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Thea
Two days later, and it’s time to go home.
With a baby.
I brush my teeth and change my clothes. I need a shower, desperately, but I’m waiting until I get home. I pull my dirty hair into a ponytail and call it a job well done.
I enter the room and find Xander dressing Xael in her going home outfit—a cute sleeper with unicorns on it, and then swaddling her in the lemon swaddle Rae got her.
I sit down on the bed as he picks her back up, rocking her in his arms.
The nurse comes in with the discharge papers. “You
can’t send me home with her,” I plead. “I killed a hamster once. You can’t send me home with a baby. Tell her, Xander.”
He chuckles, rocking the baby. “We’ve got this,” he tells the nurse. “Ignore her.”
My jaw drops. “You’re no help.”
“You’re going to be fine,” the nurse assures me, patting my hand.
She goes over the papers I need to sign and then she helps us put the baby in the car seat so that we know we have her buckled in properly.
She brings in a wheelchair to take me out, which I find completely unnecessary but she insists it’s protocol.
That leaves Xander to carry the baby carrier and our stuff.
Thankfully, I didn’t over pack … for once.
Once outside, Xander sets down the carrier with Xael and goes to get the car.
She fusses and I bend down, popping her binky back in her mouth. She sucks on it, but I know she’s getting hungry. Breastfeeding is hard, and even though it’s only been two days I’m close to giving up. My nipples hurt.
Xander brings the car up to the front and hops out. He grabs the carrier and the nurse helps him make sure it’s locked into the base properly. Once Xael is in he helps me to sit beside her.
“Good luck, guys.” The nurse waves goodbye.
Xander gets in the car and looks at me in the rearview mirror. “We’re going home with a baby. This is crazy.”
“It does feel weird,” I agree as he pulls out.
He drives way more cautious than normal and it takes a full forty minutes to get home instead of twenty.
When we get there he pulls into the garage and kills the engine. Normally, we’d hear Prue barking but Jace and Nova took her for the last couple of days, and they’ll be dropping her off later. We gave them one of the baby’s blankets that she’s been using so that Prue could get used to the smell. I have no idea if it’ll actually help, but it made me feel better.
Xander opens my door and helps me out and then gets the baby.
Watching him carry our baby into the house makes me fall in love with him all over again. Anytime he does anything new with our daughter I love him more. It’s such a unique thing, seeing him with her.
He sets the carrier down on the floor and bends, getting her out. I sit on the couch and he hands her to me so I can feed her.
“Are you okay?” he asks and I nod. “I’m going to go shower. I won’t be gone long.”
“We’ll be fine here, won’t we, pretty girl?” I ask Xael. She looks up at me, already eating. I give him a thumbs up. “Go. But I’m next,” I warn. “I smell gross.”
He chuckles and smacks a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be quick, promise.”
He bounds up the stairs and Xael and I are left alone.
