IM BACK!

I'm really sorry for not uploading for quite a while now. I just needed to take some time to see some family and friends, play some sports and just relax and have fun after what was a tough few months. But I'm back now and I'm really excited to continue this story towards the ending I've got planned, but that won't be for a little while yet.

I can't lie, I was a little rusty writing this chapter after such a long break so if it's not up to a good standard then I'm sorry.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, I would love to know your thoughts on this chapter, I really appreciate all the feedback I get on here.

The sun had barely started rising above the buildings of Chicago when Hailey was stirred from her deep sleep by the soft quiet murmur of Jay's voice in her hospital room. As she attempted to gather her bearings she could feel a clear reminder of what had happened only hours previous, her whole body was sore, her heavy eyelids were trying to cover her eyes and force her back to sleep again.

Hailey's head slowly turned on her pillow to face where Jay's quiet murmurs were coming from only seconds earlier, the room now silent expect for the sounds of their relaxed breathing, and in front of her was a sight that was going to become her new favourite image. Jay was sitting there with Sophia tucked tightly into his arms, her tiny frame wrapped up in a little pink onesie with a soft fluffy blanket covering the onesie, the cutest pink woolly hat keeping her little head warm.

Hailey could instantly feel her heart swell and her lips slowly curved into a big smile as she took in the look in Jay's eyes, a bright sparkle in his beautiful eyes that Hailey had never seen before as he looked down at his daughter. Hailey had never seen Jay happier than right in this moment, Hailey could feel her eyes starting to water slightly out of pure happiness for her fiancé. She was so happy for Jay that he could now hold his daughter, the daughter that he had dreamed of having his entire life.

"Good morning Hails, I didn't mean to wake you." Jay broke the silence in the room, snapping Hailey out of her thoughts.

"You didn't wake me babe, I was already half awake." Hailey replied as her eyes locked with Jay's, the bright sparkle still in his eyes as he turned his attention away from Sophia, sharing a big smile with Hailey. Jay cradled Sophia securely in one arm as he reached onto Hailey's bed with his other hand, interlocking his fingers with Hailey's and lifting their joined hands to plant a kiss on the back of her hand.

"How you feeling Hails?" Jay questioned softly, their eyes still firmly locked onto each other.

"Perfect. Seeing our little girl spending time with her daddy was the perfect image to wake up to." Hailey replied, her voice a little raspy after just waking up. Hailey struggled to contain the growing smile on her face as she continued to take in the image of Jay and Sophia, the two special people in her life that made her feel like the happiest she had ever been. "Did you actually get any sleep babe? Or have you been holding our little girl all night?" Hailey chuckled moments later.

"I got some sleep Hails... but not a lot." Jay replied, quietly chuckling to himself as he watched Hailey shaking her head on her pillow, a big cute smile on her face as she did it.

"I would've been very surprised if you hadn't been up most of the night holding her." Hailey replied, earning another slight chuckle from Jay. "I'm really happy you got to have some bonding time alone with her Jay. I know you've been talking against my bump when I've been asleep but actually being able to hold her is completely different. I'm so excited to watch you and Sophia make the most amazing memories together." Hailey confessed, having to wipe away a couple of tears as she struggled to contain the emotions overwhelming her body.

Jay's hand moved up to cup Hailey's cheek, wiping away a couple more tears before his thumb began slowly stroking the smooth skin of her cheek bone, feeling Hailey's cheek warming up under his touch. "I'm so excited to watch you and Soph spend time with each other as well Hails. You two have an incredibly special bond that I will never have with her, and I'm so lucky to be able to watch that special bond between you and Soph." Jay replied, Hailey's hand moving up to softly stroke his cheek, swiping away the tears that were now trickling down Jay's cheek.

They stayed in their own little bubble of love for a moment, both of their thumbs gently stroking over the top of the other's cheek bone, the looks in their eyes oozing love for the other. They really were happier than ever before in this moment, absolutely over the moon that they were no longer a couple, they were now a family.

They were shaken out of their bubble of love by the sounds of their daughter's cries filling the room, the tiny girl starting to squirm in Jay's secure hold. Once moving his hand back down to hold his daughter with both hands, Jay slowly started to sway his arms to try and calm down little Sophia. "I think she's hungry Hails." Jay called out over the top of Sophia's cries, Hailey smiling back and nodding her head.

