Notes: This chapter does have a lot of Rowater and if you're not a shipper of them I'm sorry but I love this ship almost as much as I love upstead and it was nice to focus on them for a bit and I might write a little spin off fic of them set in this same universe so consider this like a backdoor pilot for that, but don't worry there is upstead in this chapter and its very sweet and very loving. But anyways enough of me talking, I spent a lot of time on this chapter and it's like three times what I usually write for chapters, so I really hope you guys enjoy this one!
Vanessa was woken by two tiny people climbing onto her bed and jumping on top of her, Sebby managed to wriggle his way down and into Vanessa's arms.
"Hugs" Sebby mumbled as he snuggled into her more evidently still not properly awake yet.
"Well good morning babies" Vanessa yawned as she held Sebby and turned to look at Zoe who was perched by her side.
"Good morning, Auntie Nessa" Zoe was obviously wide awake, ready to meet her new baby sister "when are we going to see mama, daddy and baby sissy?"
"Ummm" Vanessa picked up her phone from the nightstand and check the time "Zoe it's seven thirty"
"So what time are we leaving?" The tiny blonde asked again, determined, like her mother and like her father, she was mostly like Jay, but she had some strong characteristics of Hailey that really shone through in her personality.
"Not just yet, mi amour, look Sebby's still tired" Vanessa nodded to Sebby who had fallen back to sleep in her arms.
"But I wanna go see mama and daddy" Zoe pouted.
"I know baby, why do you come cuddle for a bit and then Uncle Kevin is gonna bring breakfast and then we can go see them okay?" Vanessa held open her free arm and Zoe crawled into the space and snuggled into her side.
"What's Uncle Kevin bringing for breakfast?" Zoe questioned.
"So many questions this morning huh?" Vanessa tickled her side "I actually don't know what he's bringing"
"Can he bring waffles?"
"Why don't we find out"
Vanessa scrolled through her contacts and when she found Kevin's name she selected the option for facetime, after a few rings, his face filled the screen.
"Good morning" Vanessa smiled at her boyfriend who had obviously just woken up.
"Good morning" Kev smiled at his girlfriend's face filling his screen, even though he didn't get to wake up next to her this morning, he still got to see her face first thing after he woke up, so he was content.
"Uncle Kevin!" came from off the camera and Vanessa turned her phone so that Kevin could see Zoe and Zoe got see Kevin.
"Well, isn't it my favourite little lady! Good morning Zozo" Kevin smiled at his god daughter on the screen.
"Can you bring waffles?" Zoe questioned eagerly which caused both Vanessa and Kevin to laugh, Vanessa looking down at Sebby snuggled into her side to make sure they had not disturbed him too much, but he was fast asleep, he may have been basically the miniature version of his mama personality wise but when it came to sleeping once he was asleep there wasn't really anything that could wake him up and that he got from his father.
"Straight to the point huh?" Kev said with a chuckle.
"Zo don't be rude baby, say good morning first" Vanessa told her with a shake of her head but a smile clear on her face.
"Good morninggggg uncle Kevinnnn" Zoe drew out her words which caused them to both laugh again.
"So, the princess wants waffles for breakfast?" Kevin asked.
"Yes please" Zoe nodded eagerly.
"Well, if the princess wants waffles, she can get waffles" Kevin told her.
"Yay!" Zoe bounced happily on the bed.
"Careful, Zo, we don't want you falling off, okay?" Vanessa told her gently.
"Where's the little man?" Kevin questioned and Vanessa turned the phone to Sebby who was snuggled into her side fast asleep.
"Think someone woke up a little too early" Vanessa smiled down at the little boy, his messy curls half covering his face, tiny hand clutching onto the duvet that he had pulled into his chest.
"Ahh I see" Kevin smiled, he loved seeing Vanessa with the kids, how gentle and how kind his was made his heart do backflips as it was but recently, he was starting to feel something else when he saw her with the kids, something like maybe he wanted that for them, their own kids.
He hadn't spoken to her about it yet, but he was planning too soon, his failed relationships in the past had always made him weary of fully committing but with Vanessa it was all different. They had danced around their feelings before Vanessa was chosen for an undercover operation but had never confessed to each other. Kevin had had girlfriends while she was gone, and Vanessa had had boyfriends since she had been back, but they had never gotten over their feelings for each other and eventually found their way back to each other.
They had been together for a while now and they loved each other deeply. Kevin wanted everything, he wanted marriage, and he wanted a family with her, the house with the white fence like in the movies, Vanessa was the person he wanted that with, he wanted the fairy tale with her.
