The next chapter is up! Enjoy!
March 20th, 2026
10:27am…
Mia lay back exhausted and catching her breath.
Despite feeling like shit though, she was all smiles. Even as Aerin leaned in with a soft smile and lightly cupped her cheeks and placed a kiss upon her brow, then her lips.
"You are amazing, Wilwarin." He softly says, as they pull back from the kiss.
She returned the smile with tears in her eyes.
"So are you, because I'm not sure I could've done this without you here with me." Mia replied.
He could see she was exhausted.
But then that was to be expected. Especially when your water decides to break around one-thirty in the morning, waking you out of a deep sleep then having to drive to the hospital in the middle of the night.
Neither of them had much time to dwell on it any longer, when one of the nurses came walking back over with a tiny bundle in her arms.
The nurse gave the happy couple a bright smile, before handing the tiny bundle over to Mia.
Mia carefully took the bundle and held them close. Aerin was still sitting next to her on the hospital bed and shifted his gaze down to what lay in her arms and smiled.
A pair of blue-grey eyes that looked so much like his own, curiously looked back and forth between him and Mia.
"She's so beautiful." Mia said, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Yes, she is. Like you." Aerin says.
They couldn't help but fall in love with the tiny baby girl that looked roughly the size of a child's doll.
She had her father's eyes and beneath the little baby cap the nurse placed on top of her tiny head was a full head of dark brown hair that resembled Mia's long dark brown locks.
The baby had a fair complexion to her, with full pouty, little pink lips and a cute little button nose, all set into a round little face.
One of her little hands peeked through the top of the pale pink blanket, as she flexed her five tiny digits. Almost like she was giving her parents a little wave.
Aerin reached over and ran a finger over her little hand.
In turn she opened her fingers once more and gripped onto the end of his pointer finger and held on. Her tiny hand and fingers barely made it all the way around his bigger finger. It made his heart melt as his eyes became a little misty with unshed tears.
"She has a very good grip. She is strong." He says, while she continued hanging onto the end of his finger.
"Yeah, and doesn't seem to want to let go. You may have a hard time getting your finger back from her." Mia lightly teased.
Then she leaned in and placed a small kiss on the baby's cap covered head.
Though when she did this, the cap slid down a little and partially covered her eyes. Aerin couldn't help but chuckle a little as the top portion of her face above her nose disappeared under the cap which appeared to be a little big and loose on her.
Even though she still had ahold of his pointer finger, he used his other fingers to carefully brush the cap back up, so the infant could see again.
"I can't get over how tiny she is." Mia said.
"Hey guys, how she doing?" One of the nurses asked, as they came over to give Mia a brief check-up.
"She is well. Appears to be very alert and strong." Aerin replied.
"Good. And yes, we saw that too when we took her to the back table there to clean her off, weigh and measure her, and put a diaper on her. She kept scooching her little butt around so we couldn't get the diaper on her right away. She's going to be a very active little girl." The nurse stated, with an amused grin.
"Can't say we're surprised, seeing as both he and I are very active people too. But how much does she weigh and how big is she? She's very tiny and light." Mia said.
"She weighed in at six pounds ten ounces and was measured at eighteen and a half inches long. So, she is a bit of a peanut. But that is not underweight or sized at all. Preemies are usually four pounds and under. So, rest assured, she is at an average size and weight for a newborn." The nurse reassured the parents.
The anxious mother was relieved to hear that.
Aerin wasn't very concerned; he had a few children in the past born even smaller and lighter than her and they ended up being healthy and strong.
"Anyways, I'll leave you three alone for a little while to bond. Before I go though, can I get her name so I can write it down and put it on her I.D. bracelet?" The nurse inquired before pulling out her iPhone and getting ready to type it in.
"It's Aurora. Aurora Marie Accardi." Aerin told the nurse.
"Very pretty name, I really like it." The nurse says, with a smile as she types it in, so she can print it out on I.D. bracelet.
"Thank you. Was looking for a more unique name and not so common. We both thought this one suited her best." Mia stated, as she held the tiny infant close to her chest.
"Alright, I have it down. One of the other nurses will be in a little later to check on the two of you and start walking you through on how to nurse her." The nurse informed them.
Afterwards, the nurse left the small family alone.
The couple returned to gazing down at their newborn daughter. As they did, her eyes closed, and she scrunched up her face as she let out a little toothless yawn. Something they both thought was adorable.
"Yeah, I don't blame you, Sweetie. I'm tired too." Mia softly told her.
As baby Aurora started drifting off to sleep, her grip started to finally loosen on her father's finger.
Aerin carefully pulled it back without disturbing her. Then he caressed her tiny, round cheek, with the pad of his thumb. When he did this, she smiled a little in her sleep, something that put a warm smile on both parents' faces.
