AN: Can't say sorry enough for the delay in this chapter. It's a flashback chapter, that I really felt I wanted to write. The story is almost over- maybe two chapters left, but I've been wanting to do this chapter for some time now and finally have. Big huge thanks to my twitter girls, you know who you are! You stayed on me about updating in the kindest, most gentle way Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 23- Bringing Home Jay
The weather outside in San Antonio was what some would describe as perfect. There was a nice breeze to go along with the 81 degree day; the sun was bright, but clouds were present leaving your eyes relaxed instead of in a constant squinting strain. The breeze welcomed patrons walking around with colorful sandals, skirts, and pretty blouses dressed up with summer scarves. It definitely didn't feel like summer, rather it felt like a beautiful April day. Definitely late spring, early Autumn type of weather.
Haley James Scott was wide awake staring outside the window on that very beautiful morning. She immediately wanted the blinds in the room opened and only wished she could have the windows open to feel the warm breeze. It wasn't possible; it was against policy. She craved the fresh air that was outside and couldn't wait to inhale it. She'd be able to in a few, short hours.
The door to her left opened and Haley smiled as her morning nurse came in smiling in her direction.
"Good morning Mrs. Scott" came her normal greeting. Lauren looked after her the morning before and Haley was grateful for the familiar face. "How's our favorite baby-hog doing this morning? Did the little guy eat yet? I heard he gave you two a hard time last night"
Haley smiled at her obvious concern. She really did enjoy having her back this morning. "I think he was really gassy and had a stomach ache. He ate a lot, but refused to burp, so he fussed a lot for sure. As for this morning, he ate on both sides and we got two good burps on each side. He's doing a lot better than last night for sure"
"Well, at least we know someone's blood pressure isn't as high this morning" she cracked a smile at Haley, poking fun of Nathan.
Nathan Scott, her amazing husband had been a near embarrassment at times during their two day stays in the hospital so far. His actions started off as endearing, but soon turned a bit psychotic.
When their baby boy came into the world, Nathan was by her side as she squeezed his hand as hard as she could manage. He watched his boys head crown, the maneuvering of his shoulders to come out, and finally him fully come into their world; all six pounds of him. Nathan couldn't control the tears slipping down his face, and didn't want to. This was such a monumental day in his life- the day his baby son was born. He kissed Haley hard on the mouth, then softly. His emotions were all over the place, and he could tell that Haley's were as well. He'd cut the umbilical cord and watched them lay the baby against his wife, and immediately coax his son to latch onto her breast.
"That's my boy" Nathan had cheered seeing his son firmly latch on, making Haley laugh, tears rolling down her face at the new bond already forming between herself and their son. "He's so perfect Hales, and so tiny" He was in awe.
It was another ten minutes before the nurse instructed Haley on breaking his grip and burping her newborn for the first time. Fifteen minutes after that, their boy was taken to get cleaned up and finger printed while Haley was changed and moved into the Mother-Baby Unit on the other side of the wing.
After helping Haley get situated in bed, Nathan stepped out to let his family in the waiting area know that their son was born and both him and Haley were doing great. They hadn't decided on a name yet, so until he and Haley talked it over, he only could give them his weight and length. When he first spotted his family, Nathan felt an overwhelming urge to hug his father. He didn't know why, but he assumed it came from an understanding he now had for how much his father loved him and his older brother. He hugged his mother next, showing them a few pictures he had snapped on his phone of his new son and Haley. There were only about two pictures he showed them since most of them were of Haley nursing. They didn't make a fuss when he excused himself, anxious to get back to Haley's new room.
She was on the phone when he returned filling her own family in on their new addition. He hated that they weren't in the waiting room like his family was. He knew she'd love that support from her family, but probably would never get it in the way she deserved.
There were flowers in their new room, some from friends and family, the rest were the ones he ordered earlier and had them moved to this room.
"You did so great baby" he leaned on the bed next to her, careful not to lean on her too much and kissed her forehead. He knew before they had visitors in later that afternoon, she wanted to freshen up some, but he still thought she looked beautiful as ever. They both were pretty adamant about not having any visitors in their room until later that day. This being Haley's first time giving birth, she wanted to recover, freshen herself up and also have some alone time with just her husband and baby before anyone else visited. Nathan's parents didn't mind. They wanted to be there for moral support no matter what and would wait as long as it took to get a peek at their second grandchild; their other, just a couple months older.
