A/N No copyright infringement intended, all mistakes are mine alone. Enjoy!
Sally Donovan was upstairs, painting the baby's room with a sylvan scene. They had decided on woodland animals, and Sally was having a great time populating the room with lots of tiny creatures, each one friendly and smiling. Sherlock and John could not begin to tell her how much they liked the results. It looked exactly as they had hoped, and they were over the moon. The top of the room was a light blue, with fluffy cumulus clouds floating overhead randomly across the ceiling. Philip Anderson would add the sticky glow-stars after the painting was complete, as he was quite the astronomy aficionado and could place constellations properly in the "sky" for them.
Sherlock and John went shopping for a mobile to hang above the cot once they saw where Sally was headed with her designs. They actually found a place that would make custom mobiles, and took Sally with them so that she could draw out the patterns for the animals they wanted on the mobile. The result, once it was finished, was a gorgeous representation of her work. After talking with Molly and Greg, they decided to hang it above the changing area so that she would have a distraction when she was being changed. Playing the song whilst changing nappies was a reasonable thing to do, but playing it repeatedly if she got accustomed to it before she would go off to sleep was not something they wished to start. They decided to order two mobiles, the extra one for the changing table in their room. They selected 'Für Elise' for the song the mobile played.
Meanwhile, Sherlock and John received some welcome news in picture form. Their daughter was a blonde, and there were definite signs that some curls were in the process of forming. John was delighted, as he adored Sherlock's hair, and thought that curls on their daughter would be adorable (he really was in danger of over-using that term, but it was the only one that perfectly fitted how he felt when he thought of her). On the other hand, Sherlock was happy that their daughter had John's blonde hair. As for the curls, Sherlock only sighed, knowing the trouble it would be to fix her hair every day if it were as obstreperous as his. He did suppose that all the curls would be easier to manage with a girl and the variety of hairstyles they could choose. He made a mental note to check out You-tube for hair styling videos for babies and little girls, and when he did, was soon entranced by the many intricate ways to braid hair.
They started the baby care classes in 221B. Their teacher was called Annabelle, with 20 years' experience in newborn nursery at the local hospital before she branched out into teaching. Annabelle brought a wealth of information as well as a whole range of products that they would soon be using daily. They spent time learning how to make up formula from powder, how to sterilise bottles, how to put a nappy on properly (Sherlock was actually fairly adept at this task, having changed Emily for Molly several times), basic safety concerns, and so much more. They also learned how to bath the baby, how to most easily and safely dress her (some of these baby things had amazingly intricate fastenings), and ways of soothing and comforting her when she inevitably became fussy. By the end of the eight sessions, they felt much more ready to deal with the myriad of new tasks which lay ahead. Annabelle left them with her contact information, and said she would be available for any 'emergency' calls.
The weeks flew by and soon it was a matter of a month or less when Sheri would be born. John and Sherlock were on pins and needles, waiting for the day to arrive. Dr. Stapleton had said that when they were near the 40 week mark, she would do all available testing to be certain that Sheri's lungs and other systems were mature, and they could pick a day for her birth.
When they got the call that all was ready, they selected a Tuesday morning and made reservations at the Cross Keys for the night before, as they would be staying at Baskerville for the remaining time until they could take their daughter home. The Tuesday planning was to accommodate Mycroft's schedule, as he wanted to be present, and Sherlock and John could not refuse after he had been so instrumental in facilitating their entry into the study.
They arrived at Baskerville an hour early on Tuesday. As they got out of their rental car, Mycroft was just coming through the gates in his usual black sedan. He was all smiles as he saw his brother and brother-in-law. Sherlock was pretty much wired, and looked like he had ingested about 6 cups of strong coffee already. John was, as usual, calmer, and took Sherlock's hand and patted it, trying to quiet him down a bit. They all went through the entrance to the ectogenesis labs and were greeted by Dr. Stapleton. A paediatrician and two nurses were also on hand to receive the baby and do initial checks and stabilisation if any was needed. John had a bag with their clothes for the next couple of days and the baby's things that they would need. They placed the bag in the room they'd be staying in after the birth, and changed into scrubs, all three of them. They had previously spoken with the staff about feeding, and had purchased the type of bottles they recommended. The formula itself would be produced and provided by Baskerville. Mycroft had arranged to have it picked up and delivered to Baker Street every month.
Everything was set up as for a regular delivery - sterile equipment and a cot with a warming unit above it to give the health-care team easy access whilst keeping the baby warm. The cameras were on, but Mycroft advised the couple to take some of their own snapshots to share with the family and their friends. They were all shown where to stand for the best viewing and staying out of the way of the medical team. There were also three stools there to sit on, if they wanted, or if anyone got light-headed. John was rather glad of this, as he didn't know how Sherlock would react - he was already so tightly wound.
Then the moment arrived. The device was opened, and their daughter was lifted up and out, and with no extra coaxing, started screaming lustily on her own. Soon the doctor was asking if either wanted to cut the cord - Sherlock nudged John, who immediately went over and cut it very deftly, and Sheri was taken by one of the nurses over to the warmer for care. Sherlock, John and Mycroft all went over to that side of the room to watch. First, she was dried with a warm towel. Then they checked her Apgar score and were pleased to say it was a nine. John explained that a true ten at one minute was very rare, as most babies were blue "at the edges" for the first few minutes until their limbs were perfused with room air. She weighed in at 3290 gm. (7.6 lbs) and was 55 cm (21.5 in) long. By the five-minute mark, her Apgar was a true ten. Her hair was indeed blonde, looking nearly white right now, and the curls were there - she had a full head of hair - "just like Sherlock when he was born," per Mycroft. Both John and Sherlock were too overwhelmed to speak much right away - they kept their eyes glued to their little girl. Her bright eyes were, of course, a nondescript newborn grey-blue. Finally, the nurse wrapped Sheri in a pink blanket and held her out to Sherlock, who sat down first and then held out his arms. If there was a stray tear in his eye, no one remarked on it.
"I can see you've held a little one before," commented the nurse, smiling as she watched Sherlock holding Sheri. At his and John's quizzical expressions, she explained. "Men usually hold a baby, especially their first, with their hands. Women, and men who are used to children, reach for them with, and hold them in their arms. You reached out your arms for her. Well done - I can see you'll make a good father!"
John grinned at his husband, who also beamed at the compliment. He waited for a few minutes and then took Sheri from her Papa (as Sherlock wished to be called), and sat down to further explore their daughter at close range. Photos of both fathers were taken by Uncle Myc, who was also 'persuaded' to hold his niece and have a picture taken. He agreed that Sheri was the most beautiful child ever. After about 45 minutes, the nurse placed Sheri into a hospital cot and wheeled her to the room they would all be staying in for the next two days. Her fathers and uncle trailed dutifully behind.
Thanks to all who are following this story- please leave a review if you like.
~joan