Sorry for the late upload! I woke up late for my plans today and was in a rush to get out the door. Enjoy. - BB
I don't own yugioh
Several windows were broken, and my side door had been ripped off it's hinges, but the give of a cross breeze through the house would be what probably saved it. The roof was a few shingles lighter, the table had a broken leg and two chairs had been broken from a toss across the room, and our office had seen better days, but as a whole, it wasn't that bad.
"Seen worse, that's for sure." I said to my lover as we looked at our sacked office.
"Yea, I remember what it looked like before the renovations." I gave him an elbow and felt a soft tap to my leg. Badger the hound was sitting at my feet, looking up at me with big brown eyes, a paw gently brushing my leg. "We should go check on Midas." I said to the brunet, who nodded.
"C'mon Badger."
My heart sank as we pulled up along the road beside what remained of the old man's house. The tornado had been an F3, not the worst the state had seen, but it had taken out several street lights and power lines along the highway it had ran alongside. The one Midas' home had sat next too. Badger got out and gave a deep, braying howl. A thick oak tree had fallen on the front of the house, crushing it, and the rest was leaning heavily to one side.
"Midas!" I called out, getting out of the jeep to get a better look.
"Be careful." Said Kaiba with a frown as he got out, pulling his phone out to call it in.
"Midas?" I moved to the side of the house, looking for any kind of sign of life. There was none. There wasn't anything but broken glass and a broken house.
"Charlie. Stay back." A firm hand wrapped around my arm and I looked back to see a frown on the blue eyed man's face. The house was still leaning and it wasn't safe. I felt my tears gather. A comforting arm wrapped around my shoulders as he talked to the Fire Department. I felt hurt sink in that the old man I'd come to be friends with over the last few years didn't make it. I knew it the minute I'd left him behind. Goodbye Midas.
They never did find Midas. I called the son in Atlanta, but he seemed almost flippant to learn of his father's passing. He offered me the land the house sat on, and I took it, if only because I was uncertain of what else to do. The house couldn't stay. It was too badly damaged and unsafe to even go in and find anything the old man might have owned. So, a month later, an excavator and a few bulldozers tore it down, taking it and the tree that had been imbedded in it. I kept Badger, and true to his nature, he filled his master's last wish. He was by my side most hours of the day. At night, he wandered. I wasn't totally sure where he went but he was always back by the next morning. I think he hung out where his old house had once stood. I would call David to fix the damage done to our house. He was more then happy to do the work, and the insurance would be more then happy to pay him for it. In the mean time we cleaned up what we could. Some books would have to be tossed from the water damage, the TV in the living room had to be replaced, one of the chairs had managed to give it a solid smack, and half the LED's were out. But those were things. We were okay and that's what mattered.
"OW you little shit!" I hissed at my stomach, giving it a nasty scowl.
"If you don't like it in there, you can just get the fuck out!"
"Another contraction?" Asked Gabe with a smirk.
"Yes." I groaned, my swollen feet up on the couch. Badger curled up on a bed beside the sofa, his dark eyes turned up to me. This last month had been miserable. I was ready to pop. I'd been told the baby was ready, it was just waiting. My doctor had been very supportive of my endeavor to deliver vaginally, but that meant letting nature take it's course and waiting for baby to tell us when she was ready. The acid reflux had been awful, and the Braxton Hicks contractions had been becoming more and more frequent. My bladder was also the size of a dime bag.
"I hate this! Never again!" I called to the tall man that emerged from the hall, a smirk on his face as he looked at my state. I didn't have a single pair of pants that could stretch over my tummy, so half the time it was out, my tank tops only managing to stretch to my now protruding belly button.
"I'm sorry." He offered.
"You liar." I gasped as another one hit. They weren't especially painful, but you stack one on another and it starts to get old. The dog whined and got to his feet.
"Oh shit." Gabe stood and I looked up.
"What?" I followed his stare and saw my lap and the couch below me absolutely soaked.
"Oh shit." I chuckled.
"Fuck yea, eviction time. Gabe help me up." The boy gave me a hand and helped me to my feet.
"Babe, get my bag." I called as I used my son to help me make my way to the door.
"What?" Bright blue eyes widened as I came into the kitchen to lean on the bar.
"Yeah, my water just broke, we should go."
