Work Text:
“Lieutenant, wait!”
The voices calling out to him disappeared behind him as he sprinted through the hospital, heart racing wildly as he dodged all medical staff in his path, frantically searching for your room number.
He was just returning from a solo mission when Price dropped the news into his lap, barely giving him a chance to rest for a single moment as the chopper settled back down to base.
Ghost waited with baited breath throughout the entire mission knowing that he left right before you were due to be induced into labor, apologizing profusely to you with promise to spend forever making it up to you when he returned, only for you to understand that he had duties to attend to, reminding him of his promise to make this his final one and return home safely to a new family.
He counted his lucky stars when he heard that the task force rotated in shifts to help you through your final stages of pregnancy, reassuring you that your husband would return home safely to greet you and the new addition to your lives.
But getting that call felt like a fire lit underneath his ass, mind only focused on one objective:
Finding you.
His shoes squeaked against the clean tiles as he read the room numbers.
Room 274…
Room 277…
Room 283.
Finally.
He panted heavily as he gripped the handle and let himself in as his mind raced a million miles a second, hoping, praying that everything went well.
Though, nothing could have prepared him for the sight waiting for him.
There you lay in a hospital bed wearing a tired yet gorgeous smile, humming softly as you held a tiny soul all bundled up in a pink cotton blanket.
His chest rose and fell quickly, knees weak and muscles aching from his mission, but he paid no mind as he watched you look up and grin widely at him, his heart melting at the sight.
“Simon.”
Your voice called out to him in a loud whisper, his shaky legs carrying him to close the distance between you both and standing on your bedside, eyes widening at the little human you cradled ever so gently.
It was a moment he’s had mixed feelings about for ages, a result of his traumatic childhood that he carried with him even in this very moment, so when he first heard news about your pregnancy, it felt like his world had come to a halt, though, not once had he ever held regret towards you or the news.
In fact, he was excited, but the eagerness of fatherhood was barred by the fear of the possibility of being exactly like his own father was, a fear that he expressed to his long-term therapist, sharing his doubts about his abilities to take care of a family.
But now as he stood beside you with his newborn in your arms, he was overwhelmed with unbridled joy and relief at the sight of his baby fast asleep with a tuft of light brown hair peeking from beneath the white beanie.
“She’s healthy.”
The sound of your angelic voice brought him out of his train of thought, head turning and gaze locking onto yours as he still attempted to catch his breath through his mask.
“Got all ten toes and fingers, has a temper like her father, though.”
A deep chuckle rumbles in his chest as he slips off his gloves, a trembling hand reaching towards you and cradling your cheek.
“She has your nose.”
He speaks finally, his voice rough and tired as he eyes the little bundle of joy, then looking towards you.
He looked at you with a fondness that could only be seen in movies, eyes full of love.
“I love you and I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”
Even after you spent hours in labor, you were glowing like the sun, making him believe that angels truly did walk the earth, one being the mother of his child.
“I love you too, Si.”
He looked towards the baby once more, eyeing her small hands scrunched up by her chubby cheeks and button nose, his heart swelling.
“She’s so…tiny.”
He huffs out, realizing that this is the first time in his life he’s ever been so close to a baby.
It was a bit comical for him to think something so small could be so life changing.
You glanced up at him and smiled, your arms moving slightly and gesturing to him to hold her.
Worry flashed in his eyes as he saw you shift in his direction, knowing what your intentions were.
Fear struck his heart at the thought.
“I can’t. I don’t–”
His chest felt tight, throat closing as panic swept through his body.
Tried as he might to talk through it with his therapist, his hands were stained with blood from his enemies as he carried the weight of his sins on his back, only ever seeing himself as a cold and killing machine.
It was a miracle that even through his darkest moments you wanted to stay with him, being the one to encourage him to attend therapy, to be the reason he finally gets help.
He didn’t want to taint such a precious being.
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
You shook your head, gesturing once more as you shifted carefully in the hospital bed so as not to wake the baby up.
“You won’t.”
He heard you, but doubt plagued him.
“But what if I do?”
Your hand reached out and held his hand, squeezing it gently.
“I know you won’t.”
He swallowed down a lump in his throat, pulling an empty chair towards him and leaning over, extending his arms and carefully taking the tiny person into his arms.
“Keep a hand under her head.”
He nodded and did as he was told, adjusting his hold and encasing her in his massive arms.
He carefully sat back into the chair, his heart still pounding erratically as he felt the baby shift, only to let out a small sound and slip back into dreamland.
He took a moment to practice his breathing technique in order to slow his heart rate, doing so to make sure he didn’t wake the baby, using her features to help his mind picture the good in his life.
Something stirred inside of him as he held her, an overwhelming feeling of protection surging through him as he felt her breathing, hearing the soft sounds of her exhales coming from her nose and eyeing the way she scrunched up her face as she dreamt.
If someone had told him that one day he’d be in a stable relationship and a father he would’ve laughed in their faces knowing how incredibly unstable and bitter he was about never having the family he wanted and needed.
He thought he was a lost cause.
A man whose only purpose was to suffer a life of loss and misery.
But now as he sat here with his little miracle in his arms and you resting in the hospital bed, it felt like life had given him a second chance.
He moved his hand gently, taking this time to slip off the mask and tossing it to the side, hoping that if his daughter woke up she could see his face.
He carefully placed a finger by her curled up hands, touch shaky but gentle as he felt her soft skin and small nails.
Never in his life could he imagine doing something like this.
To think that you, a beautiful, strong and amazing person could give him something so precious, so undeserving, was a gift he could never repay in a million years, but by God was he willing to spend every day until his dying breath to show his gratitude to the both of you.
The baby moved once more, making him stiffen as he watched her carefully, only for his heart to jump to his throat.
She wrapped her tiny hand around his finger, her digits giving it a squeeze as she fell back asleep.
He froze, the world stopping just as he did.
Tears filled his waterline, spilling freely down his cheeks and smudging his war paint as his entire being shook with unchained happiness, unable to control his emotions any longer.
It was beyond joy he felt.
He fell in love.
“Hello, my little girl.”
He choked out as she held him for the first time, the connection as father and daughter ever so present with a single touch.
For the second time in his life, everything felt right.
Not a puzzle piece out of place.
He was right where he needed to be.
He leaned down and placed a soft kiss against her forehead, sniffling as he pulled away and held her closer to his chest, already wanting to bring her home to the baby room he had set up on his own months in advance.
“I’m your father.”
He said through a broken whisper, hoping that she was able to recognize his voice by the amount of times he spoke to her while she was still nestled in your belly, telling her silly jokes and how much he couldn’t wait to see her.
Maybe it was time for him to hang up the mask.
You were both his home, and he’d do everything to protect it.
“Welcome to the world, my little lovebug.”