A/N This is the fourth part in the series of 'Love makes a family', 'Home is in your arms' and 'Family is forever'. The stories can be read separately, but some background information from the other stories is nice. I try to upload regularly; multiple times a week. Reviews make me very, very happy. This story is one that is close to my heart.
Also, don't forget to vote for a name of the baby! There's a poll on my profile page. Jane and Maura will give the baby the name that wins the poll! You can also suggest one of the names in a review. I hope you like the start of this story!
Chapter 1
"I hate this," Jane whispered while she paced through the room. "I should be doing something."
Maura sighed and fumbled with her hands while she sat down on the small couch in the corner of the hospital room they were sent to. "I know, honey. But you can't."
Jane took a deep breath and looked at her watch again, for the hundredth time in the past hour. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
Maura looked up at Jane and tilted her head with a slight smile. "Staying right here with me."
Jane took a deep breath and sat down next to her wife, taking Maura's hand in her own. Their baby was being born right now. Right this second; their baby was making its way into this world. They weren't allowed in the room. The baby was being delivered through a complicated C-section and he or she would be brought to them as soon as possible.
Jane looked around the small room that looked like some kind of waiting room. There was a coffee table with flowers that had an annoyingly strong smell. The painting on the wall was strangely calming, contrasting with the pounding of Jane's heart. The walls were a light shade of yellow and their breaths were the only sound in the room.
Suddenly the door opened and a familiar nurse came in. Jane had forgotten her name already. Was it Susan? Or Nancy? Something like that. Jane shook her head and waited until the woman closed the door.
"The baby is in breech. The delivery is difficult."
Maura sighed deeply. "God," she mumbled. "How long has she been in labor?"
"Three hours." The nurse smiled politely. "But everything is fine, Dr. Isles. I just came down here to give you two an update on how things are going. We've handled situations like this before. It'll just take a little longer."
Maura nodded but Jane knew she was thinking about all the worst things that could be happening right now. She placed her hand on Maura's lower back. "Thanks."
"Erica doesn't want to see the baby," the nurse continued after a nod to Jane, "he or she will be taken away as soon as he's out, we'll clean the baby up and bring it straight to you. Skin to skin contact is preferred."
Maura nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay. Thank you."
The nurse nodded again and said goodbye before closing the door. Maura sighed deeply and Jane felt her clammy hands grabbing hers. Jane smiled a nervous smile and wrapped her wife up in a tight hug, feeling her heart pounding in her ears.
"It's killing that we can't do anything, isn't it?" Jane whispered into Maura's slightly unraveled curls. It was almost five AM and they had rolled right out of bed after a phone call from the adoption agency. Maura still looked stunning.
Maura nodded. "I wish I could do something."
"You can hold me," Jane whispered. "'Cause I'm kind of close to panicking too, you know."
Maura smiled a sad smile and cupped her wife's face, stroking Jane's cheeks with her thumbs while she captured Jane's lips in a quick but loving kiss. "It'll be okay," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with both love and nerves. "Before we know it, we'll be holding our child."
Jane nodded. She smiled and hid her face into the crook of Maura's neck. "It'll be okay," she repeated softly. They clutched to each other and the love they felt while they held each other close. "I love you, Maur," Jane whispered barely audible.
Maura smiled against her wife. "I love you too, Jane."
They waited for twenty more minutes. Twenty excruciating long minutes where all they could do was pray and hope their baby would be in their arms soon.
The door opened and the same nurse appeared, this time holding a bundle of blankets with a crying baby. Maura gasped and seemed to freeze in place while Jane hurried towards the nurse.
"Congratulations," the nurse said softly, gently handing the little bundle of blankets to Jane, "this is your baby."
Jane took the baby from her and felt like her heart stopped beating. The baby was a strange kind of purple and its little fists were waving through the air as the baby cried, but it was the beautiful baby Jane had ever seen. Jane fell in love. Absolutely, utterly in love. The baby's hair was a dark shade of red. It was a small baby and weighed almost nothing. But oh, so beautiful. It was the most beautiful baby in the world and it was their...
Jane lifted the blanket and felt tears burning in her eyes. Their son.
"A boy." Jane finally realized it. They had a little boy. A brother for Riley and Lizzie. A son for her and Maura. A son. Jane felt a warm arm wrapping around her waist and she looked to the side to see her wife standing closely next to her, a loving smile curling her lips while happy tears trickled down her cheeks.
