A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back, I'm alive, and I do apologize for my little unexpected month-long vacation lol. Suffice it to say that I got swamped unexpectedly with school and real life in general, and then once things went back to normal, getting back into the groove of writing LAD proved a bit difficult. BUT I'm back, and with any luck, back on the weekly updating schedule :D thank you guys so much for sticking with me, and again, I am very sorry. I would have posted a note explaining that I wasn't dead and LAD wasn't abandoned, but that's against site rules so I couldn't do that. And then I couldn't answer the anon questions either, so all in all, it was quite frustrating lol and I'm very glad to be back :D
My sincere and heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for reading and sticking with me, and to midnightwings96 for always being incredibly helpful and helping me get past these rough spots when my motivation takes a hit lol. I hope you all like it, and I look forward to your feedback! (And hey, bit of self-promotion before I go lol - I wrote and finished a little Daredevil fic and am in the process of posting it, so go on over and take a looksie if you're a fan :D it's a relatively short story for me and features a new and (I hope) lovely OC, and yeah, I'll love you forever if you read lol). See you all next week! :D
With a bead of sweat rolling off her furrowed brow and a grimace that was so deeply etched into her face that it threatened to freeze that way, Summer released the breath she'd been holding and let go of Bucky's hand as she declared, "Okay, that's it. I'm done. Gimme the magic drugs."
"Okay," Bucky said without hesitation, leaving her side as he rushed to her bag to retrieve the vial of Asgardian potion. Summer stayed where she was, leaning against one of the walls of the birthing suite and trying to catch her breath after the latest doozy of a contraction. They were getting unbearable now, not only quite excruciatingly painful but also rather sickening once they hit their peak. After nearly throwing up in her mouth with the last one, she decided that enough was enough.
As Bucky rushed back to her side, potion in hand, the door to the suite opened and Claire, the midwife, came walking back in to check on her progress.
"How are we feeling?" she asked, a smile on her friendly face as Bucky helped Summer to sit in the suite's most comfortable armchair.
Bucky handed her the vial, and Summer replied, "Like I'm dying."
"Time to talk about pain management?" Claire guessed, eyeing the mysterious vial in Summer's hand with no subtle amount of curiosity.
"Yeah, past time for that, actually," Summer groaned, glancing at Bucky as he watched her every move with great concern. He'd been like that the whole time, quiet and helpful without being annoying or obnoxious about it, and Summer couldn't have asked for a better labor partner so far.
"Mind if I check you first?" Claire asked, and Summer shrugged before leaning back in the chair, wanting to get it over with.
Claire then slapped on a glove and got to business as Summer closed her eyes and Bucky watched the midwife's actions carefully. One could never be too cautious or suspicious, of course, and he wasn't generally a fan of anyone, even a medical professional, handling his wife in such a way.
"I'll give you seven," Claire said, finishing and backing away. Summer opened her eyes and took a breath. "So you're officially in transition, which typically goes by pretty fast. Sure you don't want to go all natural? You're already well over halfway there."
Summer glanced at the vial of potion in her hand, considering her options for a moment. She did like to keep things as natural as possible in general, and she had contemplated forgoing all pain relief early in her pregnancy. But then again, this stage of labor that she was currently in was the hardest, and truth be told, the allure of staying all-natural had lost some of its appeal two centimeters ago.
She glanced at Bucky, knowing that he didn't care one way or the other and just wanted her as comfortable as possible. Then, just as another contraction began to start up and painfully tighten up her belly, she made her final decision.
"Frick no," she shrugged, popping the top off of the vial and downing it one gulp. It went down smooth and easily, and afterwards, she furrowed her brows and tried to figure out what the hell it had tasted like. She was getting notes of lavender and mint and... a bunch of other bizarre, non-Earthly herb-like tastes. It instantly made her warm up from the inside out, like thousands of tiny little tingles slowly spreading throughout each of her nerves and instantly blocking the pain of the latest contraction.
She blinked, looking down at the empty bottle and wondering if it had really worked that quickly. She touched her belly, which was hard a rock and reaching the peak of the contraction, and oddly enough, she could still feel it from the inside. She felt the squeezing and the tightening just as she had before. It just didn't hurt.
"Holy crap," she half-whispered, eyes wide as she looked up at Bucky and smiled. "It worked!"
"Thank God," he groaned in relief, leaning closer to her and giving her a kiss on her temple. Claire, meanwhile, watched in slight - no, major - confusion.
"What exactly did you take?" she smiled, even more bewildered by the instant relief than Summer was.
