Our Baby
A Days Like This Addendum

BPOV

I woke the next morning with the nurse checking my IV. Thank God for a morphine drip… I felt groggy, but otherwise pretty great. Fabulous, in fact, when I looked over and saw my perfectly smexy husband asleep in the chair by the window. His mouth hung open as he snored softly. His hair was a complete wreck – worse than sex hair – and he looked gorgeous. I wanted to go straddle him and whisper naughty things in his ear; nibble on his chin that was now covered in day-old stubble. How could it be that I fell deeper in love with this man with each day we had together? Now, more than ever, I longed to feel his arms around me. I wanted those long, well-practiced fingers trailing over my skin. His soft lips on mine before he gently nibbled on my bottom lip. God, I loved when he did that…

I hadn't paid attention to the restrictions on sex after a c-section with Juliet. There was no need. And I hadn't been given a refresher on that – not that I recalled anyway. How many weeks before I could get at him again? I wanted him in a chair, just like that. His hips were perched on the very edge so he could slouch enough to support his head on the back of the chair. I wasn't sore. It wasn't like I was stretched out and cut (or worse, ripped) and stitched up… maybe I could just go for a little ride. Would anyone know? Really?

My cheeks grew hot as I realized I was playing out this fuckhot fantasy with my smexy husband in my mind as his co-worker took my temperature. "Want some help getting to the washroom?" she asked in a low voice so as not to disturb him.

I nodded and took the help standing up for the first time. Okay… not so great after all. The room kind of spun and I was gripped with cramps even before the first step. Sex in a chair would not be happening anytime soon! Holding in my groans, I clenched my stomach as the nurse wheeled my IV along with me so I could take care of business.

Edward was waiting with red-rimmed, but excited eyes when I came out. "Everything okay? Do you feel alright?"

"I feel like an alien was left in my belly and it's chewing its way out of my gut from the inside. No! I don't feel alright!" I snapped at him and then felt horrible the instant I saw the concern and guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't handle pain well when I'm hormonal. I'm fine. This is normal, right? Being a grumbling bitch?"

Tenderly, he helped me get back into bed. The uncomfortable plastic-backed pad on the bed crumpled up even more uncomfortably under my butt. My anger switched to self-pity and I couldn't hold back the sobs or whining. "It's bad enough the pad I'm wearing feels like a diaper, do they have to flatten one out for me to lay on too? Can't they just drill a hole through the mattress and let me bleed into a bucket under the bed?"

Edward smiled at me tentatively. "Put your arm around me and lift your bum. I'll put a new one down that's not all crinkled."

And, cue the hormones – a floodgate opened and I was sobbing out apologies for being bitchy and whiny and needy and fat and post-surgery bloated/smelly/gross – and he just held me all the while. His arms were strong and supportive around me. This is what I had missed out on with Juliet's birth. I relaxed with his soothing and eventually he got my bed straightened out with my cooperation.

"I'm sorry Edward," I said softly as he fussed over getting every crinkle out of the sheet that annoyed me. "This makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it? Don't lie and tell me it's okay… I know you. I can see it in your eyes. You hate this part."

He snickered, running his hands through his hair. "I hate this part," he admitted. "But I love you. I guess that's what you're seeing. I'm used to new moms and their unpredictability and I'm mostly able to get through it without a hitch but with you, it's different. I feel useless, Bella. You're in pain and I want to take it away. Babies are easy for me – they cry and I just hold them until they feel content and safe and if I can't handle their moms, well, they're not my responsibility in the first place. But you are. You're my life. My whole world. I hate seeing you in pain and knowing that I can't do a thing about it."

"You're Charlie," I giggled. "He spent all of five minutes with me in recovery before I made him leave. He was soooo uncomfortable. I'm not sending you away though. You got me here, you're staying." I tugged on the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Bella…" He broke our kiss and eased back. "I'll be here for you, always… but right now... if you're alright…"

"You want to go see Nicole," I smiled.

