As ever, I am so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter to you. In my defence, my internet was out for a week and this is a significantly longer piece of writing than any other chapter in this story so far. I'm sorry I didn't post it sooner, guys. But I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter. A quick note though, I do genuinely love getting your feedback, even just a couple of words, because it helps me know if I'm on the right course. So if you could find the time to drop a quick review after reading and just let me know if there's something you like, something you didn't like, anything you'd like to speculate on or what you hope to see next? I can't tell you how much I'd appreciate it.
There are a lot of songs in this chapter! And not all of them are mentioned by name. But if you were interested in listening to them, they are in order: Moon River, Audrey Heppburn's song from the classic Breakfast at Tiffany's. I like to think Tiffany was singing along. Dude Looks Like A Lady, Aerosmith. Because that's Jake's sense of humour. And although it isn't mentioned by name, Always a Woman (Lady?), Billy Joel. You're My Best Friend, one of the best Queen songs ever recorded (and penned by the vastly underrated John Deacon no less, bassists with know who I mean). I Would Do Anything For Love, Meatloaf. I swear there's context for that one. And lastly it's October by Jonas Alaska. One of the saddest songs I ever heard.
And of course there are some chapter notes to go with this if you're interested. An orangery or glasshouse for those who don't know is a large old fashioned greenhouse, usually with hip height old brick walls topped with sheet glass and usually an iron or wooden frame. They could be huge and used to be built around big fancy houses to grow exotic fruits and vegetables, the few that now remain are usually in pretty bad shape so when they get rescued and reused for something it's always nice, it preserves local history. Pethidine is a pretty strong opioid and it's well known to cause a drugged or drunk response in a lot of patients given it. Harry Potter and Twilight references abound and there's just some general nerdiness in there. Recognise a thing? It's probably deliberate. Also 'Franks' is another term for hotdogs in the US, if you weren't aware. So yeah, Dr Franks is Hotdog Princess. Because cameos.
Content Warning: oh where to start? Wedding nerves, naughty kids, plot pieces coming together, poorly timed life decisions, medical stuff, bad language, blood, cliffhangers.
Overnight the small cherry tree that overhung Bonnie's ramshackle potting shed at the bottom of their garden had burst into a more spectacular bloom than either of them had ever seen before. As Jake was having his bowtie fixed for him and staring out of the conservatory window he considered that it was probably a good omen. Lucky cherry blossom for his wedding day. He tried to focus on working out the ratio of flowers to buds; anything to keep from dwelling on the nervous twisting sensation in his stomach. There was just a tiny chance that he might pass out before he made it anywhere near the small registry office his beautiful fiancée would become his beautiful wife in. After a moment more Hunson, who'd been pressed into bowtie duty, straightened up and nodded approval.
"There you are, son. You look like a billionaire." the older man told him with one of his rare smiles.
"Thank you, sir." Jake replied politely. Despite all of their dealing he was still a little wary of Marceline's father, had been since he was seventeen and had picked her up to go to a gig and Hunson had quietly told him that if he so much as breathed in his daughter's direction without her express consent then the old man would make sure Jake's body was never found. That had been an awkward conversation; Jake hadn't known that Marcy hadn't come out to her father yet.
The door opened and his best friend and Maid of Honour came into view, walking as fast as her huge bump would allow and trailed by a very serious looking Charlie who was tiptoeing carefully in her little cream gown. She'd insisted on having a pretty dress to match her mother despite it being bad luck for anyone but the bride to wear white. Jake had agreed with his daughter; it would've been worse luck if she'd damaged anything in the bridal shop during her monumental tantrum. So Charlie wore a little princess dress in soft cream with a deep blue sash matching the other bridesmaids' dresses and the boys' waistcoats.
"Bonnie just called, they're running ever so slightly late. TV chewed up Kim's bowtie and got drool on it so they're trying to wash and carefully dry it before we set off. Worst case scenario you'll have a tieless ring bearer. But they're gonna be about half an hour late so we can just cool our jets here before you need to be anywhere."
"Ok. Wow. An extra half hour for something to go wrong." Jake replied nervously. He was fighting the urge to bite his nails, what if Lady changed her mind? Before he could worry over it more Charlie skipped forward and hugged his leg happily, grinning up at him with excited eyes.
"Daddy, look! Imma REAL princess!" she all but yelled, tugging on his trouser leg.
"Yes you are, honey. You look so pretty." Jake replied with a smile that he hoped didn't look as strained as it felt. Before anyone could say another word there was a thump from upstairs and Violet wailed angrily; Junior must have woken her from her mid-morning nap.
"I'll go, you sit down and take the weight off your feet, Pumpkin." Hunson directed, hurrying from the room. Charlie trailed after him, pirouetting and giggling at the way her skirt flared.
"I can't decide if he's just being overprotective of me or if he's trying to practice his grandadding skills." Marcy sighed as she eased herself down onto the sofa. Jake came across and sat next to her.
"Maybe both? I'm sure your Dad appreciates spending time with small people just as much as he doesn't want you to strain yourself running around after my brood. I'm starting to think Lady had the better part of the deal, surely the boys can't be as much of a handful as this?"
"Could you imagine trying to get ready with Kim under your feet bossing you around though?" Marcy asked with a grin. "No wonder Lady wanted both Finn and Bonnie to help keep him occupied instead of me. Besides, Bon's the only one who can match him in bossiness. I guess it's an elder sibling thing. When's your Dad coming, by the way?"
"Any time now. You gonna be ok following us to the registry office?"
"Assuming I don't go hormone crazy and strangle my father, yes. I hate having to ask for his help like this but I didn't want to call a taxi and risk it not turning up or something."
Marcy's bump had finally expanded to the point where even driving in her enormous new car was impossible; she couldn't reach the gear stick or bottom of the wheel easily. So Hunson had been pressed into service at short notice to drive her to the ceremony instead of just meeting them with all the other guests.
"I'm scared." Jake admitted quietly, fidgeting with his shirt sleeves. "What if something goes wrong? I know today is only formalising what we already have but it's a wedding, there's so much stuff that could get messed up, you know?"
"Dude, it'll be fine. Stop messing with your shirt. What's the worst that could happen, Kim's gonna stand up and object?" Marcy asked with a crooked smile. Jake smiled back weakly before getting to his feet and pacing, going to the front window and staring out up the road again.
"Here comes Dad. I'll go get the girls." he announced after a tense second.
Marcy heaved herself back up on her third attempt and went to the door to greet Joshua who was puffing up the garden path and still struggling with his own bowtie.
"Josh, hey. Jake's just herding the girls downstairs." she told him as a pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
"Marceline, lovely to see you again. And look at your bump! Are you pregnant with twin humans or horses?" Joshua asked in a cheerful voice.
