Kiefer(POV)
"I won't sign it," I said.
The entire hallway froze.
The doctor stared at me in shock.
"Sir—"
"I said I won't sign it," I repeated harshly.
My voice sounded broken.
Dangerous.
Desperate.
"You save both of them."
Silence crashed over the hallway instantly.
"Kiefer…" Cassian muttered quietly.
Then suddenly—
Clyden grabbed my collar violently.
"Sign that damn paper!" he shouted.
His eyes were red.
Furious.
Terrified.
"I don't want to lose the only family I have left!"
The pain in his voice made my chest tighten violently.
But I stayed silent.
Because I couldn't even look him in the eyes.
"Kiefer, say something!" Aries snapped while grabbing my arm tightly.
"Kiefer… don't be stubborn," he said desperately.
Then Jare stepped forward too.
"If you want kids that badly," he said harshly, "you can have them again in the future."
That sentence instantly made something inside me snap.
My head slowly lifted.
And for the first time since entering the hospital—
The fear in my eyes disappeared.
"What did you just say?" I asked quietly.
The hallway became deathly silent.
Jare frowned immediately.
"I said—"
"You think this is about another child?" I interrupted coldly.
My voice shook violently now.
Not from fear anymore.
From anger.
From pain.
"You think I'm choosing this because I care more about the baby?"
Everyone froze.
Because tears were already falling down my face again.
"She's carrying our child," I said brokenly.
My voice shook violently.
"She decided to keep this baby or not."
The hallway became silent again.
"Not mine."
I pressed my trembling hand against my chest like I was trying to stop myself from breaking apart completely.
"She carried our child for months," I whispered hoarsely. "She suffered through the pain, the sickness, the fear…"
My throat tightened badly.
"And she still chose to keep our baby."
Nobody interrupted me.
Because every word coming out of my mouth sounded like it was tearing me apart.
"So how the hell am I supposed to stand here…" I asked weakly, "And make the decision to give up on the child she already decided to love?"
I looked toward the ICU doors again.
Toward the place where Jay was fighting for both their lives.
"That choice was never mine to make."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
"Do you think Jay would survive waking up and hearing our baby died because of my decision?" I asked hoarsely.
That made Jare go silent instantly.
"And if I choose the baby instead…" My voice cracked badly. "How am I supposed to live after killing her?"
My breathing became uneven again.
"I can't do this."
My voice barely came out anymore.
Then I looked at them again.
And for the first time—
I stopped sounding angry.
I just sounded destroyed.
"I saw her picking names," I whispered weakly.
The hallway went silent again.
"I saw her sitting for hours, talking about what the baby would look like…"
My throat tightened painfully.
"She kept wondering if the baby would have my eyes or hers."
I laughed weakly.
Brokenly.
"And every single night…"
My voice cracked completely.
"She would hold her stomach and smile like she already loved our child more than herself."
Nobody moved.
Nobody interrupted me.
Because tears were already falling down my face uncontrollably now.
"I saw how badly she wanted this baby," I whispered shakily. "How excited she was to finally hold them in her arms."
I lowered my head slowly.
"So don't stand there and tell me I can just have another child."
The pain in my voice echoed through the hallway.
"Because to Jay…"
I pressed my trembling hand against my eyes.
"This baby already exists."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
"And if the baby dies…" I whispered weakly, "She'll destroy herself blaming her own body for it."
That made several people in the hallway freeze.
Because they knew I was right.
"I know her," I continued brokenly. "She'll smile in front of everyone… pretend she's okay…"
My breathing shook violently.
"But when she's alone?"
I slowly looked toward the ICU doors again.
"She'll drown in that pain until there's nothing left of her."
My chest felt like it was collapsing inward.
"And if she wakes up and asks me…" My voice broke completely. "What am I supposed to say?"
I laughed weakly again.
But this time—
It sounded completely shattered.
"That I chose for our baby to die? She won't even look at any of you."
The words nearly killed me just saying them.
"I can't even imagine looking into her eyes after that."
