𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 ℂ𝕒𝕟'𝕥 𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝔸𝕨𝕒𝕪 •𝕁𝔽𝕂•

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 30 - ʙᴀʙʏ ᴋᴇɴɴᴇᴅʏ

25 hours of sheer agony, pain and lots of shrill cries and curses later, my healthy baby girl finally came into the world. Weakly, I managed to push open my eyes, my vision still hazy and my limbs weak and achy due to the exhaustion of my body.

The first voice that I recognized when I opened my eyes was Ethel's.

"Bobby, not right now, let's not tell her right now." I heard her say.

"She is awake." Bobby said, his voice sounding as though he was standing far away when in reality, he was standing almost next to my bed. Ethel and Bobby rushed to my side and Ethel took my hand in hers, smiling at me.

"Where is my baby?" I asked, breathing softly, my hand placed on my stomach.

"You did good, Joanna, she is beautiful," her warm palm fixed itself to my sweat covered forehead as she removed the strands of hair sticking to my face.

"It's a girl.." I whispered softly, to myself, tears of happiness sliding down my eyes.

Just then, there was a knock on the hospital room door and Dr. Walsh stepped in, his professional expression fixed on his face.

"How do you feel, Mrs. Kennedy?" He enquired.   

"Exhausted, sore. When can I see her?" I asked, struggling to push myself up in a sitting position.

"The nurses are getting her all cleaned up, Mrs. Kennedy." He walked up to me and checked my vitals while I sat back against the backrest, my face drained out and my hair all disheveled. Suddenly, I was reminded of Ethel's words earlier and it brought a frown to my face. I turned towards her sharply..

"Ethel, what was that about?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What was what about?" She said in an innocent manner and I just rolled my eyes.

"I heard you talking to Bobby. Is there something you are not telling me? Jack? Is he - is he okay? Is my husband okay, Ethel?"  She immediately squeezed my hand in a comforting manner and nodded, making me relax a little.

We were interrupted when there was a knock on the door. My lips curved into a weak smile as I watched the nurse carry my baby girl in her arms. She was wrapped in a fleece cloth, her tiny brown hair, just like Jack's. The nurse placed her in my arms and very cautiously, I pressed her against my chest, staring at her tiny face, beaming in pride.

"She is so beautiful," I heard Bobby whisper and I nodded. She indeed was, she was beautiful.

"She looks so much like Jack, it hurts. If only he was here." I whispered, gently bringing my lips to her tiny forehead and kissing the top of her head.

"Did you and Jack think of a name?" Bobby asked, now sitting by the edge of my hospital bed while Ethel was in the stool. I nodded. Jack and I had discussed a few names.

"Well, we had decided to name her Doris Faith Kennedy if it was a girl." I said, looking down at her in a loving manner, watching her sleep. "Doris means a gift of the ocean. Well she was conceived in the middle of the sea." I chuckled weakly and we all laughed at that.

Doris Faith Kennedy had managed to bring a smile on everybody's lips.

***

I stepped out of the Presidential limo with a weak smile on my face as Richard took his position next to me. Caroline and John were standing by the front door holding Maud's hand. When they saw the limo, they jerked her hand and ran towards the limo, pushing themselves into me. Someone handed baby Doris to Maud Shaw while I hugged John and Caroline and stood back up on my feet. I was still exhausted but a good night's sleep would make me feel better.