A/N: SOOO SORRY for leaving you all on a cliffhanger for this long!! Things have been crazy. Let's not waste anymore time leshgoooo
It never changes.
It doesn't matter how many times it happens, the feeling never, ever changes.
The feeling you get when you hear the cry of your newborn child is quite possibly the most beautiful thing ever. And you never, ever forget that feeling.
As soon as the nurse showed my newborn daughter to me for the very first time, I burst into tears. All this time I'd been waiting to meet her, and she was finally here. I could hardly believe it.
I was tearfully smiling from ear to ear as my eyes refused to tear away from the beautiful little miracle crying in my arms. Just like with Piper, the sound of it was music to my ears.
"Oh my God..." my voice wobbled as I let out a sob, "my beautiful little girl..."
As I looked down at her, everything else completely clouded around me. Every sight, every sound was a total blur...except for my daughter's face, and the sound of her cries. For one perfect, beautiful moment...it felt like me and her were the only two people in the world.
"Leah..." my brother's trembling voice softly broke into my dazed mind, "Leah, she's bloody gorgeous."
"Isn't she?" I chuckled and gently stroked her head, "There there, my darling. It's alright. You're alright," I closed my eyes and relished the feeling as I pressed my lips against her soft forehead, "welcome to the world..."
"Should I get Anne and Ashley?" Aidan asked.
"Yes. Please," I immediately nodded, "they have to meet her. She's perfect."
Aidan nodded back and quickly ran to the hospital door to poke his head through and rush Anne and Ashley inside. As soon as the two of them entered the room, they both gasped.
"Oh...Leah..." Ashley was the first to speak, "oh my God...she's just the sweetest!"
Too tired to reply properly, I responded with a soft smile before slowly looking up at Anne.
She was at a complete loss for words. Both of her hands were clasped together over her mouth, and I could see that tears were already starting to slide down her cheeks. She was trying to hold it all together, but I could tell she was struggling just as much as I was. And I didn't blame her at all. I wasn't the only one who'd been here before.
"Anne," I smiled again, "meet your granddaughter."
"Leah..." her voice immediately broke, "darling, she's so beautiful...oh, I wish Harry was here..."
"He'll be here soon," my smile grew, "I know he will."
Anne smiled back and nodded in agreement. "Can I...have a cuddle?"
"Of course. She's settled down now," I replied without hesitation, "better do it while you can - it won't be long before she starts crying again looking for a feed," I chuckled.
Anne chuckled as well before carefully and gently lifting my daughter out of my arms and into hers. She softly cradled the baby girl as she began to fuss a little. And as soon as she settled down into Anne's arms, her whole face immediately lit up.
"Hello," she whispered to the little girl happily, "hello, lovely girl. You're such a doll, aren't you? So perfect..."
Seeing my baby girl in Anne's arms took me to a whole new level of stupor and haze. Just a few hours ago, she was still happily curled up inside me, and now she's ready to face the world. Seeing her physical form, lying in Anne's arms like that...it all felt so surreal to me.
"Thank you, Leah," Anne handed my daughter back to me with a tearful smile, "but you'd better give her a feed."
I smiled back and nodded - taking my baby back from her before I held her close to my chest. Upon feeling the skin-to-skin contact, she began smacking her lips and wriggling a little - instinctively searching for a feed. Chuckling a little, I quickly fulfilled her needs and began to feed her.
"Should we give L a little privacy?" Aidan suggested, "Is anyone hungry?"
Anne and Ashley looked at each other before nodding.
"Will you be alright if we go find a bite to eat, Leah?" He asked me.
"Of course," I immediately nodded, "you guys have been amazing today. Thank you so much. Please go and eat something."
"We'll be back a bit later then," my brother smiled at me, "d'you want us to bring you back something?"
"No - I'm alright, thank you," I smiled back, "just promise me you'll all treat yourselves to something delicious."
Aidan chuckled. "Will do, sis."
"We'll see you two lovely girls a bit later then," said Anne, "if I hear anything from Harry, I'll let you know right away."
"Thank you, Anne," I replied, "oh - and can someone keep an eye on the time? Piper might be finishing school soon."
