Marley held Emily's hand with Shuri sitting on the other side of her bed. Emily gasped, the contraction taking her breath away and she squeezed the hell out of Marley's hand but together, they got through it.
"Are you okay?" Marley asked her, her heart clenching in her chest at seeing the other woman's pain.
Emily's green eyes met hers, her smile was tentative but there.
"Marley, I'm fine," she told her. "I'm ready to do this. I always have been."
Marley felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. Emily's offer had been, from the start, an act of kindness that Marley didn't know what to do with. Marley had no family, had been the result of a HYDRA experiment. And then, in a cruel turn of events, the same experiments that had created her, robbed her of the ability to carry her child, Bucky's child. Her pregnancy might have ended except a stranger stepped up to save him and she owed Emily so much.
"Emily," Marley said, not minding the tears that slid down her face. "I won't let anything happen to you. I love you for carrying our son. I owe you a debt that I can never repay. Just trust me when I tell you that, no matter what happens, I'll take care of you."
Emily's eyes had grown shiny. "I trust you, Marley."
Helen dashed back into the room to check the progress of things. When she took at a look at Emily, her expression was one of surprise.
"She's fully dilated," Helen announced. "How far apart are the contractions?"
Emily groaned with the next one tightening her stomach painfully.
"Every two minutes," Shuri responded.
"Let's meet your son," Helen told Marley.
Marley swallowed hard. She'd wanted so badly for Bucky to be here for the birth of their son. But Bucky was fighting to keep their son safe along with Captain America, his best friend, who's love was writhing in pain in the hospital bed, giving birth in a way that HYDRA was rendered her incapable of.
Helen arranged everything around the bed quickly, getting ready for the birth. Emily screamed as the next wave hit her.
"Can I push?" Emily asked, pain obvious in her voice.
Shuri took her other hand and smoothed the sweat dampened hair back from her brow.
In position at the birth canal, Helen took a look at the situation. "Emily, you can push. Go!"
Emily, surrounded by the three women, screamed, pushed. Push, scream, repeat. The process continued over and over as Shuri murmured words of encouragement and Marley was gripped with both guilt for the pain someone else was experiencing to bring her child into the world, and regret that it wasn't her on that bed giving birth to her child.
But now was not the time to feel sorry for herself. She and Bucky would have their son, thanks to Emily. She'd be able to hold him in her arms, watching him grow. There was only a short part of the process she couldn't do, she tried to remind herself.
Bucky and Steve dashed down the hallway. Bucky's glance caught Marley's as he headed on and she knew he'd be there if he could. Steve was on his heels, wincing as Emily screamed, and then he dashed on, going to deal with whatever the danger was.
Fucking HYDRA. If not for them, Bucky could witness the birth of his son. Steve could be there for the woman he loved.
"Emily," Helen said, "You're doing so well. I can see the head. Let's keep going."
Emily's eyes were fever bright, her face crimson and covered in the sweat of her labor. She gripped Shuri and Marley's hands hard as she pushed with the next contraction, screaming until the pain of it passed.
They could hear the fighting down the hall and Emily's eyes widened in fear.
"Emily, focus," Helen yelled. "Don't worry about that. The guys have it. I need you here, okay?"
Emily's tears slid down her face, and she nodded, bracing herself as the next contraction hit. Marley winced as Emily's grip tightened on your hand, but she stuck it out as the other woman screamed again, long and loud.
"He's crowning," Helen told her. "You're almost there. You're doing such a good job. Steve will be so proud of you."
Oh, that was smart.
Emily seemed to catch a second wind with that thought. Her expression was one of determination as she breathed through the next few contractions.
Helen's eyes were wide with excitement. "One last push, Emily. You can do this."
And just like that, her son was born. Marley felt tears flood her eyes as he wriggled in Helen's hands, red and wrinkled and angry to be pulled out into this world.
"Apgar score is 2," Helen told them, looking him over as a nurse came running in with a bassinet they placed him in to check him over. "Marley, he's perfect."
Before she went over to see him, she dropped onto Emily's bed. Shuri was already looking after Emily but Marley pulled the other woman into her arms, crying into her dark hair.
"Thank you for this," Marley told her. "I love you."
"I love you," Emily whispered, smiling. "Go see your son."
Joining Helen as he looked after him, Marley saw he was indeed perfect with a full head of very dark hair and blue eyes that were the same shade as Bucky's. And just like that, her heart was gone.
"Weight is 7.5 pounds," Helen told the nurse. "He's 21 inches long. Everything seems normal."
They had him cleaned up in no time while more nurses came in to see to Emily. The battle raging on in the background seemed lost as her son was wrapped in a blanket and placed in her arms, so warm and alive.
Marley stood there and cried, loving her son more than words could say.
