Chapter 46-I'm Really Happy

Jenna awoke to the soft whimpers of her four-day-old baby. Quietly slipping out of bed, she scooped Emerson out of her bassinet and made her way downstairs. It was 6am, and she was completely covered in new mom exhaustion, but the moment Emerson nestled into her, she knew she'd take a thousand days of that exhaustion as long as she could spend it with her perfect little blessing in her arms. She carried Emerson to the living room, gathered a blanket over her arm, and settled them both in a loveseat in front of the window overlooking their backyard. This window in a small alcove off of their living room was her favorite place in their house, and she'd spent many peaceful hours in front of it. While Erin was recovering in their home, the two women had countless heart to heart talks in this space, and for the last two mornings, Jenna shared her favorite place with her new little one, watching the sun rise. She'd never been a morning person, but while cocooned in a blanket with her nursing newborn, she relished these quiet, peaceful moments of bonding with her baby girl.

When Emerson finished nursing and was sleeping, snuggled back into her mother's chest, Jenna curled deeper in the couch, closing her eyes for a few moments.

An hour later, Hank turned over in bed, reaching for Jenna. He frowned when his hand hit an empty space in the bed. When he noticed Emerson's empty bassinet, he headed downstairs in search of his girls.

He smiled when he found them asleep in front of the window. Jenna sensed Hank standing over her, so she slowly opened her eyes.

"Morning," she said softly.

"Hey beautiful," he said, kissing her softly. "Why didn't you come back to bed?"

Jenna softly stroked Emerson's head. "She was comfy, and I was comfy, so we just stayed here."

"Want me to take her so you can go sleep for awhile?"

Jenna shook her head. "No. We're fine right here. I'll maybe try to nap later. But you should sleep."

"I'm not leaving you down here alone." He sat down on the loveseat next to Jenna, and she immediately leaned into him. Hank pulled her as close as he could, gently threading his fingers through her hair. Jenna could barely keep her eyes open.

"Hank," she said softly, her eyes slowly closing.

"Yeah," he said softly against her hair.

"I'm really happy," she said, drifting off to sleep.

"Me too Jen," he whispered, gently kissing the top of her head. "Me too."

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The little family of three spent most of the morning doing absolutely nothing except enjoying being together. Emerson was rarely put down, both new parents struggling to take their eyes off of their precious girl. They'd been on such a high since she was placed in their arms, and although they were extremely tired, they knew it was worth it to get to be her parents.

After eating lunch and feeding Emerson, Hank convinced Jenna to go take a nap, knowing that her body was completely exhausted. She reluctantly agreed, feeling like she should be taking advantage of the time between Emerson's feeding to do things around the house, but Hank was determined to take care of everything, insisting that she take the time to rest and recover, knowing that when his paternity leave was up, she would be on her own during the day. He wanted to lighten the load on her as long as he could.

When Jenna headed upstairs to nap, Hank settled in his recliner with Emerson snuggled in his arms. He smiled as he watched her sleep, still amazed that he had a part in creating a child so special and so perfect.

Hank had never enjoyed downtime, preferring to keep busy as much as he could. It was one of the reasons he'd spent so much time at the precinct, as there was always work to be done. But these last few days, he'd been content to just sit and stare at his baby girl. Four days in, and he knew he was already wrapped around her little finger, and he'd give her anything she ever wanted.

As he gently brushed his finger along Emerson's fist, he smiled when her tiny hand briefly opened before closing tightly around his finger. The feel of her hand clutching his brought back memories of the first time a newborn Justin did the same thing; it was a memory that was forever etched in his mind.

Hank missed his son terribly. Not a day went by that Justin didn't cross his mind, but these last few days with a new baby had his thoughts drifting toward not only the son he lost, but also the daughter. He remembered the day Camille told him they were expecting twins. Unsure if he was even ready to be a father to one child, he panicked at hearing their family would expand by two. As he and Camille got closer to welcoming their babies, Hank found himself becoming more excited about the idea of twins.

When the doctor revealed their daughter was stillborn, their hearts shattered. Camille was so devastated that she refused to talk about it, and Hank was left to process and grieve alone, privately mourning the life that would never be.

