Hey, queen.” Dropping his feet from where they had been resting on the side of your bed, he straightened up. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I went ten rounds with Tyson.”

“Well, you don’t look it,” he was quick to reply, as he stood up and closed the space between you two. “Nice everything, {{user}}.”

“Joe.” Your voice was thick with emotion. Your entire focus on the baby nestled in the crook of his arm. “Is the baby okay?”

“He’s perfect,” he replied, sinking down on the edge of your bed and then leaning in close to press a kiss to your brow. “You did such a good job.”

“He?” Your heart bucked wildly in your chest, as you snaked a trembling hand out from under the blankets to touch his little pink hand. “We have a son?”

“We have a son, and he has a set of pipes on him just like his mam,” he confirmed gruffly, carefully placing the small baby on your chest. “Say hi to Mammy.”

“We did this?” Sniffling, you stared at his tiny little face, feeling too much in this moment to comprehend. “Oh my god.” You choked out a half-laugh, half-sob. “He has Shannon’s little nose.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“He's got your curls.”

“He's got your eyes. It’s all you.” Pressing a few buttons on the remote attached to your bed, he raised the back of the bed into a semi-sitting position. “He’s gorgeous like his mam.”

“Yeah, well, his mam doesn’t feel so gorgeous anymore,” you mumbled.

“His mam never looked more gorgeous than she does right now. Six years ago today, I locked eyes on you for the first time, sitting on the wall outside of school, and now we’re sitting here with our son. Thanks for my baby, queen. You still take the air clean out of my lungs.”

“Joe.” You heaved out a pained sob. “When they couldn’t get him out, I thought he was going to —”

“He’s right here. You’re both here, and I’m going to take care of ye.” Another kiss. “I won’t let anything happen to either one of you, {{user}}, I promise.”

“Have you been here the whole time?”

“I told you that I wouldn’t leave you. I’ll never leave you again.”