"Sometimes I wonder, I'm sure human babies don't kick as much as this. Can I get you a drink?"
"Hey Dad, Marcy, you gotta come see this." Jake interrupted from the top of the staircase in a quiet voice.
They followed him curiously, carefully once he signalled them to stay quiet. At the top of the stairs Marceline stopped to catch her breath and caught voices coming from the guest room Jake's daughters had been using to get changed in. Jake was in the doorway motioning them forwards with a huge grin plastered across his face.
"-trolls and unicorns have been fighting over disputed territory in the cupcake kingdom again, your highnesses. What should we do?" Hunson was asking gravely.
"A million years dungeon! No trials!" Charlie shouted delightedly.
"Very well, Queen Charlie. Does Princess Junior agree with the verdict?"
"Dungeon!"
"Most excellent highnesses, I will have the guards put both the unicorn and troll chieftains in the dungeon until they can hug it out and be friends."
"You're real good at playing princess, Daddy Abadeer. Aunty Marcy is super lucky to have you to be her Daddy." Charlie added thoughtfully.
"I don't know that she'd agree with you but I appreciate the sentiment. And please, Charlie, you can call me Hunson."
"Hunson. You're funny."
"Nobody else seems to think so, but thank you. And I do believe your father is outside the door waiting to go get married, are you girls ready?"
Jake's choked snort of surprise must have given them away. In all the years he'd known Marceline's father he'd never been invited to call the older man anything except 'Mr Abadeer' or 'Sir'. Charlie was, as they were all very aware, a miracle. She came skipping innocently out to them followed by Junior and then Hunson carrying a sleeping Violet. He handed the baby across to Jake, nodded solemnly to him and followed the girls downstairs looking every inch his usual sombre self. Marcy and Jake couldn't make eye contact for a few minutes afterwards for fear of sending each other to the floor with laughter. At least it had cured Jake's nerves, Marcy thought. And when she caught the sly smile her father shot her way as he helped Joshua with his own bowtie and shooed them all out of the door Marceline had to wonder if that hadn't been part of her father's plan all along.
It was as Hunson was pulling off the drive, just as Marceline bent back to reach for her seatbelt. Like a sort of tight cramp in her lower back that lasted for a couple of seconds before easing up. For a moment she paused, concerned.
"Is everything ok, Pumpkin?" Hunson asked when he noticed her frown.
"Yeah, just my back. It's been playing up all morning, feels a bit like some more of those Braxton Hicks contractions again."
"Well you let me know if it gets worse, it'd be just like you to give birth at Jake's wedding."
"Wow, thanks for the sympathy, Daddy. No, it's just practice contractions, I'm sure of it."
"If you're sure. You let me know the minute you feel anything else though, you promise?"
"I promise. Now come on, we don't have time to sit around. I'm supposed to be looking after the kids through the ceremony."
...
Despite all Jake's nerves and worries it was a perfect and beautiful ceremony and nobody interrupted. Junior did stand up at the point when the registrar asked if anyone had any objections but it was just because she was bored, not because she didn't want her parents to be legally wed. Everyone had a good chuckle and Bonnie led the little girl back to her seat with a quiet promise of chocolate if she sat still just a bit longer. Even Jake let out a weak laugh before turning back to his teary eyed bride, being declared man and wife and pressing a relieved kiss to her lips almost before the words were out of the registrar's mouth and getting another laugh from their guests. There were photos for the wedding party and a brief break while the guests all made their way across town to Jake's grand unveiling of The Glasshouse as his wedding reception venue. It was strange to see Tiffany in a dapper suit with his fabulous blonde mane combed back into a demure ponytail, Marcy thought as she waved across the car park to him, but he rather suited it. Obviously Lady had put her foot down about Jake's friend wearing male-specific clothes for her big day, it made sense. If anyone was going to upstage the bride it would be Tiffany, his gowns were the stuff of legends.
Bonnie and Marcy chatted happily about how lovely the ceremony was on the drive over, how the kids had been mostly well behaved and they were so glad everything had gone off without a hitch. Then they pulled down the gently winding slope just outside of town towards Jake's new property and both felt their jaws drop. It was a glasshouse alright, a huge round Victorian double height orangery with a delicate wrought iron framework and its own orchard surrounding it. The magnificent old country house it must have once stood in the grounds of was gone but the small stone stables attached to the glasshouse still stood and were now renovated into state of the art kitchens to Jake's exacting specifications. If Treehouse looked like a piece of modern art then Glasshouse was a cathedral to the most beautiful kind of old fashioned architecture.
"Woah. Jake's really hit the jackpot on this one. This is insanely gorgeous and I haven't even tried the food yet." Marcy breathed as they pulled up alongside the other wedding guests.
"He certainly kept it quiet enough. Guess he wanted the big reveal for today. I wouldn't mind driving a little way out of town to go somewhere like this, it's like something from a movie." Bonnie agreed.
Bonnie had driven Lady to the registry office and allowed her fancy sports car to be used for their official photos since she'd taken the time to decorate the front with white ribbons and a small spray of flowers that matched the bride's pale golden calla lily bouquet. But there wasn't room enough for both her and Jake after the ceremony and the redhead drew the line at allowing either of them to drive her car. So instead she'd taken charge of her partner from Hunson and driven them both out to the reception venue.
They were met at the door by Big Mo and a few of Jake's regular servers that Marcy recognised from Treehouse. The elderly Italian man beamed around at the new Mr and Mrs Madigan, pressing a kiss to Lady's cheek in greeting before wrapping Jake in a proud hug.
"It is with the greatest pleasure that I welcome you all to our latest venture, The Glasshouse." Jake announced to the crowd of guests as he addressed them from the front step. "This is it's maiden voyage so I hope you enjoy it, please feel free to let me know what you think of the place. Come on in, there's a buffet and drinks waiting."
"How'd he find time to set up a buffet?" Bonnie asked quietly as they filed in behind some of Lady's cousins.
"I guess BMO and Big Mo fixed it. Jake spent most of last night panicking over tiny details and having to be calmed down, I thought Finn was gonna smother him in his sleep. I'm glad he came over to you and Lady this morning, getting in between a stressed out Madigan brother fight isn't something I enjoy having to do." Marcy replied.
"Honestly, I am too. Kim was just the worst, in the end Finn took him outside and played football with him to work off some energy while I fixed Lady's make up. He was so hyperactive and just had his hands in everything, I had to wash foundation crème out of my dress and wipe it off the bottom of the bouquet. And then TV had his bowtie chewing incident, I think Lady was about ready to break down and cry. Were the girls ok with you?"
"Babe, it was the weirdest thing. Daddy took them upstairs to play princesses and I've never seen him like that before. Like... I never thought I'd say it but he's definitely gonna rock as a granddad. But yeah, the girls were fine. Even Charlie was mostly well behaved."
