AN: Ok! While I appreciate feedback, comments, and suggestions; I always take them into consideration, however ultimately I write what is in me to write. I won't guarantee that everyone will like everything. I've been overworked as a housekeeper in a hotel that was severely understaffed until this past weekend. So my creativity well has been pretty dry, not to mention my patience. Just keep this in mind please. Sorry it isn't longer, I'm currently fighting the flu...Now on with the chapter.
After his mom was resting, Miguel decided to check on his Abuela. On his way out he nodded to Aaron, who was his moms assigned guard. He exchanged quick chit chat with his fellow Hispanic. Once Aaron assured him that no one would disturb his mom for the evening, he made his way to his Abuela's room.
Miguel made the short trek to his Abuela's room with worry warring in his heart with guilt. He should've been here with them more than hanging out with his new friends, letting himself get distracted from his worry.
"She's close to waking up kid." A gruff voice that sent a chill down his spine greeted him as he saw an older man come out of his Abuela's room. He was tall and still powerfully built. His almost buzz cut hair was more silver than blonde, his ice chip blue eyes reminded him of Jessie.
"Who are you?" He asked as he tensed unsure if it'd be wise to take this man on, especially if he is who he thinks he is.
"John Kreese." John said after observing him for a few moments. That made him even more curious, particularly about what this man's interest was in his Abuela.
"What are you doing in my Abuela's room?" Miguel asked as he took stock of the hall around them. A lesson learned from a couple days ago.
"Visiting an old...friend." John said as he walked up to him. Miguel shifted into the stance he spent weeks commiting to muscle memory.
"Loosen your stance a bit, you'll hurt yourself when you fight someone as tense as you are." John proceeded to adjust his stance a bit so that he felt looser yet still powerful.
"How do you know them?" Miguel wasn't going to let his guard down yet.
"Ask your mother kid. Just remember a Cobra is fluid and strong." John said as he headed to the elevator.
John had no intention of running into his son so soon. But after he made his deal with one of his best, and to be honest favorite students; he decided to visit his ex and make sure she was getting better himself. But his old protege showed up with his son so he made a swift retreat before Miguel could see him.
However he didn't count on Miguel coming to check on Rosa so soon. Still he had to admit his protege trained him good for a first year.
After he left the hospital, he headed back to the 'stronghold' that housed most of the syndicate. He knew his time here was limited, with the goldmine of information he handed over to the government earlier he'd give it a week maybe two before Bobby puts his plan in action. He caught the suspicious glares from Li and Silver. Dugan he noticed had a neutral look on his face but didn't approach him.
When he got to his quarters he grabbed a duffle bag and started packing it with his clothes in case he needed to make a quick get away. Also packed were the few photos that meant anything to him. His high school sweetheart Janelle Sweeney, His platoon mates, his old students and finally his Carmen when she was pregnant with Miguel.
He hid his Duffle bag in the closet when there was a knock on his door. He narrowed his eyes at the door. Only certain people dared disturb him in his rooms. Barnes, Silver, and Chozen. Li never liked him and always sought to eliminate him. Dugan and him almost never interacted with each other. So it was either Barnes, an underling or Chozen. Silver knew better than to come to him unless he had a death wish after what he ordered behind his back. Which is what disgusted even him, because it shows how low his one time best friend really sunk; considering Silver still kept tabs on his step daughter.
He opened the door and wasn't surprised to see Barnes at the door.
Miguel jolted awake as he felt a hand come on his shoulder, he blinked up into his girlfriend's face as she sat down next to him in her pink satin dress.
"I thought you were at the country club?" He asked around the yawn that wanted to escape, he looked down at the clock by his Abuela's bed, it was after midnight.
"Right after Bobby proposed to Jessie, she started having contractions." Her amused tone calmed down the slight alarm he felt. "Is she alright?" He liked the older woman, she had this sisterly vibe to her.
"Probably Braxton-Hicks contractions, they're keeping her overnight for observation. How's she." Sam nodded to his yaya.
"She's close to waking up according to Dr. Pierce." He decided not to tell her about his brief run in with the original cobra.
"Oh that's a relief!" she yawned as she was clearly fighting sleep. "You should lay down." He nodded to the cot Dr. Pierce brought in for him to sleep on earlier.
"You both should get some rest." Sensei said from the doorway as a couple interns rolled in with three extra cots. Behind him were Robby and Aisha.