"Thank you, we both did great. He's so perfect. I wish they'd hurry up. I know that it was a part of the birth plan and their policy, but I really hate that you haven't been able to hold him yet. I want him to meet his daddy" she gripped his hand tightly and brought it to her lips before resting it against her cheek.
"I know, I'm getting anxious for him to get back now. They're taking forever with him, it's like torture. Hey, you want me to order you some lunch? You should probably eat something soon before your next feeding, which by the way, you rocked. You both did such a great job, I'm so proud of you"
He really was. They'd read horror stories of nursing gone bad and all the possible outcomes that were negative, but their boy had taken right to it, and Haley did great as well. He felt so blessed already. It was just a second later when the nurse walked in pushing the clear bassinette alongside her. "Alright dad, you ready to hold your boy? He's wide awake for you!"
Nathan just nodded his head and allowed her to bring the baby to him. He stayed in his spot by Haley wanting to be as close to her as possible when he met his son. When the tightly wrapped infant was placed in his arms, Nathan was all smiles at his wide-eyed son looking around. He brought him closer to his face and kissed his soft cheek.
"Hey buddy, I'm your daddy" he smiled at Haley who wore a smile as bright as his was, unshed tears coating her eyes. "His eyes are blue, look Hales. But they could change right? That's what the book said?"
"Yea, they could change, but I have a feeling this one is gonna take after his handsome daddy" she shifted away from the two of them. She pulled her hair into a scrunchie, getting it out of her face. "Here, lay him down for a second" She could tell he hesitated, but listened to her anyway.
Nathan smiled as Haley eased the swaddling blanket from around his tiny body. He really was so little. Even Lucas and Brooke's son was a full pound and a half heavier when he was born. Leaning over, Haley reached for the bag she had been digging through earlier next to her bed, and grabbed the small onesie that lay on top along with some tiny socks.
"You wanna do the honors daddy? Think he could use a change too" Her nose crinkled in the cute way that it did as she looked to her husband with hopeful eyes. She really did want him to change their little guys' first diaper. She figured he'd been changed in the nursery by one of the staff, but wanted Nathan to really do the honors with their son.
"Yea of course, as long as you walk me through this. Come here big guy" slowly, and gently, he slid one large hand under his head, keeping his neck supported and the other under his back and bottom before bringing him to his chest. He reveled in the tiny weight on his chest, and instantly fell in love with carrying his son. He'd been holding him for all of 3 minutes, yet everything seemed so natural to him. Nothing could stop him from leaning down to inhale his sweet, baby scent and he pushed a gentle kiss to his head. When Haley was done laying the blanket flat on the bed in front of her, he laid him back down and started to unsnap his clothes.
"Just in case he's got your sense of humor, you should put the fresh diaper under him, and then work on unstrapping that one. But be quick cause he could start going at any second" she snickered as she watched him taking care of their son. Yes, it was only a diaper change, one that wasn't even complete, but Haley was infatuated just watching them together. "Make sure you fold the top down under his umbilical cord."
"Yea" he was concentrating and looked completely adorable to Haley. "I'm assuming they'll be getting him soon so he can get snipped. Don't worry buddy, I promise you'll thank me in the future" She smacked his arm playfully before rubbing a finger up and down the baby's leg. "Alright Hales, you gotta help me on this one" they both worked together putting his clothes on. It was a simple dark green and white striped onsie that read "Handsome like Daddy" on the front with two basketballs underneath the words.
"He's so soft Hales. I know his skin is really sensitive, I mean the book went on and on about it, but it's okay to kiss his face right?" It might have sounded stupid to some that he'd check before kissing his own son, but he wouldn't take any chances. This bundle of his was special indeed and would only be handled with the best care.
"Yes, his skin is sensitive, but he's all ours babe. If you don't smother his little face and lips with kisses, I know I will" Tears filled her eyes instantly watching him do exactly what she told him. His little fist came up towards his face and his eyes closed at the sudden kisses to his face. Haley leaned over as far as she could to join in and give her little guy some smooches of her own.
