This Is My Love

"Though the passing of my beloved mother, Bernadette, was hard on my family, with one loved one taken, another was given, and my wife and I are over joyed to announce the birth of our daughter, little Bernadette Lana, which took place today at 1:23 PM at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Both of my girls are healthy, happy and currently resting up until they are allowed to return home in a day or two. We would like to thank everyone who has wished us well and would like everyone to know that we are ecstatic to be the parents of this beautiful little baby girl, and that a photo will be released for all of our loyal fans by the end of the day. Thank you and God bless."

"Where's my grand daughter?"
I smiled at Pete Senior as he poked his head into the hospital room I was moved to after being stitched up and breast feeding little Bernie for the first time. He stepped through the doorway, my dad behind him, before walking over and giving Pete a huge hug, whispering a soft congratulations from over his shoulder.
"She's right here, grandpa. She just got done eating," I stated through a smile. Pete senior smiled wide and sighed contentedly while my dad walked over to the side of my bed and bent down before placing a kiss on the top of my head.
"Hey, pops," I greeted him. He smiled and ran his hand down the back of my head.
"Hey, honey dew." He looked down to little Bernie and his smile grew. As he gazed down at her, her little face scrunched up and her little hand resting by her cheek, his eyes began to shine with pride as tears formed and ran down his cheeks. Pete walked over to the side of my bed and placed his hand on little Bernie's head before looking up to my dad.
"Mr. Aniani, would you like to hold your granddaughter?" Pete asked my dad with a smile. My dad nodded his head excitedly. Pete slid his hands under Bernie and I transferred her into his arms before watching as he walked around to the other side of my bed and up to my dad. My dad positioned his arms for Pete to place little Bernie in and Pete carefully placed her in them. Once she was safely in his arms, he looked down into her face and smiled.
"Oh, honey dew. She's so perfect," he whispered before leaning in a little closer to her. "Hello, mo`opuna. Hello, beautiful."
I smiled as I watched my dad, his face full of love and pride, gently rub his nose back and forth against little Bernie's, making me giggle and my heart swell. Pete Senior walked over to them and looked at little Bernie over my dad's shoulder. A large smile look over his face and he cooed.
"She looks just like you, Ano," he spoke softly. I giggled and looked over to Pete.
"I think she looks like Pete," I replied. "She has his eyes."
My dad nodded his head in agreement and looked up to me.
"She does. I think she has the best of both of you. She's incredible," he stated. Pete and I smiled softly before Pete bent down and placed a kiss on my lips.
"So, what's her name?" Pete Senior asked. Pete smiled at me again before looking over to his dad.
"Ano named her," he informed him before gesturing for me to tell him. I glanced at the baby in my dad's arms and smiled before looking over to Pete Senior.
"Her name's Bernadette. Bernadette Lana Hernandez," I whispered. A large smile spread across Pete Senior's face and his placed his hand over his heart.
"Really?" He asked. I nodded my head and smiled softly.
"Really," I replied. Pete Senior looked from me, to little Bernie, then back to me before walking over to the side of my bed. He bent down and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight.
"This would have made Bernie so happy," he whispered. "It makes me so happy. Thank you, Ano."
Tears began to prick at the corners of my eyes and I nodded my head.
"I wish she was here, is all. But at least this way our daughter will never forget her grandmother."
Pete Senior sighed contentedly before pulling back from the hug but staying bent over me. He wiped away a few tears that had fallen from his eyes and chuckled lightly.
"You're such a sweet girl, Ano. I'm so happy to have you as a daughter in law," he whispered before placing a kiss on my forehead and smiling. "Congratulations."
I smiled and thanked him before looking back up to my dad, who was gently rocking little Bernie back and forth in his arms. He looked over to me and smiled.
"Lana, huh?" He asked. I nodded my head.
"Yeah. She hasn't cried since coming out. She just... Chills," I informed him and giggled. My dad chuckled before looking back down into little Bernie's face.
"Calm as still waters... It definitely fits," he whispered with a smile.

I woke that evening to Pete's quiet voice. I opened my eyes and looked to my left to see Pete standing a couple feet from my bed, little Bernie in his arms. He was gently rocking her back and forth and talking to her, little Bernie's eyes open and fixed on her daddy's face. He hadn't realized I had woken, so I didn't speak, I just laid there and listened to him talk to our daughter.
"... And who was sitting in the studio but your mommy? I went to hug her, because I had missed her so much, and you know what she did?" He paused for a moment and laughed to himself as he thought of the memory. "She slapped me right across my face! But I didn't blame her. I would have been angry, too. But I wasn't going to give up, because your mommy has been the love of my life since the moment I saw her. So, I went after her when she ran out of the room and begged for her to forgive me. After I explained that I didn't forget about her, and why I stopped calling, she decided to give me another chance. So, I took her on a date, and it was incredible. I couldn't believe how happy I was to have her back. She was just as incredible as I'd remembered, and so beautiful. But daddy was an idiot and forgot he still had a girlfriend. He forgot a lot of things when your mommy was around. And she was very angry when she found out."
"But she forgave him," I whispered, catching Pete by surprise. He turned to look at me and smiled softly.
"She did... And thank goodness, too, because daddy doesn't know what he would have done if she didn't," he spoke gently. I sat up in my hospital bed and sighed.
"Neither does mommy."