Looking down at my girl all covered in sweat, snot and goodness knows what other bodily fluids and feeling a sense of pride is the strangest, most liberating feeling in the world. We've been married eight months now and I couldn't possibly love her any more as I watch her bravely breathe through contraction after contraction. Our little kicker is prolonging labour and as much as I don't want to admit it, I couldn't dream of possessing the amount of strength she's currently displaying by sailing through it like it's the most natural thing in the world.

"Almost there, Amelia, just a few more pushes and we'll have a head." encourages Mary, our midwife, a lovely woman with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm at times.

She's great at her job but when experiencing severe stomach ache due to an 8lbs human trying to push its way out of you, there's only so much sunshine and rainbows you can take. Even I'm getting frustrated and I'm not the one currently pushing a baby out of my vagina.

"You're doing amazing, darling. Just take a moment if you need to then we can start again. Together, okay?" I suggest, knowing she's terrified more than ever. "I can't wait to meet him." I then tell her, going for a distraction tactic, instead.

She forces her beautiful lips into a half smile and presents me with her hand, signalling for me to hold onto it.

"Together?" she breathes, before straining her entire body to push, giving it all she has.

My god, she's fucking amazing.

Never once does she scream or curse, certainly taking on Hannah's advise of, "don't waste all your energy on shouting to the high heavens" and although clearly exhausted, she never gives up.

"Oh gosh, I know you want a big family, Aidan but I'm not sure I can do this again." she warns, sighing as her entire body sags into a tired heap.

"That's okay, beautiful. You just focus on getting this one out for now." I encourage, lightly caressing her hair as she undergoes yet another push.

"Okay sweetie, the head is out but the shoulders need to come and that's the hardest part. Once that's over with the rest is easy peasy." states Mary, receiving a rather stern glare from Amelia who looks just about ready to punch her.

"Easy peasy, my ass." she mumbles, making me laugh as we silently engage in a 'shut the fuck up, Mary' moment, together.

Following this, she dramatically throws her head back onto the huge pillow and quietly sobs, taking a well deserved break as glistening tears slide down her cheeks. It kills me to see her like this and although it's highly frowned upon, I climb on to the bed with her, positioning her limp body between my arms.

"Look at me, darling." I demand, waiting for her moist eyes to meet mine. "I know you're exhausted and I can only imagine the pain you're in but try to stay with me, ok? We're so close to meeting our baby." I add, wiping away the tears as they continue to flow down her face.

She stares at me for a brief moment before putting her game face on, determined as ever.

"Ok, let's do this." she smiles, slowly sitting herself further up the hospital bed with a look of pure desperation spreading across her glowing features. "Little man, please don't hurt Mommy too much." she begs, before once again, giving it all she's got with an almighty push.

She releases a huge sigh afterwards, allowing her head to fall back against the pillow, yet again, sobbing like a child

"Aidan." she breaths, reaching for me through a haze of fresh tears.

"I'm here, baby, right here." I tell her, grabbing onto her hand to offer her some reassurance. "Just a little bit more and he'll be here."

She nods her head slightly, squeezing down on my hand before twisting her head to the side, as to better see me.

"I just need a minute." she warns, blinking back the never ending flow of tears.

I push back the stray hair that is desperately clinging to the sweat on her forehead and offer her slightly swollen lips a small peck, tasting salty liquid as I do so. I use the hem of my T shirt to remove all evidence of it and signal for her to blow into the tissue I retrieve from the tactfully placed packet on the nightstand.

"No rush, you're doing brilliant." I ensure, disposing of the soggy tissue and blowing on her cheeks to ease some of the inflamed area. "I know you won't believe me but you're incredibly beautiful right now." I add, pulling a small smirk from her lips as her mind, no doubt, registers my compliment.

"You pick your moments." she replies, wincing when I attempt to caress her puffing eyes, keen to limit the amount of swelling they're currently undergoing.

"Sorry darling. I didn't mean to hurt you." I apologise, kissing the area I was previously too rough with.

"It's fine. Believe it or not, sore eyes are the least of my worries right now." she laughs, immediately stopping when the action proves too difficult.

She then follows this up with a tiny grunt, grabbing my hand again to attempt yet another go at pushing and does so with an ear piercing cry. Shit. I hate more than anything to see her like this but I understand it's a common thing to experience when undergoing intense labour. In all honestly, I'd expected things to be a lot worse than this but as always, my beautiful wife exceeds me.

"One more push, Mommy." encourages Mary, barely audible through having her head stuck in between Amelia's legs.

What ever in the world is she even doing down there?

"Aidan, go see our Son being born." breathes Amelia, thrashing her head from side to side on the pillow. "I want yours to be the first voice he hears." she expresses, sounding desperate in her pleas.

"Ok, darling. You shout of you need me back up here." I instruct, leaving her with a sloppy kiss before making my way towards Mary, arm deep in fuck knows what substance.

