Sunny Side Up - JJ Maybank

8

I fell asleep from the exhaustion of giving birth and JJ slept in a chair beside me, waking up every so often to check on my daughter.

"You did so well, baby," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to my forehead before dozing off.

My heart fluttered at the nickname, he was just tired, but I couldn't help but feel warm at his affection.

In the morning, the others rushed in to check on me and my baby. They'd all slept in the hospital waiting room and I realised just how lucky I was to have such good friends.

"How are you feeling?" Kiara asked, wiping my forehead and squeezing my hand.

"Tired," I grinned, standing up to pick up Flora.

"She's so beautiful," Sarah cooed, holding her tiny hand. The boys were too scared to hold her, aside from JJ who kissed her forehead and rocked her sleep when she started crying from all the noise.

"You're gonna be a great mother, Sunny."

All of my belongings had been moved into my new flat, but I'd still been sleeping at the Chateau to be with my friends. When I was sent home from the hospital though, it was to my own house. The others made sure I was okay, and brought me cards and gifts and flowers to decorate my bedroom with, and once Flora was settled in her cot, they left me alone for the night so I could sleep.

"JJ," I asked, once the others had gone. "Do you wanna stay tonight?"

"Of course, sunshine, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just weird here all alone, in my new house."

"You're not alone, you have Flora," he smiled.

"My beautiful baby girl."

We watched her in her cot for a few minutes, looking so tiny and peaceful as her eyelashes fluttered in her sleep. Being a mother was hard work, and it made me miss my own even more; but I hadn't spoken to her in nine months and she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me or my child. I'd put Rafe's name down on the birth certificate because it was only right, but he'd had the same reaction when he found out I was pregnant.

"That's not my child," he'd said.

I'd made all five of my friends Flora's godparents, as it wouldn't be right to choose, and I knew from the moment I held her she was the most precious thing in the world.

Having a child did make things harder when I hung out with my friends. She required constant attention and I couldn't ever go out at night time or alone because there was no-one to babysit her. She was the light of my life though and I cherished every moment with her.

We'd gone to the beach today, the six of us; it had been a nightmare to get her pram in the sand, but she loved playing on the beach and the sound of her little giggles as we buried JJ made my heart swell.

"Come in the sea with me!" Sarah called, and I looked longingly at the water.

"Go on, sunshine, I'll watch Flora," JJ encouraged, nudging my arm.

I ran down to the water with a massive grin as I joined Sarah and we spent almost an hour splashing each other and messing around; I felt like a child again.

I thanked JJ and took Flora from his arms; he'd been trying to teach her words to no avail.

"Don't be disheartened, she hasn't even said her first word yet."

We packed up the stuff and I put Flora in her pram, but not before she pointed at the blue water and mumbled something incoherent.

"Go on, sweetheart, what did you say?" I cooed, smiling at my daughter.

"Sea!" she shouted, giggling when we all cheered, JJ was blushing a bit because he'd been the one to teach her and I was just excited she'd said her first word.

She was getting irritable and I knew she was hungry, but there was nowhere private I could go to feed her, so I warned the others and they shielded me as I breastfed her. A few minutes later, a woman came up to our group looking angry and we all looked around to see if anyone knew her.

"Could you not do that somewhere else?" she asked me.

"Excuse me?"

"I just think it's disrespectful to get naked in public, my husband felt uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry but my daughter was hungry and there was nowhere else to take her, we're on a beach filled with half-naked people anyway and I tried to shield myself away from people. Maybe if your husband was more focused on you rather than a mother feeding her child then we wouldn't have a problem," I smiled sweetly.

The woman opened her mouth to respond, before grumbling and walking away.

"The audacity of some people," Kie remarked.

"I just feel gross now that some old man was sexualising my boobs when I was just feeding my daughter," I admitted.

"If I catch anyone looking next time I'll beat their ass," JJ told me with a dark look on his face.