A/N: I suppose saying 'sorry' for only updating this after two months won't really suffice to all of my loyal readers out there. I really hope I haven't lost all my readers! I won't promise that I'll update routinely, but I can promise that I'll finish this story one day. Also, just a note to Cathy-Gisela, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have found time to work on this. So for that I'd like to thank you for not letting me forget about this story :).
The first thing that caught Jared's eye as he stepped into the dimly lit hospital room was his mother reclined on the hospital bed wearing a gown that looked several sizes too big. She appeared to be in less pain than she had hours ago and he felt relieved in that moment. If there was one thing that Jared didn't like, it was seeing his mother in pain and not being able to do anything to ease her discomfort.
He stepped carefully toward her and made sure to not let his sneakers squeak against the polished tiles as he walked. The last thing he wanted to do was to reduce his little sister to tears with such a sharp sounded awakening. He didn't proclaim to know a great deal about little babies but from the summary he had Jarvis lecture him about; he was sure any high pitched sound would only alarm her little ears.
His mother glanced at him and smiled warmly in that very special way she always had when she had looked at him. He smiled in return but before he could say anything she beckoned him over.
"Come meet your little sister, Jared," she murmured softly as she moved the little bundle carefully.
He carefully placed a hand on the bed beside her and peered over at the little bundle. His little sister was very pink and the only thing he was fascinated with was her little button sized nose. She seemed so fragile, so tiny. He was sure she was the smallest baby he had ever seen before. And quite suddenly, he wanted to protect her from the world. He knew he was being very childish because he was quite sure his father could protect his little sister in ways he couldn't dream of. But despite that, he quietly vowed he'd always look out for his little sister.
"What's her name?" he asked softly.
"Julia Maria Stark ," his mother answered but smiled when she caught his eyes and added, "Although for a moment there she was almost named Rocket."
He grinned openly and asked, "Was daddy coming up with weird names again?"
"Oh yes," she murmured drily, "Hmm… speaking about him, where's daddy?"
"He said he needed to speak to uncle Rhodey about something," he told her swiftly, not really thinking much about his response. He was more interested in knowing whether he was allowed to touch her little hand. He asked softly, "Can I touch her, mommy?"
"Of course," she replied eagerly. "Here, let me just move a little bit and you can sit up here with me," his mother replied as she shifted accordingly.
He grinned openly as he climbed onto the bed beside his mother. He carefully leaned into her side as she spread the blankets between them. He remained perfectly stilled as she proceeded to lay his little sister comfortably between them. He edged a hand slowly to touch the little tufts of hair at her tiny little head. Her skin was really smooth and curiously he stroked her little head gently.
"Is she sleeping?" he asked as he turned his eyes from his little sister to his mother.
"She's awake," his mother replied softly.
"But her eyes are closed," he noted curiously.
"That's because she hasn't opened her eyes yet," his mother explained, "Normally, new born babies open their eyes after they're born. But the doctor said due to Julia not born naturally, she'll open her eyes when she's ready."
"Oh," he replied lowly, "Was I born naturally?"
"I wanted too, but there were some complications and so I ended up having surgery just like I did for Julia."
"What happened?"
His mother smiled before she murmured, "Your daddy decided it was incredibly risky for me to risk a natural birth."
"Daddy did what?"
He glanced toward the direction of the voice and grinned happily when he spotted his father.
"Daddy!" he exclaimed.
"Talking about me when I'm not here, huh?" his father muttered disappointedly, but smiled as he made his way toward them.
"Always," his mother replied coolly, "If you're not the topic of conversation than Ironman is."
"Ah well," his father groaned sarcastically, "What can I say? It's difficult being popular."
"Your daddy needs a good smack," his mother told Jared pointedly but smiled as she did so.
He grinned before he turned to his father and said, "Look at this, daddy. Julia's holding my hand."