"I just don't understand it" said the doctor slowly"you were in critical condition just a few months ago... what happened? How did you do it? Where did you disappear to?"
"Not so many questions doctor... you are hurting my head." Kagome said quietly.
Inuyasha quickly gave the doctor a look that stopped his questions immediately. Inuyasha had been especially protective of Kagome over the past few months, and had hardly left her side for any reason at all. Not that anyone could blame him, not after what they had gone through. Miroku and Sango had been married for a month now, and were quite happy although stressed about finding Naraku in time. Kagome was getting overly anxious about the baby, now being due in a month and a half's time.
"Doctor" said Kagome quietly again"I came because I wanted to know how the baby is, not to answer questions. Tell me, is everything alright?"
The doctor sat and stared at her in wonder. He was obviously lost in thought.
"Doctor?"
"Hmm? Oh" said the doctor coming back out of his thoughts"Well, the pregnancy is going extremely well, much better than was expected I have to admit. I am slightly worried that the birth might be a breach, but that can be taken well enough care of. Just make sure that the instant you go into labor you come straight here. We don't want to lose either of you."
Inuyasha spoke up.
"Is she in danger?"
"I don't think there is any cause for alarm, just make sure you get here in time."
"If she's in danger than we will just stay here."
"You can't stay here, this is a medical facility, not a hotel."
"Yes we can. If Kagome is in danger."
"No you can't. I don't see immediate need to hospitalize her"
"Yes we can."
"No you can't."
"YES WE CAN!"
"NO-"
Kagome covered her ears.
"Be quiet! My head!" she scorned the two.
They instantly became quiet.
"Inuyasha you heard the doctor, and besides I want to go visit Kaede." she took a deep breath"Thank you doctor, I'll be sure to inform you if anything happens."
Kagome stepped down off the bed and walked to the door. Neither of the men were willing to object to what Kagome had said, since they both knew how moody pregnant women were, and Kagome was especially moody of late.
Inuyasha quickly went to his wife, wrapping his arms around her protectively. Kagome grimaced, and if Inuyasha hadn't have felt the baby kick, he might have thought that it was him that hurt her.
"Are you sure that you will be alright?" Inuyasha asked her lovingly.
"I'm sure Inuyasha. Besides, if anything happens, Kaede will know what to do."
"Kagome... about that... I don't know if I want you to go back until after the baby is born. What if something happens, and Kaede can't help? Or if we can't get back in time."
"Inuyasha" Kagome said annoyedly"I'm fine. The baby isn't due for another month or so, and I really want to go home."
"But-"
"No but's Inuyasha, I want to go home."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Baka."
Kagome smiled. Inuyasha had definately been more affectionate after their marriage, and even more so after the pregnancy, but he was still the same old Inuyasha she fell in love with. Just the same stubborn, hard headed hanyou she knew. Perhaps that was why she loved him, perhaps that was what drew her to him. Whatever it was, she was just thankful she had found him. That he was there.
"But before we go back," said Kagome"We had better stop to see Mama."
As it turned out, 'stopping to see Mama' had entailed a five day stay while Mrs. Higurashi had thrown together a last minute baby shower for Kagome. And for someone like Inuyasha, spending five days talking about babies and having other people fawn over his wife was not an ideal thing. Kagome had sympethized with him and had told her mother over and over that they needed to go home, but to no avail. So for days Inuyasha had spent countless hours watching other people try to feel the baby kick, a right, he felt, that only belonged to him. Finally, the couple had been able to go home, but had to figure out some way to get all the modern baby things from Kagome's world, to Inuyasha's. They had decided to leave three quarters of it for when they came to visit Mrs. Higurashi. There were however, certain things that they had been very thankful for. One of which was disposable diapers, that Kagome much preferred over the alternative.
Kagome had finally gotten things in order in their house again, and was enjoying just relaxing by the open door. She let the breeze blow her hair and brushed her bangs to the side. It was now early fall and the leaves on the trees had just started to turn their bright reds, oranges, and yellows. As Kagome looked around her she marvelled at all she and Inuyasha had accomplished these last few months. She looked inside her house, once abandoned and left to decay, now beautiful and clean, a wonderful place to raise a family.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Inuyasha asked her.
She smiled at him.
"Nothing."
"Nothing? You didn't have that silly look on your face for nothing."
"So my face is silly?" she teased.
"Well... no... er... I love your face."
She giggled.
"You better."
"Or what" he teased back.
"Or you're in trouble."
"Says who?"
She smiled at him triumphantly.
"Says the baby."
He got a serious look on his face.
"Oh, then I best do as the baby says."
Just then the baby kicked and Inuyasha watched Kagome's stomach move with it. He placed his hand on her stomach, feeling the baby move within her. Oh how he cherished every moment of it. Little did he know how much he would come to cherish this moment, because this would be the last time he would feel this baby within his wife.
