Chapter 28 - Cradled in my heart

The chaplain led Henry back to the waiting room towards Mike.

"How is she" Mike asked watching Henry's face closely.

"The baby has been born, a girl, they say Vicki's holding her own and are hopeful" he replied.

The chaplain again conferred with the nurse and came back to Henry and Mike. Henry looked up quickly, what now?

"Mr Fitzroy, I just spoke to the nurse and they have her ready now, your baby, would you like to see her?" he asked knowing that now might not be the best time. Henry felt a small reluctance in seeing the baby without Vicki by his side, about feeling the joy of this new life while the pain of possibly losing Vicki was so present.

"Go" said Mike. "See your daughter, Vicki would want you too," which decided the matter for him. Henry turned to the chaplain and nodded following him from the waiting room.

Arriving at the nursery he walked past the many cribs holding full term babies swaddled in their blues and pinks and was taken into the nursery where the little ones where kept. Looking around Henry tried to find his daughter, wanting now desperately to see her for the first time. The chaplain led him up to a respirator in the neonatal intensive care unit and within was a tiny little red haired baby lying amongst tubes with eyes screwed up crying her rage at the world.

"She's so little" he whispered. "I could fit her in the palm of my hands" he finished placing his hands against the glass.

A nurse came up and smiled at the new father knowing that this was a difficult time for him having been briefed on the circumstances surrounding the delivery.

"Mr Fitzroy, your baby is doing very well, in fact we are all amazed at what a little fighter she is. She's breathing on her own, her oxygen levels are at 100, perfect Apgar score. Except for her size you would never tell that she was in any way premature." she finished.

"Would you like to hold her" she asked opening up the respirator. "They all seem to know their parents and draw comfort"

Henry sat down on the rocker besides the crib and had Rose placed in his arms for the first time, wrapped in a little pink blanket which clashed horribly with her bright red hair. The nurse showed him how to support the baby's head and back.

Henry looked down at his child in a mixture of awe and fear. She was just so small. All his reading and his long life had not prepared him for the impact of holding his daughter in his arms this first time. Opening up the blanket he counted ten tiny toes and fingers as Rose looked up into his eyes, quite and thoughtful trying to focus on him. He saw she had his eyes and Vicki's beautiful mouth. Henry smiled thinking of the months and years ahead of them as a family.

The baby moved and one tiny hand grasped Henry's thumb and held on. Just as he looked up he saw one Mike Celluci beaming at him, camera in hand. "Say cheese Henry", he said. "Vicki will want to have this recorded."

Henry smiled into the camera wanting this first picture of him and his daughter to be a happy one no matter what he was feeling inside.

...Henry...

"Mike go home" said Henry eight hours later still waiting on word about the surgery. Mike stirred awake and grunted back at Henry "No way, I've lasted this long" before promptly falling back asleep again. Henry smiled to himself thinking Mike could probably sleep anywhere.

The doctor walked out into the waiting room, a smile upon his face causing Henry to move a little to quickly for a human towards him. The doctor pulled back startled smile slipping a little then shaking his head thinking that he was tired, been in surgery too long and couldn't have possibly seen what he just saw.

"She's awake and she's doing beautifully" the doctor beamed at Henry pleased his patient was responding so well considering the damage. "The new valve is working perfectly in her heart, unfortunately we had no choice but to replace it. That claw thing, you said the man slammed that into her chest before dying right? Well it did damage it but now she should be fine, as good as new in fact." The doctor rocked on his heels in delight at the expression on Henry's face.

"Can I see her" he asked

Henry walked into the room immediately sensing a normal rhythm, the blood moving freely again throughout her body a better color on her skin.

She was glowing again in that special way no other human had ever glowed before for him. As if sensing his presence her eyes opened to look into his before closing again, tired from the surgery, from the birth.

Henry sat quietly beside her clutching her St Christopher's medal in his hand, keeping it safe until she came home.