Hailey carefully repositioned herself into a more upright position, wincing slightly in pain at the intense soreness from her lower abdomen, and once upright slowly opened the front of her gown. Hailey couldn't help but let out a big smile as she watched Jay approach the side of her bed and gently lower their little daughter in her arms, the little girl still squirming slightly. Holding her daughter with one hand on her back and the other resting against the back of Sophia's head, Hailey slowly lifted Sophia up to her exposed breast, the little girl latching on after a couple of unsuccessful attempts.

Hailey's head turned on her pillow back towards Jay again, finding him with a massive smile on his face and that sparkle in his eyes again. "What?" Hailey questioned shyly, nuzzling her head further into her pillow to hide the blush on her cheeks under his gaze.

"You're just... amazing." Jay replied, Hailey's eyebrow raising a little as she chuckled at his comment. "What? Seeing you take care and provide for our little girl is amazing to watch, Hails. Watching everything you did for her while you were pregnant was amazing but seeing you with her in your arms is a truly beautiful sight." Jay explained, smiling wide at the blush of Hailey's cheeks which she wasn't bothering to hide this time.

"You really do know how to make me feel special don't you babe." Hailey responded in the cute voice she knew Jay loved, her hand reaching out for his momentarily, finding it and squeezing his hand tightly as their eyes were glued to each other's.

"It's one of my many talents Hails." Jay teased, chuckling to himself as he watched Hailey slowly shaking her head on the pillow.

For the next 20 minutes, the two of them carried on teasing and laughing with each other, while their little girl continued to feed off of her mother, Hailey's had gently rubbing her daughter's back the whole time. Every time Hailey turned her attention back to Sophia, she felt her heart swell at the sight of her little girl's frame against her chest. Hailey's heart continued to swell as Sophia began to tire while she was feeding, the tried look of her daughter was the most adorable sight she had ever seen.

After Sophia finished feeding, the little girl seeming content with just feeding off of one of Hailey's breasts, Jay took over from Hailey, holding his daughter against the bare skin of his chest, patting her back gently as her chin rested against Jay's shoulder as Jay burped her. After a couple of minutes the little girl had finished and was fast asleep against Jay's chest, a couple of tears rolling down Hailey's cheeks at the beautiful sight of the two people that meant the most to her.

Jay carefully rounded Hailey's bed and gently placed Sophia into her bassinet, tucking her up in her fluffy soft blanket that Vanessa had brought for them, Sophia's name and little cute bunny rabbits embroidered into the blanket.

"I could've done that Jay, I'm not made out of glass." Hailey teased as Jay settled back into his chair beside her bed, knowing already what his answer would be to her.

"I know you could've Hails, but you gave birth just over 5 hours ago. You deserve some time to be able to relax and rest." Jay responded, a warm smile spread across his lips.

"Well if you want me to relax, you better come here and give me a big cuddle." Hailey challenged. Within a matter of seconds Jay was lying be her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her head down to rest on his bare chest. Hailey angled her body to snuggle tighter against his body, her left hand coming up to rest on the other side of his chest, her engagement ring sparkling as the dim light in the room caught the edges of the diamond.

"Thank you for making the happiest man in the world, Hails. I love you so much." Jay mumbled softly into her hair before planting a couple of kisses against the top of her head.

"I love you so much, Jay." Hailey replied in with her own sleepy mumble, dozing off while she had the chance to before she would need to feed her little daughter again.

It was just after 9:30am, the couple's sleep was sort loved after they were awoken by the sound of Sophia's cry less than an hour later, Hailey already beginning to get used to a routine that was going to become very familiar in the coming weeks. After two rounds of feeding Sophia, Hailey had fallen back to sleep before her parents arrival a little later in the day.

Jay had taken the opportunity to have some more bonding time with his daughter, settling swaying her in his arms as he talked to Sophia about all of the wonderful people that were looking out for her, as Jay took in the view of downtown Chicago from the window of Hailey's hospital room.

Jay's attention was taken away from the view of downtown Chicago and his little daughter as there was a gentle knock on the door, followed by Will's head peering into the room, Jay chuckling at his brother as he waved him in. "I'm not disturbing anything am I?" Will questioned a little sheepishly, awkwardly standing in the slight gap of the door he had just created.

"No you're fine Will, come on in." Jay chuckled at his brother's antics.

