The Good Life

“Mr. Jonas?”

I heard someone whispering my name. I slowly opened my eyes, careful not to move too much and wake up Kayden next to me. Her head rested under my chin, her breath lightly hitting my neck.

“Mr. Jonas?” I looked at the foot of the bed where a nurse stood smiling widely, patting my leg. We had been her for almost a week and the same nurse has been with us through the whole time. Her name was Bridget and she had just graduated from college and getting her nursing career started. “Bridget. How many times do I have to tell you that my name is Joe?”

She smiled. “Well, Joe, I have something to show you.” She whispered. I looked at her expectedly and she walked towards the door with a finger pressed to her lips. “Come on. And be quiet.” I slowly peeled myself away from Kayden and followed Bridget down the hall. “What do you have to show me?” I asked her. She never answered my question but she kept walking.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and stayed behind her. She led me into a room that held too many crying babies. She weaved through the small cradles holding the babies and then she stopped and picked up a little pink bundle. “McKenna.” I whispered.

She was crying. Actually, crying was an understatement, she was wailing her lungs out. Bridget faced me and held out her arms. “She’s all yours.” I held my arms out softly picking up my daughter and cradling her in my arms. “McKenna, baby, shh…daddy’s here.” I cooed to her.

Her cries died down a bit but they still echoed through the room and I softly began to sing to her. Her big green eyes stared up and me and her crying stopped abruptly. She kept her eyes on mine, completely intrigued. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.

“Wow.” Bridget’s voice pulled me out of my trance. I glanced up at her for a second. “That has got to be the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. She just stopped.” I smiled and looked back down at McKenna who was perfectly content, sitting in my arms, her big eyes wondering around the room. “You want to bring her to Kayden?” she asked lightly.

I smiled and shook my head. “Yeah.” She walked in front of me, pushing the small cradle as I carried McKenna back to the room. Bridget wheeled the cradle against the wall and walked out the door, shutting it softly behind her.

Kayden still laid asleep on the bed and I walked over carefully sitting on the bed and laying down next to her, she snuggled her body closer to mine and supporting Mckenna with one arm I softly stroked her cheek, “Kayden, wake up, baby, I want you to meet someone.” Her eyes lazily opened. “Joe.” She groaned. I smiled “Kayden, look at me.” She turned and looked up, meeting my eyes. “Kayden, I want you to meet McKenna.” I smiled. Her eyes widened with realization and she looked in my arms. “McKenna.” She breathed. “She’s okay.” She whispered. I nodded, “She’s all ours.”

I softly picked her up and placed her in Kayden’s arms. I watched the two while they just stared at each other. Both of their eyes locked, a silent communication passing through them. They were mother and daughter. An unbreakable bond forming that would always exist between the two. The sincerity and power of the moment brought tears to my eyes.

Kayden’s trance was only broken when she heard me attempt to sniff back tears. Her eyes were locked on mine before I knew it. She laid her hand over mine, “Joe?” She studied my face, eyebrows pulled together. “What is it?” I shook my head and ran my thumb along her jaw, kissing her forehead. “Nothing, just you two…you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. I have my own family now.” I said my voice cracking. I didn’t understand why I was so emotional. But it was just like everything hit me at once.

She leaned into me and kissed the couple of stray tears sliding down my cheeks. “I love you.” She whispered onto my lips. I pressed my lips against hers and trailed kisses to her ear. “I love you.” I lifted my arm and draped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me, McKenna laying safely in her arms, both of us silently watching her, smiles plastered on our faces. I saw her eyes getting heavy and softly laid my hand on her tiny frame. Her eyes opened again and she reached up and wrapped her tiny fingers around my pinky finger, holding it tight and not letting go.

Kayden smiled over at me and kissed the corner of my mouth as I stared in amazement at the tiniest of miracles lying in her arms.

Kayden’s P.O.V.