"What time should I come over?" Kevin asked, this question clearly pointed towards Vanessa, but Zoe answered anyway.
"Now!"
"Okay little miss eager" Vanessa heard before she turned the phone back to her.
"Come whenever you're ready, I haven't spoken to Jay yet so I don't know what time they want us there, but when I find out I'll let you know and then we can go from there"
"Sounds good, I'm gonna get ready and go get the waffles now anyways, anything else that needs to be picked up?"
"Oh, bring the bags I made for Hailey and the baby and then we can leave them in the house so they're here for when Hailey gets home" Vanessa told him, she had spent the last couple of weeks making two bags full of things she thought Hailey would like plus some essentials she would need. "And don't forget fresh clothes for me as well because I stole some of Haileys pyjamas last night" She continued
"Okay, fresh clothes, the bags and waffles, that everything?"
"That's everything"
"I'll see you soon, I love you"
"I love you too"
"Bye princess"
"Bye Uncle Kevinnn" Zoe piped up from her place at Vanessa's side
"Bye" Vanessa smiled at her boyfriend on the screen
"Bye Ness" Kevin pressed the end button and left his phone on the bed while he got ready. Once he was showered, dressed and had packed a bag of clothes for Vanessa he picked up his phone to what seemed like over a hundred messages from Vanessa, he swiped open and he was met with pictures and videos of Vanessa and Zoe trying out, apparently every snapchat filter known to man. As he was scrolling through, he got another picture, one with Zoe smiling big on Vanessa's left and Sebby, who was now awake with his tiny arms around Vanessa's neck, giving her the tightest hug, while Vanessa was mid laugh.
Vanessa would always spam her Instagram, snapchat, his messages and sometimes the intelligence units group chat with pictures and videos of her and Zoe and Sebby every time she babysat. Kevin would be lying if he said his heart didn't skip a beat every time he saw Vanessa with those kids, and again with these pictures, just like seeing Vanessa with the kids on facetime made him think about what it would be like if he got pictures like this of Vanessa and their kids, what it would be like if they had kids of their own.
They had never had a conversation about kids, they both knew that a conversation about kids would be a pivotal point in any relationship and they had both had rocky relationships in the past and they most definitely didn't want to risk losing each other, not for a second, which is why Kevin didn't know how to go about telling Vanessa that he wanted kids, that he wanted kids with her. He was going to tell her soon, he knew that, but he just didn't know how.
They both didn't have the best role models when it came to parents, especially Vanessa, being in and out of thirty-two different foster homes, never really finding a proper place to settle down and having to live on the street for some time, really didn't set her up for the best start in life. Kevin had some experience of parenthood as he had to take on the challenge of raising Jordan and Vinessa basically by himself but having to take on that role at young age due to his father going to prison, he didn't really have anything stable to base his parenting off, but he tried his best and everything his did in those years was to make sure Jordan and Vinessa got the best childhood he could provide for them and he was pretty proud of what he gave them even if it wasn't the latest games console or the newest sneakers but he gave them love and he would argue that love supersedes any sneakers or games console in the world.
When Kevin arrived at Hailey and Jays house, he was met with two now bathed mini-Halstead's on the couch watching whatever cartoons were on in the morning and one very drenched Vanessa, who had stayed in the Pyjamas that she had stolen from Hailey for the night because she didn't want to take any more of Hailey's clothes and also knowing Kevin would be there soon with her clothes anyway.
"Well look at you" Kev laughed at the sight of Vanessa when she opened the door.
"Don't. Even." She narrowed her eyes at him as she let him the door, locking it behind him. He had a duffle bag over his shoulder, right hand crying the bag with the waffle from the Halstead's turned the entire unit's favourite diner and in his left the two tote bags full of essentials Vanessa has made for Hailey and the baby.
Kevin made his way straight to the kitchen where Vanessa had set up Zoe and Sebbys little table with plates and put two plates out on the island for her and him while Vanessa got the kids into the kitchen.
"Can you give them their food and get them sorted while I go change my clothes?"
"Yeah, I got them, don't worry, go change" he gave her a small smile while he handed her the small duffle bag with everything, she needed in it.
"Thank you" She tiptoed and pressed a quick kiss onto his lips in thanks and hurried off upstairs to get ready.
"So, who wants waffles?" Kevin turned to his niece and nephew.
