Piece by Piece

69. Baby Kyle

Maxi couldn't believe how tiny her baby was. It was perfectly believable that her pregnancy had come to an early end and that the child was a preemie. What was unbelievable was how, against all odds, he'd pulled through and would survive.

"You're a fighter, aren't you," she whispered, her hands pressed against the incubator.

Doctor Reynolds decided to keep him in there a while longer, but they'd taken out the ventilator, and the little baby could breathe on his own.

"Isn't it amazing?" Freider asked, sounding extremely proud. "He's going to be fine. Everything will be alright."

Tears poured down her cheeks as she nodded. It was hard to believe it when for two days, she'd been convinced that her son would die and her life would be over. Instead, she got to have her baby and her family. She would get her happy ending.

Even her mothet-in-law had deemed the occasion important enough to come over and visit and was glancing at her first grandson with misty eyes.

"They're letting you out of the hospital today, aren't they?" Freider asked, checking his watch.

Maxi brushed her tears away. "Yes, they're sending me home."

"Good. Then you can go register the baby."

She turned to him, frowning. It was hard enough that she had to go and leave her baby there. She most definitely didn't want to run errands. "What will you be doing?"

"I've missed a lot of work, you know." But his eyes twinkled, and he smiled. "Plus, someone has to get the nursery ready."

His words and easy attitude calmed her down. Yeah, she'd rather he took care of that. "Okay, I'll do it." She turned back towards the baby. "And you'll officially have a name, Kyle."

"It does seem fitting that he'd be named after your doctor." Freider came next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "And Jacob, after me."

She nodded since she didn't really care about the middle name. There wasn't anything in her family she wanted to use, especially since she felt so far removed from them at the moment. Ever since she'd decided to marry Freider, it felt like her ties to Max and Sophie had weakened, and she knew it was due to their lack of support. She hadn't even called her mother yet, and her heart ached at the realization. It was true that a lot had happened, and she'd barely managed to pull herself together, but it felt wrong. She promised herself she'd call as soon as she got home.

"Well, I'm off. I'll see you at home." He leaned over and kissed her hair, then kissed his mother's cheek and let himself out.

Maxi let out a long breath and focused on baby Kyle again. He looked so innocent while sleeping, his little fists clenched, her arms raised.

"Davyn," Grace suddenly said.

Maxi's heart stuttered. "I beg your pardon?"

Her mother-in-law nodded towards the baby. "My little baby Davyn. He will grow big and strong."

"That's your grandson, and we're naming him Kyle." Maxi wasn't sure if to be freaked out or let this slide as Grace not being all there.

"Yes, I've heard you," she snapped. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't remind me of my little Davyn."

Maxi refused to answer that. She didn't think the baby resembled anyone at the moment, just something really small and frail. And she was terrified that Grace might ask where her big Davyn was at the moment. Fortunately, she didn't, cooing at the baby instead.

"Isn't he cute?"

No, he was extremely ugly, but he was alive and well. Maxi put her hand on the incubator again, wishing she could at least touch her baby.