Daryl couldn't remember how long Beth and he were sitting like that. Watching their two sweethearts, listening to their noises, touching their soft, new skin and whispering sweet things to them and to each other, when doctor Michael finally said "I don't want to bother the four of you, but it's time to cut the umbilical cord. And I bet you want to do it Daryl."
Daryl had read in his book, that most of the time the fathers were doing it, but still he looked down at Beth to get her permission for doing so. Of course she was smiling happily up at him and nodded wildly.
As carefully as possible Daryl cut the umbilical cord and separated with that their babies from their mother, but he also knew that nothing, nothing in this whole world could get Beth really apart from their sweethearts.
After doing so, Daryl looked that damn happy way down at his little family, when Barbara stepped next to Beth's side and said "We should take a look, if everything is okay with their healthy and also clean their skin. You can take them in your arms again in a few minutes."
Understanding, but also sad to give their babies away for just a few moments, Beth let the doctor's wife take Kate and Benjamin away from her chest. Feeling how lonely his wife was, without having them close, Daryl pulled Beth closer to his side. Her light blue eyes were shinning happily up at him, when Daryl stroked lovingly and glad his girl's rosy cheek. "Thank you so much sweetheart. For giving me them. Thank you for just everything." Daryl whispered thankfully.
"We have both made it my love. We have both made them. That was us, together." Beth said with her soft voice, while she framed Daryl's cheeks with her still shaking hands. Powerless and damn relieved Daryl leaned his forehead against Beth's and they were both crying tears of joy, while they listened to their babies screams, because obviously they also hated it to be apart from their parents.
That was also the moment, when Daryl just couldn't go on any more, that was the moment when he broke apart. After all these days, weeks, even months being so damn tensed and nervous the whole time, that every second something bad could happen and the last few hours were just the climax. Daryl couldn't and also didn't want to hold back his tear of fearless any more, when they finally broke free and rolled down his face, while he had buried his head into the place between Beth's shoulder and neck.
His nose was running and his lips were shaking, when he whimpered helpless "I was so scared.. so damn scared Beth.. I thougt I would lose you.. lose our babies.. I can't lose even one of you.. I need you.. I was so frightened.." Soothing Beth was stroking carefully over Daryl's trembling head and held him close, like their babies before.
"I know Daryl. I was it too, but nothing will have to be good, because everything is already good. We have both made it. We are a family now, forever. And nothing will ever change that." Daryl kept his head close to Beth's body like that a few more minutes, till he had calmed down enough to lift his head and looked directly into his wife's beautiful eyes and they both began to smile at each other.
Only then Daryl noticed, that he still hadn't asked, if she was alright "How do you feel sweetheart? Does it still hurt?" With still a smile on her lips Beth shook her head and answered truthfully "I feel like I just can't get even more happy." After pressing a sweet, soft kiss on Beth's waiting lips, Daryl whispered close to her skin "Me too princess."
It was almost torture to be able to hear their babies, but not being able to see or hold them. The few minutes the doctor and his wife examined their newborns felt like hours for Daryl and Beth, till Barbara turned around and got closer to them with one baby wrapped in a light blue blanket.
The woman just wanted to lay little Benjamin on his mother's chest, when Beth said softly "Daryl should take him. He hasn't held him yet." Gladfully and being very close to tears again, Daryl smiled at his wife and his heart was beating wildly inside his chest, when Barbara placed his little son carefully for the first time into his arms.
"Hey you, little man. I got you." Daryl whispered down to Benjamin, who was looking up at his father with big, innocence eyes. Even when Daryl wanted, he just couldn't suppress his tears of joy, while he watched his son closely.
Daryl's parents had never made many photos of him and Merle, but there was one Daryl could still remember. It was a few months after his birth, Merle was holding him proudly in his arms and smiled into the camera like the protective, big brother he was feeling. Daryl had always looked at this pic, when he felt alone or sad, because it had always warmed up his heart and made him feel a little better.
Just imagine about this pic right now, made it clear for Daryl, that Benjamin looked a lot like himself, when he was still little. Even when Beth didn't know this photo, she still told him, while her head was resting against Daryl's shoulder "He looks like you my love." As carefully as possible Daryl was running his fingertips over his son's little nose, rosy cheeks and tiny hands, till he gripped around Daryl's finger and didn't let go again.
"You think that sweetheart?" Daryl asked Beth, before he pressed a lovingly kiss on top of her head. "Yeah, expect the dark brown hair, Benjamin also has your lips and ears." Daryl had to smile to himself, because Beth was right. Of course she was, she was just always right.
