"Missing someone gets easier every day because even though you are one more day further from the last time you saw them, you're one day closer to the next time you will." ~ Author Unknown
The Lover
My heart was pounding the hardest it ever had in my entire life.
My palms were sweating; as was my forehead, and my breath was whooshing out in painfully sharp stings.
Aaron hadn't even stopped the car outside of the hospital before I was launching myself out of the door and plummeting through the front doors on my way to the maternity ward.
I felt like I was going to scream, throw up and cry all at the same time.
I was so happy that this was happening; that I was going to meet our child, but I was also devastatingly worried as to why this was happening so soon.
"Melanie Hotchner, where is she?" I demanded, throwing myself to a stop at the end of the reception desk.
"What?" The half-asleep male nurse whined.
"Melanie Hotchner, my fiancé, she's in labour, where is she?" I demanded, slamming my palms down on the desk in rage.
The nurse looked at me half in shock, half in anger at my tone and opened his mouth.
Fortunately for us all, Beth spoke before he could.
"Spencer! We're down here, hurry up!" She shouted, laughing and waving down to me just as Aaron and Morgan caught up with me.
I took off at a sprint down the corridor and skidded into the delivery room, panicking and sweating; feeling as though I was going to faint as Melanie's screams registered in my ears and Beth shoved me to her side.
"Spencer!" Melanie screamed, snatching at my hand and twisting it agonisingly.
"I'm here, I'm so sorry I took so long, I'm here." I puffed out of breath, leaning down to kiss her forehead as one of the nurses lunged at me with a blue gown.
"This fucking hurts!" Mel screamed, squeezing my hand in one of her own while Penelope hissed and passed Mel's other hand to Beth.
"Chocolate thunder get out of here." Penelope hissed, clopping over to the door where Morgan and Aaron were stood in paralysed shock, unable to believe their eyes.
If this were any other situation I'd laugh or shout at them but instead, I focused on Melanie and slid into supportive partner mode; beginning to reassure her soothingly and push the hair out of her face.
I got a cloth and wiped her sweaty face clean, reassuring her constantly and breathing in time with her.
It was the longest time of my life, a twelve-hour labour and so much blood, sweat and tears. My hands were clawed to pieces, we were both crying and swearing. Beth couldn't stop laughing at our humour as the pair of us would joke around one moment and be snapping at each other the next.
Weighing in at a tiny four pounds, our gorgeous baby daughter entered the world in a burst of screams and cries.
"You did it, baby, you did it, well done, I'm so proud of you," I burst, throwing my arms around Melanie and planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Congratulations, it's a baby girl." The midwife grinned.
"A girl?" Mel and I echoed, looking towards our baby as the doctors fussed, making sure she was really okay.
"Spence," Mel brought my face back around to meet her. "I love you." She gushed breathlessly, her skin shining and red.
"I love you more." I said without realising that tears were rolling down my cheeks as Mel and I passionately kissed in relief.
"Aaron it's a girl!" Beth cried, bursting out of the delivery room in a fit of tears.
"It's a girl! It's a girl!" Penelope cheered as the doctors began fussing over Melanie and the midwife approached me with a teeny tiny bundle of pink blankets.
"Dad, meet your beautiful baby daughter." She grinned, extending the bundle towards me.
Looking down at my baby I felt a swarm of emotions.
All of which threatened to burst as I held her in my arms and looked down at her teeny tiny face, so premature and perfect it broke my heart in two.
"Spence... Spence... Is she okay? Is our baby okay?" Mel gasped and I immediately looked at her worried expression.
"She's perfect." I whispered, my voice breaking as I passed my daughter to my fiancé who too looked fit to burst.
I leaned over Mel's shoulder and watched her watch our baby, caressing her tiny face and stroking her teensy fingers.
I watched Mel; watched the love and admiration and relief on her face and I knew right then that everything I needed in my life was right here with me. I wouldn't change my perfect family for anything in the entire world.
The Leader
Morgan and I watched from the window, watched the doctors all fussing and circling and saying medical things to each other that we couldn't hear from the other side of the glass.
I had to consistently turn and pace the corridor; Melanie's agonising screams enough to have me biting my knuckle and fearing for what was going on.
I mean; were they doing everything they could? Was it supposed to hurt that much?
"Hotch!" Morgan's voice brought me back to the window in the same instant that Beth launched herself out of the delivery room yelling,
"Aaron it's a girl!"
She threw herself against me, crying with happiness as I robotically hugged her in return; disbelieving that I had a granddaughter.
"Congratulations Grandpa." Penelope joked as Beth kissed me and let me go.
"T-thank you...?" I stuttered for the first time in my life.
"Congratulations Hotch." Morgan said, and shook my hand firmly, directing me towards the delivery room despite the fact I was absentmindedly floating there anyway.
