Shattered Glass

[leah1234]

Kay, that's fine

Update whenever you can

xxxxxxxxxxx

[Adelle_fan1000]

Awww that was great louise.... Had a few lil tears there...

Love Jamie to death!!! so cute

[Louise_2983]

Awww that was great louise.... Had a few lil tears there...

Love Jamie to death!!! so cute

Please don't, I like him breathing!

[hitmanfan]

Oh I got all excited there, I was checking in and saw you had posted, and thought it was an update.

Can't wait until you do, whenever you can.

[leah1234]

do you know if you're going to update tonight???

There's no pressure

Xxxxxxxx

[Louise_2983]

I'm writing now but it'll probably be a few hours at least

[Louise_2983]

Chapter 46

“Well good morning Little Miss Jefferies” Aden cooed softly as his baby girl opened her beautiful eyes for the first time that day.

“Welcome to Saturday precious” he whispered, reaching into the incubator to let his fingertips gently brush his daughter’s soft, cheeks. They had a slight hint of rosy colour that filled him with hope.

“You had a very good sleep didn’t you?” he questioned her with a loving smile.

“In fact some people might say you slept like a baby” he chuckled at his own joke and a tiny squeak, he was sure was laughter, escaped over Alyssia’s bee stung lips.

“You think I’m funny do you? Hey? Or are you just laughing at me instead of with me like your Mummy does hey?”

The corners of his mouth kicked up into a smile as his daughter simply gazed back at him with her piercing blue eyes, taking his breath away as she stretched out her tiny, perfect little hands towards

him and kicked her little legs enthusiastically.

“At me huh? Yeah I thought so” he laughed deeply.

“Someone’s got lots of energy today haven’t they? That’s always a good sign baby girl, you’ll be better in no time won’t you hey?” he cooed tenderly playing with her ten tiny fingers. He knew. He’d

counted.

“And then you’ll be able to come home with me and Mummy and Jamie, we’re going to make such a fuss of you beautiful. Well I am at least” he grinned, his fingers closing around her tiny hand.

“The others might struggle to get a look in, because from the second they say I can hold you then you realise I’m never letting you go don’t you?” he questioned her tenderly.

All he wanted was to cradle her in his arms, to feel her weight against his chest and it was killing him only being able to have minimal contact with his baby girl.

“Forget walking you down the aisle, I’ll have to carry you...in fact scratch that sweetheart because no man is ever going to be good enough for you. You’re so beautiful and perfect and I love you so

much you know, don’t you ever forget that will you?” he whispered softly, still gently cradling his daughter’s hand in his fingers.

“Of course you’ll never forget, because I won’t let you Alyssia. I’m always going to be there for you I promise”

“Daddy!” a small voice exclaimed as he charged through the door and clambered up onto his father’s lap.

“Hey mate, how are you today?” he asked, brushing a kiss over his son’s forehead as he wrapped an arm around his tiny waist.

“Very good Daddy” he smiled sweetly, turning his gaze towards his little sister nestled in the centre of the incubator.

“Good morning Lissia!” he almost sung as he leant forward slightly and peered through the perspex.

“Did you have a good sleep?”

“She had a very good sleep mate, it’s nice of you to ask” Aden smiled rubbing his son’s blond head.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I had a nightmare dream Daddy but it’s ok now because my eyes are open”

“What did you have a nightmare about?” Aden questioned brimming with concern.

“I don’t know Daddy” his son shrugged his little shoulders.

“I don’t remember, I just know that it felt bad and you and Mummy weren’t there to make it better”

“I’m sorry son” Aden sighed, brushing his lips against his son’s temple. It almost tore him in two that he hadn’t been there when he needed him. He wanted to be there for both of his children, it was

killing him that he couldn’t be.

“It’s ok Daddy Uncle Roman made me some hot milk and Aunt Nicole gave me a cuddle. Then I closed my eyes again and there were only nice dreams”

“That’s good mate” he smiled softly.

“But from now on either me or Mummy are going to be there I promise”

“Are you all coming home?” he asked hopefully, his eyes lighting up in glee.

“Not all of us mate” Aden sighed softly.

“The doctors said that your Mummy can go home but Alyssia has to stay here a bit longer, she needs to get a bit better before she can come home”

“Are we leaving Lissia here all by herself? Won’t she be lonely Daddy?” Jamie asked, worry clear in his tone and expression.

“No Jamie, we’re never going to leave her alone. Just either me or Mummy will come home with you at night and the other one of us will stay with your sister” he explained the arrangement he and Belle

had earlier agreed upon. As much as they both wanted to be there for both of their children and be together they knew that whilst Alyssia was in hospital this would be the only way they could at least

manage the first.

