The next few hours were spend with snuggles, feeding, hugging and kissing and Lucy finally found some sleep – after twelve hours in labor, she just couldn't stay awake anymore – some good time for Gru to bond with his little baby-girl.
She was taken by a nurse, but Gru was allowed to come with her. She was measured, weighted, and Gru was astonished how very small she was. Seventeen inches, and just 8 pounds.
And then she was examined on her reflexes and got some shots. Robin whimpered slightly in discomfort as the needle pinched inside her leg, but oh brave little girl, she didn't cry at all.
"Oh, who of you has freckles?"
"Uh…Lucy."
"She's going to have a lot of freckles." The nurse literally beamed at him. "So, let's see here…who has long toes?"
"Uh…Lucy, too."
"Mh-hm…and I see even the eyes are from her mother." He shrugged with a smile, watching carefully as his baby was checked and analyzed.
"Aw, but the nose is all like her fathers."
Gru looked down at the little moving baby who gave occasional little cries in protest, and saw that the nurse was right. Robin's nose was a bit longer than normal babies he had seen.
"Poor lady." He commented, and the nurse laughed. "Yes, maybe the nose and the facial features, and the ears…and what beautiful hair you have, sweetie, beautiful black hair." Fingers ran through the baby's jet-black, thick locks.
He smiled at how the nurse adored her, for yes – she was having quite a mane on her head. Hopefully that wouldn't fall off in her mid-thirties like his.
"Daddy's side as well?" she asked, insecurely eyeing him and his bald head. And he nodded.
"Well, she's looking just fine; time for the little girl's first bath."
Gru watched the nurse drenching a cloth in warm water and started to clean her up, clean her skin, her chest, her arms and legs.
Robin certainly didn't like this way of being touched and instantly started crying, louder than before. It was almost heartbreaking. It was a high-pitched, shrill whine newborns cried and it set something into motion inside him, his heart pounded louder.
And suddenly, all the father instincts kicked in so rapidly, Gru rushed closer to his baby and extended his finger to brush it over her nose and her cheeks while her dark locks were shampooed and cleaned.
"Sweetie, shh…I'm here, my baby, I'm here…"
Robin calmed down by Gru's dark voice and touch, finally opening her eyes to look up – straight into his own. And it was the look of trust. She trusted him…
Her hand grabbed his finger and held onto it, with her tiny hands and fingers…it looked just so fragile in his own.
"Aww, she's going to be a daddy's girl." The nurse mused, continuing cleaning the baby until it was all fresh and done and finally, she even received her first diaper and was wrapped up in a blanket to be handed back to Gru.
"There you go, she's now all nice and clean."
"Thank yu." He nodded, and then he smiled. Genuinely.
Back in the room Lucy was still lying, he figured she was fast asleep. Not even Robin's occasional loud whimpers woke her up.
She had been so strong, so brave...admiration wouldn't be the word to express his feelings towards his beloved Lucy.
Robin was still incredibly shocked by the world around her, her eyes looking around in an alert state, way too distracted to be crying now. She was naked, but kept warm in her little towel and he was holding her securely in his big arms. She looked up at him, eyeing him and slowly realizing that this was her father...
The one that was there all the time, held her, cuddled her, talked to her.
And Gru stared back at her, into her round, big blue eyes with the light green circle around her pupil. She'll have Lucy's eyes...
Gru leaned down, kissing his baby on the forehead. Both closing their eyes for the second he expressed his deepest love towards her, he looked back at her and saw her little arms somewhat reaching towards his face. But he only gave her his finger to cling on, and she had quite a firm grip already. "My strong leetle gurl." He whispered, giving her another kiss and placing her on his chest, her tiny head in the crook of his neck. He could hear her yawn. Well, it soon would be time for the little miss to sleep, but first he decided that it was time to show her to her bigger sisters.
...
Still sitting in the hallways, the three Gru children continued staring at the door, behind which Lucy was giving birth to their sibling.
