That day was a day they could vividly remember.
It happened in the middle of the night. When she felt the discomfort and dull pain in her lower part, she didn't hesitate in waking Judd up. Judd didn't waste any second, and went to look for the closest neighbor they had.
He had to run for almost 10 minutes, at full speed, for him to reach a small house, just like theirs, and ask the middle-aged woman to help his wife who was about to give birth.
Going to the closest town with a decent clinic was a 2-hour trip. Most people in that village depended on each other, and the little knowledge they had in natural medicine, to help others in case of illness and childbirth. The lady Judd picked up was the village's midwife.
So, it was no surprise to see the lady almost running with him back to his house while throwing fast words he barely understood despite having learned the language from Rei.
'Reckless kids', 'not having sense' and 'should have asked for help sooner' were some of the words he caught until they reached the house where a Rei gritting her teeth and taking deep breaths to stand the pain welcomed them.
Minutes turned into hours, hours that didn't pass as fast as Judd would have liked to finally be allowed inside the room Rei was giving birth to their child. He had been thrown out despite his desire to help. The midwife, in her superstitious mind, thought it was of bad luck for a man to be there, so she reduced him to an errand boy.
He moved according to the orders of the lady that sent him to fetch this thing or that other and leave it by the door where it would be picked up. He was really considering smashing down that door and go in as the waiting was killing him when a cry rooted him on the spot.
He had not heard Rei cry out of pain during the whole process. More like she always portrayed herself as a strong woman, so it would be hard for her to show weakness. It was a bit saddening since Judd knew the reason why she was like that. But, it actually gave him strength, the necessary one to keep going.
So, no. The cry wasn't from her, but from the baby that had just come to the world.
When the midwife finally let him in, the first thing he saw was the bloody, blotted and crying individual in Rei's arms. The high-pitched crying promised lots of headaches in the future, but at that moment, it was the most perfect, beautiful and innocent thing in the world.
The scene of mother and child together almost made him cry. Well, he did let some tears roll, but he stopped the others when he noticed Rei's tired countenance. He had to get himself together for God's sake! He was a father now! He couldn't only depend on Rei to take care of their child! He also had to also become a pillar in the family.
Of course he was scared of being a bad father. He wasn't even 25, and his first child was already born. He didn't feel prepared enough to be a good father, especially when his only paternal figure was very lacking. Due to that, his plan had always been to have children in his late thirties or early forties.
An ideal age, according to him, as he had hoped for his kids to never meet his parents. It had come true under different circumstances, but he still feared. However, seeing his most important people together, his fear vanished and only determination and love were left in him.
He didn't know if he was going to be a good father, but he had to try.
He looked down at his tired, panting and sweaty wife and kissed her. God, how he loved her. He loved her for who she was, for who she wasn't, for who she was going to be, for giving him a child, for being such a lovely woman, friend and wife, for being with him despite his weak self.
Yes, he admitted she was the pillar in the house. He was more like an accessory to her, but he knew she loved him despite his uselessness, and for other things she refused to reveal when asked.
And, being a parent WAS difficult after all.
Even when they were used to waking up early to tend to their land, they had to add a crying baby that would wake them up at any time during the night. They barely slept. They barely ate. They barely had the energy to do stuff, but they had to.
Having a crying baby, changing diapers, feeding the baby, doing the impossible to make her sleep, and trying to live their own lives was difficult. Their hard work paid off when they gazed at their little troublemaker as she peacefully laid in her cot.
"She's so beautiful." Rei murmured to herself. In the quiet of the night, Judd heard it well.
"Should we give Darlene a beautiful little brother or sister?" He mischievously suggested, hugging her waist possessively. It made her laugh. She did that often with him. Laugh.
"Sure thing, if you're the one who carries the child. I'm the one who gets fat, mad, emotional and all." She side-glanced the big child her husband turned out to be.
"I would do it if I was able to. I would do anything for you." He kissed her temple.
"Is that so?" She asked amused, to which he hummed in reply. "Then, go be a good husband and wash the dishes." She chuckled at his defeated sigh, but he still went to do the chore after kissing her, leaving her gazing at their daughter.
Rei was the most ecstatic whenever she saw her baby girl. And, whenever she touched that plump cheek or those tiny fingers, she still couldn't believe it was her that gave life to such a little person. For many years, taking lives was she did best, but giving life...
With everything she went through; all those times she used her body to pleasure unknown men for the sake of a mission, all those times she took hundreds of medicine, alcohol and drugs, all those times she got so injured she thought she was going to die, especially after that month of torture, she thought it was truly a miracle she could conceive.
She was so in love with her baby girl that she tended to forget she had a husband too; though that was another child she had to take care of. She would always laugh whenever she saw the pout that formed in his face when she said that to him.
Then, a pleasant twist in her stomach would make her stop laughing the moment she saw that spark in his eyes and that indulgent smile on his face. Her heart would beat so fast and a blush would appear on her cheeks whenever he declared his daily 'I love you' and kissed her with such tenderness that she often felt embarrassed.
It was hard to get used to being treated so sweetly, so tenderly, so gently, as if she was a porcelain doll. And she loved it. It made her think that her past life was just a bad dream, and that she had always been treated with the utmost care by him.
She loved him so much it pained her. It pained her not meeting him years ago. Maybe her life would have been different. Maybe not. But, perhaps, having met him earlier would have made her stronger.
Because she was weak.
She never contradicted Judd whenever he said she was strong, and that it was because of her that they were alive and well. Deep inside, she knew it was the opposite. She was weak, so weak she felt pathetic. It was actually him that gave her strength to go on.
Him and his laugh, his smile, his eyes, his hugs, his kisses, his soul, his existence. It was laughable to her how much she depended in those little gestures, the words, the looks and the smiles that came from him.
She never asked for any proof of his love because she knew that he only had eyes for her. She knew it in the way he held her that even made her skin tingle. She felt it in the kisses that always took her breath away, no matter how short or long.
His love was clearly reflected in those eyes that saw her like the most perfect creation in the world.
Perfect in her personality despite sometimes giving him the cold shoulder because she didn't want him closer, perfect in her abilities despite knowing they were for killing, perfect in her beauty despite the many scars that he would just caress and accept them as a part of her.
Despite everything she threw at him, it never stopped him from loving her.
She saw his love in every single thing he said and did for her.
She was the happiest with him.