Looking back, he wonders how he and Jemma missed it.
How could they've missed it when they slaved day after day combing through baby books? Or when they listed their favorites and neatly separated them into two categories— boy and girl ? What about arguing over popularity and familiarity because god forbid we name the kid Gustave, Jemma! You want our son to be teased for the rest of his life?
Not even with the whispered childhood idols mentioned during the dead of the night, together ruling out Marie and Alexander and Arthur and Peggy, hand placed upon hand placed upon her swollen abdomen.
And they most certainly missed it when Jemma cradled their newborn and Fitz marveled at his daughter's tiny perfect fingers and they whispered her name aloud over and over again.
No matter how much he looks back and wonders how they missed it, the fact is that while Jemma fed their daughter for the first time he went out to the mass of people lingering in the waiting room, walking into a chorus of incomprehensible excitement aimed at him.
"A girl," he had said, chest buzzing with affection and love and then laughter as everyone cheered and gave him hugs of joy and happiness.
He would never say anything, but Fitz was sure that Hunter had teared up a bit, relocating to the back to wipe away his tears in an effort to hide.
(When Hunter finally holds her later, he definitely tears up— and he doesn't even try to deny it.)
"When can we see her?" May had asked, her voice firm like always but laced with a kind of softness and warmth that only May could have. A murmur of agreement rose up from others, and Fitz nodded.
"We think it might be best to do it in pairs— so May? Daisy?"
Daisy's eyes glistened with tears, her grin stretched from ear to ear and she stepped forward to give him another hug, planting a kiss to his cheek, May swiftly and silently moving to stand beside them, patiently waiting to meet a child who would no doubt steal her heart just as her parents had all those years ago.
Looking back, he thinks the worst of it was that he and Jemma missed it when after Jemma's soft voice told them to come in, May and Daisy quietly shuffled into the room, Daisy cooing under her breath and a smile tugging on May's lips.
(Fitz later claims that he didn't realize because Jemma looked so angelic, tired eyes somehow sparkling, tendrils of hair framing her face as she held their newborn, swaddled in pink, and it made his heart pound in his chest.)
(Jemma later claims that she didn't realize because Fitz looked so dazed, tired eyes somehow twinkling, gripping the edge of the door like it was his anchor as he gazed at her in reverence and it made her heart pound in her chest.)
"Oh my gosh Jemma, she is so beautiful." Daisy whispered, stirring the baby as Jemma smiled and looked down at her daughter. Fitz never thought he would see anything so stunning and amazing as seeing Jemma hold their baby daughter in his entire life, and for the third time that day his heart pounded in his chest.
"I know," she replied, shifting her into the crook of her arm so that she could take Fitz's hand as he came to sit on the bed beside her.
May and Daisy inched closer until they stood on the other side of Jemma, leaning over slightly to catch a glimpse.
"She is beautiful," May agreed, focused solely on the little bundle. "What's her name?"
Fitz gazed down at Jemma the moment she gazed up at him and they both smiled as they spoke at the same time.
"Maisie."
And that's when, looking back, they realized that with May and Daisy in the room the name that they had long since chosen for a daughter sounded similarly like two other names.
May and Daisy's heads shoot up and stare at them as they stare back, silence enveloping the room until a little soft gurgle pierces the air.
Daisy tilted her head to the side and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "No fricken way . You guys named your baby— after us? " Fitz and Jemma exchanged a stricken look, about to explain how they didn't exactly mean for this to happen.
But when they looked back at the two women, they swallowed the words.
"Daisy?" Fitz asked tentatively.
"Yeah?"
"Are… are you crying?"
"No! " Daisy softly wailed, tears welling in her eyes.
They looked at May, who smiled and placed a hand on her chest. "I am so honored," she said, her voice just barely cracking with emotion. "To be your daughter's namesake."
Jemma squeezed his hand, and Fitz squeezed back, relieved that they had decided to make Maisie's middle name Bobbi from the beginning.
Daisy sniffled, pulling a chair alongside the bed and sat down, tucking her hair behind her ears and wiping her eyes. "Can I hold her now?"
"Not until you've washed your hands," May chided.
"Wash your hands!" Jemma exclaimed at the same time.
They all laughed, four voices rising together until Maisie cooed, adding a fifth, tiny voice to the harmony.
Looking back, he wonders how he and Jemma missed it, but somehow they managed to choose a name that was perfect in every single way.