★
V A U G H N
Seven months later:
"Ice chips?"
"No."
"You sure?"
The moment Claire glares at me, I bite my tongue and have to swallow a chip myself as I take a seat near her bed. My wife has her arms crossed over her chest, grimacing every other second when she gets a contraction. Her hospital gown is blue with tiny white dots as their only design and Claire's belly is huge, my baby kicking her every time she tries to move a little.
"It's been nine hours!" Claire frowns, unfolding her arms and letting them drop to her sides. "Why is she not out yet?"
I place the cup of ice chips on the table nearby and touch her hand, lifting it to my lips to kiss. "Don't worry, honey. Maybe the baby loves you a little too much."
"Uhhhgg..." Claire grunts, jerking my hand away from hers and grabbing her stomach with both hands, her eyes squeezing shut as she takes deep breaths when another contraction hits. "I hate this, Vaughn. Please do this for me."
I remain quiet, not able to think of anything to say to that. Getting up from my seat, I wrap an arm around her shoulder and slowly massage her back as the obstetrician taught me. Claire's muscles are tense and she looks exhausted after hours of being in labor.
"Okay now?" I ask.
"No..." She holds her stomach tighter. "It's getting worse. When's the doctor coming?"
I look at my watch to see that it is nearing 8 pm. "She should be here soon." I smile at my wife as I bend down and place a kiss on the top of her belly. "Hold on, little one. Mommy can be a handful sometimes."
Claire slaps my arm at my words. "Shut up! You're the one who did this to me!"
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Really? Wasn't it you who wanted me to fuck her so hard that we forgot the condom?"
Claire puckers her lips, blowing a sigh. She leans in the bed, struggling to adjust to the extra weight in her stomach.
"Whatever..." she mutters exasperatedly. "I'm just upset I missed Chris's birthday."
It makes me chuckle to see her talking about Chris that way. She was excited to attend the little one's birthday when her water broke just as we stepped out of the mansion. Claire was begging me to let her wish Chris a happy birthday first before going to the hospital. I had to force her to sit in the car as she was hell-bent on going to the Hill Manor first.
"If it makes you feel any better...Chris is enjoying his birthday very much. He made some new friends at playschool and all the kids are running around the house like lunatics. You sure you would have liked to be there?"
My wife narrows her eyes, giving me an unamused expression. She is about to say something when she gets another contraction and nearly screams. I squeeze her hand just as the door to our private room opens and Dr. Langford enters with a beaming smile on her face. She is a polite woman of nearly fifty and is an expert in the field. I had to go to lengths to book an appointment with her the first time because of her high demand. Now, she has become a close family friend.
"How's my favorite pregnant woman doing?" she asks Claire as she takes a seat opposite of us to check for the dilution.
"Not good..." Claire heaves a breath, tilting her face at the ceiling and I see beads of sweat forming all over her body.
"Well, the good news is we are right there. It's time for you to head to the delivery room, Mrs. Jackson."
Hearing the doctor's words, my heart jolts. I feel Claire squeezing my fingers and when I look at her, I see her smiling nervously.
"It's time, Vaughn..." she breathes. "Will it go well?"
"It will, honey. Don't worry. You can do this." I lean down and place my lips on her sweaty forehead, brushing the hair strands from her cheek.
We are finally having a baby.
***
"No...I give up...I can't...do this." Claire falls on the bed tired and drained, stopping her act of pushing.
"We're so close, Claire," Dr. Langford tells her, looking between her legs. "I can see the baby."
I quickly help lift Claire back up and hold her close to me. "C'mon, honey...you can do this. She's so close."
Tears spring from Claire's eyes as she cries in pain. "I...it hurts too much, Vaughn..." She grabs my fingers so hard I feel like they would break but I let her, gently smoothing her hair out of her face. "It's...hard."
"You've done this for nine months, baby. Just a little more."
Claire nods, still crying and her hands on her stomach begin to push harder.
"Please...baby...Mommy's in pain," she murmurs under her breath as she pushes hard, and soon, we hear the first cry.
My body freezes as Dr. Langford brings the baby out from between Claire's legs and the nurse cuts the umbilical cord. I stop breathing, stop moving, as I stare at my child. She cries so loud that it seems like she could wake the whole hospital up. Her voice fills the air, calming my nerves down to a standstill.
The nurse takes the baby and cleans her, wrapping her in a cloth and bringing her to us. All the time, I am unable to move, bedazzled by the sight of the tiny human near me.
"Congratulations you both," Dr. Langford wishes as she finishes Claire's stitches and gets up from her seat.
The nurse gives the baby to Claire and our little girl opens her eyes just a little to see her mother for the first time.
"Hey, baby...you're so tiny," Claire whispers to our girl. "...and so pretty."
My wife looks up at me and that's when I realize how long I have been frozen by the sight of my child.
Our baby girl is so tiny. She has the most beautiful eyes, nose, mouth, and the tiniest hands. Her fingers are so small that the first thing I feel as I look at her is fear that I might hold her too tight with my need to keep her close. My heart fills up as I lean over my family and my hand gently brushes over my daughter's head.
"Hey, little one..." My voice comes out strangled and low due to all the tears I am lodging in my throat. "I'm your Dad..."
The baby opens her lips, sighing softly as her tiny fingers move and the action sends shivers down my spine.
"Congratulations, Mr. Jackson," Claire says to me, grinning widely when I turn my head to face her. "You're a Dad."
