Where We Are

Resting his weight back against the wall which sat behind him, Iker pushed a hand back through his hair, a soft sigh falling out of his mouth. It had been a few hours, after Maia’s waters had broken at a little past three in the morning, they’d been quick to make their way to hospital, and whilst progress had been quick, they were still a little away from the baby’s arrival, something which had afforded Iker to opportunity to duck out into the hall for a few moments, wanting to get his head around the idea that the baby was going to put in her first appearance that day.

It was a strange idea, the notion that Maia was in the process of pushing their daughter into the world still seemed surreal to him, and he wanted to take a couple of moments to try and get his head around it, even if it was unlikely that he would get used to it so quickly. He wanted to attempt to compose himself slightly.

Allowing another soft sigh to slip out of his mouth, he quietly closed his eyes for a few seconds before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached his ears, causing him to pick his head up, his dark eyes settling on Hector who stood ahead of him, a soft expression on his face. “Maia’s asking for you” he noted “The midwife’s just finished checking her over and she asked where you’d gotten to. I told her that I would come and find you” he added.

Iker nodded his head gently. “I was just taking a couple of seconds” he noted “Is she OK?” he posed.

“She’s fine” Hector replied “Carolina is with her and she’s doing alright, I think she was just hoping that you’d come back. I think she’s pretty set on you being in the room when baba puts in her first appearance” he added, his voice slightly teasing in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He could see that Iker was anxious, the expression on his face twinned with his hand which didn’t stray too far away from his hair confided it, and Hector wanted to relax him slightly. It was big deal, the notion that he was simply hours away from becoming a father was bound to be slightly nerve-wracking to Iker, and Hector wanted to help him to calm down slightly, wanting him to be a comforting presence at Maia’s side when the time came for her to push their daughter into the world.

Iker quirked a halfhearted smile at the older man’s teasing before he shook his head. “I will go back” he insisted “I just...I needed a couple of seconds. It’s a pretty big deal and right now, it is a little overwhelming” he confessed, offering the older man a hesitant look.

Hector noticed shyness on the keeper’s face before he reached his hand out, patting his shoulder reassuringly. “I remember the feeling” he mused “I spent most of the morning that Maia was born throwing up because I was so nervous” he added with a fond smile.

Iker lifted an eyebrow. “You were that nervous?” he posed.

Hector smiled gently before he nodded. “Me and Carolina had spent years trying for a baby” he noted “For a long time, it looked like it might not be something which happened for us, but when she found that she was pregnant with Maia, we were over the moon. We were excited for months, but when the day came for Maia to be born, I was a nervous wreck. I’d never been around a baby before, let alone my baby, and it hit me that day that I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was terrified, but when I saw her, screaming at the top of her lungs, it all went away” he explained.

“It did?” Iker asked curiously.

Hector nodded. “I was still nervous” he noted “But my nerves didn’t bare any comparison to the excitement that I felt. I was a papa, I had a daughter, and it was a wonderful feeling, one you’ll experience soon enough” he added, gesturing with his head towards Lola who was padding towards them.

Iker followed the line of his nod, sparing a brief glance towards Lola, before he shook his head. “I should get back” he noted “Are you and Carolina going to stick around?” he posed.

Hector nodded. “We’ll be in the waiting room” he confirmed with a small smile.

Iker offered him a light smile in return before he stepped away, following Lola back towards Maia’s room.

~#~
“Where is he, Mama?” Maia asked, a soft sniffle falling out of her mouth. It had been long morning, with her waters having broken in the early hours, she had barely gotten any sleep, but with her having reached nine centimetres dilated, she was starting to get a little worried that Iker hadn’t come back. She knew that he was nervous, from the moment that she had told him that her waters had broken, he had seemed in awe of the situation, but still she wanted him at her side, wanting his hand to be the one she held when she pushed their baby into the world.

Carolina, who was sat at her daughter’s side, offered her hand a light squeeze before she pushed herself, lightly brushing some of Maia’s sweaty hair off of her forehead. “Your papa went to find him” she mused comfortingly “And I am sure that he will be back in a minute. He’s not going to miss this, sweetheart” she insisted, a warm smile on her face.