And then they were inside the Glasshouse proper and conversation was the last thing on either woman's mind. They both stared around with all the other guests, almost overwhelmed by what Jake had done with the place.
The ceiling was strung with nets of simple white fairy lights and delicate wire baskets overflowing with air plants and orchids. Every slender iron support pillar had been wrapped in cream and navy satins ribbons and more fairy lights, the tables had been laid out with crisp linens and polished silver cutlery arranged around waterfall floral centrepieces. And right in the middle of the huge round orangery there was an old fashioned clockwork fountain, one of those that had to be wound every morning and shot gentle plumes of water a few feet into the air before tumbling back down amongst pale flowering water lilies. Around the edges of the verdant leaves occasional flashes of gold and red announced the presence of ornamental koi carp; the attention to detail was magnificent. Even the soft sprinkle of water droplets falling back to the surface of the fountain added a subtly musical note to the warm air, fading away intruding sounds from outside behind its calming background murmur.
"Daddy, this is beautiful." Charlie announced loudly as she stared around with wide eyes.
"I've got to agree, there's no other word for it. It's simply beautiful. Well done, Jacob." Lady's father nodded. The compliment, coming from one of the most severe and upright men Jake had ever met, meant more than he could have said. But Jake's closest friends and his new wife could tell by the crinkles in the sides of his eyes and the completely honest smile on his face as he shook his father-in-law's hand.
"It's free choice for seating, there should be room for everyone with plenty to spare. Dig in, I'm told the buffet was supplied by one of those fancy restaurants in town." he announced instead, cheeks flaring a little in happy embarrassment.
Under the cover of the guests stampeding to the long table piled high with extravagant food along the single stone wall Marcy moved a little closed and snagged Jake's sleeve, ignoring the twinge in her lower back as she went. Probably all that chasing after the girls last night, she should have known better than to overexert herself but her best friend had just really needed to rest and not panic himself to death. Besides a few seconds later the momentary ache was gone and she thought no more about it.
"Dude, this is amazing. And suspicious. I know how well Treehouse has been doing well since Christmas but this is something else. You're paying a ton of permanent staff and I heard BMO is going part time so he can start training to teach. Am I missing something? Where's the money coming from?" Marcy asked in an undertone.
"Ok, we were gonna tell you when you weren't about to pop, but, um, your father wanted to go halfers on the new place. He called me a while ago and asked if I was still interested in business opportunities, said he'd had a visit from someone who got him thinking maybe an investment wasn't a bad idea. And that I was a much better bet than the other guy, wondered if I'd heard this old place was on the market at a knock-down price and had I met his old journalist buddy? Hunson set up the interview with the papers for Treehouse, he wanted to help me build up my reputation and protect his investment. Said I'd been like a brother to you and he wanted to thank me." Jake admitted.
"That sneaky old bastard. He always has his fingers in whatever everyone has going on, I'm not even surprised." Marceline sighed. It must have been that visit from Ash that got her father thinking about investments, maybe that was when he'd found out about Glasshouse being on the market.
"And he said, uh, when he passes away then half of this place will go to you, and the twins. It's an investment for your family and mine. Are you mad at us?"
"I don't even know what to say. No, not mad. I dunno, not even really shocked. And you two kept this from me?"
"As a surprise. We didn't want you to stress, not when you already had so much to sort out with the twins."
Marceline punched Jake as hard as she could in the shoulder, grinned a little and threw a hug around his broad neck.
"What is it with fathers and brothers and being sneaky bastards? The two of you have been thick as thieves for months! And you kept it from me long enough to get all the heavy work sorted out, dammit Jake you're such a brother to me."
"Payback for that time we lived together and you refused to let me pay rent, like, ever. Come on then, you're missing the awesome food." he replied softly, hugging her back.
...
In years to come people would talk about Finn's best man's speech and howl with laughter, remembering all those amazing things he'd revealed about his brother. Like the time he'd eaten mystery ham right out of the snow or the legendary Dungeons and Dragons board game nights. Kent and Shelby had been present for most of those, they punched each other's shoulders and wore matching grins at the mention of the adventures of Sir Randy Butternubs. But as much as he was reveling in the laughter of the crowd Finn couldn't help but notice his brother's Maid of Honour wasn't really paying attention; Marcy was frowning down at her stomach and rubbing it carefully, wincing occasionally. On one side Lady's father was sitting politely ignoring the fidgety bridesmaid but on the other Bonnie was leaning over and muttering worriedly into her girlfriend's ear. Finn made a quick decision and hurriedly concluded his toast, wishing the bride and groom every happiness and ceding the floor to Bob to deliver the father-of-the-bride speech while he hurried over to Marcy's now vacant left side.
"What is it?" he asked in a low, panicky voice.
"Dragons." Marcy replied with a sour grimace.
"Haha. Seriously, is it the babies?"
"I wish. No, I've just eaten too much and I've got cramp. Turns out that having two brand new humans growing in my abdomen means I don't have as much room for food as I used to. Sit down man, Bob's glaring at you."
Finn sank into the empty seat vacated by Lady's father and tried to concentrate on the older man's speech. But now he was down again he was just as restless as Marcy, shooting nervous glances across to where Phoebe was sitting looking like beauty herself made human. God, she made him feel a little crazy, a little like he was in one of those girly romance films he'd always found so tedious. But now that he was in love himself, so crazily and deeply- ow.
Marcy had elbowed him in the ribs, pulling him from his daydreams.
"Dude, what's up with you?" she hissed into his ear. Finn sighed; probably better he just came clean.
"Look, Phoebe got offered a job at a research facility in Switzerland an it's sorta a big deal, it'd be pretty amazing for her career. But I don't know if we can do the long-distance thing so, um, I was gonna try to maybe give her something to come home to today. I went to the jewellers and-"
"No. Dude, you didn't."
He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out the little velvet ring box, flicking the lid and handing it across to Marcy underneath the table for her opinion.
"I couldn't afford a diamond so I bought her an emerald instead, I thought it'd match her eyes." he admitted quietly. Next second Marceline had snapped the box shut, handed it to Bonnie and it had deftly disappeared into the depths of the redhead's clutch bag.
"Hey! What the hell, give that back!" Finn hissed, half lunging across the table.
"No. Not at Jake's wedding, not when you two have only been back together a few months. Have you any idea how pressuring it would be for Phoebe to have you propose in front of all your friends and family? If she wants a clean break for her career, how awful she'd feel letting you down here? Have you two even talked about marriage or settling down yet?" Bonnie asked him quietly, fixing the younger man with her most serious expression.
"We talked about it! I asked if she'd want a girl or a boy first!"
