Sam had been a nervous wreck all day. Diana couldn't blame him, not really, seeing as his wife was currently in labor. It had been nearly fifteen years since the FAYZ wall came down, and the rest of the world went on about their lives, oblivious to the damaged children still reeling. Astrid had finished her education, earning a doctrine degree, just last year. Diana was still staying with the couple, and they had grown to become like family. Sam had proposed two years ago, but Astrid had postponed the wedding until she graduated college. Diana chuckled at the memory; some things never change.
They were currently in a hospital waiting room; Astrid had been rushed to the pregnancy ward just a few hours ago, at exactly 4:31am. Diana yawned and wished for another cup of coffee. Sam was pacing the floor restlessly, and had been for the past hour. She tried to calm him down, repeating that these doctors were skilled, that they would make sure Astrid's delivery went smoothly.
"It's her first child, what if it goes wrong?" Sam stuck his thumbnail in his mouth, a gesture that reminded Diana so much of Caine it was hard to breathe for a second. She blinked, hard, and returned to the task at hand: calming Sam down enough for him to be allowed to see the baby. They were allowed in the room during delivery, but Diana wasn't too fond of seeing that much of her friend. So instead, she was stuck here, attempting to comfort someone who clearly could not be comforted.
She was about to give up and take a nap when a rush of cold air blew in, and she looked towards the entrance to see Lana and Sanjit striding quickly across the linoleum. Lana was wearing ripped jeans and a hoodie; the November air was a bit nippy, even in California.
"How's it going?" Lana asked, breathless. Diana gestured at Sam, who had only spared Lana and Sanjit a glance before returning to his pacing.
"You tell me." She said dryly. "Astrid's been in the room for a couple hours now, no word yet." Lana nodded and made a beeline for the small coffee stand. Sanjit attempted to speak to Sam, and when his efforts proved fruitless, sank into an armchair next to Diana. She opened her mouth to speak, when Dekka came blazing through the door, eyes seeking out Sam immediately. She seemed to know immediately that he was unreachable, and instead chose to remain standing, arms crossed, glaring at any of the nurses that gave their group a prolonged look.
Edilio and Quinn arrived together a few minutes later, and Diana could barely manage a greeting smile. Quinn immediately went to Sam, putting a hand on his shoulder. Suprisingly, Sam stopped, looking at Quinn quizzically. They conversed quietly, and Diana couldn't make out much of what they were saying. Sam kept shaking his head, though he ceased biting his thumbnail. Edilio nodded in greeting, and explained that Roger couldn't make it tonight.
With an effort, Diana lifted herself out of the plush chair. If she had sat in it any longer, she would've dozed off. The waiting room was mostly empty, save for the occasional late shift nurse or janitor. Quinn and Sam were still muttering under their breaths, and Lana was sitting next to Sanjit, sipping on a cup of black coffee. Dekka hadn't moved from her post, and instead was talking quietly to Edilio, shooting glances over at Sam every now and then.
Every head looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching. A nurse came to a stop in front of Diana, apparently having judged her the most stable at the moment. Sam nearly broke a bone trying to get close enough to hear the news. Diana could tell nothing from the nurse's face, her eyes betrayed nothing. It seemed as if the world was on pause, this moment.
"It came out fine. Your son is alive and well."
The words were barely out of the nurse's mouth before Sam went sprinting down the corridor, nearly skidding on the slick tile. The rest of the group followed slightly slower, and within a minute they were all crowded into the tiny room.
Astrid looked up at them all, smiling tiredly. Diana could see the bags under her eyes, that she needed rest, but Astrid's pride would not let her sleep, not now. In her arms there was an impossibly small bundle, swaddled in blue cloth. Diana remembered, a bit painfully, how different it was when her daughter was born. Even after all these years, she remembered the joy she had felt, the love, in those few seconds when her daughter had been her daughter. Before she had been sacrificed to the Gaiaphage.
Diana snapped back to the present as Sam made his way to Astrid's side, kissing her forehead gently. Looking around, she could see Quinn grinning from ear to ear, and Edilio doing the same. Lana had a small grin on her face and was looking at Sanjit thoughtfully. Even Dekka managed a smile, and Diana was unconsciously smiling herself. They spent a moment like that, in silence, simply giddy with excitement.
A nurse came in, asking Sam and Astrid to confirm the birth date. Edilio managed to get a glimpse of the sheet, and laughed aloud.
"Looks like you two already have something in common, dude."
Sam glanced up, confused. Quinn gestured impatiently to the piece of paper. "It's your birthday, brah. Yours and his."
Sam's eyebrows rose, and he stared at the document, a grin widening on his face. He might've said something else, had the nurse not cleared her throat politely, pointing out the only empty line left on the birth certificate.
"Oh. Yeah. His name," Sam muttered. Astrid was looking at him, a knowing look on her face. Diana had overheard them discussing baby names before, but they never seemed to agree on one. Apparently, they had.
Diana could think of one other person who would be celebrating a birthday today, had he been here. But no. she was not going to dampen her mood , not right now.
"Yeah, man, what's my new godson called?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.
And now everyone was leaning in, silent, waiting.
Sam looked around at his small group of friends, no, they were more than friedns at this point. Diana glanced at Astrid, a slight smile on her face. It was clear she wanted Sam to be the one to tell them all.
"Well," Sam said, glancing back around at them all, "You can all say hello to," he smirked, enjoying the fact that he was keeping them waiting. His gaze traveled around the room, and came to rest on Diana. There was something in his eyes, something she couldn't understand just yet.
"Come on, Sam, just say it!" Dekka nearly growled.
He took a deep breath, his eyes still on Diana.
"Caine."