Zach and I exchange a look.We’ve discussed dozens of possibilities over the past months, but nothing felt right until this moment.
“Faith,” Zach says with quiet certainty.
The rightness of it settles over me immediately.Faith—what Daphne gave us by trusting us with her child.What we want to give this tiny person in return.What this unexpected family represents for all of us.
“It’s perfect,” I agree.“Faith it is.”
As if in approval, our daughter Faith opens her eyes briefly, unfocused gaze sweeping across the faces surrounding her before closing again, content in her father’s arms.
“Should we take her back to Daphne?”Zach asks after a moment.“Let her know the name?”
I nod, leading theway through the maternity ward, now bustling with more activity as the morning shift begins.Nurses smile at us as we pass, their eyes softening at the sight of the newborn.I wonder how many of them recognize me from my time working at this hospital, how many are surprised to see me now, not as a colleague but as a new parent, walking alongside a man wearing a Devil Souls cut.
We find Daphne dozing lightly, her face peaceful in the aftermath of labor.She stirs when we enter, eyes immediately seeking the bundle in Zach’s arms.
“We’ve decided on a name,” I tell her softly, moving to sit on the edge of her bed.“If you approve.”
She pushes herself up slightly, wincing at the movement.“What is it?”
“Faith,” Zach says, carefully transferring our daughter back into Daphne’s waiting arms.
Daphne’s eyes fill with tears as she looks down at the baby.“Faith,” she repeats, testing the name.“It’s perfect.It’s exactly what she is.”
We stay with her while she holds Faith, the four of us existing in a bubble of quiet wonder.Eventually, Daphne’s eyelids grow heavy, the exhaustion of labor claiming her once more despite her best efforts to stay awake.
“We should let you rest,” I say, gently taking Faith from her arms.“We’ll be right outside if you need anything.”
She catches my wrist before I can move away.“Thank you,” she whispers, her eyes intense despite her fatigue.“For everything.For saying yes when I asked and for making this possible.”
“No,” Zach says from beside me, his voice rough with emotion.“Thank you for trusting us with her.With your daughter.”
“Our daughter,” Daphne corrects softly, her eyes already closing.“She’s ours now.All of ours.”
As we leave Daphne to rest, a nurse approaches with paperwork: birth certificate forms, the adoption documents we’ve already filed with the court, hospital release forms for when Faith is cleared to go home.The bureaucracy of new life made more complicated by our unconventional family structure.
“You’ll want to get some rest too,” the nurse advises as she takes Faith to the nursery for her first checkup.“First-time parents need sleep whenever they can get it.”
Zach and I find ourselves in the family waiting area again, suddenly without purpose now that Faith is being cared for by the nursery staff.The adrenaline that carried us through the early morning hours crashes abruptly, leaving me swaying slightly on my feet.
“Come on, Doc,” Zach tells me, guiding me to a couch in the corner.“Let’s sit before you fall down.”
I sink into the cushions, my body suddenly reminding me that I’ve been awake since three forty-seven a.m., after only a few hours of sleep.Zach sits beside me, his arm coming around my shoulders to pull me against his side.
“We’re parents,” I say, the reality of it finally sinking in fully.“We have a daughter.”
He presses a kiss to my temple, his exhale warm against my skin.“Best thing I’ve ever done,” he says simply.“Best thing I’ll ever do.”
I turn to look at him, this man who entered my life like a force of nature, who’s shown me sides of himself few people ever see.The enforcer who now holds our daughter with infinite tenderness.The outlaw who’s built a family through choice rather than blood.
“I love you,” I tell him, the words inadequate for the emotion swelling in my chest.“So much.”
His eyes, usually sharp with awareness of potential threats, are soft now.Vulnerable in a way he shows only to me.“Love you too, X.You and Faith, you’re everything.”
We stay like that, leaning on each other as the morning light strengthens outside the windows.Eventually, my phone buzzes with messages from the clinic, Tiana handling the day’s appointments, and Grey spreading the news to the club.
Our world is expanding to welcome this new life, this tiny person who’s changed everything in the span of a few hours.
“Ready for this?”I ask Zach as we watch the sunrise paint the hospital walls with golden light.
