OS collection - special tears

Newtina - Smile

Newt Scamander never thought he'd be as stressed as the day his first child was born.

Tina had woken him up in the middle of the night with the delicacy of a woman in labor —by whacking a pillow in his face—and a single word from her had been enough to wake him up completely.

"Right - the bag!" he exclaimed, jumping out of bed.

Tina sat up, breathing heavily.

"Newt," she groaned. "Breathe, you're going to stress me up."

Newt took a deep breath.

"Sorry," he stammered. "Can... can you stand up?" he asked, walking to her to hold out his hand.

She swapped his arm away before standing up on her own. But when she started to stagger, she grabbed her husband's forearm for a solid support. Newt grabbed the bag they had prepared several days before and slipped his arm around Tina's waist to support her.

They went down the stairs and out of the house. Newt opened the passenger-side door to let Tina settle in, making sure she was comfortably seated (at least, as comfortable as one could be at nine months pregnant) before walking around the car to get behind the wheel.

"Are you okay?" he asked Tina as he turned on the ignition.

In response, she let out a grunt, her hands clenched on her stomach.

Newt set off, perhaps driving a little fast compared to the imposed limitation. Anyway, there was no one on the streets at that hour, and all he cared about was his wife, in the passenger seat.

Luckily, the hospital wasn't far away, and Tina didn't have to hit her husband to stop telling her to breathe ("Of course I'm breathing, otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you!").

Newt supported Tina to the maternity ward, and they were soon settled into a room.

After several hours of suffering during which Newt learned new words, a midwife placed a small pink package in Tina's arms.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Scamander," she smiled. "It's a healthy little girl."

"A girl," Tina whispered, slightly breathless, looking down at the baby who had calmed down as soon as she was in her arms.

Newt, his sight blurred by tears, moved closer to the bed, still gently stroking his wife's hair.

"She's perfect," he stammered.

He stroked the little girl's cheek with his fingertips, as if the dream would be broken and everything would disappear if he touched her.

"Welcome, Elisabeth," he whispered, using for the first time the name they had chosen several weeks before.

"Mummy and Daddy love you so much," Tina whispered, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

The baby let out a small sigh, her eyes closing on their own, snuggled in her mother's arms.

"Do you want to hold her?" said Tina softly, looking up at her husband.

His throat knotted with emotion, he nodded. He sat down next to her on the bed, and she gently placed their daughter in her arms.

Newt watched the baby's tiny features, fascinated.

Tina leaned against his shoulder, a smile on her lips. Despite the fatigue, her happiness was perfect.

After a few hours, they decided that Newt was going to go home to retrieve some things for him and Tina.

Kissing his wife and daughter one last time, Newt walked out of the room, a smile on his face.

He walked to the car, his thoughts still directed to the two women of his life.

The day was almost over now, and the sun was beginning to sink towards the horizon.

He was so happy that he didn't see the truck coming from the right, all lights off. The vehicle hit him at full speed, and his car rolled over several times before crashing into a tree and coming to a stop. 

Inside, Newt Scamander remained motionless, the ghost of his last smile still etched upon his face.

*****

Tina Scamander did not learn the news until several hours later, when one of the firefighters called to the accident found her phone number in Newt's, whose only damage had been the cracked screen.

Elisabeth slept in the crib by the bed, oblivious to what had just happened.

Tina's phone slipped out of her hands, falling with a dull thud on the bed. The midwife, who had just knocked on the door, ran just in time to prevent him from slipping out of bed, sobs shaking her entire body.

*****

During her stay in the maternity ward, Tina focused her entire attention on her daughter. But she couldn't help but be crushed by the absence of the person who should have been by her side during those moments, who should have learned at the same time as she did the proper way to bathe their daughter.

When the day came for them to return home, Queenie came to pick them up in the car, hugging her sister for a long time.

The blonde stayed until the evening, helping Tina tidy up and preparing dinner.

But when she went away, and Tina was left alone with Elizabeth in the house, she could not restrain her tears. Newt's absence was heavier in their house, where they had been so happy.

Wherever she looked, memories of him came back to her memory, each more painful than the last, now that he was no longer there to remember them with her.

*****

Later that night, Tina was awakened by Elizabeth's crying, after having slept only what seemed to her to be only a few minutes, crushed by grief and tears.

She cradled the little girl in her arms, gently rocking her.

"Shh, sweetheart..." she whispered. "Mummy's here, Mummy's here."

She felt fresh tears welling up in her eyes, and she closed her eyelids as she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

The baby began to calm down, and Tina rocked her until she fell asleep again.

And when Elizabeth, just before she went to sleep, smiled so innocent that it melted Tina's heart, she knew she still had a reason to live.