I'm still keeping up with most of the LBD cast. Ya know, to see if they're working on anything new or to see how they're doing or whatever. So around the end of January, Daniel Gordh (Darcy) posted a picture of him and a baby on Instagram. I remember seeing it and thinking of my fic. Later that day, I checked Instagram again, and I saw that somebody had photoshopped Ashley Clements (Lizzie) into the picture! And I wanted to cry! LOL. I was thinking to myself, "This is my Lizzie and my Darcy and my Isabella (well the baby looked to be a boy but who cares?! A girl can dream lol). If you want to see the picture, go to instagram dot c o m/decentenough. It's an LBD/EA fanpage and if you scroll down the pic should be there. If you have the Instagram app, just search for the username 'decentenough'. Sorry for this randomness but I had to share, just in case you guys were interested!
Anyways, enjoy!
Lizzie woke up the next morning feeling extremely well-rested. She hadn't slept so soundly in such a long time. And then she remembered where she was and immediately wanted her baby.
She sat up and then smiled at the sight before her. Darcy was snoring lightly on a comfy looking couch next to Lizzie. He had stayed with her the whole night, except for the many times he went downstairs to go observe his daughter in the nursery. She felt kind of guilty about waking him up, but Darcy's adorableness was no match for Lizzie's desire to see her baby.
"Will?", she said softly. When he didn't react, she spoke louder and more insistently. "Will!"
Darcy moved around on the couch and his eyes fluttered open. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and yawned before smiling at Lizzie.
"How do you feel, my love?"
"I feel amazing. It's so weird not having her inside me anymore, ya know? I miss her. I wanna see her."
"They'll bring her up in…", he looked down at his watch, "...a few minutes actually. I was in the nursery a couple of hours ago and they said they were going bring her up for feeding."
"Good. I have more than enough milk. I'm even leaking! How embarrassing.", she commented as she looked down at her boobs. "As soon as we get out of here, we need to stop somewhere so I can buy nursing pads and other toiletries."
"Of course. If you and Isabella are in good condition, the nurse you can be discharged this afternoon."
"Really? Great! We can take our baby home!", Lizzie said excitedly.
"Yes, finally. I have been anticipating that moment since she was born."
"Can you help me get up, babe? I want to pee before the baby comes.", Lizzie requested as she moved to get off the bed.
Darcy jumped off the couch and helped Lizzie get down.
He helped her walk as she pushed the machines towards the bathroom door.
"I think I can take it from here, Will.", Lizzie said when they were in the bathroom. They had become pretty open when it came to using the bathroom, but she had just pushed out a kid and things were messy down there, so she wanted to avoid scaring him with the gory mess that was her post-partum vagina. Last night, a nurse came and taught her how to clean herself up properly after giving birth and she didn't want Darcy present for that.
"Oh. Of course. I will, uh, be outside if you need me.", he replied before turning to leave.
"Wait! Come here.", she said suddenly.
He stopped and turned around to find Lizzie with her arms opened wide.
He went in for a big bear hug where Lizzie squeezed him as hard as her engorged breasts would allow. The belly was still in the way but he didn't feel bad squeezing her because Izzy was out already.
"Good morning. It's your first morning as a dad!", she said into his chest.
"And it's your first morning as a mother. A very good morning, indeed.", he said before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Do your thing. I will be outside. Maybe Isabella will be here by the time you are done."
Lizzie's heart swelled with joy at the thought of having her little girl in her arms again.
When Lizzie had finished cleaning up and brushing her teeth, she exited the bathroom and found Darcy pacing around the room with Isabella in his arms. He was whispering something to her and Lizzie found the sight so endearing that she teared up. She just knew he was going to be a wonderful father. When he noticed Lizzie, he set the baby down in the bassinet so that he could help Lizzie to the bed. As soon as she was in bed, he handed her the baby and tears started to escape Lizzie's eyes. "What's up with the water works every two seconds?", she thought to herself. She would cry for any little thing. "Damn you, hormones!"
"Hi, Izzy! Are you hungry, sweetie?", Lizzie asked her daughter. She used to be scared that she wouldn't know what to do or that she wouldn't feel attached to her baby but all those fears were gone. The moment she heard Isabella cry, her whole perspective on life changed. It was as if someone flipped a switch and she was bestowed with maternal instincts. She knew that she loved her family and friends. She knew that she loved Darcy and that she was in love with him, which was different from any other love she ever felt. She had an idea of what she was going to feel after giving birth but she certainly didn't expect to feel such a forceful, unconditional love. She couldn't compare it to anything else.
Izzy started acting up in Lizzie's arms, as if she could sense that her source of food was nearby.
"Shhh, it's okay. Mommy's gonna feed you."
After a few minutes of fumbling around, Isabella finally latched onto Lizzie and began eating.
Lizzie took this time to observe her baby. Isabella was no longer pink. She was white. Pale, even. "Like me.", thought Lizzie. "And those cheeks! I could just eat her up!"
