Saving Amy

Naming the Baby

Author Note: I do know that Amy and her family are Jewish, and I should have said synagogue instead of church but when I wrote this last year that was just the way I did it.

Janis and Alex entered Amy's room on the day of the baby's christening. Amy was still asleep, and next to her on the bed was the baby. Janis scooped the baby up and Alex shook Amy awake. Her hair was stuck to her face and tangled. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "It's the christening today," Alex reminded her. "And you really shouldn't sleep with the baby in your bed." Janis told her. "Why not?" Amy asked. "Just don't do it, okay?" Janis took the baby away to bath her and get her ready. Amy held a hand out to Alex and he pulled her up off the bed.

At the church
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"Honestly Amy, couldn't you have brushed your hair more?" Janis whispered to her. People were filing past them into the church, looking at Amy's hair as they went past her. Security guards were at the church gates to keep the media out. "Don't start on me, Mum. Just give me the baby, okay?" Janis hesitated, then handed Amy the baby. Amy kissed her baby's forehead. "Do you have a name for her?" Janis asked her daughter. Amy gave her mum a look. "Of course I do. I named her the day she was born." Janis stared at her. "She's had a name for all this time and you never told us?" Amy walked into the church and didn't look back as she said "It's a surprise, Mum."

The baby didn't cry when Amy handed her over to the vicar. "Welcome, everybody." He said. He sprinkled some water from the font onto the baby's head. "Today we have welcomed," he checked the piece of paper Amy had given him. "Sophia Jade Winehouse into the Lord's family." Everyone smiled and clapped. The vicar handed Sophia back to Amy, and everyone left the church.

"So?" Amy asked her mum when they were back at Amy's new house. She'd moved into it with Sophia and her security a week after Sophia was born. "Do you like her name?" Janis bounced baby Sophia on her knees. "I love it. Sophia Jade. It really suits her."
Amy took her phone out and took a photo of Sophia. "Did you tell Juliette and Lauren you had a baby?" Janis asked. Last year Amy had shared her first flat with Juliette, they were best friends, and Lauren was their other best friend. Amy had moved out in January the next year, back to her mum's house. "No." Amy said. She quickly texted Juliette and Lauren the photo of Sophia, followed by "Meet the newest member of the Winehouse family!" in a group message.
"Did you have a sister?" Lauren texted back first. "Nope," Amy replied. Juliette texted next, "Amy, no way. You didn't have a baby."
"I did," Amy replied. Lauren replied with, "Oh my god! She's beautiful! She has your eyes!! Can we meet her?"
"Sure," Amy replied. "Come over tomorrow."

The next day
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A couple of hours before Lauren and Juliette were supposed to come and meet Sophia, Amy got a text from her dad asking to meet his granddaughter. Amy looked over at Sophia in her crib next to her bed, and wondered if she had time to do both. Her mum had already helped her give Sophia her bottle, change her and dress her. That saved her some time.

She strapped Sophia into her pushchair and walked down the street. Almost no one ever went that way so she didn't need to take security with her. She wasn't sure about taking Sophia into a pub at all, but it was where her dad was.

Amy used one hand to push the heavy door open, and wheeled Sophia in ahead of her. She looked around for her dad, and saw him sitting in a corner. "Hey, Dad!" She shouted. He looked up, then over at her. He came over to her, and hugged her with one arm. "Look at you!" He said. "You're all grown up." Amy smiled. "Well, I'm a mum now, I kind of have to be more grown up."

Mitchell looked down at the baby in the pushchair. "How old is...he?" He asked her. "It's a she, Dad. She's one month old." Amy told him. She pulled a chair out at a table and sat down, parking Sophia's pushchair next to her. Mitch sat down opposite her. "What's her name?" He asked, he hadn't taken his eyes off his granddaughter. "Sophia Jade." Amy said. "Can I hold her?" He asked.

Amy unstrapped Sophia from her buggy and gave her to her dad. "Just be gentle," she told him. "Juliette and Lauren are coming to see her in about an hour and she should be all in one piece." She laughed, and Mitch laughed as well. The sound of Amy laughing always made everyone else around her laugh.

After a while, Amy checked the time on her phone, and realised she had to get back for Lauren and Juliette. "Hey Dad? I have to get going now." She stood up and held her arms out for Sophia. He reluctantly handed her over, because he loved her already. "Can I see her again soon?" He asked his daughter. "Sure." She said. "Give Grandad a kiss, Soph." She brushed Sophia's cheek against his. "See you, Dad."

Amy sat on her sofa with Sophia in her arms, waiting for Lauren and Juliette. When she heard the knock on her door, she jumped up in excitement and almost dropped the baby. Holding her tighter to her chest, she opened the door. "Amy!" Juliette squealed, throwing herself through the front door and hugging her, closely followed by Lauren. "We've missed you so much! I can't believe it's two months since we've seen you and you have a baby in that time!" Lauren exclaimed, hugging her. "You guys didn't guess?" Amy joked. "I just thought you'd gained weight!" Juliette laughed. "I didn't know either, I thought I'd just gained weight as well." Amy said. The smiles dropped off her friends' faces. "You didn't know? Seriously? But what about when it started...coming? Didn't you guess then?" Lauren asked her. Amy shook her head. "No, I thought there was something else wrong, when the pain started, you know?"
Juliette shook her head, smiling. "You're still the same Amy."
"So can we see her?" Lauren demanded. "Look down you sillies, she's right here!" Amy laughed.

Lauren and Juliette looked down, and saw Sophia in Amy's arms. "Oh my god! She's even more beautiful in person!" Lauren said, moving Juliette into the house and closing the door behind her. The three girls sat down on the sofa, and Amy passed Sophia to Juliette, who cuddled her close. "She's so cute, Amy. What's her name?"
"Sophia Jade." Amy told them. Once Juliette was finished cuddling Sophia, she gave her to Lauren.

When Amy's friends had left, she decided to take Sophia to go and see her nan, Cynthia. Cynthia loved Amy and Amy loved Cynthia, she knew she'd love Sophia too. And she was right, her nan held her arms out for the baby as soon as she saw her, and when it was time to leave she very reluctantly gave Sophia back to Amy and made her promise to bring her back soon.

October 2003

Amy was leaving on tour in a couple days, and she was stressed because she didn't know who she could leave Sophia with. Her daughter was only two months old, she'd have to find someone who really knew how to look after a baby. But she didn't want to leave her with a stranger. In desperation, she called her dad. "Dad, can you please look after Sophia for me while I'm touring?" She asked him, and he could hear the desperation in her voice. "Of course Amy, bring her over whenever you can."

Ten minutes later Sophia and all her stuff was in his house and settling in. Five minutes after that, Amy was gone, she'd left to start her tour. And upstairs, on Sophia's crib, hanging from one of the round posts at the end was a little silver charm in the shape of an A, with a heart next to it.