Colleen Ch 02

Copyright © 2005 Texas Refugee. All rights reserved.

Warning!

This is not intended to be a stand alone story; it begins where the last one left off. If you have not read the first part, or some time has passed since reading the first part, you may want to read part one which is titled (oddly enough) "Colleen." You don't have to, it's just a suggestion, but if you don't know what is going on, don't blame me. Remember, I warned you.

~~~~~*~~~~~

"Girls, meet you new sister, Noelle Rose O'Conner."

Meghan and Molly were literally shaking from excitement, their smiles as wide as it was possible to stretch. Patricia was studying Noelle's face intently and then whispered, "she looks just like Aunt Colleen...'cept no hair."

Mom pulled up a chair to the side of the bed. She gently took the baby from Colleen and sat down. Meghan, now age eight, Molly, seven and Patricia, three years old, crowded around her and continued to watch the baby up close as she slept. Mom studied the three girls that surrounded her and then the baby before raising her head. She had that contented half smile that she and Colleen share and said, "When it comes to making babies, my kids do a pretty good job."

Everyone took turns holding Noelle for at least a few minutes. Even Patricia got a chance when she sat in Sharon's lap and Sharon helped her hold the tiny bundle tightly wrapped in the blanket.

Jimmy and Mike showed up at the hospital just after lunch and the nurse told us that everyone would have to visit in shifts because the room was too crowded. As the sun was going down, Jimmy, Mike, Sharon and Patricia got ready to head back to Santa Teresa. Mi Lin had stayed behind to watch all of the cousins and get everything ready for the Christmas dinner. Colleen got a hug from Mike and Jimmy and Noelle got a tickle under the chin and kiss on the forehead. I got a handshake and a slap on the back. As he left the room Jimmy said, "It's a good thing she looks like Colleen and not you, otherwise the poor kid would never get a date when she grows up."

Colleen was getting tired so Mom took Meghan and Molly home to have dinner and get some sleep. Colleen and Noelle could come home the next day as soon as the pediatrician had checked Noelle and given the seal of approval. Mom was going to stay with us for a few days to help out until Colleen was back up to speed. Everyone tried to get me to go home and get some rest but I was adamant. Ever since our first date, Colleen and I had not spent one single night apart and that was not about to change.

I sat in the chair next to the bed holding Noelle. Colleen lay on her side watching us and softly talking to me until she slowly closed her eyes and went to sleep. Holding my daughter close to me, I felt emotions that I had never experienced before or even dreamed were possible.

I suppose they were the same emotions that my father had felt when his children were born. They were feelings of intense love and awe at the wonder that I held in my hands. I knew that I would lay down my life to protect this tiny life from the evil that is out there in the world. I looked over at Colleen and watched her breathing, thinking, "Good Lord, she even smiles in her sleep."

It was as if someone had slapped me awake from a deep sleep and everything became crystal clear to me. Looking at Colleen and Noelle I suddenly understood what the word family meant. All of the things that my father had said to us as children about family being the most important part of a person's life came rushing back to me. I had to smile and finally accepted that maybe Dad knew what he was talking about after all.

I will let you in on a dirty little secret. There is another emotion that all guys feel, and if you confront them, they will deny it.

The first time we hold our newborn child, we are scared shitless.

We are afraid that somehow we will fail as fathers, that we will do something that will screw up our child's life. I was almost trembling from this combination of love and fear that were raging inside me when Noelle opened her eyes. She looked at me with an expression that said, "It's ok Dad, you can do this," then closed her eyes and went back to sleep. After that I calmed down and knew that once again my life had made a major shift and that it was all for the good.

Eventually the nurse came to take Noelle back to the nursery. She advised me to get some sleep while I still could. It wasn't until later after we got home from the hospital that I could appreciate what she was telling me. As the nurse left and closed the door, I reached over to hold Colleen's hand.

She slowly opened her eyes and whispered, "hey sweetie."

"Hey yourself."

Colleen gave me her half smile and asked, "Have I told you today that I love you?"

"Not yet, you were kind of busy earlier."

"Oh yeah, that whole giving birth thing...I love you."

"I love you too. Noelle is beautiful."

