Maybe it was the luck granted by that little golden statue, but by the time Roy—sweating profusely—rushed in and found Janet and the others, the baby still hadn't been born.
"Why is it taking so long? Could something be wrong?" he asked in a panic, gripping Janet's arm tightly. It had been over six hours since he got the call and raced back, yet Laila was still in the delivery room. He couldn't help but think of the worst.
"Calm down!" Janet pulled him to her side. "You think childbirth is like shopping? Just walk into the store and walk out with a baby?"
Roy had attended prenatal classes with Laila. He knew all the facts. But knowing and experiencing were two very different things. No amount of preparation could ease the tension clawing at his heart right now.
"What do I do? What should I do?" He paced around in circles. Thankfully, this was a VIP-only floor. If the public had seen him like this, he'd be on the front page again for sure.
"All you can do is wait," Janet told him, the only advice she could give.
At that moment, she was truly grateful to be a woman. When she gave birth, she had been too focused on the pain to even consider how the father might be feeling. But now, watching Roy, she realized—she'd rather be the one lying in that room than outside, pacing helplessly, not knowing what to do.
Roy couldn't sit still. "I can't take it. I want to go in and be with her."
"Don't be ridiculous. You don't even know how much longer it'll take." Even someone like Janet, who had given birth twice, couldn't predict how long it would take. Every woman was different. It depended on countless factors—her experience was far from a reliable reference.
"I don't care. If I stay out here any longer, I'm going to lose my mind!" Roy went straight to a nurse and told her what he wanted.
The nurse knew who Laila was and had already been expecting Roy to show up. But still, when that impossibly handsome face suddenly appeared before her, she nearly forgot her name. When your real-life idol makes a request? Of course, you say yes.
She spoke to the doctor, got the go-ahead, and helped Roy suit up in sterile gear before leading him into the delivery room.
Roy had mentally prepared himself to find a pale, exhausted Laila lying weakly on the bed. What he didn't expect was to walk in and see her animatedly chatting with the nurses and doctors about movies—eyes sparkling, hands gesturing. It left him somewhere between stunned and amused. Where were the dramatic screams and chaos he'd seen in movies? Why was his movie-obsessed wife having a film seminar during labor?
"Laila, are you okay?" he asked as he walked up to her—only then noticing the sweat covering her forehead. That's when he realized she was in pain—she was just hiding it. And as a true film fanatic, what better way to distract herself than to talk about movies?
"I'm okay," Laila smiled weakly at him. "Congrats on winning another Oscar."
The nurse had already excitedly told her the moment the news came in.
Roy gently wiped her forehead. "And you won Best Editing. Nolan's keeping the statue until it's engraved, then it'll be delivered to the studio."
"So my skills haven't gone rusty yet," Laila chuckled—only to be hit with another wave of pain, drawing a sharp breath through her teeth.
Roy's heart clenched with her every labored gasp. He wished more than anything that he could take her place and bear the pain for her.
"Laila... Let's not do this, okay?" he held her hand, his voice thick with emotion. "Let's not have kids again. I can't take seeing you like this."
Laila let out a breathy laugh and gripped his trembling fingers. She could feel just how terrified and heartbroken he was. "Don't be silly. Do you think I'm doing this for you? I'm doing this for me—so I can have a little princess."
"Yes! Our little princess! I swear I'll make her the happiest little girl in the world!"
Their heartfelt exchange made all the nurses and doctors nearby melt. They had heard countless stories about how in love these two were, but always assumed it was exaggerated. Now that they were witnessing it with their own eyes, all they could feel was deep, envious admiration. Who wouldn't want a man who loved them like that?
But soon, the pain overtook Laila's ability to speak.
They say pain comes in twelve levels—childbirth ranks as the very highest.
Even so, Laila still found herself mentally analyzing the pain, planning how to replicate it in a future scene for a film. If she could only share this experience later—though if Roy knew what she was thinking right now, he'd probably scold her in disbelief.
Unable to speak, Laila bore it in silence.
Roy, on the other hand, was visibly on the verge of collapsing. His normally handsome features had turned deathly pale. He looked like he might faint at any moment from the tension and helplessness.
And finally—finally—under the doctor's encouragement and after a long, agonizing ordeal, their baby arrived into the world with one last muffled cry from Laila.
"Congratulations, Laila and Roy! You have a healthy baby!" The doctor and nurses smiled as they offered their warmest congratulations.
Under the nurse's guidance, Roy gently took the baby into his arms. The tiny bundle in his embrace nearly melted his entire soul.
"Daddy's little princess…" he whispered.
"Let me see my little princess!" Laila, utterly exhausted, couldn't even lift her hand. Roy quickly brought the baby to her bedside.
The wrinkly little newborn looked so tiny and fragile. But those chubby little limbs—like lotus roots—nearly brought tears to her eyes.
"Uh…"
The doctor and nurses exchanged slightly awkward glances.
Finally, the doctor stepped forward. "Um… Director Moran, I think there's been a small misunderstanding."
Both Roy and Laila turned to her in confusion. "What is it?"
"Your baby… is a little prince, not a princess."
The doctor felt painfully embarrassed. How had they gotten this so wrong? Did some earlier doctor misinform them?
If that previous doctor had been there, she definitely would've defended herself. They were the ones who didn't want to know! Don't pin this on me! She'd been practicing medicine for years—how could she possibly mistake a baby boy for a girl?
Both Roy and Laila were stunned.
Roy was the first to react. He gently lifted the blanket and took a peek beneath—then froze as he confirmed the unmistakable non-princess anatomy.
Well... this was awkward.
What happened to their little princess?
When had she turned into a little prince?