Nothing was heard, nothing was seen. Over two hours now. They had a walk with their grandma already through the hospitals park and Agnes started asking Nana about Gru's birth and how he had been as a newborn baby. But knowing Marlena's character, she always seemed to put the facts as drily as possible on the table. She told them about his father and her and how they decided to have a baby – and how terrible it was to feel sick all through the pregnancy to the day he was born. He had been a tiny one, she told them. Very small and fragile compared to the other babies – and he always had been a loud one. He was the biggest and loudest crybaby she had ever witnessed! He was crying all day and all night long, he hated being touched, sometimes even by his own parents, hated baths, hated the cold and the heat, hated soft blankets and not so soft blankets – he always was complaining. On the question if he had been bald as a baby too made the girls and Marlena laugh. And yes – he always had been pretty hairless his life and it took a whole while until he started growing some. But through all the negative sides she counted, the girls could see how much she missed these times nevertheless and how proud she was that he was having a baby on his own today.
So now they stood here, waiting for a sign of their father and their newborn sibling.
"You think everything went fine?" asked Agnes, clutching to her unicorn.
"Oh, of course zweetie. Lucy is a tough gurl, izn't she?" consoled her Nana.
"Y-yes, she is."
"And she is going to give yu gurlz a beautiful zibling, yu'll see!"
"But what if the baby is harmed or even – died?"
Edith asked, with a lump in her throat.
"No, don't worry, Edith – the pregnancy went perfectly fine, none of them is going to be harmed or dead…right?" Margo looked back to Marlena and she nodded, reassuring.
"I wonder what she'll look like…" Agnes pondered.
"He, Agnes. It's gonna be a he! And he'll look awesome, with black hair and bright blue eyes and he's going to be the strongest baby in the history of mankind!"
"Or she'll be a beautiful redhead with Lucy's wonderful eyes and freckles…ohh I would love freckles."
"Well, guys – we're going to see in a bit." Said Margo, texting Avery that she was becoming a big sister today.
And then the door was opened. And Gru stepped outside, with a small, white bundle in his arms and the brightest smile on his face.
"Gru!" the girls gasped.
"Dad!" Agnes and Edith ran up to Gru and he knelt down, holding the baby securely in his arms.
"Hey keettens. Yu ready tu see yur leetle siblin'?"
"Yes!" they exclaimed.
"Lemme look! Lemme look!"
And thus, Gru pulled the corner of the blanket away to reveal a small, relaxed, black-haired head, sleeping soundly in his arms and her lips opening and closing.
"Ohhh!" they exclaimed in awe.
"Vhat a beautiful leetle fellow." Marlena smiled at the baby and then at her son.
"She's…she's so cute!"
"He has dark hair, just like you!" Edith looked at him, sincerely hoping it was male. But Gru chuckled gently, shaking his head. "It's a gurl, Edith…"
"Hah! See? I told you!" Agnes poked Edith's side. That perhaps had been a bit too loud, for Robin stirred and let out a weak cry.
"O-Oh no, I woke her up." Agnes gasped, coming closer to the baby to gently pet her head.
"There, there, little Robin. I'm sorry, little Robin."
And indeed, she started to silence again after Agnes was talking to her.
"Aww, man." Edith mumbled with slumped shoulders. "I was so hoping it's gonna be a boy…"
"Vell, by his looks, yu shuld be happy it's not a boy." Marlena joked and the others giggled silently.
"Mom…" Gru shot a dark glance and a pout at her.
"And how's Lucy doing? Is she okay?" Asked Margo.
"She's fine, jus' very exhausted and asleep right now." He then started passing the little creature among the girls. "Agnes…"
"Ca-ca-can…can I hold her?"
He nodded, and she accepted. "Dhere yu go – yur leetle sister. Here, support dhe head like dis, and dhe odher around her body. Very good, Agnes."
