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It was almost midnight on a rainy and cold Tuesday.
Rosario “Rio” Gabriella Vidal-Harkness has had insomnia for as long as she can remember, so it was common for her to wake up late at night. After years of trying to fit her life into a more mundane schedule, she realized she couldn't really fight her nocturnal habits—so she became a full-time painter.
Her work was well-received; people loved how she poured her soul into the canvas, her life was expressing her pain through the strokes of her brush.
That’s why, when the phone rang in the middle of the night, she was the first to hear it. The Latina lifted herself off the painting stool, frowning with a sense of foreboding, and walked the few steps to the kitchen.
“Hola, Vidal residence,” she murmured into the receiver, already guessing who was calling.
“Mamí?” Her adult son’s voice was hoarse and teary, making Rio shudder instantly. “Mamí, can you come? And pick up Mama? The baby… the baby’s coming.”
It’s the way he said it that made Rio gasp. She could hear the fear in Nicky’s voice, just as she had since he was a small child. Rio always knew no one could calm her son down, except herself and her ex-wife.
“Tell me the name of the hospital you’re at. Your mother and I will be there as fast as we can; I just need to wake her up,” she said, already preparing to cross the world if she needed to. That's her baby, after all.
“Wait—Mama’s there? Oh my God, weren’t you two separated again?” Nicholas, like Rio, always had a tendency to get distracted very easily. He paused for a second before remembering why he called. “Oh, right, come to the hospital!”
After punching the location into Waze—and being alarmed by the nearly hour-long drive—Rio heads to the bedroom where her wife is sleeping. She and Agatha had been divorced for nearly a decade but always found their way back to each other. Between all their ups and downs, it got to a point where Agatha firmly asked Rio to stop calling her “wife”. Rio liked to say they were girlfriends, at best.
“Hey, Agatha,” she called softly, gently tapping her ex-wife’s foot. “Agatha, wake up.”
Agatha groaned with that, since she’d only gone to bed half an hour earlier. After a completely chaotic day lying and God-knows-what-ing at City Hall, Agatha had come home, complained, and had dinner before spending several hours on the couch with their rabbit, doing nothing.
“Is the world ending in water?”
Rio chuckled at Agatha’s grumpy, half-asleep tone. Baby blue eyes blinked open slowly, and Rio smiled tenderly before stepping back and starting to pull out clothes for the both of them.
“No, worse than that,” Rio replied, swapping her old sweatpants for a pair of loose jeans. “Our first grandchild is about to be born, and Nicky is freaking out at some hospital in Newark.”
“What?”
Agatha’s shriek was loud enough to make Rio wince. She glanced at the ceiling, already imagining the new fine from the condo board, and watched in amusement as Agatha jumped out of bed, leaving the room in absolute panic. Sighing, she grabs the jeans and white shirt she’d set aside for her ex-wife before rushing after her. The Latina paused briefly to grab her bag, their phones on the counter, and Agatha’s sneakers from the floor before heading out.
The apartment door was wide open, and the elevator was already on their floor, which meant Agatha must have run down the nine flights of stairs. Rio chuckled to herself as she pressed the button for the parking garage, picturing Agatha racing down in desperation. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and Rio bit her lip to suppress a laugh when she saw her wife, out of breath, leaning against the door.
“I just remembered I’m not twenty-two anymore,” Agatha muttered as she stepped into the elevator. Rio laughed, handing her the clothes. “Jesus, I almost went to the hospital in my robe.”
“I wouldn’t have complained!” Agatha swatted her playfully, her composure surprisingly restored as they made their way to the car. Rio tossed Agatha’s sneakers into the backseat, where the woman climbed in to get herself sorted.
“I still can’t believe that kid’s going to be a father,” Rio muttered.
“I hope the baby takes after him because Elizabeth is way too ugly,” Agatha replied, making Rio laugh. Six years into their relationship, Agatha still couldn’t get along with their daughter-in-law. Elizabeth was a beautiful, kind girl who loved their son, and they were having a baby, for God’s sake!
“You better not say that to him,” Rio warned, her tone turning serious for the first time. Agatha huffed before sliding into the passenger seat, tying her hair up with one of Rio’s spare elastics. "Seriously, Ags, he sounded really nervous on the phone, and you know how much it hurts him when you make obvious how you dislike her.”
“He shouldn’t have married and knocked up a girl I can’t stand, then,” Agatha retorted, resting her forehead against the window. Rio rolls her eyes and hands Agatha the phone.
