A pink 'Big Sister' balloon and a baby-blue 'It's a Boy!' balloon are floating side by side through the hospital hallways, their strings clutched in a little girl's hand who holds on to them so tightly for fear of losing her prized possession. In her other hand, she carries a stuffed pink unicorn. Her gaze follows the trail of the balloons above her while trying to keep up with her companion's fast steps.
Colin carries the paper bag with their breakfast and Penelope's hospital bag along the corridors, feeling his heart beat a little faster. He can't say if it's because of the coffee and sugar overdose or in anticipation of having his entire family united in a moment's time. He'd shut off his phone before he got out of the car, ignoring the constant blinking of new notifications coming in. The next hour is reserved for his loved ones in person.
"Where's mommy's room?" Charlotte asks as they're were walking past room after room, turning corners to find yet another long corridor with doors on each side, albeit this latest one's walls painted in bright colors with cartoon animals and fairy princesses.
"They're in 516, and it's the one right after the snack machine over there."
"Paddington! I love Paddington!" she calls out, ignoring his answer and stalling at a floor-to-ceiling painting of the famous bear. "Daddy, can I sleep here with mommy tonight?" she asks, her gaze traveling back and forth between the painting and her father, looking up at him with those big pleading eyes that are always so hard to ignore.
"I don't think so, sweetie. I'm sorry." Colin says, a sad tinge in his voice because he knows how much his daughter misses her mother.
"Why not?"
"Hospitals are for sick people, or for the really little babies," he scrambles to explain. "And you are neither sick nor little anymore."
"Then where's the baby's room?"
"He's right in there with mommy."
Colin stops by the vending machine and puts down the bag before kneeling down to be eye to eye with her. "But how about another pajama party at Grandma's tonight?" he suggests.
"Okay," she agrees, easily consoled as her eyes are shining again with mirth. "Can we go in now?"
"One more thing," he says, holding her back. "When we go in, you will see that there's a sink in the room. And I want you to wash your hands first before you touch the baby. Can you do that for me?"
When Charlotte solemnly nods, he lets go of her. "Okay, open the door."
oOOo
"Hey, baby!" Penelope's face lights up the second she sees the door open quietly, revealing Charlotte's trademark ginger hair on a blotchy, heated face peeking inside the room.
"Mommy!" she hollers back and comes running towards the bed. "Here," she unceremoniously hands Penelope the balloons and joins Colin at the sink to wash her hands, too. He helps her reach the soap and the sanitizer and then goes to kiss Penelope, wishing her a good morning.
"I missed you, Snugglebug! How was your sleepover at Grandma's?"
"Grandma let me go to bed without brushing my teeth," the girl proudly tells her mom.
"Oh, did she?" Penelope laughs and extends her arm for her to come closer.
"Are you all better?" Charlotte asks, trying to climb the bed.
"Well, I'm still feeling a little sore but it'll be better soon."
"Was the box very heavy?"
"What? What box?" Penelope looks at her with a puzzled expression.
Colin notices that the height of the bed is too much of an obstacle for Charlotte to overcome, so he gently gives her a little push. Leaning over to Penelope, he whispers, "I'll explain later."
The girl quickly crawls to the other side of the bed so she can lean over the rail of the baby bed. "Hi baby! Wake up! It's me, your big sister!" she calls out in a not-so-subtle voice. "Hello-ho?" she tries again to wake him, but to no avail.
Colin rounds the bed and watches his children bond with each other. "Charlotte, this is your brother. His name is…" He pauses for a heightened dramatic effect, waiting for Penelope to finish his sentence.
"… Elliot," she obliges.
"Oh," Charlotte says, clipped.
Upon seeing the disappointment on her face, Colin hurries to add, "But he needs a second name. Would you like to pick that one?"
A pair of blue eyes lights up in response. "Paddington!" she calls out excitedly.
"Well, you don't have to decide this right now," Colin says, a tad of despair sounding in his voice. "Take your time and maybe consider checking the big book of baby names with us, huh?"
Not listening anymore, Charlotte turns around to the baby again and pokes his head with her index finger. "Hi, Elliot. Wake up! Elliot? Elliot?"
"Careful, sweetie. Be soft with his head, okay?" Penelope worries, watching her daughter as she proceeds to graze her fingers along the little boy's bare hand, but to no avail. The baby doesn't move.
Frowning, Charlotte turns to look at Penelope. "Mommy, I don't think that's his name. He's not waking up."
