Tom paced the floor as Daisy's screams rent the air once more. His friends stood there with him. Rupert was smiling at his nervousness. Frederick ran about the hospital getting lattes for everyone that decided to stay awake through the night. It had been hours that Daisy had gone into labour. Julia and Stella were with her. Tom was supposed to be there too but then who would take care of Trent and Damien, his twin boys. They were seven years old and a handful.
"Why is mom still screaming?" Damien asked while tugging the sweaty hand of their father.
"The doctors are pulling Rose out of her," Trent explained to his brother who was younger by fifteen minutes. Tom and Daisy had decided to name their third child Rosanna, after Rupert's daughter Rosalie. That way they would have namesake daughters of namesake fathers.
Tom looked at his two sons and allowed their banter to take his mind off his wife's heart-wrenching screams. He recalled her first time when Trent came out and Daisy cursed him for putting the child inside her. Tom had to remind her that it was for this very reason that she married him. Having twins took quite a toll on Daisy both physically and emotionally. That is why they decided that there would be no more children until Trent and Damien started insisting on a sister. Those two were really lucky when the ultrasound revealed a girl is to be born to them.
"Tom," it was Andrew's voice that called him out of his reverie. "Daisy might kill me for this but I was thinking about doing a Caesarian. Given her age and also that the labour has gone for quite some time and she seems to be exhausted, it is the most prudent course of action. However, you need to sign a bond. It is a mere formality," he assured her.
Daisy's earlier delivery was caesarian which was necessary with the twin. It was she who insisted on a natural birth for her daughter but Tom was not good at seeing his wife in pain. In the eight years that they had been together, they have learnt to not only hope for a future together but be each other's future. Tom readily signed the papers. In the matter of a couple of hours, he was cradling his blonde princess in his arms. Rose was born healthy and with a lot of hair. It explained all the heartburn that Daisy had been suffering of late. Daisy slept peacefully after holding her crying daughter against her chest.
The eight years had been a long journey for them both. Tom had grown from believing himself to be cursed to recognizing himself as blessed. He had joined a church and this time the Priest preached the message of redemption rather than prejudice. Tom opened a half-way home for the women of Ralph street and the nearby red light areas. He no longer threatened them away but rather taught them the better way of life. Daisy and Julia had been persuaded by Monique to open a woman's group to counsel the women who come from such a background. With Julia's expertise and Daisy's compassion, the venture proved to had a great response.
Stella came to take Rose from Tom and put her in the observation room. Her baby bump too was quite prominent now. She had been absent for most of Daisy's pregnancy, dealing with her own issues, later being kidnapped by the mafia and later rescued by Fred. It solidified their bond much more than a simple marriage could.
The next day when Daisy opened her eyes Rose had been transferred to a crib in her room.
"Hello, Mrs Monroe. Thank you for the wonderful gift," Tom stated with a smile.
Daisy looked at Rose and reflected that smile.
"Would you still be needing my services?" Tom asked, teasing her. Their relationship started with him offering to be a sperm donor to her. But they had grown to be so much more.
"Rose might need a sister to play with. Trent and Damien have each other. She doesn't have a playmate," Daisy said businesslike.
Tom nodded gravely before bursting out in laughter. Never had he known more joy than in the presence of his family.