-- It's Our Paradise

It had been a shock when Aleah got the text that Novalee was coming weeks ahead of schedule. But it fit with the situation – with how crazy and erratic their lives had been lately. And it most definitely fit with Anise, she was always keeping Aleah on her toes.”You are, Ani. You’re going to do the right thing. Whatever that turns out to be,” she spoke softly, her hand still cupping Anise’s free one.

Everything she’s decided over the past few months was going down the drain, planning to give a baby away was easy but holding them in your arms and trying to speak the words aloud was hard. Her fingers moved to gently slide between Aleah’s holding on tightly as if the girl sitting beside her was the only thing holding her together. “Jake is ready to be a dad, he’s told me several times he wants to keep her.. She’s here right now because we got into a screaming match.” She laughed humorlessly her fern colored iris flickering over the room before landing back on the red head, “I don’t want her to be in a broken family.” 

Jake bounded from his chair when the nurse entered the room, taking a few steps closer to the bed once the infant was placed in the waiting arms of Anise. Jake let them interact for a moment, his gaze never leaving his baby’s face. When the Novalee’s name slipped out of Anise’s lips, the corners of his lips tugged away to reveal a genuine smile. There was no way words could express how Jake was feeling that moment. He was overwhelmed with happiness and felt as though the world was not big enough to contain his joy. “She’s so beautiful,” he whispered, then glanced at her. “Isn’t she the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen?”

Anise could forget that Jake was there just by looking into the eyes of her daughter, it was like all the hurt and worry that’d been built up in her life was all for nothing. There was literally nothing that mattered in the world except for this fragile little being in her arms, “She’s perfect..” Anise muttered her finger gliding along the soft skin of the infant’s cheek listening to the soft fussing falling from her lips, “I can’t believe you came from me.” She blinked back tears unable to tear her gaze away from the girl, “My little miracle.” The blonde wasn’t stupid she knew the more she spoke the more Jake would nurture the thought of them keeping her but right now she just wanted to have this moment. 

Aleah laughed, raising a hand in surrender.  “Alright, alright. Guilty as charged.” She dropped her hand down on the bed, her hand moving to rest over Anise’s free one. Her heart practically broke at Anise’s expression. She wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, and that they could find some way to work it out. But Aleah probably couldn’t even grasp the enormity of the situation Anise found herself in and she wasn’t going to try and fight Anise’s decision. “You’d make an amazing mom, Anise. Don’t ever think differently. But.. what are you going to do then?”

Anise rub her hand gently over the baby’s back as she keep her gaze set on the red head sitting beside her bed. The past few days were a blur, apparently Nova was some what a miracle baby, born so early with virtually nothing wrong with her. They are keeping her around of course for observation but there wasn’t much honestly wrong she was eating great their biggest worry was her weight and size. Inhaling deeply she focused on the soft snores of the little girl she found herself falling so madly in love with, “I want to give her to a family that will deserve her.” She whispered swallowing back before shrugging slightly, “Or maybe, I don’t know. I just want to do the right thing by her.” 

Aleah’s own lips curled up into a smile as she crossed the room, coming to sit in the chair beside Anise’s bed. “Yeah, well, I made it in record time considering I had to sift through that mess you call a room,” she teased, though Aleah’s room was no better and they both knew it. She got distracted momentarily, glancing over to the baby’s incredibly tiny features, but Anise’s words snapped her back to reality. “She is, Ani. She’s so beautiful.” Aleah paused, measuring her words carefully before continuing. “Have you thought about it? – Keeping her, I mean.”

Anise snorted out a laughter knowing that her room was a bit of a mess lately but she liked to think being pregnant was an excuse to not clean her room. But it really boiled down to the fact that her mother wanted her out of the house and she was scrambling to get all of her things together, “Don’t judge me Missy, I know your room is an absolute mess and Lisa will be me on that.” The blonde dared move her gaze from her daughter to the girl sitting before her offering a small shrug, “We can’t.. Jake wants to but we can’t she deserves better than me and a broken home.” She whispered biting down on her bottom lip gnawing at the plush of it. 

The past few days had been spent in and out of the hospital – going home only to get some decent sleep and switch with Alisa, or to get things that Anise needed from her house. It was still surreal to think that her best friend had a baby. An actual living, breathing baby girl. Aleah paused in the doorway to Anise’s room, wanting to give the new mother some privacy with her baby. She didn’t know what Anise’s plans were in terms of Novalee but she couldn’t deny how right it looked to see Anise holding her daughter, as strange as that thought seemed. “Her namesake has come to visit,” she spoke up after a few more moments, a wave of pride crashing over her with the words.

Anise’s eyes snapped up to meet the soft gaze of the red head standing before her. She couldn’t help the smile that slid over her lips, “I was wondering if you’d ever make it back.” She teased before her eyes naturally gravitated back to the little girl swaddled in her arms. She had small tuffs of her golden blonde hair poking out from her head and the deep hazel eyes of her father mixed with a ring of blue that matched her own. Novalee was beautiful, truly the most gorgeous being she’d ever laid her eyes on. Tears filled her eyes as she gently brush her fingers over the small section of skin along the baby’s neck, “I can’t keep her.. But I want too. She’s so beautiful.” She cried though a smile broke out over her lips, “She’s perfect.” 

“You, a little help here” Lincoln called out to the bypasser, gesturing to the man laid out drunk on the grass.

Anise looked around noticing she was the only one around before staring back down at the man lying in the grass, “Uhhh..” Taking a cautious step forward she reached her hand down towards the male quirking an eyebrow, “Looks like someone had a rough night.” She joked offering a friendly smile.