Jay was joined by his brother at his side, Will's lips curving into a massive smile as he took in the image of Jay holding his little girl. "So, how do it feel how that you're a daddy?" Will questioned, the smile on Jay's face as he mentioned the word 'daddy' not going unnoticed by Will.

"Better than I could've ever imagined." Jay responded instantly. "Do you want to hold your niece for the first time?" Jay questioned, Will's face instantly lighting up in excitement at the opportunity.

"Of course I do. I'm surprised you're letting her out of your arms." Will chuckled as he teased his brother, a chuckle falling from Jay's lips as well at the comment.

Jay lowered Sophia into Will's awaiting arms and stepped back slightly to allow Will to have a moment with his niece. Will could feel his heart melting as his eyes settled on Sophia's little face, her rosy red chubby cheeks and little button nose was the cutest thing Will had ever seen. Will could feel his eyes start to water slightly as he held the little girl that meant so much to Jay and their mom for the first time. "She's so adorable, Jay." Will smiled as he quickly looked at his brother for a moment.

There was a couple of minutes of silence between them as Will gently rocked Sophia in his arms with Jay watching on, loving the image on his daughter and his brother together for the first time. "I stopped by last night when I came to pick Natalie up and I heard you talking about mom to Sophia, I didn't disturb you as I didn't want to ruin your moment with your little girl." Will broke the silence. "What you said about mom was lovely." Will continued moments later, Jay nodding his head slightly as his eyes started to water.

"I finally feel like I've given mom everything she ever dreamed of in life, she always told me to find that someone special who I felt happy with and start a family, that's all she ever wanted from me. I think what makes Hailey so special is how she reminds me of mom, she's caring, kind, thoughtful in the same way that mom was and I know that Sophia is going to grow up to be just like her mommy and grandma. It just feels so special knowing that mom is a massive part of my daughter's life even though she isn't here, and it means the world to me that Hailey wants mom to be a massive part of our family." Jay confessed, by the end of his words tears were trickling down his cheeks, but they were happy tears, happy tears that were celebrating that his mom was ageing to be a massive part of his daughter's life as she grew up.

"We are all so happy and proud of you Jay. Me, mom and dad are so happy that you are enjoying life so much, and that you have so special girls in your life that make you feel so loved." Will softly spoke, moving closer to his brother and gently patting his shoulder which was met by a smile from Jay.

Will continued holding onto Sophia for a few more minutes before handing her back to Jay, Will knowing that Jay was already missing the feeling of his daughter in his arms which he couldn't help but find absolutely adorable. "I'm going to head off and leave you three alone. Natalie and I wanted to invite the three of you over for some food in the week, I know how hectic and stressful these first couple of weeks are going to be for you and Hailey so we wanted to cook you a meal so you don't have to worry about that." Will announced, earning a massive smile from Jay.

"That would be great, thanks Will. I'll speak with Hailey and I'll let you know when a night that's good for us."

"That's sounds great. Congratulations again Jay." Will replied, pulling his brother carefully in for a hug. "And I'll see you soon you Sophia, you little adorable bundle of joy." Will continued as he turned his attention to Sophia, gently rubbing the little girl's belly before leaving the room quietly. Jay settled back into his chair with Sophia still fast asleep in his arms, he couldn't help but smile at the moment he had just shared with his brother, just another memory to add to the collection of what had been a memorable 12 months.

Midday had just passed, Hailey had just finished a longer session of feeding Sophia and was having some extra bonding time with her daughter as Sophia lay against her bare chest, Jay sleepily watching on in awe from his chair besides her bed.

Both Hailey's and Jay's attention was drawn to the door as knocks rattled against the window. Jay begrudgingly lifted his tired body from his chair, stopping to plant a couple of kisses on Hailey's forehead, and made his way to the door. As he unlocked and opened the door, Jay's whole body was engulfed in the arms of Jennifer, Hailey's mom hugging him tightly as the chuckles of Alexei behind her projected into Hailey's hospital room.

"Congratulations you two." Jennifer excitedly exclaimed, probably a little louder than she intended, as she pulled back from Jay, tears already streaming down her cheeks and past the big smile curved in her lips. Jay stopped back, allowing Jennifer and Alexei into the room and Jennifer was quickly by Hailey's side. "Oh my god darling, that's my granddaughter." Jennifer called out at Hailey's side, her hands and voice shaking in excitement.

"You should hold her mom." Hailey replied, tears starting to prickle her eyelids at the sight of how excited her mom was to meet her granddaughter for the first time. Hailey blew out a slight sigh of relief as well, thankful that she managed to pull her gown up to cover her breasts in time.

