THE Media Baron's Heiress (BOOK 2)

CHAPTER 34

Tessa mumbled incoherently. She winced from the unfamiliar pain around her pelvic area. Her hand slowly shifted below her tummy and met with an adhesive bandage. Her brain switched on. Her senses registered activity around her. Her eyelids opened curiously, darkness surrounded her. The smell of medication tinged the air. Her throat felt course, the after effects of the anaesthetic. Every instinct within Tessa responded to a baby's muffled cry, a soothing male voice, a rather familiar male voice.
OMG! I am alive. My baby is alive.

'Brad! Darling!'
Tessa tried to get up into a sitting position. Bad idea. She groaned painfully.  Her mid drift felt like it had been pummelled, but what the hell. She was alive and she wanted to see her adorable husband, her unfaltering pillar of strength and their new born baby.

'Tessa!'
She heard Brad's elated voice. Her eyes blinked in the dark room, she had no idea what the time was. A soft lamp was glowing near a standalone cot.

'Brad!' she cackled and stretched her only free arm out to her husband. The other was restricted by a needle in her arm attached to an IV drip.
'Darling,' tears of joy ran down her cheeks. Her fingers traced over Brad's face as if making sure he was real. 'We made it,' her voice was a whisper. 'Baby and I, we survived,' happy tears rolled down her cheeks.

'Yes,' he hugged her fiercely. 'I have you back,' he growled huskily.

'I can't believe it.  I'm alive,' she laughed. 'Our baby is alive.' She kissed Brad and hugged him one more time. 'Let me hold baby,' she smiled proudly.

Brad watched as she tenderly undid the shawl. She stripped the sleeping baby of all its clothes, conducting a thorough examination from head to toe. Tessa lifted the tiny fingers and pressed it to her lips.

'We have a gorgeous baby boy,' Tessa kissed her baby's lips and his rosy cheeks.

'You're not disappointed?' Brad spoke softly. He draped his arm around Tessa.

'No, darling. He's our baby. We made him,' she laughed happily. 'Oh, Lyndon is going to be so ecstatic.'

'We can't call him Jessica,' Brad laughed, 'and he won't be called Jack.'

'My baby,' Tessa hugged him and again kissed him on the mouth. Baby seemed to bond instantly with his mummy. He made some complaining noises and his doll size hand reached out to Tessa's face. 'Look at him, he is so big,' Tessa smiled up at Brad.

'He's going to drain my pockets. He's hungry every hour,' Brad complained.

'Oh darling,' Tessa cupped Brad's cheek. 'You must be tired. You should get some rest.'

'He very near killed you Tessa,' Brad spoke gravely.

'Oh he did not mean to,' Tessa could not stop admiring her and her husband's newly created miracle.

'He weights almost four and a half kilograms.'

'What!' Tessa laughed. 'No wonder I looked like an elephant.' She tried to look down at her body, but the room was too dark. 'You're feeding him a bottle,' Tessa's voice held a little disappointment. She knew once babies enjoyed the ease with which milk came out of a bottle, they were too lazy to work at sucking on mummy's nipple.

'He could not wait for mummy,' Brad smiled. 'The nursing staff kindly came to the rescue with a bottle.' As Brad spoke of the bottle, the little guy seemed hungry again.

'I want to nurse him,' Tessa spoke in a pleading tone.

'You can try my love, but I warn you he is one impatient customer.'

With the support of only one hand, Tessa tried unsuccessfully to position baby against her breast. 'Will you help me please?'

'I want you to be careful darling,' Brad unbuttoned Tessa's gown. Taking great care, he helped guide Tessa's nipple into baby's mouth. 'There you go tiger,' Brad murmured. Both mummy and daddy expected resistance, but the blighter hungrily suckled on the nipple and drank to his heart's content.