The Typhoon ~Vash x OC AU~

Chapter 3: Vash's Little

Leilani

She looks just like she did before.

Just how I remember her.

A tiny little thing squirming in her pediatric bed. Dark curls roll from under the hem of the cap that is now secure on her little skull. A pink blanket swaddles her, making her cheeks look so rosy. Her eyes are open, looking so big and glossy as she sticks out her tongue and grunts.

I reach over, placing my finger in her hand and she grips it. I smile. She's such a strong little thing.

"Hello, sweet girl," I whisper, watching her through the clear bin. "Do you remember me?"

My heart clenches as I ask this. It's only been three days since she entered this world, and just as long since I've last been near her. At first, I was afraid maybe over these last three days I had missed so much. I still feel as if I had. But finally seeing her and being near her, I feel relieved to know that she is still here. Still my little girl. Still my baby.

"It's good to see you awake," Meryl says.

She sits in the seat at my bedside. It's just the three of us – her, the baby, and me – in this bright box of a room. Dizziness still pulls at my vision, but it is becoming increasingly easier to wrestle through it.

"It's good to be awake," I smile, turning to her. "And it's good to finally see some familiar faces. How is everyone? You, Roberto, Nicholas?" I lift a brow. "Is Nicholas staying out of trouble?"

Meryl giggles, "As much as he is capable of. You know how he is."

"Still being an ass, then. Got it."

We laugh and a thin layer of silence falls over us, but it is a painfully loud quietness. One that causes my chest to tighten and my heart to shrivel. I know Meryl feels it too. It is a sensation that we have both been avoiding since a member of Luida's team escorted her and the baby into my room.

But it stretches, falling over us with a heaviness that I almost don't want to fight.

Just let it fall and crush me. Maybe then I could forget about everything beyond this room.

"We're all fine," she finally says. She tries to smile but I can see the pain in her eyes. "Luida and Brad and everyone else on Ship 3 has been very welcoming and kind. Very accommodating."

I nod, "It seems that way. But that's good. I'm glad."

There's a lump taking shape in my throat. I keep trying and trying to push him from my mind – to block the image of his face – but no matter what, he keeps creeping back in, and it hurts.

My eyes fall back to my baby, but as I look at her, I see the different parts that are him. Her nose is a miniature version of his. The pink flush of her cheeks is like his. The fair complexion of her skin is a carbon copy of his. And her eyes, though still tinted by that newborn dark blue, remind me of his.

She is his through and through. His mini. Almost, anyway. The crown of dark curls she inherited from me, despite that blonde streak. But she is his.

And he didn't even get to hold her.

That still hurts to think. Knowing that Vash took off, having never held his daughter. Having never gotten to know her. Having never named her. He left, ready to defend and protect us, but he still left.

The silence barrels down more and Meryl breaks it, saying, "Leilani, it's okay if you want to talk about him."

I swallow, "No, it's okay. I don't need to."

Lying like this is painful, but I'm too scared to say anything. Too scared of what will pour out of me and how it'll feel.

She's quiet for a moment, then: "I know you don't want to. I know that you're scared and worried, but we all are. Even Roberto." I turn and meet her gaze. "None of us know where he is, but I want you to know that no matter what, the rest of us are here for you. For you and Little."

I knit my brows. "Little?"

She fidgets with her fingers as if she was a small child who had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "That's what we've been calling the baby."

For a moment, the air feels lighter, and the weight on my heart shifts. I look at my baby – at Little – and a jitter of joy dashes through me.

"I like that," I chuckle, turning back to Meryl. "Let me guess, Nicholas?"

"He came up with it," she confesses with a smile. She leans over, her dark eyes falling on the baby. "I kind of just followed behind, and now we all just call her that." She looks back at me. "I know you and Vash didn't get a chance to name her before he took off."

I inhale deeply. "No, we didn't. We didn't even think to discuss names while I was pregnant." I stop and think about it for a moment. "Scratch that. I didn't think to discuss names while I was pregnant. I never asked him." I wiggle my finger slightly and Little keeps her grip. I smile, "I wish I had, though. If he was going to leave, then he should have left at least knowing his daughter's name."

"Do you have a name in mind?"

I think about it for a moment and shake my head. "No. I still don't want to name her without him. Doing that feels...wrong."

"That's fair."

Little continues to grunt and squirm, then lets out a mighty yawn. I smile. My pregnancy with her was so unexpected and unplanned, and I had been so scared. I had been so unprepared and frustrated. I hadn't wanted any of this. Not her and not motherhood. And at the time, that was valid for me. I was not in that headspace, but now, as I look at this little girl, I can't imagine my life without her.

I look forward to getting to know her.

"For now, Little is a good nickname," I say. I glimpse back at Meryl. "And thank you. For everything. For helping me through all this. For being supportive. For watching over her while I was sick. And for being an amazing friend."

Meryl's eyes become glossy as a soft tint of pink dusts over her cheeks. Her lips tremble as she says through a muffled, bubbly sob, "Awe! I would give you a hug right now, but I don't want to mess up your IV."

I smile, extending my free arm. "It's okay. Hug away."

She throws her arms around me, and we hug. She feels warm and her embrace is gentle, almost as if she's afraid to break me. She probably is afraid of that. I understand. I get it.

She pulls away and we sit for a moment, admiring and gawking at Little, but I still feel it. The way that unspoken ache tugs at me. It wants me to speak, and it wants me to ask, but I swallow it.

Right now, Little and Meryl are both here. Right now, they're what matters. Right now...

His face flashes through my mind, and instantly, I can feel myself break. Slowly, one by one, hot tears begin to roll down my cheeks, and my chest heaves.

It hurts. Thinking about him. Imagining him. Remembering him. Knowing what we could have had. It all hurts so much.

Meryl must have noticed the trembling in my body because she wraps another hug around me, but luckily, says nothing. She just holds me, and we both remain here, watching Little as she looks up at us.

Vash's Little.

**Ello, ello, lovelies! Look! Meryl and the baby (who is for now fondly known as Little) are both visiting Lani. That said, she's still pretty upset about Vash, and rightfully so. I mean, she loves the guy, plus she just had his kid. Obviously, she is still shaken by this. That said, where is Vash? Surely, he didn't go after Knives alone. Or did he? I know I keep saying it, but we will find out. Don't worry. At the time of typing this (05/13/2024), I'm a little over a month away from my next trip. I'm excited about this one too. It's gonna be a road trip (no planes) that'll take me the furthest east (and north) I have been yet. I'm stoked. Two trips in one year? Unheard of for me. Usually, I'm lucky just to get one, shoot. Random, I know. Well, that'll do for today! Y'all are the bestest! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross