Richie Tozier never really saw himself as a father.

      Sure he loved kids. Being around them, making weird faces and voices so they'd laugh. But to actually be a father, to actually raise a child...that wasn't something he could see himself doing.

      He could barely take care of himself, let alone another small human being. So he was fine with not having kids.

      Besides, Richie figured he needed a stable life before starting a family if he did consider the thought of being a father. Although he had a nice apartment and a job he liked, hosting a radio show, his relationship with his girlfriend was...complicated.

      He cared about Marissa, he did. But did he love her? No. And he knew for a fact that she didn't love him either. They fought constantly because she was always sneaking around and random ten dollar bills would go missing from his wallet. But then she'd bat those green eyes at him and they'd fuck and make up.

      Yeah, definitely not a very stable relationship.

      But Richie knew that he wouldn't spend the rest of his life with her. That he knew. Well, until she plopped a positive pregnancy test on his lap and told him that she was pregnant.

      Pregnant.

      That word felt like a bomb.

      He didn't know how he was supposed to feel. Angry for not taking the necessary precautions? Scared because he didn't know if he was ready to be a dad, let alone a good one? Or ecstatic because...holy shit, he was going to be a dad!

      He felt everything in that moment, especially the last two feelings. He was afraid and happy. As for Marissa...she didn't want to have a baby. She didn't carry the natural maternal instincts other women had.

      But something in Richie wanted this. Wanted to meet his future child, to give them everything he didn't have. Wanted to make sure that they knew that they were loved.

      They argued about it for two days, weighing out the pros and cons for keeping the baby. They were young, almost twenty-six. Surely they wouldn't be ready to raise a baby. But Richie had never wanted anything more than this in his entire life. He never saw him as a father but now, that's all he could see himself as.

      The decision was made, they would keep the baby. His baby. He helped out Marissa in every way he could, through the morning sickness and the mood swings, which she already had long before she was pregnant. But he was with her every step of the way.

      But as her stomach became larger and rounder, swelling because of their child growing inside of her, Richie couldn't help but to feel more fear dwell inside his being.

      Was he going to be like his father? Neglectful and uncaring?

      What would Marissa be like? Would she try to be a good mom for their kid? Or would she not care and drink more, just as his own mother had done?

      As time went on, he found himself thinking about his unborn child. Would they look more like him? More like Marissa? God, he hoped the kid wouldn't inherit his shitty eyesight. His kid deserved better than that.

      Then came the thought of names. What should they name the kid? Those thoughts spun around more when they found out that they were having a girl.

      A girl.

      Richie was going to have a daughter.

      A little girl who would run around in dresses and surely make her father play princesses with her.

      Hundreds and thousands of names came up, but nothing that seemed good enough for his little girl.

      Except for one.

      Richie couldn't remember his name, not really. He tried so hard but he couldn't. But he loved him, loved him so much that it frightened him. If only he could remember how he looked like...but he knew that the name would be perfect for his daughter.

      "I wanna name her Edith." Richie had said one night while they were watching tv, side by side on the couch.

      Marissa didn't say anything for a moment, thinking it over before finally nodding. "Okay."

      And that was that. His daughter finally had a name. Edith. His little Edith. Now all he needed was to see her little face.

      And at 1:07 a.m. on July 18th, 2002, he finally did.

      He had been in the waiting room, pacing back and forth with nerves. Was she okay? Healthy? Perfect? Then the doctor came out and told him everything he needed to hear.

      Edith Katrina Tozier was born, six pounds and eight ounces. She sounded so small and walking into the room, Richie realized she was.

      She was bundled in a pink blanket, whining in her mother's arms. Marissa's eyes were soft, but she seemed almost uncomfortable holding her own child. She looked at Richie, gesturing with her head for him to come closer. "Come hold her."

      He hadn't noticed that he stopped moving when he saw his daughter, stepping forward. She carefully put their daughter in his arms and fear spiked in him. Oh god, she was so tiny, so thin, so fragile. She could break if he dropped her or held her too tightly.

      But all of his doubts and insecurities vanished when he looked in her eyes.

      Edith had stopped whining now, staring up at her father with the brightest green eyes he had ever seen. Her skin was flushed pink, something that looked absolutely adorable. She yawned softly, her little lips forming a small 'o' before falling asleep in his arms.

      It took everything in Richie not to start crying.

      She was more beautiful than he could ever imagine. A little of him and a little of Marissa in her. He remembered falling in love with someone before...but this kind of love had him choking up.

      He had only known Edith for five seconds but he loved her more than anything.

      Marissa was exhausted and he couldn't blame her. She had just pushed a child out of her body. So he stayed holding Edith as Marissa went to sleep, humming under his breath.

      He eventually placed her down carefully in the bassinet, still staring at her. God, nothing could explain this feeling he had. He gently stroked her tiny hand with his finger as she began stirring. She opened her green eyes and lightly grasped onto the tip of his finger.

      He couldn't help but to wonder if his parents felt like this when they had him? He was sure they didn't. They were never there for him. But he was always going to be there for his daughter. He would be there and support her through anything.

      When Richie carefully pulled his finger away, Edith's bottom lip started trembling, a telltale sign that she was going to start crying.

      "Hey, hey, shhhh...it's okay, I'm here, shhhh." He murmured gently before slowly picking her up in his arms. The cap had slipped from her small head, so he could see the thick curly brown hair resting on the top of her head. She was going to have his unruly curls, he could already tell. Poor thing.

      Edith immediately calmed down once she was being held, looking up at her father just as she had done the first time he held her.

      "Hi Edith...I'm your daddy." Richie whispered to her, being careful not to make up her mother.

       He started walking around the room, rocking her gently in his arms. "You see, Edie...my parents weren't there for me. They didn't care enough to be there. But I want you to know that I'm gonna be there for you. Whenever you need me, I'll be there in a heartbeat." He said truthfully and she kept looking at him, almost as if she was understanding him.

      He continued pacing as he held her, studying her beautiful face until his vision blurred with tears and trickled down his cheeks. God, he loved her so much, so much that he couldn't even process it and his emotions felt like they were going haywire.

      A part of him knew he was still afraid. He didn't know if he could provide her a sense of stability in her life that she needed. He didn't know if Marissa would be a good mother. He didn't know if he would be a good father. But he knew that he loved her. His strange creation. His daughter.

      "I've loved you for all of my life." He whispered to Edith and meant it. He never saw himself having kids but knew that somewhere deep down, he would love having a child. And he loved her. He would do anything for her.

      "I'll always love you. For the rest of my life and so on." Richie leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently. She yawned again, seeming to nuzzle herself closer to his arm before falling back asleep.

      He didn't bother going to sleep. He merely sat in a chair and held his beautiful daughter while singing a lullaby to her softly.

      He had no idea on what the future would have in store for them, the ups and downs. But Richie would give his life just to keep her safe. To make sure Edith was okay.

      Because that's what fathers do for their daughters.