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Chapter Thirty-Nine
First Cuddles
"You did it Ethie" Esmie said kissing her sister's face happily as they all listened to the beautiful sound of the healthy crying.
"Congratulations you have a little girl" the midwife said as they took the baby off to check her weight, length, and her general overall health. Ethel felt more tears fall down her face as it was revealed she had a daughter.
"A girl, well that is not surprising as girls seem to run in your family" Mildred commented as she beamed.
"Well done Ethel, you were amazing" Julie said as she also smiled widely and Sybil jumped up and down excitedly.
"Can I see her?" Ethel asked still really tired but she wanted to see her baby. She had to see her.
"Of course, just a minute though we have to check her over" the midwife told Ethel. Ethel could see a glimse of the baby as she was weighed and felt overwhelmed. It was a strange feeling to think she was a mother but she was excited about it. She saw one of the midwives wrap a blanket around the baby and start to walk to her.
"Good weight and length and perfectly healthy, would you like to hold her now?" the woman asked and Ethel nodded, desperate to see her, she had been waiting so long. Ethel sat up more so she could take the baby from the midwife.
The woman handed over the baby swaddled in a pink blanket and Ethel looked into her face for the first time. The baby looked up at her with tired eyes, clearly still trying to get used to the outside world, her eyes were dark. Ethel knew baby's eye colours normally changed so she was not to shocked by it, and the baby had a little bit of blonde hair on her head, the same colour as Ethel's. Ethel just looked at her and smiled happily, feeling a rush of love fall upon her as she saw her baby for the first time and knew she already loved her so much. Ethel didn't know what to say so she just looked at her daughter and stroked her head a few times gently.
Julie and the girls watched Ethel before the woman stood up before speaking gently to the other girls.
"Why don't we give Ethel a bit of time? Let us wait outside" Julie said knowing the first moments after birth were important for bonding with a mother. Julie knew these first few moments should only be for Ethel. There was plenty of time for the rest of them to bond over the baby but no-one should be looking over Ethel's shoulder right now putting her on edge. It was her baby and she should take all the time she needed before people started to crowd her. Luckily for Julie, none of the girls argued and Julie quickly told the nurses and midwives, telling them just to keep an eye on Ethel as she might not know how to do something straight away, which they agreed, before following Esmie, Sybil and Mildred through the door.
"I can't believe I am an auntie it is so weird" Sybil said as soon as they were outside but she was grinning excited.
"You will be a great auntie Sybil" Mildred said as she sat next to her youngest foster sister and put her arm around her. Esmerelda though seemed to not know what to say or do.
"Are you alright hun?" Julie asked as she expected Esmerelda out of all of them to be the one doing cartwheels from happiness, so she was worried that she wasn't.
Esmerelda looked at Julie then like she had never seen her before and Julie was shocked to see tears rolling down her cheeks. Esmie was not one to ever cry, was she upset because she had just witnessed Ethel in pain and couldn't help her?
Esmie mumbled something then and Julie asked her what she had said because she couldn't make out what she was saying through her crying.
"I….it's a girl…." Esmie said then and Julie realised then she was wrong. Esmie was not sad, she was not crying because she was hurt or upset, she was crying from sheer happiness, Esmie was so happy in that moment, and so overwhelmed, she was not able to do anything else but just cry. Julie smiled then relived she was okay and hugged the teenager gently.
"I know, a perfect little girl" Julie told Esmie as she hugged the blonde and Esmie cried gently in happiness unable to stop herself.
Ethel had seen her family leave and had heard Julie said they were going to give her a while alone with her daughter. Ethel was grateful at that, she loved her family but all she wanted in that moment was to hold her baby and not have to share her with anyone else, which she knew when the others got a hold of her she would have too.
"Hey baby I am your mummy" Ethel said suddenly feeling more awake than she had in hours, as she did not want to sleep and put her precious bundle down. The baby looked at her intensely but confused, clearly not understanding what was going on yet.