"Did she say yes?" Miguel asked his sensei as he got on his assigned cot.
"Right before her contractions started. She went into labor about an hour ago." Sensei sounded nonchalant but he knew his sensei well enough to know when he is worried.
Miguel told his sensei what Dr. Pierce told him as Robby, Sam and Aisha took turns changing into night clothes. Sensei breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's very good news, I'm going to check on Carmen now. Miguel look after them, you are the leader of your small group of friends." Sensei said then left.
Johnny's own words rang in his ears, he was the leader of his friends; Dutch and Tommy were sadistic but he was mostly able to keep them in line; mainly with Jimmy and Bobby's help. His heart still twinged with the reminder of his comic book/Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerd friend's death.
"Jimmy was a good guy, he and Bobby were the best of the Cobra's" He turned in the direction of his rival. Daniel leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Yeah he was, had a weird habit of giving people nicknames, and spouting obscure facts." He couldn't help but remember the circumstances that put Jimmy on his radar.
"Jimmy was bullied by his father and practically everyone else until his mom enrolled him in Cobra Kai. I can say that one of the few good things John Kreese ever did for us was to make sure no one fucked with us. One time he mentioned to me that in a way his students were his children." Yet another postive feature of his mentor he wished he could deny.
"Wow! I never knew that. I always assumed you lived charmed lives." Daniel reiterated the same message from several days ago. Johnny shook his head.
"Not at all. My parents were alcoholics who only cared about social standing." Dutch spoke from behind them, Helen clutched his hand with a pained understanding in her eyes. "The only one of them who had a decent early childhood was Bobby. And he was groomed into becoming the CEO of the family business." Helen spoke up for them.
"I didn't know." Daniel said.
"That's the point. Now when can we get together to combine techniques?" Johnny didn't want to continue down that depressing path, because then he'll want to hit the bottle again. He was doing good so far, four days without drinking was a personal record for him.
"Don't over think it. The journey to sobriety is different for everyone. If you need one drink now and then to steady your nerves as you work on quitting that is fine. But don't beat yourself up over every relapse." Helen walked up and gave him a hug.
"'One day at a time, there will be good days and bad days. Days where you litterally have to force yourself to not think of that next drink. But there will also be days when drinking won't be a blip on your radar'" Bobby quoted Jessie's advice to the new members of AA this evening.
"How is she?" Dutch asked. Bobbys smile was a tad strained. Which put him on edge.
"I'm happy to announce that James Madison Brown made his entrance at 12:05 this morning." Johnny had a bad feeling; apparently echoed by Dutch.
"And Jessie?" Apparently Daniel caught on to Bobby's evasion.
"James was Breach." He paled at that news. Robby was Breach, he nearly lost both Shannon and Robby. Yes at one time he truly thought he was in love with Shannon. She was the opposite of Ali in everyway.
"They had to get him out by C-section. However she had an allergic reaction to the Anesthesia they used and nearly flatlined when they got him out." Not even thinking about it he went over and hugged his old friend.
"Go see your son, I'll stop by after I check on Carmen." Johnny let Bobby go as he headed to Carmens room.
"Send Aaron to guard Jessie while I'm seeing my son." Johnny nodded as he made his way down the hall to visit his friend.
"Bobby says to switch out, you're to go…" he began but Aaron interrupted him. "Something happened to Jessie." Aaron surmised with a concerned look on his face. He explained about Jessie going into labor around ten after Bobby proposed. About the C-section and the aftermath.
"Jessie never does anything the easy way." Aaron quipped as he left his post. Johnny went inside to see Carmen was awake.
"Jessie sounds like a handful." Carmen had a tired look on her face. Johnny spent the next hour chatting with her about small things.
Once Aaron took up his new post outside his fiance's door, Bobby went to the NICU to see to his son. He knocked on the window and Ali and Susan came out wearing scrubs.
"How is James?" He asked the top Pediatric Surgeon in the country. Ali's smile seemed on the forced side.
"He's stable for now, when we got him out his brain, heart, and lung functions were sluggish. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his major organs, but we'll know more when we get him X-Rayed." It felt like there was a pit where his stomach was.
Jessie would castrate him if their Jimmy didn't pull through. If she pulled through the night. As if reading his thoughts Ali placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know Jessica, but she seems like she'll move mountains to come back to you." Reluctantly he chuckled at that. Jessie's stubborn, indomitable nature was what initially drew him to her.
