TW: mention of dementia
She was breaking and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Marcus was right by her every single step of the way up until the very much anticipated day that was the birth of the baby. They didn't look for the gender of the child just yet because they wanted a little surprise. She sat up in the maternity ward fidgeting. She was no nervous. Two family members were in hospital that day for two very different reasons; life and death. Marcus was running between the two as his girlfriend wanted to hear how her dad was doing an dhe had no problem doing that whatsoever.
"Marcus, he wants to see you." Marcus furrowed his eyebrows. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "Just come in." Marcus walked in by himself as his mother in law shut the door behind him. It was just him and her father. Marcus sat down beside him and waited for him to speak. "Who are you?" he asked. "Marcus, I'm Marcus." he replied. Y/n's dad nodded and reached for a piece of pen and paper. "Well you kept running to my room and then away again so you must be related." Marcus thought for a moment. "Well not exactly. I'm your son in law." Her dad handed him the paper and pen which Marcus took. "I need you to write this down then." Marcus prepped the pen but admittedly, was still confused. "I need you to write this down, word for word and promise you'll keep every single promise I write down. Can you do that Marcus?" Marcus nodded his head. "Okay, then. Get this down."
Marcus returned to his fiancee about twenty minutes after with a piece of paper folded into his pocket with a list of promises written. He heard some whimpers and cries coming, familiar ones at that. "Where's Marcus?!" he heard her scream. Marcus began sprinting towards her room and practically fell through the door. "I'm here! I'm here babe!" he said grabbing her hand and moving some hair out of her face. "Where were you?" she asked out of breath. "Don't worry about that, I'm here now. Let's just send it, yeah?" he suggested making her chuckle a bit.
After a grueling twenty minutes of labour, the beautiful baby came along screaming and crying as well as his parents too. Marcus wiped tears from his eyes as he was brought over to cut the umbilical chord and cried even harder when the screams got louder. "Babe! Our child hates me!" Y/n laughed as Marcus brought him over in his arms and handing him over to Y/n. "Look at him! He's got such soft hair! Aw look he's yawning!" Marcus said looking at the creature in awe. The pair looked towards the door as it swung open and in walked Y/n's mother. "Mum, mum look at him! Isn't he so-" she paused as she saw the tears streaming from her mother's eyes. No. He couldn't. "I'm so sorry darling." Y/n's eyes welled up with tears as the realisation sunk in and sobs escaped her. Marcus rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to try and comfort her.
Y/n held her baby close and wiped the tears that fell onto his face off. "I'm so sorry baby. I'm sorry." she sniffed. The baby gripped his mother's finger and squeezed three times. Her facial expression softened and a smile came upon her lips as she thought of a name. "Marcus, can we call him-" she didn't even have to finish her sentence, Marcus already knew what she was going to ask and he happily agreed. "Of course darling, of course we can." She smiled. "Shall I go and tell the nurses then?" Y/n nodded before Marcus gave both his fiancee and son a kiss before leaving to go and inform the nurses of the name.
As he waited for some paperwork to go through, he took out the piece of paper that Y/n's father made him write. Itt was Quitte poetic, quite romantic and completely and utterly beautiful in every shape and form.
I, Marcus Armstrong, promise that Y/n will be my on, my only, my forever and myy always. My shoulder to cry on, the person I go to to seek council and love and vice versa. I promise to take care of her no matter the consequence and will never bee the reason she cried, but more so the reason she smiles. And now I pledge as my father in law lays on his death bed, that when she walks down the aisle, I will hold her hand and when it comes time for my vowes, I read these very words. I will forever love you my princess and so, with these words, I pledge my love for eternity.
These promises had to be kept. It wasn't that he wasn't going to do any of them, itt was more that now he promised this to another person too. "Mr Armstrong? Your paperwork is finished now." The nurse told him. Marcus thanked her as he folded the paper back up and walked back to his future wife with the little nametag bracelet in his hand, reading over the name again and again. 'Y/d/n" Marcus stopped right outside the door and looked in as Y/n sat talking with her mother, both very much saddened by the loss of a great man. Marcus looked up and smiled.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure she smiles. I did promise you didn't I?"