"Don't worry, L. Still a couple hours to go," Aidan assured me.
"Aidan and I will go pick her up when she's almost done, and Anne will stay with you while we bring her back here to meet her little sister," Ashley chimed with a smile, "so don't worry, Leah. We've got everything under control. Just sit back and relax with your baby girl - the two of you have been through way more than all of us today."
I laughed. "Thanks, Ash. I'm so lucky to have you guys here."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Aidan warmly brushed his finger against his new niece's cheek and then leaned down to kiss the top of my head, "see you later, Number Two."
***
"Mummy!" Piper came running into my hospital room with her schoolbag still dangling off her back, "Mummy, I'm here! Are you okay?"
"Hello, munchkin!" My face couldn't resist lighting up as soon as I laid eyes on my daughter, "Yes, I'm perfectly fine darling - just a bit tired. How was school?"
"It was good," she replied quickly, "but where's my sister? Is she here? I wanna see her!"
"Yes, your sister's here," I told her with a warm smile, "she's sleeping in that crib over there," I nodded towards the hospital cot sitting beside my bed, "go on and say hello, Piper. But you have to be really quiet, okay?"
"Okay!" She whispered with an eager nod before making her way to the crib and peered inside.
As soon as she saw her baby sister sleeping inside, she let out a huge gasp - and her whole face lit up instantly at the sight of her.
"She's so cute!" She whispered excitedly, "I love her!"
"Do you really?" I asked her hopefully.
Piper nodded vigorously. "She's my sister. Of course I do!" She then turned back to the baby girl's cot and grinned, "Hi, baby! I'm Piper! I'm your big sister!"
"Piper. Your voice," I reminded her gently when I realized she was getting a bit too excited.
"Oops. Sorry," she quickly reverted her voice back to a whisper, "I didn't mean to, mummy. I just got really excited."
"I know, darling. And I'm so glad that you're so happy to meet your little sister," I smiled at her, "but she's very tired too - just like mummy. She needs to rest."
"Will she wake up soon?" Piper asked, "Will she say hi to me too?"
I chuckled softly. "She'll see you, but she won't be able to talk to you for a long time. She's only a baby. She needs to learn how to do those things - just like you did when you were little. It's our job to teach her."
"Can I help?"
"Of course you can," I held out my arm so that she'd come to me, and I kissed her forehead, "I know you'll be such a big help with your sister to me and Harry."
At the mention of Harry's name, Piper's face suddenly fell - and my eyebrows rose a little.
"What's wrong, Piper?" I asked her.
"I thought daddy said he'd be here when the baby is born," Piper said in a low voice as she fiddled with the sheets on my hospital bed, "how come he isn't here?"
"Oh, snug-bug..." I let out a sympathetic sigh, "it wasn't his fault, Piper. Your little sister wasn't supposed to come today - she was meant to arrive a little bit later. But she decided that she wanted to come out today instead. He couldn't help that."
"But he should be here," Piper sounded sad, "why did my sister come early? She should've waited for daddy!"
"Sometimes that's just what happens, Piper," I told her softly, "but don't worry - I spoke to him on the phone earlier. He's on his way right now, and he'll be here soon."
"I hope so," Piper sighed, "did he say what time he'll come?"
"No, darling. But it'll be a while - Tokyo's a long way away from home."
"Oh," Piper lowered her eyes, "will he come after my bedtime?"
"I don't know, Piper. Maybe. It all depends on how long it takes him to get all his stuff together and book a flight back home."
"Well, then I should take the day off school tomorrow in case he comes then!" Piper declared, "Can I, mummy?"
At her words, I had to chuckle. "Piper, you've only just started the school week. You can't possibly be tired of school already."
"I'm not!" She insisted, "But until daddy gets here, I should stay with you and help you look after my sister. Don't you agree, mummy?"
"You're still gonna have to go home later today, Piper. You can't sleep in the hospital."
"Aren't you and my sister coming home too, mummy?"
My face fell. "...Probably not today, Piper. I'll probably have to stay in the hospital with your sister for a couple of days, at least."
