Hiding Place || Tori Kelly

The First 48 Pt.2

Continued

The room fell silent as the doctors situated the baby's incubator by her mother's bed. She was wrapped in a huge blanket, that on a normal baby probably would've fit better. "Alright guys, do Bean here made me do a small procedure on her, so she's gonna be out for a little while. I didn't have to open her up, we got everything done laparoscopically, but she will have a scar on her left side. No biggie though, after some years it will look like a little cut. Here is her care folder for when she gets home, because I'm predicting that she'll be home before she's fully recovered, which is fine," Arizona explained. "You guys can touch her and hold her hands, but I advise not to pick her up until tomorrow just to give the glue some time to really adhere. Other than that, her vitals and playlets are normal. Any questions for me?" Arizona asked, while running through her head anything she may have left out. Tori finally peeled her eyes away from her perfect baby girl and glanced at the doctor.

"I'm supposed to be breastfeeding. Is this not being able to hold her thing going to hinder that?" Tori asked, as Irie hopped out of her daddies arms and into her mother's lap to get a better look at her sister.

"Nope. I think that tonight's feeds and tomorrow mornings feeds will be the last ones by bottle, fingers crossed that she latches and everything works out. While bottle feeding will help her gain weight quicker, breast feed will give her the bond and nutrients that bottles can't. But I will have a lactation consultant come down tomorrow when your ready and we can get the ball rolling," Arizona answered. Tori nodded and sat up so that she could see past Irie's hand. Arizona and Jo quietly left the room so the family could enjoy their first moments with Abiah in peace.

"Look mommy," Irie pointed to the sleeping baby.

"I see her. That's Biah, mama," Tori smiled. Irie's tear ducts started to swell as she laid her head on Tori's chest and stared at her little sister. "Awe, what's wrong, Mama," Tori cooed stroking her daughter's fuzzy, uncombed hair.

"She's so little, mommy. Is she gonna be okay?" Irie cried. Tori could see that Irie was coming into a protective sister role over Abiah. It was sweet, but she and André were going to have to figure out how to nurture that spirit do that when the girls were older, Irie wouldn't be too overbearing and Abiah wouldn't distrust her sister.

"Yeah, babe. Look at her. She had surgery and she's not even crying. She's strong, just like her sister," Tori spoke. André and Laura watched Tori in awe. She'd gone from a mother of one to a mother of two, seamlessly. She looked so confident and collected, but internally she was freaking out. Her youngest daughter just had surgery, a surgery she had no knowledge of. She couldn't even hold her and she hadn't even had a chance to since she was born. And her oldest was a mess, so she really couldn't breakdown, because Irie was an emotional being who collapsed at any given circumstance of turmoil. But, she was really a mommy now. While she was pregnant, it felt like they were just playing house. Irie came to her for a lot, but still went to André when Tori wasn't available. However, just seeing Irie in her lap now, holding onto her mother and intently watching her sister, this was different. She had no mind for André. She was so consumed in her baby sister and her mother that daddy wasn't even on the stove. And that scared Tori. She was afraid that she couldn't handle everything or that she would neglecting child over the other. She was terrified. But, she wasn't going to let her fear stop her from being the mother God had made her out to be. She just didn't know who that was, yet.

3:30 PM

Hour 16

"Hector, we can't. This isn't right. I have a boyfriend and your high," Tori laughed, pushing the drummer from her local church off of her and to the other side of the couch.