He grinned widely. "I need to check on her. And Juliet – I should go home quickly and see how she's doing with both of us gone. Would that be alright?"

Squeezing him as tightly as I could, I ran kisses along his jawline. "Brush your teeth first though. Nicole's so tiny and fragile and she can't hold her breath."

The nervousness in Edward's eyes was replaced with amusement. "Keeping it real, huh baby? That's what I love about you." I gave his butt a swat as he turned away from me and grabbed our bag of provisions. "Now now Mrs Cullen. Behave yourself and I'll bring back a tiny pink angel once I'm done in the washroom."

I was a bubble of excitement when he walked in with our new daughter. All my memories of newborn Juliet came rushing back, seeing how tiny Nicole was in his arms. And his face… the pure adoration on his face as he smiled down at our Little One was bliss for me. It made every cramp and searing pain worth it to make him this happy.

"Oh! Bring her here! Is she okay? Was she alright in the nursery?"

"She's great! And beautiful." He was beaming with pride. "And hungry! She was crying when I got to her, they were about to feed her. I told her to wait for Mommy."

"And she listened," I smiled as he set her in my arms.

"She's a good girl, of course she listened."

"Hi Nicole! Hi, my sweet baby girl. Oh look at her mouth Edward! She is ready to nurse." She looked like a little bird waiting to be fed; her tiny mouth open and she was sucking on her own tongue. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Edward swung a leg onto the bed beside me as he wrapped an arm around us. "Like Mommy but… you have to see something. I don't know what happened overnight, but…" He pulled the blanket back from her head to reveal the soft peach fuzz she had for hair.

My eyes widened. "It wasn't red yesterday! Was it?"

"Not this red!" He laughed. "Sorry. It might change more. Maybe it's the light."

"Did you get Daddy's hair Nicole? I hope you got his eyes too. You'll be the most beautiful little girl who ever lived. Yes you will! We'll have a better look later. Hungry? Ready for breakfast?" I was ready. My boobs had been achy since I saw them walk in but now they were painful and rock hard.

Edward helped me arrange a pillow to support my arm and held her while I shimmied one arm out of the hospital gown. I had never thought I'd be a mom who thoroughly enjoyed nursing her baby – it had been such a rough start with Juliet, but I was looking forward to it with Nicole. I had become a pro, with Edward's help. He kissed my head as we snuggled together for her first real feeding. It still wasn't real milk, but was anxious for whatever I could provide. She was having trouble latching on with the hardness and her tiny mouth and I got frustrated. Edward took off to the bathroom when I started crying. Chicken.

"Here… try this." He had a washcloth in his hand.

"I don't think she wants a bath, Edward. I know you're the baby expert, but I'm her mom and I know she wants to eat." I cringed at my own words. I couldn't be so persistent in being her sole nurturer – this little wonder had a daddy too.

"This is for you. For your boobies actually," he smiled as he shifted the loose gown down my other shoulder and placed the cloth on my breast. "You're engorged. It'll help. I'll just get you a blanket to cover up and a dry gown for after…"

I grabbed his hand as he went to move away. "I'm not so shy this time Doctor. And Nicole should get used to having her Daddy sit with us while we nurse. Come back with us." The warm cloth felt great on my stripper boob, but my husband felt better. Soon, the familiar tingling that had annoyed the hell out of me for months when we first met was very welcome and I was softened up enough to nurse our baby properly. She was a natural, for sure. "She has Daddy's mouth too," I whispered to him with a sly grin and giggled when he blushed. "I hope she blushes like you too."

"Oh no! Don't wish that on her! Sure, it's adorable for us to look at, but she'll hate me for it later on. The hair is enough. I hope it's just my colouring and not a complete wreck. She'll hate me for sure."

"She'll love you," I said with soft insistence. "Just like your other girls."

A smile spread across his face. "Juliet… I miss my Sunshine."