"Alright," she let out a small groan sitting back up. "Before we do anything else, we should really give this little guy a name. He at least deserves that." Nathan nodded his head, agreeing before sitting on the bed and cradling the baby in front of them so they could both see him as they figured this out.
"Okay, so we're certain about Matthew for his middle name right? They'd talked a bit about names the past few weeks, and both agreed on the name Matthew.
Haley smiled, running her hand gently over his dark head of hair. "Yes, he's our "Gift of God" so it's definitely fitting. For his first name, I'm still on the fence between Aiden, Jason, and Daniel"
"Veto Daniel! I love my dad, but I'll never hear the end of it, if one of our kids is named after dad, and not after mom. There's no way we're naming any of our kids Deborah, or Anne, so no Daniel. Aiden, I'm not too fond of that one…. Jason I like"
"It means "Healer"….. Jason Matthew Scott" she looked up at Nathan and her smile instantly matched the one he wore.
"Jason Matthew Scott" His chest grew with pride knowing he had a son to carry on his last name. A son with his Haley, no less. Nathan leaned over, grabbing her chin and pulling her close for an open mouth kiss. He knew they wouldn't be able to do anything really intimate for some weeks, but he wouldn't be able to stop kissing her if he tried.
Haley wasn't too surprised with the way her husband was kissing her. She knew he understood the kind of attention she wanted from him. She'd been giving him what he called "hungry eyes" the second she saw him hold their son. It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen and she now understood what Brooke was talking about last week. She'd told her how she found Lucas laid out on the couch facing the back, completely relaxed. She was about to fuss at him, to stop being so lazy when she heard him humming softly, and finally was close enough to see Drew snuggled up against his chest fast asleep. "I've never been so horny in my life Haley, no joke"
It was a complete overshare, but now she could imagine how seeing her man with their son could be such a turn on. Pecking his lips one more time, Haley pulled away and reached for Jason, pulling him up on her shoulder. His little breaths tickling her neck made her smile and kiss at his perfect lips. "Love both my guys"
From the moment they took Jason back to be circumcised, Nathan had driven the staff there crazy. He questioned the doctor about how long it would take, the pain that his boy would feel, if they could hold off another day, if he'd be brought back to them right away, would someone hold him and comfort him when he cried, and tons more. He wanted to go down and take pictures of his son, constantly asking the nurses to let him in the nursery "just one last time", then begging them to let his father see the baby. Haley didn't know of his constant bothering until Lauren informed her of the crush her fellow co-workers no longer had on Nathan Scott.
She'd referred to her husband as a "handful" and sadly Haley could only agree.
"Lauren, if it isn't too much to ask, could you bring him in? He ate at about five-thirty, and I was exhausted so I let him go to the nursery. I'd love to have him back, especially before grumpy wakes up"
Winking at her patient, she quietly left the room, and made it back within five minutes pushing a sleeping Jason into the room. "I'll change his diaper and dressing before I leave you to it"
When Nurse Lauren started to un-swaddle the baby, he began letting out tiny whimpers, his face creating the saddest pout Haley had ever witnessed.
"Is it bad that, that might be my most favorite face he's made?" She cuddled next to his ear whispering comforting words, hoping to calm him.
"Nope, baby pouts are by far the best for moms, it's those guys who can't take them" she gestured to Nathan, who somehow didn't seem to be in such a deep sleep anymore.
Haley frowned at the blood she saw on the gauze being removed from her boys diaper but listened as Lauren told her it wasn't much at all and not to worry. Hated personally hated everything about the process her boy had to go through, but knew it had to be done. Even if she had doubts, her husband had thrown out a "non-negotiable" on her and she knew it would happen. The problem was that she knew exactly what it entailed and even had watched videos of them for class. She shook the thoughts from her head when the shrill cry pierced her ears, causing her husband to jerk awake muttering "Jay..buddy it's ok" he sat up rubbing his eyes, still muttering their sons name while waking himself up.
When he looked up at the nurse in the room, he decided to freshen up first before acknowledging her. Stretching his limbs, he gave his wife shoulder a quick squeeze before going for the bathroom. It was just minutes later that he returned looking more alert. He first noticed that their nurse was gone and smiled when he saw his wife sitting up in bed with their son cradled on a boppy feeding from her breast.
