It had been a long day followed by a long evening, but it had ended in the birth of a healthy baby boy. Come morning, mother and son were sleeping peacefully, understandably exhausted, but happy, and content. Cody was there, too, awake but reluctant to move for fear of waking his family. The newborn lie nestled between his parents, and Cody was counting the little one's fingers for the umpteenth time, in awe of the miracle that had produced this tiny being that was his son.
Across the bed, Brona stirred, yawning even before she came awake. Her eyes blinked open slowly, focusing on the ceiling before her head turned to find her husband and their son close by.
"Morning," she whispered, her voice gravelly after all the yelling she'd done the night before.
"Morning," Cody whispered back, not because there was anything wrong with his voice, but because he was afraid of waking the baby. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his first thoughts for her well-being. He'd heard enough to know that giving birth hadn't been easy, and he'd worried for her.
"Like a dead weight," she offered with a weary chuckle, forcing herself to roll over onto her side. Between them, the baby boy gurgled for a moment before settling back to sleep with a heavy sigh. "Did you sleep at all, sweetie?"
"Oh, he slept like a log," Cody replied, chuckling. He knew she wasn't asking about the baby, but about him, but he couldn't help telling her that. "As for me" I got a few hours. Just too excited to sleep, I guess." Over-tired, probably. He'd probably sleep well later anyway. "Hungry?" he asked, though he remained where he was.
She shook her head with a faint smile. "Not right now. He will be, in a bit." She looked down at their son, her smile deepening to find those tiny fingers wrapped about Cody's finger. "Think of a name while you were bonding?"
"Maybe," Cody replied with a half-shrug, that didn't quite work lying down. "What do you think of Jesse?" he asked. "It was my Pa's name," he told her - a rare mention of his family's past.
Gently laying her hand on the baby boy's tummy, Brona looked up at Cody. Despite her weariness, she almost glowed with affection this morning. "I like that," she agreed softly. "You, me, and Jesse."
"Jesse Mullen, just like his Granddad," Cody said, a soft smile on his face as he looked down at their son, whose fingers were curled around just one of Cody's. "You don't think Nate or Eli will mind, do you?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.
She shook her head gently. "Eli could'a called his son Jesse, but he didn't," she reminded him, her voice recovering but still soft in the morning stillness. "Nate'll be so proud of you for being a pa and giving your pa's name a new life."
"I hope so," Cody said, though he figured she was probably right. It wasn't really Nate he was worried about, as much as Eli, but Brona was right. His brother had had a chance to give his own son their father's name and hadn't. He couldn't very well fault Cody for doing so instead. "I suppose they'll all be here to see him later today."
"Everyone showed up for Liam and Noah, so we shouldn't expect any different," she pointed out with a smile. "They know better than to pile in first thing in the morning, at least."
"They'll be too busy with their own families to show up that early," he agreed. "How are you feeling?" he asked, with a hint of concern in his voice. He hadn't witnessed the birth, but he'd heard her screaming and knew it hadn't been easy or quick.
He had already asked, but Brona didn't mind answering again. Her smile was loving as she reached over, gently stroking his hair from his face.
"I don't think I'm gonna be moving about much for a few days," she admitted. "It was hard work."
"You don't have to. All you need to do is take care of yourself and the baby. I'll do everything else," he assured her, though they'd probably have plenty of help, especially from her side of the family.
"I'll have to get out of bed eventually," she pointed out in amusement. "What about you, though' You okay, sweetheart' I know I made a lot of noise last night."
"I'm okay. Too excited to sleep," he told her, looking a little tired, but not so tired that he couldn't wait a while to catch up on his sleep. "I was worried about you," he confessed. And worried about the baby, too, but so far, everything seemed to have worked out okay.
"Childbirth's noisy," she said, one shoulder rising and falling as she smiled apologetically. "But it was a pretty easy birth. He's a small baby - kinda glad he came early, really. If he was bigger, it would have been worse."
"He's perfect," Cody said, smiling again as he looked down at their son with awe and wonder. "Hard to believe he's ours, isn't it?" he asked, the little boy still gripping his father's finger in his tiny hand.
"Little bit," she admitted with a low laugh. "But he is. Our little Jesse, already the apple of his papa's eye."
Between them, it was Jesse's turn to stir, smacking his lips as he blinked his unfocused eyes open.
"Uh oh," Cody said, chuckling quietly. "Looks like he heard us talking about him. Think he's hungry?" he asked, unsure how to know when a baby was hungry, other than if he was crying.
"Maybe?" Brona watched the baby boy, enchanted by the way he was just gazing up at Cody, as though utterly enthralled by his papa's face. "He seems pretty content just to marvel at how great his pops is, though."
"Think he recognizes our voices?" Cody asked, uncertainly. He'd talked to his son almost right from the moment he'd known Brona was with child, sometimes eliciting a kick or some other kind of movement. Was it too hard to believe he might recognize and remember their voices from before he'd been born?
