Tom removed his scrubs as everyone took a seat in the waiting area. He took a moment to compose himself and cleared his throat.
"We had been arguing about things regarding our relationship, which I'm certain you all probably know about."
Jamie and Cory chuckled lightly, making Tom grin.
"It all happened so fast. First we were arguing, then she goes to the bathroom, I hear her screaming and there she is... sitting on the edge of the tub with blood dripping down the side. We came here and the doctor told us that her placenta detached and then the baby's heart rate dropped so we went in for a c-section."
"So then why are you out here and not in with her?" George inquired.
As Tom went to speak, no words could leave his mouth. Only his sobs as he put his hands over his face and bent forward in his seat.
"Tom? What happened?" Pierre asked softly.
Tom inhaled deeply as he leaned back, wiping his hands over his face.
"Everything was going well, but I think Alice started to lose a lot of blood so they took me out of the room while Michelle handles it. I don't know anything else," Tom told them. "And... Oh, my god! I haven't even gotten to see her. I haven't even gotten to see our baby!"
"Calm down, Tom. I'm sure Alice is in good hands." Cory told him, patting his back.
"What if she isn't? What if she dies because of me?"
"Are you crazy?! She's not going to die and you certainly aren't at fault." Jamie protested.
"She looked so lifeless on the table there. She looked exactly like she did after the accident. This is all my fault. I should have told her everything sooner. I should have told her six years ago. I should have just told her!" Tom vented.
"Told her what?" George asked.
Tom looked up at everyone and exhaled sharply as he closed his eyes.
"I should have told her that the accident was my fault," Tom confessed. "I should have told her that I accelerated as I looked at a text message on my phone, not being able to see the guy merge into our lane. I should have told the judge that during our case."
"So that's what it was that you were hiding?" Esther raised her brow.
"Yes. I was the reason we lost the baby. I was the reason for all her suffering. And now... I'm the reason I might lose our baby and Alice." Tom told them, his voice breaking.
"You're not going to lose them. They'll be fine."
"You didn't see what I saw!" Tom exclaimed. "I saw the blood staining the sheets and up to the elbows of Michelle's gown. She needed me there beside her and I couldn't help her. I can't lose her. I can't. I didn't even say I love you to her today. I might lose her and she won't even know that I love her."
"But she does know. She will always know you love her even if you don't say it." George reassured him.
"I failed her as a husband. I've been so mean to her because of this stupid idea in my head."
"What idea?" Esther asked.
"That if I told her the truth, she'd leave me. I love her too much to let her go." Tom spoke softly.
"It's okay now. Alice will be fine and so will the baby." Jamie added.
"I want to thank you all for rushing over here. I know you'd much rather be by her side than mine."
"Tom, I'm going to be honest with you." Esther told him.
Tom's eyes widened as he took a deep breath, waiting for Esther to continue. Jamie and Cory gave each other a knowing look as Esther leaned forward in her seat across from Tom.
"I do hate how you've treated Alice this past few months from what she's told me. It was horrible of you. However, I know how much you care about her. I know you love her and want nothing but the best for her... and I admire that. Despite everything that's happened today, I still hope you consider the possibility of a separation being a good idea."
"Separation?" Jamie's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about?" Cory added.
"When I spoke with Alice, we agreed that her spending time away from you to make you realize that you'd be losing a good woman was a good idea. With what she told me, we thought it best for her to leave so that you could truly see the error of your ways."
"And I've seen them. I've always known about them. I just... I never wanted her to ever leave me," Tom argued. "She's not just a good woman. Alice is the most incredible woman in this world and I was so stupid to think she was anything less."
At that moment, Michelle walked into the waiting room and Tom quickly stood to his feet. She looked over the group and greeted them all one by one with a handshake. She then directed her attention towards Tom and sighed.
"So... what's happened?" He asked.
"We have transferred your daughter to the NICU. Given that Alice was seven and half months along, most of the concerns we have are with her lungs and weight. You can see her shortly. I'll have a nurse come by and escort you to her." Michelle replied.
"And Alice? Tell me she's okay."
Michelle took a deep breath before smiling brightly.
"Alice is stable and doing well."
Tom let out a sigh of relief as he felt his legs give out. Cory was quick to catch him as all the others expressed their excitement at the news.
"When can I see her? When can we all see her?" Tom asked.
"She's being administered a blood transfusion at the moment which will take a few hours to complete. I'd much rather she be visited by you all when it has been completed and she is fully awake and alert." Michelle told him.
"But I can see our daughter?"
"Yes. I'll have a nurse come by shortly to take you to her. If you'd like, you can take one other person."
Michelle then left the area and everyone sat back down in their seats. Tom couldn't stop himself from smiling as he wiped his tears away.
"Oh, god, I feel like a fool." Tom chuckled.
