A/N: Hey there! Here I'm with a new chapter of Avery being a newborn.
Just one small thing here: I still have some chapters written to publish, from Donna's pregnancy, Avery being a newborn, and being a kid... But I'm looking forward to writing about Avery being a teen. Is it something you would be interested in reading? I would like to know! And if there is anything, in particular, you would like to read, prompts are always welcome!
And I hope you enjoy this one!
Harvey arrives at the house with shopping bags in his two hands and with the cold of the snow running in his bones, believing that the last few hours had been terrible for him, but as soon as he looks at his wife, he realizes she had the worst part. Donna is sitting on the couch and he can see she's completely exhausted. Her daughter sleeping on her chest, and she is just stroking her back, staring at a fixed, empty spot on the ground.
"Hey…" Harvey murmurs, after leaving the bags and approaches to kiss her on her crown. "I shouldn't buy the peaceful she is now, right?"
She giggles against her will. "She's cried for more than an hour, not even stopping to breathe." She murmurs in frustration. "I guess she's with colic again."
"She already sleeps a while ago?"
"Yes, but I haven't wanted to move."
He sits next to her and crosses his arm behind her shoulders. "Why don't you put her in the pushchair? You stay here, but at least you rest your back a little and I'll make something for dinner."
"That sounds nice."
Harvey smiles and gives her a brief kiss on her lips. "I'll bring the pushchair." He kisses her again and stands up to carry the pushchair closer. Donna carefully puts her there with her blanket on top and a relief sigh escapes from her lips, seeing that she doesn't wake up.
"I'll go to the bathroom before I explode." She murmurs and he giggles. "No, don't laugh!" she snorts and gently hits him on the shoulder, then goes to the bathroom.
Within a few minutes, she returns and wants to join Harvey, who is keeping the things he has just bought.
"According to what I know, the couch is right there." He says, pointing toward the living room.
"I'll help you first."
"Hmm… that wasn't the deal we had."
She purses her face. "I've been with Avery all day, and I need to be with someone who at least answers me for a while... The couch is outside the kitchen and you are here."
Harvey can't disguise a silly smile and brings her closer to him, hugging her by her back. Immediately, she wraps him as well. "You can't have very interesting conversations with Avery yet?" she giggles and shakes her head. "Okay... I want you to be with me too, but not doing things." He murmurs and kisses her head. "I know you're tired and still have some pain..."
"Harvey–"
He interrupts her. "As I was saying, I'll go for the breastfeeding chair, which is more comfortable, and you will stay here with me. You can give me all the orders you want while I cook from there because I don't expect miracles, either." She giggles. "But… I want you to rest a little, okay?"
She sighs and clings more to him. "Okay, but hug me first." Harvey smiles and rubs her back with his palms, holding her against his body. "Yeah, exactly like that." She murmurs with a slight smile.
"What do you wanna eat?" he murmurs in her ear, wrapping her tighter.
"Something fast, don't worry."
"Yes, of course... You're not breastfeeding a baby who was born two weeks ago. You don't need energy or nutrients for either of you both." She giggles. "You know I can cook. Come on... ask."
"You cook better than I do, in fact."
"Yeah... I'd rather skip the answer to that right now." The two laugh.
"Will you tell me it's not nutritious if I ask you for a pizza? I need hydrates, I mean it."
He giggles and denies it with his head. "Okay, I'll make pizza." He separates just a little from her, raising his hands along the sides of her body until he reaches her jaw and gives her a sweet kiss on her lips. "I'll go for the chair." She nods with her hands hooked to his arms, but when he walks away, she follows him and hugs him by the back, hiding her face in his shoulder blades. "Hey…" he whispers and turns, to stand in front of her. "I won't go far."
She closes her eyes, pursing her nose. "My hormones wanna be with you." She murmurs, hugging him by the neck, hiding in him again.
"I love your hormones right now." He says to her in her ear, hugging her by her waist.
She chuckles. "I'm glad you're not driving as crazy by them as I am."
Harvey raises one of his hands to her nape and gently massages her there. "Your hormones also want ice cream for dessert?"
"I shouldn't even spend saliva on responding."
"No need." He responds and kisses her temple. "I promise you, I'll come back quickly. Ok?"
"Ok, I'm sorry." She responds and separates a little from him.
He squints his eyes, tilting his head to one side. "Are you asking me for forgiveness for hugging me?" she shrugs. "Hey…" he mutters and hugs her tighter against him. "Never apologize for that… besides, I know everything is new and we still have to adjust… but I miss you. You can hug me as long as you want."
She smiles and smooches his neck. "Do you promise me we will have one night in peace?"
"Yes, I'll talk to Avery now." The two giggle. "For the moment, dinner together sounds good. Don't you think?"
"Yes, I think so." She grins and separates enough to kiss him. "Go on, I promise I won't follow you this time."
"Follow me all my life." He murmurs on her lips and after one last kiss, he goes in search of that chair and Donna takes the pushchair with the girl to the kitchen, although she is exhausted, she needs to have her near all the time, and they also want her to get used to sleeping even though the house isn't in total silence. Donna settles into the chair, with her daughter next to her, rocking the pushchair gently while he mixes the pizza dough.
