Author's notes: Here it is, Chapter 10. This is going to be a fifteen chapter story, so don't worry. There's a lot more to come! While the pregnancy *is* a central plotline, I can go into others once it's over. This is an AU fic with the potential for spoilers up to "Haven." However, pretty much, nothing after "Female Trouble" has happened. Ben's good (even though I call him Johnny in this fic), Tinga doesn't have a husband named Charlie or a kid named Case, nor is she dead, Zack's alive, Max has her own heart thankyouverymuch and Manticore went down my way. As always, any songs I use in any way, shape, or form are not mine, nor are any of the Dark Angel characters-they belong to Chick and Cameron. Thanks, as always to my incredible betas, Lady Callie and Evil Twin. Also, a huge thank you to the fans of this fic-it is you all for who I write this fic.
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Home is where the heart is. Never were words so true. Under her own power, nevertheless firmly held by Logan, Max entered their apartment and took a deep breath. She looked around the apartment and realized she hadn't seen the inside of it for nearly a month, between her hospital stay and the abduction. She wasn't surprised to see everything looked the same. Her bikes were still sitting in the PT room, covered by a sheet. She could hear the whir and hum of Logan's computers, and her nostrils picked up the scent that was uniquely her husband's, uniquely their home's. Max breathed deeply and smiled.
"Welcome home," Logan said, smiling, his arm securely around her waist.
Max grinned and turned her face to look up into his, "Nothing's changed."
"Why would it?" Zack asked, coming in behind them. "You were only gone a month."
"Gotta love your brothah, boo," Original Cindy chuckled, entering as well. "He's always bringing ya down to earth."
"Even when I want to be in heaven," Max replied light heartedly, reaching out the playfully swat her brother. She caught his arm and he whirled around, surprised.
"You want me to drop these groceries, Maxie?" he asked. On their way home, they had stopped off at the market, and both Zack and Original Cindy were carrying bags of groceries.
"Just put 'em in the kitchen, big brother," Max ordered, not even bothering to hide her smile. She was ecstatic. She was home, in the arms of her husband, with her brother and her best friend. The child inside her was safe and healthy, albeit restless. The baby moved and Max groaned a little.
"What's the matter?" Logan asked, concern thick in his voice. Zack and Original Cindy were looking at Max with similar expressions of concern and nervousness.
"Maybe you should have gone to the doctors, boo," Cindy said gently.
Max rolled her eyes, "Guy, I may have been held captive for two weeks, but I was held captive in part by a registered nurse. She took very good care of both of us. Deck would have had her head if anything happened to the baby. He wanted it safe as much as we do, only in a sick and twisted way." However, she could see Logan and the others were not convinced. "Guys!" she exclaimed. "I'm eight months pregnant; I'm not dying. Relax ok?" She decided that everyone was still going to be worried unless they had things to do. "Zack, you and Cindy go put the food away to give me some quality time with my husband. When you're done, Cindy can come back and help me get into the shower so I can have a real shower and not a sponge bath for once, and Zack can help Logan cook dinner." Max placed her hands on her hips, "Any arguments?"
"Uh uh," Original Cindy replied, shaking her head. "Come on boo," she said, walking past Zack into the kitchen.
Still worried but nevertheless smart enough not to tangle with his hormonally charged pregnant sister, Zack followed, calling over his shoulder, "If I didn't know better Maxie, I'd swear you were trying to take my job as CO."
"Why would I want it?" Max retorted as Logan led her towards the couch. "It's reserved for hard-asses like yourself."
Logan chuckled and settled her on the couch, placing a pillow behind her back. He, however, remained standing. "So do you want anything?" he asked nervously. "Another pillow? A blanket? A glass of water?" He began darting for the kitchen, "I should get you a glass of water. I should also call the hospital and have them send over the meds you need now that Abby isn't giving them to you anymore."
"Logan," Max said, but he didn't hear her. He was too nervous and wound up. Max watched in semi amusement as he began darting for the kitchen.
"Cindy!" Max called, laughing. "Stop my husband!" She watched as Cindy stepped out of the kitchen and walked up to Logan. Through her advanced hearing, Max shameless tuned into their quiet conversation.
