Caroline squirmed and fussed in Lucy's arms. She drew in a breath, opened her mouth and wailed. Ian chuckled, "I see she's patient, jus' like her ma. I'll get her bottle for you."
Lucy put a finger in the baby's mouth and Caroline immediately stopped crying and began sucking it. As soon as she realized there was nothing there, though, she started crying again, "Hurry up, Ian. I can't stand to see her so unhappy," said Lucy. "I don't know what to do for her."
"I'm tryin', I'm tryin', but there's no bottle here. I'm going to have to go get one," Ian answered as he was going through the bassinet and the shelves below it.
The baby stopped crying, and Ian turned around to see what had happened. Caroline was rooting at Lucy's breast, and Lucy looked at Ian with a startled expression, "Ian—uh—I know I told you that I wanted to bottle feed her—but I don't think she can wait. I'd like to try to feed her myself. Will you help me?"
"Are you sure?" he answered gently. She nodded to him, her eyes as round as saucers.
He asked again, "Is this really okay with you?"
She whispered, "Yes, I think so."
He looked at her and then at the baby and said tenderly, "Alright then. Caroline, come to your da for jus' a minute. We'll get you somethin' to eat in no time." He took the baby in his arms and rocked her as Lucy started to pull down the hospital gown she was still wearing—totally forgetting that Chris was still in the room.
"Uh…I think I'm being paged—somebody's got to be paging me," Chris gulped. "I'll see you guys later," as he practically ran from the room and slammed the door behind him. Caroline's whimpers turned to loud wails as she startled at the sound.
"There, there, it's alright, lass. Mama's going to fix you all up. Trust me on this, you're gonna love it," Ian said to his daughter with a gentle smile.
"Okay, I guess I'm ready," said Lucy. She looked at Ian with fear in her eyes.
"What am I doing?" she whispered, more to herself than to Ian, as he placed the baby in her arms once again. "What do I do now?"
"Oh, she'll take it from here. Let's turn her head….just…so," Ian answered as he pointed the baby's head in the right direction. When Caroline's cheek brushed against Lucy's breast, she opened her mouth like a little bird and immediately latched onto her mother.
Lucy said with wonder, "Oh…Oh!" as her little girl knew exactly what to do. She looked at Ian with an expression of amazement and bliss and sighed, "Ohhhhhh, I had no idea, none at all."
Ian smiled at them both and sat beside Lucy on the bed. He put his arm behind her back in support, and pulled her hair aside so that he could watch over Lucy's shoulder. Seeing Lucy nurse their daughter gave him a sense of peace and love like he'd never imagined. Caroline's small fist beat against Lucy's breast as she suckled, making tiny squeaking noises. When she had gotten her fill, she relaxed and smacked her lips gently. Ian took her from Lucy and rubbed her back while Lucy rearranged her gown. Caroline let out a very loud burp for such a petite girl, and relaxed against her father.
"Thank you, Ian," said Lucy softly.
"It was just a burp…babies do that you know," Ian answered with a smile. "Nothing to thank me for."
"That's not what I meant and you know it," Lucy said. "I never had any idea, no idea at all. It's so wonderful, and special, and…and…right. You never tried to push me, or gave me those standard doctor's lines. No, you just let us find out for ourselves. Is there really a bottle over there that you were hiding?"
Ian just smiled at her and shook his head, "That was a personal decision, and I had no right to make it for you. I had nothing to do with it, I promise."
Lucy just smiled at Ian lovingly, "You give me so much…everyday…thank you."
"It wasn't anything, love. I just let you two do what came naturally. But it looks like our young lady knows exactly what she wants and woe to the person who stands in her way. I'd say she takes after both her mum and her da, don't you?"
"Well…she does seem to have inherited her da's Irish temper," Lucy said with a giggle. "When is Scott supposed to have the kids here? I can't wait to see them, and for them to meet Caroline. Caroline. Sounds good, doesn't it? Serena, Christina, Danny and Caroline," Lucy sighed and looked at the door as if she was willing them to walk through at that moment.
There was a soft knock, and it opened a crack. "Is everybody decent in there?" called Scott, "I've got a bunch of kids here that want to see their mother!"
