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The rain was softly pattering on the pavement outside when he unlocked the door with a soft snick and pushed it open. There was a soft shuffling as Rose followed him sleepily and he kicked off his trainers, hers following suit more easily since she was still wearing her slippers from the ward. Muttering mixed with the rustling of her overnight bag as Jackie came in close on their heels, also trying not to make too much noise as she shut the front door behind them.
“Have we got everything?” Rose murmured hazily, clutching the softly stirring bundle tightly to her chest.
“I think so, love. Don’t worry about that now,” her mother soothed. “Me and him will sort any loose ends out, won’t we?” She smiled brightly at him - or least as far as he could tell, as they were all squinting a bit in the greyish early dawn light. “Should I put a lamp on, or..?”
“Not in the hallway. Ones in the front room have more modes, less bright. Oh my head hurts…” she groaned. “ Everything hurts.” Jackie made a sympathetic noise and rubbed her shoulder.
The Doctor then also pulled her close, wanting more than ever to take her pain away and feeling a tiny pang of guilt for being at least partly responsible for the new adventure swaddled in pinkish cloth in front of him.
Oh, but he wouldn’t miss it for the world.
“Come on, let’s get you sat down, eh? Is that what you want?”
Rose grizzled, eyes half closed. “Wanna go to bed. Funny that, since I've been sittin’ in one for the past 16 hours.”
“Okay then, love, you two go up and I’ll pop the kettle on. Tea?”
He smiled at her gratefully. “Thanks, Jackie. Please.” Feeling a swell of nervous excitement and a flood of protective hormones he put a palm to his wife’s back, gently guiding her forward in the direction of the stairs. “Can you manage?” His voice was tender and quiet in the silence of their little cottage, the only other sounds the faint clattering in the kitchen.
“I just pushed a flippin’ baby out Doctor but ‘m not dead yet.” Even half-asleep and battling her body’s new, sore state she was still trying to tease him.
“Want me to take her?” He paused, his one heart trying to furiously beat itself out of his chest at the realisation of it all. He had a tiny, absolutely beautiful daughter. “Please?” he added. He couldn’t hold back the waver in his voice and Rose stopped, one foot on the bottom-most step, and turned around to him. Her tired, slightly intense expression softened at the sight of him.
“Yeah, of course. She’s yours, after all.”
He held out his arms, trying to tamp down their shaking, and enfolded her in them, making sure to cradle her small head. Mia stirred fitfully, mewling a bit. She was completely bundled up, complete with hat, and yet a small pink wrinkly fist poked out of her swaddling. Her fingers flexed gently as if waving to him. He marvelled briefly at the tiny half moons of her nails, perfectly formed, and swallowed hard, his throat tight of all sudden.
The Doctor looked up as the stairs creaked (that damn second-to-last step that he’d been meaning to fix for ages) and saw that Rose was more than half-way up to their room.
“Coming,” he uttered, trying to keep his voice down, and took the stairs cautiously, trying to jostle his daughter as little as possible - and also trying not to just stare at her in awe the entire time instead of watching his feet.
Everything over the past 17 hours 21 minutes and 50 seconds had been a blur. Their life had been all ‘better with two’ and then Rose had been tugging at his arm and their bed suddenly had a very wet patch on it. The clinical smell of the hospital still lingered on him - and her - and he wrinkled his nose, wanting more than ever to have a nice cleansing shower. Pictures on their cosy walls faded by as he recited in his head their kindly nurse’s commendations and instructions for the first few days of this new step.
It hadn't even been something they'd thought they could definitely have. And yet little by little they had started being less careful. The notification on her phone informing her she hadn't used the tracking app in a few months, the way those foil squares soon joined the abandoned half-empty blister pack of pills at the back of the top drawer of her bedside table. He had been quite happy to surrender to the often fickle pull of nature. And then one lazy Sunday morning she had straddled his lap while he was sleepily sipping tea at the breakfast bar and had asked him how he felt about shopping for maternity clothes with her.
He tucked Mia tighter into his chest as he mounted the top step and followed Rose into their darkened room. He saw that the pale blue covers had been changed - probably Jackie- as she pulled them back and sat down gingerly, and then gazed at him.
“Your hair is like a rat’s nest,” she smiled softly. He mustered one back, pushing down the nervous habit of ruffling his tousle since he had his hands full of a pleasantly quiet and very new infant. “You can talk.” She offered a palm out when Mia began to whimper and he reluctantly gave her over, instantly mourning the loss of her slight weight and comforting smell. After tapping on the small lamp on the table, he joined Rose on their bed to soothe his frayed nerves, feeling his arms wrap protectively around her. Around them both.
Both his ordinarily human, amazing pink-and-yellow-girls, he noted as she pulled off Mia’s hat. He couldn’t stop himself reaching down to ever-so-gently stroke the close crop of fair, downy hair on her scalp. She screwed up her face at the touch and made a grunting noise, mouthing at the empty air.
“Is she hungry?” he murmured, having no clue on how to read the signs and feeling fairly terrified at admitting it to himself.
Rose offered the bend of her little finger to Mia and she latched on, suckling eagerly. “M’ milk hasn’t come in yet but Marissa said I should do this in between formula feeds until it does.”
“Ahhh,” he whispered in awareness. “Suckling reflex.” He offered his own finger as she removed hers and grinned when he felt the ridges of her tiny gums mouthing at his digit. He felt Rose snuggle into him, tucking her head under his chin.
His heart sang at the content and he pulled them both close, tenderly kissing her wedding band and then the top of her head. Then he allowed himself to finally deflate and close his eyes as he soaked it all in.
Yes, he was quite happy with this new adventure.
If we've only got this life
In this adventure well then I
And if we've only got this life
You get me through alive
And if we've only got this life
In this adventure well then I
Wanna share it with you
With you
With you