"Maybe I shouldn't say this now, but you look so sexy cooking."
Harvey looks at her, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't know why you say it… We've been having sex regularly for the last year?"
"Hey… Less than a year, this girl didn't come out from a cabbage."
"Ironic that the reason for so much sex is the one that prevents us from having it now. Don't you think?"
"You don't listen…" Donna whispers to her daughter, caressing her tummy with her hand. "Will you tell her that? That she is the reason for a lot of sex? You will pay for her therapy later?"
"I have… or had, sex with her mother because I love her. I guess that is good for her."
She rolls her eyes. "Shut up better," Donna responds, stroking her daughter's tiny hand. "Clearly, I'll be the one to tell you this story." She murmurs to her kid and Harvey giggles. His dirty hands prevent him from taking a picture, but he tries to keep the moment in his memory. Donna, staring at her daughter, had become his new favorite thing in the universe. And he couldn't wait for Avery to also have reactions and look at her mother the same way. "And now stop watching us and continue with my pizza." He looks at her, pretending anger. "You said I could give you orders… come on, you're a lawyer, you know that anything you say can be used against you." Harvey wants to respond. "Sh, keep doing that!" he laughs and does as she tells him, he puts the dough on the counter to start putting up the bun, while Donna continues to rock her daughter's stroller for a few more seconds until she gets up to pour herself a glass of water. "Do you remember when we used to drink wine before dinner?" she laughs. "They told me that breastfeeding would make me thirsty, but I never thought it would be so much." She says and drinks a large sip of water. "Well, I thought it would be less pain from childbirth as well." She says and rolls her eyes.
"We also believed that people exaggerated when they said they felt an instant connection to their children at the very moment they saw them for the first time." He says in a sweet voice.
She smiles, looking at her kid. "That little girl will turn our lives around, Harvey."
Harvey smirks. "As long as we turn around to the same side, I'm completely sure and happy to do this with you."
Donna smiles and bites her lower lip, avoiding a tear. "You're the only person I could do it with." She sighs and rests her head on his shoulder. "You're the only person I want to do it with. With you and with her."
Harvey kisses her crown, and she feels him smile against her forehead. "I'm so happy about doing this with you." He murmurs. "But… you know? We've done complicated things together, and somehow we've always gone out. But this Donna…" he sighs. "It gives me panic."
She chuckles. "You're not the only one."
"So... we're turning to the same side then." The two giggle and she raises her head to kiss him and finishes her glass of water. "What time do you have for the doctor's appointment tomorrow?"
"At 14. Why?"
"Mike asked me to look at some files from a case I was working on, but I told him I'd talk to you first to see the schedule." She nods and pours more water. "I'll go with you." He clarifies because he doesn't want her to doubt, while he finishes assembling the dough and puts it on a roaster.
She smiles at him. "I know." She drinks the water and leaves the glass on the countertop.
"So?" he asks, covering the dough with a kitchen towel.
"I'm a little afraid that you're going back to work… I mean, I know it will eventually happen, and I'll eventually come back too… but now I feel there's no more world than the three of us here, and I can't imagine it."
Harvey says nothing. He just washes his hands quickly and sits on the counter, on one of the clean parts, holding her hand, making her walk towards him until she is between his legs. His hands grab her by her jaw and he can see that her mind is working overtime. "I've talked to Mike and we've organized to have a four-month license, just like when Charlotte was born and he had that time. But both in his time and in mine, we agreed we would ask for help if something exceeded us because it wasn't our case."
"I know... I also know that working with our friends gives us much more time to be with her."
"That's right." He responds, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "Everything has changed. We're trying to catch up here. It's a process." She nods and hugs him under his arms, leaning her torso towards him. "Do you feel very overwhelmed by being alone with her?" he asks, trying to sound as soft as he can, wrapping her against him.
"No... no, in general. But when I can't get her to stop crying, like today, I can't control myself, and I get nervous, and I feel lousy for not knowing what to do to help her." She murmurs. "But I know I must learn to handle it." She nods, trying to convince herself.
"We will fix it..."
"That's what I need, that all the time you remind me we will fix it."
He grins. "We will fix it."
"I still have faith in you." She whispers.
He smiles and kisses the side of her face. "And I still have faith in you, now more than ever." Donna smiles and squeezes herself more against him, feeling his hands rub her body fondly until they separate because the girl makes a small noise and both approach her. "She was just getting jealous that I took her mother too long." He murmurs, watching her sleep. Donna chuckles and rests her head on his shoulder, also watching her daughter. They both hug each other, still looking at her, and sigh at the same time. "You wanna grab her in your arms because you can't take it anymore?" Donna giggles and covers her mouth so as not to wake her up.
"Hey… you wanna do it too."
"It's true… but I'll leave for 10 minutes because there are no yellow tomatoes."
"No need."
"You deserve a meal that you like."
"But… it's snowing."
"I'll go to the store nearby. And I'll bring the ice cream too."
"I don't deserve you."