Ian gave the baby back to Lucy and smiled as Lucy answered, "Come on in, I was hoping you'd hurry up and get here. I want to see my other babies." Scott walked in carrying Danny followed by Serena holding Christina's hand.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Christina and Danny yelled at the same time. Danny leaned out of Scott's arms reaching toward Lucy and Ian picked him up and flew him over to the bed like an airplane. Serena helped her sister climb onto the bed with Lucy.
"Mom! She's beautiful," Serena said. "Hi, there, baby sister. I'm you're big sister, Serena and this is your other big sister, Christina."
Christina gently touched the baby's head and said, "Hi, baby." She leaned over and kissed the baby's forehead and then laid her head in Lucy's lap next to Caroline.
Ian held onto Danny, who was trying to squirm out of his arms to get to Lucy. "Mommy, mommy," he kept saying through gritted teeth as he fought Ian's arms.
"Whoa there, boy. It's okay now, you'll get your ma in a minute," Ian said afraid that Danny was going to be too rough with the baby. "You have to be very careful with your new sister."
"No sister! Want mommy!" Danny yelled at Ian.
"Here, let me give you a hand," said Scott as he put his hands around Danny's waist and pulled him into his arms. "I've never had a boy, he's kind of fun!"
While Scott held onto Danny, Ian scooped Caroline up out of harm's way. Scott let Danny down on the bed and he crawled right into Lucy's arms. He put his little arms around her neck, laid his head on her shoulder, and announced, "My mommy!"
Lucy hugged him tightly and said, "Mommy loves her little man! Don't you want to meet your new sister?" Danny just shook his head and buried his face into Lucy's neck.
Lucy and Ian shared a look over Danny's head, and then Ian shrugged his shoulders. Ian sat in a chair next to the bed so that Serena and Christina could get a better look at the baby while Lucy comforted Daniel.
"Thanks for bringing them to the hospital, Pal. Has Danny been a handful?" Lucy asked him.
"No, he's been great—until we told him that we were going to see mommy and daddy. He's been yelling for you ever since, Luce! The baby—she's beautiful—but you want to be with your kids. I'll be going now; Kevin and Colleen will be here in a little bit to pick them up. I'll talk to you later," he said as he kissed Lucy on the cheek and backed toward the door.
"No!" Lucy exclaimed quickly, "I mean… Pal… wait a minute… I need to talk to you…"
Ian picked up Danny out of Lucy's arms and gave her a knowing glance before announcing to the girls, "Come on, let's go see if we can't find a present for your little sister down in the gift shop."
"Shopping?" Serena, Christina and Lucy exclaimed at the same time. Ian laughed as he set Danny on the floor and placed Caroline back in her mother's arms.
"We won't be long," he answered her with a light kiss. He glanced at Scott on his way out of the door, "Thanks for all that you're doing to help us, Scott."
"Sure… Ian… sure," Scott said in bemusement as he watched Ian and the three children leave the room. He turned around and looked at his ex-wife, "Luce? What are you up to now?"
Lucy looked at Scott with tears in her eyes, "I just wanted to introduce you to my daughter…"
"She's… she's beautiful…" Scott stammered in confusion.
"Would you like to hold her?" Lucy asked. At Scott's nod she allowed him to take the baby and cradle her in his arms. "I haven't told you her name yet."
"What is this beautiful girl's name?" Scott asked, never removing his eyes from the baby.
"Caroline…" Lucy said softly. Scott looked at her in surprise, then his face lit up with a smile as Lucy nodded in confirmation that he'd heard right.
"Caroline? For Karen?" Scott said in wonder.
Lucy nodded again, "Uh-huh… she saved my life… she was my friend… and my angel… from the moment Ian and I found out we were having a girl we knew that she would be named for Karen."
"Thank you, Luce. That is such a wonderful gift… and I think she'd like that… she'd like that a lot," Scott said, still stunned at the news. "Have you told Serena yet? Or my parents?"
Lucy shook her head, "No… we had to tell you first. Her middle name is Grainne, after Ian's sister… she too died tragically young… but they were both well and truly loved."
