talked to her for a little while before Luna grew fussy and tired, and they left so Jo could put her down.
Jo pulled the curtain across the glass and turned off the overhead lights before turning on the moon shaped light. She turned on the sound machine that she had gotten to play the quiet sounds of the rain. She put Luna back down on the crib to swaddle her before she picked her back up again and returned to the rocking chair.
"La la lu, La la lu,
Oh, my little star sweeper,
I'll sweep the stardust for you,
La la lu, La la lu,
Little soft, fluffy sleeper,
Here comes a pink cloud for you."
Jo had to admit she didn't have the best singing voice, but Luna's eyes fluttered close, and she settled in her arms, and quietly drifted off. Over the past few weeks, Jo had learned all the Disney lullabies, and the Little Star Sweeper song from Lady and the Tramp had quickly become Luna and Jo's favorite.
Even after Luna fell asleep, Jo kept singing the lullaby once more, and she continued to rock and hold Luna. She never felt like she got enough time with her, in between her residency and her studies, and Luna being in the hospital, being rounded on and checked over. Jo could hold Luna forever and some nights she did. As soon as she was sure she could move without waking her up, Jo grabbed her OB/GYN books and the TV remote and settled in to study with Luna in one arm. Although it was hard to concentrate with the sleeping little girl in her arms captured her attention every time Jo looked at her. She didn't even notice Hayes and Schmitt coming into the room with the interns for the night rounds until he pulled back the curtain and turned on the lights.
"What the hell are you doing? Turn off the lights!" Jo hissed at them as she pulled the blanket up over Luna's head.
"Our apologies Wilson," Hayes said as he glared at the interns until Dr. Khan turned off the lights.
"Young Ortiz, presen."
"Luna Ashton," Ortiz said in a normal tone as Luna stirred in Jo's arms.
"Shhh!" Jo shushed her along with a glare as Ortiz shrank back.
"Ummm Luna Ashton, 4 ½ months old, born at 26 weeks, surgery at four weeks old for a Bronchogenic cyst, and another at 4 months for Nissen fundoplication, is now breathing on her own and her gastroesophageal reflux is under control. She has had no episodes of apnea or bradycardia for the last two weeks, is able to maintain her temperature, is taking donated breast milk by bottle, and weighed 6lb and 1oz at this morning's weight check."
As Ortiz presented, Hayes came over, and Jo reluctantly let him hold Luna and move her over to lay in the crib as he checked her lungs. Luna slept through the whole thing. It was the touch of a good pediatric surgeon. Arizona had that touch and so did Alex. Jo took a deep breath as she ignored the thought of her ex-husband and focused on the baby in front of her.
"Conclusion?" Hayes asked as he finished his exam and gave Luna back to Jo.
"Discharge with continued supplemental oxygen at home?" Ortiz said, unsure as she read the chart.
"What?" Jo asked, looking between Ortiz and Hayes.
Hayes just smiled as Jo just stared at him in shock. "Carry on to the next patient and wait for me there."
"Levi can stay," Jo said, looking at him.
The interns filtered out and closed the door as Jo just started at Hayes. "Luna can go home with me?"
"Yes, she is doing well even on supplemental oxygen, and we'll get you set up with a CPAP machine and an apnea monitor, but with a doctor for a mum, I'm sure Luna will be in good hands," Hayes said as he crossed his arms with a smile. "Get your maternity leave sorted and anything else you need from the courts, and we will schedule a date for the car seat test, and then the two of you can go home."
"She can come home with me. Luna can come home?" Jo asked, still in disbelief.
"Yes," Hayes said with a smile.
"Jo this is amazing! Luna gets to go home!" Levi said, getting excited. "I'll help you get the medical equipment tonight, and you can talk to Bailey and Carina tomorrow, and she can be home by this weekend."
"Home," Jo whispered, looking down at Luna.
Home had been the hospital for Luna's entire life and this room had become Jo's home too for the last few weeks. The thought of bringing her baby home to the Loft was both exciting and terrifying. Here at the hospital, Luna had round-the-clock medical care and a number of nurses who helped Jo take care of Luna's day-to-day needs as well as all of her medical needs. Going home meant that Jo would have to do all of this on her own and although she knew how to do it, it was different because Luna was her baby. She had taken care of a number of babies when she was a resident in Ped, but this was her own kid, and there were no breaks, no shift ends. It was only her.