"What? Why?" Piper demanded.
"The doctors just have to make sure your little sister and me will be okay before we go home. That could take a day or two of them observing us and seeing how we're holding up each day."
"But I don't wanna go home by myself," Piper looked very sad.
"Of course you're not going home by yourself, you silly billy," Aidan - who had come in with her after picking her up from school - suddenly chimed in, "Ashley & I will take you home. We'll stay with you until Harry gets back."
"Really?!" Piper's face lit up, "Yay! It'll be just like when we used to live in Worthing!"
"Exactly," Aidan smiled at her and kissed her head, "are you hungry? D'you want me to grab you something from the hospital café?"
"Yes, please!" Piper nodded vigorously.
"Alright. After we get you something, we can stay with your mum and your new sister for a few hours, then we'll see about taking you home and getting you some dinner. Sound good?"
"Yep!" Piper replied happily, "And then we can see mummy again tomorrow, right?"
"Of course," Aidan reassured her, "and hopefully, we'll be able to see Harry tomorrow, too."
***
~Harry~
I was turning heads from every direction as I rushed into the maternity ward of the Royal London Hospital that morning, but I didn't care. All I could think about was getting to Leah and making sure she and my new daughter were okay.
I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe she had gone into labour, and there was absolutely nothing I could do because I was all the way in fucking Tokyo. I mean, I knew everybody would've taken care of her just fine, but fuck.
I should've been here.
I should've been here, holding her hand every step of the way. When I called her on the phone yesterday, while she was still in labour, she sounded so exhausted and helpless. And even though it seemed like I was able to give her some clarity over the phone, it's definitely not the same.
"Good morning, can I help you?" The receptionist greeted me as I ran to the front of her desk.
"Yes," I sounded breathless just from how desperate I was to see Leah, "my partner. She would've come in here to give birth to our daughter yesterday. Her name is Leah Marrone. Can I see her, please?"
"Of course. Just give me one moment," the receptionist started tapping on her keyboard, searching for Leah's name, "found her. Can I have your name so I can give you a visitor's pass?"
"Harry Styles," I replied quickly, "I should've been her birth partner, but...I didn't make it yesterday."
"Oh, yes - I can see here that you're listed as her birth partner. You should be able to just go right in then. No visitor's pass needed."
She gave me Leah's room number, and I fleetingly thanked her before I rushed down the hall towards her room.
I couldn't wait to see her. I needed to see her, and my new baby girl.
I'm coming, Leah. I'm coming.
I'm so, so sorry...
~Leah~
"Are you hungry, Leah?" One of the nurses asked me as she propped up my pillows a bit more, "Would you like some breakfast?"
"Erm, maybe a bit later, thank you," I smiled at her.
"No problem at all," she smiled back, "I'll come back in a bit to check on you, then."
However, before she could even leave the room, the door suddenly burst open - making me gasp and jump a little in surprise. But as soon as I saw who had entered, my eyes immediately widened.
"Leah!" Harry was almost stumbling into the room - dressed in a bright red suit with flowers on it that he had obviously been wearing for his Tokyo concert.
Oh my God...
"I'm here. A-Are you okay?" He stammered.
"Harry..." I tried to get up to go to him, but he beat me to it by rushing to my bedside and taking me in his arms.
"I-I got here as fast as I could," His voice wobbled a little, "but I couldn't even get on a fucking plane until almost eight o'clock last night."
I felt my eyes welling up with tears, and I let out a soft sob as I buried my face in his chest.
"I'm so glad you're here..." my voice broke.
"I should've been here sooner. From the start, actually," Harry sighed, "I'm so sorry, darling."
"No. Don't say that," I looked up at him and tearfully smiled as I cupped his face in my hands, "there was no way this could've been helped. It was unexpected for both of us. Don't blame yourself, Harry, please. You didn't even get changed before leaving, for God's sake," I nodded towards his glitzy suit and chuckled, "I don't care how long it took. You're here now, and I'm so happy to see you."
At my words, Harry instantly smiled back at me.
"God, I'm happy to see you, too," He leaned down to warmly kiss my lips, "you look beautiful, love."
