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Your daughter is 18 days old.
You and Alex are both lying in bed, with Jamie between you. The novelty of having her home wore off after a while and the sleep deprivation got to both of you. But in the past couple days, you’ve gotten used to the new schedule and have fallen into a deeper sense of wonder at being moms. The two of you, who've spent most of your relationship being anything but still, spend hours like this, just looking at her her. As you look at Alex as she gently rubs a hand down your daughter’s face as she names the muscles below her finger as Jamie looks up at her with rapt attention, you think back to the day she was born.
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Alex starts to have contractions around bedtime one night at 38 and ½ weeks. You ride them out with her at home until their 6 minutes apart. Alex seems reluctant to go to the hospital and you try to convince her while keeping your cool even though you’re starting to panic.
You finally get her to admit she’s scared and you tell her “Alex. You are ready for this. We’re ready. We could not be more prepared. You’re ready to have this baby and you’re ready to be a mom. And I think even I’m ready to be a mom, which has been all you, too."
She rolls her eyes but relents. You take a moment to kiss her and say “Okay, let’s go have a baby”.
She looks up at you with a watery smile and says, “Lets go have a baby”. God, she’s so beautiful, even scared and in pain. You’ve never seen anything more beautiful.
Before you can even finish that thought, your window is slammed open. You and Alex both turn to see the blur rushing around your house. Four seconds later, Kara is standing in front of you both with Alex’s hospital bag and your backpack. She smiles at both of you and says “let’s go have a baby."
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When Alex’s contractions are about 90 seconds apart, you notice Kara turning her head, obviously hearing something beyond human ability, and getting increasingly restless. You ignore it, but then Alex asks her what’s wrong.
“Nothing’s wrong. My sister is having a baby. How could anything be wrong?”
“Kara”
“I’m serious. I’m about to meet my niece. I’m excited!”
“Kara…”
“Ugh. Fine. It doesn’t matter but there’s a fire over on Haight. It’s pretty bad, an apartment building. They called in three more departments, but the closest is 7 minutes out.”
You take a moment to wonder at how adorably incompetent the most powerful person on Earth is at keeping secrets, and at your wife’s ability to successfully interrogate someone with two words while in the worst pain of her life.
After another contraction passes, Alex says “Go”.
“No, Alex. I’m not going anywhere. They can manage.”
“You can’t. Not if you don’t go and someone doesn’t make it”
“I did that for a decade before I came out as Supergirl. This is one day. One very important day. It’s like the most important of all the days Alex!”
“Kara, I’m fine, really. Maggie’s here, and so is the best obstetrics team in National City. You’ve been so amazing at getting me through this, but I got it from here. They need you more. And think of the badass story you’ll have to tell the baby when she’s old enough”
She grunts out the last part and Kara contemplates it during the rest of the contraction.
“You’re absolutely sure?”
“Absolutely. They need you, Supergirl.”
“God, you’re gonna be the best mom.”
“Okay, come on, don’t make me cry on top of everything else right now”
“Alright” She kisses Alex and they rest their foreheads together. “I love you more than anything and you’re doing so amazing. And I’ll be tuned to you and the baby the whole time. All you have to say my name and I’ll be here in 2 seconds no matter what.” She stands up. “Literally 2 seconds”.
She turns to you and says “you got this”, while Alex says “don’t you dare break the sound barrier!”
As Kara rushes out of the room you hear “most important of all the days, Alex!”
Alex laughs despite the contraction, and when it’s over you ask her if she’s okay. She says “Yes. I promise I’ll call her if I need her but I think I’m good. You and me, babe. You’re all I need.” You start to tear up as you say, “well I’m with Supergirl. You are going to be the best mom.”
After that things started to move frantically until all of a sudden…
“Oh my God. She’s here. Alex you did it. She’s here.”
While you were saying that and laying your forehead against Alex’s temple, the doctor lifted the baby right to her chest, and her hands came up to hold her immediately, like the natural she’s always been.
The baby is crying. You’re crying. Alex is crying. And Alex is welcoming your daughter to the world with a trembling “Hey you”. You’ve always loved the way she says that. She really only uses it to address you and Kara. And now her daughter. Your daughter.
You know that no matter what happens for the rest of your life, you’ll never forget this moment. The moment Alex became a mother.
There's another blur in which you cut the cord, and Alex delivers the afterbirth. Nurses and doctors clean up both your girls, while the baby stays on Alex’s chest and the three of you bond. Kara doesn’t come back in, but you hear a distinct crack in the air, and Alex takes a millisecond away from fussing over your daughter to fondly shake her head. After what you assume is a half hour based on the hospital’s policy, despite the fact that it went so fast, one of the nurses says she needs to weigh the baby and perform all the necessary tests.
Alex seems reluctant to give her up, but does, either the doctor or the parent in her winning out. As the nurse is taking her, Alex looks at you and says “go with her”. You ask her if she’s sure with a look, because earlier in the midst of pain and exhaustion she begged you not to leave her side, and you haven’t since. She gives you that determined nod of hers, and you know you don’t even have a choice.
You do give yourself a second to indulge in leaning down to Alex with an “I love you and I am so proud of you.” and kiss her. Your daughter starts screaming across the room, unhappy at being taken away from the warmth of her mom, and you rush over to her and try to calm her with your voice.
They weigh her and give her a shot, do some more tests. The whole time the nurse is verbally cataloging all of the results, and after she belts out “Apgar - 10”, Alex says from across the room “Hear that Mags? Her first A” with a weary smile. You don’t know how it hasn’t ceased to amaze you how nerdy your wife can be in any situation.
They finish up, bundle up your daughter, and hand her to you before you can even think about it. You turn around and take two steps before it hits you. You’re holding your daughter. You have a kid. And she’s perfect and fiery and according to Alex, looks like you. You hold her tight as you stumble. Stop all other movement and just take her in. Her smell and the weight of her in your elbow and the tiny little hat covering her head of dark hair.
Later, Alex will tell you that was one of the best experiences of her life - watching the moment you became a mother.
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That was 18 days ago and none of the wonder and overwhelming love has worn off. You still feel every ounce of it as you watch her now, squirming with your hand on her head and Alex’s rubbing her tummy, as she tries to make eye contact with whichever one of you is talking.
Even with all the fear and anxiety and sleep deprivation these have been the best 18 days of your life. Jamie is the best thing that’s ever happened to you (with Alex coming in a close second) and you can’t wait to spend the rest of your days being her mom.