Motherhood Chapter 3

Enlightened Mother

Disclaimer: I own no one recognizable! If they're recognizable, they're owned by WWE

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"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Jackie questioned. Slowly, Dawn nodded as she held nine-week-old Milan.

"Relax, you'll be gone one,two hours tops! What could go wrong?" Dawn muttered. She glanced down at the baby. "Mommy will be home soon. Nothing can or will go wrong,"

Nervously, Jackie backed down the driveway. This was the first time Dawn had ever been left completely alone with their young daughter. Dawn did have a point. It was only a doctor's appointment and a few minor errands.What could go wrong?

"Well, we got rid of Mommy," Dawn commented, speaking to no one in particular. Milan glanced up at her. Her look said, "Yeah right, Ma!" She then scrunched her nose and began to cry. "You're okay, Princess,"

Dawn almost began to panic. The incessant crying was beginning to get to her. Checking her watch, she realized it was time for Milan's feeding.

"Sorry," she muttered, getting her mind back. She unbuttoned her flannel 'babycare' shirt. Then, she picked up a bottle of breastmilk and settled down to feed her.

Dawn settled into the couch. The baby was asleep. The house was clean. Mothering wasn't so hard.

Then, the phone rang.

It woke Milan. She howled with piercing wails. She was angry, upset and every other negative emotion.

"Hello?" Dawn muttered, a hint of annoyance prominent in her voice.

"Did I wake her?"

"Yes, Jackie. You woke the baby,"

"Sorry, but I meant to tell you,"

"Tell me what?"

"My mom's flying in tonight,"

"Oh no! Do you want me to start dinner?"

"Sure, make pasta please,"

"Fine, we'll work out the other details after I get Milan back to sleep," she said. Jackie hung up. Dawn made her way over to the baby swing.

Milan was flailing and screeching. Her face was red with fury. Dawn gently picked her up. She gently kissed the baby's downy blonde hair.

"Let's get you a clean diaper," Dawn cooed, setting the baby on a diaper pad that was on the floor. She unsnapped the crotch of her pink sleeper and undid the diaper tape. The baby still screeched with fury. The phone rang. Leaving Milan on the floor, she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Where is Mom going to sleep? We turned the guest room into the nursery!"

"Hon, we have a pull-out couch,"

"Mom can't and won't sleep on a pull-out couch! We'll take the pull-out,"

"Whatever you say, Jack. Can I get Milan settled?"

"Fine," Jackie hung up.

Jackie and Dawn were so different that they butted heads over the slightest things. It didn't mean they didn't love each other but it did mean that they argued ALOT.

Quickly and with minimal fuss, Milan was diapered. She was just incredibly fussy.

"Oh, do you need clean clothes? What a messy baby!" she cooed. Around Milan, her entire outlook changed. She was optimistic, instead of pesimistic.

"How 'bout this?" she cooed, pulling out a yellow Disney sleeper. Since Jackie was disorganized, baby clothes were literally everywhere. She carefully dressed the baby. Milan stared at her helplessly. Grabbing a bright fleece blanket, Dawn gently swaddled her.

Soon, Milan was sound asleep. Gently, Dawn placed her in her Moses basket. Turning the monitor on, she silently crept out of the living room.

Exhausted, she turned her attention towards their bedroom. Like always, her half of the room was neat and tidy. Jackie's half of the room was messy.

Clothes were thrown everywhere. Baby care books were stacked haphazardly on the nightstand.

Dawn began to throw clothes into a plastic laundry basket. Just as she went to start a load of laundry, the phone rang.

Milan woke with a screeching wail. She had always been a light sleeper.

Dawn, annoyed with having the baby woken a third time, grabbed the cordless phone off the bedside table.

"Yes?"

"Mechanic says my car needs new brakes. Can you pick me up and run me around?"

"Jackie, how long are we going to be down a car?"

"Few hours,"

"Fine, give me a fifteen minutes. I need to get Milan settled, and get a diaper bag together etc, etc, etc,"

"Did I wake her?"

"Yes,"

"Sorry," Jackie muttered, hanging up. Dawn closed her eyes as she made her way into the living room.