"Boo," Cindy said quietly to Logan. "She's fine. They're fine. They're home and they're safe. Don't start wiggin out now. Relax. Take some deep breaths and get your ass back over to that couch to sit with your wife."
Logan nodded and said, "Thanks Cindy." He watched her go back into the kitchen before turning back to the couch. He saw Max smiling at him, bemused. "You think this is all very funny, don't you?"
Max nodded and held out her hand, "C'mere."
Logan walked towards the couch and took his wife's hand, sitting beside her on the couch. She took his hand to her lips and kissed his palm, then held it to her cheek and nuzzled it.
"I'm really here Logan," she whispered. "You got us back. It's okay now."
"I know," he murmured. "It's been so long. First the braxton hicks and the seizure, then Lydecker..." His voice broke. "I missed you so much."
Max held her arms out to him and pulled him close to her body. She knew what he must have gone through, having to watch her seize, sit by her hospital bed day after day as she was in the coma, then to lose her once again to Lydecker so soon after getting her back. Ever since he'd thought her dead at Manticore, Logan had always had a fear of losing her. Max knew it. She knew he had always been afraid of losing her, period, but coming so close so many times had started to wear on his nerves. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she had thought he was dead. She remembered the fear and dread she had felt before she had first transfused him, there in the hospital, as he lay, slowly dying. She remembered the pain and the fear she had felt. Max was willing to bet her pain was nothing compared to what Logan had felt, thinking both she and their baby might die.
Logan wrapped his arms around Max and felt her hold him. He held on tightly, mindful of the large bugle that was her stomach. He inhaled her scent and felt her warm skin against his own. Yet, he did not cry. He didn't want to. He knew that Max understood his fear and felt for what he had gone through during her illness and capture. He knew that he didn't need to cry. Max already knew. And she understood. And she was loving him and comforting him, holding him, running her fingers lightly over his back, playing with the hair at the base of his neck.
"I can't believe you're back," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers and kissing the tip of her nose.
She nipped at his lower lip and replied, "Believe it. We're both here and we're not going anywhere." Then she made a face, "Damn."
"Your back again?" he asked, sitting up.
She nodded, "This baby better appreciate everything I'm going through for her." Max sat up and twisted a little, hoping it would relieve the pain in her back. It didn't.
"Here, let me," Logan offered, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her so that he had better access to her lower back. His fingers and thumbs began kneading her flesh, pressing gently to ease the pain from the baby pressing on Max's sciatic nerve. He heard her sigh and knew the mini-massage was working. For several more minutes he worked, his fingers expertly easing the pain from her body. After a while, he brushed his lips over the scar the remained from her barcode removal and called, "Hey Cindy?"
Original Cindy stepped out of the kitchen, "Wassup?"
"Max's back is killing her. You wanna help her with the shower?" Logan asked, feeling Max lace her fingers with his.
"Sure thing," Cindy said with a smile. She walked over the couch and held her hand out to Max, "Come on boo, let's get you all smellin' like roses again."
Max took her friend's hand and felt Logan help push her up off the couch. "You saying I smell?" she asked her Cindy.
Cindy chuckled and began helping Max towards the master bath, "Let's just say Original Cindy wouldn't want to stand downwind of you."
Logan heard the women giggle and he grinned. Then he decided it was time to start dinner. Taking a deep breath and vowing that he was not going to start a fight with Zack if he could help it, Logan walked into the kitchen, finding his brother-in-law washing vegetables.
Zack heard him come in, but did not turn from the sink. "By the amount of vegetables you had me and Cindy buy," he remarked. "I figured you were planning on a salad, so I started washing these things off."
"Thanks," Logan said, not hiding the surprise in his voice as he pulled a cutting board from an underneath cabinet. He then set about pulling out pots, pans, and bowls, and setting them up at various points in the kitchen.
"What else are you making?" Zack asked cordially.
"Pasta Triclore," Logan answered, his head inside the refrigerator. "Max loves it, and it's not that hard to make."
"Want some help?" Zack asked cautiously. He had vowed to make a better effort with Logan, for Max's sake if for no one else's.
"Sure," his brother-in-law replied. This was the first time Zack had ever been over during the actual planning of dinner. Usually, the man merely showed up unannounced conveniently around the time Logan and Max were sitting down to eat. "Can you boil water?" Logan asked, trying not to sound condescending.