"That's not a serious 'do we want to settle down together' conversation, Finn. When me and Marcy agreed we wanted to start a family she gave up touring with orchestras so she could take a more stable job, we bought and fixed up a family home and made sure all our finances were in order before we even thought about the logistics of how we'd conceive or who would get pregnant. And we'd been together for six years before we seriously started thinking about how children would fit into our lives. You've known Phoebe what... six months? I'm not saying it to be harsh. You should wait a while longer before you propose if you want her to say yes and mean it." Bonnie told him with a quiet sigh.
Finn hung his head, defeated.
"Can I at least hold onto the ring?" he muttered dejectedly.
"Of course. Just, keep it and have it as something to think about for the future. There's no rush. And if you and Phoebe are really gonna work out then you'll make long-distance work, trust me. We made it work even though Marcy was away for months at a time, when it's right you'll wait any amount of time." Bonnie soothed, taking his hand and drawing his gaze. Finn opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a sharp intake of breath from Marceline.
"It's fine, I'm fine. Just a kick in the ribs and too much food. I'm gonna go hit the bathroom and check the piano Jake set up is in tune, need to warm up before I sing for the newly-weds."
Finn moved back a little and helped Marcy to her feet before he sat back down, watching her slowly move off in the direction of the bathrooms with a concerned frown creasing his brow.
"Is everything ok with you two? You know, since your, er, disagreement at the stag party." he asked Bonnie in an undertone.
"Yeah, we're ok. It's been a bit awkward this week but I think we're getting there. It helps that I've been apologising for it approximately every hour since we got home. And my hangover was just as bad as she hoped." the redhead replied with an eye roll. "No really though, I deserved it. And worse. I know I fucked up, I just wish I could show her how sorry I am."
"I'm certain Marcy knows. I mean, she's been crazy about you since the day you met, you know? She was like a cat in heat after your first date. But please try not to pull crap like that again, for my sake at least. It's always the kids who suffer in divorces and I don't want to have to choose which of you I wanna go live with."
"Did I ever tell you you're a total poop, Finn? But there was something I wanted to ask you actually. Notice how she's walking? Staggering? And there was more than once she had to stop eating because it hurt too bad. Do me a favour and don't drink any more champagne, yeah?" Bonnie asked him quietly, also staring after her girlfriend.
"I haven't had any, this is just elderflower cordial and sparkling water. Same as the kids are drinking." he admitted, raising his own champagne glass. "I had a four day hangover after Jake's stag party, I didn't feel up to any more alcohol yet. Sorta forgot I only had one kidney. You're worried about her, too."
It wasn't a question but Bonnie nodded anyway.
"She's been getting some lower back cramps since before the ceremony, her father mentioned it in passing and asked me to keep an eye on her on ur way over here. It's probably nothing but you know how Marcy is, if she's gotten it into her head that the cramps mean nothing then it'll take a lot to change her mind. And this is my third glass of champagne, I was planning on just getting a taxi home and coming back for the car tomorrow. So, you know, if we need to get to the hospital in a hurry I'm gonna need someone to drive us."
"But I left my car at home, Phoebe and I got a lift with Shelby." Finn replied, voice beginning to rise a little in panic. Bonnie sighed and riffled through her bag for a second, handing him back the ring box and a slim, electronic car key.
"If you scratch it, damage it or in any way do anything to harm my car at all, I will take your bone marrow as payment and distribute it to the leukaemia kids at work. Do you understand me, Finn?"
He gaped, staring at the key like he'd never seen one before.
"This is your car key."
"Yes. And in the event that my very heavily pregnant girlfriend goes into labour and needs someone to drive her to hospital then you'll need to take her in my car. Which I am only trusting you with because these are exceptional circumstances and I didn't realise how painful and frequent her cramps were getting before I had a couple of drinks. As we both know, Marcy is very good at pretending things are ok when they're not. Rather like a cat."
"But, but Bon, your car is-"
"Less important than my children or partner, Finn. Look after that key, ok?"
She nodded to him before standing and deftly intercepting the tiny excitable mass of Madigan children rushing their way and squealing about their parents cutting the cake.
...
As every face in the room turned to the piano and spotlight Finn had rigged to the ceiling Marcy felt an unexpected twist of nerves through her stomach. It was almost painful, almost like she was eight years old and Simon was beaming up proudly while she played Jingle Bells on the piano at the Christmas concert at the village hall. And that painful, churning feeling was worsening as the seconds lengthened, like something was clenching in her lower stomach and squeezing tightly. Marcy shook her head a little, pushing the nerves away although the clenching stayed and didn't quite loosen its grip on her even as she bent towards the microphone positioned on top of the piano.
"Hi, my name's Marceline for those who don't know me, and I'm going to be your entertainment for the first part of the night. I know the groom in particular would like to hear a specific song. Lady, this is for you, from Jake. Would the bride and groom please take the floor for their first dance as man and wife."
She paused, looking out at the crowd and letting her hands flow across the keys for a heartbeat without pressing them, just feeling where they'd need to be. It wasn't impossible to play piano when so heavily pregnant and in fact it was easiest of all the instruments that Marceline felt competent to perform in public with. But her bump did mean she was sitting at more of an angle than usual and it wasn't helping the cramping pains in her back any to have to hunch over like that. At least she was only doing a few songs then Lady was putting on the iTunes playlist she and Jake had worked out together. But the newly-weds were stepping onto the dance floor hand in hand and staring lovingly into each other's eyes and that was Marcy's cue. She began playing the now-familiar tune, closing her eyes against the aches in her stomach and back and the odd gaze still lingering on her.
"Moon river, wider than a mile.
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're going, I'm going your way.
Two drifters, off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end.
Waitin' round the bend, my Huckleberry friend.
Moon river, and me."
She continued playing the slow waltz melody for another few minutes after the lyrics had ended, giving Jake time to show his new wife the dance he'd painstakingly learnt for her over the previous weeks. Lady's eyes looked suspiciously watery, like she was keeping back tears of happiness with some difficulty, and Marcy wasn't sure she'd ever seen her best friend's smile as soft and tender as it was as he gazed at his new wife. She was happy for them, so happy that she could feel tears of her own beginning to well just a little. Because no couple she'd ever met loved each other more than Jake and Lady, they'd been absolutely inseparable since the moment they'd laid eyes on each other. And Marceline was proud to have been part of making that happen, if she hadn't bullied Jake into coming to Bonnie's Halloween party and then insisting on visiting Lady next door and extracting a promise to turn up from her then they might not have met. And that would mean a world without Kim and Charlie and Junior and their twins-
It was like a sudden tearing pain, like someone had quite abruptly stabbed her in the stomach. Marcy didn't cry out but it was a close thing; she bit back the yell from the sudden pain and instead focussed on ending the song smoothly. Dammit, that was more than just a Braxton Hicks contraction, if she had to bet she might have hazarded that it was the real deal. Of course it was happening right there at Jake's wedding, of course she was going into premature labour. Sudden panic seared through her, what could she do? Stand up and announce that she was about to give birth and ruin Jake's wedding reception? No, not in a million years. What had they said at antenatal class anyway? The first pregnancy almost always leads to a long labour, just because the contractions have started is no reason to panic. Lady had panicked the day Kim had begun making his entrance into the world and in the end she'd been sitting around waiting for hours before they'd even needed to be in the hospital. Marceline made her decision. She wasn't going to worry anyone, not when there was no reason. She'd finish playing the songs she'd agreed to do, hope her waters didn't break when she was still under the makeshift spotlight then just ask Bonnie to drive her to the hospital after. That seemed sensible. So nothing else to do but plough through; Marcy flipped to the next sheet of music and prepared to perform the strangest concert of her life.
