freefall |[ luke kuechly ]|

|[pure]|

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August 16, 2013
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Ellen had been checked in and ushered to a brightly lit and spacious hospital room. The room oozed positivity and happiness. The baby was going to make its appearance in a matter of hours. The closer the time neared the more at ease Ellen became, and the more nervous Luke got. Ellen looked beautiful, even while in labor. Her dark brown hair pulled into a bun on top of her head and without a trace of makeup, she looked naturally beautiful, and motherly.

His mind couldn't help but wander to the last time he saw Ellen laying in a hospital bed, the fear of not knowing if she would make it. He thanked God that this time was different. That this time they were bringing life into the world instead of threatening to take it from the world.

He stood at the window looking down at a nearby river. Luke watched as two ducks played near the edge of the bank, as another larger duck watched from afar. He smiled as he imagined his family like this. His hand sat firmly on the curtain, threatening to close it but changed his mind and turned towards Ellen. She smiled from the bed, a glow upon her face. She didn't seem nervous about being a mom anymore. Luke thought to when she told him she was pregnant. The terrified look in her eyes as tears covered her cheeks. She'd changed in the last 9 months. A love for the baby grew and the excitement couldn't be tamed any longer.

Luke always imagined himself as a dad. But now as the time got closer he started to wonder if he would be a good dad. "I'm going to get a drink, do you need anything?" Luke asked running his fingers through his dark curls. His wife looked up at him with smiling eyes.

"No, hurry back though," she assured him. He knew she would never ask him to get her anything. That wasn't the type of person Ellen was; she liked to do things on her own. That was Luke loved about her- how independent she was.

Luke left the room but he didn't go and get a drink like he said he was going to. He stood in the wide hallway of the hospital, surrounded by white walls with pictures spread around them. He began pacing back and forth, trying to calm his beating heart. He took deep breaths. He stood with a hand on his hip and the other one massaging his temples.

"Luke? What are you doing?" Nicole asked. She had just gotten off of the elevator and held a green bag in her hand, that Luke assumed was a gift for the baby.

"Just taking a break. Trying to calm down," Luke explained. He stopped pacing and stood facing her.

"Taking a break from what?" Nicole asked. She was now standing right in front of him.

"I'm just nervous, that's all. I don't want Ellen to see me nervous because I don't want her getting worked up. She needs to be relaxed," Luke explained. Nicole sat on the floor leaning against the wall causing Luke to crinkle his eyebrows. She patted the floor next to her, signaling for Luke to sit by her. Luke thought maybe sitting down would help him relax so he did as he was told.

"Why are you so nervous?" Nicole asked in her always calming voice.

"What if I'm not a good dad," Luke said bluntly.

"Luke, you are going to be such a good dad. You take such good care of my sister and you protect her from everything harmful. You make her laugh and you make her feel better when she cries. You are a great guy and that baby will be lucky to have you as a dad. He or she is going to be so proud to have you as their dad. You make all of us proud," Nicole said. Luke faced her with a closed lip smile.

"Thanks Nicole," Luke said. His muscular legs sprung him up from his spot on the floor.

"Now get in there. This Auntie can't wait forever," Nicole said shoving him. Luke went back to the room. Before he opened the door he turned to Nicole and gave her a thumbs up. She gave him the confidence and the reassurance that he needed, and he was ready for the baby now. Nicole gave him a thumbs up back before Luke slipped in the doorway of the delivery room.

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Standing in the area outside of the door. Nicole heard cries coming from the room, and her heart filled with joy. Her sister was a mother and they were a family now.

The baby cried, and it was then that the girl's life began. As the baby was placed in Ellen's arms, all the fears of being a mom washed away and a newfound joy replaced them. The baby's raspy cry seized as Ellen's arms wrapped protectively around it. The wonder in the baby's dark brown eyes as it looked up to its parents for the first time. The beaming brown eyes were just like Luke's. He ran his large hand through the thick black hair of the baby, who was wrapped in a white knit blanket. Luke stared at the figure in Ellen's arms in awe. How magical. This baby was his. This baby was theirs.

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Baby Kuechly has arrived! How many votes can we get for Baby Kuechly?! No update until at least 30 votes!