Colder than ice

'I'd stop the world if it gave us time'

Tuesday 5th July, 2022

'Hey.' The red head smiles, as the two small children stand behind the man, she motions for them to come and sit on the bed. The girl obliges, and the man holds the boy. 'Did you have a good night?' The girl nods. 'Did nanny spoil you?' Another nod, she looks over to Joe who is sitting on the chair now, the boy nestled into his lap.

'Is the baby here?' The girl asks, 'Do I have a sister?' She asks enthusiastically. Joe and Dianne hadn't found out if the baby was a boy or girl, Theo was too young to care, but Ruby was desperately wanting a sister. They decided not to think about it because they had one healthy child of each, it didn't matter to them. She looks up at her mum, pleading with her to tell her. 'Go and have a look.'

The baby is asleep at the end of the bed, in a fish bowl. They don't think it's actually called that, but that's what they heard someone call it, when Ruby was born, and it stuck. The older child wanders down to the end of the bed. 'Slowly.' She warns, as Joe puts Theo on the bed.

'Its fine, I'll lift her up.' She nods, as her son cuddles up to her, she grabs his little hand. Compared to the baby that is at the end of the bed, the hand is huge. She watches as he lifts their daughter up, pointing to the colour of her sleepsuit. She watches as her child's face changes, looking up at her dad and then at her mum.

'I HAVE A SISTER.' She cries, breaking into a beam.

'Shhh, she's asleep.' Joe warns, as she smiles at the baby. The pair of them smile as they watch her stare at the baby. They weren't angry, but they needed to get the kids to understand that the baby needs to sleep. The moment she heard Joe telling her that they have a beautiful baby girl, she knew that her, now eldest, daughter would be thrilled. She wasn't sure how long it would be before they got on one another's nerves, so she was savouring the moment now.

'Do you want to hold her?' Joe asks her, as she nods enthusiastically. Dianne's heart sinks, it shouldn't because she knows that Ruby will be fine, but there's always that worry. Joe laughed at Zoe's face when she wanted to hold her baby. Dianne got it now. 'Go sit by mummy.' She scrambles up, as Dianne puts pillows and blankets around her, and sits with her on her lap. Theo going to sit next to them. She waits with baited breath, waiting for Ruby to drop her. It never happens.

'I have a sister mummy.' She cries, looking up at her. 'I have a baby sister.' Theo smiles a little, Joe and Dianne aren't sure he actually understands the concept of another baby, but they hope they've prepped him enough to realise that this is a big deal. Joe snaps a few pictures, some of the four of them, some with just the kids and couple with Dot and the baby. She takes a few of him

'When are they letting you out?'

'Today.' She smiles, 'Hopefully.' They are interrupted by a nurse.

'You will be discharged in a bit.' She smiles, 'Do you have everything?' Joe shakes his head,

'We do.' Dianne reassures everyone. 'The baby seat is in the back of the car.' She kisses her daughter's forehead. 'I put it there before we left.' He nods slowly. 'You go get it and put the back seats up.' He nods, in a panic. 'The kids will stay here.' She declares.

'Mummy.' Her daughter starts up. 'What's my sisters name?' She shakes her head.

'We don't have a name yet.' She tells her kids. She stands up, taking a picture of her two eldest kids. They spend time looking at the baby, they help her change into a getting ready to leave outfit, after the nurses take her away to finish all the checks that she needs to be allowed to go home.

Joe comes back, with the baby seat. Before long, they are thanking the midwives, as they get into the car for the first time as a family of five.

This is the third time that Joe has done this drive, once with Ruby, another with Ruby and Theo and now with Ruby, Theo and the new baby. Both times, they had a name picked. This time they don't, they had names running around in their mind: Ellis, Lily, Lucas, Zara. None of them seemed to fit her, both of them thought that it was a boy, they had more boy names than girls name. It was a sweet surprise.

When they got to the house, they were greeted with both their parents, and Zoe and her family. Her brothers were away, the baby having arrived ten days late. Dianne joked that it was Joe's fault, he was always late. The kids ran to greet their cousin, baby Ella isn't a baby anymore, she's just over a year old, the smiley baby is now standing on her own two feet and babbling. They all make their way inside, everyone wanting a hold of the baby. Every time there's a new baby in the family, it's always the same.

They sit down in the living room; the Moses basket has been set up in the middle of the room. The basket had been in the bedroom until last night, where Joe had a last-minute panic about bringing it down. Dianne hadn't been impressed, all she wanted to-do is to get into hospital and get drugs. It was the same cot that both Theo and Ruby slept in when they were tiny. Even Ella looks huge, it was mad to think that Ruby was even tinier than her sister.

'Any name ideas?' Rina asks, as she watches Joe unbuckle their youngest child.

'Not really.' Dianne says tiredly, watching her other daughter come nearer, as she pats the seat next to her. The bigger child rests her head on her mum, as she pulls her into the lap, smiling down at the child who is sucking her thumb. 'Do you want to hold her?' She offers to her parents, as they nod. Joe puts her in Rina's arms.

'She looks so much like you Joe.' She smiles, getting comfortable next to his wife and daughter, looking over at his son and niece who are playing nicely. The baby ends up in his daughters' arms, as she smiles at her mum and dad.

'Any name suggestions?' Her dad questions the four-year-old, who thinks for a moment.

'I like different names.' She states. 'I like Stephanie.' Dianne rolls her eyes, as she carries on, 'I like Sophie, from the BFG.' She kisses the baby's head a little. 'And Matilda, like the movie.' 

A/N Thoughts???