Toni Aleo - Blue Lines

He wanted those things.

And he wanted them with Piper.

“Oh, I can’t wait to have mine,” Audrey gushed as she leaned against Piper, looking down at Dimitri. “I can’t believe you went into labor during my wedding.”

“Who you telling? Erik thought I pissed on myself!” Piper laughed, and soon everyone in the room was laughing.

“That sounds like something that bonehead would think,” Phillip said as he munched on the chips Elli had brought for Piper.

Piper shook her head as he grinned at her and she figured that Phillip was going to be a permanent fixture in her life if things worked out with Erik. So she might as well get used to him.

“How was the delivery? Did Erik pass out or anything?” Fallon asked, cutting a look to Lucas.

Lucas glared as he wrapped his arms around a laughing Fallon. “That was a one-time thing.”

“Okay,” she teased as she giggled.

“No, he was amazing,” Piper said lovingly. “A total lifesaver. I don’t think I could have done it without him.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Audrey gushed as she looked up at Tate. “You should go take notes from Erik, baby!”

Tate smiled as Shea said, “Notes won’t help till you’re in there. It has been different all three times, huh, babe?”

Shea wrapped his arm around Elli as she nodded. “Yup, each time and I had C-sections, which are all pretty much the same, but each time was different than the last. The boys being the worst.”

Piper watched as Shea leaned down and kissed Elli on the lips; she couldn’t help but hope for a love like theirs. She then looked over to see that Tate was looking a little scared, but when Audrey looked up at him, he grinned widely at her. They were so cute and she couldn’t wait to meet their little girl. With a smile she looked back at Elli.

“That reminds me, isn’t it about time for y’all to be pregnant again?”

The room erupted in a roar of laughter as Elli turned deep red. Shea grinned down at her as she said, “We are waiting till the boys are one, thank you.”

“Sure you are,” Harper said with a laugh as she leaned her head against Jakob’s arm. “They are pregnant right now, but don’t want to steal your glory, Piper.”

Everyone started to laugh as Elli shook her head, a grin on her beautiful face as she looked up at her husband lovingly. “Not yet.”

Looking around the room, Piper cherished all of these people; they loved and cared about her and it felt amazing to have them in her life. She smiled as she thought that Dimitri was never going to be alone. He would always have friends and family, and cousins to gush over him and love him.

Piper looked up to see Erik enter the room and her heart began to race at the sight. When he looked over at her and smiled, she knew that both she and Dimitri were also lucky to have him. She just hoped that it would be forever. Watching as he greeted and hugged his teammates, he made his way toward her and then looked down at Reese with a grin.

“You’re in my spot.”

She laughed and said, “You’re lucky I kind of like you.”

Erik smiled. “I am lucky.”

Reese shot him a grin as he scooted in close to Piper, moving a piece of hair off Dimitri’s forehead. It seemed like a waste for Dimitri to have so much hair, since he was a boy, but then again, Piper loved it.

“Look up, guys,” Elli said.

Piper did as she was asked to see that Elli was holding up her phone. Putting her hand up, she said, “Ew no, Elli. I look like poo.”

Erik laughed as he pushed her hand down and said, “You look gorgeous, now smile.”

Piper looked at him with a half grin and he smiled back, before leaning over to kiss her softly on the lips. Parting, they both turned to grin at the camera but Elli wasn’t looking.

“Elli!” Piper complained.

Elli looked up and laughed. “Oh, I took it of y’all kissing, but I’ll take this one, too.”

Satisfied with her picture, Elli said, “I’m putting it on the team’s Twitter so everyone knows about the addition to the Assassins family.”

Shea smiled over at them and said, “Erik, I’m pretty sure Dimitri will be a great right winger.”

“I think so, too. Look at those shoulders. Those are hockey shoulders.”

Piper laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Y’all are nuts.”

“You didn’t know that by now?” Fallon said with a laugh.

Erik smiled as he leaned into her, taking Dimitri’s little hand in his. “Tell Mommy, say, ‘I could fight for days with these fists, boom, boom,’ ” he said, pretending that Dimitri was throwing a punch. Piper shook her head as she laughed.

“Not to be rude,” Reese said, standing up and clapping her hands together, “but I think we all need to leave Mommy and Daddy alone with their baby.”

Piper wanted to jump up and kiss her sister.

“She’s right, we’ll come and bother y’all once you’re out of the hospital. Get some rest, Piper, and congratulations,” Elli said as she smiled down at them.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming,” Piper said as Erik stood up, hugging and shaking hands as everyone started to leave. Finally the room was clear and when Erik turned to grin at her she said, “Thank God.”

“Right?” he asked, coming to the bed and sitting back down, but right as his butt hit the bed, the door opened again and in came Alla and Cooper.

“For fuck sakes,” he whispered as he looked up at his parents.

“We’ll be quick, I promise,” Cooper said with a shake of his head.

Alla laughed. “We just wanted to bring y’all some dinner and to kiss Dimitri goodbye before we went home.”

That was when Piper noticed the bags they held. It was takeout from Virago, Piper’s favorite sushi place. Looking up at Alla like she had just given Piper a check for a million dollars, she said, “Oh God, bless you.”

“I know you said you missed sushi, so we went and got all your favorite rolls. Figure once you put the baby down for a few minutes, you two could eat.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Erik said as Cooper came to the bed, kissing the top of Piper’s head.

“Good job, kid; he is gorgeous,” Cooper said, taking Dimitri’s hand in his.

“Thanks, Cooper. He looks just like your son,” Piper said with a grin.

“Sure does.”

“He is just too cute for words, I can’t wait to get him home and play with him,” Alla gushed, pushing Erik off the bed so that she could get closer to Dimitri. Erik made a disgruntled noise as Piper giggled.

“Babushka will spoil you rotten.”

Piper leaned in to Alla and said, “What the heck did you say?”

Alla laughed. “Babushka, ‘grandma’ in Russian.”

“Oh, that’s neat, but don’t expect him to say that for a while,” Piper said with a grin.

Alla shook her head. “He’ll get it; don’t you worry about that.”

She took his little fist in her hand and smiled as she looked down at him.

“You two are very blessed; he is a beautiful miracle.”

Piper nodded as she looked up at where Erik was leaning on the wall and said, “Yeah, we are.”

Cooper leaned over and kissed Dimitri on the head before standing up. “All right, come on, woman, let’s go. These two need to eat and spend time with their little guy.”

Alla made a sound of protest but did as she was asked after giving Dimitri and Piper a kiss. Standing up, she hugged Erik tightly and said, “Call us if you need anything.”

Erik smiled as they said goodbye and when the door shut, Erik asked, “Should I go lock it?”

“Can you?”

“I don’t know,” he said, glancing back at the door before grinning over at her. “The nurses might need to get in.”

“Yeah, just leave it.”