Allegro con fuoco

XLVIII

Edlyn
Wait, weren't baby's supposed to cry their arses off the second they were born? This one certainly wasn't, after one tiny cry when Lily had lifted her out of the water she now seemed to be lying very happily on her mother's chest. But surely, if that was bad, the midwife would do something? He looked around at Lydia but she seemed unconcerned.
Edlyn.
"You... Edlyn... for what?" he stammered, and she looked up at him with her Lily original smirk.
"What do you think? Edlyn for Eddy, silly."
His mouth snapped shut as he tried in vain to say something coherent to that.
Lily had named her baby... after him?
Seriously, what had he done to deserve having a baby named after him?
"She's so beautiful." he managed to whisper without choking up. Lily nodded.
"I can't believe it. She's really here. It's really over. She's... wow."
"You did so well, Lily." he said with his voice all hoarse and weird. "I thought... I thought all birthing women were supposed to scream their heads off, punch people and shit." 
"You were amazing, Lily." Lydia added with the smallest smile, stepping forward from behind him and crouching down next to him beside the pool. "You did it all yourself."

Lily's mum was on the other side of the pool, stroking Lily's hair, her own eyes moist too.
"Băobèi..." she whispered, stroking the little wet head. The baby opened her eyes and looked around her with a calmness that took him aback.
Hello world.'she seemed to say. Glad to finally join the party.
Then he felt Brett's hand in his own and he looked up at him. Even Brett's eyes were moist. Wow. How had this morning turned into the greatest moment ever?
"Will you cut the chord, Eddy?" Lydia asked him. She had scissors in her hand - God only knew where she had been keeping them all this time - like the ones they used to cut band aids but bigger. Eddy eyed them in shock.
"Um. Sure." he said as he took them automatically. Look. What was he going to say? No? I'm too chicken for that?
Lydia showed him where and before he could pussy out or get queezy he quickly cut through the thick, rubbery band that had connected Edlyn to her mum for months.

Now, he took the thing about the baby not crying back the second Lily got out of the pool and Edlyn was dried off in a soft, fluffy towel.
"She doesn't like being out of the water much, does she?" Lydia said with a smile. She wrapped the baby with sure strokes until she looked like the world's cutest burrito and handed her back to Lily, who had put her dress back on and was settling back into the couch. Edlyn cried and cried, until Lily pulled the dress aside and bared her breast.
Wait. How did a little baby even know how to do that? Yet Edlyn seemed to have no problems understanding that there was food for her there, she moved her little head forward, latched on and suckled happily. Eddy shook his head in amazement.
"She was a trooper, huh, Eddy?" Lydia said softly beside him.
"Is... is it often like this?"
Lydia chuckled.
"Sometimes. Sometimes it's very different. Had you read up on hypnobirthing?"
Eddy shrugged.
"Not... not very much. Lily told me some stuff, but I don't know what I was expecting, to be honest."
Lydia put her hand on his shoulder.
"You did very well, you were a great support to her. As I'm sure you're going to be in the future."
Something surged through Eddy at her words.
"Yes. Of course I will. We both will."