She honestly didn't have any distinct features yet that could make me say who she looked like, but she was so small I felt like one touch and I'd break her in two. Her eyes where wide open and the color was the only identifiable feature about her other than a lot of dark hair on the top of her head. Her eyes seemed very alert, for her age, and they were the exact same shade as Dimitri's eyes. If anyone had any doubt she was his, this would easily prove them wrong. "Look at her eyes, they look just like yours." Dimitri gently brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Here, you can hold her." He seemed genuinely surprised by the offer.
He carefully took her and held her as he made his way to the chair my mother was in earlier. A nurse came in with a file and a box. "Hello Miss Hathaway, so we are going to start breastfeeding in a moment, but first I need your permission to perform a test." I nodded. "In cases like yours we like to offer DNA testing to prove parentage to the baby before we discharge the two of you. In order to have Mr..." She looked at her files. "Mr Belikov on the birth certificate, he had to prove he is a match. We can perform the test anyways, however you said here he's a dhampir, so we..." I interrupted her.
"I know, I know but he's the only person who could possibly be the father, you can do test as long as he is okay with it."
"I'm also required because of the... age gap to give you this and give you the opportunity to review it." She handed me a packet that I had an immediate hatred for because of the large title printed at the top. 'Sexual assault get emotional and legal support here...' I tried my hardest to not say anything. "Do you have a way of contacting Mr Belikov?" I pointed over to the corner he was sitting in with the baby. He looked so relaxed and happy yet terrified at the same time. He hid his fear well but I seen it. He was clearly listening the whole time but acted distracted. "Oh well then." She went over and gave a similar run down to Dimitri, before he agreed and then got up and handed me Maddison. They left the room and I was alone.
"Well missy, me and your daddy are going to call you Jade. It's a lot shorter, and your name reminds me of someone very special to me so I don't want to think about him and be sad around you." She gave out a tiny yawn. "I love you." I mimicked her yawn, but I didn't dare close my eyes. I waited for the nurse to come back, but the first person to come in was Adrian.
"Little Dhampir... and should I call her Mini Dhampir?" I smiled at him as he came closer. "Oh look at the little thing, she is an adorable blob of human." That was the most un-Adrian thing Adrian had ever said. "No doubt you'll out grow this cuteness and turn into a little wild child would could knock me out with one punch." I rolled my eyes.
"Maddison Jade, but just Jade for you." He had a strange expression.
"Oh I see what you did there."
"Oh my god, are you sober?" There was nothing indicating he was intoxicated but if if he was, I'd want him out.
"Yes mom, I haven't had anything in over a week. I told you I'm trying." I exhaled in relief. "Now let me see, Jade."
"No, sorry." He looked disappointed. "Actually, fine but bring a chair over." His face instantly lit up. He rolled a chair over and sat next to me, I slowly gave him Jade and he sat with her all wrapped up in his arms. "I'm so tired." He said with a tone that said obviously you should do this.
"Then go to sleep. Haven't you been up for like two days or something dpoing hard labor, pun intended." I started to argue but he cut me off with a more serious tone. "Rose, sleep please, I'll stay right here until you wake up or that dumb Russian gets here, but you need to sleep.
"Promise the only person you'll give her to is Dimitri?" Adrian nodded. In almost an instant I was asleep, I was so tired and the aching was finally dull enough I could ignore it. It was easy to drift off.
Unfortunatly, I woke up only an hour later to crying. I seen Adrian trying to hand Jade to Dimitri, but she was screaming her head off. "Hey, give her to me." Only Dimitri noticed I was up because I was talking so quietly. Dimitri took her and then walked over and gave her to me. "Awe, don't cry baby."
"She's hungry." I didn't look up to acknowledge him, but I knew Dimitri was right. I just held her until she stopped crying. I carefully reached over and pressed the call button to get a nurse. I was still tired but I stayed up for a few more hours, trying to feed her for the first time. When the sun was coming up I convinced Dimitri to lie with me. Almost as soon as I could I tried to get up and walk to the bathroom without assistance. It was slightly (very) painful but I refused to admit I needed help again.
