A/N: Yay! I got my mojo back!
I am a bad author. Bad, bad author! I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this one out. I have been going through a blasé mood, where the reading is far more appealing than the writing to me. But I am working through this and intent on bringing you some amazing chapters as quickly as I can churn them out to make up for my terrible lapse. Particularly since in just under two weeks (yay!) I will be going on holiday and I won't be doing much in the way of writing for a month (World, here I come!). I'll try to leave you with lots of warm fuzzies before I go.
I could not have gotten this far without all of you behind me, encouraging me in my endeavours. Big thanks to megameighteen (J & K), Daisyangel, Hazmatt (J & K), HGRHfan35 and HPforever-after. I'm really glad to know that everyone is happy with how I worked Carrie back into the story, even though she hadn't technically left yet. See, you all have power in this series too.
Rated M for language and scenes that may be graphic in nature.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly, Brad and Ben.
Labour of Love
The sound of shattering glass and tearing metal was loud through the intersection as the truck slammed into the car at sixty miles an hour. People screamed in fear and horror as the two cars spun in a dizzying circle, forcing other vehicles surrounding them to swerve to avoid joining the crumpled mess. As an eerie silence fell over the square surrounded by tall office buildings, the sound of a man swearing loudly mingled with the sound of close to a dozen people on the phone to emergency services.
Fifteen minutes later, the first responders arrived on the scene, much to the relief of the two brave nurses who had stepped away from their coffee date to see if they could help the injured. The driver of the truck that had run the red light had mercifully passed out a minute before, putting an end to the curses and snide jokes about women and bad drivers. Unfortunately he had an incredibly nasty head wound that was still bleeding freely and right before he'd passed out, they'd both noticed that his pupils were dilating unevenly. Their only resulting conclusion was that he'd still been conscious only because of a combination of alcohol, and possibly drugs.
Rory shook his head as he pulled on his heavy duty gloves and stepped away from the fire rescue truck he'd arrived in. "What a mess. And it is always the ass who is drunk who comes off so lightly."
His partner, Gavin, raised an eyebrow. "I don't think bleeding in the brain is getting off lightly man. Sounds like he was a mess when the medics peeled out of here a moment ago."
Rory snorted. "Not messed up enough for this as far as I'm concerned."
They stared at the vehicle that had been squashed into a small square and sighed heavily. Exchanging grim smiles at their timing, they set about getting into the vehicle in the best way possible without possibly doing further damage to anyone who might actually still be alive on the inside of the crumpled mess. Minutes later both men swore softly.
"Hey boss, we got a family in here!"
A big barrel of a man moved toward them, medics in tow in the hopes that they would be needed.
"Anyone living?" he asked quietly.
Gavin eased a young, crying child out of the back seat carefully and to the waiting medics before trying to get in through the broken window. He half crawled, half fell into the backseat and grunted in pain as a particularly sharp bit of metal poked into his side.
"Damned small cars lacking safety. Families should always have 4WDs for added safety."
"You know as well as the rest of us that large cars are just as likely to sustain damage as small cars in the right circumstances. What about the adults in the front?"
Gavin muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath. "Right, father is dead. There isn't any way around that fact." He turned from the man with his head half-severed from his neck and shifted the pile of blood-matted blonde hair off the woman's shoulder in order to reach her neck. Shifting on his knees to get a better angle, he started, "The mother..."
"What?" Rory demanded.
Gavin peered out at his partner, a bleak look in his eyes. "She's pregnant Rory. Heavily pregnant."
Everyone waiting outside the car swore softly. "Is she alive?" his boss asked quickly.
"Barely. The damage I can see, if she makes it as far as the hospital, it'll be an absolute miracle."
One of the medics peered in at him. "Can you get her out? If she's still alive, the doctors at the hospital may be able to save the baby, even if they eventually lose the mother."
Gavin paused thoughtfully, before nodding slowly. "It's doable. Rory?"
"What do you need man?"
Twenty minutes later, they peeled the metal from the front of the car just as Gavin shook his head tiredly. "Dammit all to hell. What an absolute, fucked-up mess. There's nothing more we can do for her now, is there?"
The medic shook his head. "Not true. She's not dead right? If we can get her to the hospital fast enough, it may still be that the baby will pull through anyway."
Gavin nodded in defeat and continued to facilitate the blonde's removal from the car, muttering all the while about what a tragedy it was. But finally she was out of the car and Gavin blinked in shock.