“Call Nicky and let him know we’re on our way, okay?”
Grumbling, Agatha complied, but talked to their son briefly, telling him they were on their way and asking him to tell the baby to wait. She also learned they’re still refusing to find out the baby’s sex, which made her roll her eyes at Rio and spend the rest of the ride complaining about it.
With all the technology available nowadays, how could a couple deny their child’s grandmothers the chance to know the sex? Naturally, she blamed Elizabeth, earning another eye-roll from Rio.
Thanks to Rio ignoring every possible sign and speed limit, they arrived at the hospital nearly twenty minutes early. They only needed to threaten one person before being escorted to their son’s floor.
“Mami! Mama!” Nicky’s deep voice rings out, and they turn to see their son—a nearly twenty-six-year-old man—whining in a chair while his best friend, Kate, tries to console him.
Nicholas rushed to them, falling into their warm embrace. He hid his face in Agatha’s neck, just as he used to do when he was a baby, while Rio gently rubbed his strong shoulders. At nearly twice their height, he towers over the two of them like a basketball player.
“Is Elizabeth okay? Is the baby waiting for us?” Rio teased softly, smiling at her son, who stayed clinging to Agatha.
“Lizzie’s fine, Mami. She was having ten minutes apart from each contraction the last time we checked. Her mom’s with her in there,” Nicholas explained before finally pulling away. His brown hair fell into his eyes, and Agatha brushed it back, caressing his smooth cheek. "The baby’s fine. They will born at any moment now.”
“That’s good,” Agatha said, a manic smile—one Rio usually adores—spreading across her face. “You came out so fast it was like you were on a waterslide. We didn’t even make it to the hospital.”
Rio burst out laughing at the memory, nodding at her son. It had been terrifying, and she normally hated thinking about the panic of delivering their baby on their living room couch while Agatha screamed in pain. They’d made it to the hospital hours later, but the trauma had never left her.
“Are you two back together?” Nicky asked, his eyes bright and hopeful with that thought. He was already a teenager when they finally divorced and understood their reasons – but he got confused when Rio came down the stairs weeks later for breakfast, still in her pajamas, with a purple love bite on her neck.
Took him a while to get used to their new situation, but eventually, he understood that his mothers were meant to each other, even when they're apart. They would always come back to each other's arms.
“You know the answer will always be no,” Agatha commented as if she didn’t have a fresh love bite on her neck shining bright right now. “Now, did you do those 3D ultrasounds? Did you bring it so I can at least see the baby’s face?”
Rio raised an eyebrow at her ex-wife, knowing Agatha was one second away from ruining everything for their son. He would never forgive her if she did something like that and Rio knew it.
“Of course not, mama! Why would I bring a 3D image to the hospital?” Nicky grumbled, finally stepping away from Agatha. Rio flinched at the hurt in his eyes, glancing at Agatha with reproach.
“To compare it with the real baby!” Agatha replied indignantly, throwing her arms up. “We need to make sure they don’t switch my grandchild, which could totally happen!”
“She’s been watching too many telenovelas,” Rio explained to their son, who burst out laughing at his mothers’.
Nicholas returned to his chair, followed by the two older women. He was nervously biting his nails, and Rio gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling her son close. Nicholas rested his head on her shoulder and sniffled quietly, reaching out to squeeze Agatha’s hand. He was a total mess, looking completely lost and Rio could see why he wasn't with Elizabeth right now.
“Family of Elizabeth Vidal?” A doctor’s voice made all four of them stand, and Nicky hurried toward him, anxious.
“She's fine? And the baby?”
Nicholas looked like he might faint, and Rio felt bad for her son, stepping closer to grab his elbow. Judging by the doctor’s expression, nothing was wrong, but you could never be sure. Births were one of the most unpredictable things in the world.
“She’s fine. I assume you’re Nicholas Vidal? She’s asking for you because the baby is about to be born any second now,” the doctor explained with a calm smile. Rio chuckled when she saw Nicholas stumble slightly before he bolted toward his wife’s room.
She turned to look at Agatha, who was with her piercing blue eyes full of tears. The painter leaned and pulled her ex-wife into her arms, making the woman bury her face into her neck. They're a mess like their son and couldn't hide it anymore.
“That’s the baby I carried in my womb two and a half decades ago,” Agatha murmured, her voice husky with her tears. Rio let out a soft chuckle, nodding softly. She pulled away and gently wiped the tears from the other woman’s eyes, a tender smile blooming on her lips.
