To Protect and To Serve

Chapter 15

Juvia was rushed to the hospital and Nashi was taken with her. As soon as she arrived the hospital called Gray right away. He had just finished painting a picture of a landscape he saw from his open window when the phone rang.

"Hello?" He answered. "Yes this is Gray Fullbuster, may I help you?...What?! What do you mean she's having the baby?! She's not due for another two  weeks?!...What?!...Okay I'll be right there!"

At that moment Lucy drove by to see Gray come running out of his studio as fast as he could and in his haste he accidentally ran smack into his car.

"Gray!" The blonde gasped when she saw him fall to the ground. She quickly got out of her car and went to help him up. "Are you alright?"

"It's Juvia! She's having the baby!"

"Now? But I thought that she wasn't due for another two weeks."

"Something happened! Some crazy woman attacked her and it made her go into early labor! I gotta get to the hospital now!"

"You're too nervous to drive. I'll take you to the hospital."

"Thanks."

"It's not a problem but were you this nervous the first time?"

"Actually the first time we had a baby I threw up more than Juvia did."

"That bad?"

"I was still a teenager when we had Winter so what do you expect?"

Once they arrived at the hospital, Gray bolted to the front desk.

"Hello I'm Gray Fullbuster, I'm Juvia Fullbuster's husband."

"Yes. Follow me sir."

Lucy sat in the waiting room where she found little Nashi crying alone.

"Nashi sweetie what are you doing here?" She asked the girl.

"A mean woman tried to hurt Auntie Juvia." She wept. "I'm scared."

"There, there it'll be alright." Lucy gently took Nashi into her arms and held her as if she was a mother trying to comfort her own frightened child. "Juvia will be fine. She's just going to have her baby."

"Then why was she crying?"

"It's the good kind of crying Nashi. Sometimes people cry when they're happy."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"One day you'll understand."

Meanwhile in another room Juvia endured one painful contraction after another one while preparing for the moment her child would enter the world. Gray gently grasped her hand and gave his support.

"It's going to be okay Juvia." He told her. "I'm so sorry you're hurting like this."

"I don't care about the pain dear." Juvia said. "I just want our baby to be alright."

"Mrs. Fullbuster I think it's time." The doctor said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Juvia gripped her husband's hand tightly and started to push. She cried, the pain was just so awful but she just endured it through and through. Finally she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Fullbuster." The doctor said. "You have a daughter."

"Is she okay?" Juvia asked.

"She's fine."

The doctor then placed a bundle in her arms. Gray and Juvia smiled down at their new daughter, both relieved that the attack and early labor hadn't of caused her any harm.

"Oh Gray she's so beautiful." Juvia smiled with tears of joy in her eyes.

"She looks just like you." Gray said with a smile and he moved his hand to gently brush the patch of blue hair on the baby's head. "Hello sweetheart I'm your daddy."

"And I'm your mommy." Juvia said. "We love you so much...Oh no!"

"What is it?"

"We still haven't picked out a name for her."

"Oh...Huh...Well she looks a lot like you so why don't we call her little Juvie?"

"Oh really Gray, now that's just silly." Juvia giggled.

The baby girl started to yawn and stretch, when she opened her eyes they were revealed to be a very beautiful shade of grey.

"Look Darling, she may look like me but she has your eyes. Those lovely grey eyes."

"They actually look silver to me. Like my mother's."

"Silver... Sylvia. Why don't we call her Sylvia? Because she's as bright and beautiful as silver."

"I like it."

They each gave their beautiful baby girl a kiss and later they let Lucy and Nashi come in to see her.

"Gray, Juvia, she's so cute." Lucy said.

"Would you like to hold her?" Juvia asked.

"Sure."

Gray placed Sylvia in Lucy's arms. She smiled at the sleepy infant. Oh how she always wanted to have a baby of her own but she didn't see that ever happening for her.

"Can I hold her?" Nashi asked.

"I don't know. You might be too little." Juvia said. "What do you think Gray?"

"I don't see any harm she holds Sylvia in her lap while sitting on the sofa over there. Lucy would you help her out?"

"Uh-huh."

Lucy and Nashi sat on the sofa in the room. Lucy then carefully moved baby Sylvia into Nashi's lap while making sure that Sylvia was perfectly elevated. Nashi looked down at Sylvia with intense curiosity, she had never seen a baby up close before.

"She sure is tiny."

"Well that's how all babies are." Lucy said.

"You know Nashi you were once that size." Gray said remembering the day he and Juvia had gone to the hospital when Nashi was born. Poor Natsu had been a nervous wreck but once he held his little girl for the first time he's nervousness turned to utter joy. It made Gray sad that his best friend couldn't be here to see his new daughter.

"I was?" Nashi said in disbelief.

"Yep. You were a cute little thing."

"Gray she still is a cute little thing." Juvia giggled.

"Is the baby going to sleep in my bed tonight?" Nashi asked.

"Oh no Nashi. She's going stay here for the night with me and Gray...Oh dear! Gray where is she going to sleep?"

"I can take her." Lucy said.

"You don't mind?" Gray asked.

"Not at all. You and Juvia just stay here and get some rest. You've both had a very long night."

"Thank you Lucy." Juvia said. "We'll see you both tomorrow."

"Come on Nashi, you're going to spend the night with me okay?"

"Okay." The little girl said.