Few things could cause Axel Blaze to fall into a state of anxiety, and that his wife had already passed the expected delivery date by a few days was one of them. On December 31, 2022, snow fell in large quantities and the Tokyo landscape was whitewashed. She could not remember such a cold winter in her twenty-six years of life. He was already missing the temperatures in Miami, where he had spent the last few months on a collaborative effort between the two youth federations. Still, he could not help but be enchanted as he looked through the opening left on purpose by the shoji at the now-white garden, lost in thought.

Pov. Axel

Who knows if my son would have loved soccer as much as I did, or if he wanted to become a doctor or an entrepreneur, either way, I would have loved him more than my own life. I watched Luna styling her dark hair as she sat at the dressing table. She looked beautiful with her baby bump, hidden at that moment under the red dress she had carefully chosen for that evening's party. I had tried hard to convince her to stay home, but she had not listened to me. The only response I had received was that if Nelly Evans and Alyxia Sharp would come even if pregnant, she would not be outdone. She had deliberately ignored me as I tried to point out that she was the only one close to giving birth. The first one still had about three months to go, while the other had as many as six. I approached her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

«Axel what are you doing taking off all my makeup.» I sighed; that was just the way she was. Appearances were much more important than expressions of affection, it was nothing new, and deep down I even loved her for that.

«I'll ask you one last time, are you sure you don't want to stay here and maybe see a movie while waiting for midnight?»

«Yes. We'll go to the Schiller party and toast with your friends on New Year's Eve. I will never be less than any surgeon, much less a housewife.» Sooner or later, I would have to tell her about Nelly's talent in business and that she was the one who managed all the family fortune. The two of them had never taken much of a liking to each other, not even with Alyxia she had this great relationship, to tell the truth, perhaps because in discussions she always patronized the other, however, they didn't throw barbs at each other all the time like they did with my old friend. I was sorry to say, that our wives got along well was a dream the three of us had since we were kids, and I had to admit that it was often Lu who looked for irony in her responses with her phrases.

«If that's what you want then we have to go.»

We reached the villa almost half an hour later. It had been decorated down to the smallest detail, creating an almost magical atmosphere. The hosts were at the foot of the grand staircase located in the imposing atrium welcoming guests, radiant as ever. Ever since we had found out that they had been dating, many years before, I had begun to wonder how their so particular colors would blend into a hypothetical child, maybe sooner or later I would see it with my own eyes. Bellatrix smiled at us as soon as she noticed us.

«Boy, how nice of you to come, I hope the move was not too tiring.»

«No, it's okay...»

«In any case, we did it gladly, we wouldn't have missed the party for anything.» My wife interjected as a bright smile broke out on her lips.

«I'm glad of that. Both Mark and Jude are already in the salon if you want.» We took our leave with a light greeting, ready to advance to the room indicated to us. I discerned on an antique grandfather clock that it was already nine o'clock in the evening, not long before midnight.

«Hey, Axel!» The doorman's exuberant greeting caught my attention. I held back a laugh as soon as I noticed his attire-he was the only one able to match an evening gown and his orange sash. Looking at the director's expression, I was quite convinced that he had had the same impression as me. I turned at that point to the women at their side.

«Ladies you look wonderful as always.»

«I appreciate the compliment, although to tell the truth I just feel tremendously unwieldy.» Over the years I learned one thing, females could have two relationships with pregnancies, but they could have two effects on them. Some were donors and those were not. Nelly fell into the first category. She had always been a beautiful girl, however, she seemed to shine even more so.

«That's not true. You look great.» I hoped I was the only one who sensed the murderous look my wife had given me. I would need all the patience at my disposal that evening, I was sure.

The turn of the year was now only moments away, and euphoria was generally in the air. Some with champagne and some with juice because of the incoming children, we were ready with a glass to toast. I took Luna's hand and gave her a slight smile.

«10... 9...»

«I am happy to be here with you...»

«7... 6... 5»

«I love you know that, don't you? I ...»

«4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... HAPPY NEW YEAR!»

«AH!»

«LU WHAT'S GOING ON?» They all turned in our direction and both my best friends and Aly ran toward us. In a panic, I was trying to figure out what had happened.

«I ... My ... my water broke.» I swallowed the saliva noisily. There we were.

«I'll go get the car!» Screamed Mark as he ran outside, the contingency plan had just begun. The former would be our driver and the American would go with us as the only doctor in the group, while the Rasta would be going to our house to get the bag ready for that occasion.

«My hospital is the closest, let's go there.» All along the way I wondered if the breaths taught in the pre-partum class had been more helpful to me or her; I was sure I had risked hyperventilation at least a dozen times.

«Everything will be fine honey, you can rest easy.»

«You're the agitated one here. I'm calm, but it's not easy to stay calm with contractions like that. Be thankful you were born a boy and don't have a uterus. Ah!» Running, not even if we were in the middle of the World Cup final, the brunette preceded us inside, stopping the first nurse who came into his line of sight. Fortunately, however, the blonde took the floor before he could.

«Hi Charlotte, my friend is in labor. She is having contractions in less than five minutes since we entered the hospital territory. Let's call obstetrics and get her into the delivery room.»

«Of course Dr. Sharp. Dr. Martin should be on duty.» He approached us as Luna was made to sit in the wheelchair. Perhaps aware of our fear given the absence of the one who had followed her in the previous months, she comforted us by asserting:

«Don't worry, I know her well. I have worked with her many times before and she is the best in her department. You are in good hands with her.» We both nodded and the woman from earlier accompanied us to the predetermined place. Perhaps thanks to the absence of traffic or her driving like a failed Formula 1 driver, Jude entered the room a short time later with the bag we had had ready at home for days. Another strong contraction reached my wife and she squeezed my hand so hard I could have sworn I would never feel it again.

«This is it now. It's time to push.» The director and the doorman immediately left so as not to be in the way, unlike Aly who had been asked by Lu to stay. Hearing her feel so bad was destroying me. To make matters worse I was beginning to see everything black and felt ready to fall to the ground, never in my life had I felt like this. Suddenly a hand grabbed my shirt collar.

«BLAZE TRY TO PASS OUT AND IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU DO IN YOUR LIFE!»

«Got it.»

«Breathe, we have strength!» A shriek from Luna and a cry filled the room. A little boy with light blond hair equal to mine waved his tiny arms in the air as if to tell the world that he was there, had arrived, and was ready to burn like the most intense flame ever. I felt happiness coursing through my whole body, and perhaps because of that, I did not notice the gesture that should have foreshadowed to me the actions that would happen later and in our future. When they handed her the baby, she did not even look at him and I was so caught up in the moment did not notice. On the contrary, the nurse did and handed him to me. He kept wiggling around crying, yet it didn't bother me. He was beautiful.

«Hello Ethan, it's your daddy. Welcome to the world, I've been waiting for you and I'm happy to meet you. Please know that if you need help you can always count on me.»

Pov. Mark

«Is that child already a prima donna just as he is?» A slight laugh rose from Jude.

«Yeah. Only Axel's son could decide to be born not even an hour after New Year's Eve, starting labor at exactly midnight and fussing like that to get attention.»