Lona felt herself drifting somewhere, she wasn't really sure where.
All she really knew or cared about was that it was soft and warm. Warm.
It had been so long since she had felt really warm. Suddenly she heard a noise, intruding in the cozy nest she was resting in. She didn't know what it was but she felt the noise drawing her up and still further up.
"Lona?" Elmer whispered as he looked down at her. Her eyelids had twitched. She was sure that they had twitched. He gently cuddled the baby against him, trying as hard as he could to soothe its soft whimperings.
"Lona?" She had been sleeping for hours now. Why wasn't she waking up?
"Elmer?" Lona slowly opened her eyes, memories of what had occurred that day coming rushing back along with consciousness. A hand reached down, feeling of her stomach as panic filled her eyes. Her baby, where was her baby? "Elmer?" Did something happen to the baby or maybe it was only a dream? Tears stung her eyes as that thought hit her. No matter how unexpected and strange the pregnancy was, she had wanted that baby and.
She started to try to pull herself into a sitting position but couldn't quite manage it. "Elmer, please tell me that the baby's okay and that I didn't just dream that...."
"Just stay still, okay?" Elmer told her quietly. "Someone here's been waiting a little too long to meet you." He reached out, gently tucking the baby into Lona's arms.
Lona stared in shock at the little bundle for a moment, not really sure what to do, not even sure that she should be trusted to hold a baby.
She hadn't really done it before but.... She reached out and gently touched the baby's cheek with one finger, causing the little one to look up at her for a moment before it started to whimper softly once more.
"I think that it maybe wants to eat. That's what Mary said,
anyway." Elmer said softly as he moved over to the bed, raising Lona's head and shoulders up slightly so she was resting against his chest. He didn't know if she would object to that or not but he just wanted to hold her, to reassure himself that she was okay after how close he had came to losing her.
"It? You mean you didn't bother to check to see if we have a boy or a girl?" Lona fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, grateful that she had worn something that she could at least open a bit easier today.
"I wanted to wait for you." Elmer reached down and helped her with the last few buttons, turning his head slightly as she unfastened the silky fabric beneath.
"I hope you know how to do this because I sure don't." Lona whispered to the baby as she cuddled the baby close to her breast and was relieved a moment latter when she felt the little one latch on and then heard soft swallowing sounds. She looked down at the baby, watching it eat as the size of the situation that they were in suddenly hit her. A baby.
She had really had a baby, a baby that had been fathered by Elmer. How could she.... She didn't know anything about babies! How could she suddenly have one when she didn't know how to take care of it or.
Clothes, diapers, all of that baby stuff that she had seen friends purchasing over the years. She didn't have any of it! She felt herself starting to hyperventilate slightly as she thought of more and more things that the baby would need and....
"Lona, calm down. What's wrong?" Elmer shook his head slightly.
He couldn't believe that he was actually having to be the one to tell someone to calm down for a change.
"We don't...." She looked down at the baby once more, wanting to make sure that this entire situation was really happening. Yes, there was definitely a baby there and even if she wasn't nursing it at the moments,
various aches and pains were pointing out all too clearly that she had just given birth. "We're not ready for a baby! There are things you have to have, things you have to know...." She suddenly felt herself starting to cry. "The baby's going to end up sleeping in a drawer or a box or...."
"Lona?" Elmer honestly hadn't seen her this freaked since they ended up in that morgue back in the Old Kingdom for the first time. He started to gently rock her back and forth, trying to calm her. "Lona, they have stores, you know. Stores full of baby things. And you're going to be here for awhile. Hook and Chris want to watch you and make sure everything's okay. I'll take care of getting all of the baby stuff. Don't worry about it."
"You'll...." Lona looked at Elmer in surprise as if she didn't quite understand what he was saying.
"Lona, I'm not going to leaving you to raise this baby on your own.
It's my baby too, remember? I'm going to stay with you and take care of both of you. I love you." Okay, maybe it wasn't very fancy and Elmer was sure that he could have done a bit better if he had had time to plan it out a bit more but maybe a simple declaration of his feelings would be enough.
He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before wrapping his arms around hers so that both of them were holding the baby now. "I love both of you. So, do you think you want to find what the baby is so we can stop calling it, it?"