"Emily, we'll deliver the afterbirth," Helen said behind her. "Then we're putting you in my cradle."
That was weird enough to get Marley's attention.
"What?" Emily asked, looking so tired.
"My cradle," Helen explained. "It will heal your body in a fraction of the time it normally takes. I can pretty much put you back to normal, Emily. For what you've done, I think you've earned it."
Emily looked so tired Marley didn't think she even understood how cool that offer was. But she would.
"Thank you," Marley told Helen.
"We'll take care of her," Helen said, finishing up.
"When an explosion rocked the compound," Marley flinched. With her son in her arms, she ran out to view what was going on in the monitors. She saw that Steve, T'Challa, and Bucky were trapped with a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents by a slew of HYDRA soldiers who were attacking. Bruce appeared to be transitioning to the Hulk, but he was so unpredictable sometimes in that state.
Marley knew what she had to do.
Running back into the room, Marley placed her son into Emily's arms. Emily knew why, she could see it in her face.
"Watch over him until I get back," Marley bid her. "Please?"
Emily smiled down at the beautiful baby boy. "Of course. Be careful."
"I will," Marley assured her. To the princess Shuri, she said, "Watch over them for me."
Shuri winked and waved her on.
With that miracle of a baby here now, Marley felt invincible, like no enemy could dare touch her.
Marching out to the line of agents attempting to free the guys who were pinned down by RPGs, Marley rolled up her sleeves. Oh, she was going to make this special. They wanted her son? There was no force in heaven and hell who could save them from her.
She saw Steve peer over the barricade they were trapped behind, his blue eyes widened when he saw that she was ready.
Marley shot volleys of flames, the likes of which she'd never just allowed herself to let loose, watching the HYDRA agents screaming and hitting the ground as they went up in flames. Bucky, Steve, and T'Challa didn't hesitate to take the opportunity she gave them just as the Hulk marched over and began destroying their vehicles. A pair of flying transports came in targeting the compound in their general direction with their firepower.
"Marley!" Steve called. "Bring them down!"
Oh, she would.
Marley brought the first one down, wincing when it exploded next to the compound. It wasn't near her baby in medical, but she still worried someone could be hurt. The second one flew over and that's when they saw there four more in the air behind them.
"Shit!"
Marley hit the ground as they began firing, something fell on her, pushing her further into the ground until she felt like she couldn't breathe. After a moment, she realized it was Bucky and he'd covered her with his own body.
She was gasping for breath as he hauled her up. "Doll, you okay?" his gaze was frantically looking her over.
She grinned at him. "He's born."
Another volley of fire ruined their conversation, and Marley whirled around to face more soldiers coming, dropping off the transports.
They would not touch their son.
Marley dug in and basically flambeed the new wave of agents who came at them, the Hulk snatching random soldiers up and hurling them through the air.
T'Challa managed to incredibly leap up and take down one of the transports single-handedly as Marley watched.
That's when she saw two HYDRA soldiers had made it inside the compound. And they were heading right for medical.
"No!" she screamed.
Steve nodded to Bucky to go with her as she raced down the hallway, sending a fireball up the hall and taking down one of the masked agents. The other dodged to the left in the hallway, out of her reach for now.
Marley and Bucky scrambled hallway after hallway, looking for him, combing medical with terrified hearts. When they reached the room where their son was born, all that was left was the bloody sheets on the bed and floor. The bassinet was empty.
"Emily?" Marley cried.
Bucky's voice was close to her ear. "Shuri's got her. She's hidden them."
Marley sent up every prayer she knew that was true. Her heart in her throat as they scoured the medical bay, looking frantically for the HYDRA agent. Bucky stopped at the monitor where a view of Quinjet carrying the rest of the team loomed large.
"Thank God," she whispered.
Bucky moved on, stalking off in the direction of the surgery ward. He was onto something. Marley followed him and when Bucky took off running at a speed she was unable to match, she struggled just to get there. Praying her baby boy and Emily were unharmed, that they were hidden.
She found the man trying to fight Bucky off. It was only a matter of seconds before Bucky dropped him with a shot to the head.
Marley was relieved but scared. "Where are they?"
"They're here doll," Bucky assured her while trying to catch his breath. "I know Shuri."
Passing by the monitors again revealed the team had ended the conflict outside. Tony was marching in the direction of the medical bay with Steven and T'Challa on his heels. Wanda, Clint, and Nat were behind them.
Marley searched frantically until she saw a supply closet open and Helen stepped out. The doctor smiled at her. "They're okay," she said to someone still in the closet.
Emily and their son were rolled out in a wheelchair, pushed by Shuri who was clearly armed.
Bucky came to an abrupt stop behind her. He looked mesmerized as she stared at the time bundle Emily held.