"Oh, it's, um... this... ancient herbal... remedy thing. From... Norway." Summer smiled, hoping Claire bought the lie, which was actually somewhat true, considering. "A friend gave it to me and said it would work great."
"You must really trust this friend," Claire observed, though not judgmentally. "But I'm glad it's helping. The rest of your labor should be a little easier now, and you've been moving along so nice and quickly, I think you just might have your baby before the sun goes down."
Summer smiled brightly, hoping that would indeed be the case. It would hopefully be a piece of cake now that the pain was gone, and the best part was that she could get up and walk still, unlike if she'd opted for an epidural.
No pain and still getting to feel everything as if she really had gone all-natural? Talk about the ideal birth, she thought after the midwife left her and Bucky alone once more.
As soon as the door was closed, Summer looked at Bucky with wide eyes and squeaked, "Thor is literally my favorite person in the universe now. I mean, aside from you and David, of course, and Adelaide, but I'm going to love him forever and ever even more now. And the lady who actually made the potion. I would totally make out with them both right now if I could."
Bucky laughed and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm glad it worked. You really don't feel anything?"
"No, that's just it!" she marveled. "I feel everything, just not the pain! It's perfect! I'll know when I need to push, and I'll feel everything!"
Bucky paused. "... Is that a good thing?"
"Yes," she laughed, leaning back in the chair again and taking a breath. "Oh man. This is great! I should have drank that stuff an hour ago! I feel all warm and fuzzy and like... just whoa, man."
"Are you a little high?" Bucky asked with a faint chuckle, to which Summer vehemently shook her head.
"Not at all. I feel way more in control than I did before, actually. I can't even explain it. Can you help me up so I can stick my head out the window and yell thanks to Thor?"
Bucky laughed again, helping her up but replying, "You might want to wait until we're home to do that, just in case the midwife saw and figured it out."
"Oh... yeah, true. Speaking of that, how long until Steve and Nat get here?"
"They're already here," Bucky replied, holding her hand to keep her steady as she began to slowly walk across the room, not going anywhere in particular but enjoying being able to walk. "They're in the waiting room with David and the guys. I told them to wait to see you until you got the pain under control."
"Oh. Thanks," she smiled, giving his hand a grateful squeeze. "And thank you for holding my hand and helping me through this. You've been really great this whole time."
"I don't feel like I've done anything," he admitted as he smiled back. "You're the one doing all the hard work."
"Yeah, but the last time I did this, I only had my grandma and I was stuck in a bed with an epidural that barely worked," she told him quietly, recalling that day. It felt like it had been an entire lifetime ago that all of that had happened. "This is so much different. I'm happy this time. Nervous and a little scared, too, but mostly just really happy."
Bucky smiled and leaned in closer, brushing one soft little kiss on her lips before pulling away and saying, "Yeah, me too."
She smiled back, then paused as she felt another contraction started back up. She almost began to tense up, just out of instinct, but then when no pain came, she smiled wider and said, "This is awesome. Send everyone in!"
"Yes ma'am," he grinned, pulling his phone out of his pocket to send a quick text doing just that.
Just a few moments later, Summer was leisurely strolling about the room when the door opened, Natasha walking in first with Steve behind her. Summer smiled fondly at their incognito personas, both in hoodies and Steve looking slightly nervous as he walked in and peered around as if expecting some kind of bloodbath or pregnancy movie cliche. Instead of that, Summer merely waddled their way and gave them both hugs, starting with Natasha.
"Wow, you look great," Nat observed as Summer pulled away, still smiling hugely. "How?"
"I took Thor's potion," she explained, "And I feel great!"
"I can tell," Nat replied with a small smile as Summer turned next to Steve and gave him a hug.
"Thank you both for coming," she said after pulling away from the hug, looking from Steve to Nat. "It means a lot to me."
"No problem," Steve replied sincerely. "We're all pretty excited."
Summer smiled back and then said, "If you don't mind, do you think that maybe you could give a hand to Esteban with David when I'm, you know, actually having the baby?"
"Yeah, no problem," Steve nodded seriously.
"Okay. And Nat," she said, turning to the other woman, "you don't have to if you don't want to, but... I would really love it if you could stay in here with me through it."
Natasha answered with a small smile and a casual reply of, "I wasn't going to give you much of a choice in the matter."
Summer laughed and was on the cusp of answering when the door suddenly burst open behind Steve, and then a flash of bright red hair was all the warning she had before her brother suddenly exclaimed, "I'm here! Did I miss the kid getting squirted out?"
Summer grimaced a little at the terminology, but she smiled anyway as she held up her hand and gained his attention. "Right here. No baby yet."