“Who would’ve thought we’d become grandparents one day, huh? I always thought he’d inherit your aptitude for flirting and wouldn't never get a woman,” Rio teased. Agatha swatted her shoulder firmly before capturing her lips in a brief, soft kiss.
“I still can’t believe I carried that boy for almost ten months just for him to use the Vidal surname,” the brunette growled quietly, making Rio laugh loudly. It was the main reason for fights at home, actually.
“You say that like you weren’t the one who insisted we all drop the Harkness name after you fought with your mom before that devil passed.”
The two of them returned to the uncomfortable chairs, their conversation continuing. They didn’t want to think about the chaos in the room, knowing their son was probably shaking like a leaf. Birth itself was a traumatic event for everyone involved. After Nicky, neither of them had considered having another child. He was enough and their pride.
“And you didn’t drop it,” Agatha commented, wrapping her arm around Rio’s waist, and the younger woman leaned into her.
“Obeying you isn’t exactly my strongest trait,” the Latina teased, a wicked grin spreading across her face. She felt Agatha’s nails dig into her arm and feigned an exaggerated groan, much to the brunette’s disbelief.
They would have continued bickering if it weren’t for the distinct sound of a baby’s cry filling the air. They both froze, wide-eyed and grinning. Rio sighed in relief, resting her head on the shoulder of the love of her life while muttering a quick prayer, thanking the Virgin Mary.
Agatha was murmuring incoherent words into her hair as well, likely her own form of gratitude to whatever entity might be listening. They weren’t particularly religious, but the miracle of life always warranted thanks. Rio shivered when the baby’s cries grew louder, knowing the little one must be very upset.
“We’re grandparents,” Agatha murmured in shock, eliciting a loud laugh from Rio. The last time she’d been this happy was when Nicholas himself was born, which said a lot.
The arrival of a baby usually brought more hope to the world, more joy to the family, and more unity. That’s why, when Rio looked at Agatha, her blue-green eyes brimming with tears facing her directly, she made a decision.
“Will you marry me?” She murmured, feeling her heart leap into her throat. “Again, I mean. Marry me again.”
Agatha laughed, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. She looked stunned like she couldn't believe Rio was asking her something like that again. The Latina gently wiped her cheeks, caressing them with the care she reserved only for this woman.
“Low blow, asking me that right after our grandchild was born,” the brunette grumbled, her hand rising to stroke Rio’s. “Are you serious, Rio? Are you promising me a church wedding and everything?”
“Do you want to scandalize the church for the eighteenth time?” Rio laughed at her own joke, earning another sharp smack on the shoulder. Agatha, however, wore a smile that radiated as much happiness as Rio felt. “I can ask papá to talk to the priest.”
“So, a church wedding and everything?” Agatha whistled, shaking her head with that sarcastic smile that always turned Rio’s legs into jelly. “Who would’ve thought, Vidal?”
"Just say yes or no," the Latina pressed, her hand still on her ex-wife's face, stroking it softly. The touch made the brunette smile sweetly. The softness of Agatha's skin always impressed Rio, who always felt like she couldn't get enough of her.
"Let's make a bet, then," Agatha began with a mischievous smile. "If the baby is a girl, we'll get married again. If it's a boy, we stay as we are, just hooking up, as friends."
"You want to gamble our marriage, and the bargain is the gender of our grandchild?" Rio let out an incredulous laugh that only made Agatha's smile widen. She removed her hands from Agatha's face and shoved them into her coat pockets, contemplating.
"Take it or leave it, Vidal."
"Deal."
Rio had a sinking feeling she was walking into something dangerous, but she generally loved getting into trouble when it involved Agatha. The two sat back, anxiously awaiting Nicholas's return. Rio was so nervous she began tapping her foot on the floor, making an annoying sound, and Agatha had to grab her thigh to stop her.
They still had to wait for a long time, and more than an hour later, Nicholas appeared at the end of the hallway, looking exhausted and red-eyed. The huge smile on their son's face made sure for them that everything was absolutely fine. Nicholas opened his arms and his mothers jumped to their feet and ran to him, pulling their baby boy into a tight hug and peppering kisses on his head.
"How was it? Is Elizabeth okay? And the baby?" For someone who wasn't exactly fond of Elizabeth, Agatha seemed genuinely concerned. She stroked Nicky's face and wiped away the tear sliding down his cheek as she spoke. He was so happy that the tears couldn't stop going down.
