Day 1 of many (Jack)

[*]

First day back home... two plus one equals three.

I could barely sleep last night. It's not that I wasn't tired and overall needing the shut eye, but I couldn't stop looking over at the tiny little bed beside our bed. I couldn't stop looking at the little tiny human that lay inside that seems to be dwarfed by the sleeping area. Little noises erupt from her, instantly prickling my skin as I watch her head turn to the right then to the left. I know she's about to start crying, wanting nurishment but I shouldn't hold her every time she cries, or should I? Will that spoil her? If I don't, will she think I abandoned her? So, with a curious gaze, I turn over to see Matthew still sleeping away and very slowly move to get up. Pain or no pain, Mira starts to whimper now and with a small grimace, I push myself to the side of the bed and take a breath before getting to my feet and going over to the bed and looking down into the crib.

"Mira." I whisper softly down to the little one who seems to recognize my hushed voice and her scrunched up face softens for only a moment before another set of whimpers and noises are extracted from her and I look to Matthew to make sure that she's not waking him up and reach in to pull her up to me. Very gently, I snuggle her close to my body and sway side to side and kiss her forhead. "Momma's gotcha. It's okay."

I coo to the little one in my arms, and take the few steps back over to the bed and sit down, taking a hefty breath before relaxing and laying Mira down in the bed in between Matthew and I, slowly laying down.

Mira's lip begins to quiver and a silent cry begins to come out as I tease her lip with my finger and she starts to suck on my little finger, quietening her down instantly. I can't help but be amazed at how tiny she really is. How incredibly cute she is in that heart spotted blanket and pink hat that I pull down further over her ears to keep her warm.

"Time to wake daddy." I whisper to her.

[Jack Lexington]

Sleep- it's so welcome right now. After the greatest event I've ever witnessed caused me to loose a lot of sleep I'm desperate.
Occassionally I wake up because of the sounds our baby makes when she's hungry. Each time Kyanite takes care of her and I'm thankful I'm not the one nursing her. It is a very cute sight though. Half asleep I watch with one eye as the baby naturally finds her was and latches on as if she's never done anything else. It's an instinct. The way her tiny hand rests on Kyanite's skin, who caresses it with her thumb, is incredibly cute.

Then I drift off to sleep again until the early morning when Mira's hungry again.
I'm already half awake when Kyanite tells her. "Time to wake daddy."

I do my best to pretend to be asleep so I can get just a little more shut eye because I feel too worn out to open my eyes. I feel emotionally ecstatic but also exhausted.

"No." I grown and turn over pulling the pillow over my head.
"I need more sleep."

For about five minutes I fend her off but then I give in and push the pillow aside revealing a head full of hair that sticks in every possible direction and hasn't seen scissors for three months. My beard matches perfectly but I'm okay with that. After all I'm not a pk anymore.

"Morning, sunshine." I greet my baby girl with a smile and run my hand over her soft fuzzy hair. It's darker than mine but not as dark as Kyanites but very thin.
Silently I wonder who she'll look like.
"She's beautiful...like you."
This must be the first time I am this nice before I had a coffee.

[*]

I look over to Matthew, who seems to still be asleep, but something about his breathing pattern is totally off. So, I'm already contemplating waking him with a kiss to the lips but before I can, he's saying 'no' and turning over, pulling the pillow over his head. I place my arm over Mira, pulling her close to me to make sure that he don't push the bed down and make her roll over in his movements, but once he's settled he claims he needs more sleep.

"Says you... I've been up with her all night. I'm so tired." I pout, pushing my lower lip out for a moment, though I know he can't see it. So, while he pretends to go back to sleep, I coo to the little girl, whose eyes stay locked on to mine and her little lip puckers outward in attempts to cry, but I pacify her with my little finger. Her hands move spiratically, bouncing up and down until they rest on my hand and her fingers get a good grasp around my thumb. My lips touch her forehead ever so gently and she makes a small noise of pleasure and then throws one hand to the side, hitting Matthew's back. That's when Matthew finally reveals himself.

