Eddie's POV:
"He's really grown swimmingly, Mr. Munson," Nurse Morgans beams. She holds Orion out to me and I lean forward and take my baby boy from her arms. "Not too much longer now and he'll be ready to go home."
I smile widely at that. It's been a month since Orion was born and he has been in the NICU ever since. Ripley and I have visited every single day to check on him, hold him, and shower him with love. There have been a few close calls and a number of ups and downs. Luckily, the last few days have been serene and wonderful. Little man has been growing beautifully and knocking every milestone out of the park. They were finally able to take his oxygen tube out and he even tried and successfully drank breast milk for the first time. The doctors want to keep him just a little longer to ensure we are on the right path, but all is looking good.
Ripley is talking to his doctors towards the entrance to the NICU, a bright smile on her face and my chest is alight with happiness. It's about damn time we had good news. After everything that has happened to us, it's finally time that some good came from all of our misfortune.
Noir Records has been extremely supportive during this difficult time and has not pushed for me to leave home. The music video for 'My Queen' is still sitting at number one on MTV for the third consecutive week and the song has since been bumped from its number one spot, but at least remains in the top ten on the metal charts. Our first album dropped yesterday and we have already hit record sales for the label and are expected to surpass all expectations. My professional outlook can not be better.
As for Ripley and I, we have been engrossed in worry over Orion over the last month that we have barely had time to think about much else. When we are both at home, we make time for the necessities like eating, showering, and sleeping. But otherwise, we rush to the hospital and spend all of our free time with him. Honestly, we prefer it this way. Once he is safely home and settled, I imagine that Ripley and I will sink into a more loving routine, but for now we are simply trying to navigate being parents to a preemie and what that entails.
Motherhood comes easily and is beautiful on Ripley. She radiates femininity and grace when she cares for Orion and I'm in awe at the fact that I find myself falling more and more in love with her with each passing moment. She handles him so carefully and yet without an ounce of fear. I often find myself second guessing how I do things or fretting over making a mistake, but she just does it. Parenting is like breathing to Ripley and I find myself wanting to learn from her.
The first few weeks, I asked Ripley any and every question that came to mind, eager to understand. It was obvious that she didn't give what she was doing a second thought because my questions startled her and for a while, she didn't know how to help me. But over time and with the nurses' help, we built our own rythym and now we work almost wordlessly together. It's a beautiful thing and I'm beyond grateful that she is the one beside me on this crazy journey.
"Dr. Swartz says that as long as he is continuing to take to the breast milk well and is gaining the appropriate amount of weight, he can go home next week." Ripley says, plopping down beside me. Her sterile gown rustled loudly against mine as she leans down and gazes at our sleepy boy.
Over the last four weeks, Orion has grown a decent amount of curly brown hair atop his head. They spring against his forehead and tangle around his ears, making him look like a tiny cherub. His eyes have since opened and are the standard newborn blue, but a part of me hopes that they will only become a little darker. I'd love for him to have his mother's eyes. He brings his hands to his mouth and starts to fuss in my arms. I can tell that he is sleepy, but he must also be a little hungry. Ripley has been pumping since she can't be with him all the time, so she gets up to prepare some milk that we have left in the fridge here for him. She quickly warms it and I rock him. He cries in frustration as I gently pat his behind, swaying with him in my arms.
Ripley checks the temperature of the bottle on her arm before hurrying back and handing it to me. I offer it to Orion and he takes it eagerly, drinking with gusto. He finishes in no time and his eyes are nearly closed as I put him on my shoulder and burp him. He belches loudly, like a grown man and Ripley and I chuckle. I hand him over to her so she can hold him for a bit as he goes to sleep and she hums softly to him. His whole body relaxes against her and my eyes drift between them, mesmerizing the sight of them together. My perfect little family.
When Orion is heavily asleep, Ripley gets up and settles him into his crib. She pats him lovingly on the chest. We aren't allowed to kiss him yet. He's still too little and there is still a lot at risk with his immune system. I know it kills Ripley to not be able to kiss her baby each and every time we leave him. I watch a shadow pass over her face as we turn to collect our things and leave.
We make small talk as we head back to the house. I tell Ripley all about the album sales and new updates with the band. She tells me that her mom has gotten her a job working at the hospital. She will be doing intake for the emergency department for now, but it's a foot in the right direction. She won't start for another four weeks since they are currently renovating the emergency department and closing contracts with previous employees, but this gives us plenty of time to settle with Orion. There is a daycare across the street that Ripley has already looked into and has called to schedule a tour. She also lets me know that she spoke to her college advisor today and she is all set to start school during the spring semester since with everything going on, she has missed fall enrollment.
