April and Jackson decide on a baby name when pregnant with Harriet. (Except they know they're having a girl here)
Its awkward, trying to name a human being with someone you're no longer in a relationship with. Its different.
When they'd found out about their son's condition and April knew that she'd had to be induced soon after for labour, they rushed things. She agreed on Norbert as a middle name, after Jackson's favourite uncle, and he agreed on Samuel because he knew she liked the biblical meaning behind it (even if he didn't believe in all that stuff). They'd had to decide quickly because it was easier that way.
This time around, though, they had time. Time to go through endless possibilities and baby books. Time to actually picture their daughter on her first birthday, or starting school, or graduating college, and think about how her name might grow with her over time. It was both exhilarating and overwhelming to think about, and April wanted to make sure that they got it right (especially when, growing up with the name of the month you also happened to be born in, wasn't exactly easy.)
"I'd like her to have both our last names. Its just-I know Samuel was an Avery, but we're...not together, so I just thought it'd be nice to have both, especially since my sisters all changed their surnames when they got married, so there's no one else to carry on the Kepner name from our family," April explains awkwardly, hoping it doesn't offend him somehow. She knows that the Avery name comes with responsibilities and a heavy legacy to follow, and she doesn't want their daughter to feel to suffocated by that.
"No, yeah, of course. I'm cool with that," He agrees, because she's the one who has to go through labour again to bring her into this world, and he wants their daughter to feel connected to April's roots as much as his. "It makes sense."
She flips through her little notebook of names she's shortlisted - some of which she's changed her mind on since, but has kept them in there nonetheless.
"I still think Madison would be nice, but I know you're not gonna budge on the whole last-names-as-first-names thing. Uh I also have...Blair, Quinn, Eden and Margot."
Finding a name that fit both of their styles proved to be the most difficult part. Jackson liked modern names - names that wouldn't seem out of place amongst a sorority or trip to the Hamptons, whilst April liked Christian names and names with a little more history to them.
"Eden is pretty," She says, feeling like its one of the few names that seems to fit both of their wants, "I still think Phoebe is cute, but you kind of ruined it with the whole Phoebe-Freebie comment. Thats all I can think about when I hear it now."
Jackson chuckles at that, surprised that she still remembers that conversation they'd had when they were thinking of names for Samuel. It felt like another lifetime ago, and he couldn't help but feel sad thinking about it. They'd been happier then - not weighed down by an osteogenesis imperfecta diagnosis and all that had come with it. She can see judging by his rather pensive expression that he's thinking about it too, so she does her best to offer out another name in hopes of helping him forget.
"Uhm...okay, I was thinking maybe Harriet? When I was a kid, I was totally obsessed with Harriet The Spy, to the point that I wanted my name to be Harriet so that I could pretend I was her, and then also, I thought of Harriet Tubman, and how maybe it'd be nice if she was named after someone who was such an activist?" She throws it out there, fully expecting him to shut it down for not being modern enough, but she sees his expression soften and his eyes blink a few times. Suddenly she finds herself feeling anxious and like she's overstepped. "Oh god, you hate it don't you? I'm sorry, I know we don't really talk about race and culture, I just thought-"
"No, no. I just...wasn't expecting it," He assures her. April was right: they hadn't talked about race and culture much in the years that they'd known each other. It wasn't due to ignorance or because he didn't want to - it had just never really come up, and it was sometimes an awkward topic to talk about, but now? Now they were having a child together who would actually live long enough to learn about her culture, and they'd have to have those conservations with her as she grew. It meant a lot to know that April was thinking about that, "I like it a lot."
"You do?" She'd half expected him to shut him down and tell her it was too dated or uncool.
"Yeah." The more that he thought about it, the more that he could picture their daughter having that name. Maybe it wouldn't have been at the top of his own list, but it was a good, strong name - one that wouldn't falter with the trends, and one that his mother (who wasn't always easy to please) would more than likely approve of, "We could call her Hattie for short."
"That's adorable." April can't help but smile, feeling content and at ease now that they'd finally seemed to decide on an option. It definitely helped in making her feel less stressed about the rest of the pregnancy. The sound of her pager buzzing soon burst their bubble, though, and she sighs at the thought of getting back to work. As much as she loves her job, she knows she'll have to take a step back from it at some point, as it's getting harder to manage the more pregnant she gets. "I better go. We can pick this up later?"
"Of course. Just...take it easy, yeah?"
"I'll try." She knows that she can't promise anything, because trauma doesn't stop for anyone, but she also knows that he worries - even if he does his best not to show it. "You try not to blab to your mom whilst I'm gone."
He laughs at that, rolling his eyes as she wanders off in the direction of the ER. That, he couldn't promise either (because his mom was incessant when it came to getting information out of him), but he could also try.