A Family Affair
Chapter 20: Rachel
Max screamed again and pulled Alec's hair harder as another contraction ripped through her. The doctors and nurses finally getting her to the delivery room. Dr. Sater, who had delivered a child of an X6 a week before, had been given a heads up from an old contact named Logan Cale a while before the soon-to-be X5 mother arrived at the hospital.
"Max, it's going to be okay..."
"No it's not..." she breathed and screamed as another contraction made itself known, "I hate...you..."
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Once they had made it out of the thundering chaos of Cerberus, Max's contractions started to get stronger. The two X-5's had made it to Gem's awaiting van. They got a call to Logan saying Max was safe and in labour. Since Dr. Carr was supposed to deliver in Seattle, Logan suggested someone he knew in Calgary and suggested getting to the city before Max's water decided to break. While they pulled out north heading towards Calgary, a giant explosion shook the ground as Cerberus went up in flames. The fire from the destruction had finally hit an oil line deep below the surface.
The night sky lit up in an angry explosion orange and gold fury.
"..I hate...you, I hate you so much..." Max repeated her mantra as she alternated between shutting her eyes tight due to the pain and angrily glaring at her husband.
Alec had decided that now wouldn't be the best of times to tell her that she was the one who went into heat; and that he couldn't help it. Once Max exchanged his hair for his hand, Alec winced as he thought a bone in his hand shifted.
"You are...NEVER...touching me...again!"
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"How do you think she's doing?" asked Mole.
"As well as anyone during labour," said Gem into her phone. She and some other X-series present had gone into the hospital to wait for Max. The others were either in the hospital garage or searching the wreckage of Cerberus, which was were Mole was calling from.
"So bad?"
"It's painful, but at least she doesn't have any added stress."
"Like idiot Familiars attacking every which way."
"Exactly. I did punch one, came flying through the window."
"Would have liked to see that."
"Cindy cuffed him later. At least it turned out okay."
"Until we were stuck in Terminal City with a police blockade."
"It worked out somehow."
"Yeah, yeah...oh found a body."
"Ours?"
"Nope, Familiar, good riddance asshole."
Gem smiled a bit as a light went on in her head, "I should have known that you were the one Faith keeps mimicking. You're teaching her to swear you know that?"
Mole laughed, "It's kind of funny hearing it from from a 3 year old...wasn't intentional though." He added.
"Anything to be like you," said Gem, "She refuses to call you anything but 'Dad'."
"Kid's crazy."
Gem laughed, "We know you love us."
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"Okay, push, push, little more..."
Max braced herself and gave the final push before falling back against the pillows, exhausted as a shrill cry echoed through the room. After taking the baby and cleaning it up and bundling it. One of the nurses handed Max her newborn.
"Congratulations, it's a baby girl."
Max took the bundle and pulled some of the blanket's excess away from the baby's face.
"Just look at her..."
"Hey there," said Alec, his left hand brushed his daughter's face. His right hand was throbbing in time with his heartbeat, after Max had let it slide from her labour induced grip of death.
Alec moved from his chair to sit on the side of the bed. Max let him put his arm behind her head as they look at the product of their heat-induced union.
"She's finally here," said Max, "We're parents."
"Very proud parents of an itty-bitty little girl whose gonna grow into a firecracker like her mommy."
"With her daddy's smart mouth."
"Yeah, with my-hey!"
Max laughed and then look up as a nurse came up to them.
"Have you two decided on a name yet?"
"Rachel," they both said in unison as they watched the littlest X-series open her big brown eyes before yawning and going to sleep.
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A/N: Logan has contacts everywhere because I wanted Max in a hospital and just realized that they'd need someone who knew what she was to prevent Harbour Lights Redux. Sorry for this chapter's shortness but I didn't feel like going through Max's labour scene, all there would be is screaming, and threatening Alec, and I didn't feel like writing in caps. Also I don't think I'm the greatest in writing birth scenes.
Heheh I also had to put in a little Mole/Gem scene. I've loved them since Cindy's comment about the baby's paternity in FN.
Faith=Gem's baby's name.
Everything gets resolved in the next (and last) chapter. It's going to be long.
Flashbacks, what happened to Brin, White, Prager, Eve, from the "Where are they now?" file. Max, Alec, and baby Rachel get back to Seattle, chatting ensues with Logan and Asha, and a fax arrives...
Thanks to everyone who's still reading and reviewing. I love you all!