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12:00 AM

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 woke up to the sound of Montana crying on the baby monitor. She got out of bed and ran a hand through her brunette hair and Johnny stirred awake.

Montana was now a few days old, and Stella and Johnny had a few sleepless nights. Since Stella stayed at home, she could sleep it off during the day, as Robby was home to help her, and Nathan, Janette, and Abilene would come over to help her, but it was harder for Johnny as he had to get up and go to work the next day.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Johnny said as he sat up in the bed and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"She's hungry." Stella said as she tied the belt on her robe. "I'll be back." she said as she gave her husband a kiss on the lips

"You want me to come and help you?" Johnny asked

"I'm alright honey." Stella said. "Besides, you have work in the morning. I'll be fine."

After giving him a kiss, which he returned, Johnny laid back down, but didn't go back to sleep until she returned. Out in the hall, the door to Robby's bedroom door opened, and Stella was greeted by a sleepy Robby.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Robby asked. Since Stella had always been a mother figure to him, it was only natural he called her mom and she didn't mind.

"Everything's fine sweetheart." Stella reassured as she kissed his forehead. "Go on back to bed."

Robby nodded as he walked back into his bedroom and went back to sleep, while Stella walked into the nursery. After grabbing a prepared bottle of breastmilk from the fridge, she carefully picked up her daughter from the cradle and sat down in the rocking chair as Montana began to drink her milk.

After feeding her daughter, she set the bottle on the table beside the rocking chair, laid Montana on her shoulder, then burped her until she let out a loud belch.

"Oh goodness, bless you, my baby blue." Stella smiled

Stella took Montana to the changing station and changed her diaper. Once her baby was changed, and in a onesie from grandma Janette, she gently laid her daughter down in the cradle, bent down and gently kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight for now." Stella smiled. "The angels are watching over you." she added as she looked at the photos of Ava and Laura on the wall

Stella turned and walked out of the nursery, then returned to her's and Johnny's bedroom. "Everything okay?" Johnny asked as he stirred awake again

"Everything is fine honey." Stella said as she laid in bed next to him. "I fed and changed her, so we should be alright for a couple of hours at least."

Johnny smiled down at Stella, who was already falling fast asleep as he held her close to him, before finally closing his eyes.

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2:00 AM

Montana stirred, then began to cry. Stella and Johnny woke up at the same time. Both yawning, they stood up, and stretched, then walked across the hall to check on their daughter.

"Hey kiddo." Johnny smiled as he gently picked his daughter up from the cradle then caught a strong scent.

"She need feeding again?" Stella asked as she walked to the fridge to grab a prepared bottle of breastmilk

"Nope." Johnny said as he laid Montana down on the changing table. "She needs changing."

"You want me to get it?" Stella asked as she prepped the changing station

"Nah, I've got it." Johnny said.

Johnny laid Montana down on the changing table and changed her diaper, just like Stella showed him to do. Once he was finished the newborn stopped wailing.

"All right, baby blue. You're all set." Johnny said as he handed the baby to Stella  

Johnny cleaned the changing station, then went outside to throw the trash away. After he came back inside, he washed his hands, locked the door, and stopped by the nursery to find Stella humming Marie Osmond's Meet Me In Montana to their daughter. Johnny smiled lovingly at the brunette, then, walked back to the bedroom.

Stella laid a sleeping Montana in her cradle, then walked down the hall and peeked in to check on Robby who was sound asleep, then softly closed his bedroom door. Upon walking in her's and Johnny's bedroom, she laid down beside her husband and pulled the bedsheets over her.

"Is she asleep?" Johnny asked as Stella laid her head on his pillow, and he pulled her close to him.

"Yes." Stella smiled as she kissed his lips, then snuggled into him.

"You think she'll stay asleep?" Johnny asked as he caressed her cheek

"Sweetie, she's a newborn." Stella laughed as she kissed his jaw. "Goodnight for now. Love you."

"I love you too." Johnny smiled

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3:00 Am

Once again, Stella woke up to the sound of Montana crying. Stella sat up and yawned, then ran a hand through her brunette hair. Johnny didn't even budge. Now, did Stella get mad? Of course not, because she understood he had to go to work, and he was really trying, and he was truly being the father that Montana and even Robby deserve.

Getting out of bed, Stella wrapped her robe around her body, then walked down the hall to her daughter's nursery. After grabbing a prepared bottle breastmilk from the fridge, she set it on the table, then picked her daughter up, and sat down in the rocking chair.

"You know, you remind me a lot of myself. I'm a light sleeper too. I always have been. I guess it's a good thing huh?" she said as she placed her finger on her daughter's hand, only for Montana to take it as she drank her milk.

Montana's violet blues fluttered shut as her mother continued to rock her. "Your grandma, my mom, she was my favorite person in the world. When she passed, I didn't see any point in life anymore. I felt lost and alone. That was until I met your father. It wasn't love at first sight by any means. He was annoying, grumpy, loud, and rude. But, when I got to know him, there was a side of him, that no one else saw. He gave my life meaning and purpose again." Stella said.

Stella stood up from the rocking chair and laid her daughter down in her cradle. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then turned on the ballerina system mobile, which played Swan Lake,

"Goodnight my angel." Stella said as she smiled down at her newborn. "The angels are watching over you."

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4:00 AM

Stella woke up to the sound of her daughter crying. She wanted to give Johnny a chance to rest, especially since he had to go to work in the morning.

Getting out of bed, Stella put on her bathrobe, and walked across the hall to her daughter's nursery. But as she approached the nursery, she smelled the faint scent of Penhaligon's Bluebell and the crying suddenly stopped.

"How'd you get the crying to stop?" Stella asked with a watery smile

Stella walked into the nursery, only to find Ava in a blue knit halter top and long skirt, holding her granddaughter in her arms.

"Oh, it was just luck, my sweet Stella." Ava said as she smiled fondly at her granddaughter

"How did you and daddy do it?" Stella asked as she walked into the nursery and stood beside her mother. "I mean, I know you guys had grandma Janette, but at the end of the day, if you think about it, it really was just you two."

"Oh, that was easy." Ava smiled as she laid her granddaughter down in her cradle. "You kids and your father, well, that was all I ever wanted. It was easy to do when you look at it from that point of view."

"Yeah." Stella smiled 

Turning to her daughter, and placing her hands on the sides of her face, Ava spoke. "Your family, the home and family that you and Johnny have made, and my new grandchildren, it's beautiful, my Stella girl."

"Thank you mama." Stella said, then began to cry. "But you're not here to see it."

Ava smiled as she wiped her daughter's tears. "Oh, I've seen it. You and your brother have made me so proud."

Stella gave her mother a watery smile. Looking in the cradle at her granddaughter, Ava smiled fondly, and spoke. "She's beautiful, Stella. Among all the things you tell my granddaughter about me, be sure you tell her how crazy I would have been about her." she said.

"Of course." Stella smiled

Ava kissed her daughter's forehead, and just as she was there, she was gone; the smell of Penhaligon's Bluebell lingering behind.

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Stella woke up, and turned on her side and found her husband was still asleep. Getting out of bed, she walked to Robby's bedroom and carefully opened the door, to find him fast asleep.

Next, she walked across the hall to the nursery, and quietly peaked in, to check on her daughter, and she was fine as well. But there was no sign of her beloved mother. It was all just a dream.