Steve returned with the nurse a few minutes later who confirmed Laura and Quinn were positioned correctly and left them the paperwork to fill out for the birth certificate.
After she left, Steve picked up the paperwork. "You know, my love, I've been reconsidering her name," he began.
"What?" she replied in surprise.
There was a knock at the door. Steve smiled and set the clipboard down. "I didn't just grab the nurse," he admitted as Harriette poked her head in.
"Can we come in?" she asked.
Laura blushed, realizing her breast was partially exposed. She considered asking them to wait, but Steve jumped the gun before she could respond.
"Sure!" he exclaimed.
Laura pursed her lips. She'd get used to this eventually, she hoped, as Harriette led the way in. She was quickly followed by Carl, Rachel, Eddie, Max, Richie, and 3J.
"Oh, Laura, she's beautiful," Harriette said as she first laid eyes on her first grandchild.
"Thank you… Grandma," Laura smiled.
Carl reached Harriette's side quickly and went to praise the baby similarly, but as he glanced at his granddaughter, he saw what she was doing and immediately averted his eyes.
"Isn't she gorgeous, Carl?" Harriette asked, nudging him gently.
"Uh-huh," he agreed, looking away.
The rest of the family circled around the bed. Then Eddie looked at his niece. "Whoa! Laura!" he scolded, covering his eyes and turning away. "You gotta warn a guy before he sees his sister's boobs!"
"Gross," Richie muttered, similarly turning away.
"Edward," Carl scolded. "This is a natural, miraculous process."
Eddie, with his eyes still covered, asked, "Well, are you lookin'?"
"No," Carl admitted.
"Men are such babies," Rachel laughed.
"Ok," Laura giggled uncomfortably, "I'm starting to feel like an exhibitionist. How can I tell when she's done?"
"She stops sucking," Harriette answered simply.
"Then you switch to the other breast," Rachel continued.
"Cool," 3J muttered, louder than he'd intended to.
Everyone turned to him. "Hey!" he grumbled. "She's not really my sister."
Harriette cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Ok. Maybe the boys should come back later."
Laura nodded. "Good idea," she agreed, cringing slightly.
Carl gathered the men in the room, save for Steve, in various stages of squinting, and led them out into the hall. "We'll come see her again later, sweetheart!"
"What's her name?" Rachel asked as soon as the boys left.
"I wanna tell everyone at the same time, including Grandma. You'll all have to wait until tomorrow. How is Grandma?" she asked.
"Not out of surgery yet," Harriette answered.
Laura nodded. "Ok. Yeah," she said softly. "You guys should go home. It's almost 1 a.m.."
Harriette shook her head. "Max has already volunteered to take the kids home, but the rest of us are staying here until we know all three of our girls are perfectly healthy."
Laura looked to Max. She pouted. "You're going home?"
"Somebody has to," Max replied, reaching past Steve to take Laura's free hand. "She's so pretty," Max smiled. "And she doesn't have Steve's big head."
Laura laughed. "Thank God!"
"Hey!" Steve grumbled.
"I really have to go," Max said, leaning down to kiss her cheek, "but I love you. All three of you, and I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you, Maxine," Laura whispered, tearing up as she looked back at the baby.
"I can't wait to hold her tomorrow!" Max called as she headed toward the door.
Harriette and Rachel exchanged a glance after Max had left. "We should let you sleep," Rachel said softly, reaching out to pat Laura's shoulder.
"No," Laura said. "You don't all have to go."
"I have to get back to your dad," Harriette said.
Laura nodded. "You guys have to come back and tell me how the surgery goes."
"We'll tell Steve," Harriette said, "but I'm not waking you up for anything. We'll see you in the morning. Ok?"
Rachel leaned down and kissed Laura as Harriette leaned over the bed to kiss Steve. Then they switched. Rachel said goodnight and slipped out of the room, but Harriette hesitated.
"Is everything all right, Mom?" Steve asked.
Harriette quickly wiped her moist eyes. "Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I'm just… absorbing all this."
Steve smiled at her. He still was too.
"Ok," she said as she turned to head out.
"Wait!" Laura called as Harriette grabbed the door handle. She turned back to look at her. Laura didn't know what to say. She just didn't want her mommy to leave her! "I have no idea what I'm doing!" she exclaimed.