"I know." With that she squeezed my hand as her eyelids drifted shut and went back to sleep.

I sat next to her, again just watching her breathe as she slept. This was all new to me, unexplored territory. The only thing that equaled my love for Colleen was my love for Noelle. I should have experienced this a year ago, but Barbara had ripped that away from me and left my life in shambles. It was my sister Colleen, along with Meghan and Molly that had helped me glue the pieces of my life back together. Eventually I leaned forward and lay my head on the bed next to Colleen's and fell asleep.

I felt movement on the bed and could sense daylight through my closed eyelids. I got one eye open and started to sit up when my back rejected that notion. I struggled to get my spinal column into a straight line when I saw Colleen sitting on the side of the bed watching, trying not to laugh. With great difficulty I got my legs to unfold and stood up. Colleen hopped off the bed and came over to put her arms around my waist.

"You should have gone home and gotten a decent night's sleep."

"No...I'm fine...I'm ok...except...I...I can't feel...my left foot."

Colleen patted me on the check and said, "Poor baby." This was followed with a quick hug and a kiss.

"Why don't you go downstairs to the cafeteria and get yourself something to eat. Just be back by 8:30, that's when the pediatrician starts her rounds. We should be able to get out of here by noontime."

As I headed out the door I heard her call out, "And bring me some coffee..."

Down in the cafeteria I sat and had a muffin and a glass of milk while I finished waking up, getting the rest of the kinks out of my body from sleeping in the chair all night. I grabbed two coffees and headed back to Colleen's room to wait for Noelle's release so we could go home. I stepped into the room and stood there like the village idiot with my mouth hanging open.

There are times when you already know what to expect and have done all the mental preparation that you possibly can and yet when the event actually happens, you're still left dazed and confused.

This was one of those moments.

Colleen was sitting in the chair at the side of the bed with the front of her gown open. She held Noelle to her chest, nursing at her breast.

Of course I had seen other women breast feeding their children, but this was different. This was my sister Colleen, my best friend, nursing our daughter. I stood there spellbound, drinking in the sight, totally incapable of speech. Reaching out her hand, Colleen smiled at me and spoke of the only thing on her mind at that moment.

"Give me that coffee before I die."

It was a good thing that I had put lids on the paper coffee cups because the way that my hands were shaking, I would have scalded Noelle as I handed the cup to Colleen. Colleen knew instantly what was going through my mind at that moment.

"Relax, you're going to do fine."

"That's easy for you to say, you've already done this twice before. This fatherhood thing is leaving me a little shaky. What if I drop her on her head or something?"

Colleen laughed, "That's a chance we'll just have to take."

Moments later the pediatrician walked in and said good morning to everyone. She was Meghan and Molly's pediatrician and looked more like someone's grandmother than a highly trained doctor. Colleen had told me months before that she was the best in the county if not the state and she immediately put my mind at ease. She lay Noelle in the hospital bassinet and opened the blanket that was tightly wrapped around her. She began to gently poke and prod different parts of Noelle's body and listened with the stethoscope. She laughed when Noelle smiled in her sleep.

"Ok, ten fingers and ten toes, got a great start there." She wrote something on small business card and handed it to Colleen. "Call the office and get an appointment for a one week check up. She's a beautiful baby and she's going to break a lot of hearts when she turns sixteen. Now you people get out of here and enjoy what's left of Christmas."

I called Mom at the house while Colleen was taking care of all the paperwork to leave. We walked out of the hospital at the same time that Mom drove up to the sidewalk in Colleen's car. I was holding Noelle as Mom hopped out of the car, walked around and opened the door to the back seat. I stood there staring at Mom and then at the infant car seat that was sitting on the seat. Finally Mom pointed to Noelle then at the car seat. Colleen and Mom began laughing as they watched me struggle to figure out how to strap Noelle in to the car seat. At last Colleen pulled me back and went up on her toes to give me a kiss.

"You really are new at this. Don't worry, we'll get you trained in no time."