"Meee" both kids said in synchrony. He let them tuck into the waffles he bought them, extra chocolate, extra toppings, extra everything for two of his favourite little kids.
He waited for Vaness to start his, knowing that they both would probably still be finished before Zoe and Sebby were.
Not long after he has let the kids go ham on their waffles, Vanessa came back downstairs, dressed in her clean clothes, hair pulled into a messy bun, two strands framing her face, as she didn't have the time to wash her hair today, not that she minded, she knew how much Kevin liked her hair like this anyway.
"Hey pretty" he never failed to make her blush, even now. He was sitting on one of the stools of the island in the kitchen, his back against the island so he could watch the kids while they ate and also so he was able to see when Vanessa came down.
She now stood between his legs, still slightly shorter than him even though he was sitting down.
"Missed you last night" Kevin mumbled again her lips.
"Missed you more" she whispered before pressing a soft kiss onto his lips.
"Is that so?"
Vanessa didn't have a chance to reply before her stomach interrupted their conversation, signalling to both of them that she needed to eat something.
"Eat, baby" he told her before his voice go low, so that no one could hear but her "you can show me how much you missed me later tonight"
"Kevin Atwater-" Vanessa got all flustered which made her boyfriend laugh.
"Eat your waffles"
"Don't laugh at me" she grumbled playfully as she got herself seated on the stool next to him. He carefully pulled the stool closer to his side and pressed a kiss onto her forehead. She smiled at him, and they both tucked into their waffles, turning to check on Zoe and Sebby every so often, leading Vanessa to wonder what it was like if maybe she had her own kids.
She had spent so much time looking after Zoe and Sebby for Hailey and Jay. Her and Kev had also babysat Kim and Adam's daughter Dylan and their son Noah more times than she could ever remember. She loved all of her nieces and nephews, but she had never thought about having children of her own, ever.
She feared the way she grew up screwed her up so much that she wouldn't be able to give a child what they would need, the love that she was deprived of, how was she supposed to give that to a child when she was never taught how to do that. Yeah sure, she might have babysat all of her friends and she knew she loved all of those kids with her entire heart, but it's completely and totally different than having her own child.
Vanessa let out a sigh as she let her thoughts get to her, Kevin turning to look at her, slight worry written across his face "You good Ness?"
"Yeah, I'm just tired, I love those little monsters but i was really hoping that maybe they would let me sleep past eight" Vanessa covered quickly. He could tell there was something on her mind, but he let it go for now, knowing she would come to him whenever she was ready to talk about what was on her mind. She was still a very guarded person in a sense, never really fully letting go of thinking that she had to keep her guards up around everyone because they would probably hurt her in some way or another eventually.
She knew that this wasn't true of Kevin at all, she knew with full confidence that he would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, ever. But the walls were still there, the lingering effect of being hurt time and time again was still there. She wasn't ever sure if the thoughts that she had, telling herself to keep herself guarded in order to protect her from getting hurt would ever fully leave, but she was very grateful for the people in her life who helped her break down most of those walls and make her feel safe, secure and protected.
"You talk to Jay today yet?" Kevin changed the topic so that Vanessa wouldn't have to talk about something she didn't want too just yet.
"When I was messaging him last night, he said come around noon so that Haileys rested enough"
"Smart man" Kev said before taking another bite of his waffles.
It didn't take long for Kevin and Vanessa to be finished with their breakfast, after clearing up everything they had used, they watched Zoe and Sebby chatter away in their own little kid world while they ate their waffles.
Both Kevin and Vanessa adored the bond that the little Halstead's had, they were each other's best friend as well as each other's protector. Vanessa sent a quick text to Jay to let him know that they would be finishing up breakfast soon and to ask when they should start making their way to the hospital while she watched Kevin crouch down next to the kids table, Sebby currently pretending to feed Kev a bit of invisible waffle off of his baby fork. Jay replied to let her know to still wait till noon before they came.
Watching Kevin with the kids made Vanessa's mind wander back to her thoughts from earlier, what would it be like if she had kids of her own? If she had kids with Kevin? Maybe she was slowly, extremely slowly coming round to the idea of having a little family, no one had ever made her feel as safe as Kevin had, that stability he gave her, it gave her the strength and the ability to be more vulnerable and let her mind wander to topics she had previously forbidden herself to explore.
He was a great man, one of the best she ever met, and she knew he would be a great father, that was extremely clear, the way he was with kids in general was so… perfect, Vanessa couldn't think of any other word to describe it other than perfect, one of the things that man was made for was to be a father. She knew that she had known that for a long time, especially with the way Vinessa and Jordan spoke about the way he raised them with such admiration and gratitude.
