[ Three weeks later ]
The sterile hallway is buzzing with activity. Claire paces near the waiting area, Phil by her side, jittery with nervous energy. Alex sits stiffly in a chair, clutching her phone but not looking at it, her expression tight with tension.
From down the hall, muffled voices and the rhythmic beeping of monitors spill from the delivery room where Haley is in labor.
Inside, Haley grips Jake's hand so tightly his knuckles blanch. Sweat beads her forehead as she bears down, face contorted with effort and pain.
"Jake!" She gasps. "If you ever want to touch me again-"
Jake squeezes her hand back, steady, his voice low and calm. "You've got this, Haley. One more. Just one more. I'm right here."
Haley cries out, pushing with all her strength. And then suddenly the room fills with a sharp, high-pitched cry.
The doctor beams. "It's a beautiful and healthy girl!"
Haley collapses back against the pillows, tears streaming freely as the tiny, wriggling baby is lifted into her arms. Jake's breath catches, eyes wide and glassy, as he leans down to look at their daughter for the first time.
"She's… she's beautiful," Haley whispers, voice breaking.
Jake kisses her damp forehead, trembling with emotion. "She looks like you." He says, exaggerating.
The baby squirms, letting out another cry. Haley laughs through her tears. "She's loud. Definitely a Dunphy."
[ The Waiting Room ]
[ Moments Later ]
The door opens, and Jake steps out, looking exhausted but radiant after the 16 hour of work Haley did. The whole family leaps to their feet.
"She's here," Jake says softly, smiling. "She's perfect. Haley's okay too but really tired and a bit out of it so don't worry."
Phil actually wipes at his eyes, pulling Jake into a hug. "You did it. You're a dad now. And I'm a grandpa. This is the best day of my life!"
Claire exhales shakily, her own tears spilling as she hugs Jake. "Thank you for taking care of her. Both of them."
Alex hangs back at first, then stands slowly before taking Jake in her arms and kissing him lovingly. Her eyes search Jake's face. "She's really here?"
Jake nods, voice gentle. "Yeah. You want to meet her?"
Alex swallows hard, then nods.
Haley sits propped against the pillows, her hair damp, her face tired. In her arms, the tiny bundle of their daughter sleeps peacefully.
When Alex steps inside followed by Claire, Phil and Luke, her breath hitches. She walks over slowly, almost afraid to break the moment.
Haley looks up at her, smiling softly. "Meet your niece."
Alex's eyes brim as she leans down, gazing at the tiny girl. "She's beautiful." Her voice cracks. "Haley, you did it."
Haley laughs weakly. "Yeah, she made it difficult."
Jake wraps an arm around Haley's shoulders, leaning close to both of them. For the first time, the three of them are together as a family tired, overwhelmed, but whole.
Haley cradles the tiny bundle close, her face tired but glowing. Jake leans over her shoulder, protective and awestruck. Alex, eyes glassy, hovers close.
Haley looks between them both and then down at the baby. "So… we thought we'd tell you now. Her name's Emma." Alex is already in the know but both Claire and Phil repeat the name with surprise.
Claire, who's been standing frozen in the doorway, suddenly exhales loudly, tears threatening to spill. "Oh, Haley…" She steps forward, voice trembling. "Emma Dunphy. My granddaughter."
Phil, beside her, is already a mess, sniffling uncontrollably as he fumbles for tissues. "I can't… I just… Look at her! She's so small, but her potential is limitless!" He waves his hands as if trying to demonstrate the infinity of it. "This is the best day of my life! Again!"
Haley chuckles weakly. "Dad, you're scaring her."
Phil peers closer at Emma's scrunched little face. "No, no, she loves me already. I can tell. We have a bond. Don't we, Emma?" His voice cracks as he whispers to the baby.
Claire rolls her eyes affectionately. "Phil, let Haley breathe for a second." She looks at Haley, her tone gentler. "Can I… can I hold her?"
