Growing up too fast

Chapter 15

Zola's POV
When I wake up, everything hurts but I'm not sure why. I remember pain. pain and blood, and then nothing. So why is there more pain now that my eyes flutter open and I find myself in the hospital?
I try to sit up, moaning in pain when I make the movement. I colapse back into my pillow, and my mom rushes over to me.
"Hey, Zo. How do you feel?"
"Hurts." I say, still unable to fully speak from a combination of shock and drowsiness. "The baby?"
Andrew and my mom shoot each other a look and she reaches down to stroke my hair.
"Arizona had to do an emergency C section. He's in the NICU."
"He's here?" I manage to say.
"Yes. He's beautiful."
A tear slips down my face, and Micheal steps forward from out in the hallway, followed by Aunt Az.
"Hi." He says, taking my moms spot on the foot of the bed as she stands and walks away.
"Hey." I reply, with a small smile.
"I met our baby. He's perfect. But I think we need a name for him."
"I think so, too."
We both stare blankly, waiting for something to come to mind. But when my mom sees us struggling to come up with something, she says: "you'll know when you see him. You don't have to decide right now. When you see him, you'll just know." She smiles.
Alex and Jo walk into the room, not in their scrubs as my doctors, but as my family.
Jo gives my mom a hug and quietly says:          "you've been on call forever. Go take a shower and get something to eat with Andrew. Go see the baby. We'll be fine."
My mom looks reluctant but nods her head, and she and Andrew leave.
Now the only ones here are Micheal sitting at the foot of my bed, Arizona,who's just begun to examine my incision, and Alex and Jo who have sat in the couch in the corner of the room.
"Uncle Alex, aunt Jo, have you seen my baby?"
"We did. He looks a lot like you, Zo. I bet he's strong like you, too. We're all rooting for you two." Jo says.
Alex adds on. "We can bring you down to see him in a day or two, when you're both a little stronger and less at risk for infection."
"Okay."
By the time my mom gets back, I've fallen asleep with Micheal by my side, who's drifting asleep himself. Jo is charting and Alex has his arm around her, watching as she scribbles down notes on the paper.
The next time I wake up, the light shining through the window burns my eyes, and the only one left with me is Micheal, still curled up by my side. I'm sure everyone had to work, but I know they'll be in to check on me.
Aunt Maggie is the first to come in my room, and she helps me in to a wheelchair and pushes me out through the hall.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"You'll see." She replies.
Eventually, we reach the NICU, and I know exactly what we're doing. Everyone is waiting outside to help me meet my baby, and I smile upon seeing Alex, Jo, Mom, Andrew, Micheal, and Amelia waiting in pink papery gowns with smiles mounted on their faces.
Maggie helps me up and mom puts on my NICU gown. Alex leads me in and over to where baby is laying.
"He made it through the night." He says. "Thats a good sign. Every day he'll get a bit stronger."
I smile and nod, looking down into the incubator.
"Hi baby. Hey there, welcome to the world." I reach through the little hole in the side to touch him, and even though he's covered in tubes, and he can't see me or know who I am, even if it's in my head, I can feel him smiling.
"Isaac." I say.
"What?" My mom says.
"His name. I think he's an Isaac."
"It's perfect." Micheal says.
My mom was right, as soon as I saw him, I knew.
"Welcome to the world, little Isaac."