He pushes the pillow off his head, and that cowlick makes me smirk. "Take a bath, Matthew. You're hair is awful." I tell him and reach over running my hands through it then back over to the little girl, letting my fingers rub against her tummy; tickling her.

"Morning, sunshine." He greets Mira and her eyes go instantly to find the voice and she turns to Matthew getting a new view on someone. She closes her eyes when his hand touches her head, but her hand uncordinatedly reaches for his hand. "She's beautiful... like you."

"Yeah, well, she's got her daddy's attitude. And she's always hungry..." I mention and let my bent finger caress her cheek. "Thank you." I say, giving Matthew a grin.

"Will you watch her for a minute. I have to pee." I say, sitting up and putting her closer to Matthew and leaving for a few minutes to give myself some time to myself before returning back to the bed and seeing Matthew and Mira interacting.

I stop at the door.

Watching.

It's amazing to see Mira's little hand reaching up to Matthew's unkempt beard and making those little noises. I don't miss the extra belly at all now. "Does she need to be changed?"

[Jack Lexington]

My eyesare glued to our baby girl, who is trying to follow our voices with her hazy blue eyes. Do all baby eyes look like that? Slightly greyish blue and a bit disoriented? I guess she still has to learn how to find the right person.

"Yeah, well, she's got her daddy's attitude. And she's always hungry..." Kyanite cheekily tells.
"The always hungry must be from you." I tease back even though usually I am the one with the big appetite. Things will change again now that my girl is no longer pregnant. Most likely she'll want to drop a few extra pounds.

"Will you watch her for a minute. I have to pee." She asks and I nod while I try to loosen those little fingers from my hair. Maybe it's getting too long if a newborn can hold on to it that easily.
Carefully I place my arm next to her so Mira can't roll off the bed and place my face on the matress next to hers.
I study all those tiny white spots on her immaculate skin. It's got no wrinkles, lines or scars. It's like a peach.

That's when I seeher mother looking back at us and urge her to do her business. "Go, we're fine. I got this."
I sound like the hero of a book, not a tired new dad laying in bed with his baby daugther but right now I feel like I've conquered Panem and won the games. This little girl makes life perfect.

"Does she need to be changed?" Kyanite asks but I have no idea so I stick my nose a little closer and raise my brows. "Maybe? Smells a little sour. She can wait until you're back though."
I tell her because the last thing I want is to make her start crying because she's getting cold because I take too long or do something wrong.

In the meantime I caress her little hand and look at the tiny fingers that hold on to anything you'll offer.

"That bath sounds like a good idea though. Family bath?" I call after her.

[*]

It is true that I didn't get very far at all. I can't just leave my little girl. She's the magnet that I'm attracted to. The need to never let her out of my sight is something that keeps drawing me in and I would wait a thousand years if I can just never let her go. Is this suppose to feel like this? Am I suppose to feel this clingy to someone so little that I only just met? Does she really need me every second of her life or am I just somehow becoming one of those new parents? I wish my mom was here to help me figure these things out like this. Did she do this with me?

"Go. We're fine. I got this." He mentions when he finds me watching them at the doorway. I grin heavily and slowly peel myself away from the door. The trip to the bathroom is quick. I don't want to have little Mira out of my sight at all. It's just this feeling that I can't let go of. Maybe it's something that makes me wonder if I leave her for too long that she'll disappear and all of this is simply a dream? That none of this is real?

"That bath sounds like a good idea though. Family bath?"

I shake my head and don't answer him and turn the water on to wash my hands and return a few moments later to see him laying in bed with Mira beside him. Her eyes afixed on something that is on him, but with one hand that is tangled in his hair, it's easy to see what's gotten her attention.

"Careful or she'll pull out your beautiful locks." I tease and lay back down in the bed easily and snuggle closer to the pair, giving Mira a kiss on the cheek. She reacts and slowly turns her head a little but makes a small whimpering noise and kicks her feet just a little. "Oh, the diaper." I grumble slightly and grimace to get up, walk over to the crib and get a diaper and the needed changing things. "Do you wanna change her or do you want me to?"