She has the brightest of smiles on and it warms my heart. I love this woman so much. I could lay my whole life at her feet and not regret a second. Everything about her is amazing and I can't be more grateful for having her with me.
"Congratulations to you too, Mrs. Jackson." I lean in and press my lips to hers, taking her in for a swift kiss. "Thank you for giving me the best gift."
Claire giggles, laying her head on my shoulder as we both watch our little girl sleep peacefully in her arms.
***
"Do we have a name yet?" Rose asks, clapping her hands as she looks at the baby. "I have some brilliant ones if you would like to use them."
"For the last time, Rose, you're not naming our child Prada," I interrupt.
My sister pouts her lips and Mom laughs, the baby in her arms cooing as she sways her from left to right.
It has been five hours since our daughter's birth and my family was finally allowed to meet Claire and the baby. Our room is crowded for now — Jesse and Nina — included as they admire the baby, Jesse watching in wonder as my girl curls her small fingers to grip Nina's big one.
"It's a good name," my sister huffs, rolling her eyes and Claire laughs, resting her head on my arm as we both sit on the bed and watch them.
The door opens behind Mom and the Hills walk in, little Chris coming in first, followed by his grandparents and Thea. They had been stuck in traffic for a long time and I see Micheal Hill's stunned expression when he sees the baby in my mother's arms.
"Por Dios! She's so beautiful," Isabelle exclaims as she walks towards my Mom and peeks over to look at the child.
Michael follows his wife, his tall figure looming over the ladies as he does the same. Thea comes to a side, carrying Chris in her arms as everyone surrounds my Mom and the baby.
"Wow...she's so pretty," Michael says, sounding throaty, and then turns to his daughter, giving her a proud smile. "Congratulations, love."
"Thank you, Dad," Claire says as the crowd parts, and Mom comes towards us to give the baby back to Claire.
Claire yawns, her eyes about to close, so I take the baby from Mom. My daughter's feather-like weight overwhelms me again as I look at her, holding her securely in my arms. She is so tiny that she literally fits in my forearm itself, hiding her face on my chest, her tiny lips opening and closing slightly.
"I feel like it's a lovely thing that two kids from our family share the same birthday now." Mom leans on the table beside the bed. "So...what do we name her? Have you thought of any, Vaughn?"
I look up from the baby to see every pair of eyes in the room fixed on me — even Claire's.
"Huh...definitely not Prada," I tease my sister and she throws me a glare. "You guys have any ideas?"
"Mija."
We all look at Chris in his mother's arms when he speaks the word. The birthday boy blinks his eyes when he sees everyone looking at him.
"Mija?" Isabelle repeats. "Is that what you want the baby to be named?"
"Granny calls Aunt Claire that," Chris says, pointing toward Claire. "Mommy said Aunt Claire is the baby's mommy."
"He's asking that since the baby is Claire's daughter, whether you'll call her that too," Thea elaborates for Chris, smiling at Isabelle and the latter parts her lips, realization crossing her face.
"Oh..." Isabelle laughs. "I should, shouldn't I? But what would the baby be called by everyone then?"
As silence surrounds the room, everyone looking at the baby thoughtfully, I find myself looking at my child too.
She is my little darling. The tiniest of all and the loveliest. She needs a name that will make people know how loved she is. I want her to be loved always. I want her to be happy for the long life she will have ahead.
"Mia," I exhale as I look at my daughter before turning to Claire. Claire licks her bottom lip, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Mia?"
I nod before handing the child slowly to Claire and she takes her from me as I wrap an arm around my wife, keeping my family attached to me.
"Everyone..." I announce to the people in the room. "I would like you to meet Mia Claire Jackson."
At the mention of her name, Claire snaps her eyes at me, her eyes widening in surprise. Slowly, her lips curve to a smile and her eyes twinkle.
"Vaughn..." she breathes and I see tears in her eyes as she smiles. "That's so beautiful. Thank you."
"Mia Claire..." Mom nods, observing the people around her. "Such a lovely name, don't you think?"
They nod too, smiling wide as they all walk over to the bed and surround us, calling Mia by her name one by one. I hug Claire to my side as we all watch Mia sleep, her head moving often as she sighs to herself. I grin widely as I watch my baby getting showered with affection and can't help but feel the gratitude she would feel someday.
I lay my cheek on the crown of Claire's head, watching my child as she puckers her lips, her close eyelids fluttering now and then.
Welcome home, Mia Claire. Daddy will never stop loving you.
T H E E N D
—
author's note
AND THAT'S A WRAP!
*throws confetti*
Wow! Can't express all the stuff I'm feeling right now. Marking this book complete has been a dream of three months and today, the day is finally here!
I am so grateful that you all stayed with me till the end. Your votes, comments and encouragement were what made me keep going. I'll appreciate that forever.
Like any other first drafts, this one isn't perfect either but I am happy that it was enjoyed by so many readers. I'll try to keep working in perfecting my craft with your support.
This may be the end of Vaughn and Claire's story but it's not the end to the story of their family. You're going to meet them again in my future stories and I hope I'll meet you again!
For now, I will be holding a Q&A over at my Instagram and if you have any questions, feel free to drop by! I'll love to answer them all.
See you soon in another story!
PS: I'll update this book soon with details of the spin-off and all my other works for you to check out.
Stay happy and drink lots of water!
Love you all <3
with love,
-Iya