"Oh good," he sighed, rushing to her and hugging her first before putting his hands on her shoulders as he looked her over. "How are you? You look good! A little... too good." He blinked. "Are you actually in labor?"
"I'm in transition," she smiled proudly. "Almost there."
He raised his eyebrows. "And you're up and walking around?"
She grinned and then whispered to him conspiratorially, "Asgardian magic pain potion."
His eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "That does not sound FDA approved."
She shrugged. "But it works and it's perfect!"
He laughed a little high-pitched, giving away how nervous it made him, and he said, "Okay, well, let's pray your kid doesn't come out with a second head or her own magic hammer in her tiny little fist."
Summer laughed him off, then started walking around again, as another contraction came on. Surrounded by people she loved and who loved her back, miraculously feeling not a smidgen of pain, and being nearly at the homestretch of labor, she found herself in a state of excited but truly peaceful bliss. Soon she'd have her baby in her arms, and her pregnancy would finally be over. She'd finally get to look at Adelaide's little face and kiss her cheeks, and likely not put her down once until she was at least two years old. At least.
If she got any happier, she might just explode.
Maybe it was the questionable, enormously long list of movies that Summer had made him watch over the last few years, or perhaps it was what he'd read when he'd come across a book promising to tell one what to expect when expecting a baby, but Bucky had not expected Summer's labor to be like this.
He'd anticipated something along the lines of a long, drawn out, blood-soaked battle, a struggle that would spiral progressively more and more out of control until victory was finally seized and their baby was... well... out. Instead, Summer was relaxing in her comfy chair, Natasha on one side and Paul on the other, David now in the room as well, and Summer was all laughs and smiles as she cheerfully endured what was supposed to be the single toughest part of labor.
Bucky was as confused as the midwife was, standing next to Steve and watching the whole oddly pleasant spectacle. Steve couldn't help but point out with a smile, "Well, this is going better than expected."
"I keep expecting it to wear off any minute," Bucky admitted, watching as Summer told David to touch her belly while she was at the peak of a contraction. The boy's eyes bugged out at how hard it was, and then he pulled his hand away like he suddenly found it gross.
"I think she's good," Steve replied. Then he glanced at Bucky and said with a small smile, "Ready to meet your little girl?"
A sudden wave of anxiety of anxiety later, Bucky smiled back and said, "I hope so. I'm still nervous about how to even hold a baby without hurting it."
"You're gonna do great," Steve assured him. "And remember, just look at it like this - you're already a father, and you've already done a great job. This time you just get to do it from the very start."
Bucky nodded, appreciating the sentiment and hoping Steve was right. "Well, we'll find out soon."
"Yes we will," Steve smiled wider. "By the way, how are you doing after... today?"
Bucky paused, thinking back to that day's earlier events. He'd come straight to the birthing center after having nearly lost control beating Brock Rumlow to a pulp in an interrogation room of the Avengers facility, but now that felt like it was a million miles in the past. He also felt like a fool for doing it.
"I'm fine," Bucky muttered. "I shouldn't have done it. I knew it wouldn't get me anywhere. Or get me any answers."
"He knows how to get to us," Steve replied quietly. "What did he say to you?"
"Nothing worth repeating," Bucky replied, still watching Summer. "I'm not letting him get in my head."
"Good," Steve nodded, "because you've got something a lot better to focus on."
He really, really did. Bucky smiled when Steve gave his shoulder a pat, then smiled more when David came ambling up to him and handed him a cookie from a bag Esteban had gotten him from a vending machine. He ate the cookie and then looked again at Summer, who had said something to Paul to make him cringe and burst out in fake tears. She laughed vibrantly, high on Asgardian magic and the joy of their little impending arrival, and Bucky shared one more smile with Steve before returning to her side.
He stayed there for the rest of her labor. Another hour passed, which felt more like a party or generally pleasant and laughter-filled get together than the near-end of a woman's labor, and in that hour Summer's contractions began to get closer together and far more intense than before. She still didn't feel pain, but she began to feel very uncomfortable and got up to walk around, with Bucky's help.
The room was still full of people as he walked her around, holding her hand and letting her lean on him for balance, and she was visibly squirming and grimacing as she suddenly said, "Oh man. Okay. That's weird. I feel weird."
"What's wrong?" He asked immediately, bringing them both to a standstill and looking her over in great concern.
"I, uh..." she fidgeted, shifting on her feet and furrowing her brows as she clutched his hand tighter. "I feel like... maybe..." She then suddenly stood up straighter, eyes widening. "Not maybe. I definitely need to push. Oh God, I think I'm pushing right now."