I’d never seen Joe act like this. He was emotionally floored. He was so caught up in the moment. I couldn’t hold back the tears brimming my eyes as I watched McKenna grab onto her finger as if her life depended on it. The connection the two made was amazing.

Just as we were settling down, I heard the door creak open and saw two curly heads of hair peek in. I smiled and nodded at them to come in. The two were soon pushed out of the way by Denise who practically ran to my bedside.

She gasped when she looked down at the baby asleep in my arms. “Oh my—Kayden— Joe, she’s precious.” I smiled up at her, “You want to hold her.” Her eyes widened and she shook her head, overly excited. She softly scooped her out of my arms, rocking her back and forth, tears coming to her eyes. “Hi McKenna.” She cooed as she opened her eyes, making small gurgling sounds. Mr. Paul came and stood next to his wife admiring the baby in her arms, “Wow.” Was all he said for a while. He turned to Joe and I and grinned, “Congratulations you two. She’s amazing.” We both smiled at him, too tired and speechless to say anything else.

I scooted over, closer to Joe, laying my head on his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around me and brought his lips to my ear, “Look at Nick.” He chuckled. I turned my attention to his younger brother standing next to his mom with McKenna in his arms, completely stiff. I laughed. “Nick, relax.” He looked up at me with scared eyes but when his eyes dropped to McKenna in his arms who was grabbing for his necklace. A warm smile settled on his face and the tension dropped from his body as he softly cooed things to her I couldn’t hear.

Everything was quiet and I heard loud voices in the hall and a few crashing sounds, and a female’s voice “Ooh sorry.” A slapping sound and a shrill voice, “Don’t touch that!” I laughed and rolled my eyes as Mack slung open the door, followed by a nurse scolding them. “You shouldn’t have left it in the middle of the hall!” Mack raised her voice at the nurse. “Ma’am you—” But Mack cut her off, “Excuse me, my friend just got her healthy baby back. I want to talk to her—I’m done talking to you. Thanks.” She said shooing her out the door. I laughed into her shoulder after she ran over and engulfed me in a hug. “Oh my God…I’m sorry we couldn’t come sooner, Hutch’s mom’s wedding was crazy—he’s coming back in a few days, I left early—oh God. How are you?”

I grinned, “Amazing.” But she wasn’t listening to me anymore, she caught Kevin’s eye and they were staring at each other. I couldn’t blame them, they hadn’t seen each other for a week. She silently made her way to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he leaned down burying his face in her hair. “I missed you.” I heard him breath into her ear. She pulled back and pulled his lips to hers, something Kevin would never do in front of his parents but Mack managed to pull him out of his shell.

Kevin and Mack wanted McKenna next, taking her away from a reluctant Nick who had become attached to her in the fifteen minutes he was holding her. Kevin softly held her in his arms, the same look on his face that everyone got. McKenna seemed to have the ability to put us all into a love struck trance. I told this thought to Joe and he smiled, waching Kevin and Mack on the couch with McKenna, both smiling down at her. “It’s true.” He said looking at me, “I fell in love with her the second I laid eyes on her.” I nodded and intertwined our fingers. “She’s amazing.” I breathed in his ear. “And she’s ours, Joe. Half of you and half of me.” He grinned and pressed a kiss to my ear. “Made from love.” I laughed a little and turned to watch everyone.

Mr. Paul and Mrs. Denise standing against the wall, watching us from the corner of their eye, whispering back and forth, smiles lifted on their faces. Frankie, who had put his DS down for long enough to climb on the couch, between Nick and Kevin, McKenna resting on his lap, smiling down at her. Kevin and Nick, placed on either side of Frankie, making faces at McKenna and watching her take everything in. Mack, leaning into Kevin’s side, her arm through his, their fingers intertwined, her eyes shut, a small smile on her face, perfectly content where her life is. And McKenna, our daughter, the newest Jonas, taking in everything…Not even knowing the impact of the power of love that she brought into all of our lives.