I swear guys, it seems like every time I promise to have something posted by a specific date, something happens to keep me from that promise. It's so frustrating...
Anyways, yes, I have been gone for a couple of weeks. Honestly though, if it were just school I would have posted. But last week, I got extremely sick and even ended up in the ER after passing out...
So yeah. It's been an exciting week. And because of all that, I have missed four days of school. So basically, I'm completely screwed. But whatever, right?
Sigh.
Anywho, HERE IT IS! IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER! WHOOOO! Wow, it feels so weird to say this and I can easily say this every time I finish a story. But holy damn, we've come so far guys! I would like to thank everybody who has stuck with me through this story from the beginning, and even more recently. Thank you guys so much for reading and leaving all of the wonderful reviews! I really enjoy reading them and hearing your feedback. It may not seem like a lot, but it really does mean the world to me.
So again, thank you.
Now, about the prequel... I think I am going to write it, but if I do, it either won't be out for quite a while, or the chapters will be really spread apart in terms of uploading them. I haven't written anything for it yet and since I am pretty busy with school right now, I am not quite sure when I'll have time to write. But I really want to make this prequel because it sounds like a really good idea and seems like it will be a lot of fun to write. So the POINT IS: just keep an eye out for alerts from me to see when I do end up posting the new story, because I honestly have no idea when it will be...
Now, on with the last chapter! I'm pretty sure that this is the longest chapter I've written for this story, and that's for a good reason, so I hope you guys enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Marvel or the Avengers.
"Sir?"
The speakers blasting AC/DC throughout the large room suddenly cut off, leaving Tony to groan in frustration. He looked up from the microscope in front of him and leaned back in his seat with a large, dramatic sigh.
"What is it JARVIS? If you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of in the middle of something very important," he swiveled his rolling chair across the floor and stopped in front of a large desk cluttered with various tools. "You know, inventing, saving the world, the usual."
"Sir, I was told that if anything were to have happened regarding Mrs. Rogers condition that I were to contact you right away."
Tony froze and stiffened, "Cadence? What happened?"
Before he had the chance to panic, the A.I. spoke up.
"It seems that Mrs. Rogers has gone into labor sir."
Tony's eyes bugged as he practically jumped out of his seat, "What?!"
"Yes, she-"
"Where is she right now JARVIS?! Is she okay? Is she with Steve right now, or did something happen?"
"Sir-"
Tony rushed around the lab, yanking his dirt and oil covered shirt off of his body and throwing on the closest clean article of clothing he owned, "Did something happen? Where is she JARVIS?"
"Sir, please calm down."
Tony stopped for a moment and took a deep breath to collect himself. After a couple of deep breaths, he tried again.
"JARVIS? Where is Cadence right now?" he asked in a more collected tone.
"It would appear that Mrs. Rogers is not in the tower sir."
Tony nearly felt his stomach sink.
"What do you mean she isn't in the tower? It's 3:30 in the morning," he said slowly, trying his very hardest not to freak out and possibly have a panic attack. Cadence was like the little sister Tony never had. He cared a lot about her, and by default, her child and her husband as well. He didn't know why or how the very pregnant woman left the tower at 3:30 A.M. on a Wednesday morning, but his mind had already conjured up all of the worst case-scenarios and then some in regards to what could have happened to her.
"Please refrain from panicking before you injure yourself sir. Mrs. Rogers was in very little danger when she left."
The words went in one ear and out the other.
"Little danger…" he repeated to himself in a worried confusion.
"Also, might I add that she was with Mr. Odinson."
Wait, what?
"Point Break? When did he get back, and why was she with him?" he quickly jogged out of the lab and towards the elevator. He hit the Rogers' floor and tapped his foot impatiently as he awaited an answer.
"Mr. Odinson arrived no more than an hour ago and was the only person present and available when Mrs. Rogers went into labor. Sir, I don't think he took the news very well. If you would like to know about her current whereabouts, I would suggest going to the closest hospital as that is most likely where Mr. Odinson took her."
Tony probably would have been laughing his ass off right about now if the situation weren't so serious. Because honestly, he could bet all of his money when he says he knows exactly how the mighty god of thunder reacted when his dear Cadence went into labor.
And that thought alone brought a smirk to his face.
"God," he mumbled to himself. "Capsicle's gonna flip."
