A Bright, Wonderful Future

A Bright, Wonderful Future
Alice

He was born just moments ago, and I barely remember the pain of labor. All I can do is stare at this amazing little baby in my arms, still in awe that he is finally here. 
That first cry had brought instant tears to my eyes, knowing he was all right. When Dr. Lombardi and Naomi worked to get him cleaned up, his screams increased. It ignited the mother’s instinct in me, and if I hadn’t just given birth, I would have run over there and scooped him up protectively. 
But there had been no need to worry because as soon as Rhys took him into his arms, our little boy quieted instantly, settling into him before he brought him over to me. 
And now, I don’t ever want to let him go.
“Everything looks wonderful,” Dr. Lombardi tells us. “Congratulations.” He smiles warmly, sneaking in a peek at our little one, rubbing his cheek with the tip of his finger. 
“Thank you for everything, Dr. Lombardi,” I tell him. 
“It’s my pleasure,” he replies. “We’ll give you some time as a family. I need to prepare the legal birth certificate. Tell me when you’re ready.”
Rhys shakes his hand with no words, and I nearly break into tears again. Naomi waves, smiling, as she and Dr. Lombardi step out the door.
Rhys sits on the edge of the bed and snuggles in close to us. “He has your eyes,” he tells me. 
“And your hair,” I add. “He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“I’ll not argue with that.” He tucks a little strand of our son’s hair that had peeked out back into the swaddling blanket. 
We sit together, quietly, with no other sound other than the ticking of the wall clock and our little boy’s tender coos. We don’t need any words. We just relax, finally, and bask in the beauty of this moment. 
But our son has other ideas, and soon those gentle coos become loud cries, his little body squirming around impatiently. I try to reposition him and hold him close to me, but he doesn’t settle down. “What’s wrong?” I ask Rhys.
“He probably smells the human blood we have in the room,” he says. “Perhaps he already needs some.”
“Maybe you’re right.” It makes sense. One of the first things new human babies do is nurse, at least, that’s what the books have told me. 
“I’ll make him a bottle,” he tells me, rising off the bed and leaving a cool rush of air where his body had been next to mine. He’s back quickly with a small bottle filled with blood from the supply I’d been drinking during labor.
I hold our son close to me while Rhys introduces the bottle. The baby moves his mouth around it awkwardly, but that only lasts a moment before he gets a taste of the blood, and he drinks it ravenously. 
This is the moment where more tears might come had I not fully accepted that I wouldn’t be breastfeeding. I cannot say there isn’t a twinge of regret that I can’t provide that type of maternal bonding. But holding our son closer, and Rhys encouraging me to take hold of the bottle, eliminates all of that. 
He’s here, and he’s healthy, and he’s in my arms. That’s all that matters. 
“Goodness, he’s going to drink the whole thing.” I giggle gently at the thought. “Do you think that’s all right?”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” he replies. “He will stop when he’s had his fill.”
Sure enough, he does just that, spitting the nipple out of his mouth when there are a few tablespoons left of blood still in the bottle. I burp him the way I’ve read one is supposed to. Then he settles down, his little eyes fluttering shut as he drifts off to sleep, full and satisfied. 
“He should sleep for a while now, from what I’ve read,” I whisper. 
It’s surreal, having spent so many months buried in books about childbirth and babies, and now that knowledge will be put to use every day. 
“You should probably rest with him,” Rhys suggests. 
I shake my head. “I don’t think I can.” 
I’m exhausted, and my body feels exactly as it should when it’s been through so much, but I cannot close my eyes and stop watching those little chubby cheeks move rhythmically as the baby seems to keep sucking on his bottle in his dream. 
“I will watch over you both, and he will be in your arms when you wake up,” he promises. 
I have to admit that I do need the rest. “All right. I’ll try.”
He gets back into the bed and helps me situate the pillows so I’m leaning back slightly but still able to hold the baby securely, and he rests his arm against mine to hold him in. 
I can’t keep the smile off my face as I flutter my eyes closed and drift off to sleep.