Peacefully, like the proud parents they were, Daryl and Beth were watching their little son. How his eyes were looking clueless up at them, how Benjamin pulled out his tiny, rosy tongue and they both had to giggle, when he yawned long and dramatic.
Because their son was still naked under the blanket, Daryl pulled him closer to his chest and guided his tiny head closer to Beth, so she could give him a kiss. "I love you baby boy." Beth whispered, her lips still close to Benjamin's nose, she had just kissed.
Also Daryl got with his lips closer to his face and placed as carefully as possible with his trembling lips a kiss on his son's warm cheek "I love you my little man." Daryl told Benjamin, who response with little noises, which made his parents smile happily.
Just moments later Barbara stepped next to Beth's side with Kate, wrapped in a light yellow blanket, and placed the newborn in her mother's arms. "They are both healthy, congratulaiton." Barbara said happily to the parents. "Here you are sunshine. I have missed you." Beth whispered happily down to their tiny daughter. Daryl's eyes didn't know where he should look at first. His little daughter, his wife or his already half asleep son. The three of them were just too sweet and they warmed up his heart like nothing in his life before.
"I bet Kate will get your blond locks, when she gets older." Daryl told Beth, while she was looking so proud at the results of their love. "You think that baby?" Beth asked amused, while she moved with her fingers through the girl's soft hair. "Yeah. Look at Benjamin's eyebrows, they are dark brown. Kate's are way lighter, like yours sweetheart. If she will also get your beautiful voice, we will have two songbirds in the house then."
Daryl had always and still loved it to be able to make his girl smile and also now it gave him the feeling of being useful and that Beth had done the right choice to choose him as her husband and the father of her children.
Carefully Daryl let his finger go from his son's grip and instead he softly stroked the back of his daughter's hand and her tiny cheeks. With Benjamin still in his arms, Daryl leaned carefully forward and pressed a soft kiss on the baby girl's forehead and whispered "I love you little princess."
Wonderful minutes passed by, when Barbara and doctor Michael got closer to them and said "I have to clean you now Beth." The man said, before his wife added "And Daryl, we should get your two sweethearts into some clothes, to hold them warm."
Understanding Daryl nodded, kissed Beth's forehead one more time, before he stood up and got with Benjamin in his arms over to Barbara. Carefully, with his hand behind Benjamin's head, he laid him on the soft mat on top of the table next to the doctor's wife. Closely he was watching and listening to Barbara, when she pulled Benjamin on a diaper. "Which kind of cloth should I get them?" Daryl asked clueless, after she had finished and Daryl tried to remember himself about everything Barbara had said and done. "Best some bodysuits."
As quickly as possible, because Daryl didn't want his little son to get cold, he was looking for the right baby clothes. With a damn proud smile in his face, every time Beth's eyes met his, Daryl was smiling happily back at her, when he passed her by.
"Here." Daryl said, when he got back to the table and just wanted to handle the light blue bodysuit for Benjamin to Barbara, when she shook her head and answered "No. You do it Daryl. I just watch you. You can do that."
Shocked and also being overwhelmed with the situation Daryl first looked at his little son, then at the tiny cloth in his hands and finally seeking for help over to Beth, who just nodded determined her head and smiled encouraging in his direction.
After breathing one last time deep inside his lungs, Daryl whispered to himself "Okay." It was still one of his biggest fears to hurt their newborns with his rough, big hands, but Daryl remembered, that it was also his fear to hold them and he had already done it so often, even yet, and nothing had happened. He thought, that he even did it pretty well.
With shaking hands Daryl carefully pulled his son's tiny legs into the clothe, Benjamin's hands were following next and that was already the magic, when Daryl buttons up the bodysuit and he was finished. Because Daryl was so focused on his work, he hadn't even noticed, that Benjamin had already fallen asleep and he was looking so damn cute, while he had his eyes closed and just slept as peacefully as an angel.
"We are almost finished." Doctor Micheal let them know, when Daryl laid sleeping Benjamin on his mother's waiting chest. "Doesn't he look damn cute, when he is sleeping sweetheart?" Daryl asked proudly his wife. "Yeah, he looks like you, when you sleep baby." Beth's answer made Daryl's cheeks heating up embarrassed. But he still loved that thought.
"Let me take little Katy sweetheart. I swear I bring her quickly back to you." Daryl said with a smile to Beth, before he took the baby girl in his arms and also got her into a warm bodysuit.
Daryl almost felt like a professional by the second time and also Barbara didn't watch him that close any more and had stopped to give him tips, instead only his little daughter was watching Daryl the whole time. After he was finished, Daryl took both of her tiny hands into his big ones, got closer with his nose to hers and whispered "Did daddy make it right little baby girl?" It almost felt like he would explore with every second, because he was so damn proud. About himself, about Beth, about their babies, when Daryl kissed thankfully his little baby girl's nose.