"This is one the groom requested and I'd appreciate if you all join in on the chorus, you know the words! With my apologies to the ever-beautiful Lady, liked I said it was Jake's choice."
Possibly nobody had ever performed a more determined, more focussed piano version of Dude Looks Like a Lady. Jake could hardly dance for laughing and his bride could only roll her eyes at his childish antics. It wasn't like she didn't know what she'd been getting into before she said 'I do'. Marcy gritted her teeth against another suddenly painful contraction; this time it lasted for almost a whole minute before fading into the background but never completely going away. Four more songs, oh hell it hurt more than she'd anticipated and she couldn't do the breathing techniques she'd practised when she was singing. Three more songs, it was perfectly ok to sound a little strained when singing Billy Joel, right? He always sounded a little strained and nobody was looking at her oddly from what Marceline could tell. She rubbed her stomach soothingly between songs and tried not to let the pain show on her face. Were contractions supposed to hurt that much that early? Maybe not, she'd ask Bonnie on the way to the hospital. Two more songs. No, it was getting too painful, she almost made a mistake on the bassline to You're My Best Friend and Marceline had been playing Queen note-perfect since she was small. She made a split-second decision that the final song would just have to wait, finished the last chord with a flourish and stood from the piano, almost panting against the agony.
"Thank you very much people and gentleones, it's been a pleasure!" Marcy murmured into the microphone before stepping out of the spotlight and collapsing right into Finn's waiting arms.
"What happened? You look really pale-" he started.
"Babies. Labour. Now. Oh hell, where's Bon? I need to go to the hospital, I've gotta go now, it hurts so bad, where the hell is she?" Marceline snarled in reply, staring over his shoulder into the crowd.
"She's outside calling a taxi, she knew you didn't look right up there! Why didn't you stop playing?" Finn asked as he half carried her to the door, stopping to wave off a panic-stricken Jake as he came forward to intercept them.
"Didn't wanna ruin your brother's night. Hey man, uh, babies are coming. Stay and enjoy your party, come see us in the hospital tomorrow. Say bye to everyone from us." Marcy gasped to Jake as he opened the side door for them.
"You're crazy, Babygoth. Take care, good luck. We'll be thinking of you!" he called as Marceline and Finn staggered outside.
"Pervert better not be thinking of me when he's getting freaky with Lady tonight. Just cause I'm queer- oh holy God it hurts so badly-"
Marcy stopped walking and broke off with a small wail of pain, curling forwards over her stomach and sinking to her knees while Finn tugged her arm uselessly. Bonnie hurried over to them, pushing him to one side and crouching in front of her partner.
"You've been in the early stages of labour all day, why didn't you say anything?" she asked hurriedly.
"Thought it was- urgh-, Braxton Hicks again, stressed about the wedding- fucking fucker fuck it hurts-"
"Finn's gonna drive you and I'm gonna wait for a taxi, ok? He's got my car keys and I'll be right there as soon as I can."
"No, Bon I can't do it without you, I can't-"
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Just hold on love, it's gonna be ok. Finn, go get the car and bring it around here, she's not getting back up."
He sprinted off to the other side of the building without a word and left them alone, crouching in the damp grass on the side of the small orchard as the last daylight faded.
"I'm terrified, Bon. What if I can't do it? I can't. I can't do this. Tell them I changed my mind, there's gotta be something they can do to stop this happening." Marcy gasped, trembling in her partner's arms.
"It's too late to change your mind now, love. And it's gonna be alright. You can do this, ok? This is what your body is designed for, and I'll be right behind you. I bet you won't even be settled into a room by the time I get there, yeah?"
"Yeah. Ok. Fuck. I'm just so scared, I'm not ready. What do I know about being someone's mother? Oh God, I can't. I can't do this, I can't take care of myself half the time. Why'd I let you talk me into this?"
"This was your idea, sweetie. I wanted a puppy instead."
"Bitch."
"Bitch who made you laugh though. Come on, love. Stand up. Finn's here with the car."
Marcy struggled to her feet again, teeth clenched and eyes watering in a suspiciously almost-crying way. Finn slammed the brakes on and Bonnie's car came to a very abrupt halt in front of them. Before the redhead could say a word about him not needing to drive like he was fighting the vehicle Marcy had wrenched open the passenger side and was trying to crawl inside. Once they'd gotten her seated and the belt was stretched to its limit around her stomach Finn revved the engine.
"Take care of her for me, Finn. I'll be there as quick as I can." Bonnie told him seriously. The blonde man nodded, all business for once, and pulled away with screeching tires into the gloom just as Marcy let out another wail of pain. Bonnie watched them go with a panicked knot of anguish pulling at her own stomach before turning and hurrying back inside to let Hunson and the other members of their extended family know what was happening.
...
"FINN THERE ARE FLASHING LIGHTS BEHIND US AND IF THAT ISN'T AN AMBULANCE YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD."
"I'm a police officer, it's fine. Just, hold on. I gotta pull over."
He almost hit the kerb when he turned the feather light steering wheel harder than he needed to but still succeeded in wrestling the sports car to a halt on the side of the road. Next second a very familiar looking uniformed officer was rapping on the window and Finn was grinning up at her.
"You know why I pulled you over, s- Finn?"
"Hey, Fi! Saturday night road duty, you pulled the short straw alright. So, yeah, I jumped a red light. Sorry."
"Fuck, dude, sweet ride! This a few steps up from your usual bucket of rust! What is this beast, a custom built F-type Jaguar? How the hell are you affording this?" Fionna breathed, staring at the sleek sports car in awe.
"She's not mine, belongs to a doctor buddy. Dude, I'd sell my one remaining kidney for one of these babies though. Always wanted to give it a spin but until tonight Bon wouldn't even let me sit in the driver's seat-"
"ARE THERE ONLY TWO FUCKING COPS IN THIS ENTIRE CITY? FINN. HOSPITAL. NOW!" Marcy interrupted in a voice like thunder.
