February 19th

Jonathan’s hands were damp from anxiousness as he raced from the elevator to his condo door. With one swift movement, he unlocked the door and was inside. He set his bag down quietly and looked around. Other than a few things, the condo was relatively the same. There was still a teal and black blanket that Jonathan detested draped on the couch. The coffee table was scattered with magazines and a pink rag. Jonathan walked down the dark hallway that was only illuminated by the moonlight.

The slightly ajar door to the master bedroom squeaked as he pushed it back. There, on the bed, was his beautiful wife and next to her, in a crib, was his brand new baby girl; both were sleeping. He had missed the birth of his first child due to an away game in Vancouver. He booked the first flight home, but was held up in Minnesota due to a snow storm. Now, at the ungodly hour of 3:34 a.m. almost 3 days after she was born, he was meeting her for the first time.

First, he kneeled next to his wife and brushed a few strands of her auburn hair away from her face. He pressed his warm lips to her forehead and whispered an ‘I love you’. He then stood up and turned his attention to the brown and pink crib, temporarily placed in their room. He looked down at the little human being he helped create, taking in all of her tiny features. The little wisps of brown hair, his lips, her mother’s nose.

“You can pick her up you know.” Jonathan turned around to see Brynleigh on her side, her head propped up on an elbow.

“I’m kind of scared.” He confessed.

“It’s okay.” She got up and put a hand on his shoulder. Jonathan smiled and picked up his little girl. She stirred in his arms and yawned. “Do you want to feed her? It’s almost been 2 hours since she last had a bottle.”

“Can I?” Jonathan looked enthusiastically at his wife.

“Jonathan, she’s your daughter. Of course you can.” Brynleigh giggled.

“Okay…” He followed her out to the kitchen.

“Take a seat on the couch. I’ll warm out the bottle and bring it to you.” Jonathan watched as his wife sauntered away. Somehow being pregnant has done more good to her than most other women. His daughter shifted in his arms, this is when he noticed that Brynleigh had dressed the newborn in a Blackhawks onsie and she was wrapped in a homemade white with red embroidered blanket that was most likely made by Abby Sharp.

“Hi baby girl…sorry I couldn’t make it to your big day, but you couldn’t wait a few days?” Jonathan spoke to the baby in his arms.

“She loves being talked to.” Brynleigh sat down and handed Jonathan the slightly warm, tiny bottle of milk.

“I can tell.” Jonathan held the bottle to the little girl’s pink lips and she began sucking instinctively. “Sorry I wasn’t here, babe. I was a nervous wreck the whole time.”

“How do you think I felt?” She laughed.

“I’m sure Abby was more help than I could have been.”

“Probably.” She laughed again. Jonathan has missed that laugh. He hated leaving on road trips, especially when he has to miss something so important. Technically, the baby was supposed to be born until later that morning, but she jumped the gun.

“Kaner wants to see her first thing in the morning.”

“That’s fine. It’s important for her to meet her godfather.”

“I can’t believe I’d ever see the day.”

“You agreed he’d be a great godfather.”

“That I did but was it necessary for us to name her middle name after him?”

“Yes, it’s beautiful.” Brynleigh was so proud of the name they had picked.

“Of course it is, you picked it. Rosalie Kainen-Taylor Toews.” Jonathan smiled, speaking his daughter’s name. “Born February 19th at 6 pounds 3 ounces…” He teared up. “So beautiful.”