If you want to know more about my stories, check out my facebook group, Agoodwitch Writes.
This chapter is a little shorter than normal, but we're approaching a time jump in the next chapter, so I just let it come to a natural end. Hope you enjoy mobward and his family time. Thanks to Sunshine1220 and Mizzdee for their work on this story. Did a ton of research on birth and raising newborns in the sixties, so I hope you enjoy the details.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 13
I drove Isabella to Kings County hospital and led her inside. A nurse rushed over as I helped to keep her upright through another contraction. They whisked Isabella away and pointed me in the direction of the waiting room. Part of me wanted to tell them off, but I also knew I had no business being in that room.
The waiting room wasn't empty when I walked in, but as I sat down I was given a wide berth. I hated not knowing anything. I didn't know what was going on with my men. I didn't know what was going on with my wife. It was not a feeling I was familiar with and that made it worse.
A doctor walked out and approached a man seated on the other end of the room. They spoke briefly and then they left together.
Time continued to pass, the hands of the clock mocking me as I was given no information.
One by one, the other men were led out while I remained there. As the last man was escorted out, the door to my left opened and my father walked in.
"Jasper told me Isabella went into labor. How are things going?"
"I don't know, they haven't said anything."
"Well, no news is good news in this case," my dad said.
"So, Jasper and the guys made it back?"
"Yeah, whoever was in charge of the shipments realized the pattern, so they started moving the shipment dates and departure times."
"So, no competition edging in on our territory?"
"No, and our connection was taken off the route. He'd informed Vito Jr., but apparently he didn't pass that along."
"Emmett's cousin didn't think we'd need to know this? We could have had our guys pinched if they'd gone to the cops." I hissed.
My hands found my hair and I gave it a tug. Everything was out of my control.
"Edward, this is the nature of what we do. They caught wind of it, so we lay off their shipments. Something else will fill it in. Vito Jr. should have known we were skimming too often. This isn't his first rodeo."
"Well, I'll pay him a visit to remind him that he needs to be smarter about what he's overseeing."
"We can handle that for you-"
"No. If I send Emmett then it looks like I'm going easy on him. He won't respect Jasper because he's newly made, and if you or Aro go then it means I can't handle my own business. Once I know Isabella and the baby are okay, I'll do it."
My father shook his head. "What you need to focus on is Isabella. You brought her in around seven, right? So she's been in there for ten hours."
My head shot up and I looked at the clock. "I thought it had only been my imagination that it felt like forever. What if something is wrong? They wouldn't tell me. They have no reason to tell me anything."
My father's hand found my shoulder. "Edward, I've sat in a room like this through two births. Babies take a long time to be born. Especially the first born. This is just the beginning, I'm afraid."
Time passed in odd intervals after that conversation. An hour would drag by and then the next two would go in what felt like minutes. My father sat beside me the entire time. Esme came by with a suitcase for Isabella's hospital stay and sandwiches. I wasn't planning to eat it, but Esme stood in front of me tapping her foot on the ground with narrowed eyes. I begrudgingly ate what she'd brought to appease her, but as soon as I was done, a nurse walked through the door. "Mr. Masen?"
"Yes?" I stood up.
"Mrs. Masen has been taken to the delivery room. A doctor will be out to speak to you once the birth is over."
"Thank you," I croaked. She nodded and made her way back towards the doors that led to the maternity ward.
It was another ninety-four minutes before a doctor walked through those doors. A chair moving across the room drew my attention to the fact that there were other people in the waiting room again. I didn't remember anyone else coming in.
"Mr. Masen?" An older man called.
I once again flew out of my seat at the sound of my name. "How's my wife?"
"Relax, Mr. Masen. I'm Dr. Woods. Your wife is being moved to a private room per your arrangements. It was a long labor, but she and your daughter are both doing well."
"It's a girl?" A wave of relief rushed through me. I would have loved a boy, but this eliminated the worry of alienating him when he realized there would be limits to him joining the family business.
"Can I see them?" I asked. He said they were fine, but I wouldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.
"You can go by the nursery and see your daughter, but by the time your wife is settled it will be past visiting hours. You can see her in the morning. She's in room 332."
The doctor led us through the doors and to the nursery where I searched the pink bundles until I saw the card that read Baby Masen.
She was tiny and red faced, but there was no denying that she was beautiful. Just like her mother.
"Edward," Esme said. "I'm going to the third floor to leave Isabella's bag at the nurse's station until she's moved to her room."
"Thanks, Ma."
I walked out to where I'd parked last night, ready to deal with Vito Jr. It wasn't a long drive to his house, but when I pulled up, the curtain moved slightly.
I was barely out of the car when the front door opened and Dora was waiting with her arms wide open. "Edward, I hear you're a father, congratulations!"
"Thank you, Dora. Is Vito here? I need to talk to him."
"He's down in the den. Have you eaten? The dog food they serve at the hospital couldn't have been filling."
"Thank you, Dora, but Esme brought food for my father and me and I've got leftovers at the house. I won't be here too long."
I walked down the hall and descended the handful of steps until I was in Vito's den. He was sitting in the recliner, oblivious to my entrance. "You've gotten sloppy, V."
His eyes popped open and he nearly jumped out of the chair. "Edward, what a surprise."
"I'm sure it is. But there's something we need to clear up."
"Jasper said Isabella went into labor, you should be with her and the baby."
"I'm exactly where I need to be right now." I moved closer to him. "As I said, you got sloppy with these shipments, and you didn't tell us when they were getting wise to it. We could have lost good men because of it."
