For Sempaiko's contest over on the Providence Playground. I hope ya'll enjoy this. I worked my tail off on this.
I love con-crit. I love reviews and feedback. As as long as it isn't just a 'YOUR WRITING SUCKS RAWR' without an explanation as to why, I'll appreciate it. ^_^
**Note for my other fics: I just was able to get into this account. The other fics will be updated shortly!.
Being one of the deadliest men in the world, trained as one of Providence's best agents, and skilled in more martial arts than most people know exist tend to make a person extremely aware of their surroundings. So it was no surprise that his eyes opened when the bed shifted. However, being that it had happened several times a night for the past four months he didn't automatically jerk up to see what was wrong. He knew there was only one other person in his room- and due to her condition she was probably just making another trip to the restroom.
Six took a deep breath, remaining on his side- content to remain still yet awake until she came back. When the bed didn't shift again, signaling that she hadn't stood up he sat up. Blinking through the darkness of the room, he looked over Holiday's silhouette in the darkness. He considered for a moment that perhaps she was only getting her strength, gathering her balance before she tried to stand- but that wasn't the case. One hand was gripping the side of the bed the other hidden from view. Six moved over closer and as he was about to speak, her voice split the silence of their room.
"Six…I think it's time." It took longer than it should have for her words to register and their meanings to sink in.
"What? You aren't due for three more weeks." He said moving to sit beside her on the bed- his hand finding her back as he looked over her. She was staring at the floor, that previously hidden hand pressed tight through her cotton night gown and against her lower abdomen beneath her swollen stomach. After a brief moment she shook her head.
"No…it's time." She said, taking in a deep breath. Six cursed mentally as he jumped from the bed. They had planned on taking out a hotel room in the city closer to her date. The base was in the middle of the desert and they were not properly staffed to delivery one baby, let alone two. He jerked on his clothes as he attempted to gather up some of hers.
"How far?" He asked simply, watching her as he fastened his pants. Her eyes were closed as she counted. She looked up at him.
"Three minutes." Holiday said a small waiver in her voice that wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else who might have heard. Six nodded, slipping his shirt over his shoulders having decided that there was no time to be wasted with buttons. He went to her as she stood up, her hands clenching at her side.
He took her elbow as she stood up. He moved to pick her up but she pushed him away, gently but she got the point across.
"Gravity helps." She said her eyes closing as another contraction hit her back, rolling around her hips and diving deep into her body. A hiss escaped her lips and Six's arms were around her shoulders- urging her forward. His ears piece buzzed live as he ordered the med ward to be prepped. Half way down the hall the doctor stopped. She leaned against him, a deep breath in and out as the hardest contraction to hit yet, rocked her. She shook her head as he held her tight against him not saying a word- just supporting her as she rode it out.
Six tried to wait patiently every so often that she would need to stop as a particularly extreme pain would give her pause. Every footstep echoed through the corridors and every whimper seemed to last forever. Years seemed to past as they moved slowly towards their goal. Almost to the medical ward, Six knew that what was happening in slow motion was exceptionally real, as the sound of water splashing to the tile filled his ears.
"Hoooh boy, Six." Holiday shook her head and let out a deep breath. Six stared at the liquid around her feet with wide eyes. Obviously, Holiday was close enough to see through his lenses as she forced a smile, gripping his hand.
"My water broke. That's all. It's supposed to happen." She said before taking in another deep breath. Finally they made it to the ward where the base doctor was waiting with a few nurses. Six watched helplessly as the nurses helped Holiday onto the bed; naturally after protesting for several minutes and not liking the helpless part of all.
The oldest nurse pushed Holiday back onto the bed only to have her sight right back up. The young doctor, who looked as if he had only gotten his license hours ago, blanched as he looked over the very pregnant woman, then grew noticeably nervous as he noticed Agent Six hovering like a rabid wolf over his mate.
"Um. I need you-" He said to Holiday but found his shaking voice aimed at the tall stoic man, "to lay back so I can see how far dilated your are." Holiday's green eyes were fierce as she hissed through another contraction.
