BabyNapper

Chapter 2: Undeniable

The next morning...

I lie in the hospital bed with little Caroline in my arms. She looks so adorable as she sleeps while I cradle her softly.

I hear Dr. Fletcher enter the room quietly as to not wake her up. 

"How are we feeling today, Madeline?" He spoke softly.

I turned to his direction and give him a quaint smile.

"Quite well."

"Good to hear. I hope your little angel is doing good as well."

I chuckled.

"She's perfect," I say as I look back at Caroline. I love to watch her sleep, and I noticed that every few minutes she'd make a small cooing noise.

Andrew came in a few seconds later and looked immediately at me and Caroline, a smile formed on his face.

He came a little closer and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

"How's our little girl?" He asked quietly.

"She's wonderful." I replied, "just wonderful."

Caroline opens her bright, blue eyes and smiles at me. I laugh a little inside and put her a few inches close to my eyes so I can get a better look at her. 

"Hi, there. I'm your mama." I whisper in her ear. Her smile grew wider when she heard my voice.

Andrew looks at me with a loving chuckle. Caroline's eyes turn to him and her arms reach out toward him.

"I think it looks like Caroline wants to spend some time with her daddy."

Andrew picks up Caroline gently from my arms and smiles with a wide expression of glee. He slowly rocks her in his arms and swaddles the blanket around her.

"Hey there, butterfly." His gentle voice tells her. "Daddy's here, and he can't wait to take you home with us. Me and your momma."

I proudly grinned with satisfaction that I couldn't even begin to describe.

"I'll give you both some time with your daughter." Dr. Fletcher said as he walks humbly out the room. 

" This just seems so surreal, you know?" Andrew said. "We have a wonderful daughter."

"Yes. Yes, we do." I felt a tear run down my cheek and wiped it away. "I'm sorry, I-I've just never expected this moment to happen."

Andrew sat down next to me on the bed with Caroline still cradled in his arms, sound asleep. He looked me in the eyes and gave me a peck on my forehead.

"I love you." He said to me.

"I love you too."

I looked at Caroline.

"I love both of you."

I heard footsteps approaching our room.

"Oh, my goodness." My mother said coming into the room with dad. "She's beautiful."

"She's a cute little something, ain't she?" Dad told my mother.

"Yes, she is."

The next weeks were bliss to say. I laid in bed getting rest while I watched Andrew and my parents' cradle over Caroline.

When the day came to leave, I was excited to take her home with us. Mom came into the room and helped me get dressed and ready.

"Raise your arms, honey." she said as she prepared to put a shirt over me.

"Happy to be a grandmother?" I asked her idly.

"Well, I have four grandchildren from your sisters already so this should be nothing I'm used to."

She picked up the dressing bag and handed it to Andrew, who was waiting outside the door with the wheelchair.

I couldn't stop looking at Caroline all night long. She was just so beautiful swaddled in my arms. I couldn't let go of her.

After I got dressed, dad came in with Caroline and Andrew helped me in the wheelchair and rolled me down to the main desk to get signed out.

We passed a nursery of babies giggling and crying as they were being tended to in the maternity ward. We stopped at the desk and dad handed Caroline to me as Andrew signed the sign-out sheet. I fixed the soft blanket around her and we went to the interior balcony exit. We passed the narrow glass that reflected its prism patterns and went out the entrance of the hospital.

As soon as we got in the car, mom buckled me up while Caroline was fastened in her car seat facing me. Andrew began to drive on the highway leading to the direction of our house.