Work Text:
Father’s Day June 2023
Helen stood in front of Luna helping her put on the shirt she brought home for her yesterday on her way home from work. It was a light pink t - shirt with the words I’m going to be a big sister written on the front in dark pink lettering. Helen smiled as she looked at her little girl.
Their little girl.
Yet apart of her had felt for so long and even more so this first last year being married to Max and beginning the process of IVF that she really wanted a baby of her own. A little Helen or a little Max. She wanted it badly and she knew Max felt the same way.
A little over a year ago as she sat up in her hospital bed at New Amsterdam after Max’s proposal when he told her he wanted to have a baby with her and that a little Helen would be freaking adorable, she couldn’t let go of the possibility of having that future with Max and giving Luna a little brother or sister.
“Come on Lu. Let’s go see daddy. We have a big surprise for him.” Helen told Luna with excitement in her voice as she took Luna’s hand and led her out of her room which was down the hall from her and Max’s bedroom and across from a bedroom they currently used as an office for Helen when she worked from home, on days she wasn’t at the oncology practice she opened in New York after moving back from London a year ago. They hoped to turn it into a bedroom for their future child or children. Max kept telling Helen he thought they would have twins and Helen sometimes thought he was joking but lately felt like Max was becoming more serious with that theory.
In the last year they had two failed rounds of IVF. Helen and Max agreed to try one last time. They didn’t want to give up after two times. At first Helen wasn’t so sure but with Max always being so positive and optimistic she agreed they couldn’t give up just yet.
Friday morning Helen got the call from her OB GYN that this round had worked and she was indeed pregnant. Helen wanted to surprise Max on Father’s Day just two days later. Thinking it would be so cute if she had Luna help her reveal the news with the shirt she was currently wearing.
Once they reached Max and Helen’s bedroom, Helen gently knocked on the door and opened it to find Max was still sleeping.
Helen walked over to him and leaned down to kiss him on the head.
“Babe.” She whispered into his ear. Her heart dropping a bit when he didn’t wake up right away.
All of a sudden Luna came running into the room and Helen helped her into the bed careful not to wake Max up. Luna holding onto the card she made for Father’s Day said “Happy Father’s Day daddy.” Which woke Max up.
He yawned and then smiled when he noticed his two favourite girls were in the bedroom with him.
“Daddy I made this for you!” Luna gave Max her card as Max sat up in bed.
“You did?” Luna nodded her head in reply to Max’s question as she saw Max look at the card and open it up to read it. “It’s beautiful sweetheart.” Max admired the cute drawing of a stick family of three on the front to represent him, Helen and Luna. It looked like the family was standing in a field of what looked like grass and red flowers but these were circles.
All of a sudden Max was examining Luna’s shirt, I’m going to be a big sister written on the front.
“Happy Father’s Day luv, me and Miss Luna have a surprise for…” Helen began. “Yeah daddy me and mommy have something to tell you.” Luna cut in making Max and Helen laugh.
“Helen! You’re pregnant!” Max practically shouted as he felt an overwhelming amount of joy for the news he was learning. He opened his arms and gave Helen the biggest hug forgetting about Luna sitting on the bed.
“Daddy I want a hug too.”
“Come here. Luna bug. Daddy wants a group hug with his two favourite girls!”
When they all finished hugging Max turned to Helen.
“When did you find out?”
“The other day when I was at work. It was so hard to keep it from you. I picked up the shirt from a baby store over on Lexington and came up with the idea to tell you today. I didn’t mean to keep it from you…I” Max cut her off.
“Are you kidding? I know you would tell me eventually. You came up with the most adorable way to tell me and I love you for that. It was very thoughtful to include Luna in on the fun and excitement of announcing the news to her dad. Helen, you have nothing to apologize for. This is your special moment. It’s our special moment as a family. I know how much this means to you because you’ve wanted a baby for so long.” Max took her hand and kissed it. When he put her hand back down and looked into her eyes it took him back to that moment almost five years ago when Helen stood in his office and told him she wanted a baby. At that time, he never could of imagined he would be the person to make that dream come true for her.
“I’m very excited! I can’t wait to have a baby of my own. A little me or you. I just…” Helen couldn’t finish her sentence. I just can’t help feeling like this is too good to be true. She wanted to tell him. Max would always tell her to live in the possibility that it could be that good. Always wanting to believe and be optimistic. She loved that about him.
Max was right though.