My knees nearly gave out again from the weight crushing my chest.
"Because even if she survives…"
I swallowed hard.
"I'll lose her eventually anyway."
I turned toward the doctor again.
My eyes were burning now.
"You hear me?" I said shakily. "I'm not choosing."
The doctor hesitated.
"But the situation is critical—"
"THEN SAVE THEM BOTH!" I shouted.
My voice cracked violently through the hallway.
Silence fell instantly afterward.
Tears were already falling down my face again.
"I'm begging you…" I whispered this time.
Actually begging.
"Please."
My knees nearly gave out again.
"She's all I have."
The doctor's expression tightened painfully.
Then suddenly—
A nurse rushed out of the ICU doors in panic.
"Doctor—her water broke."
The entire hallway froze.
My heart stopped instantly.
The nurse looked directly at me.
"But she's unconscious."
Everything inside me went cold.
No.
No, no, no.
"Oh no…" the doctor muttered under her breath before quickly turning toward me again. "Sir, you need to decide now—"
"I need both of them, okay?!"
My voice echoed violently through the hallway, cutting her off completely.
Everyone stared at me.
"And I know my wife can make it," I continued desperately.
"Kiefer—" several voices shouted at once.
But I couldn't hear them anymore.
I couldn't hear anything except the thought of Jay inside that room—
Alone.
Scared.
Unconscious.
Fighting without me beside her.
"I just need to stay with my wife," I said immediately while stepping toward the ICU doors.
"I'm coming in."
"Sir, you can't—" the doctor started quickly.
"Why can't I?" I snapped.
My voice shook violently.
"Isn't it a husband's duty to stay beside his wife when she needs him?"
The hallway fell silent again.
"My wife needs me," I said brokenly. "And I'm coming in."
"But sir—"
"I don't fucking care what rules you have right now!" I shouted.
My chest heaved violently.
"I don't care what the hell any of you can or can't do—"
My voice cracked completely.
"But she needs me."
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful silence.
"And I'm not leaving her alone in there."
For a second—
Nobody spoke.
Then another doctor suddenly walked forward from inside the ICU area.
Older.
Calmer.
He looked at me carefully for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Let him come."
But the second his eyes landed on me—
His expression changed.
There was blood everywhere.
On my hands.
My shirt.
Even smeared across my face from holding Jay earlier.
The doctor exhaled sharply.
"No," he said firmly. "You can't go in there like that."
Before I could even respond—
Cassian suddenly pulled his shirt over his head and shoved it into my hands.
"Wear this."
For a second, I just stared at him.
Then slowly took it.
The older doctor gave a faint smile before looking toward the nurses.
"Prepare him."
Everything started moving immediately.
A nurse guided me toward the washroom nearby.
The moment I stepped inside, I gripped the sink tightly.
My reflection looked horrifying.
Broken.
Terrified.
There was dried blood across my hands and wrists.
Some of it was mine.
Most of it was Jay's.
My chest tightened painfully.
I turned the faucet on and started scrubbing my hands hard.
Again.
Again.
Again.
As if cleaning the blood off would somehow stop all of this from happening.
Cold water splashed against my skin.
Against my face.
I leaned forward over the sink, breathing heavily.
No.
I couldn't break down right now.
Jay needed me.
I quickly asked one of the nurses for a bandage before wrapping it tightly around my waist to stop the bleeding from my own injury.
It hurt like hell.
But I ignored it.
Then I splashed cold water over my face one last time and stared at myself in the mirror again.
I need to be strong.
For her.
The nurses handed me ICU scrubs, gloves, and a mask.
I changed quickly before finally walking toward the ICU doors.
My heartbeat pounded violently with every step.
The older doctor stopped me right before I entered.
"Once you walk in there," he said quietly, "you cannot panic. Do you understand me?"
My throat tightened.
But I nodded immediately.
Because no matter what waited behind those doors—
I was going to stay beside my wife.
The second I walked into the ICU—
My breath got stuck in my throat.
