Shorter chapter as this is brief stopping point between larger ones! Thanks for all review, favs, follows, etc! Much appreciated! :)
Chapter 37
A Bright Spot In The Dark
"Victus!"
Garrus jogged down the long hall, dodging through medical staff and patients to reach the Primarch who had stopped just before a junction with Tib fast asleep while resting half over his father's shoulder.
"Ssssh," Adrien said softly as he maneuvered Tiberius down into a cradle against his chest.
"How is that kid still asleep? The place is packed!"
"Tib has the good fortune of being practically impossible to wake up. I'm more concerned about you. It's very late."
"Got your message. How's Miranda?"
Victus motioned his head to the right. "Come with me. Just heading back to the room."
Garrus was surprised to find the room door that arrived at guarded by two Sec officers who both looked slightly embarrassed to be there. Not that Victus cared. He greeted them both by name before heading inside with Garrus at his heels.
Miranda was curled up asleep on the only bed within the room. She somehow managed to get comfortable even with the many wires and monitors that covered her skin and surrounded the bed.
Victus gently rested Tib down on the spot beside her, smiling as Miri, even in sleep, reached out and pulled the boy into a cuddle.
The Primarch covered them both with a light blanket before he led Garrus to a small table set at the other end of the room which had a number of cups along with a hot water dispenser and variety of drinks.
"So... what the hell happened?" Garrus asked, his voice low while he accepted the tea that Victus offered him. "I mean is she okay? Was it the conditions in the camp that caused this? If so we could use it to-"
"Miri is pregnant."
Garrus's jaw dropped. "Wow."
Victus bit back the broad smile that threatened to spread across his face. "I know. Two and a half months along in fact. It's a boy. Another little boy," he added with a sigh.
"You knew?"
"Nope. That's an even odder story. Neither of us knew."
Garrus frowned. "How could you both not know?!"
Victus leaned back in his chair, letting the back of it take his weight while he lounged.
"Miri is, or was, on contraceptives. Some odd little chip that her doctor installed a year or so ago. We didn't plan on expanding the family just yet, especially with all the madness going on currently. Because of the device, Miranda didn't have that cycle human females go through."
"So how did she get pregnant?"
Victus chuckled. "The nanites turned it off."
"You're kidding, right?"
The Primarch shook his head. "Jack was here a few hours ago to see what was going on. He explained it to me as best he could. Basically, the nanites were getting... healthy amounts of my DNA but couldn't figure out why Miri's body wasn't producing what they needed to complete the deal as it were. They'd apparently had a lot of trouble restarting her reproductive systems when they had initially activated following the Crucible burst so they turned their attentions there. It was three months ago that they discovered the chip and immediately switched it off."
Garrus huffed. "Holy crap."
"Indeed. Since we didn't have a clue what was actually going on, Miri and I continued like normal and pretty much got pregnant in the first cycle after that. With everything that's happened recently, we both missed signs that should have alerted us to the fact something had changed. It all sort of accumulates with the camps. The contraceptive chip was still inside and started to leak, mixing it's synthetic hormones with Miri's own and the baby's just starting to emerge. The nanites were barely keeping a lid on the imbalance when she became exhausted from the camps and fell ill. Her machines took slightly drastic action and shut her down essentially while they worked at getting things back to normal levels."
"And now?"
Victus smiled warmly. "Chip has been removed, her body is reacting positively to that along with the baby's and the nanites are able to focus instead on him and on stabilizing everything else."
"Good. I mean scary as hell but good to know things are calming," Garrus said with a grin. "About the contraceptive thing..."
"Already had it out with Jack. He's looking in to it. Can't have couples out there with so many kids that they can barely keep fed and clothed because the nanites decide they want indiscriminate population growth. Not something that would endear the children to the rest of the populace either."
They sat in easy silence, both drinking their teas while the monitors around the bed beeped and chirped in set patterns.
"Are you letting her go back?"
"Not a chance in hell. That's also why there's two guards outside. Have to be here as she technically in breach of the law without them. I've talked to her doctor and he agrees with me that she's far too ill to be moved. Not till next week at the latest. Possibly after that debate and vote."
"Heh. Slightly specific, Victus. What about Tib?"
The Primarch hummed. "I'd be breaking the law if he wasn't in my care while his mother was hospitalized. There'll be guards posted with us too. At least until this mess gets sorted."
"More reason to push this then."
Victus sighed. "Indeed."
"... have you told Sappho yet?"
"I sent a message. I'm hoping that she doesn't read it till morning."
"Why's-"
Victus's omnitool with perfect timing beeped and chimed. The turian showed Garrus the display before answering the call while the other turian laughed.
"Hello Sappho... no, I'm still here... Tib is resting. So is Mi-... I understand but... no. That's fine. Call over... see you soon."
Victus hung-up and sighed heavily.
"You know I've come to really appreciate a human expression Miri taught me. The more things change, the more they stay the same."
"I take it that she's coming over?"
"At speed and in full fervor. I haven't even told her about the baby yet. Imagine what she'll be like then."
Garrus quickly knocked back his tea. "Gonna leave that to you then. I better go and actually get some sleep. Long day ahead of us all tomorrow."
Victus nodded. "Let me know what I can do to help. We need this to pass. I need this to pass. Especially now. I can't allow my family to be torn apart. I'll do what I have to in order to prevent that."
"Victus..."
"The Primarch-ship is just another job, Vakarian, and I'm very aware that I'm just one of the select few honored to wear it. But we all put it down eventually."
Garrus frowned. "Let's not rush into anything just yet."
Before he could say anything else, Sappho Titus arrived in all bluster and frantic energy. She immediately calmed the moment she spotted Miri and Tib locked in sleep on the bed.
"Victus..." she hummed. "They better not be going anywhere near that bloody prison again."
"Take it easy, Sappho. It's all in hand. Any way, this is a moment for celebration."
"Celebration?!" Titus hissed at him. "I don't see how this is anything to celebrate!"
"Titus... Tib's going to be an older brother."
Garrus slipped out quietly, leaving the older turians behind in their quiet talks as he hurried towards the exit. Once out, he'd call Jane and let her know the news.
In spite of all the craziness, this was something to celebrate indeed.