A/N: Many thanks to the ever faithful catherder and alaidh for the beta.
Chapter 13Logan waited anxiously outside the door of the public bathroom, impatiently waiting for Max. "Max…" He tapped hesitantly on the door. "You okay in there?" There was the sound of a flush and then running water before Max emerged shaking water from her hands.
"No towels," she said by way of explanation and rolled her eyes. She took a couple of steps, then hesitated, putting a hand against the wall for support.
"Max?"
She put her free hand up in a "wait" gesture and took a couple of deep breaths. "I'm okay, really," she said, seeing Logan's worried expression. As if to prove a point, she set off firmly, but more slowly, down the corridor to the elevator. Sam had been going to meet them at reception, but when a call to his pager failed to gain a response, Logan had suggested that they go up to his office on the second floor.
Max, lost in her thoughts, didn't really register that Logan was having problems with locomotion until she caught him peering intently at one of the wheels while they waited for the elevator.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Chair's a bit…wonky."
"Wonky?"
"Yeah, you know, not running like it should…wonky."
"I know the meaning of the word. Just never thought I'd hear you use it."
Logan shrugged.
"Anyway, you did try to teach it to fly. Must've bent it or something."
"Yeah, or something…"
The ping of the elevator caused them to drop the discussion. They waited while the passengers exited before entering. "Ya know, this would be just the wrong time for a brown-out," commented Max.
"Hospital's got a generator," Logan smiled back. He straightened up wearily, looking up at her as she leaned against the side wall.
"Ya know, a couple of days ago, I promised myself that I was gonna kick your ass for what you did."
"And now?"
"I'm…not so sure," she said thoughtfully, rubbing her back. "Still, you should have told me what was going on."
"You're right, Max, I should've, and then you'd have tried to stop me going…and…" Logan's tone was biting.
"Right," she nodded. "But there's some chance we wouldn't be…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She'd seen the stricken expression on his face. She shrugged. "These things happen. Babies come when they're ready…and maybe you should be kicking my ass instead," she said grinning.
The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, putting a stop to further talk.
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"Mr Cale, Mrs Cale," Sam's receptionist smiled brightly at the disheveled pair as they entered the office. "Dr Carr said for you to wait in his office. He'll be here shortly."
Honestly, Max thought, looking at both herself and Logan, We look like a pair of punks. Logan had a large purple bruise on his cheek with a deep, open cut running through the center. The swelling caused an imperfection that upset the symmetry of his face. He looked exhausted. There was dirt from the forest floor on the knees of his jeans. She suspected that she didn't look much better.
Max, entering Sam's office, immediately looked for a chair and noted that she had exactly three choices – Sam's desk chair, the examination table or a standard, hospital-issue clunker of a wheelchair shoved into a corner. To Logan's amusement, she roughly kicked up the footrests on the wheelchair and sat there, figuring Sam would want his chair at some stage. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. "God, I'm so tired," she groaned.
Logan snorted. "I thought you didn't sleep."
She grinned back at him, eyes still closed. "Riiggghttt…"
"Guess not many of Sam's patients need chairs," he said, looking back over his shoulder as he heard a familiar voice from outside.
"Guess."
Sam bustled in and closed the door behind him. Logan swiveled to face the doctor and Max opened her eyes and straightened up. "Hey, Sam."
"Hey, Logan. You look like hell – both of you."
"Gee, thanks, Sam," responded Logan.
"What the hell have you been doing?"
"Believe me, you don't want to know," replied Max. She grimaced and took a deep breath.
Sam looked at her, his expression concerned. "Up on the table, let's take a look at you."
Max nodded compliantly. "I…know this isn't really your field, and I really appreciate what you're doing."
Sam nodded briskly, pushing up Max's sleeve so he could take her blood pressure. "I haven't really done this since I was an intern, but I have assisted at a few deliveries – patients of mine…"
"Right," she replied hesitantly.
"And there's some help coming from Terminal City…just in case."
Max smiled and relaxed, while Logan hovered nervously, watching Sam's examination.
"Okay," Sam gave Max a hand to sit up on the narrow table. "I'll get my secretary to deal with a few formalities and we'll get you into a room." He stuck his head out the door and issued a couple of instructions to his secretary.
He walked around Logan and leaned back against his desk, legs crossed. "I don't think I need to confirm what you already know. It'll be a while yet – you're still in the first stage. I know it's a little early, but everything should be fine."
Max nodded and Logan took her hand, feeling relieved.
"Now, while we're waiting, do you want me to clean up that cut?" Sam asked Logan, gesturing at his face.
"Might as well."
"You two look like…"
"I know. I'm surprised they let us in," acknowledged Logan with a wry expression.
"And I take it the exoskeleton…"
"Busted."
Sam nodded.
Sam tipped some antiseptic solution out of a bottle onto a pad of cotton and proceeded to gently clean the cut. Logan grimaced as the astringent solution hit the open wound. He finished up by holding the two sides of the cut together with a butterfly bandage. "That should be okay, I hope. You probably should have a couple of stitches there…"
"But knowing me and needles…"
"Coward," commented Max, causing Logan to glare at her.
The button on the telephone lit up and the phone buzzed softly. Sam took the call.
"Thanks, Sarah. You can go when you're ready." He hung up and looked at them. "Okay, got a room, let's go."
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Sam escorted them to a private room and then left them alone, after suggesting that Max make use of the shower and change into the oh-so-elegant hospital gown a nurse handed to her. She pulled a wry face and said she would. He promised to be back in a while, but he had patients to see, and…
Logan waited for Max to emerge from the tiny private bathroom, tiredly staring out the window at a bleak, gray sky as he did. His head throbbed – partly as a result of being hit, partly as a result of a day and a half without sleep. Exhaustion was seeping into his very bones. He felt tired and hungry. Neither of them had eaten since the night before.
