Ruin The Wedding (The Murphy Brothers #1)

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭

It was finally happening. 

Today they got the news about Juliet finally leaving the all-too-familiar NICU after three long, painful weeks. The baby was finally able to breathe on her own without the ventilator and because of that, she would be able to move to the general department of the children's hospital.

It was a good sign that they were closer and closer to going home and introducing Juliet to everything she still hadn't seen, having only been on a bed in one room all this time. 

As soon as Charlie called him yesterday to tell the news, Fabian immediately let out a relieved breath and even made a little dance in the chair. Finally some good news! Although he would never admit it out loud, he was starting to feel a bit hopeless. 

Of course he had wanted to be there when it finally happened and see it with his own eyes when Charlie finally got to hold her daughter for the first time. He knew how much she had longer for it and how impatient and desperate she was also starting to feel. 

"Are you ready?" An older, red-haired nurse asked her before lifting Juliet from the bed in her arms. Somehow she looked much older, and bigger in there compared to how she was looking just laying in there. Juliet's eyes were wide open and she kept looking around, not focusing on anything yet. 

Watching her, Fabian almost teared up because they were so close to losing her but no, she fought like a solder and never gave up. Seeing who her mother was, Fabian wasn't even surprised about that. 

In a way, he was already feeling a new kind of connection to the baby, someone he had met less than a month ago and who couldn't even talk yet. It sounded insane even to his ears but it was the truth. 

He couldn't even remember their lives without her anymore and he knew without a doubt that he would do anything for her just like he would do for her mother and sister. If Fabian could have switched places with Juliet, he would have done that in a heartbeat but unfortunately, Juliet had to fight this on her own. 

"Yes, please give her to me already. I've waited long enough!" Charlie asked impatiently, making both Fabian and the nurse chuckle. Then the nurse took a few steps toward the chair where Charlie was sitting, hands already up ready to catch her child. 

Fascinated, Fabian couldn't look away as the mother finally held her daughter close, connecting with her in a way he could never do. Charlie cuddled her close and kept talking to her in a quiet, comforting way.

"Here you finally are, baby! Are you feeling better? You know what? I've waited for this for a long time, long before you were even born," Charlie whispered with a trembling voice, close to crying. "I love you so much. Just like your sister does. I'm sorry she couldn't be here today."

She kept talking to her for a while before looking up at Fabian. Biting her lips nervously, she asked, "Do you want to hold her? You don't have to if you don't want to but I just wanted to -"

"Yes!" Fabian blurted out, interrupting her rudely. "Please, if you don't mind. I would love to hold her."

Sitting down next to her, Charlie gave him the baby and taught him the best way to hold her so that she was comfortable without the risk of accidentally dropping her. Then Fabian was holding her, staring down at her, and suddenly felt so much love for this little human being. 

"Hey, sweetheart. I don't know if you remember me but I'm Fabian, a... friend of your mother's. You're one lucky girl to have her as your Mom, she's pretty amazing," he whispered, looking away from her for a second to look at Charlie who was blushing.

"You have to stay in the hospital just a little longer but that's only because they just want to make sure that you're feeling good after getting out of the NICU, okay? It's not scary at all. You can just sleep and eat and before you know it, you get to come home with us," he explained as if she heard anything he was saying.