Nichkhun was shaking in despair as his best friend tried to calm him down.

“Come on man, don’t be like this. Victoria is expecting you to be strong for her,” Wooyoung cringed as he looks up towards where the doctor disappeared to. He took a calming breath and tried to pull up his friend from the floor, thankfully Taecyeon came and helped.

“Stand up, Khun,” Taecyeon cajoled the man he already considers his brother in law.

“Come here, son.” Vera had opened her arms; she wiped away her tears and made room on the bench she was sitting on.

Victoria’s mother had made calls to her sisters in tears; she was now being consoled by her nieces.

Nichkhun found that he couldn’t breathe properly, he realized he was still in panic, he buried himself in his mother’s arms, “This is not happening, Mom. This is not real!” his mother made soothing sounds.

Vera looked up to her husband with pleading eyes and John immediately sat next to his son.

“Listen to me, Buck,” John starts, “We have to hope for the best, she is being looked after by the best doctors in the country. We just have to wait, okay?” he was actually convincing himself than his son, they were told that this might happen, and they all thought that they were prepared for anything but it’s far from the truth. It hurts. This feeling of the unknown and putting everything on only hope. They all pray for the best but they can’t control everything.

After a while, everyone was quiet; nobody made small talk to even attempt to console each other. Taecyeon was holding Krystal to his chest as the younger woman looked too overwhelmed to move while Miranda was hugging her Aunt Carmen. Se Young and Wooyoung sat silently next to each other while Nichkhun was sandwiched between his parents. They were like that for what seemed like hours until the Dr. Han appeared through the doors again, purposely walking towards Nichkhun.

They all jumped up in attention, Nichkhun walked towards the doctor. They all crowded behind him, Carmen and Vera holding hands again.

Dr. Han paused and gave everyone a small smile before looking up at Nichkhun. “We are wheeling her out to the recovery unit, as soon as she wakes up from the anesthesia we’ll send her to her own room,” she reached and squeezed Nichkhun’s arm.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the people behind him, Nichkhun nods, “Thank you, Doctor. Thank you very much.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat, he was already pleading with his eyes and them tears started to fall, “Can I,” his voice breaks, “Can I see my baby?”

His mother and mother in law whimpered behind him. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.

Dr. Han was also close to tears, she smiles and nods. “As soon as Dr. Yeo is done with her, she’ll be ready to see you. Dr. Yeo just wanted to make sure she is healthy before she meets her father.”

Nichkhun just stared at her, frozen in place because of his shock, he didn’t even hear the cheers from his family behind him. “You mean,”

Dr. Han nods again, smiling amidst her tears, “You saved them both, Nichkhun. Because you told me to focus on your wife, I was able to concentrate on Victoria while Dr. Yeo was focused on the baby. She is alright, she just needed to be given oxygen because she was not breathing when we took her out, but Dr. Yeo was able to save her.” she turns around when the pediatrician approached.

The tall doctor smiled as he stopped in front of Nichkhun, he grins when Nichkhun pounced on him and he patted the new fathers back to accept the slew of “thank-you’s”. Nichkhun bowed to the tall doctor repeatedly. Taecyeon came over and shook his colleague’s hand.

The men were all grinning widely while the women cried in relief and happiness. The gratitude towards both doctors was handed out in copious amounts. Dr. Yeo laughed and informed them that they are now allowed to see the baby, he himself escorted them to the NICU, and they allowed Nichkhun in alone to be with his baby since they couldn’t go all together.

Nichkhun was in tears when he approached his daughter’s crib; the infant was attached to monitors and had on an oxygen mask. The nurse tending to her smiles and then picks up the baby and arranged her in his arms, she left at the doctor’s nod.

Nichkhun feels like his heart is going to burst with happiness, he is finally holding his daughter in his arms, his eyes were glued to her.

Nicole Katherine Horvejkul was six and a half pounds and was at twenty-three inches, healthy pink and sound asleep when her father came to visit her and held her for the very first time.

“She will not be confined here for long, we are just going to observe her for a few hours just to make sure that nothing is amiss,” Dr. Yeo told the mesmerized new father, he smiles, “When your wife wakes up, we should be able to let her hold the baby without all of these,” he gestured to the wires attached to Baby Nicole. “I will leave you alone with her. Talk to her, she will like to hear the voice of her dad.” The doctor pats Nichkhun’s back and smiles at the baby before turning around to leave the cubicle.

Nichkhun didn’t realize the doctor had already left; he was so focused on his daughter, “Hi, my love. It’s me, it’s Daddy.” he gently kissed her tiny forehead, “I’m so sorry for earlier, I just panicked. I just love your mommy very much; I hope you will forgive me, Nicole.” He lets his tears flow, “I love you too, my girl. Daddy will make up for all the things I thought and said about you. Thank you for being such a strong little girl, for making me and your mother very happy. From now on, it will be my job to take care of you, you and your mom. That’s a promise.” The baby moved in his arms and stretched and then smiles.

Nichkhun smiles amidst his tears, “Yes, that’s right, my princess. I promise.” He takes her tiny hands and kissed it repeatedly. “We are going to visit mommy very soon, I bet you are excited to meet her, aren’t you my darling?” he rocks her gently in his arms, “But I bet she is more excited than you, she waited for you patiently. Your mommy is the bravest and the most beautiful woman in the world, yes she is,” he beams down at his daughter, “And I know you’ll just be like her. I just know.”

Nichkhun couldn’t keep his eyes away from the woman sleeping on the hospital bed. When he was told that Victoria had already woken up from the anesthesia and that she was being transferred to her own room, he made arrangements for his daughter first before he left her with her grandparents and aunts and uncles to check on his wife. He had her hand in his, he was patiently waiting for her to wake up again, she had fallen asleep from exhaustion and as far as the doctors are concerned she is going to recover very soon. All this time he had been grateful that both his girls are fine.

He smiles when she started to move and her eyes fluttered open, she was momentarily confused for a moment before she heard his soothing voice.

“Hi, Love.” Nichkhun leaned down and kissed