A Hospital on the Mainland - Tuesday Evening

[flamesburned]

As Liz entered her last couple of days of pregnancy, she had been starting to feel more and more uncomfortable and had not moved much at all.

Then really early Tuesday morning her waters had broke and then her and Prompto had quickly gathered her emergency bag and made it over to the hospital.

She had been extremely nervous about the birth, especially since she was unsure how she would go with her powers but she was trying really hard to focus on her meditation and her breathing and she was extremely grateful for Prompto being there with her and helping keep her distracted from the pain and watching him take as many photos as he could.

Several hours later and Noctra had arrived, Liz was still extremely tired from the birth but after Noctra had been taken away to be cleaned and handed over to her wrapped in blankets and Liz couldn’t believe that they’d done it.

“Prompto,” she said in awe as she held their daughter, tears in her eyes as she looked from Noctra to Prompto, “we did it ... she's here, she's incredible ...”

[for Prompto who is modded with permission and NFB due to distance!]

Comments

[flamesburned]

Liz smiled at that, nodding as she gratefully took those few extra moments, sitting there with Noctra in her arms.

“Tired,” she admitted, “but also really happy and also relieved,” she added, “especially since we didn’t need the fire extinguishers after all,”

That had definitely been one of her main concerns.

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?”

That was a bit of an understatement.

[hashtag_chocobro]

And there was another laugh, one that seemed like it could have very nearly been crying, as well, and, marveling, Prompto shook his head.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed. "It's amazing."

And, unable to help himself from thinking about the circumstances of his own birth and the layers of existence here, in him, a clone, created in a lab, with an actual, natural-born daughter now...it filled him with a sort of pained wonder at the idea that anyone would be able to do something as incredible, as precious, as monumental as creating life, just to turn around and bastardize it, pervert it, destroy it, the way his father had...

His throat tightened, feeling the threat of sobs welling up inside of him again.

"I think," he managed to get out, arms opening up a little, "I'd like to hold her now."

[flamesburned]

“It definitely is,” Liz agreed happily, still not quite believing that Noctra was there, that they were all together.

Then her smile widened as Prompto said he was ready to hold her, “of course,” she said, as she shifted her position slightly so that she could gently hand Noctra over to Prompto’s outstretched arms. “Here you go, she’s amazing to hold,” she told him with a proud smile.

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Ohmygod," said Prompto, definitely laugh-crying now, as he leaned in to oh-so-carefully take the baby from Liz's arms into his own, and immediately, protectively, drawing her in closer to his chest, all the while just gawking down at the perfectly imperfect little bundle. "She's so tiny."

And so light, which seemed impossible, so something that was weighing so heavily on his heart, his soul, his everything.

And he just needed a moment, looking down at her, where he was openly, silently weeping, just letting it all come out, before he gave a shaky laugh again and managed to get out, "Hey, Noctra. It's me. It's your dad. Try not to be too disappointed if I sounded like I looked better from the inside."

Obviously, he knew she probably couldn't process any of this, except maybe the familiar cadence of his voice from all the times he had talked to her in her development, but, come on. He officially got a free Bad Dad Jokes pass now!

[flamesburned]

“She is is, isn’t she,” Liz smiled, waiting til she was sure Prompto was holding Noctra before she sank back into the pillows.

She watched with tears of her own as she watched Prompto hold their daughter, the pride she felt as she watched them interact.

The tears were rolling down her cheeks freely now as she watched this moment play out, just taking the time to watch her husband and daughter, at how happy he looked, at how perfect this all was.

She wanted Prompto to have as long as he wanted, so she was fine sitting back on the bed and watching.