"I'm sure he does," she assured him, adjusting herself so she was more comfortable where she lay. "He's so good. Aedan was a screaming fiend every four hours on the dot when he arrived here."
Across the bed, Brona stirred, yawning even before she came awake. Her eyes blinked open slowly, focusing on the ceiling before her head turned to find her husband and their son close by.
"Morning," she whispered, her voice gravelly after all the yelling she'd done the night before.
"Morning," Cody whispered back, not because there was anything wrong with his voice, but because he was afraid of waking the baby. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his first thoughts for her well-being. He'd heard enough to know that giving birth hadn't been easy, and he'd worried for her.
"Like a dead weight," she offered with a weary chuckle, forcing herself to roll over onto her side. Between them, the baby boy gurgled for a moment before settling back to sleep with a heavy sigh. "Did you sleep at all, sweetie?"
"Oh, he slept like a log," Cody replied, chuckling. He knew she wasn't asking about the baby, but about him, but he couldn't help telling her that. "As for me" I got a few hours. Just too excited to sleep, I guess." Over-tired, probably. He'd probably sleep well later anyway. "Hungry?" he asked, though he remained where he was.
She shook her head with a faint smile. "Not right now. He will be, in a bit." She looked down at their son, her smile deepening to find those tiny fingers wrapped about Cody's finger. "Think of a name while you were bonding?"
"Maybe," Cody replied with a half-shrug, that didn't quite work lying down. "What do you think of Jesse?" he asked. "It was my Pa's name," he told her - a rare mention of his family's past.
Gently laying her hand on the baby boy's tummy, Brona looked up at Cody. Despite her weariness, she almost glowed with affection this morning. "I like that," she agreed softly. "You, me, and Jesse."
"Jesse Mullen, just like his Granddad," Cody said, a soft smile on his face as he looked down at their son, whose fingers were curled around just one of Cody's. "You don't think Nate or Eli will mind, do you?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.
She shook her head gently. "Eli could'a called his son Jesse, but he didn't," she reminded him, her voice recovering but still soft in the morning stillness. "Nate'll be so proud of you for being a pa and giving your pa's name a new life."
"I hope so," Cody said, though he figured she was probably right. It wasn't really Nate he was worried about, as much as Eli, but Brona was right. His brother had had a chance to give his own son their father's name and hadn't. He couldn't very well fault Cody for doing so instead. "I suppose they'll all be here to see him later today."
"Everyone showed up for Liam and Noah, so we shouldn't expect any different," she pointed out with a smile. "They know better than to pile in first thing in the morning, at least."
"They'll be too busy with their own families to show up that early," he agreed. "How are you feeling?" he asked, with a hint of concern in his voice. He hadn't witnessed the birth, but he'd heard her screaming and knew it hadn't been easy or quick.
He had already asked, but Brona didn't mind answering again. Her smile was loving as she reached over, gently stroking his hair from his face.
"I don't think I'm gonna be moving about much for a few days," she admitted. "It was hard work."
"You don't have to. All you need to do is take care of yourself and the baby. I'll do everything else," he assured her, though they'd probably have plenty of help, especially from her side of the family.
"I'll have to get out of bed eventually," she pointed out in amusement. "What about you, though' You okay, sweetheart' I know I made a lot of noise last night."
"I'm okay. Too excited to sleep," he told her, looking a little tired, but not so tired that he couldn't wait a while to catch up on his sleep. "I was worried about you," he confessed. And worried about the baby, too, but so far, everything seemed to have worked out okay.
"Childbirth's noisy," she said, one shoulder rising and falling as she smiled apologetically. "But it was a pretty easy birth. He's a small baby - kinda glad he came early, really. If he was bigger, it would have been worse."
"He's perfect," Cody said, smiling again as he looked down at their son with awe and wonder. "Hard to believe he's ours, isn't it?" he asked, the little boy still gripping his father's finger in his tiny hand.
"Little bit," she admitted with a low laugh. "But he is. Our little Jesse, already the apple of his papa's eye."
Between them, it was Jesse's turn to stir, smacking his lips as he blinked his unfocused eyes open.
"Uh oh," Cody said, chuckling quietly. "Looks like he heard us talking about him. Think he's hungry?" he asked, unsure how to know when a baby was hungry, other than if he was crying.
"Maybe?" Brona watched the baby boy, enchanted by the way he was just gazing up at Cody, as though utterly enthralled by his papa's face. "He seems pretty content just to marvel at how great his pops is, though."
"Think he recognizes our voices?" Cody asked, uncertainly. He'd talked to his son almost right from the moment he'd known Brona was with child, sometimes eliciting a kick or some other kind of movement. Was it too hard to believe he might recognize and remember their voices from before he'd been born?
"I'm sure he does," she assured him, adjusting herself so she was more comfortable where she lay. "He's so good. Aedan was a screaming fiend every four hours on the dot when he arrived here."