Zack bit back a sharp retort and nodded, "Yeah, I think I can swing it." He set the last of the washed vegetables aside and brought a pan to the faucet to fill it. As he watched it fill with water, Zack mumbled, "Good job, out there. You really came through."
Logan looked up. "Thanks," he said quickly. "You too."
It was probably the closest Zack and Logan were ever going to come to a truce, but there, in the kitchen, the two men who loved Max more than anything in the world came to a silent understanding and agreement as they fixed up a mean Pasta Triclore.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Max and Cindy were finishing up a conversation with Kendra. Original Cindy had suggested Max call her friend before getting in the shower. Kendra had made Walter sleep on the couch ever since she found out his bosses wouldn't let him switch from squatter search to the active search for Max.
"Really, Kendra, we're okay," Max said for the seemingly thousandth time. She smiled, "Okay. I'll talk to you later. Tell Walter thanks for offering to help in the search. Okay. Bye Kendra."
"Walter back in Kendra's good graces?" Original Cindy asked, folding a towel she had dropped on the floor.
"Yeah," Max nodded. "She's gonna let Walter back into their bed tonight."
"Uh oh," Cindy said. "That man's been without his nookie for nearly two weeks."
Max couldn't repress her shudder of disgust at the thought of Kendra and Walter's sex life and said, "I'll call her in three days." She frowned, "I guess we can say that Kendra and Walter have gone into heat, huh?" She exchanged looks with Original Cindy.
"Eeeeeew!" the two women chorused before breaking into a fit of giggles.
Max suddenly felt the pain in her back intensify and she groaned.
"Come on," Original Cindy said, handing Max her bathrobe. "Once you get that nice hot water on your back, you'll feel a lot better." She helped Max into the bathroom and sat her down on the closed toilet seat. "How are we gonna do this bitch?" she asked after getting the water running. "Your legs might not take standing in the shower."
Max thought for a moment, "The chair Logan used to sit on to take a shower when he was paralyzed is in the back on the closet it if you want to get it."
Original Cindy nodded and retreated into the bedroom just as the phone began to ring. A few moments later, Logan peeked his head through the door. "Your sisters are on the phone," he said, handing her the cordless. "They want to come over for dinner."
Max sighed and stretched her back, "Not tonight." She put the phone to her ear. "Jace? Tinga? Brin? Hey! Hi Jondy. Would you guys mind if I asked you guys to come over some other night for dinner?" She listened. "It's just that my back is killing me and I'm probably gonna hit the sack right after we eat." She chuckled, "I'll have Zack bring you the leftovers. Aiight. Love you all too. Uh huh. Okay." She smiled at Logan and rolled her eyes, indicating that each of her sisters was taking her turn on the phone. "Okay. Bye. Uh huh, you too. Latah." Max grinned and hung up the phone, handing it back to Logan.
"Comin' through," Cindy called as she brought the seat in and set it up underneath the running water.
"Dinner's almost ready," Logan said, kissing Max's cheek before returning to the kitchen.
Original Cindy helped Max onto the chair and closed the curtain to give her friend privacy. "I'm gonna stay right here in case you need anything," Cindy told her.
"Thanks," Max replied, feeling the water flow over her skin. It felt so good. She shifted a little to allow the water to pound on her back and sighed. "Cindy?" she said.
"Yeah boo?" Original Cindy replied, flipping through a Canadian import magazine she had found in Max and Logan's room.
"Thanks for staying with Logan while I was gone," Max said as she began working a large amount of shampoo into her dark mane.
"Not a problem, homegirl," her friend answered.
"He wasn't too stubborn was he?" Max asked, trying not to laugh. She knew he probably had been stubborn as hell.
"Your man? Stubborn?" Cindy asked with a laugh. "Nah. Not at all." The girls shared a laugh.
