Zayne had never been afraid before.
Not in Avalon fighting demons and vampires. Not dying six times and being reborn with no memories. Not fighting through Linkon's outbreak or being hunted by his own government.
But this—this—terrified him.
He paced outside the delivery room like a caged animal, still in his surgical scrubs from being pulled out of an operation the moment Nana's water broke.
His hands shook. Ice kept forming unconsciously around his fingers, melting, forming again. Temperature control completely gone.
*What if something goes wrong? What if the enhancements affect the baby? What if Nana—what if—*
"Zayne, sit down," his mother said gently from her chair. "You're wearing a hole in the floor."
"I can't sit. Nana's in there. She's—the baby's coming and I should be—"
"The medical team knows what they're doing. Nana is strong. The baby is healthy. Breathe."
William nodded calmly. "Your mother delivered you after thirty-six hours of labor. Nana's been in there for four. This is nothing."
"FOUR HOURS IS NOT NOTHING—"
The delivery room door opened.
A nurse stepped out, smiling. "Dr. Li? Your wife is asking for you. She says you're being ridiculous and need to stop panicking."
"She said that?"
"Direct quote."
Zayne rushed inside immediately.
Nana sat propped up in the hospital bed, looking... completely fine?
No screaming. No distress. Just slightly sweaty and annoyed.
"Zayne! Finally! Tell these nurses I can push harder—"
"Mrs. Li, please don't push harder than instructed—"
"But I COULD push harder! I'm barely trying!"
The doctor monitoring her looked stressed. "Your enhanced physiology is making this... unusually efficient. But we still need to follow standard procedures—"
"BORING. Let me just—" Nana gripped the bed rails and pushed.
The rails bent under her enhanced strength.
"Mrs. Li—!"
"PUSH!" the head nurse instructed, giving up on standard protocols.
Nana pushed. Once. Hard.
And the baby was there.
Just—immediately. One push and crying filled the room.
The medical team scrambled, catching the baby, clamping the cord, cleaning and checking vitals with practiced efficiency despite the shock of the fastest delivery in hospital history.
"It's a girl!" the doctor announced. "Healthy. Strong. Very... very strong lungs."
The baby was crying—loud, demanding, fierce—and Zayne felt his heart explode.
*A daughter. We have a daughter. She's here. She's real. She's OURS.*
They placed her in Nana's arms carefully.
And she was beautiful.
Hazel-green eyes—Zayne's eyes, his mother's eyes—blinking up at them with newborn confusion. Nana's delicate features. Tiny fists already waving, trying to grab everything in reach.
"She's perfect," Nana breathed, tears streaming down her face. "Zayne, look at her. She's so beautiful."
Zayne couldn't speak. Could barely breathe. Just stared at this tiny human they'd created together.
*Our daughter. Our child. Our Elizabeth.*
The baby's foot kicked out suddenly, connecting with the medical tray beside the bed.
The tray clattered across the room with surprising force.
Everyone froze.
"Did she just—" the nurse started.
"Kick the tray," Nana finished, laughing through tears. "She kicked it! Zayne, she's got my kicking instinct!"
"Oh no," Zayne said, half-laughing, half-terrified. "She's going to be exactly like you."
"PERFECT!"
He moved closer, reaching out with shaking hands. Nana transferred their daughter to his arms carefully.
She was so tiny. So fragile-looking despite the enhanced strength evident in that kick.
Zayne cradled her gently, supporting her head like the textbooks instructed, and just... stared.
"Hi, Elizabeth," he whispered. "I'm your dad. I've been waiting to meet you for nine months. You're—you're everything."
The baby—Lizzie—blinked up at him with those hazel-green eyes and made a small noise. Not quite a cry. More like a questioning sound.
*Who are you? Where am I? What's happening?*
"You're safe," Zayne promised. "You're loved. You're ours."
The medical team checked Nana thoroughly.
"How's your pain level?" the doctor asked. "On a scale of one to ten—"
"Maybe a four?" Nana said, sitting up without difficulty. "It hurt but like... manageable? Is that normal?"