Marley dashed to her and Emily handed him over carefully. Bucky was already right there when Marley turned around. She'd never seen the man she loved so… humbled.
Bucky slung the rifle off his shoulder, dropped it to the floor, as he stared at son with blue eyes quickly filling with tears. So carefully, he lifted his flesh hand, gently stroking the top of his son's head.
"He's so beautiful, Marley," he whispered as Tony, Steve, and T'Challa reached them.
"Damn right," Marley whispered. "He looks exactly like his father."
Steve moved in behind Bucky, his smile was huge. "He really does, Buck. Looks like just like your baby sister when she was born."
Bucky nodded, brushing a kiss on their son's head. To Marley, he said, "I love you so much."
The two of them held each other and their son, grateful that they even reached this moment. This incredible gift. Steve moved around them to where Emily watched from the wheelchair, taking a knee next to her and talking to her quietly.
Tony approached, still in one of his suits, and smiled. "So now do we get to know the name?"
Bucky nodded to Marley.
"His name is James Grant Howard Barnes," Marley said slowly, making Steve and Tony exchange a warm, knowing glance since it was Steve's middle name and the name of Tony's father.
"Great!" Tony said, "We'll call him Tony Jr for short. F.R.I.D.A.Y, we need champagne up here. We're celebrating!"
Bucky laughed and shook his head as Nat came up, followed closely by Wanda.
"He's gorgeous," Nat crooned, leaning over to take a closer look. "Aunt Nat thinks you're gorgeous. Yes, she does."
The team came by, glancing at the little one, and Marley couldn't remember ever being so happy in her life. Champagne in several ice buckets was delivered and served to everyone, even Peter, to celebrate.
She finally got Bucky to hold his son, she knew he was worried he'd do something to hurt him, but he wasn't capable. Before long, Bucky held his son comfortably in his flesh arm, looking like he'd been holding babies for years and chatting happily with Tony, Steve, and Clint.
Helen had moved Emily to the cradle and Marley smiled to see that she was sound asleep.
"Is she really okay?" Emily asked Helen.
"Emily?" Helen nodded. "I've taken care of her stitches and aftercare. A few hours here in the cradle and she'll find most of the impact from the pregnancy on her body will be healed. A couple of hours a day for the next week? It's every woman's dream."
Marley's heart clenched. "I'm so grateful to you for doing this for her. I really am."
Helen nodded, looked thoughtful. "Now he's here and you don't have to be a mom at a distance. You have a beautiful son and I know you two will be wonderful parents. And he has all of his aunts and uncles."
Marley's heart was overflowing. They'd stopped HYDRA and lived to fight another day. They had their son and Emily was doing fine.
Steve had walked in, glancing at the girl sleeping in Helen's cradle.
"She's okay?" he asked with such sincerity. "Why's she in there?"
"Please, don't worry, Steve," Helen explained. "She's not in there because anything is wrong. She actually handled the birth like a champ. No, she's in there so she will heal quickly. I give her a week and she'll be good as new."
Steve nodded, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
Marley placed a hand on his arm. She knew he was concerned because shorter healing time meant the sooner they would have to deal with her place in the compound – or lack thereof.
"Don't worry," Marley told him. "Tony's not going to force her out. I just can't see him doing that."
Steve nodded, still looking concerned. "Maybe you're right."
Helen explained she was keeping both Emily and the little James overnight for observation. Steve simply got ready to spend the night next to Emily. Marley was prepared to do the same but Bucky gently tugged on her arm. She did feel tired.
"Come on," he whispered, ushering her upstairs to their apartment.
By the time they'd walked in the door, Marley was wobbling on her feet. Bucky chuckled behind her.
"You got so excited about the baby, you forgot how drained you get, didn't you?" he teased.
She nodded, and he scooped her up, carried her into the bathroom. With the efficiency of a SWAT team, he got them undressed, got them in the shower. Marley kissed him, let her hands slide all over his body. He simply made sure she was rinsed before lifting her out and drying her off.
"Don't start what you can't finish tonight," he told her smiling, helping her into one of his shirts to sleep in.
"In the morning?" she tried.
"We'll see," he said, carrying her to bed. "Why don't you sleep in?"
Marley blew out an irritated exhale even as her eyes were sliding closed.
"You were amazing out there today," he said, pressing a kiss into her hair. "You were wide open, fearless. I dropped you because I was genuinely afraid you were going to get shot."
Marley snuggled into him, smiling. "He was here. And my only thought was to keep him safe. That's how I was fearless. I guess I was able to do more than I usually can."
"Doll, you were over the top on what you were able to do. I've never seen you like that before. You were incredible," he told her.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Bucky, I love you."
"I love you." But he was pretty sure she was already asleep, her head resting just above his heart.
