happy dayyy [open]

Tired. She was so tired and exhausted. Her eyes kept drooping and her hair was a mess, but even after everything that happened, she had such little desire to rest. Dakota could only watch the little bundle wrapped up in her arms, admire his soft, pale skin the small wisps of brown hair atop his head. His eyes and little nose reminded her plenty of his lost father's, but the warmth in his sleepy green eyes, those were all hers.

And he was so tiny. The young woman let out a weary, beaming smile, snuggling him closer - oblivious to anyone else walking in the room.

Will had run from the Day Care as soon as he heard that Dakota had had her baby. Making sure that Stephen was alright, he dashed off towards the school. He was out of breath and panting as he raced up the stairs to the Infirmary. He stopped by the door and wiped his forehead of the sweat that had accumulated from the Summer heat. He took a deep breath and entered. He walked slowly over to where Kota was in bed, holding the tiny infant. "He's beautiful Kota," he said softly, smiling warmly.

She felt the small urge to jump in surprise, having been so swept away when her own thoughts once Will had appeared through the door, but she managed to resist. Instead, the red-head offered him a sleepy smile. "He is pretty cute, isn't he?" Dakota laughed lightly, giving the small baby a tender boop on the nose. "He obviously gets it from me." For a dragging moment, she stayed silent, avoiding his gaze until she could think of the right words to say. "You came here so quickly," she murmured. They hadn't let anyone else in the room until the baby had arrived, outside of the nurses. It was hell.  "Thank you..."

"Did you bring me pizza?"

He chuckled quietly. "I came as soon as I heard. I wanted to make sure you were alright," he admitted. The Autumn looked at the new mother and the newborn with a smile. They both looked healthy, although Kota looked exhausted. He figured she would be and he wanted to let her rest, but Will wanted to check on the two of them. "I'm glad you are. You and the baby," he said softly, unsure of what to say next.

She offered him the cheesiest grin that she could muster, huffing a small stray hair out of her eyes. "Never been better," Dakota said, a slight giggle lacing her otherwise bland tone. The child began to squirm in her arms, almost restless, reaching out for the strange voice. "I think he recognizes you," she mused. The little guy seemed to like the sound of Will's voice. It wasn't so much of a certain thought that Dakota was picking up on, but more of a gut feeling. She just knew. "I named him Cody." Her fingers grazed away at the blanket, pulling it back and revealiing a little more of his face. Kota looked up at the blonde, unable to hold back her smile. "Do you want to hold him?" She knew he'd be gentle with him, as gentle as he was with his own son.

Will cheesed back at Dakota. "Cody's a great name," he replied, looking at the little bundle stir at the sound of his voice. Was Cody really recognizing the Autumn? A warm feeling settled in his stomach, similar to how he felt when he first met his own son, Stephen. William knew that Cody was not his son, but the son of some 20 year old former student. He couldn't remember the name. But for some reason, he felt somewhat fatherly towards the infant. When Kota offered to let him hold the baby boy, he smiled brightly, gently taking them from the new mother. He cradled the small child, watching him as he opened and closed his mouth. It wasn't long, however, before the child began fussing. He felt slightly hurt, but rationalized that to Cody still being newborn and not used to being away from Kota for more than a few seconds. Leaning gently back down, he handed Cody back to his mother.

"Of course it is. He gets only the best."

For a moment, seeing him cradle the small child in his arms, Dakota felt ... ecstatic? It was difficult for her to describe the feeling. There were few other people in the world she'd ever trust to hold her little bundle so closely, and the two of them looked so, so sweet together? The red-head smiled, pressing her hand nimbly against her check, thinking her own heart was aching a bit. While she seemed all calm and serene, the Spring perked right back up the moment she'd heard the young Cody's cries. "I think he's just a Mama's boy," she joked lightly, tucking him back into his arms. "I can't wait for him to meet Stephen."

He nodded in agreement. "I should bring Stephen over sometime. He's bored being cooped up in the Daycare all the time. He's walking really well now, so he enjoys running on the playground all the time. Leo and Mikaela also have Jo and Shepard have play dates with him," he explained. His son was a bundle of energy, which was to be expected, he was Will's kid after all. It was refreshing to see after all the drama of the school the energetic toddlers. It was a nice change of pace every time he went over to the Daycare.