Harriette smiled. "You'll figure it out." She opened the door and began to step out. "Also, it's time to switch breasts!" she called just before it slammed behind her.
Laura looked down. Her suckling had slowed. "How did she know that?" Laura asked as she moved the baby and adjusted her gown appropriately.
Steve shrugged and began to stroke Laura's hair.
"Are you tired? Are you about ready to sleep?"
"Yeah," Laura answered, relaxing under his gentle touch and feeling Quinley's calming, constant rhythm. "I might fall asleep any second. Catch her, ok?"
Steve chuckled nervously. "Will do."
Laura looked up at him. "I love you," she reminded him.
"I love you too," he replied, pausing to let that warm silence fill the room. So about her name," he began again.
"Yeah, what do you mean you're reconsidering her name? We've had this one picked out for months! We've been calling her by her name since we picked it! How could she be anyone other than Quinley?"
"She can't be. She's definitely Quinley. It's just… Well, you know I love your mom."
Laura's brow furrowed. "Yeah?"
"And Harriette would be an excellent middle name for our little girl."
"But?" Laura prompted.
"I think Quinley Estelle Urkel has a nice ring to it, too."
Laura relaxed slightly. "Oh." She looked down at her baby thoughtfully. "Is that sort of… a jinx? Like making a change now because of everything that's happened… I just don't want it to be… a memorial to her. She's alive, and I am planning on her living for a long, long time."
"I don't think it jinxes anything. I just can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. She is so incredibly important to me, Laura, and to you. I mean, so is your mom, but Estelle was the only person besides me who believed in this relationship. I don't know that we'd be here with this beautiful baby if she hadn't encouraged me to never give up on us."
Laura nodded. "Honestly, I get what you mean. When I was falling in love with you, it was nice to know that I had someone in my corner who wouldn't call me crazy when I finally told people."
"And she tailored your wedding dress, and she gave us a honeymoon. Obviously, your mom is so important to me. I feel bad even saying this, but I wanna name our daughter after Estelle."
Laura smiled softly. "Maybe it's the painkillers, but I think that's a great idea. Go ahead and fill out the paperwork."
———————————————————————
Steve finished the paperwork and set it aside for the nurses while Quinley finished eating. She finished with this breast much faster.
"Is that normal?" Laura asked as she readjusted her gown.
"I don't know," Steve answered. "I'm sure she's just full."
"Well, maybe we should ask someone."
"We'll ask the lactation specialist when she gets here. For now, you should get some sleep."
"Yeah," Laura agreed. "Can you take her?" she asked, reaching her out carefully.
"Oh, I–"
Again, there was a knock at the door, so Laura pulled the baby close again. Then Roberta and Herb entered. "Hey," Steve said. "I thought you two went to the hotel. Why didn't you come in with everyone else?"
"We didn't wanna overstep," Roberta answered simply. "Can we come in now?"
"Yes," Laura answered, "and it's not overstepping to come in when my parents do. You're her grandparents, too."
Roberta and Herb approached her side cautiously.
"Wow," Herb said. "She really doesn't look like an Urkel."
Laura and Steve both frowned.
"Oh, no. I just mean, she doesn't have a giant head like we all did," he clarified.
"That's ok," Roberta said urgently. "That's great for you especially, Laura."
Laura took a deep, centering breath. "Yeah. Um. I was pretty happy about that. More importantly, she's healthy, and she's beautiful, and she definitely, absolutely is an Urkel."
"I know," Herb said firmly. "I didn't mean to imply… I was just surprised."
Laura glanced nervously at Steve.
"Well, I'm glad you're both here to meet her," he said, hurriedly moving the conversation out of that uncomfortable faux pas. "Pull up a chair. Please." He cleared his throat. "Not for too long, though. Laura needs to get some sleep soon."
They both pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of Laura, closest to the baby's face.
"So we know her last name," Roberta began. "Do we get to know her first name?"
Laura nodded. "Tomorrow. I hope that's ok. With everything going on with my Grandma, we just want to tell everyone the same day."
"Sure," Roberta said softly. She swallowed hard.
"Could you two come back up here tomorrow morning?" Steve prompted. "Not too early because I'm hoping Laura will get to sleep in, but I'd like you to see her again before you leave town. Tomorrow you could hold her. Right now, she's just so comfortable with Laura."
