Disclaimer: All characters are property of Josh Schwartz and Fox, but I love them dearly.
"Do you want to hold her?" Teresa's voice was quiet.
Ryan shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. She was so tiny. He'd break her, or hurt her.
Teresa's mother smiled. "Go ahead, Ryan. Hold her." She smiled at her daughter and continued knitting the soft pink blanket.
Ryan gulped as he lifted her from Teresa's arms. She was only a few hours old, and so small, a little over five pounds, but the doctor said she was perfectly healthy. He had watched intently as the doctors poked and prodded her, but she never cried. She just looked around, inspecting her new surroundings. Ryan thought he knew how she felt, the amazement and brightness of a new world.
Kirsten and Sandy had called and said they would be there shortly, and Ryan knew they were making a stop in Newport to buy as many pink preemie outfits as they could. There was a quiet knock at the door, and Seth and Summer walked in.
Summer walked to Teresa and hugged her, handing her an envelope. As Teresa opened it, she sat down at the foot of the bed. "It's a spa package. I figured everyone would be bringing presents for the baby, but you did all the work, so you deserved something too. I thought we could go together, make a day of it. " Teresa smiled and hugged her. "Thanks, it's great. I'm totally looking forward to it."
Ryan hadn't looked up when Seth and Summer entered the room. He couldn't stop staring at the tiny pink bundle in his arms. He kept touching her perfect little hands, caressing her perfect little cheek. When Seth say down beside him, he looked up, surprised to see him. "Hey."
"Hey yourself, Papa." Seth smiled as he touched her head gently. "I can't believe you guys had a girl. How can my namesake be a girl? She'll get made fun of."
"Seth," Teresa's voice was teasing. "We're not naming the baby after you. We've told you that a thousand times."
Seth sighed plaintively. "I know, I know. What are you naming her?"
Teresa smiled again. "That's up to Ryan. He's in charge of naming. Of course, at the rate it's taking him to decide, she'll probably be Baby Girl Ramirez until kindergarten."
They all laughed as Ryan stuck his tongue out at Teresa. Truth was, he had chosen a name, but he wanted to wait to announce it until everyone was there.
As if on cue, Sandy and Kirsten knocked lightly and walked in. They were each holding at least five bags, filled to bursting with blankets and onesies and sleepers and socks. Ryan had been right.
Teresa's eyes widened as she saw all the bags, but she laughed knowingly. Ryan had tried to warn her about how Sandy and Kirsten would go overboard buying things for the baby, but she didn't fully understand until the day the showed up at the apartment with a Range Rover full of furniture and clothes and toys. She had tried to tell them they didn't have to do it, any of it, but they waved her off just as they had Ryan so many times before.
As Ryan watched everyone hugging their hellos, his heart swelled. He was watching his family, a word he thought he'd never use again.
After hugging Teresa and her mother, Kirsten walked right over to Ryan and demanded the baby. "All right, Ryan," she said, her eyes sparkling. "It's Grandma time. Hand her over." Ryan smiled as Kirsten took the baby from him gently and sat down, unwrapping her carefully to inspect her miniature hands and feet.
"Sandy, bring me one of those preemie sleepers, will you? She's swimming in this thing."
Sandy laughed as he eyes the bags. "Kirsten, there are over seven hundred articles of clothing here. Could you be a little more specific?"
Summer got up as Kirsten gave Sandy the evil eye. "It's okay, Mr. Cohen. I've got the fashion part covered." She selected a light purple sleeper and brought it to Kirsten, who has laid the baby at Teresa's feet to change her. The girls ooohed over her tiny little features as Sandy sat down beside Ryan.
"Well, how ya feeling?"
Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out.
Sandy smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean, son. Exactly."
Ryan smiled as he watched Kirsten sit in the rocking chair with the baby. She kissed the top of her head.
"Babies smell so good, don't they? Baby Magic and milk and powder. It's the best smell in the world."
"I thought bacon was the best smell in the world?"
Summer hit Seth's shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"
Summer shrugged. "Your mom has her hands full." Kirsten smiled, still slowly rocking the baby. "So, do we have a name yet?" Everyone looked at Ryan expectantly, and he cleared his throat.
"Actually, yeah. I, um, decided last night I think. Nysa." He cleared his throat again. "It means 'new beginnings' in Greek."
Teresa beamed. "Nysa. I love it."
Seth looked at Ryan and smiled. "I didn't even know you spoke Greek."
Ryan punched Seth's arm, but they were both smiling. No one could stop smiling today.
The baby made a little squeaking noise, a preparation to cry, and Kirsten stood up and walked over to Teresa's bed. "I think she wants her mommy." Teresa smiled as she took the baby, and Ryan stood back as everyone talked about the clothes, and about how perfect she was, and how Auntie Summer would thwart Uncle Seth's plan to turn her into an emo geek, and how lucky she was to have such great grandparents, complete with Sandy and Teresa's mother winking at each other, and Ryan knew that he was the lucky one. He might not have been born to any of them, but they were his first and only family, and he loved them fiercely.