A/N: Ichigo/Orihime. A little angst, but mostly humor and fluff (or something like that). No summary, because it would give too much away... Just read and enjoy, please!

Disclaimer: It would be awesome to own Bleach, or such amazing characters. Sadly, I'm not that good. Thanks to Kubo Tite.

In between

The scent of antiseptics hung heavily in the air, even outside on the corridor. It was enough in itself to turn one's stomach over. The white tiled walls shone bright in the light of the silently buzzing strip-lighting. Ichigo sat on the bench, his one hand clutching a plastic cup of water so tightly it was likely it would break any moment, while his face was hidden in his other hand as he tried to sooth the turmoil of emotions swirling inside him.

'Orihime...' he thought wildly. 'What should I do? It's all my fault... everything! I should never have let this... So wrong... and now there's nothing I can do!... But it's a little late thinking like this now...' a bitter voice spoke inside him. 'I... I'm just so worried about her, damn it! The doctors say everything's under control, but what if something goes wrong?'

He began shaking, and grabbed a fistful of his own hair to steady himself.

'No! I can't be thinking like this! Of course she'll be all right... we'll be all right...

It's just that I don't want to see her in pain! In any pain... I can't bare it!'

His teeth clenched together painfully. He looked up, and found that both Rukia and Tatsuki, who were sitting on either side of him were looking at him with strange, round, insecure eyes. It was an expression strange enough even on Rukia, but on Tatsuki, it was downright unnerving. Looking at it made the knots inside Ichigo's stomach clench even more forcefully. Of course the two women were just as worried for their friend as he himself was. Chad and Ishida were a little way away, standing by one of the windows, conversing in low voices, and sending pointed glances over to him from time to time. Renji, who had accompanied the put on Rukia, was making himself useful by taking the hysterical Yuzu, and the much calmer Karin down the hall to buy coffee.

Despite all his friends being present, Ichigo suddenly felt very much alone. He looked down to the cup in his hand miserably, as if somehow he would be able to extract some support from the depth of it... But then he looked up again, his eyes hardening.

'I have to get a grip on myself! Just look at me! Pathetic! All absorbed in self-pity and... When she... She's waiting for me... I have to go back to her. I promised to protect her... to be there for her, no matter what. It's just...'

A firm footfall, and a swish of a white doctor's coat announced a newcomer...

'What's this gathering here? I won't tolerate...' came Ryuuken Ishida's stern, disapproving voice. Then he spotted Ichigo, and his eyes narrowed, realization shining in them. 'Of course...' he mused aloud.

A muscle twitched in Uryu's jaw, but he decided not to say anything just yet. The doctor studied Ichigo intently for a few seconds before speaking again.

'Well, you look just about ready to throw up, Kurosaki... or faint.' he said in an uncaring, detached voice. 'Are you sure you don't need any medical attention?'

Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, but unfortunately the moment he did so he realized just how right the formidable quincy-doctor had been. When he gave no reply, Ryuuken uttered an irritated sigh, settling his glasses more comfortably over his nose.

'Come here!' he called to Ichigo, impatience coloring his voice.

'Hugh?' Ichigo blurted out.

'I said come here!' the man repeated, moving towards the window. Uryu and Chad moved aside, their expressions wary.

'Look!'

Ichigo crossed the corridor to stand next to the older man, and turned his head left and right confusedly.

'Erm... where?'

'Outside. What do you see?'

'… the street maybe?'

'And?'

'People...'

'Yes. Lots and lost of people. Isn't that right? So, if every singly one of those people were delivered by a mother, than it's surely not that big of a task now, is it? Not something your choice of a wife, who has already faced worst horrors in the past, would be unable to achieve without problem.'

Ichigo was looking out of the window, his eyes widening, until they became totally round circles. He watched the people go by outside. A family of four heading home laden down with their shopping. A rollerskating girl. Three elementary school boys, heading for the park, with a football under one's arm. An old couple, the husband leaning on a staff, and the wife having flowers on her hat. A man leading a dog on leash. Children queuing in front of a booth selling ice-cream.