"We have a son," Jane whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion.
Maura nodded, pressing a quick kiss to Jane's lips. She moved to unbutton Jane's blouse and gently grabbed her arm, leading them towards the small couch. Jane carefully moved the blankets away and moved the baby onto her chest, feeling his bare skin on her own.
Maura rested her chin on Jane's shoulder and traced the baby's cheek with her finger. "He's so beautiful," she whispered through her tears. "He's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."
Jane smiled and pressed her lips against the boy's small head, smelling a unique, lovely baby-scent she knew she would never forget. It wasn't until she felt Maura's hand on her cheek that she realized she was crying. She smiled through her tears and looked into her wife's hazel eyes that spoke of so much love and care it only made the tough detective cry harder.
"He's beautiful," Jane whispered, looking back at the little baby against her chest. "He's gonna be a redhead."
Maura chuckled, taking one of the boy's little hands in her fingers. "He might, yes."
"Now we have a brunette, a blonde and a redhead." Jane smirked and gently stroked the baby's small back. "We could start a band."
Maura laughed and shook her head. "Please."
After a while, the nurse came back in with some diapers and a bottle of pre-prepared milk. Maura had made a fuss about it, saying that breastfeeding was so much better, but his biological mother couldn't feed him and to produce their own milk was possible, but not a great option so they had to choose giving him the bottle. Jane didn't mind. She passed the baby over to Maura, smiling when she lifted her shirt to put the baby against her skin. He latched on to the bottle immediately, his cries fading quickly.
"I love him already," Jane whispered, wrapping her arm around Maura's waist as she shifted closer to look at the baby. "I know it's not… I mean… I don't know him very well but…"
Maura chuckled. "He's our child. We didn't give birth to him but he's our son." Maura smiled a dreamy smile as she looked at the baby drinking his first meal, his eyes still closed. "So we love him."
They simply stared at their son for what felt like hours. They just stared, falling in love with him over and over again with every move he made, every breath he took. It felt different than when they first got Riley and Lizzie, but at the same time it felt similar. That feeling of having a new person in your life that you would love unconditionally. A child you got to protect and love for years and years to come.
"We have to call the girls," Jane whispered, hesitant to break their moment. "And my Ma."
Maura nodded but she didn't take her eyes away from the baby in her arms. He had finished his bottle and was sleeping peacefully, adored by both his mothers. Jane quietly took out her phone and looked for Riley's number, knowing her oldest daughter would be clutching her phone all this time.
It only rang a few times. "Ma!" Riley's excited voice greeted her mother. "Is the baby there?"
"Yeah," Jane answered softly, her voice laced with a happy glow, "he is."
"He?" Riley asked and Jane heard Lizzie squealing next to her. "It's a boy?"
"Yes." Jane smiled when the baby made a cute sleeping sound. "Congratulations. You have a little brother."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah." Jane nodded and smiled when she put her hand on the baby's belly. "Ten fingers, ten toes. Healthy and pink."
"Mama!" Lizzie screamed through the phone.
Jane chuckled. "Can you put Lizzie on for a sec, baby?"
"Yeah, hold on."
"Riley," Jane stopped her.
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"Love you too, Ma."
Jane heard the phone shifting and a familiar, cheerful voice greeting her. "Mama!"
"Hey, baby." Jane smiled at the excitement in Lizzie's voice. "You have a little brother!"
Lizzie squealed, causing Maura to chuckle as she heard it through the phone. "What's his name, Mama?"
"Oh, we haven't decided yet. Right now, he's just called Baby Rizzoli-Isles."
Lizzie giggled. "That's a silly name."
"Oh Jane," Maura scolded her wife, "don't say that. She'll think that's his actual name."
Jane brushed her wife's words off with a smile. "Can you put grandma on the phone, honey?"
Jane heard the phone ruffling and met with her mother's shrieking voice. "Janie!"
"Hi, Ma." Jane smiled and tightened her arm around Maura's waist. "We have a son."
"I heard." Angela's voice was warm and loving. "Congratulations."
Jane felt tears burning in her eyes and nodded, not even realizing her mother couldn't see that. "Thanks."
"Everything healthy?"