Steve vaguely heard the elevator on their floor making noise. He knew he should probably wonder who was moving about this late at night, especially on their floor, but he just figured that it was Cadence getting up for a drink or something and ignored it.
After all, why else would his beautiful wife not be lying beside him in their bed at such an early hour of the morning?
When he heard his bedroom door slam open, however, he knew that it wasn't his wife.
He also knew that something was definitely not right.
He sat up in bed and looked over to the door to see Tony standing in the doorway. He looked like he had run here: slightly out of breath with a panic-stricken look plastered across his face.
All traces of sleep were immediately gone from his deceivingly youthful features, "What's wrong?"
"Okay, look Steve…"
Steve's eyes narrowed into slits. Tony almost never called him by his name.
"What?"
Tony let out a sigh, "I need you to stay calm when I tell you this, okay?"
Steve felt a pit begin forming in his stomach at those words, "What is it Tony?"
Tony hesitated before simply deciding to treat it like a Band-Aid, "Cadence went into labor."
There had never been a time in Steve's life where he actually felt time stop until now. Everything around him came to a screeching halt and he could have sworn his heart skipped more than a few beats as he processed what he had been told.
"Capsicle? Oh god, I think I broke him…"
Steve couldn't move. He couldn't speak. All that ran through his mind were those four words.
Cadence went into labor… she went into-
"Cadence went into labor!"
He faintly realized that Tony was still in the room when the man jumped at his sudden outburst. None of that mattered to him at the moment, however. All that he cared about was the fact that his pregnant wife was about to have their baby and he wasn't there to-
Wait.
Steve suddenly stopped moving. He turned back to Tony, who was standing in the doorway of the room, looking at Steve with a partially worried, but mostly amused expression on his face. Somewhere in the back of his head he figured that it was the image of him standing there in nothing but sweats with a baby bag slung over one shoulder and a larger duffel bag over the other that was responsible for the smirk plastered on the billionaire's face, but he was ignoring that at the moment.
"Tony, where is Cadence? Is she downstairs? Did you call an ambulance?"
Tony sucked in a sharp breath. "Yeah, about that…"
Steve really didn't like where this was going.
"Anthony," Tony's eyes widened a bit at the intensity behind the super-soldier's voice. Never had he heard him speak in such a tone, and using his full name none-the-less. "Where is she?"
Tony rubbed a sheepish hand over the back of his neck. He briefly thought it over and finally decided to just do as he did before and treat it like a Band-Aid.
"Thor panicked and flew her to the hospital."
He cringed at the look he was receiving from the blond man in front of him. The only time Tony could possibly imagine Steve being any paler than he was in that moment was when he was frozen in the ice.
Because damn did the man look pale.
And a bit green, but Tony decided to look past that detail.
Before Tony had the chance to get so much as another word in, Steve had launched out of the bedroom and down the stairs, completely disregarding the elevator.
Tony closed his mouth as what he was about to say died on his tongue. He let out a sigh and began making his way down to his garage.
"JARVIS?"
"Yes sir?"
"Wake everybody up and let them know what's going on. And before Steve makes it out of the building, give him directions to the nearest hospital."
"Is that all sir?"
"Yep," Tony leaned back against the elevator as the doors slid shut. While he waited for the elevator to bring him towards the lowest level of the tower, Tony chuckled as he realized something.
"The media's going to have a field day with this. Jeez Capsicle, you could have at least put on a shirt and shoes."
Steve rushed through the front doors of the hospital that JARVIS had told him to go to. He looked around frantically for a nurse, but couldn't seem to find one. He ran up to the front counter and extended his neck to see if he could spot anyone in the back.
"Hello?!" he asked, hoping that somebody would come and help him. The waiting room was completely empty with not a soul in sight, which only seemed to add to the anxiety building in the pit of Steve's stomach as he tapped his foot impatiently.
After what felt like a life-time of no service, the super-soldier was just about ready to hop over the counter and find his wife himself when a woman suddenly appeared.
She smiled widely at him, "Hello sir, how may I help you?"
Steve sighed in relief, "Yes, I think my wife was admitted here. She's pregnant and went into labor."
The woman nodded. She began to shuffle through some paperwork and it took her what felt like years to Steve to finally find whatever she was looking for.
"Okay, what's your wife's name sir?"
"Cadence Rogers."
Steve didn't seem to notice the woman tense at the name. Her eyes widened as she suddenly became flustered.
"Oh, r-right this way sir. I was told to bring you in as soon as you got here."