"Jo. Hey Jo," Levi said, putting his hand on her shoulder as Jo finally came out of her head and looked up at him. "Don't worry, it's a good thing, and you're more than ready for it."
"I know," Jo said, taking a deep breath before she looked down at Luna. "We're going to be going home, my Little Moon, home."
The day of the car seat test came, and from the moment they set Luna into the little black car seat, Jo became a nervous wreck. They got Luna settled, set up the monitor, and then they started the clock. Jo spent the hour pacing the length of Luna's room as she watched the monitor for any signs of a drop in heart rate. Jo was an anxious parent whenever it came to anything regarding Luna. Each time she so much as hiccup wronged, Jo instantly tensed up. She became just another mom on the NICU ward, and all of her logic and medical training went out the window as she worried for her daughter. Luna just watched Jo as she paced before she decided that her Mama was boring and slept through the rest of the car seat test.
The hour was over before she knew it and Luna was officially a graduate of the NICU. There was a little bit of excitement and celebration in the room as everyone started clapping. Jo got Luna out of the car seat as she smiled down at her Little Moon. One of the nurses presented her with a tiny graduation cap that had the number of days Luna was in the NICU, along with a tiny little onesie that said NICU graduate. They were finally going home and Jo could hardly believe it.
They all got packed up to leave, and all of the nurses and staff who had come to know and love Luna just as much as she did, came to see them off. They presented her with so many gifts that Jo could barely fit them all in her car. When they walked out of the hospital, everybody was there to see them off, including Bailey, Webber, Levi, Helm, Maggie, Winston, Hayes, Teddy, Owen, and Amelia as they all wished her congratulations. Finally, Link was waiting for them next to her car.
"Your chariot awaits m'ladies," Link said, opening the back door for her.
"Thank you for doing this," Jo said as she put Luna's car seat in the car and reached out to pull Link in for a hug.
She felt so lucky that she had such amazing friends and family who stepped up to be there for her and Luna. She would have never succeeded in becoming Luna's guardian or becoming her Mama if it weren't for her friends encouraging and supporting her.
"Ready?" Link asked as he turned around in the front seat as Jo got Luna's car seat settled and sat next to her.
"Yes," Jo said as she looked down at Luna, who she suckled on her pacifier, still looking ever so small in her car seat. "Let's go home."
Jo looked down at Luna for the beginning of the ride home, cooing to her and talking to her about the outside world and the parks and other places they would go to. Link made sure to try and distract her with small talk, excitedly talking about how they could have playdates now with Scout and he can meet Luna. As well as a few tricks and things he had learned in the past few months with Scout. It was weird seeing her best friend be a parent and even weirder to think that she was now a mom to her own little girl.
She was so focused on Luna that she didn't even notice when he finally pulled up to Meredith's. It was bittersweet, pulling up to the house. Jo had originally wanted to take Luna home to the Loft as it had been her home for years, but when she did the first walk through with her lawyer, she said it was unlikely that she would get approved to live in such a place as it was hardly baby-friendly. Meredith's house had been approved for foster care before, and all they had to do was update the license and redo the background checks. Meredith had graciously and excitedly offered to let Jo and Luna move back into the house. Still, it wouldn't be home, but then again, the Loft hadn't felt like home since Alex had left. Jo felt like she was just shuffling between the hospital and the Loft the way she did when she was in foster care. She hoped that with time and with a little decorating, their room at the house could become their home.
Link quickly came around to help her out of the car. He grabbed Luna's oxygen tank, and Jo held the car seat as they walked into the house. As soon as they walked in, they saw the huge banner across the staircase that said 'Welcome home Auntie Jo and Luna.' As they looked into the living room Meredith and the kids were all there waiting for them. As soon as they noticed her, they all jumped up to run and greet her.
"Auntie Jo, you're here!" Zola said, getting to her first and wrapping her arms around Jo's waist.
"We missed you!" Ellis said as she and Bailey bombarded Jo with hugs before they all pulled back and crouched down in front of the car seat that Jo had set on the floor.
"Is this her? Is this our new cousin?" Zola said, smiling down at her. "Hi, baby Luna."
"She's so tiny," Bailey said as they all stared down at Luna. "Scout was much bigger when you brought him home from the hospital, Uncle Link."
