When You Know

18 - I did not raise you to be a thug, Madden Jace Carter.

I was still reeling from hearing Jet call me his 'little bro' that I barely even noticed my feet walking into the building and up the stairs to the baby ward. When we got there though, the amount of wailing babies was enough to shock me out of it, and I immediately felt bad for all the times I must have cried like this with Mum.

Damn, it was annoying. I could barely think with all the never-ending screams piercing into my poor brain.

We followed Mum's instructions which she texted to Jet and found Morgan's room in the back corner of the wing. Thankfully it was a little quieter here with Morgan and Tanner's baby fast asleep, along with Morgan who was laying under the covers in the hospital bed. Her baby was resting in Ruben's arms as he sat in an armchair, while Mum was showing Tanner through different things in the baby bag, explaining quietly what everything was. Tubes of cream and things like that.

"Hey, boys," whispered Mum, walking over when she saw us enter the room, and hugging each of us with one arm at the same time. "Try to be quiet, okay? Morgan just fell asleep."

"Morgan wishes she were asleep because she feels like a truck just drove through her vagina," said Morgan without opening her eyes. "Sorry, boys, but this sucks."

Mum was laughing quietly as all the boys in the room groaned, including the adult ones. Ruben's deep voice made the baby stir, and Jet and I raced over to her to get a better look. She was the tiniest human I had ever seen, with a head of bright red hair to match Morgan's. She was wrapped up tightly in a blanket so I couldn't see her arms or legs or feet or anything; but if her tiny head and tiny nose the size of my thumbnail were anything to go by, they would be minuscule. It was so weird to imagine me ever being this size.

"I'm glad she looks like you, Mrs S," said Jet, bending down next to Ruben to get a better look at the baby. I was scared of getting any closer in case I did something stupid or clumsy and fell and woke her up completely. "She's so beautiful."

"What's her name?" I asked quietly.

"Willow Reed Scott," said Tanner proudly, beaming. "Born at 8:27 a.m. on November 30. 7 pound, 3 ounces."

"That's a great name," I said, walking over to Morgan and Tanner, who had sat down on the bed with Morgan when he noticed she was awake. He kissed her on the forehead before reaching out to hug me. "Am I allowed to hug you, Morgan, given how much pain you're in?" I asked, not wanting to cause her any more hurt than she was already feeling.

"My arms are the only things that don't feel dead, so you had better," she said with a smile, opening her arms wide for me to come hug her.

"Yours might not feel dead, but mine certainly do considering the bloody vice grip you trapped them in all night long," said Tanner, grimacing at the memory.

"Well, forgive me for not choosing something other than the co-creator of my physical torture to grab onto as I brought his daughter into the world," she said, glaring at him.

"I love you, too, babe," he laughed, kissing her again. "I'm sure I'll regain feeling there soon enough."

"Lucky you. I'm not sure I'll ever regain feeling again down there." Morgan said, and Jet groaned again, louder than he probably should have. "Sorry, Jet, but this is a fact of life you might have to deal with at some point down the track. Women have vaginas, and babies come out of them. No need to be squeamish." Morgan suddenly seemed panicked and looked over at Mum, who was giggling quietly. "You've given Madden 'the talk', right?"

"She takes her birds and bees very seriously," I said confidently, remembering back to the first time she talked to me about sex and periods and penises and vaginas. She had said we were going to be talking about birds and bees, and I haven't been able to look at either flying animal or insect the same ever since.