Thirteen
Plenty of time has passed since we first met Grace and, even though I felt myself missing her, I knew that the days in between were just really the days that just brought us closer to being with her again.
I stayed up during the night really thinking about how much Grace didn't about what was going on around her. Did she know she had a birth defect in her heart? Did she know why she was meeting us? Was she ever afraid? Once she was placed into our arms, would she cry in distress and reach out for her father's comfort? Would she know that Louis wasn't giving her up but giving her the chance at a normal life like we all wanted for her?
All I could conclude was that she was so lucky at this age. Grace wasn't old enough to have, and remember, all these worrying thoughts to keep her awake all night.
Niall noticed. He usually fell asleep with his back turned to me. When he'd get into bed now, he'd stay up facing me, his head resting in his hand with his elbow propped up for its support. Niall stayed up al night with me and would ask what I was feeling or what I was thinking about.
I told Niall. Ever since he let me hold him in my arms, I felt like he needed so much more from me than I have been giving him lately. So, that's what I've started to give back to him again: all of my thoughts and my feelings. In return, I continued to get all of Niall.
We hadn't stayed up throughout the entire night and just talked about everything and anything since we first started dating; before either of us had grown-up jobs and responsibilities. I just wanted to learn about the amazing person who saw something in me. I realised how much I missed that and that I should have never forgotten a single thing about that amazing person.
Niall helped me sort my mind out, even though I knew he thought I sounded like a madman. He used to be my voice of reason until I was in too deep that my own voice blacked his out. I wanted to start to hear him again and not just my own but, I didn't need to hear him telling me not to worry anymore, especially since I knew Niall had all of his own worries.
I asked him what his were in return. I asked him how he felt.
He was still scared so I reached over, in the dark, and took his hand, holding it rather tightly. Niall told me he missed me. His voice had been quiet but it was loud enough for me to hear, loud enough for me to be able to hear that strain in his voice. I believed his words.
I told him that I was there and I wasn't going to leave him again.
Then he added, "even with a child in the picture?"
I put too much pressure on him at the start of this entire process, making it seem like it was all about me and the baby. I was too into my own head with what I wanted. I confessed that to Niall. I also told him, "the only reason I'll eve want or have a family is because the man that I love wanted one with me of all people."
Niall chuckled his throaty laugh at that and lifted our joined hands to kiss my knuckles. Then he kissed me, really leaning his body into mine and held my face still as he moved his lips over my own. That night was also the first time we've had sex in quite a while.
We now had one last small meet up with Louis and Zayn. Louis pretty much wanted to get certain things finalised, involving liabilities and him giving us his most direct contact information and wanting to know which doctor we've chosen, which Zayn already knew about. I still had to call the doctor. I was usually really on top of things but I just couldn't pick up the phone because we didn't have Grace and her medical file on hand yet. We had received that during the meeting.
Niall and I, without a single doubt, would involve Louis with everything that was going to go on with his daughter. We weren't going to leave him stuck worrying about her and not have him not hear anything until after her surgery. Louis was still, and would always be, Grace's father, so he'd probably still worry about her everyday regardless of us.
Niall drove us there again. When the car would have to stop, he'd try to reach over for one of mine as his hand held the gear shift with the other. He used to do that when one of us had to travel for work. We tried to be as affectionate as possible when we knew we'd be leaving one another for a while.
I think he doesn't want to lose that once Grace comes. Niall doesn't care too much for forced public displays of affection. I agree with him on that. It should be natural and comfortable, like now and how we were becoming like that again.
At Zayn's office we received many more papers, including: Grace's medical records, legal documents that we all went over together and signed, and Louis' direct contact information.
I was still nervous about everything but, at the same time, finalising this chapter made me feel like we were really doing something worthwhile and special for ourselves as well as Zayn Malik and the Tomlinsons. I could actually say this for all of the other people out there who have done similar things and other families just like the Tomlinsons.
As we said goodbye, Louis pulled both Niall and I in for hugs, telling us how thankful he was for us. We'd be seeing him again in just two weeks to pick up Grace to bring her to our home, one we were really ready to open up.
So, we had plenty to do now to prepare for her arrival. I've always sounded quite impatient but now I felt like I could use more time. I should probably warn Niall that I would announce how little time we have left everyday until we were finished. At least keeping this busy would give me something to focus on, right?