There was blood.
Too much blood.
Used gauze stained dark red lay scattered across the floor beside the bed while doctors worked around her desperately.
Machines beeped loudly.
Nurses moved quickly.
Someone kept calling out vitals.
But all I could see—
Was Jay.
The doctors were trying to wake her up.
"Mrs Watson? Can you hear me?"
No response.
Her body looked so still that it terrified me.
I walked toward her slowly before immediately taking her hand into mine—
Just like I always did.
The second our fingers touched, my chest tightened painfully.
Her hand was cold.
I swallowed hard before taking a shaky breath.
"Jay…" I whispered.
I leaned closer.
"I'm here."
My fingers tightened around hers gently.
"Look at me, wife."
Nothing.
No response.
The silence nearly destroyed me.
My grip tightened instinctively around her hand as panic crawled into my chest again.
But then I remembered the doctor's words.
Don't panic.
So instead—
I lowered my forehead against her hand and whispered shakily,
"If you don't give up on me…"
My voice cracked.
"Then don't give up on yourself…"
I slowly moved my other hand toward her stomach.
"And our baby."
My palm rested carefully against the small curve there.
"Caretaker…" I whispered brokenly. "Your dad is here."
The room became quieter somehow.
Even the doctors slowed for a second.
"Don't make mommy suffer anymore," I whispered to our child.
My lips trembled into the smallest smile.
I kept my hand gently against her stomach, my thumb brushing softly over it.
"You only hear my voice, huh?" I whispered shakily. "Don't you want to see how I look?"
My throat tightened painfully.
"Don't you want to feel my warmth?"
I let out the weakest laugh through my tears.
"Don't you want to play with me, little one?"
Then suddenly—
A tiny movement pressed against my hand.
I froze instantly.
Another small kick.
My eyes widened.
For the first time since entering the ICU—
A real smile appeared on my face.
Shaky.
Broken.
But real.
I looked back at Jay immediately.
"Jay," I whispered desperately. "Did you feel that?"
My voice trembled harder.
"He's eager to meet us."
I brought her hand carefully against her stomach.
"Open your eyes, wife."
Tears burned my eyes violently now.
"Please…"
My voice shattered completely.
"Don't leave me."
The room stayed silent for a moment before the older doctor finally spoke again.
"We need to prepare for surgery now," he said carefully. "If we delay any longer… it'll become harder to protect the baby."
My head snapped toward him instantly.
"What?"
My chest tightened violently.
The doctor's expression remained calm, but serious.
"We need to move quickly."
But all I heard was one thing.
Protect the baby.
Not Jay.
My fingers tightened around her hand immediately.
"Why are you giving up on my wife?" I asked hoarsely.
The room went still.
The doctor sighed quietly before answering.
"Sir… our duty is to make decisions based on survival chances."
Every word felt like a knife to my chest.
"If we act now," he continued carefully, "there's still a chance to save your baby ."
Rage exploded inside me instantly.
"Who said I'm letting my wife die?!" I shouted.
Several nurses flinched.
The monitors echoed loudly through the ICU.
The older doctor's face hardened immediately.
"Sir," he said firmly, "if you continue shouting, you'll have to leave the ICU."
My breathing became uneven again.
"We are doing our duties."
"Kie… Kiefer…"
A weak voice suddenly cut through the tension.
My head snapped toward the bed so fast it almost hurt.
Jay.
Her lips moved slightly again.
"Kie…fer…"
Every doctor in the room froze.
I was beside her in seconds.
"Jay—"
I grabbed her hand carefully, terrified she'd disappear if I let go again.
"You're awake," I breathed out shakily.
Her eyelids fluttered weakly before finally opening just a little.
God.
Those eyes.
Tired.
Heavy.
But looking at me.
Actually looking at me.
Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly gave out beside the bed.
"Hey," I whispered brokenly, brushing hair away from her forehead carefully. "Hey, … I'm here."