She had a lot of dark brown hair on her head and even some dark eyebrows, which was cool because some babies don't really have noticeable eyebrows when they're born. "Those are definitely Darcy brows. Both Gigi and Will have them."
"You can't deny that this is your kid, Will.", Lizzie stated.
"Why do you say that?", Darcy asked from the couch.
"Have you seen her brows? If that doesn't scream Darcy, I don't know what does. And I can't put my finger on what else is yours, but when I look at her little face, I see you."
"Our mother had defined eyebrows. Gigi looks just like her... Speaking of mothers, she has your eyes, you know. A captivating blueish-green color. I was staring at them as I held her and I was surprised at how similar they are to yours. She is beautiful, just like you."
Lizzie couldn't help but grin. "So you're happy with this little human we made, babe?"
"Over the moon.", he replied with a smile.
Lizzie grabbed Isabella's little hand between her fingers and just held it. "She's so tiny..."
Darcy watched his two little ladies and again he felt that need to protect them. He remembered he wanted to talk to Lizzie about his will and decided to bring it up now, since there weren't any family members here to interrupt them.
"So, Lizzie, I wanted to talk to you about something yesterday but we were interrupted..."
"I honestly don't remember, honey."
"That's understandable. It was nothing major. Just that I requested a new draft of my will to be drawn up... naming you and Isabella as beneficiaries."
Lizzie's brows shot up. "Wow. Really?"
"Yes. It's just that since we are not married, you wouldn't automatically inherit everything and I wanted to make sure that in case anything happens to-"
"Nothing is going to happen to you, William. Okay? Nothing. And if something did happen- which it won't- then all the money in the world wouldn't be able to console us."
Darcy smiled a brief smile at her response. He'd been with her for the better part of a year and he still felt pangs of emotion whenever she said stuff like that. He could feel the truth in her words when she spoke of her feelings for him.
"Even so, my love, I would want you two to be properly taken care of. It would give me peace of mind to know that at least financially, you would be okay. You two are my family now and I want to make sure you all have everything you need."
Lizzie really couldn't get upset over him wanting to leave her his stuff if something were to happen. Especially now that she Isabella to think of.
"If it gives you peace of mind, fine, Will. But don't go doing anything risky now, got it?"
"I wouldn't dare.", he answered. "I would never put my life danger. Especially now that I've got so much to live for."
That evening, Lizzie was allowed to leave the hospital and had scheduled her postnatal check-up date six weeks from now and the check-up dates for Isabella.
Lizzie and Izzy were seated in a wheel chair and rolled down to the front of the hospital where the valet fetched Darcy's car. Darcy placed Isabella in the brand-new car seat that was gifted by Aunt Catherine, and Lizzie sat next to her in the back.
The drive home was a silent one. Lizzie and Darcy were each in their thoughts. Lizzie thought about the baby and the nursery and how Isabella was going to fit in at home, while Darcy thought about how he was bringing home the newest Darcy since Georgiana.
They arrived and were ambushed at the front door. The house manager, Mrs. Reynolds, and the rest of the house staff that worked that day were waiting outside.
He helped Lizzie and Izzy out of the car and presented his daughter to everyone.
"Thank you, everyone. I would like you all to meet Isabella Darcy.", he said gesturing towards the little bundle in Lizzie's arms. "You probably won't get a good look at her now, but in the coming weeks and months I am sure you will have a chance."
They parted to allow Lizzie and Darcy through to the front door and when they opened it, their families were much more aggressive than the employees outside. They fought over who would hold the baby first. Lydia called dibs and gently stole Izzy away.
"Let me hold her first, y'all! I cooked dinner, so that is the least y'all could do!", demanded Mrs. B.
Lydia sighed and gave her new niece over to her crazy grandmother. "Only a few more days of this, Lizzie. Then Mom will be out of your hair.", Lydia muttered under her breath. Lizzie just smiled in acknowledgement. It was Wednesday night and Aunt Catherine, Gigi, the Bennets, Bing, and Charlotte were all leaving over the weekend.
After they ate, Izzy began crying because she had a soiled diaper. Lizzie asked Darcy to accompany her to the nursery. They hadn't yet been up there, with their families hogging the baby and all, so they wanted to be alone together for a little while.
"This is your room, Izzy! Do you like it? You have your Aunt Caroline to thank for it.", Lizzie said after walking into the room.
Lizzie placed her on the changing table and then she got teary-eyed at the fact that her baby was here and that she was healthy and that she was home.
"Are you alright, Lizzie?", Darcy inquired when he saw her crying.
"Yes. I'm just so happy.", Lizzie said, sniffling. "Here. I'm going to be changing plenty of diapers in the near future, so you do this one."
"Uhh..."
Lizzie chuckled. "Oh come on, Will. She's not gonna bite. Is Mr. C-E-O afraid a dirty diaper?", she teased.
"Step aside, Bennet.", he commanded.
Lizzie laughed and then passed him a clean diaper and the box of baby wipes.
"I've read about this. I've studied this. I've got this.", he thought before beginning his task. He did everything methodically, as if he were in an instructional YouTube video.