"I don't want to stick to everything being pink. She would look like a bottle of stomachache medicine." Niall said as we looked around at some of the baby clothes at the shop. We were waiting for one of the shop employees to find the crib and change table we picked out, the colours being white because we would use this for our future child no matter what their gender ended up being.
"I'm not going to pimp her out to pink. I promise." I answered him with a chuckle as I found a cute mint green shirt with a fluffy and smiling bunny face on it. I was getting this no matter what.
Niall glanced at the shirt as I showed it to him and he shook his head at me. "You're lucky I don't mind green."
"Oh, am I now?" I joked back to him once I placed the shirt over my arm.
He hummed his response and nodded to me before his attention was caught by the man who helped us out with the crib and such.
"I've brought over your things to the register so if you still need to shop around, they'll be ready for you. Are you two going to need any help getting the furniture over and inside of your car?" He asked politely.
Niall and I looked to each other for a moment before we looked back to the man.
"I think we've got it, thanks." Niall told him with a smile. Then he reached out to shake his hand, nodding over to me as he did. "I think this one's still shopping around. Thanks again for all your help."
"It's no problem and congratulations on the baby." He smiled before leaving to ask another couple, a younger man and woman, if they needed help with anything.
I couldn't help but feel the pride wash through me when he congratulated us. Yeah, we could have corrected him and told him what we were actually doing but it wasn't the time or place because we had plenty of other things to focus on.
We still had to go out to the market and pick out a few items to baby proof our home. We just wanted to get the major assets done first, which meant that I wanted to spend the night getting the drib and the change table together in the cleared out room.
After we left the store with our items and got everything inside, I put the papers and file we got from Zayn and Louis away in my 'Grace' folder. Then I helped Niall get the new furniture up the stairs and into the room.
Niall was more in charge of the building. My jobs were smaller. I helped him by searching and then passing parts that he needed over to him. Then I also would do whatever Niall asked of me, even when he was getting frustrated with me if I didn't understand what he exactly wanted.
We finished the change table first and we were quite optimistic with how that went. The crib was a bit more challenging for the two of us. It also didn't help that were tired from the day we had.
"Maybe you should have asked the man at the shop to build the crib for us?" I tried to joke as Niall looked over the descriptive list of instructions, flipping the paper over to try and find the picture that they matched. We were only on 'Step Three' and Niall wasn't too happy with that.
Without taking his eyes off of the instructions, I watched as Niall rolled his eyes at my comment. His teeth bit into his bottom lip as his eyes continued to read over the same numbered step over again. When he started to chat to himself, more like mumbled, I made a brave mood and took the paper from his hand.
"I was reading that." Niall stated as he turned his head to look at me.
"Yeah, but I think you have been just a little bit too much. How about that break now?" I asked him as I set the paper behind me.
"I already took my break when we ordered that takeaway." Niall responded as he extended his arm out, his fingers motioning to me to give him back the instructions. "Come on, Harry, I wand to get this done and then go to sleep. Don't you?"
I slowly nodded at him, my lips twisting as I contemplated giving them back to him.
"Then hand them over, babe. Come on." His fingers never stopped moving until I caved and gave them back to him.
"Just relax though, okay? Now, what do I need to give you?" I asked, waving my hand over all of the small parts that came with this crib, one that would hold Grace in as she slept. Maybe that was why Niall was getting so involved in wanting to make this crib right. He wanted it to be perfect and not fall apart with Grace inside of it.
Niall lifted his hand to rub his palm at each of his eyes as he let out a yawn. "I need one of the brackets and a couple of screws. Then I need you to stand up and hold the two pieces of the crib together for me. Try to keep them even, yeah?"
"I'm sure I will manage just fine." I told him before I raised onto my knees, leaning over to give him a quick peck on his lips, which he reciprocated to me. I smiled before I reached back to gather what I needed to give over to him before I stood up to listen to him instruct me what to do.
As I held onto the short side and one of the railed sides together, I couldn't help but glance down to where Niall was concentrating on with the parts of the crib. There was just something about building this crib with him that made me feel like we were finally moving onto that next part in our lives together; the one where we'd get to share so many first and only time experiences with each other and then our child. We weren't just building a crib. We were building our future family.
So, starting the 17th you will be receiving two updates for this story a day! This story will be completed by the 28th. I am very focused on getting this goal done! There are now 16 updates left. I hope you enjoyed this short little update and I'll be seeing you for much more soon :)