Part XXXXVIII

Like Kamua before her, Adimu was born to the accompaniment of a clash of thunder. When he noted the sudden weather shift, Logan left Scott with Bobby and headed for the clinic. If no-one was there, he'd head for the Pride lands next.

The sight of Emma and Kamau having what appeared to be a very serious conversation brought him up short. Well, if Frosty was watching the cub, the others must be inside. And as if to confirm her uncle's thoughts, the lusty cry of a newborn sounded in unison with another peal of thunder.

Kamau clapped his hands at the thunder, then spotted Logan and ran over to greet him. Logan swung the boy up in one easy motion, depositing Kamau onto his broad shoulders before moving over to Emma.

"Emma. Good t' see you again."

"You as well. Maddening as your unaging visage may be at times, I find it can also have a shade of comfort to it."

She gave a glance toward the building then looked back to Logan and Kamau.

"I think I'll explore a bit. This is more of an occassion for family."

"No need t' feel like you gotta go anywhere, Emma. Yer part o' th' group now. Not quite sure which part o' th' group, but that's just a detail."

"Indeed, our comrade speaks truly."

Hank was sporting a wide grin as he exited with Namid at his side.

"Just giving the new parents a few moments alone with their latest edition. Logan, the request was made to wait about five minutes and then - let me try and get the quote correct - 'tell him t' bring his butt in here an' bring Kamau with him'. I likely have some of the inflections wrong, but the wording is verbatim."

Logan just snorted.

"Yeh, that sounds like Vic alright. What d'ya say, Kamau? Wanna take a run 'fore we go meet yer sis?"

Meanwhile, back inside the clinic, Ororo was propped up by pillows and watched with a tired, but satisfied gaze as Victor inspected his tiny daughter.

"Does she meet your standards?"

Victor just gave a soft snort.

"She don't look a thing like me - which means I'm gonna have t' keep my claws nice an' sharp when she gets t' be a teenager. I was a bit concerned - she's come a bit early, so she's teenie. Almost wispy lookin'. But she's sound."

With that assessment, he offered the infant back over to Ororo, who was making the adjustments for letting the child nurse. She took a moment to give her baby a long look before settling Adimu in position.

"She does look like she has a touch of the fey, doesn't she?'

"What? Ya mean like a fairy or somethin'?"

Frowning a bit, he got closer again. From his expression, she knew he was trying to see the child wth 'normal' sight. After a minute or two, he grunted and settled back again.

"Yeah, I guess I can see that. Somethin' 'bout her does bring that Excalibur gal t' mind."

"You mean Meggan? Yes... I suppose I can see that as well."

One of Ororo's fingernails lifted up a few of the pale blonde strands.

"Victor? What does she smell like?"

At that question, he changed position, moving himself to crouch near Ororo's head.

"Fresh. Ever been around a patch o' wild mint after it's been pelted by a hard rain? She don't really smell like that, but her scent puts me in mind o' that, if ya know what I mean."

"That sounds lovely. Do you..."

A noise from outside interrupted whatever she'd been about to ask.

"Been a little over th' five minutes - you guys ready fer us?"

Amusement played over Ororo's features as she settled back against her pillows.

"I suppose we are as ready for you as anyone could possible be for the two of you. Come on in."

Kamau was still a little flushed and tossled from their run, but on his own feet as he made a beeline for the bed and gave his intense concentration to the tiny girl making the soft suckling noises.

Logan moved over at a slower pace, taking in the new scent as he came.

"Delicate lookin' as an orchid, 'Ro. Nice work, considerin' th' sorta raw material you hadda work with."

As expected, that gained him a good-natured swat from his big brother.

"Victor? While Logan and Kamau are getting acquainted with Adimu, why don't you go have a chat with Hank? I'd like for us to go home if we can."

She didn't voice her reasons, but he knew it was to do with the size of the clinic. Smaller meant easier to keep clean, but smaller also touched her claustrophobia. Especially with the lack of real windows.

"Be right back, babe. This shouldn't take long."

And it didn't. While Hank would have preferred her to stay put longer, he was as aware of her aversion to small spaces as anyone. And it wasn't as if he wouldn't be welcome to drop in and check on them as often as he felt necessary. But he did lay out his conditions.

"I will agree to this with the following stipulations. Namid takes care of walking Kamau home and gets the bed ready for our new mother. Logan and I will transport Ororo herself and you will carry your daughter. I will come back to check on her before I retire for the evening and if all looks well, I will check back in twice a day for the first couple of days."

"Works fer me. Long as it means she can be in her own walls, doubt 'Ro will kick up a fuss either. Let's get to it."