Face suddenly full of panic, Bucky quickly led Summer towards the bed as she looked at Natasha and exclaimed slightly squeakily , "Get the midwife before I drop this kid on the floor!"
Natasha was out of the room in a flash of black and red, and Steve stood wide-eyed and useless with David as Paul hurried to Summer's side as Bucky helped to sit her in the bed.
"Oh God, this is so weird," she said, breathing faster and trying her very best not to push. "I can feel everything and I'm pretty sure she's like... in there, you know?"
"I don't," Bucky replied, still looking rather panicked. "Is that good?"
Before Summer could answer, the midwife was walking in and smiling as pleasantly as ever as she strolled over to the bed. "So I hear you feel like you might need to start pushing?"
"I definitely need to," Summer replied, wide-eyed still as the midwife wasted no time in checking her. Bucky didn't budge one inch from her side, and he missed the way that Steve essentially placed himself in a corner to avoid even the remote possibility of accidentally looking over at Summer, even though he wouldn't have seen anything but a sheet.
"Oh, yep," Claire announced, nodding. "You're ready to go."
"Yes," Summer hissed, briefly raising her fist in victory. "Okay. I'm ready. I'm so ready. Everybody out who doesn't want to get scarred for life."
Steve took that as his queue to go, and Esteban left to go find Nicolo, who had stepped out to eat and was now needed once again now that his photography services would be needed very soon. David seemed unsure of whether to stay or go, and Summer noticed this as the midwife got her baby-catching gear ready.
"You can stay if you want," she told him gently with a slight shrug. "Or you can go with Steve and wait to come back in after she's born. It's up to you." She paused. "There'll be blood, though. Remember that time we saw a cat giving birth outside of our old house?"
David made a face and then immediately turned to go to Steve's side. Summer laughed, and Steve smiled at her and Bucky both as he said, "Good luck. We'll be right outside."
"Okay," Summer smiled back. "Thank you."
After Steve left with David, Summer then looked at Paul and asked, "What about you?"
He rolled his eyes. "I've got seven kids. I'm immune to the carnage."
"Fair enough," Summer replied, turning to Natasha next. "Still with me?"
"Not going anywhere," Natasha assured her with a small smile, standing near Bucky.
Summer smiled back and took a deep breath. "Okay." She looked at Bucky, smiled even bigger as her eyes watered a little, and her hand tightened its grip on his own as she half-whispered, "Can you believe this is finally happening?"
He couldn't. He smiled back, squeezing her hand as his excitement reached an all-time high. This was happening, and the moment was almost here - he was going to meet his daughter very, very soon.
Once Summer knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was, for lack of a better term, go-time, things seemed to go ridiculously quickly.
The urge to push utterly overwhelming her and taking over every nerve in her body with the singular and all-important mission at hand, Summer focused on breathing as the midwife helped to get her into a comfortable position on the bed. Since she wasn't in a hospital with an epidural, she didn't need to give birth while laying down flat on her back. Instead, Bucky helped pile pillows behind her back while Natasha and Claire both helped her sit against them. Paul sat nearby, casually texting on his phone since this all truly was basically routine for him now, and Nicolo was on standby with his camera, ready to capture all of the glory and none of the gore of the coming moments.
Problem was, Summer just couldn't get comfortable and she felt like she was going to sweat to death while also dying from the effort it was taking her not to push.
"Oh God, I gotta push," she said, voice a bit high and panicked as she squirmed. "And I'm so hot. I'm gonna be sick."
"Hang on," Natasha said, getting up to retrieve a cold washcloth in what had to have been record time. She was already back and pressing it to Summer's forehead by the time the wailing began again.
"It feels like she's gonna pop out right now, like she's right there," Summer said, watching the midwife help to carefully position her legs, feet flat on the bed and knees apart. "Oh God..."
"Just relax," Claire told her, the picture of calm. "She's not gonna pop out until you push. And I want you to go ahead and start, okay? Stop fighting it and just go with it, let your body do what it needs to do."
It felt like one of the best things Summer had ever heard in her life, and she immediately gave in and let her body take over. Once she did, it was one of the single most potent feelings of relief that she'd ever experienced. She understood what she hadn't had the opportunity to understand during David'a birth, which was that barring complications, the female body really did know what to do and how to take care of itself during labor all on its own.
She didn't even count to ten during that first push, instead just going until she had to stop, and once it was over she opened her eyes and sucked in a great breath of air. It was then that she realized she was holding both Bucky and Natasha's hands, and squeezing the life out of them both.