"Morning baby" he went to Haley's side, kissing her awaiting lips that were turned upward towards him. He noticed that ever since he son was born two days ago, his hands no longer went to his wife's middle when he kissed her, but automatically made their way to his son's soft head if he was near her- which he usually was. Once they broke apart, he leaned down to give his son just as much affection, kissing his cheek and head. "Morning handsome. You're doing so good eating buddy. Were the ladies nice to you this morning?" he talked softly by his ear, smirking at his wife when she bit nervously on her bottom lip. He'd definitely known she'd sent their boy to the nursery after feeding him earlier. He'd awakened several times the night before like clockwork just to check and be sure his son was still breathing, so when the same thing happened this morning, he quietly snuck out to see his son asleep with about eight other babies in the nursery. Of course he'd coerced the nurse into letting him give him "night time kisses" and she obliged as soon as the smirk was thrown her way.
He knew what worked with these nurses here, and would use it to his advantage as long as he could.
"I had to get some sleep babe" Haley gave an excuse that she knew her husband didn't need. He wanted her to get as much rest as possible before going home, and would support any decision she made with their baby.
"I'm just messing with you baby, I think it's smart to use them while we can" he sifted through his overnight bag, pulling out a gray Nike shirt before throwing on a new pair of basketball shorts, declaring himself changed and ready for the day.
Haley sat contently feeding her son while Nathan checked his phone, answering texts and emails. She was excited that they would be going home today and couldn't wait to start life with their boy.
"Hales, Brooke and Luke wanna know what to bring for dinner tonight"
While Nathan's parents had spent the majority of yesterday at the hospital with them meeting Jason, Brooke and Lucas decided to wait to meet their nephew when he was released from the hospital. Brooke insisted that they should give the grandparents the day without any interruptions seeing as though they'd have to be back on the road later that evening to head back home. As much as Brooke and Lucas wanted to meet baby Jason, they knew the hassle of having so many visitors and feeling like you had to say yes to everyone. In Haley's case it was a bit different. All of her visitors were staff members and fellow classmates that she'd grown close with, but Nathan's were some of his co-workers and their wives.
Nathan waited patiently watching as Haley placed the baby onto her lap, leaning him against her hand to burp him. She was a damn pro already. He smiled at her when she caught him staring and immediately blushed.
His wife was even sexier as a mother. He shook his head for a second, not wanting to get into what seeing her breastfeed their son did to him.
"She's been through this before. Tell them to make something that won't upset his stomach after he's nursed. The lactation specialist said to be careful of a lot of different foods- spicy, lots of sauces, and even dairy. Remember Brooke didn't eat dairy until last month it would upset Drew so much" she'd gotten a small burp and lifted the infant to her face, kissing him softly "I don't want him to have a stomach ache"
Nathan went to typing his own version in response while Haley proceeded to nurse on the other side. "He's doing it again babe" she complained to Nathan.
Nathan held up one finger, signaling Haley to give him one more second, finished sending his text, then walked over to sit with her on the bed. He didn't need to ask what she was referring to once he took a look at his now sleeping son. They had their work cut out for them. Every feeding, he would eat on one side, and would fall asleep while being burped and would conk out before he could eat on the other side. It wasn't a huge deal, but he was clearly not full and that only seemed to break him off the miniscule schedule he was on. Instead of wanting to eat every two hours he'd wake up very fussy just under an hour later, obviously wanting to be fed.
Her nurse told her that a mothers' smell was so comforting to a baby that it often happened that way. Haley smiled at that but then frowned not liking that her baby's eating habits weren't that great.
"Well why don't you pump from that side and I'll feed him" Nathan suggested. He was deemed an expert at waking his son up and keeping him alert. He'd done a good job of doing that throughout Haley's pregnancy, always easily riling their boy up inside the womb.
"Try waking him now" She handed the baby over to his dad, and smiled at his little curled up body when he poked his butt out. She reached over to grab the pump that was plugged in at her bedside, and went to work. She was shocked the loud noise didn't wake her baby, but figured that professionals didn't get distracted, and her son was a professional sleeper if you asked her.
"Alright buddy, you gonna wake up for daddy? Let's try this" he talked to the baby, lying him down on a small receiving blanket in front of them. "So although the book clearly states you shouldn't wake a sleeping baby, it definitely gave some ways of waking them up."