Maia offered her a slightly dubious look, mulling her words for a moment, before the sound of the door opening and closing reached her ears, causing her to look up, her eyes settling on Iker who had stepped into the room, Lola close on his tail. Staring up at him, she let out a small sniffle, something which caused him to step towards the bed, his hand quickly taking a hold of hers. “Lo siento” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss against the back of her hand.

Maia let out another sniffle at the contact, but didn’t say anything, something which made Carolina smile fondly before cleared her throat. “I am going to leave you to it” she noted “Iker, you’ll come and tell us when there is news?” she posed, offering a small look towards the keeper.

Iker nodded his head. “Of course” he noted.

Carolina offered him another smile before she stepped out of the room, allowing Iker to flick his attention back to Maia, pressing another kiss against her hand as he fussed over her quietly.

Lola, who had moved to check Maia over, watched the couple for a second before she shook her head, clearing her throat slightly. “You’re ten centimetres” she revealed gently.

“I am?” Maia squeaked.

Lola nodded. “I am going to get you moved to the delivery room now” she noted “I’m going to go and get changed, and then we can deliver this baby, Ok?” she posed, her voice warm and comforting.

Maia stared at her, amazed by her words for a few moments, before she nodded her head slowly, something which made Lola smile before she stepped out of the room, leaving the couple alone.

Iker watched the midwife out of the door before he squeezed Maia’s hand tightly, wordlessly insisting that it would be alright.

~#~
Carefully brushing his fingertip over the tiny foot which sat ahead of him, Iker quirked a tearful smile, his dark eyes amazed by the sight of the little girl who laid ahead of him, stirring softly in her sleep. It had been quick, almost twenty minutes after Maia had been moved to the delivery room, she had pushed their little girl into the world, and whilst Iker had hated every second that she had been pain, he had not doubt that the result was worth it.

The baby was beautiful, everything about her was more perfect than Iker had envisioned, and he was in awe of her. She was tiny, she already had a few fine dark hairs, and Iker couldn’t stop looking at her, even if his eyes did sting with a mixture of tears and tiredness. He simply couldn’t believe that she had finally arrived.

Lightly brushing his finger over her foot once more, he smiled a little to himself before he shook his head. “Your grandpa was right” he mumbled.

“He was?”

Iker nodded, looking up at the sound of Maia’s voice. “He caught up to me earlier” he noted “I was nervous...more than nervous about her finally getting here, and your papa talked to me. He told me about how nervous he was when you were born, and he told me that when she finally arrived. I’d forget the nerves and just be in awe of her. He was right, I am in awe of her” he insisted, wiping his eyes gently.

Maia smiled at the tearful look on his face before she carefully reached her hand out, lightly brushing a few of the loose tears off of his skin. “You OK?” she posed quietly.

Iker sniffled, but nodded, a smile on his face. “I’m fine” he insisted “Just a little overwhelmed and a lot tired, but I am sure that I should be asking you that question. You just pushed a baby into the world, Maia, how are you doing?” he added, kissing the inside of her wrist gently.

Maia’s cheeks warmed at the small romantic action before she shook her head. “I’m tired” she babbled “We’ve been awake since what, three in the morning and it’s nearly ten now, and I really want to sleep, but at the same time, I don’t want to stop looking at her. She’s so small, Iker, so delicate and beautiful, and I can’t quite believe that we...we made her” she breathed, her voice soft and awed.

Iker nodded in agreement. “It is hard to believe” he agreed “But we did. That’s our baby, Maia. You’re a mama” he added, offering her a bright smile.

Maia let out a snuffly laugh, awed by the novelty of her new name, before she shook her head. “And you’re a papa” she quipped.

Iker closed his eyes, allowing the words to hang around him, before he quirked another bright smile, something which caused Maia to lean into him, pressing a light kiss against his lips before she leant away, resting their foreheads together as the idea that they were parents settled around them.