Roberta smiled brighter and looked at Herb for a moment. "We can definitely do that," she agreed.
"Laura, how are you feeling?" Herb asked. "It seemed like everything went smoothly from our seats in the waiting room. No one seemed to be rushing in here for any major emergencies."
"Except for when Steve fainted," Roberta interjected.
"It did go smoothly. We were very lucky."
"That's good," Roberta agreed. "And you're feeling ok now?"
"Yes. Just exhausted," she laughed.
"Oh, that's not going to go away for a long, long time," Roberta teased.
Laura frowned dramatically.
"But it gets better," she promised.
———————————————————————
Steve's parents stayed for about twenty minutes before Steve sent them back to the hotel, reassuring them that it was only because he wanted Laura to get some sleep. Then he walked back over to her. "You ready to sleep now, mama bear?"
Laura nodded. "I really need to. She's going to be awake again soon." Laura leaned closer to him. "Here, baby," she said, extending her arms out toward him slowly, trying not to wake the baby as she passed her to Steve.
"What?" Steve exclaimed, his eyes growing wide. Steve stood from the bed too quickly and stumbled backward into a tray-table. The baby immediately started to cry.
"What was that?" Laura asked, pulling the baby close to her again and shushing her rhythmically.
"I–" Steve began as she looked back up at him.
Then a nurse walked in, and Laura pulled the baby back toward her.
"Is she all done?" the nurse cooed.
"Yeah," Laura answered. "I think so. She drank a lot more from the first breast than the second."
"It happens. She'll let you know if it's not enough," the nurse shrugged. "Right now, though, I gotta run her down to the nursery for a bath and her weight and some tests. We'll prep the birth certificate, too." She reached out for her, and Laura handed her over reluctantly.
The baby cried harder for just a second as she switched supportive arms. The nurse soothed her quickly, clearly very experienced holding babies overwhelmed by their new existence.
"She's coming back to sleep with me, though, right?"
"Absolutely," the nurse smiled. "Get some sleep, Mom. We'll be back in a while."
Laura watched nervously as some stranger took her baby away.
Steve pressed the button to lower the back of her bed.
"Steve," she complained.
"No," he said firmly. "No 'but's', buttercup. You need to sleep. I mean it."
As Laura was finally in a horizontal position, she realized just how right he was. She fluffed up her pillow and turned on her side. "Yeah. Ok. You're right." She closed her eyes, and Steve moved his chair closer to her and leaned his head back, grateful the back was so high. "Goodnight, my love," he whispered.
"Night, baby," she said back, clearly drifting off already.
———————————————————————
Steve, however, didn't fall asleep. He was too excited about the baby, too nervous about being a father, and too worried about Estelle. He lay back and watched Laura sleep until the nurse returned with Quinley.
She tiptoed in quietly and set her down gently in the bassinet beside the bed. Then the nurse looked at Steve and saw he was awake. She smiled at him as he gazed lovingly at the baby. "Do you wanna hold her?" she asked in a soft whisper.
Steve looked up at her in surprise. "Oh… Oh, no. Not right now. Thanks."
Steve stared at her silently until the nurse left. Then he moved closer as the baby was drifting back to sleep. "H-hi, Quinley," he whispered softly. "I just wanted to say hi and that I love you while we have a minute alone. I love you, Princess, even more than I thought I could. You're perfect. You look just like your mama, and she's perfect, so I know you are too." He paused for a moment and looked at Laura, sleeping peacefully. Then he turned back to the baby. "Quinley, I've always wanted to have a little girl with Laura Winslow. You are the realization of a thousand of my dreams. You really are." He hesitated. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be your dream dad. I'm gonna do my best for you and for your mom, but I have no idea what I'm doing, kiddo. I have… Maybe I had… terrible parents. I don't know how to do any of this. Your mom, like I said, is perfect. She always knows what to do and how to do it, and I try really hard to just do whatever she says, but I'm not very good at a lot of things, and I'm not gonna be good at this, at least not right away. I'm gonna fall down and break things, waking you up. I'm gonna burn my forearm checking the milk I warmed for you. I'm gonna put your diaper on backwards and swaddle you all wrong and baby proof the cabinets so incorrectly they fling out and whack you on the head, but I'll do my very best for you because I love you… with all my heart, Quinley. I will do my very, very best," he promised, "but don't even get me started on what a bad dad I'm gonna be when you become a teenager."
