of myself. How the hell am I going to take care of him?
Thank God for Derek. He had been her rock throughout both the pregnancy and birth. He leaned in to give her a kiss. "I'm going to bring the car around. The nurse said she'd push you and Michael to the front drive. I'll meet you there, okay?"
Rachel was angry with herself for fighting back tears. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life, yet she didn't want to be apart from her Daddy for ten minutes. She tried to mask how panicked she felt. "Okay, we'll meet you there in just a few minutes." As an afterthought she added an insecure, "Don't take too long."
Derek stopped to look back from the doorway. He knew her so well. For a second she thought he might not leave, but he glanced at the nearby nurse before flashing her a supportive smile, and left.
Michael was asleep in the bassinet just a few feet away. For the hundredth time since he'd been born, Rachel stopped to watch his little chest going up and down with each breath. She had counted his fingers and toes multiple times, just to make sure he hadn't sprung an extra toe while he slept. She knew her fears were irrational, yet she couldn't stop. She prayed that once they got home, she'd be more comfortable.
"Ready to head home, Mrs. Parker?" It was a patient advocate with a wheelchair.
Boy was she ever. "Oh, yes." She picked up Michael, cradling him in her arms, trying to keep from waking him. She wanted to get home before she had to feed him again. No one had warned her just how hard breastfeeding was. She'd always thought it was simple. The mother had milk, and the baby latched on and drank. She and Michael hadn't found their groove yet.
Once on the move, they passed by the nurses' station and all the staff wished them luck and said goodbye. Rachel was relieved when they reached the door to the maternity ward and were finally leaving.
She was not prepared for the onslaught of well-wishers waiting outside the maternity ward. Despite it being a Monday morning, Lukus, Tiffany, Markus, and Brianna were all waiting to greet the newest member of their extended family of friends, balloons and a big box of diapers in hand.
Brianna had tears streaming down her cheeks as she pushed to the front. "Oh look, Markus. He's absolutely beautiful."
Her husband accommodated her. "Of course he is. Look at his mother." Markus grinned as Rachel blushed from his uncharacteristic praise.
Tiffany and Lukus pushed forward next. Rachel could tell Tiff really wanted to hold the baby, and was happy that Master Lukus was telling his fiancée it could wait. Rachel loved her fellow submissives, but she just wasn't ready to share Michael yet. Thankfully, Tiff understood.
"What's the hold up in here? My car's gonna get towed." Derek's booming voice broke through the friends' discussion. Rachel met his eyes; she could see how happy her husband was that their best friends had stopped by to wish them well. She watched his chest puff with pride as everyone congratulated him on the adorable new member of his family. Derek pulled two fat cigars with blue wrappers on them from his coat pocket and passed them out to his friends.
Michael stirred in her arms. She knew he'd be getting hungry soon, and she hoped again he'd wait until they had made it home.
Lukus was filling them in. "We stopped by your place on the way over. You have a fully stocked refrigerator at home. Tiff and I went by the market and got some of your favorites, since we know you didn't have time to plan ahead."
Rachel saw the blush on her husband's face. He wasn't used to having people do things for him. He reached out to shake his friend and business partner's hand. "Thanks, Lukus. That means a lot. It feels like I haven't slept in a week."
Brianna was leaning over, just staring at the perfection that was Rachel's son as she answered, "Well, I hate to tell you, but you won't be getting much sleep in the near future, either. This little guy is gonna want to be fed every few hours, aren't you, Michael?" She brushed her fingers over his soft cheek, careful not to wake the newborn. "If you need a babysitter, I'd love to help."
Markus was pulling his wife away. "Sorry, but no babysitting for