"Well I'll be damned."
New Section
Austin looked up from her chair in the waiting room of the maternity ward as the door opened for the first time in almost an hour. A tired smile slid across her face as JJ eased through the door and moved to take a seat on the couch beside her. Reid turned from the window and waved slightly before turning back to the view.
"Hi JJ. Is it time?"
JJ rolled her eyes. "Yes. I'm thankfully here because the little guy finally decided it's time to make an entrance to the world."
"At least you know you're having a little guy."
"Still no clue as to the sex of your little one?" JJ asked sympathetically. Austin grumbled something unintelligible as she focused on breathing through a contraction. JJ waited until she was breathing easily again before asking, "So why are you in here? I thought surely you would be in a room already."
Austin snorted. "Please. I'm not far along enough yet for them to admit me. Which is what I tried to tell my adoring, panicky husband as he bundled me up and carried me out the front door the moment I started breathing funny and moaning in pain. Only now he is refusing to drive me home because it could suddenly get interesting and home is too far from help. So I'll sit here for however many hours it is before I get far enough along for them to give me a room and Spencer has promised not to breathe down my neck while we wait."
Will smiled in warm amusement as he joined them. "How's that goin' so far?"
Austin grinned back. "Not so great, but he'll live...for now."
Reid blushed as JJ and Will laughed. "Well it sounds like we're in the same boat. But I'm not quite as bad as my young friend here. Jayje, we can head home if you want to. We aren't quite there yet according to the nurse."
JJ sighed and shook her head. "I'm too tired to waddle back to the car. This baby is finally coming; I'm quite happy to stay and wait."
Will nodded and settled in to the seat beside his wife as Austin and JJ started talking about birthing and other things that made both men blush and squirm uncomfortably.
New Section
"Something's tickled your funny bone. Care to share?"
Aaron grinned at his wife. "Brad just messaged me from the hospital to say he was entertaining two heavily pregnant women while they waited to be admitted to their rooms. He wanted me to come rescue him."
Emily smiled. "So JJ's finally there?"
"Yup. And when she arrived at the maternity wards' waiting room, she found Austin and Reid were already there waiting. Apparently Reid is in full panic mode."
"That's totally adorable, yet utterly understandable considering the circumstances. So are you going to rescue Brad?"
"In a bit. I'm waiting for Carrie and Mirkal to get back from the park with the kids first."
Emily sighed softly. "Aaron, I'm not going anywhere in the next little bit. You can leave me alone without worrying about me."
"I'm sure I could in my head, but my heart tells me to stay for your safety. So stay I will. Please don't turn this into a big deal."
"I won't, because I know how much you love me, but I have to admit that I'm beginning to feel just a bit claustrophobic and smothered by never really being left alone."
"I do understand Em, and I promise that it will stop as soon as we take you to the hospital. But until then, I intend to ensure your absolute safety. Now, I'll leave you to it until Carrie and Mirkal get back."
Emily watched her husband walk out of the room and swore softly as her eyes fluttered closed. She hated that her honesty had hurt her husband's feelings, but it had needed to be said. The feeling she had that she couldn't actually take care of herself because there was always someone around doing it for her, slammed her independence like nothing else in her life ever had before. And she hated it with a passion.
"Hey guys, I need you to stay in to 37 weeks for your own safety, but please feel free to come before the 40 week mark. Daddy's driving mummy crazy and mummy is hurting daddy because of it. And none of it is healthy."
With the sure thought that there was no way she was having any more children after these two were born, she drifted off into an unhappy sleep.
New Section
"Did you get the message from Brad too?" Dave asked in amusement as he ran into Derek, Jordan and Aaron coming out of the lift.
"I'm guessing we all got that message," Jordan replied with a grin.
Dave led them to where he sat with Teresa and Kelly. Brad was nowhere to be seen.
"Do you think Penelope and Kevin will turn up?"
"Penelope is looking after Henry for Will and JJ, since Reid is otherwise occupied."
"So Kevin is in charge of Gwendolyn?"
"Probably. If Penelope let her out of her sight. The way she is at the moment, I don't know how she's going to cope when she returns to work."
Aaron grinned. "Knowing how crazy she is, she'll most likely turn up with the baby in tow and try to pass her off as a trainee braniac."
They were all laughing as Austin and JJ slowly waddled around the corner. Both women were dressed in the perpetual hospital gown and were being shadowed by their husbands, neither of whom looked less than pleased to be out and about walking around.
