national anthem → s . rogers ( 2 )

[19]

Steve parked his motorbike outside of the apartment building and climbed off carefully. He grabbed his shield in one hand and his bag in the other before heading into the building. He jogged up the stairs, a smile on his lips. 

"Just a few more steps," He hummed, climbing up the last one. He dug around for his keys, pulled them out, and inserted the key into the doorknob. He twisted it and pushed the door open with his hip.

"Blossom, Maria, Edna, Felicia, I'm back!" he called out, but no one answered him. The only response he got was from Creamsicle, who came out to greet him. Steve dropped his bag and shield and stooped to pick up the cat.

"Hey buddy, where's mommy and the others?" he asked, scratching the cat behind the ears. He heard footsteps coming down the hall, and he jerked his head up. He tensed slightly, but relaxed when he saw that it was only Edna.

"Oh, it's only you. Edna, where are the others?" Steve asked, gently setting the cat down.

"Oh Steve, thank god you're home! But what are you doing here? I can't believe you didn't get Maria's message!" Edna exclaimed, and Steve looked at her.

"What message? What are you talking about?" he asked, and she looked at him.

"Blossom went into labor, like, three hours ago! I figured you would've gone straight there!" she said, and Steve's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god... I'm gonna go change, and then I'm gonna go. Can't have me all in Cap gear going into the hospital, it could lead people to her...." Steve mumbled as he rushed into their bedroom. He quickly stripped off the Cap suit and pulled on plain clothes. He rushed back out of the room, and he stopped to look at Edna.

"Are you coming, or are you staying?" he asked.

"I'm staying. I promised I would. Now, go!" she laughed, pushing him back out of the apartment. He snagged his keys again and sprinted down the steps, and made it back to his bike. He climbed on, stuck the key in the ignition, started the bike, and sped off in the direction of the hospital.

***

"Excuse me sir, but you can't just barge in," a nurse said, and he hurried to the front desk.

"I'm sorry, but my wife is here, giving birth. I only just made it back home and rushed back out here. I just need to see her. Her name is Blossom Rogers," he said, brushing his hair back. The nurse looked through and nodded.

"I'm afraid you can't just go in, sir. You'll have to wait outside of her room," she said softly.

"And I'm afraid I can't just do that. She's my wife, giving birth to our child, and I want to be with her," he was growing impatient, but the nurse shook her head. 

"I'm very sorry sir, but you cannot go in. You will be brought in once it's over," she said, her voice soft but stern. With a huff, Steve pushed off of the desk and went to look for her room. When he came across her room, Felicia was standing outside.

"Oh, finally! You're here!" Felicia sighed, and Steve nodded.

"Yes, I only just got home, ad then Edna told me where Blossom was. Is she okay? Where's Maria?" Steve asked.

"Relax, Maria's in there with Blossom. I assume everything's a-okay," she said gently, and he nodded. Together, they stood outside of the room, with Steve biting his thumbnail. He began to pace outside of the room, and Felicia rolled her eyes.

"You know she'll be okay, Steve. She's a tough girl," Felicia said softly, and Steve paused to look at her.

"I know you're right, but I can't help but worry. I wanted to be there with her, have her holding my hand, and even though my pain tolerance isn't high than the next guy's, have her squeezing it as hard as she needed to," Steve said softly, and Felicia looked down. She was about to respond, but a nurse came out of the room.

"Are you here to see Mrs. Rogers?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm her husband. Is everything all right?" he asked, panic being the first emotion to rise.

"Sir, everything is fine. She'll be pretty tired, but everything is okay. You may go in and see her," the nurse nodded, and she left. Steve and Felicia shared a look, and she let him in first. He slowly entered the room, and he saw Blossom, breathing a bit quicker, holding their tightly bundled daughter, wrapped up in a pink blanket with a pink cap.

"Steve... you're back. I'm so happy you're back," she whispered when she saw him. Steve jogged over, and Maria pushed a chair towards him. He took it and sat down by Blossom, looking at their daughter.

"I told them her name already. So, would you like to hold our little Victoria Sarah Rogers?" she asked, and Steve nodded. Gently, she handed their daughter to him, and he held her close to his chest. She fussed a little, being taken from her mother's warmth, but she quickly leaned into Steve's chest. 

"She's so small," he whispered, and Blossom laughed softly.

"Many newborn babies are, sweetheart. Now, w have another birthday to worry about. March 8, remember it," she teased.

"I'll never forget it. She's got your hair color," he smiled, and Victoria turned slightly. She opened her eyes, and she peered up at him, her eyes a bright blue.

"And, as of right now, she has your eyes. Believe me, if she has the dark hair bright eyes combo, any boy or girl will be begging for her attention," Blossom smiled.

"No boy or girl will ever be good enough for my Princess," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his daughter's head.

"She's so beautiful," he whispered, and Blossom nodded.

"Steve, we did it. We're parents," she said softly, and he leaned over to kiss her softly. They pulled back from each other, and Blossom closed her eyes, feeling worn out. Maria smiled at them and left to go get a coffee from the cafeteria. Soon, Blossom was fast asleep, and Steve was holding a now sleeping Victoria.

"Nothing is ever going to hurt you, okay Princess? Daddy's gonna make sure that his little girl is always safe, happy, and healthy, because daddy loves you so much, and always will, no matter what happens," he whispered.