[ There's a whole few minutes without a text back, and then when it finally comes: ]
Probably, since the bathrooms in Manhattan are tiny. And a couple women came by to help me when they saw me put the video on. It was nice. The community, I mean. And the changing wasn't so hard after all.
[ He breathes a sigh of relief, and then goes back to the bodega, where he holds onto the baby and decides to just hang out outside until Katherine's finished in there.
He really is worried about her. ]
She must be having a really hard time. I think once she comes out of there, I'm gonna help escort her home. So I might be home a little late. And then, I'm gonna have to put my shirt in the wash.
But after that, honey, I promise I'm all yours.
[ There's still a little baby powder which has inexplicably gotten into his hair, and that top of baby head smell is starting to rub off on him. He wouldn't be surprised if he smelled of baby when he gets home, but he might try to sneak in a shower so that Tony doesn't have to confront anymore of his feelings about parenthood. ]
[He's sure nothing terrible has happened to Steve but the waiting does make him a little anxious. Just a thing he can't really help. Finally, though Steve returns word back to him and he finds himself smiling.]
Well they couldn't let a new dad struggle, could they?
[Getting very close to the crux of what's pinging something in him. Even if Steve has no idea- he hasn't given anything away, he thinks. He always flirts. Always says dirty things just to get a reaction. It's a normal day for him, more or less.
Except it's anything but.]
You're such a good samaritan. Be careful she doesn't get attached.
[ Probably both, but it's a good thing Steve had been there for this clearly overwhelmed mother in a time of need. The baby's gone from crying to being quiet now, and having had a long time, is taking a little nap in Steve's arms.
He's moved by all the people willing to help him through this twenty-minute stint of being a father. He's hopeful that Katherine will get just as much community surrounding her, too. ]
You mean I shouldn't get attached. She's beautiful, Tony. Looks just like you when you're asleep. It's the lashes.
And hey, you're helping a lot too, give yourself a little credit.
[ He's been monitoring Steve from the get-go, making sure everything's okay with the both of them, watching out for Katherine, and keeping him calm and level-headed. He just thought that deserved a little acknowledgment. ]
I don't think I have to tell that to you, I don't envision you're gonna abscond with her. Probably why Katherine handed her to you.
[Steve Rogers the very good man that you could trust with anything, even your very small very new baby. And hey, she wasn't wrong. But Tony also gets why, even if Steve's having a bit of a moment (and he is too really even if he's trying not to acknowledge it), he wouldn't want the rest of civilization to just decide this is a thing that's acceptable behavior.
That'll become the new trend online. Give your baby to Captain America when you spot him in public and see how long he hangs on for you. Yeah. That's not really gonna fit in with their lives.]
Well someone has to look out for you in these perilous times. I don't mind playing man in the chair every now and again.
[ Maybe it's true that there's no way he'd kidnap this child, but he'd absolutely let her kidnap him any time. It was remarkable to him how shiny and bright her eyes were, all full of wonder, because everything in the world was new and he was just this big oaf of a toy for her to play with. There was so much curiosity there, in her eyes. He wondered if he'd looked like that, in 2012.
And at the time, it'd struck him, how little he'd felt that sense as an adult before the future, how wondrous it was to see as if through the eyes of a child again. Here she is, reminding him of the joy of having new sensations. ]
I'll try not to make it a habit. Even if I do like having you right here with me no matter how far away you are.
I think I'm gonna try checking on Katherine again. I've got no idea what I'm gonna do if I have to feed her.
One of these days you might convince me to make a little hologram assistant just for you in my very likeness. Maybe you can carry him around in your pocket.
[Don't give him the slightest indication this is something you'd actually like, Steve, or else you know what happens next.]
Well I'm sure there's a nice restaurant nearby she might not object to. But I don't know if she'll wanna eat after all this.
The baby, Tony. I don't know how I'd feed the baby, I can't just take her into a restaurant and I don't think I'm equipped to breastfeed her.
[ A beat, as he considers what Tony might say. ]
Don't say anything.
