Okay, so I changed the rating as I asked one of my loyal readers ( a good friend and a wonderful writer) miss koneko (go read her stories, awesomeness!!) if she thought this was rated high as 'M'. She, unlike me, decided to check the ratings and told me what that entitled. Thank you so much, miss koneko, this chapter is dedicated to you!!
Mai hummed a jolly tune as she fixed Naru and Lin tea in the office that had finally been able to open. The building had been closed down in October for renovations and Naru had been about ready to throw a fit. Instead he had thrown himself into the maps, looking for Gene's body. Time had gone by and they had found a good doctor for Mai, one Haruka Mitsurugi. Mai had been glad when the office had finally reopened in January and Naru had moved onto finding interesting cases.
"Oh, calm down, you." Mai spoke to her bulging stomach as the baby within kicked hard. Mai had decided not to find out the gender of the baby, driving both Lin and Naru crazy. It had taken her two months to finally pick a bassinet out once they had arrived. Mai felt giddy as she thought of the baby bassinet sitting in their hotel room waiting for the baby to sleep in it.
"Mai-san?" she looked up and smiled as she saw Lin standing there. While he was still rather cold to her, she had managed to get him to call her by her first name instead of 'Shibuya-san'. She preferred her first name much more.
"Here, Lin-san, your tea! I need to take Naru his." Mai handed him his cup and she waddled out of the kitchen. Lin watched her go and sighed before going back into his office. It seemed that a pregnant Mai wouldn't be hard to take care of if only not for the black clad teen that was the father of the unborn child. Lin sighed as he closed his office door. Madoka owed him more than she would ever think possible.
"Here you go, Naru." Mai said with a smile as she set the teacup down. Naru looked up from his maps and stood up to touch Mai's stomach. Mai blushed and jumped slightly as the baby kicked hard. She glanced at Naru and felt her eyes widen at the expression on his face.
It was one of awe. Mai never got tired of seeing the expression on his face as he felt the baby kick against his hand. It was currently the only time that she was ever able to see him express his emotions freely anymore. He was so cold on the outside now and Mai only saw his true self in their bedroom. And even then it was only partly. But when he felt the child kicking in her stomach she could see his true self once more.
"Dr. Mitsurugi said it wouldn't be much longer. She thinks that it's going to be late January, early February. Isn't it exciting?!" she cried happily. Naru just nodded as he continued to feel the child move within her stomach.
"It is." he replied before he returned to his seat and gave Mai a guarded smile. She couldn't help but wish that he didn't guard it. He no longer smiled in public and no longer wished to speak much. The only thing that mattered to him was finding Gene and finding an interesting case to keep him occupied.
"I'll go back to my desk. Would you like anything else?" she asked softly. He glanced up at her. He gave a soft sigh before shaking his head at her.
"No, we'll be going to lunch at noon. Lin agreed to stay behind so that we can go out." he told her. He watched as her eyes lit up and she nodded in agreement.
"Okay, that sounds good!" she told him with another grin before walking back into the office. There had been several cases that came in and that Naru had accepted one of them. He had been wary of taking Mai on the case but in the end the client had been a nutcase. Mai gave a soft sigh as she remembered Naru giving the woman the number of a shrink.
'And that poor woman had been so sure it was her husband talking to her from beyond the grave. Oh, well. Maybe Naru will find another case to capture his attention.' Mai thought as she sat at her desk and glanced at the front page of the newspaper.
'NONE INJURED IN ACCIDENT WITH CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AT SCHOOL!' Mai read. She frowned as she glanced at the school and felt her eyes widen in surprise. 'That's the high school that mother went to!! I wonder what they're doing there.' Mai went on to read the article about how a construction truck driver lost control of the vehicle and drove it onto the volleyball court, barely missing the students playing on the court.
'They're tearing down the old building. Oh, well, at least no one was hurt and that's the important thing.' Mai thought as she folded the newspaper back up and went back to looking through the files that Naru had given her. Nothing was catching her eye as she kept thinking about the accident at the school.
'Get a grip, Mai! They said it was just the driver losing control, nothing more!' Mai told herself sternly. When she had looked through all the files with nothing catching her attention, she begrudgingly pulled out her school books.