As the others were talking, Tom stepped to the side and called Diana to update her on their situation.
"What's happened, Tom? Are you all alright?"
"Yes, mum, we're good. Alice had to have a c-section and we ran into some complications, but she's good now. She lost some blood so she's having a blood transfusion and our daughter is in the NICU. You can come tomorrow with the kids to see us." Tom told her.
"Would you like to talk to them?"
"Yes! Put them on!" Tom beamed.
He leaned against the wall of the waiting room and did his best to hold back his tears hearing Daniel and Emma speaking over the other through the phone.
"Oh, I've missed you two. You don't know how much I missed your voices." He chuckled.
"I love you, daddy!" Emma exclaimed.
Tom placed his hand over his chest and nodded his head as he sniffled.
"I love you, too, baby." Tom managed to speak through his tears.
"What about me?" Daniel asked.
"I love you, too, Danny. I love you both so, so much," He laughed. "And guess what? Your baby sister decided to come out a little earlier than expected, so you'll get to meet her tomorrow when grandma brings you guys to the hospital."
He bit down on his bottom lip, trying to hold back his tears, hearing Daniel and Emma clap their hands and laugh.
"Now, you two be good to your grandma and your mum and I will see you tomorrow. I love you both so much, okay. Don't ever forget that."
"I love you, daddy!" The two replied at the same time.
"Hope that put a smile on your face." Diana chuckled.
"Thank you, mum. I'll see you tomorrow."
Right as he ended the call, the nurse stepped into the room holding two sets of scrubs.
"Mr. Hiddleston, you can come and put these on. Who will you be taking?"
Tom glanced over at the group and smiled seeing the excitement pouring out of Jamie and Cory.
"Esther? Would you like to come see my daughter?"
She raised her brow and stammered as she tried to form a response.
"I'll take that as a yes." He smirked.
The two put on their scrubs and followed the nurse into the NICU. Once inside, Tom and Esther sat down as a nurse wheeled in the table where the baby was sleeping. Once she was in sight, Tom felt himself tearing up as he took in her small size. He then noticed the breathing tube around her face and furrowed his brow hearing her soft whimpers. The nurse then made sure Tom and Esther washed their hands before getting closer to the baby.
"Does she have a name?" The nurse asked.
"Oh, my god, we never came up with a name." Tom scoffed.
"That's okay. There's no rush. For now, we'll just call her baby girl."
Tom and Esther took their seats next to the table and Tom slowly reached his hand inside. His hand hovered above the girl's body, hesitating. He then glanced over her face and smiled brightly seeing the features she took from both him and Alice. He then decided to reach for her hand and the two chuckled as the girl moved her hand away, furrowing her brow.
"Seems like she's got a little bit of sass already." Esther beamed.
"I think we know where she gets that from." Tom retorted.
He reached out for her hand and inhaled sharply feeling her against his skin. His bottom lip quivered as he ran his finger across her cheek, watching as she let out a few whimpers. After a few moments, Tom felt his heart fill with joy as the girl moved her hand and seemingly found his finger, wrapping her hand around it. Tom laughed quietly as he cried, placing his other hand against the glass. He leaned in closer and smiled brightly as he took in the girl's image.
"You're absolutely perfect, little girl." Tom whispered.
At that moment, Tom remembered being in the room with Alice. He recalled she had said something under her breath and focused all his attention on trying to remember it. He closed his eyes tightly and did his best to make out Alice's voice in his head. When he opened his eyes and looked back at the girl's face, it all came back to him. Alice had said Phoebe.
Tom chuckled lightly as he continued to caress the girl's face, realizing that Alice had given her her name already.
"Her name's Phoebe." Tom announced.
"Phoebe? That's beautiful." Esther commented.
"I know. It's what Alice always wanted."
Esther found herself unable to hide her smile as she observed Tom, listening to the soft whispers he spoke to the baby.
"Maybe... maybe this was the separation that you needed." Esther remarked.
Tom furrowed his brow as he looked over his shoulder, pulling back slightly from the table.
"Maybe." He replied.
Tom then moved to the side and gestured to the table, causing Esther to give him a look as she raised her brow.
"I know you want to touch her. It's fine."
Esther pushed her seat closer to the table and slowly reached into the other hole. She warily moved her hand over the girl. Before she decided to touch the girl, she watched her for a little longer, noting how relaxed she became as Tom continued his soft caresses to her cheek.
"Seems like she's going to be a daddy's girl." Esther chuckled.
"You think?"
"Look at her. She's knocked out and all you've been doing is touching her cheek," She beamed. "She is going to love you so much."
"I hope so."
"She will."
Tom glanced over at Esther and sighed as he gave her a quick smile.
"Why did you choose me to come with you? Why not the others?" She questioned him.