Vito paled, sweat beading on his forehead. "Edward, I'm sorry. I thought it was just shipments getting moved around and that my contact would get back to me, but then he didn't and I didn't know how to come to you."
"You come to me like a man, Vito. You walk into my office and tell me there's a problem and we figure out how to fix it. I'm giving you a break because you've been working for us for a long time, but this isn't the time to fuck up. Next time, I won't be so forgiving."
"I understand, boss. It won't happen again."
"Good to hear. Now, let's have a drink quick to settle this and toast my daughter."
Vito let out a gust of air, his shoulders slumping in relief. He poured us both a healthy glass of whiskey from his liquor cabinet and we toasted to my little girl.
I left after that and drove home, heating up some of Isabella's leftover lasagna and eating before going to bed. Having been up for a day and a half, it didn't take much to fall asleep.
The next morning I was at the hospital for the start of visiting hours and seeing Isabella eased every frazzled nerve I had. She was sitting up in bed, smiling at me as I entered.
"Have you seen her?" she asked.
"Last night, once she was settled. How are you feeling? I'm sure you're still tired."
"I was knocked out for most of it, but I also get tired pretty easily. They should be bringing her in any moment for her breakfast."
"Any ideas on a name?" I asked. We hadn't discussed names much, Isabella had wanted to wait until she met her.
"I have one in mind."
"Well, don't keep me in suspense," I told her.
"Antoinette."
Just then the nurse came in with the baby. She wheeled her over to Isabella and she got into position to feed her. The nurse handed her a bottle, and I watched as she fed our daughter. I moved to the head of the bed on the far side to give her space and watch the moment they were sharing. All too soon, Isabella was passing the baby back to the nurse and she was wheeled out. I didn't even get a chance to hold her.
"I think Antoinette is a perfect name for our little princess."
The next four days were all the same. I'd visit Isabella while she was in the hospital, and she got used to taking care of all of Antoinette's needs. I got to hold her a few times, having to fight the nurse to keep her from scurrying off with the baby as soon as she was fed or changed.
Thankfully, Isabella and Antoinette were finally cleared to be released and I made sure we had everything we needed. I'd also made it clear to my family and our friends that I didn't want to be bothered until tomorrow. I didn't want Isabella to be overwhelmed with well-wishers when we were just getting settled.
I carried in the bassinet holding Antoinette and Isabella's suitcase so my wife didn't have anything to worry about. She was still a bit sore, but she promised it wasn't anything too troublesome.
I went to the bedroom and put Antoinette in the crib and watched as she settled into the mattress. When I returned to the living room, Isabella was sitting on the couch.
"Did you have trouble finding the formula?" Isabella asked.
"No, I gave the information to Esme and she found it for me. I think she bought us enough to last us until Christmas."
"That's Esme."
"Do you want me to heat up something for dinner?"
"That sounds nice."
I got to work following Esme's directions for how to reheat one of the dishes she'd prepared for us and then served it to Isabella and me. We'd just finished eating when Antoinette began to cry. Isabella went to get her while I took out the formula and tried to figure out how to mix it. Isabella found me in the kitchen trying to warm the bottle.
"Here, you hold her and I'll finish up."
Isabella held out our girl and I tried my best to cradle her properly. She helped me to adjust a little and then sent me to sit on the couch. Once I was settled, I looked down at our daughter and had to smile at the way she burrowed into my embrace.
"Here's her bottle. Feed her for me while I clean up?"
"I can get that," I told her.
"Spend time with her. She needs to get to know her father."
I took the bottle, held it to her lips and she latched on. Watching her respond tugged at my heart and made me smile. I could see the wisps of dark hair and had a moment of gratitude that she was singularly her mother. Even her eyes were dark.
Antoinette finished the bottle and I tried to adjust her onto my shoulder so I could burp her, but it just wasn't working. She began to fuss and Isabella came back in the room, sitting beside me.
"You can pat her harder," she said as she showed me the right way to do it.
Once Antoinette let out her little burp, she gripped the front of my shirt and fell asleep.
"She's in love already, not that I blame her."
"The feeling is mutual."
The first few days we had family come by to check on us and meet Antoinette properly. Peter in particular was excited to meet his cousin.
Aro got home from Italy and made sure to visit. He wanted details about what he'd missed and then told me that I was off for a few weeks as promised.
That time was precious to me.
We made plans for when we both went back to the real world, with Nonna claiming as much time as she could. It would still be a while before Isabella returned to the bakery, but I promised to take late nights to her early mornings.
Our luck in Antoinette's temperament made it easy in those early weeks as she fell asleep easy and only cried when she needed something. My father claimed that was all Isabella.
"You'd better hope all your children take after their mother, because we were convinced someone had cursed you. Aro even bought a little cornicello necklace for when you were old enough and one hung in your nursery," Dad explained as he held Antoinette.
"She's my little angel, Dad. I would do anything for her. It makes me nervous for next week when Isabella returns to the cafe part time. I tried to convince her that she didn't have to, but she wants out of the house. She even told me it could be her birthday gift, to let her have a little freedom now that our girl is two months old."
"Your mother is excited for Nonna and Toni time, so that makes me happy. You'll learn quick that if it makes Mama happy then it makes your life easier. But try and do something more than that."
"Dinner at home with our daughter and a ruby necklace to represent our little one."
My dad laughed. "You're learning fast."
The months kept moving forward and I was enjoying watching Antoinette become her own person.
There was no denying she had me wrapped around her little finger, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Cornicello - a horn shaped amulet worn by Italians to ward off the evil eye.