"Yeah. He was in breech and the delivery was difficult but he's out and he's so beautiful, Ma…" Jane whispered, a few tears making their way down her cheeks. "He's gorgeous. He's gonna be the most handsome boy in the world."
"I bet he is," Angela replied softly, the sound of Riley's and Lizzie's excited voices in the background. "The girls are so happy, Jane."
Jane sniffled her tears away. "Really?"
"Yeah." Angela chuckled. "Lizzie's jumping up and down on the couch and Riley has the biggest smile on her face."
Jane smiled as she imagined the scenario. She could see it happening. That gorgeous smile on her fifteen-year old daughter's face and the energy and cheerfulness of her six-year old. She wanted them close to her. "Can you bring them over in a little bit?" she asked softly.
"Of course. I'll give you two a little more time, okay?" Angela's voice was laced with a smile. "Oh Lizzie, be careful! Get off there!"
Jane chuckled and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Thanks, Ma."
"No problem." Angela replied softly. "Jane…"
"Yeah?"
"You two have some great kids."
Jane smiled to herself. "Yeah."
They hung up the phone and Jane pressed her lips against Maura's temple. "The girls are so happy," she whispered.
"They are?"
Jane nodded. "Yeah."
Maura smiled and traced the boy's cheek with her finger. "Are they getting here?"
"In a little bit."
"I can't wait." Maura leaned forward and pressed a careful kiss to the baby's soft cheek. "We don't have a name yet."
Jane hummed. They talked about so many names, but they hadn't decided yet. "I like Joshua. And Aaron."
"Hm, me too. But I'm also still on Noah. Or William."
"No William, Maur," Jane groaned. "We talked about that."
Maura chuckled. "Okay."
"He doesn't feel like a William, so that won't work."
"What does he feel like?"
Jane shrugged. "Right now he just feels like Baby Rizzoli-Isles."
"Then that's what we'll call him for now," Maura whispered, staring lovingly at the baby boy in her arms. "Baby Rizzoli-Isles."
It wasn't until they heard a faint sound coming from the door that the women looked up. They saw a short, red-haired young woman standing in the doorway. She was wearing a hospital gown and looked like she wasn't supposed to be standing up. It wasn't difficult to guess who it was. Jane felt her throat closing up in fear. Did she regret her decision? What if she wanted her baby back?
"Are you Erica?" Maura asked, her voice kind and sweet.
The young woman nodded.
"I don't think you should be out here like this," Maura said softly. "You should be in bed, getting some rest."
"I-… I…" Erica stuttered and shook her head while she brushed her hair out of her sweaty face. "I know I- I'm not supposed to be here… I just… I just wanted-" she sighed deeply and smiled a watery smile. "I just wanted to make sure he's okay."
Jane looked at the woman at the door and couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. She looked young and vulnerable. "He's okay," she answered quietly. "You did the right thing."
Erica nodded. "I know. I can see it now."
Maura smiled up at Erica. "You gave us the most beautiful gift anyone could have ever gotten us." She looked back at the baby and smiled through her tears. "We love him and we will love him for the rest of his life."
Erica wiped her cheeks. "Thank you. For showing me I did the right thing."
"You should go, Erica," Maura said sweetly. "You're not supposed to be here. You're not supposed to see us or the baby and you're certainly not supposed to be walking around the hospital."
"I know." Erica fumbled with her hospital gown and looked nervously around her. "I'll go. Thank you."
Before Jane could form a reply, the woman was gone. She sighed deeply and looked at Maura. "How'd she find us?"
Maura shrugged. "I don't know." She shook her head and smiled at the baby in her arms. "I can't even be bothered by it right now." A tear trickled down her cheek again as she chuckled at her own emotional state. "He's so beautiful."
Jane smiled while she kissed her wife's temple. "Just like his mother."
They sat in the same position for another hour and a half until Angela, Riley and Lizzie quietly entered the room, followed by a nurse. "I found some visitors for you," the nurse said politely.
"Hi, babies," Maura greeted them with a loving smile.
Riley walked towards the couch, sitting next to Maura as she looked at the baby. Jane smiled at Lizzie and opened her arms, lifting the girl into her lap. Lizzie looked at the baby and giggled. "He's purple, Mama," she whispered.
Jane chuckled. "Yeah. It'll go away in a few days."
