A/N: There is nothing more refreshing than Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue. My absolute favourite piece at the moment. Could listen to it for hours. Also, this isn't the last chapter, just letting you know. :)

I don't know if I like how this chapter turned out. I might end up rewriting it later.

Thank you all for the sweet reviews! You guys are so wonderful and I appreciate all the kind words you have given me! It means so much to me that you guys take time out of your busy schedules to drop me these wonderful words! I love you guys! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own GMW, but Lucaya is bae.

To say Maya was nervous was an understatement.

Part of her felt like Jellybean would resent her for not being there in her first week of life. The other part of her felt she didn't deserve her child. That her lack of attention and selfishness was already indicative of being a bad mother. She wanted to believe it wasn't true, but truth was, she was having a hard time accepting anything else as fact.

After contacting the nurse that they wanted to visit their baby, she had escorted them to the NICU on another floor of the hospital. They had been buzzed in and after washing their hands and being instructed to tie on a blue gown above their clothes, they were guided down hallways towards rooms where the babies were being kept.

As they walked down the hallway, they passed by a particular pod with blaring alarms and bright lights and nurses bustling about. There was a man standing next to one of the incubators, his hand gently stroking the back of a baby inside it. Maya found herself turning her head, looking into the window of the room despite all instincts in her body telling her not to.

There were six babies in that particular pod, curled up into themselves, many of them naked, bodies red and skin almost translucent and splotchy, as if they were only made of muscle. The baby boy the man was looking at, he was curled into a fetal position, his naked backside raised to the air as a nurse drew blood from his foot. He was absolutely tiny, probably no bigger than Maya's hand, his skin so wrinkled on his body it almost seemed to be hanging off. He looked so frail and feeble. So incomplete, reliant on the machine to sustain his life which he was so desperately fighting to keep.

Maya looked away, swallowing tightly when she felt tears sting the back of her eyes, her heart pounding in her chest in sudden fright. She was glad she had Lucas to do this with her because she wasn't sure she would have been able to on her own.

The nurse guided them towards another wing that Maya noticed had babies in rooms by themselves.

"Jellybean is by herself?" she asked.

"Private rooms in general are better for the development of your preemie," the nurse explained. "Normally, we group the babies in pods together based on levels of medical attention required. But your daughter's grandmother requested a private room for her in your place since only family is allowed to make decisions regarding her care if both the parents are not available."

"Lila?"

"Yes, I believe that's what her name was. Oh, and don't worry. Your baby is always being monitored by nurses or the doctor. She's not alone." She stopped in front of a door with a small smile. "And here we are. Nurse Cara Johnson has been taking care of Mia, so any questions you have regarding your baby, she'll know since she's her primary nurse. Do you need anything else?"

"I think we'll be fine." Lucas replied. "Thank you."

She opened the door to let them in, and Maya hesitantly walked inside before leaning her crutches against the wall.

This room was more spacious, though it still had the incubator and giant monitor attached to it. There was a couch on one side of the room, and it smelled of lavender and something else soothing, even though the lights were also a bit bright.

They approached Jellybean's incubator, Maya's pulse racing uncontrollably.

If Maya thought walking into her mother's hospital room and seeing her connected to all those wires and tubes with the monitors beeping next to her hospital bed tracking her progress had been hard, it was just as terrible seeing Jellybean in the incubator of the NICU.

She was small, just lying in her box not moving except for the fluttering of her eyelashes. There was so much attached to her body it was almost engulfing her completely. An assortment of tangled wires and tubes and IVs all keeping her alive. Attached to her foot. Attached to one of her hands. Two attached to her chest. A mask nearly covering up her whole face.

Jellybean was wearing a diaper and was more grown than some of the other babies she'd seen, kind of in a frog position instead of the fetal position, and her skin was a healthier hue of pink, but just the thought that Mia had at one point probably been at a more volatile stage—struggling to survive, her body fighting her with everything it had—was hard to deal with.

It was hard to see her so immobile.

Movies that showed the babies in incubators made it seem magical, like a cocoon that magically helped grow a baby through metamorphosis, but it was nothing like that. The only thing Maya could think about was if she would survive through this ordeal. The only thing she could think about was how Jellybean must have felt being trapped in this box in some unfamiliar environment being poked and prodded day in and day out. How difficult it must have been for her to try to support herself when she wasn't aware and didn't even know how.

It reminded Maya of the elementary school project years ago when they hatched chicks in the incubator of their classroom. How the egg had been baking in the warm home until the chicks were ready to come out.

Only this was a baby.