And suddenly it hit him, that no matter how fucked up the quincy's tone had been, he had a point...

Maybe he was worried. Maybe this was new, and frightening to him. But at least he could take comfort from the thought, that not like every other time, with the hollows, soul reapers, world crushing megalomaniacs, this one time, his problem, the situation he was in was perfectly NORMAL! And the fears and emotions he was experiencing were also totally normal.

He couldn't help feeling a little relieved despite himself. Ryuuken had been right after all: Orihime and himself, together and separately had faced far greater challenges than parenthood must be... Or at least he hoped so.

He shook himself, turning back from the window, finding that the quincy-doctor was already walking away, his back turned to them.

'Er... thanks!' he called after his retreating form, with the tiniest of half-grins. He quickly pushed the plastic cup at Chad, who had walked up to him wearing a questioning glance. 'Here, hold this for me a bit, Chad!'

'Ichigo?'

He didn't answer, only walked to Orihime's room's door, wanting to go inside. The moment his hand touched the doorknob though, the door banged out hitting him square in the face.

'ICHIGOOOO!' Isshin cried, not even noticing in his haste that the one he was addressing was currently standing only inches away from him, being rendered speechless by the pain in his nose. 'Get your sorry ass inside this moment, my son! She's been asking for you for minutes now!'

'Stupid bastard!' Ichigo managed to curse. 'I can't walk THROUGH doors!'

'Whoops!' Isshin blinked. 'Never mind that now, there's a lost of ice inside, we can put some on your nose! Just hurry!'

…...

'Hi...'

'Oh, Ichigo! Goodness! I'm so glad you're here again!' Orihime exclaimed.

'How are you?' he asked, sitting down to the chair next to her bed, and taking hold of her hand, interlacing their fingers. His new find confidence was quickly fading away, seeing how during the last ten minutes she seemed to have become ten times more sweaty and worn out. When he came in she had half sat up, looking at him, but now she was lying back again, her eyes closed, breathing shallow.

'I'm ok... just need rest. The little blue men are having a party... Tell Rukia... the bunnies... the bunniiiiiiii...oooww...'

Ichigo gripped her hand more firmly, offering prehensile as he felt an other labour-pain take hold of her, straining her body. When her muscles finally relaxed again, after it was over, she was still holding onto him tightly. He winced, feeling all the blood being squeezed out of his digits, knowing that this little pain was nothing compared to what she must be feeling.

'Not good... the bunnies... they have exploded. But the muffins made it... the strawberry-mint icing melted a bit though, but a bit of red-bean paste would put it right!'

Ichigo raised his eyes to his father, sending his worried thoughts forward only with looks. Even though talking like this was quite normal for his wife, she had never done it being awake before...

'Orihime-chan?' Isshin asked gently. 'You sure you don't need any more pain-control? It's true it would slow the process down slightly, but you look like...'

'Oh, no! I'm fine! Really!' she answered immediately, opening her eyes briefly, to send them a warm smile. 'In truth, this is so amazing!'

'Amazing?' both males shoot at her disbelievingly.

She giggled weakly.

'Yes it is. I'm gonna be a mother soon! And every pa... uh...'

Ichigo quickly re-secured his hold on her hand, and they waited for her to be able to speak again. Ichigo tried to count the seconds, while his heartbeat was drumming fast in his ears.

Finally Orihime sighed, tired, but kind of content.

'You see, every pain brings me closer to be able to hold my baby in my arms. That's all that matters. Every pain is a part of it. Of being a mother. So... I want to feel it. I need to...'

'Orihime...' Ichigo leaned in, and kissed her gently. He was fighting against frighteningly strong emotions threatening to burst out of him, his eyes burning with held back tears. God, how he loved this amazing woman! She was really something else. And had he loved her ten times more (if that was even possible) she would deserve every last drop of it!

'I so love you!'