She knew that one of the main purposes for Kevin was to be a father, she didn't know if he knew that, but she sure as hell did, which scared her. It absolutely terrified her. Kevin was a person she wanted to hold onto for the rest of her life but what if he wanted kids and she wasn't ready or couldn't give him that, she didn't want to have a kid that she couldn't love, that she didn't know how to love.
Yes, she has let her mind wander slightly to the idea of kids, but it still completely and utterly terrified her. She had so many fears and doubts that manifested themselves whenever that topic was on her mind and although Kevin had created a safe space between them which allowed her to be vulnerable with him, she wasn't ready to be this vulnerable with him, not just yet.
"Can I go up please?" Vanessa was broken from her train of thoughts at the sound of Sebby's voice, the little boy stood at her feet, where she was still sat at the island, arms stretched up, ready to be lifted up.
She reached down and picked him up, putting him in her lap "look at you all sticky, oh my god" Vanessa shook her head at the state of the little boy's chocolate smeared face and sticky hands
"Maybe you should've waited until after they ate for a bath" Kevin laughed pointing at Zoe who was also sticky and covered in chocolate.
"Yeah, I really didn't think that one through that well, through it would be time saving to have them bathed while I waited for you" Vanessa told the man who was now currently running (not really running because that would be dangerous more like taking long strides) around the island in circles as Zoe chased him with her sticky hands.
"I'm going to get youuuu" the girl's voice filled the room, along with Sebby's giggles as he watched his sister chase their uncle. Vanessa laughed as she watched Zoe chase Kevin
"Should we help your sister?" Vanessas asked Sebby, bouncing him up and down as he sat on her hip
"Yes, yes" Sebby clapped, and Vanessa joined in the chase, Sebby on her hip still.
"Oh girl, not you too" She heard Kevin speak through laughter.
"Oh yes us too" Vanessa giggled, enjoying the domesticity of the whole situation they were in. Zoe tired after a while, still somehow managing to get her sticky hands on Kevin, much to his dismay. Kevin helped her with her hands and face at the kitchen sink and Vanessa helped Sebby, water getting splashed on them in the process of course.
After a couple of hours of passing time by messing around and playing games with the kids, it was almost noon, almost time for them to go see Hailey, Jay and the baby. They were currently lying on the floor in the living room, playing with a box of action figures and fairy figures that Zoe and Sebby had pulled out from their box of toys.
Vanessa looked up at the clock on the wall, noticing the time "it's almost noon" she mouthed to Kev not wanting to get the kids too excited just yet.
"Time to go?" he mouthed back, and Vanessa nodded.
"Hey, you two, it's time to put the toys away" Vanessa told them, sitting up.
"But I wanna play" Sebby pouted "Auntie Nessa why can't we play more?"
"I would think you wanna go see your mama, daddy and baby sister even more huh little man?" Kevin asked which led to Zoe letting out a squeal.
"We can go now? It's time to go?!" The small blonde jumped up excitedly grabbing Vanessa's hand and taking her into the other room talking about getting some things for her baby sister.
"We see mama now?" Sebby asked looking over at Kevin
"Yeah, little man, we can go see your mama, anything you wanna grab before we go? I think Zos gone to get some things"
"Dinosaurs, my dinosaurs for my sissy"
"Where they at?"
"In my box" Sebby pointed at one of two boxes in the corner of the living room, one for him and one for Zoe.
"What ones do you want?" Kevin asked opening the box while Sebby peered in and pulled out basically most of his toys.
"These ones" The boy pointed to the pile on the floor, apparently changing his mind on just dinosaurs and genuinely wanting to take all of his toys for his new sister which caused Kevin to laugh.
"Maybe pick two or three to the hospital little man, it's very generous of you but they'll all be here when she gets back so you can show her then, how about that?" Kevin told the little boy who was clearly puzzled as to why he couldn't take all of his toys to the hospital
"How about you take these two?" Kevin picked up two different types of dinosaurs and held them out to Sebby. The little boy took them and held them close to his chest.
"Thank you"
"Of course, little man, how about we get your shoes and coat on now?"
"Blue shoes" he told Kevin.
"You want your blue shoes?"
"Mhmm"
"Come on then" Kevin scooped him up and helped him get ready while Vanessa came back down with Zoe, who was also holding a toy, a teddy bear. They helped the kids get ready, which took longer than expected as Zoe wanted to tie her own laces and show her aunt and uncle how her dad had taught her, but before long they were on their way to the hospital, Vanessa sending Jay a quick text to let him know as Kevin drove.