"He's gorgeous," Angela whispered while she carefully caressed the baby's cheek. "Has he opened his eyes yet?"
Maura shook her head. "Not yet."
Riley carefully reached out and traced his small knuckles with her fingers, her mouth hanging slightly open as she smiled at the little boy. Maura looked at her oldest daughter and pressed her lips against Riley's cheek. "Hi, love," she whispered.
Maura and Riley shared that special connection. That special, loving connection they shared from the first minute they took Riley in as a foster child. Riley loved both her mothers endlessly but she always had something special with Maura. In moments like this, their special connection rose to the surface and Jane loved to witness it.
"This is your brother, honey," Maura whispered while she studied Riley's expression.
Riley nodded and smiled, taking the baby's little hand in her own. "Yeah."
Jane tightened her arms around the little girl in her lap and kissed Lizzie's messy curls. It was past six AM and Jane knew she must be exhausted. "You're a big sister now, baby."
Lizzie nodded, shifting sideways in Jane's arms as she snuggled into her mother's chest and looked at the baby in Maura's arms. "Is the baby sleeping?"
"Yes, he is."
"He doesn't have to sleep in bed?"
Jane chuckled. "No, honey. Not at first. We want to look at him and hold him, because we just met him, you know?"
"Oh." Lizzie nodded. "Did you do that with me when you just met me?"
Jane smiled at her mother who sat down on the edge of the coffee table, watching the little family with a loving smile. "You were already five when we met you, sweetie. You slept in your bed. But remember how you got out and came to us the next morning? We snuggled with you all morning because we just met you and loved you so, so much."
Lizzie smiled while she put her thumb in her mouth, something she only did when she was incredibly tired. "Yeah."
Jane turned her attention back to the baby and felt a sense of bliss overwhelming her. They were complete. Their family just became even more perfect than it already was. Jane couldn't be happier.
So she thought. After Riley and Lizzie left again with Angela, both girls desperately needing to get some sleep, Maura had moved the baby back into Jane's arms. The blonde snuggled into her wife's side while their son slowly started to wake up. Jane gasped and almost choked on her tears when she met with big blue eyes for the very first time.
"Hi," she whispered through her tears. "Hi, baby." She smiled as the boy tried to focus on his mother. "I'm your Mama," she whispered, feeling Maura's arm tightening around her waist. "And this is your Mommy."
Maura traced his little cheek with her fingers. She smiled the brightest smile in the world while happy tears trickled down her cheeks. "He has the most beautiful eyes," she said softly. "They're like Riley's."
"Won't that change though?"
Maura nodded. "Yes, probably. All babies have blue eyes." She smiled when the baby made a gurgling sound. "But right now, it's like looking into Riley's eyes."
"Like he's really her bother."
"He is." Maura looked at Jane and caressed her wife's cheek with the back of her fingers. "He's Riley's and Lizzie's brother and our son."
Jane smiled as she looked into sparkling, hazel eyes. "I know." She looked back at the little boy in her arms, unable to take her eyes off him. "Our son," she whispered. "I like the sound of that."
"We have a son." Maura chuckled and gently placed her hand on the baby's belly. "a beautiful baby son."
"We're the parents of three children. Two daughters and a son."
"Riley, Lizzie and William."
"Ri-…" Jane shot her attention towards Maura and tilted her head. "Oh, you're good. No way! William? C'mon, Maur. He's not a royal baby!"
Maura laughed and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I like it!"
"I hate it," Jane replied as she looked back at their baby son. "And it doesn't go with the names of our other kids. Riley, Lizzie and William?"
"Alright, alright," Maura gave in. "Riley, Lizzie and Noah."
Jane nodded. "Better. Or Riley, Lizzie and Aaron."
Maura nodded and rested her head on Jane's shoulder, watching the boy closing his eyes again. "I like Aaron. And Noah. And Joshua…" Maura sighed and shook her head. "Baby Rizzoli-Isles."
Jane smirked. She couldn't pick a name. She didn't know. She only knew how much she loved this little baby in her arms. She knew she was going to protect him for the rest of her life. She would take care of him, love him and treasure him until the day she died.
She couldn't pick a name. All she could do was thank God, thank every God there ever was, or is, or will be and the whole universe and everyone she could possibly thank, that this woman didn't abort her baby and left it up to them to raise him with all the love in the world.