Haley hesitates for only a moment, sharing a look with Jake before nodding. Carefully, Jake helps transfer Emma into Claire's arms. Claire gasps softly as the baby shifts against her chest.
"Oh my God…" Claire whispers, rocking slightly. "She's absolutely perfect."
Behind her, Luke is still in shock, his hands jammed in his hoodie pocket. He peers over Claire's shoulder at the tiny red-faced newborn and makes a face.
"Whoa." He leans back a little. "She looks like… an alien. Like a tiny wrinkly alien."
"Luke!" Claire scolds immediately.
But Haley laughs, shaking her head. "No, he's right. She totally does."
Jake smirks. "The most beautiful alien I've ever seen."
Phil gasps dramatically. "Luke, you take that back right now. That's your niece! She is not an alien, she's… she's a miracle!" He gestures so emphatically that Emma startles, letting out a tiny wail.
Claire shushes her, bouncing gently. "Phil!"
Haley chuckles tiredly, watching the chaos unfold with a mix of amusement and exhaustion. "God, this kid has no idea what she's in for."
Jake squeezes her shoulder, murmuring, "She'll figure it out."
Alex, still close to Haley's side, leans down just enough to brush her hand lightly against Emma's tiny fist.
"Welcome to the family, Emma." Her voice is low, loving.
[ A few hours later ]
The room is dim and hushed. Haley sleeps deeply against the pillows, her face pale but peaceful. Emma is swaddled and nestled against her chest, equally still, her tiny breaths steady. A soft monitor beeps in the background.
The door creaks open. Gloria peeks her head inside, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Shhh… is she sleeping?"
Jake rises halfway from the chair at Haley's bedside, lifting a hand. "Both of them. Come in, but keep it down."
Gloria tiptoes in immediately, ignoring the instruction about volume. "Ay, Dios mío…" She clutches her chest at the sight of Emma. "She is an angel! Look at her little cheeks! Jake, Haley, you made the most beautiful baby in the world!"
Behind her, Jay steps in, hands in pockets, trying for calm. He squints at Emma, then clears his throat.
"…She's alright." He says unceremoniously.
Gloria whirls on him with a whisper-shout. "Alright? Jay, she is perfect! You don't say alright about your granddaughter!"
Haley stirs faintly but doesn't wake.
Mitchell and Cam enter together, arms full of bags a bit after discussing with Phil and Claire. Cam sets one down and immediately clasps his hands dramatically. "She's exquisite. Look at that tiny nose! The symmetry! The poise!"
Mitchell shakes his head. "Cam, she's not even a day old."
"Yes, and she already has better skin than me." Cam whispers back.
Manny appears behind them, holding a bouquet. He steps forward slowly, his voice quiet. "There's something poetic about a new life starting here, in this place full of death and sickness."
Jay mutters, "Manny, not everything needs to be poetry."
Alex, who has been standing near Jake this whole time, clears her throat softly. "Guys… please. Keep your voices down. Haley finally got some sleep."
The room falls into a gentler hush. Everyone leans in close, studying Emma's tiny face, her curled fists. Jake glances around the crowded room, a faint, proud smile tugging at his lips.
[ Six Months Later ]
The change is visible in every corner of their lives. LaunchPad is no longer just Jake's late-night project it's a small but thriving business, pulling in more revenue than most people twice his age could dream of.
Haley's blog has matured too her posts on affordable style hacks and city living are drawing partnerships with mid-tier brands. Between them, money is flowing in, enough to transform the way they live.
The cramped apartment, with its perpetually humming fridge and neighbors who argued too loudly through thin walls, is in the rearview. Now, they're pulling up the driveway of a two-story rental house, something with a backyard, wide windows, and actual breathing room.
Alex presses her forehead against the car window, staring up at the place. "It's bigger than Mom and Dad's house…"
Jake grins, tossing the keys in his hand before unlocking the door. "Believe it. The landlord practically begged me to take it once he saw the deposit."
