Always Be My Baby

Better Now

Miranda Bailey woke up to see her husband asleep in an armchair that had been pushed beside her. Her final push had been surprisingly easy, but her entire world had been shifted. Her eyes landed on her son who was on the opposite side of her. Ben opened his eyes and she smiled. "Hi, mommy," he said yawning.

She couldn't stop her cheeks from reddening. "Hi, daddy," she replied as he got up and leaned over kissing her head. He was so attentive that it drove her absolutely wild and made her fall in love with him all over again. "I can't believe we made him." She shook her head in disbelief. "He's ours and I just love him so much." Miranda gestured for her son.

"He's asleep, Miranda, don't..."

Shaking her head, she just smiled and stretched her hands out. "I don't care. I want to hold him and kiss him. Gimme!"

Ben walked around the bed. "You're aggravating. Do you know that?" He handed the newborn to her. "I was thinking we could call him BJ. You know, Benjamin Junior, BJ."

Miranda closed her eyes and pretended to mull it over. "I love it."

"Yeah?" She nodded and they kissed again. "I can't believe you pushed this tiny human out of your... body. I feel like I should get you a gift or something."

She touched his chin. "I'll be waiting for that." When she and BJ were finally released from the hospital, Ben drove them home so slowly that they were forced to pull over by the police. Miranda sighed and turned around to look at their child who was, thankfully, asleep. This was not how she wanted this day to go. "Benjamin," she groaned.

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." He reached into the glove compartment and retrieved his registration. "Shit." Her heart was pounding in her ears and she struggled to take deep breaths. Ben touched her thigh. "Relax, baby. It'll be okay."

The officer came to the door. The smallest bit of stress eased from her seeing that the cop was Black. But she was still panicking inside. "Ma'am. Sir, do you have any idea how fast... or how slow you were going?" He asked. Ben shook his head. "16 miles per hour."

The young couple looked at each other. Where Miranda's eyes were full of worry, Ben's were tranquil. "Officer, my wife just gave birth and our son is this brand-new person that I'm supposed to take care of and going the speed limit just doesn't feel right."

The officer squinted. "Can I?" Her husband nodded. He moved to the back window. "He's beautiful. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Ben and Miranda said at the same time.

"Look, I understand that you want to take care of your wife and your kids. Hell, I have four myself, but going the speed limit is perfectly fine. Trust me, young brother."

"G-got it."

"Us dads gotta look out for each other. And you're doing a damn fine job already." Miranda heard Ben exhale. "And little man will be okay." She picked up her husband's hand. "Alright?"

Ben sighed again. "Okay."

The two men shook hands. The officer waved at Miranda and went back to his car. Shutting off his light, he zipped down the road. Wife and husband turned in their seats to see that BJ was still asleep. "He's going to love this story," she said breaking the tension.

"Definitely." He kissed the back of her hand. "Ready to get him home?" She nodded as he slipped back into traffic and sped up a little bit more.

"Relax, babe. We're all good." She flicked on the radio and saw his shoulders relax as the music played. At home, they gave BJ a tour of their house, the one where he'd spend his first few years. "And this is your room, but you'll sleep in our room for a while," she said to the sleeping child. Then, their families had come from the hotel, cooked food and gushed over the baby some more before leaving for the night.

Later, the new parents settled their son into his crib that their fathers had put together. Miranda sat up against the headboard unable to close her eyes, needing to keep an eye on her son. He was her world now and making sure he was safe was her first priority. "Babe, he's fine," Ben said when he felt that she wasn't laying down.

"I know. But I'm just watching him," she yawned.

"Then I'll watch him, too." He sat up next to her, kissing her shoulder.

She smiled. "You have to work in just a few hours. Go to sleep."

"Nah, I'm good."

"You're going to regret it," she said turning to him. He shrugged as she rubbed his head. "Please get some rest?"

"Only because you asked so nicely."

She hooked his chin and pulled him in for a long kiss. "I always ask nicely," Miranda told him.

"Mmm. Fine. I love you, babe. And you, too, son." Her body trembled hearing that. Their little family was real and right in front of her and they were all safe. It was an amazing feeling.

Their mothers stayed in town for two weeks to help Miranda as she studied for finals. And even though they got on her nerves sometimes, she was grateful. Evie and Pat dropped by to meet the baby and to announce that they were officially a couple which threw Miranda for a loop, but she was happy for them. When finals were over and everyone was gone and Ben was at work, she held BJ watching his eyes flutter to a close. A few tears fell from her eyes as she remembered all she'd gone through to get this bundle of joy who had chosen her to be his mother. "You are so loved," she whispered to him. "Never forget that, okay?" As if he knew exactly what she was saying, he opened his eyes, blinking slowly before falling back to sleep.

...

Ben Warren dropped his head against their cool front door before he pushed it open. He was so tired. Picking up a second job on top of taking college courses had been his only option since they didn't want to ask their parents for any more help than they absolutely had to. He also didn't want Miranda trying to find a job—not yet anyway. He knew it sounded way too old-fashioned, but she needed to focus and he was happy to do the heavy lifting until they were ready for a change.

He walked in and put his bag and the food he'd brought on the table before spotting his wife. She was sitting on the floor studying. Their son was sleeping comfortably on the sofa. Putting a hand on BJ's stomach, he took note that his hand was nearly as big as the boy's whole body. "Hey, babe," Ben said moving beside Miranda. She offered her cheek and he kissed it. This part made him feel so good. He really enjoyed being a father and a husband. "How is he?"

Miranda smiled. "We had a good day. Took a little walk, read a bit; he's fed and asleep and gorgeous."

He nodded. "How are you?" He asked pulling her into his lap, her legs straddling his.

"Well, let's see... I'm rested, all studied up, my son is perfect and I wouldn't mind making out with my husband."

It was his turn to smile. Though they were way past the six weeks after Miranda had given birth, the two of them had yet to engage in intercourse trying to be extra cautious. "I love the way that sounds," he said kissing her softly.

"And how are you?"

Though his day had been long and the next would be even harder, he said: "So much better now."