I question him, but that look on his face makes me wonder, so I just try to take the reigns. "You wanna give her a bath? She can't take a bath with us yet until her bellybutton heals up a bit more. Not to mention, she's like a bar of soap when she's all wet. I don't want to drop her." My fears of letting the baby slip in the bathtub is obvious, but with a yawn from the little girl it melts my heart and I kiss her tiny nose.

Just like that, the sour diaper is replaced with a fresh and dry one. She hardly cried, but settled nicely as I snap up her sleeper outfit. Slowly, I lay down again and get closer to the two of them and look from her to Matthew. Amazement runs deep for the pair. "Hmph... I can see whose taken my spot beside you. I'm a little jealous." I tease him, and stretch a little to capture his lips for a moment then rest my forhead on his.

[Jack Lexington]

It was way to cute to have my baby daughter next to me in bed scanning me with those cute blue eyes, her button nose and that fuzzy dark hair. Instant love would define it.
So I'm not unhappy when Kyanite tells me about the soap bar analogy, which made me chuckle and tickle Mira's feet. "Ey, little soapy!" Funny how I become all silly around the baby. Good thing nobody but my girl friend is watching.

Mira's fingers pulled hard on a strand of my hair, that really needs a cut. Instantly Ky jumpes on it telling me in that teasing tone. "Careful or she'll pull out your beautiful locks."
"Give me a few more weeks and I can braid it just like you." I smirk at her as I carefully pull the little baby fingers from his scalp.
"Would you like me to cut my hair, darling?" I mockingly ask before scooping up the now stinky Mira and rolling out of bed with her my arms.
" Here....show me how it's done again." I've long understood how to change a diaper but the stink and goo is far from my perfect early morning routine.

I hand the baby to her mother again but bravely follow her...more in search of a t- shirt than to change her.
Of course it sits right on the make shift changing table that wasn't completely ready just like her bed.
"I still have a present in the shed for you, you know. Maybe I can finish it today."
From behind her I place both hands on the changing table encircling her with my arms and place a kiss to her neck.
"You're one hot mama."
Another kiss follows.

[*]

"I still have a present in the shed for you, you know. Maybe I can finish it today." I look to him and raise an eyebrow. I still have no clue what it is that he's got or what he's made. I can only assume it's something for Mira maybe since he's been working on something for a while now. Things took a sharp stop when Mira was suddenly born though adn the last few days have been trying to adjust to our new life with a baby.

"Maybe you can, Matthew. I'm dying to know what it is." I say, feeling his arms surround me, with him behind me. Little Mira lays on the changing table and blinks heavily as if sleep was the only thing she wants to do. From behind, I hear Matthew whisper into my ear. The jolt of his breath tickling my ear sends a shiver down my spine and his lips touch the sensitive skin once again.

"Don't Matthew. That's what got us into trouble in the first place." I say but it's more in a teasing tone as I turn around and wrap my arms around his neck and look him in the eyes. I grin and then put a hand up to conceal a quick kiss to his lips. "Love how you are totally mine."

A dissatisfied grunt from behind me alerts us both that something bigger is now going to be part of our lives. The grunt turns into a small silent whimper that begs for attention. "Maybe she's hungry again. I don't know. She eats too much." I say and turn to the little girl and bend over slightly to get her attention.

"Little piggy. Why must you eat so much?"

That dissatisfied noise doesn't stop and slowly her face becomes a little red before her lip curls upward and a tiny cry starts to erupt from the little being. "Okay. Okay..." I reach over to pick her up and cradle her next to my chest and give her what she's wanting. I gently pat her bottom and keep her nestled near me when I look to Matthew. "Can we lay down for a little longer together?"

[Jack Lexington]

I'm pretty keen to finally finish the crib. It will be a good place for my daughter to sleep and will give me a bit more peace and quiet in my bed...well Kyanites bed. I already feel very much at home at her place and things between everybody living here work out well. Nobody is bothered by her midnight cries. The only thing that's still odd is that every now and then I look around in the hallway to the kitchen when I'm alone and remembered what happened there. I still feel aweful about it but remind myself that it might have saved Kanyites and Mira's life- so I take the suffering upon me and try to cope. Mostly it works.

