In The End (Sequel to In Real Life - Nemi)

Hello Beautiful

I watched a team of nurses clean my daughter off, then I saw them wrap her in a blanket. When the nurse turned around & headed toward me, with my daughter in her arms, I held my breath. I looked down at Demi who was looking up at me, biting her lip. "Demi, I'm going to let Dad hold her, since they are still working on you & he can bend down so you can see her. Is that okay?" The nurse asked, Demi, as the nurse came to stand next to me.

"That's fine." Demi choked out.

I stared at my daughter's face as the nurse placed her in my arms. The moment the nurse let go of her, it felt like I couldn't breathe, but that my world was perfect. I knew it would never be the same. I was holding this precious girl in my arms, who was a part of me. No one could ever take that away from me. Tears filled my eyes as an overwhelming sensation of pride, love & happiness came over me. "Hello, Beautiful." I said in a soft voice, as my daughter looked up at me through squinted eyes, wondering what the fuck was going on. She really was beautiful, even though she looked like a wrinkled, purple alien doll. She had a head full of black hair that I could see had some waves, as it was matted to her head. I swear her hair was two inches long. I could probably put a little ponytail in her hair, already. Her eyes were a dark, appearing to be a navy blue & her tiny little rosebud mouth was in a curious pout. Her forehead was creased & she kept closing her eyes & then opening them, slowly, as if she were annoyed by the bright lights.

"Can I see her?" Demi asked, in a sob. I looked down at her & saw the tears running down her temples.

"Of course, my love." I smiled as I bent down to show Demi our daughter. Once her eyes focused on our daughter, she let out another sob. "Oh my God. She's beautiful." Demi closed her eyes, tightly, for a few seconds then opened them. "Hello, Beautiful girl." Demi said, in a hoarse whisper. "Nick. It's our daughter."

I couldn't help but to chuckle as I smiled at Demi, nodding my head. I kissed Demi's forehead, then my daughter's, loving the feel of her soft skin on my mouth.

The nurse stepped forward to speak. "She is quite healthy for being born so early. She's 5 pounds 11 ounces & she's 19 inches long." She smiled at us. "I do have to take her now. We need to get her on breathing equipment & check her development, so she'll be in the NICU for a little while."

"The NICU?" I asked.

"Yea, it's the Neonatal intensive care unit. Because she was born before 37 weeks she needs to go there, so we can monitor everything before we send her home. She's above the average birth weight, so already, it's looking good for her."

I looked down at my daughter & smiled. She was so tiny, but she looked perfect. I didn't want to let her go, but I knew I had to. I held her head close to Demi's, so Demi could give her a kiss. "Good bye, Beautiful angel." Demi croaked out.

I held our baby girl close to me, resting my lips on her head, again. "Mommy & Daddy will see you soon, Beautiful Aria." I whispered.

"Is that her name? Aria?" The nurse asked as I placed the baby in her arms.

I looked at Demi, who only nodded as she fought tears. "Aria Dee Jonas." I said.

The nurse smiled, warmly. "I'll put it on her sign that will go on her incubator."

"Incubator? Is she gonna be alright?" I asked, sounding alarmed.

The nurse nodded & smiled again. "It's just where they stay, like a crib, to keep the infections to a minimum. She'll be fine. As soon as Demi is out of recovery & gets settled into a room, they will come get you so you can see her in the NICU."

I nodded as the nurse turned & walked away. I kept my eye on her as she placed Aria in a rolling crib, then wheeled her out of the room. I already missed her, as soon as the door shut behind them. I looked, again, at Demi, who was still crying, silently. "Babe, she's going to be fine. She looked perfect, didn't she?"

Demi nodded. "I know she did. I'm scared & I just want my mom."

I kissed her head. "I know. As soon as we get to recovery, I'll try to find out if there's been any change."

"What's the date?" Demi asked.

I looked up at the digital clock on the wall. "It's 12:45 a.m. November 28, 2015." I answered, smiling. "Aria was born at 12:21."

"Okay, thanks. I just wanted to know our daughter's birthday." She said in a tiny voice, her eyelids becoming heavy. She was so exhausted, she'd probably sleep for a week.

Demi fell asleep, in the operating room & I held her hand as they wheeled her to recovery. I sat in a chair beside her bed, while she slept. I watched the tv for a bit, then I decided to text Joe to see if he heard anything about Dianna & to tell him his niece was born. They let Eddie go up to see Dianna, but other than that, Joe didn't know anything new.

Demi slept through her recovery & her ride to a regular room. I decided to let her sleep, since I was exhausted, too. I fell asleep in the chair beside her bed. I woke up with a start when I heard Demi let out a yelp. I looked up to see her eyes wide, not looking like she knew where she was. "Baby? You okay?" I asked as I stood up.

"My mom. Where is she?" Demi's voice was barely audible. She looked down at her stomach, a little flatter than it was before. Her eyes got wide. "Oh my God. My baby. What happened to my baby?"

I reached to touch her cheek, gently, trying to calm her down. "Demi, there was an accident. You had our baby early this morning. She's beautiful, remember? Your mom is in another room in the hospital."

Demi's breathing started to slow & she nodded. "Oh. Yea. I remember now. I was so confused when I first woke up."

"It's probably the drugs you were had before surgery."

Demi swallowed. "Does this mean I have to start my recovery over again?"

"I don't think so. These drugs were medically necessary, so they shouldn't count." I gave her a sweet smile & she seemed to relax.

"Where's our daughter? Why isn't she in the room with us?"

"She's in the NICU, because she was born early. They'll take us to see her soon."

"Is my mom okay? Is she awake? Does she know I had the baby?" Demi asked, quickly.

"I don't know. We'll find out soon."

"Can you please go find out now?" Demi asked, reaching for my hand.

I took a deep breath. "Okay. Let me see what I can find out." I gave her hand a kiss, then left to go find Joe or Eddie or anyone for that matter, who could tell me how Dianna was.

After wandering around the lobby & not finding anyone, I finally asked for Dianna's room number, then headed up there. I found Eddie in the hall, his head hung, sadly. God, please let her be alive. I can not tell Demi that her mother is dead. It will kill her. I approached Eddie & when I got close, he lifted his head & I could see the tears in his eyes. Fuck. No.

"Her heart stopped last night." Eddie said in a sad voice. That sentence made my heart stop. Demi was going to be devastated if Dianna was gone. My baby girl needed her grandmothers. Both of them. I held my breath as I waited for Eddie to say more.