"Holy crap, that felt good," she smiled, though she quickly grimaced right after. "These pillows suck. I can't sit like this. It's like... too soft or something, I don't know."
Natasha was on the ball, looking at Bucky and telling him firmly, "Sit behind her. Let her lean on you."
He looked slightly like a deer in headlights when she said that, but he quickly hopped to it and stood up, not letting go of Summer's hand as he very carefully slid in to sit behind her. As soon as he was in position, Summer leaned against him and let out a sigh of relief. "That's so much better. Thank you."
She meant it for both of them, and Natasha gave her a warm smile while Bucky kissed the crown of her head. He felt perfect against her, firm and grounding and exactly what she needed to feel secure and ready to continue.
"Ready?" Claire asked. Summer nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed again.
Being able to feel every last bit of Adelaide moving further down with each passing second was utterly unreal, and she would never forget what it was like for as long as she lived. Now she knew why some women went all natural for childbirth, though she did admittedly have a huge advantage over every other human female who had ever existed thanks to Thor and his amazing and talented friend.
"Wow," Claire said admiringly after Summer got a few more pushed out. "You're making great progress. You're an awesome pusher."
Summer laughed, catching her breath and laying her head on Bucky's shoulder during her respite. She looked around, first at Paul who was in Bucky's previous place at her side, then up at Bucky himself. He was quiet but his eyes were intense, full of love and anxiety and excitement, and seeing him like that made her smile so deeply that she felt it in her bones. Then, finally, she looked at Natasha, who was still holding her hand and full of the quiet confidence that she'd had in Summer ever since they had first become real friends.
It was perfect. She had her family, the love of her life, and her best friend all there to help her welcome in a new and precious life into the world. Not a single one of them doubted her ability to do it, and each of them had played significant and irreplaceable roles in helping her grow into the woman she that she had become.
Nicolo caught the moment in a few understated, simple pictures. Once it was over, Summer braced herself, breathed deeply, and got back to work.
The next five minutes went by stunningly quickly,
First, after two more long and aching pushes, Claire announced with a smile, "Somebody's crowning!"
"Really?!" Summer exclaimed, her heart pounding in her chest not just from exertion but also from excitement. "I thought she felt like she was getting closer but I couldn't tell, this still feels so weird!"
Natasha stood up and, after looking and confirming Claire's words, said, "Yup, definitely crowning. And look at that dark hair she's got."
Summer smiled, feeling her eyes well up with tears. She looked back at Bucky, who had that same deer in headlights look as before but in a decidedly good way, and then she all but squeaked, "Yay! She's not bald!"
Bucky chuckled, and Paul began to slowly glance over to see for himself. Summer stopped him by punching him in the shoulder and saying, "No. Never. Natasha's the only one allowed to see any of that."
"Oh please. I'm a doctor!" Paul said, holding his shoulder where she'd hit him. "And I've changed your diapers!"
"And I'll kick your ass so hard you have to wear diapers if you try to look!" Summer snapped. "And that goes for you too, Bucky."
He wasn't in any position to see anything anyway, but Bucky still furrowed his brows and said, "Really?"
"I want you to still want to have sex with me again someday, so no way," Summer explained just before she paused and widened her eyes. "Oh yeah, here comes a big one." True to her suspicions, a new contraction started up and her body automatically began to push through it.
Two very close, intense contractions later, Summer was awash, overwhelmed, and utterly consumed with the most mind-blowingly intense pressure that a human being could physically experience. Claire urged her to keep going, she nearly broke both Bucky and Natasha's hands with how hard she gripped them, and she was pretty sure that she was making very loud and odd noises as she pushed, but she could not have possibly cared less.
"One more push and you're done!" Claire told her, and Summer opened her eyes to look down and try to see what was happening, but she just couldn't at the angle she was in. And so, resolving to focus on the finish line instead, she took one more deep breath and listened silently as Bucky whispered in her ear how amazing she was and how close they were to meeting their baby. Then she closed her eyes and pushed one last time.
And just like that, in a flash, the pressure was gone. Her body having beautifully done what it was made to do, everything finally reached its pinnacle as relief washed over her and she officially gave birth to her second child.
Claire immediately and without a second's hesitation placed the baby on Summer's chest, and just like that, for both her and Bucky, the world stopped spinning and time stood still. Nothing else existed but the perfect little person who now laid before them both, her eyes closed and fists clenched as both of her parents immediately brought their hands up to touch her.
Summer cried instantly, words failing her as her emotions spilled over in a moment that nothing else in the world could really ever compare to. She brought the baby into her arms as Bucky stared and slowly, cautiously, touched his right hand to the top of her head, his own eyes watery and mouth open in a stunned and indescribable state of wonder.