A baby who wasn't complete and was being formed in a damn box for goodness sakes. She looked so helpless in the incubator. So small and helpless and fragile and vulnerable, like the tiniest thing could break her thin limbs. Mia hadn't decided her fate and there was nothing she could do but brave out the struggle she was forced into. She was barely two weeks old and already the Hart curse was in full effect.

It tore Maya's heart to pieces.

Maya's throat tightened dangerously as her eyes filled to the brim with tears, and Lucas reached over and slid his hand into hers, squeezing it to comfort her. She knew he was trying to stay strong for her, but Maya could feel Lucas' hand was shaking as well and she knew it must have been as hard for him to see Jellybean this way as it was for Maya. She gave him a weak smile, and Lucas returned it, his own eyes a bit glassy.

Just the thought that her baby girl had even had to suffer made Maya want to curl into a ball and cry.

"Is… is she in pain?" Maya asked no one in particular, her voice no stronger than a mere whisper.

Nurse Johnson looked up from her clipboard and gave Lucas and Maya a warm smile.

"No. She's not in pain right now. She's been sleeping peacefully and growing each day. Your baby has had tremendous growth in the past week and a half. She's definitely a trooper."

But Maya knew that didn't mean Jellybean hadn't been in pain at some point or another. She had to have been, especially if they needed to stick her with all the IVs.

"Mia did have a heart murmur early on, but her valve has closed with medication since then. She's just fine, no signs of trauma and no need for surgery. When Dr. Jerry comes in later, she will explain to you everything, I promise. As for her lungs, they are a little bit weak so we've been supplying her oxygen and she was on a ventilator up until a few days ago. Other than that, your baby is doing just great. Like I said, she is very strong and you have every reason to be proud of her progress."

"Also," Nurse Johnson continued after reading the monitor for a few seconds, "we have all the information—her birthdate and time, weight, her length, blood pressure, etc—charted, if you would like it at some point. Some of what Dr. Jerry will explain to you might be a little scary, but just remember that your baby is in good hands and she will be okay."

Maya stared at her baby, feeling a wave of grief wash over her once again. It was her fault. Jellybean wouldn't be in this situation if Maya hadn't neglected to eat and properly manage her stress. Her incompetence had caused this to happen.

"I failed her." She muttered, not realizing the words had come out of her mouth.

"You didn't. And there was nothing you could do because you were bedridden too." Lucas said, giving her another comforting squeeze. "We'll make it up to her."

Maya gazed at Jellybean for a moment, watching her chest rise and fall slowly with each of her breaths. She just wanted Mia to know she was there. That she hadn't been abandoned. That Maya was there for her now and was there to stay no matter what.

She wasn't alone anymore.

I want to…

"I want to hold Jellybean…" Maya muttered.

"I'm sorry. We don't allow the babies out of their incubators, but you can touch her through these holes." Nurse Johnson smiled, though a bit apologetically. "Don't be afraid. A parent's touch is actually very important in the growth process of the baby."

Maya nodded and slowly reached inside the incubator, her hand shaking a little bit. Even if Nurse Johnson had told her that it was okay, she was scared. This wasn't the same thing as petting a dog or some pet. This was touching a baby, a fragile human being that could easily be hurt if Maya wasn't careful.

What if I break her? What if I make her cry?

Maya nudged Jellybean's free hand, tentatively tracing her palm with her finger. Jellybean's fingers twitched a bit, barely moving a fraction of an inch each time Maya put a bit of pressure on her hand, though she remained asleep. And then slowly, her hand closed, loosely holding Maya's finger. Mia's tiny hand barely wrapped around Maya's pointer finger, but she was holding it, grasping it as she slept.

Maya inhaled shakily, her chest constricting, the tightness making it hard to breathe as she stared down at their conjoined hands. At the tiny baby fingers loosely gripping her. Maya's vision blurred as her lips quivered uncontrollably. A warm tear trailed down her cheek as a soft whimper left her lips.

She had responded. Mia had acknowledged Maya.

The past few weeks had been the worst of their life. But suddenly everything felt like it was okay.

It was still okay.

Maya was scared, and it was heartwrenching for her sweet baby girl to be hospital bound, but Maya was so happy. So, so happy and so lucky.

Maya was an absolute mess and she knew at the moment she was unfit to be a mother, but seeing Mia, she couldn't help the all-encompassing happiness that ran through her body at knowing she was alive and well and responding. It was a parental thing, the feeling of deep pride and love for a human that she'd only known a few minutes. But Maya was proud of her. Despite having been forced from her home early, Jellybean was still fighting and surviving even though she had been abandoned for so long.