Ky tears me out of my thought when she complains about Mira eating too much.
"That just means that she's healthy and growing. Look at her. Those cheeks are getting chubby." I gently reach around her to touch my daughter.

"Can we lay down for a little longer together?" She asks so I nod and with my arms wrapped around her crawl back into bed behind her watching the little girl suckle on her breast. I guess that's a whole new (or old) purpose for those puppies.

"I was a really fat baby apparently- at least my dad claims that. I can't wait for him to come by today when he's back from his trip."
My father hasn't even seen Mira yet. So I'm excited to show her off.
"I might also see Trinity- let her know." My gaze darkens slightly because I still haven't seen her child.
"Am I really such a terrible person that she has to keep her kid from me?"
I mean I see where she's coming from. For years I behaved like an ass and the bloodthirsty career might not be your ideal playmate. Maybe now things will change. Not sure if I still want that.

[*]

Matthew's arms wrap around me as I keep Mira close to me when she starts to suckle and take nurishment. She's never even disrupted when I crawl into bed and then situate her next to me with Matthew behind us. It's a good resting moment when I look down to the little girl whose eyes blink several time and those little lips move furiously trying to fill her belly. It's so weird how she just knows what to do. How she knows more than I do when it comes to this. Her very small hand stretches outward and then flexes when she lays it on my breast and acts as though it's a pillow, wanting to pull it toward her. I only shake my head and reach to her hand, letting her fingers curl around my pinky finger. It satitates her enough that she takes a heavy breath and her lips leave with a small 'pop'.

"Done?" I question her when her lips open wide, yawning. For a moment, I touch her bottom lip in the middle of her yawn and she quickly takes to finding my finger to suck on. "Guess not."

Once again, I prop her up against me again and listen to Matthew talk about his father coming to see Mira today. "I was a really fat baby apparently - at least my dad claims that. I can't wait for him to come by today when he's back from his trip."

"That'll be exciting. I hope he likes her. I hope he'll want to be around Mira cause she deserves a good grandfather in her life. She deserves a lot of good people in her life that will love her and protect her. Oh, and Nolan, too, Matthew. I'll have Jeran go get him tomorrow.

"I might also see Trinity - let her know. Am I really such a terrible person that she has to keep her kid from me?"

I might have to think about what's went on in his life, but he was only trying to protect her even though his sister didn't want it. It made it rough on him though but it wasn't all his fault either. His father played a role in pushing away the girl. So, I only shrug.

"You are not to blame, Matthew. And besides, people change you know? We all do. Maybe she'll finally grow up?" I try to settle that issue with him and like that, the suckling starts to stop yet again. Instead of being asleep, she just lays there and looks up at me and I flash a smile at her. In turn, she moves and stretches her entire body releasing herself from my breast and a small trial of milk falls down her chin. I'm eager to wipe it away and turn to Matthew. "Will you burp her, please. Much easier for you to get up then me."

I tap my baby girls cheek with my finger, feeling of those tiny little cheeks. Just like that her body starts to jerk slightly with hiccups, startling her into a silent cry.

"Aww... poor little Mira." I coo at her.

[Jack Lexington]

It makes me a little sad to know that Kyanite will not have her own father visit the baby. I don't even dare to ask whether she's been in touch since he got imprisoned. Somehow I feel a hint of sadness to know he won't ever see his grand child. Is he really such a bad person?



The question whether I am a bad person is answered as expected. Ky has much less doubts about my personality than me. "You are not to blame, Matthew. And besides, people change you know? We all do. Maybe she'll finally grow up?"
"Maybe she'll see I have. i wish I could have talked to her when she came to visit me in the hospital. I had no idea she even came. Nobody told me." It's a bit of a regret that my girl friend chose not to tell me.

Our baby girl finishes her nutricious meal (that I kind of envy her for) so I smile at Ky. "At least I get to look at those puppies- they are pretty big now." Am I going too far or is it okay to joke about her boobs.