'If I'm going to keep my grades up I have to study!' she thought as she opened her English book. She began to read the material and answering the questions at the end of the chapter. She didn't notice that she was being watched from the office door that she had just closed.
Naru watched her from his doorway with furrowed eyebrows. She kept glancing at the newspaper and he wondered what was on the front page. He would have to look at it later. If he went over and just took it, she would know that he had been watching her. He didn't want her to think that. He knew that she didn't appreciate being treated as an invalid because she was pregnant but sometimes it just worried him so much. He didn't want to watch her die and not able to help like he had with Gene.
'Stop it!' he told himself firmly as he turned back into his office. 'Mai is here with me. She isn't going to leave.'
"Mai, it's time to go." the girl looked up from her math book to see Naru standing at her desk. She blinked before looking at her clock and saw that it was already noon. She felt her eyes widen, had she been studying that long? It had to be a record! She'd have to call Madoka and tell her that she had studied for nearly two hours, she was sure the woman would be proud.
"Does Lin want anything?" Mai asked as she stood from her seat, closing her book as she did so. Naru waited for her by the door as she slowly walked towards him.
"I just finished speaking with him. He told me that he would order out." Naru told her. She smiled at him and let him help her put her coat on. He pulled her hand into the elbow of his arm as they walked out the door. She blushed at the show of affection and she heard him give a soft sigh.
"What?" she asked with a bright smile and chuckled at the look on his face. She laid her head on his shoulder as they reached the restaurant. She lifted her head as they walked in and the waiter showed them to the table that Naru had reserved for them. Naru helped her into her seat and she smiled up at him before he took his own seat.
"Have you found any interesting cases that you want to take?" she asked curiously. She watched as he read through his menu before shaking his head as he looked up at her.
"No. And besides, Lin has refused to let me take a case until you have the baby and I think he's right. I'm certainly not taking you on a case that may interest me while you're pregnant and I'm definitely not letting you stay at the hotel alone when you're so near." he told her. Mai felt her cheeks flare at the affectionate tone in his voice and the look that he was giving her.
"I'm beginning to get nervous. I mean, it's easy when the baby is still growing in me but what...what am I supposed to do when I have to actually take care of it? What if I don't know what to do and end up hurting it?" Mai asked as she looked at Naru.
He saw how unsure she was. He reached over and took her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes before looking away. He squeezed her hand and she returned the pressure. He wasn't sure how to comfort her as he was just as knew to this as she was.
"That's part of the experience. To learn how to take care of the child." he told her and she nodded with a smile before looking at him hopefully.
"I told you what I wanted to name the baby if it was a boy and I want that to go on the birth certificate. Especially since the doctor knows our true name. But Gene Shibuya doesn't sound Japanese...especially with us having Japanese names." Mai whispered. She watched as Naru blinked before nodding in agreement. He realized that they needed a cover name for the baby as well, he had just never really thought about it before.
"You're right. Do you have any ideas?" he asked and she bit her lip before nodding with a smile on her face. He waited and she gave a small giggle.
"Well, if it's a boy I want the cover name to be Mamoru. If it's a girl I want her actual name to be the Japanese name...after my mother, Kohana." Mai whispered. Naru nodded in agreement before Mai suddenly winced. He watched as she continued to wince before shaking her head and smiling at him.
"I should've eaten breakfast, I suppose. My stomach's hurting a little." she told him before turning back to her menu. She read the descriptions before closing her eyes as her stomach gave another sharp pain. She reached up and clutched her stomach again before she felt something wet between her thighs and her eyes widened in fear.
"N-Naru..." she whimpered. She watched as his eyes widened in understanding before he stood up. She wasn't sure how he could remain so calm as he helped her from her seat until she felt how badly he was shaking. Okay, so maybe he wasn't as calm as she had thought him to be.
"Lin, bring the van and come pick us open on seventh street." Naru paused on the cell phone and sighed. "Mai's in labor."
"The doctor. Call the doctor." Mai whispered as another contraction consumed her. She felt Naru's arm around her shoulders as she heard him dialing the number into his cell phone. She gave a sigh of relief as the contraction faded and she stood up and Naru glanced at her before talking into the phone as the doctor answered.
"How far apart are the contractions?" he asked as he looked at her. She bit her lip as she estimated the time that had to have elapsed between each contraction.
