Don't Leave Me

Chapter 8

After the two of them called off of work for the next day Roy spent much time comforting Riza. He knew she would be the one to suffer the most from their actions and wanted nothing more than to take the pain away. Even though he wished he could go back and prevent the pregnancy from happening he vowed to love his future child and protect them with his life. He was going to do his part and be the father he never had. As the two of them sat on his couch his head slowly made its way down to Riza's stomach. This caught Riza by surprise but seeing the gentleness in his face as he rested his head on her with his eyes closed calmed her down. She had never seen this behavior with his before but it brought her much comfort and solidified his promise to never leave either of them. "Riza. If we have a girl I'd love to name her Elizabeth. Elizabeth Hawkeye has such a wonderful sound to it." For the first time since the day before a smile showed itself on Riza's face.

She didn't need to think about it to know he was right. "But what if we have a son Roy? We wouldn't be able to name him Elizabeth." Roy started laugh and was happy to have the old Riza back. After giving it a little thought one name stuck out to him more than any other. "How about Daniel? Daniel Hawkeye." She watched as he unbuttoned her uniform jacket and pulled her shirt up halfway. He studied her stomach and noticed a very small bump had developed. "I like it. A lot actually. Both names are perfect. But, uh, what are you doing Roy?" Roy lightly touched her exposed stomach and followed with a soft kiss. Riza blushed but then stroked his head. "I'm spending a little time with our child. We may have only just found and are still seven months away but I already love them and can't wait to meet them. They may be a mistake we made but they are the best mistake I've ever made. You've made me a very happy man and I don't think I could ever thank you enough."

Riza's eyes welled up as a wave of emotions crashed inside her. She had been worried that Roy would be upset or want her to end the pregnancy but he had just told her the opposite. He was happy and excited. She was seeing a side of him she didn't existed, a fatherly side. "Oh Roy..." She couldn't contain her emotions any longer and started crying once again. These tears were different though. They were tears of joy. Roy had taken noticed and sat back up. He wiped the tears from her face with a smile on his face and held her in his arms. "It's alright. It's the pregnancy making you this way. But please, don't ever think I'd be upset over this or not want it. I would never ask you to do that and I'm going to be counting down every second until the moment I meet our little one. You are giving me a reason to live and reach my goals. All my time off is going to be spent getting my empty room ready for our baby. When I have them they will have a welcoming place to stay in. I promise to love them and never leave them."

"Roy. I didn't know you had a side of you like this. I didn't know how kind hearted you could be and that you had a fatherly side. I'm so glad this happened with you." A small smile accompanied by a sniffle crept over Riza's face. She had been unsure about going through with the pregnancy and had even thought about ending it. Now, however, her mind had changed. "I've decided that I'm going to have our future child and raise it together with you and only you. Thanks to you I've accepted that the two of us are becoming three. I'm no longer going to feel like this is a punishment. I'm going to view our future child as something positive. Not only are we being brought closer together but we have a reason to better this country that doesn't look bad." She hugged Roy tightly and kissed him much to his surprise. "Thank you Roy for opening my eyes."

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Riza ended up staying the night at Roy's house. While she was there they spent the night talking about plans for the birth and after the baby was born. Riza didn't need time to think about what she wanted when it came to the big day. She knew without a doubt she wanted Roy there and would lie to the entire hospital staff to ensure he was present. Determination shown in Roy's eyes and backed with the knowledge that she wanted him there he vowed to do whatever it took to be at the birth. Once in agreement they moved on to the topic of custody. After hours of talking they agreed that Riza would get them for the first two months. During that time Roy would help as much as he possibly could and Riza would still be on leave. Once she finally goes back to work they would alternate every week with Roy starting off the day she came back. All the talk of their future child left the two of them, but mostly Roy, excited and when it came time for them to go to sleep Roy passed out hugging Riza with his head resting on her stomach.

Riza was the first to wake up in the morning and found Roy in the exact same position he fell asleep in. She found him ridiculous but in an adorable way. Her laughter ended up shaking him awake from his sleep causing him to loudly yawn. Once he was awake and aware Roy nuzzled her stomach and kissed her good morning. "Morning you two. I hope you slept well." Riza ran her fingers through his hair with a sleepy smile on her face. "I did but it would seem you slept better. If you're going to use my stomach as a pillow maybe you should wait until I'm bigger when it makes more sense." He lazily sat up and stretched to wake up the rest of the way. He wanted to argue but realized they wouldn't get any more nights like this until she went on leave and that wouldn't be until she was bigger. "Oh fine. You win. It's not like we will get another night like this until you're bigger anyways."

(I want to make it known the name Daniel Hawkeye is not my own idea. It actually is from a piece of fan art featuring Roy and Riza in the hospital after Riza had given birth to their son by the same name. I love the piece so much that how could I not be inspired by it. Shout out to the artist if you happen to read this. I absolutely love your art of the Royai family.)