Orihime answered with another warm, knowing smile.

'Thank you... thanks for being here for me!'

…...

Ichigo had only agreed to his father being the one helping Orihime give birth to their firstborn, because there had been prior incidences with Orihime's power. The little Rikka fairies it seemed were rather protective of the new life growing inside their master, and even if Orihime could see the necessity of some examinations and tests, they couldn't... After a too suspicious an intrusting Tsubaki tried to attack a poor medic wanting nothing more than applying some gel on her stomach before using the ultrasound, they deemed it more wise to let Isshin be the one to look after her. Right now, at the end of everything, Ichigo found he was really glad they had made that choice. He found that in spite of his childish antics, rude comments and overall weird personality, he still trusted his father more than anyone in this world.

'Come on, Orihime-chan! You can do it! We're almost there!' Isshin kept cheering her on all through the expulsion stage, lively as ever, with the power that could motivate a football-team to be world-champion, even after he had lost all his voice. And Isshin was the one who held the baby in his hands first, smiling at the shocked little face that was screwed up in crying from being afraid of this wide, new world.

'Why hello there, little one!' he chuckled, not noticing the strange quiet that occupied the rest of the room.

It registered somewhere in the back of Ichigo's mind, that he was now a father. The wailing ringing in his ears was proof enough. He wanted to look, to see his son, or daughter, he didn't even know yet which one it was. But first, he needed to make sure his wife was all right. He had his eyes locked on her, and panicked when he felt her muscles relax, her whole body becoming limp, and saw that her eyes remained closed.

'Dad!' he cried out desperately.

Isshin looked up, coming out of his daze. His brows furrowed instantly. He grabbed his son's collar, pulling him closer, and thrust the bloody-grimy bundle of a baby into his arms. He himself went to Orihime's head, beginning to pat her cheeks firmly but gently.

'Orihime!.. Orihime!'

'Idiots! Can't you tell she's all right? Just overwhelmed...' cut in a cheeky Lily, who was sitting on one of the monitors, close to Baigon and S'huno, who still had their arms around Tsubaki, restraining the most fierce spirit of the six. (Apparently, Tsubaki had just as a hard time seeing his master in pain as Ichigo.)

Orihime opened her eyes a moment later, clear droplets of tears running down her cheeks, while she smiled.

'So amazing!'

Isshin chuckled, being relieved.

'If you say so my dear!'

Ichigo released a huge breath he never realized he was holding in. He closed his eyes, and offered a brief thanks to whatever kami was watching over them. His whole body was shaking, and he secured his hands more safely around the bundle in his arms, least he should drop it... and finally he looked down.

The wailing have stopped, so he was momentarily surprised to see himself holding a real, breathing, living baby. Time seemed to stop as his eyes studied those soft, round features, bored into the seemingly endless debt of those grey eyes for the first time. He felt that same (well almost same) strong emotion again, which took hold of him before, when he had been overwhelmed by his love for Orihime.

He just looked, and looked...

He wanted to say something, just because this moment seemed like a moment to say something. But his thoughts were in a jumble, and he couldn't form them into words. Not that it mattered: babies didn't understand words anyway. And just what do you say to your newborn child as a greeting? 'Hello, I'm your Daddy, hope we'll get along well, and not irk each other to Hell and back 15 years from now?'

So he remained silent, and just continued looking. He had a strange feeling those grey eyes understood him anyway... At least the baby was quiet now, snuggling comfortably in his welcome body-heat.

'Ichigo?'

He realized that this had not been the first time that Isshin and Orihime had addressed him. When he looked up, both were looking back at him, in a slightly baffled way. He quickly rearranged his expression into a scowl out of habit, removing all traces of the previous gentleness that had his audience gawking.

'Well, is it a boy or a girl?' Orihime asked, lifting a hand, requesting her baby and husband closer, her eyes shining with excitement close to elation.

Ichigo smiled at her.

'Dunno. But sure is beautiful...'

…...

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this one-shoot! Please review, if you did!