The Perfect Two

26

JJ was released the following morning, without her daughter. She was under strict orders to get a full nights rest and come back in the morning to visit Emma. JJ had Spencer tuck her in by six that night and she was up and ready by seven the next morning, after rushing Spencer to shower and dress they were back at the hospital for nine.

"May I help you?" The nurse asked at the front desk of the NICU.

"We're here to see Emma Reid." JJ replied gripping Spencer hand tightly.

"ID ma'am." JJ and Spencer both reached into their wallets pulling out a form of photo ID, the nurse checked it over with the visitors list and smiled. "Go right on in."

"Which one is hers?" JJ whispered as they walked through the valley of incubators, Spencer was reading the name plates as they went by. At the far end of the room the new parents finally found their daughter.

JJ gasped at the sight of their daughter, yesterday their were a few tubes and lines in her legs as well as a blind fold. Today their were far more lines in her feet, her eyes were still blind folded and she was intubated. "What happened?" JJ asked a nurse walking by.

The medium sized brunette looked at Emma's chart. "It seems her lungs didn't mature as much as the doctor hoped last night, so she couldn't breath on her own. It's common in premature babies do don't be scared, she's doing all the work to stay alive and meet you guys."

Spencer pulled JJ into a hug where she rested her head against his chest and he pulled her in tighter. "Can I hold her?" JJ asked fearfully.

"Not today, she was just intubated so moving her around isn't a good idea. But we hope to get her off in less than a week, if we do then you're free to hold her, feed her, changer her diapers, whatever you need to do to feel motherly." The nurse smiled before walking off to visit her other patients.

A few hours later JJ was still sitting in the same spot next to her daughters crib. Spencer had stepped out to make a phone call, and JJ chose to just watch her daughter sleep.
"I called the doctors at my moms home, we have a scheduled visit for tomorrow at ten-"

"We can't go." JJ interrupted.

Spencer sighed sitting next to his wife, "and why can't we?"

"Emma needs us right now Spence, we can't leave her."

"My mom has been having a stream of good days for the past week. So we're all hoping she stays lucid long enough to fill her in on the past few months. This might be our only chance for a while."

"Then go without me." JJ replied sternly. "My daughter needs me."

"Our JJ, our daughter. she's half mine too. And she's going to be fine, we can visit her afterwards."

"But what if she wakes up? I won't be here to see her! She won't get to meet me and won't know I'm her mother!"

Spencer let out a groan and rubbed his hands over his face. "You've met her, you held her, you fed her, and you named her. At least you got to hold her JJ, for hours while I play mediator with your family. We can come in later it won't hurt anybody."

JJ didn't reply she just went back to starring at her daughter through the clear walls of the crib.

Spencer stood from his seat and turned to leave. "If you think bad things will happen, they probably will JJ." And he walked out.