"Oh, right. Sorry. You remember Marceline, the girlfriend of my buddy who was getting stalked?" he asked sheepishly. "Her twins are on their way! And I was the only one sober enough to drive."
She had just enough time to grab his wrist before the next contraction hit; Finn was certain he felt the bones grind together and his vision went a little dark with pain for a moment.
"Oh, wow! Ok. We'll get you to the hospital as quick as possible then. Follow my squad car, I'll put the sirens on and we'll clear the way." Fionna nodded, before sprinting back to her vehicle and getting back behind the wheel. She sent a quick message across the radio before pulling back out onto the road in front of them and switching on the wailing siren to match the lights. Finn followed a little jerkily, still trying to figure out the finer details of driving a car so far out of his experience level. It was a bumpy ride but with Fionna speeding ahead and clearing the few other vehicles out of their way they made it to the hospital much faster, although not fast enough to spare Finn's wrist another few agonizing squeezes.
"Finn." Marcy gasped as he helped her out of the car and into the wheelchair Fionna had already grabbed for her. "Dude, I can't do this. It hurts so badly. I can't. Tell them I can't do it."
"You can do it! You're gonna do fine, better than fine. It's gonna be the best birth, like, a legendary and epic birth that bards shall sing tales of in crowded taverns for generations to come! You're gonna absolutely own this birth, yeah? Cause you're a hardcore punk rock badass and no weak bitch Mother Nature is gonna beat you or your two awesome tiny punks!"
"You're a weirdo. I love you, man. But it hurts too much. I need the drugs, tell them I want the drugs. I changed my mind about doing it naturally. I can't. Oh god I'm dying, it's killing me-"
She cut off with a wordless wail of pain as another contraction hit and Finn took the opportunity to wheel her into the building and right up to the front desk. The receptionist took one look at him in his fancy suit and Marcy writhing in pain in the wheelchair and pointed along the corridor.
"Delivery suite is at the end opposite orthodontics, I'll call ahead and get a room reserved for you. What's her name?"
"Marceline Abadeer. Thanks!"
And he sprinted off, pushing the wheelchair haphazardly in front of him and yelling at the few people ahead of them to get out of the damn way.
They arrived breathless and on Marcy's part grey faced from pain at the delivery suite and the midwives immediately wheeled them into a private room. The first thing they did was give Marceline a face mask hooked up to a gas and air tank and she took a deep, grateful breath and sighed in relief as a weightless, dreamlike sensation washed over her. The pain hadn't gone but it was distant and almost disconnected from her, she had no idea why she hadn't wanted pain relief when she'd drawn up her birth plan. Something about being afraid to pollute their unborn children with chemicals and Lady managing to deliver two beautiful, healthy twins naturally and within about an hour from labour starting. Although Bonnie had pointed out plenty of time that Lady had already had three kids before the twins and had barely managed to keep the tone of 'I'm so smart, I'm a doctor, just do what I tell you' out of her voice. But what kind of mother could Marcy expect to be if she just gave up and took the easy way when things got hard? She contemplated that while taking another lungful of wonderful, pain relieving gas. Probably a smart one? She hated when Bonnie was proved right but the redhead had also made the very good argument that dying at thirty from toothache was also 'natural' but not something to be romanticised.
Another contraction hit without any warning and suddenly the gas and air wasn't helping at all; Marcy seized Finn's arm in both hands and squeezed as hard as she could, biting down hard on her bottom lip to keep from screaming. Probably it didn't last longer than a minute but they both had tears in their eyes by the time Marceline could speak again.
"Finn." she said in a very serious, quiet tone, looking him dead in the eye, "Get out there and tell them I want the drugs. I want all the drugs. Now. Go."
"But, but you didn't want drugs, you said if Lady could do it naturally you-"
"Did I fucking stutter? Get me the drugs. Or I swear to God I will break your fucking arms."
It was the soft, quiet promise of violence in her voice and the look of cold blooded murder in her eyes that drove the point home. One second Finn was sitting comforting his friend while she tried to tear his arm muscles off his bones at the peak of a contraction and the next he was up out of his chair and hurrying outside to the midwives' station.
"Hi, um, I feel sorta weird asking this? Because I'm cop and... look, can she get some drugs? Like, the good stuff. She's in a lot of pain."
"I'll come have a look in a second, sweetheart. Which room?" the plump midwife asked with a friendly smile.
"Room four, Marceline Abadeer." he replied in relief, before reluctantly turning away and heading back.
"Drugs?" she gasped the minute he entered the room.
"The midwife's on her way, she said she'd just be a second."
"I don't want them in a second, Finn. I want them now. Is that too hard for you to understand? Do you need me to crack your fucking head open and carve it into your brain with my fingernails? Because I swear, I am in so much pain, right now I-"
"Hello sweetheart, how are we doing?" the midwife interrupted from the doorway, smiling around at them.
"It hurts quite a lot, would I be able to get something for that?" Marcy replied in a very polite voice. Finn gaped at her.
"Of course, we'll sort you out with something after I have a quick look to see what's going on. We need to get a Doppler on and listen to your little ones' heartbeats and have a quick feel of your tummy to see how they're lying, ok? And is this Dad?" she smiled to Finn.
"No, God no, not in a million years. I'm just a friend." he replied, horrified.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you expecting anyone else? A birth partner?"
"My girlfriend's on her way as soon as she can get a taxi. Saturday night. And Finn was the only one who hadn't been drinking to drive me here, there were only two seats in the car. We were at his brother's wedding." Marcy explained, indicating her fancy jacket and Finn's formal suit.
"Well let's have a look and get you some pain relief before she gets here. Lift your legs up sweetheart, I need to see how dilated you are."
Finn turned away in absolute horror a moment too late. Suddenly he was a whole lot less keen on having kids; maybe he could talk to Phoebe about adoption instead. Thank God they'd stopped him before he could propose. Bonnie was right, that was something they'd need a very serious discussion about first.
…
"Marceline Abadeer?" Bonnie gasped breathlessly when she arrived at the midwives' station at a sprint.
"Room four, they're just getting her set up with some pain relief now."
Bonnie was already shouldering the door of delivery room four open when her brain caught up with her ears. Pain relief? Marcy had been her usual stubborn self about having a totally natural birth but the redhead was honestly relieved she'd decided to do something to make it easier on herself. At least, until she opened the door and was greeted by her girlfriend's glassy eyed, distant smile.
"Bon! Hey! 'm having babies." Marcy slurred from the bed. "N Finn's... NOT the Daddy!"
"Oh hell. They gave her opioids." Bonnie sighed, dropping into the chair next to Finn.
"I dunno, they looked up her skirt and felt her stomach and gave her a shot in the thigh. They said she wasn't dilating much yet and it would still be a while. I, uh, Bon I didn't mean to look. But they pulled her skirt up when I was still turned this way. Please don't be mad." he replied, still rather shaken.
