He couldn't believe it was happening. He knew it would happen eventually but as much as he thought about the day his daughter would finally be here, he never anticipated the day she actually would finally arrive. It was happening and he couldn't control it. He wasn't even sure if he was ready but now he had no choice. Hayley's screams were a reminder that his daughter, their daughter, was ready to meet them and it scared him, it scared him immensely.
That fear was the only emotion he could muster up as he paced back and forth in Hayley's room. "Bloody do something!" he yelled at Sabine, who was serving as Hayley's midwife, and a few other compelled nurses. "Why can't you do something to help her! " he yelled again as he continued to pace back and forth across the room" you people are bloody worthless, I should rip all of your throats out right now!"
He had been listening to Hayley scream and moan in agony for some hours now, 22 to be exact, and he didn't know how much more she could bear. She was miserable, he knew it was for a good reason, but he just wanted to make it all end. He was just about to hurl another threat at Sabine when he heard her…
"KLAUS!" Hayley yelled, the agony in her voice causing his pacing to stop immediately, "stop the got damn pacing and help me!"
She didn't really even know why she said it. She told herself over and over before that when the time came she wouldn't to be the kind of woman who needed to be coddled through the process. She didn't need him to get through this. She had faced so many struggles alone and she would get through this birthing process the same way. She wanted him to be there but she told herself that she didn't want his help, yet at this moment all she could think of was having him hold her hand and whisper to her that it would be okay. She had grown fond of him, sometimes maybe a little bit too fond. Still, she never thought she would see the day where she yearned for his voice to settle her, but she did and she didn't have the strength to fight her need for him. She needed him and she needed him now.
"How in the bloody hell am I supposed to help? That's what these worthless people are here for!" He knew his reply wouldn't please her but it's the only reply he could conjure up.
How was he supposed to help? Why would she even want his help? His relationship with Hayley wasn't exactly the greatest. She had grown fond of Elijah and often times depended on him for things, especially early on when he wasn't exactly the greatest "baby daddy" on the planet. Over time she relied on him more but never fully, she was too stubborn for that. They kept each other at arms length but they did have a clear plan for how they would manage once their daughter arrived. They were united but kept their relationship strictly platonic. There were times where they came dangerously close to teetering over to the wrong side of that boundary but they never let themselves fall over.
He couldn't deny that he was drawn to her. She would often frustrate and beguile him simultaneously. He was entranced by her beauty and enticed by her fire. Many nights he would return home, after being surrounded by dozens of people, feeling like no one ever really saw him. That feeling never went away until he entered her room to listen to the soothing thumps of her and his daughter's heartbeats. There was a familiar and comfortable chemistry between them that made him feel like wasn't alone, like someone saw him, the real him. Still he never let him self cross the imaginary line they had drawn between them
" Just hold my hand, please, just hold my hand" She said though the tears and exhaustion currently overtaking her. "I just need you to hold my hand"
He didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to run to her and do just as she said, but another part of him wanted to run as far away from the room as possible. What she was asking was simple, yet he felt like it went against ever fiber of who he was. The thought of crossing that line made him freeze in place. He couldn't, no he wouldn't, allow himself to do that.
"I can't…I, I, ummm, I , I can't…"
When she heard him she felt so deflated. She didn't have the energy or the heart to ask again. It reminded her why she originally told herself she didn't want his help. She knew he cared about her and the baby, but she also knew that nothing could break the wall around his heart, which is why she never bothered trying. She knew that he could never be that person for her, he couldn't be that person she relied on, that person she left herself open and vulnerable too.
Now she was drained emotionally and physically and she didn't know how much more she could take. Right then another wave of contractions hit, the strongest she had felt so far. All she could do was scream and in that moment she had never felt more alone. She was in a room full of people, yet she was alone, going through this just like she knew she would, just like she has always had to.
"ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…ahhhhhhhhh!" she screamed. "I can't take this anymore, I can't do it"
"Come on Hayley, just a little while longer, you are so strong you can do this, I promise you, you can do this" Sabine said, attempting to comfort her. She tried her best to reassure her, but she knew that Hayley was at her breaking point and nothing she said could help her. She didn't know much about Hayley and Klaus's relationship but she knew enough to know that no one would be able to get Hayley through this but him. She looked over at Klaus, who was still frozen in his place. She saw the overwhelmed and confused look in his eyes.
"Klaus, you need to do something, you need to help her, please"
"But I, I…" he turned his back to her, feeling too ashamed to look at Hayley in the state that she was in, and placed his face in his hands.
"I can't do this anymore," Hayley said, stroking her stomach. "I'm so sorry princess, I tried, I really tried, but I can't do this anymore" She had been in labor for far too long and the process was too difficult for her to continue like this.
Klaus didn't know exactly it was about what she said, but when he heard her voice this time something came over him. Something about hearing the defeated tone of her voice moved him and he could no longer fight what was holding him back.
