Fix A Heart

You'll Be In My Heart

For one so small,
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry

"Hey tiny thing, how are you doing?" Val said as he cuddled a tiny Bella in his arms. She rested quietly on his chest as she looked around the room before returning her gaze to him. He had convinced Sharna to go take a mini break and grab some food before she crashed due to sheer exhaustion. Bella had been in their lives for about a week now and was starting to really thrive. Her breathing was getting better and her lungs were developing as well as she was starting to eat easier. They were still feeding her using a syringe but she was swallowing and taking the food in. Her favorite and calmest thing however was still the kangaroo care when she was snuggled into either Sharna or Val.

"I know you can't answer but you do look like you're growing, little by little. That's all we can ask for huh? You look a lot better and they were talking about letting us try to feed you with a bottle rather than in the syringe. They want to see if you can suck baby doll. I think they'll try the pacifier first and then we'll try the bottle. You think you can do that for Miss Sharna and I? If it goes well, we can cuddle you while you eat." Val asked as he watched her. She yawned in response almost as if she was saying, man, I got this. He chuckled before tucking her a little closer and beginning to sway. Sleep was the best thing for the little girl because it gave her body rest time and grow time. It wasn't a fight either because she didn't have the strength to be up for more than about 20 minutes at a time.

A lot of the love they needed to give Bella aside from the cuddles was just encouragement and something to be soothing. Sharna learned during one of the first few days that the little one seemed to adore just being talked to quietly. She wondered if her mother had just talked to her all day long while she was in her belly. Neither Val nor Sharna minded though and on one of his trips home, Val actually grabbed some of the books they had bought for the baby's room so they could read to her. This also brought up the conversation of what they should refer to themselves as, at the moment it wasn't as imperative as it would be if they were fostering an older child however they still wanted to come to an agreement. After a couple different ideas, they went with Miss Sharna & Mr. Val. Sharna said that it felt very teacher like at first but agreed it was the smarter of the two options.

"How is she?" Sharna's soft voice came from the doorway.

"Princessssss." Val said with a look.

"I know, I know. I just, I can't rest out there. I ate, I promise. I'm just going to sit in that rocker." Sharna said motioning to the other rocker in the room. NICU rooms had come a long way in the previous years. Bella's room had two rockers, one that would fold out into a bed, a small shelf, a lamp, and then the whole area where her incubator was along with all the medical equipment.

"Only if you'll really try to sleep."

"I will, I promise. She's with you and I'm right here." Sharna said with a look. Ever since Bella had come into their lives, they had basically been at the hospital non-stop. One time, Val had made Sharna leave to shower and get new clothes and it had nearly resulted in a panic attack for the young woman. Since then, she had mainly stayed within the hospital which was thankfully set up very well for parents who were experiencing this. Val was the gopher and Peta had helped out as well.

"Okay, now back to your question, she seems to be doing well. She was looking around and listening to me. She just started drifting off right before you came in. The nurses said they want to try to see if she'll suck so they can switch her to a bottle."

"Wow. Look at that precious. I'll bet you can do it. You enjoy your snuggles with Mr. Val. I'm going to steal you back later." Sharna said pressing a kiss to her head before curling up in the rocker next to Val. She rested her hand on the arm of his chair as she closed her eyes. He rested his hand on hers and cuddled Bella closer as he felt himself doze off as well.