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CHAPTER ONE.
Breathe
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"Okay Nicolette I'm gonna need one big push from you. On my count. 3...2...1.... PUSH!" Dr. Medina said as Nicolette nodded, sweat beading down her face and anguish plastered on her expression. She had her feet propped up on the stirrups, looking up to see her doctor's head over her hospital gown and pushed with all the strength she had. The pain was agonizing, she had never experienced anything worse. Nicolette felt as if she was being ripped in half as she pushed again at the order of her doctor. Beads of sweat poured down her face, falling into her eyes and stinging profusely. She sees blurs of bodies in the room and begins to hyperventilate at not being able to distinguish her surroundings. Managing to grasp for a hand, she begins squeezing desperately.

Suddenly, she realizes.

I'm alone. I have no one.

This must be the midwife's hand.

Regardless, she pushes again, heaving directly after, tears pouring out of her eyes. She begins to hyperventilate once more, her anxiety and fear getting the best of her.

"I can't, I can't..." Nicolette exhales, looking to her doctor to tell her she wouldn't have to anymore, that the pain is over.

Yet, he didn't.

"Nicolette, look at me," A young woman tells her, a distinct voice on the left side of her. She realizes it's the person's hand she was squeezing the entire time as the woman squeezes her hand in reassurance, "Yes, you can. This baby, it's a part of you. It's the most precious thing in the world. You're doing great, Nicolette, trust me. You're almost there, just a few more pushes..."

Nicolette still can not manage to make out a face. She nods desperately, holding the woman's hand again and screaming as she pushes. Her doctor speaks once more, "Good, good. She's almost out, I feel the head!"

The head.

He can feel the head.

"One last push, Nicolette. We're at the finish line here." Dr. Medina says, completely focused on the delivery of the baby. She feels his hands down below but begins taking deep breaths in and out with the midwife beside her, "One final push."

Nicolette breaths in frantically, pushing with all her force right after. Suddenly, she feels an alleviation of the pain. The pressure was relieved off her stomach, her vagina was not being exercised, and her uterus wasn't contracting. She finds herself letting out a deep breath of air as she hears her baby crying instinctively. Dr. Medina holds the baby in his arms with extreme care, as if it were the finest piece of china and was too precious to mishandle.

"Congratulations. It's a boy."

She feels a squeeze from the midwife on her hand and another nurse come in to wipe her eyes of the tears. Nicolette opens her eyes and takes in the scene around her as she couldn't before. The midwife that was holding her hand was already on the other side of the room, examining the baby. Her and the doctor did the usual tests, checking to make sure that the baby is healthy. The nurse beside Nicolette asks her how she's feeling. She nods, not taking her eyes off of her son. The midwife then picks up the baby from the baby station and smiles down at him before carrying him to Nicolette and placing him in her arms carefully. Immediately, she locks eyes with her beautiful baby boy and the world stops around her. All at once, her heart is full of pure love and admiration for her son.

Her son.

She forgets all her issues, all the troubles that will undoubtedly confront her soon enough. She forgets about everything except for the little human babbling in her arms, staring into her eyes. Nicolette puts a finger out and gently pats his nose and traces his bottom lip. Her heart flutters when he reaches up and glides his finger across her cheek carelessly. A single tear falls down her face as endless waves of happiness crash throughout her body.

"You're beautiful," She says with a sob, her son looking up at her with those glossy hazel eyes, his cheeks tinted pink. Nicolette leans down and pecks his forehead with her chapped, dry lips very lightly, licking them directly afterwards, "And I will always protect you."

"We're sorry you didn't get to hold the baby right away, Ms. Lombardi. We wanted to immediately check for any post delivery issues that might've come up since your term was slightly overdue. However, I am glad to say that everything looks great and your baby is healthy. I have also checked your vaginal walls and have put some stitches in for the slight tears that formed during delivery and your recovery should be smooth. Lina, would you go pick up her prescription from the pharmacy downstairs? Thank you. I'll come back and check in an hour. Congratulations again." Dr. Medina says, smiling profusely at the new mom and baby he had just delivered. Nicolette smiles back and gives her sincere thank you, eternally grateful for the man that brought the most precious thing in her life into the world. He nods his head at the midwife, allows the nurse he just asked to get Nicolette's prescription to pass through the door and exits the room himself.

"Have you decided on a name, Ms. Lombardi?" The midwife says, looking from the newborn baby to the new mother in one swift movement. Nicolette beams at her and looks down at her baby boy, whom of which was salivating thoughtlessly.

"Yes. Ace Niccolo Lombardi."

