A Mother's Priority | Chapter 1

The lights in the room were much brighter than I anticipated them to be. The outright pain coming from my lower half took over the pain of the bruises I received the night before. A nurse stood next to me, squeezing my hand every couple times to reassure me that everything will be alright, as my boyfriend was asleep on the couch in the far corner of the room. I'd never understand just how he was able to just sleep during this moment.. but to be fair, he did work pretty late into the night last night trying to make a better paycheck for our little girl.

A cry soon came out and the doctor looked up to me with a huge smile across her face, "She's beautiful."

With beads of sweat collecting on my forehead and tears burrowing under my eyeline, I said before taking a breath, "Can I hold her?"

The doctor handed her off to a nurse who wiped off the access blood before taking her over to me, placing her into my arms. "Say hello to your new daughter, Ms. Fiddlestein," the Nurse said to me.

I smiled as my daughter laid in my arms. My finger brushed her cheek as her eyes looked up at me. "Hi there, Lola," I smiled at her, "I'm your mom." A feeling of joy rushed through my body as I continued to look at her. "My name's Becca," I whispered to her, "Can you remember that?"

The doctors and nurses were scrambling around the room, doing whatever it was they needed to do, but all I saw was this little girl. It was almost as if Lola and I were the only ones in this room at the moment; in this moment, I couldn't even see her father sleeping over in the corner. "Sorry I look like a mess, Lola," I smiled at her, "I promise to look better for you next time."

"You look great," The nurse smiled at me, "You should've seen me after my kid was born; you would've thought I fell into a swimming pool from all the sweat that dripped off of me."

"I just hope she doesn't remember me looking like this as she grows older." I said. My mom gave birth to me in the back of some rusty old pick up truck that was owned by a guy she spent the night with the night before I was born.. and boy did she never let me forget it.

"She won't care about that," the Nurse chuckled, "She'll love you anyway because you're her mother. Now if only her father woke up to greet her."

"He had a long night last night," I defended him.

"Still."

I glanced over at the father of my daughter; all spread across the couch with one leg hanging off as if he had just fallen asleep at home in front of the television. All he was missing was the beer bottle that would have fallen onto the floor after he had gone to sleep. I held my daughter up a bit to show her father, "That's your dad, Lola. His name is Tate, and he may be asleep but I swear.. he was just as excited to see you as I was."

I looked back down at her once more. Her bright baby blue eyes resembled her father so much. She even had the same nose and eyebrow shape as he did. Her lips were a smaller than they were plump, something she definitely got from me. She was definitely her father's daughter; there was no hiding that. I looked back over at him before looking back down at my beautiful little girl. She was her father's daughter.

**

An hour went by before Tate finally woke up. Without saying a word, he walked himself to the conjoining bathroom to pee; something I only knew because he didn't even bother with closing the door before doing so.

"Good morning," I smiled towards him, "Notice anything different about this room, Tate?"

He came out of the bathroom, letting his eyes follow the room before landing on the baby in my arms, "Is that her?"

"Yes." I couldn't stop myself from smiling, "Surprise."

"You couldn't bother and wait for me to wake up?"

"What?" His tone of voice shocked me.

"You made me miss the birth of my daughter because you didn't want to fucking wake me." He grabbed my wrist but let go the second he saw Lola.

"She made the decision to come out," I told him, "I had nothing to do with it. You just had a busy night and I didn't want to-"

He took Lola from my arms and held her close to his chest, "Sorry your mother's such a dumbass, Lola bear. Daddy would have never missed your delivery if he would have known you were coming."

"Tate."

"Daddy loves you." He continued to talk to Lola.

"Tate," I sighed, "I didn't purposely make you miss her birth."

He placed Lola in the clear bassinet the hospital left next to my bed before leaning over my body, his fist wrapped tightly around my wrist, "Yet you were unable to tell a Nurse to wake me up when she was finally ready to come out."

"I was a little busy Ta-"

"You weren't too busy to ask the Nurses for things you claimed to have needed during the 13-hour labor." His grip grew tighter with each word he spoke.

"You're hurting me." I cried out.

"I barely touched you." He let go of my wrist, "Is this how you want our daughter to imagine me on her first day?"

"N-"

Lola began to cry and I pulled her bassinet closer so I could take her out and rock her back and forth. Nothing seemed to work. "Lola," I said to her, "Lola, what's wrong?"

"Are you going to shut that baby up?" Tate groaned. I gave him a look before focusing back on Lola.

"How are things going in here?" The nurse peaked into the room.

"Everything's fine." Tate smiled at her.

"Actually," I looked up at her, "Could you maybe help me figure out what's wrong with her?"

"She's probably just hungry," The Nurse walked over and helped me position her so she can grab ahold of a nipple, which she gladly took.

"How am I ever going to be a mother if I can't even get that part right?" I asked the Nurse.

"Well you are still a new mom," She smiled at me, "This is a new process that'll take some time to master.. but you are doing so good so far. Your daughter is so lucky to have you."

Tate kissed my forehead, "She looks like you." I wasn't surprised he was acting like this now.. especially while the Nurse stood in the room next to us.

"I think she looks more like you," I smiled at him, "Just look at those beautiful eyes and that nose. It's all you."

"She's beautiful, just like the both of you. Now, just buzz if you need any more help and I'll come running." The Nurse told us before leaving the room.

"I cannot believe you would do that."

"What?"

"By saying my daughter looked like me," He said to me, "You just said her eyes and nose looked like mine; she isn't even a day old yet, and you already just compared her to an ugly mug."

"Tate," I placed my hand on his cheek while holding Lola with the other, "You are so handsome. Plus, I love your eyes and nose so.. you can't ever tell me they don't look good."

Without saying another word, he walked over to the window and looked out, "I'd still prefer if she looked more like you."

"She has my lips." I smiled down at her, "Sorry about that by the way."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Apologizing for giving your daughter one of your traits," He turned back towards me, "If I can't do it, you can't either."

"Sorry," I gestured my hand out towards him, "Now come be a family, dad."

He came back over and grabbed ahold of my hand, a smile edging back across his face.

"Let's make Lola's first day all about her." I smiled, "Let's show her that nothing else matters but her."

"Deal." He leaned over and kissed Lola on the forehead before rubbing his finger against her cheek, "You're my princess, Lola. You are all that matters to me, no matter what."