Mrs. Higurashi sat in her bedroom, thinking of all the things that had occured recently. Kagome was married! And expecting a baby! Though she had known this for several months now, it still hadn't completely sunk in. She was going to be a grandmother! And then there was the things she had learned about her husband. The tragic death that he met trying to save a dear friend. Her heart gave a cry.
"Oh Hiroshi!"
She went to a chest she had in the corner of the room and pulled out the one thing she had brought back with her from the Feudal Era. Hiroshi's Gi. She had been wearing it when she returned, and somehow when she wore it, she felt closer to him. Many a night she had slept with the Gi lying next to her, drawing in the scent it still retained. She carefully, almost reverently place the Gi upon her, a nightly ritual for her now, and tied it firmly around her.
"Oh Hiroshi, I wish you were here with me this night. I miss you so."
She sighed.
"Kagome is having a baby now, I'm sure you would be proud. I think I understand now, what I didn't understand before. I didn't understand what you were doing then, and I still don't know a lot now, but... I think you knew what you were doing, and I think I owe you an apology for all these years I thought you... you didn't want me. All these years I blamed myself for not being a good enough wife, for not taking care of your children well enough, I thought that if I had just been better to you... But I understand now that wasn't the problem at all. Of course I had to blame my anger on something, and so I blamed my assumptions on you being a hanyou. That is why I had hard feelings against Inuyasha... but I... I think I see now."
For a moment, it was as though she could feel Hiroshi's arms around her. She could feel his touch, and sense his presence. Suddenly a whisper entered her mind.
"Go to her."
At first she dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her, but then she heard it again.
"Go to her."
Then she recognized it. It was Hiroshi's voice.
"Go to her."
It was a peaceful night and not a sound could be heard. The light of the moon shone brightly into the small place they called a home. Inuyasha was sleeping soundly, as he thought his wife was doing. But it was not so. Kagome had been awake for the last hour, walking around the house trying to walk off the 'braxton hicks' she kept getting. This however, had the opposite effect, and she found that they were only getting more frequent and more painful. She knew she probably should have awoken Inuyasha, but she felt guilty for the many times she had done so already that week.
Inuyasha rolled over and went to place his arm around his wife, only to find that she wasn't there. At first he panicked, and then he saw her across the room.
"Kagome are you alright?"
She smiled.
"I'm Fi-"
Her face contorted and she tried to hold in a yell.
Inuyasha rushed to her side.
"What's wrong Kagome? Is the baby coming? How long have you been having contractions?"
Kagome winced, holding her stomach.
"Maybe... an hour... they only get worse."
The words the doctor had spoken to Inuyasha reverberated in his mind: "I'm worried the birth might be a breach, just make sure the instant she goes into labor you get her here. We don't want to lose either of them."
Inuyasha was terrified.
"Kagome you should have woken me up an hour ago! We need to get you to the hospital!"
"Inu" Kagome let out a yell of pain. Tears started to stream down her face.
"Kagome we have to go now!"
Kagome looked at him shaking her head.
"We aren't going...anywhere." Kagome cried.
"Why not" Inuyasha asked, and then he saw it. There was a puddle below her.
"My water broke."
Inuyasha's eyes widened.
Kagome had another contraction, this one more painful than any of the others. She screamed and dug her nails into his arm.
"Inuyasha!" She screamed"Inuyasha!"
He didn't know what to do. He needed Kaede to be there. Yes! She could deliver the baby. But then again, he would have to leave Kagome alone to go get her, and that was not an option. The only solution was to try to deliver the baby himself, but... he didn't know how to deliver a baby!
Kagome had yet another contraction, and screamed and fell into Inuyasha's arms. The tears streamed down her face and she wanted to die. If she had ever thought she had been in pain before, she knew it was nothing compared to labor.
Inuyasha led Kagome back to her futon, and tried to make her comfortable. She was breathing rapidly and sweating now. She screamed again, and Inuyasha felt helpless. He didn't know what to do.
"Inu-yasha..." another contraction followed by a scream"It hurts- so bad..."
Yet another contraction and she spoke again.
"Inu-yasha... something... is wrong" another contraction interrupted her"Am... I... going... to die?"
Inuyasha kissed his wife's forehead.
"Of course not." He said gently. "Everything will be alright, you'll see. Everything will be fine."
He pulled her closer to him and held her tight, without hurting her of course. In his heart he prayed that his words were true.
"Just hold on Kagome... just hold on."
She had another contraction and yelled once again. The door of the house slid open, and a figure stood in the doorway.
"Kagome! Are you alright?"
"She's in labor, her water broke." Inuyasha spoke almost relieved.
