Matthew woke up and squinted against the bright lights. He tried to sit up, but a stabbing pain in his lower abdomen made him lie back down. Suddenly, all his recollections of what was going on and why he was in this place flooded back to him.

He propped himself into sitting against his pillows, and looked around for a phone or something he could use to find out what had happened after surgery. He found the nurse's call button and pressed that.

A girl with shortish sandy blonde hair appeared in the doorway. She had a small voice and was shivering almost like a Whippet. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes. I need to find my baby... Or my doctor... Or my boyfriend... But I'd really like all three."

"I don't know about your boyfriend, but I can get your doctor. Is that...is that okay?" She sounded as if she was afraid Matthew would yell at her for only being able to do that.

"That'd be great. Thank you."

"I-I'll be right back. Sorry." She disappeared from the doorway and came back with a doctor who looked almost exactly like her, only taller and male.

"Um, hi. What's going on...? Is the baby okay..?"

"Yes, it's a girl. She's in the nursery. Her, er, other father's there too."

Matthew relaxed. "Can I go see them? Please?"

"Of course. Just make sure you don't strain yourself. You did just get out of surgery."

Berwald was looking at his daughter. She was tiny, having been born 2 months early, but she was healthy. He thanked God that she didn't have any problems breathing or swallowing. He picked her up gently, surprised and how light her 5 pounds 10 ounces felt. She didn't wake up from her peaceful sleep.

"Hello there, littl' one... Mus' be hard work bein' born.." He said softly, smoothing her tiny wisps of hair. He sat down in the soft nursery rocking chair, just looking at her little toes and tiny fists. It wasn't more than a minute later that Matthew came in.

For the first time Matthew could remember, Berwald smiled. He was truly happy. He had his family with him. He was in love with Matthew, and with their new baby, and with life in general and having them all at once overwhelmed his stoicism. He pulled Matthew into the chair next to them.

"This is yer daught'r, Matthew. She looks like ya..."

Matthew took the tiny person from Berwald, just as awed. "She's so little. Is everything okay? She looks so beautiful... She's definitely your daughter too." Matthew smiled too, engulfed in tender emotion. "I never want to let either of you go..."

"Ya don't have t' let us go, Mattie." Berwald wrapped his arm around Matthew. "Ya get t' keep us both."

Hours later, they were still together. The initial excitement had calmed to a soft hum of euphoric peace. Matthew's head was rested on Berwald's shoulder, and the baby was laying against his chest. She had woken up for a while, ready to be fed and changed and cooed over before she wrapped her tiny hand around one of her daddies' fingers and fell back asleep. They spoke softly so as not to wake her.

"Hey Berwald..."

"Yes, Matthew?"

"I didn't mean the nasty things I said before."

"Shh, I know. Ya were jus' scared, it's okay."

"I want to stay with you. Can I stay?"

"I'd like it if ya stayed forever."

"I think I'd like that too." Matthew smiled.

"We should get married." Berwald whispered in his ear for only him to hear." Matthew blushed.

"I think I'd have to say yes to that offer." He turned slightly to kiss Berwald.

"Thank ya. Ya two are th' most beaut'ful things in m' whole world. I don' wan' t' come home t' anyone else but you..."

"You won't have to," Matthew stroked their daughter's cheek. "We're a family. An actual, honest to God family."

"Doesn' it feel nice?"

"Yes... Yes it does."

They fell into comfortable silence again, broken only by the soft sound of their breathing. Matthew felt the strong arms around his shoulders, and the tiny tiny fist over his heart. Something deep in him moved; a small part of his mind pressed at his thoughts. There was this funny feeling inside if him. He closed his eyes and named it love.

-x-

The End.