After reminiscing about his life Jay eventually fell asleep, only to be woken about an hour later by his phone vibrating, signalling a text. He groaned and picked up his phone glancing at it with one eye open, seeing it was a text from Vanessa. He sat up and replied before stretching and making his way over to his sleeping wife. He smiled at how peaceful she looked; it always made him happy to see her sleeping peacefully. He had watched her struggle with her sleep for years, since before they were together, he had watched her struggle, so to know that she was sleeping well always brought him some comfort.
"Hails, baby, time to wake up" he whispered and Haileys eyes fluttered open.
"Hmm?" Hailey rolled over and looked up at him, her eyes half open still slightly asleep.
"Time to wake up babe, Vanessa, Kev and the kids are on their way" he kept his voice at a whisper as Amelia was sound asleep in her little crib.
"What time is it?" she mumbled.
"Just after noon"
"Hmm okay" she said sleepily, causing Jay to chuckle lightly.
"You're pretty cute, you know that?"
"Me?"
"Yes you, and you gotta start waking up"
"Five more minutes"
"Five more minutes… cutie"
"Mm not cute"
"You are"
"Whatever" the sleepy blonde mumbled.
Jay let her lay for around ten more minutes, letting her rest for a bit, alternating from scrolling on his phone and watching both Hailey and Ameila sleep.
"Hails, love, you wanna start waking up now?"
"Hmm if i have to" she rolled over to face him, giving him a sleepy smile.
"Kids will be here soon, want me to redo your hair?"
"Yeah, could you please?" She yawned while sitting up, she pulled the bun out of her hair, well most of her hair was already out of it due to her sleeping, she moved forward allowing space for Jay to do her hair. He sat behind her, taking the hair tie that she held up for him and holding it in his mouth while he fiddled with her hair, getting it the way she liked it.
"There… all done" he pulled on her hair slightly just to pull it through the tie and make it look the way she liked.
"Thank you" she leant back into his chest, resting her head back onto his shoulder. He pressed a kiss onto her head.
"You're welcome" he whispered against her forehead "have I told you how proud I am of you recently?"
"You might have mentioned it once or twice" she moved her head and pressed a kiss onto his neck.
"Well, I'm really proud of you love" his arms were loosely around her waist, being careful not to squeeze her too much in case he hurt her.
"Thank you" Hailey smiled, he was always her biggest supporter, even for the littlest and simplest things, he was always there, always in her corner, telling her how great she was doing and how proud of her he was. He knew how much it meant to her to have a constant, to have someone constantly in her corner, she never had that a lot, but she had it now and he was damn sure she was never going to lose it.
"I love you" he told her.
"I love you" She replied "so much"
He pressed another kiss onto her head, and they sat like that, Hailey in Jay's embrace till Jay got a text from Vanessa letting him know that they had just pulled up at the hospital.
"They're downstairs" Jay told her glancing down at his at his phone, he had got off the bed to go over to his cot where he had left his phone.
"You going to meet them?"
"I'll meet them at the end of the ward, they know what floor to come up too, I don't want to be too far away from you two"
"Jay" Hailey tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Hailey" he said her name, replicating the tone in which she said his.
"You can go down and meet them"
"I don't want to be too far away from you" he gave her a knowing look and she nodded knowing that he had been extremely overprotective of her and the baby since the day the found out she was pregnant and considering the circumstances of how they found out, she understood his reluctance to leave her.
"It's okay, we'll be okay, we're not going anywhere"
"I'll just be at the end of the hall, okay?"
"Okay" she nodded and gave him a small smile "go get our babies"
He smiled at her and nodded before leaving the room to go wait for Vanessa, Kevin, Zoe and Sebby. He stood opposite the elevator, leaning up against the wall, watching the number above the elevator change until it hit 14 and dinged. The doors opened and a smile spread across his face when he was met with the sight of his kids and two of his closest friends.
"Daddy!" Zoe ran at her father at full speed, her little brother right on her heels. Jay had crouched down, arms open, already braced for impact. The two children collided with their father, almost knocking him off his feet, he wrapped his arms around both of them pulling them close to him, holding them tight. He hadn't been away from them for more than a day, but he had missed them.
"Hey, you two, I missed you guys" Jay smiled and looked up at Vanessa and Kevin "How'd they behave?"
