Together

Chapter 14

Grace was sitting with Mia who was beginning to babble slightly. A smile stretched across her face as she sat there alone. The door opened behind her before she lifted her eyes. "Jacob, Jacob look she's smiling at me... And she was talking, well kind of." He smiled lifting Grace to sit on his lap before watching the two interact.

"Is Mum coming? She'll love seeing Mia smile." Jacob smiled looking across at his daughter. "She'll be here soon, but for now it looks like the doc needs to run some tests on her..." "We ran some earlier."

"Good news, it looks like she's breathing for herself." Jacob's face lit up before Grace looked to him. "Does that mean she can come home now?" "Lets not get too excited firecracker." Jacob didn't want to build her up if it wasn't a possibility just yet.

"Actually, as long as she continues like this, I don't see why she shouldn't be home by the end of the week. Obviously we want to keep her under close observation for the next few nights to make sure she's coping, but her results are promising."

The relief that washed over Jacob was unlike any feeling he'd ever experienced. Being a father was a new experience to him, despite helping care for Grace. The thoughts that he could lose his daughter at any moment had been haunting, and everytime something happened he feared never getting to hold her.

Jacob smiled across at Grace who was still holding Mia's hand. "Did you hear that? You can come home soon and I can finally play with you properly." Grace looked up at Jacob before tightly throwing her arms around him.

To think that only a short time ago Grace had been scared about having a baby brother or sister was a strange thought. Nobody had been more interested or caring towards Mia than Grace had. She had been willing to sit with her and talk despite knowing that she couldn't understand or talk back.

Out of everyone, Grace had been the strongest. She'd helped Connie through the evenings away from the hospital. She'd kept a smile on Jacob's face through the toughest of times and still kept a smile on her own.

"I'm ready to take her off of all the machines. I understand she's yet to be held, would you like to?" Jacob looked on in shock before nodding. "Of course, yeah. I just need to phone Connie, let her know what's going on."

He left the room for a moment before being cut off. He sighed before dialling her again and again but it started going straight to voicemail. Jacob rubbed a hand across his forehead before noticing Grace beside him.

"She turned her phone off didn't she? I'll go find her." Jacob watched as Grace skipped past him. "Grace, wait. Thank you firecracker." She ran back up to him embracing him in a tight hug as he placed a kiss to the top of her head.

Jacob wandered back inside as Mia was picked up by one of the nurses' who had been helping care for Mia since the first day in here. She smiled over at Jacob as he crossed the room. "So... You ready Daddy?"

Grace had ran through the corridors knowing the way to the ED like the back of her hand after spending so much time here with her parents. She looked about noticing all the lights off in her Mum's office before seeing Charlie beside the desk.

"Charlie? Have you seen my Mum." "Woah, slow down Grace. Is everything okay-" "I really need Mum." He looked around before walking towards a cubicle with her following right behind him.

Just as she was about to wander into the cubicle the curtain was pulled back causing her to almost collide with someone. "Grace, darling what is it? I told Jacob I'd be up so-" "Mum its Mia, quick come on!"

She turned on her heel running out of the department knowing that her Mum would follow and sure enough she could hear her heels thrumming across the floor. She heard her Mum's voice calling out for her worriedly but she just wanted to show her rather than talk.

"Grace, please tell me what's happening-" "Just come quick, come on." She had stopped and faced her Mum briefly before continuing her brisk walk. She made it to the window that they had all spent so much time looking into recently.

Connie slowed stopping beside her about to talk when her eyes caught someone moving inside. Grace looked up to her Mum realising that she'd noticed.

Grace smiled as she turned back to watch through the window. "This is why we wanted you to come upstairs Mum..." Connie was stood frozen to the spot as she watched. Her breath caught in her throat as she noticed Jacob gently rocking back and forth talking, looking down.

He turned slightly as she caught sight of Mia cradled in his arms. Jacob lifted his eyes to the window seeing Grace smiling and Connie with a look of something he couldn't quite work out on her face. Slowly she moved from where she'd been standing and wandered through the doors.

Jacob smiled across at her before looking down to Mia. "Look who's come to see you fighter." Connie moved closer to Jacob holding her breath as she removed the space between them. For some reason Mia looked different as she looked at her now.

Whether it was not being attached to all the machines or because she was being held she didn't know, but it was a good different. "Want to hold Mummy?" Connie lifted her eyes to meet Jacob's before he turned to her lifting Mia up slightly.

Connie felt the warmth radiating from her body as she was placed into her arms. She released the breath she'd been holding as she carefully held her comfortably within her arms. "Looks like Mummy's a born natural hey Mia?"

She cooed back beginning to babble as Connie let go of a small laugh, her eyes filling with tears. Connie relaxed as soon as Mia was in her arms smiling at her. "Hey baby..." The tears fell down Connie's cheeks as she held Mia close to her.

Jacob wrapped an arm around Connie's shoulder before placing a kiss to her temple. "I love you-" "I love you too, so much." Jacob smiled kissing her lips gently before Connie focused on Mia again.

Hearing her baby cry wasn't something she ever thought she would be grateful for but in that moment, the small sounds of her voice caused Connie to smile. "Aww someone's missing being held by Daddy already."

Connie couldn't believe she was finally standing with her baby in her arms, almost 3 months old. "Here, she likes you-" "Con, no it's fine." She shook her head smiling. "Don't be stupid Jacob, you think I'm gonna let go of her much out of this place?" He smiled as she passed her back to him, the crying quietening.

"She knows who her Daddy is-" "Daddy's little princess already... Speaking of which where's mine got to." Grace had been standing quietly behind them before Connie turned to look at her. "Come here..." She came skipping over before Connie wrapped an arm around her.

"I love you so much Gracie, I promise we'll get our time together too." "You know, I think I could cope with Mia coming too. If she was a boy then maybe not but I'd like girl time. Just the 3 of us, no offence Jacob."

They both laughed before Connie nodded. "I'd like that too sweet heart." The 4 of them remained upstairs in their bubble for the rest of the afternoon. Both Connie and Jacob couldn't get enough of having Mia in their arms for the first time and it seemed Mia was enjoying the experience too as she happily babbled away.