Come As You Are (An Anne With An E/Sebastian 'Bash' Lacroix Fanfic)

29. Our Dear Baby Eleanora

I slowly walked around the living room, my baby daughter in my arms. She was so adorable though I couldn't see her, I just knew. She was so small too.

"How is my little niece?" Gilbert asked as he walked into the room.

I smiled. "She's doing fantastic."

"Can I see her?" Gilbert asked. "I haven't had enough time with the little Eleanora."

I held her out and Gilbert took her away. I kissed her forehead before going into the kitchen to grab a small snack. Bash came in after me and wrapped his arms around me. I took his hands in mine and leaned into his embrace.

"How are you feeling?" Bash murmured.

"Better," I replied. "She's going to grow up in a loving home with the best father and uncle. Everything will be alright."

"We'll figure out how to do talk to her too," Bash replied. "We'll teach her how to talk. The doctor told us that there's an expert in Toronto that will help us. They'll give us books and lessons on what to do."

"I know," I replied. "I'm just trying to reassure myself. My life wasn't easy after my accident. Unlike her and as you know, I had my sight for the first few years of my life. She's lucky in the way that she was born deaf."

"I guess," I murmured. "She'll have to get special schooling. I don't know how we'll do it because it'll be expensive. I know it was hard on my dad when I went to school in Toronto."

Bash squeezed me a little. "We're going to figure it out."

I sighed. "I know. I hope it will but we will have to trust that she'll have a good life."

Bash spun me around so I could face him. "She has a lot of family to raise and be there for her, Aria. She'll have us and Gilbert. You don't need to worry."

I nodded. "Okay. What do you want to eat for a snack?"

"I think we have a few apples," Bash responded. "Do you want that?"

"Yeah, I think that'd be great," I said. "Gilbert has Eleanora so we have a few minutes to ourselves."

"Sit down then. You've been on your feet for a while."

I did so and a minute or two later Bash placed an apple by my hand.

He sat on the bench across from me. "I think I'll be calling our little girl Delphine instead of Eleanora. I like her first name but her second name is beautiful as well. You can call her whatever she wants but I've chosen to call her Delphine. Is that okay?"

I nodded, taken a bite from my apple. "That's alright. I'll just call her Eleanora."

"Aria, I think she needs a nap or something," Gilbert said as he walked into the kitchen. That's when I realized she had been crying softly. I got up and took her from Gilbert. I bounced her a little as I carried her upstairs into the nursery. It was a smaller room with some children items in. I still wasn't sure where all of the little trinkets were so my feet were moving in a sweeping motion.

I got to Eleanora's crib and laid her down. I pulled a blanket up to her chest and tucked her in. She calmed down a little, still whining softly. I started softly singing a little nursery rhyme, knowing full well that she couldn't hear me. Even with that, Eleanora seemed to calm down as I gently ran my fingertips down her arm.

"You have a beautiful voice."

I jumped, looking toward the voice. "Thanks."

"Why don't you sing very often?" Bash asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even know why I'm singing to her."

Bash came closer and rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure she would like to see you speaking to her, even if you can't see her look up at her. She has the cutest smile looking up at us and her eyes are the cutest hazel color I've ever seen."

I leaned into his touch. "What's her hair look like?"

"It's curly but not very long. It's soft," Bash responded. "She looks adorable, I promise."

"I wonder how the two of us will communicate," I said. "I can't see any sign language. I don't want someone to translate for us. It would take too long."

"Have you heard of Morse Code?" Gilbert's voice came from the doorway.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's a way to talk to someone over long distances," Gilbert asked. "Each letter of the alphabet is made up of dots and dashes. I was introduced to it while in college. I can teach both of you and you can teach it to Delphine as she grows up."

I turned to Bash. "What do you think, sweetheart? Should we do that?"

"Yes," Bash replied. "I think we should. It would make our dear Delphine's life easier when talking to you so that she wouldn't actually have to speak."

I brushed some hair out of her face. She was finally asleep, peacefully sleeping. "Then I agree. We should do it."

"At least we have a plan," Gilbert replied. "I know some of the basics. As we learn, so will Delphine. Or Eleanora. I don't know which one to call her."

I smiled as I looked down at her crib. "That's fine. You can call her whatever she wants and as she grows older, she can choose what she wants to be called. She will be fantastic and she will be loved."

"Of course she is going to be," Bash replied. "She has you for a mother."