This is how we have been functioning. Brief life updates between surviving and visiting our child. I look over at her from the corner of my eye as we pull into Forest Hills. The sun has set and the street lights illuminate her golden hair. She looks so tired and yet she's still my beautiful girl. The most beautiful girl in the whole world. We pull up to our trailer and she doesn't wait for me to come around. She jumps down from her seat and starts to walk around the hood of the van. I stop and lean against my side, gazing down at her.
"What?" She asks. She reaches up to fix her hair, glancing suspiciously over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"I miss you," I say softly and she freezes for a moment. I see confusion flicker across her irises before understanding washes over her features, making them soften. Her eyes are sad as she stares up at me.
"I miss you too."
"We've had a lot going on, but I miss being a part of your life. I don't want to just hear about it."
"You're right," she says ruefully, nodding her head.
"May I take you on a date?" I ask her, holding out my hand and her face breaks out into a smile.
"You may, but if I'm being honest, I'm pretty beat."
"Well, it's a good thing I was planning on taking you to the living room for a movie and pizza." I say with a cheeky grin and she laughs, making my heart soar. "And maybe if I'm lucky, you can be dessert."
I wag my eyebrows at her and she shakes her head in disapproval. She swats my chest with her hand.
"Not a chance, Munson. Doctor's orders. I'm still off limits for the next two weeks." I gasp loudly, clutching my heart dramatically and Ripley rolls her eyes.
"How could I have forgotten? I've even got it marked on the calendar on the fridge!"
"You're a dork," Ripley huffs, turning away and heading towards the house, but I can hear the laughter in her voice.
"Yea, but you love it."
She doesn't say anything else as I unlock the door as we head inside. Elvis is sprawled in a ray of sun shining in from a nearby window. He chirps excitedly at the sight of us and Ripley ducks down to pet him. I take the opportunity to admire her legs, her hips, her ass. My eyes linger over her bent form for a moment longer than they probably should and I don't even notice that her eyes are on me until I hear her laugh.
"Two weeks, Munson," she giggles, straightening up. "You need to behave."
"I'll just take a cold shower and bash my head repeatedly into the shower tiles and then I'll be alright."
She laughs loudly at that and I allow myself to smile along with her. I've missed the sound of her laugh.
"Come here," I say, batting my eye lashes at her and hold my arms open. She shakes her head, biting her bottom lip to try and conceal a smile.
"Ripley," I warn, taking a timid step toward her. "Come here."
"Eddie, I really can't do anything spicy for another two weeks," she warns and I nod, holding my hands up in surrender.
"I know. I just want to hold you. Can I at least do that?"
She narrows her eyes at me, but the smile finally slips onto her lips, giving her away.
"If you can promise to behave, I suppose I can allow it."
"I promise," I say urgently. "Now get over here."
She hurries forward and wraps her arms around my neck. I circle my own arms around her waist and pull her tightly against me. I hum under my breath as I breathe her in, letting myself relax completely against her. God, I've missed her.
Ripley reaches up and runs her finger lazily through my hair. She gently detangles the knots she encounters and smooths my curls under her palm, only for them to spring back to life the moment the pressure is gone. I sway us slightly and bury my face in her neck, enjoying this moment of silence with her.
"What would you like to watch, my love?" She asks after a long while has passed. She doesn't pull away and I can feel her breath on my ear, making goosebumps run down my neck.
"Anything you want," I say without thinking and she pulls slightly away from me so she can look up into my eyes.
"Anything I want?" She clarifies, her face alight with mischief and I groan. I'm no coward, so I simply gulp and nod, but I have the sinking feeling that whatever she picks is going to involve a lot of soppy rom-com drama.
To my surprise, she moves to the entertainment center and pulls out a rented VHS. When I take a closer look at the cover, I realize it's 'Alien' and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
"It's the movie we should have seen on our first date," she says as if I've forgotten and I nod. How could I ever forget?
We settle on the couch together and she snuggles into my side. I drag the blanket off the back of the sofa and drap it over our legs as the movie starts.
It's been so long since I've been able to just relax and hold her like this. We smile at one another when we realize the main characters name is also Ripley and I tease my girl that she's just as badass as the warrant officer. Ripley scoffs and rolls her eyes at me, but I genuinely think it's true.
When the movie finally comes to a close, I realize she is fast asleep against my side. Her pink lips are slightly puckered and her dark lashes cast shadows against her cheeks. I stare down at her for a while, just memorizing the curve of her face. I can't help the smile that stays painted on my lips as I wiggle into a position to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom.
I lay her down on our mattress and tuck her into our blankets. She murmurs softly in her sleep and I climb in beside her, snuggling into the warmth of her body. I kiss the tip of her nose before closing my own eyes and drift off after her.