"Melanie?" I mumbled as I reached the foot of her bed where the doctors had been what felt like seconds previously, but where nothing stood now.
"Dad." She laughed through her happy tears; her baby in her arms.
"I have a granddaughter?" I mumbled in disbelief and she nodded her head, laughing as more tears poured over her eyes.
I was by her side in mere moments and Spencer's daughter was in his arms just like mine was in my arms; my tears on her shoulder as her own tears soaked my shirt.
"I am so proud of you, Melanie." I said firmly, holding her as tight as I could.
"I love you dad." She sobbed.
"I love you more my sweet girl." I pulled back and kissed her cheek, sweeping her tears away.
I didn't realise Spencer had walked around to my side of Melanie's bed.
"Would you like to hold your granddaughter?" He said in a tear-thickened voice; his cheeks tear-stained also.
I looked towards Beth at the foot of the bed with Morgan and Penelope and she gave me the thumbs up; her happy tears rolling over her cheeks as she grinned at me.
I reached for my granddaughter and held her in my arms with as much care, love and affection as what I should have had for my own baby daughter.
Looking down at my granddaughter's sweet and innocently content newborn face, I knew she was tinier than most newborn babies; and I knew that I had as much love for her as I had for Jack and Melanie. She was my first grandchild, and I was drinking in every second of it.
"She's beautiful." I said to Melanie and Spencer; my voice breaking as I looked at the couple so very much in love; unable to keep away from each other as Spencer draped an arm around Melanie's shoulder.
"Have you thought of a name?" Penelope asked from the bottom of the bed and I looked back at the couple who shared a coy look.
"Matilda Diana Reid." Melanie announced proudly and my tears pooled in my eyes again.
"Matilda?" Penelope echoed.
"Tilly for short." Spencer nodded and I looked down at my granddaughter.
"Tilly," I whispered, nodding my head and smiling down at her. "You are beautiful."
The Daughter
I awoke with my back splitting in two and my head cloudy and hazy; completely uncertain of my surroundings and why was in so much agony.
But, as I peeled my eyes open I remembered everything from the previous day and my heart calmed.
My daughter. My beautiful baby daughter was here.
Everything was perfect now that she was with us.
She was perfectly healthy besides her teeny weight and premature body. But premature bodies were born every day and they lived full and healthy lives.
Only a small minority had health problems.
Our Matilda was a fighter; she had been from the very beginning. And now we were going to support her in every second of her precious life.
I sat up in bed, wincing and pushing my button for more pain relief before realising that my daughter was nowhere to be seen.
"Spencer?!" I called, not seeing him anywhere.
"Spencer!" I shouted before a nurse entered the room. "Where's my baby? Where's Spencer?" I demanded.
"Ssh ssh Melanie it's okay," She soothed with a small smile. "Your fiancé is downstairs with your daughter. We've had to do some check-ups just to make sure everything is normal and as it should be. It's the protocol for premature babies."
"Why didn't you wake me?!" I demanded, swinging my legs out of bed before crying out in pain.
"Melanie please stay in bed!" She gushed, hurrying to my side and helping me bring my legs back into the bed.
"Here's your medication," She said, reaching for a cup on my bedside and passing me my tablets.
"We didn't wake you because your fiancé insisted that you needed your rest and that he'd be with baby Matilda."
I nodded my head, that sufficed.
"When will they get back?"
"Spencer should be back soon. Your daughter will have to stay with the doctors while they perform the tests but-"
"Look who's awake!" Spencer cheered, entering the room with a bright and gorgeous grin. He looked glowing with happiness.
"Spencer where's-"
"She's okay, Melly," He reassured me instantly; hurrying to my side and pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I had to leave her with the doctors but they know what they're doing; it's all protocol."
"You've made sure?"
"They've shown me everything; it's all okay baby. We can go down get her in twenty minutes."
I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
"Okay. If you say it's fine then it's fine." He grinned and took my hand into his own, kissing my knuckles.
"If you need anything else, just push your button." The nurse grinned, writing in my file before leaving the room.
"You'll never believe who I found hanging around downstairs?" Spencer gasped sarcastically, and a moment later our family and friends burst into the room with bright faces and elated cheers.
"We got home as soon as we could!" JJ squealed, hurrying to my side with Emily; the pair of them hugging me tightly.
"But what about Dave?" I asked after hugging the girls.
"It was just a graze," His humorous tone broke through my visitors and I grinned at seeing his grandfatherly face.
"As I said; the docs would've been mad to keep me in there," He joked, pushing through to hug me tightly. "Well done sweetheart." He whispered in my ear before pulling back and winking.
I grinned and basked in the happiness and perfectness of the moment; my family and friends surrounding Spencer and I; everything happy and fun and loving.
Savannah came with Morgan; Joy came with Dave; Sam came with Penelope; Jack came with Beth and my dad; even Diana came too; my little room was packed full and I loved having so many people sharing so much love.