Doctor Michael had just finished his work, when Daryl turned around with Katy in his arms. Barbara pulled the blanket on top of Beth's body and asked her, if she needed something, while doing so. When the doctor got out of the room with his whole equipment and Barbara picked up something to drink for Beth, Daryl pulled the chair from the corner closer to the bed and lowered himself on it.
Daryl hadn't even noticed, that it had already got dark and at some point the doctor's wife had turned on the faint light in the corner. Still unbelievable and happily Daryl and Beth were smiling and giggling at each other, holding their babies close. "They belong to us now." Daryl said more to himself than to Beth, but still she answered "They belong to us since a long time my love."
Benjamin was still sleeping peacefully on his mother's chest, while Daryl was cradling Katy in his arms and she was watching her father, like he was her hero. And maybe he really was, at least Daryl was telling himself so.
"Drink everything up Beth. You need it." Barbara told her, when she got back with a glass of water. "Obviously Beth isn't the only one in this room, who is thirsty." The doctor's wife determined happily, while she looked at Katy in Daryl's arms, sucking on her own thumb.
After Beth had drank up the whole glass, Daryl laid Katy on her chest and took still sleeping Benjamin in his arms instead and lowered himself on the chair again. Curious Daryl watched Beth how she brought Kate in position, before Barbara helped Beth getting down her sleeve, so she could feed their little daughter for the first time.
"Take her like that. Yeah, exactly. Give her a few minutes." Barbara said and it didn't even take minutes, because Kate began to suck instantly, which made Beth smile proudly and relieved.
"Wow, what a clever, quickly girl we have here." The older woman said excited, which made Daryl and Beth both smiling even brighter at each other. "You like that sweetheart?" Beth asked softly little Katy, who was still sucking urgently. They were all watching peacefully the little baby girl, when also doctor Michael came finally back into the room and also in his lips got into a smile instantly, when he saw Beth and Katy.
Taking his wife closer to his side, the doctor said "I think our work is done here. The four of you are doing very well and if you need anything just come downstairs or call for us." Daryl and Beth were both a little shocked and worried, that they already wanted to leave them alone with their newborn. "Should I also feed little Ben, or should I let him sleep better?" Beth asked Barbara curious.
"Let him sleep Beth. You can try it, when he is awake. So, we wish the four of you a good night." And with that they left the flat and Daryl and Beth were alone with their sweethearts. Daryl pulled the chair even closer to the bed then, so he could watch his little daughter even closer. "Good girl." Daryl whispered, while he was stroking carefully with the back of his finger of Kate's sucking cheek.
"How does it feel?" Daryl asked his wife curious. "I can't name it.. it's.. it's simply beautiful." Beth told him excited and overwhelmed at the same time. Following Daryl took Beth's hand into his and said full with admiration "You are wonderful sweetheart. You know that?" Beth easily response with a sweet smile, but Daryl could also tell, that she was damn tired and powerless.
After minutes of watching their two babies, Ben laying in his father arms sleeping peacefully, Katy had finally stopped sucking and only looked curious up at her mother. Slowly Daryl stood up and he could feel Beth's eyes on his back, when he got outside the room and laid as carefully as possible his little son in the crib in their living room.
Then Daryl got back into the bedroom, took Katy into his arms, like he was already doing this his whole life long, and with his free hand he helped Beth getting dressed again. "You should sleep a little sweetheart. After the amazing things you have done today." Daryl told his wife, while he was stroking gently over her cheek.
He could see it in her eyes, Beth was really damn tired, but she was also a little worried, that maybe she could miss something or couldn't be there for their babies and her husband. "I will take care of them and let the door opened, so I can hear you sweetheart. You really need the rest." Daryl tried to talk her into it, after he had lifted softly her chin with his thumb and index finger.
Pulling the loosen strain of hair behind her ear, because Beth was already too tired to do it on her own, Daryl whispered "I'm so damn proud about you my girl. I knew you can do it." Even when she almost fell asleep, while she was still sitting, Beth showed him a dreamily, thankfully smile, before Daryl helped her to lay down.
"I love you my beautiful princess." Daryl whispered, after he had kissed his wife's forehead. "I love you too my man." Beth response, before her eyes shot closed and she quickly fell asleep.
Silently Daryl turned off the light and got out of the room, he let the door opened a little, like he had promised Beth. Still trying to make no noises Daryl lowered himself on the couch next to the crib and only then he finally began to realise what had just happened. He had become a father.