"Six or seven minutes." she whispered. She listened as he relayed the information back to the doctor. She felt Naru steer her towards the curb as he hung up with the doctor and Lin pulled up.
Naru helped her into the van before he followed. He closed the door and held Mai's hand as her head fell back as another contraction hit her. Naru continued to hold her hand and brushed her bangs back as he told her to breath. Was this the baby's way of telling them that it liked the names they had picked out?
His attention was drawn back to Mai as she gave another whimper of pain. He continued to brush her bangs back as her head lolled back on the seat. Naru had never been so glad to see a hospital when Lin pulled back. He opened the door and slipped out as Lin retrieved a wheel chair. They managed to get Mai into the chair and wheeled her into the emergency room where the doctor met them.
"Hello there, Shibuya-san." the doctor kneeled down in front of the crying girl as Naru placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. Mai winced as the doctor pressed down on her stomach. The woman bit her lip before smiling at Mai and winking at her.
"Alright, let's get you into the birthing room." the doctor told her and Mai reached up and clutched Naru's hand. Naru squeezed it back before leaning down to her ear and she clenched her eyes as another pain shot through her abdomen.
"I promised we were in this together." he whispered.
Mai's eyes fluttered open and she gave a small groan. She reached over and touched the remote for her hospital bed. She pushed the button that caused her to sit up. She saw Naru sitting beside her, reading a book. His attention was pulled from his book and she met his eyes.
"Where's the baby?" Mai asked softly. She remembered giving birth but the strain had been to much on her body. She remembered the child's cry before everything had gone dark and she passed out from exhaustion and strain.
As soon as Mai asked a nurse came in, carrying a bundle in blue. Mai felt her eyes widen as the nurse walked near her. The woman held the baby out and Mai took the small bundle and felt tears in her eyes as she looked down at the sleeping face with a tuft of black hair peeking out. She blinked and the tears fell.
"You need to sign the birth certificate." the nurse told her. "Dr. Mitsurugi will be in a few moments with the certificate."
"Thank you." Mai whispered as she continued to hold the sleeping child. She looked up as the nurse touched her shoulder and held a small bottle out and Mai took it and the nurse smiled at her.
"You've been resting for about an hour and a half. He hasn't wanted anything to eat, refused to take a bottle from anyone in the nursery." the nurse shrugged her shoulders. Mai gave a small giggle before putting the bottle against her son's lips and he parted them and let the nipple of the bottle enter his mouth.
"Finally. If there's anything you or the baby need, press the red button and let us know." the nurse told her before leaving the room. Mai felt Naru climb up beside her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Welcome to the world, Oliver Eugene Davis. My little Gene." she whispered to the feeding baby. She glanced up at Naru and he kissed her on the head. She lay her head on his shoulder before pulling the bottle away as she felt the baby stop sucking. She glanced down at the child once more and smiled. "Welcome to Japan, Mamoru."
Two days later Mai was sitting on the edge of her bed in normal clothes with the baby cradled in her arms. A black clad Naru sat beside her as they both watched the infant in her arms. Lin was currently signing Mai's release forms as she was still a minor and he was currently listed as her guardian.
"Alright, you're free to go. Now remember, Mai. You and the newborn need to stay at home until his first appointment in two weeks." Dr. Mitsurugi told her and she nodded as she continued to rock the sleeping baby.
"I will. Thank you." Mai whispered as she handed Gene to Naru before Lin helped her into the wheel chair. Naru handed Gene back to his mother before he nodded to the doctor who moved out of the way so that he could roll Mai out of the hospital room.
'Time to go home, my little one. Time to go home.' she thought as she continued to rock the baby in her arms before Lin and Naru helped her into the back seat of the van and she placed the child in the car seat. She then buckled herself up as the two men slipped into the front seat and Lin started the engine.
Mai let out a breath as they moved forward onto the main street. Mai bit her lip before looking at the baby. She bent down and kissed his fuzzy head and he shifted in the car seat. He gave no other sign that he was awake. He rarely opened his eyes and the doctor had assured Mai that for a newborn it was normal to sleep that much.
