The welcoming home

After 24 hours of being cramped up with Jason in a single hospital bed and receiving visitor after visitor for both mother and child in the spacious post-delivery room, Jenny and Charlie had finally been allowed to go home after the second round of visiting hours had ended. While Jason was carefully carrying Charlie in one arm and supporting Jenny with the other, the three of them walked out of the hospital. Out front, the grandparents were waiting to bring them home. Being too impatient to have them back home to be able to wait for them to arrive at Westwood mansion on their own or with the driver, they decided to pick them up themselves. Jenny waved at them to greet them, before getting close enough to receive their hugs.

Once they arrived back at home, after a pleasant drive back with Mary and Jason's parents, they carefully carried Charlie to the door. When the doors to Westwood mansion were opened, Jenny and Jason saw that the house was still filled with all the guests that had been there on Saturday and on Sunday when they left for the hospital along with many more that hadn't seen Charlie yet. With both the week and the first term of the new college year having started, Jenny and Jason had expected their friends and relatives to have left for their own homes and find the mansion empty. Or at least as empty as a house like that could be with all the staff that tended to it. But their friends and Jenny's brothers had something different in mind, as they had decided to stay to welcome the new parents and their newborn child back to their own home before leaving themselves. Inviting even all those that hadn't been able to make it or hadn't been invited for a visit in the hospital. When they took their first step inside, the guests yelled out as a group "Surprise!" before ushering them to hurry further inside.

"Just wait and see what we prepared for you guys." Her youngest brother said excitedly as he gently pushed Jenny towards the living room. But although Jenny was happy to see them all still here and appreciated their kind idea as well as all the preparations they had made for the welcoming home, which she could see as soon as she stepped into the living room, she didn't really share their level of excitement. This didn't have much to do with what they had prepared but more with her own expectations for this day. She had actually been looking forward to a quiet day at home alone with Jason. Planning to not bother changing out of her pyjamas or leaving their room before Jason would have to start work again in a few days. In order to soak up every moment of their little family of three.

Now that the plans had changed and this was no longer an option, she quickly put on a smile while using her eyes to ask Jason if he had been aware of this welcome home party. After receiving a look back to let her know that he had not been aware of these plans either, the two decided to go along with the plans and postpone their time alone a bit further.

With a bit of reluctance, Jason placed baby Charlie in the crib that he had prepared himself the week before, when they were still expecting their son to arrive on the due date, before he joined Jenny on the unrequested tour. The crib had been decorated for the party, as Charlie was the guest of honour, and it had been pulled to the centre of the room. The crib was standing right next to the salon table, so that all could see the addition to the family for the first time or again whenever they went to grab a snack off the table. An opportunity many people took advantage of.

Charlie however, was sadly still fast asleep and refused to be woken by their presence. Any one that attempted to touch the little guy, was rejected by him and after a bit of his fussing reached the ears of the new parents, no one dared to go near him again under their watchful glares. Making their party a little less festive than expected as they had hoped to be able to hold him and play with him a bit before having to go back to their own homes. What they didn't know at that point, was that Charlie was quite selective towards who could and could not hold him. So, even if he had been awake, many of them would be deprived of the chance to hold him, especially if his mother was nearby. As Jenny remained his preferred option, even now that he was no longer hidden in her womb.

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Fortunately for Jenny and Jason, the party didn't last long. Allowing them to return to their original plan of relaxing much sooner than expected. Apparently Elizabeth, who had been in Jenny's position not too long ago, had made herself very clear when she told them that no new mother cared for guests who didn't know when to leave. She had consented to the party on the condition that it would end in no more than two hours after Jenny and Jason's arrival. Ignoring all complaints and wishes of the other people involved, no matter if they were family or friends. Even the new uncles were chased away by her once the end time of the party had arrived. Though they were given some leniency by chasing them out last in order to allow them to try and get to hold their nephew one more time. Once everyone had been forced out of the house, Elizabeth wished them both luck before taking her leave as well.