No, I think when Katherine comes out I'll just escort her home and make sure she rests. Then I'm coming straight home to you, and we can
[ He's thinking about hoe to best euphemize this because he still feels weird sexting in front of a baby, even if she can't read and is asleep, but he's startled out of his thought by someone approaching him to congratulate him and Tony on the baby, to which he stammers a kneejerk thanks but then that he's just watching her for a friend. Awkward. ]
You're absolutely no fun sometimes, you know that?
[That's for both. Not getting the joke or not wanting to acknowledge it and then denying Tony the glorious opportunity to remark on what a lovely Steve chest has.]
Sure. You wanna take a look at mine first, or should I look at yours?
[He's not sure who's spying over Steve's shoulder that made him deviate, maybe it's just the baby again. But he still can't resist.]
I'd like a little face time with yours, if that's okay.
[ He hopes Tony didn't see that, or at least, didn't hear that audio, because he's not sure how he'd take someone having mistaken the baby for theirs. Okay, first of all, the baby doesn't even look like theirs, but that's beside the point. They could've adopted.
Nope. He's taking a breath, and letting the baby fever go. ]
Not fun enough for you? You usually never complain.
Also, are people still filming this? I think maybe they've seen enough.
You never need to ask twice. Also I'd never say never. Just in general lately you've seemed to be humoring me. Must be because you like me.
[And, brat that he is, instantly must call it out the second Steve gives him less slack than usual. But, hey, he's having a very trying day. He just wanted to go to the museum and work on some art and now he's on dad duty.
Their lives are very ridiculous sometimes.]
There's a few stragglers. And please believe me when I say I'm sorry, but twitter got a hold of some of it before I could shut it all down. Also something something freedom of speech and the press here. Whatever.
"Superdad" and "Captain Dad" are both trending respectively. I'll have PR start working on a statement about how this was a one time thing.
[So that this doesn't turn into the latest trend or meme. But. Ugh. God. Steve looks so good in some of these photos that Tony is definitely now hoarding in a secret folder.]
Enable. Always enable. But I have a feeling you definitely already knew that.
Although the internet seems to want to see you and the kid in a papoose. But I think if dad's still in the picture that's where the upstaging really starts.
Honestly though it's already over for him. There's no doing better than you.
That's what I'm afraid of. And got it, no papoose.
[ That's reserved for their kid, someday. A someday he hopes will come. ]
I just thought Katherine could use a stroller, with a compartment for a diaper bag. Apparently it rolls smoothly on sand, so they could go to Coney Island.
Normally I'd conduct a safety test myself, but I think on short notice I'm gonna have to just trust the reviews.
[Steve's always been the extremely thoughtful sort. Gifts that are entirely personal and very loving. It makes sense, that immediately he's thinking about this for a stranger and the child he's been carrying around for her today. But still.
It makes Tony's heart melt.]
Go for it. You have my blessing, if that's what you were looking for. I think it'll be nice for her. After having such a horrendous day.
But that does mean once you buy it you'll have to put the baby down, you know. In the stroller.
[A slight fishing attempt but he thinks Steve might like this. Carrying around a teeny tiny little baby.]
Need your blessing and to charge it to the Avengers card.
[ Because he wants the top of the line for Katherine and her baby, but Steve Rogers is not a high roller. ]
Okay, fine. You've got me dead to rights. I'll take Katherine to buy one once she gets out. Let's just hope she wasn't eating where we're going next week.
Is it bad? I only met her half an hour ago, and I don't want to put her down. I think you'd have to be here, but you'd like her.
[Steve never needs to ask, but Tony knows that's exactly why he does. It's just one of those things. That Steve doesn't have to, Tony has more money anyone could ever spend in several lifetimes, but some part of Tony will be grateful that he does.