Steve had never really enjoyed that fact that he was so easily recognized out on the streets as he was never one for having all eyes on him. Today, however, he couldn't be more grateful for the popularity that came with being a superhero. Anything to get him to Cadence's side faster…
He followed the nurse, wringing his wrists in anticipation. He really hoped that everything was alright. Some would probably be angry with Thor for what he did, but Steve honestly couldn't have been more grateful. The god had quickly gotten his wife and child into safe hands and that was all that mattered.
He would just choose to ignore the whole flying her there via Mjolnir.
"She's right at the end of the hallway, room 312."
Steve snapped out of his thoughts at the dainty voice of the nurse. He nodded and let out a quick 'thanks', barely giving her a second glance before he rushed off towards room 312.
As he reached to open the door, his breath hitched when he heard Cadence's voice. Only instead of the soft, calming tone he had grown to love, her voice sounded hard and pained. He faintly heard her begin to curse out whomever she was in the room with when he decided to intervene.
As soon as he stepped inside, however, he almost wished he hadn't.
"What the fuck do you mean you can't- Who the fuck are you?! You can't be my doctor because my doctor isn't a fucking moron!"
"Ma'am… I'm sorry but the specialist-"
"Specialist my ass! How hard is it to shove a needle in my back?!"
"Ma'am-"
"STOP CALLING ME MA'AM YOU INCOMPETENT ASS WIPE!"
Steve's mouth nearly dropped at the scene he had walked in on. On the bed in the center of the room was a hospital-gown-clad Cadence. She already looked completely exhausted with her head leaned back against the hospital bed and her hair stuck to her face with sweat.
Across from her was the doctor that they had been seeing ever since the beginning of the pregnancy. Steve was admittedly a bit surprised that the woman was able to make it to this location so quickly as the office she usually worked at was a good fifteen minutes away.
He wasn't going to question it though. If anything, he's grateful that there weren't any issues to worry about.
"Um, what's going on here?" Steve asked, finally making the decision to speak up and voice his confusion.
Cadence's head snapped towards the sound of his voice, and her whole demeanor seemed to perk at the presence of her husband.
"Steve!" she let out a huge sigh of relief before sending a wide smile his way. "You came…"
Steve's eyes softened. He walked over to Cadence's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He let out a small sigh of relief, pleased that he was finally able to be by his wife's side and that nothing happened while he was not with her.
"Of course I am," he said reassuringly. He placed a kiss on her head before turning back to the doctor. "I'm sorry I'm late. Mind filling me in on what's going on?"
The doctor cleared her throat, "Well, you see Mr. Rogers-"
"This piece of shi-" Cadence was suddenly cut off from her insult by a violent contraction. She gasped in pain, grabbing onto Steve's arm in a vice grip in the process.
Steve barely felt the pain, however, as all he was currently concerned with was his wife and her needs at the moment.
"Cadence? What's wrong?"
Cadence remained silent with her face bunched up in severe discomfort. The doctor saw this and stepped in to respond to him.
"She's going through contractions right now, Mr. Rogers."
Steve nodded, mentally thanking all of the pregnancy books he was able to find and read before their due date for teaching him about all of this. Because god knows he would be completely lost right now if it weren't for those books. He is by no means an expert in the field, but at least he knows something now.
"Do you know how much longer it should be until she delivers?" he asked the woman while taking his wife's hand into his to give her something stable to hold onto.
"Well," the doctor started, "she is really close and should be delivering within the hour. This is why I am telling her she cannot get the epidural. The specialist who does the epidural would take at least two hours to get here if we called him now, so it would be pointless to do so as by the time he gets here, you two should already be holding your child in your arms."
Steve nodded along, finally realizing what his wife was so upset about. He read a lot about how painful birth was, even though he really didn't even need to read about it to know. He had figured it out on his own long, long ago. Steve had always held a higher level of respect for mothers for the sole reason of childbirth, because goodness did that look painful.
And Cadence was about to do it completely naturally.
Steve would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little bit concerned.
"Steve," Cadence breathed deeply as the wave of contractions finally died down. "I'm really worried. It's already so painful and I'm not even delivering yet."
"Hey," he stroked a loose strand of sweat-covered hair away from her face. He sent her a warm smile as he sat down on the chair beside the bed. "You'll do just fine. I know you can do it Cadence, and the doctor is right. It would be a wasted trip for the specialist if we called him now. Everything will be alright."
