Sunshine (Take Two Sequel)

Chapter 48: Rory

Once we were in the operating room, my anxiety peaked. Joe and Ben both had to wear scrubs just to be there. The were so many nurses and doctor around hooking me up to various machines and prepping everything for my surgery. Dr. Camden came in with a smile on her face, trying to keep me calm.

"How do you feel Rory?" She asked me.

"Really nervous," I said. "Also I can't feel my legs, is that normal?"

"Yes," she said. "The anesthesia you would given numbs you from the waist down so you won't feel any pain."

"So this isn't going to hurt?" I asked her.

"Not at all," she answered. "You'll probably be sore for a while after, but at most you'll feel a little pressure during the procedure."

"Well that makes me feel a little better," I said.

"Don't worry Rory, you're in good hands," Joe said. Ben nodded in agreement, but he looked more nervous than I did.

Once Dr. Camden was ready to operate, she became totally serious. She put a little curtain between my head and belly so I wouldn't see them cutting me open. The nurses put me on oxygen and made sure my IV was all set before lying me down. Joe and Ben were allowed to stand next to me, just to make sure I was calm.

I tried to stay calm during the surgery. Joe and Ben were helpful. We talked to each other about our friends and tried to keep our minds off what was going on.

"Do you think Freddie and Jim will ever have kids?" I asked Joe.

"Maybe," he said. "Although Freddie's always been more into cats." I chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"I'll tell you this much," Ben said. "John and Veronica will definitely be having more. So will Lilly and Roger."

"John and Veronica I can see," Joe said. "But Lilly and Roger? I'm not so sure."

"Oh no, they're having more kids," I said. "Trust me, Lilly's always wanted a big family. She was overwhelmed in the beginning, but now she just wants a whole army of little ones."

"Little girls to be specific," Ben said. "She's never really been a boy mom." Joe and I nodded in agreement. The conversation really took my mind off what was going on. It was only interrupted by the sound of crying. I looked up and saw my little one in Dr. Camden's arms.

"It's a boy," she said.

"Is he alright?" I asked.

"He's a little small so he may have some breathing problems," she said. "The NICU nurses are going to take him and check him over and then I'll let you know. Right now, I'm going to closed up your incision and get you to recovery." A NICU nurse took my crying baby from Dr. Camden and started walking out the door with him.

"When can we see him?" Ben asked.

"We'll let you know as soon as the doctor gets him settled," the nurse said. We nodded and Dr. Camden started to sew me up.

We got to recovery and it felt like we were waiting forever. It was a while before Ben decided to break the silence.

"How are you feeling, Rory?" Ben asked.

"I'm still numb," I said. "But I'm worried about Jack."

"Jack," Joe said. "That was a good choice for a name. Jack Anthony Hardy-Mazzello."

"Wait a minute," I said. "We never agreed on that last name."

"It's a good last name," Ben said. "I liked Mazzello-Hardy better, but I'm willing on compromise."

"That's not a compromise!" I said. "Your name is still in there! Where's my last name? I gave birth to him!"

"You get the middle name," Joe said. "Remember? We all agreed on Jack and then you wanted his middle name to be Anthony after your brother so Ben and I get the last name."

"The child's last name is traditionally the father's anyway," Ben said. "This child has two fathers so he gets a hyphenated last name."

"Who cares about tradition?" I said. "This whole thing is non-traditional. I say my last name should be there."

"What Valentina-Hardy-Mazzello?" Joe asked. "That's too many last names." I sighed.

"I guess that's true," I said. "It still doesn't seem fair that his last name doesn't even include his mother."

"You want to talk about unfair?" Ben asked. "This kid has two dads and we don't know whose DNA he has. His whole life people will be asking him who his real father is and he'll never know. At least you'll always be seen as his mother."

"We decided this months ago, Rory," Joe said. "You might not remember, but you agreed."

"Fine," I said. "Have it your way, he'll be a Hardy-Mazzello." I was still unhappy about the decision, but I really didn't feel like arguing with them anymore. I just wanted to see my son. Dr. Camden finally came in with another doctor to talk to us.

"Everyone, this is Dr. Jameson," she said. "She specializes in premature births and she'll be taking care of... did we decide on Jack?"

"We did," Joe said.

"Would you all like to come see Jack?" Dr. Jameson asked. We all nodded rapidly. One of the nurses came in to help me into a wheelchair. He pushed me down the hall while Joe and Ben followed. When we got to the NICU, Jack was hooked up to all kinds wires and tubes. It was heartbreaking, but still I was happy to see him.

"He's having a little trouble breathing on his own because of his size," Dr. Jameson said. "And he has some heart problems that may require surgery, but as far as I can tell, he should make a full recovery. He just needs to stay here until he gets a little bigger and a lot healthier."

"Can I hold him?" I asked.

"Not right now," Dr. Jameson said. "But soon. For now, you can hold his hand." The nurse pushed me a little closer to Jack and I touched his little hand. A tear came to my eye as he grabbed my fingers.

"Maybe we should give her a minute," Ben said.

"You can come fill out some paperwork up front," Dr. Camden said. They followed her out and I looked at my little boy. He was tiny, but so beautiful.

"Wow," I whispered softly. "I can't believe you came out of me, even if you did do it the wrong way." I sat with him for a minute and listen to his little noises until Joe and Ben came back into the room.

"We filled out all the info for his birth certificate," Joe said. "Here you can read it over."

"Name: Jack Anthony... Valentina?" I read, surprised. "You gave him my last name?"

"We discussed it," Ben said. "And we realized we were kind of being arseholes. It was your idea to have him and you did all the work. He should be your namesake."

"Plus he was born on Valentine's day," Joe said. "So it makes sense." I smiled and shed a few happy tears.

"Thank you," I said. Joe and Ben kissed my cheeks and we all smiled while watching Jack. I had finally found him. Jack was the love of my life.