Max began rinsing the shampoo from her hair and closed her eyes. She was thankful she had such great friends. She even had a great, and fairly normal, given the circumstances, family. She knew they would always be there for her, and Logan. And their baby. She hadn't shared her concerns over her own health with anyone yet. She thought of whom she could talk to. She knew she needed to talk to Logan about it. She needed to tell him not to shut down if anything happened to her. Their baby would need her father. Max needed to tell Original Cindy and Bling not to let Logan shut down. She wanted to ask her sibs to pick up the Eyes Only slack if she was unable to. Brin, Tinga, and Zane had been doing the Eyes Only fieldwork since Max had discovered she was pregnant. She wondered if they would be willing to take over full time if anything happened to her. She assumed they would. Zane had begun leasing an apartment over near where Max and Cindy had once lived, and walked his dog in the same park Max and Logan
frequently took evening strolls.
She took a deep breath and poured some conditioner onto her hair. Max knew her family would pick up the pieces and go on if anything happened to her. The only one she wasn't sure about was Logan. After he'd thought her dead at Manticore, he had shut down. He'd neglected the Eyes Only network and begun drinking excessively. She needed to know he wouldn't do the same thing once their child was born, should anything happen to Max.
Max let the water beat on her back for a full ten minutes before finally shutting off the water. Cindy handed her a towel for her hair and another for her body. Max wrapped her hair up turban style and dried off her body, still sitting on the shower seat. Then she slipped into her robe and allowed Cindy to help her back into the bedroom, where she had set aside one of Logan's T-shirts and a pair of sweats for Max to wear and be comfortable in. Max sat on the edge of the bed and slipped the T-shirt on. She stood up, slowly, to put the T-shirt on, when she felt a gush of fluid against her legs. Then, the pain that had been in her back all evening suddenly ripped through her stomach, although admittedly not as intensely as the false labor had a month ago.
Max gasped and sat back down on the bed.
"What?" Original Cindy asked. "Boo? What's wrong?"
In her head, Max did some quick multiplication as the contraction passed. She was eight months pregnant, at almost thirty-three weeks. She remembered her doctor telling her that after thirty-two weeks, the fetus was over eighty percent viable. Abby had told her the baby had dropped into position, meaning it was head down, which was also good. Max turned to face Original Cindy and said, "There's an overnight bag in the closet. Get that and my sneakers and meet me in the kitchen."
Original Cindy's eyes widened, "It's time, isn't it? Little Boo's on her way?"
Max nodded as she heard Logan call, "Dinner!"
"Perfect timing," she said, smiling at her friend. "Don't panic. It's going to be fine." Despite the fear within her, and the anticipation of another dizzying wave of pain to hit her at any minute, Max was incredibly calm, surreal. She slowly made her way towards the kitchen. Max found Zack already sitting at the table. Logan smiled at her as he brought in a steaming bowl of pasta.
"Where's Cindy?" he asked.
"Getting my bag," Max replied, unable to hide the smile on her face. Logan's head snapped up, confusion in his eyes. "Logan, my water just broke," she told him.
Zack jumped up, "You're water...? You mean you're in labor?"
Max nodded. "I had a contraction and there should be another one coming any minute now." She looked at her brother and her husband, both of who were slightly pale and in varying states of shock. Max calmly walked over to Logan and took the keys from his pocket, tossing them to Zack. "Go downstairs, bring the car around. We'll me you there."
Zack caught the keys and nodded, bolting out of the apartment.
Max then took Logan's cell phone from his pocket and dialed her doctor. "Yes, hello?" she said when the doctor answered her page. "Honey maybe you should sit down," she murmured to her husband, who was standing there, staring at her, still shocked. "Doctor? Hi. I've been having back pain for about three hours now. I thought it was the sciatic nerve thing again, so I took a hot shower. But," she paused. "I think my water just broke and I had a contraction." Max checked Logan's watch. "About seven minutes ago. No, I haven't had another one. Yes I have a bag packed." She took Logan's hand and saw Cindy coming out of the bedroom. "Honey, let's go," Max whispered. "Cindy, take him, he's in shock."
Original Cindy chuckled and smacked Logan upside the head, "Moneybags, wake up!"
The blow to Logan's skull brought him out of his stupor. "Ow!" he cried.
"Ow!" Max cried, still on the phone with her doctor, as another contraction overtook her. Logan jumped forward and grabbed her arms, giving her something to support herself on until the contraction passed. She took deep breaths and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for it to be over. Once it had subsided, she listened to the doctor, "Yes I just had another one." She took Logan's watch. "I'd say about nine minutes. Okay, we're on our way. See you there." Max hung up Logan's phone and handed it back to him.