"Yea, do the foot thing" Haley had read that one in particular and knew that Brooke and Lucas used it on Drew often. Basically you'd gently rub your fingernail up and down the bottom of the babies' foot. They hated that and would immediately start to squirm and if you continued it'd get so uncomfortable they'd wake up, usually crying. They'd tried it on one another and realized that it wouldn't hurt him, but the ticklish sensation was actually just annoying enough to rile anyone up. Nathan could count the number of times Haley had woke him up from a deep sleeping "trying things out".
Nathan started to rub at the boy's sock covered foot, knowing he had his wife beat in that category now. She'd insisted on getting her nails cut shorter than she'd ever had them, not wanting to take a chance on scratching Jason.
First his foot immediately pushed against the sensation, then both his legs started moving before his small body squirmed. Taking it to the next level, Nathan rubbed both feet and seconds later a shrill cry was heard from the red faced baby.
Nathan snickered while Haley looked on guiltily. "Alright, one last trick" Nathan reached across Haley to grab a single wipe from the pack beside her and unsnapped the onsie he was wearing. Haley looked on confused at what he was doing until she watched him rub the wipe lightly over his belly, the cool cloth shocking her baby.
His cries immediately grew and his little body went stiff at the sudden coldness to his skin.
"What the hell Nathan! That's enough" she shot him an angry look, while she stopped the pump and got a fresh nipple and top to put on the bottle.
"Hales calm down. It's alright buddy, I got ya. You awake now huh?" he lifted him to his face, peering at the scrunched up eyes and lips that his wife claimed to belong to him. He kissed those tiny lips before laying him down to snap his clothes back up and swaddled him back in the blanket before giving Haley an innocent smile.
"Come on Hales, you wanted me to wake him. This is the most he's been awake since he was born. Hand over the milk woman" She agreed, and complied, but still glared at him angrily.
"Don't do that shit again to my baby Nathan Scott"
"Yes ma'am" he chuckled and settled himself into the chair next to her bed. He was ecstatic to feed his son for the first time.
The first of many, he thought.
Nathan and Haley both felt a stillness in the air as they got out of the car later that evening outside their home. Haley had sat in the backseat next to their boy, him with a firm grasp on her pinky finger while Nathan drove them home. She didn't pick fun, but noticed the drop in his normal speeding now that they had precious cargo with them. Getting out, Nathan moved to unsnap the cars seat from its base and waited as Haley handed him a few more bags of theirs. She carried the diaper bag, and took a hold of his out stretched hand before leaning up on her toes to kiss hip lips.
This was a new chapter in their lives, starting at this very moment.
Their door was opened before either of them could figure out where Nathan had dropped his keys that fast, and Lucas greeted them with Drew passed out on his shoulder.
"Welcome home guys" He stepped aside allowing them to come in. Haley was quick to pull Lucas in for a hug and he kissed her cheek congratulating her.
Nathan sat the covered car seat down on their dining room table, and smiled when he saw Brooke approaching them, a large smile on her face. "Hi guys" she hugged each of them quickly, and they all snickered knowing she simply wanted to just see baby Jason.
"Can I peek at him at least? Is he sleep?" She wouldn't smother them at all. With the exception of Haley, Nathan and her in-laws, she hated when people just assumed they could hold Drew. They'd had many visitors in the hospital, but very few were allowed to hold their baby.
Haley moved closer knowing Brooke had shown so much restraint in not coming to the hospital to give them some privacy and decided to give her exactly what she wanted. "Here, let's bring him over here"
Haley lifted the car seat from the table and walked it to the couch where she and Brooke sat side by side. She knew her best friend already had pristine, clean hands and watched her unfold the blanket Nathan handed her and lay it across her chest.
Finally unsnapping the restraints from her son, Haley lifted the scrunched body from the seat, smiling at his puffed out butt. That would never get old to her. She brought him to her face, knowing she couldn't hand him over without kissing his face, and finally placed him the waiting hands of his god mother.
"Hi Jay" she cooed at the small baby in her arms. She had him snuggled on her chest, just relishing in his tiny body against hers.