She looked at me weakly for a moment before whispering softly,
"Don't… pick fights…"
A broken laugh escaped me instantly through my tears.
I lowered my head for a second, smiling while crying at the same time.
"I won't," I promised quickly.
I squeezed her hand gently.
"I really won't do that."
My voice shook harder.
"So don't close your eyes, okay?"
Her breathing trembled weakly.
I leaned closer immediately.
"Stay with me."
Her fingers moved faintly against mine.
"Kiefer…" she whispered again, barely audible.
"I'm right here."
Tears rolled down my face as I kissed her knuckles softly.
"You scared me so much."
The monitor beside her suddenly steadied slightly.
One of the nurses looked at the doctor in surprise.
"She's responding better now."
The older doctor stepped closer quickly, checking her vitals again.
"Mrs Watson," he said gently, "can you hear me?"
Her eyes shifted weakly.
Small.
But enough.
The entire room seemed to breathe again.
Then suddenly—
Jay's trembling hand slowly moved toward her stomach.
And in the faintest whisper—
"…our baby…?"
I immediately leaned closer, holding her hand tighter.
"Our baby is okay," I whispered quickly. "He's strong, Jay. He was kicking for me."
Tears gathered in her eyes instantly.
Then suddenly—
A sharp pain hit her.
Her entire body tensed violently.
"Ahhh—!"
Her scream tore through the ICU.
My heart nearly stopped.
Jay gripped my hand so tightly it hurt, but I didn't care.
"I know," I whispered desperately. "Im sorry, I'm here."
A doctor quickly moved beside the bed.
"Jay, listen to me carefully," she said firmly while demonstrating with her hands. "You need to push the baby downward, okay? Work with your breathing."
Jay cried out again, shaking her head weakly.
Another wave of pain hit her.
She cried out louder this time, nearly crushing my hand in hers.
The doctor quickly checked the monitors before looking toward the others.
"I think the first active contractions started," she said seriously. "We need to prepare now."
Nurses immediately rushed into motion around us.
Equipment moved.
Machines beeped louder.
Gloves snapped on.
The older doctor suddenly looked directly at me.
"Mr. Watson," he said firmly, "help your wife. Don't let her lose consciousness."
I nodded immediately.
"I won't."
I turned back toward Jay and cupped her face carefully.
"Stay with me, jay" I whispered shakily.
Another painful contraction ripped through her body.
She cried out again, tears streaming down her face now.
"I can't—"
"Yes, you can," I interrupted immediately.
My forehead pressed gently against hers.
"You're the strongest person I know."
Her breathing became uneven.
"Kiefer…"
"I'm right here."
I kissed her trembling hand softly.
"You hold onto me."
The doctor moved into position quickly.
"Okay, Jay," she said calmly. "When the next contraction comes, I need you to push."
Jay whimpered softly and shook her head weakly.
Fear filled her exhausted eyes.
I tightened my hold around her hand instantly.
"I know," I whispered desperately.
My fingers tightened carefully around hers as another painful wave hit.
"I'm sorry…"
My voice cracked.
"I didn't know it hurts like this."
I swallowed hard, watching tears stream down her face while she struggled to breathe.
"If I could take it from you, I swear I would."
I brushed damp hair away from her forehead with shaking fingers.
"But I'm here, okay?"
I leaned closer immediately, close enough for her to hear me through the pain.
"I'm not leaving."
Another cry escaped her lips as she gripped my hand harder.
Her breathing turned shaky.
"Kiefer…"
"I know," I whispered again, tears burning my eyes now.
"I know it hurts."
I kissed the back of her trembling hand softly.
"But look at me, wife."
Her voice cracked into a sob while clutching my hand harder.
I immediately moved closer to her side.
"Look at me," I whispered urgently.
Her tear-filled eyes found mine instantly.
repay her with anthing then that.
"Breathe with me, okay?"
Jay nodded weakly through tears.
Then the next contraction hit—
And she started pushing.
A scream ripped from her throat as her fingers crushed mine painfully.
But I never let go.