"Little angels" Vanessa told him as he stood up and pulled Sebby up onto his hip with one arm and held Zoes hand with the other.
"Apart from little miss over here" Kevin pointed over at Zoe, Sebby's dinosaurs in his hand, "chasing me around with her sticky fingers" he said with a smile.
"Oh, she did huh?" Jay said all seriously before turning to Zoe and breaking out into a smile "tell me you caught him?"
Zoes face went from worried to one of the biggest smiles he had seen "I did daddy I did!"
"That's my girl"
"We helped" Sebby joined in.
"We?"
"Auntie Nessa too" Sebby told him.
"Oh yeah they all ganged up on me man" Kevin told him causing Jay to laugh.
"Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun," Jay said, looking between Sebby and Zoe.
"We did!" Zoe reported to her father.
"We go see Mama now?" Sebby asked and Jay nodded.
"Yeah, let's go see your mama"
"You want us to wait out here while you take the kids in?" Vanessa asked.
"No, you guys are family, you can come"
"You sure Hails wants that many people in the room?"
"Might be easier to have more people to distract these two if they get bored" Jay smiled "and I know she would be okay with seeing you guys" Jay explained and led them down the hall and into the room Hailey was staying in.
The second the door was open Zoe ran straight to her mom, climbing onto the bed and settling into her mom's lap.
"Hi baby" Hailey smiled at her daughter.
"I missed you Mama" Zoe told her as she snuggled into her mom as Hailey wrapped her arms around her.
"Hey wanna see your mama buddy?" Jay asked Sebby who had only tried to get closer to his dad once they were in the room, he wasn't used to being in a hospital or seeing his mom in a hospital bed, this new situation was scary for him. He buried his head further into his dad's shoulder shaking his head no. Hailey frowned and Jay gave her a sympathetic smile seeing the way her face dropped before looking to Vanessa for a little help seeing as she had been with him for the whole day so far.
"Hey, it's okay Sebby, it's mama, you said you wanted to see her" Vanessa spoke to the little boy who laid against his father, who just shook his head again.
"It's okay V, he'll come around" Hailey said with a half-smile as she moved from her conversation with Zoe and joined with the others, Vanessa offered both her and Jay a small comforting smile.
"He'll come around" Vanessa whispered to Jay rubbing Sebby's back gently as Jay held him before Hailey spoke again.
"Wanna meet her?" Hailey gestured to the small crib that held her Newborn daughter next to her bed.
"Yes please!" Vanessa smiled excitedly looking over at the crib.
"Oh, wash your hands first" Jay but in while still comforting Sebby with Kevin who was trying to entice him into playing with the dinosaurs, but the small boy wasn't really having any of it.
"Oh yeah, defiantly, of course" Vanessa washed her hands in the sink at the back of the room, Kevin making small talk with Hailey asking her how she was and how the baby was doing while he waited for his turn to wash his hands.
Vanessa approached the crib, hands clean and ready to meet her new niece, she carefully picked up the baby and cradled her in her arms "she's so perfect" Vanessa cooed in awe of her niece "hi baby" she whispered gently rocking the baby in her arms.
Hailey, Jay and Kevin all smiled at the scene in front of them, Kevin's mind once again wandering to what it would be like if that was his baby Vanessa was holding. Hailey watched as the woman who had become like a sister to her hold her baby, she reminisced at how much things have changed and how far they had all come, thinking back to the day where they were in the waiting room waiting on news to see if jay was going to be okay after being shot by Angela, the day that Vanessa called Hailey out in her feelings for Jay and now Vanessa was holding her and Jays third baby.
Jay smiled at the woman who he considered a little sister, he always adored Vanessa's relationship with his kids, and she was the person he trusted most with them outside of immediate family. They weren't that close when she joined the unit but during the time that Hailey was in New York, they spent a bit of time together and developed a bond, the brother and sister each of them never had and that bond only grew stronger after he recruited Vanessa back to intelligence as his first official big decision for the unit after he became sergeant, after she finished up another undercover stint.
"What's her name?" Vanessa spoke into the silence
"Ameila" Hailey told her "Ameila Isabella Halstead"
"I love it, it suits her so well" Vanessa cooed at the small redheaded baby in her arms, who was now awake and looking around "oh and her eyes are blue the same as Haileys" Vanessa said happily.
"Hopefully they stay that way" Jay told her, he loved Hailey's baby blues and he loved that his daughter had inherited them as well.
