The six weeks between Christmas and Valentine's Day flashed by for Henrik, and it seemed like every day had been spent preparing for the arrival of their daughter. Attending classes, finishing up her nursery, making certain that everything was in place for her to come home, it just seemed that every waking moment was filled with details that needed their attention in the last week that Roxanna would work before settling in on maternity leave.

That was why it came as such a surprise to him when his consultant approached him, a serious look on his face. Feeling like his heart had dropped into the pit of his stomach, he took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, trying to prepare himself for bad news. As the man came to a stop in front of him, Henrik swallowed thickly before adjusting his tie and meeting his eye steadily. "Henrik, you're to head up to the maternity ward. It seems that Roxanna has gone into labor, and will be brought over from St James' any minute now."

"This shouldn't be happening now. We have two more weeks to get through."

"Two weeks early isn't too bad, in the scheme of things. But she's going to want you up there with you, I know that from when my wife had our children. Don't worry, I'm already working on covering the rest of your shift, and if need be, I know where to find you."

Henrik nodded as he felt his consultant pat his arm lightly before pushing him in the direction of the lifts. It seemed like it took forever to arrive, and his panic filled every pore in his body though he kept a tight rein on it, the only thing showing through his mask being the rapid tapping of his toe as he waited. Finally, the doors slid open, and he stepped inside, joining the trio of people inside it, pressing the correct floor button. As they rose upwards, he could feel the panic tighten into a knot in his stomach, as if he couldn't find any other way to release his emotions.

Shaking his head a little, Henrik stepped off with the last person on the lift, making a beeline for the nurses' station. The same nurse from before was sitting there, and she gave him a warm smile as she got to her feet. "Ah, good, Henrik, you're here. Roxanna was hoping that you weren't in surgery."

"Thankfully not," he replied as he followed after her. She led him to a private birthing suite, and he could hear Roxanna talking lowly with someone as he knocked before entering. "Roxanna?"

"Darling! I'm so glad that you were able to get away. I just got settled in myself, and Doctor Tate thinks that it might be awhile before anything truly happens, but…"

"But what?" he asked as he nodded at the nurse who was getting Roxanna connected to the monitors. Taking a seat on the edge of Roxanna's bed, he picked up her hand, threading their fingers together as he waited for her to answer.

"My water broke in the middle of a procedure. I tried to tell Doctor Tate that I would be fine to finish up, since he himself told me that it could be hours and hours before I'm delivered of her, but he said that since I am a few weeks early that it would be best if I got over here, to have my obstetrician notified, and prepare for the impending birth."

She rolled her eyes a little, but Henrik could see that a small part of her was relieved that that call had been made for her, since he had half a mind that she would have pushed things off far too long. "I'm glad that someone there was able to talk some sense into you, darling. Otherwise, Doctor Tate may have ended up delivering our daughter, and I really didn't want to name her Pauline." Roxanna giggled as she nodded, before gripping his hand tightly as a contraction rippled through her body. "Are they very bad?"

"Not yet, though they're supposed to get worse. I'm sort of second guessing myself and my need to do this naturally. Promise me, no matter how much a complain, that you won't let them give me an epidural. I want to follow my birth plan so long as there are no complications."

He nodded as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I promise you that, Roxanna. We're going to follow the plan unless she shows signs of distress. And don't worry, if they need to do an emergency caesarean, they can have her out in five minutes or less."

"I know, I read the same article, Henrik. Pull up the chair and sit at my head while we wait for things to really get in gear." He nodded and did as told, picking up her hand as soon as he was where she wanted him to be. The hours passed quickly as they talked to each other, the nurses, and her obstetrician, filling out papers and writing down last minute things he would have to buy that they didn't have on hand, since neither had thought that this day would come this early.

"Henrik? I hope you don't mind, but I popped round to your home to grab Roxanna's bag. I know that this was a surprise for both of you, so I thought that it would help you both out." He looked up at his favorite nurse, giving her a wide smile as he beckoned for her to come in.

"Thank you so much, Lauren. I won't ask how you gained access to our home, but I do appreciate it." She nodded and handed him them bag before giving them both a little wave and heading back out the door. "I guess that we won't have to buy quite so much now."

"That's true," she murmured before grasping his hand tightly once more. "I think we've moved into high gear now."

He nodded and pushed the button for the nurse to come in. She performed a quick visual examination before grinning at them. "It is almost time, Roxanna. I need for you to sit up a little and get ready to bear down when we tell you to. I'll be right back with the doctor."

They nodded in unison, and he helped her into the correct position before slipping behind her like had been suggest in their birthing class, allowing her to rest her weight on him. "What if I'm a shite parent, Henrik?" she whispered.

"It's a little too late to think about that now, darling. But from the way you are with Freddie, I don't think you have to worry about that." She nodded before turning her head and pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. Everything seemed to happen in a blur from that moment on, and the only thing he could focus on was the sound of her breathing, the loud groans and cries she let out as she brought their daughter into the world. And then, time seemed to stand still as he heard the shrill cries spilling from baby lungs. As tears rolled down his face, he watched as the nurses cleaned her up and then brought her over to them.

Roxanna had already slipped her arms from the hospital gown she was wearing, and he smiled as he watched their daughter root around at her breast before finally finding her nipple and latching on with an ease that surprised him. "Welcome to the world, Ingrid Arabella Hanssen," she said in a choked voice as she stroked the top of their daughter's head with one finger. This was the first time he had heard the name she had chosen for their daughter, and he fell in love with it just as fiercely as he fell in love with his daughter.

"I cannot wait for you to meet your brother," he whispered as he cradled Roxanna to his chest as she delivered the placenta. "She has your nose."

"How can you say that already?" Roxanna teased as she handed their daughter back to the nurse so that she could record her Apgar numbers along with weight and length.

"I saw your baby pictures so many times that I could recognize that nose straight off. But she's perfect, darling. Thank you for giving me this precious gift of a daughter." He pressed his lips to Roxanna's cheek, tasting the salt there that spoke of her own tears of joy, and sighed, knowing that their life had just become that much fuller.