"Fuck off," I dismissed him immediately with a laugh, "don't flatter me. I look like shit. And you can blame her."
My smile grew as I turned my head towards the hospital cot where our baby girl was peacefully sleeping - causing Harry's head to turn in the same direction instinctively. And as soon as he laid eyes on her, I heard his breath hitch.
"Harry," I placed my hand on the small of his back and gently nudged him towards the cot, "say hello to your baby girl."
He paused for a moment before slowly rising from my bedside and making his way over to the little wonder who was wrapped in her blankets and peacefully sleeping. As soon as his eyes fell upon her, a soft, awed gasp fell from his mouth.
"Holy shit..." his voice was wobbly and barely above an intone, "Leah, she...she's so beautiful..."
"Isn't she?" I replied with another smile.
"C-Can I hold her?" Harry sounded nervous for some reason which I couldn't help chuckling at.
"Of course you can. You're her father, Harry," I told him warmly, "go on. Give her a cuddle."
He took a deep breath before he reached down and carefully lifted her into his arms like she was made of glass. Our baby girl twitched and fussed a little upon being picked up, but quickly relaxed in her father's arms and nuzzled her head against his chest. And as soon as she did that, I could tell that Harry had instantly melted.
I saw a single tear starting to slowly slide down his face as he lovingly smiled and touched our daughter's forehead with his own - a sight that instantly warmed my heart as I watched them together.
"Hello, my darling..." Harry gently kissed her tiny nose, "you're so precious. So gorgeous, just like your mother..."
My cheeks suddenly felt warm as I blushed at his words. I then smiled up at him as he once again sat down at my bedside with our daughter still sleeping soundly in his arms.
"I'm so proud of you, Leah," Harry smiled back at me and kissed the top of my head, "you brought our baby girl safely into the world. Thank you."
"Oh, it's nothing I haven't done before," I said with a chuckle.
"Is Piper at school today?" He asked me while rubbing his thumb against our baby's cheek.
"She is. Much to her dismay," I chuckled again, "she really wanted to take the day off, but I told her no since she had just started the school week. She said that she'd go as long as I promised she could visit me after school every day until I come out of the hospital - which of course I said yes to."
Harry laughed. "Learning how to bargain already? She's gonna give us so much trouble when she's a teenager."
"Probably," I giggled, "she'll be so happy to see you. She's missed you so much."
"I've missed her too. I've missed all of you," he warmly kissed my cheek, "bloody tour's finally over. I've done what I need to do, and now I can do what I want to do," he smiled at me, "for as long as you need me, I'm not going anywhere, Leah. I promise."
"Are you sure about that?" I asked him jokingly, "I don't know how much experience you have with newborns, H - but let me tell you that these next few months are probably gonna be a fucking nightmare."
Harry laughed. "Don't worry. I know what I signed up for. Bring on the sleepless nights."
"There will be a lot of sleepless nights," I warned him seriously.
"I know," he assured me, "but I also know it won't be like that forever. And she won't be like this forever," he looked down at our baby girl and softly sighed, "she's gonna grow up so fast. I want to make the most of every day we have with her, from this moment on."
At his words, my face softened - and I warmly smiled up at him.
"That's the perfect mindset to have, Harry," I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder, "thank you..."
"For what, love?"
"For being here..." I mumbled, "for being here and loving your daughter. I knew you would all along, but...it just...makes me feel so happy..."
It was true. I became so used to being alone...being a mother all on my own. And knowing that it would be so different this time...knowing that my baby's father would be here caused a wave of love, awe, and relief to wash over me as I rested on Harry's shoulder.
Harry smiled at me and nuzzled his cheek against my hair.
"This is a new chapter for us," he murmured to me, "and I'll be with you every step of the way."
***
"I still can't believe you ran through the hospital wearing that shiny suit," I said with a laugh as Harry sat down next to my hospital bed - still decked out in his glamourous red suit, "you would've been spotted from miles away!"
Harry chuckled. "I'll admit - changing my clothes completely slipped my mind."
"Don't you wanna change?" I asked him, "Surely you'd be wanting something more comfortable by now."