Cadence leaned into his touch. Steve's smile softened when he saw her face relax. He leaned in and peppered kisses over her face, making sure to include her cheeks, nose, forehead, and lastly, he pecked her sweetly on the lips.
She smiled tiredly, "Thank you, Steve."
Steve hummed in response, "I'll be right by your side the whole time, okay? Everything will be fine."
She nodded, leaving the two to bask in each other's presence for a few moments.
The nurse suddenly cleared her throat to remind the two that she was still in the room, "I need to go check on some other patients. I'll be back in to check on you in about thirty minutes, okay? If something happens before then, please just use the emergency button on the side of the bed."
She swiftly ducked out of the room after that. Cadence had been a bit worried that she had offended the woman with some of the things she had said to her, but Steve had assured her that there was no way she took offense to it and that she had probably heard much worse before, as it was quite normal for laboring women to be more than a bit moody.
After getting settled down from her next contraction, Cadence leaned against the back of the hospital bed in exhaustion. She felt Steve's fingers tracing patterns on her hand and had to wonder where she would be if Steve weren't there right then with her.
One thing she knew for a fact was that she would not in any way be able to get through this without him by her side. He had always been what held her together and she didn't even want to think about what things would be like for her without him in her life.
"Steve," she whispered.
Steve lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, "Yes, sweetheart?"
Cadence smiled at the name, "I love you."
Steve sent a blinding smile right back at her, "I love you too."
"So, the time has finally come Prego."
Cadence and Steve simultaneously rolled their eyes when the familiar voice drifted into the room.
"Who let you in here?" Cadence asked sarcastically. Tony gasped dramatically, throwing a hand over his chest in emphasis.
"I am wounded by those vile words of yours Cadence! And to think, I nearly had a heart attack worrying over your well-being. Well, at least now I know where I stand in this relationship…"
Steve's straight-face twisted as he rose a brow, "Enough with the theatrics Tony."
The billionaire rolled his eyes, "You guys are no fun, I swear."
Pushing himself off of his position against the doorframe, Tony strutted into the room like he owned the place. He took a quick look around before grabbing a chair from the corner and pulling it beside the bed. Cadence and Steve gave him similar looks of slight disbelief, but truthfully they weren't that surprised. After all, they knew Tony and were no strangers to his cocky, arrogant behavior.
"My god this food tastes awful," he said in disgust before throwing the snack that had been brought in for Cadence into the trash can. The woman sent him a small glare while her husband just sighed with a shake of the head. "Seriously, you should be thanking me for that."
"What's up Tony?" Steve asked, voicing the question that both him and his wife were wondering. They didn't have anything against the genius man or anything, they were just curious as to why he was in the hospital room. Steve probably would have wondered how he got in to begin with, but he already knew the answer to that question:
He's Tony Stark, and that's all that needed to be said.
"I'm sorry, is there something wrong with me wanting to check up on my sister from another mister and her child?"
Their blank stares gave him all the answer he needed.
"Alright, alright! Geez, you guys are so moody. I just wanted to let you know that everybody is in the lobby waiting for the arrival of their niece or nephew. Mr. Potato Arm was on a mission, but I called him and he's on his way now. Said he was wrapping it up."
Steve nodded. Cadence, on the other hand, raised a sarcastic brow, "Niece or nephew? Who named you an uncle? If anything, you'd be lucky enough to pull off a grandfather."
"Okay now, that's just cruel. And Capsicle's way older than me, so you can't even pull that card!"
"Don't drag me into this," Steve mentioned.
Cadence gasped, pulling both of the men in the room's attention to her. Steve rushed to grab her hand, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as she worked through another contraction. This time was different, however, as the contraction didn't seem to end.
Before Steve had time to question what was going on, Cadence had quickly dropped his hand and frantically pressed the help button on the side of the bed.
"Cade, what's going on?"
"It's happening Steve," she breathed deeply, sweat dripping down her face.
Both Steve and Tony's faces paled at that statement.
"Like, right now?" Steve asked.
She only nodded, taking big gulps of air in through her nose before releasing it shakily through her mouth.
"Well," Tony stood quickly, nearly knocking over the chair in the process. "I'm uh, just gonna head out now. See ya when the kid's here Prego, Capsicle."
On his way out, Tony passed the doctor who had rushed in at the call of the emergency button.