"Still can't believe this is happening. That she's really here. It all almost feels like a dream." Mia choked out, trying not to cry as she continued gazing down at the beautiful infant in her arms that was hers.
He leaned in and pressed his lips to the side of Mia's forehead.
"I know the feeling. This has all felt like a dream to me, ever since I arrived here. I thank the Vala, that it is not, and that you two truly are in my life." He says, after he pulled back.
She shifted her teary gaze to him and gave him a soft smile.
Aerin smiled back, then he reached up and gently wiped away the tears before touching his forehead to hers.
"It's a life deserved. We both deserve this, especially after what we have been through in our own lives. We deserve to be happy and live life to the fullest, just like everyone else here." She told him.
"And we are. Especially now that we're a family." He replied.
A few moments of silence passed between them as her gaze met his.
"I love you, Aerin." She says.
"And I love you, Mia." He tells her.
Then he presses his lips to hers in a soft, but loving kiss.
While they both went through nightmarish times in their lives, it at least ended on a much lighter and better note for the pair.
After a few more moments they pulled back from the kiss but still shared bright smiles.
Mia then leaned back a little more into the pillows behind her back and head, getting more comfortable. Aerin pulled up the blankets a little more until they came to a rest at her midsection below her crossed arms where she was still cradling baby Aurora.
"You comfortable enough? Or do you need an extra blanket and pillow?" He asked her.
"I'm ok, thanks. Just glad the pain and pressure are gone. Thankfully, the epidural did the trick. But even then, pushing was still taxing and took a lot of energy." She told him.
He nodded in understanding, "It usually does."
Aerin had been present for a quite a few of his children's births in the past, because of this, he knew how taxing it can be on the woman as she gives birth. Unlike Mia, the she-elves that bore his children didn't have the opportunity to have a painkiller like an epidural administered to them.
So, he would have to watch and listen to them scream in excruciating pain as they gave birth. Something that was never easy to observe. Even when he would try to give them support and comfort, he felt it was never enough. But at least in the end, most of them made it through, and so did a good portion of the children.
"But in the end, it's all worth it." Mia said, as her gaze drifted back to their daughter, who was still slumbering away in her mother's arms.
"I agree." He replied, as he reached over again and cupped the back of the baby's head.
They continued chatting for the next few minutes or so.
Both made sure to keep their voices down, so not to disturb or wake the baby as she continued lying snug and comfortable.
"You want to hold her?" Mia asked.
His smile brightened, "Please."
As carefully as she could, she slowly handed the tiny baby to her father.
Aerin gently took her and held her close to his front with practiced ease, like he has done so many times before in the past with his previous children. While it has been well over an age, he still clearly remembers how gentle and careful to be with a newborn, because of this, she was hardly jostled at all as he took her.
Aurora was barely disturbed by the exchange and was still sleeping as he held her.
The baby was so tiny, she was practically swallowed up in his larger arms. If anything, he had her laying across just his right arm while tucked into his chest. His left arm and hand were just there to keep her somewhat steady in case she twisted about in her sleep.
He eventually cupped the back of her tiny head with his left hand. Gently brushing his thumb over her cheek. Then he leaned in and lightly kissed the top of her head.
"I love you with all my heart, dearest Aurora." He quietly said, as he pulled back with a small smile.
Not long after, she unconsciously slid one of her hands closer to her face. Then she made a little fist and stuck her thumb in her mouth.
His smile widened a little more at the cute scene.
Mia too couldn't help but smile at that. She can only imagine what other adorable things their newborn daughter can do in her sleep. So far, she smiled and now she was sucking her thumb.
He still continued caressing her little cheek as he held her close. Her small torso rose up and down with each steady breath beneath the swaddled blanket.
"Something tells me you're going to be very good at this, if you aren't already." She tells him as she quietly watches them from her hospital bed.
"Well, what did you expect? After all, I did have many centuries of experience under my belt." He lightly teased.
Mia couldn't help but chuckle a little at his response.
"Good, because I'm going to need the help from an 'Expert' like yourself. Because unlike you, I'm completely new at it." She says, with a small grin.
"No worries, you will be a pro in no time. Seeing as I happen to be an excellent teacher." Aerin continued with the teasing.
"And look who's getting ahead of himself already. Careful, your head gets anymore swollen, you won't be able to fit it through the doorway. Then the doctors and nurses will have to pry you out. Better hope they can do it without injuring that big head of yours." She teased back.
"One of the first things you'll come to learn about your mother, is that she can be very mean to me at times." He whispers to their infant daughter.
"Hey! Don't go spouting off lies to her!" Mia sharply whispers back.
"Oh, but it's not a lie at all. You do find time to terrorize sometimes." He said, with a smirk.
"Like you don't tease me every chance you get? Which I 'will' tell her that." She playfully threatened.