Steve's last texts leave him feeling a little-
...something. Guilty, maybe. Bad, but not in the way Steve's asking for confirmation on. He feels like he might be robbing Steve of something. Even if he's a little bit more in the consideration category after today. If some things have maybe helped push him a little closer to the idea that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
Steve would make a really good dad. Some part of Tony has always been pretty sure about this. And it feels like he's denying both Steve and the world of it by being... well. Him. His answer isn't as immediate the next time but not too long to come back, either.]
I'm there in spirit. For what it's worth I think I'd just make things worse. I've been far more helpful from here. And you've got it handled. Just make sure you don't get so attached you can't actually not put her down.
[There we go. Putting himself down. Back to normal.]
[ It's bait, but Steve can't not rise to it. It's like another game they play. ]
If you were here, it'd be just the same, except I'd have a whole other hand to hold yours with, and I think that'd settle some of my nerves.
Think it's easier to take down a HYDRA base.
[ But having Tony on call and ready to figure out what to do in order to get Steve all the information he needs to focus on the nice parts of babysitting, which is just hanging with and getting to know the baby. He doesn't even know this baby's name.
He knows they'll have to address the fatherhood issue sometime down the road, but they haven't even tied the knot yet, so they can wait on that. He thinks, if anything, that it should be Tony who broaches the subject again, because Steve hasn't changed his mind about any of it.
And Steve may only get to know this baby for a single afternoon, but their kid would be a lifetime commitment. But if he knew that Tony was thinking these thoughts, he'd ask him to put them out of his mind, because he doesn't want him to make a decision based on guilt.
He goes to hang out at the bodega with the person behind the register while he waits for Katherine, checking up every once in awhile. ]
[That doesn't mean Steve's not nervous. Tony knows this very well. But also- yes. Having a random baby foisted on you while the general public stops to gawk can't be the easiest position to have been in.
Tony would have to agree with him. Some missions seem easier than the thought of this. ...all this.]
I can multitask. I happen to think I'm very good at it. Unless you want me to leave the two of you alone.
Definitely not. I picked you to text for a reason. No one else I want holding my hands through all this.
[ For Steve, this is hard work but he finds it rewarding. He thinks if Tony were here, he'd probably get to reap more of it, having this baby in his arms, snoring away in her wheezy way, little spit bubbles every once in awhile cropping up. ]
Just didn't want to keep you for my sake, since I think the crisis is over. But now I just get to sit here and watch her sleep.
[There's something to that statement. Something that makes him feel somehow uneasy and settled all at the same time. There's more hiding there, beneath the surface, he's sure of it. Except Steve's often not like him, talking behind high walls. He's always been pretty forthright.
The problem is the discussion Tony thinks they're both talking around is one Steve has tried to have with him a few times now and he's always shied away. They've always shelved it.
But...
Steve did pick him. For better or for worse. A single-day baby crisis doesn't make him feel like he's capable of being a parent, but it has awakened a lot of other things in him. Things he might have otherwise been trying to keep out of his head.]
Feel me watching you?
Is that too much? It sounds creepy on second read.
That bodega needs higher quality cameras, by the way. You should tell them to upgrade.
[So he does what he always does. Moves on and jokes around. He'll have a lot to think about tonight.]
[ He thinks it's a good thing Tony doesn't bring it up, maybe he's put it out of his mind for now. He certainly doesn't want Tony dwelling on this thought and overthinking and letting it affect him and not communicate his thoughts to Steve. ]
No. I like knowing you've got my back from miles away.
[ The baby's awake now, and Steve's bouncing her up and down as he waits with her, assuring her gently that mommy's going to be out soon, mommy will be back soon. He gets delighted little squeals in response, so he'll take that as a win. ]
Send them new ones, I'm sure they won't ask about how you even know.
[ He does think that he'd like to have this more regularly, have this on a daily basis, maybe. Someday. If Tony ever decides he's for it, and he's all in, then Steve will do everything that he possibly can to put in the work and make then both happy. ]
Love you, by the way, in case I haven't told you enough today.
[Easy enough to say because it's so true. Whatever Steve needs from him, as long as he gets a say, he'll always be there to provide for him. Even if that's asking FRIDAY for diaper changing videos.]
