Forever and a Day//Jolex

Chapter 10

Carina left them alone and the couple laid together quietly, marveling over the sleeping newborn. It was almost 2 in the morning and Jo was exhausted, and she eventually fell asleep with Brooklyn in her arms.
Alex took the baby and placed her in the cradle, which he wheeled to the nursery so Jo could rest. He went back and fourth between the nursery and Jo's room,taking turns sitting with both of his girls.
Jo slept for almost 5 hours, and when she opened her eyes, Alex was sitting beside her, holding her hand.
"Where's Brook?" She asked, panicking.
"She's in the nursery, want me to go get her?"
Jo nodded in response, and not 5 minutes later, Alex returned with their precious little bundle of pink. Alex gave her to Jo, but she soon woke up and started to fuss.
"What's wrong? Why is she crying?"
"She's probably hungry. Do you want to try feeding her?"
"Yeah." She said, pulling down the gown so that she could feed her daughter. She lifted the baby to her chest, but she wouldn't latch.
"Why won't she eat?" Jo asked, getting a bit worked up and frustrated.
"Hey, it's all right. It's your first time trying. Let me help you." He said. He repositioned Brooklyn and showed Jo how to support her head so that she would eat, and she immediately started sucking.
Alex smiled and Jo was incredibly relieved. She was done a few minutes later, and Alex got Brook cleaned up, burped and changed and placed her back into Jo's arms. Brooklyn fell back to sleep and Alex sat in a chair beside them.
The door cracked open and Mer popped her head in with a huge smile.
"Hey! I'm sorry, I would've come sooner but I was pulled into surgery right after you went into labor." She said. "Do we have a baby yet?"
Jo nodded. "This is Brooklyn Sabrina Karev, and she's 5 pounds, 3 ounces of perfection."
"Congratulations you guys! I'm so happy for both of you. You're going to be amazing parents."
"Thanks, Mer. Wanna hold your niece?"
"Of course!" She scooped her up from Jo and sat on the couch. "I've got to take a picture of this little one. Maggie is with the kids at home, and I guess she told them you were having the baby because they've called me at least 5 times asking if their cousin is here yet."
"Aw, that's sweet. You should bring them over in a few days when we're settled in with her." Jo said.
"I think the kids are gonna hold you to that. She really is gorgeous, you two. She looks just like you, Jo."
"Thanks, Mer."
"Well, I've gotta get to surgery, but I'll check up on you guys again before I leave." She heads out the door and the family of 3 is alone again.
"Are you sure she's okay?" Jo asks after a few minutes of quietly staring at the baby.
"Yeah, she's perfect. Her heart and lungs sounded good, she's a good size, she's eating and sleeping- I'm 100% sure she's healthy."
"I'm just terrified of all the things that could happen. You know, she could get sick, or tangled in a blanket, or dropped down the stairs, or drown in the bath, or we could've picked a defective car seat."
"We're parents now, of course we're going to worry about that stuff. We just need to make sure that we focus on the fact that she has people who love and care about her. That's more than either of us ever had, and we turned out okay."
"You're right. Thank you."
"I still can't believe we made a baby. She's so beautiful."
"Yeah, she really is. Hey, you haven't had much of a change to hold her, I've been hogging her the whole time. What do you think, Brook? You want to go to daddy?"
She made a little fussing sound in her sleep at just the right time, and Jo laughed.
"I think that's a yes. Here's your baby girl." She said, gently passing her to Alex careful not to wake her.
"Hey there, precious. I'm your daddy. I'm so happy to finally meet you."
Throughout the rest of the day, people came and went, visiting the newest Karev. Carina came by once or twice to check in, and Mer came in to say goodnight as promised.
Other than to get her a grilled cheese from the cafeteria, which she had desperately wanted, Alex didn't leave Jo's side.
By 7:00, a nurse came in to take Brooklyn to the nursery to sleep, and Jo was more than happy to get a chance to rest. Her first day of motherhood had proven to be extremely exhausting, even more so than any of the books had told her.
Alex snuggled in bed beside her, and they spent some of their very last alone time together before 18 years of... whatever it is that comes next.