Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.
Summary: Through tired eyes, Hodgins looks at his sleeping wife and their slumbering son. He's wide awake, though, and has never felt more alive. HodginsAngela, set after the S6 finale, oneshot
I haven't written for Bones in the longest time, though I keep up with the show. I dunno why, I just haven't had the urge to write for it until now. I used to be a huge HodginsAngela shipper, but I jumped on the HodginsCam train. I love Cadgins, but Hodgela was my greatest ship in this show when I first started watching. I figured I should write something for them. Because they are just too cute for words. The finale was amazing. Anyway, it's just a short little fic. Hope everyone enjoys!
Fulfillment
Jack Hodgins never thought he'd feel this tired in his life.
After all the all-nighters he'd pulled, all the parties he'd gone to, all the sleepless nights worrying about work and the Gravedigger and everything that could go wrong, he had never felt this physically exhausted. Despite all of this, though, he was wide awake.
He thought he'd go right to sleep after the birth, but he finds himself unable to. As if the moment he allows himself to succumb to sleep, this moment would be taken away from him.
His eyes move over to his wife - oh, it still thrills him to be able to call Angela that - and he sighs in contentment. She's sleeping peacefully, and if his eyes aren't playing tricks on him, her lips are slightly curved into what could be interpreted as a smile. Their son sleeps quietly off to the side, and he keeps getting up and checking on him, just to make sure he's alright.
The constant worry - it must be a dad thing.
Hodgins never thought he'd get this far with Angela. He never thought that he'd be here, right now, with her as his wife and the result of their marriage slumbering quietly near them.
All those freak outs, all those nonsensical comments when he thought she was going into labor…they were the product of his stress. Something that he couldn't shake, no matter how hard he tried. Each time Angela came into the room, he'd think something was wrong, something was happening, and he'd freak out. Not all on the outside, mostly little internal breaks in character. But, as with everything else, it always came to the surface.
When the actual moment arrived, he was calm, and then the hysteria broke through him. It would have been funny if he wasn't so terrified.
He doesn't remember much on the drive to the hospital, just that he tried to go as fast as he could without getting arrested. He almost chewed out the nurse when she said they might have to wait, even though the nurse was pleasant enough to him. Hodgins remembered her smile after he had apologized to her, as if she'd seen that enough times to be immune to it.
He remembered every moment during the birth, as if it was etched forever into his memory. And, of course, it was. How could it not be?
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, and a slight squeak came from it for doing so. He tensed, as if the tiny sound was enough to wake both his wife and his child. Large blue eyes shot over to where they were sleeping - they hadn't moved an inch.
"Good…" Hodgins murmured to himself, barely a whisper. He wasn't going to take a chance at saying anything too loud that would make his son wake up. It wouldn't be a good thing, since he was sure they'd certainly have to be up nights and nights with a newborn.
Still, it gave him a rush to even think of those sleepless nights with their son. Even though he was sure he'd be more exhausted than he'd ever felt in his life, he was sure that he would enjoy every minute of it, simply because he was with the woman he loved, and the product of that love was right there with them. A bundle of joy amidst the usually chaotic mess of his life.
He was sure he was doing this wrong. The very thought of children had most men running, but here he was, embracing it.
Why shouldn't I? Hodgins thought, puzzled. Now, he looked at all of the uncommitted fathers with disdain, wondering how such men could just up and leave their girlfriends or wives with the child, and not do anything about it.
He knew he could never do that to Angela or his son.
Hodgins pushed that thought away from his mind, not even wanting to focus on it.
Instead, he focused on…on his family.
It still gave him a little chill of satisfaction to refer to them that way. With just a simple word as "family," it was enough to make him grin.
Angela was sleeping, of course, laying on her back with one hand thrown carelessly behind her head and the other laying on her flattened stomach. She always had a bright and optimistic nature about her - Hodgins thought that was what attracted him to her in the first place - and it came out in full force while she slept. Her features were pure and unmarred by any pessimism. She gave a little groan and turned slightly in her sleep, causing Hodgins to smile at her.
He was right beside the small bed where Michael was sleeping. Hodgins couldn't stop looking at him. He was so glad to have his son in his life that he couldn't look away. He remembered finding out when Angela was pregnant, how scared he was. He remembered being so scared that their child would be blind. He remembered being so grateful that their baby was healthy… So many emotions ran through his mind that he couldn't process them all.
Hodgins could think of nothing else except how grateful he was. How lucky he was.
And he still couldn't sleep.
He was still wired from the day, from the most draining day of his life. By all accounts, he should be knocked out just like Angela was now, but he just couldn't find it in him to sleep.
Instead, he lost himself in his thoughts, lost himself in thinking of his family, lost himself in the fact that his life was just beginning.
End.
And there it is! I hope that everyone enjoyed this little fic of mine. I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this. It would mean a lot to me. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I appreciate it!