dated to september 20th

[bennet_beauty]

After so long of a wait, Jane found that the actual event rushed onwards. It seemed as though her small child was not willing to come out. It seemed as though Lydia would celebrate her fourth birthday before Richard ever established the date of his own birth. And then, suddenly, it was as though God above had challenged her and deemed that she

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[sortofaman]

The Doctor had popped in to see Jane and young Richard a bit earlier, just for a moment, to say hello and make sure that it was okay for him to bring Nate by later on. After giving the mother and baby some time to sleep, and taking a shift of playtime with an excited Lydia, he and his son wandered over to visit.

Nate was less excited than the baby's sister, being his usual thoughtful self, and having been full of questions and concerns about Jane's wellbeing, and he seemed relieved to see her well, and to see the baby.

"Hullo, Jane, and hullo, Richard," said the Doctor, quietly, not wanting to wake the latter too early. Nate stared with wide eyes.

"He's very small," he said.

[bennet_beauty]

Lydia peered up tiredly to smile at Nate when she heard his voice, happy for a friend in the vicinity. Jane, however, could not close her eyes. She found it very difficult to persuade her gaze anywhere but directly upon Richard. After all, he might be her second child, but she already held an immense depth of love in her heart towards him. "He is quite small," Jane agreed, staring fondly at him. "Would you like to come up closer and see him?" she offered.

[sortofaman]

Nate smiled back at Lydia, trying not to look too solemn and thoughtful. It didn't help much, unfortunately. The Doctor rested a hand on his son's head, trying to calm him down--this was, after all, a joyous occasion, he could see it in Jane's face.

"Yes please," Nate said, and came up closer to peer at the baby.

[bennet_beauty]

Jane shifted just enough so that Nate would have adequate room upon which to climb up. She looked to the Doctor -- weary yet joyous -- and let out a slow breath of accomplishment. "He is even more beautiful than I thought a son could be," she confessed, her tone reverent and gentle. "I did not think I could be surprised so, not after Lydia's birth."

[patriotqueen]

Babies really weren't Guy's cup of tea, but when Jane gave birth of course he came to see her and the little boy, Richard. He had brought a little book the shelf had been kind enough to provide, Mr. Mischief, seemed appropriate.

When he came in and saw eyes were closed, he smiled and decided to come back later, trying not to disturb their sleep.

[bennet_beauty]

Jane caught his gaze instantly, only having been resting her eyes. She knew she must be watchful now, protective of her child while he slept. Without a word spoken, she crooked her fingers to beckon Guy closer to both her and Richard for a proper meeting.

[patriotqueen]

Guy walked over, more silently than he ever had before (and sneaking around had been an integral part of his job description). He smiled brilliantly at Jane and planted a small kiss on her forehead, careful enough not to wake the boy.

"Everything went well, I heard. Are you very tired?"

[bennet_beauty]

"Exhausted," she breathed out, leaning into the kiss as she closed her eyes, soaking up the affection as much as she could. "Though it was quicker than with Lydia, I believe I was perhaps rather selfish in wishing that it rushed by. I wanted desperately to meet him. I could not bear to wait much longer at all."

[coffee_sir]

While Ianto could not be present -- or waiting impatiently outside -- for the whole of Jane's labor, as he had a young child of his own and duties to attend to, he was there for as much of it as he could, being as helpful as he could. At that time, this had entailed a lot of entertaining Lydia, idly tidying up what was already tidy, and fetching what he could for Jane and House.

Now he fetched tea and thin soup, arranged on a tray which he set beside Jane's bed. He wasn't sure if she could bring herself to take in anything yet, but better it was there. "He made quite an entrance," Ianto remarked as he set the tray down and moved to pull a chair over for himself. "You'll have your hands full now."

[bennet_beauty]

"You," Jane announced, utterly delighted for his friendship and for the fact that he was still there, "are the very best man I do know outside of my husband," she remarked, reaching for the soup with the one free hand she did have. "Ianto, Mrs. Jones is a terribly lucky woman."

[coffee_sir]

"As I remind her daily," Ianto replied as he seated himself. He kept his voice pitched low, though he didn't think it would make much difference with Lydia just then. She would wake or she wouldn't. "She's not quite so happy to concede the point as you are."