I sent him off, assuring him we would both be fine. Of course, I missed him desperately the second he was out of sight but our daughter wiggled in my arms and I got lost in her. "I love you so much Nicole. You will never believe how much until you hold your own little baby this way. And your Daddy… oh my gosh. You are the luckiest little girl ever! He's just so… well, you'll see!" I giggled as I held her up to my cheek. "Daddy has big plans for you and your sister. I can't wait for you to meet each other."

Familiar voices woke me soon after. My perfect little girl had fallen asleep as I talked to her and I hadn't been long behind. These were some good drugs. I smiled when the voices grew nearer and opened my eyes.

"Oh honey! We woke you, I'm so sorry!" Esme was at my side, Carlisle just behind her, grinning ear to ear.

"It's okay… I just dozed… drugs…" I explained in a croaky voice. "You made it! So fast… I'm sorry we ruined your vacation!"

Both of my parents-in-law broke into laughter. "We spent the entire time talking about this moment, Bella. Nothing was ruined at all," Carlisle assured me.

"I'm sorry we missed all of it. How are you dear? Are you in a lot of pain?"

I shook my head. "Drugs…"

"Wonderful stuff," Carlisle chuckled. "If you need anything, we're here to help. How's our little Nicole? We spoke with Edward before we got on the plane… Nicole, 5lbs, 9ozs. Good size for a preemie."

I beamed in realization that she was over the preemie weight for concern… no extended stay! "Want to hold her? Wait 'til you see… she has Edward's hair!"

They both frowned even while smiling. "We're sorry about that. She can grow it out, it'll be lovely. It's just the getting there stage that make it difficult to tame." Esme took her first as I laughed at their apology. It wasn't a disaster to me. I loved the idea that she'd have her daddy's red tones and if it was wild like his, so be it. It made her even more of her daddy's girl.

"Where is Edward?" Carlisle asked as he waited for his turn.

I watched Esme fuss over her granddaughter with a smile. "He's with Juliet. I'm sure she's fine – she had a houseful of sitters, but he missed her."

His parents exchanged a proud smile with each other. "Of course he would. You must be missing her terribly too. It's a struggle with the second child because you've given your whole heart to the first one. That doesn't change. I swear you grow another just to accommodate the exact same amount of love for the next one. It's not shared, it's expanded."

Dammit! Esme made me cry. That was the perfect way to describe how I felt as my family expanded. I was a sappy mess when my next visitors arrived – Alice, my saviour the first time around with this experience and Dad, a very welcome novice.

EPOV

I was running on pure adrenaline with only a cat-nap overnight and not even a coffee in me yet. It didn't matter though – Bella was recovering, Nicole was perfect and I would get to love up Juliet any moment. I parked on the street since my garage and driveway was full of babysitters' cars. "I'm one lucky bastard," I murmured to myself as I dashed for the front door ready to love up my Sunshine.

"Dadad!" Juliet squealed the moment she saw me. She came running for me, her soft curls bouncing.

I bent to scoop her up. "Good morning Sunshine! How's my girl? Give me some loving." She kissed my cheek, as was our routine, and then giggled when I nuzzled against hers. "Is Daddy scratchy?" She rubbed at my stubble and nodded with a grin. "You're all squeaky clean and looking beautiful! How do you do it?"

"Bafftub Daddy!" she giggled.

"Ah! Of course in the bathtub. I need the bathtub too, I think. Did you have a good sleep? Funny dreams? Crazy dreams? Dreams that made you giggle?" Juliet had a habit of laughing in her sleep. I loved hearing her laugh any time, but when she laughed in her sleep it told me she was a very happy little girl. I carried her to the patio where she'd run in from to greet me. Charlie, Alice and Jasper were out there and flooded me with questions and congratulatory hugs.

"And how are you doing son?" Charlie asked after I supplied every detail of Bella and Nicole's well-being.