Max came out of the bathroom, her hair still wrapped in a towel, and smiled. "Hot shower and I'm good to go." She flicked a glance at the bed, but instead sank into a chair next to Logan. "So," she said.
"So," Logan responded.
She leaned back in the chair and rolled her head, easing the kinks in her neck, which persisted despite the shower. The water hadn't really been that hot, just barely tepid.
"You want me to massage your back?" Logan asked.
"Mmm, that would be nice." She swung around sideways on the chair as he moved back alongside, leaning her shoulder against its high back. Logan adjusted the position of the wheelchair so that he was as close as he could get and locked the brakes. He rubbed his hands together briefly to warm them up and then started working on her neck, pressing his thumbs into the tight muscles on either side. Max leaned back into him, creating more pressure. She wondered whether Zack and the others had managed to get the mistreated and misled female transgenics to safety, and her brows knit as she considered how they got themselves caught like that, and who was the sperm donor. Cassie had said during their brief conversation that they weren't using ordinary human sperm, but that they had some special donor.
Logan paused in his ministrations to undo the back of the gown, a ticklish movement that raised goosebumps in Max's flesh and sent a tingle down her spine. She took a deep breath as she felt a contraction starting. They were becoming stronger, slowly but surely. Sam had said to them both several times that, with Max's odd genetics, he wasn't sure what to expect when delivery time came, so to come to the hospital sooner rather than later…well here they were…Logan shifted his point of operation further down. Max found it soothing. He was good at this, had always been good at it, but Max and Bling had taught him a few more techniques that made it even better. "Relax, Max, you're so tense…" His long, strong fingers kneaded the tight muscles. Her back had been aching on and off since that day in the markets – was that four or three or five days ago, she couldn't remember. She was tired and afraid – afraid of what she had done, afraid of what was to come. She moaned softly, a combination of pain and pleasure.
"Did I hurt you?" Logan asked, concerned.
"No, that's good, keep going, please…"
He grinned and exhaled a warm, sharp breath across her shoulder.
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Alec had been trying to track down Original Cindy for several hours. He had gotten hold of Marianne Cale easily enough. She said she'd wait at her office until he dropped off both Max's gear and Original Cindy, but Original Cindy was proving elusive, and she wasn't answering her pager. He turned the car in the direction of Jam Pony, parked and forced his way down the ramp against a tide of riders just heading out on late runs. "Yo, Normal, you seen OC anywhere?"
"Do I look like her social secretary?" Normal replied crankily.
"What's up with you?" asked Alec, unaccustomed to Normal taking out his moods on him.
"She hasn't come back from her last run, surprise, surprise," Normal responded, then muttered half under his breath, "Probably won't. I'm understaffed as it is…"
"Thanks, Normal."
"And where the fire truck is Max?"
Alec turned to go. "Metro Medical, if you must know." With that, Alec strode back up the ramp, ignoring Normal's startled stare and considering his options as he left. He walked down the road to Crash – it was early, but at least he could leave a message there for her to call Logan's phone.
A stop at the apartment on Waverly revealed why Original Cindy wasn't answering her pager. With a soft, "Damn," he picked it up from the counter, looked at it, and put it down again. He grabbed a soda from the fridge and made himself comfortable on the sofa while he thought about what to do next. Feeling himself starting to doze off, he straightened up and left the apartment abruptly, leaving the empty soda can on the coffee table. He decided to head for the penthouse – at least he could collect Max's bag from there while he waited. That's when Logan's phone finally rang. "Hello?"
"Alec, what's up? What're you doing with Logan's phone? Why've you been leaving messages for me at Crash?
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"I had some stuff to take care of," she answered vaguely. "What's so urgent? And what have you done with my girl?"
"She's at Metro Medical with Logan."
"Oh…is she all right?"
"Yeah, but she wants you there. Where are you?" Alec could hear voices and loud music in the background.
"Crash."
"I'll pick you up outside."
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Max gently removed her hand from Logan's grasp and slid out of the bed. Darkness had already covered the scene outside, which was lit by pinpricks of lights from the buildings, streets and cars. Logan stirred, rustling the sheets. She'd sent him out for a while to get some dinner an hour or so earlier, amused by the growling of his stomach. On his return, he'd sat with her, head nodding, just holding her hand, until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. His head had dropped down to his arm on the side of the bed, and he'd dozed off.
Max stared at the peaceful night scene, then turned to look at the exhausted man, smiling. He looked so peaceful. She took a step back toward the bed, then stopped as a strong contraction coursed through her. "Oh, hell," she said, putting a hand out to steady herself against the window frame. She felt moisture running down her leg, the trickle soon becoming a gush. "Logan! Logan! Wake up!"
"Hmm? Max?" He sat up slowly.
Max froze, looking at him in consternation, not sure how she should be reacting – embarrassed…annoyed…afraid. "I...ah…I feel like I just peed my pants," she said, her expression wry.
Logan hit the call button to summon a nurse, then came around the side of the bed. He picked up the still damp towel she'd used earlier from the back of the chair and sat there, unsure what to do next. "Um, Logan, you wanna give me a hand here."
"Yeah, what…"
"Give me the towel," she said. She roughly scrubbed herself down, leaning her weight on the windowsill then dropped the towel on the floor and swizzed it around with her foot and kicked it into the corner.
A nurse appeared at the door as Max kicked the towel away. She took Logan's shoulder firmly, grimacing and leaning heavily for the couple of steps back to the bed.
Logan looked at the woman and said, "Can you page Sam Carr, please? Now!"
A/N: This is my second attempt at uploading this. The first time, it seems that FFN ate all my spacers. I've also fixed the DarkCassie, lol.