“And when Lissia is better we’ll all live at our house?”

“That’s right mate”

“She will get better won’t she Daddy?” he questioned dubiously, his lower lip quivering slightly.

“Of course she will Jamie” Aden told him and in that moment he genuinely believed his words.

“Look at her, she’s getting bigger and stronger and prettier every day”

“She’s still very little Daddy”

“One day she’ll be as big as you”

“That’s what Aunt Nicole said. She said that Lissia will get better and bigger and then if I’m mean to her she’ll kick my ass! But I’m not going to be mean to her Daddy, even though she’s a girl and girls

are icky! Because she’s my sister and she’s very important”

“Yes she is” Aden smiled as he played with his daughter’s hand, being careful to avoid the wires still attached to her, and held his son close. Having the two most important people in his world so close

made his heart almost swell to bursting point.

“And so are you mate”

“I know Daddy” Jamie grinned sweetly.

“Where’s Roman?” Aden asked suddenly realising his son hadn’t got to the hospital by himself.

“He had to feed all the hungry people at The Diner Daddy!” Jamie explained.

“So Geoff brought me instead and then he went to see Mummy because he doesn’t like you very much”

“Is that what he said?” Aden asked in shock.

“No” Jamie shook his head simply.

“But I can tell. It’s because you’re friends with Aunt Nicole and Geoff has to pretend that he doesn’t like her so that Melody doesn’t get mad!”

“Is that right?” Aden chuckled softly.

“Yep but it’s a secret so sssssh Daddy!” Jamie ordered.

“It’s just between us Daddy, you have to keep the secret too”

“Oh you can trust me Jamie” Aden smiled as his son snuggled closer to him.

“I know I can Daddy” Jamie replied thrusting the book he was carrying into Aden’s hands.

“I brought a story for you to read to me, because I miss them Daddy. Will you read me a story? I picked a book that Lissia will like too and she can listen, I will share”

“That’s very generous of you Jamie”

“I know Daddy” Jamie nodded.

“I’m a good big brother aren’t I?”

Aden smiled and gave his adorable son a squeeze.

“Something tells me you’re going to be the best”

***

“Hey” Geoff greeted Belle as he tapped gently on the door to the hospital room where she was packing up her things into the overnight bag Amanda had brought in for her shortly after Alyssia’s birth.

“Hey yourself” Belle smiled, genuinely pleased to see him.

“I wasn’t expecting a visit from you, especially seen as I’m being discharged today”

“Yeah I saw Rachel a minute ago she said, that’s great”

“In a way” Belle sighed placing the last few items into the bag and zipping it shut.

“In a way? I thought you’d be happy to get home?”

“I am, in a way. But Alyssia’s still in the NICU and I just wish she was coming home too, I don’t want to leave her. But at the same time I don’t want to leave Jamie either. Aden and I are going to spend

alternate nights with each of them until we can all be together”

“I know how hard it is” Geoff sighed with a small smile as he gently rubbed Belle’s arm.

“But you didn’t have another child at home to worry about, you and Melody could be there for Sam all the time” she reminded him gently. She knew he went through hell when Sam was born

prematurely too but it wasn’t the same.

“Yeah I guess it was different” he admitted, seeing the pain in her eyes and just how torn in two she was.

“And Sam is-“ she stopped in her tracks realising what she was about to blurt out and clammed up.

“Sam’s what?”

“Nothing?”

“No, you were going to say something” he pressed.

“Annie told me” she admitted.

“About Melody’s one night stand, about Sam not being your son. But that obviously didn’t make what happened when he was born hurt you any less and I should never have let that thought cross my mind, I’m sorry”

“Annie had no right” he told her through clenched teeth.

“Don’t be angry with her Geoff, she needed someone to talk to and Irene had just died”

“She still shouldn’t have told you” he told her again, this time more adamant.

“No, maybe not. But it’s just me, I haven’t told anyone else not even Aden”

“And you’ll keep it that way?”

“Of course” she reassured him and she saw in his eyes that he trusted her as he perched on the edge of the hospital bed.

“How’s Alyssia?” he asked hesitantly, nervously.

“I would have come sooner only I...”

“I get why you haven’t been to visit Geoff. I’m living this, I know how painful it is. I know you don’t need reminding of your own nightmare, of what happened when Sam was born”

“But you’re my sister” he shrugged.

“I should have been here sooner”

“Do you really think of me that way?” she asked slightly touched.

“As your sister?”

“Of course I do” he smiled softly.

“You and Irene, you gave me and Annie a family when we had nothing else”

“It was more Irene than me” she told him blushing slightly.