We got back to the house just before lunchtime. The teen-aged girl from across the street had been recruited to watch Meghan and Molly while Mom had come to pick us up at the hospital. She was quick to let us know that she had a lot experience babysitting infants and was always available at a reasonable price. Colleen immediately got her telephone number and told her that we would definitely be calling her in the future.

Meghan and Molly had already eaten lunch so we went into the living room to relax for a few minutes before getting lunch for ourselves. As we stepped through the archway Colleen and I were surprised at what we saw. The Christmas tree was in the corner just as we had left it the day before, the presents still under the tree, unopened. But there was something new there.

Next to the tree was a rocking chair. It was at least sixty years old and had been painted black when it was new. The paint was worn on the edges but was still in good condition and all of the joints were still as tight as the day it was made. The back was straight and the arms were the perfect height for holding and rocking a baby. Colleen and I recognized it instantly.

The chair had been a present from our grandfather to our grandmother. It had been passed on to Mom when Colleen was born and she had held all four of her children in this chair, accepting their hugs and kissing their cut fingers. Now it was sitting in our living room. Colleen turned to Mom.

"How did this get here?"

"I had Mike and Jimmy bring it when they came up yesterday."

"Why?"

"Well, it's not like I'm going to be needing it, and in another thirty years you can decide which of your daughters will get it to pass it on to her daughter."

Colleen gave Mom a hug, nearly crushing Noelle in the process. She sat down in the rocking chair with the baby and Colleen and Noelle both had a look of utter bliss on their faces. Colleen looked at Meghan and Molly and said, "So girls, I think it's time to open some Christmas presents. Who wants to start?"

Meghan and Molly looked at each other then went over and reached under the tree. They walked to the rocking chair, each holding a present that Colleen and I had not seen before. The packages were wrapped in paper of an indeterminate nature and held together with many yards of scotch tape. On the outside of each present, written in a child's handwriting was a single word, "Noelle." They walked over and lay the presents on Colleen's lap next to the baby. Then Mehgan spoke.

"Santa didn't know about Noelle so these are for her."

Colleen handed the baby to me and carefully opened the presents. She stared at the contents for the longest time and then with tears in her eyes she hugged Meghan and Molly and whispered, "Thank you."

Inside the packages was Meghan's baby blanket and Molly's small teddy bear. They were the objects that were most important to the girls and every night they refused to go to sleep unless they could hold them tightly to their small bodies. Now, they were gifts to their baby sister. Children aren't supposed to make their Mom and Dad cry like that, it blows the strong parent image right out of the water.

I stared in amazement at the two young girls who less than forty-eight hours before had asked if they could call me Daddy. It was Mom who was able to speak first.

"Those are very special gifts. I'm sure that Noelle will love them forever. But I think it's time for you girls to open your presents."

With squeals of delight and hand clapping, they both ran to the tree and began pulling the presents out. As they opened each present in turn, they brought it over and held it up for Noelle to see, even though she was contentedly sleeping through everything. This symbolized how the bond between our daughters was to strengthen and grow with each passing day.

At long last the ordeal of opening the Christmas presents was over and we were all picking up the debris when I suddenly looked over at Colleen in great embarrassment.

"Damn, with everything that's been happening lately I completely forgot to get you a present...I am so sorry."

Colleen hugged Noelle closer to her chest and gave me her contented half smile.

"I think you gave me the perfect Christmas present."

After the adults had finally gotten a chance eat, we sat around the living room relaxing, just talking. It had been awhile since we had been able to have Mom all to ourselves for any length of time so Colleen and I were very happy. The weather was cooperating so Meghan and Molly were allowed to go outside and play in the yard. They didn't understand when we told them that it probably wasn't a good idea to take Noelle for a ride in the wagon just yet.

It was that afternoon that I had my next lesson in fatherhood...changing the diaper. This is a process that while second nature to female of the species, is a definite test of the male's dexterity and commitment to their offspring. I learned early on that it is a good idea to have a fresh roll of duct tape close at hand to insure a successful completion of this exercise.

Later I learned another interesting fact regarding this peculiar parenting skill. If the child is breast feeding, never...ever...and I mean NEVER allow the mother to eat Mexican food. The results the next day will have you racing to the telephone to call the Office of Emergency Services, begging them to send the Toxic Waste Disposal Unit to your house. Remember, what goes in the mother's mouth comes out the baby's bottom and if the windows in the house are painted shut, you are in for a very unpleasant three days.