All she really knew or cared about was that it was soft and warm. Warm.
It had been so long since she had felt really warm. Suddenly she heard a noise, intruding in the cozy nest she was resting in. She didn't know what it was but she felt the noise drawing her up and still further up.
"Lona?" Elmer whispered as he looked down at her. Her eyelids had twitched. She was sure that they had twitched. He gently cuddled the baby against him, trying as hard as he could to soothe its soft whimperings.
"Lona?" She had been sleeping for hours now. Why wasn't she waking up?
"Elmer?" Lona slowly opened her eyes, memories of what had occurred that day coming rushing back along with consciousness. A hand reached down, feeling of her stomach as panic filled her eyes. Her baby, where was her baby? "Elmer?" Did something happen to the baby or maybe it was only a dream? Tears stung her eyes as that thought hit her. No matter how unexpected and strange the pregnancy was, she had wanted that baby and.
She started to try to pull herself into a sitting position but couldn't quite manage it. "Elmer, please tell me that the baby's okay and that I didn't just dream that...."
"Just stay still, okay?" Elmer told her quietly. "Someone here's been waiting a little too long to meet you." He reached out, gently tucking the baby into Lona's arms.
Lona stared in shock at the little bundle for a moment, not really sure what to do, not even sure that she should be trusted to hold a baby.
She hadn't really done it before but.... She reached out and gently touched the baby's cheek with one finger, causing the little one to look up at her for a moment before it started to whimper softly once more.
"I think that it maybe wants to eat. That's what Mary said,
anyway." Elmer said softly as he moved over to the bed, raising Lona's head and shoulders up slightly so she was resting against his chest. He didn't know if she would object to that or not but he just wanted to hold her, to reassure himself that she was okay after how close he had came to losing her.
"It? You mean you didn't bother to check to see if we have a boy or a girl?" Lona fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, grateful that she had worn something that she could at least open a bit easier today.
"I wanted to wait for you." Elmer reached down and helped her with the last few buttons, turning his head slightly as she unfastened the silky fabric beneath.
"I hope you know how to do this because I sure don't." Lona whispered to the baby as she cuddled the baby close to her breast and was relieved a moment latter when she felt the little one latch on and then heard soft swallowing sounds. She looked down at the baby, watching it eat as the size of the situation that they were in suddenly hit her. A baby.
She had really had a baby, a baby that had been fathered by Elmer. How could she.... She didn't know anything about babies! How could she suddenly have one when she didn't know how to take care of it or.
Clothes, diapers, all of that baby stuff that she had seen friends purchasing over the years. She didn't have any of it! She felt herself starting to hyperventilate slightly as she thought of more and more things that the baby would need and....
"Lona, calm down. What's wrong?" Elmer shook his head slightly.
He couldn't believe that he was actually having to be the one to tell someone to calm down for a change.
"We don't...." She looked down at the baby once more, wanting to make sure that this entire situation was really happening. Yes, there was definitely a baby there and even if she wasn't nursing it at the moments,
various aches and pains were pointing out all too clearly that she had just given birth. "We're not ready for a baby! There are things you have to have, things you have to know...." She suddenly felt herself starting to cry. "The baby's going to end up sleeping in a drawer or a box or...."
"Lona?" Elmer honestly hadn't seen her this freaked since they ended up in that morgue back in the Old Kingdom for the first time. He started to gently rock her back and forth, trying to calm her. "Lona, they have stores, you know. Stores full of baby things. And you're going to be here for awhile. Hook and Chris want to watch you and make sure everything's okay. I'll take care of getting all of the baby stuff. Don't worry about it."
"You'll...." Lona looked at Elmer in surprise as if she didn't quite understand what he was saying.
"Lona, I'm not going to leaving you to raise this baby on your own.
It's my baby too, remember? I'm going to stay with you and take care of both of you. I love you." Okay, maybe it wasn't very fancy and Elmer was sure that he could have done a bit better if he had had time to plan it out a bit more but maybe a simple declaration of his feelings would be enough.
He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before wrapping his arms around hers so that both of them were holding the baby now. "I love both of you. So, do you think you want to find what the baby is so we can stop calling it, it?"