Chapter 8: The Birth

{Foggle Towers} 2 weeks later

"Logan!!!" came the scream in the middle of the night. Logan bolted awake, jumping up from where he had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Max?! What? You're awake? What is it?" he blurted out as he raced to her side.

"...con....tractions..." she puffed out in between breaths, eyes wide in fear.

"Ok, ok, stay calm! I'll call the doctor!" Logan grabbed blindly for the telephone, hardly aware of what he was doing. ((My God! She's awake!! Number, number...where's the number...))

"Logan!!!" Max yelled again, reaching from him, and grabbing the nearest part she could find. She pulled on his shirt, bringing him face to face with her. "Hurry. Up." she managed to get out. He nodded quickly and finished dialing the doctors home number. Chancing a quick glance at the clock, he groaned. It was 2am.

"Hello?" was the groggy answer at the other end of the line.

"Caroline? It's Logan. Logan Cale. I mean it's Max. I'm Logan, but it's Max! She's having contractions! They're getting really bad..." Max screamed again and clenched his hand. "Really bad."

"On my way." Caroline replied curtly, all notions of sleep, gone. "Stay calm. And Logan? Don't let her push!" then she hung up, hurrying out of bed...

Logan put the phone down slowly, his Glico darting to Max, then the clock as he tried to calm her down...to no avail. But then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Or rather, Max stopped. She lay on the pillows, beads of sweat on her forehead, her heart still pumping madly, but she lay still. The only other movement was her stomach, whenever a contraction would seize her.

"Max!!" Logan wailed as he tried to shake her awake...as gently as possible.

As he was trying to revive Max, Caroline Avela came rushing into the room, (Logan had given her a key several months ago) only to find Logan sitting on the edge of a chair, sprawled across Max, crying silent tears, and sobbing in between breaths, "Max, come back to me. Max angel, come back!"


The Dr. gently removed Logan from the unconscious Max, and checked her vitals.

"She's in a coma Logan. The contractions must have brought her out of it for a moment, but no more. Now," and here she paused, taking in the completely broken and dejected appearance of this man. Caroline cleared her throat and continued, "Now, we need to get that baby out." She set up her equipment and snapped on latex gloves.

"It's time." she said, then added, "I'll need your help."

At this, Logan nodded. Yes, he needed to do something...anything but watch Max. He couldn't watch her. Caroline handed him a pair of gloves also,

"Here goes!" she exclaimed, then began the incision...

Logan was stunned. It was all too much. The blood, the knife, the child pulled forth from the cavity. This was his child, yet...It was Max's also. And she was somewhere else entirely.

Dr. Avela handed the child to him, ordering him to clean it, while she closed up the cut. Logan held the small form gently, almost cautiously, and softly, he began to rub it with a soon soiled towel. His gaze was focused on something only he could see. But a wail from the baby focused his eyes. On her. It was a beautiful baby girl. But what could he expect? Max was her mother. Max was beautiful. Max was Beauty personified. Anything she produced was that beauty come to life.

"Congratulations." Avela said, pulling off her gloves and disposing of them.

Logan blinking several time, fast, before answering, "Yeah..."

"She's beautiful."

"Like her mom." Logan's gaze shifted once again, this time from the child in his arms, to Max. So...innocent as she slept.

"Have you thought of a name?" she asked, smiling at the baby Logan still held.

"Max and I talking about it a little...we never decided before she..." he gestured at her still body on the bed.

Caroline nodded knowingly. "You'll have to buy formula...here's a few cans to start you off."


Logan shifted the baby so he could shake her hand. "You've done so much for us...I don't how I can repay you..." Then, he walked to his dresser and quickly wrote a check, holding it out to her.

"I can't. This was for a friend. No charge." she declined it, or tried to.

"No, I insist. It's the least I can do...Max would want you to have it."

Caroline nodded once, and thanked him, taking the check without looking at hi, she once again gathered together her things. Logan showed her to the door, continuing to thank her multiple times.

"Call me." she told him, waiting for the elevator. "I'd like to come and visit my newest charge sometime."

"Sure. I'd like that." Logan responded, closing the door. Sighing, he walking into Elizabeth's room. And going to the closet, past Max's new motorcycle he had replaced to it's spot, he pulled out Lizzy's old crib. As he dragged it out of the closet, it bumped into something. They were set back in the closet, boxes, that he hadn't noticed before. Logan stooped down and opened the first one. They were the gifts from Zack. He opened first box and discovered the miniature motorcycle that Elizabeth had loved to ride on, until she had gotten too big for it She hadn't used it for some time, but all the same, it brought back a torrent of memories. Painful memories. The other box had been nailed shut again. Thinking back, he had never seen Max open it. And never seen the contents. Inside was a pile of material. He pulled it out, and discovered two simply, yet eloquent, black dresses. One was in Max's size. The other, Elizabeth's...He continued to dig through the packaging and came up with a bottle of perfume. And again, a smaller one. There was a note also. The same Max had read to him that day long ago.

'Hey baby sister,

Here's some things to make up for the missed engagement party, wedding, and the baby shower gifts. Take care of my niece.' There was a part of the note that Max had not read to Logan. It said, 'Max, open the second box alone. They are for you and Elizabeth alone. You might want to keep this letter from Logan. I love you Max, and I always will. Never forget that. And not just like a brother.

Zack'

He groped in the box once more, this time coming up with two jewelry boxes. Inside the larger one was a slight gold chain. On the end there was a golden angel. A smaller version was in the other box. Logan couldn't bear any more, and quickly taking the crib into the master bedroom, he settled...his baby on the soft mattress and left to mix the first of many cans of formula , only to pause at the doorway, and to ponder over why Max hadn't told him....Could she still have feelings for Zack? No, it couldn't be...

((Max...I don't think I can do this without you...)) He looked at first his newborn, and then at Max, willing her to wake up. Twitch and arm, anything! The only movement came from the crib; the only sound, his own sigh.


end chapter 8