Meet Me Halfway

Chapter 26

She slowly rested her head against the white plump hospital pillow, her chest rising up and down as she tried to regulate her breath, her eyes still blurry as she adjusted them onto the midwife opposite her holding a tiny blue blanket in her arms.

Her vision came back to focus as her father donned a bright smile into her eye line, and the sounds of the previous crying slowly calmed down.

"The baby." She mumbles tiredly with slight worry, getting her fathers attention immediately.

"He's fine Ali." He assured her as his lips curled into a pride filled gleaming smile as he stroked her shoulders. "He's absolutely perfect."

"That he is." The midwife confirms as she approaches the bed, holding the newborn infant in her arms. "Someone wants to meet their Mommy."

Alice sits up immediately, smiling nervously as she adjusts herself correctly, preparing to hold her son. "He does?"

The midwife nods before handing the baby over to her.

She gladly accepted him, clutching him closely to her chest before pulling the little blue blanket down from his face.

"Congratulations Alice." Fiona finally speaks. "He's beautiful." She whispers through a tear upon seeing her grandson for the first time.

And he really was, the most beautiful thing she'd ever laid eyes on, which were so highly crinkled from all the smiling she'd been doing. The past nine months packed full of vomiting, back aches, losing her appetite, gaining weight and arguments with her loved ones had resulted to this.

She'd cradled and rubbed her stomach throughout, constantly making conversation with the unborn infant, anticipating finally meeting him and seeing him, picturing and dreaming of how this very moment would play out, and just as she predicted, it was everything like she had imagined. Overwhelming? Yes. Exhausting? Yes. Exciting? Yes. The warmest and most satisfyingly pride filled moment of her entire life? Definitely.

"I love him." She whispers in awe as a tear falls down her cheek. "He's so small."

The tiny infant gurgled quietly, raising his little fist and fluttering his long little lashes, courtesy of her, finally revealing his deep blue eyes, also courtesy of her. She couldn't help but think how adorable and perfectly structured his face was, modelled perfectly from her and FP's genes.

He had her ocean blue eyes and infamously long lashes as well as her pillow soft pink lips and full and rosy cheeks, while every other feature of his belonged to FP, his perfectly chiseled jaw that she'd recognise anywhere, his narrow nose and even head shape, all resembling FP, and gazing down at the newborn, admiring these features, she couldn't help but think about how FP had missed this little one coming into the world, he had missed the whole thing and was never going to see it again.

"I can't believe my baby's holding a baby." Roger speaks softly in disbelief, glaring down at Alice and the baby in awe, his heart was melting at the sight of them both, seeming so happy and content, in their own little bubble, just taking in the peaceful moment.

"Hey little man." Roger coos tearfully, bringing his large pinky finger to the infants face and light stroking his little cheek. "We've been waiting a long time to meet you."

"This certainly brings back memories." Fiona reveals quietly as her lips curl into a smile. She approaches the bed, attempting to get a closer look at Alice and the baby, who she saw FP in directly, immediately forcing her to reminisce on his birth.

"I should've been here for you all the way, you must've been so scared." Roger admits, stroking her fallen strands of her behind her ear.

"She did so well." Fiona gleams proudly. "She was amazing. No epidural or pain meds, she did it all natural. You should be proud."