It happened on a Monday because of course it had to happen on a Monday. Monday was the worst day of the week, noisy and busy and unpleasant. Nick was already anxious, tapping his foot under his desk while he tried to write up a report. Don’t worry, the doctors were always assuring him. It’s perfectly natural for some children to be born days, even weeks after their predicted due date.
Well. Sarah wasn’t happy about that at all.
He had spent the weekend trying to make her more comfortable, going through the list of everything the doctors (and the internet) suggested to induce labor, but none of it worked. By Sunday afternoon, they admitted defeat and spent the remainder of the weekend on the couch with Sarah poking at a melty half-pint of rocky road while Nick massaged her feet.
“I bet it’s tonight,” he said warmly, giving her a smile.
She replied with an impressive pout and wiggled her other foot into his lap.
Sunday night passed without incident, but Monday found Nick rushing to meet a deadline when the phone on his belt buzzed. He flipped it open but failed to even get a greeting out before his wife’s voice cut him off.
“Nick,” she said simply, a bit breathless. “It’s--”
“I’m coming,” he replied, grabbing his jacket as he rushed for the elevators. His heart was pounding in his chest. Finally, finally he was going to be a father.
But then there was traffic because of course there had to be traffic. Nick was generally a very calm man, but when faced with the impending birth of his first child and the absolute plethora of idiots with no rights to driver’s licenses on the road, he found his temper fraying.
“Use a blinker!” he shouted at someone who couldn’t hear him for what had to be the twentieth time in the past ten minutes. Someone made an obscene gesture at him through their window, and he scowled. Didn’t they understand how important this was? Strange how the world just keeps moving. Just as before, the doctors had assured him that he had time, that first births often take upwards of twelve hours, and that they were taking good care of his wife in his absence. Well, good wasn’t good enough.
He found her looking pale and already exhausted, reaching her arms up to him as he rushed to her side.
“I’m here,” he whispered, stroking her hair and kissing her face. “I’m right here.”
It was far less than twelve hours before the wriggling newborn announced its arrival with a healthy, hearty cry.
“It’s a boy,” the doctor announced.
Nick blinked tears from his eyes and smiled down at his wife. A boy. His boy. Their boy. “I love you,” he whispered, kissing the back of her hand.
“I love you too.”
The child had a mop of dark hair that refused to lay in any one direction, but his eyes were a vibrant, clear blue like his father’s, framed by dark lashes that fluttered as he blinked up placidly at his parents.
“He looks like you,” Sarah cooed, stroking his soft cheek with her finger.
“That’s certainly your hair.”
“Your eyes.”
“Your chin.”
She laughed softly and smiled up at her husband. “Do you want to hold him?”
Nick betrayed himself in his nervousness, swallowing hard before he managed the small nod. He bent down, letting Sarah ease the baby into his arms and show him how to cradle his head and support his neck.
“Hi,” he whispered, letting tears fall unabashedly. “Hi, baby…” He sniffled once and looked at her again.
They hadn’t settled on a name just yet, but so far, they’d been leaning towards Lucas. He looked like a Lucas, somehow, and Sarah nodded in agreement when Nick glanced at her with a question in his eyes.
“Hey, Lucas,” Nick said softly, fixing the blanket up around his son’s tiny shoulders and smiling when he blinked his eyes open in response. “You like that? You like Lucas? Yeah? I like it. I think it suits you.” Nick looked over at Sarah again, smiling to find her laid back with her eyes peacefully closed in sleep. “I think Mommy’s tired,” he said, “but she sure is beautiful. Just like you. You look just like her. You’re both so beautiful.” His voice broke, and he was silent for several minutes, leaning down to press his lips to his son’s forehead. “I love you, son. I love you and your mother so much it terrifies me, but no matter how scary it gets, I want you to know that I’m always going to be here for you. Always, no matter what, okay?”
Lucas stared up silently, only moving to grasp at Nick’s fingers when they moved to tuck the blanket again.
His breath caught as his son’s little hand wrapped around his finger.
“I love you,” he whispered again. “I promise you, no matter what happens, I will always, always love you.”