She looked at her husband and her best friend and said, "Well guys, I guess it's time to have a baby."
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I know you guys hate me, but I want the birth chapter to be a separate chapter on it's own. Next time, I promise. Please read and review!
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Home is where the heart is. Never were words so true. Under her own power, nevertheless firmly held by Logan, Max entered their apartment and took a deep breath. She looked around the apartment and realized she hadn't seen the inside of it for nearly a month, between her hospital stay and the abduction. She wasn't surprised to see everything looked the same. Her bikes were still sitting in the PT room, covered by a sheet. She could hear the whir and hum of Logan's computers, and her nostrils picked up the scent that was uniquely her husband's, uniquely their home's. Max breathed deeply and smiled.
"Welcome home," Logan said, smiling, his arm securely around her waist.
Max grinned and turned her face to look up into his, "Nothing's changed."
"Why would it?" Zack asked, coming in behind them. "You were only gone a month."
"Gotta love your brothah, boo," Original Cindy chuckled, entering as well. "He's always bringing ya down to earth."
"Even when I want to be in heaven," Max replied light heartedly, reaching out the playfully swat her brother. She caught his arm and he whirled around, surprised.
"You want me to drop these groceries, Maxie?" he asked. On their way home, they had stopped off at the market, and both Zack and Original Cindy were carrying bags of groceries.
"Just put 'em in the kitchen, big brother," Max ordered, not even bothering to hide her smile. She was ecstatic. She was home, in the arms of her husband, with her brother and her best friend. The child inside her was safe and healthy, albeit restless. The baby moved and Max groaned a little.
"What's the matter?" Logan asked, concern thick in his voice. Zack and Original Cindy were looking at Max with similar expressions of concern and nervousness.
"Maybe you should have gone to the doctors, boo," Cindy said gently.
Max rolled her eyes, "Guy, I may have been held captive for two weeks, but I was held captive in part by a registered nurse. She took very good care of both of us. Deck would have had her head if anything happened to the baby. He wanted it safe as much as we do, only in a sick and twisted way." However, she could see Logan and the others were not convinced. "Guys!" she exclaimed. "I'm eight months pregnant; I'm not dying. Relax ok?" She decided that everyone was still going to be worried unless they had things to do. "Zack, you and Cindy go put the food away to give me some quality time with my husband. When you're done, Cindy can come back and help me get into the shower so I can have a real shower and not a sponge bath for once, and Zack can help Logan cook dinner." Max placed her hands on her hips, "Any arguments?"
"Uh uh," Original Cindy replied, shaking her head. "Come on boo," she said, walking past Zack into the kitchen.
Still worried but nevertheless smart enough not to tangle with his hormonally charged pregnant sister, Zack followed, calling over his shoulder, "If I didn't know better Maxie, I'd swear you were trying to take my job as CO."
"Why would I want it?" Max retorted as Logan led her towards the couch. "It's reserved for hard-asses like yourself."
Logan chuckled and settled her on the couch, placing a pillow behind her back. He, however, remained standing. "So do you want anything?" he asked nervously. "Another pillow? A blanket? A glass of water?" He began darting for the kitchen, "I should get you a glass of water. I should also call the hospital and have them send over the meds you need now that Abby isn't giving them to you anymore."
"Logan," Max said, but he didn't hear her. He was too nervous and wound up. Max watched in semi amusement as he began darting for the kitchen.
"Cindy!" Max called, laughing. "Stop my husband!" She watched as Cindy stepped out of the kitchen and walked up to Logan. Through her advanced hearing, Max shameless tuned into their quiet conversation.
"Boo," Cindy said quietly to Logan. "She's fine. They're fine. They're home and they're safe. Don't start wiggin out now. Relax. Take some deep breaths and get your ass back over to that couch to sit with your wife."
Logan nodded and said, "Thanks Cindy." He watched her go back into the kitchen before turning back to the couch. He saw Max smiling at him, bemused. "You think this is all very funny, don't you?"
Max nodded and held out her hand, "C'mere."