Alright but only because you said to. Does that count as a good deed?
I love you. And even if you have, I'll take it as many times as you wanna say it. You know I'm greedy.
[ At that point, he hits enter because hears a flush, and the sound of the running tap. When Katherine comes out of the bathroom, she looks tired and embarrassed, so naturally Steve moves his way over to assure her that she's got nothing to be embarrassed about, that he's happy to have watched her kid, that look, she's awake now, fresh diaper, doing great.
Katherine cries in her relief, and Steve just stands there holding her for a bit before explaining the rest of the plan: going home, but dropping by one of the baby stores first to help him with an errand, if that's okay. If she winds up crying over a whole lot of gifts after, then, well, he'll deal with it.
And then he hands Katherine her baby back, easily, but the weight seems to stay on Steve's chest, regardless.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Probably, since the bathrooms in Manhattan are tiny. And a couple women came by to help me when they saw me put the video on. It was nice. The community, I mean. And the changing wasn't so hard after all.
[ He breathes a sigh of relief, and then goes back to the bodega, where he holds onto the baby and decides to just hang out outside until Katherine's finished in there.
He really is worried about her. ]
She must be having a really hard time. I think once she comes out of there, I'm gonna help escort her home. So I might be home a little late. And then, I'm gonna have to put my shirt in the wash.
But after that, honey, I promise I'm all yours.
[ There's still a little baby powder which has inexplicably gotten into his hair, and that top of baby head smell is starting to rub off on him. He wouldn't be surprised if he smelled of baby when he gets home, but he might try to sneak in a shower so that Tony doesn't have to confront anymore of his feelings about parenthood. ]
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Well they couldn't let a new dad struggle, could they?
[Getting very close to the crux of what's pinging something in him. Even if Steve has no idea- he hasn't given anything away, he thinks. He always flirts. Always says dirty things just to get a reaction. It's a normal day for him, more or less.
Except it's anything but.]
You're such a good samaritan. Be careful she doesn't get attached.
[Katherine? The baby? Both? Probably both.]
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He's moved by all the people willing to help him through this twenty-minute stint of being a father. He's hopeful that Katherine will get just as much community surrounding her, too. ]
You mean I shouldn't get attached. She's beautiful, Tony. Looks just like you when you're asleep. It's the lashes.
And hey, you're helping a lot too, give yourself a little credit.
[ He's been monitoring Steve from the get-go, making sure everything's okay with the both of them, watching out for Katherine, and keeping him calm and level-headed. He just thought that deserved a little acknowledgment. ]
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[Steve Rogers the very good man that you could trust with anything, even your very small very new baby. And hey, she wasn't wrong. But Tony also gets why, even if Steve's having a bit of a moment (and he is too really even if he's trying not to acknowledge it), he wouldn't want the rest of civilization to just decide this is a thing that's acceptable behavior.
That'll become the new trend online. Give your baby to Captain America when you spot him in public and see how long he hangs on for you. Yeah. That's not really gonna fit in with their lives.]
Well someone has to look out for you in these perilous times. I don't mind playing man in the chair every now and again.
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And at the time, it'd struck him, how little he'd felt that sense as an adult before the future, how wondrous it was to see as if through the eyes of a child again. Here she is, reminding him of the joy of having new sensations. ]
I'll try not to make it a habit. Even if I do like having you right here with me no matter how far away you are.
I think I'm gonna try checking on Katherine again. I've got no idea what I'm gonna do if I have to feed her.
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[Don't give him the slightest indication this is something you'd actually like, Steve, or else you know what happens next.]
Well I'm sure there's a nice restaurant nearby she might not object to. But I don't know if she'll wanna eat after all this.
[Hahahaha. Hah. Please laugh.]
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[ A beat, as he considers what Tony might say. ]
Don't say anything.
