If You Love Me

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Gerard stretched his feet out of ahead of him, trying to loosen a few of his muscles. It had a been a long day, with Nora having gone into labour the previous evening and Alba arriving in the middle of the morning, it had been a while since Gerard had had the opportunity to relax, but with both Nora and Alba doing well and sleeping, Gerard had managed to calm himself down a little, something which relieved, even if he had been confident that things would be fine, he was pleased to see that both of his girls seemed to be doing alright.

Stretching his arms up, he allowed a soft yawn to fall out of his mouth before the sound of Alba’s stirring reached ears, causing him to shuffle forwards in his seat, his blue eyes settling on the little girl who laid in the bassinette beside Nora’s bed, her blue eyes peeking up at him.

Quirking a small tired smile, he admired her briefly before he reached his hand out, lightly brushing her stomach. “What are you doing up, eh?” he whispered, smoothing out the material of the onesie she wore “Your mama only got you to sleep a little while ago” he mumbled, his smile widening a little as the word ‘mama’ fell out of his mouth. It was a strange sensation, the idea that he and Nora were parents felt a little surreal to him, but he knew that he wouldn’t have changed it. Alba was beautiful, she was tiny and delicate, and Gerard was smitten with her.

Alba stirred quietly for a couple of seconds, her blue eyes staring around the room, before she let out a small cry, something which caused Gerard to lean forwards, gently lifting her up into his arms. “What’s wrong, eh?” he murmured as he padded back towards his seat, gingerly sitting down “Your mama only fed you a little while ago and we changed your nappy not long after that” he added, brushing her back soothingly.

Alba grumbled slightly, letting out another quiet cry, before she let out a soft yawn, something which made Gerard smile softly. “You just wanted to keep papa on his toes, didn’t you?” he mused quietly, gently adjusting the hat which had been placed on the top of her tufts of brown hair. Alba shifted a little more, getting closer to his chest, before she quietly fell asleep, something which made him shake his head. “I am so doomed” he mused to himself with a small laugh.

“You probably are”

Gerard, who’d been watching Alba sleep against his chest, flinched at the sound of Nora’s voice before he lifted his head, offering her a small smile. “You think so?” he quipped.

Nora, who’d moved to sit up slightly, nodded. “She’s already got you wrapped around her little finger and she’s only a few hours old” she pointed out.

Gerard scoffed playfully. “It’s not my fault that we made such an adorable baby” he retorted warmly.

Nora rolled her eyes at his reply before she dropped her stare, settling it on Alba who slept happily in his arms. “Is she Ok?” she posed quietly.

Gerard smiled a little at the concern in her voice before he nodded his head, gently moving to take a seat on the edge of the bed. “She’s fine” he noted “She woke up and was a little grumbly, but I think she was just looking for a little attention. She fell back to sleep pretty quickly” he added, carefully adjusting his arms.

Nora offered him a soft look, wordlessly asking if he was sure, before she moved to rest her head against his shoulder, something which caused Gerard to turn his head, placing a light kiss against her temple. “I love you” he murmured “And I am so proud of you. You did so well, nena, you were so brave, and I couldn’t be prouder” he added.

Nora’s cheeks warmed softly at his words before she turned her head, kissing his shoulder softly. “I love you too” she mused.

Gerard smiled at her reply before he flicked his attention back towards Alba, allowing a quiet to settle over them for a few moments. He knew that it wouldn’t last, eventually, the peace which had settled over the hospital room would be broken by phone calls and visiting relatives who were all likely to be itching to meet the new arrival, but Gerard was keen to make the most of it, not wanting to share either Nora or Alba until it was entirely necessary.

Nora, who was rested against him, leant back a little, admiring the sight of Gerard and Alba together for a moment before she carefully nudged his shoulder. “You’re going to have to make a few calls” she noted, disturbing the comfortable silence which filled the room.

“I know that I am” Gerard replied “I mean, I know that I have to let everyone know that everything is over and that Alba arrived safely, but I know that as soon as I do, people are going to want to start showing up and right now, that’s the last thing that I want. She’s only a few hours old, Nora, and the last thing that I want is to be pushed aside so soon by cooing grandmothers” he added, his blue eyes mirroring hers.

He knew that it was something he had to do, with him having alerted their families to the news that Nora had gone into labour, he knew that he had to let them know that everything had gone to plan, but he wanted to put it off for as long as he could, wanting to enjoy the little time he had with Nora and Alba before their families descended upon them.

Nora looked up at him, not missing the soft expression he wore, before she quirked a small smile. “We can probably afford to take a little more time, just me, you and baby, but you know that you have to call them eventually, right? Even if you do just tell them that Alba’s here and she’s healthy, you will have to call them” she noted.

Gerard nodded his head. “Of course I know that” he noted “But right now, I just want to marvel at the fact that we’re parents without anyone else around. We’ve got a baby, Nora, a beautiful little baby” he fussed, a familiar soft smile on his lips.

Nora marveled at his smile, noting that it hadn’t slipped off of his face since Alba had arrived, before she nodded her head, moving to lift Alba up into her arms. Gerard watched her take the baby before he leant back slightly, admiring the two of them together. He knew that it was going to take some work, with Alba around, it was going to take some time for things to settle down, but Gerard was sure that they’d figure things out. He and Nora seemed good at figuring things out as they went.