Haley shifts Emma on her hip as she breezes past both of them. The baby, chubby-cheeked and alert, grabs at Haley's hair with a delighted squeal.
"Okay, dibs on the room with the skylight. It's perfect for flat-lays. Natural light, you two, is basically money in my business." Haley declares.
Alex rolls her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitch upward as she leans toward Emma. "Hear that, Em? Your mom's already exploiting sunlight for brand deals."
Emma giggles, reaching a hand toward Alex.
Jake watches, smiling as he sets a box down just inside the door. A house full of possibility. Hardwood floors, an open kitchen, a real dining table. The living room is bright, walls waiting to be claimed by mismatched furniture, toys, and their clutter.
Jake lets out a slow breath. "This… this feels like… not just a place to crash. A home."
As if on cue, Emma lets out a babble "Da !" and slaps her tiny hands against Haley's collarbone.
Haley beams. "Did you hear that? She's officially team Jake."
Jake scoops Emma carefully from her arms, lifting her into the air until she squeals. "That's right, Emma. Daddy scored the house and you'll get your own room. Way better than sleeping in the corner of our shoebox apartment, huh?"
Alex follows them inside, her gaze sweeping the walls, the staircase, the space that suddenly feels so much larger than what they're used to. "She won't even remember that place. This'll be the house she grows up in… her first real memories."
Haley bumps her shoulder affectionately. "And you're gonna be in all of them, Auntie Alex." She says teasingly.
Emma claps her hands at the word Auntie, babbling nonsense syllables like she's joining the conversation.
Jake presses a kiss to her hair, chuckling. "Guess Emma approves."
Alex sighs, but she's smiling as she reaches out and strokes Emma's tiny hand. "Okay. Fine. Maybe the skylight room is perfect… for her nursery."
"What? No way. My content comes first!" Haley gasps.
But Emma squeals again, louder this time, and Jake grins at both women.
Haley groans dramatically, then looks down at her daughter's round face and melts. The baby hiccups out a laugh, and just like that, the house already feels alive.
[ Some weeks later ]
The house is still half boxes and half furniture when Jake takes his next leap. Mornings start with Alex racing through practice exams, Haley checking her blog analytics while breastfeeding Emma.
Haley's ring light is shoved into a corner, Alex's textbooks are stacked in neat towers, and Jake is pacing across the carpet with his phone pressed to his ear.
"Yeah, I get the valuation," he says, his voice sharp but measured. "But I don't just want cash. I need strategic backing people who can open doors, get me in front of the right companies."
Alex glances up at him, eyebrows raised. Haley closes her laptop, sensing something important.
Jake finally ends the call and sinks onto the couch. "That was a VC in New York. They want in. Seven figures."
Haley's mouth drops. "Seven? Like actual millionaire numbers? Jake, are you kidding me?"
He smirks faintly, exhaustion fighting with adrenaline. "Not kidding. But I'm not selling LaunchPad. I'm leaning toward an equity round. Keep control, but take on enough money to scale."
Alex straightens, her interest piqued. "So… what would scaling actually mean for you?"
Jake sits up, eyes sparking. "It means hiring. Right now, LaunchPad is duct tape and sleepless nights. A small team can't maintain the orchestration engine, do customer support, and keep iterating on features. With capital, I can build a team engineers for backend, two or three people for UX, even a continuous support line. Then I can focus on what matters making this thing untouchable."
"Look. The core works. It deploys, scales, self-heals. But the big players? They'll crush me unless I move fast. If I polish it, make it dead simple to use, LaunchPad won't just be a tool. It'll be the standard."
Haley whistles low, hugging a Emma against her chest. "So this is it, huh? You're not just the smart guy anymore. You're like, Silicon Valley material."
~~~~~
Don't hesitate to give your support. It makes me happy and motivates me to keep going! I need it much more than Shitflix or BezosCorp.
/ko-fi.com/lazydreamer