[bennet_beauty]

"Oh? Would such a thing have to do with the fact that she gave birth to your child?" Four years ago, Jane would not have been so free with her teasing. She had only felt comfortable being so light with her sisters, but now, she felt that bond with other people and Ianto was one of the closest. "I do know from experience that even the greatest of love may temporarily dwindle in the face of such physical pain."

[lt_blade]

At eighteen weeks, Sonya was due for a check up anyway.

That didn't mean she didn't stop by Jane's room to see how she was doing after the labor. She was at the halfway mark herself-though looking at her belly, it looked and felt like she was already there-and thought she may as well make herself familar with the entire process.

She carefully looked inside her room, not wanting to risk waking Jane or the baby up. Thankfully, Max was also patient enough to wait in the hallway, as she wasn't entirely sure how direwolf fur could affect a baby's tiny lungs.

"You mind another visitor?" She asked,keeping her voice low. "I could come in at another time."

Sonya refused to admit that it was a touching sight, seeing her like that with the baby. She could only imagine how relieved Lipton was feeling, if it moved her this much.

[bennet_beauty]

"I think it would be lovely, I must stay awake for now," Jane insisted, for if she fell to sleep now, she knew she would surely be woken up soon enough. "Sonya, I'd like you to meet little Richard Lipton. Named after Major Winters, of course, for we could think of no better a namesake."

[lt_blade]

"I taught Major Winters in the weapons class last year, so I agree one hundred percent on the decision." The fact that he was willing to be trained by a female junior officer spoke volumes even if she didn't know anything else about it.

Sonya would deny that she had the strong urge to wanting to hold him: he was so tiny, so fragile.

She suddenly felt herself getting teary eyed, but not for the sight of the mother and new born: what right did she have for this, to be responsible for two tiny, living beings. She promptly tried to shut the voices up-with only moderate success.

"How're you feeling anyway?" She managed to keep her voice steady. "Besides exhausted I imagine." She couldn't imagine it being an easy task, giving birth.

[bennet_beauty]

"I do feel quite tired," Jane admitted, wishing to put a positive spin on her words. They sounded adequate to her ears, at least. "But it is not half as bad as it was with Lydia. Although, this time, I permitted the use of some drugs whereas the last, I truly believed I wished a fully natural birth."

[niceofyoutoask]

Back home, Lipton would know his place in this process. He would be waiting outside, likely pacing around and wearing a hole in the floor, getting infrequent updates by a uniformed nurse. It was what men did in West Virginia in the 1940s - but this was a far different time and place, and Lipton had read enough baby books to be far more informed on the process since day one than he ever would have been before. He had a natural tendency to worry, to plan, to evaluate options and eventualities and contingencies. It would have driven him crazy to be relegated to a waiting room, but he wouldn't have questioned it. Before the war, he never drank and he never smoked. On the night before D-Day, after the cancelled jump and everyones' nerves were on end, he wasn't mindlessly chain smoking, or swigging from a flask - he was studying

[bennet_beauty]

Jane was beaming as radiantly as she ever thought was possible at the sight of her dear Carwood and her precious children all within arm's reach. It was something that she felt blessed by, for it was something that she had doubts she might achieve. There had been times when she thought she might die an old maid, but life had changed all of that. "Darling," she murmured throatily. "Would you like to hold him while I hold Liddy?"

[niceofyoutoask]

For a moment, Lipton hesitated, consumed with worry that he might do something terribly, horribly wrong. He was a man who had done a lot of things in his twenty-six years, but holding an infant was something entirely new. He may have raised his younger siblings, but the the youngest had been four when his father died - not at all close to this tiny, fragile thing that was his son.

Then he simply nodded, and, awestruck, carefully took their bundled up child from Jane's arms and cradled him against his chest. "Like this?" He asked quietly, mentally running through everything he'd read about supporting a baby's head.

[bennet_beauty]

"Just like that," Jane concurred, arranging the blanket better so that Richard would not fall cold for even a singular moment. There was a great amount of love brimming over her features and she felt, fully, delighted. She was ecstatic to have her family so close at hand and she did not think anything might ever compare. "Are you as awed as I was? When I first had Lydia, I could not believe that I had a child."