I Won't Give Up

Picking Dawson up bridal style, I carried him through and out of the house as fast as possible. We were told to bring him to Patel's place due to the fact that his wife was a midwife, and it would be more comfortable for Dawson so there would be no obtrusive eyes.

Placing him Dawson as comfortably in the back seat as possible, I jumped in the front and quickly got on the road. "We'll be there soon, love. Just keep breathing," I said, reaching back a hand. He grasped my hand and I squeezed it reassuringly. For the first time in my life, I prayed.

Time Elapse

Luckily the Patel's were night owls because it was getting dark by the time we arrived. "I thought he had two more weeks?" Mrs. Patel said, guiding us towards the bedroom in which was used for these types of situations.

"We both did. Apparently, the baby has other plans," I replied, my heart breaking when Dawson's contractions were coming more often. She pointed to the bed where I needed to lay him down, and I walked over and placed him down gently. Once he was on the bed, Dr. Patel walked me out of the room.

"I know you want to be in there with him, but it would make Adira more comfortable if you waited out here," he said, looking a bit saddened. I took a shaky breath, but I nodded, knowing it would be rather pointless to argue. I watched as Adira walk over to us, her supplies in hand.

"I hope you're not too upset with the way I work. It's just it keeps my mind on what's at hand if I don't have a distraction," she said, opening the door and walking in.

"I understand," I said, and at that she closed the door. "Do you have any chai? I really could use a cup," I asked, looking at Dr. Patel.

"Spiced is all I have," he said, motioning me to follow him. "I hope that doesn't bother you."

"That's fine," I said, following him down the hall and to the kitchen. Just as we walked through the doorway of the kitchen, the teapot starting hissing.

"She always starts the tea for the fathers. Just in case they need something to calm them down," he said, turning off the stove and grabbing a couple of cups. He moved quickly, and before I could blink, he had the tea before me.

"Thank you," I said, giving him a worn, weak smile.

"You look like you have been through quite a lot lately," Dr. Patel said, sitting down across from me and leaning back a bit.

"It's more like everything I've been through has congregated and decided to catch up with me. Now, I get to add more," I said, letting out a soft chuckle. "I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end."

"It is," he said, taking a sip of his tea and placing his cup back on the table. "I've got two of my own. Twins, boy and a girl. It was rough the first few years, but somehow we managed to get through it all."

"Twins. Wow," I said, utterly intrigued.

"Yes. Twice the mess, twice the laundry, twice the stress," he said, smiling as he thought about his own children. "Although, it was also double the fun, double the laughs. Never a dull moment."

"That's great. I mean, I don't know if I'll ever have that particular chance to raise twins, but it sounds like even through the hardships, you and Mrs. Patel have had quite the fun."

"Indeed," he said, smiling again. For the next couple of hours we sat there and talked about anything and everything. Luckily, it was enough to keep me from worrying too much about Dawson.

Time Elapse - 2 1/2 Hours

I had just asked Dr. Patel about his daughter's occupation, and he was about to respond when Adira came into view. Motioning for us to follow, we stood up and made our way towards the room. "How did everything go?" Dr. Patel asked, walking next to his wife.

"Smoothly. No troubles at all. The only thing was when the baby was out, the cord was around her neck, but not tightly," she said, causing my stress to die down quite a bit.

"A girl?" I asked, making her look at me with a smile. She nodded, opening the door and allowing me to go in first. Walking in, I saw a very tired looking Dawson holding the baby in his hands. He glanced up at me with a grin, and I let out a deep sigh.

In unison, as if we were reading each other's thoughts, we said, "Ameila Emilee ." Laughing, I walked over to him and gently sat down next to him. I watched our daughter fidget a little and then she opened her eyes. They were a very vibrant, bright blue. Dawson let out a gasp, and almost immediately, tears were falling down his cheeks.

"They're Emilee's eyes," he said, lifting her head just enough so I could get a good look at her face. "She's absolutely stunning." I agreed, and ran my fingertips cautiously down her cheeks. "You wanna hold her?" Dawson asked, looking up at me. I nodded slowly and Dawson laid Ameila in my arms.

For the first time in the last ten years, I knew I wanted to be nothing more than the greatest father I could be to the precious little girl in my arms. As if reading my thoughts, she gave a slight smile. I handed her back to Dawson and when they were both comfortable, I pressed a kiss to his forehead. I was now the happiest man in the world.