Helen climbed onto the bed and for a few minutes longer they all cuddled up on the bed. Max enjoying being with his girls and dreaming of the little baby that him and Helen would be having. Max wasn’t sure why he felt this but he had this gut feeling that he was meant to be a girl dad. He would take his daughters to ballet class, see them off to prom after having a word with their dates, walk them down the aisle on their wedding day. He just couldn’t imagine anything else. Of course he wanted a healthy baby. It didn’t really matter the gender. He just had these vivid dreams lately of a little Helen running around with Luna or maybe two! He was completely in love with that idea.
“I want to enjoy this moment and we’ll take it one day at a time. There’s no guarantees but we made it further this time. We have to be happy about that!” Max said as he cuddled with Helen and Luna on the bed, an arm wrapped around both of them pulling them close to him. “How did you keep the secret from Luna?” Max wondered as he waited for Helen to answer him.
“It wasn’t easy. I was so excited when I came home! I haven’t even told any of our friends. I wanted to text Lauren and Floyd, but I want to wait. I want this to remain our news for now. We don’t even know if - Helen couldn’t finish the sentence not wanting to take the conversation in a negative direction again. “I am so happy I could shout the news from the rooftop! I’m already in love with this little one inside of me. It was so hard not to run right home and tell you and Luna.” Helen smiled as she thought back to telling Max and Luna the news as soon as she got off the phone with her OB GYN on Friday morning. Max was going to be a father again, but Luna had never experienced being an older sibling. “I wanted to tell our Miss Luna so badly that she was going to be a big sister but I wanted to wait. She almost wouldn’t keep quiet when I was getting her dressed this morning!” Helen told Max as she remembered the excitement Luna had when Helen told her what her shirt said.
“I’m going to be a big sister?” Luna asked as she looked down at the shirt Helen had just dressed her in.
Helen nodded her head. “Yes Luna. That’s right. There’s a baby inside my belly. Today we’re going to go tell your dad. He doesn’t know yet so it will be a surprise for him. Do you want to help mummy with that? I know daddy would love that if his two girls had a surprise for him.”
Luna nodded and grabbed her Father’s Day card she had made at pre school on Friday from the little pink kiddy table in the corner of her bedroom by the window, took Helen’s hand and they walked down the hall toward the bedroom where Max was still sleeping.
Just as Helen was about to open the door and enter the room Luna asked a question and wasn’t aware of how loud her voice was as she was too excited with the news she had just found out.
“Mum! Are you having a girl or a boy?” Helen turned behind her to look at Luna and putting a finger to her mouth gestured for Luna to be quiet. Luna nodded her head and quietly tip towed toward Helen so they could enter the room together.
“Daddy’s still sleeping munchkin.” Helen told Luna as they entered the room together.
As they all sat on the bed Max pulled Helen closer to him so he could kiss her. He just wanted to kiss her all over. He was about to when Luna pulled on his shirt. Damn.
“Hi Lu.” Max turned toward the little girl on the other side of him. Max began tickling her a little bit which caused Luna to giggle. “I don’t know what I did right in life to deserve two of the best girls in the world! I love you both very much!”
“Love you too.” Helen told him as she lay beside him.
“And I love this little one inside your belly.” Max told Helen and they shared a smile as they looked into each other’s eyes. Slowly Max lifted up Helen’s silky tank top and kissed her belly. “I love you little one. Whatever you are. Boy or girl. I love you so much!”
Helen looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She couldn’t believe this moment was real. She had dreamed about being with Max like this for so long. Being married to him. Having a lovely home. Being a mum to Luna. Having a baby of her own on the way. All of her dreams had come true and now the reality that she was pregnant with a baby that her and Max had created just filled with her with so much joy!
Later on that day Helen and Max put Luna down for her afternoon nap together after spending the afternoon at a nearby park. Luna couldn’t contain the excitement she had about the fact that she was going to be a big sister and kept asking what her mum was having. She even told a couple of the kids she played with at the park that there was a baby in her mum’s belly. It made Helen and Max laugh and smile at the same time.
They knew Luna would be excited when she found out that she would be a big sister and they were happy they had been right! No matter how many kids they added to their family, one thing was for sure Luna would always be their special little munchkin. They would always make sure she felt that way.
When Helen and Max tucked Luna into her bed, they both kissed her before leaving the room. After Helen switched off the light she stood in the doorway of Luna’s bedroom with Max as they watched Luna drift off to sleep. They thought she was asleep but when Max and Helen turned their backs to make their way down the hall, that’s when Luna asked her question.
“Mum?”
“Yes munchkin.” Helen and Max turned back toward Luna’s room.
“How did that baby get inside your belly?”