Warm Bodies: The Answer

Holding On Tight

Julie cried.

She tried so hard not to, as the baby was lifted up, and she saw this beautiful, perfect little soul, felt her heart rush to wrap around her baby like a blanket, and the little mouth opened so wide and screamed a baby's first cry.

They placed her beautiful child on her chest, and she held her little baby girl, and she cried, the tears streaming down her eyes as she cradled the little one close, and squeezed the hand of the father her baby would never meet, cool now in her own. She cried, looking into those incredible blue eyes, more vivid than his, and how was that possible? and she tried so hard to smile, but her mouth just wouldn't move that way.

The baby cried again, and Julie looked up at her own father's face, and he was crying, but he was staring at the miracle in her arms with such awe that stripped the decades from him in an instant, and she felt a swell of love for him so deep it stilled her tears for a moment.

And the baby grew quiet, and Julie sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes snapped back to her little girl, her heart squeezing in greater fear that something was wrong with her too...

But the baby wasn't looking at her anymore.

The baby was looking at something else, tracking something with her eyes, and Julie was confused, wondering if her little one was watching Mark, who'd got up and was pacing beside his son's bed, his face sagging in despair.

Her little girl's arm reached out, wobbling as little baby arms do, and Bella was suddenly there, wiping the baby down again, giving her a fresh towel, smiling down at Julie before vanishing again.

Julie's breath caught.

Her baby was reaching out, her little hand opening and closing as she reached to wherever she was staring, and it wasn't Mark she was looking at - Mark had returned to Rowan's side, he was just talking over the body of his son, and holding Brandon's hand across the bed, and Julie couldn't look over there anymore or she'd start crying again and she couldn't do that to the baby.

Her little girl wiggled and smiled. And then she did the most remarkable thing.

She gurgled a little tiny laugh.

Julie's mouth fell open as she followed the child's gaze. What her baby had just done wasn't normal... she'd read all those stupid books, babies weren't supposed to smile or laugh till a few weeks in - till they'd been around people doing it all the time!

But... suddenly... she knew, as she stared into that empty space, as the room grew hushed around her because the others were watching the baby too.

Because she could feel him.

"R-Rowan?"

Her baby's hand closed tight, and those beautiful vivid eyes tracked something, moving and blinking, as her little head wobbled, to the bed next to hers.

To Rowan.

And suddenly, she knew. With a huge smile spreading on her face, Julie held her baby close and squeezed Rowan's hand one more time, her eyes seeking the face of the man she loved, even as her father leaned over her, trying to tell her Rowan was gone in a voice choked with tears.

And it happened, as she knew it would.

The cool hand clenched in her own, and she heard him breathe.

Everyone in the room around her exploded with sound, gasps of disbelief, startled cries, sudden sobs and strangled laughter. The last belonging to Marcus.

But Julie wasn't looking at anyone else but Rowan, as her dad jumped back from him, almost landing on top of her. She strained to get closer, to reach the pale face that turned towards her, blinking in confusion.