Scott had tears in his eyes and no longer trusted his voice. He placed the baby back in Lucy's arms and quickly left the room for the chapel where he always felt closest to the daughter he had lost in a tragic car accident a little more than a year before.
Ian soon returned with the children and Danny immediately clamored for Lucy. He took the baby from her arms and she allowed Danny to reattach himself to her neck. During her pregnancy, Ian had asked Lucy to adopt the boy so that she was legally his mother as she was to Serena and Christina… and so that he would feel secure as he grew older and began to understand the complexities of their blended family. While Lucy comforted her son, Ian concentrated on their daughters.
"Would you like to hold her?" Ian asked Serena. At her nod, Ian looked over at a chair and said, "Sit yourself down nice and comfortable, all the way back. Then I'll put her in your arms…don't worry, Christina, you'll get a turn, too."
Serena cradled Caroline in her arms and cooed at the baby, "Oh you smell so sweet! What's your name, little sister?"
Ian and Lucy looked at each other, and Lucy whispered, "You tell them." Lucy pulled Danny down into her lap and wrapped her arms around him, "Listen to your da, sweet pea."
Ian sat on the bed, "Your sister's name is Caroline Grainne Thornhart. That is a very special name because of two very special people."
"My sister Karen was named after her Aunt Caroline," Serena said thoughtfully.
"Aye, Karen was a good friend to your ma and me, and she saved her life last year. Your little sister is named for her," Ian said softly. "Grainne is the name of my little sister. They're both angels now, and watching over us all from heaven."
Serena looked from Ian to Lucy and then back to the baby in her arms, "You gave me my sister back… thank you."
"You're welcome, pumpkinhead," Lucy said with a sniffle.
"Hi, Caroline," Christina interrupted before things got too emotional. "Can I hold you now?"
After Christina took her turn holding the baby, Lucy and Danny held her for a few moments. Danny settled down finally and even kissed the baby on the cheek and said, "Good baby…don't cry." When Kevin and Colleen arrived, both Danny and Christina were ready to leave, as sleeping babies weren't very much fun. Colleen offered to take them out to play, while Kevin stayed a few minutes to visit with Serena and the Thornharts.
Kevin stood looking down at the sleeping child in the bassinet, "She's beautiful, Lucy. You're a very lucky man, Ian."
Ian put a hand on Kevin's shoulder and Kevin looked Ian straight in the eye. Kevin had tears in his eyes, something that Ian had never seen before. Kevin didn't say a word, but put his hand over Ian's and nodded at him. Ian realized in that moment that Kevin still loved Lucy, but also knew that Kevin wouldn't say another word. For the first time, Ian felt sorry for Kevin and Scott and all the other men who had loved and lost Lucy. In those few moments, the men's relationship was forever altered, and Ian felt a charity toward Kevin that he never thought possible.
"Aye, I'm lucky indeed. What are your plans with the wee ones tonight?" Ian said to break the silence.
"We were thinking pizza for dinner, and sleeping in their own beds. I hope that you don't mind, but Colleen and I thought it would be easier on Danny if we spent the night at your house. Christina's fine with going from house to house, but the little guy's confused. We promised that Colleen's sister Erin would come over to watch a Disney movie, so hopefully they'll have too much fun to notice you're missing."
"Thanks, Doc. I wasn't expecting quite that reaction from Danny. He's usually playing so hard, I didn't realize he even knew I was around," Lucy laughed. "I guess it's tougher to be three than I remembered!"
Serena gave her mom and Ian each a big hug and kiss. She gave Caroline another feathery kiss and said, "Goodnight, little sister." Kevin and Serena left to find Colleen and the kids.
Ian sat on the bed next to Lucy and drew her into his arms. He gave her a gentle, lingering kiss. Lucy laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. They woke up a little while later to Caroline's whimpering, and Ian kept her occupied while Lucy prepared to nurse her again. Between Caroline and a constant parade of medical personnel, neither one of them got much sleep that night. Chris stopped in the next morning when he came on duty and found Ian stretched out on the bed, Lucy sleeping against his shoulder, and Caroline sleeping in Lucy's arms. He tiptoed out of the room and left strict instructions at the nurse's station for them to be left alone until they awoke.