Logan walked towards the couch and took his wife's hand, sitting beside her on the couch. She took his hand to her lips and kissed his palm, then held it to her cheek and nuzzled it.
"I'm really here Logan," she whispered. "You got us back. It's okay now."
"I know," he murmured. "It's been so long. First the braxton hicks and the seizure, then Lydecker..." His voice broke. "I missed you so much."
Max held her arms out to him and pulled him close to her body. She knew what he must have gone through, having to watch her seize, sit by her hospital bed day after day as she was in the coma, then to lose her once again to Lydecker so soon after getting her back. Ever since he'd thought her dead at Manticore, Logan had always had a fear of losing her. Max knew it. She knew he had always been afraid of losing her, period, but coming so close so many times had started to wear on his nerves. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she had thought he was dead. She remembered the fear and dread she had felt before she had first transfused him, there in the hospital, as he lay, slowly dying. She remembered the pain and the fear she had felt. Max was willing to bet her pain was nothing compared to what Logan had felt, thinking both she and their baby might die.
Logan wrapped his arms around Max and felt her hold him. He held on tightly, mindful of the large bugle that was her stomach. He inhaled her scent and felt her warm skin against his own. Yet, he did not cry. He didn't want to. He knew that Max understood his fear and felt for what he had gone through during her illness and capture. He knew that he didn't need to cry. Max already knew. And she understood. And she was loving him and comforting him, holding him, running her fingers lightly over his back, playing with the hair at the base of his neck.
"I can't believe you're back," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers and kissing the tip of her nose.
She nipped at his lower lip and replied, "Believe it. We're both here and we're not going anywhere." Then she made a face, "Damn."
"Your back again?" he asked, sitting up.
She nodded, "This baby better appreciate everything I'm going through for her." Max sat up and twisted a little, hoping it would relieve the pain in her back. It didn't.
"Here, let me," Logan offered, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her so that he had better access to her lower back. His fingers and thumbs began kneading her flesh, pressing gently to ease the pain from the baby pressing on Max's sciatic nerve. He heard her sigh and knew the mini-massage was working. For several more minutes he worked, his fingers expertly easing the pain from her body. After a while, he brushed his lips over the scar the remained from her barcode removal and called, "Hey Cindy?"
Original Cindy stepped out of the kitchen, "Wassup?"
"Max's back is killing her. You wanna help her with the shower?" Logan asked, feeling Max lace her fingers with his.
"Sure thing," Cindy said with a smile. She walked over the couch and held her hand out to Max, "Come on boo, let's get you all smellin' like roses again."
Max took her friend's hand and felt Logan help push her up off the couch. "You saying I smell?" she asked her Cindy.
Cindy chuckled and began helping Max towards the master bath, "Let's just say Original Cindy wouldn't want to stand downwind of you."
Logan heard the women giggle and he grinned. Then he decided it was time to start dinner. Taking a deep breath and vowing that he was not going to start a fight with Zack if he could help it, Logan walked into the kitchen, finding his brother-in-law washing vegetables.
Zack heard him come in, but did not turn from the sink. "By the amount of vegetables you had me and Cindy buy," he remarked. "I figured you were planning on a salad, so I started washing these things off."
"Thanks," Logan said, not hiding the surprise in his voice as he pulled a cutting board from an underneath cabinet. He then set about pulling out pots, pans, and bowls, and setting them up at various points in the kitchen.
"What else are you making?" Zack asked cordially.
"Pasta Triclore," Logan answered, his head inside the refrigerator. "Max loves it, and it's not that hard to make."
"Want some help?" Zack asked cautiously. He had vowed to make a better effort with Logan, for Max's sake if for no one else's.
"Sure," his brother-in-law replied. This was the first time Zack had ever been over during the actual planning of dinner. Usually, the man merely showed up unannounced conveniently around the time Logan and Max were sitting down to eat. "Can you boil water?" Logan asked, trying not to sound condescending.
Zack bit back a sharp retort and nodded, "Yeah, I think I can swing it." He set the last of the washed vegetables aside and brought a pan to the faucet to fill it. As he watched it fill with water, Zack mumbled, "Good job, out there. You really came through."
Logan looked up. "Thanks," he said quickly. "You too."