"Can't…breath laying down. Would you if you had fourteen pounds of baby squishing you?" Holiday spat, her voice firm and laced with a little more than irritation. The nurses and attending physician all stood frozen in shock as the agent appeared on the bed behind her, legs on either side of her waist. Holiday instinctively leaned back against him, craning her neck back to look at his eyes beneath his shades.
"You…you" She narrowed her eyes at him. Her voice like that of a demon straight from hell conveyed her message to him perfectly, as her back arched against another wave of liquid pain.
"Relax" He said flatly, though the tension riding through his own muscles gave question as to whether that suggestion was directed at his six inches dilated wife or himself. Holiday clamped her eyes shut, the back of her head digging into his chest, her hands threatening to break his knee caps as the doctor examined her.
"Well, yeah …It looks like we are about to have a baby." The man said his head peaking up slightly over her night gown. Holiday's eyebrow twitched and in a moment of stupidity and pain her foot came away from the stirrup and landed against his nose.
"I KNOW THAT! Is there anyone with any life experience that can do this besides YOU?" She snapped as the doctor stood up holding his nose. Holiday leaned her head back and Six had to attempt to swallow back the lump in his throat as a whimper escaped her. He did the only things he could do, he brushed the hair from her face and dabbed her forehead with the wet rag offered to him by one of the nurses.
"If a system of coordinates K is chosen so that, in relation to it, physical laws hold good in their simplest form," Holiday moaned breaking her sentence as a contraction hit her particularly hard "the same laws hold good in relation to any other system of coordinates K' moving in uniform translation relatively to K."
"Okay, honey, deep breaths." This advice came from a matronly nurse who had taken the doctor's place. A calming breath in through the nose, and a cleansing breath out through the mouth. Six repeated the breathing pattern again as Holiday gripped his knees.
"I was actually talking to your wife…but what ever helps Agent." The older woman said with a grin, causing Six to realize what he had been doing. The nurse looked back down her face going serious. She gave Holiday a good pat on the leg.
"We've got a head. One more good push and we should have baby number one. Ready?" Holiday gave a frustrated nod, repeating the theory of finite particles as the nurse counted out. The nurse shook her head and gave Holiday another pat on the leg basically signaling her to stop.
"No good mom, those shoulders aren't coming through on their own." The nurse said. She looked over at the now completely useless and placid doctor, ordering a pair of scissors like an old pro. Six's eyes widened as the pop of cartilage filled his ears. Many times he had heard that sound- slicing down enemies and evos- impaling and eviscerating alike. But never had a sound chilled him so much. He almost physically cringed as Holiday whimpered again. The nurse nodded as she tossed the scissors onot one of the medical trays.
"Okay. Push." The Nurse said. Holiday responded by pushing as hard as she could. It didn't take long for the count to end.
She collapsed back on Six as a rush of pressure released. She smiled up at him as that high pitched scream filled the air.
Six moved carefully from behind Holiday, propping a pillow up behind her. He looked down at the screaming baby girl in complete awe. The nurse handed the baby off to one of the stand by nurses and handed Six a pair of scissors, before going back to check on the remaining twin.
Six's hands were physically steady but inside he was trembling as the metal edges cut through that tender vital tissue. The nurse standby took the baby and started cleaning her off. Six turned back to look at Holiday as she smiled weakly. The old matronly nurse's demeanor changed. She looked up at Holiday over her glasses, her blue eyes wide with worry. Nurse Johnson turned to look at Six. She swallowed hard.
"Agent, I'm going need you to step outside." Six's reflexes cemented him to the floor. His eyes narrowed as he tried to read the woman. Obviously, it wasn't good.
"I think I should stay." The nurse broadened her already broad shoulders and looked straight down her nose at the agent.
"It wasn't a suggestion." At this point Holiday sat up as much as she could.