"And I'd do the same for her. Can I have some time alone with my son?" He didn't care if it made him sound rude. Ali didn't seem to mind as she and Barbara headed out of the NICU. "He's your son, so naturally he'll pull through just like Naruto." He blinked at his secret favorite Manga reference.
"You like Anime/Manga?" He asked Ali. Ali smirked at him as she was about to leave. "We'll talk nerd later, right now I need to set up his appointment for X-Rays tomorrow!" Ali and Barbara left him alone in the NICU with a son he only wanted at first because his fiance was excited about him.
"Hello Jimmy." He spoke to his tiny son, through the opening in the incubator. "Your mother needs you to pull through." He didn't really know what to say in this circumstance; why didn't they have rule books for this kind of thing.
"I need you to pull through as well." He lapsed into silence as he watched the slow rising and falling of his son's chest.
"How is he?" He tensed as he heard a voice he hadn't heard in seventeen years. "Jimmy." he greeted the deep cover NCIS Agent.
"Just wanted to see my namesake." He observed the greying buzz cut of his friend he hadn't seen since just after the towers fell and Jimmy took on a long term deep cover mission.
"What about your cover?" He didn't want to risk his friends life, or his job.
"All the key players are in place. We start the next phase in a week." Jimmy said as he melted back into the shadows he came out of.
Once he had taken in his son's condition he made his way back to his fiance's room. Once there he sent Aaron back to his post at Carmen's room.
He sat down by her bed and gently picked up the hand that wasn't attached to machines. He hated seeing her so still and quiet. Two other times he's had the displeasure of seeing her like this.
"Jess, you need to quit ending up here." He waited for her to respond with her usual 'I don't mean too!' when none came he opened one of the bags filled with mangas from the first Naruto saga. He chuckled at the fact she got him hooked on them. He began to read them aloud to her like he did with her Harry Potter books when she wound up in here six years ago before they got together.
He paused as the door opened a couple hours later. "How is she?" he tensed as he heard Barnes in the doorway. He never liked to deal with the older man. Mike never did anything without ulterior motives.
"She nearly died during the C-Section." He took deep, steadying breathes. He turned to the man and saw the quickly masked concern in the guys eyes.
"I'll let Kreese know." Barnes thankfully left. Not five minutes later Miguel showed up in his room and asked the most common question the last couple hours.
"Jessie is in critical condition, but don't let that fool you. How's your mom?" He asked the kid, who oddly enough reminded him of Johnny and his old sensei.
"Tired, but she has always been a fighter, which is ironic considering she never wanted me to train with sensei." Miguel said around a huge yawn.
"Go get some sleep kid it's nearly dawn." Bobby knew he should take his own advice, but his woman and son needed him to constantly be alert. He made many enemies during his long military career, anyone of them wouldn't hesitate to get to him through them. Chozen is his most current concern on that front.
"You should take your own advice Bobby." Barbara said as she came in to check on Jessies vitals.
"I'll sleep when she wakes up." Barbara huffed as she shooed Miguel out.
Cheng gulped as he made sure nobody was currently in the room with his target. The guards were in the midst of changing out, he only had five minutes and hoped Bobby wouldn't kill him for this. Deftly he disabled the machines attached to Bobby's woman. Gingerly he picked the woman up and carried her to the shadows where he gingerly left the way he came.
He dodged the security cameras as he left the hospital and got in the stolen ambulance the American doctor he befriended had parked. When the ambulance doors opened he climbed in them and set her down on the gurney. He helped Dr. Hayward attach her to the machines as Barnes carefully left the hospital.
Cheng didn't relax until they made it back to the stronghold. Only when they had her set up in the rooms attached to Dre's and Mr. Hans did he relax.
"Bobby is going to kill me." Cheng muttered to Dr. Hayward, Hayward smirked at him. "I texted him on his burner about Chozens change in plans." That didn't make Cheng feel any better. "Which extremeties am I about to loose?" Cheng asked. He heard stories about Bobby's ruthlessness in combat.
"None provided she is unharmed when he retrieves her." Cheng nodded his head as Hayward finished his work and left.
"I'm really sorry for taking you out of the hospital, but I had no other way to keep my cover." Cheng felt weird confiding in a comatose woman, but something told him he wanted her on his side when she eventually woke up.