“It was both of you” he smiled as she sat next to him on the bed.

“And I’ll never forget that”

“Well we kind of got something out of it too” she grinned.

“Even if you did drive us both insane sometimes!”

“So how’s the baby?” he asked again.

“You didn’t say”

“She’s doing really well, they’re happy with her progress” Belle smiled softly.

“But she’s still so tiny and fragile and she can’t breathe by herself yet and it’s so scary Geoff”

“I know” he whispered gently, covering her hand with his own and squeezing it reassuringly.

“I just want to hold her and to have her close to me all the time, but all I can do is watch and touch a hand or a foot and it’s nowhere near enough”

“You’ll be able to hold her all you like eventually” Geoff smiled.

“You have to remember that she wasn’t even meant to be here for another 13 weeks, you would have had to wait to hold her then anyway”

“I guess” she smiled softly up at him.

“Kind of ironic huh? I would have done anything not to hold Jamie when he was born”

“And it’s good to see that that’s not a problem this time”

“Now we’ve just got a new set of problems!” she laughed but he saw the pain flash across her eyes.

“She’ll get through this Belle, you all will. Look at Sam, he’s happy and healthy. It’s as if all the drama never even happened”

“Yeah you’re right” Belle nodded but she couldn’t help but resent the baby boy. She knew it was wrong, she knew it made her a bad person. But the statistics were there, plain to see. Only a set

percentage of babies survived premature birth and the fact that Sam had done just that lowered Alyssia’s chances of doing the same. She knew she shouldn’t feel or think that way but she couldn’t help

it.

“I was thinking”Geoff broached the subject cautiously.

“You might want to think about getting her baptised? I know you’re not religious but it helped me and Mel to know that if anything did happen to Sam th-“

“No Geoff! Nothing is going to happen to my baby!” she objected, furious that he would even suggest it.

“I’m not saying it is” he quickly tried to make amends.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine bu-“

“If you’re sure then there’s no need for buts is there Geoff?” she snapped angrily.

“We have to be positive, I have to be positive, Alyssia needs that. She needs me to be strong not constantly thinking the worse! Nothing is going to happen to her!” she yelled but as soon as the words

left her mouth tears gushed out of her and all Geoff could do was hug her gently as she sobbed.

***

Aden slowly perched on the edge of his son’s bed in the darkness and watched him sleep soundly, the glow of the moonlight through the gap in the curtain illuminating his beautiful face as his chest rose

and fell amidst deep slumber.

Aden sighed quietly. Sleep had evaded him for hours now. His first night away from his precious baby girl since her birth was proving to be one of the hardest things he had ever been through. The sight

of his adorable son fast asleep went some way to soothe him but even as he sat observing his little boy he couldn’t feel completely content knowing that Belle and Alyssia weren’t with them.

He heard Roman stir and make his way into the kitchen. He was grateful for him agreeing to stay overnight so that if anything happened and either him or Belle had to leave there would be someone

there to care for Jamie but he hoped Roman’s services were never needed. Gently he kissed his son’s temple before closing the door quietly and joining Roman in the kitchen.

“Couldn’t sleep” he explained with a shrug but before Roman had a chance to respond the shrill ring of the telephone pierced the air and Aden pounced on it before it had the chance to ring a second

time. Fear rushed through him, it was almost 2am, there was only one thing it could be.

“Belle, calm down sweetheart, I can’t understand you” he exclaimed as her voice greeted him on the other end of the line. Muffled by huge sobs he could only make out that it was her, not what she was

saying.

He heard her take a deep intake of breath and repeat her sentence. Her frightened sobs still prevented him from understanding her completely but the words he did manage to hear sent a chill right

down his spine.

"Alyssia...lungs...collapsed"

“I’ll be right there” he told her, slamming the received back down so hard that it bounced off the cradle and hung from the wall like a pendulum.

Without even a word to Roman he was out of the door in a flash.

[LAURZY!]

Awwwww no!! I hope she'll be alright

Jamie as per is just so unbelievably sweet

Really liked the Gof/Belle scene, really well written!

Brill update, cant wait for more! I really hope the babies gonna be ok....

[leah1234]

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! NO! NO! NO!

That was going so well and then wham!!!!!

I really hope she will be okay *thinks positive thoughts*

I really loved the part with jamie, alysia and aden , I could really feel aden's love towards his children!!!!

Update soon

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[MrsL]

Awww Jamie is adorable and so cute and perfect but NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo how could you do that to Alyssia.

Really hope she is OK. I love how well you illustrate Adens' love for both children. Despite the sadness I still loved this