She hands me the cute satisfied baby so I sit u and place her with her stomach on my shoulder holding her head that's still rolling around as if she was drunk.
Then I gently tap her back when she starts crying a little. It's the cutest heart melting sound that I've ever heard and instantly make me want to soothe her so I get up and move around bouncing her up and down a bit. "Why do people do that?" It seems like a natural instinct, even for me.
It takes a bit of endurance but finally a huge burp makes its way out those small lips.
"Oi! Wow, you learned from the best." I raise my brows at Kyanite.
"Holy shit. How can such a little girl make such sounds?"
I can already see her wear plaid shirts and sling an axe rather than playing princess in a pretty pink dress.

[*]

The hiccups sound so sweet for such a tiny little baby. I can recall similar things when she was still in my stomach and she would have the hiccups. Guess she'll always get them. Matthew is all to eager to take care of her so he bends over and I help him scoop her up into his arms and slowly he places her nearer to his neck and her whole body keeps that coiled up position like she was used to for so long. In his arms and hands, she is completely taken over. I can barely see her when he pats her cause she's just slightly larger than his hand. I'm in complete awe as she takes to the burping with hatred because she starts to cry and the sound is just enough to make me pout and pucker out my bottom lip to her discomfort. Poor Mira!

"I wonder when she'll get enough strength in her neck to keep her head from doing that?" I question outloud cause she looks and feels so fragile as a tiny baby. Her skin looks so new and fresh without a single mark or scratch on it. It almost still don't feel real to have this little person in our lives.

Yet, she doesn't stop crying so Matthew manuevers himself out of our bed and I let my eyes stay on him and her. I watch his every movement; from getting up to standing. I'm jealous that he's taking care of her instead of me, but I still feel sore and tired to get up every time. Though, he seems to get the hang of it a little now. He starts to bounce with her tucked away tightly in his grasp. The discomfort is suddenly released with a giant burp and I instantly let out a bout of laughter to see Matthew's face.

"Oi! Wow, you learned from the best. Holy shit. HOw can such a little girl make such sounds?" I shake my head and tuck my eyes into my pillow for a moment and when I turn back to them, I watch with so much love at Matthew talking to her and coo'ing to her in a tone that doesn't scare nothing. He's taken to his new role so fast. I love it.

"I have no clue. She's got your genes of course. Predisposition for 10 point belches?" I tell him and pull the shirt up onto my shoulders and then the blanket to cover me. A small bit of a chill overcomes me.

"She's looks good with you. You know that right? Maybe... there are more to life than the games and everything. Training... You think she's going to want to train when she gets older? Or should I teach her how to just be a little girl until she decides?"

Mira's head pushes away from Matthew's shoulder and then falls back down a moment later until she gets to a position that she's looking up at him and her hand extends and I see her fingers latch on to a bit of his shirt and the grip looks almost death-like. "Daddy's girl already."

[Jack Lexington]

I catch a brief glance that Ky is giving me when I hold Mira and talk to her while I cradle her in my seemingly giant paw. There's so much love in it that suddenly I know. This baby has made us a unit. We're all melted into one. It feels good , much unlike before when it was just me, so I smile at her and mouth. "I love you!"

"She's looks good with you. You know that right? Maybe... there are more to life than the games and everything. Training... You think she's going to want to train when she gets older? Or should I teach her how to just be a little girl until she decides?"

"I don't now what she'll do but I want her save. It'll be hard to let her do whatever she pleases. One thing i know is that I'm going to teach her to kick some ass in case she has to. Nobody can do to her what you've been through."
We both know what that means. I'm sure Kyanite will tell her everything once she's old enough and enable her to withstand such horrors.
"You'll be a great mom. You'll do what's right for her."

Her head wiggles around make me catch it with a gently hand that cups it to my shoulder.
"She'llneed to be able to win the games if she gets reaped, you know that, right?" Not that I want to turn our baby girl into a bad career but I want her to be as able to fight and defend herself as she can.
"And she will, look at you. Strong woman!"

