Claire

Dave disappeared then reappeared minutes later.

"She wants you here, Alex. I don't know ... just don't look at her ... you know ... down there."

"Of course not," I nodded, still stunned over the entire situation.

The next few hours were loud and tense. Claire looked pale as cream and was drenched in sweat, her small hands gripping the bed as her labor intensified. I didn't know what to do or even if I should be there. But when she saw me, her eyes sparkled briefly. She reached for my hand, cracking my knuckles as another contraction began.

Four hours, a lot of blood, and some ear-piercing screams later, Renee Alexandra Grace was delivered. I respected my brother's wishes and didn't watch the tiny baby's entrance into the world, but it was a transcending moment for all three of us. Dave sat in the chair beside his wife's bed, turning a few shades of green at the rather gory event, Claire was spent and even paler, and I looked from the new mother to my freshly swaddled tiny niece in wonder. My feelings of lust had gone, but were replaced with amazement, wonder, and respect for what Claire's beautiful body had accomplished. When she asked for water, I was the first to the sink to get her a drink.

"This is the last of it," Dave panted as he and I carried a dresser up two flights of stairs. "Thanks, man. For everything."

"No problem," I said, and meant it. We had been combing shops for the furniture they had not been able to fit in storage and were forced to leave behind when they had left their last apartment. "I'm just happy she'll have her own little nest now, you know? She really wanted this place."

"Yeah," Dave said with uncharacteristic sweetness. "Our own place and a factory job. At least I won't run out of work."

"Damn right. And you'd better not." He shot me a hostile glare and I shrugged. "Just saying. That wouldn't be wise. Especially now."

We picked the bulky piece of furniture up off the landing and hurried up the open stairwell to the hall where their apartment was located. The building had a lot of students, and I knew they'd want to move in a couple years when finances allowed, but it certainly wasn't a bad place to raise a baby.

Dave flung open the door, and we stomped snow from our shoes as we lifted the dresser over the threshold. I closed the door behind us and we put the furniture down, listening to the quiet.

The apartment smelled like clean baby and coffee, and we advanced back down the tiny hall to peer into Renee's nursery. Claire sat in the rocking recliner I had given her, nursing the baby and watching snowflakes swirl outside the window.

"Could you go put on more coffee, Dave?" She yawned, her eyes sleepy, the infant's head tucked beneath her button up blouse. "I'm so tired..."

"Sure," Dave left, glad for something to do. I advanced into the room, listening to the suckling sounds and soft grunts coming from under Claire's pale pink top.

"How are you doing?" I hadn't seen her in a week. They had moved the necessities into their apartment, and Dave and I had been finishing up as time allowed. I brushed her cheek with my knuckles and she offered a faint smile.

"Well, as long as I don't look at the circles under my eyes or assume I'll get enough sleep, I'm fine. I think I'm getting back most of my energy and I don't hurt as much."

"Good." My hands fidgeted at my sides, and she looked out the window, the smile still playing at the corners of her mouth.

"I'd like Renee to get to know what a great uncle she's got. Don't be a stranger, Alex."

"I promise you I won't."

Renee's head emerged from beneath Claire's shirt, and she placed the tiny baby over her shoulder to pat her back.

"I'm glad to hear that." Then, she added in an even more soft tone. "I'd still love to make you dinner sometimes. Maybe another roast..."

"Sounds delicious. I'll make sure you have a spare key."

Finis