It had been three weeks since the baby had been born and for the first time she was alone with Gene. She had been nervous and even asked Naru if she could just bring the baby with her to come into the office. Naru had told her to wait at least until the baby was a few months old. Mai had not felt very comfortable with being at the hotel alone with Gene but she had conceded after Naru had promised he'd come if she called for him.
Mai peered into the room that she and Naru shared and she saw the yellow bassinet that Gene was sleeping soundly in. Mai tiptoed into the room and peered into the bassinet. Gene had wiggled enough that his cover had managed to push the cover down so that it was at his feet. Mai reached in and pulled the cover back up so that it was covering the baby once more.
She continued to stare at him before sighing and turning away. She left the bedroom, making sure to keep the door open. She sat down on the couch and stared at the cell phone that Naru had given her so that she wouldn't have to use the hotel phone. She bit her lip once more before reaching out and grabbing the device and flipping it open. She dialed in the number that she'd had memorized since she was ten years old.
"Hello, Mori residence." a sleepy voice answered and Mai winced as she glanced at the clock. She realized it was probably early morning in England.
"I'm sorry, Madoka! I forgot the time difference!" Mai exclaimed. She heard the woman laugh and heard her shifting.
"Don't worry about it. It's good to hear your voice. You should have seen Martin and Luella's face when they saw the baby's pictures. Luella was crying when she saw the name on the birth certificate." Madoka told her and Mai felt a smile spread across her face.
"He looks a lot like Noll, doesn't he?" Mai asked as she curled her feet up underneath her. She brushed a hand through her hair as she kept the phone up to her ear waiting for her cousin's response.
"He does but he's got your nose. He's very cute. How did his appointment go?" Madoka asked and Mai felt a smile spread across her face. Her cousin undoubtedly understood that she needed someone to talk to that didn't include two men that were so quiet that she wasn't sure if they knew the meaning of conservations.
"The doctor said we were allowed to take him out but Noll won't let me take him to the office yet. He wants to wait until he's a few months older. I wish he would at least let me come into the office, I love being with Gene but I'm bored to tears." Mai said with a soft laugh. She heard Madoka laugh as well.
"I know you're probably going to be mad at me but I have to agree with Noll. I think that you should probably stay at home and rest with little Gene. I mean you just gave birth, Mai. What if you go out and get sick with Noll and Lin at the office?" Madoka replied and Mai thought about it before giving in.
"I suppose you're right. I mean I love being with Gene and everything but where he's so young all he feels like doing is sleeping. I mean he wakes up and cries when he wants something." Mai whispered.
"Oh, Mai...is Noll helping?" Madoka asked.
"He's being wonderful!! When he gets home he takes care of Gene. It lets me rest for a certain amount of time but Noll needs his rest as well. I don't want him to worry so much about me and the baby that he's to tired to focus on his work." Mai replied and she heard Madoka give a small laugh.
"Well, Mai, I should be getting ready to go to work. Give me a call whenever you need someone to talk to that has a voice higher than a baritone." Madoka told her and Mai gave a small laugh before she heard a small cry. She looked at the room as she instantly recognized Gene's hungry cry.
"Bye, Madoka. Gene's hungry, I need to go." Mai hung the phone up before dashing into the bedroom and went over to the bassinet. She took the infant from his bed and placed the softly crying baby against her shoulder. She turned and walked into the little kitchen in the suite that they had rented. Mai didn't want to know how much Naru's parents were paying for the two extravagant rooms in the hotel.
"Shh, I'm warming your bottle, Gene." she told the child as she pushed the start button on the little microwave and it started up with a gentle hum. The baby instantly calmed down at the sign and Mai gave a small laugh as she rubbed the infant's back before moving him from her shoulder so that she was cradling him. She took the bottle from the microwave and tested it before allowing Gene to feed.
"You're a little glutton, aren't you?" she teased before she looked up from the baby's content face and into the mirror that was hanging on a nearby wall. She stumbled back slightly as she saw someone standing behind her.
"G-Gene?" she whispered tearfully. She watched the boy smile before disappearing from the mirror. She looked down at the child in her arms before he quit drinking and she barely pulled the bottle away before it fell from her limp fingers. She cradled the baby close to her body as she sobbed softly.
'Where are you, Gene?'
Remember to review, we're getting close to the first case!! This is a pretty big project but I'm going to finish it!! gulps I hope! Kieno0324