Fill: Team Castiel/Lucifer, First Child
It happened on a Monday because of course it had to happen on a Monday. Monday was the worst day of the week, noisy and busy and unpleasant. Nick was already anxious, tapping his foot under his desk while he tried to write up a report. Don’t worry, the doctors were always assuring him. It’s perfectly natural for some children to be born days, even weeks after their predicted due date.
Well. Sarah wasn’t happy about that at all.
He had spent the weekend trying to make her more comfortable, going through the list of everything the doctors (and the internet) suggested to induce labor, but none of it worked. By Sunday afternoon, they admitted defeat and spent the remainder of the weekend on the couch with Sarah poking at a melty half-pint of rocky road while Nick massaged her feet.
“I bet it’s tonight,” he said warmly, giving her a smile.
She replied with an impressive pout and wiggled her other foot into his lap.
Sunday night passed without incident, but Monday found Nick rushing to meet a deadline when the phone on his belt buzzed. He flipped it open but failed to even get a greeting out before his wife’s voice cut him off.
“Nick,” she said simply, a bit breathless. “It’s--”
“I’m coming,” he replied, grabbing his jacket as he rushed for the elevators. His heart was pounding in his chest. Finally, finally he was going to be a father.
But then there was traffic because of course there had to be traffic. Nick was generally a very calm man, but when faced with the impending birth of his first child and the absolute plethora of idiots with no rights to driver’s licenses on the road, he found his temper fraying.
“Use a blinker!” he shouted at someone who couldn’t hear him for what had to be the twentieth time in the past ten minutes. Someone made an obscene gesture at him through their window, and he scowled. Didn’t they understand how important this was? Strange how the world just keeps moving. Just as before, the doctors had assured him that he had time, that first births often take upwards of twelve hours, and that they were taking good care of his wife in his absence. Well, good wasn’t good enough.
He found her looking pale and already exhausted, reaching her arms up to him as he rushed to her side.
“I’m here,” he whispered, stroking her hair and kissing her face. “I’m right here.”
It was far less than twelve hours before the wriggling newborn announced its arrival with a healthy, hearty cry.
“It’s a boy,” the doctor announced.
Nick blinked tears from his eyes and smiled down at his wife. A boy. His boy. Their boy. “I love you,” he whispered, kissing the back of her hand.
“I love you too.”
The child had a mop of dark hair that refused to lay in any one direction, but his eyes were a vibrant, clear blue like his father’s, framed by dark lashes that fluttered as he blinked up placidly at his parents.
“He looks like you,” Sarah cooed, stroking his soft cheek with her finger.
“That’s certainly your hair.”
“Your eyes.”
“Your chin.”
She laughed softly and smiled up at her husband. “Do you want to hold him?”
Nick betrayed himself in his nervousness, swallowing hard before he managed the small nod. He bent down, letting Sarah ease the baby into his arms and show him how to cradle his head and support his neck.
“Hi,” he whispered, letting tears fall unabashedly. “Hi, baby…” He sniffled once and looked at her again.
They hadn’t settled on a name just yet, but so far, they’d been leaning towards Lucas. He looked like a Lucas, somehow, and Sarah nodded in agreement when Nick glanced at her with a question in his eyes.
“Hey, Lucas,” Nick said softly, fixing the blanket up around his son’s tiny shoulders and smiling when he blinked his eyes open in response. “You like that? You like Lucas? Yeah? I like it. I think it suits you.” Nick looked over at Sarah again, smiling to find her laid back with her eyes peacefully closed in sleep. “I think Mommy’s tired,” he said, “but she sure is beautiful. Just like you. You look just like her. You’re both so beautiful.” His voice broke, and he was silent for several minutes, leaning down to press his lips to his son’s forehead. “I love you, son. I love you and your mother so much it terrifies me, but no matter how scary it gets, I want you to know that I’m always going to be here for you. Always, no matter what, okay?”
Lucas stared up silently, only moving to grasp at Nick’s fingers when they moved to tuck the blanket again.
His breath caught as his son’s little hand wrapped around his finger.
“I love you,” he whispered again. “I promise you, no matter what happens, I will always, always love you.”
And he always did.