"What is going on?" Holiday's voice was strong regardless of the amount of panic flushing to her eyes. The nurse cut her eyes at Six then sighed.
"The second baby is breech…and seems to have gotten her cord wrapped around her neck." The nurse said watching the color drain from Holiday's face. Six blinked at the nurse for a moment then looked to his wife.
"What does that mean?" Six said looking back at the nurse. Holiday answered him though, her voice soft.
"Caesarean." Holiday said closing her eyes and leaning back on the pillow. The head nurse nodded.
"Unfortunately, this is our only option." Nurse Johnson said again as the doctor, now in professional mode that he knew more about what he needed to do, moved to speak with Dr. Holiday.
"I understand that you want to be with your wife and your child. But you HAVE to leave. We have to sterilize this room for the surgery. You can get cleaned and come back after but you do need to leave." Six narrowed his eyes at the woman but he knew this was one battle that he wouldn't win- because he didn't need to. The woman was right. He walked over kissing Holiday on the forehead as she nodded to him. She was a strong woman. She was an intelligent person- she was also extremely brave. He walked out of the room.
Six conceded to the demands of an unarmed person and left the room where his wife and unborn child were in danger. Hisas he looked into the next room. A small grin pulled at the corner of his mouth as he walked in and looked over the nurse's shoulder. The tiny creature still screaming her lungs out was just as beautiful as he thought she was going to be. The nurse finished wrapping the tiny baby and turned to look at Agent Six.
"Here. Mind her head." She said placing the tiny newborn in the Agent's normally dangerous hands. He smiled as the screaming cries turned to whimpers. He remembered his intention of walking out of the other room and hesitantly handed Jasmine back to the nurse.
"Keep her safe." He ordered, needlessly. He followed Nurse Johnson's instructions and scrubbed down in one of the opened sink rooms. As the hot water scorched over his skin he couldn't help but think back. First, the day they eloped in secrecy. Not a person had known there was anything between them. He hardly knew that there was anything. Their feelings ran so much deeper than that throw away physical attraction that brought most people together.
It wasn't a first marriage for either of them. His first wife was a good woman, not too bright, but a completely selfless person. They had been married only a year when the event turned their worlds upside down.
She became infected. What people never fully understood or fail to remember was the first wave of out breaks did not produce the evolved stabilized version of the later EVO variety. No. The first wave of infectious outbreak was similar to and mimicked that of the Black plague- incurable, untreatable and horrifying to witness.
She was four months pregnant when the nanites consumed her. Within three days she, and consequently the baby, were dead.
Six blinked and turned the water off with his elbow. He didn't like to think of his late wife or the child that should have been. His thoughts shifted over to the love of his life. Holiday's first marriage was even shorter than his own. She married young, at only seventeen, and it was a mistake. The honeymoon went well but after two months the man was caught with a handful of the maid of honor. It should be no surprise why either of them lost interest in relationships. Holiday put her nose to the grind and focused even harder on her research. Her determination only increased a hundred fold when her sister fell to one of the advanced infections. It was through their different pasts caused by the event that brought them together.
Nothing about her dulled him or bored him. She was passionate, determined, hard working and positively captivating. What was there was immediate and powerful. He couldn't say the first day he realized that what burned inside him was reflected in her nor could he remember the day the reciprocation of said feelings was given.
Six's eyes drew up to the clock as he pulled on his cloves. When Holiday told him she was pregnant, panic and fear had surged through him in torrents. He could not stand another loss like the one before. His humanity wouldn't survive it and the little emotion he did show would be completely destroyed and hidden.
He shook his head. This wasn't the time to be nursing such painful or negative thoughts and memories. He pulled on the blue paper gown and quickly made his way back to the door. The nurse, who had also cleaned up, opened the door for him. Holiday was completely still on the table as the other nurse prepped the area for surgery. Her eyes were closed and that bitter taste of fear coated the back of his throat.
Six was cautiously guarded as he took a few steps closer watching her chest rise and fall.
