Author: Aspen Shiyan (theprincessaspen@yahoo.com)

Category:  Family, Past

Rating: G

Archivers:  Suze, yes.  Anyone else, ask first.

Note:  Humor me.  Okay?  Just humor me.

Disclaimer:  I don’t own Race, Estella or Jessie.  Hanna Barbarra does.
 

The young man stumbled through the labor and delivery doors.  He was clad in full military uniform and as he looked around the room at the doctor and nurses and woman laying on the bed he bowed his head and removed his hat.  He was an imposing man with muscles that could be seen through his army jacket.  Having been in the navy seals and now serving in other parts of the army he had a rigid composure and his face often displayed a harsh expression.
But now, in this room, all that melted away and revealed a gentle and even scared young man.  He looked at the woman, his brow furrowed with concern.  She gave him a warm smile and motioned behind him.  He turned to see a nurse coming up with a bundle of pink blankets in her arms.
“Mr. Bannon?”  the nurse asked placidly.  When he nodded she handed him the baby wrapped up in the bundle of blankets.
He fumbled awkwardly, trying to find a comfortable way to hold the baby girl.  She cried at the disturbance.  He cradled her in his arms and slowly rocked her back and forth until her crying ceased.  The nurse smiled to herself seeing the burly man holding the tiny infant smaller than one of his large hands.  He looked down in sheer awe at his daughter.  Her baby skin was so silky soft and her eyelashes perfectly laced on her eyes.  Beneath the pink cap fitted snuggly on her head, there was a fine red fuzz.
A smile crossed his face as the baby stretched her tiny little arms and yawned.  Then she opened her eyes and blinked up at him.  She stared up at him for a minute.  He held out a pinky and she grabbed onto it, her hand just big enough to wrap her fingers around it.  He laughed a little as she examined his finger then stuck it in her mouth.  His laugh encouraged her and she giggled happily and made little baby noises.
There was a knock on the door and an older man poked his head in.  “Bannon, I’m going to need you to come back…” he took off his hat and bowed his head at Estella, “sorry m’am.”  He looked at Race and nodded his head again, put his cap back on and exited the room, shutting the door.  Race sighed and whispered softly to his daughter, “I guess I have to go…I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Not that she understood what he’d said, but the baby sensed his unhappiness and frowned, tears whelling up in her eyes as he handed her to Estella.  With his pinky still in the baby’s clutches he kissed Estella goodbye.  “Bye bye, Jessie,” he said, worming the pinky out of her hand.  He kissed the top of her forehead gently then replaced his cap on his head.  He turned back into the navy seals man.  He nodded to Estella and the nurses, turned and opened the door, stepping out.  But before shutting the door again and leaving, he waved at the baby nestled in her mother’s arms, both mother and daughter watching him go.

Fin.