Laughter Lines

Daddy's Fine And Always Plans To Be

Tiny.

Tiny.

How can someone be so small?

Arthur cradled a bundle with both arms, afraid to move either hand enough to pull the blanket back. The blanket makes the baby look bigger than it is... how even?

The bundle was crying. Squalling, really. The tiny person was very unhappy about... something? Familiar strains of panic gripped him as the wails increased. Enough air? Trouble breathing? Maybe...

He shifted, stabilizing the bundle in his right arm as he moved his left arm up to tug the blanket back from the wrinkled face.

Little eyes opened just a crack, then shut again. Those eyes scrunched up tight against the light, the mouth open in a prodigious wail. But he'd seen the color of those eyes, and they were a glassy, bottle green.

"G... Ginny?" The panic fell away and a fathomless awe took its place. "Guinnevere... Kingsmen... hah... I always wanted to say... hi..." His throat closed up as he pulled her closer to his chest. "Hi. Oh... Hi. Shhh. Hey... I..." His words failed completely. The unreasonable joy flooded his chest again. The corresponding ridiculous grin surfaced on his face.

"You wanna try throwing more random words at her?" Lewis chuckled. He floated a couple feet off the ground, laying on his stomach mid-air, his attention also focused on Ginny.

Arthur didn't have wit left to retort with. He couldn't stop staring at the tiny shrieking face. He extended the index finger of his prosthetic and carefully brought it close to Ginny's face, then stroked her cheek.

The wailing subsided to fussing. She alternated between arching her back and full face scrunches as she wriggled in her cloth cocoon. One arm finally broke free and went swinging wild.

"Somebody's eager to fly, huh?" Arthur whispered. "Here. Lew, help me out?" Carefully, he peeled back the blankets. Lewis held Ginny still as Arthur removed all but one wrap, and that one he pulled loose. "There you go. How's that?"

The mouth finally closed. The bundle relaxed into his arms. Her squinched up eyes opened again and began roaming the room. She grunted a sound of clear discontent.

Arthur stroked her cheek. "How... even..."

Lewis cleared his throat. "Well, Artie, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much..." Arthur shot him an exasperated look, and his words trailed off. Lewis shrugged, smiling. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I do get it. Incredible, huh? What she can do."

The glare softened and Arthur turned his eyes on the heavily pillowed medical bed next to him, where Kay rested. A second bundle lay in her arms, already nursing.

"Yeah. Incredible."

.....................................................

"He's been so quiet," Vivi murmured. "I thought all babies came out screaming like Ginny."

Kay lifted her head and smiled at Vivi.

What a smile, Vivi thought. Like a sun that fought through a whole week of nights to reach the horizon and then clawed its way back into the sky. It struck her that she hadn't seen Kay smile at all for a long time.

Kay bent her head back down, brushing the top of Gareth's head with her lips. "Dr. Noble was worried when he didn't cry, but he was fine. They're both fine."

Gareth nursed in Kay's arms, nestled contentedly in his blanket cocoon. He was a marvel to look at, to be sure, but Vivi found she couldn't take her eyes off Kay. There was something to her that hadn't been there before, and Vivi didn't know how to put words to it. She had all kinds of feelings about it, though. Sad ones. Awe. A smidge of jealousy.