"Is everything okay Mrs- Oh. I guess it's time then, isn't it?"
Once again, Cadence nodded frantically. "Not to sound ungrateful, because trust me, I couldn't be more thankful for my beautiful child being brought into this world, but if you don't get this baby out of me within the next few minutes, I can promise you I'll snap your fucking neck before you have a chance to even scream."
Both the doctor and Steve were shocked, not only by the severity of those words, but also by the fact that she had managed to get the whole threat out in one breath before another heavy contraction had her throwing her head back in pain.
"You've got yourself quite the lady there Mr. Rogers," the doctor swallowed thickly with a strained smile.
He chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah, we try not to get on her bad side."
Steve was brought back to the situation at hand when he felt Cadence reach out for him. She clutched onto the hand closest to her like it was her lifeline, looking into his eyes to find comfort in her husband's loving, caring, compassionate gaze that, in that moment, seemed to belong to nothing else but her.
"We're having our baby Steve…" she smiled widely at him, despite the mass amount of excruciating pain she was in. Steve returned the smile as his gaze softened. He leaned down and kissed his wife gently on the forehead, her hand gripped firmly in his own as he practically radiated his love for her.
"Yeah," he chuckled as her words truly sunk in for what seemed like the first time in the past nine months. "Yeah we are."
"Cadence Rogers?"
The few people left in the waiting room at the early hour of the morning jumped in their seats when the group of intimidating individuals stood simultaneously at the name that was called. After all, it wasn't often that you saw the Avengers sitting in the maternity ward of the local hospital with worried looks on their faces.
Bucky was the first to respond, "Is everything okay?"
The nurse nodded with a polite smile, "Of course. I just wanted to let you know that you can go back and see them now if you'd like."
The group nodded in unison before they followed after the petite woman.
The room was quiet from the outside. As soon as they opened the door and stepped inside the large hospital room, however, they understood why.
"Hey guys," a sweat-covered Cadence greeted them all with an exhausted, yet dopey grin. "Come in and meet your niece."
They all moved forward. Bruce, Natasha, and Clint remained near the door, all three being perfectly content with watching from a distance. Bucky, on the other hand, was the first to reach the bed.
He stood beside Steve and looked down at the little bundle of pink in his arms. His face lit up in one of the most genuine smiles he's given in quite a long time as he looked down into the eyes of his absolutely adorable niece. Never did he think that there would come a day where he or Steve would have a child of their own, a family of their own. And although he had found a family in the Avengers, and Cadence as well, seeing the little bundle of innocence staring up at her mother and father like they were her whole world, because they were, gave him a new sense of hope. It gave him hope that even though things were bad in the past, he still had a bright future to look forward to.
And maybe one day, even if it might not be anytime soon, he could have a family like this as well.
"What's her name?" he asked, scooting closer to the bed as Tony and Thor crowded in to get a closer look at the new addition to the Avengers family.
Cadence and Steve shared a smile before Steve answered, "Guys, say hello to Carter Marie Rogers."
Everybody smiled at the name, even Natasha surprisingly enough. Bucky, however, was the first to make the connection. He clapped a hand on his best friend's back, taking mind of the child in said man's arms.
"Congratulations Punk. I'm happy for you."
"Yes, we all are! I send you the best of wishes from Asgard and I hope your lives together as a family are swell!" Thor exclaimed in excitement.
Everybody cringed at the intensity of his voice, but surprisingly enough, Carter had remained completely undisturbed by the god's unnecessary volume. In fact, the only sign the newborn showed in terms of acknowledging his presence at all was a slight turn of the head in his direction.
"Huh, would you look at that," Tony snarkily started, "Looks like Mini-Cap is immune to loudness. Thank god for that. I mean, she is living with the Avengers after all."
"Not to mention Cadence…"
"I'm sorry, what was that Clint?" Cadence raised a brow at the man standing across the room.
He cleared his throat, "Oh, uh- nothing. Just clearing my throat."
She rolled her eyes, "Sure."
"So, uh…" Bucky trailed off, shifting slightly on his feet. "Can I… hold her?"
Cadence smiled gently at his behavior. Seeing him this nervous over something so simple was, straight up, the most heartwarming thing she's ever seen. She nodded and motioned for Steve to hand their daughter over to the anxious man. He was slightly reluctant at first, but caved once he saw the look on his best friend's face. After giving quick instructions on how to properly support a baby's head, he gently placed Carter into Bucky's arms.