The little girl starred back at her sleeping sister and smiled. "Hey, little Robin. Hey. I'm your big sister." Robin opened her eyes to stare at her with big, surprised eyes. "I've been waiting for you."
Gru couldn't help but smile.
"Vell done, my boy..." Marlena patted her sons shoulder. "Vell done...and she doezn't even look dat terrible."
"Mom...!" He narrowed his eyes while looking at his mother. "Not cool…"
Agnes continued holding her wrapped little baby-sister until Edith started nagging to hold her too. She was gentle enough to do after Agnes and support her head, the other around her body.
She starred down at the little newborn that was moving barely in her arms. "She...she has blue eyes, just like you!" She gasped. "Heh...no, babies get dheir eye color after weeks, months and even years...and she'll likely get Lucy's eyes."
"Green eyes?" Gru nodded.
The small family watched the new member of their clan for another ten minutes, squirming, sneezing, coughing, making her usual baby-noises. And as soon as she started creasing her face and sobbing in sight discomfort, Gru took her back in his arms and held her close to his chest.
"It's time for her to have some rest. Mom, can yu bring dhem home?"
"But we wanna stay with her!" Agnes whined. "Hon, Lucy, Robin and I need some rest, we were awake since five in dhe mornin'."
"Come on, zweetie, give yur parents some privacy." Marlena gently took Agnes hand.
"Will you come back tomorrow?" - "We will, I promise keetten."
The three of them hugged their father goodbye and each of them gave their little sister a snuggle or kiss. They were going to be awesome bigger sisters, he was sure.
About to rise from his kneeling position, Margo suddenly ran back to him. "Gru! Gru, there's...there's something you forgot!"
"Forgot?" he asked, a bit puzzled. Margo quickly dug her hand inside the pocket of her jacket. "You said you guys would wait until Robin is there, so...I think it's time!"
She pulled her hand out again, holding a small, black box in her hand. That was...that was the ring they bought together! He had wondered where it ended up, but he wasn't expecting her to have it!
"Margo, yu-"
"Please, Gru, now or never!"
Gru hesitated for a second, looking at his daughter with saucer eyes. But then, his spirit took over once again. And he took the box from her hand.
"I will..." he assured her with a warm smile.
...
A few moments later, Gru returned to their room, while the kids and grandma were about to leave.
Looking at the bed, he saw Lucy, still sleeping, resting from the terribly exhausting twelve hours of pain and agony - but it was over. Nine months of waiting and half a day of cramps and childbirth, and their baby was here. Instinctively, he placed the all straddled baby on top of her chest, letting her feel their little girl for the first time.
Robin kept sleeping, lulled into a deep slumber. Maybe, he thought, I don't suck at this part of being a parent as I thought first. It would be harder in future, but he would go through all of this - the gratitude for having a healthy little girl and Lucy's brave way of delivery was worth going through own pain and tears and simply being a father. Lucy stirred slightly, tossing her head gently, her arm drawing close to the baby on her chest and cupping her lovely. She was safe and sound on mommys chest.
The sight was melting his heart, and he sat down on the edge of the bed, observing them both, gently stroking over his daughters small head. Her skin was so smooth and warm and her body was tiny compared to his or lucy's...
Remembering he was here for a special occasion, he gently leaned in to kiss Lucy's eyelid. "Hey, sweetheart...sorry for wakin' yu up..."
She mumbled, stirring more. Lucy woke up to feel the weight of a little creature on her chest and kisses on her face. Looking down, she saw a tiny pink human who was now and then making a little squealing sound. She had probably felt it in her sleep, because she was gently cupping the baby in her arms already.
"Woah", Lucy whispered. "I actually did it. I gave birth. How cool is that?" She looked up at Gru. Gru chuckled. "Yes, honey, yu did it! And look at her...she's here..." he beamed at her. She loved his smile, it was what had made her long to giving birth, to give him an offspring, to see him with this face of pure happiness.