"I wouldn't mind it if she had your eyes" Hailey told him, looking down at Zoe who had the same eyes as her father.
"Bet Will was thrilled about her hair" Kevin laughed looking up from where he was playing with Sebby, who had started getting a little more comfortable in the new room, gesturing to the baby in Vanessa's arms causing Jay to laugh.
"He was so happy; think he might try to steal her when he thinks we're not looking" Jay joked about his brother which caused all the adults in the room to laugh.
"Okay you've had enough time with her let me get some baby snuggles" Kevin told Vanessa as he got up and washed his hands so he could hold the baby.
"You're gonna have to fight me" Vanessa joked
"Girl, you know I will" Kevin shot back
"I don't think my baby needs to join fight club just yet, she's not even been alive twenty-four hours" Hailey added with a laugh.
"Give her to me" Kevin told Vanessa and she handed the baby over for Kevin to cradle. He gently rocked Amelia in his arms, lulling the small baby back to sleep while Vanessa sat on the bed with Hailey and Zoe, questioning Hailey, asking if she was okay and how everything went after they had left home for the hospital.
"She's so tiny" Kevin observed looking at the baby in his arms
"She looks tinier with you holding her" Vanessa turned from talking to Hailey to her boyfriend telling him her observation
"I always forget how small Newborns actually are'' Jay commented and Hailey nodded in agreement while smoothing down Zoes hair, she was quite content just sitting in her mother's lap at the moment, she didn't like being separated from her mom or her dad, even when one was there and the other wasn't but when both of them weren't there she hated it especially when she knew that her mama was in the hospital, she hated hospitals, much like her father, especially after having to in the hospital herself last year after breaking her arm falling off the monkey bars. She knew she was safe with her Auntie Ness and Uncle Kev but she missed her mama and her daddy, so she was quite happy to just spend some time sitting in her mama's lap for now.
"Wanna see mama" Sebby told his dad, who he was sitting next to, while making his dinosaurs climb up and down the wall, he had clearly gotten more comfortable being in the hospital room now and his fears from when they came into the room seemed to have dissipated.
"You wanna go to your mama now huh buddy?" Jay asked, lifting up his son and Sebby nodded, still clutching onto the two dinosaurs, one in each of his tiny hands. Vanessa moved to where Sebby was sitting next to Jay to make room for the boy on the bed. Jay placed Sebby into the space next to his mom and he immediately snuggled into her side, Hailey wrapping one of her arms around her son.
"Hey buddy, I missed you" Hailey told him.
"Missed you mama" Sebby told her his voice barely a whisper.
"Hey baby can you look at me for a second?" Hailey asked him and the boy looked up at her with eyes the same blue as hers "you okay my love?"
"You okay mama?" he answered her question with a question of his own.
"I'm okay baby" she told him, and he moved and got on his knees and then to his feet, standing on the bed so he could be face to face with his mama "hey woah be careful love" Haileys arm moved to his side to hold him up and keep him stable so he wouldn't fall. His tiny hands cupped her face, well mainly just her cheeks, his hands were too small to cover anymore of her face, mirroring how his father had done many times before him.
"You okay?" he asked again and Hailey brough one of her hands up and cupped his face rubbing his cheek gently.
"I'm definitely okay baby, I promise" she gave him a gentle kiss "I love you so much"
"Love you too mama" Sebby wrapped his arms around his mom's neck hugging her tightly, she held him close with one arm, pulling Zoe closer to her as well if that was even possible. Jay smiled at his wife and children, he always loved the bond they had, and the kids love for their mother never failed to amaze him.
Vanessa leant her head on Jays shoulder as Sebby hugged him mom and then chatted to her about his dinosaurs that he had brought with him for his sister "told you he would come around" she whispered to him, and he smiled at his little sister.
"Yeah you did" He whispered back looked over at Kev who seemed to be really enjoying his time holding the baby, pacing slowly and gently rocking her talking to her, he heard him mention Hailey a couple times, he assumed Kevin was telling Amelia stories about Hailey and the rest of her family "he's good at that" Jay pointed out to Vanessa.
"Good at what?" Vanessa gave him a quizzical look.
"With the baby" Jay told her "And with the way he was with Sebby earlier, that was pretty amazing too"
"He is pretty amazing" Vanessa smiled in a way Jay could only describe as lovesick.
"This on the cards for you guys?" he continued to whisper so only Vanessa could hear.
"What?"
"Kids?"
"Oh um maybe, I've thought about it" she confessed.