"Well, I knew if I chose Jamie, she'd make a big fuss and the nurses wouldn't be too keen about that. And if I chose-"
"Come on. Tell me the truth." Esther chuckled, playfully nudging his shoulder.
"You have done so much for Alice in her life. More than I probably ever could. So, it just made sense that you would be the first to see her alongside me. That way, when Alice is awake and she sees you, you can gush to her about how perfect our daughter is." Tom explained.
Esther inhaled deeply as she smiled, nodding her head.
"Thank you."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. This is really hard for me to admit, but... thank you for talking to her and helping her realize that I've been horrible to her."
"You haven't been that horrible, Tom," Esther protested. "You have done amazing things for her as well as everyone else. I don't think there is anyone in our group that has loved her as much as you have. Yes, it's evidently clear that you love her, but love can be blinding and make us hurt the other person unintentionally. Just know that both you and Alice have a lot to address and work out together after all of this."
Tom nodded his head and grinned as Esther ran her hand up and down his back. She then looked back at the girl and lightly ran the tips of her fingers along her leg. After several more minutes, Esther stood from her seat and placed her hand on Tom's elbow.
"I think I'm going to head back."
"Okay."
"Do you want to come?" She inquired.
"No," He sighed. "I think I'm going to stay here a little bit longer."
Esther chuckled lightly as she squeezed his shoulder, watching him admire his daughter. She then gave the girl one last look before exiting the room. A few moments after she left, Tom sang softly under his breath, continuing to caress her cheek.
"I'm sure that when you hear your mother's voice, you'll like it much better than mine." Tom whispered.
While Tom watched his daughter sleep, time seemed to stand still. He hadn't realized just how long he had been there until Michelle entered. She went over to the nurses for an update before drawing her attention to Tom.
"Tom?"
"Yes?" He retorted, not once looking up.
"Alice's blood transfusion is completed and she's awake."
He quickly snapped his head up towards Michelle and smiled brightly, still caressing the girl's cheek with his finger.
"She is?"
"I went to the waiting area to find you but one of your friends told me you were still here," She chuckled. "I can take you to her."
Tom nodded his head and took a deep breath before removing his hand. The girl let out a small whimper and Tom inhaled sharply.
"It's okay. I'll be back, baby." He whispered, leaning close to the glass.
He then followed Michelle out of the room and down the hall back to their hospital room. Michelle knocked on the door and Tom felt his heart begin to race hearing Alice answer her.
"She's still a bit tired after everything, but I'll be back in an hour to check on her. I've also let her know that I'm requiring her to stay here for five days to ensure that the blood transfusion does not show any complications." Michelle explained quickly.
She opened the door and smiled brightly as she saw Alice in the bed.
"I have a visitor for you, Alice."
Michelle stepped to the side and Tom took a step forward. When Alice came into view, his whole face beamed as he saw her alive and well. Michelle closed the door behind him and walked back down the hall.
"Hey, baby." Tom greeted her.
"Don't just stand by the door like a stranger," Alice chuckled. "You can come take your seat."
He rushed toward her side and took her face in his hands, kissing her several times all over her face.
"God, I missed you. I was so worried, Alice." He spoke between his kisses.
Alice placed her hands on his shoulders and slowly pushed him back, smiling.
"Michelle told me about the baby. Is she okay?"
"Oh, yes, she's wonderful!" Tom beamed. "She's a bit small, but she's more than okay."
"Really? She's really okay?"
"Yes. Phoebe is okay."
Alice's expression dropped as she furrowed her brow, her eyes glancing over Tom's face.
"What did you say?" She inquired.
"I said that our daughter, Phoebe, is okay." He smiled.
Alice's eyes welled with tears as she softly shook her head.
"I heard you in the operating room. I heard you call her Phoebe. It's her name. She deserves it."
"You want her name to be Phoebe?" Alice's voice wavered.
"It's her name. It always was."
Tom watched as Alice broke down, sobbing. He quickly took her hand in his and sat down in the seat next to her.
"I hope you get to see her soon. She's so beautiful. Her hat is a little big for her head, but it's okay. She's perfect in every way."
"You got to see her?" She smiled through her tears.
"Yes, I did!" Tom laughed, nodding his head.
There was a moment of silence between the two as Alice continued to cry. Tom then reached out towards her and began to caress her cheek, beaming at the way she immediately relaxed from his touch.
"I'm so sorry, Tom. I'm sorry," Alice wept. "I don't want to leave you. I can't do that to you."
"It's okay, Alice. You don't have to apologize. It was warranted." He reassured her.
"Everything happened so fast after the accident that we just never talked about it and how we felt," Alice wiped away her tears. "But, I want to make something very clear. You did not take everything away from me. You have given me the best years of my life."
Tom nodded his head as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"However, there's still a lot more we have to discuss." She told him.