Murphy was pacing the floor in the waiting room as Connor and Julie sat quietly in the chairs. Bel had called an ambulance and Kit had raced to the church to get Connor and Murphy after Julie had found Jayne in the alley. The boys arrived much sooner than the medics, Murphy taking Jayne away from Julie, cradling her against his chest and sniffling to keep from crying. Julie pressed her face into Connor's shirt as her whole body shook with sobbing, his arms wrapping around her for comfort.
The ambulance eventually showed up. The medics checked Jayne over quickly before strapping her in. They tried to keep Julie and Connor from riding along with Murphy, but one look from her had the medic relenting and letting them in. Murphy held Jayne's hand in his during the whole ride, jaw set hard.
"It was Peter, wasn't it," he asked before turning his fierce eyes to Julie.
When she nodded slowly, Julie could see the hatred growing on his face. She didn't like it, having seen it too many times on his face, on Connor's. It scared her, because every time she saw it, she wasn't sure they could ever come back from it. To her, it was the fear that one day they'd have that hate filling them so much so that everything else of them would be lost forever. In Murphy's eyes, she saw the storm and prayed it wouldn't be the end of him.
They were herded toward the waiting room once they reached the hospital. Murphy had made a foolish attempt to stay with Jayne, one that nearly had him knocking a male orderly on his ass. But Connor was able to subdue his brother long enough that the doctors could cart Jayne away for medical treatment. Murphy tried breaking free of his brother's grasp to follow, but both Connor and Julie held him tighter.
"Ye've got ta let them help her," Connor urged. "They can't if ye're in the way."
Murphy calmed down then, nodding solemnly as he blinked at both of them. All three had moved into the short corridor outside Jayne's hospital room, where they were waiting for what the doctor had to say. The older gentleman in his white lab coat came out of the room after what seemed like an eternity. Murphy stopped his pacing to stare at the man expectantly. Connor and Julie looked up from their seats as well.
"Jayne's goin' ta be alright," the doctor informed, and everyone breathed a small sigh of relief. "She's got a concussion an' some bruisin', but it's nothing she won't heal from. I'd like ta keep her here for the night ta let her rest."
Murphy nodded, but the doctor gave him a concerned look. "There's one other thing, though. The beatin' was just too much for her body ta take. She lost the baby."
All the air left Julie's lungs, like she had been punched in the chest. She could feel Connor clutching her shoulders even as she tried to reach out for Murphy.
"Lost the baby," Murphy asked, sounding angry and confused as he shook his head. "The fuck're ye talkin' about? What ba-…"
Julie could see it dawning on him then as he went perfectly still, staring at the doctor who had started walking away. She and Connor both knew that it was going to come bursting out of him, but she couldn't stop herself.
"Murphy," she said gently, sniffling back her tears as she touched his back. "Murphy?"
And it snapped. With an enraged growl, he grabbed the closest chair and hit the wall with it. It was wooden, and several pieces came flying off as he kept beating it against the wall over and over again until there were only the two pieces in his hand. They let him do it, knowing there was no way to stop him. It wasn't until he fell to his knees in anguished sobs that both went over to him, both kneeling on the floor to either side of him.
Julie wrapped her arms around him as he started to cry, Connor brushing his fingers gently down the back of his brother's hair. He wept hard into Julie's shoulder, clutching her tightly as she cried too, cradling his head against her.
"I'm goin' ta kill the mother fucker," he sobbed harshly. "A baby. That was her surprise. Oh God, a baby…"
"Shhh," Julie tried to soothe him in her quavering voice. "Shhh, Murphy, love, shhh. There'll be more chances for more babies."
"But," he began hotly, shaking his head.
"I know," she nodded gently.
"We all wanted 'er ta have that baby, Murph," Connor said sadly. "Fer three days, that's all I thought about. Ye bein' a da and me bein' an uncle."
"Ye knew," Murphy replied in a whisper. "Ye both knew. Why didn't she tell me?"
"We weren't completely sure," Julie answered. "She wanted to wait until there was no doubt before telling you. She didn't want to get your hopes up."
"So I find out like this," he said, voice becoming angry. "I find out I would've been a father after the chance's been taken away."
"Murph, we were doin' what Jayne wanted," Connor informed gently. "It was her news ta give ye, not ours."
"I want ta see 'er," he remarked, leaving Julie kneeling on the ground. "I have ta see 'er."
Connor grabbed Murphy's arm before he got too far. "Fer God's sake, Murphy, don't go in there angry."
"I'm not angry with ye or her," he said feebly, starting to shake his head. "God, not her."
He twisted his arm out of Connor's grasp and went into the room. Jayne was laying in the hospital bed with all the normal apparatuses hanging out of her. She was asleep, looking troubled with her brows furrowed. Murphy stood over her, running a hand over her forehead gently. His other hand grasped hers as he looked down at her. Her eyes fluttered a bit before opening.
"Hey," he said gently, giving her a sad smile. "Doc says ye're goin' ta be okay."
She looked like she might cry. "The baby?"
The breath caught in Murphy's throat, rage wanting to boil up in him again. But he swallowed it down to say calmly. "Miscarried. Didn't make it."
The keening sobs that started to wrack Jayne's body were enough to make Murphy start to tear up again himself. He leaned down and wrapped her in a gentle hug, letting her cry against him.
"The bastard killed our baby, Jayne," he said when she had calmed a bit. "He's going to die fer it."
Jayne pulled back to look him in the face, cheeks wet and face swollen from her injuries and crying. She nodded solemnly, cold determination in her eyes.
"I love ye, Jayne," he said gently, kissing her lips. "Nothin' could ever change that. We'll have our babies in due time."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Once she could bare to let him go, she laid back in the bed. He pulled a chair over and sat down beside the bed with her hand wrapped in his.
---
Later that evening, Julie woke up in the chair beside Connor. They had refused to leave the waiting room despite the nurses' complaints. Connor had fallen asleep sitting up with his head against the wall, an arm draped over her shoulders since she had used his lap for a pillow. Gently moving his arm to the side, she sat up and looked around. It had gotten dark outside, the moonlight shining through the window close by. She stood and went over to Jayne's door. Murphy had fallen asleep with his head on the bed beside Jayne, her hand curled through his hair.
Julie wanted to walk around, be outside in the fresh air. Turning back to Connor, she was grateful he had brought his pea-coat with him. She slipped it on before heading out the exit.