Maya broke down into almost hysterical sobbing, laughing and crying, hunched over as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her shoulders were wracked with her heavy sobs, her breathing coming out in harsh, broken gasps as she cried. Lucas wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her to him as he sniffled. She leaned into him, sobbing into his side from her sheer, unexplainable joy.

"Thank you. Thank you so much…"

Thank you for surviving, Jellybean. Thank you for giving me another chance.

~.~.~

Maya shuffled slowly down the hallway of the NICU, rubbing her eyes sleepily. After going over Jellybean's medical records and expectations with Dr. Jerry, Lucas and Maya had spent some more time with Mia, just getting acquainted with their baby and trying to get her to respond to their voices in some way. Jellybean stayed asleep the whole time, but it had been nice to see the little motions and shifting she did.

Maya had gotten particularly dizzy though and suddenly very fatigued to the point that she was having trouble staying upright. Another nurse had escorted her back to her room to have a nap. Dr. Stevens had informed her that it was one of the possible side effects of her medication and to take caution when she started feeling really tired.

Maya had asked Lucas to stay with Jellybean for the time being, letting him know she would be okay once she had a chance to sleep. Maya felt much better now though and was heading back downstairs to meet up with Lucas. As of that moment, Dr. Jerry didn't recommend anyone but the two of them visiting and talking to Mia, as she was still in a delicate state and it was better not to overwhelm her with several new voices and sounds and sights at once when she was still trying to get used to her actual parents.

Maya followed the nurse as they walked down the hallway and passed the pods. She kept her gaze on the ground this time, still unable to look at the poor babies who were struggling the most despite having walked by the rooms a few times now. It was never any easier. Each time only served to augment Maya's apprehensions regarding Mia's convalescence and growth. Yes, she believed her Jellybean would get better enough to leave the hospital, but walking by the pods and seeing all those babies being taken care of always managed to momentarily scare her once again.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" the nurse told Maya before walking off.

Maya headed towards the door of her baby's room, but as she approached, she heard Lucas' voice. A low lull, warm and comforting. Something about the tone, grief lacing the words and guilt in the hunch of his shoulders made her pause in the doorway.

He was sitting in one of the chairs beside Jellybean's incubator, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand as he watched her calmly sleeping. Mia's hand could barely curl around his whole finger, and it made Maya smile at how adorable the sight was.

Until she heard what Lucas was saying.

"…I messed up, Jellybean. I told her I would stick with her and you, and we would do this thing together. And I didn't keep my promise to her."

Maya's brows furrowed in surprise when she realized he was talking about her.

"She thinks she failed you, but there was nothing she could have done. But I have no excuse." Lucas muttered, sniffling softly. "I failed you so hard. You've been here by yourself, and I could have stuck with you, but I ran. I was a selfish coward and left you on your own. I don't deserve to be your father. But I'll spend every waking moment of every day making it up to you in hopes that you'll forgive me one day."

"Truth is, I was scared when your mother was in the hospital and left, but my biggest fear was that I'll let you down and hurt you. History repeated itself, you know?" Lucas said. "My mom bedridden from the emergency C-section that almost took her and my life, my father not in the hospital when she needed him, me in the NICU. It's the same thing, only this time, I'm the absent asshole. Just like my father. And I don't want to become just like my father, but I already have his temper. I'm near spitting image. I feel like I'm already heading down that path and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Mia. I know you can't respond yet, but I'm going to ask you anyway. I want you to always take care of your mother. Always be there for her like you have been the whole time she was carrying you. If she's ever in trouble, I need you to make sure you can support her, because I can't."

Maya's breath hitched, her eyes widening in shock at his words. What the hell did he mean by that?

"That isn't to say I don't want to. I will always want to support Maya. I want to make her happy because she deserves everything she wants and more. And I'm the luckiest guy in the world to be with her and that she gave me a second chance after I messed up so badly. But I'm not good enough for her." He shook his head, his voice breaking a bit. "No matter what I do, the fact remains that I already let her down. She was here and suffering and I couldn't even find it in me to let go of my own selfish fears and come back to her. I'll never be able to forgive myself for that. And that's always going to remain between us. My failure to be there for her when she needed me the most. My failure to try to understand why she was suddenly pushing me away. That's why I'm asking you to please always be there for her, Jellybean. Because I'm not good enough and probably will never be good enough."

Maya had heard enough of this bullshit. She hobbled into the room, clearing her throat as she walked in and set her crutches out of the way. Lucas spun around, his brows lifting in surprise when he saw her. His eyes were red rimmed, and Maya's heart broke at the sight, wondering how long he had been crying. This whole time, he had lectured her about the negative way she saw herself and here he was doing the same stuff to himself. What the hell was up with them? They really did have the same self-deprecating tendencies that Riley and Missy had pointed out.