So typical! She gets mad at me for ACCIDENTALLY waking Milan but she can do it twice! she thought as she hurriedly threw together a diaper bag. Milan still cried. "Come on, Princess!"

She drove in silence. The gentle motion of the car lulled the baby to sleep. Dawn finally had silence.

As Jackie slid into the front seat, Dawn motioned for her to keep quiet. Milan didn't need to be woken a third time.

"Sorry," Jackie muttered in hushed tones. Dawn shrugged. "I have my final follow-up with my OB/GYN. Then, we need to pick Mom up from the airport," Dawn tried but she couldn't help it. She had to groan.

"Your mom hates me!" she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about Milan. Luckily, the baby stayed asleep. Jackie's mother was conservative. She had had a hard time getting used to the fact her daughter was a lesbian. She hated Dawn, claiming 'she had corrupted my little girl,'.

"Mom's got to see Milan! She hasn't seen her yet!" Jackie exclaimed. " 'Sides, I think she's finally realizing I am who I am and I'm not going to wake up one morning and decide to be straight!"

"Lord, I can only hope," Dawn muttered. She was driven crazy by Mrs. Gayda. (A/N-I have no clue the name of Jackie's mother,so for ID purposes, she's Mrs. Gayda,) She was mean and bossy. To Dawn that was even worse than being perky.

The doctor's appointment went smoothly. Jackie and Dawn set out for the airport. Milan still slept.

"Let's go," Jackie muttered, grabbing the stroller base. Milan slept, not once sensing her parents' anxiety.

Both were anxious BUT for very different reasons. Jackie was anxious to prove to her mother that she could be a good mom, despite her lifestyle. Dawn was anxious to show Mrs. Gayda she wasn't a total bitch.

"Millie, aw, are you hungry?" Jackie cooed as Milan began to sniffle and snuffle. "D, go find my mom, PLEASE. If Baby Girl's not fed on time, she doesn't calm down," Dawn begrudingly agreed. After all, Jackie was feeding the baby.

"Hello," Dawn murmured, catching sight of Jackie's mother. Mrs.Gayda slowly made her way over to her. Dawn successfully managed to hide her obvious distaste.

"Dawn Marie," Mrs. Gayda mumbled. Dawn Marie was her given name. Yet, to most people, she was simply Dawn. To her parents, Jackie's mother and Jackie,when she was angry, she was Dawn Marie."Where's Jackie?"

"Over there, but let's get your luggage," Dawn muttered civilily. She had promised Jackie that she would remain civil.

"Jacqueline!" Mrs. Gayda hissed, running ahead of Dawn. She closed her eyes and hoped Mrs. Gayda would do nothing to embarrass them. "Why are you breastfeeding in public?" If nobody knew before, now everybody knew.

"I'll deal with Mom. Change the baby," Jackie muttered, thrusting Milan at Dawn. She glared. "PLEASE!" Dawn took Milan.

"That's Elizabeth?" Mrs. Gayda asked.

"Milan ELIZABETH," Dawn corrected as Mrs. Gayda snatched the baby.

"Mom, meet Milan Elizabeth Psaltis-Gayda, our first-born," Jackie introduced as Mrs. Gayda gave the baby a thorough exam.

"Milan, Millie!" Mrs. Gayda exclaimed. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"We already call her that," Dawn commented, making her way towards Baggage Claim.

"Oh," Mrs. Gayda said. "Jackie, can you take the baby?"

"Dawn can take her," Jackie muttered, on the phone with her mechanic. She was growing frustrated.

"Let me hold her," Dawn said clearly. This baby meant the world to her. Reluctantly, Mrs. Gayda handed her Milan. "Good girl," Milan, having been placed in her stroller, had fallen right to sleep.

"Mom, you get the front. Dawn gets the back and I'll drive,"Jackie declared as Dawn strapped the baby in.

"So, Jackie, tell me. Where does the baby sleep?" Mrs. Gayda questioned.

"In a bassinet in our room, but we're gradually weaning her into the crib. Basically, she's going into her crib for naps. Pretty soon, we'll let her fall asleep in her bassinet and have her wake up in her crib," Jackie explained. Glancing into the rear-view mirror, she caught sight of Dawn's annoyed look.

