The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

Preterm and Talks With Daddy

I walk into the living room of the house my family lived in before my dad's death. Soft acoustic guitar music fills the air and warm Alabama sunlight streams in the window. Sitting on a stool looking out the big picture window is my father, he holds the sky blue acoustic guitar that he's always played my song on.

Dad looks the same as he did the last time I saw him. Same dark brown hair and cool blue eyes, same stubble like he forgot to shave for a couple of days, same Levi's with the knee ripped out of them, same old red and white flannel shirt that's open showing his black t shirt. He looks the exact same way he did seventeen years, six months, and twenty one days ago. Dad looks the same as he did the day he died.

He looks over at me and smiles his warm and welcoming smile.

"Hi, baby girl." He says softly.

"Daddy." I say quietly and run to him.

I have felt his hug since I was eight years, seven months, and two days old but it's the same as I always remembered it. I hug him tightly and I feel tears well up in my eyes.

"Daddy, I love you so much and I missed you." I tell him and he wipes away my tears.

"I never left you, sugar." Daddy tells me. "I've always been watching you."

"Wait am I..." I trail off and he laughs.

"No of course not." He tells me and pulls up a stool beside him.

"Oh daddy, I have so much to tell you." I say as I sit on the stool. "I'm a journalist for The Rolling Stone and I'm married to this great guy and we're going to have a son."

"I know there, baby girl." Daddy laughs. "I've been watching you the past seventeen years. I am so proud of you, Skylar."

"Really?" I ask and he nods.

"I always have been." He admits. "Even when you were just knee high to a grasshopper, since you took your first breath I've been proud of you."

Nikki

The flight had to make two little stops to refuel because some idiot didn't fill the plane properly. The second time we stopped we were delayed an hour, it seemed like we were never going to get to LA.

We finally got to LA at about two o'clock in the morning. We went directly into the hospital then directly up to Skylar's room. The c-section went great and her and our son are both okay. We intercept Alex and Elizabeth in the hallway, I wave but I keep going down to Skylar's room. The door is open so I stand in the doorway for a second.

Skylar is laying on her side with our son wrapped in blue laying beside her. I smile and watch her interact with our baby.

"You're got to be handsome like your daddy." She tells him quietly. "He's on his way all the way from England, he's there with your uncles Mick, Tommy, and Vince. He's coming to see you, baby."

"I'm here." I say and she looks up.

From the minute that Skylar locks eye with me I'm crying. I'm looking at my wife and she just delivered our son without me around. She so strong and she has given me everything that I've ever wanted. I just fell deeper in love with her and I didn't think that was possible.

I go over to her and I hug her tightly. Skylar's arms wrap around my chest and squeezes me tightly. She pulls back with tears streaming down her face. Skylar's gaze drops to our son and she gently picks him up. I sit down beside her and my wife hands me my son for the first time.

He's gently sleeping but is the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on, he must get it from Skylar. I just stare at him like he's going to disappear before my eyes. I helped make this beautiful creature. He scrunches up his nose and sneezes, after that his big beautiful blue eyes open and I smile.

"Hi baby, I'm your daddy." I say quietly and Skylar moves closer to me. "Who much does he weigh?"

"Five pounds three ounces." She tells me quietly. "Still want to name him Bleu Tobias?"

"Yeah." I admit but I can't pull my eyes from him. "He's got your eyes, babe."

"He's perfect." Skylar says quietly and I look over at her.

"I love you so insanely much." I tell her and kiss her lips quickly. "I am completely in love with you, Skylar Monique Sixx."

"I love you too, Nikki." She tells me and kisses my lips. "We're parents, Nik. That's kinda scary."

"We're ready for it." I assure her.

Bleu closes his eyes again and drifts off to sleep in my arms. I put him into the little incubator and Skylar yawns. I lay down beside her and she wraps her arms around my chest. I kiss the top of her head as she too drifts off to sleep.

I'm too excited to sleep, I'm married to the most beautiful woman on the planet and she just gave birth to our son.