The Cradle Will Fall
Chapter Nine
Sam woke to mild cramping and a very sore back and hips. He felt he had gone three rounds with the latest monster of the week. I took him a few minutes to remember exactly why he felt as horrid as he did. When the memories flooded back in, his stomach gave a hideous lurch. He scrambled up but his frantic search for the waste basket was halted when his brother shoved he plastic bin under his face.
Sam dry heaved into the plastic container until the nausea passed and he was fairly certain he wouldn't bring anything up.
"Thanks," he muttered as he leaned back against the pillows on his bed.
"Yeah, well..." Dean mumbled, setting the trashcan back on the floor. "You're lucky I'm not tearing you a new one for the disappearing act you pulled."
Sam just glared at his brother. He was a grown adult and he didn't need his older brother's permission to leave anywhere.
"Oh, don't give me that, Sammy! This is serious! We have no idea what the hell is going on with you and you just... what? Up and take off?" Dean spit out.
Sam really didn't feel like fighting with Dean.
"Dean, we know what's going on. It might be insane and kinda fucked up, but Vicki was pretty blunt about what was going on," Sam ground out, feeling his irritation grow.
"Yeah, you've got some... monster growing inside of you that we need to get out before it kills you!"
Sam choked on air at his brother's words.
"What!"
"Eve put one of her freaky hybrids inside of you so she could use you as some kind of... incubator. We need to get it out, like, yesterday"
Sam sighed. That was a possibility, yes, but... he really didn't feel like what he was carrying was evil. He shut his eyes and concentrated inward. He felt a warmth bubble up from deep inside; a soothing, knowing presence. He felt calm... peaceful.
"Dean... it's not... it's... she's not evil," Sam whispered.
"She?"
Sam let his hand drift down to his stomach.
"Sam..." Dean started.
"No, Dean. She's not."
"Look, regardless of that fact, you're a guy. You can't... this," Dean waved a hand at Sam's midsection, "doesn't work. She said it could kill you, that the... the thing-"
"Baby."
"Fine, baby, probably wouldn't make it to term, anyway. Sam, I know how you are. I get it, and I'm all for not harming the innocents, but... Sam, we're talking about a baby monster that may not be evil yet, or your life. It seems to be a pretty easy choice to me."
Sam let out a breath. His brother didn't get it. He would have to be blunt, spell it out. Where the hell was Gabriel?
"Dean, she's not a monster. And... she's not some creation of Eve's. She's... she's mine. My daughter."
Dean just stared at his brother. He looked confused, as if he was trying to put two and two together and kept getting five.
"Sam, look. Obviously, in our lives, we've established that it doesn't necessarily take a mommy and a daddy to make a baby, but... it still does take two people..."
Sam felt his face heat up. Now cam the fun part. He really shouldn't have a problem telling his brother about Gabriel, considering Dean had been fucking his angel for a lot longer... though Dean and Cas were long-term, happily-ever-after as opposed to him and Gabriel, who were closer to fuck buddies, or at least that's what Sam would have thought until last night. He had to admit, the Archangel had been different the last few days.
Still, he needed to tell Dean. He had to make his brother understand what he knew in his heart, what he'd felt earlier.
"Dean, there were two people," Sam finally spoke up.
Dean looked confused.
"Okay... so... why'd you get knocked up and not the chick?"
"Wow you're dense," Sam muttered before clearing his throat. "Not a chick, Dean."
"Ohhhh-kay. Why the hell didn't you say something?" Dean seemed to pause for a moment in thought. Or... was it, like, a one night stand kind of thing?"
"Uh, no. Not a one night stand," Sam admitted, wondering if he was just going to have to blurt it out. Dean could be really slow at times.
"Okay... Sam, you gotta know, considering the circumstances, I'm not going to judge. What's going on? And, how are you so sure that that... baby is not one of Eve's monsters?"
Sam took a deep breath. It was now or never.
"Cas told me... he said some of the symbols were to keep something angelic in," Sam started.
"Wait. You're... an angel..." Dean's eyes went wide. "Holy shit, you're fucking Balthazar!" he exclaimed accusingly.
"Huh?" Sam asked, caught off guard.
"Sam, really? I mean, I can go for the guy thing, even the angel thing, but Balthazar! Dude, the guy will fuck anything that stands still for two seconds!"
"Where are you getting Balthazar from?" Sam asked as his stomach started to ache again. Pain started to throb behind his eyes again.
"He's the only angel besides Cas who's around us," Dean explained.
"Gabriel. It's Gabriel, Dean," Sam blurted out, stopping his brother before he could start a rant on what a man-whore Balthazar was.