"You were a champ." she breathed. "Oh, Hon, yu're dhe real champ here..." he chuckled, still sitting close to her and kissing her face, caressing the baby's back. It moved here and there beneath his palm, but she liked it, apparently. She felt tears running down her face from her body being so tired "Thank you for all your help. How are you feeling? Are the girls still here?"
"I'm fine, dhe gurls are great, dhey are vith dheir grandma at home...yu shuld have seen Agnes face vhen I gave her robin for dhe firs time...she was so happy dat she wuld have yur eyes in dhe end, i bet..." he cupped Lucy's cheek, looking deep into her eyes.
"Oh, I would have loved to be awake to see that!" Lucy whined. "Everybody's happy, Lucy...but enough of us...how are yu doin'? Still tired...?"
"Yes..." she sighed. "I'll sleep like a stone tonight! I guess Junior will too, huh?"
Robin stirred on her chest and started to cry. "Oh dear..." Gru blinked. "Aww, she's hungry again, I guess..."
Gently, Lucy opened up her dress to breastfeed the little baby. The feeling of the child hungry sucking on her nipple was somehow comforting and relaxing, and when Robin opened up her large eyes to look at her, she felt a pang in her heart, falling deeper in love.
Honestly, Gru was very surprised about how hungry the baby was. the last time Lucy fed her was three hours ago, and she drank from her like she was starving.
"Leetle greedy-guts..." he said jokingly, brushing his thumb over the baby's soft ebony-black hair.
"Gru...when we're back home, can I have a bath - a HOT bath? And champagne? I really need something to drink after all this time."
"Sure, sweetpea - but dhe thing is... Yu gotta stay here over dhe night..." he glanced back at her. "Dhe nurse told me she gotta observe dhe two of yu, because...Robin's heart measure is a leetle irregular...dun't worry, it's nothin' big, she's jus' very small, compared to average babys, and her heart hasn't found dhe right rhythm yet..."
She looked up at him worryingly when told she had to stay the night due to Robin's heart. "Is she-?"
"She's fine, dun't worry! She's jus'...very small, yu know?"
Small? Pfft, tell that to her birth canal! She was still aching down there hours later.
For a couple of minutes, he spent silently watching the baby drinking, petting the little girls head and looking back at Lucy, wearing the same happy smile.
Until he found himself suddenly remembering what was about to happen now.
"U-Uhm...Lucy..." he suddenly started to stammer. He gulped throwing his insecurity to the back of his mind.
"I've gotta ask yu somethin'..."
He climbed down from the bed, so he was kneeling in front of her, holding her hand in his own.
He was getting down on one knee!
He was getting down on one knee!
HE WAS GETTING DOWN ON ONE KNEE WHILE SHE WAS LAYING EXHAUSTED FROM GIVING BIRTH, SWEATY AND YUCKY AND BREASTFEEDING!
"Lucy...yu jus' gave me dhe most beautiful present in dhe wurld...yu made me realize dat no man is really complete vithout seein' dhe child he has conceived...I know, I tell it to yu everyday, but I wish i culd tell it to yu every free minute, every second: Yu, dhe gurls and dis child are dhe most important part of my life...yu've completed me..."
He fiddled for the little box in his jacket and pulled it out.
Lucy took a large breath, calming herself, yet yelling on the inside.
"G-Gru...!" she stammered.
"I know dat...I know dat last time...yu said no, and I respect dat, but...but throughout dhe entire day, to have dis experience of dhe love of my life giving birth to our child is makin' me realize dat I have to du it again:
Lucy Wilde..."
He opened the box to reveal a golden, bland ring with beautiful diamonds on it, sparkling in the dimmed light.
"Will yu be my wife...?"
"Oh my God", she worded, almost silently, looking at the ring as tears streamed down her face. Raising her gaze, she looked up in the face of the man she loved, the father of her child, her partner and friend.
"Oh, Gru, you really pick the worst moments", Lucy chuckled, crying from the emotions and the pain and how tired her whole body was. "Yes Gru, I want to be your wife."