She had almost a full head of dark hair. Her nose was a perfect button, and her cheeks were plump and perfect. Her lips were tiny and pink, and she was so incredibly fat that it was almost impossible to believe that she had been in Summer's belly only a few moments before.
Finally, after soaking up the sight of their child and shedding a few more tears because of it, Summer leaned down and kissed her little girl's cheek. Her voice was shaky and purely joyful as she finally said, "Hi, Adelaide."
It was then that Adelaide's eyes opened fully for the first time, revealing their bright blue color, and the first thing she saw in her brand new world was her mother and father's faces, full of happiness and the sort of love that words could never truly fully capture.
Then she closed her eyes tight, clenched her tiny little fists more, and let out a first cry to put all others to shame.
Claire put a blanket on her immediately, rubbing it on Adelaide's very pink skin to warm her up as Summer rubbed her back and soothed her, knowing that the crying was a good thing. She tore her eyes away from her baby just long enough to look at Bucky and share a smile with him that made her heart swell and ache even more than it already was. Then he kissed her softly and quickly, leaning his forehead against hers and whispering, "I love you,"
"I love you too," she replied just as quietly, vowing to never forget the way that he looked in that moment. He was so full of love himself, so young and innocent looking despite everything in his past that made him feel like he wasn't either thing. But here was this new life laying there in their arms, half of her and half of him, proof that their love was real and that their pasts didn't have to define who they were or what their lives had to be.
Claire cleaned and wrapped Adelaide up without taking her out of Summer's arms. As she did, Summer became aware once again of the world around her. Paul was smiling like the proud uncle he was, snapping pictures on his phone and wiping away a stray tear. Natasha was crying without an ounce of shame or hesitation, as instantly in love with the little baby as its parents were, and for good reason - she was an aunt now.
Meanwhile, Nicolo was sniffling as well, capturing the beautiful moments forever with his camera. It didn't take long for Adelaide to settle down once she was warm and snuggled securely in Summer's arms, and Bucky barely took his eyes off of her once. He continued to touch her head in wonder as Summer held her, and when Claire asked him a question, he was so out of it that she had to repeat it twice before he heard her.
"Are you ready to cut the cord?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh. Yeah," he said quietly, very carefully leaving his place behind Summer to stand up and take the scissors that were in Claire's hand. Summer watched as she showed him where on the cord to cut, and Bucky looked up at Summer slightly nervously before he leaned down and severed the last tie between their baby and the womb that had nourished her for the past nine months. Once it was done, he handed the scissors back to Claire and smiled at Adelaide, who was now wide awake and looking around in pure wonder.
It was finally over. Adelaide was finally there, healthy and gorgeous and utterly perfect, with all ten fingers and toes and the powerful lungs of a tiny super-soldier. Everything was perfect, and Summer finally got to have the sort of happy, uncomplicated experience that she had been robbed of when it had been David's turn coming into the world. She loved Adelaide just the same as she had instantly loved David, no more and no less, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was always how her life had been destined to go.
The hardships and the trials had been rough and sometimes almost unbearable, but they had served their purpose and had given her an incredible and beautiful son. Then life had taken a one in a billion turn and had dropped the love of her life on her front door, literally, and set her on a path that had led her here, to this beautiful, unforgettably life-changing moment.
Bucky placed one arm around her, hugging her to his side while his other arm covered hers, so that they were both cradling their new daughter. He kissed her temple, then leaned down and kissed Adelaide's forehead and smiled at her as she stared up at him.
She knew then that she wouldn't change a single thing about her past, because as rough as some of it had been, it had led her here to share this moment, this life, and this family with a man whom logic would have dictated she never should have met. But who needed logic when they had love, and an abundance of it?
Summer was exactly where she had always been destined to be, and so was the man she loved and the child they'd just welcomed into the world.
In all of his years, both the remembered ones and the fuzzier ones, Bucky had never felt anything like what he was experiencing in those incredible moments after Adelaide was born. It was one of a kind, something he never would have been able to understand or even comprehend without experiencing it firsthand.
Now here he was, at his wife's side as she held their new baby in her arms and he stroked the child's forehead with his flesh and blood thumb. Adelaide was wrapped up in a blanket, calm now and no longer crying, looking up at both of them with blue eyes that he was already sure looked just like her mother's. She was absolutely perfect, tiny and breakable and real, no longer an abstract thought or a theoretical little being whose arrival he had spent nine months anticipating. She was there, she was finally there, and he could have spent all night staring at her and been completely happy.