"Holiday?" Her green eyes opened calmly and looked up at him. A nervous serenity filled them as Six pushed a piece of hair from her face.
"Jasmine?" Her voice was soft. Six arched his eyebrow.
"She's fine." Six's eyes moved to watch the nurse spread fist the soap to clean and then the local anesthetic to the area. He turned back to look at Holiday. "Are you alright?" She took a deep breath and looked at him.
"Do you know how hard it is to not push when your entire body is demanding you push?" She said in the most stressed calm voice he had every heard. He just shook his head stupidly. Her breath was ragged and her entire body was tense.
The young doctor came back in- his ragged jagged appearance gone. It was clear that he was in his element with a scalpel in his hand. Perhaps looking down a birth canal made him nervous but cutting someone open seemed to be his forte. Six averted his eyes as the scalpel slid across her skin. It wasn't that he was squeamish- but call him a fool for not liking the idea of the woman he loved being sliced open. He looked at her instead.
He ignored the sounds. He ignored the whimpers coming from her. Even in pain she was the most miraculous woman he had ever met. He looked at the clock as he heard the sound of the baby being released. The actual retrieval of his second daughter had only taken about thirty minutes.
A jagged breath was let out from both of them as Jade screamed at the top of her lungs. Holiday closed her eyes and relaxed back onto the table. She shook her head and smiled.
"That is the most wonderful sound in the world." She said a tear trailing down her face. Six let a small smile slip free and wiped the tear away.
"It is." Six turned as the nurse spoke to him, telling him to follow her while the doctor sewed Holiday back up. The room that she led him too was just one of the blank medical bays- usually kept to treat more serious injuries. He watched as the nurse cleaned off the second screaming little girl. She wrapped the girl tight in a towel and looked down at her before looking over at the agent.
Six felt as if his feet were cemented to the floor- and regardless of how stoic and stony he normally was- he felt as if he couldn't move if he wanted to. The nurse smiled at him and held the baby out.
That instant the reality of everything set in. He closed his eyes and listened as the baby whimpered and wined. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes looking over the tiny piece of perfection. He looked up as the nurse cleared her throat. His eyes widened slightly as the nurse handed him Jasmine. He looked down at the two small beings in his arms- the turmoil of thee world disappeared. The evo problems evaporated. The military war faded into the white noise in the background. For the first time in a very long time, he felt complete.
Fear surged through him suddenly as the warning siren emitted a scream throughout the base. He clamped his eyes shut as the twins cried in fear. What had he done? What had they been thinking bringing children into the world in the middle of a war? He opened his eyes and looked back down at the babies. His eyes darted to the door as Nurse Johnson walked in.
"I know you are the famous stoic Agent Six, but I would think even you would have a part of a smile." She said walking over and looking at the two girls. Six glared at the woman then looked down at …his … daughters. He didn't know what to say to the woman, he didn't want to say anything to her. She spoke anyway so the problem resolved itself.
"Things are gonna be hard, Agent. But this makes it all worth it." The nurse said pushing a chair up behind him. Six sat down carefully as the two babies quieted, the sirens droned into silence as the alert was answered. The nurse left the room leaving him with his offspring.
"Hello Jade. Hello Jasmine." He said. A small plastered across his face as he bent down, kissing each little girl on the head.
Holiday pushed her self up slightly as the bed was wheeled into the room where the babies were. She smiled at Six holding both of them. He looked up at her and shook his head.
"Good work, Doctor." Holiday laughed as he addressed her. He stood up, carefully and with a little bit of difficulty. He walked over and looked down at her as the nurses left the room after getting Holiday's bed situated. "Want to meet our daughter?' he asked. Holiday grinned even wider as he handed the babies to her. A tear slipped down her face before she started to laugh. Six frowned as the tears and laughter came.
"Are you alright?"
"Perfect." Holiday looked up at him. "Their perfect." Six nodded and bent over taking his wife's lips in his own. A gentle kiss then he pulled back, setting his forehead against hers.
"Like their mother."