It was probably the closest Zack and Logan were ever going to come to a truce, but there, in the kitchen, the two men who loved Max more than anything in the world came to a silent understanding and agreement as they fixed up a mean Pasta Triclore.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Max and Cindy were finishing up a conversation with Kendra. Original Cindy had suggested Max call her friend before getting in the shower. Kendra had made Walter sleep on the couch ever since she found out his bosses wouldn't let him switch from squatter search to the active search for Max.
"Really, Kendra, we're okay," Max said for the seemingly thousandth time. She smiled, "Okay. I'll talk to you later. Tell Walter thanks for offering to help in the search. Okay. Bye Kendra."
"Walter back in Kendra's good graces?" Original Cindy asked, folding a towel she had dropped on the floor.
"Yeah," Max nodded. "She's gonna let Walter back into their bed tonight."
"Uh oh," Cindy said. "That man's been without his nookie for nearly two weeks."
Max couldn't repress her shudder of disgust at the thought of Kendra and Walter's sex life and said, "I'll call her in three days." She frowned, "I guess we can say that Kendra and Walter have gone into heat, huh?" She exchanged looks with Original Cindy.
"Eeeeeew!" the two women chorused before breaking into a fit of giggles.
Max suddenly felt the pain in her back intensify and she groaned.
"Come on," Original Cindy said, handing Max her bathrobe. "Once you get that nice hot water on your back, you'll feel a lot better." She helped Max into the bathroom and sat her down on the closed toilet seat. "How are we gonna do this bitch?" she asked after getting the water running. "Your legs might not take standing in the shower."
Max thought for a moment, "The chair Logan used to sit on to take a shower when he was paralyzed is in the back on the closet it if you want to get it."
Original Cindy nodded and retreated into the bedroom just as the phone began to ring. A few moments later, Logan peeked his head through the door. "Your sisters are on the phone," he said, handing her the cordless. "They want to come over for dinner."
Max sighed and stretched her back, "Not tonight." She put the phone to her ear. "Jace? Tinga? Brin? Hey! Hi Jondy. Would you guys mind if I asked you guys to come over some other night for dinner?" She listened. "It's just that my back is killing me and I'm probably gonna hit the sack right after we eat." She chuckled, "I'll have Zack bring you the leftovers. Aiight. Love you all too. Uh huh. Okay." She smiled at Logan and rolled her eyes, indicating that each of her sisters was taking her turn on the phone. "Okay. Bye. Uh huh, you too. Latah." Max grinned and hung up the phone, handing it back to Logan.
"Comin' through," Cindy called as she brought the seat in and set it up underneath the running water.
"Dinner's almost ready," Logan said, kissing Max's cheek before returning to the kitchen.
Original Cindy helped Max onto the chair and closed the curtain to give her friend privacy. "I'm gonna stay right here in case you need anything," Cindy told her.
"Thanks," Max replied, feeling the water flow over her skin. It felt so good. She shifted a little to allow the water to pound on her back and sighed. "Cindy?" she said.
"Yeah boo?" Original Cindy replied, flipping through a Canadian import magazine she had found in Max and Logan's room.
"Thanks for staying with Logan while I was gone," Max said as she began working a large amount of shampoo into her dark mane.
"Not a problem, homegirl," her friend answered.
"He wasn't too stubborn was he?" Max asked, trying not to laugh. She knew he probably had been stubborn as hell.
"Your man? Stubborn?" Cindy asked with a laugh. "Nah. Not at all." The girls shared a laugh.
Max began rinsing the shampoo from her hair and closed her eyes. She was thankful she had such great friends. She even had a great, and fairly normal, given the circumstances, family. She knew they would always be there for her, and Logan. And their baby. She hadn't shared her concerns over her own health with anyone yet. She thought of whom she could talk to. She knew she needed to talk to Logan about it. She needed to tell him not to shut down if anything happened to her. Their baby would need her father. Max needed to tell Original Cindy and Bling not to let Logan shut down. She wanted to ask her sibs to pick up the Eyes Only slack if she was unable to. Brin, Tinga, and Zane had been doing the Eyes Only fieldwork since Max had discovered she was pregnant. She wondered if they would be willing to take over full time if anything happened to her. She assumed they would. Zane had begun leasing an apartment over near where Max and Cindy had once lived, and walked his dog in the same park Max and Logan
frequently took evening strolls.
