Contradictions
It was the most painful thing Horatio ever had to watch, yet the most beautiful thing he ever witnessed.
Their baby was finally here, all eight pounds of her.
A sister like Kyle wanted.
Horatio had never cried or shook so hard in his life than when he saw Faith for the first time. He was surprised the doctor let him cut the baby's umbilical cord, he was shaking that bad.
Just eight days after her due date, at three in the morning Aimee had gone into labor.
After grueling twenty hours in labor, nearly two hours of pushing, Faith Roslind Caine was born. Aimee's epidural had wore off an hour before she was fully dilated. When the doctor announced it was time to push, it was too late another epidural Aimee cried out "oh, you have to be fuckin' kidding me!"
She was in more pain than she had ever experienced in her life and just wanted this over. She never thought she'd forget why she was there in the first place, that she would have to reminded of her baby. But it was the case several times. The doctor and the nurse's voices and encouragement only served to annoy Aimee further. The only voice she listened to was Horatio's.
And she would have gone through twenty hours of pain for her daughter.
"She's so beautiful," Aimee whispered, kissing a wisp of her newborn's soft hair.
Faith had brown hair with a tint of red. She had the "Caine eyes" like Aimee hoped. The same shape and piercing blue as Kyle and Horatio.
Horatio kissed Aimee's temple, smiling. He was sitting next to her on the bed. It was midnight and they were finally alone with their baby.
"She is," he said. "I'm so proud of you. You did great."
Aimee snorted.
"All the groaning, moaning and screaming I did? Please," she said.
"Hey! I can't imagine what it felt like for your body to go through that. Being quiet isn't required when giving birth, darling."
Kyle was in bed and sound asleep when Horatio called home with the news. Lacy and Trey Michaels were still awake, answering the phone on the first ring. The grandmother's scream of joy didn't wake her grandson. It would have been impossible to get him to sleep again after that. Aimee and the baby were doing well and they would be home by lunch time. They wouldn't be in the hospital long enough for Kyle to come see the baby first.
"You need to sleep, babe. You're exhausted," Horatio said to Aimee as she yawned heavily after feeding their baby. It was now almost two a.m.."She'll be here when you wake up," he smiled, kissing Aimee's brow.
"You gonna take her?" His wife asked. "I don't wanna put her in the nursery."
"They couldn't pry her from me," Horatio grinned.
Moments later Aimee were sound asleep. Horatio sat nearby in the rocker, singing to his daughter.