Chapter 37: The Birth Of Ruby (Extended Edition)

Soon, the time comes for the baby to be born.

"All right, sweetheart? Are you ready?" Lily asks.

Becky nods.

She looks to me.

"I've got you, my love. I promise. I'll be right by your side."

Becky nods again and steels herself for the first push.

"Wait for the contraction, dear." Valka tells her.

When the next contraction arrives, my wife bears down with all her might, barely making a sound.

"Excellent. Good girl. Keep it going just like that." Lily says.

What my mum wouldn't give to be here. But I know she's with us in spirit.

Becky keeps pushing, and, a few minutes later, Lily takes her hand.

"You feel that, sweetie?" My dear wife nods.

"That's your baby's head."

Tears well in my wife's eyes and they slip down her cheeks. I kiss her forehead.

"That's the first time I've ever felt a baby of mine in the outside world."

"And there will be plenty more times. I can guarantee that."

As my wife progresses, the pain only gets worse. But, after everything she's gone through, she can handle it. I know she can. I know her strength.

"Stop pushing. I need to check for the cord. Just breathe." My wife hangs onto me. I stroke her cheek as Ruffnut and I help her breathe. Tuffnut has since left, not wanting to see his adoptive sister in any more pain.

I myself would leave, but Becky needs me with her. I wouldn't dare leave her side, even if she asked or told me to.

"You're doing so well, Becky. I am so proud of you." I tell her.

"Thank you, Eret."

"You're welcome."

Soon, Becky can push again.

When she does, her strength doesn't waver, even with the burning I'm sure she's feeling.

"I can't do this anymore…someone's going to come and take my baby away. I can't go through that again. I can't."

"No one is going to take your baby away, sweetheart. We promise."

"How…how can you promise that, Ruffnut?"

"We have no more enemies to deal with. Grimmel is gone. You-know-who has been gone. And neither of them is coming back. Okay?"

Becky nods.

"Come on, sis. You need to push."

She nods again and pushes.

"Just one more big push, baby girl!" Lily says.

"You can do it, love. I'm here. I'm right here with you."

Becky gives one more long, hard push, and the baby is born into her maternal grandma's arms, practically screaming his or her head off, even with the fluids in their airways. Becky collapses against me, and I'm careful to catch her. She is rightfully exhausted.

"You did it! You really did it! I am so proud of you, my love!"

"Thank you."

"It's a girl! It's a beautiful baby girl!" Valka declares.

"We have a daughter. We have a little girl! Thank you, love. Thank you so much." I say, tears slipping down my cheeks as I kiss my wife's head.

"Dad, would you like to cut the cord?" Valka asks me. Becky nods at me and I pass my wife over to her sister and move to cut my daughter's cord so they can examine her, since this was a high-risk birth since Becky was born premature. It's a miracle she carried to full term.

Our daughter's airways are cleared. Soon, the afterbirth is delivered and Becky gets situated on our couch after being cleaned up.

Lily places Becky's and my daughter in Becky's arms and I kneel beside them, only looking at my wife.

"You are such a warrior. You're my queen, you're my warrior. You're my everything."

Soon, after visitors come and go, I get to hold my daughter for the very first time.

Becky and I talk for a bit, and I finally look at my daughter's face. I was kind of scared to see what she looked like. I know she'd be beautiful no matter what – I'm biased, I know – but I was still scared of how beautiful she'd be. Would she be more beautiful than her mother? Maybe, but a different kind of beautiful. How is there more than one kind of beautiful? I have no idea.

I look at our daughter. She is absolutely beautiful. I do a quick check to count her fingers and toes, and, sure enough, every one of them are there.

She looks at me, her eyes still new. It's love at first sight, I'm sure, for the both of us.

Becky and I decide to name her Ruby Amora, after our mums, both gone to Valhalla.

Becky soon falls asleep, and I hope she has peaceful dreams while she sleeps. If she doesn't, I'll make sure she knows she's got me to comfort her.

After Ruffnut comes by and we have a chat – her apologizing for her behavior when she and I first met – I'm left alone with my sleeping daughter and sleeping wife. I place Ruby in her cradle that I had to remake because of Grimmel setting fire to nearly everything on Old Berk.

Afterwards, I sit next to my wife in a chair, watching her sleep. Ruby is next to the couch in her cradle.

I watch the both of them sleep, eventually dozing off myself.

I have a terrible neck and backache in the morning. But it's worth it.