She watches us for a moment and then comments with a smile. "Daddy's girl already."
I look down at the tiny face and how her eyes aren't really able to focus on anything yet.
"You think?" A brief kiss is placed on her cheek but my beard is scratching her delicate skin so the baby makes a face. With my thumb it sooth her skin as if I've never doen anything else.
"Yep, I think mommy's right. You've got me wrapped around those tiny fingers." I rub my thumb over all five of them. They are about the same size as the front of it.

"Let's go and get some breakfast, Ky." My stomach has been starting to rumble a while ago.

So we make our way down to the kitchen in nothing but boxers and a t-shirt. bare feet are pading against the hard wood floors that are now stain less and for a change don't remind us of what happened in the hallway.

I sit down on one of the kitchen chairs while Mira rests her head against my shoulder. Her eyes have drifted closed.
"She must be the cutest thing I've ever seen." I whisper so I don't disturb her sleep.

"Can I get some coffee and toast, please? Or do you want me to suckle a little, too." There's a sheepish grin playing on my lips.

[*]

So, he finally admitted it. He knows that Mira's got him wrapped around her finger. Completely hers, no doubt about that. The way she's taken to him like that, I know she can tell who exactly he is to her. She's heard his voice so many times when she was growing inside of me. The nurses have told me that she can hear and recognise voices while she's in the womb and more than likely I believe that now as she seems completely at ease with him. She's got a death grip on his shirt as if to say to him to never let her go.

"I totally think so." I tell him, agreeing with what he thinks. Though, she's not to keen on his scratchy beard cause I can see her face tense up when he did that and how he smoothed away the pain that she might have felt. Her skin is so new and delicate. I'm sure anything would bother her. I keep myself fully under the covers though enjoying the warmth and lazy moments of the day. I could even go for some more shuteye when Matthew suggests something else and I mentally groan, but outwardly just grin at him. Life just isn't about me anymore.

"Let's go and get some breakfast, Ky." With a small groan of displeasure, I slowly peel the blankets off my body and sit up, stretching and watching Matthew starts to walk to the door with Mira on his shoulder.

"Okay. I'm coming. Wait for me." I get up and put my slippers on, pulling a housecoat over my body and reach Matthew as we go down the stairs. I take the step behind him so that I can make faces at Mira while we descend them, but her eyes are heavy already so she doesn't seem to acknowledge me much. Instead, her eyes close before we reach the bottom steps and in the kitchen, Matthew sits and pats her on her back only to realize she's fallen asleep.

"She must be the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"She is." I agree and walk over to him and Mira to place a kiss upon her head. She never arouses.

"Can I get some coffee and toast, please? Or do you want me to suckle a little, too."

I give him that 'You got to be kidding me' look when he asked that. I also get the little flirtatious joke and decide to play along, too.

"Oh, sure. I do all the work only a few days ago and today you want me to do more work? The nerve of you, Matthew!" I tease him heartily. To be honest, it feels good to get up and move around a bit, so the task won't be harrowing at all. "Just make sure to let her sleep if you insist on having some coffee." I flash him a quaint little smile and slowly move to the bread box and pull out some slices and get to work on preparing some coffee. The sound of the drink makes me crave the mornings I used to have a couple years ago when I was routinely up at five to hit the gym. Those days when I first had met Matthew. I don't know if I want to go back to those days, but I know these new ones will never be the same.

Mira's made sure of that.

"What are you doing over there, my love?" I turn to look over at him thinking that he's making noises that are going to wake her up, but instead I see that the noise is coming from Mira, herself. "Wow. She snores. Only with you... you might have yourself a little tomboy over there. She can beat you when it comes to burps... snores. What else is she going to do, daddy? What are you teaching her when I am not in the room?"

I grab the toast up and get the butter from the fridge and some jam as well and sit it on the table and sit down next to them. "My little precious." I reach out to stroke Mira's back and just revel in the joys it is to have someone like her in my life. "Thank you, Matthew."

[Jack Lexington]

Ky comes over to stroke the baby's back and kiss me.
"For getting you pregnant? You're welcome. I'm ready to volunteer anytime you want. Maybe do a few more practise runs first..." I can help my cheeky remarks after the boob joke.

Ky gives me that warning look and returns to the toaster.

