It was close to midnight, but no one in the hospital waiting room showed any sign of going home. Rather, they huddled obstinately in groups of two or three. In one corner, an elderly man and his son sat serenely. Though the son fidgeted now and again, the elder appeared completely calm. He held a walking cane in one hand and a scrapbook in the other.
A few chairs away, another older man sat with a younger woman and sleeping toddler. Both the wife and toddler were covered in lace and frills. The woman looked as though she might nod off at any time and even leaned against her husband for support. Despite her obvious exhaustion however, the young woman dedicatedly fought against the drooping of her eye lids with stark determination.
A young boy sat a single chair away. He looked shockingly like the woman a foot or two away. Beside him, an American girl dozed against his shoulder blissfully. She had tried to stay up but had eventually extracted a promise to be woken when the time came.
On the other side of the room, an aging grandfather held a sleeping boy on his lap. He hummed slightly and rocked every few moments. Though caring to his grandson, the old man's eyes remained attached to the double doors that lead the way to the maternity ward. Beside the two, another couple sat closely together. They occasionally spoke in low voices and seemed strangely mature for their youthful appearance. A ring glittered on the girl's hand. The boy gazed at her with adoration.
A few feet away from the old man, a few young adults huddled. They whispered to each other excitedly and argued constantly with rambunctious energy. Of course, their energy was occasionally diminished when a glare from the last group.
The finally party in the waiting room was quite different from the other groups. While the others were dressed in good quality clothing and were clean in their appearance. These last two were quite different. One looked like a yakuza member, and the other looked like a stalker.
All of the people in the room were waiting for one patient. Though very different from one another, their lives had been touched by one or two of the people currently in the maternity ward.
And so, they waited…
Finally, fifteen minutes after twelve, a nurse entered the room. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight bun and she appeared tired. However, she still gave a joyful smile to the waiting crowd.
"You can go in now. The baby has been delivered and both mother and child appear to be in excellent health."
Immediately, the waiting friends and family rose from their seats and followed the nurse into the main part of the hospital. Shouma shook Meg awake while his parents carefully lifted their sleeping child. Across the room, the young adults quieted in suppressed tension and excitement. Grandfather Kaji gently woke Teppei up and allowed him to walk. The Takusu family stood with relief and joy while the shifty looking pair of older men jumped as if their lives depended on it. Tomo and Tomoe gripped each other's hands tightly and smiled secretive smiles at one another. They'd been waiting for this for a long time.
The group passed through the double doors and walked as a large swarm through a stark corridor of numbered doors. Finally, the nurse stopped by room 1007.
"Now, Mrs. Ojiro has just had an exhausting night. I know you're all excited but try not to overwhelm her. Also, we'll be asking you to leave in thirty minutes. Congratulations!" And with that the tired, but cheerful, nurse vanished around a corner. She probably had some other duties to attend to. The group glanced at each other before entering in motley groups of two or three.
On the other side of the door, Fumino Ojiro lay in a pale pink robe on the hospital bed. Currently, the bed was inclined to allow her to sit comfortably. Her red hair splayed across the pillow in messy, sweaty strands while her face gleamed with contradicting sweat and joy. Though it was obvious she was aware the people entering the hospital room, her eyes remained hyper focused on the pink bundle in her husband's arms.
Kazuma sat in a chair beside the bed. Though he was not nearly as physically tired, he did appear drained and disheveled. However, even his crooked glasses and messy hair could not hide his exuberant smile. From ear to ear, it was almost as if his smile was trying to blind the room with equal parts of joy and love. In his arms, Kazuma held a small bundle of pink and white blankets. At one end, a hospital issued cap nestled on a red toned infantile head. Bright, baby blue eyes peered dazedly up. A smattering of red hair peeked from beneath the white baby cap. The baby that everyone had been waiting for was finally here.
Kazuma looked up.
"Good, well, I suppose its good morning by now, isn't it?" Kazuma grinned sheepishly.
"Hello, everyone." Fumino greeted with a tired smile. She turned to Kazuma and opened her arms in a wordless query. Kazuma gently deposited the infant into his wife's arms. Fumino held the baby gently but firmly against her body and positioned it so as to face their crowd of guests. She smiled at the crowd of family she had come to love.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Fuka Ojiro." Fumino presented her child proudly. Meg immediately rushed up.
"Oh! She's so pretty, Fumino! May I hold her?" Meg asked excitedly. Despite the late hour, Meg was still showing off her usual exuberance. She grinned excitedly and nearly vibrated in place.
"Of course. Be careful to support her head." Fumino warned as she handed Fuka over. Meg held the baby carefully in her arms, careful to support the child's neck and head. She peered down adoringly at the small creature nestled within her arms. For a moment, she wished it was her baby and that Shouma was the one on the father certificate. The moment passed, however, and Meg was left looking down at the baby she hoped would one day be her niece.
"Hi there, Fu-chan. Its great to meet you! We've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time now. I have so many stories to tell you when you're older. We're going to have so much fun."
I'm finished. This is finished. I'm done. This is done. Its all just done.
I hope you enjoyed it. This is the first multi-chapter story I'll be able to call complete. Excited about that but still soooo tired. I'm done. Have I mentioned that enough? Cuz I totally just am. so. done.
Please Review if you enjoyed reading this story,
~Blitza