"How are you feeding her?" Mrs. Gayda asked. Dawn stifled a groan. She found the question stupid. Had Mrs. Gayda not just seen Jackie breastfeed?

"By breast, except for a few bottles given by Dawn,"

"Doesn't that cause nipple confusion?" Dawn rolled her eyes. Who was this woman? Dr. Spock?

"Well, no. All Baby knows is that feeding comes with warm skin contact. You'll see how Dawn does it later," Jackie assured. As if on cue, Milan began to bawl furiously. "Diaper, Hon?"

"You bet," Dawn replied as Jackie pulled into the reststop. She shifted the diaper bag

to one arm and unstrapped the baby. "Shh, Little One. Mama's here," As Dawn vanished into the reststop, Jackie was left alone with her mother.

"Mama?" Mrs. Gayda did nothing to hide the disdain in her voice. "Jacqueline, leave her and come live at home. Take Milan. She never has to know she was produced artificially or about 'Mama'. Please," she pleaded. Anger flashed in Jackie's eyes.

"Mom, why are you so ashamed of me? Eight years, you've been on my case! Let's just face the truth," She faced her mother. "I'M A LESBIAN!"

"Sorry, J-J-Jackie. I love you, my oldest. I just want what's best for you," Mrs. Gayda mumbled. "You're not an embarrassment and Milan's beautiful," Jackie hugged her. What else could she do?

"Mom, on another note, could you please treat Dawn better? You wouldn't believe the stuff she's done for me," Jackie murmured. Mrs. Gayda blamed Dawn Marie for Jackie's sexuality. Jackie, a PERFECTLY straight girl had met Dawn, a GAY woman and they had formed a coupling. BUT, if it meant not losing her daughter, Dawn would be treated better, ONLY to keep her daughter.

"Milan's clean," Dawn declared, entering the harsh atmosphere of the car. She was clueless as to what had just transpired.

Later that night, all was calm. Jackie's car had brakes. Mrs. Gayda was acting civil, if not nice, to Dawn. The baby was sleeping and so was Jackie.

"Dawn, you sure can cook," Mrs. Gayda mumbled. Dawn rolled her eyes. She hated the way her girlfriend's mother was acting.

"Cut the 'Leave it to Beaver' crap! Did Jackie put you up to this?" Dawn snarled. This was just like Jackie. She always tried to have total peace in her house. It never happened though. Not the way the young couple argued.

"Yes, she did, but she also told me she was never going to change and she'd sooner lose me than leave you," Mrs. Gayda explained. Milan began to softly bawl. Mrs. Gayda went to wake Jackie, but Dawn made her way over to a bottle warmer. Unbuttoning her shirt, she picked up the bottle, grabbed the baby, sat down and began to feed. "What are you doing?"

"Kangaroo care. Miss Milan loves having her bottle on nice warm skin. Reminds her of Mommy's breast," Dawn cooed, as Milan stared lovingly up at her. She loved Milan. She honestly couldn't imagine life without the tiny baby.

"Well, she seems very content," Mrs. Gayda commented softly. She seemed surprised.

"Why do you hate me?" Dawn blurted out, burping Milan.

"You turned my daughter into a... into a..."

"Lesbian?" Dawn offered. "I hate to tell you this but Jackie was a lesbian long before she met me. She just realized it when she met me,"

"May I hold Milan?" Mrs. Gayda asked. Dawn handed her the swaddled baby. "Millie, you're gorgeous,"

"Doesn't she have the prettiest blue eyes? Everytime I look into her eyes, I see Jackie," Dawn murmured. She gave Mrs. Gayda a genuine smile.

Something strange overcame both of them. Their personalities still clashed, but a force of acceptance took over.

They united, for as different as they were, they were still connected in an ancient bond.

The Bond of Motherhood.

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Well? Here's to the final chapter of Motherhood!

I LOVED writing this. It was so easy.Hope you

enjoyed this as much as I did.

Does anyone want a sequel surrounding Dawn

and Jackie's commitment ceremony? I'm open to suggestions.

JenLea