Purge (Larry Stylinson au)

Chapter 6

After a few minutes, Zayn takes Darcy from Harry to clean her off with the water he had sent Liam to get. Liam had gotten another water bottle for Harry as well, which he downs in almost one go. 

Zayn cuts Darcy's umbilical cord with the knife from his belt, and wraps her up in a blanket. He has Niall hold her while he assists Harry with delivering the placenta, which turns out to be much easier than delivering the baby itself. He wraps it up in a plastic bag to preserve it as best he can.

"Why would you keep that?" Niall asks, appalled when Zayn puts it in the jeep. 

"I don't know how long we're going to be out on the run," Zayn says matter of factly. "The placenta is a great form of nutrients. If we get stuck out in the forest, you'll be grateful we have something to eat."

"Yeah, but it like... came out of Harry," Niall argues, looking uncomfortable. 

"So did the baby you're holding," Liam teases. 

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to, Niall, but lots of people do," Zayn declares. "That's not uncommon."

"Niall," Harry interrupts, gesturing to his best friend. "I want to hold her."

Niall smiles softly and goes to Harry's side, handing him his daughter. Harry cradles her gently in his arms. She's absolutely adorable and he brushes her cheek gently with the back of his finger, admiring her. 

Her hair is even curlier now that it's clean and dry, but it also looks lighter than he initially thought, closer to Louis's caramel hair color than his dark chocolate one. Her blue eyes are closed now, and she's sighing softly in her sleep. She has the button nose that Harry did when he was a baby, and when she yawns slightly, he can see she has his dimples as well. Other than that, she looks exactly like Louis. The thought breaks his heart and heals it at the same time. It's only fitting that his daughter look exactly like her father, even though he's not around anymore. At least he still has that piece of Louis with him. 

"Hi baby girl," he whispers to his daughter. "It's me, your papa. I'm going to take such good care of you, little one," he assures her, even though he knows she's not listening. "You are so loved, baby. I love you so much. I know your daddy would too. You look just like him, you know that? You're absolutely beautiful, baby girl. I can't wait to spend more time with you and to get to know you. I'm going to keep you safe, love, I promise."

With those words, he kisses her head and rocks her gently in his arms, feeling tears fall from his eyes. His friends have the good grace not to say anything about it. 

He sits with his baby, just staring at her in silence for nearly twenty minutes more until his adrenaline finally fades and he begins to feel absolutely exhausted. Zayn notices and helps him change into a clean set of clothes that he found in his backpack. Then he settles Harry in the backseat of the jeep, tucking Darcy in on the floor beneath him where she's nestled in a bed made of Liam's bomber jacket and the hoodie Niall was wearing when they left the base. 

It only takes a few moments for Harry to fall asleep. 

----

He wakes to the sounds of a baby's cry and it takes him a moment to remember everything that had happened a few hours before. But when he does, he looks down at his baby, wailing on the ground, her cute little face squished in frustration. 

"Shhh..." Harry coos, picking her up gently and bouncing her lightly in his arms. "Hush, baby, it's okay, I'm right here."

Darcy continues crying, though, and Harry smiles. "Are you hungry, love?" he asks. 

Darcy, being a baby and all, doesn't respond. Harry pulls his shirt up as best he can with one arm, freeing his chest. Before Darcy was born, he did some research on breastfeeding, so he knows the basic concept of how to do it. He guides Darcy's head to where it needs to be, helping direct her until she finally latches onto him. Immediately her cries stop and she begins to suck his milk hungrily.