"I could care less about you looking up Marcy's skirt when she's in labour, Finn. I guess it was probably pethidine they injected her with? She's ridiculously sensitive to opioids, you should have seen her when they took her wisdom teeth out. Prepare to deal with stoned out of her mind Marcy for a while. You ok, sweetie? I told you I wouldn't be long." she added to her partner.
"Yeah. I feel good.Like, uh, my feet are sorta... floating? N, hey, Bon, d'you know what they call a car park in America?"
"Uh, no?"
"Parking lots.Like... lots of what? Lots of parks? Dun't make sense. But, like... car parks... like... where you take your car to play with other cars... like dog parks..." she broke off into tipsy giggles, eyes rolling a little under the influence of the medication and humming happily.
"Is she gonna be like this for long?" Finn asked worriedly. "She's been saying all kinds of crazy stuff. Um, like, she's mad at Australia for not knowing punk? I dunno man, I just agreed. Then she tried to make me have some gas and air."
"Did they give her the shot just before I got here? Could be a while, pethidine will stay active in her system for two or three hours. Did they say how far through her labour she is?" Bonnie asked worriedly. She was already glancing through the charts on the end of the bed and examining the Doppler equipment sounding two healthy infant heartbeats.
"Dunno, just that she wasn't too dilated yet. Bon, I love you both, you know that. But I can't hear all these details of Marcy's lady parts, it's freaking me out. I should head back-"
"You gotta stay."Marcy commanded him from the bed. She was frowning, pinning Finn with her most serious glare.
"But-" he started.
"Stay. Sit.Good boy."
Finn sighed and sank back into his chair.
"You really need me here?" he asked. Marcy nodded eagerly.
"Yes! Gotta have a Finn. Y'my lucky man.Get it?"
"No." Finn muttered under his breath, just
quietly enough for Marcy to not hear him. She turned her dazed smile back to her partner, reaching out a little drunkenly to touch Bonnie's face.
"Y'know? You look so pretty today. Like... a... tropical island. An I love you, yeah? Like, I love you.I'd do anything for you. Even that thing Meatloaf won't do f'love."
"Ew, anal?" Finn asked with a disgusted frown.
"What?" Bonnie was looking between the two of them, confused.
"It's that famous Meatloaf song, 'I would do anything for love, but I won't do that'. Everyone's always trying to guess what 'that' is, I think most people agree it's anal sex. And you two are disgusting, by the way. I didn't know lesbians even do that. Urgh. I wish I could bleach out my brain." Finn replied.
"We don't, and thanks, by the way. I was so hoping we'd find time for a conversation about lesbian anal sex somewhere during the birth of our children." Bonnie replied with a sarcastic eye roll. Finn just shrugged uncomfortably.
"Hey! But, um, but I was thinkin about a thing though. Bon? Did y'ever wonder... right... if, if Mozart and Salieri were... more than just academic rivals? K, but like, I could ship them. It'd be so cute. Lil composer boyfriends... in Vienna... doin' the Meatloaf thing for love..."
"No, sweetie. Nobody but you ships Mozart and Salieri." Bonnie soothed tiredly. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say though, because Marceline's face crumpled into lines of tearful sadness.
"Why r'you kink shaming me? I din't even do anything." she replied sadly, lower tip trembling a little.
"Honey, that isn't what kink shaming means. Just... try to think about something else, ok? Are you excited to meet our babies?"
"Mhm. But we can't call him Erik, Bon."
"Because...?"
"Erik dies. In t'song.I heard there's a symphony playin you to sleep when you drown..."
"Right, I have no idea what you're talking about but, ok, not Erik. Do you have any other suggestions?"
"Mmm. Another prince name, he's my lil prince."
"You were dead set against prince names."
"No, I never said. Uhh... prince names..."
"How about Charles?" Finn piped up from his corner.
"Jake's already got a Charlie." Bonnie pointed out. "What about George?"
"No. He needs both his ears." Marcy replied with a frown.
"William, then."
"He's bald."
"Harry?"
"I don't wanna die from Voldemort." Marcy replied decidedly.
"Edward?"
"No. No vampire babies. Too... twinkly..."
They slipped into thoughtful silence for a while, each raking their brains to think of prince names. Suddenly Marcy sat up, grinning. "He's gon be called Philip."
"Ok... I can live with that. Philip. It's pretty." Bonnie agreed with a smile. It wasn't a name she'd have picked herself and it was quite old fashioned but that sort of thing was getting trendy again and besides she'd treated kids with much weirder names in her medical career. Philip was certainly not the worst name Marcy could have set her heart on and when her partner's face was still pale and strained from pain Bonnie couldn't find it in herself to argue. She just nodded and squeezed Marcy's hand comfortingly when another contraction started.
…
Two hours of completely bizarre conversations later and the medication was beginning to loosen its grip a little. Marceline was still in agony, still crying out with each contraction and still not dilating more than a couple of centimetres. Finn was napping fitfully in the corner and Bonnie was getting increasingly concerned. It had been many years since she'd done a rotation in obstetrics and maternity as a student but from what she understood contractions shouldn't be so painful and frequent without an increase in dilation and labour progression. But then she wasn't an expert in birth and the midwives seemed happy to let Marcy wait for now. Finally, at almost half past eleven, a midwife lifted the sheet for an examination and nodded in relief.
"There we go, you're dilating like a champ now. Let me have a quick feel... Yep, you're about five centimetres, another five to go and then we're ready to have some babies. I think I can feel your first one's head through the membrane; they're getting ready for you to dilate a little more and they'll be here in no time. Just need your waters to break and then it'll all go quite fast, I think. Ideally we do need your waters to break first though, do you want me to try doing it manually or just move around and see if it happens on its own?"
"I think I'd prefer to move a little first, my back really aches." Marcy replied, still quite drowsy from the pain killers.
"Do you want some help walking around the room?" Bonnie offered, jabbing Finn in the shoulder until he jerked awake from his corner and stared around with bleary eyes. He stood and offered his arm to help her up from the bed on the opposite side to Bonnie.
"Yeah. Thanks, guys. Not sure how easily I can walk right now."
Births were messy, everyone knew that. And they were unexpected; for every birth that went to plan there were countless others that ended up being the direct opposite of what the mother wanted. Already Marceline had completely abandoned her soothing mediation music and hadn't even lit the aromatic candles. It had taken all of about half an hour before she gave in and requested drugs to ease the pain despite being so loudly in favour of a completely natural birth. But even Bonnie with all her medical experience hadn't been expecting what happened next. As Marcy swung her legs to the floor and Finn helped her stand there was a faint noise like a water balloon popping followed immediately by a steady, thick gush like someone had switched on a tap. Everyone looked down at the same time; Finn made a small whimper and promptly fainted back into his seat. Not that anyone was paying any attention to him.
