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My first pregnancy proved to be very trying and difficult, but it was made better by the kindness of the people around me. 

When Jack and I announced that I was pregnant, about 20 weeks along, all of our colleagues made us promise to bring the baby around for a visit as soon as we were out of the hospital. 

At around 25 weeks we had our parents and Jack's sisters over and did a sort of small gender reveal. Tatiana made us a cake, that when we cut into it, revealed pink icing, and we could finally call our baby our little girl. 

However, the morning sickness never seemed to end after the first trimester, and it always seemed like I was dehydrated and exhausted. 

Most days I would feel ok in time for work, but sometimes I just had to stay home. On the days that Jack couldn't be with me Caroline would come to at least keep me company if nothing else. She was the greatest blessing of all through all of it, and she never made a fuss about anything. 

It was on January fourth that our little girl decided that she wanted to break free of her confines a whole three weeks early. 

I woke up at 4:35 in the morning with powerful contractions in my lower back. I had been warned about Braxton hicks contractions, but these were far too strong for that. I shook Jack awake, and he sat up groggily, but as soon as he registered what was happening he bolted up and started freaking out. 

He grabbed the bag we had prepared, and began frantically running around the room. "Jack!" I yelled, "calm down. We still have a while before we have to leave for the hospital, so you can relax!"

After that episode Jack threw some of his clothes in a duffle bag, and we layed  back down for a little while waiting for my contractions to progress further. Once they got to be about five minutes apart at 7:30 we headed over to the hospital, and on the way over Jack called our parents. 

Obviously my parents couldn't make it because they were all the way in Texas, but they couldn't wait to see pictures of our little girl. Edwin and Caroline would head over to see after a little while. 

When we arrived at the hospital my contractions were beginning to feel like someone was stabbing me in the back and stomach with a knife. Soon the doctor checked the baby's vitals, and saw that every time I had a contraction, her heart rate would drop ever so slightly, and determined that the baby was in distress and took an ultrasound. 

It turns out that the baby had preeclampsia, and her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Before I could blink twice I was being prepped for an emergency cesarean section. I received an epidural, given a few moments for it to kick in, and the curtain was up. 

Jack stood by my head the entire time, and held my hand. I hardly felt a thing, besides some pressure, but the doctor said that that was completely normal. Before I knew it I heard a high pitched scream from the other side of the curtain one of the doctors brought our little girl around for us to look at. 

She was absolutely beautiful. She had a few tiny whips of hair, and she had Jack's lips and ears. She had my nose, and when she opened her little eyes for the first time, I say that she had hazel eyes just like my own. She was absolutely perfect. 

The nurse cleaned her off and Jack and I got to hold her. She was so little, the doctor said she was only seventeen inches long and only weighed six pounds and two ounces. 


"So what should we name her?" Jack asked, as the baby have a little yawn, "whatever it is, it needs to be perfect just like her." 

I thought about it for a moment, I wanted her name to have some meaning behind it and not just be some random name. It had to suit her just right. I looked down at her sleeping face and knew almost immediately what I wanted her name to be. 

"Well, Jack, I think we should name her after your mother, and her middle name should be River. It's beautiful just like she is." I said, and as soon as I said it his eyes lit up and a huge grin cracked over his face. 

"Caroline River Schlossberg. I like that. I like that a lot!" He exclaimed. 


Afterwards  we FaceTimed my parents to introduce them to Caroline, and soon after Jack's parents and sisters came to meet little Caroline. 

When Jack's mother held little Caroline for the first time we asked her if she knew what the baby's name was, and when we told her she teared up a little bit. 


A few days later we were released from the hospital, and we swung by the Capitol on the way home to introduce her to everyone. 

Every body was absolutely delighted to meet Caroline, and she took turns being passed around the room until most of the senators got to hold her, and mr Cornyn made us promise to bring her by for regular visits. 

Around two weeks later we had Caroline's christening, and we made my friend Jan her godmother, and Jack's friend George her godfather. 

As the days flew by we became more and more in love with our sweet little Caroline. 

Jack and Caroline at little Caroline's christening

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Jack and Caroline at little Caroline's christening. 

A Mutual Yearning - John Schlossberg x ReaderWhere stories live. Discover now