Micky and all the others were allowed to see Madison about an hour later. He went directly to her side and kissed her softly on the lips while everyone else filed into the room. She was soon swarmed in hugs from everyone.
"How do you feel, doll?" Micky held her hand linking their fingers together.
"A little sore." She looked up at him seeing all the worry in his eyes and knowing he wasn't just worried about her. "How's the baby?"
"I don't know. Dr. Bator said she would come talk to us soon." He squeezed her hand just a little bit tighter. "He is so tiny, doll."
"This is all my fault!" Sarah went to the other side of the bed, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't want you to have a baby. I wished for something bad to happen and it did. I’m so sorry, mom."
"I'm sorry too, mom." George stood next to his sister. "I did the same thing. I thought a new baby would ruin everything."
"Now, I want you both to listen to me." Madison stated firmly. "This is not your fault. It's just something that happened." She looked at her children, tears glistening in her eyes. "I don't want either of you to blame yourselves. No matter what happens…" She choked back the tears. "No matter what happens, I love you both very much. Nothing you could do would ever change that."
"We can't keep referring to his child as the baby." Samantha said in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Have you decided on a name yet?"
Micky and Madison looked at each other and smiled. "Christopher Robert." Micky stated proudly.
"It was Jake's idea." Madison smiled proudly at Jake.
Just then, Dr. Bator came into the room. She was greeted by questions about Christopher from everyone in the room. "First things first." She walked over to the bed. "How are you doing, Maddie?"
"I'm fine, really I am." Madison shook her head holding Micky's hand tightly. "Please tell us about the baby."
Dr. Bator looked at everyone in the room. "Maybe I should just talk to you and Micky."
"No." Micky stated firmly. "This is our family. We want them here with us."
"Okay." The doctor said and then took a deep breath. "Your son only weighs 3 pounds and his lungs are not fully developed. The next 48 hours will be the most critical and even if he lives that long, there's no guarantee." She saw the tears forming in Madison's eyes and the way Micky protectively put his arm around her. "I'm sorry, I wish I had better news for you."
"Is there anything we can do?" Davy asked quietly, knowing neither Madison nor Micky had the voice to speak.
"Pray…" Dr. Bator said sadly and left the room.
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The next 48 hours seemed more like 48 days to Micky and Madison. They were allowed to stay with Christopher in the ICU. He lay perfectly still in the incubator with tiny tubes attached to his little body.
Madison slid her hands through the two holes in the side of the incubator and gently stroked his arm with her finger. "Hey, little Christopher, it's your mommy." She tried to keep her voice from cracking. "You need to get better so your daddy and I can take you home. You have to meet the rest of your family."
"That's right." Micky came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders peering over at his son. "You've got two big brothers and a big sister at home who want to play with you."
Madison turned around and started crying against his chest. "I want to hold him." She sobbed. "We should be rocking him to sleep, not looking at him through a plastic box."
"I know, doll, I know." Micky rubbed her back and held her close. "We will, soon. Don't you think his color is better today? I bet it won't be long before we take him home."
She looked at Christopher and a small smile came across her lips. "He does look a little better. But he's so small."
"He'll grow." Micky sighed wrapping his arms around her. "He just has to."
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