"WE NEED AN EMERGENCY TEAM IN HERE STAT!" the midwife yelled at the door. Marcy was still frozen to the spot, staring down at the floor in horror and clinging to her girlfriend's arm to keep herself upright.
"Am I supposed t'bleed that much?" she asked faintly.
"Just lie back down, we're getting some doctors to come help." Bonnie replied as softly as possible around the silent scream trying to rise up through her chest. All the words she wanted to say were stuck in the back of her throat, held there by absolute soul-deep terror and the instinctive urge not to scare her partner any more than was necessary. Because no, there shouldn't be that much bleeding. It shouldn't look like an entire bucket of blood had been overturned onto the floor. Suddenly the unusually painful early contractions and slow dilation made sense; it had been the internal bleeding that had prevented the dilation hormones being as effective as they should. That was why Marcy had looked so pale and why the pethidine had affected her so strongly. Through her shock and terror Bonnie was absolutely furious with herself; what was the point in spending all those years in medical school if she was going to miss that her own girlfriend was suffering birth complications and internal blood loss? But there was no time to hate herself, no time to do more than squeeze Marcy's hand again as the room filled up with medical staff. A cannula had already appeared in Marcy's arm and a nurse was hooking up an IV blood bag before Bonnie had even really started to warm back up from the shock.
"We're gonna take you up to theatre as soon as the anaesthetist gets set up, ok sweetheart? It'll be like, a couple of minutes at most. I need you to sign this." a slim, tanned doctor told Marcy as she held up a clipboard with a consent sheet attached. Bonnie vaguely recognised her as Dr Elizabeth Franks, not someone she'd ever really had many dealings with but the redhead had attended a barbecue she'd hosted a few years ago and she seemed pleasant enough. Now Bonnie could only hope she was competent, too.
"I can't see it properly, it's blurry." Marcy murmured weakly as she squinted at the form.
"It's a consent form for an emergency caesarean section. I can sign it for you." her partner supplied, taking the chart in shaking hands. "They need you to sign to say you approve of any medical decision they make for the twins while you're asleep because I can't give parental consent until the paperwork is back from the lawyers. They'll need to put you all the way under because it looks like it's gonna get a little complicated, ok sweetie? But I'll be there the whole time, I promise. It's gonna go fine. You'll go to sleep for a while and wake up and our twins will be here."
"N you won't let anyone hurt the babies?" Marcy asked in a faint voice, eyes sliding closed.
"I'll protect them with my life. Can I sign the form?"
"Uhuh. I didn't want it this way, y'know. Didn't want surgery or, the drugs or... I failed."
"I know you didn't want it like this. But it's gonna be ok, you're not a failure, love. Just save your strength, ok?"
As Marcy was rushed out of the room and up to surgery Franks explained to Bonnie that it appeared that the first baby's shoulder and not their head that had been pushing on the cervix. One twin was trying to exit sideways and their sibling was trapped behind them and becoming increasingly distressed from the contractions. The second baby's placenta had partially detached and caused the internal bleeding along with the increased pain during early labour but the blood had all been held inside due to the pressure of the first baby's shoulder lodged in their mother's mostly undilated cervix. It was almost like she'd forgotten how to understand medical language; Bonnie just nodded mechanically to show she was listening while Finn squeezed her hand and tried to control his shivers. He stayed in the waiting room recovering from his fainting fit while Bonnie was prepped to enter the surgical theatre, wearing green scrubs over her bridesmaid dress and feeling hollow, like someone had scooped out all her insides and feelings the moment she'd realised that her worst fears were coming true and the labour was getting dangerous and complicated. She wouldn't be assisting, she was just there to witness the birth of their children. And she couldn't be in the room while Marceline was put under anaesthetic; she had to watch from the observation window until given the signal that it was safe to enter. Marcy caught sight of her through the glass and waved, managing a weak smile while the technicians fluttered and fussed around her.
"So you're Sugar's girlfriend, huh? She's fierce, a really excellent doctor. You must be very proud." one of the techs announced, drawing Marceline's stunned gaze from the table of terrifying looking medical equipment they were wheeling in.
"Whu? Oh, yeah. Bon's awesome." she replied drowsily.
"Are these your first babies?" he continued in a friendly, distracting tone.
"Yeah. Last too, pro'lly. This is too scary. Wish I had my Hambo."
"Hambo?"
"M'teddy bear. Foster Dad gave him t'me when I was first in care. I was too scared to sleep, just seven n I didn't understand."
"Ok, Marceline, I'm gonna put this mask over your face and I want you to just breathe normally. I'm gonna count down from ten and I want you to count with me. Think about when your little ones are old enough to play with Hambo, think about all the good times that are gonna happen. Alright? Here we go, count down. Ten."
"Ten." she replied, trying to focus on that first night at Simon and Betty's when the plush red bear had been waiting on her pillow.
"You thinking about your teddy bear? Good. Nine."
"Nine."
Hambo had been there for all the lows and highs, all the big moments in her life after that. The first time she'd seen Daddy again after going to Simon and Betty's, she'd come home and hugged Hambo and whispered to him that she hated her father and never wanted to see him again and she didn't know why he couldn't have died instead and left her mother alive. It took years for her to overcome the shame that memory still caused; Marceline had been well into her teens before she'd stopped actively wishing Hunson dead.
"Eight. You still with us?"
"Eigh- eight. Mhm." It was getting hard to reply though, despite all her terror Marcy was finding it hard to keep her eyes open. She knew she needed to be unconscious before they could deliver the twins but her instinct to stay present and know what was happening was too strong to deny.
"Seven."
"Ss- s'n"
What had she thought, that their son would have Bonnie's eyes? Or their daughter? Marcy couldn't remember properly and it bothered her. What colour were Bonnie's eyes? Green or blue? She knew they were paler than her own muddy hazel-green but the memory just wouldn't swim to the surface through the clouds of anaesthetic. But they were sweet, Marcy knew that. The sweetest eyes she'd ever seen. She hoped their babies would have sweet eyes too, even if they weren't related by blood.
"Six."
Marcy could barely hear the technician's voice or the beep of her heart monitor over the rushing in her own ears. She didn't remember closing her eyes or giving in to the overwhelming exhaustion suddenly filling her. Then she didn't remember anything at all.
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One. She's under, let Sugar know she can come in."
Bonnie was in the room in a second, by her unconscious partner's side as they intubated to help keep her airways open and the surgeons prepared to make their incision. Nobody was watching the clock anymore, nobody saw the second hand tick past midnight. But it wasn't the last day of Marceline's thirty sixth week of pregnancy anymore; past midnight it was technically the first day of the thirty seventh week.