"Somebody share the joke before I kill someone," JJ growled as she reached the group.
Seeing she was serious, Aaron repeated his comment before asking what they were doing out and about.
"Don't you dare start that with me Aaron Hotchner. Don't you dare!"
Aaron blinked at the furious look Austin shot him with her words and held up his hands in surrender.
JJ smiled tightly. "Both of us felt the need for motion after being told that things were moving slower than we wanted to hear about. So we met up in the hall when the guys were off getting coffee and decided to lap the ward a couple of times. Of course, then the guys caught up to us and we haven't heard the end of it since."
"Sounds like the problem I had with Derek and Ben," Jordan said with warm amusement. "All I wanted was to walk and all Derek wanted was for me to lie down and rest. Let's just say we clashed a couple of times before we were done with it."
Derek muttered something under his breath and Jordan patted his arm.
"Where is Ben? In fact, where are all the children?" Austin asked as she slowly rocked side to side on her feet, one hand on Dave's shoulder for balance.
"Carrie is looking after everyone so we could be here for support for the four of you and for Brad."
"Why would Brad...ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Dave winced as Austin's hand gripped his shoulder in a vice and though he wanted to wiggle out of range, he stayed still for her support as she doubled over slightly.
"Was that contraction stronger than the others? Did that seem stronger to all of you?"
Most of the group shrugged as Reid looked at them with panic in his eyes. They stayed silent as he encouraged Austin to walk back the way they had come but the moment they were out of sight and Dave started rolling his shoulder to check for broken bones, Derek leaned forward and stated, "50 bucks says pretty boy faints at the last moment."
New Section
Several hours later, JJ had stopped walking the ward and the baby had engaged; they were just waiting for word of the safe birth of the newest La Montagne.
Austin on the other hand was in the same position she had been in when the group first saw her. Only Reid looked completely mussed up and desperate, and Austin actually looked like she was ready to murder her husband. And as they came within earshot, they found she sounded like she just might do it too.
"Austin, did you know that not all babies only spend forty weeks in the womb? It has been recorded in some cases that the babies stay in for much longer and that the longest recorded pregnancy was well in excess of one year?"
Austin stopped moving forward, turned slowly to face her husband and took a slight step into his space.
"I swear, if you spout one more useless, less-than-comforting fact within my hearing, I am going to personally break every bone in your body by tossing you off the closest balcony. And considering we have lovely views from our 13th story room, I'll stand there and watch you fall and know that everything is definitely broken. Capish?"
Reid nodded, a little too rapidly for comfort, and Derek pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against while trying not to laugh out loud.
"Come on pretty boy. Let's go get you some air while Austin regains her equilibrium and decides she loves you again."
"Not bloody likely," Austin muttered under her breath as Jordan and Teresa moved in on either side of her and encouraged her to keep moving.
Dave and Aaron held their breaths as everyone moved off, watching as Kelly joined the women until everyone was again out of sight.
"So old man, are you taking notes on what not to do with Teresa?"
Dave snorted. "Teresa has already started with the threats and we still have seven weeks to go. I already have a list of instructions as long as my arm on what she expects of my conduct while she is delivering our son."
Aaron grinned. "I'd bet anything that entire list will be forgotten the moment you realise it's time."
"Most likely. And in my defence, I did tell her that was likely. She just levelled that look at me she gets that tells me I'm treading on thin ice. So I figure I'll wait until it's time and hope that I'm not the only one to forget."
Jordan suddenly came running up. "Have Derek and Reid returned yet?"
"Nope. They prob..." Aaron stopped talking as Jordan muttered something uncomplimentary and ran off.
"I'm guessing it is time for the little protégé to be born. Pity boy genius is nowhere to be seen."
New Section
The Reid's protégé wasn't the only one coming. The group sat together in the hall and winced with every scream, curse and cry they heard coming from the two nearby rooms that held their friends. Will was well versed in what to expect and was coping admirably, but Reid was clearly noticeable by his high-pitched, squeaky voice demanding the doctor do something for his wife on a regular basis. Brad had joined them and though he appeared sympathetic, he was clearly struggling not to laugh every time Reid opened his mouth.
"You know, you could try being more sympathetic," Derek pointed out reasonably.
