Rose for a mother

Lucy's eyes opened slowly but her vision and thoughts were foggy. She looked around and spotted the monitors near her and realized that there was an I.V. drip. She followed the tubing down to where it connected to her arm. So she was in a hospital or the infirmary. That might explain why her head was so fuzzy. She'd likely been under anesthesia.

Lucy's hands moved to her stomach, instinctively checking on the mound that should have been her daughter in her womb. Instead of her skin her hands felt hair. Lucy looked down to find Tom's head resting on her stomach, arms draped around her waist. His eyes were closed and from his breathing she guessed he was asleep. Though that brought up a big question: where was her child?

Lucy shook Tom and he buried his head into her stomach and she shook him harder. Her mouth opened to try to tell him to wake up but no words came out, as always. Luckily, Tom's eyes opened and he looked up at her. She looked down at him worried, wondering how she could ask him what had happened.

Tom sat up a bit, the fog of sleep slowly disappearing. He looked at her and it seemed like all at once he was struck by the situation. "Lucy?" His hand moved up to touch her cheek. Now she was really worried. A smile spread over Tom's face and he leaned toward her, kissing her in what she could only guess was joy, though she had no idea why. When he broke the kiss Tom rested his forehead against hers. "You had me scared to death, I thought I was going to lose you."

Lucy frowned and tried to get his attention. He finally realized she was trying to sign something. The only things she could think to do was put her hands over her stomach and look at him, hoping that he would get the idea of what she was asking. Though, it was Tom, he always got the idea.

Tom looked toward her stomach and then back up at her. He moved on the bed to be lying beside her, though being sure not to disturb any of the equipment she was hooked up to. "Lucy…" Tom took a deep breath before he spoke. "You went into labor earlier then you were expected." Lucy turned to face him, setting her forehead against his shoulder, just listening. She feared the worst. "You fainted on the way to the hospital, but we got you here. They had to do an emergency cesarean." Lucy pulled her head back to look up at him. "They said there had been complications. Lucy…I almost lost you." Tom's arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him, holding her tight as though if he didn't she'd just vanish.

Lucy pushed him away a bit, trying to think of any way that she could ask about their child. She opened her mouth but still couldn't manage any words to ask. She stopped when a hand rested on her cheek. Tom turned her head so that she was looking at a table to the side of the bed. On it sat a pink teddy bear that was tied to a series of balloons that said things like 'congratulations' and 'it's a girl'. Lucy looked to Tom, wanting an explanation.

Tom frowned a bit and pulled Lucy back to him. "She's in a special unit. They're taking very good care of her but she was born before she was supposed to. She was so small and frail when she was born." Tom ran a hand over Lucy's hair. "But you should see her now. She's gotten so much stronger and she looks healthy. They say she's going to be fine in about a week or so." Tom was grinning now. "I hope you don't mind that we named her and everything. I would have waited for you to wake up, but you've been out for several days."

Lucy put her hand on her nose and waved her other hand as though wafting away a smell. "Yeah, I know. I haven't showered in a while, but I couldn't bring myself to leave either of you." Tom turned away from her and then turned back. He handed her the stuffed animal and she looked down at it. It was a simple bear that had the words 'Momma bear' stitched onto its back. The stuffed bear held a smaller stuffed bear in its arms in a tight hug. Between the arm of the mother bear and the baby bear Tom had slipped a single rose. Tom pulled it out and used a hair pin to secure it to her head.

Lucy hugged the bear to her as she settled on the bed. "I can see if they're willing to bring her here to see you, or if they'll let you go see her." Lucy nodded and Tom placed a kiss on her forehead before he moved out of the room. Lucy sat in silence, just waiting for him to return. He came back a few minutes later and after a bit of work, and Tom putting her in a wheelchair, they were off.

It was on the other side of the medical bay and Lucy was glad for the chair. She never would have made it under her own energy. He moved her to a window and for the first time she caught sight of the sleeping form of their daughter. She was in an enclosed crib and there were monitors keeping a tab on her statistics. In the air above the crib there were holographic stars and planets.

"That's her." Tom leaned down beside Lucy. "That's our little girl. Holly Ambrose." His arm moved to her shoulders and he kissed the side of her head. Lucy's hand moved up to cover one of Tom's but she still continued to stare at her daughter. A soft smile spread over her lips. That was their daughter, the combination of the two of them, alive and, although the child was smaller than she should have been, healthy. Lucy looked up to Tom and he grinned down at her. She smiled, wishing that at that moment she could speak, tell him that she loved him, how happy she was, but she couldn't, and she knew he accepted that.

Whether he was a mind reader or just knew her that well he moved behind the chair, wrapping his arms loosely around her neck as he changed positions so that he could look at his daughter. His chin moved to rest on his own arm. "I know. I love you too." Lucy tilted her head to the side, resting it against Tom's. She was happy and content with her husband as they just watched their daughter sleep.