Laura was fighting a losing battle for sleep.  She had finally been left alone in her private room and was waiting for JC to come back after calling their parents with the wondrous news.  JC came in quietly but was grinning from ear to ear.  When he saw she was awake, he immediately came and leaned over her bed, giving her a soft lingering kiss. 

“I love you so much.  My parents will be on the next flight and yours are going to pick them up at the airport so they can all come together.  Why aren’t you sleeping?  You’ve certainly earned it.”

“I was waiting for you and they said they would be bringing Mackenzie back soon.  Can you climb in here with me?”

“Laura, you need to rest.”

“I just want you to hold me right now.”

JC brushed the hair out of her face and smiled.  She could ask for the moon and he would find a rope to lasso it in and give it to her.  Holding her in his arms was never a hardship. 

“I don’t want to hurt you, you must ache all over.”

“I do, but I just want to fall asleep in your arms.”

Who could argue with that?

Stepping out of his shoes, JC lifted the blanket off her, getting into the bed as carefully as he could.  Laura lifted up a little so JC could put his arm behind her back, pulling her lovingly onto his chest.  He brought the blanket back up and covered them both with it as the nurse brought their daughter into the room.  The nurse checked the tags on both Mackenzie’s and Laura’s wrists to make sure they matched before handing the baby to JC. 

JC placed Mackenzie on his chest, breathing in the scent of his newborn baby.  His hand covered most of her back.  Laura brought her hand to Mackenzie’s head as she leaned over and kissed her baby’s forehead.  Mackenzie whimpered in her sleep as her parents turned to each other to share a kiss before JC started humming a lullaby and Laura fell into a much-deserved sleep. 

***

The nurse opened the door to Laura’s room to see if they wanted the baby to go back to the nursery for a while.  She stopped in her tracks when she stepped in the room.  The new family was adorable.  Grabbing the camera that was sitting on the bedside table, she quickly snapped a few pictures of them sleeping together.  This would be a picture that they would treasure forever.  Dad holding mom with the newborn wrapped in the arms of them both.  Putting the camera down she stepped back towards the door, but before she could reach the threshold, four excited people appeared at the door.  The grandparents had arrived. 

***

Excited whispers penetrated into JC’s sleep.  He opened his eyes to see his parents and in-laws around the bed looking at the baby he and Laura held in their arms.  They had yet to notice that he was awake; they were so focused on the precious baby.  Both moms had cameras out and were taking pictures while they had tears running down their faces.  The dads were grinning from ear to ear. 

JC wondered how long he could lay here before they noticed he was awake. 

Apparently, not long.  “Oh, JC is awake!”  His mom exclaimed in a stage whisper.  “Can we hold her?”

“How is Laura doing?”  Her mom asked as she was already reaching for the baby. 

“Sure you can and Laura did great, no painkillers or anything.”  JC said with a huge grin on his face.  But as he shifted his arm so that Mary could move Laura’s arm to pick Mackenzie up, Laura awoke with a start. 

It took her a moment to get her bearings especially with so many people crowded around their bed.  “Mackenzie Rose, I want you to meet your grandparents.”  JC rubbed Laura’s back comfortingly as he introduced their daughter before pressing a kiss on Laura’s brow.

“Oh, she is so precious and tiny.”

“This is most beautiful baby in the world.”

“She looks like me.”

“Our first grandchild.”

“The 2 of you must be so proud.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t call us when you started labor.”

“Laura, you did an amazing job.”

“JC, did you pass out?”

The grandparents talked over one another as each had their turn holding this new bundle of joy.  Laura and JC just sat back and watched with pride, they couldn’t get a word in edgewise. 

“I think we ceased to exist the minute we gave them a grandchild.”  Laura remarked quietly in JC’s ear.  All JC could do was nod his head in agreement.  Soon though Mackenzie started crying and was passed back to her mother. 

A nurse came in and asked the grandparents to leave so Mackenzie could nurse. 

“We’ll leave and get something to eat, is there anything you want us to bring back for you?”  JC’s mom asked the couple.

JC removed his arm from behind Laura as he rolled off the bed.  “I’ll walk out with you.”

Before leaving, all the grandparents gave Laura and Mackenzie a hug and a kiss, again proclaiming her the most adorable baby ever born.

JC stopped his father in the hall, leaning over to quietly ask him to stop by a florist on their way to eat.  JC whispered his order in his father’s ear before handing him a handful of bills.  JC’s father nodded in understanding before grabbing his son in a hard hug.  

Exchanging congratulations and hugs, the grandparents left as quickly as they had arrived as JC smiled and headed back to his wife and new daughter. 

***

The evening that the new parents brought their special bundle home found Laura hovering over the bassinet as she looked with loving eyes at her daughter.  She knew she should be sleeping herself, but couldn’t bring herself to leave her baby’s side just yet.  JC was carrying in the last of items from the car before he would be coming to bed as well. 

JC carefully wrapped his arms around her much thinner waist, she was still very sore, as he rested his chin on her shoulder.  She leaned her head against his as they studied their baby, memorizing every feature. 

“We made a beautiful baby, didn’t we?”  Laura whispered. 

“She takes after her mother, you know.”

“I hope she has your wavy hair.”

“I hope she has your loving personality.”

They both fell silent as Mackenzie kicked her legs in her sleep. 

“She is perfect, I don’t know how to thank you for her.”  JC said as Laura turned in his arms. 

“Just love me for the rest of my life, that’s all I ask.” 

“Gladly, every day of my life.  You know if I hadn’t been so tired of my life I would have never been driving on that snowy day and wrecked my car.  You took me in and became such a frustration to me.  I didn’t know how to handle you or the feelings you created in me.  You opened my eyes to the world around me and made me believe in myself again.  And now look at us…very happily married with a new daughter.  Without that storm…well I don’t even want to think about it.  My life is perfect and complete with the two of you.”

“I love you, JC.  And all I can say is thank God for the storms in our life, without them I would never have met my soul mate!” 

Their eyes met and their souls connected once again before they turned their attention to their now fussing baby.  The storms of their lives had brought them both to the future they longed for. 

The End