"I think he's just very tired. He was born in the middle of the night while you were fast asleep, you know," Penelope explains. "Try tickling his feet a little. Maybe that'll wake him up." She undoes the fasteners of the swaddling blanket that Elliot's bundled up in and reveals his naked legs and feet.
Charlotte brings her hands to the baby's right foot which is barely even as long as the width of her hand. "He's so little," she says with astonishment. "He looks like Lulu."
Colin carefully lifts Elliot from his crib and places him on the crisp white sheet of Penelope's hospital bed. Charlotte immediately tears her socks off and puts her feet up against his, comparing the difference in size with a smile. Then, she starts tickling his soles. He reacts immediately, stirring and drawing up his knees. His lips quiver and soon enough, his cooing and wailing fills the room.
"Are you cold, baby?" the proud big sister leans over him, trying to read the answer in his face. "Or… Are you hungry? You can have my bagel. Or do you want a cookie?"
Elliot falls silent and opens his eyes a little, prompting Charlotte to think she got the answer right. "Mommy, he's hungry. Can I give him a cookie?"
"Oh no, no cookie. Elliot gets milk from mommy. But I think it's very nice of you that you want to share your cookies with him." Penelope pulls her closer and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Then, she carefully props up the baby on a nursing pillow and starts feeding him.
Charlotte cuddles up close to Penelope so she can see better. She watches the tiny human being nursed, fascinated by the whole situation. "Why he look so swashed?" she whispers without taking her eyes off of him.
"Washed?" Penelope asks, her expression quizzical.
"No, mommy. He looks like a grandma in the face. Like Grandma Vivi in with the wrinkles," the girl states.
Colin and Penelope share a knowing look, barely able to contain their laughter, relieved that Violet Bridgerton isn't there to witness this insult.
"That's because he's brand-new," Colin then tells her. "All babies look a little bit wrinkly and squashed when they are born. You did, too."
"Me, too?" She gapes at him. "But why? You said he's brand-new, and wrinkles are for old people."
"That's because Elliot spent nine months in the water in mommy's belly," Penelope helps out. But Charlotte looks even more confused.
"Daddy, can Elliot swim?"
Colin rakes his brain in order to come up with a short explanation for amniotic fluids that is suitable for a child. But to his relief, there is a knock on the door and Nurse Paola comes in. "I see, you two have adjusted fairly well and he's nursing like a champ," she says after a short glance at Penelope and the baby.
"Paola, when can we go home?" Penelope asks her impatiently. "I want to take him home today. Is that possible?"
"Oh, you want to go home already? Is our meal plan not appealing enough to you? Nah, I understand, it's not my perfect pasta after all," the nurse jokes, her thick Italian accent coming through.
"l just hate hospitals," the new mother complains. "And I've been through all of this before, it's not like I need tutoring on how to handle a baby."
"I'll ask the pediatrician to have a look at your baby and to check for any signs of neonatal jaundice. Born prematurely, he's at higher risk to catch that. And if she gives you and your son the green light, you can sign some papers and then you're free to go. Alright, Penelope?"
"Okay. Thank you!" Penelope focuses on Elliot again who fell asleep again during breastfeeding.
Paola, who's still standing by the bed side, sees it, too. "Has he latched on both sides?"
"No," Penelope says wearily.
"You should wake him up and have him drink on the other side, too. It helps with your milk letdown," she advises her.
Penelope follows her instructions, continuing to nurse Elliot while Paola checks his temperature with an infrared thermometer. "This looks good," she comments shortly after. "l think there's nothing standing in your way and you'll all be home in time for dinner. I hope your husband has prepared a nice home for you? He needs to take good care of you now," she said with a smile, winking at Colin.
"He always does," Penelope tells her, smiling at Colin as she puts her hand on his arm, who quickly counters, "You only kept telling me like every day during the past nine months that I owed you big time for doing this pregnancy thing once more and going through labor and birth all over again."
"You wouldn't even last ten minutes of labor pain," Penelope challenges him.
"Wanna bet?"
"Donna danno, sposa spesa, moglie Maglio," Paola comments as the little banter between the couple doesn't go unnoticed by her. She winks at Penelope conspiratorially, who just rolls her eyes in response.
"What does it mean?" Colin inquires, feeling left out and catching some sort of feminist vibe going on between the two women who keep grinning and exchanging glances. "Alright, I get it. It's something mean about men being sissies, isn't it?"