"Beautiful," The midwife said, writing the name down and then setting the clipboard down on a table by the door her doctor exited moments prior, "Okay," She sighs, "I think it's time for Ace's first breastfeed."

"O-Okay. Um, should I—" Nicolette says, stumbling over her words. She pushes her gown down, pulling her left breast up and over it. The nurse helps her situate Ace in a position where he can easily put his mouth on her nipple for proper nursing. Nicolette watches diligently, mostly due to the fact she will be doing this all on her own and she will need to know the right way to do it.

She's determined to being a good mom.

For Ace.

"I'm Morgan, by the way. Morgan Lane." The midwife says as she watches Ace place his mouth over Nicolette's nipple and begin sucking, placing his tiny hand on her collarbone, "He's a natural."

"Sure is," Nicolette smiles, looking from Morgan down to Ace, caressing his face with the back of her index finger as he sucks hungrily. Nicolette never knew she could love something as much as she loved her son. Everything else seemed so far away, so minute. All that mattered to her, in the entire world, was her baby boy. She never knew something could be as perfect as him. Down to the little mole on his cheek or the wiggling of his little toes, she was engulfed in nothing but pure love. She realized that this was what was most important, what her life had led up to.

Her greatest accomplishment.

"So, Ms. Lombardi, I don't mean to pry..." Morgan drags off sheepishly, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear and barely sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, "I noticed you didn't come in with anyone. I just wanted to ask if you would need anything when you are discharged in a couple of days, maybe some help to your home?"

"I—um..." Nicolette exhales, her smile fading slightly as she rocks Ace in her arms. She knows she shouldn't be offended or even the slightest bit irritated at her generous offer, but her independent nature got the best of her, "I won't be needing anything. I got through this delivery myself and I will be able to handle getting home myself too. But I appreciate the offer."

Morgan smiles a toothless smile, one unlike the others, where her dimples are shown. Instead, she smiles as if she didn't trust her, but let it go anyway, "Okay. Well, if Ace is done feeding, I will take him down to the nursery and get his final tests done. He'll be back in fifteen minutes."

Instinctively, she holds her son closer to her, putting her index finger in the palm of his hand, "O-Okay, how far away is that? If that's not—I just don't think I'm ready for him to leave me—"

"Relax Ms. Lombardi. It's down the hall. He's in good hands. I'll even ask Dr. Medina to check on him and report back to you if that would soothe your nerves. I've seen many women who are hesitant to detach from their babies, it's completely normal." Morgan reassures, reaching out for Nicolette's hand and squeezing it once, just as she did when Nicolette was delivering Ace. For some odd reason, call it the pain meds, or the fact that she was alone in all of this and could use even the slightest bit of help, she felt much better. For once in her life, Nicolette let a sliver of trust slide, deciding to try something new for her son's sake. She gives Ace to Morgan carefully, laying his fragile little head down in her arms. Morgan carries Ace to the baby tray and begins to roll him out of the room, the door closing behind them.

⤞

A woman enters the hospital, red bottom heels clacking on the tile floors. She moves with diligence, yet manages not to draw attention to herself. Smiling here and there at staff that pass her, she sees a sign labeled 'Nursery' midway down the crowded hallway. A wave of content comes over her as she walks in the direction the sign points her to. The woman makes sure to not draw attention to herself, walking passively towards the window where the many babies were lying on nursery beds. Her emerald green eyes scan the names on the beds until she finds the exact one she's looking for.

Ace Niccolo Lombardi.

"Pretty boy," The woman says blatantly with a smirk on her face. She looks around to make sure no one is looking and slips down the hall again to the locker rooms. Planning this all ahead of time, she opens up a locker on the far end of the locker room and sees everything she needed there for her use. She grins maniacally and puts the scrubs on over the clothes she had arrived with and slips on a pair of sneakers that were in the locker as well. A name tag sat on the very top shelf.

Robin Bale.

The woman pinned the name tag on her scrubs and goes back to the nursery, now entering through the door and walking among the many beds of babies. Her cold, manicured index finger traced the many beds with newborns in them before she had reached the only one she desired. Looking down at him, she reaches forward and takes him into her arms, patting the back of his head gently. The baby boy begins to grunt in a state of discomfort.

"Shh, Niccolo." The woman coos, looking into the baby's sterling, grey and green eyes with her own. The baby salivates and grunts once more, causing the woman to become slightly agitated. She coddles the baby a few minutes more, walking around the nursery. He was a part of her, in a sense, "Tua madre deve essere felice." (Your mom must be happy.)