———————————————————————
Laura woke to the sound of the baby crying. She was immediately aware. It was the most effective alarm she'd ever heard.
"Shhh…" Steve begged the baby, reaching out to stroke her cheek comfortingly. "Shhh… Sh… Sh… Sh…. Mama's asleep."
"I'm awake, Steve," Laura said as she adjusted her bed, lifting the back of it higher. "What's wrong? Is she wet or hungry?"
Steve stared at the baby desperately as she began to really scream. "I don't know!" he exclaimed. He was officially the world's worst father.
"Can you hand her to me?" Laura asked, stretching her arms out.
Steve looked at Laura nervously and then back at the baby. "Can't you come get her?"
Laura glared at him. "I'm sorry," she sneered. "My legs are still kind of numb from the drugs pumped through my spine to prevent me from feeling my body rip in half as I brought your first child into this world. Now. Could you please hand me the baby?"
Steve blushed and looked away. Instead of picking the baby up, he pushed the bassinet closer to Laura.
Laura looked at him oddly. She leaned forward and picked up the baby. She smelled her bottom. That didn't seem to be the issue. Laura exposed one of her breasts again and brought the baby back to it. She began to suckle with ease. They were getting good at this. Laura looked at Steve as the baby quieted down. "Why won't you pick up the baby?" she asked, pre-exhausted by this upcoming conversation.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked nervously.
"I asked you to hand me the baby. You wouldn't. You haven't even held her yet. What's going on?"
Steve swallowed hard. He had to tell her his plan eventually. He nodded. "I'm not gonna hold the baby for awhile. I don't wanna drop her."
Laura's brow furrowed. "How long's awhile?"
"Just a few months," he answered. "Six, maybe?"
Laura guffawed. "Boy, you must be sleep deprived," she chuckled.
"Well, no, sweetheart. It's really late—or really early, I guess—but this has been my plan for a while."
Laura shook her head and looked away from him. She pursed her lips. They sat in silence for a bit as the baby ate. "So, tell me, Steve," she ordered. "How exactly are you planning to be a father without holding your infant daughter?"
"Well, I've thought about it a lot, and there's a lot I can do without picking her up. I can change her diaper. I can read her bedtime stories. I can give her baths if you put her in her tub."
Laura laughed again. "You are such an idiot," she mumbled.
"Hey!" he complained softly.
Laura rolled her eyes. "You can't just not hold our baby!" she exclaimed. "First of all, because I need your help! You will be useless if you can't pick her up!"
"So what if I didn't have arms? What if I lost them in a freak accident tomorrow? I'd be a useless dad?" he challenged.
"No, but you'd be less useful!" she exclaimed, clearly annoyed because that hypothetical was so far off from what was actually happening. "And second of all, she's our baby. She's amazing. You have to hold her!"
Steve looked at Laura and the baby for a long moment. Of course, he wanted to hold her, but he was terrified. "Laura, I'd never forgive myself if I hurt her," he whispered.
"You won't, Steve. Babies are resilient, and you aren't anywhere near as clumsy as you used to be."
They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Then Laura switched breasts. "Will you hold her when I'm done feeding her? Please?"
"I can't, Laura. I'm sorry, Sweetums. I just can't," he whispered, his voice straining.
Laura looked away from him. There were so many hormones rushing through her body. A part of her wanted to burst into tears over what Steve was saying to her. A different part of her wanted to kill him. A different part felt betrayed, like he was trying to stick her with all the work. She closed her eyes for a long moment as her brain sorted through all these feelings. Eventually, she found a logical brain cell or two. Steve was scared, just like she was. He was worried about being a bad parent, just like she was, but he didn't have as much self-confidence as she did. He needed her encouragement, but he would get over this little speedbump.
When the baby was done eating, Laura covered herself again. She reached the baby out toward Steve, still sitting on the chair beside her bed. "Take her," she ordered.
"No, Laura. I can't."
"Take her, or I'm gonna drop her," Laura threatened.
"You're not gonna drop our baby!"
"Take her!" Laura ordered. She thrust the baby forward and released some of the tension in her arms as if she'd ever consider dropping her hours-old infant to the cold, hard, hospital tile. Steve's arms flew out instinctively, and she quickly but carefully made the transfer. Before he knew it, she was in his arms.