"Don't make you the modest one, that it's you who is feeding my daughter, and who has brought her into the world." Donna smiles and turns her head, leaving her forehead on his shoulder. Harvey wraps her nape with his hand and kisses her on her forehead. "I'll be right back in ten minutes." He says, moving away from her.
"I also want chocolate."
"Do you prefer chocolate to ice cream?"
"Both."
"We'll share the chocolate or–?" Donna's eyes double his size and Harvey fears for his physical integrity for a moment, without being able to avoid laughing. "Okay, okay. I understood it." He raises his hands in a sign of surrender and makes her laugh. "Two chocolates, the biggest one for you, ice cream, yellow tomatoes…"
"And come back fast!"
"I promise." He smiles at her and leaves.
As soon as Harvey closes the front door, the girl begins to cry and Donna quickly grabs her in her arms. "Hey… kid, Mom's here." She murmurs, rocking with her resting on her chest. "Yes… Just like that, don't worry, I'm here." She keeps murmuring and kissing her head, still moving from one side to the other. Avery's hands close in tiny fists that clumsily hit her chest, and she grins, resting her chin on her chest so she can look closer. "What are you trying to do?" she whispers and drags her nose gently down her little head, inhaling deeply her sweet smell. She wishes she could keep that perfume forever in some place. Avery opens her mouth as if she was looking for something and Donna chuckles, while sitting in her chair and lying her kid on her legs, holding her hands in one of her hand. "Are you hungry again?" she whispers, stroking her nose with her index finger until she goes down to her tiny mouth and watches as the girl despairs of sucking her finger. "Okay, okay. I already understood you." She smiles at her, climbing her clothes with one of her hands, with the other holding her little bun of love. As soon as she gets rid of her bra, she sits the girl on her breast and helps her with her fingers so she can grab her nipple with her mouth. After a few minutes, where Donna simply hums a song, swaying in the chair, the girl puts her hand on her chest, looking for her mother's face and that makes her smile. "Here I am, honey, here I am," Donna whispers, stroking her head with her thumb. "Here's Mom." She adds, unable to stop looking at her. "We are together. You don't have to worry." Avery's eyes open more and more, following the sound of her mother's voice. "And dad is also here too… and I promise you we will love you and take care of you, every day Avery… You will see he's amazing. I'm sure he's going to be your superhero. Well, he's mine." Donna smirks. "Now he just came out, but I promise you he will be back in a few minutes. He went to fulfill a whim to your mother, but don't worry, I'm sure he will fulfill all your whims as well."
"You've had years of advantage." He whispers, entering the kitchen, approaching Donna from behind to look out over her shoulder. "Hi honey, hello." He murmurs, looking at his daughter, who breaks away from his mother's breast and fails to grasp her again.
"Daddy… don't distract me, please," she murmurs, helping her daughter again. "If I suck up a lot of air, then I'll have colic again. And we don't want that." She adds, turning her head to look at him.
"I listened to everything you said, even if you want to escape now."
She blushes a little and lowers her gaze to her daughter. "It's the truth."
He smirks and kisses her cheek. "I love you both."
"We love you, Harvey." She responds, looking at him again and they give each other a brief kiss, at which point the girl complains again and they giggle.
"Then… I leave Mom for you. You're lucky that I haven't washed my hands and I can't hold you in my arms." The two smile and, after a kiss on Donna's lips and another on her daughter's head, Harvey walks away toward the counter.
When the pizza is already in the oven, Donna is still breastfeeding her, this time with her other breast, but Avery seems to be more asleep than eating.
"Is the pizza ready?" she asks.
"It's in the oven. I'll control it until you finish, so we'll have a quiet dinner."
She smiles. "Romantic dinner?"
"Romantic dinner." He smiles at her and approaches her. "Can I finish sleeping her? I miss her too."
Donna smiles with tenderness. "Of course."
Harvey grabs her daughter in his arms and puts her against his chest. He holds her with his hands, his fingers caressing her back. "Hello, honey…" he murmurs, as Donna fits her clothes. "Hey… I missed you today. You know?" he murmurs and kisses her head. "You're here only a few weeks ago and you're already indispensable…" he tells her and comes closer to her ear, to whisper lower. "Just like your mother." Donna listens to him and smiles. "The day after I met her, I knew I couldn't live without her. And you're doing the same thing to me, pretty." He murmurs. "So yes, I'll love you and protect you always. Just like your mom will do with you and just as I'll do with her."
"And me with you," Donna mutters to his husband, hugging him from behind and resting her chin on the shoulder opposite where her daughter is.
Harvey kisses each one on the head and then goes to his daughter. "We only have one pending conversation…" he whispers, omitting Donna. "We'll have to come to an agreement to share Mom." Donna giggles. "Those breasts were mine before, you know?"
"Harvey!" Donna laughs out loud and hides on his back, trying not to sound too loud.
"I'm just being honest." Donna still laughs and turns, to stand in front of them and he holds her daughter with one hand, to hug Donna with his free arm, who cuddles against his chest and puts her hand on her daughter's back.
"We will fix this with Dad. I promise you that you won't lack food, sweetheart," Donna murmurs and kisses her shoulder as Harvey chuckles.
If you've come this far, I'd love to know what you thought of this :)