Chapter 22

"I'm so proud of you." Jack said as they brought Samantha back into the room. They had taken her away to clean her up. The baby was now an hour old and he had arrived back in the room twenty minutes before his mommy so Jack had spent the time pacing the room with him in his arms.

"You guys make a cute couple." She said smiling broadly as he came over beside her. She put her arms out for the baby and Jack settled him with her and then stepped back. This was the first moment she had held him properly and he wanted to let her have it all to herself.

As it turned out she only had the moment for about five minutes when a knock came at the door.

"Hey mom and dad, is it safe to come in or is there still goo on the kid?"

Jack shook his head and laughed.

"Come in Danny."

Danny, Vivian and Martin came in carrying bags of gifts and balloon saying "Congratulations" on them. Vivian went straight for Samantha and the baby while Martin and Danny preferred to hang back and congratulate Jack.

"Oh, he's precious. Well done Samantha." Vivian exclaimed as she cooed at the baby.

Danny went over and looked at the baby, kissing Samantha as he arrived.

"Didn't I tell you two that you'd have good looking kids?"

Everyone shook their heads at Danny but he ignored them as he talked to the baby.

"Hello, little guy, I'm your uncle Danny. When you're twenty one you and me will go cruising for chicks, how bout it?"

"I don't think so Danny." Samantha said as Jack laughed.

Later Jack came out of the room just in time to see Hannah and Katie coming down the hall.

"Hey!" Maria said breathlessly as the girls attacked Jack. "I know its nine o'clock but the girls would have killed me if I'd said we'd have to wait until tomorrow."

Jack laughed as he hugged the girls.

"It's ok. She's just feeding him right now so we need to wait for a little bit guys."

"Him?" Maria said smiling.

"Yep, you guys have a little brother named Michael Francis. How about that?"

"Cool." They said in unison.

They had decided on that as Samantha had fed him for the first time. Danny had asked what his name was and they didn't have an answer in all the commotion. Samantha suggested Michael as it was Jack's middle name and Francis after his grandpa.

"How about I take you up to see Grandpa for a minute while Samantha finishes up? You guys get to tell him the news."

"Yeah." They ran ahead.

Maria caught Jack's arm.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Maria sat outside her room for about twenty minutes. A nurse went in and came out again a few minutes later. She noticed Maria waiting.

"You can go in, she finished feeding him."

"Thanks." Maria took a breath and nodded.

She knocked the door and went in to find Samantha sleeping. She tiptoed in and looked at the baby. As she turned to leave Samantha woke up.

"Maria. Hi, are the girls here?"

"Hey, uh yeah, Jack took them up to see Frank since you were feeding when we got here."

She continued to look at the baby.

"He's beautiful. How'd it go?"

"Well, I'd like to say it was worth the pain but I'm not quite there yet." She said smiling. Maria laughed.

Jack sat down in the visitor's chair beside Samantha's bed. The girls had just left and he was exhausted but he didn't want to leave. She sat holding the baby mesmerised by him. She suddenly had a thought and looked at Jack.

"Jack?" He had his eyes closed. "Jack?"

"What?"

"Let's take him up to see your dad." Jack smiled and nodded. He scammed a wheelchair from the nurses' station and soon they were just outside Frank's door.

Jack went in first and gently woke him up.

"Dad? I brought some visitors for you." He smiled and opened the door to reveal Samantha with the baby in her arms. She was beaming as Jack wheeled her to beside the bed.

As Frank kissed her on the cheek, Jack perched on the edge of the bed and wondered how Samantha could have gone through all that and still managed to look so beautiful. She motioned for Frank to take the baby. He held his hands up in hesitation.

"I don't want to drop him."

"You won't. Go ahead, take your grandson." He held out his hands and she placed the baby in his arms. The look on his face was priceless as he beheld his grandson.

"He's a handsome guy."

Jack and Samantha laughed.

"I hear you are naming him Michael Francis. That's wonderful, thank you. Jack's mother wanted to call him Michael but I wanted to call him John so we settled and put the names in alphabetical order. She'd be so proud."

Jack wiped away a tear and put his arm around Samantha.