This story is also in 'lets take a moment' I wasn't sure if it would be better to post it on its own or not...so I'm doing both!
Enjoy some daddy Doofenshmirtz!
Heinz still felt as though he were trembling when his wife carefully handed over the pink bundle to him- instructing him to be careful, to cradle her in the crook of his arm, and to support her head. Normally he'd take offense to being told things he was already aware of, especially when Charlene nagged him, but her tone was as soft as the pink fleece blanket wrapped around the baby now in his arms. He'd been worrying for months, ever since Charlene told him the news, and despite his efforts to prepare himself for this moment- the books he'd read and the parenting classes they'd attended- he was still a bundle of nerves holding his daughter for the first time.
His daughter.
Even as he gazed down at the baby's peaceful slumbering face, he couldn't believe she was his. She was beautiful; her button nose, and round face, and the soft tussles of brown hair on her head- so much like her mother- and Heinz just couldn't grasp how he could be any part of something so…perfect. He knew he was not a handsome man- although Charlene would chide him for having such low self esteem- and in some part of his mind he had worried that he'd pass on his less than desirable features to his little girl. He was immensely relived that she had taken after her mother, although he felt a pang of sadness when he couldn't find any small part of himself in her soft features.
The child shifted in his arms just slightly and the movement startled him, his eyes darting up to her face as the little girl made soft cooing sounds as she began to wake. Heinz felt his breath catch in his throat when her eyes popped open…deep blue eyes…his eyes. He felt like his legs had turned to jelly and he quickly eased himself into the seat by Charlene's bedside, his eyes never leaving her face.
"H-hey there, baby girl."
His voice was uncharacteristically soft and shook just slightly. The baby in his arms blinked up at him, squirmed a little and then pursed her lips- Heinz thought she looked slightly impatient.
"Oh, yes, that's- that's right." he cleared his throat. "How rude of me, I-I should introduce myself."
He winced slightly- was this the proper way to speak to an infant? Was he making a bad first impression on his daughter?
"I'm Heinz Doofenshmirtz and-" He swallowed the growing lump in his throat as he fought for words. "And I'm your daddy."
The little girls small look of impatience turned sour, then she promptly opened her mouth and began crying.
"Oh no, no, no, don't cry." he begged, panic seizing him as he gently bounced the baby in hopes of soothing her tears. The action was awkward for him, since he had never so much as held a baby before (not counting the lifelike doll they had used in the parenting classes), and as his little girl continued to fuss and cry, he felt like a complete failure.
"She…She hates me! " he exclaimed, feeling as though he could cry along with her. "I've only been a father for a few hours now and I've already failed!"
Heinz was no stranger to failure- in fact, he felt they kept one another a considerable amount of company- but this? He just couldn't bare the thought that he had failed his little girl!
"Heinz, don't be ridiculous!"
Charlene's chiding voice derailed his sudden panic attack, and he turned his head swiftly towards her. She was shaking her head at him, clearly exasperated although there was also a bit of fondness and sympathy in her eyes.
"Of course she doesn't hate you," she told him patiently, "She's probably just hungry. Here."
She handed him a bottle which he took with a shaking hand and immediately brought toward the wailing baby in his arms. As soon as the nipple touched the bottom of her lip, some instinct seemed to take over and she was sucking contently.
"See?" Charlene soothed. "Nothing to worry about."
"That's it?" He asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "All that crying just for this?"
Relief coursed through him- she didn't hate him! He wasn't a complete failure as a dad!
"That's fantastic!" His already blossoming smile turned into a laugh, and the little girl's blue eyes darted up to his face. " Not that she was crying, of course, " he amended absently to his wife. "But that it was just a simple matter of feeding her! Hardly back-story worthy but-"
His words were cut short as one tiny hand came up in an effort to grasp the bottle for herself, but instead just landed softly over top of his own. Warmth and affection washed over him and Heinz felt his eyes begin to tear up. His daughters innocent blue eyes blinked tiredly up at him, perfectly comfortable and at home in his embrace.
'She trusts me.'
Heinz suddenly thought back on his own childhood, and found himself pulling his daughter protectively against him as she drifted off to sleep. He silently vowed that she would never feel any of the loneliness or neglect he'd experience himself as a kid. He'd make sure she knew everyday how much he loved and cherished her.
His baby girl.
His Vanessa.
"No emotionally scarring back stories for you."