A Fighting Chance (Tom Holland AU) [2]

Twenty-Six

As he sat holding Annabelle, I gently rested my head on his shoulder and put a gentle hand on his leg. "She's such a strong fighter," I whispered, and he shrugged.

"Her parents are superheroes. It's in her blood." I chuckled at that, looking up at him. Another tear had slid down his cheek, and I reached up and wiped it gently.

"I know this is hard, baby. I can see it in your eyes how much you love our little bundle of joy."

"I do. I really, truly do." His voice was soft, and I pressed my lips to his cheek.

"I feel awful that everyone keeps gushing over me and how hard this has been on me. It's been equally as hard on you, yet no one sees that." He had yet to take his eyes off of her, and I saw more tears forming and slipping out.

"It's so fucking hard." He whispered, and I took a deep breath.

"Title of your sex tape," I whispered, and he chuckled lightly. "But seriously, baby. I know you're suffering just as much as I am with this."

"I mean, I'm getting by. I have my darling and my beautiful baby girl by my side this whole time." I smiled as he looked down at me, pressing a kiss to my forehead. 

"I love you, Tom."

"I love you too, Grace."

As usual, we had to leave our baby girl in the hospital so we could go to bed that night. It tore my heart in half, but there was nothing we could do. As we walked into our apartment, I noticed a note and a plate of cookies on the counter. "What's this?" I looked back at Tom, who shrugged.

You both are going through absolute hell, and we all feel absolutely terrible. These, and the two dishes in your fridge, are to make sure you have one less thing to worry about. Focus everything you have on your family for us, okay?--The cast and crew of Eternally Hunted

I smiled widely as I read the note. "It's from the show. Steph must have brought it all over." I handed Tom the note as I opened our fridge, seeing each of our favorite dishes neatly wrapped.

"This is so sweet." Tom smiled as he set the note down, grabbing a cookie.

"It is." I grinned, looking up at him. He smiled as he held another cookie out for me, and I grinned as I took a bite. I looked up at him, and he chuckled. "What?"

"You're so in love with me." I raised an eyebrow with a smile. "You know how you always say that you just see how much Ali and Zendaya love each other by the way they look at each other?"

"Yeah..."

"I can see it in your eyes whenever you're looking at me." I rolled my eyes, and he chuckled softly. 

"Dork." He shrugged, and I smiled. "I can see it in your eyes too, you know."

"I'm glad to hear that." He grinned as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. I let out a small yawn, and he pressed a kiss to my head. "Let's get some sleep, love."

"Okay." I nodded gently, my voice soft. As the two of us laid in bed, I felt Tom holding me as close as he possibly could. He was the one crying himself to sleep tonight, and I sighed silently as I wiped a stray tear from his cheek as he slept. "We're gonna get through this, baby. I promise." I whispered gently, hoping to reassure both him and myself.

The next day, we were back in our chairs as the doctors observed Annabelle. We didn't want to leave to get food, mainly because we were informed that more fans were at the hospital today. I knew they wanted to show support and wanted to meet us, but we just really wanted to have privacy with this trying time.

With our fingers intertwined as we sat, I noticed a call coming in. I took a deep breath as I answered it. "Hi, Paul."

"Hey there, Grace. How are you and Tom holding up?" His voice was soft as he spoke.

"We're managing. It's really all we can do at this point."

"I'm so sorry you both are going through this, Reg. Is there anything I can do for you guys or Frank Jr. Jr.?" I chuckled at that, and Tom raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't even met our daughter yet and you're giving her a nickname?" I could see Tom smile slightly as he heard what I said. "I don't know if I should be impressed or concerned, Crap Bag."

"Neither. You should feel honored. A nickname from me is practically a term of endearment at this point." He chuckled, and I smiled.

"Well, thank you, Crap Bag. I'm sure she'll love it."

"I can't wait to meet her. Let me know if there's anything you need from me or any of your Marvel family, okay?"

"Of course, Paul. Thank you." I grinned softly. After I hung up, I sighed and leaned my head on Tom's shoulder. "I know it comes from a good place, but I'm so sick of everyone saying that."

"What do you mean, baby?" He pressed a kiss to my cheek, playing with our locked fingers.

"The whole 'let me know if there's anything you need' thing. We need our baby girl to be okay and healthy." He sighed, letting go of my hand and pulling me into his lap. "I know it comes from a good place, but they can't get what we need."

"I know, darling. I know." His voice was a soft whisper, as it usually was when he comforted me like this. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and I felt a tear slip down my cheek. 

"I'm sorry, Tom."

"Don't be, darling. None of this is your fault." I saw tears slipping from his eyes, and I reached up and wiped them gently. "Annabelle's going to pull through. I just know it."

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