"The birth was fine, and Lizzie is slegrabow. The baby is perfect. I need to take you to the nursery," Nicholas murmured softly. He seemed overwhelmed with all the emotions, and Rio had to grab his arm to steady him, earning a small, grateful smile. Her child leaned into her, beating their heads softly together. "You too, Kate."
Agatha and Rio turned to the girl standing quietly in the corner and gave her warm smiles. They had completely forgotten about her, though she didn’t seem bothered. Kate appeared just as emotionally overwhelmed as Nicky, having been best friends with the couple for years.
The four of them walked toward the nursery, and Nicholas spoke to a nurse before stepping inside to carefully pick up his baby.
He approached the glass, holding the tiny infant swaddled in a pale yellow blanket, his smile impossibly wide. Both Agatha and Rio felt tears welling in their eyes at the sight of the tiny, serene baby. Nicholas stepped closer, showing them the band with the baby's name. Rio felt like she might faint on the spot.
The band read, "Gabriella Agatha Vidal."
Rio turned to Agatha, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face, and wrapped her arms tightly around her ex-wife’s neck, her sobs overtaking her. Agatha, feeling the same overwhelming emotions, cried into Rio’s shoulder, quietly sniffling.
They had raised such a wonderful son that he was now honoring them through his first child. There was nothing in the universe that could compare to that. They knew it deeply and couldn't stop their tears, the overwhelming feeling of getting such an amazing gift. A son that was lovely and a granddaughter named after them. Those things were, undeniably, the most precious things in the world.
"Looks like I have to marry you again," Agatha muttered, her voice thick with emotion. They both laughed as they pulled back to look at their granddaughter through the glass once more. "She got his nose and mouth. I bet she’ll have his smile, too; damn, poor Elizabeth couldn’t escape the Vidal gene curse."
Rio chuckled, noting how the baby was indeed a tiny copy of her father. And since he was a carbon copy of Rio, none of the donor's genes had managed—or even tried—to overpower the dominant Vidal traits.
Now, the little Gabriella had inherited all the hallmarks of a Vidal. Rio let out a breathless laugh as she noticed the slight furrow of the baby’s brow, a characteristic she had passed on to Nicholas. It was so funny to watch it in such a tiny body.
"She’s so perfect," she murmured tearfully, seeing Nicholas laugh through the glass. He stepped back, placing little Gabriella back in her crib. "¡No, cabrón, déjame ver a mi hermosa nieta!"
She raised a hand to tap on the glass, but Agatha grabbed her just in time, making Rio laugh sheepishly.
"You can’t get arrested now for waking up the babies, Rosario. I’m not marrying you in a jail cell," the brunette chided, eliciting another loud laugh from Rio.
When Nicholas appeared on their side of the glass, Rio practically launched herself at him, hugging her son tightly. Nicky chuckled softly, basking in his mothers' affection, knowing that what he did was amazing. He was also crying, overwhelmed with all the emotions.
"I can’t believe you named her after us," Rio murmured, starting to cry again. She turned to look at Gabriella, her heart aching with the desire to hold her granddaughter. The baby was so tiny, yet so beautiful, like a princess.
She couldn't wait to pamper that baby, to buy everything she needed, to take her to eat ice cream when her parents left the baby with her and Agatha. Rio didn't think a lot about it, but she was, indeed, ready to be a grandma. A stereotypical Latina grandma, if possible.
"She looks like a Gabriella," Nicky replied with a huge smile. "It was Lizzie’s idea. She wanted you two to like her more by naming our firstborn after you."
"We already like her, cabrón," Rio scolded, smacking his arm playfully. Nicholas laughed, raising his hands in defense, his brown eyes melted like chocolate. He was happy and it was contagious.
"That baby is just another Vidal," Agatha commented with mock disappointment, shaking her head. Nicky laughed, nodding. "Poor Elizabeth carried her for nine months, only for her to come out a carbon copy of her father."
Nicholas grinned proudly, turning back toward the nursery. He looked nostalgic, and his mothers recognized that bittersweet feeling of having their baby so close yet so far away. Nicky was as young as they had been when they had him; he wouldn’t know what to do in those first two weeks, but he’d try his hardest. He was their son, after all.
"Your moms promised to get married again if the baby was a girl," Kate’s previously silent voice cut through, and Nicholas turned to her, utterly confused. Agatha and Rio exchanged heavy sighs.
"They what?!"