"Shit. Gabe, in our closet there's a pink bag, go get it."
"On it." The boy was grinning, he'd been absolutely buzzing at the thought of a sister. Pitching names at me left and right, even though I'd decided not to settle on one until the day of.
"OW. Fuck." I groaned, dropping my head to the counter.
"What do you want me to do." Asked the blue eyed man, uncertain.
"Get the car, get it as close to the porch as you can, I'm not waddlin' my ass all the way out there." Without another word, he did as he was told.
"Got the bag. What else?" Asked Gabe.
"Get my purse, and make sure everything's shut off and Badger has food. We'll be a while." He nodded and darted around the house shutting off lights and electronics. The dog himself whined at my feet.
"You can stay, watch the house." I said with a tired smile to the pooch. The dog seated himself.
"That's right. Keep watch." I let a hand drop and scratched his floppy ears. He gave my hand a lick.
"Okay, purse, and I put some extra kibble in Badger's bowl." Reported Gabe. The sound of a honk would have me standing straight.
"Okay, let's go. You got the bags?"
"Got'um." The boy helped me out and into the Escalade before going back to lock the door. I took a deep breath and tried to breathe through the throbbing starting in my lower half.
"Okay, let's go." Said Gabe, jumping in back and shutting the door.
"FUCK THIS IS DUMB." I yelled, absolutely fed up. They had asked me to wait until I was at partially dilated before I got an epidural.
"Give me the drugs! I'm done!" I snapped at the nurse, who only gave me a patient smile.
"Let's see where you are, okay? You should be just about right." She ducked under the modesty sheet and came out smiling.
"You're at a 9! Wonderful! I'll call that in, okay?"
"Please." I whimpered.
"I don't wanna do this anymore. Pull the antichrist out through my stomach like I did the last one." I whined at the brunet at my side.
"Just a little longer, they're bringing in the epidural." He murmured, brushing my hair back from my damp forehead and pressing a kiss to it.
"You better love me." I growled, eyes sharp as I looked at him.
"Even at your worst." He replied.
Once the pain was gone, I felt like I could breathe, and the time ticked by much quicker.
"I think we're just about ready Charlie, count of three, okay? One, two, three-" I pushed, and pushed, and pushed again. Then I heard it. A cry, and I sighed as I fell back against the bed, releasing the white knuckle grip I'd had on Kaiba's hand. He took it in stride, giving me a prideful smile, a genuine smile. He separated to cut the cord connecting the child and I, and I felt my eyes shut. Absolutely exhausted. The baby was cleaned, and her weight documented before I felt her pressed to my chest. I opened my eyes and smiled. There she was. My sweet girl.
"Hello honey..." I crooned, my hands coming up to brush her red cheek. She had quieted and her eyes were squinting at me.
"Look at that hair!" I whispered, smiling. She had a full head. That certainly would explain the acid reflux. "We'll let you rest a bit, okay? We'll be back." Said the doctor with a smile as he pulled off his smock. I just looked at her. She was beautiful.
"I'll go tell Gabe. I'll be back." Murmured my lover, pressing a kiss to my hair, before stepping out. I would rest, only coming out of my comfortable doze to give the child her first feeding. She latched perfectly, her tiny hands grabbing my chest.
"My my, hungry thing." Said the nurse sweetly, checking my vitals and letting my legs settle on the bed. "She doing okay?" Asked Kaiba as he stepped in, with my son in tow.
"Just fine! Mommy and baby." Replied the nurse with a smile.
"Hey honey." I said, taking my son's hand.
"How you doin' Ma?" Asked the pre-teen.
"I just pooped out a kid, but all things considered, pretty good." He gave me a grin.
"Good. That her?" "I hope so! They handed me this one, and I'm just goin' with it." I chuckled, pulling the baby off and resting her on my chest to get a burp. My production was better this pregnancy, but it would take a while before it was optimal. The baby grunted, and I looked at her.
"C'mon, you can do better." I patted her butt and she gave me a quiet 'ah'. Moving her to the other breast, I let her continue.
"You gonna, just... leave that out." Said Gabe with a grimace.
"Yea. You mind?"
"I don't." Said the tall brunet with a smirk, taking a seat on one side of the bed.
"I do." Grunted the boy. I gave a teasing grin and covered my exposed boob with my robe.