Love Me Until My Heart Stops

“Are you excited to be getting out of here?” Gerard posed gently as he padded around the hospital room, gathering the selection of gifts that had been left behind by the raft of visitors that had frequented the hospital room in the two days since Ava had been born. It had been precautionary, with Ava having arrived ahead of schedule, the midwife had wanted to keep her and Esmé in for a couple of days, but Gerard was relieved that they were being allowed home. He had missed them in the few hours that he had taken to catch up with his sleep.

“I’ve missed eating decent food” Esmé noted gently, a small smile on her face “And I miss our bed. This one isn’t nearly half as comfortable” she added.

“That’s because it doesn’t have me for you to cuddle into” Gerard smirked, placing another stuffed animal into a bag.

“You keep on thinking that” Esmé teased, wrapping her cardigan around her shoulders.

“You can pretend that you haven’t missed me, but I know you have” he quipped with a grin as he placed the bag on the side of the bed, moving to place his arms around her “You always miss me when I am not around” he smirked.

Esmé smiled a little and relaxed into his hug, enjoying the small moment of peace. “For what it is worth, I have missed you too. Our bed seems awfully empty when you’re not there” he mused, offering her a tentative squeeze. Esmé smiled gently at his comment and leant over her shoulder, placing a kiss on his lips before Ava let out a cry. Gerard smiled. “I’ll take diaper duty this time around. Why don’t you choose an outfit for her from the extensive range of baby clothes that people seemed to think we hadn’t bought?” he mused.

Esmé nodded. “I think I can handle that” she commented before she padded away, allowing Gerard to move over to where Ava laid, her tiny arms and legs flailing as she whimpered and whined. Gerard smiled a little at the sight of her before he gently leant down, lifting her up into his arms. “You’ve already got your mama’s pout down” he mused as he collected a blanket from the edge of the bed, gently wrapping it around her “Don’t ever tell her, but that’s one of the reasons I liked her so much” he whispered, pressing a kiss to Ava’s head.

“You know I can hear you right?” Esmé quipped from the other side of room, a smile on her face.

Gerard nodded. “I am perfectly aware” he smiled as he laid Ava down on her changing mat.

Esmé shook her head gently before she looked at the scene ahead of her. She doubted she would ever tire of watching her husband with their daughter.

~#~
“She’s still so little” Eloisa whispered as she cuddled her niece close, her eyes studying the little girl intently. Her early arrival had been surprise, Eloisa and Ella had been almost certain that any child of Esmé’s would be late just like their mother was to anything and everything, but that didn’t mean it was any less welcome. Ava was a wonderful addition to the family and Eloisa, like Ella and their mother, couldn’t quite get over how beautiful Ava was.

“She’s two days old” Esmé commented from her spot in the armchair “She’s not going to have miraculously grown” she added.

Eloisa offered her sister a glare before she turned back to fussing over Ava.

“I cannot believe you have one of those” Martin teased from his spot behind his wife, his eyes peeking over at Esmé and Gerard.

Gerard lifted an eyebrow. “Did you not think we would have one?” he posed.

Martin shrugged. “Esmé never quite struck me as the motherly type” he noted gently “When I first met her, she was flitting from job to job and seemed unlikely to ever settle down, but then she met you and Cesc and things suddenly changed. She became this wonderfully together young woman and suddenly it seemed as though she could never go any other way” he grinned.

“Martin” Esmé cooed.

The older man shrugged. “You’ve grown up a lot in the last few years and I know that I might not be your actual brother, but I am very proud to have met you” he enthused.

Esmé grinned and padded up towards her brother-in-law, wrapping him in a tight hug.

Eloisa rolled her playfully. “He never says such sweet things to me” she teased.

“She never hugs me like that” Gerard returned with a playful smile before Ava let out a small whimper, drawing her father’s attention to her. “I think someone needs her nap” he mused as he carefully stepped across to Eloisa, gently taking Ava into his arms “I’ll put her upstairs” he added with a look towards Esmé who smiled back at him.

“Dulces sueños” Esmé mused as she pressed a kiss to Ava’s head “Bring the monitor back with you?” she posed.

Gerard smiled. “I’ve got this” he insisted gently before he padded out of the room.

Eloisa grinned after him. “You two seem to be coping well” she mused as she padded up beside her sister.

Esmé nodded. “It’s a little strange” she admitted gently “I mean, I love having her here, she’s wonderful, but it’s a bit of a shock to the system. One second, it was just me and him and now we have this beautiful little girl. It’s going to take some getting used to” she admitted gently.

“You seem to be handling it awfully well for two people who have little to no experience” Eloisa contributed.

Esmé shrugged. “I don’t know about that” she murmured.

Eloisa rolled her eyes. “You’re doing really well, Esmé. You and Gerard are like a well-oiled machine and Ava is a lucky girl to have two parents who are so in love with her” she enthused, wrapping her little sister in a sideward hug.

Esmé smiled. “Gracias, Eloisa” she mused.

Eloisa shook her head. “No problem” she mused “But I will expect a similar speech when me and Martin decide the time is right to give you another niece or nephew” she teased.

“You have my word” Esmé smiled before she pulled her sister into a hug, grateful for her calming words.