CHAPTER 2: "The Next Part"
Oh yeah, I rock at chapter titles! NOT!
Nine Months Later:
"It's a girl! A healthy, beautiful baby girl!" came the simultaneous cry from two maternity rooms one breezy April night in Chicago.
Room One:
"Becca, honey, look! Our baby!" Theodore Pryde cried to his exhausted wife.
Rebecca's eyes fluttered open and searched the room for her child. She found the squirming red little girl in the arms of her extremely happy, extremely proud papa. Rebecca held out her arms for the child, and Theodore gently placed the tiny wailing infant into them.
"Hush my precious. Don't cry, mommy's got you. Pretty girl, pretty baby," Rebecca hummed to the little girl. The baby soon ceased here squalling as she heard the familiar voice, and she turned her head towards her mother's breast and let out a coo.
"Oh, Teddy, look at her! She's the most precious thing I've ever seen! What are we going to name her?" Rebecca sighed blissfully.
Theodore thought silently for a moment and the replied seriously, "Katherine. Katherine Anna Pryde."
"It's perfect! The perfect name for the perfect baby."
The baby let out a purr as if to agree with her parents.
Rebecca and Theodore laughed and Rebecca stroked the babe's little cheek.
"Our perfect little Kitty."
Room Two:
"WHERE IS SHE!" Andrea screamed as she glowered around at the nurses. She'd heard the nurse's cry of a healthy girl, but she hadn't seen her yet, or heard her cry. She was beginning to panic when a nurse laid a noisy dark haired little girl into her arms.
"Oh my god! She's so beautiful," Andrea murmured as she cradled her baby and stroked the dark thatch of hair covering the tiny head.
"Beautiful baby, my little Lily. That's my girl, Lily Christine," she crooned to her newborn.
Meanwhile in the Maternity Ward waiting room:
Dominic Alvers waited impatiently with his young son in the waiting room. He couldn't believe that his wife had banished him from the birthing room. Sure he was a bastard sometimes, but he loved her. He loved Andrea with all of his heart. He just wasn't ready for kids. He didn't want to put them through what he had been through as a kid, and so far, he had been with little Lance. As it was, Dominic could barely stand to look at Lance because of the resemblance he bore to Charlie, the little brother that Dominic had lost to an abusive father. He still dreamt about that day, and the memories haunted him to that day, so much so that he still had to drink himself to sleep sometimes. He was deathly afraid of ending up the same as his own father, and he could already see himself acting like that as he distanced himself from Lance for that very reason.
Lance toddled up to his father and placed his little head on his father's knee, trying to go to sleep. They'd been waiting for seven hours now, and they were both tired. Lance peered up at Dominic and asked sleepily, "Daddy, is Mommy gonna be awight?"
"I don't know, son. Go on to sleep," Dominic replied, feeling a soft moment for him while he was looking so cute and innocent. He stroked the little boy's dark head, trying to get him to sleep.
"SIR! Your wife is asking for you!" a frazzled looking nurse called to Dominic, just as Lance dropped off to sleep. Lance's head popped up and he and Dominic jumped from their seats.
"Come on Lance. We're going to see your mommy," Dominic said as he steered the boy into the room where Andrea was sitting and cradling the baby in her arms.
"MOMMMY! You awr okay!" Lance yelled as he ran and jumped on his mother's hospital bed.
"Careful, precious. You're going to wake your sister," Andrea smiled down at Lance. Lance placed one chubby finger over his lips and blew against them and whispered, "SHHHHHH!"
"Yes baby, shhh," Andrea smiled.
She glanced over at Dominic who was still standing in the doorway staring at the tiny bundle in her arms. She waved him over and watched amusedly as he hurried over to her. He pulled a chair up to the bed and sat next to her bed, continuing to stare in mute rapture at the dark haired baby that Lance was now peeking around the covers at. Dominic held out his arms just a fraction, silently pleading with his wife to let him hold their baby. Andrea stilled Lance's hands and handed the baby over to Dominic, who peered down at the tiny baby, a grin creeping up his solemn face.
"Her name is Lily Christine," Andrea whispered, afraid to ruin the moment.
"Lily Christine, huh? I think it suits her. What do you think Lance? Do you think you could live with a sister name Lily?"
Lance's small face lit up and he grinned hugely, "I wuv her!"