She took a deep breath and poured some conditioner onto her hair. Max knew her family would pick up the pieces and go on if anything happened to her. The only one she wasn't sure about was Logan. After he'd thought her dead at Manticore, he had shut down. He'd neglected the Eyes Only network and begun drinking excessively. She needed to know he wouldn't do the same thing once their child was born, should anything happen to Max.
Max let the water beat on her back for a full ten minutes before finally shutting off the water. Cindy handed her a towel for her hair and another for her body. Max wrapped her hair up turban style and dried off her body, still sitting on the shower seat. Then she slipped into her robe and allowed Cindy to help her back into the bedroom, where she had set aside one of Logan's T-shirts and a pair of sweats for Max to wear and be comfortable in. Max sat on the edge of the bed and slipped the T-shirt on. She stood up, slowly, to put the T-shirt on, when she felt a gush of fluid against her legs. Then, the pain that had been in her back all evening suddenly ripped through her stomach, although admittedly not as intensely as the false labor had a month ago.
Max gasped and sat back down on the bed.
"What?" Original Cindy asked. "Boo? What's wrong?"
In her head, Max did some quick multiplication as the contraction passed. She was eight months pregnant, at almost thirty-three weeks. She remembered her doctor telling her that after thirty-two weeks, the fetus was over eighty percent viable. Abby had told her the baby had dropped into position, meaning it was head down, which was also good. Max turned to face Original Cindy and said, "There's an overnight bag in the closet. Get that and my sneakers and meet me in the kitchen."
Original Cindy's eyes widened, "It's time, isn't it? Little Boo's on her way?"
Max nodded as she heard Logan call, "Dinner!"
"Perfect timing," she said, smiling at her friend. "Don't panic. It's going to be fine." Despite the fear within her, and the anticipation of another dizzying wave of pain to hit her at any minute, Max was incredibly calm, surreal. She slowly made her way towards the kitchen. Max found Zack already sitting at the table. Logan smiled at her as he brought in a steaming bowl of pasta.
"Where's Cindy?" he asked.
"Getting my bag," Max replied, unable to hide the smile on her face. Logan's head snapped up, confusion in his eyes. "Logan, my water just broke," she told him.
Zack jumped up, "You're water...? You mean you're in labor?"
Max nodded. "I had a contraction and there should be another one coming any minute now." She looked at her brother and her husband, both of who were slightly pale and in varying states of shock. Max calmly walked over to Logan and took the keys from his pocket, tossing them to Zack. "Go downstairs, bring the car around. We'll me you there."
Zack caught the keys and nodded, bolting out of the apartment.
Max then took Logan's cell phone from his pocket and dialed her doctor. "Yes, hello?" she said when the doctor answered her page. "Honey maybe you should sit down," she murmured to her husband, who was standing there, staring at her, still shocked. "Doctor? Hi. I've been having back pain for about three hours now. I thought it was the sciatic nerve thing again, so I took a hot shower. But," she paused. "I think my water just broke and I had a contraction." Max checked Logan's watch. "About seven minutes ago. No, I haven't had another one. Yes I have a bag packed." She took Logan's hand and saw Cindy coming out of the bedroom. "Honey, let's go," Max whispered. "Cindy, take him, he's in shock."
Original Cindy chuckled and smacked Logan upside the head, "Moneybags, wake up!"
The blow to Logan's skull brought him out of his stupor. "Ow!" he cried.
"Ow!" Max cried, still on the phone with her doctor, as another contraction overtook her. Logan jumped forward and grabbed her arms, giving her something to support herself on until the contraction passed. She took deep breaths and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for it to be over. Once it had subsided, she listened to the doctor, "Yes I just had another one." She took Logan's watch. "I'd say about nine minutes. Okay, we're on our way. See you there." Max hung up Logan's phone and handed it back to him.
She looked at her husband and her best friend and said, "Well guys, I guess it's time to have a baby."
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I know you guys hate me, but I want the birth chapter to be a separate chapter on it's own. Next time, I promise. Please read and review!