Changed Since Texas / Post Malone

7.4

Charlie's POV
~3 weeks later~

Austin coming to Dallas was helpful in so many ways, especially in ways that I never thought him being here would be helpful. I wasn't really expecting him to show up at my bedside the day that I gave birth to our daughter. I had asked about him incessantly in my semi unconscious state and I wasn't really expecting anyone to take it seriously and call him to tell him that I was asking for him. But, I know Jodie and Rich too well to know that that wasn't going to go left unnoticed despite talks between Austin and them being interesting in the last. They often ended in Rich getting more angry than he needed to be and Austin slowly slipping closer and closer to falling off the edge of not caring, not just about me and his kids but about his own family as well. So, needless to say I wasn't expecting him to show up here the way that he did, but it gave me a good feeling, but it was one that I held gently not wanting to embrace it too tightly for fear of the spikes that it held deep inside of it.

I credit him with my quick recovery, the nurses having already told Jodie that my precious Tabitha would be going home without me while I stayed at least a week until my levels came back to normal, but when Austin showed up it was like I had an instantaneous recovery. I quickly became more alert to my surroundings, my color quickly returned to my almost white as a ghost complexion, I was even strong enough to be able to hold my daughter for the first time the day after Austin arrived. It was strange how he did things to me, how he always seemed to make me feel better the moment that he was around me regardless of what he put me through. There was no question that I needed him in my life, that was actually quite apparent, but the question that hung around the depths of my brain like a dark cloud on a cold rainy day was to what extent did I need Austin and that was my intent of finding out for the duration of his stay.

I left the hospital as a happy family two days after Austin's arrival. Tabitha had gained some weight since the day she was born but she was still a tiny peanut weighing in at just 5lbs when we took her home. She was beautiful and everything that I thought she would be. Austin tried to insist that everything about her was me through and through but I begged to differ. Even at just three weeks her eyes were the most magnificent blue that I have ever seen, the way the light would reflect against them--during her sparse awake hours of the day--reminding me of a diamond that reflected in every color on the spectrum. They were breathtaking and undoubtedly a gift from Austin. Then there was the hair. It was already a light brown and the tops of it were starting to curl just enough and there wasn't an ounce of body in my poker straight hair so again it was going to be another beautiful gift from her Dad. As far as everything else, I guess there was no arguing that my little Princess was almost a mirror image of me.

I wanted to go home after leaving the hospital, the thoughts of going to my own soft bed in my own home and taking a shower in my own bathroom sounded like heaven to me. Not to mention everything from Austy's was there as well, but Jodie insisted that we stay with her and the more I thought about it the more I started to agree with her. I know that I had Austin and he was more than a big help to me in everything that I needed, but this was his first baby. Not to mention if it was just the four of us at my apartment he would have to juggle attending to the requests of a needy toddler as well as taking care of a three week old who wasn't able to express what every cry was intended for. It would've been a lot of work for him to say the least and after having a c-section there was no way that I was going to be able to move enough to help him. So, the four of us moved into Jodie and Rich's house for the time being and Jodie started putting Austin through baby boot camp which was quite entertaining to watch.

"Something smells..." Austin said, looking around him as he was rocking a sleeping Tabitha in the brown recliner that sat next to the couch.

"She probably pooped" I laughed.