Aerin pretended to cover one of their daughter's ears with his hand.
"Don't believe her lies, Aurora. None of it is true. She's the true tormentor, not I." He leans in to tell her; despite the fact she was still snoozing away in his arms.
Mia just shook her head, with a small smile.
Then one thing came to mind, that her smirking from ear to ear. Something he clearly saw, and it had him quirking a brow, just wondering what it was she was thinking about.
"I know that look. Do I want to know what you're thinking?" He cautiously asked.
"Probably not, but I'll say it anyway. After all, she needs to know. If not to give her a sense of comfort that there is no wailing ghoul that lives in the house. It's just you; singing in the shower." She stated, with a wide smirk.
She watched his eyes widen and his cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink, which made her had to stifle a laugh.
"You wouldn't. Don't you dare tell her about those times. It was embarrassing enough that I walked out of the bathroom, only to find you sitting on the bed, laughing like a crazed woman. Even worse, one time you recorded me on your iPhone doing that." He said, with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
Mia laughed a little at that.
"I still have that lovely little recording too. I think it was the best one yet. What was it you were singing again? Oh yeah, I believe it was Hell's Bells by ACDC." She pointed out.
She watched as his face grew even more pink and it was hilarious. She can't remember the last time he was ever this embarrassed.
"It's confirmed. I'm marrying a woman who will one day embarrass me to death." He uttered.
"Yeah, don't you just feel so lucky?" She inquired, with a sweet smile.
Aerin couldn't help but chuckle at her reply and the look on her face.
"Oh yes, to the point you may have to have one of those…what do you call them? Shot gun weddings. To ensure that I don't try and run away during the ceremony." He jokes.
"Ha! Since you say that, perhaps I should get shackles for your hands and feet and use a chain to bind them together. That way you wouldn't be able to run away, it be more like watching you try to hobble or hop away." She joked back.
"I'm a little confused, is this a wedding suggestion or a new game suggestion for the bedroom?" He asked, with an amused grin.
That's when her grin faltered, and it was her turn to turn pink with embarrassment.
"Forget it, Aerin! We're not going Fifty Shades of Grey here!" She somewhat blurted out.
He had to purse his lips together to keep himself from laughing out loud. Otherwise, he was sure to awaken their newborn.
"Are ropes and hand cuffs out of the equation too then?" He asked, having too much fun teasing her.
"She snorted, "The only time I may consider using rope on you is to bind you to the recliner in the living room so I can sleep in peace without you hogging the covers."
"And this why life will never be boring with you in it." Aerin said, with a lopsided smirk.
"Likewise." Mia replied, with a grin.
There were a few moments of silence between them before he spoke again.
"Anyways, you want to start bringing the family in? I'm sure by now, they are starting to get antsy being holed up in the waiting room outside." He says.
She sighs, "Yeah, I suppose. Seeing as most of them have been out there since early this morning."
Aerin then gently hands baby Aurora back over to her mother. Then he leans in and gives Mia a peck on the cheek before heading out of the hospital room.
It wasn't even a minute later when her parents, brother, and his family all came filtering into the room.
They all sported bright smiles upon seeing the newest addition to the family being cradled in her arms. All of them approached the new mom, surrounding her bed.
"Congratulations, Honey." Her mother said, as she leaned in to give her a small hug.
Mia wrapped a free arm around her mom, returning the hug.
"Thanks, mom." She replied.
When they pulled back from the hug, the older woman's eyes drifted to her new granddaughter, who was still sleeping in Mia's arms.
"She's beautiful." Her mom said, as she brushed a finger over one of her little hands.
At feeling the light sensation on the back of one of her hands, Aurora clutched the blanket in her fist, while she slept.
"How you feeling, kiddo?" Her dad asked.
"Other than feeling quite tired, I feel great. The delivery went very smoothly." She replied.
"Glad to hear it." He says.
"It must've gone very smoothly, otherwise she would've killed poor Aerin here during the birth." John joked.
His wife Tess rolled her eyes.
Though Aerin got a good laugh out of it.
"Well, I can't say I got off completely unscathed. I still have yet to gain full feeling back into my right hand because she was squeezing it so hard during the delivery." He joked back.
"Wasn't squeezing it that hard." Mia muttered under her breath.
"My poor hand says otherwise, Darling." Aerin said, with a small grin.
"Can we see her now?" Robin asked excitedly, wanting to get a closer look at her newborn cousin.
"Sure." Mia says.
Her parents then move away to make room for the rest of the family so they can meet the new baby.
Robin went and stood right next to her aunt and finally got a good look at the tiny infant.
"Oh, she is so cute! And tiny!" The little girl gushed.
"She kind of looks like one of Robin's baby dolls." Camden added, as he stood on the other side of his aunt's bed next to her.
John and Tess stood behind their kids on either side, gazing down at their new niece.