The baby looks at her with no expression, mindlessly reaching for the necklace around her neck. It was a bat with its wings spread out, it's head bowed down. The woman feels a rush of glee course through her veins as she smiles down at the baby, "You like the bat, don't you?"

The baby babbles and salivates, sticking his tongue out. The woman smiles down at him and kisses his forehead carelessly, with no real love or sentiment. Taking out her smartphone, she takes a picture of the baby holding the bat in his tiny hand and puts her phone away again. She raises an eyebrow confidently and puts the baby back down in the nursery bed, leaving the room. The woman goes back to the locker room and changes back into the clothes she had arrived in and heads toward the exit, not drawing any attention to herself.

Just as swiftly as she had come, she had gone.

⤞

TWO WEEKS LATER

Cold winter days are what piqued Nicolette's happiness. Days where she was able to stay in her home in Seattle, Washington with her son, Ace, enjoying the snow that falls around them during her favorite season. Nicolette smiles at the view outside of the window and goes over to the bassinet, picking up Ace.

"It's tummy time, baby." Nicolette coos, kissing her son on the cheek and gently laying him face down on the baby mat. Ace grunts slightly, lifting his head up to play with the toys above him. Nicolette smiles and sits down on the floor beside him. Suddenly, her phone starts ringing and she realizes there is no caller ID. She presses the answer button and puts the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Nicolette! Hey!"

"Morgan?"

"Oh great, you remember! Yeah, it's me. Listen, I—um I might've stole your phone number from your records at the hospital..." She drags off, starting back up again energetically, "But I just wanted to check in and see how you and Ace are doing."

"We are good, he's good," She says into the phone, not so good with communicating. She's a very reserved person who isn't used to being checked in on or handled. Nicolette is much too used to being alone, which is something she always preferred. Except now she wasn't alone, she had her son, which was all that mattered to her.

"Aw I am so glad to hear it! Well, besides checking up, I was wondering if you both wanted to go out to eat? My husband is a chef at a new restaurant down the street, Tower 37. Maybe you've heard of it? Anyway, I would love it if you guys could come. It's his grand opening today and he reserved me a table."

"Oh, well congratulations to him. That's great. I-I'm just worried it'll be...too much for Ace."

"Thanks! The restaurant is divided and a fairly quiet scenery. There's no band or anything, just some classical music lightly playing in the background. It'll be perfectly calm for Ace."

Nicolette brushes a piece of hair behind her ear and looks to Ace, whom of which is kicking his legs and flailing his arms as he bobs his head up. She chuckles slightly, returning her attention to the call with Morgan, "Okay, just send me the address. I'll meet you there."

"No, let me pick you guys up. I insist. Send me your address, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

The call ends. Nicolette puts her phone down on the couch and picks up Ace to get ready for dinner.

"Do you wanna go, Nico?" She asks the baby, obviously not expecting a response. Ace just blinks at her and smiles. Nicolette rolls her eyes playfully and kisses his nose, situating him on her right side, carrying him up the stairs, "Of course you think it's a good idea, it'll be your first time out."

Ace babbles incoherently, playing with his squishy toy keys. Nicolette smiles and kisses his cheeks all over. Ace giggles, his eyes squinted and his nose scrunched up as his mom takes him up to his room to get him ready.

⤞

"Almost two years with with him. We met when I was working a twelve hour shift and he came in with a pretty deep cut in his arm. He's pretty passionate when he cooks," Morgan says with a chuckle, cutting up a piece of steak and putting it in her mouth. Nicolette looks over at Ace in his car seat, his eyes closed with his head leaned on his right shoulder. She smiles as her heart flutters in her chest.

"He seems great, Nicolette. Does he sleep through the night?" Morgan asks, taking a sip of wine and setting it back down. Nicolette places the blanket over Ace's car seat after she's checked on him and turns to her.

"He does, mostly. No problems there," Nicolette responds, cutting up the steak and eating a piece as well. Her eyes widen at the pleasant taste in her mouth and Morgan hums proudly.

"Good?" Morgan laughs, nodding her head in Nicolette's direction, a smirk coming on her face.

"Yeah, really good, actually." Nicolette says, eating some of the potato salad on the plate, which was also exquisite. Nicolette eats more, Morgan blushing proudly that a new friend of hers enjoyed something her husband has been priding himself on.

"I told you. He's always dreamed of being a chef. I watched him go from restaurant to restaurant, seeking better opportunities. He's a damn good one too, even though I'm probably bias." Morgan says, staring off into the kitchen, watching who Nicolette presumes is her husband, cooking on the grill as he orders his employees around.