"Why? The man in there trying to deliver the little Reid practically begged for the opportunity. He's on fourth year rotation and fully believes with an attitude that borders on cocky that he can handle any version of the soon-to-be-father that will deign to make an appearance in his presence. So his supervisor spoke to me and I agreed that it would be a good learning experience for the young man."
"That's just evil man, which is probably why I like it so much. But remind me; why are you in charge here again?"
Brad shot Derek a loose salute and a cheeky grin that quickly faded. "Staff shortages. And because I had the most experience of anyone with any seniority in Obstetric medicine, they bumped me up the chain of command. Luckily it will only be for a couple of weeks. They'd already hired a few people for positions they knew would shortly be in need of filling, and they are in the process for a couple more they suddenly found they needed when several people quit."
"Problems in the unit?"
"Nothing substantiated," he said with a shrug. "But there were rumours aplenty about Elizabeth's replacement before he was fired."
"What happened to Elizabeth?" Aaron asked, remembering the woman who'd had such a hand in the birth of his girls.
"She transferred to California. I know the administrators did their best to talk her out of it, but she said she needed some sunshine in her old age. I personally think she may have met someone and simply not wanted the grapevine here to know about it, but she neither denied nor confirmed the rumours, so I couldn't say for sure."
A nurse suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking more than a little pleased. "Are you all with the La Montagnes?"
They were just about to answer when another nurse appeared and looked about the room. "Friends of the Reids?"
Half an hour later, they silently trooped into the double room JJ and Austin had elected to share and moved immediately to where the two wheeled cribs sat between the two beds. Kelly, Teresa and Jordan sighed happily and the guys smiled as they looked at the babies currently sleeping soundly.
"Can we take photos?" Dave whispered.
"As long as you don't use the flash, now would be the best time to do so, before they wake up and we kick you all out."
"So did you pass out pretty boy?" Derek asked Reid teasingly as Jordan pulled out the camera and started taking photos.
Austin glared at him. "I'll have you know Spencer was my rock in there. He got a little pale, but he never wavered and he never left my side, not even to put his head down on the floor, willingly or otherwise. He even cut the cord, which I thought was very brave of him. So tease him at your peril."
Derek held his hands up in surrender as everyone laughed softly.
"So, introduce us," Aaron demanded softly in his best boss-tone.
This brought more soft laughter as JJ and Austin shared warm smiles. Austin gestured to the older woman to go first.
"Right then, Henry's little brother is no doubt going to be a bit of a troublemaker, considering he took so long to get here, but despite all that, the name that we think suits him best is Alexander Lucas. So everyone, meet Alexander Lucas La Montagne."
A reverent silence followed this announcement, before Austin shot everyone a beaming smile. "Despite waiting for ten long months to find out who our firstborn is, the wait has proved more than worth it. Everyone, say hello to Mackenzie Christine Reid."
"Awww, that's just gorgeous," Jordan whispered as Mackenzie made her presence known.
Kelly eased to the back of the group as everyone jockeyed for the honour of first cuddle with their honorary niece. Moving out into the hall, she took some slow, deep breaths as she fought a losing battle with her emotions. Having Brad's familiar, comforting smell wrap around her helped her somewhat as she sunk into the warmth he offered.
"It isn't forever beloved heart. Someday it'll be our turn."
She nodded, but found she couldn't verbalise her response because she wasn't so sure anymore that she believed what Brad was saying.
The sounds of mothers comforting their babies, families meeting the new arrivals and medical staff moving about surrounded her, pricking at her heart like sharp little needles seeking to find her weakness and bleed it dry. She was so grateful to Brad for the strength he offered, anchoring her in place in the midst of the storm they found themselves in.
Finally feeling steady again, she pulled back and smiled weakly up at this man she loved more than anything else in the world. "I'll be alright, you know?"
His smile melted her insides and made her feel stronger. "I know you will honey; this is you after all."
Her smile grew as she tipped her chin up for the kiss she could see in his eyes. His lips had just met hers when the sound of a woman walking smartly impinged on their moment. They pulled apart as the noise faltered slightly before moving in their direction.
"The two of you managed to get here incredibly fast considering I only left the message for you not five minutes ago. What did you do, fly here?"
Turning, they blinked in surprise as they saw the woman now standing in front of them.
End
A/N: I know you may all be sitting there and thinking 'Huh?', but just bare with me, because you will find out pretty quickly where I am going with this. I promise that it won't be this long til you see the next chapter, and I am really thankful for anyone still with me after such a long wait.
Stay tuned; M is for...
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