With Mira on my chest I lean my back against the wooden back rest of the chair and watch Kyanite prepare coffee and toast. She still walks a little hunched over as if she was still pregnant although her belly has shrunk to half the size it was when Mira was still in there. Maybe she's still uncomfortable. "Are you still sore?" I wonder because I wouldn't have the slightest clue what it feels like after giving birth.

Absentmindedly I run my hand over Mira's fuzzy hair when somebody suddenly rings the bell.
"Who's that?" I wonder and get up with Mira on my arm. I walk as if I'm carrying raw eggs but who is at the door damn near makes me drop her. It feels like jolt of adrenalin when I lay eyes on HER. For years I haven't seen her, nor spoken to her and there she is. Trinity.
At first she looks at me with what could be defined as a stern, hard expression but then she forces a smile on her lips. Her blue eyes, that look just like our mothers, flicker over to the tiny baby in my arms, and the smile becomes genuine.
"Hi Matthew." She says and I can tell she's having just as much of a hard time as I am.
"Trinity." I answer and look at her with a mixture of confusion and insecurity. What does she want here? Do I want her to be here and see my daughter when she excluded me from her sons life?

I'm frozen to the spot but also force a slight smile on my face. "So dad told you?"
"Yes, he did." To my great surprise she tears her eyes away from Mira and looks at me instead. "How are you? You look good, all grown up. Better than last time I saw you." She bites her lips clearly insecure.
I think she's talking about her visit at the hospital.
"I heard you came to visit. Thank you. I'm good now."

I still don't know whether I want her to leave or not but somehow it feels good to see her.

[*]

"For getting you pregnant? You're welcome. I"m ready to volunteer anytime you want. Mayb do a few more practice runs first..." I stop in midstep when he mentions that and the death glare comes out for him and him alone.

"Really, Matthew? Well... practice runs only cause if I end up pregnant again, you're dead, mister. Hear me? It's going to be a LONG time before I go through all that again." I feel very strong about that and that's only if we decide to do this again? What can happen though between us? Will it go beyond Mira? Will we stay together for a long while? Can we do this? I return to the toaster and hear Matthew ask if I'm doing well. I shrug a bit but clarify.

"I'll be fine in no time." I nod and mess with the toaster settings when there is a ring. Matthew's already asking who it is and then gets up with Mira to go check the door. Maybe it's Gala or Nolan coming to see the little one already? The minute he's out of the kitchen, I place two more peices of bread in the toaster and take the two that are done to the table where Matthew will be sitting. From the livingroom, I can hear the voice of a woman and Matthew talking but it doesn't sound like anyone I know.

Curiosity spikes.

"Who is it Matthew?" I curiously ask as I start to head in the direction of the front door and when I turn the corner, I can see the face of the girl that I detest. I know I've told Matthew not to be like her, but I also told him that there would be no promises that I would be happy to see her. I just want him to be happy and to see his nephew. That means I'm going to have to deal with her. I cross the livingroom and walk beside Matthew and look to Mira, whose still asleep.

"Hello." I say, a bit more bitter than I expected and just stand there beside Matthew while my gaze turns from Mira to his sister. "what brings you here? Is Matthew's father coming, too?" I question her and instantly begin to look behind her half expecting their father to be lagging behind or something. When I don't see him, I turn to Matthew.

"Here. Let me take Mira so you can talk to your sister." I reach up and scoop Mira up into my arms. Only when Mira is in my arms does his sister seem to want to ward away any bad feelings.

"You don't have to leave us. I came to see both, well, all three of you. If that's okay?" I hear her words, but why would she want to come see Matthew's child when she wouldn't let him see hers?

"... I think you and Matthew need to visit first before Mira is ready. Matthew, I'll be right back. She's wet." I do have a pleasant voice, but that's only because Mira's sleeping and I don't feel like being too rude. I'll wait for Matthew's judgement on this one and whether she's here to make amends or just be here on her own nosey behavior. Who knows?

"She's pretty, Matthew. When was she born?" I hear her ask as I turn the corner and stay within earshot of the duo.