I blink awake. It feels like it’s been only seconds since I fell asleep. Rhys has relaxed against me fully, with one arm cradling mine as we both hold our son. The baby shuffles a little as I move around, but he remains asleep. 
Rhys stirs when he senses my movement. “It looks like he’s more exhausted than you are,” he says softly. “How do you feel?”
“Wonderful,” I reply. “And it helped. I feel rested.”
“Good,” he says. “Maybe you should have some more blood.”
I nod. “Yes, please.”
He pours a glass from a fresh bag that’s been chilling in a ceramic bowl of ice and brings it over, helping me adjust the baby so I have a free arm to reach for it. 
I finish the entire glass, feeling my life force strengthening inside me. I consider standing and trying to move around, but I don’t want to disturb the baby. 
“If you’re up to it,” Rhys says, taking the glass and setting it on a side table, “there is a matter of our son’s name to finalize.”
“Oh,” I say. 
His name....
We’ve been tossing around different ideas for the entire pregnancy, even before I became a vampire. Nothing sounded quite right. 
“We discussed using your father’s name,” he reminds me. 
“We did,” I say. “But won’t that remind me of my past?”
He lifts his shoulders in a shrug. “Is that such a terrible thing?” he asks. “Your real father was a good man, correct?”
“He was,” I confirm. “But thinking of him and of Mother makes me remember how awful things were with Henry Voss.”
“But you think of your mother often,” he counters. “And though sometimes it makes you melancholy, most of the time it sparks happiness.”
“That’s true.” I meet Rhys’s gaze. “But would you mind him being named after my father and not yours?”
“I think it’s a fine name,” he assures me. “And it’s fitting for our son, our future.”
I look down at the baby. “Are you a James?” I ask him. 
He wiggles around and coos slightly in response, opening his eyes. 
“I call that a yes,” Rhys says.
“All right,” I agree, kissing our baby’s forehead. He’s so soft and warm, I snuggle him closer. “Well, his middle name will definitely be Rhys... James Rhys.”
“James Rhys has a certain ring to it,” he agrees. “Gio needs to fill out the birth certificate,” he adds. “I’ll call him in.”
Dr. Lombardi reappears moments later with a clipboard. “How are you feeling?” he asks. 
“Really well, thank you,” I tell him. “I took a little nap and drank some more blood.”
“Good,” he says. “All seems well. Take it easy when you first stand and walk around. And don’t overdo anything for a few days. You should heal up faster than a human, especially if you continue to get a good supply of blood.”
“I’ll make sure she does,” Rhys says.
“Excellent,” Dr. Lombardi says, handing me the clipboard and a pen. “Everything is completed except for the baby’s name.”
I carefully write the names in the first and middle names boxes, then get to the last name. “Oh, I forgot about last names. I suppose he’ll be a Severin.” I write it in, but I cannot help but frown.
“What’s the matter?” Rhys asks. 
“Well, he is a Severin, but I am not,” I explain. “I know there are women with different names than their children, like my mother when she remarried. But still....”
Rhys chuckles lightly, and I gaze at him quizzically. I’m not sure what is amusing about that.
“I suppose there is no time like the present,” he says. 
Dr. Lombardi smiles knowingly and steps back. Rhys reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small box, then gets off the bed, kneeling beside it.
I gasp when I realize what is happening. 
“Alice Heathe, you have brought joy to this world, this house, this vampire, and now you’ve blessed me with the most beautiful gift of all—our baby boy,” he begins. “Hundreds of years from now, I’ll still sit beside you, in awe of your beauty, your talent, your kindness, and your love. Alice, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
I nod furiously before he even opens the ring box. I feel like I could cry, though that’s difficult for a vampire. “Yes!” I tell him. “A thousand times, yes!”
I giggle against his lips as he kisses me and slips on the ring, careful not to disturb our son cradled in my arms. 
What a wonderful future we will have together.