"Oh, my God," he breathed.
Laura smiled gently. "I know. Isn't she–"
"Oh, God. Laura, take her back before I mess her up," he said, pushing his arms out to her. The baby began to fuss as she was moved away from his warm, supportive chest.
"No, Steve," she pressed, reaching out to push his arms closer to his heart. "It's ok. You've got her. Just relax and enjoy this. You're holding our baby for the first time."
His breath hitched when she said that. Our baby. In his arms. Before he knew it, he had lifted her upright and pressed her tightly to his chest. He could feel her breath against his neck. He inhaled deeply. "How does she smell so good?" he asked softly.
Laura smiled. "I have no idea." Laura stared at him, completely in awe. As amazed as he was to be holding their child, she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he was holding their child. She had made him a new little Urkel, and she was everything they'd ever wanted to make together. He looked so damn good as a new, proud, awestruck father, and she told him as much. "You look so sexy with a baby in your arms," she purred. She sank lower in the bed. "It makes me wanna have more."
Steve looked back up at her and smiled. "I think that cocktail of painkillers and exhaustion you've got pumping through your bloodstream is making you delusional. Let's start with this one."
She chuckled and shook her head. "God, we're parents," she exclaimed.
"How is that possible?" he asked as he looked back down into the baby's eyes.
"I have no idea," she laughed.
Steve stared at the baby for a long moment and watched her eyes start to drift shut. He wasn't letting her go until she woke up. He wouldn't be the one to move her. "Promise me you won't let me mess her up," he whispered to Laura, still staring at the baby intently.
"I promise," she said, closing her eyes and lying back on the bed. "Unbutton your shirt a bit so you can press her against your bare skin. It's good for her, and it will be good for you."
"I can't. My hands are full," Steve complained.
Laura opened her eyes again and sat up carefully. Her whole body was exhausted. It felt like she'd just run a marathon. She leaned forward and unbuttoned a few of his buttons. She pulled the fabric apart and helped him reposition the baby on his chest. "You're gonna have to get better at multitasking," she smiled softly. She leaned in and kissed him. "I'm gonna try to sleep for a while. You should too, when you're ready to put her down."
"Ok. Then I'll sleep when she's maybe… 40?"
Laura laughed lightly and lay down again. "Good night, baby," she said softly.
"Goodnight, goddess. I love you."
"I love you, too," Laura replied. "Goodnight, Quinn," she said softly. "I love you."
Steve smiled at the baby and then looked at Laura as she started to drift off to sleep. "You are so lucky, kid," he whispered to Quinley as Laura's breathing evened out.
———————————————————————
Steve held the baby for a few long but miraculous hours. Eventually, he forced himself to set her down and quickly fell asleep.
———————————————————————
Early in the morning, Estelle opened her eyes after her surgery. She was surrounded by loving, familiar faces.
"Mama!" Carl said the second he noticed her, pulling everyone out of their trances. He pushed the call button immediately, knowing that they were supposed to run some tests on her when she woke. "Mama, how are you feeling?"
Estelle smiled weakly and sleepily. "I'm good, baby. Where's my great-grandbaby?"
Carl laughed lightly. She seemed like herself.
The doctors and nurses came in, flooding the room. They ran test after test. Only then was the lead surgeon willing to make some announcements. "Estelle, you are healthy and stable. You have no deficits."
"I coulda told you that an hour ago," she grumbled.
The doctor reached forward and took her hand. "Estelle, unfortunately, I was unable to get all of the tumor."
The room collectively gasped.
"It was too intertwined with your brain tissue. It would've killed you or destroyed your quality of life. I was able to get a lot of it. I've extended your life and alleviated your symptoms. I've given you a fighting chance, but you've got a long fight ahead of you. You're going to have to fight. Is that something you wanna do?"
Estelle swallowed hard. "All I want, right now, is to see the baby."
The doctor nodded. "You can think about how you want to approach this for a little while."
"Mama! That's crazy! Answer her! Tell her you wanna fight!" Carl ordered as he stood dramatically.
"I just wanna see the baby," Estelle said weakly, tears coming to her eyes.
Carl was immediately pulled back into his seat as her tears humbled him.
"We'll get her down here as soon as Laura wakes up," Harriette promised, reaching out to take her hand.