Coming Home (#Wattys 2017)

21; Happy Days

A wet Harrison stood next to his wife's hospital bed as they awaited their second daughter to be cleared of her post-birth tests. He ruffled his hair with the towel in another attempt to dry some of his still soaking wet hair.

He was in the middle of a practice run for the United States Coast Guard when he found out Carrie was going into labor. After a few months of helping Carrie prepare for the arrival of their new baby, he decided he wanted to get another job. Once he talked it over with Carrie, they agreed he could get a job in the Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer. It had to be a job with no deployments. So everyday after work, he'd return home late in the afternoon to his family.

Carrie laced her fingers with his. "Are you still liking the name we picked out for her?"

Harrison nodded. "I love it. But I do have to wonder, how did you hold out until I got here?"

She laughed. "I wasn't going to let this baby be born without you here."

That statement was true. His unit just began a practice run on a sinking vessel when the entire unit was pulled out and flown back to the base on the mainland. Harrison then jumped in his truck and drove as fast as he could to the hospital. The entire way there, he talked to Carrie on the phone. She refused to have the baby until he got there.

The door to their hospital room clicked open and in came a doctor carrying their new baby in her arms. After handing the baby to Harrison, she gave him a fresh change of clothes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome sir."

He dropped the clothes on the floor to hold their daughter better. "She looks a lot like you Carrie."

Indeed the little girl looked so much like her mommy. She had chestnut hair and brown eyes like her mom and sister. Although Billie now had light brown, almost blond hair, she had her mommy's brown eyes.

Harrison gave the little girl to Carrie before changing into the fresh clothes. When he finished changing, he handed her the birth certificate to fill out. She shifted the little baby into one arm and balanced the birth certificate against her knee. Carrie then wrote 'Reagan Elizabeth Ford, November 15th, 2011,' on it.

She moved over in the small hospital bed enough for Harrison to comfortably sit beside her. He wrapped an arm around Carrie as she held Reagan and leaned against his chest. "Reagan, it time to meet your family."

✎✎✎

Billie was let in first before any of Reagan's grandparents. Harrison and Carrie didn't want to be overwhelmed with an abundance of people crammed into the small hospital room. Just as B made her way over to the bed, Reagan opened her eyes for the first time. "Hello little girl. Your daddy and I have someone we want you to meet."

Harrison picked Billie up and held her on his lap. "What's her name mommy and daddy?"

"Reagan Elizabeth," her daddy answered.

"Is that one of the names I suggested?"

Both Harrison and Carrie nodded. "We loved it."

"Can I hold her mommy?"

"Yeah B."

He helped Billie sit between the two of them as Carrie placed Reagan in her sisters arms. "Hold her head in your arm."

Little Billie did as told and soon she was smiling as Reagan opened her eyes and held her little hand up. "Hi Reagan."

Reagan smiled. "Mommy! Daddy! She smiled."

Both Harrison and Carrie's faces lit up with smiles. "When are we taking her home mommy? And can I read to her?"

"We're taking her home soon B. The doctors have to do a few more checkups on her and then we can take her home. And yes you can read to her. I'm sure she'd love to have you read to her."

For the next two hours, their families came and visited little Reagan until Carrie and Reagan were cleared to go home.

✎✎✎

"I got the door."

Harrison held the house door open for Carrie and Billie before following them down the hallway into Reagan's new room. The room looked even better now that Reagan was here. Two of the walls were painted a really white grey while the other two were lined with camo pink wallpaper just like Billie's room. After finding out she was getting a sister, Billie insisted that her sisters room look like hers.

Reagan's crib was on the far side of the room near the window. Above the crib were so many mobiles Reagan could ever ask for. Near the closet was her changing station. And across from that was a bookshelf already stuffed with books as well as a rocking chair.

"Mommy, I'm picking out a book."

Carrie smiled at how eager Billie was to read to her little sister. "Okay B, but I have to feed Reagan first and then you can read to her."

Harrison held Reagan as Carrie got comfortable in the rocking chair. Then as B continued to look for a good book to read, she breastfed Reagan. "I found a book mommy."

Billie picked out The Cat in the Hat to read to her little sister. Carrie moved over in the chair so Harrison could sit next to her with Billie in his lap. Then she began to read.

✎✎✎

Later that evening, Harrison, Carrie, and Billie were all playing Just Dance. Billie, of course, was crushing her parents by a lot once again. "Come on mommy and daddy! Keep up!"

Harrison and Carrie watched as Billie's score reached the top. The song was over. "I win again mommy and daddy."

Just then Reagan started to cry. Carrie beat her husband to their second daughters room and came out with Reagan in her arms. She sat down on the couch next to Billie. Then all of a sudden Harrison sat between Billie and her mom. He put an arm around Billie and the other around Carrie and Reagan. He quickly kissed Carrie before Billie had a chance to see.

"My girls."

The End.