"I love you so much, I know I am young but I will do everything to give you the best life possible, and you are so wanted even if I never planned for this to happen" Ethel told her baby kissing her soft little cheek and then her forehead, trying to get it into her head from the get go that she was not a burden and she was loved, she didn't want her baby to feel the way she had always felt growing up. She wondered then how her mother had interacted with herself and her sisters in these first few moments. Ethel wouldn't be surprised if the woman told the midwife to hand her straight to the nanny who would be looking after her. The thought made Ethel so sad but she shook her head to clear the thoughts and instead kept rocking her baby.
"You are so beautiful" she said to the baby who moved her head slightly, cuddling in more to her mother's chest, clearly deciding she liked her mother. Ethel cried a little at that and kissed her a few more times.
She knew she had made mistakes in her life but in that moment she vowed she would be a better parent than her own mum and dad ever were, she loved her daugther already and she only felt that feeling increase as she stroked her baby's hand and she grabbed onto her finger not letting go.
"It is alright, I don't need that finger anyway, you can have it" Ethel said with a smile as she joked and played with her baby.
Baby Hallow just kept looking at her mother with a look of wonder and amazement and Ethel felt her heart soaring.
After an hour Ethel felt it was time to invite her family back into the room. They all rushed in kissing and hugging Ethel and looking at the new baby curiously.
"Can I hold her please Ethel I will be careful" Sybil said and Ethel nodded, knowing it was important for the baby to bond with them all. She trusted Sybil, she was gentle and she knew she would be careful with her. The others wanted to hold the baby too, but Sybil had asked first and they could all have a turn so Sybil sat down as Ethel gently handed the baby to Sybil. She made sure she was holding her right before pulling her hands away.
"She is pretty, she doesn't really look like an alien anymore" Sybil said thinking she looked different now she was not on a screen. Sybil stroked her hair gently and Mildred chuckled.
"She has the Hallow blonde locks already" Mildred said as she had not noticed before as she only got a glance of her that she was already as blonde as her mother.
"Of course, what else would she have?" Ethel commented as she watched Sybil stroking her face gently.
"Do you like her Sybil?" Esmie asked and the young girl nodded happily.
"YES!" Sybil said as she rocked her happily.
Mildred was next to hold the baby. Ethel was hesitant, thinking she would somehow manage to drop her but she let her and Mildred seemed to be more careful than usual in that moment, clearly knowing she had to be gentle.
"She is gorgeous" Mildred said stroking the baby's face and smiling. She had never held a baby and it was an amazing experience. Being an only child, and not having a lot of other family she had never had the opportunity to hold one. It was such a beautiful thing cuddling a baby but Mildred was not upset she had never held one before, Only Julie and Esmie had anyway.
Julie was the one who took the baby and went into mother/grandmother mode after Mildred. She cooed at her and smiled at her.
"You are so pretty, yes you are, you are such a beautiful girl" Julie told the baby as she rocked her. Esmie had not held her yet as she was helping Ethel sit up when Mildred passed her over after around ten minutes.
Esmie was last to hold her niece. Letting her sisters and the younger ones hold her first. She sat on the bed as Julie handed over the baby and like she had had years previously when she had held Ethel and Sybil for the first time that rush of love came to her. She kissed the babies face and stroked her head and cheek.
"Are you actually crying?" Ethel asked as she saw tears flowing down Esmie's face. Esmerelda had no idea what was wrong with her today, she never cried in public, but today she just couldn't stop.
"I am just so happy Ethie, she is amazing and gorgeous" Esmie said overwhelmed by the love she felt for the little baby. Ethel smiled happy as Esmie held her little niece.
"She is perfect" Ethel said as she leaned her head on Esmie's shoulder to look at her darling daughter over her shoulder.
"Yes, welcome to the world baby Hallow" Esmie said smiling down at her, glad she was finally here after all these hard times of waiting and glad they could finally love her probably like they had all being waiting to do for so long.