In that hazy world between sleep and awake, she can feel him pressed up against her back, holding her. He lovingly caresses her belly and their unborn children. She sighs a happy sound as he nuzzles her hair just behind her ear and purrs.
"You cut your hair," he whispers.
Suddenly, she's fully awake and if his arm hadn't been around her belly she would be out of that bed and out the door. As it is, he tries to hold onto the whirling dervish that is his wife while also attempting to make sure she doesn't pull her IV out.
"Maggie, please calm down," he pleads as he continues to wrestle with her.
Her response to him is a kick in the leg. It's not so much the heel of her foot connecting with his shin that hurts. It's the fact that she did it on purpose that gets him.
A few more moments of struggle and Abe has her immobilized with his arms wrapped around her torso, pinning her arms to her sides and one of his legs holding both of hers down. But despite all of this, she still continues to squirm. He just holds her tighter and tries to talk soothingly into her ear. Instead of calming her, he ends up nearly being head butted by her, but he manages to pull his head back in time.
She screams in frustration, putting her Power into it. The sonic concussion she gives him leaves him momentarily stunned, but it's long enough for her to get out of the bed and get to the door. She doesn't even notice the IV as it's ripped out of the back of her hand.
Before she can get the door fully open though, he's on his feet and using his weight to slam the door shut again. She glares at him and starts to take a deep breath. He quickly grabs her and plants a kiss on her lips. But instead of melting into him like she used to, she kicks his other shin.
He jumps back and stands there, staring at her not sure which leg he should be putting weight on since they both hurt now. She glares back him through narrowed eyes, breathing heavily. At that instant, a very out of breath Dr. Hobson bursts into the room. She stands there panting and holding a stitch in her side as she looks at the two combatants before she points a finger at Abe.
"You, out," Hobson orders the merman before turning the finger towards Maggie. "You, back in bed."
He hesitates several seconds before complying with the doctor's orders and limps out of the room. Maggie stands there shaking with suppressed emotions and watches him go through narrowed eyes. The doctor leans against the door frame for a few more moments while she catches her breath and then starts to herd Maggie back to the bed.
Maggie sits on the edge of the bed, but refuses to lie back down as the doctor takes Maggie's hand in her own. Hodson knows it's pointless to examine Maggie until she relaxes. Maggie's gaze never leaves the door that Abe just exited through while the doctor starts applying pressure to the back of Maggie's hand.
"Maggie, please calm down," Hodson instructs with a sigh. "You're not doing yourself or the babies any favors by being this upset."
"Why is he here?" Maggie bites out.
"Because he loves you," Hodson replies and gets a snort of disbelief in response. "Will you please just take a few deep breaths and try to calm yourself? We can discuss the pros and cons of men later."
With a sigh of defeat, Maggie starts to take those deep breaths but after a few inhales, she starts shivering. Hodson notices this and thinks that it's the due to the adrenaline leaving the pregnant woman's body that's causing the tremors until she finally notices that she's also shaking. It takes the doctor but a moment to realize that the room is freezing. She looks towards the window to determine which window is open and gets quite the shock.
"What happened to the windows?" Hodson asks which causes Maggie to turn around and look.
"Oops," Maggie mutters, turning a lovely shade of red.
"Oops?" Hodson inquires as her eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline.
"Yea, I guess I got a little too loud and accidentally blew out the windows," Maggie admits as she starts to shrink down.
"You blew out…," Hodson mutters in shock and then shakes her head to clear it. "Well, now what am I going to do with you? I can't very well leave you in this room with no glass in the windows."
"That's ok, it's warmer down in the parlor anyways," Maggie replies with a shrug. "I guess I could try to drag the mattress down there."
"You will do no such thing, missy," Hodson suddenly commands her eyes snapping back to the other woman's shocked face. "You're on permanent bed rest until those babies come. So there's no way in Hell you're going to drag any mattress anywhere."
"Bed rest? But why?" Maggie demands.
"Maggie, if we hadn't arrived when we did this morning chances are you would have lost the babies and quite possibly your own life," Hodson informs her and notes with some satisfaction the sudden pallor to Maggie's cheeks. "Now please lie back and let me examine you."
"Why are you holding my hand?" Maggie asks as she reclines on the now messed up bed.
"In your quest to get out of the bed, you pulled your IV out," Hodson answers.
The doctor finally pulls her hands away to examine Maggie's abused appendage and remove the no longer needed tape. After patching up the hole and cleaning up the mess from the IV bag, Hodson goes on to do the rest of the examination. After listening to the babies heartbeats, the doctor gives Maggie the rest of the bad news.
"You're grandmother is here and would like to see you," Hodson tells her. "Plus, Sharon, Vicki, Ron and Guillermo came along for the ride."
"Where are they going to stay?" Maggie asks hopelessly, knowing that she's not going to be just left alone to live her life her way ever again.
"More beds are on the way," Hodson answers. "I intend to have this bed moved or commandeer one of the new ones and get you out of this room. I'd like to get you into a bigger room any ways, preferably with an attached bathroom. This room is ok, but I'm going to need to bring in some equipment and this room just doesn't seem quite big enough with out the equipment getting in the way."
"The only room that fits that description is the master bedroom," Maggie explains. "That's my parent's room and I wouldn't be comfortable in there."