More tears streamed down Jennifer's face and her smile grew even wider as she watched Hailey carefully lift Sophia from her chest and lift her into her arms. Jennifer slowly lowered down into the chair that Jay had occupied moments earlier and started gently rocking her arms. Jennifer's eyes were glued onto her granddaughter's frame, Sophia seeming very comfortable in the hold of her grandma as she didn't move from the sleepy state she had been in on Hailey's chest.

"Congratulations you two. I'm so happy and proud for both of you." Alexei spoke with a big smile on his face as he approached Jay and Hailey who were watching Jennifer with Sophia. Jay extended out his hand but was once again pulled into a hug, this time by Hailey's dad, pulling away shortly after before turning his attention to Hailey, pulling her in for a massive hug.

A loud gasp escaped Jennifer's lips as Sophia's eyes opened, Sophia's ocean blue eyes meeting her grandma's eyes for the first time. More tears started to stream down Jennifer's face as Sophia started to wave her arms around in front of her grandma's face, the adorable sight causing Hailey's, Jay's and Alexei's hearts to swell. Jennifer's finger slowly moved down and started rubbing Sophia's belly, the little girl obviously enjoying it as her arms continued to wave about uncontrollably.

After a few minutes, Sophia was fast asleep in her grandma's arms. Jennifer carefully lifted herself up from the comfort of the chair and rounded Hailey's bed to be alongside Alexei. "Do you want to hold her Alexei?" Jennifer questioned quietly, not wanting to wake the little girl in her arms. Alexei's head turned to Hailey, as if he was asking her permission to hold Sophia, his look met by a massive smile from Hailey.

Alexei carefully took Sophia from Jennifer's arms, and just like Jennifer, his arms slowly started swaying gently, the smile on his face growing wider and wider with each second he held his granddaughter. It was Alexei's turn to get caught up in the moment as tears slowly trickled down his cheeks. He wasn't usually someone who showed his emotions clearly, expect for when he had too much alcohol, but even he couldn't stop his emotions taking hold of his body as he held Sophia in his arms. Even though he had been in this moment with Tim and Michael, holding his only daughter's baby for the first time felt that little bit more special, it was a moment that he would never forget and treasure for the rest of his life.

The family settled down for a while, Hailey cuddling up to Jay's body on her bed as they watched Sophia bonding with her grandparents, Jay holding his fiancée tightly against his body, soaking up the amazing feeling of the moment they found themselves in. It was truly the best day of their lives, and having Hailey's parents here to share this special day just topped it off.

The family had been together for a little over an hour when there was another knock on the door, Jay shuffling off Hailey's hospital bed to greet whoever was at the door. As he opened the door he was immediately greeted by a very familiar smile. "Hey Natalie." Jay greeted as he returned the smile to his brother's girlfriend.

"Hey Jay, I'm not disturbing anything am I? I just wanted to give Hailey some news on when she can go home." Natalie spoke, her voice softer and friendlier than her usually doctor's tone.

"No, you're fine Natalie, come in." Jay returned, moving from the doorway as he let Natalie in.

As Natalie entered the room, she was greeted by three massive smiles, the biggest coming from Hailey. "Mom, dad, this is Natalie, the doctor who delivered my baby. Natalie, these are my parents, Jennifer and Alexei." Hailey announced, smiling to herself as she watched her mom jump up out of her seat and approach Natalie.

"Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter and granddaughter, Natalie." Jennifer spoke before surprising Natalie by pulling her in for a hug, Alexei chuckling away to himself quietly at Jennifer's antics.

"You don't have to thank me Mrs Upton. You have a beautiful little granddaughter and an incredible daughter who has helped me out a lot since we met." Natalie replied once Jennifer pulled back from her hug.

"Call me Jennifer, Natalie." Jennifer replied, still smiling at the younger doctor as she returned back to her chair next to Hailey's bed.

It took Natalie a few minutes to explain everything to Hailey, but the only piece of information Hailey really wanted to know was when they were allowed to take Sophia home, which to her delight was the next morning without anything cropping up before then. Once explaining everything to Hailey, and receiving another hug and thank you from Jennifer, Natalie left the family. It wasn't long after that Hailey's parents left the family of three to spend time alone with each other, Hailey's mom mentioning that she was going to prepare when a fresh cooked meal for later on.

