Closed A New Arrival

[James Holland]

It had been so long since the birth of his last child that James had almost forgotten how small a newborn baby was. Small and soft and precious, like nothing else on the planet. The tiny bundle in his arms made James feel like nothing else on earth ever could. A fragile and beautiful and new human being, with an entire life ahead of her, a perfect combination of himself and the woman he loved most in the world. Staring down at his newborn daughter in his arms, James saw first words and first steps and colouring books. First backpacks, bedtime stories, favourite meals, family trips... a lifetime full of perfect moments stretching ahead in front of the tiny person in his arms, and James couldn't wait for every single one of them. He felt fit to burst with love, the deep instinct that there was nothing he wouldn't do to make this tiny baby happy a welcome familiarity from his older daughters.

"She has your cheeks..." James murmured to his wife, soft enough not to disturb the baby sleeping in his arms. He was leaning slightly on Claudia's hospital bed so they could both watch Lucy sleep, ear resting lightly on Claudia's head. It was beyond relieving that the birth itself had been complication free... James had worried about his wife, fourteen years on from their last child, but the hard part was over now. After a couple of hours of rest, it was finally just the three of them. The rest of the world could wait. There would be friends and family to talk to, plans to be made, the unexpected to handle, but right now, James was beyond contented to live in this perfect moment with his wife and new daughter.

 

[Claudia Holland]

Everything about this was both familiar and new. Claudia had had four children already, but it had been a long time. She still saw Alice as a little girl sometimes, but in reality she was almost fourteen. It had been a long time since Claudia had gone through labor, and it was clear that she was not as young as she had been too. She didn't remember being this exhausted before, though the feeling of happiness and contentment was definitely one she remembered. As she watched James hold Lucy, a fondness overcame her. She often felt too busy lately to enjoy the little moments, to really notice them. But she wanted to make sure to catch every moment she could with Lucy. She was already so perfect.

A small laugh escaped her at James' words. "You said that about Phoebe too." She said softly, her eyes not leaving Lucy for a moment. "I suppose you were right about her. Maybe you're right about Lucy too." She smiled, though she knew it would show signs of her exhaustion. There was a part of her that wanted to just close her eyes for a moment, but the sight of her husband and her baby kept her awake and alert for now. "I guess we're having all girls." She added in a murmur. She had been convinced at first that the new baby would be a boy, but her hunch had turned out to be wrong. Five children, and all five daughters. Not that she minded, she loved having girls. Which was good. She was completely certain that Lucy would be their last child.

 

[James Holland]

James chuckled softly when Claudia reminded him what he had said about Phoebe. "I was, wasn't I?" He said warmly, reaching down to run one thumb over Lucy's impossibly small cheek. "Maybe she'll be another Phoebe. Two peas in a pod." He contemplated, imagining how happy Phoebe would be to have a sister take after her; someone she could teach, who would marvel at all of Phoebe's experiments. "She's going to grow up so spoiled, imagine having four big sisters to dote on you..." He chuckled softly, electing not to mention how James could already tell he would want to spoil his youngest daughter; his last baby.

"I guess we are." He agreed with Claudia's statement, glancing at her for a moment. Claudia looked exhausted, but James knew his wife well enough to know she would want these moments, before the rest of the world came crashing in around them. "Were you... hoping for a boy?" He asked, curious about what his wife wanted. He had thought about it over the last nine months, of course, but James had spent long enough thinking of himself as a father of daughters that it was rather a relief not to have to deal with any potential new challenges beyond those that came with raising any child.

 

[Claudia Holland]

Claudia can't help a small laugh as James said their new daughter might be another Phoebe. "Please, I love her but I don't know if we can handle another one of her." She said, gently joking. "I seem to remember her climbing into the curtains on more than one occasion." Truthfully, Claudia wouldn't mind if Lucy was like any of her sisters, but she also hoped Lucy would be her own unique person. "We'll just have to make sure she doesn't get too spoiled." She murmured, looking at the baby. Though it was nice to know Lucy could have her sisters to look out for her, as the thought constantly in the back of Claudia's head was that she wouldn't be around as much as she would like to be, at least for the coming years. James' question made her pause and think for a moment. She shook her head. "I wasn't hoping for a boy specifically, but I figured the odds were in our favor for a boy." She said, glancing at James with a small smile. "I wouldn't have minded either way." She said truthfully. Boy or girl didn't matter in the slightest. A boy would perhaps have been a nice change, but all her daughters had been incredibly different people. All completely themselves. She was sure Lucy would be the same, and she was already incredibly proud of her. A thought that had been worrying her came to the front. "I hope Alice will come around soon..."

 

[James Holland]

James chuckled lightly at his wife's objections. "I'm sure I could build Lucy a baby jungle gym..." He teased, leaning lightly on Claudia as he watched their youngest daughter sleep. He nodded in agreement to Claudia's comment. "I'm sure it'll be fine. We'll just have to remind the girls they can't shower her in presents all the time. I'll bet you anything once she can eat sweet things Rose will start bringing home free samples from work on a regular basis." He chuckled softly, making a mental note to have a word with his oldest daughter about that when the time came. Daughters, James could deal with, but one who was hyped up on sugar all the time would be a little much for him, he thought. It was interesting to hear Claudia's thoughts on the baby's gender, and he nodded gently. "I... suppose I wouldn't have minded either, but now that she's here, I'm relieved." He said softly. "I'm not sure I would even know what to do with a boy at this point. Girls I know how to raise." James said with a small laugh, looking down at Lucy again. His face fell when Claudia mentioned Alice, and James nodded in agreement. "I'm sure she will." He said gently. "It'll just take a bit of adjusting, but you saw her playing with dolls when she was little. She'll love having a baby sister around."

 

[Claudia Holland]

Claudia smiled a little. "You probably could, though it might encourage her tendency to climb things." She said softly, leaning against her husband a little. It was nice to have this peaceful moment, though even now the back of her mind was working on Ministry tasks, trying to imagine what was going on at work in her absence. She tried her best to tune it out. It was not time for that right now. Claudia was surprised to hear James had been a bit worried about having a boy. "I think you would be an excellent father to a boy too. It's not that different, I don't think." She gently touched his hand. "And you would have figured it out, you're a fast learner." She added with a small smile. Claudia nodded at James' words about Alice, though she was still worried. Dolls were different than a sister, and Claudia hadn't expected her to struggle with the news at all. She found it hard to predict how her daughter would feel now the baby was here. Her eyes closed for a moment. She was tired.

 

[James Holland]

James chuckled softly at his wife's comment. "And who says I'm not planning to make this one an olympic climber?" He teased. "Start her off young, who knows where she could go?" He chuckled, and smiled appreciatively at Claudia's encouragement. "Thanks. But I have to admit I'm relieved not to have to worry about it. And I won't have to stop referring to them collectively as 'the girls', that would have been a hard one to kick." He chuckled, face softening when he saw Claudia's eyes close. "You should get some rest..." James said gently, standing up and settling Lucy back in her crib. "And I should go write to the girls... the older ones. Let them know the good news." James smiled. "Love you."