Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Mama's Boy

After giving the new mother some time with her son, the nurses took him to the nursery. There were tests, vaccines and paperwork to be given and completed, and Denise also needed her rest. They made sure to tie ID bans around hers and Chris' wrists, as well as Jack's ankle before they left with him so he wouldn't get lost amongst the other babies. That had been an irrational fear of Denise's. Even though she was sure she could pull her special little guy out from the rest of the ordinary crop, it didn't hurt to have extra precaution. Surprisingly Chris stayed with Denise instead of going with Jack, sending the grandparents so he could "have some alone time with my wife."

Though Denise found the basis of his notion incredibly sweet, she thought it to be unnecessary as she was just going to take a nap. She urged him to go see Jack, only to have him shake his head in response. He kissed the back of her hand and assured her that "I'm going to be here when you wake up," as she drifted off to sleep. And he was. He was still by her side when she woke after forty minutes of undisturbed sleep. It didn't seem like a lot, but it did wonders for her sanity.

"I'm surprised you're still here," she mirrored the smile he had on his face.

"Why's that?" He asked, rubbing his right eye with the side of his index finger.

"I just thought you'd be with Jack." She answered, glancing at the clock. It was 6:46PM, concluding their long, long twenty-four hours. Since yesterday, at exactly 6:46PM, she'd been suffering from what she'd thought were Braxton Hicks. She didn't sleep well, which meant Chris didn't either. So it was understandable he was now as exhausted as she was, probably needing his own forty minutes of undisturbed sleep. "You've waited your entire adulthood for him, I figured now that he's finally here you'd be glued to his side."

"And I figured I'd stay glued to your side, the girl I'd waited my entire life for." She smiled as he took her hand in his. "As I've told you a thousand times before, you are my priority. Nothing, nothing," he emphasized. "Nothing is going to change that, not even Jack's arrival." He squeezed her hand and she smiled. "It's you and me against the world, kid."

"Are you going to stop calling me 'kid' now that I have my own kid?"

"No chance, kid," he grinned and she chuckled with a shake of her head.

"Knock knock," a familiar voice interrupted their moment and drew their gazes to the door. They smiled when they saw Robert enter the room with a bouquet of hydrangeas, and a teddy bear dressed like Captain America hidden behind his back. "Sorry to disturb, but I couldn't help myself after getting Evans' text. I had to meet the newest addition to our Marvel family."

"No, not at all. We're very happy to see you," Denise told him and he smiled as he approached. "The Winter Soldier and the Falcon might be a little sore knowing you met Baby Cap before them, so let's not boast about it on the group chat." She joked. Somehow she already knew that was exactly what he was going to do, if he hadn't done it already.

"Got it," Robert winked, making her and Chris laugh. "Here," he passed Chris the bouquet, which he then placed on Denise's bedside. "Those are from Susan, she sends her regards. She would've loved to come along to meet your child, but she's caught up with our own."

"Don't even worry about it. Honestly, I didn't even expect you to drive all the way out here," Chris told him then laughed at Robert's expression of disbelief. It was needless to say Robert Downey Jr. was going to drive out to meet Chris Evans' son, he would've taken a plane from the other side of the world to meet Jack. "We'll bring him by one day, grab some dinner together."

"That sounds like a great plan," Robert nodded, smiling. "Anyway, this-" He moved the teddy bear out from behind his back and waved at the couple with the hand of the bear. Chris and Denise laughed because a Captain America bear was the last gift they'd expected from Iron Man himself. "This is from me. I wanted to get an Iron Man one," he explained as if he could read their minds, "but Susan said no."