She too had been worried about the baby and possible complications with his weight being so low. She couldn't imagine him not being there with them. He and Drew were going to grow up together, always having one another. Brothers from another mother, she'd already deemed them. Bringing him down to her lap, she held him under his head while he rested on her lap and both her and Lucas gasped at fully seeing his face.
Brooke looked at the smiles both Nathan and Haley wore, and knew this was the "small surprise" they were referring to. Their boys could be twins.
Scratching his head, Lucas spoke the words his shockingly silent wife couldn't.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was looking at my own son just three month prior. That's just freaky man. What did mom and dad say?" he directed the question towards his younger brother.
"Freaked out completely" Nathan said smirking.
Haley smiled in agreement, "they went on and on about how you two were the same way and how people always thought you were twins when you were little. I actually love that they look so much alike. They're gonna be best friends"
"Best friends," Brooke agreed. "and once we both have girls, they'll be best friends too" she gushed wide-eyed at Lucas.
"Whoa, slow down Pretty Girl, let's get this one sleeping through the night and out of diapers first before we even think of mentioning another baby" he patted Drew's diaper clad bottom, and pressed a kiss to his soft cheek.
Nathan excused himself for a few minutes and quickly unpacked their hospital bags, and sorted some of Jason's stuff that needed to be either put away or thrown in the laundry, making sure that Haley didn't have to worry about it. It was about ten minutes later when he came back in the living room to see his brother now holding his little boy.
There were only rare occasions when someone would find Nathan Scott being sentimental, and he couldn't deny that this would be one of those moments. He always looked up to his older brother, and idolized him from day one seemed like. He might have only been a couple years older, but Nathan knew that he was a great guy and tried his best to be as good a man as Lucas was. Seeing him holding his son, left him feeling a way he never expected. He was prideful just knowing how proud his brother looked. There wasn't a need to get chocked up at all- it completely wasn't that type of moment- but it was a moment he knew he would keep with him.
"Hales," he whispered getting her attention. She'd been smiling at the quotes her and Lucas were spouting off to the boys. When he saw his sister in law nursing his nephew, he knew his own son would be hungry soon, meaning he should feed his wife. "let me make you a plate so you can eat before he needs to eat." She just smiled and nodded. He was worn out she could tell, but wouldn't stop until they were one hundred percent taken care of.
It didn't take long for Brooke and Lucas to make their way home, letting the new parents know to call if they needed anything the next day. Nathan wasn't due back for work until the following week and Haley was grateful he'd be there through the first full week with them at home. She wanted them both to be home with Jason, experiencing it all together.
Haley looked up as she heard the nursery door creaked open and saw her husband rubbing his eyes as he made his way towards her. She'd been sitting in the rocking chair for the past fifteen minutes extracting her milk into two- four ounce bottles.
"Is he okay" she questioned immediately.
"Perfectly fine and breathing"
It completely freaked them out when their boy hadn't woken up since he'd finished his last feeding nearly four hours ago. He hadn't slept that long since he was born and they both were panicked, praying their worst fear hadn't come true as they checked on him. Their fears were settled when they peeked in the bassinette at the end of their bed to see the newborn still swaddled and breathing just fine.
"He's just so comfortable and I bet meeting his big cousin and uncle and aunt just wore him out today"
"Yea that or he's just a lazy bones like his daddy" Haley smiled at Nathan as he plopped down in front of the chair. He picked up one of her feet and started giving her a message.
"Can you believe we're parents Hales? Cause I really can't. I mean, there's a baby asleep in our room, and he's all ours. Ours" he applied a little more pressure to her foot, shaking his head. "It's crazy, I mean I've loved him since you told me you were pregnant with him, but now that he's here… I mean it's like completely different Hales. I can't even explain how much I love him or how happy he makes me. All the kid does is sleep, shit and eat, from my wife no less, but he's like the best thing I've ever done"
"I know exactly how you feel babe. Obviously you're in there too, don't get me wrong, but he's my, our entire world now. Thank you for giving him to me Nathan" she leaned forward, waiting for him to get up and kiss her.
He took the hint, capturing her lips in an open mouth, deep kiss. They stayed that way, wrapped in one another until they heard the small cries coming from across the hall. They'd both been patiently waiting for that interruption they so desperately wanted to hear.
"There's our boy"