Her entire body trembled from exhaustion.
And all I could do—
Was stand there helplessly while she suffered.
I quickly brushed the sweat from her forehead again, trying to soothe her however I could.
"Hey, hey… look at me," I whispered softly.
Her breathing came out broken.
"It hurts…"
"I know," I said immediately.
God, I knew now.
Before this—
Some stupid part of me thought giving birth was simple.
Painful maybe.
But manageable.
I never understood.
Not until now.
Not until I saw the woman I loved screaming in pain while fighting to bring our child into the world.
And it shattered me.
Because she was suffering so much—
And I couldn't take any of it away.
So instead, I kept talking.
Anything to distract her.
Anything to make her feel less afraid.
"You know everyone's waiting outside?" I whispered with a shaky smile.
A weak breath escaped her between cries.
I held onto that tiny reaction instantly.
"And your brothers…" I laughed softly through tears. "He's probably pacing holes into the hospital floor right now."
Another contraction hit hard.
Jay cried out loudly, clutching my hand again.
I immediately leaned closer.
"That's it, baby. Breathe… breathe with me."
I kept brushing her hair back carefully.
Kept kissing her trembling hands.
Kept telling her little stories.
Anything to keep her mind from drowning in pain.
But every scream still tore through me.
Every tear from her eyes felt like something stabbing directly into my chest.
And standing there—
Watching her endure all this—
Changed something inside me forever.
Because no matter what happened after tonight…
I knew one thing.
I would spend the rest of my life making this up to her.
Taking care of her.
Taking care of our child.
Loving them with everything I had.
Because there was no possible way to repay what she was doing right now.
No gift.
No words.
Nothing.
Except giving her the kind of love and care she deserved for the rest of her life.
The doctor suddenly looked up.
"Good," she said quickly. "Again, Jay—push again."
Jay cried out weakly, exhausted beyond words.
I kissed her forehead immediately.
"One more, baby," I whispered emotionally.
"You're doing so well."
Jay screamed again as another painful push tore through her body.
Then suddenly—
A loud cry filled the ICU.
For one second—
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Then the doctor looked up with a smile.
"Baby's out."
My entire body froze.
A nurse quickly lifted the crying newborn carefully while the doctors continued checking Jay.
"Sir," the doctor said warmly, "it's a baby boy. Do you want to hold him?"
But my eyes immediately returned to Jay.
"Check on my wife first," I said instantly.
Because nothing else mattered if she wasn't okay.
Jay's eyes were already starting to close from exhaustion.
Fear slammed into my chest again.
"Jay," I whispered quickly, gripping her hand tighter. "Stay awake, baby."
The doctor checked her vitals before looking at me reassuringly.
"She's alright," she said calmly. "She's just exhausted. The delivery took a lot out of her. She needs time to recover."
The second those words registered—
She's alright.
Something inside me finally broke.
I nodded weakly before stumbling backward out of the ICU.
The doors closed behind me.
And the moment they did—
My knees gave out completely.
I collapsed onto the floor.
A sob ripped out of my chest so hard it hurt to breathe.
They were alive.
Both of them.
Jay was safe.
My baby was safe.
Thank God.
"Kiefer—what happened?!" Yuri shouted, rushing toward me.
"Kiefer, say something!" Clyden said urgently.
I looked up at them through blurred vision, tears pouring uncontrollably down my face.
"She's safe…" I choked out.
My voice shattered completely.
"And she's breathing."
Silence hit the hallway for a second.
Then Percy smacked the back of my head lightly.
"You idiot," he muttered, his own eyes red. "Then why the hell are you crying?"
A broken laugh escaped me instantly through the tears.
"I'm happy," I whispered.
And somehow—
That only made me cry harder.
Rory crouched beside me quickly.
"So?" he asked excitedly. "Did you see the baby?"
I shook my head slowly.
"No."
Everyone stared at me in confusion.
"I wanted to see him with Jay."
The hallway went quiet again.
Then Percy suddenly smiled faintly and rubbed my shoulder.
