damon marcello
He hated seeing her like this, in so much pain and yet he couldn't do anything about it. She was pushing with everything she had and yet he felt like she was making such little progress. He tried to encourage her the best he could, his own face sober and hurt for her while she closed her eyes and pushed for all she was worth. The doctor said she had the head and he gasped. A victory! But there was still so much more to go. A part of him wanted to lean over and see the baby but mostly he just wanted to watch Isolt come through this. His heart was in her hands right now. She continued to squeeze the life out of his own and he was pretty sure some fingers were broken but they would heal. Right now he just cared that she didn't break. He heard the railing groan but he could always pay for repairs. As long as she made it through this.
Isolt continued to push and push and when the doctor screamed for her to stop, it was like the whole world drew to a halt. Like everyone stopped breathing. Damon looked between Isolt and the doctor, wishing he knew what they were thinking, what they were seeing. He leaned over to kiss Isolt's forehead and wipe her hair from her forehead. "You're doing great, sweetheart." He whispered. Only then did his ears strain to hear something over the hushed silence. When the cries came, he gasped unbidden, his wide eyes looking to Isolt in wonder. He tuned out the nurses and their gestures of goodwill, his eyes only for his wife, the love of his life. Only when she smiled and looked like she was about to cry did he lean in to caress her face, his fingers wiping away the unshed tears as he smiled back at her.
She told him congratulations and he shook his head. "No, you did all the work, sweetheart, and deserve every bit of the credit. Congratulations, mommy." But no one could mistake the happiness twinkling in his eyes as he finally looked toward the foot of the bed where the doctor held their bundle of life. His eyes held questions. Did it look normal? Boy or girl? Would it look anything like him? He tried not to think about the coven in these precious moments, to curse them for taking this from him. He wanted to be purely in this moment with Isolt, to feel like a true father would...and yet he was still falling short. Still, he wouldn't ruin it for her. She deserved this. He gave her hand the best squeeze he could and gestured for the doctor to bring the baby up to her so she could see it. That's where the baby belonged, after all.