A lot happened during those blessedly happy first moments he spent with Summer and the new little lady in his life. The midwife delivered Summer's placenta without incident, so quietly that he barely even noticed anything was happening. Then she sewed Summer up, as Adelaide had apparently done a number on her during delivery - not that she'd noticed, thanks to Thor's potion. Then Claire cleaned up, and before he knew it, she was whisking Adelaide away for only a few moments to weigh her.
"Go with her," Summer told Bucky as soon as the baby was no longer in her arms. "Just stay with her, okay?"
"Okay," he nodded without hesitation, kissing her forehead before getting up to follow Claire. She was only taking Adelaide across the room, to a little bassinet that also served as a scale and had a warming lamp above it. He stayed at Adelaide's other side, watching quietly as Claire checked her vital signs first before turning on the scale and checking her weight.
"Wow," Claire grinned, looking up at Bucky first and then back at Summer. "She's a whopper. Eleven pounds, eight ounces."
Bucky smiled widely, looking at Summer and smiling even more as her eyes widened. She let out a heavy breath and said, "Well, I did gain 83 pounds with her, so..."
"She's perfect," Claire assured her, picking the baby up now that her quick exam was done. "You did a great job, mama."
Summer smiled proudly, and then Bucky was taken by complete surprise when Claire smiled at him and said, "Want to hold your baby?"
He froze and panicked. "Oh. I, uh... I've never actually... I don't know how to..."
"You've never held a baby?" Claire guessed with a smile. "Oh, okay. Well, that's fine. It's easy, I'll show you. Just hold out your arms, and... are you right handed or left handed?"
"Right," he said a little too quickly, with a little too much emphasis on the right limb.
"Okay. So just hold out your arms, and I'll put her right in there, and you'll see how easy it is," she replied, coming right at him and giving him no choice in the matter.
He held out his arms stiffly and nervously, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind - what if he hurt her? What if he dropped her? What if she instantly hated him and screamed? - but there was no escaping his fate. In just a matter of seconds, Claire placed Adelaide right into his waiting arms, positioning her just right so that her little head rested on the crook of his elbow and the rest of his arm supported her. He brought the disguised metal arm up for extra support just underneath her, but he didn't let it actually touch her.
And just like that, he was holding his baby for the first time. She seemed even smaller in his much larger arms, even tinier and more vulnerable, but warm and soft and so incredibly sweet. Her eyes, which had been closed, opened up to look up at him, and he melted all over again the moment her eyes met his.
He realized something then, as he unknowingly smiled and felt his eyes get just a little bit misty. This little creature in his arms was brand new, innocent, and as much a part of him as she was a part of Summer. She had no idea who he was, what he'd done, and what his life had been, and that was okay. She was a blank slate, but even more than that, maybe she could be his blank slate.
He made her a thousand silent promises as he held her, each one as sincere as the next, all vows to keep her safe and never let the horrors of either the past or the future touch her. He hoped he'd be half the father that she deserved, better than his own and better than Steve's, worthy to watch her grow and have her love.
It was a poignant, priceless moment that he'd never forget, and it was over all too soon. Eventually he looked at Summer and smiled before carefully walking back to her bed, sitting down at her side again and still cradling their child in his arms,
Summer's eyes were so full of love and joy, all but swimming in the emotions, and though she was clearly tired and coming down from the rush and adrenaline of the delivery, she was fully present and watching him hold her like she never wanted to look away.
Claire was the first to leave to give them privacy. Next was Paul and Natasha, both of whom hugged Summer and congratulated them both before they left. Nicolo went with them, and on their way out, Summer asked Natasha to bring David in to meet his sister in about five minutes.
Then the door closed, and for the first time, it was just the three of them. Summer snuggled up close to his side, her head on his shoulder and her fingertip running slowly up and down Adelaide's tiny little hand as he continued to hold her. Her eyes were closed now and she was asleep, though surely not for long.
"Isn't she perfect?" Summer mused, voice quiet and full of awe.
"She's more than perfect," he replied, gazing down at the baby's face. Her cheeks were enormous, so fat and cute that he was sure no word existed in any of the languages he spoke to describe just how cute she was.
"She's so big," Summer marveled, "and tiny at the same time. And so much hair..."
Bucky watched Summer softly caress the mess of hair on Adelaide's head, and he smiled as he said, "She looks like you."
"She looks like you, too," she pointed out, tapping Adelaide's chin. "See? She's got your chin. And your eyes."
"She's got your eyes," he argued, but that only made Summer laugh.