"I'm in desperate need of coffee and a shower," I sighed. "I don't want to leave Bella alone for too long. She's got a false sense of security because she's still being fed a morphine drip. Once the IV's out, her pain will get worse."

"Can I go?" Alice asked excitedly. "Is it late enough?"

I nodded with an appreciative grin. "That would be great. We'll take shifts so she's not overwhelmed with everyone there at once. And so Jazz isn't left alone." I tossed out the taunt and he took it with his usual grin.

"My contribution to this momentous event is home care. TCB on the Cullen homefront. It's coffee you want? I'm your man."

"Man!" Juliet sang out, repeating him. She loved Jasper.

"That's right, I'm your man! Just not with the potty, right?" They both held their noses and giggled together. "There was a little nugget incident this morning… Alice got to deal with that. Diapers are not my thing and I suck at potty training, apparently."

"He's good at refuelling her though," Charlie quipped, slapping him on the back. "She's been eating everything he offers."

Our support team was doing a fantastic job. Jasper got a few more morsels into my over-active daughter while I dined on eggs he had whipped up for me and had my second cup of coffee. She was happy to stay with him while I went to grab a shower. I used the main bathroom rather than my own since Rose and Emmett were still asleep in our bedroom. "Sleep while you can!" I muttered with a grin as I left them. They hadn't even stirred when I went in to get some fresh clothes.

"Okay Sunshine, ready to go see Mommy and the baby?" She was sitting on the floor with Jasper knocking down his block structures with glee.

She smiled widely and held her arms up to me as the blocks in her hand fell to the floor. With second thoughts she frowned and turned back to Jasper.

"I'll be just fine darlin'. You go see Mommy and Nicole. We can play later!"

Satisfied that he wasn't hurt by her leaving him alone with their project, she gave him a kiss and then held her arms back out to me. "Okay, let's get your Pull-Up on."

"NO Daddy!" Her face turned into a firm frown. I supressed the laugh that was caught in my throat. She looked so much like Bella when she was defiant, but it was rarely directed at me. At this stage, it was simply adorable.

"No?" I replied softly. "Did you just say no to me?"

"I'm a BIG girl!" Her arms folded across her chest. She was pretty sure of herself. Jasper buried his head as his body shook with laughter.

"You are a big girl, Sunshine. I know that. This is just in case… remember the other day when we went to the store?" Potty training was still in the early stages and she was doing really well but the last time I took her out she swore she didn't have to go and we weren't even to the end of the street and we had to turn around and come home for dry pants. I didn't know what was more of a challenge – the potty training itself or dealing with a mini Bella. And now I had two mini Bellas, double the fun.

Juliet tucked her head under my chin and gripped my shirt in the elevator when a fellow rider spoke to her. She always assumed this position when she was unsure of a situation. She did peek out around my shoulder to blow a kiss when we exited. Little flirt! We stopped at the nursery to let Juliet have a look at the babies through the glass – she blew them kisses too but as soon as the nurse waved at her, she played possum under my chin again. "Okay Sunshine. Time to see Mommy; she's been missing you like crazy!"

We walked in to a room full of people – Alice, Charlie, my mom and dad and a nurse were all there with Bella. I doubted Nicole had been set down at all since I left. Charlie was the current holder of the baby. My parents gave us quick hugs but they knew Bella was anxious for her first baby girl so they restrained their excitement and let me take her to the bed.

Juliet had a worried look on her face and I recalled that her mom had been in labour when she had last seen her. Such a sensitive little girl would remember her mommy not feeling well. "Mommy's better now, Sunshine. Go give her kisses and then you can meet Nicole." I set her beside Bella so she wouldn't press on her incision site and they hugged and kissed and giggled until Bella cried. Again. Oh boy…

"I think it's time to meet your new baby," Charlie suggested and stood to carry her over.

Juliet smiled with every tooth showing. "Baby!" She kissed Bella's belly.

Uh-oh. "Juliet… Sunshine… this is Our Baby. Her name is Nicole. She's your new sister. Isn't she pretty?"