The look on the man's face was priceless as he stared down at the little girl with complete adoration. Steve looked at Cadence, who nodded before opening her mouth to speak.
"So Bucky, we were wondering…"
Bucky looked up briefly, only taking his eyes off of his niece for a brief second to show Cadence he was listening to her.
"Would you like to be her Godfather?" Steve finished.
Bucky's eyes widened as he stared his two best friends in shock, "Are you serious?"
"Of course," Cadence smiled, leaning into Steve's side as he slid an arm around her shoulders.
He nodded, "O-of course. Yes, that would be… yeah."
The face-splitting grin that he gave them was more than enough to tell them that they had made the right decision.
"Oh, and Natasha? We would like for you to be the Godmother," Cadence said. Said woman was slightly thrown for a loop, so much so that her face briefly slipped into that of shock and confusion before she was able to collect herself.
"I would love to," she responded, her lips turning into the biggest smile anybody has ever seen from her.
Cadence knew a little bit about her past from what the red-headed woman has told her and she knew that this would mean a lot to her. She was really happy that Natasha could feel a little bit of happiness after everything she's been through.
"Don't get ahead of yourself Metallica. You may be the Godfather, but I'm going to be the favorite uncle. Just you wait."
"Don't you mean favorite grandfather Tony?" Cadence asked innocently. Bucky smirked at the remark, as well as Natasha and Clint while Steve, Bruce, and Thor chuckled in amusement.
"Not cool Kay. Not cool…"
They all continued to chat as Carter was passed from one person to another. Cadence and Steve had to admit that they were quite surprised with how quiet and calm their daughter was throughout it all. They were sure that seeing all the new faces would make her at least a little fussy, but it seems like she has already adjusted to everything and was completely chill with what was going on.
After Natasha had her turn, Cadence had realized something, "Bruce, your turn."
He tensed, before shaking his head, "No. That's fine…"
As much as she sympathized with the poor man and knew where he was coming from, that answer just simply wasn't going to fly with Cadence. She shook her head, "Come on Bruce. You won't hurt her, trust me. You have nothing to worry about."
He didn't move at first. After a few moments, he hesitantly made his way over to the bed from his corner of the room. "Look, I really-"
"Natasha, hand her over to Bruce. You can hold her more later."
The woman nodded before turning to place the baby girl in Bruce's arms. The, what Cadence liked to call, Baby Effects were almost instantaneous with Bruce. As soon as Carter was secured in his grip, his whole demeanor instantly softened. It seemed that just staring into those wide, innocent, brown eyes sent a wave of calmness and serenity over him.
"See? I think she likes you Bruce," Steve pointed out, noticing how his little girl began dozing off in the scientist's arms: something she hadn't shown any signs of doing since she had been placed into her mother's arms for the first time.
"What's this Bruce?" Tony whispered in mock shock.
"What?" he asked, his voice only serving to knock Carter out like a light.
"Who knew that on top of being a world-renown scientist, gamma-radiation specialist, and giant green monster, Bruce would also be a baby whisperer."
Clint scoffed and Natasha and Bucky laughed while Thor had just managed to remain completely confused as to what was so special about whispering to babies.
"I guess we got a new nickname for ya Science-Buddy."
Bruce shook his head with an amused eye roll. After a few more minutes of holding Carter, Bruce handed her back over to her mother, who was extremely grateful that he had gotten her to pass out so that she didn't have to.
"Thanks Bruce," she whispered.
He gave her a small smile, "No problem Cadence."
"Alright guys, I think it's time for everybody to head out. Cadence here really needs some rest," Steve stood.
Everybody agreed with plans of visiting again in the morning and soon enough, the room was empty with the exception of the new family of three.
Steve had made his way over to the two most important girls in his life with a proud grin on his face. He grabbed his precious daughter in his arms and placed her in the crib the hospital provided for them before crawling into the hospital bed next to his wife. She scooted over to allow him access and cuddled into his side once he got comfortable.
Steve wrapped his arms around his wife while she got situated against him. He placed kisses gently across her face before giving her a quick kiss on the temple, "I love you so much Cade. You and Carter."
She smiled into his neck, "I love you too Steve."
When the nurse came in thirty minutes later to check on the new family, she had immediately turned and left with a big smile on her face at the sight of Captain America and his wife curled up in the hospital bed together with their child resting peacefully beside them.