That Would Be Enough

16

A/N: I know I have some readers out there! Please vote and comment. :-)

Kate's due date had come and gone.  If she didn't go into labor within the next couple days, the doctor would induce her.  Kate was at the point where she was incredibly uncomfortable and ready to not be pregnant any longer.  The baby seemed perfectly content where it was.

When the next two days passed with no baby, the doctor ordered her to the hospital where she was induced.  The first couple hours, Kate waited comfortably.  The pain wasn't bad yet.  She was preparing herself for a long labor.  Madeline had taken 19 hours.

Lin took the downtime to make a few phone calls and brought his laptop so he could work.  Madeline was with Lin's parents, and would stay overnight.  She had quickly become attached to them, and they of course showered her with attention.

A strong contraction came and Kate took in a sharp breath.  Lin walked over from where he was talking on the phone and took her hand.  She seemed to be doing well so far.  When she had a strong contraction, she held his hand and squeezed.

The nurse came and checked her progress.   She was only three centimeters.  Kate passed the time reading and watching TV.  Labor could be very boring.

The night came and went with little progress.  Lin and Kate both dozed on and off, woken occasionally by Kate's pain or a nurse coming in to check on her. Finally, around mid-day the next morning she was dilated to 10 centimeters.  She had requested an epidural because she had a low tolerance to pain.

Finally, it became time to push.  Lin was a bit nervous about this part.  He definitely didn't want to see what was going on down there.  The doctor sat at her feet, instructing Kate when to push and when to stop.  After four or five good pushes, the baby was finally out.  Kate smiled in relief as she heard their baby crying.  Lin leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Kate's sweaty forehead.

"It's a boy!" The doctor announced, holding the screaming baby up for his parents to see.  He stood and carefully handed the baby off to Kate, who looked at her son, absolutely in love.  The kid was still wailing up a storm as he was wrapped up a little tighter in his blanket.  Lin looked down at his new son, unable to contain his excitement.  He teared up a bit with the emotion of it all.

The doctor called Lin over to cut the cord.  His umbilical cord was tied up short at his tummy and then he was taken away by the nurses for a quick bath.  He continued to cry as he was washed, then quieted when he was swaddled up in his blanket.  They placed a little hat on his head to keep him warm, then gave him back to his mother.

"Hi baby," she told him, beaming down at her newborn.  He'd stopped crying and had his eyes open.  They were brown like Lin's, and he had a good head of dark hair.  Lin leaned down and kissed his son's head, waiting patiently for his turn.  After Kate had had a good snuggle, she passed him off to Lin.  Lin gazed at his son, rocking him back and forth gently.

"Hi, little man," he told him.  The little family just cuddled and talked as the nurses cleaned Kate up and made sure she was comfortable.  She felt a million times better now that the baby was out.

Lin sat on the edge of Kate's hospital bed as they both just gazed at their son..

"So," he said.  "What should we name him?"

Kate thought about the boy names they discussed.  He had very dark features like his father, so it made sense to give him a Latino name.

"How about Rio?" She suggested, looking up at Lin.

He smiled.  "Sounds good," he said, leaning down to kiss her.  "Rio Luis?"

Kate nodded.  "Rio Luis Miranda.  He's gonna be a stunner."

Lin chuckled and pressed a gentle kiss to his son's head.  He'd fallen asleep and was just resting comfortably in his mother's arms.  Lin stepped outside to make calls to his family and friends.  Luis and Luz would come in a couple hours along with Madeline.  Then, there would be a parade of extended family and friends coming all day.

Rio didn't seem to mind being passed around.  He seemed pretty chill.  When Lin's parents arrived with Madeline, they set her up on a big, cooshy chair, and put some props to the side to help support her arms.  Lin gently placed his son in Maddie's lap.

"He's so little!" She observed, staring down at her new brother.

"Yes, he is," Lin agreed, kneeling down next to her.  "But he can cry very loudly."

"Uh oh" she said, giggling.  "He's sleeping."

"Yep, he'll be sleeping a lot.  His body needs time to grow and that takes a lot of energy," he explained to the little girl.  Maddie was happy holding her brother, asking Lin questions.  Lin glanced over at Kate, who was talking to his parents.  Once again, she was glowing.  A new mother.  Lin felt a wave of love rush over him.  He couldn't imagine being without Kate or Maddie at this point.  He loved them with all his heart.  Lin knew what he needed to do.

Lin went home for a while the next day to get more fresh clothes and to get in a good nap.  While he was out, he found a plain white onesie and took it to a shop to be personalized.  He came back later with it tucked into his jacket.  When Kate was distracted, he quietly conferred with one of the nurses. She would take the baby in a few minutes and change him into the special onesie.

The nurse gently took Rio from Kate a few minutes later, and disappeared into the side room.  She carefully dressed the newborn, smiling at the sweetness of it.  As she brought the baby back to his mother, she smiled at Lin and hung around.  She wanted to see this.

As Rio settled into his mother's arms, the blanket opened slightly at the top.  Kate could see a bit of color, which hadn't been there before.  Curiously, she moved the blanket aside as Lin stood next to her bed.  She gasped when she read the words on the onesie. 

Will you marry my daddy?

There was a beautiful engagement ring tied to the fabric.  Kate put a hand to her mouth and looked up at Lin.

"Lin?" She asked, tears in her eyes.

Lin smiled and got down on one knee, carefully untying to ring from its knot.  Once he got it free, he looked at Kate and popped the question.  Kate nodded enthusiastically through her tears as Lin placed the ring on her finger.

The nurses started clapping as Lin stood up and kissed his fiance.  They'd done things a little backwards, but he wouldn't have it any other way.