"For a normal delivery, pain levels typically range from seven to ten—"
"SEVEN TO TEN?!" Nana looked horrified. "How do normal women survive that?! That's AWFUL!"
Zayne smiled slightly, holding Lizzie while the nurses cleaned up. "Enhanced metabolism and reinforced tissue probably reduced your pain significantly. Your body is designed to withstand extreme physical stress."
"That's—that's so unfair for normal women! Childbirth should not hurt that much! That's TERRIBLE!"
"Welcome to human reproduction," the doctor said dryly. "You're extremely lucky with your modifications."
"For ONCE the specimen thing is useful," Nana muttered.
After the medical team confirmed both mother and baby were healthy (suspiciously healthy, but they were used to enhanced individuals by now), Zayne's parents were allowed in.
Sophia burst through the door and immediately started crying. "Oh! Oh, she's beautiful! She has your eyes, Zayne!"
William was more composed but his eyes were wet. "Congratulations. Both of you. She's perfect."
They took turns holding Lizzie, cooing over every tiny feature. Her nose. Her fingers. Her surprisingly strong grip.
"She's going to be a handful," William predicted. "Look at that determined expression."
"She kicked a medical tray," Nana said proudly. "Right out of the womb. That's my daughter."
"That's concerning," Sophia said. But she was smiling. "Though not surprising given her parents."
They stayed for an hour, taking approximately one million photos, before leaving to let the new parents rest.
.
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Nana fell asleep almost immediately after Zayne's parents left.
Exhausted from delivery despite her enhanced recovery. Curled on her side, breathing deeply, finally resting.
Zayne sat in the chair beside her bed, cradling Lizzie in his arms.
Night duty. First night as a father. First time holding his daughter without nurses hovering.
She was asleep too—tiny chest rising and falling, little fingers curled against his shirt.
*My daughter. My child. My Elizabeth.*
"Hi, Lizzie," he whispered. "It's just us now. Your mom's sleeping. So I wanted to talk to you."
The baby made a small sound but didn't wake. Just... listened? Maybe? Hard to tell with newborns.
"I'm your dad. Dr. Zayne Li. But you can call me whatever you want when you're older. Dad. Papa. 'That person who worries too much'—your mom will probably teach you that one."
He smiled, adjusting his hold carefully. "I'm going to worry about you. A lot. Probably too much. Your grandparents can confirm I'm excessive about medical care and safety protocols."
Lizzie yawned. Tiny, adorable yawn.
Zayne's heart melted completely.
"You might be enhanced. Like your mom and me. We don't know yet. The tests won't show anything for a few months. But..." He touched her tiny hand. "It doesn't matter. Enhanced or not. Strong or fragile. We're going to love you exactly as you are."
"If you are enhanced—if you're like us—people might be afraid. Might call you a weapon. Might think you're dangerous."
His voice hardened. "We won't let them hurt you. We'll teach you to choose kindness. To be more than your modifications. To be human no matter what your DNA says."
Lizzie's hand closed around his finger. Strong grip. Enhanced strength already evident.
"Yeah," Zayne said softly. "You're probably going to be like your mom. Strong. Fierce. Chaotic. Kicking things from day one."
He laughed quietly. "I'm terrified. You're going to be a handful. Going to give me heart attacks daily. But I'm so, so happy you're here."
"I promise to love you. No matter what. No matter who you become. No matter how many medical trays you kick or how many times you give me panic attacks."
He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I promise to protect you. To give you choices I didn't have. To show you that being enhanced doesn't make you a weapon—it just makes you you."
"I promise to be the best father I can be. Even when I'm overprotective. Even when I worry too much. Even when your mom laughs at me for panicking over normal baby things."
Lizzie made another small sound. Content. Safe. Loved.
"Welcome to the world, Elizabeth Li. You're going to be amazing. I can already tell."
He held her through the night while Nana slept. While the hospital quieted. While the world outside continued spinning.
First night as a father. First night holding proof that they'd survived everything and built something beautiful.
Day 395.
New life. New hope. New beginning.
Perfect.
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To be continued.