He walked towards her slowly and cautiously as she continued to whimper and tell their daughter she was sorry. For a few moments he felt like he had no control over his legs because everything in him was screaming to stop but he couldn't. He finally reached the side of her bed just as she was about to say something else. He reached out and grabbed her hand in between both of his.
" Listen to me little wolf" he said, as he kneeled down so that he was eye level with her and removed one of his hands to carefully remove her hair from her face. He gently wiped away the tears that had been streaking her cheeks. " You can do this"
Hayley felt her whole body freeze. For a minute she thought she was dreaming, but when she looked into his piercing blue eyes she knew she was wide-awake. "What?"
"You can do this" He paused, contemplating whether or not this was a good idea. "I know you are exhausted, and I know you've given everything but people like you and me push through pain and make it to the end, we are fighters"
The room went completely silent as they both stared at each other, not breaking eye contact until Sabine's voice broke the silence. Both of them immediately looked away from each other, embarrassed by their display in front of the other people in the room.
"Listen to me Hayley, I think it's time to try to push again. When you feel this next contraction I need you to push with everything you got okay?"
Hayley wanted to say no, but Klaus's presence at her side and his words to her suddenly gave her the strength that she needed. She looked up at him and he gripped her hand tighter to reassure her. "Okay"
"Are you sure you can push for me?" Sabine asked
"Yes, I'm sure"
Sabine suggested that she reposition herself for the final stretch. Klaus stood up and positioned himself behind her. He gently rubbed her back and whispered, "you can do this little wolf, you can do this" in her ear. His words were so simple but she had never heard words more comforting in her life. She felt the contraction coming and instinctively reached out to her side for his hand. This time he grabbed it immediately and she squeezed it hard enough to break it.
"Well now little wolf, I thought you didn't have a anything left in the tank, you sure could have fooled me" he quipped.
"Shut up you…ahhh!" Before she could even get her insult out a severe pain overcame her.
"Okay Hayley come on I need you to push" Sabine yelled out.
Klaus just stared as her shrieks pierced his ears. He held one hand out for her to abuse and used the other to caress her lower back.
Sabine instructed her to push again and again, and she did, her screams growing louder each time. "Okay Hayley, your daughter is almost here, I need you to give me one more big hard push, and with everything you got"
Hayley let out probably the loudest scream Klaus had ever heard then collapsed against him. " You did great little wolf, you did great" he said as he brushed his face on the side of her face. Hayley closed her eyes and breathed heavily, absorbing the warmth and energy that was emanating from him.
Just when she was about to get lost in the moment they heard frail screams. They would have gotten concerned but those frail screams turned into a strong wail. Hayley's eyes filled with tears as Sabine walked towards then with their bundle of joy wrapped up in a lavender blanket. Klaus just sat there, still shocked that it had actually happened. She was finally here.
Sabine placed the baby girl in Hayley's arms. " She is stunning you guys, Hayley you did a great job", " I'll go tell everyone the good news and give you guys a moment alone"
"Sabine…." Klaus said he looked down at his daughter in Hayley's arms, "thank you". He was completely in love with her already. "Hello Nikol" He said, smiling as he played with her tiny fingers. Rebekah had insisted on throwing Hayley a baby shower a month ago so they had decided on a name then, Nikol Andrea Mikaelson.
He wanted to hold her, but Hayley was completely mesmerized with her and he didn't want to interrupt her. Instead he just gently brushed her back and smiled as they admired the product of their fated night of passion.
Hayley looked up at him and smiled, she couldn't believe that something so beautiful came from them. "Can you believe she's ours?" she asked him.
"No love, I can not" he said as he continued to admire Nikol.
"Klaus…." He looked up and their eyes met. He felt an unfamiliar urge come over him. He wanted to just crash his lips against hers, but he knew better. Instead he just stared at her intensely.
"I just wanted to say…" She didn't know what had come over her. Maybe it was because of influx of emotions from finally meeting her daughter, or maybe it was because she had finally decided to just let all of her inhibitions go. She felt deeply connected to him now. A connection she didn't think she would be able to fight much longer. She reached out one of her hands to cup his face. "I'm happy you're the one I get to share this with"
And with those words he finally let go. He decided to stop fighting what he knew he felt all along; he felt the same way too. There was no one else he would rather be sharing this with. Without saying anything he grabbed the hand that was touching his face and gently pulled her in for a kiss. His lips crashed against hers with a passion that he had never felt before and her lips met his with the equal passion. They both had finally accepted that whether they wanted to or not, they were falling for each other and tonight they were no longer going to hide it.
Elijah, Rebekah, Sabine and Marcel walked up to the door eagerly anticipating meeting the newest addition to the Mikaelson family, but what they saw instead made them stop in their tracks. Instead of meeting Nikol they got to witness the beginning of the new Mikaelson Family: Klaus, Hayley, and Nikol…