"If I have to change, I have to go back home," Harry said, "and I'm not going anywhere until I can take you and our daughter back with me."
At his words, my face fell. "Right, H...about that..."
"What?" He looked at me.
"I've been speaking to the doctors and nurses," I began to explain, "and...I don't think we can actually go home anytime soon."
"What? Why?" Harry's brows furrowed, "Is something wrong?"
"No, not necessarily," I said, "it's just...they're calling bubs a 'late preterm' baby because she was born 4 weeks early. So, they want to keep her here for at least a week before we can take her home. They're probably gonna take her to the NICU soon to keep an eye on her..." I anxiously bit down on my bottom lip, "everything is fine so far, but they want to be sure."
"Oh...I see," Harry let out a soft sigh, "I mean, I get it. It's better to be safe than sorry. But...a week?" He looked at me sadly, "We can't take her home for another week?"
"It might be a bit earlier if they're confident that she's fine," I tried to assure him, "but, yeah...they're saying a week for now. So...it's just gonna be you and Piper for a little while," I began to smile, "think you can handle that?"
Harry slowly started to smile back. "What, you think I can't?"
I giggled. "Just teasing. I know you can do it. And Piper will love it. Aidan and Ashley will pick her up from school soon - she'll be so happy to see you."
"I can't wait to see her either," his smile then faded a little, "it's just a bit sad that we can't all go home as a family today..."
"I know, honey. But we will," I reached over and placed my hand on top of his where it was resting on his lap, "and you know...before bubs goes to NICU, we need to give her a name. And as promised, I haven't named her at all," I smiled at him again, "should we pick one now?"
"Oh yes - of course," Harry chuckled, "fuck, it's been such a crazy day that I almost forgot all about it."
He looked down to where our baby girl was nuzzled against my chest - having just finished nursing and was now chilling out and looking around. Harry locked eyes with her and smiled lovingly - leaning down to gently kiss her forehead which made her softly coo at him.
"What name would you like, my darling?" Harry took one of her tiny hands in between his fingers and stroked it with his thumb, "Something unique? Something bold? It needs to be as beautiful as you."
"Maybe we can choose something that's special to us," I suggested, "something that we'll instantly remember whenever we call her name."
"Er..." Harry moved his chair closer to the bed so that he could sit down and still hold our baby's hand, "...how about London? It's where we met."
"London is nice..." I began to nod, "and there's also...Lily. Those were the very first flowers you bought me."
"From the rival florist?" Harry asked me with an amused smile - making me laugh.
"Yep. From the rival florist," I shook my head fondly at the memory, "that feels like so long ago. So much has happened since then."
"Oh yes," Harry began to nod - but then his breath suddenly hitched as if he'd just come up with an idea, "wait a minute...I got it."
"The name?"
Harry nodded. "Aria. How about Aria?" He smiled at me, "You know...because we announced her very existence at the ARIAs?"
"Oh my God..." my jaw immediately dropped, "Harry...you're a genius."
"You like it?" His smile grew.
"I love it!" I felt my face light up as I looked down at our baby, "Aria...it's perfect. I love it so much."
"It fits quite well, doesn't it?" Harry looked proud, "Aria...'Marrone-Styles'? Or 'Styles-Marrone'?"
"Nope," I shook my head and smiled at him, "just 'Styles'."
Harry's eyes widened at my words. "Wait...just 'Styles'? Are you sure?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" My smile grew, "She's your daughter."
"She's our daughter," Harry corrected me.
"I know that. But just 'Styles' still sounds perfect to me," I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "when you adopt Piper, she's going to take your last name. Aria should too."
"Leah...I-I don't know what to say..."
"Then don't say anything," I smiled at him, "that's her name. Aria Styles. Go with it."
After a short pause, Harry finally smiled back at me and nodded.
"Aria Styles..." Harry murmured before leaning down to kiss me, "so be it."
A/N: Thank you guys so much for being so patient with me. I promise I didn't forget about you guys - I was just feeling overwhelmed again because my job was making me feel depressed. But I quit and got a new one and I'm absolutely loving it 😊 I hope you guys are doing well xoxo