In which you are Calum's girlfriend, and Michael's best friend. Michael is trying to raise his newborn daughter after her mother dies in childbirth, and she won't stop crying so he calls you for help.
The sound of your phone ringing jerks you from sleep. Pulling yourself from Calum's warm grasp you reach in the general vicinity of the incessant buzzing. Cal reaches for you as you see Michael's face smile up at you from the screen.
"Mikey, are you okay? It's four in the morning"
"Y/N, can you come over?"
You know what's happening immediately. You can hear the wails of a child echo down the phone, and the exhaustion in Michael's voice.
"I'll come over"
"God, thank you Y/N, I'm so sorry-I-"
"Mikey, don't worry about it. Sit tight, I'll be there soon"
Calum groans and reaches for you, groggily mumbling your name.
"Baby, where you going?"
"Michael's."
"Wha..."
He yawns widely.
"Wha...time is it?"
"Early. Go back to sleep, babe, I'll be back in an hour. I think he needs help with Soph."
/
You're the only car on the road as you make the short drive to Michael's place, using your spare key to quietly make your way through the house, following the wailing of a 5 month old baby to the living room.
Michael paces back and forth, tears streaming down his face as he gently rocks Sophie, stroking her mop of blond hair and trying to compose himself.
"Soph, please...please stop crying...Sophie, baby, please"
"Mikey?"
You walk towards him as he lifts his tearstained face. Sophie Clifford lets out a huge wail and Michael's face falls.
"God, Y/N, she won't stop crying, I don't know what to do, she's not hungry and she won't go to sleep and I don't know what to do, I can't do this-"
"Hey, hey, hey...calm down"
You reach for the screaming bundle, and slowly bring your goddaughter to your chest, rocking her until her cries fade, and she just whimpers.
Michael sinks down onto the couch and buries his head in his hands.
"She needs her mum, Y/N"
"Mikey..."
"She doesn't want me, she needs her mum. I can't help her"
Fresh tears roll down his cheeks as I pass his daughter to him. His lip trembles as his he stares into her face, sleeping peacefully now. His eyes are sunken, his chin shadowed and his hair sticks out in all directions. He's lost weight, too, his shirt hanging limply on his frame.
"I'm a terrible father"
You feel like there's a hand squeezing your heart.
"No, Mikey, you're not. You're sad and exhausted and not thinking straight. And yeah, Soph does need her mother but...Crystal isn't here"
He's not crying anymore, just staring sorrowfully into Sophie's face.
"She has you, and you are all she needs. And you are the only parent she has, but you can't be a good father when you're running on an hour of sleep and five cups of coffee."
"I just don't know what to do"
"Of course you don't, you've never been a parent before. But you'll work it out, and I'm here for you, and so are a bunch of other people who love you and Sophie"
Michael's thumb brushes a stray tear from Sophie's cheek.
"Go to bed, Mike. I'll sit with her and then I'll lie her down with you in a few hours"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. Go on, sleep"
You reach for Sophie and he hands her over gratefully as she snuffles in her sleep. As he disappears upstairs, his shoulder's hunched, you press a kiss to Sophie's head and lay back against the couch, trying to push down your own emotion.
