cambox | Da Future

[He won't just hold her hand- he'll weave his fingers through hers. He's right here. He starts to smile...

...He's going to be a dad they're going to be parents this is going to happen in just a couple of hours and Hilda's going to hold that baby and then he's gonna get the chance to...

Yeah, give him a minute.]

[Hilda's calm, for now! She just smiles at him.]

Never in a million years did I think I'd be here. I'm really happy.

[She's having a baby - she's going to have a family of her very own.]

Let's see... we decided on Barett for a boy, or Blue for a girl?

[Okay. Okay, he can calm down now. He's excited, but he can be calmly excited. There's no holding back the happiness, though.

...He nods at the names, but...]

We had a third name, didn't we?

Right! Ember. We can use that as a middle name or something.

[...?] A middle name?

Yeah. ...That's a thing. No one really ever uses them unless they share a name with their relatives. Like, James Arthur Smith has a son he wants to name James, but he calls him James Clayton Smith. Or whatever.

I just like coming up with longer names.

...If you want a middle name, we can give them a middle name.

Ember is cute. I like Ember.

[She makes a weird face.]

...That feels weird. Thaaaat feels weird, like pressure. That would probably really hurt right now.

[...] I'm glad that it doesn't. [Let him just sit right here and run his other hand through your hair, okay. He's grown to like giving Hilda reassuring physical contact as much as she likes receiving it.]

[Hilda continues to make faces and wince, buuut an hour passes and hey, the doctors say she's ready for pushing!

Though Civil Disobedience Hilda does sit up, she doesn't push.]

It doesn't feel right.

[The doctors just awkwardly try to encourage her, but... well. The best they can do is gently remind her that the epidural may well wear off.]

Mom got to take her time and do what felt right when she had my little sister and brothers. You can let Hilda take her time too, right?

[Easy does it. He brushes his thumb against her knuckles- he's not annoyed or projecting his discomfort out on the doctors, but he still wants to speak his piece.]

[They just gently bring up that they can't give her more pain medicine if she's in the middle of delivering the baby...]

That's fine. I can take it.

[She tugs at Silver's sleeve, wanting him to sit down next to her.]

I can survive any pain. I've got Silver with me.

[He sits right next to her, as close as he can be while still giving her the space she needs. He's right here. He's not going anywhere.

Still, he is a little concerned.]

Don't put yourself through too much just because I'm here. I want you to be okay.

I'll be okay, don't worry about it.

[She rides out contractions, and after a little bit, she starts to feel the need to push! The epidural does wear off, just like warned, but Hilda just smirks and groans through the pain, taking it like a champ.

They were gonna have a baby!]

[Twenty minutes later, after a lot of very slow progress, however... things start to look bleak.

Something hemorrhages, and there's a lot of blood. The doctors advise her to stop, but she keeps going, a death grip on Silver's hand despite how badly she was trembling. Other doctors began to scramble, bringing in blood for a transfusion. If only she'd finish delivering!

"The head is showing, miss Hilda! Not much longer now!" the nurses encouraged, though they didn't offer to hold the mirror for her to see. It was a bit too bloody, and Hilda herself glanced at Silver, a little scared. Well, a lot scared. Her voice is a miserable whine, shaking as badly as her hands already were.]

I'm... almost done... make sure it lives, okay, make sure it lives!

[The second there's blood is the split second that horror covers his face. No. No, Hilda. You're supposed to be okay-

No, don't think like that. Hilda can pull through this. Hilda's strong enough for this. He has to believe in her. He has to believe that she'll be okay, that their baby will be okay, that it will all turn out okay.

He forces himself to keep from trembling, from doing anything but maintaining his position as an emotional pillar. Come on, Hilda.]

You're almost there. You can do this. You'll both pull through this. [His voice is level as usual, and he holds onto her hand with both of his. He refuses to look at anything but her face with the fear that his composure will collapse if he does anything else.]

[Hilda nods, and pushes on. It takes such a long time, but it's nothing compared to the rest of the wait and the rest of the effort. There's excitement when the head is out, a choked sob of a laugh from Hilda before she pushes again, and then there's the excitement of the baby coming out entirely.

"A girl! A beautiful little girl," the doctor announces, wrapping the baby up quickly in a towel and wiping her clean. From the rustling, the baby bursts into loud shrieking, screaming nice and loud as a pretty good indicator of being healthy.

Hilda is exhausted, but pleased...]

[They clean up the baby, quickly getting her cord cut and her footprints on the birth certificate. Equipment is moved in and out of the room, the doctors working on treating Hilda's injuries first and foremost. The doctors inform Silver that she will be fine, she just needs emergency blood transfusion and some immediate care... and his daughter will need him more than his wife right now.

A nurse comes and passes the baby to her father. The child won't stop crying, not yet, everything is too cold and too strange right now.]

[But- but-

...Baby. He needs to take care of their baby.

Hilda will be okay. There's no doubt about that in his mind. She just needs a little time, that's all.

For now, he needs to be a father. He rocks her a little in his arms and shows her a warm, bright smile.]

It's a little loud and crazy in here, isn't it? Must be pretty scary to be here.

It's okay. Mom and dad are right here for you, and the world's a pretty good place.

[She's beautiful. She's got a little bit of red hair- it's impossible to mistake such a bright color for anything else- and Hilda's bright blue eyes. Blue it is then.

He's... He's really holding her...]

[She's a fussy, bratty little thing! A nurse eventually comes over, passing Silver a bottle with formula. Hilda would be out for quite a while, but might as well get that baby calmed down!

There's some paperwork, of course, the sooner filled out the better. But the nurse is all smiles, offering congratulations and directing Silver around to where it's most convenient.

It's about 10 am when the doctors come to see Silver, informing him that she's awake again, if very weak; she'll be staying for at least three days minimum for recovery, but she's healthy enough to see her family.]

[He's quick to fill out the paperwork, even if he has to ask about a few things and adjust to doing something with one arm while holding onto a child with another. From there, it's just a waiting game.

Silver's all but dozed off with their calmed daughter in his hands by the time the doctors finally come to see him. Even if he wasn't too concerned because he knew full well that Hilda is Hilda and would pull through just fine, he's still relieved to hear that she's going to be okay.

Show him the way, doctors. He's a little sleepy but all smiles.]

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