"You're definitely not, this is amazing." Nicolette assures, watching how Morgan looks at her husband with admiration. She understood this look perfectly because it was the same look she gave Ace when he was in her arms for the first time.

"Thank you. He'll be glad to hear it, I'll let him know you liked it and that he hasn't been wasting his time."

Nicolette and Morgan share a laugh together, Nicolette realizing that there is someone who genuinely cares for her and her son. In that moment, she looks to Morgan with gratitude.

"Thank you, for everything. And I'm sorry I've been so closed off and cold," Nicolette says sincerely, biting the inside of her cheek, "It's just that... Ace and I are in this alone and I want to stay strong for him."

"It's okay to have someone to lean on, Nicolette. I can tell that you want to be a good mom and I'm confident you're going to be. I just want you to know that I'm here if you ever need it, okay? You're not alone." Morgan says, squeezing her hand like she did in the hospital, filling Nicolette with happiness. Morgan was a great person, she could sense she was.

"I will, thank you."

"So! Is Nicolette okay or can I call you Nicky?" Morgan asks, licking her lips with a smile. She had just made a new friend and is glad that she did, she seems nice.

"I like Nicky." Nicolette confesses, never being called that before. Her dad usually called her Nicoletta, the Italian version of her name, ever since she was born.

She misses him.

So much.

"Great, me too—"

In that moment, Ace starts to fuss and cry in his car seat. Nicolette puts down her fork and turns to him, lifting the blanket so he sees her. Nicolette unbuckles his seatbelts and removes him from the seat carefully, carrying him in her arms. She grabs the pacifier from his diaper bag and slips it into his mouth. The crying stops as he sucks gently.

"Aw Nicky, that beanie is so cute on him." Morgan pouts, looking down at Ace and smiling, "He has your eyes too."

Nicolette smiles and gazes into Ace's eyes, scrunching up her nose at him, "Do you want to hold him?" Nicolette asks, gesturing with her arms as she holds Ace forward.

"Oh, can I?" Morgan asks hesitantly, her eyes opening wide as golf balls. The last time she held him was when she was finished with the post delivery check up, so it would be the first time in two weeks Morgan held Ace. Nicolette nods and places him in Morgan's arms, taking a sip of water right after.

"Ace, you are the cutest baby I've ever seen. Yes you are!" Morgan coos at him, tapping his nose with her finger. Ace giggles and flails his arms, causing Morgan to giggle too. Nicolette's attention redirects itself from Morgan and her baby to the male figure approaching them, a black apron on him that has Chef stitched into it.

"Oh hey baby." Morgan says to the chef as he reaches the table, continuing to cradle Ace in her arms. He bends over and gives Morgan a quick peck on the lips, "This is Ace," She sings, looking down at the baby and smiling, "and that is his mom, Nicolette. Nicolette, Ace, this is my husband Dominic."

"Nice to meet you both. Handsome boy you got there." Dominic says, his tone deep, yet not intimidating. Nicolette smiles and gives her thanks, Dominic nodding his head in response, "I just wanted to check in and make sure you were okay, Morg."

"We're good! Nicolette loved the filet mignon, you should've seen her face." Morgan tells her husband excitedly. Dominic takes a chair and pulls it beside Morgan, slinging an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Of course, I can't take all the credit. Morgan's recipes are the foundation of my work," Dominic says proudly, looking to his girlfriend with a proud smile.

"I wouldn't say the foundation, babe," Morgan says, flashing him a grin, "But I'm really glad you enjoyed it, Nicky. It's one of his most popular dishes. With my help, of course."

"Thanks baby." Dominic says happily, pecking her lovingly on the forehead. He then turns to look at Nicolette, "So why the name Ace? Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome name for him."

"The name just always stood out to me. Ace of spades, highest card in the deck, the most spiritual. But his middle name, Niccolo, was my father's name." Nicolette says, feeling a pang in her chest as she remembers her father, the only person who ever meant something to her growing up, "He's also where my name comes from."

"I'm sorry, was your father's name?" Dominic asks, Morgan nudging him in the ribs with her elbow slightly. He looks at his girlfriend and visibly backs down.

"Yeah, he died when I was sixteen. It was a um, wrong place, wrong time situation," Nicolette explains, looking down at her lap and playing with her fingernails. She can't help but replay that night in her head, her eyes glistening with tears. Her breathing becomes heavier as she thinks back to how her life crumbled that night. Realizing she has to calm her nerves before she has a panic attack, she opens her eyes and scans her surroundings.

You're okay.