Don't faint, Aidan. Do not fucking faint!

"Holy shit, Amelia I can see him. I can see our little boy." I cry, unable to move from my rooted position on the floor, totally in shock.

I instantly look up to see Amelia smiling at me, looking like nothing less than an angel, spread out on the hospital bed with her caramel locks framing her pale face. Her lips are stained red from harshly biting down on them so much and although slightly chapped, they couldn't be more kissable in this moment. I love her so, so much.

"This one should do it. I need you to push really hard, Amelia." instructs Mary, gesturing for me to get closer, which I agree to rather reluctantly.

This is the strangest moment of my life, yet it feels amazing at the same time. I've never taken Amelia for granted but after today, I'll certainly never forget the things she went through to get our Son delivered safely into this world. She's the most inspiring woman I know and I'll make damned sure to never forget that.

"That's it, almost there." delights Mary, holding her arms out in a cradling position to catch our little boy.

Amelia pushes one last time and out comes our boys tiny body, barreling straight into Mary's arms. The room instantly fills with his high pitched cries and each one is like music to my ears.

"Would you like to cut the cord, Daddy?" questions Mary, aiming her enquiry my way.

I'm completely stunned by the overwhelming amount of love I feel for this small, alien looking creature and although he's my Son and I shouldn't refer to him as that, there really is no other way to describe it. He's covered in a layer of fluid and is wailing like nobody's business but I instantly recognise his adorable button nose, which he has no doubt inherited from his Mother, pleasing me beyond belief. I love that he takes after her physically.

"Yes please." I reply, gratefully accepting the surgical scissors and doing the honours.

Moments later, he's taken away to be cleaned up and I aimlessly make my way back towards Amelia, loving her content smile and kissing her for it.

"Who does he look like?" she asks through a tired yawn, stemming a chain reaction and making me engage in one too.

It's been one hell of a day.

"You. He's beautiful just like his Mama." I reply, positioning her chin in between my fingers and keeping it there while I inflict what I hope to be a loving kiss on her lips.

She accepts with ease and slowly draws my head closer to hers, as if the very thought of loosing connection terrifies her. I don't object and all but climb onto the bed next to her again, needing to portray my love in the most primal way possible.

"Who gets first cuddles? Mommy or Daddy?" interrupts Mary, turning around with a freshened up baby in her arms and a huge smile to accompany it.

She looks just about ready to burst with joy and although I'm sure she's just as exhausted as I am, she doesn't let it show.

"Mommy first." I respond, watching with pride as Mary gently lays our little boy down on Amelia's limp body.

His tiny head automatically twists to the side, offering me the perfect view of his every feature; his eyes still remaining firmly closed. His mouth puckers into a cute, unknowing pout and although only a mere ten minutes old, he's sporting a full head of hair. Dark, just like his Dad.

"He's perfect." I whisper, leaning over Amelia's shoulder to better see him, which is thankfully rewarded with the most purest sound I've ever bared whiteness to.

He simply releases a small sigh but words can't describe how much it grips at my heart in the most bizarre of ways. I can't quite explain the cocktail of emotions currently passing through my system but the sudden realisation that I'm too scared to blink in fear of missing out on something just about sums it up.

Protect.

That's what my head is screaming at me to do. Protect the ones you love with everything you have and do anything in your power to make them happy for as long as they live.

"He really is. Do you think he looks like a Toby?" asks Amelia, stealing a quick glance at me eying her up.

I smile at her in response and land the softest of kisses to her hairline.

"Absolutely. Toby Kyle Richards." I reiterate, confirming the name we've been toying with for over a month now.

Amelia graces me with her angelic smile and nods her head in agreement, turning her gaze back on our newly named Son.

"I love him so much, already." she admits, snuggling further into him before closing her eyes and nodding off into her own light snooze.

Mary eventually leaves and I stay with them both for a while, making sure they're okay and do so by flicking my gaze between them, aimlessly staring. It's wonderful finding someone you want to spend the rest of your days with and creating another human life together is completely out of this world. It's a special moment we'll forever hold onto and as I stare down at my gorgeous wife holding on to our equally gorgeous Son, I can't help but think about my Mom whilst quietly muttering out a heartfelt, "I finally get it."

On many occasion, she'd use the phase, "until you have your own family, you won't understand." and it used to drive me absolutely mad, until now. I finally know what she was referring to all this time and it's the most terrifying feeling in the world. Every breath I take, I want to give to Toby in the hopes it keeps him safe and every heart beat I possess I feel the need to offer Amelia, wanting to display my undying love to her in the most obvious way possible. She's been to hell and back in her young life and I live to undo all the harsh realities she's undergone, determined to have her smiling through every day.

It's taken us a while to get to this point but now that we're here, I couldn't possibly be any happier

I'm one lucky bastard.

~~~~