"I'll leave the four of you alone." Paola smirks and turns to leave. "Doctor Danbury is on her lunch break. I'll beep her so we can discuss your wish to cut your stay short."
"Thank you, Paola!" Penelope says, watching her disappear through the door.
After a while, Charlotte who's still lying next to her brother, taking him in at all possible angles, raises her head. "He's not doing anything. I'm bored. Can we go home now?"
"Well, Grandma Portia will be here in about an hour. How about we go outside for a while and go look for a playground so your mom and Elliot can take a nap?" Colin suggests.
"Okay." Charlotte gives Elliot a kiss before jumping off the bed to run to the door.
Colin, still looking confused after that exchange between Penelope and the nurse, leans towards his wife and murmurs, "Is it something naughty? Don't tell me you paid that much attention in Spanish class back when we were in school?"
"Well, first off, Paola is from Italy, not Spain. And secondly, it helps to be on bedrest at home and have an Italian maid who's in the middle of a nasty divorce," Penelope explains, unable to resist a grin.
"I think I'm going to have a talk with Giulia soon. Her serving you misandrous Italian proverbs for lunch was not what I had in mind when I hired her to take care of you and our daughter during my internship at The Guardian."
The couple locks eyes, smiling warmly at each other. "Baby, I want to stay here and cuddle with you two so badly, but I guess we'll have to catch up later." Colin tells her, looking stricken. They share a tender kiss until a loud "Daddyyy-heeee, come!" from Charlotte interrupts them. So, Colin reluctantly tears away, following the little girl out to the hallway.
oOOo
Penelope stands, groaning with discomfort and pain. She bends over, pressing her hand to her still swollen belly, wanting it to disappear instantaneously. The birth took a toll on her sense of balance, forcing her to correct her posture constantly, which only caused severe backaches. Also, she's feeling extremely sore in her lower body. However, with just one look at the plastic crib that's standing next to her bed, everything is forgotten, or at least pushed to the back of her mind.
Her rainbow baby, a miracle, a healer. In so many ways.
She starts to weep yet again, feeling emotional and eternally grateful that her exhausting third pregnancy resulted in such a beautiful, strong baby boy.
It's late in the afternoon, and Elliot has had a couple of visitors in the meantime, including Doctor Danbury, who eventually greenlit Penelope's wish to go home, having attested that the baby is in excellent condition after the final examination. No signs of jaundice.
All necessary forms for their discharge were signed, and Penelope even managed to take a hot shower when her mother came by for a visit during her lunch hour.
"Shoot! Those after-pains are really killing me this time," Penelope says, screwing up her face.
Colin who was looking at her that entire time, awestruck by her strength and resilience, being on her feet again mere hours after giving birth. Now, alarmed by her groaned words, his face takes on an worried expression. "Do you want me to ask Paola for some pain meds for you?"
"No, I don't want to take any pills when I'm nursing," Penelope turns him down vehemently. "But you can help me get dressed so that we can get out of here."
"My pleasure," holding the baby on one arm, he walks to her and helps her untie the strings of her hospital gown. "Are you sure you want to leave already? Your mom volunteered to take Charlotte again for the night. We could stay here one more day and get pampered."
"Pampered? With hospital food and a 7am wake-up call? No, thank you!" Penelope fends as she steps into her maternity pants, pulling them up very slowly. "Ugh, why do these pads have to be as big as the size of our son from head to toe? It's the twenty-first century! Why haven't they invented something smaller already? This is so uncomfortable," she whines.
Colin smirks at that comparison. "And have I mentioned before that those fishnet knickers from the hospital are really... they look so... so very... Nope, I'm sorry. I can't say it! They're hideous." He laughs and turns around to take care of getting Elliot ready, watching her reaction from the corner of his eye.
Penelope throws her hospital gown at him, but misses her aim when the garment sails to the floor more than two feet away from him.
Colin who protectively shielded Elliot from her attack with his arm, warns her, "Hey! Watch the baby!" He laughs again before he starts focusing on fitting a pair of tiny white socks on his son's wriggly feet while Penelope disappears to the en-suite bathroom in order to put on a nursing bra and a comfy shirt.
When she returns, she stands by the door, pausing to watch Colin as he's cuddling with Elliot on the changing table, blowing raspberries to his small tummy. A familiar noise, this time the real deal, suddenly resounds, prompting them to raise their eyebrows. "Your turn!" they both say, pointing at each other.
