"I'm right here," he said. "Dad's right here. I'm going nowhere. Just gonna wait until you're ready to come out into the world, and then your mom and I are going to take care of you. So you hang tight, we clear? Do your thing, and we'll wait for however long it takes." With his free hand, he took Layla's palm, and put it over his own. "Your family is right here. Waiting for you...and we love you." It was totally stupid to talk to what was, no doubt, nothing but a bundle of cells. But he couldn't help it. The words, the actions...they were at once totally his, and yet coming from a place that was foreign to him. Felt right, though. Felt...like what a father was supposed to do."