Everything's fine here. We miss you so much. Come home soon. Love you.

To: Min
Mar 21, 9:04 p.m.

Mindy would kill him if she ever knew.

And, not to mention, he knows better. He knows how risky it is to interfere, especially for no good reason. Everything is fine, it's finally peaceful…he should leave well enough alone.

But…c'mon. Come. On. Look at her.

God, just…look at her.

Considering his profession, his livelihood, one would think that some of the mystique would be clouded by science and extensive knowledge of a process so ancient that it has not only been around since the beginning of time, but is quite literally responsible for it. He assumed that ushering in new life every day, as well as being a reliable resource for many mothers, new and experienced, would eventually strip him of some of the wonder, leaving him to his beloved rational thought and common sense that reminds him of certain things, like, for instance, 'Let sleeping dogs [or babies] lie."

But most babies don't have Mindy's distinct mouth and her perfect nose. They also don't have a miniature set of his eyes or a tiny version of his chin. And let's face it: when you think of the bigger picture, their roles in the lives of the babies he and Mindy deliver are fairly small and, ultimately, fleeting.

This baby, though…this culmination of the absolute best that he and his wife have to offer…is a part of him. He will take part in shaping her forever. She's here and healthy and within arm's reach and he actually had a substantial role in that. She's tiny, living proof of just how much of a miracle life is and she doesn't even know! She's just lost in her slumber, positively drowning in the vast, more-ornate-than-necessary sleeper, entirely unaware of the phenomenon that she truly is.

And taking into account just how long it took him to calm her down not even thirty minutes prior, he really ought to just admire her from afar and let the poor child sleep.

But how can he? Honestly, how can anyone expect him to just leave her be when his arms are so achingly empty and his heart is so full?

So, he recalls how she slept amongst the chaotic noise of the Yankees game earlier that day and utilizes that instance as the justification needed to pick her up, because if she can sleep through that…

He gently scoops his hands underneath her head and her bottom and sloooooowly lifts her out of the sleeper. She squirms just a little and emits the smallest of whines.

"It's just daddy, Carina," Danny coos as he straightens his stance and adjusts her until he's securely cradling her. She wiggles just a little more and then instantly quiets down, now seemingly at ease in his arms. He's a smart man; he knows that identifying himself won't provide any actual comfort to her for some time, but it's still nice to pretend.

He examines her hair for the 1000th time. There's just so much of it,dark and silken. He claims she gets it from his side of the family while Mindy insists on taking full credit. Either way, it's absolutely gorgeous and he's lost count of the number of times he's brought her little head up to his nose and inhaled her fresh scent.

He strolls out of the master bedroom and into the living room. "Let's take a walk, ladybug," he suggests lightly. With her eyes remaining closed, Carina involuntarily scrounges up her petite mouth, almost appearing skeptical of the idea. The resemblance it bares to Mindy's reluctant expression is almost scary. He chuckles lowly to himself.

"You are your mother's daughter," he muses. "I'll walk for the both of us, though. Just keep me company."

It's a slow trek through the quiet loft. The space feels incomplete without Mindy there. He's grown accustom to this new, unfinished feeling since Carina's arrival. He felt it at work during Mindy's maternity leave, with the absence of both of his girls. Even with her return, they never quite felt whole again until they reunited with Carina at the end of the day. Now it's Mindy's first overnight at the hospital since her return to work and, again, it just feels like he's just waiting around for one of his limbs to regenerate. It isn't a crippling feeling or anything terribly tragic; it's just present and a little lonely at times, albeit temporary.

But the sleeping, perfect bundle currently occupying two of his limbs eases some of that loneliness.

"I bet you're ready for mommy to get home, huh?" He waits a beat, as if an answer will surely come, then he nods and says, "Yeah, me too, love. I know she misses you like crazy."

Danny wanders by the mantle that hosts a number of framed pictures of family and close friends. Every once in a while he'll catch himself gazing at the photos and marveling at how surrounded he is by love now. For a man who once valued his solitude (even during his first marriage), he now had so many people he could honestly called his loved ones – people he would never expect: Gwen, Carl, Riley, Rishi, Mindy's parents ("That's your mom's mom, Car! She's a little terrifying, but she adores you, so it's whatever."), Stevie, Richie ("That's Uncle Richie! He's like a model, that kid!"), his mom, his dad (which still blows his mind), Dani – and Mindy was largely the reason this was so.

"Your mother's given me everything," Danny confides softly, gently rocking the baby out of habit.

He approaches their wedding photo. They had taken a gaggle of pictures that day at Mindy's request (some of those poses…Christ. He loves her, that's for certain), but this one is his absolute favorite: it's clearly towards the end of the reception, they're sitting on the steps of the museum and he has his suit jacket wrapped around her shoulders while her shoes are dangling from her hand. She's sitting in between his legs and his arms are wrapped around her as they laugh heartily at some private joke. When they initially met her exuberance made him cringe. Now looking at the photo, they looked like two people competing to see who was happiest. It was something that Danny found ironic, hilarious, and beautiful.

"Car, the story of your mom and I is an interesting one," he says with a hint of laughter, "and you're probably going to hear two very different versions. I would suggest hearing your mom's first. Then you can come to me when you're ready to hear something a little closer to the truth."

He smiles fondly and gently lifts Carina in order to place a soft kiss at the crown of her head. His phone chirps Mindy's assigned ringtone in the distance. Back in the room in a matter of moments, he picks it up to reads an uncharacteristic text from Mindy. It's devoid of its usual mass of emojis and exclamation points. She's sad and he totally gets it: the first night away from the baby was tough on him, too.

She's just checking in as her patient gradually dilates. After a brief interrogation regarding Carina's well-being, she adds that she misses them both very, very much.

Danny begins to type a reply, then immediately erases it to allow for something different.

"Here, let's both reply to mommy." He readjusts his daughter so that she's comfortably poised in one arm while the other hand quickly launches the camera function and positions the lens just above them both. The picture is captured with a tap of the screen and he attaches a brief, yet heartfelt, message. Once sent, he tosses the phone on the bed and eyes the baby sleeper.

"I should put you back," he half-heartedly suggests. Danny meanders to the carrier. Looking at the pristine, empty space already brings about a sense of loneliness. He should put Carina down…but not yet.

"Alright," he concludes, turning once again towards the door. "Just one more time around the block."

A/N: There's only two more moments left. I'm kind of in "rip it off like a band-aid" mode: I'm sad to wrap it up, but I'd rather face the end sooner than later.

You all are the reason this has lasted this long. Your support kept me going and I cannot thank you enough.

I'm going to be super sappy here and dedicate this installment to my daughter. :o)

Don't be shy, my loves, say Hi!

I hope you're all having a wonderful night and Hollaatchyagirl,

Phunky