"Gabriel?" Dean asked incredulously. "As in, the Archangel Gabriel who killed me numerous times?"
"Gabriel, as in the Archangel who saved your son and has since protected both your son and your lover," Sam bit out.
Dean swallowed.
"Alright, point made. Gabe's a good guy, but... why the hell were you hiding it?"
Sam shrugged.
"I don't know... it wasn't anything serious. I didn't see the point."
Dean seemed to think on that for a minute.
"Okay... okay. So, uh... you're sure? You really think... the, uh, baby is yours and Gabriel's rather than some creation of Eve's? Why? Besides what Cas told you."
"Dean... I just... remember how we could sense things from Daniel before he was born? It's sorta like that. I can... I can sense things from her... Dean, she's real, and she's mine. I can't just... get rid of her."
Sam watched Dean's jaw clench. He wondered what his brother was thinking.
"Sam, this is dangerous. There's a good chance she won't survive, a chance you won't survive."
"Dean, it'll work. I don't know how, but..."
His brother nodded, a resigned look on his face.
"Okay. Then I'm calling Vicki. If you're gonna go through with this, then I want to know everything. Everything that could possibly go wrong, Sam, because I'm pretty sure that's a long list."
"Okay, Dean. I'm not going to argue. I want to know what's going to happen, too," Sam assured him.
"Okay. Okay, so, you're having a baby," Dean said with a nod and a grimace.
"Dean, you look like you just pronounced a death sentence."
"Hey, in your case, I just might have," Dean snapped.
"No. It'll work out, trust me."
Dean sighed.
"I'm trying, Sammy."
Vicki stood next to the bed where Sam was sitting. He'd finally up to eating a few saltines that Cas had mojo'd into existence about the time Vicki had arrived at Bobby's. She'd brought a bag-full of equipment and what she explained was a portable ultrasound machine.
"Okay, Sam. Dean says you're pretty adamant that you want to go through with this," she said, pulling some vials and what looked like a syringe from the bag.
Sam nodded.
"Then I want to start with the basic blood work that would be done under normal circumstances. After that, we'll take another look at... uh, it," she waved her hand at his stomach.
Dean and Cas stood on the other side of his bed, silently watching the proceedings. Sam wondered how long Dean would be able to remain silent.
"Where the hell is your brother?" Dean blurt out, turning angrily towards Cas. Apparently not long at all.
"Am I my brother's keeper?" Cas asked testily.
"Well, someone needs to be," Dean muttered.
"Dean? Not helping," Sam told his brother, hoping to shut him up. He was stressed enough.
"Okay, we done with the posturing, now?" Vicki asked, untying the rubber piece she'd tied on Sam's bicep to draw blood. "Good," she responded when Dean reluctantly nodded, "pull up your shirt and unfasten your pants then lay back," Vicki ordered.
Sam went to comply wih her request but froze when he realize his pants were nearly bursting. His stomach was swollen, a gentle swell visible above his waistband.
"Well, fuck," he mumbled.
"Holy shit," Dean breathed, eyes glued to Sam's stomach.
It was like a visible reminder, physical proof to what they'd known, what they'd discussed. It made it real.
Sam sucked in enough to release the button and zip on his jeans.
"Do you have sweatpants or pajama bottoms?" Vicki asked. "They will probably be more comfortable."
Sam tried to remember where he'd last seen his sweats when Cas held out his hand, a pair of gray sweatpants materializing out of nowhere.
"Wow, bet that comes in handy," Vicki mumbled as she took the pants from Cas. "Okay, Sam, lay back and lets take a look."
Sam did as she told him, gasping slightly when she squirted cold get on his lower stomach.
"Sorry, it's kinda cold," she warned, a little belatedly. She moved the wand over his stomach and Sam couldn't look away from the small screen. When it seemed the picture was in focus, she started to speak.
"Wow... I've never... I mean... wow. It, uh, looks like the fetus is around... 19-20 weeks gestation. I can see the sex, if you want to know for sure."
Sam nodded, even though he was pretty sure it was a girl.
Vicki paused for a second before announcing the obvious.
"It's a girl! Um... I'd guess, maybe 12 inches long and... maybe eight... nine ounces. Right on track."
"How's it going to come out?" Dean spoke up, voicing the question Sam had but wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.
"Um... good question. I think... I think the best option would probably be a Cesarian section. It's risky, but I think it may be the only option. I don't see how natural childbirth is even an option here."
Sam nodded, never looking away from the small creature moving on the screen. His daughter. His.