Luna stared up at her new cousins with wide eyes taking them in as they watched her. Jo knew she shouldn't be, but she couldn't help but feel anxious, especially as Ellis reached out to touch her.
"Ellis, you need to ask Auntie Jo first before you touch Luna, and you need to wash your hands too," Meredith said, coming up behind Ellis and putting her hands on her shoulders. "Why don't the three of you go put the finishing touches on Auntie Jo's room, and we'll be up in a second."
"Yeah, come on guys," Bailey said, leading the charge up the stairs.
"I'm really glad you're here, Auntie Jo. We've missed you, especially since Uncle Alex left," Zola said, giving her another hug before she disappeared up the stairs.
Jo smiled as they left, she had missed them too. They were her nieces and nephew despite how they weren't blood-related. She knew that they loved her, but going to Meredith's house just wasn't the same without Alex. And she hadn't seen the kids since the pandemic started.
Meredith came over and pulled her in for a hug before she looked back at Luna. "How does it feel to finally be home with her?"
"I am excited and a little terrified," Jo said as she reached down and got Luna out of her car seat.
"I was too when we first brought Zola home, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough," Meredith said, giving her shoulder a squeeze before she looked back at the living room. "We've got a second oxygen machine set up down here, as well as a pack and play, a high chair, and anything else you and Luna could need."
"Thank you," Jo said, looking around the room and smiling. She recognized the pack and play and some of the toys from when Meredith's kids were babies, and it was nice that Luna was able to inherit these things from family.
"Well, let's go upstairs, and you can start unpacking," Meredith said as she walked over to the stairs.
"I'll stick around and help you out," Link said as he picked up the oxygen tank again and the three of them headed up.
Having lived there once before, Jo was familiar with the house and wasn't surprised when they led her into Cristina/Maggie's former room. She could hear all the kids giggling behind the door, and Bailey peeked out before Zola pulled him back in. Finally, they opened the door to her room. Jo gasped as she looked around her room. It was all set up and ready for her and Luna. The walls had been painted the same light red color as the door to the loft, and her bed had been made up with the same comforter, and even her macrame tapestry hung on the wall. Alex's nightstand was on the right and hers on the left. There were their shelves and her woven laundry basket. Her TV was set up across from the bed, even her plants hung in the window. It was like they had simply picked up everything from her room in the Loft and put it exactly how it was in the room before her.
In the corner of the room, there was a galaxy tapestry with hanging lights at the differentiation of the little space for the nursery. Luna's white crib with her little rocket shelf was next to it with the rocker, and the little mobile with all the planets, stars, and the little moon were hung above it. Jo took everything in with wide eyed as she looked around the room and a smile stretched across her face.
"Being a new mom is hard," Meredith said as Jo turned around to look at her and Link. "It's exhausting and never ending, and it can be very lonely, especially if you're doing it as a single parent. It's good to have a support system, and since I'm only back at work part-time, I'm able to help you whenever you need it."
"And since Amelia and I are switching off shifts for now and Scout is here whenever one of us isn't, I can help you to, and we can figure out how to raise our kids together," Link said with a smile, it was something that they had once dreamed about doing and now they finally could.
"I can help you out too," Zola chimed in, hopping off the bed and coming over to them. "I can play with her and keep her entertained, and I can give her a bottle or put her down for a nap, too."
"Me too, except that I don't do diapers," Bailey said as everyone laughed.
"Don't worry guys, I'll do all the diaper changes," Jo assured him as she reached out to ruffle his long blonde hair.
"Can I sleep in here with you, Auntie Jo?" Ellis asked, she had already crawled up on Jo's bed and was happily lying against the pillows.
She had always crawled up on their bed whenever Jo and Alex babysat her at the Loft. Jo had no doubt that Ellis would do exactly as her mom used to do and slip into Jo's bed in the middle of the night.
"We'll see Ellie-Belly," Jo said, giving her a wink before she looked around the room again. "Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to me, to both of us."
She looked over at her two best friends who were like her family and they would be Luna's family too. She smiled down at Luna, who was eagerly looking around, and walked over to the crib, she gave the mobile a light spin, turning the stars and planets, and it quickly got her attention. Luna stared at it for a second before she caught Jo's eye and stared up at her, and opened her mouth as if she was smiling and Jo smiled too.
"Welcome home, my Little Moon."