The Center of My Universe

::29::

"Hey Jenn, mom called and said to bring you to my house instead of dropping you off there," he told his sister as they jumped in his car. She gave him a confused look.

   "Why?" She asked him. He shrugged and plugged the keys into the car.

   "No idea. She was in a hurry to get off of the phone though," he said. She shrugged and they headed to his house. They walked in and saw his sister, mother, and wife sitting on the couch. He gave a confused look as he set his briefcase down.

   "Hi honey," Ellen said with a small wave. He and Jennifer walked over and Alex kneeled next to the couch, setting a hand on Ellen's forehead and tenderly wiping her hair away.

   "What's going on here?" He asked them.

   "She's going into labor," Mallory informed them calmly.

   "Yay!" Jennifer exclaimed from where she was standing. "How do you feel Ellen?"

   "I've been worse," she said, before grabbing Alex's hand and gripping it tightly. "Ouch." She said, gritting her teeth.

   "Okay. Hospital," Alex said. He stood up once Ellen took a breath and let go of his hand slightly. "I'm gonna grab the bags." He began to walk away.

"Bedrooms that way Alex," Elyse said, pointing backwards. Alex turned on his heels and walked to the room, grabbing the two backpacks. He helped Ellen into the car and Elyse drove. When they got there, they checked in and Elyse called Steven and told him to pick Andy up and drive to the hospital. Their family sat in the waiting room waiting for news.

   Alex held Ellen's hand tightly as she listened to the doctor's instructions and he answered the questions. Alex wiped the sweat from Ellen's forehead, then wiped a tear from her cheek.  She smiled lightly at him and he kissed her head.

   "You're doing great honey," he said. She gripped his hand tightly and he sat back into the chair behind him.

Eventually, Alex walked out of the room into the waiting room. His family, Skippy, and Nick all looked at him expectantly. Alex looked at them and smiled.

"You guys wanna meet me son?" He asked. Elyse screamed and jumped up, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laughed lightly. He led them to the room, and they all walked in to see Ellen smiling down at a baby in a blue blanket, wrapped tightly. He knocked on the wall, getting her attention. She looked up and smiled at everyone.

"Hi everyone," she said quietly. They all smiled and walked in, surrounding the bed. Alex sat on the chair next to it, and took the baby from her, smiling down.

   "He's adorable," Jennifer said. Alex looked up at them.

   "Hey Mall, Nick," Ellen said. "Come sit here." She patted the bed and the two gave a confused look, before sitting down. Ellen took the baby from Alex's hand, and slowly set the newborn down in their arms. They looked down and looked back up, smiling at each other. "I'm assuming you two are next."

   "Assuming you two are done," Alex said jokingly, pointing at his parents. They laughed and Elyse wiped a tear from her eye. Andy ran up to Alex's side.

"Can I hold him?" Andy asked. Alex stood up so Andy could sit there, and Nick handed him the baby. Jennifer sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around Ellen. Alex set a hand on Andy's shoulder as he looked down at the baby.

   "What are you going to name him?" Skippy asked with a smile. Alex looked at him and shrugged.

   "It's a little up in the air," Alex said. "We're having a hard time making a final decision."

"Well whatever you pick will be perfect," Steven said. Alex sat next to Ellen and she leaned into his side. She told herself that she would only close her eyes for a moment, but fell asleep quickly. Alex noticed, and smiled down at her.

"Hey everyone, why don't you all go home for a while. We'll still be here when you come back," Alex said. Everyone nodded, and Elyse handed the baby back to Alex. He hugged his family, and Skippy goodbye as they left. Alex smiled down at his son, and adjusted his blanket. "Hey there. I'm so glad you're finally here."

Ellen moves slightly, and wrapped an arm around his waist. Alex moved the thin blanket over her.

"That's your mommy. She's the greatest person I've ever met," he whispered to his son. Alex moved his hand above the baby, and he took ahold of Alex's finger. A tear slid down Alex's cheek. He couldn't figure out what it was that he had done in life to get to this moment. He bent down closer to the baby and kissed his forehead tenderly. "I love you so much."
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