A/N: Phish Tacko beta'd this. Go check out her page, she's an awesome author!

Chapter 21

Gilbert was walking down the hallway, intending to get a pre-breakfast snack (he was very hungry these days) when he strolled past Mort's room and heard the noise.

Something was moving.

At first, he figured it was Buster. The cat had stayed by Mort's feet the entire time he'd been unconscious so far. Ashley had actually bought the cat's food, water, and litter box into the room because Buster just wouldn't leave his master for anything.

But the noises were too loud for a cat to be making, even if he was walking around on the furniture like he sometimes enjoyed doing. So, Gilbert poked his head into the room. He was surprised to see Mort tossing and turning, apparently in the middle of waking up.

"Oh, crap," Gilbert muttered. He raced to get Dr. Schnabel and Ashley, who quickly made their way to Mort's room just in time to see him open his eyes.

"Mort!" Dr. Schnabel exclaimed. "You're awake!"

"Huh?" Mort asked, "Where am I? Who are you?" He started to sit up on the bed and move back. Suddenly, his baby started crying, and it startled him. "And what the fuck is that?"

Gilbert's mouth dropped open as he watched Mort freak out, but Dr. Schnabel seemed to expect this.

"Mort, my name is Doctor Leonard Schnabel. You're at my shelter. You just gave birth to a little boy yesterday. That's your son right there," He said calmly.

"What? I don't have kids!" Mort yelled, looking more and more scared. "I need to go home." He tried to stand, but was too weak and collapsed to the ground. "Fuck! What the fuck?"

Ashley moved to his side to help him back into bed. "Mort, you need to lie down. You're far too weak to be walking around. Please, please just rest and all of this will come back to you soon."

As soon as Mort was settled back into bed, Ashley picked up his son and rocked him to get him to go back to sleep. Mort eyed the baby warily.

"Do you want to hold him?" Ashley asked, hoping that holding his son might trigger Mort's memory.

Mort cringed at the thought of holding a baby and shook his head. "No. Ew. Get it away from me."

Ashley frowned. "Okay. Just... Just rest, Mort. It'll be okay."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You're not being held captive in a hospital!" Then the writer caught a glimpse of Gilbert. "Oh, wait, I know you!" He said.

Gilbert smiled and stepped forward, "I'm glad you recognize me, Mort."

"Yeah, you're that rat-fink constable. What the fuck are you doing here?"

Gilbert sighed. This was definitely going to be a hell of a day.

"I'm Gilbert, Mort. I'm not Ichabod. I work in a supermarket. Well, I did."

Mort stared at him for a moment, before a hint of recognition came to his eyes. "Gilbert... oh, yes, I remember you. You're the one that helps everybody get their shit together."

"Thank you."

Mort looked over at the baby in Ashley's arms. "And that's my son?"

"Yes," The nurse replied. "You had him less than 24 hours ago. Would you like to hold him?"

"I don't remember being pregnant... Are you sure he's mine?" The writer asked, looking himself over for any remaining signs of having been with child. His body hurt, for sure, and his stomach wasn't as flat as it used to be, but it wasn't big either, so it really could've gone either way. He figured he could've gotten hit by a bus and gained some weight just as much as he could've been pregnant for 8 or 9 months.

"He's definitely yours. He looks just like you," Ashley answered.

"Uh, hate to be a jerk, but everyone here looks just like me, just with different hair."

"I swear that this is your son," Ashley said, getting a bit frustrated. "Here." She placed the baby in Mort's arms.

He looked down at the little boy. The kid really did look just like him. As he was staring in awe at his son, the baby reached up and attempted to poke him in the eye. Then he seemed to smile.

"Yeah, okay, he's mine," Mort said, smiling back at the baby.

"Do you have any ideas for a name?" Dr. Schnabel asked.

Mort thought for a moment, studying the baby before answering.

"Anakin. Anakin Skywalker Rainey."

"Huh." Gilbert said, thoroughly surprised by the name.

"What?" Mort asked. "The Force is strong with this one. I can feel it."

00

Gilbert stayed a few more minutes, before leaving so that Mort could have some time with his son. He couldn't help but noticed that Mort had said, "Goodbye, Sam" when he left the room, but he decided not to say anything. The writer had a hard enough few days as it was. Dr. Schnabel left soon after as well, leaving only Ashley behind.

Mort held his son for some time longer, until the baby fell asleep in his arms. Ashley then took him and laid him down in his crib.

"You should rest too, Mort," She said, pulling his blankets up. "You need your strength to recover."

"I'm not tired," He pushed the covers back down.

Ashley sighed in frustration. "Then just lay there for a while. I can bring you up some breakfast if you want."

"Are you going to make it?" He asked, winking at the nurse jokingly. "You know, do something special for me, Mary?"

"My name's Ashley, Mort, and yes, I'll make you something, but don't get any ideas beyond a nurse-patient relationship!"

Mort rolled his eyes. "I'm just joking. Lighten up, Francis. Food would be good, though."

"I'll be right back, then. By the way, Buster's been here for the entire time you've been out," She said, looking at the cat, which was currently curled up at Mort's feet.

Mort looked very confused. Finally, he spoke up. "Uh, Ashley? Who's Buster?"