No, I think when Katherine comes out I'll just escort her home and make sure she rests. Then I'm coming straight home to you, and we can
[ He's thinking about hoe to best euphemize this because he still feels weird sexting in front of a baby, even if she can't read and is asleep, but he's startled out of his thought by someone approaching him to congratulate him and Tony on the baby, to which he stammers a kneejerk thanks but then that he's just watching her for a friend. Awkward. ]
take a look at that pocket assistant.
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[That's for both. Not getting the joke or not wanting to acknowledge it and then denying Tony the glorious opportunity to remark on what a lovely Steve chest has.]
Sure. You wanna take a look at mine first, or should I look at yours?
[He's not sure who's spying over Steve's shoulder that made him deviate, maybe it's just the baby again. But he still can't resist.]
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[ He hopes Tony didn't see that, or at least, didn't hear that audio, because he's not sure how he'd take someone having mistaken the baby for theirs. Okay, first of all, the baby doesn't even look like theirs, but that's beside the point. They could've adopted.
Nope. He's taking a breath, and letting the baby fever go. ]
Not fun enough for you? You usually never complain.
Also, are people still filming this? I think maybe they've seen enough.
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[And, brat that he is, instantly must call it out the second Steve gives him less slack than usual. But, hey, he's having a very trying day. He just wanted to go to the museum and work on some art and now he's on dad duty.
Their lives are very ridiculous sometimes.]
There's a few stragglers. And please believe me when I say I'm sorry, but twitter got a hold of some of it before I could shut it all down. Also something something freedom of speech and the press here. Whatever.
"Superdad" and "Captain Dad" are both trending respectively. I'll have PR start working on a statement about how this was a one time thing.
[So that this doesn't turn into the latest trend or meme. But.
Ugh. God. Steve looks so good in some of these photos that Tony is definitely now hoarding in a secret folder.]
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And fine, as long as this doesn't happen again. But I do like superdad.
I also hope I'm not upstaging whoever it is is actually this kid's father.
[ He heads back towards the bodega to check on Katherine, but no dice, so he ends up down the block at a stroller store. ]
Okay, gonna need you to talk me out of or enable me into buying these two one of these $1200 strollers.
And yes, that's a lot of money for a stroller.
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Although the internet seems to want to see you and the kid in a papoose. But I think if dad's still in the picture that's where the upstaging really starts.
Honestly though it's already over for him. There's no doing better than you.
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[ That's reserved for their kid, someday. A someday he hopes will come. ]
I just thought Katherine could use a stroller, with a compartment for a diaper bag. Apparently it rolls smoothly on sand, so they could go to Coney Island.
Normally I'd conduct a safety test myself, but I think on short notice I'm gonna have to just trust the reviews.
What do you think?
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It makes Tony's heart melt.]
Go for it. You have my blessing, if that's what you were looking for. I think it'll be nice for her. After having such a horrendous day.
But that does mean once you buy it you'll have to put the baby down, you know. In the stroller.
[A slight fishing attempt but he thinks Steve might like this. Carrying around a teeny tiny little baby.]
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[ Because he wants the top of the line for Katherine and her baby, but Steve Rogers is not a high roller. ]
Okay, fine. You've got me dead to rights. I'll take Katherine to buy one once she gets out. Let's just hope she wasn't eating where we're going next week.
Is it bad? I only met her half an hour ago, and I don't want to put her down. I think you'd have to be here, but you'd like her.
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[Steve never needs to ask, but Tony knows that's exactly why he does. It's just one of those things. That Steve doesn't have to, Tony has more money anyone could ever spend in several lifetimes, but some part of Tony will be grateful that he does.
Steve's last texts leave him feeling a little-
...something. Guilty, maybe. Bad, but not in the way Steve's asking for confirmation on. He feels like he might be robbing Steve of something. Even if he's a little bit more in the consideration category after today. If some things have maybe helped push him a little closer to the idea that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
Steve would make a really good dad. Some part of Tony has always been pretty sure about this. And it feels like he's denying both Steve and the world of it by being... well. Him. His answer isn't as immediate the next time but not too long to come back, either.]
I'm there in spirit. For what it's worth I think I'd just make things worse. I've been far more helpful from here. And you've got it handled. Just make sure you don't get so attached you can't actually not put her down.