I'm okay.

Morgan and Dominic look to one another solemnly. Dominic sighs and puffs out a breath of air as Morgan says, "We're sorry to hear that, Nicky."

"Please, it's okay. It's not your fault." Nicolette sighs, wiping the few tears that fell down her face. She then looks to her son, admiring his baby face that is much too familiar to her. She then says, "Ace looks just like him."

"In that case, your father must have been the cutest baby alive." Morgan says, placing her hand over Nicolette's, smiling warmly.

Nicolette laughs, wiping the tears away. They move on to different topics, deciding to get to know one another more and more. Customers come and go, plates of delicious food continue to be delivered, and people converse all around them. Ace begins to cry again and Nicolette realizes that it's his hungry cry. Shane excuses himself so that she may breastfeed comfortably as her and Morgan continue talking. He comes back once to bring them dessert, Chocolate and Cherry Stromboli. That, again, was delicious.

"Hmm... Now that," Morgan hums, licking her lips after tasting the Stromboli, "Is his mother's recipe. She is a fantastic baker."

"Cooking definitely runs in their blood."

"You're telling me. Now you know why I love Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family." Morgan says with a radiant smile, "Anyway, ready to go? I feel like I'm keeping you hostage."

"It's not that I want to, I just think Ace should go to sleep. It's getting kind of late." Nicolette justifies, noticing that Ace is done feeding. She removes the blanket from over him and puts it on the side. She then slips Ace into the car seat and straps him in. Morgan helps her by grabbing Ace's little toy and putting it on his lap. He takes the toy and immediately puts it in his mouth. Morgan then puts the blanket over the seat and they walk out together.

"I'll see you at the house, baby." Dominic says from behind her as the two women begin to exit the restaurant. Morgan blows him a kiss and presses the button on the car key to open the doors. He sees Nicolette carrying the car seat and goes to help, "Here, let me."

Nicolette allows him to take her son from her and put the car seat into the backseat of Morgan's car. They both say goodbye to Dominic as Morgan gets in the drivers seat of the car. Nicolette makes sure that Ace is strapped in well before closing the door and getting in the passengers seat. They begin to talk some more about themselves, instantly making a strong connection. Soon enough, they arrive at Nicolette's apartment.

Both women exit the car, Nicolette opening the back door on her side to get her son. She unbuckles the car seat as well as the buckle that keeps the car seat in place. She puts the seat down so she can say bye to Morgan, giving her a tight hug.

"Thank you for dinner, it was so nice." Nicolette says, picking up the car seat again.

"Of course. I'll text you tomorrow. Goodnight, Nicky." Morgan says, waving and getting back in the car. She waits for Nicolette to safely get in her home before driving off into the night.

Nicolette locks the door behind her and sets the car seat on the wooden floor. Squatting down, she unbuckles Ace's seatbelts and carefully takes him out, not wanting to wake him. Ace breathes in and breathes out softly, laying his head against his mom's chest. Nicolette kisses the top of his head and rubs his back slightly as she goes to her bedroom. Pulling Ace away from her chest, she holds his head in her right hand and his bottom with her left, setting him down into the bassinet. He stirs a little bit until he's comfortable, falling into sleep.

"Goodnight Nico, I love you." She says to her baby before turning on the humidifier and exiting the room. She goes to the island in front of her kitchen, scanning the envelopes of mail that arrived. She is shocked by the letters she's confronted with.

Insurance payment.

Water bill.

Rent.

"Jesus..." Nicolette exhales, running a hand down her face. Nicolette finds herself propping her elbows up on the island, head in her hands. She doesn't know how she's going to be able to pay every bill ever since she lost her last job. She had a baby to think about now, it's not just her anymore. She had to provide for Ace, and that was what she was determined to do. She promised she would always protect him and she will not break that promise. He is everything to her.

"Damnit." She says angrily. Deciding she would think more on the situation tomorrow, she goes to her room, checks on a sleeping Ace one last time, before falling asleep, her problems fading away for the next couple of hours.

⤞

Author's note:

Yay!

First chapter of a new (?) story?

I don't know if you guys remember this story but I wrote a version of this a long time ago and I've just decided to come back to it. It's one of my favorite ideas. I have so many and I'm excited for all of them! I will try my best to get a schedule together since I have more time now without school.

I know you guys are probably wondering where Justin is but I wanted to give backstory and look into Nicolette a little bit. She's the main character and of course Justin is too but I thought Justin should make his appearance a little later. It's just a different approach. But don't worry, he will show up soon.

Stay safe and indoors! #socialdistancing

*muah*