"You're awake," he said, somewhat awkwardly.

Maya nodded as she walked up to the side of Lucas' chair. "You've been down here a long time."

"It's only been a few hours since your nap." He dropped his gaze back down to the floor, guilt cloaking his entire demeanor. "I just want to make sure Jellybean never feels alone."

Maya frowned. "Lucas."

"Yeah?"

He wouldn't look at her.

It pained her to know that Lucas thought himself that way even after all they'd been through, but she knew he was dealing with his own demons and unable to forgive himself, just like she was trying to deal with hers. She wouldn't overstep. It didn't feel right. If he ever wanted to come talk to her, she would definitely listen. But nothing she could say about him leaving the hospital while she was still there would mean anything if he couldn't forgive himself for it first.

But she wasn't going to let him continue to believe he was anything like his father though. That was beyond self-detrimental, and Maya wouldn't stand for it.

Maya took his face in her hands and lifted his head so he was meeting her gaze. The heartache in his broken gaze made Maya's throat tighten dangerously.

"You are not your father. You're not a horrible, manipulative, blackmailing asshole who doesn't care about people's wellbeing. You're not obsessed with pride and only interested in success instead of people's happiness. You care about the people you love with everything you have. You have a heart and you care so much and that's why you'll never become him either, Lucas. You are nothing like him in the least."

Maya leaned down and pressed her lips to his, hoping he could feel her sincerity through her kiss. She may not have had the best or perfect words to say to him, but she desperately wanted him to at least believe in what she was saying through her actions. She wanted him to believe that she honestly meant those words with everything she had.

When she pulled away slowly, he was staring up at her stunned, surprise on his face as he searched her eyes.

"Maya…"

She smiled, stroking his cheeks and trying not to laugh at all the sharp hairs poking into her palm.

"Do you really think if you were anything like your father, I would have fallen in love with you, Huckleberry?" Her voice broke. "You're a great guy with a great heart who's done nothing but fight to make sure I could be happy when things were so hard for me. You matter to me. You matter to us both. Why would you ever think otherwise?"

If she had to tell him every day for the next however many years until he believed it, she would. He'd taken care of her all this time. It was time for her to take care of him too.

He thought he wasn't good enough, but he was more than enough for her. He believed that she was worth it, and he'd shown her since she had first met him. Thanks in no small part to him, he'd helped to build her up and show her that her life wasn't inconsequential. Yes, things had gotten messy, and their relationship had briefly gotten torn apart, but they could work it out. They could fix it all.

Lucas smiled and reached up, cupping his hand around the back of Maya's head and gently pulling her down to him, claiming her lips in a deep kiss. Maya returned it, sliding her fingers into the hairs at the base of his neck.

She knew he was letting her know he would try his best to shed his thoughts, even though there was no guarantee. It was a start.

"Alright I think— oh!" Nurse Johnson turned rapidly away after she walked in, her cheeks burning red. "I didn't realize you guys were umm… having a moment. I'll give you some privacy."

They heard footsteps quickly move out of the room and Lucas and Maya both chuckled softly, leaning their foreheads against each other.

"You need to shave." Maya murmured. "Your hairs are too ticklish."

"You don't have to kiss me, you know?" he teased.

"Out of the question."

Maya moved and sat on his lap, gazing into the incubator at their baby sleeping soundly. Lucas wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady, still gently massaging Mia's tiny hand with his thumb. Maya reached into the other hole of the incubator, gently rubbing Jellybean's soft back as she slumbered.

It felt weird knowing that the baby she'd been carrying for so long was now out in the world, but here she was, alive and breathing. And she would only grow from here on out. Maya was still a little apprehensive and worried for Jellybean and she was still stressed about her growth and recovery, but sitting there with Lucas—all three of them connected—she couldn't help but feel her heart swell in her chest. A comforting warmth that was growing in her heart.

Maya rested her arm on top of Lucas' around her torso. They were a dysfunctional, small little family with a ton of things to work out and fix, but they were one. She had a family she could put in the locket Lucas had given her for her birthday.

In that perfect moment, everything was alright with them. Maya wasn't epileptic, struggling to recover after her nasty injury and surgery. Lucas wasn't having debilitating thoughts over his importance in her life. And Jellybean hadn't been forced into a birth before she ready. They were just a mother and a father with their child.

And in that perfect moment, Maya let herself have a little hope that things might turn out okay.