"We both have big blue eyes," she shrugged. "And dark hair. Let's just say she looks just like us."
"Works for me," he said before leaning down and dropping a kiss on Adelaide's cheek. She smelled amazing, like something he couldn't even begin to describe. Whatever it was, it made him think of freedom of innocence, and those weren't two things he usually managed to identify with.
Over the next few minutes, Summer and Bucky sat in silence, admiring their handiwork and relishing the quiet beauty of the moment. The spell was broken when there was a quiet tap at the door just before it opened, revealing David's little face peeking in from the other side.
Bucky smiled at him and then carefully, painstakingly cautiously, handed Adelaide back to Summer. He motioned for David to come inside, and he did just before he shut the door behind him. He looked a little tired, maybe recovering from a sugar crash thanks to the candy Esteban had been keeping him happy with, but his thoughtful brown eyes were intensely curious as he stared pointedly at the little bundle of pink in his mother's arms.
Bucky made room for David, scooting back on the bed and patting it when he got close enough. David took the signal and climbed up on the bed, and Bucky put his arm around him as Summer beamed and showed him the baby.
"Here's your sister, kiddo," she said, watching as David stared down at Adelaide's face with big eyes. "See? I finally got her out of my belly. Now she gets to go home with us."
David continued to just stare, and Bucky watched him with a smile on his own face. The kid looked flabbergasted, like maybe the baby being a real entity and not just an idea and a big fat lump in Summer's belly was the single most shocking thing in the whole world.
"You can touch her if you want," Summer said. "Her cheeks are super soft. And see her tiny fingers?"
Summer held up one of Adelaide's hands for emphasis, and David's eyes got even bigger. He stared at the tiny little hand for a good long while until he worked up the nerve to reach out and touch it. When he did, it was one small fingertip on her much smaller open palm, and Adelaide immediately reflexively grasped his finger in a grip so strong that it made David's jaw drop.
"Look at that," Summer smiled. Adelaide, still asleep, held on tight and didn't let go.
Bucky smiled and chuckled as David continued to gape, eventually smiling himself as he finally got to meet his new little sister for the first time. In the midst of the cute moment, David looked up at Bucky and beamed, and Bucky hugged the boy a little tighter as something washed over him that he hadn't been expecting.
There had been moments during Summer's pregnancy, moments that he kept to himself and hadn't breathed a word to anyone about, where he wondered if having a baby who was biologically his would be different from what he had with David. He didn't let it get to him, but a few times he worried what would happen if he felt more for Adelaide than he did for David. He'd hoped it wouldn't happen, and now that Adelaide was here and both kids were right there with him... he knew that he had been worried for nothing.
The only difference between the the two kids and how he felt about them was the fact that he wished he'd gotten this with David, that he'd been there from the beginning like he got to be now with Adelaide. But he couldn't focus on that, not when the four of them were together and making him suddenly feel like they were complete now in a way they hadn't been before. This was how it was always supposed to be. There was no questioning it.
Especially not when Adelaide started squirming and cried a little bit, letting go of David's hand and bringing her fists up to her face as she started rooting around, seemingly looking for something. Bucky, of course, had no idea what this meant, but Summer was on the ball and wasted no time in rearranging her gown and adjusting Adelaide until she was in position to nurse for the first time. She latched on like a pro right away, instantly quieting down and sucking away, looking up and staring sweetly at Summer as she did.
David made a face and stuck out his tongue slightly like he was witnessing the single grossest thing ever, but apparently it was like a train wreck for him because he just couldn't look away. Bucky, on the other hand, was also rather enthralled but for entirely different reasons. He'd listened to Summer ramble on and on about the joys and benefits of breastfeeding before, but seeing it in action and how second nature such a nurturing task was for her... it was fascinating, and he couldn't help but express it.
"That's... really cool," he said, meaning every word. Summer looked at him and smiled with just a hint of a blush on her cheeks, and David looked at him like he was nuts and clearly blind. Meanwhile, Adelaide closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep only moments later, happy and content and as loved and cared for as any baby could be.
In some ways, it felt like a dream. Some buried yet always-present part of him expected to wake up any minute and find himself back in a cold, stark lab, alone and without the love and family that he was currently surrounded with. But it was no dream, and those days of being at the mercy of others was over. He had a home, friend, a purpose, a wife who was incredible, and now not one but two precious little kids who he loved more than life itself.
He'd never know how or why he'd gotten so lucky or what higher power had seen fit to bless him with far more than he would ever deserve, but damn if it didn't make every last battle it took him to get there more than worth it.
And the best part was, if his luck kept up, it was only the beginning.