Settling in Seattle

Chapter 18- A Beautiful Baby

"Rachel, did you hear that. She's in the optimum position. This baby is coming. Now." Mike tried to hide his nerves, presenting a calm front to Rachel. He looked at her and held her hand carefully. Her hair was in a messy bun perched on the top of her head. She was wearing a pink polka dot gown, and some trainer socks. She looked so beautiful, even though she had been in the worst pain she'd ever felt for the last ten hours.

"I heard. And I'm ready to get her out." Rachel smiled and gripped his hand harder. She wasn't hiding her nerves, she was exhausted, and wanted this to be over so badly. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was all she wanted to do, to know it was all worth it.

"So, we just have to set up a couple more things, for precaution, and then we should be okay to get on with delivery. All okay?" The doctor asked Rachel, who was swiping the wisps of hair away from her face.

"Yep. What precautions?" Both her and Mike's faces looked concerned after he had said that.

"Well, the baby is a month early, on the dot. We just have a couple of extra bits and bobs just in case baby is smaller than expected. We should see around five pounds, which is fine, and perfectly normal, there's just a few more health checks we need to do on her. Not much, you'll still get to hold her first."

Rachel sighed and smiled when the nurse walked in with the weighing scales. She was ready to do this. She was ready to meet her.

"Okay, now one last..." Rachel took the instruction and Mike peered over the top, a tear slid down his cheek as he could see the body of their child emerging.

"There we go, well done Mrs Ross, you've just delivered a beautiful baby girl." Rachel looked up at Mike as he watched their daughter, who soon filled the room with screams. It was beautiful. He turned to her and she gave him a look. He shot one back, one of reassurance. The baby was breathing, and seemingly healthy. The doctor placed her onto Rachel's chest, and Mike watched on. She rested on her freckly skin, and Rachel placed one hand on the bottom of her and one on her head.

"Do you want to cut the cord?" Mike looked up from the obliviousness he had succumbed to watching the two most important girls in his life.

"Yes, please." Mike followed the doctor and cut the cord. They let Rachel cuddle her for a while, before separating them to do the important stuff. Weighing, measuring, health checks.

After the nurse had cleaned her up, and placed a diaper on her, Mike took her from the scales, ready to go back to her mum. He scooped her up, nervous to say the least. He rocked her about for a bit, before wandering back into Rachel.

"Here, you go, she weighed four pounds, thirteen ounces, which is a lil' small, but it's okay. They just have to monitor it a bit closer." Rachel beamed at Mike holding the tiny bundle. He suggestively moved his arms to give her to Rachel.

"She needs to latch on, but once that's all sorted, I think I'll cuddle her for a bit, then you can have a turn!" Rachel informed him.

The nurse returned to Mike, asking him all sorts of questions, most on just a general chat.

"So, what have you named the beautiful baby?" She asked him and Rachel. They glanced at each other briskly and Mike finally said it out loud.

"Rosalie Sophia Nina Ross," He said through a grin. "She really is beautiful, isn't she?" He stared at his wife and daughter, taking it all in. Rosalie had her mother's dark brown eyes and hair, but her face looked just as Mike did when he was first born. She had his ears and a small nose.

"She sure is." Rachel added, raising her to her shoulder and gently patting her back. She latched on just fine and was now pretty settled. The nurse left them to it when she saw the gaze they shared with each other.

"She's absolutely perfect," Mike sat back in the chair he had sat in for the entirety of the labour, "You did so well babe, I'm unconditionally proud of you."

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without your cheerful soul here. I couldn't have done any of it."

"To tell you the truth, I was absolutely terrified, but as soon as she was born, there was a calmness in the room, it was peaceful. It still is absolutely terrifying, I don't know how I'm going to change her, she's so tiny." Mike admitted, his hands were the size of her entire torso.

"You'll be fine, it's natural. See, I've never held a baby this tiny before, and neither had you, and you did pretty good. She seemed to fit just right in the crook of your arm, didn't she?" Rachel stretched out her neck and pulled up a small blanket from the side, she covered Rosalie in it and moved her onto her chest again.

The picture was perfect.

"I called your parents, and Harvey and Donna. They got on a flight five hours ago, so they'll be here soon." He raised his eyebrows and Rachel laughed, but restrained herself, everything was very, very sore.

"You sneaky guy. Thank you, Mike."

"Do you want me to find the monogrammed onesie to put on her?"

"You read my mind."