She said yes...
She said yes!
Biting down on his lip, Gru tried to repress a laughter, more out of disbelief and happiness. But instead, he quickly ran his sleeve over his face before she could see him loosing some tears again as well.
Just then, Robin decided to stop suckling and start crying.
She whined, stirred, irritated from Lucy's own nervous state, but Gru quickly sat down back on the bed, leaning down to kiss Lucy, placing both of his hands on her cheeks, drawing back, only to kiss her again.
He wanted to say something, but Robin's voice rose just more when she felt her daddy moving so quickly towards Lucy, but Gru quickly picked her up, snuggling her against his chest, humming soothing sounds.
"Shhh, shh...dhere, dhere, pumpkin..."
His hand cupping the tiny baby's head, he kissed her and she soon stopped crying.
Gru looked back at Lucy, his free hand wrapping around Lucy's body to draw her close again, nuzzling his forehead against hers and she leaned against him, hugging him and sobbing in happiness.
He put on the ring on her finger, smiling at his fiancee. It ft perfectly! "It's beautiful..." she gasped, looking back at him. Here they were - He, the exvillain who's life just completed itself, the Agent, the mother of a beautiful little daughter, and their child. Their own, little child, pampered with it's parents love and affection.
"I love yu, Lucy...I love yu so much..." he breathed, voice breaking faintly.
"I love you too, Gru..." she whispered. They continued hugging each other, kissing and snuggling and playing with their newborn daughter, holding her hand or giving her kisses. "You are so loved too, my baby..." Lucy whispered towards her sleeping daughter. And if she would be able to smile, Gru was sure she would have.
...
It was all quiet. Too quiet. Lucy looked around herself. Gru was down in another room with the nurses, where Robin would spend the night, and Lucy was here, on the bed, bored.
It was around eight o'clock, she saw on the wall. And she couldn't sleep right now. She had doozed on and off for the last eight hours, and now her head was clear. Looking over at the table by her bed, she saw her phone. Yeah, that was probably a good idea.
Silas put his newspaper down when hearing his phone ringing, grabbing it before Salt and Pepper could get hold of it. His two dogs jumped up on the cough with him, laying on his lap to listen in on the call. He chuckled, they always wanted to hear the voice of his daughter and son.
But it wasn't any one of them.
"Lucy? What's going on?"
"Silas, hey! I was just thinking of you, wanted to call you, you know? Well, I just wanted to tell you, I gave birth today! It's a little girl, her name is Robin and she's a bit small so now she's being supervised an-"
"Miss Wilde, calm down!" Silas wasn't prepared for this. She was due next week. "Are you alright? Where is Mr Gru?"
"Oh", Lucy calmed down and spoked more slowly. "I'm fine, had a couple of hours of rest now at the hospital. Gru was really helpful, he supported me trough the contractions and held me so I could be comfortable. He's with the nurses now, helping getting the baby to sleep." Silas burst out in a grin, happy that she was so excited and glad, it must have gone well.
"Sounds wonderful Lucy, absolutely wonderful. So tell me, was childbirth as scary as you participated?"
"Well, it was painful and uncomfortable, but also really cool. I wouldn't redo it thought. I'm happy with Robin and Gru's girls. They've started calling me mom." Every time she said it out loud, a smile broke out on her face.
"And guess what Silas? Once I had rested, Gru popped the question for me." She looked at the ring on her finger and smiled. Silas asked where the father was, and she told him Gru was with the baby at the observation-station.
While Lucy was talking to Silas in the room next door, Gru was sitting close to the tiny bed in which Robin would stay during the night. He actually would be more happy to have her sleeping in their room, but Gru needed his rest as well, and if anything should happen, the nurses would take care of her. She as all neatly dressed in her little body suit, hands inside two little gloves to keep her finger out of her face during the night. She could seriously hurt herself, when she still didn't know how to control these limbs. The white lines going to the computer seemed slightly weird, threatening, as if it was telling him she was sick, but the nurse told him it was perfectly normal for baby's to be in observation on the day of her birth.