She examined the baby in my arms, looked at Bella, then at me, then back at Bella and shook her head. "Baby!" She was pointing to Bella's tummy again.

"No honey, the baby's out of my belly. She's here now for all of us to see! We get to take her home and play with her…"

Juliet wasn't listening. She was staring at the flattened belly of her mom. Her hand reached out to rub it as she'd been doing for months and then a tear rolled down her cheek. "Mummah's baby!" And then she went into silent cry mode. Oh no…

"Juliet, baby, it's okay!" Bella cradled her, sore tummy be damned. "It's okay Sunshine. Our Baby is here, that's all. See? Grumpy's got Our Baby right there. Oh, now Daddy has Our Baby. See?"

Juliet shook her head. "No. NO! I want OUR Baby!"

Bella cringed as Juliet bounced on her. "Okay. Grumpy, can you take Nicole back for a second? Juliet and I are going for a little talk." This wasn't the reaction I had expected at all. I was completely unprepared for her to be traumatized.

I took her out into the hall and got her to stop crying. "Oh Sunshine, I know it's hard to understand. I didn't think we'd be having a 'where babies come from' talk for quite some time, but here's the basics… Our Baby, Nicole, grew inside of Mommy's tummy until she was ready to come out. You grew there too! That's when I met you, after you came out of Mommy. You were tiny and new, just like Nicole. You were actually smaller than Nicole. You wanted out of Mommy's belly so badly, you came out earlier than expected. So did your sister." I planted a kiss on Juliet's cheek. She was listening now. Really listening.

"You did such a great job, you and Mommy, taking care of her inside Mommy's belly that she wanted to come out and see who her wonderful big sister was who talked to her and gave her kisses and rubbed her back. That's what you were doing Sunshine… all the time you were talking to Mommy's belly, you were really talking to your little sister – Our Baby. She has a name now that we can see her and it's Nicole. Nicole is Our Baby, Sunshine. She's ours forever."

She gazed at me intensely, still pouting. "Mummah's Baby?" she asked quietly with a sniffle.

I nodded and choked back a sob of my own. "Nicole is Mummah's Baby. Just like you. Only smaller. Want to go see her now?"

She nodded, chewing on her lip. My mini Bella.

Bella had Nicole when we went back in and Alice moved from the chair by her side so I could sit with Juliet. "See Our Baby?" I whispered. "You can talk to her all you want now and you don't have to go through Mommy's tummy. Say 'hi Nicole!'"

"Hi Baby." Juliet's voice was soft as she eyed the bundle in her mother's arms. Everyone watched in silence. "Hi," she said again with a little more confidence. "Hi!" She frowned when Nicole just laid there. Bella was giggling.

"She can't talk yet sweetie. That's your job to teach her. But it's going to be a little while yet." I stroked her curls and cuddled her. "It doesn't mean she can't hear you though. Speak quietly… she knows you're her sister."

"Hi Baby," she whispered. "That's Mummah. And Dadad. Say Dadad Baby. Daaa… daaad…"

I turned to a complete freakin' puddle of goo, in front of all, without abandon and my Sunshine stroked my head as I buried it in my arms next to all my girls. Hormonal Bella had a rival in Unglued Edward. "Okay Dadad," Juliet whispered to me. "That's Our Baby."

"You're my baby too, Sunshine," I vowed to her. "Always."

A/N ~ Thanks to everyone who is still pimping out DLT and to all new readers – I'm loving the comments!
I am working on a DLT one-shot for The Twinklings, to be posted there in the upcoming weeks. Please watch for it. :D www. thetwinklings. blogspot. com (remove the spaces and away you go!) Thanks for reading.

Also wanted to direct attention to a WIP that has my full interest (and the author just updated today! Yippie!) Branching Inward by LifeInTheSnow. Not a Daddyward story, but the characters are utterly lovable and the story is beautifully written. Loving it!