Disclaimer: I own nothing!
WARNING: Unedited, have fun :D
Chapter 28: Premature
"Kanda, I think you need to go read a book or something, calm down," Lenalee suggested soothingly, rubbing the immobile girl's back, "Everything is going to be fine."
"I am calm," Kanda snarled back at her, leaving her face pressed to the cool wood of the table. Her hair fell on either side of her face, obscuring whatever expression she possessed at that moment from view.
"No, you're not," Lenalee told her matter-of-factly, rubbing at her forehead, "You're sulking and being anxious and tense, none of which are good for your children. They said they were on their way back. They should be back before midnight, alright? Just drink some tea, and relax, alright?"
"How the fuck can I relax? It's been two months since I last saw the father of my children, and I haven't heard from him in over three weeks," Kanda growled, "What am I supposed to think about that? There are so many things that could go wrong, and Allen's out stuck on a mission that was supposed to only take up to a week. I'm at 38 weeks now, well within the time zone. We've been lucky so far that nothing had happened, but what if something does happen and he's still not back? What then?" She fell silent, dragging her nails compulsively against the wood. They caught against the grains of the wood, chipping.
Lenalee watched her friend silently, a look of surprise slowly taking over her features. "Wow, you must be really worried. You called Allen by his name instead of by 'Beansprout' or 'Moyashi'," she commented, reaching for Kanda's hands. She pulled them towards her, and systematically began to clip away the ruin edged of her nails.
"What the fuck does it matter what I call him?" Kanda spat, not resisting, "That won't change what he is."
"And what is that, Kanda? You've never told me," Lenalee asked, wanting to hear the woman say it aloud. She'd seen the affection displayed between the two, though well hidden at times, and probably knew better than anyone else what they were to each other, but she'd wanted to hear the woman say it for years now.
Of course, she didn't get her wish.
"I don't know," Kanda muttered, pulling her hands back from Lenalee's grasp as the other woman finished up with her nails, standing laboriously. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in about an hour."
"Be careful, alright? Don't stay on your feet too long! You know what Cross said!" Lenalee called, getting louder and louder with every word as Kanda drew away with every step.
"I don't give a fuck what Cross has said!" Kanda shouted back over her shoulder, her hands on her round stomach, "I'm pregnant, not dying! I don't see why I have to listen to him!" Her mind immediately jumped to what Cross had told her in her check-up last week with Lovino though, running through all of the warnings and instructions he'd given her. Sighing in annoyance, she decided to go find a bench as soon as she arrived at her destination.
…..
Kanda eased herself onto a bench in the synthetic green house that the Asia Branch had grown deep beneath them. It was one of the lower levels, not the lowest, but low enough. The air of the chamber was warm and humid, a nice change to the ever freezing air filling the halls and rooms of the above levels. The room's ceiling stretched high above. Lights that mimicked the effects of the sun were suspended from the rock. Trees and flowers, lush and green, filled the room. Insects, birds, and other small animals roamed the vast jungle, steering clear of her.
The room had been an experiment to see if plants could still grow without being out in the open. To a point, it was still considered it an experiment, but the area had been opened to the whole of the Asia Branch. No doubt, the scientists were using that as a new variable in the experiment.
Once Kanda had found out about the place, it had been hard to make her leave it. Bak had told her of the area the week Allen had left in a sort of attempt to cheer her up. It hadn't worked, but it had made a slight improvement on her overall attitude. That was until three weeks ago when she'd lost all touch with her boyfriend.
The jungle reminded her of her small, abandoned garden back at Headquarters with her pretty flowers, vegetables, and numerous herbs. She wondered idly if anyone was taking care of it. She hoped it was Marie and Miranda, and not one of the other idiots running around HQ.
Leaning back, she watched a bird sporting plumage that shimmered like a mirage fly high overhead. From the bird's beak, a soft, high singing seemed to emanate. Somewhere on the other side of the jungle, another of the bird's kind joined in the song, and then another, until the whole jungle was alive with sweet music.
Kanda closed her eyes, relaxing into the high, soothing notes, wishing fervently that Allen would returned unharmed and whole. If something had happened to him over the course of the mission… she didn't think she could ever survive it, despite all of her talk that she could live comfortably and happily without him. More birds joined in the melody of the colorful avian, adding their own chorus and voices to the song. If Kanda would have to compare it to something, she'd have to compare it to a church's choir or the cafeteria, two very different places that possessed much of the same elements.
Suddenly, the song cut off, as if the birds had all been muted at once.
Kanda's eyes snapped open. She stared up at the ceiling in confusion, lowering suspicious eyes to the trunks of the trees and thick leaves of the plants. Something, obviously, was very wrong, and she didn't think it had anything to do with the room itself. Cautiously, she stood, and that was her mistake.
A tearing sensation ripped through her uterus, and a rush of relief flooded her, like pressure being released from a steam pipe. A sigh escaped her lips, but the relief was short lived, as warm liquid slowly slipped down her legs.