"Try and make her fall asleep, she'll probably feel a bit scared alone here with different people."
Gru remained on the chair, looking down at Robin moving an stirring, giving he little baby-noises that made his heart melt.
"She has some cute cry." Commented the nurse, picking up some towels with a big grin on her face. "Yeah..." Gru offered his finger to let her nibble on it, and after some seconds, she reckoned that it wasn't her mothers breast, so she creased her face disappointed, huffing once or twice and giving a weak cry of protest.
"Oh, here, this'll help you." The nurse handed him a weird round plastic thing and he had to turn it around several times before he noticed that it was a pacifier.
He continued to sooth her by brushing his hand over her cheeks, or his finger to hold onto, but soon he had no other choice but to give her the pacifier.
"Shhh, here's yur dinky, dhere yu go...take it" robin instantly sucked on the weird thing, and as she paused it slipped out of her mouth, so she started to whimper again.
"No honey, keep it in, dhere yu go...good gurl."
Robin continued to nibble on it, Gru holding his finger into the small hole to keep it in her mouth.
After a while, her eyelids grew heavy and she closed her eyes, clinging with one hand onto his little finger.
"Good gurl..." He whispered. "Dat's right, sleep a bit, my baby...had an exhausting day, hm?"
Robin looked at him a last time, eyeing him, observing him, somehow maybe giving him a look that told him: I trust you. I need you...
That before Robin finally gave some last small noises and then dozed off, instantly with her hand holding onto her father. Gru watched her sleeping, watched her little chest lifting and falling with each of her breaths, seeing her eyes moving beneath her lids...
The measure device kept beeping silently, keeping her pulse traced by soothed and relaxed 100 beats...
Returning to Lucy, he wore a happy smile on his face, but he was more than tired. She just ended the call and turned around to face him.
"Hey...how's our princess doing?"
"She's asleep, I guess..." He breathed weakly. Good thing the nurses made sure he'd have a bed next to hers to lay down inside, yet Gru snuggled up next to Lucy, fishing for her hand to entangle his fingers with hers.
"That sounds great Gru, you're a natural," she sighed, scooting down to lay beside him. "So, how was it all? From your perspective? I didn't scare you, did I?"
"Mh-mh...!" He shook his head, his eyes closed "Not dhe slightest." Opening one eye to see if she got his joke, he chuckled himself, closing both again.
"It was jus'...incredible...I-I couldn't even comprehend how somethin' dat small culd be even alive...I'm not used to hold babies, yu know...?" He grinned. "And dhe moment I culd feel her head.. I thought my chest wuld explode."
Pausing, he remembered how his body clenched by the time he was grabbing his daughters head from beneath Lucy's form.
"But...yeah, durin' each of yur contractions, I was really worried..."
Moving his hand up to her face, he brushed away some of her hair and behind her ear. "I'm jus' happy dat yu're fine, and dat Robin's fine..."
Lucy returned the favor, stroking his cheeks in the dark. They couldn't cuddle up to each other, it being two hospital beds, but she enjoyed lightly touching him, knowing he was there.
"We both are." she smiled at him. " And tomorrow, as soon as I'm up, I'll take a quick shower and change clothes and we'll go home, right? Do the girls know you proposed?"
Gru smiled wearily, half-asleep already. But there still was this presence around him, the presence of a happy father seeing and holding his baby for the first time.
"Dhey, in fact...chose she ring for yu vith me..." He mumbled, about to pass out, all inside his clothes and without even throwing the duvet over him.
"Dhey'll be ...more dhan happy ...to have yu as ...dheir modher."
And with that Gru was fast asleep. Lucy watched as he slowly drifted off, and with a happy smile and a last tear rolling down her face, she closed her eyes as well.