As the day wound down, Meghan and Molly had their only argument of the Christmas season. They both wanted Grandma to sleep in their room and were not going to comprise under any condition. It was finally settled when Mom suggested that all three of them sleep together in Meghan's room because it was bigger.

At last Colleen and I were able to go to bed ourselves. The crib was in our room so Colleen took Noelle in to get ready for bed while I went around turning off the lights and locking up for the night. We had only been gone for one night but it felt like we had been away for months. Our own bed was going to feel good.

I stopped just inside the doorway of the bedroom. I will always remember the times that I have watched Colleen nurse our children and be filled with a sense of awe. Colleen was already in the bed, propped up on the pillows, leaning against the headboard. True to her promise, she was not wearing any nightclothes, the sheet spread across her lap as she nursed Noelle at her breast.

I sat on the edge of the bed and just watched Noelle sucking at the nipple, smiling at how lucky a person I was. Finally Colleen pulled Noelle away from her breast and adjusted the blanket around the baby.

"She's asleep, why don't you put her down?"

At this point I was still new to holding an infant so I carried the fragile life the five steps over to the crib and gently lay her down. It took me ten minutes to get her settled just right with repeated checking and constant monitoring to make sure that she was still breathing. I could hear the smile in Colleen's voice as she whispered, "Bobby, she's ok. Leave her alone or you'll wake her up, now come to bed."

The bedside lamp was on leaving most of the room in shadows and only lighting the bed. Colleen was still propped against the headboard as she watched me get undressed in the semi-darkness, a smile of eager anticipation on her lips. As I crawled into the bed, she pulled back the covers so that I could see her in all her naked glory.

The nurses at the hospital had shaved Colleen's pussy completely smooth for the birth so she spread her thighs apart, letting me see it's new condition. "How do you like my new hair cut?" she asked.

"It's...interesting...but I prefer the old one. Rubbing my face on your hair is so much more...naughty...don't you think."

"Don't worry, it will grow back, maybe thicker than before."

"You're just saying that to get me excited."

"Just thinking about you rubbing your face there is getting me excited."

She pulled me closer to her until we were face to face and then kissed. It had been forty-eight hours since I had held Colleen this close and it felt great to have her back in my arms. Colleen put her hand on top of my head and began to gently press downward until my mouth was in line with one of her nipples.

"You're going to like this. Bill used to love it."

Lifting her breast up and holding it in place, Colleen guided my head until my mouth was touching her nipple. I took it between my lips and began to suck. I was startled when sweet cream began to flow out of the nipple, into my mouth and down my throat. I had never experienced any thing like this before...well, actually I had but not since I was two years old.

It was divine. I had to have more. I began to suck harder, gulping everything that flowed out until there was nothing left. Colleen gently pulled her breast away from me.

"That one is empty, try the other side."

I became a madman. I turned my head and grabbed the other nipple with my mouth, my arms around Colleen's waist. I drank like a man dying of thirst. Colleen softly stroked the back of my head until I had drained that side as well.

"So...did you like that?"

"Like it? I loved it! I don't ever want to stop doing that."

Colleen laughed. "Here's the deal. Noelle always gets first dibs but if she is anything like Meghan and Molly there will be a little left over for you every night. And who knows, if the schedule works out right, you just might get a little before you go to work in the mornings."

"Oh my God, I will love you forever."

"You already do Bobby."

After a moments rest, Colleen again gently pushed me down until my face was almost between her legs. I rubbed my cheeks against her pubic area where the swollen lips of her vagina came together; her skin felt as smooth as satin.

"But the doctor said that we couldn't have sex for eight weeks."

"You weren't paying attention, Bobby. He said that we couldn't have intercourse for eight weeks, not that we couldn't fool around." Colleen lay on her side, reached for my cock and gently tugged, forcing me to scoot around until I was facing the opposite direction. She held my cock with the tip just inches from her mouth. "I believe that you know what to do from this point on, so hurry up so we can get some sleep."