Looking down at the sleeping baby in his arms, he was incredibly grateful to have been given this chance to raise a daughter. Yes, he had Erin, but since she didn't join his family until her teenage years, he'd always longed to have a daughter that was his from her very first breath.

"I'm so lucky to be your father, little one. I'm really glad you're here." He gently kissed her cheeks before laying her against his chest. He smiled as he felt her snuggle closer, and he reclined himself in his chair. Moments later, he joined her in sleep.

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Jenna woke up two hours later from possibly the best nap she'd had in her entire life, or at least the best nap since Emerson was born. For a few moments, she sat up in bed, waiting to hear cries from her newborn. After a few minutes of silence, she decided she would try for a quick shower before time to feed the baby.

Jenna walked downstairs after her shower, looking for Hank and Emerson, and found them lying together in Hank's chair in the living room. Hank was softly snoring, and Emerson was sleeping soundly on his chest, cradled in his arms. She couldn't help but smile at the beautiful scene in front of her.

When she first found out she was pregnant, Jenna was unsure what kind of father he would be, especially since it had been so long since he'd had a newborn. Knowing he hadn't been around much when Justin was a baby, she wondered if he would be a hands-on dad or if she would be left to do most of the work. But from the moment Emerson was first placed in his arms, she thoroughly enjoyed watching him rediscover how to be a parent to a newborn, his love for their baby girl spilling out of him. She walked over, kissing them both on the head, causing Hank to stir a little, opening his eyes.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep," Jenna said, kissing his head again.

"No, it's ok. I'm up," Hank said, taking Jenna's hand and kissing the back of it.

Jenna sighed. "I'm sorry. You two looked so sweet napping here together that I just couldn't resist stealing kisses from both of you."

"Well you need a proper one then," Hank said, as his hand drifted up to grasp her upper arm, gently pulling her down into a kiss. "How was your nap?"

"It was incredible," Jenna said, smiling down at him. "Thank you for insisting that I take one. I squeezed in a shower too."

"Wish I had known that so I could've joined you," he said, a smirk on his face.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Not yet."

Hank shrugged. "It's just an innocent shower, Jen."

"Yeah yeah, there's nothing innocent about that look in your eyes, and I just gave birth four days ago," Jenna said, kissing him again.

Hank raised his chair back into a sitting position before handing the baby to Jenna. "I assume she probably needs to eat. Is there anything you need right now?"

"No, I'm good," Jenna said. After getting Emerson settled, she said, "Jay and Erin are bringing dinner again tonight. We should let them know they don't need to use feeding us as an excuse to come over. They can see Emerson any time they want."

"Tired of takeout?" Hank asked.

"Yeah, a little. But mostly, I just don't want them to think they can't just drop by. I love that they live close to us now, and I don't mind them being here."

"I'll have a talk with them later tonight."

Jenna smiled as he kissed her. "Thanks babe."

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Later that evening, after finishing dinner and settling in the living room together, Erin and Jay fought over the baby while Jenna curled into Hank on the couch.

"Did you see that?! She smiled at me!" Jay said excitedly.

Erin rolled her eyes. "She's four days old. She didn't smile at you."

"Yes she did! I saw it happen!"

"Jay, you're making that up!"

"Yeah, well, you're just jealous," Jay said.

Erin's mouth flew open in surprise. "Jealous? Of what?"

"You're jealous because I'm clearly Emerson's favorite. Isn't that right, Emmie?" Jay asked, leaning close to the face of the baby sleeping in his arms.

Erin elbowed him. "No way! I'm her sister, so I'm obviously her favorite."

"Then why did she smile at me first?" Jay asked, smirking at her.

"Enough!" Hank said, interrupting their argument. "I think it's pretty clear that Jenna is her favorite, so you two can stop arguing now."

Jay softly said, "Mommy may be your favorite, but we all know I'm your number two. It's fine. Erin doesn't have to know."

"Oh good grief," Erin said, rolling her eyes as she threw her hands up.

As they watched their kids continue to fawn over their baby, Hank couldn't help but smile. This, his wife on leaning against his shoulder, his daughter and son-in-law cradling his new baby girl, felt like a dream come true.

This is truly what life was all about.