"Oh yeah?" he bumped her shoulder with his, happiness written across his face.
"Yeah" she nodded, cheeks slightly tinted pink. Their attention was turned back to Hailey and the kids when Zoe started talking.
"Can I see my baby sister now?" Zoe asked "share her Uncle Kevin" Zoe told him causing everyone in the room to laugh.
"Yeah share!" Sebby joined in with his sister which only made everyone laugh even more.
"Okay okay, I'll share" Kevin said with a chuckle "who am I handing her too?"
"Keep hold of her a second" Jay told his friend "okay who's holding her first?"
"Me please?" Zoe asked looking between her parents and Jay nodded
"I'll help her wash her hands" Vanessa told them "come here Zoe bug" Vanessa lifted Zoe off of her moms lap and over to the sink to help her wash her hands.
"Me next?" Sebby asked
"Yeah you can hold her after Zoe okay baby?"
"Okay" Sebby said, content with his mom's answer "and my dinosaurs?"
"You want to give them to your sissy?"
"Mhmm"
"Im sure she'll really appreciate that buddy, that's really kind of you"
"Like Zo got me so I get it for my sissy" He explained his thought process to his mom which made her smile and tear up slightly.
"You are so thoughtful baby" she ran her hand over his head a couple times, stroking him gently and pressing a kiss on his head. Vanessa brought back Zoe and placed her in Haileys lap in a way that Hailey could help Zoe hold the baby so it was safe for the baby and not too heavy for Zoe. Jay took Amelia from Kevin while Hailey showed Zoe how to hold her arms ready to hold a baby.
"Here you go Zo, this is your baby sister" Jay placed the baby into Zoes, and Hailey's, arms.
"Wow" Zoe whispered in awe of the tiny new human in her arms, well mainly Haileys arms as she was supporting Zoes.
"Her name is Ameila" Hailey told her daughter, watching how her face lit up while she held her baby sister.
"Amelia" Zoe repeated "Hi Ameila, I'm your big sister" she introduced herself to the baby in her arms and Amelia cooed at her sister in response, now awake after being awoken after being moved from Kevins arms to Jays and now to her sisters, which caused her sister to giggle "she's so cute mama"
"She is, isn't she?" Hailey smiled at her daughter as she kissed the baby in her arms on the head, being careful to be very gentle with her still.
"And she's got hair like uncle Will, that's so cool" Zoe gushed over her sister "and eyes like you mama!"
"That is really cool, huh"
Vanessa, Jay and Kevin all smiled as they watched the sweet interaction between a mother and her daughters unfold in front of them.
"I love her" Zoe told no one specifically, just making her thoughts heard. Zoe held her sister for a while till Sebby spoke up from where he was sitting next to his mom, playing with his dinosaurs.
"My turn?" the small boy asked.
"You wanna hold your sister buddy?" Hailey turned to look at her son and he nodded.
"Can I hold her again later?" Zoe asked looking up at her mom.
"Yes of course you can baby" Hailey told her daughter while Jay took the baby out of their arms and Vanessa helped Zoe off the bed and she made her way over to her uncle Kevin, Zoe was close with all of her aunts and uncles which both Hailey and Jay were extremely grateful for, their kids had the most amazing family who ford the most amazing support system for them and Hailey and Jay would forever be grateful for that.
Vanessa helped Sebby get into his mothers lap, so that she could support his arms properly to keep Ameila safe while he held her. Jay rocked Ameila gently while Vanessa helped Hailey, whispering sweet words to his baby and smiling. After Hailey had shown Sebby how to hold his arms Jay carefully placed the baby into his arms, supported by Haileys.
"This is your sister buddy" Jay told him "Her names Amelia"
"Mila" Sebby tried to repeat but he couldn't say her name properly which made everyone 'awe' at him.
"Think we found her nickname" Jay let out a light laugh as Sebby gently stroked his sisters head with one hand.
"Be very gentle buddy, gentle hands" Hailey told him, and he nodded.
"I'm gentle, promise mama" he told his mom and she smiled "can I show my dinosaurs?" he asked and hailey nodded, still using one arm to support Sebby in holding Amelia and the other to pick up the two dinosaurs and hand them to Sebby who rested them on top of his sisters swaddle "got you present Mila" He explained to his sister "I'll show you how to play soon" he continued. Hailey looked up at her husband who was watching them, she had never seen him this happy, watching his family, watching his son with his new sister, he felt whole, he felt complete, and Hailey felt the same.
They were complete.
Notes: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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Until next time... 3