"What the hell?" she growled, glancing down at her feet where liquid had begun to pool. She figured now, that it was a good thing that she'd worn a dress. "What the hell is this?" Her mind scrambled for an explanation, picking through all of the talks and discussions she'd had with Cross. She knew he'd said something to this affect, but what had it been?!
'When it's time for you to push those little demon spawn out of your vagina,' Cross had started, not caring for where his language landed him later in the day, 'I'm probably going to have to break your water.'
'What the hell does that even do?' Kanda had spat, pulling her pants back on. She pulled her cardigan on, coming around the privacy curtain she'd been afforded to glare at him.
'It helps induce labor, now shut up and listen before I break it right now,' Cross had snarled, turning to glare at her. Lovino sat on the edge of the cot, concern flashing in her eyes. 'I'm probably going to have to break it, but in the case that your water breaks while on your own, do everything you would normally, except freak out.'
'What am I even supposed to expect?'
'Usually, it happens without warning. One minute you'll be dry and happy and gay, and the next, you'll be soaked in what you'll think is piss. It'll even feel like you just pissed.'
'Well, then, what is it if it isn't pee?' Kanda rolled her eyes, unconsciously pulling her hair back into a high ponytail. 'You're exaggerating about the whole soaked thing, right?'
'Amniotic fluid, and only a little. Some women do get soaked. Now, if it happens when you're alone, get here as fast and safely as you can without falling or hitting anything like I know you're prone to do.'
'I am n-'
Cross cut her off. 'Contractions should start soon after your water breaks, so you either get her fast or scramble around in pain. You're choice.'
He had gone on to explain what she'd needed to do if she wasn't alone, but she was, and she was doing exactly what he'd told her not to do. She was starting to freak out. She could feel her heart beating a hard staccato against her breastbone, hammering out a savage rhythm. Her pulse thrummed hard in her temples, throat, and wrists.
"Shit," she whispered, staring down at herself in horror. The first contraction hit her like an excited Lavi, her stomach tightening. Light pain shot through her body. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would, but it hurt more than Cross had told her it would. "Asshole," she snarled, holding herself up using the edge of the bench.
She breathed out slowly, inhaling a heavy breath. "Okay, now, you have to get over the the elevator and up to the top floor," she coached herself quietly as her stomach eased up, and the pain slowly evaporated.
Straightening, she hobbled as quickly as she dared towards the elevator, slamming in the button with the arrow pointed up agitatedly. When the doors finally slid open, she flung herself inside and slammed her fist into the button for the floor that she wanted. When she pulled her fist away, the panel was dented, but the button was lit. Her knuckles stung lightly, already developing a deep bruise. The second contraction rolled over her, exactly the same as the last one. "I should have punched it harder," she hissed through her teeth, trying to focus on her aching hand.
The elevator sped towards the ground floor, ticking off the floors they passed with little chimes. The amniotic fluid Cross had told her about still trickled in a small stream down her thighs, making a small puddle on the floor like it had in the jungle room. She stared down at it, wondering what people would think about it. She hoped fervently that one of the scientists, preferably Lo Fwa who had been a constant nag since Allen had gone off on his mission, would slip in it and had a minor freak out.
She chuckled, trying to keep her mind off the pain in her stomach. She thought of all the ways Lo Fwa could possibly hurt herself, of Lavi drowning stupidly in the baths, of Tim smacking into the ceiling, of her idiot boyfriend clumsily crashing into the end of their bed when he was trying to be arousing or sneaky. The fantasies swirled through her head, keeping her mind away from the present moment until finally, the elevator dinged invitingly, opening onto the ground floor. Cool air rushed in, cooling her heated skin.
"Alright, now, you need to get down to Cross' lab without anyone seeing you and hope to god that he's there," she told herself, breathing deeply before venturing into the hallway.
The hall was, thankfully, deserted as she hurried along the wall as fast as she could go, glancing surreptitiously around for any living creature. She turned the corner and nearly screamed as Timcanpy appeared out of nowhere.
"Kanda, are you okay?" the golden teen asked in the childish voice he possessed, cocking his head at her curiously.
"Not quite," Kanda gritted out, squeezing her eyes against the next wave of pain.
Tim's warm fingers brushed against her cheek, like Allen's often did, traveling up to pet her hair. "What's the matter?"
"I'm… the twins are coming," she mumbled quietly, cracking her eyes open as the pain faded again.
Tim's golden eyes widened. Both Allen and Cross had briefed him on his role in the event of when she went into labor. Quickly, he scooped her into his arms as if she weighed as much as a feather. "I'll take you. I'll take you." With that, he whisked her off down the hall towards Cross lab.
Yeah… I was having some issues with coming up for an idea for this chapter, so I decided to do some emotional trauma. Next chapter should have anxious Daddy Allen, and a nice little, tense talk while our girl is on her merry way to giving birth. I'm still accepting name submission, though thank you so much for all the great names I was given! I will put them to good use very soon. See you soon!