[There we go. Putting himself down. Back to normal.]
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If you were here, it'd be just the same, except I'd have a whole other hand to hold yours with, and I think that'd settle some of my nerves.
Think it's easier to take down a HYDRA base.
[ But having Tony on call and ready to figure out what to do in order to get Steve all the information he needs to focus on the nice parts of babysitting, which is just hanging with and getting to know the baby. He doesn't even know this baby's name.
He knows they'll have to address the fatherhood issue sometime down the road, but they haven't even tied the knot yet, so they can wait on that. He thinks, if anything, that it should be Tony who broaches the subject again, because Steve hasn't changed his mind about any of it.
And Steve may only get to know this baby for a single afternoon, but their kid would be a lifetime commitment. But if he knew that Tony was thinking these thoughts, he'd ask him to put them out of his mind, because he doesn't want him to make a decision based on guilt.
He goes to hang out at the bodega with the person behind the register while he waits for Katherine, checking up every once in awhile. ]
Do you have to get back to work?
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[That doesn't mean Steve's not nervous. Tony knows this very well. But also- yes. Having a random baby foisted on you while the general public stops to gawk can't be the easiest position to have been in.
Tony would have to agree with him. Some missions seem easier than the thought of this. ...all this.]
I can multitask. I happen to think I'm very good at it. Unless you want me to leave the two of you alone.
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[ For Steve, this is hard work but he finds it rewarding. He thinks if Tony were here, he'd probably get to reap more of it, having this baby in his arms, snoring away in her wheezy way, little spit bubbles every once in awhile cropping up. ]
Just didn't want to keep you for my sake, since I think the crisis is over. But now I just get to sit here and watch her sleep.
Is there a feed? Are you watching?
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The problem is the discussion Tony thinks they're both talking around is one Steve has tried to have with him a few times now and he's always shied away. They've always shelved it.
But...
Steve did pick him. For better or for worse. A single-day baby crisis doesn't make him feel like he's capable of being a parent, but it has awakened a lot of other things in him. Things he might have otherwise been trying to keep out of his head.]
Feel me watching you?
Is that too much? It sounds creepy on second read.
That bodega needs higher quality cameras, by the way. You should tell them to upgrade.
[So he does what he always does. Moves on and jokes around. He'll have a lot to think about tonight.]
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No. I like knowing you've got my back from miles away.
[ The baby's awake now, and Steve's bouncing her up and down as he waits with her, assuring her gently that mommy's going to be out soon, mommy will be back soon. He gets delighted little squeals in response, so he'll take that as a win. ]
Send them new ones, I'm sure they won't ask about how you even know.
[ He does think that he'd like to have this more regularly, have this on a daily basis, maybe. Someday. If Tony ever decides he's for it, and he's all in, then Steve will do everything that he possibly can to put in the work and make then both happy. ]
Love you, by the way, in case I haven't told you enough today.
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[Easy enough to say because it's so true. Whatever Steve needs from him, as long as he gets a say, he'll always be there to provide for him. Even if that's asking FRIDAY for diaper changing videos.]
Alright but only because you said to. Does that count as a good deed?
I love you. And even if you have, I'll take it as many times as you wanna say it. You know I'm greedy.
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[ At that point, he hits enter because hears a flush, and the sound of the running tap. When Katherine comes out of the bathroom, she looks tired and embarrassed, so naturally Steve moves his way over to assure her that she's got nothing to be embarrassed about, that he's happy to have watched her kid, that look, she's awake now, fresh diaper, doing great.
Katherine cries in her relief, and Steve just stands there holding her for a bit before explaining the rest of the plan: going home, but dropping by one of the baby stores first to help him with an errand, if that's okay. If she winds up crying over a whole lot of gifts after, then, well, he'll deal with it.
And then he hands Katherine her baby back, easily, but the weight seems to stay on Steve's chest, regardless.
A few minutes later, he texts: ]
Her name's Joy.