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"Please, you must leave the room," the midwife pleaded with him. "It is not safe for you to be here."

But Liam refused to budge. He had been waiting for this moment for months and was not about to leave his wife's side. He had read every book he could find on childbirth, and he was convinced that he could be of help if anything went wrong.

"I will not leave my wife's side," Liam replied firmly. "I will stay here and do whatever I can to help her."

The midwife sighed and gave up, realizing that there was no convincing Liam otherwise. She went back to tending to Penelope, who was now screaming even louder. Liam could feel his ears ringing with the sound of her cries, and he was filled with a sense of dread and worry.

He began to pace the corridor, his eyes darting between the door of the room and the clock on the wall. Every minute that ticked by felt like an eternity, and Liam's worry grew with each passing moment. He wondered when the baby would come, and if Penelope and the baby woul