"Mr. Riley... it's time for you to let her go. Hand her over. It's going to be okay."
The woman's voice is soft and gentle, and Simon knows it's supposed to be soothing, but all he feels is the burning urge in his chest to tell her to fuck off.
And he doesn't bear glancing down, because he knows the sight would tear him apart completely.
"Mr. Riley—" she tries again, but Simon's hands only clutch harder as he backs away.
Dread and agony claw at his insides. All he wants is to flee with you, but he knows he can't.
The woman straightens her shoulders, her voice more strict as she speaks up again, "Mr. Riley, you need to let go and let us handle this."
But Simon refuses to budge, face hardening into a deadly scowl. Then he notices how the woman's eyes flicker behind her glasses, her face relaxes.
"Mrs. Riley, I'm afraid your husband is refusing us to do our job."
"Simon—" His head ducks at the stern call of his name. Your daughter babbles and coos in his arms as she twists around to look at you, squealing with glee and reaching out to her mama.
"Golly," he mutters under his breath, because he'll never swear in front of his munchkin if he can help it, then side-eyes you with a guilty frown. "Don't wan' 'em to hurt 'er."
And with a fond yet exasperated sigh, you pry the toddler from his arms before handing her over to the waiting pediatrician assistant along with an apologetic flash of a smile. The woman immediately coos at your daughter and Simon stiffens as her bottom lips starts wobbling.
"She bloody hates this. They're gonna hurt 'er—" His eyes widen with trouble, but before he can rush forward to snatch his baby back, you curls your arms around his thick biceps before pecking his scruffy cheek.
"She needs that MMR shot, honey. I explained it to you in great detail."
"Mhmm." Your husband huffs and grumbles while his fingers curl around yours, needing the silent support while his eyes follow the scene with a sniper's focus on a high–stakes mission.
"Fuckin' hate needles... and she does, too."
You roll your eyes with a snort, "She's one year old, Simon. She doesn't know what hate even is yet."
And who knew that you'd be the one having to hold the great Simon Riley's hand and keep him from fainting at the doctor's office while his first child is getting vaccinated.