"Yeah," he said softly.
"That sounds like you."
A few minutes later, the ICU doors opened again.
A nurse walked out carefully holding a tiny bundle wrapped in blue.
The entire hallway instantly stood up.
"Sir," she said with a smile, walking toward me, "your baby is healthy."
My breath caught.
"He may have been premature," she continued softly, "but he's strong like a normal baby."
Tears burned my eyes again immediately.
She carefully tried placing him into my arms—
But before I could even move, Clyden suddenly stepped forward and took the baby carefully.
"Kiefer," he said softly with the biggest grin I'd seen in weeks.
Then he looked down at the tiny baby in his arms.
"Hey, little one," he whispered proudly. "I'm your tito."
The baby immediately started crying.
Loudly.
Very loudly.
Jare leaned over instantly.
"Move, let me hold him."
"No, me first," Percy argued.
Section was already reaching his hands out eagerly too.
But the second any of them got close—
The crying became worse.
"Damn, this kid got lungs," Percy muttered.
Then Angelo suddenly walked forward calmly.
"Give him to me."
Clyden raised an eyebrow.
"You?"
Angelo rolled his eyes impatiently before carefully taking the baby into his arms.
And instantly—
The crying stopped.
Complete silence.
The baby blinked up at him before letting out the tiniest little giggle.
The entire hallway froze.
Everyone stared at Angelo in absolute shock.
Even the nurses looked confused.
Meanwhile Angelo's expression softened in a way I'd never seen before as he gently adjusted the baby in his arms.
Cole narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Where the hell did you learn that?"
Angelo didn't look up.
"When Ion was struggling," he said quietly, "I had to learn."
The hallway softened after that.
Nobody teased him.
Nobody laughed.
They just watched silently while my son stayed completely calm in his arms.
I leaned back against the wall near the ICU doors and smiled tiredly.
My kid already knew who could handle him.
"Hey, Kiefer," Felix suddenly asked, grinning. "What's his name?"
I laughed weakly and rubbed my face.
"Jay said she'd choose the real name."
Everyone nodded.
"But…" I added slowly, "he already has a nickname."
The group looked at me curiously.
"What is it?" Jare asked.
I looked toward my son and smiled faintly.
"Caretaker."
Silence.
Then—
"What the fuck?!" Clyden, Jare, Cole, and Angelo shouted at the exact same time.
The baby startled slightly before starting to cry again.
"There he goes," Percy groaned.
Mia quickly tried rocking him gently while Amy made soft noises beside her trying to calm him down.
"I have verb names," I defended tiredly. "So my kids are going to have verb names too."
"Asshole," Clyden snapped immediately. "Don't give my nephew a cursed name."
"I seriously hoped you'd have a girl," Angelo muttered while handing the baby carefully to Mia.
I frowned.
"Why?"
A smirk slowly appeared on Angelo's face.
"Because I can't wait to see your future daughter bring home someone exactly like you and say she wants to marry him."
The hallway exploded into laughter.
Even I looked horrified.
"Absolutely not," I said immediately.
Angelo pointed at me triumphantly.
"See? That's exactly how every father reacts."
Then he smirked wider.
"And I want you to suffer the same way we suffered when Jay married you."
Jare instantly nodded.
"So true."
Percy pointed at me dramatically.
"You nearly gave all of us high blood pressure."
Clyden folded his arms.
"You're still giving us high blood pressure."
Even Aries and Cole nodded in agreement.
I stared at all of them in disbelief.
"Why?" I argued tiredly. "I love her more than anything. Isn't that enough?"
Clyden looked at me blankly for two seconds before answering without hesitation.
"You're a jerk."
The hallway burst into laughter again.
I looked genuinely offended.
"How am I a jerk?" I argued immediately. "And nobody can be like me."
I pointed proudly toward the ICU doors.
"I'm one of a kind already taken."
Everyone groaned loudly at the same time
And for the first time that entire night—
The hallway finally felt peaceful.