"You both were that size once yourselves when you were born." Tess tells her kids.
"Wait, really? We were this small?" Robin asked, a little surprised.
"Yep, could easily balance you both in one hand when you were born." Her father said.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far. They kind of ended about halfway up your forearm." His wife added.
"That sounds about right. When I held her for the first time a little earlier, she only came a little more than halfway up my forearm." Aerin stated.
"It's pretty rare for newborns to be all that big. Unless you're my childhood friend, Frank. He was somewhat of an anomaly, being around ten pounds at birth." Mia's father told them.
It turned out to be a very nice visit from her family, who stayed for some time.
At one point, Aurora did wake up and started looking around at all the new faces. She was even passed around to the family members, including Camden and Robin who got a turn holding her. Something both Mia and Tess got a few pictures of on their iPhones.
They only had to leave the hospital room for a little while when one of the nurses came back in the room and coached Mia through her first time nursing the baby. It took a few tries, which was very common for first time mothers and their infants. Eventually, she was successful though and spent the next several minutes nursing her newborn daughter.
Once she finished, the family came back in and spent a little more time with the new family.
When early afternoon rolled around, they got one more visitor when Mia's best friend Sasha stopped by to visit.
Like the rest of the family, Sasha came in bearing gifts for the new mother and baby. Bringing in a big bouquet of lilies with a couple pink balloons tied around the bouquet for Mia and a cute fluffy pink stuffed bear for baby Aurora.
It'll be fun when it is time to take all of these presents out to the car when it is time to go.
Thankfully, her family was already one step ahead of them. They offered to take the gifts back to Mia and Aerin's home for them.
Mia thanked them for the offer.
By 4pm, her family and friend had left the hospital. They took most of the gifts with them and dropped them off at her house on the way to their homes.
Mia and the baby will be at the hospital until the next morning, seeing as it is hospital policy for a newborn and the mom to stay at the hospital for at least the next twenty-four hours.
Obviously, Aerin was staying right there with them the entire time. He too wanted to keep a close watch on his family and monitor them while they stay here.
He will never admit it out loud but when Mia hit labor, he was very nervous and a bit scared. His mind kept drifting back to the time his first companion went into labor. Only to die shortly after giving birth to a child that was stillborn. It was a horrible memory that had haunted him for a very long time.
Enough that the lingering fear was still there regarding Mia and their child.
Fortunately, it was a smooth birth as mentioned. Mia never had any complications and the birth went well. Their daughter was born wriggling about and wailing, a clear and assuring inquiry that she was healthy, strong, and most importantly, alive. To his relief.
Still, even a very healthy baby needs to be monitored by hospital staff for a day or two. This is why they will be spending at least one more night there.
At this time, the nurse had just brought in dinner for Mia.
She was sitting up in bed eating a couple slices of pizza that was brought up from the hospital cafeteria on the first floor.
Aerin was sitting in a chair next to her bed, cradling baby Aurora while Mia ate.
The baby was currently awake again. Her father was interacting with her, something the infant clearly liked because she would wiggle her arms and legs a little as he interacted with her.
"Are you showing me your dance moves? You going to be a dancer like your mother?" He lightly teased, as he gazed down at his newborn daughter.
Aurora halted her movements briefly, while gazing back up at her father.
Then she resumed kicking her legs and wiggling her arms again while he held her. Her response made him laugh a little.
"Is that a yes?" He asked, with laughter in his voice.
He laughed more when she started wiggling her arms and legs even faster.
Even Mia couldn't help but laugh a little at the baby's reaction to his question. She certainly was very animated, that was for sure.
"Must you even ask?" Mia joked.
"If it means getting a cute and funny reaction like that, then yes." Aerin replied, with an amused grin.
When Aurora stopped wiggling her arms and legs, she just continued staring up at him.
He gave her a soft smile, then leaned in and pressed a kiss to forehead, something that drew a small 'coo' from the tiny infant.
Then he started to gently rock her back and forth.
The longer he did it, the more she realized she was starting to like it. The gentle rocking motions were soothing and comforting to the baby. It wasn't long before her eyelids started to droop.
Her eyes eventually closed completely, as she nuzzled her cheek into his warm chest.
Originally, Mia was going to take her back once she finished her dinner. But when she saw Aurora had fallen asleep in Aerin's arms, she decided to leave her, seeing as she looked too comfortable where she was.
It still felt surreal that she was now a mom and was really starting to look forward to it.
While it wasn't Aerin's first time being a father. It didn't mean he treasured it any less this time around. Ever since he awoke in Cuivienen, having children and being a father is something he always wanted most and enjoyed every moment of it he could.
Especially now when he had peace of mind knowing the woman he loves and their child are living in a safe and stable environment and they can raise their daughter in a home filled with love and security.
Until Next Time!