Baby May

Baby Girl

1st October 1989

Brian May sat in the hospital waiting room, head in his hands waiting for news on Anita, "Mr May," A female nurse pulls Brian from his thoughts.

"Is she alright?" He jumps up from his chair scaring the poor nurse, "They said she'd been taken up to theatre when I got here."

"As you know Miss Dobson went into labour early, the baby was in distress and the heart rate was dropping so she was rushed in for a caesarean section. Miss Dobson is doing well but is currently on some strong painkillers for the stitches she had to have. She's asleep for the moment."

Anita told him 7 months ago that she was pregnant, her due date was around the beginning of November but Brian got a message while at the studio to say she had gone into labour and was rushed to hospital.

"What about the baby?" Despite not originally wanting more children, Brian couldn't have been more excited to find out he was going to be a dad again and Anita was thrilled to become a new mum, something she never thought would happen.

"You have a baby girl, Mr May. She's in an incubator under observation for a few hours, but she seems to be a fighter and has a good set of lungs on her, just small."

"A girl?" Brian grins, he loves Jimmy, he does but there's something about his girls that has his smile spread just that little bit wider.

The nurse smiles, knowing that look very well, "Yes, you have a daughter. Would you like to come and meet her?"

"Yes please," He follows behind eager to meet his new daughter.

The nurse shows him down the hall into the premature baby ward and over to an incubator by the window. Inside is the smallest baby he's ever seen but she couldn't be more perfect in his eyes.

She has pads attached to her chest with wires coming from it to monitor her heart rate and a tube on her nose but that's it, just the incubator to keep her warm.

"Can..." He goes to put a hand on the glass then stops in case it does something to hurt her. He turns to the nurse, "Can I...?"

"You can put your hand in," The nurse nods, stepping forward to open the porthole on the side, "Just pop your hand in, it won't harm her."

Brian puts his hand in feeling the warmest inside, his large finger touching her soft, tiny hand and she instantly holds his finger. He can't help welling up.

A midwife comes in and smiles, she sees it time and again but seeing a father and daughter bond is a special thing, "Miss Dobson is awake when your ready to go up but would like to hold your daughter?"

"She needs to be in the incubator, doesn't she?" He does want to risk her chances of surviving, even if he does want to hold her.

"We were about to see how she's coping without the incubator anyway. So why don't we try a cuddle?" The nurse gestures for him to sit in the chair, "Skin to skin contact is a good way for you to bond with your baby at this age."

Once sitting, Brian unbuttons the top few buttons of his shirt and takes his daughter against his chest, her warmth warms his heart, "She's perfect," He whispers.

His large hand covers her entire back, so soft and warm. The nurse puts a blanket over the baby to keep her warm.

Brian strokes his daughter's cheek, rousing her and she whimpers, "Shh..." He soothes her, "You'll see your mummy soon, but you'll always have me to protect you because I'm your dad and that's my job."

The nurse took a photo of the moment for him then he noticed the name band on the baby's foot, there's a gap before May, "You need a name, but I think it's only fair that your mum gets to meet you first before we decide that."