For a petite human, Genevieve James gave off big person energy. She paced the length of the hospital waiting room, climbed over furniture, and fidgeted every time she got within reach of the chairs. From his seat, Maximus watched her go, the twins Teddy and Fifi pacing and climbing and fidgeting in her wake. It would have brought him comfort to have Vivi seated beside her, leg tapping away until his whole body jostled, warm side of her body pressed against his side. He would put an arm around her, and he would tell her that everything was going to be okay.
Comforting his wife would bring him comfort, but Vivi didn’t want comfort. She wanted to move. So Max let her move, although he would snag a duckling twin on occasion and cuddle them into submission.
Across the waiting room, his mother knitted tiny Quidditch jerseys while she chatted with his mother-in-law. Cassandra Rae-Branxton glared at Healers as they passed and watched her daughter pace.
“Go home pease?” Teddy climbed onto the chair beside Max and let his head rest against his arm.
“We can’t go home, bud. We’re waiting for your new sister.”
Teddy gave a quiet huff. His discomfiture drew his twin, and Fifi squeezed into the chair beside him. Like a good mama duck, Vivi ended her pacing and unpacked snacks and boxes of juice from a satchel. She was still long enough for Max to snag, and he dragged her into his lap.
“What if…” He could feel the moment she let herself feel the emotions swirling beneath the nervous energy, her body sagging against his shoulder.
“You know a mother’s heart just gets bigger and bigger, right? There’s no maximum capacity for love.” He rested a chin against the top of her head. It was better not to remind her that she’d been miserable learning that getting pregnant again after the twins wasn’t possible, that she’d bury her face in her nephew Cooper’s hair while everyone pretended not to notice. Better not to point out that this was the only way their family was going to grow, even if she was stretched and white around the edges over the thought that she might not be able to love this new baby the way she loved the twins.
A Healer in billowing robes burst through the doors at the end of the waiting room, a tiny pink bundle in her arms, and Vivi scrambled out of Max’s lap. She was climbing over furniture again, plucking that bundle right out of the protesting Healer’s arms, but Max couldn’t see her face.
The whole room held its breath as mother took in the face of her child for the first time, and then… “Oh. Hi.” Vivi’s voice was so soft, so gentle, the whisper of a huge heart that most people never got to see. She brought the baby to Max and Teddy and Fifi, dropping to a crouch so they could all look at her tiny scrunched features.
“This is your new sister, guys.”
Teddy looked properly awed, but Fifi pushed the baby away. “No fank you.”
So they’d need some time to adjust.
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