Never Knew I Needed (Chaelisa)

Chapter 23

Half an hour after the announcement, Vernon comes out and tells me that Somi wants us inside the room to meet the new addition to the gang, who's still yet to be named. We all nod and head on in, ignoring the looks the nurses shoot us because we've all been warned that we're not technically allowed to go into the room in such a large group, but it's not like any of us really follow rules and instead ignore the nurses and do what we want.

Baby Choi weighs in at six pounds and eight ounces. He measures nineteen inches tall and he doesn't have any hair which creeps me out a little.

But I can totally tell he has Vernon's nose and Somi's eyes already, and okay, maybe he's a little cute but I don't really like babies in general so Baby Choi's alright for a baby, I guess.

Everyone takes their turn in holding him, and Jisoo, Jaehyun and Jennie all stare down at Baby Choi like he's the best thing they've ever seen and I roll my eyes a little because it's a baby, but whatever. But then I'm taking a hold of him, awkwardly shifting him around because I don't know how to hold babies, and when I boop his nose and his tiny little hand curls around my pointer finger, I kind of sort of fall in love with him.

And it's at that same moment, when I gasp and smile down giddily at this tiny little baby that I feel a pair of unmistakable eyes on me and lift my vision to find Rosé gazing at me, her head tilted to the side, lips sucked into her mouth and eyes soft. Honestly, after everything that's happened since we've been at the hospital, it almost makes me choke up, but then she's glancing away and I look to Jisoo who just mouths tomorrow to me and I calm down. Tomorrow everything will be okay. Although I'm totally nervous now.

Too soon for my liking, Baby Choi's being taken from my arms and handed over to Rosé, and when I see her with him, something blossoms in my chest and even though its way too fucking early to even be thinking about this, a flurry of images of Rosé holding our baby shoots through my mind and warmth floods through me. I'm smiling before I know it, and when Rosé bends her neck down and presses her lips carefully to Baby Choi's forehead, I see how fucking gentle and caring she is and somehow, I fall in love with her a little bit more.

Exactly like it happened with me, the moment she pulls back, her eyes are lifting and she's staring at me, my expression softening and our eyes meeting. My breath hitches in my throat and I try to look away, but I find myself routed, locked into position and so I just give in and stare, trying to convey my apologies like this.

But then there's a nurse coming into the room, clapping her hands and telling us all that it's time for Baby and Mother Choi's first feed and Rosé's dropping her eyes from mine and walking back to the side of the bed, lowering Baby Choi into Somi's arms. Vernon thanks us all for coming, Somi does too distantly and a little sleepily as she's staring at her son-damn, that's weird to think-and has been up for like, a shit load of hours, and then Vernon offers that we all can go home if we want too and we all shrug because yeah, we came here to meet Baby Choi and that's done so we're good.

So I walk as if I'm heading out the hospital with Jisoo by my side and Rosé, Jaehyun, Eunwoo, Mingyu, Mina and Tzuyu in front when I remember I've left my coat in the waiting room so I run back, picking it up and shrugging it on before I meet Jisoo again, but when I step outside the hospital, I realize that most of the group's already disappeared, or more importantly, Rosé's disappeared.

My shoulders slump, disappointed that I won't be going home with her or even saying goodbye, but then Jennie's popping up beside me, her arm looping through min and I snap my head around, a little confused about why she's touching me but not really giving a damn because as much as I pretend I dislike her, she's not that bad.

"So, Lisa," she chirps and I'm not sure how she's so bright and energetic considering I overheard her telling me that she didn't even get to sleep before she got the call which means she's been up for way over twenty-four hours. "Are you coming for drinks today?"