"Excellent job, babe. We should record you and send it to Charlotte. You can be in one of Ricky's Better Living videos titled How To Change A Diaper."
Darcy rolled his eyes at her and handed her the wrapped up dirty diaper, which she discarded in the dirty diaper bin.
He picked up his baby girl, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "Your mommy likes to tease me but that is alright. You are going be a daddy's girl and then we will see who has the last laugh."
"Whatever, Darcy. I've got the milk. She'll be mommy's little helper.", she said before sitting on the nursery's loveseat. "Come here, my loves."
Darcy joined Lizzie on the couch and she rested her head against his shoulder. They enjoyed a comfortable, blissful silence until little Bella started crying again.
"And she's going to do that every few hours?", Darcy asked as he handed her over to Lizzie.
"Yup. She has to eat every three hours. It is going to be an exhausting few months."
"We can take turns. I don't want you to have to do this by yourself, Lizzie."
"That's sweet. Thank you for offering. Let's see how things go. Maybe we can work out a system. I was advised to use a breast pump after nursing her so that I can have some extra milk handy. Maybe I can stock up on some milk and then you can feed her. But I don't want you to wake up tired for work. I can't imagine running a company with just a few hours of sleep."
"Like you said, let's see how things go. I don't want you to be tired, either."
"It comes with the territory, Will."
"I suppose. But you'll let me know if you need help, right?"
"Definitely."
When Isabella had a belly full of milk and had fallen asleep, Lizzie placed her in the crib and turned on the baby monitor. She and Darcy watched her breathe for a little while before leaving the room and returning to their families downstairs.
When the couple settled in for sleep, or rather a three-hour nap, Lizzie snuggled into Darcy and sighed a big, contented sigh.
"It feels good to be home.", she admitted.
"I agree."
"The last time we slept in this bed she wasn't here yet, Will. We didn't know what she'd look like or what she'd feel like. And now we do. Isn't that crazy?"
"It is... Did I thank you? I don't think I have thanked you enough."
"You did. And you are very welcome.", she said before kissing him quickly on the lips. "You know what? I'm gonna sleep on my stomach today, babe. Why? Because now I can! The things we take for granted..."
Darcy chuckled and said, "I love you, Elizabeth."
"I love you, too.", she mumbled.
Lizzie didn't really sleep. She would be constantly checking the clock to see if it was time to feed Izzy again or she'd sit up because she thought she'd heard something on the baby monitor. She finally just got up and went to the nursery to watch her baby sleep and to make sure she was alive and everything.
"This is new.", she thought. The worries that she wouldn't be good with the baby were gone, only to be replaced by the constant worrying about the baby's welfare.
The next morning she told her mother about it and Mrs. Bennet replied, "Welcome to motherhood, Lizzie! That naggin' feeling of concern you feel never goes away. It actually gets worse as your child grows. You'll be fine, dear. Now come eat. You can't expect to feed my grandbaby on an empty stomach!"
It was nice having her family around. They were supportive and there was always someone willing to hold Isabella while Lizzie had to go handle her personal hygiene or when she had to have a bite to eat. Everyone got a turn with Izzy. Mr. Bennet held his granddaughter with pride and agreed with Darcy's claim that Izzy had Lizzie's eyes. Mrs. Bennet was ecstatic and was surprisingly gentle and quiet when the baby was in her arms. All of the aunts had their turn with their new niece and they all fell in love. Aunt Catherine would talk to Isabella about her bright future, Charlotte would squeeze the chubby little cheeks, Gigi would constantly upload of pictures of Isabella, Lydia whispered "Whaaaat!" to her, and Jane rocked her softly and smiled at her.
Bing noticed Jane's natural ability with the baby and he himself possessed some kind of ease with little Izzy. Mrs. Bennet noticed how good Jane and Bing were with the baby and dropped very non-subtle hints that they should get busy and give her another grandbaby.
When the weekend came and everyone had to go, it was sad but sort of a relief. Lizzie was glad to have so many people that cared about her and Isabella but she also wanted some alone time. She wanted to adjust to her new three-person household.
"Don't miss me too much, Lizzie! We'll be back for Thanksgiving! Your home is perfect for the holidays."
"Alright, Mom. See you for Thanksgiving."
She shared similar goodbyes with everyone except Charlotte, who was going to go home for Thanksgiving, and Bing and Jane, who were going to spend the day with the Lee family.
When everyone had driven off to the airport, Darcy, Lizzie, and Izzy were left to themselves.
"What do we do now?", Darcy asked after going back into the house.
Lizzie smelled a smelly that smelled… smelly coming from the direction of the baby's diaper and she said, "I know what you're doing."
She smiled as she handed Isabella to Darcy and said, "You're on diaper duty."
Darcy narrowed his eyes at Lizzie and she walked away snickering.
Can you guys imagine Darcy changing a diaper? I totally can. And I can imagine Lizzie laughing at how meticulous he would be about it lol. I'm gonna hit Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's next.
Thanks for reading!
Also, sorry for the Spongebob reference at the end. It popped into my head and I just had to include it. :P