"Alright Kagome, we're going to deliver this baby."
"S-Something's wrong." Kagome muttered.
"It's okay Kagome, everything will be fine. Inuyasha, get some hot water quickly!"
Inuyasha quickly ran out of the house, and returned just as quickly.
Mrs. Higurashi took the hot water from him immediately.
"Alright" she said"let's have a baby."
The baby had been a breach, and they had to turn the baby around. Luckily they had been able to do so without complications. Kagome was in more pain than she thought her little body could handle. Mrs. Higurashi sympethized with her daughter, as both of her children had been breach. Luckily Kikyo had been there for Kagome's birth, and she had been in modern times for Sota's.
Inuyasha sat behind his wife, gently supporting her. He had both of her hands in his, and only let go of her hands to wipe the sweat from her brow He kissed her head gently.
Mrs. Higurashi spoke to her daughter kindly, sympethizing with the many hours her daughter had been in labor.
"Alright Kagome, Push!"
Kagome shook her head.
"No... No... more... I... can't..." she spoke out of breath.
"Only a few more Kagome. The baby is almost here. Push!"
Kagome had no energy left in her body. Yet she gathered all she could and put it into one final attempt to bring her child into the world.
"Push!"
Inuyasha kissed her gently while she made her final attempt. It was enough. Mrs. Higurashi cut the cord and cradled her grandchild in her arms. She looked at the child and began to cry.
"Is... it... healthy?" Kagome gasped.
Mrs. Higurashi continued to cry, not saying a word.
"Is the baby okay?" Inuyasha asked, his voice full of concern.
Mrs. Higurashi shook her head.
Kagome started to cry and Inuyasha did the same, pulling his wife close to him.
"It's... it's..." she sobbed "So wonderful!"
Inuyasha raised his head.
"What's so wonderful?" he asked.
"I'm a grandmother! I never thought it would be so wonderful!"
"So the baby is alright?" Inuyasha asked quickly.
"Yes he's fine" Mrs. Higurashi smiled as she cried tears of joy"He's got your ears Inuyasha."
"Let... me...see...him." Kagome sobbed with relief.
Mrs. Higurashi placed the new born baby in his mother's arms. She looked at her newborn son, and admired his tiny fingers and his little feet. He had Kagome's eyes, and a little perfect nose right underneath them. His ears were just like Inuyasha's, and his hair was not dark like Kagome's, nor was it white like Inuyasha's. It was a light silver, a perfect mix of the two.
"I'll bet he's just about six pounds." Mrs. Higurashi smiled.
Just then he started to cry. It was a beautiful sound. Inuyasha kissed his wife and gently took the hand of his child in his own. It wasn't long before the infant wrapped his fingers around Inuyasha's. It touched Inuyasha to the core.
"That's... He's... My son. My son!" Inuyasha cried. Tears flowed openly from his eyes.
"My... baby..." Kagome whispered. "Oh... how ... I love you."
"What are you going to call him" Mrs. Higurashi asked the new parents.
Kagome whispered faintly.
"The only name... that fits him... is... Hiroshi."
Both Mrs. Higurashi and Inuyasha's eyes grew wide and then Inuyasha smiled.
"My son... Hiroshi." Inuyasha smiled. He kissed the infant and then looked up.
In the corner he saw a figure, no one else could see. The figure gave him a nod of approval, smiled at the baby infront of him, and then vanished.
"Thank you" Inuyasha thought"Thank you for granting me life, so I could be here for my son."
"Inuyasha? Are you alright?" Mrs. Higurashi asked him.
Inuyasha nodded.
"Hai. I'm just grateful that I am here."
As Kagome yawned, Inuyasha took Hiroshi out of her arms.
"Sleep now Kagome. I'll watch our son."
Kagome smiled gratefully.
"Our son." she whispered. And then she fell asleep. Inuyasha kissed her gently, and then turned to Mrs. Higurashi.
"Thank you for giving us this gift. Thank you for our son."
Inuyasha rocked his son back and forth, until Hiroshi fell asleep.
"Little Hiroshi" he cried"I love you my son."
A/N: Well there we have it. The long awaited moment we have all been waiting for. I have to say this chapter took me quite a while to complete, because I wasn't sure I wanted to bring the story this close to the end. Alas I think the story shall end in the next chapter or so, although I'm not entirely sure I want to end it yet, as I have had so much fun writing this story it would seem almost depressing that it would come to an end. I am quite surprised myself that things happened the way they did, but then again, I just write as the characters do things, and hope I can write fast enough to keep up with them. I think this is the most fun I have ever had writing a story and I hope you guys are having just as much fun reading it. I am so thankful to all of you for all the reviews. I look forward to hearing from you again. If there is anything you would like to see in the story before it ends please let me know. I love you guys! See you next chapter!