Before I went back to bed I stood over the little bassinet in the corner, and just watched my little baby sleeping. That's when it really hit me, I was a mother. I started to silently cry as I just watched her slow breathing. I nearly screamed when a pair of arms wrapped around me, but I recognized Dimitri's aftershave. "What's wrong?" I didn't say anything, I just leaned into him and stopped my tears. He didn't push, eventually he coaxed me to go back to bed, where a sat for hours just watching Jade. Dimitri woke up next to me again. "Roza, don't cry, everything is alright, just try to sleep."
"I'm not ready for this, she doesn't deserve someone like me to be their mother." Dimitri sat up too and gave me a hug. I snuggled into him while he stroked my hair. "I don't deserve someone like you, or a nice house that was just given to me, I shouldn't be in control of someone as innocent and helpless as her..."
"Rose, stop it. Everything that happens in your life is meant to be. I love you, and little Jade loves you more than me remember." He was joking a little, bringing up my earlier comment, before he was serious again. "Science says her existence shouldn't have even been possible. You are more than ready to be her mother, so don't say that. Please try to get some sleep, please." He rocked me back and forth unitl eventually I fell asleep again.
I woke up to crying again, I looked around and wanted to go to the little crib but a nurse was already tending to Jade. When I sat up so did Dimitri he was wearing the same clothes he had on since he got here. I nudged him. "Can you please go home?" He looked at me strangely. "You can go shower and get a change of clothes. Plus we didn't bring the hospital bag or her car seat. I know you don't want to but my mom will be here and I'm sure Lissa needs to go home, she's been here the whole time too." He nodded before giving me a brief kiss.
"I'll be back as soon as possible." I smiled as he put on his shoes and duster before leaving. The nurse brought Jade to me and helped me feed her again. I knew I was doing it right, but I didn't feel confident doing it on my own and I wasn't so scarred I would screw up. Afterwards I got up and changed her diaper with the help of my mother who just came in. A went and sat down again because I could do much before I felt light headed. I sat up in the hospital bed and just rocked Jade until I wanted to sleep again. My mother came and took her from me and told me she would stay with her.
"Just sleep Rose, I'll wait here for you to wake up." When I woke up I seen Dimitri was back but this time he was sitting by my mother, in the row of chairs by the window. Only now there was a carseat in between them.
"Hey." They looked over to me.
"Hi."Dimitri got up and picked something off the floor. He handed me a bag as he plant a kiss on my cheek. "They said she's all good to go home, you can leave whenever you want to."
"Are you sure she's ready to go, I mean what if..." He laughed a little.
"Yes Roza, she's ready to leave. Dimitri raised an arm, I now seen Jade in the car seat and for the first time real clothes. She was only three weeks premature, so she fit into newborn clothes well enough. It was a little scary seeing her in the car seat but I felt better because Dimitri was holding her. "The nurses approved or her car seat and she was discharged a half hour ago. If your not ready to go, you can wait..."
"No I want to go... Um, can you get me discharged." I pushed myself up into a sitting position. "And I'll probably need a wheelchair to get out of her in one piece." My mother got up.
"I'll do it." I smiled at her as a way of saying thank you. When she left I turned my attention back to Dimitri. "You're going to help me right? You're not going to leave me..." He looked a little sad.
"Roza, stop worrying, everything is going to be okay, I'm going to be right here. He took my hand and spun the ring around me finger. "We're a family now. I'm going to be right here, don't worry, it'll all be fine." My momentarily panic subsided. "Forever. We're a family, forever."
WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHOSE MADE IT TO THE END OF MY FIRST STORY WITH ME! As I've said previously I am going to go back and 'rewrite' this story. Same plot just grammar fixes, probably longer chapters with some things more flushed out, and make the writing more consistent.
I'm Honestly not sure if anyone would be interested but on October 23rd I am going to publish the start of a sequel. Most likely the first chapter or two. If that is well received I'll continue, but if not I wont be too mad. I plan on writing it as if it was it's own story. Sometimes I will reference major world building things I established in this story, but it won't force people to read this if they dont want to. Its almost 70 Chapters i wouldn't blame you...
Back to this story, YAY, I just finished my first story! I took almost a year and a half but we made it. At first I thought it was going to be half as long, but after I got into it I knew that this was about the length it would end up. I know its pretty long (Longer that Frostbite!) so I understand if someone finding the squeal wouldn't want to read this too.
Now that you've made it here I really want your review! tell me how you feel about the ending and the story overall. Thank You! See you soon with updates.
PLEASE REVIEW XOXO