"l have a gown to pick up and shoes to put on while I'm down there on the floor. So, I will be very busy for the next... uh... two, three minutes. I can't, sorry!" Penelope quickly steps away, ignoring Colin's groaning.
"That's what you get for mocking me. Enjoy!" She tries bending over, but stops as a shooting pain comes crawling up her stomach. When she realizes she's unable to kneel down either, she uses her right foot to lift the fabric until she can grab it with her hand. Disgruntled, she tosses her sneakers to the side. "Okay, I cannot do this ever again. I'm just going barefoot. Shoes are overrated anyway. Wait, did I say that out loud? Colin? Am I on some kind of sedative that I don't know about?"
"Pen, why won't you wait until I can help you? You just had a baby, my love! Take it easy!" Colin chides her for her impatience.
She sits down on the bed, trying to wake up Charlotte from her nap. In the meantime, Colin swiftly changes Elliot's diaper and wraps him in a thin, soft blanket before strapping him into his car seat. "Holy shit, I forgot how tiny they first look in those things," he comments, adjusting the extra padding disgnated for newborns.
"Hey, watch your language," Penelope hisses from across the room.
"Dad, you're not supposed to say 'shit'," Charlotte quickly comes shooting up, having just opened her eyes. "Hey! Where's the baby?"
"Colin turns the car seat around for her to see that her brother is lying in it. "We're getting ready to go home. Does that sound good?"
"Yes!" She jumps off the bed and at a moment's notice she's kneeling in front of Elliot, touching his head and cheeks, whispering, "Hi, Elliot."
"Charlotte, sweetie? I want you to put on your socks and shoes. And then I want you to grab the balloons. Can you take those for me and bring them to our car?"
"Okay." She leans forward and gives Elliot a kiss on his forehead. "Bye, baby! Daddy, can I wait outside and see Paddington?"
"Yeah, you can. Just don't play with the elevator again, alright? And do not, I repeat, do not go anywhere all by yourself," Colin cat-calls at her when she's out the door without really waiting for her parents' approval.
He looks down at Elliot's small frame. "You know, she's right. He really does look squashed." He starts walking across the room to help Penelope with her shoes, placing the car seat on the floor.
"Oh, he must have gotten that from you. You look exactly the same early in the morning," Penelope teases him.
"Whoa, thank you!" Colin scoffs as he meets her by the bed, kissing her anyway because he knows she's right. When he pulls away, all teasing is gone from his eyes. "Have I told you yet today how much I love you and how proud of you I am?"
"Yes, I vaguely remember that you have, indeed," Penelope whispers. "But you can tell me again if you want. I'll never grow tired of hearing it."
He chuckles softly. "I promise, I'll never grow tired of telling you, but I think I prefer showing it to you."
"Whoa! Slow down, I literally just had a baby. You're going to have to wait for at least another six weeks."
"Not that! Would you please get your mind out of the gutter?" he says in mock outrage before leaning in for another kiss. Just as Colin's fingers are threading through her hair, pulling her closer by the back of her head to deepen the kiss while at the same time giving Penelope a gentle backrub with his other hand, there's a whimper coming from the car seat beside their feet.
They both let out identical groans and pull away reluctantly. They glance at Elliot and are relieved to see him resettle himself and fall back to sleep. Colin pulls Penelope into his arms, and they watch him sleep for a moment, the irritation they felt at the interruption forgotten.
Penelope sighs faintly. "Can you believe that a year ago, we had no idea that we'd ever be blessed with a healthy baby boy?"
"It doesn't seem real, does it?"
"Not at all."
"It's been quite a year for us, hasn't it?" Colin concludes, capturing her left hand and tracing the ring there with the tip of his thumb, reminiscing about a time when utter heartbreak and silly happiness were taking turns for them and only the strength of their marriage helped them get over any kind of obstacle.
"I love him so much," she murmurs. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep him safe for the rest of his life."
"When I think about how close we came to losing him, too…" Colin chokes up, unable to finish that sentence.
Penelope shivers in spite of the warmth in the room. "I know…" She begins to cry softly and turns around to let herself sink into Colin's welcoming arms, clutching a tiny baby hat in her hands.
"Shh," Colin whispers, pressing soft kisses to the crown of her head. "He's here now, and Doctor Danbury said he's totally fine. He's ours to take home and love forever."
"Forever."
~ to be continued ~