Recovery

Chapter 4

The next month passes by in a flash, visits with Archie and doctors appointments and buying tiny onesies and pacifiers. Veronica couldn't be more impatient, so naturally the baby doesn't arrive by her due date, and finally her doctor decides to induce her. Betty and Mary are by her side, holding her hands, and before she knows it they're laying her perfect little girl on her chest.

"I'm so proud of you, V," Betty squeezes her best friends hands.

"Oh, she's beautiful," Mary notes, staring at the tiny little girl. Veronica has never felt love like this before, staring at her baby. She's perfect, in each and every way. Her cry is loud and strong and it's the most amazing noise Veronica has ever heard. The nurses pull her away to weigh her and clean her up and Veronica feels like her heart lives outside of her body now. She sits up so that when the nurses bring her back, swaddled in a blanket, Veronica can hold her properly and look at her big brown eyes. Betty leaves and sends back Fred so the Andrews can enjoy their grandchild, taking turns holding her.

"So does she have a name?" Fred asks, pacing around the room as his ex wife holds the baby.

"She does," Veronica smiles, taking the baby back. She hasn't told Mary yet and hopes she'll be excited. "Her name is Claire Elizabeth Andrews."

"Oh wow," Mary grabs her daughter in law's hand, holding back a few tears. "I love it."

"It's a beautiful name," Fred agrees. "It fits her so well."

"It does, doesn't it?" Veronica smiles, she's already such a peaceful little girl, content with her mom and grandma and grandpa.

After a little while, the Andrews leave Veronica to go get her some dinner, while Betty stays in the waiting room to call everyone they know and tell them the baby was born. Everyone, except Archie.

When it's just the two of them, Veronica holds her baby close and lets a couple of tears slip out.

"Oh, I wish your Daddy was here Claire," Veronica frowns. It feels like her heart is in two pieces. "He's so excited to meet you, and he wants to be here so bad. He loves us so much, baby, and he's going to be the best Daddy ever. You'll love him, I promise, I loved him the moment I saw him."

The little girl's eyes are closed, snoozing away, and Veronica uses the time to let out her feelings.

"We were so excited for this day, to meet you," Veronica grins, thinking of how protective Archie was earlier in her pregnancy. "I was scared because Daddy and I weren't married, and well, you were a surprise, but he was so excited, he saw no reason to wait. And your Grandma and Grandpa were super supportive, they're the best, and they'll love you so much too. Oh, when Daddy meets you, he is going to be so in love."

And really, she knows Archie will be a perfect father and it makes him being absent that much harder.

The days pass so slowly, mostly spent in his room. Some of the others socialize but Archie tries to either be in his room or be in meetings to work on his progress. He hardly sleeps, instead stares at pictures of Veronica, and ultrasound pictures. Things were so good, months ago, and their biggest obstacle was having to postpone their wedding because they were expecting a baby.

He's so angry, with himself, with the situation, even Veronica, though rationally he knows this is only his fault. The anger builds up sometimes until he can't take it, and he no longer has the outlet of numbing the pain, so instead that night he punches a picture frame so hard that the glass shatters, alerting one of the staff members to check on him. He sits on the bed, staring at the wall as they clean up the glass and wrap his hand, sending in one of his therapists to have a chat with him.