Jay and Hailey snuggled up together in her bed, Hailey leaning back against his body in between his legs as she held Sophia against her bare chest, one of their hands interlinked together and slowly running up and down the tiny back of their daughter.

It had just passed eight in the evening when Vanessa slowly opened the door to Hailey's hospital room. Vanessa almost burst out laughing when she saw Jay fast asleep in the chair besides Hailey's bed, Hailey catching onto her best friend's amusement as another loud snore escaped Jay's lips.

"I'm guessing he didn't get much sleep last night." Vanessa chuckled as she approached Hailey's bed, she quickly pulled her best friend in for a hug.

"No he didn't bless him, he was up the majority of the night holding Sophia which didn't surprise me." Hailey chuckled, smiling as she turned her head to the cute sight of her fiancé fast asleep.

"Me and Kev decided by stop off and get you some white chocolate and raspberry cookies, Jay told me that they were your go to when you had cravings." Vanessa smiled, lifting the box of fresh cookies onto the table next to Hailey's bed, Hailey catching onto her best friend mentioned her and Kev, something which she would be digging deeper into.

"Thank you Vanessa. Why don't you hold your goddaughter for the first time?" Hailey pushed, smiling as she watched Vanessa's face light up like a Christmas tree.

Like everyone else that had held Sophia so far, Vanessa's heart swelled at the sight of Sophia wrapped up in the blanket that she had brought for her goddaughter. Vanessa had never felt anything more precious than the feeling of lifting Sophia into her arms and how her tiny frame fitted so perfectly in her arms. Vanessa carefully sat down in the space Hailey had left at the bottom of her bed, her eyes carefully watching Sophia as she started gently swaying her arms. Just when Hailey thought this day couldn't get any better, seeing her best friend holding her daughter had really just added to a day she would never forget.

"How was the whole experience of giving birth Hailey?" Vanessa questioned, snapping Hailey out of her thoughts.

"It was very painful but it was the best experience I've ever had in my life. The feeling I felt in my body as I heard her first cries as something that I had never experienced, the feeling of happiness was truly amazing. And then nothing could ever beat the feeling of holding her for the first time, nothing could've prepared for how good that felt. It was just an amazing experience and having Jay right by my side just made it even more special." Hailey explained, tears threatening to fall as she pictured the memories she was explaining in her head.

"Ahh that's so sweet Hailey, I'm so happy for you. How did Jay handle everything?" Vanessa questioned, her eyes now starting to water slightly as she took in how happy Hailey looked explaining the events of last night.

"He was perfect as always." Hailey started off with a giddy smile on her face. "I thought he might freak out a little but he was so calm. He was giving me back massages and when it got to the final stage, he was keeping me calm and focused on what I needed to do. I don't think I could've done it without him, just having him close to me made me feel so calm and gave me that belief that I could do it." Hailey explained, Vanessa's heart continuing to melt at how giddy and happy Hailey got when she spoke about Jay, she found it so adorable how cute Hailey and Jay were as a couple.

Vanessa and Hailey continued talking about last night for a little while, Sophia sleeping peacefully in the comfort of her godmother's arms the whole time. Hearing Hailey talk about how wonderful the experience of bringing her baby into his world was made Vanessa think about how she wanted to be a mother one day, a dream that she hoped one day would become a reality.

When Sophia made it clear she was hungry, Vanessa let Hailey have her privacy and headed off to meet up with Kevin, something she knew Hailey would be pressing for details soon. Hailey relaxed into the softness of her hospital bed as Sophia feed of her mother. All Hailey wanted to do was watch her daughter, soak up the feeling of Sophia's warmth of her bare skin, and all she could was smile when Sophia's eyes opened and looked up at her mommy.

After another long feeding session, Hailey put Sophia down to rest and rounded her bed to where Jay was fast asleep, throwing a blanket that he had brought for her over his tired body and pressed a kiss against his forehead, whispering 'I love you' before settling back on her bed. Hailey quickly dozed off, knowing that she would probably be awake soon, she wasn't complaining though as it meant that she got to spend more time with her little daughter.

I really hope you enjoyed seeing Sophia meeting some of her family and of course her godmother Vanessa. The next chapter will be Sophia's first time in her nursery and meeting some more friends and family.

Thank you all for reading, I hope all of you have a wonderful day, hopefully I'll be back in a few days with another chapter for you guys. :)