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Sid closed his eyes for a brief second, relief hitting him so hard he almost felt weak. He wanted to ask Slade if he was absolutely sure, but instead he glanced at the monitor and caught the doctor's reassuring nod.

Once Lana was settled back into position, Dawn checked her progress and smiled. “All right, Lana. Everything looks good, and I think it's time to meet your daughter.”

“Thank God.” Lana gave a shaky laugh, wiping at her wet cheeks.

Sid thought the same exact thing. The scare with their daughter's heartbeat had nearly done him in, and although Slade had assured him everything was fine, he wasn't going to feel completely better until Sadie was in Lana's arms. Hell, even then he'd probably find something to worry about.

“Sid, I need you to help me,” Lana said, reaching for him as another contraction began.

“I've got you.” He moved closer, giving her his hand.

The next several minutes were some of the longest of Sid's life. He'd never felt so fucking helpless as he watched Lana struggle to bring their daughter into the world. Every time he thought she couldn't possibly have anything left to give, she proved him wrong. Dawn's encouragement and the steady sound of Sadie's heartbeat filled the room, but all Sid could concentrate on was his wife.

“Fuck!” Lana cried, falling back against the pillows. “Please tell me she's almost here.”

“She is,” Dawn assured her. “You're doing beautifully, Lana. I can see her head.”

Sid felt his heart slam against his ribs. Holy shit. This was really happening.

“Did you hear that?” Lana asked, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

“Yeah.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I heard.”

“I'm going to be a mom,” she said, then gave a strangled laugh. "And you a dad."

The wonder in her voice almost undid him. He'd seen Lana face down some pretty dangerous situations without blinking, but right now, looking exhausted and scared and happier than he'd ever seen her, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Scary, isn't it?" Lana teased with her eyes closed.

"Very." Slade grinned, giving them both a look.

"Buchanan, I really don't want my daughter born in a bloody room," Sid warned, but then grinned, shaking his head. The asshole.

“You're going to be an amazing mother. Don't listen to Slade,” Sid replied, leaning down to kiss her.

"I wasn't talking about her," Slade announced, looking back at the monitor.

Before he could respond, another contraction hit, and Sid held on as she pushed, his own heart pounding as Dawn's voice rose with excitement.

“That's it, Lana. Her head's out. Just a little more.”

Sid glanced at the mirror positioned so Lana could see what was going on and immediately wished to hell he hadn't. He could've gone his entire life without seeing Lana's yahoo stretched wide with a head popping out of it. Yeah, he'd seen some shit in his life, but that was a sight he could've happily lived without.

Lana screamed, gripping Sid's hand so hard he was pretty sure she would've broken every bone in it if he hadn't been a vampire. He didn't give a shit. She could rip his damn arm off if it helped.

Dawn continued encouraging her, and Sid barely heard a word. He was too busy watching Lana, silently begging for this to be over so he could see her smile again without the pain that had been tearing her apart.

After a few seconds of silence, a baby's cry filled the room.

Sid froze.

For a second, he couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but stare at the tiny, squirming baby in Dawn's hands.

His daughter.

“She's here!” Dawn announced, smiling as she brought Sadie to Lana. "Sadie, meet your momma."

“Oh, my God.” Lana began crying as their daughter was placed against her chest. “Sid, look at her.”