Chapter 10: The Procedure
Stein had been woken by Asami saying Blair had sent a message saying Soul and Maka were coming. He then realized that the baby had decided to come early.
"Asami, Hideaki, go to the laboratory and get the second room ready. Also, contact Negus and have her come. Our patient will be arriving soon and it would be unwise to waste time."
Stein thought about what lay ahead of him. All of his past would resurface as soon as he held the infant's soul in his hands. He knew that Soul would hate him forever if he even made one little mistake. He couldn't stand the thought of being at fault for Maka's death. Stein decided that he wasn't going to fail. He was going to be the victor this time and change everything.
"Father, the room is ready."
Stein nodded, still in deep thought. He knew what was to happen. He had run through every scenario, both good and bad. He had calculated the numbers over and over. He had practiced the procedure as well as he could. He had gone as far as he could go in experimenting and training. All that was left was the execution of all the work he had put forth.
"Father, Soul and Maka have arrived."
"Good."
"But not in the car you advised."
"What?"
"Look."
Stein looked outside the laboratory window and growled slightly at what he saw. Soul was clumsily helping Maka off of the motorcycle. She was in immense pain and seemed to be fighting back the urge to scream. Stein was mentally kicking Soul for even thinking it was okay to drive a woman in labor to an intense procedure on a motorcycle.
"I think we will have more to worry about than we had anticipated."
Asami grunted and whirled back to go to the laboratory room. Hideaki was finishing in sterilizing the utensils again. She wondered if her father would allow Soul to even watch the procedure. Talking and describing only went so far in something so detailed.
"Father, will you be letting Soul watch?"
"Of course, a father has an obligation to be with the wife during their firstborn. It will calm Maka down, seeing Soul. I taught him the correct reactions to anything that might go on during the procedure. Everyone has a part to play in this."
Soul and Maka burst through the doors. Negus was right behind them. She immediately checked Maka and gave Stein a grave look. Stein nodded and then took Maka from Soul.
"We should hurry and you look exhausted."
Hideaki handed Soul a scrubs outfit. Soul put it on quickly and caught up with the doctor and nurse. Negus led the group. She threw open the doors to the designated room. Stein put Maka on the steel table and stepped back.
Negus started out the procedure with the simplest part: the delivery. This would tire Maka out, but Stein wouldn't need much of her participation. All that would happen in this stage would be the child's body being born. After that came the detachment of the soul and reattachment to the infant's body.
"Maka, I need you to push when I tell you to."
"Okay." Maka said as fear flashed in her eyes and her head spun around the room.
Soul walked up to Maka. She groped for his hand and took a firm hold of it as soon as she found it. He stood there, stroking her hair and telling her everything was going to be all right. She stared into his red eyes as he stared back into her green ones. A moment passed between the two that seemed to be everything Maka needed.
"All right, push!"
Maka did so. She did as well as anyone would in her shoes. Stein watched, remembering how he felt on a day like this. He could literally see himself standing beside Akemi, telling her the major arteries and names of the stars. She smiled at him, with that warm smile that made Stein always forget his urge to dissect. That smile that seemed to brighten even the darkest of days.
"Professor Stein, you're up!" Negus yelled from behind the halfway drawn curtain.
Stein walked over to the table, seeing the fear begin to return in her eyes. He placed his hand on her calf and whispered what he had written in his note to her. She nodded and determination appeared in her face.
"This shouldn't take too long, but you cannot lose consciousness or make any sudden noises. Soul, make sure she stays awake."
And with that, Stein set to work. He had to first locate the soul, which had the separated half of the umbilical cord. He found it easily enough and had Maka push it out. That was when he realized a problem he had not expected.
"Father?"
"What's wrong?" Soul asked, squeezing Maka's hand.
"It appears that the soul has wrapped itself up in the umbilical cord. I wondered why you weren't vomiting enough energy. This has twice the amount of energy stored up than I had anticipated. A turn of unexpected events. Nothing to worry too much about, though."
Stein carefully began untangling the soul. It was a magnificent green color that was vibrant and dark at the same time. He could feel joy from the soul and excitement to live. He had felt that the last time he touched a soul in this situation. It brought back so many emotions and Stein had no idea how to deal with them. He decided it would be best to block them for the moment.
"Hey, Maka, you did amazing. So cool to be your weapon right now." Soul said as he gave her his trademark shark tooth grin.
"Love you too, Soul." Maka said while she tried to get her breathing back to normal.
Asami remembered her first memory. Stein was holding her, the only time he ever had.
"I can see why people have strong feelings about children. You are very beautiful, very interesting. Isn't she, Akemi?"
Asami craned her neck so she could see a woman with long black hair. She was lying on the bed while a dumbstruck doctor stood beside her. Asami began crying and so Stein handed Akemi the baby.
"Asami…you are so very beautiful. You have your father's eyes." Akemi said as she stroked Asami's patch of hair.
Stein was working hard to bring Hideaki into the world. Asami didn't watch. She was looking at her mother. She grasped every detail, knowing it wasn't going to last. Although Stein kept a perfectly straight face, Asami knew what was to happen. She forced her mouth to move. She had to get one message to her mother.
Hideaki and Asami had figured out their souls were not attached and had tried to warn Stein. He paid the warnings no mind, until it was too late. The Twins knew that Stein needed to experiment more than he had. Hideaki understood that one of them was to be the death of their mother. So they devised a plan, inside the womb, that whoever got out first had to give their mother a message. They had managed to learn a few phrases during the final months in their mother's womb that would be useful in this situation.
"W-w-we l-l-l-ove Mommy." Asami somehow stuttered the words that she had learned.
Akemi stared at Asami. Stein hesitated, but quickly began working again. He removed Hideaki's soul and an explosion erupted. Akemi did say one last thing.
"Mommy loves you two."