"Sorry, Maggie," Hodson replies. "But I think you'll be even more uncomfortable in here come nightfall. As soon as the room's ready, we'll move you into the master bedroom. And I don't want any arguments."
"PG&E was supposed to send someone out to light the pilot light to the furnace," Maggie suddenly remembers.
"And he got here a few hours ago and he did do his job," Hodson informs her. "Unfortunately, twenty-three years of disuse has left the ducts pretty filthy so we have to get them cleaned before we can turn on the furnace. That will be taken care of tomorrow."
"Do I get any say in anything?" Maggie grumbles.
"Sure, you'll get a say in what you watch on TV, what books you read, what board or card games you play, you'll probably even have some say in what you're meals are," Hodson responds cheerfully. "However, you don't get a say in where you sleep or how long you get to be out of bed every day. Now, do you have any questions?"
"What TV?" Maggie inquires. "I don't have one. I don't have any books either, much less any games. And do I get any say on who gets to visit?"
"We'll get you a TV and some books and games later today," Hodson counters. "Yes, you can pick who can see you and who can't. But I must warn you, you're grandmother wants to see you. Oh, and Sharon brought you some lunch when you're feeling hungry."
"Might as well kill two birds with one stone," Maggie grumbles as she sits up and starts piling pillows behind her. "I'm hungry and it's best to get my grandmother over with as soon as possible. Would you mind sending them both up at the same time?"
"That, I can definitely do," the doctor smiles. "I'll be back later to check in on you. So take it easy and we'll see if there's something we can cover those windows with."
"That might be a good idea," Maggie replies as she pulls a blanket over herself.
"I'll send your lunch and grandmother up in a few minutes. Ok?" Hodson confirms.
"And doctor?" Maggie calls out just as Hodson is about to exit. "I don't want to see Abe again."
With a sigh, Hodson nods her agreement and then leaves. Once she's alone, Maggie lets out a sad sigh. There's only one reason that he's here. He must be here to take the babies away. But she won't let him, they're her life line and there's no way she's letting them go.
Shortly after being kicked out of Maggie's room, Abe limps into the kitchen with a throbbing headache, a buzzing in his head, sore shins and a heavy heart.
"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Cavendish states sarcastically.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Cavendish," he simply greets as he looks around and discovers there are no chairs to sit on.
"What are you looking for?" Sharon asks.
"A place to sit," he answers.
"The chairs won't be here until tomorrow," Sharon replies. "You're going to have to stand or sit on the floor. I got you an egg salad sandwich, by the way. Would you like it?"
"Yes, please," Abe replies as he collapses onto the floor with a rather inelegant thud.
Sharon goes to the fridge to retrieve the sandwich and then hands it to him. He thanks her as he unwraps his lunch. The others watch him expectantly as he eats. He knows what they want, but they can wait, his stomach can't. When he's about half way done, he finally decides to answer the unasked questions running around in their heads.
"Maggie's still upset with me," Abe states without looking up.
"We kind of figured that part out," Guillermo responds a smirk. "Why are you limping?"
"She kicked me in the shins," Abe replies just before taking a rather large bite, pointedly ignoring the poorly hidden snickers he hears.
"How are she and the babies doing?" Sharon asks after she gets herself under control.
"They're better, but I think the doctor is correct," Abe answers after swallowing. "She needs to stay in bed if we want these babies to make it to term."
"You know it would have never come to this if you hadn't chased her away," Cavendish heatedly states with her eyes narrowed.
"I know," Abe mumbles just before shoving the last of his food into his mouth.
He gets up and hobbles off, not caring where he's going. He's already spent the past week kicking himself for his action, he doesn't need help. He wanders the halls until he finds himself standing in front of a closed door. He opens the door and is temporarily blinded by the light. It seems he's ended up in the garden room. Even with the grimy windows and weak winter sun, the room is still filled with plenty of light and warmth.
He places a bare hand on the wall and he's taken back to Maggie's childhood as her mother and a much younger Guillermo teach her the finer details in using her power. He 'watches' as what appears to be a five year old Maggie stares into a large clay pot filled with dirt as Guillermo instructs her to gently push her 'power' into the seed buried in the dirt before her so that a seedling will form. She screws up her little face in concentration and then suddenly there's an explosion. When the dust settles, Maggie, Selma and Guillermo have all been knocked down and are sitting on the floor and before them is a fully matured orange tree complete with ripe oranges on it. The top of the tree has broken through the glass roof and the anchor roots are splayed out over the tiles while the tap root has drilled a hole right through the floor. Maggie starts crying over her 'failure' while her mother and Guillermo try not to laugh.
Abe pulls his hand away from the wall, idly wondering where he left his gloves. With slumped shoulders he sits on one of the stone benches, puts his elbows on his knees and drops his head into his hands. He's not sure how long he's been wallowing in misery before he hears Guillermo come in.
"If you're here to tell me what a jerk I've been, please leave," Abe states without looking up. "I'm kicking myself just fine."
"Actually, I've come to give you back your gloves," Guillermo responds as he takes a seat next to the merman. "You left them on the kitchen floor."
"Thank you," Abe mumbles as he sits up and takes back his gloves.
"So, what happened?" Guillermo asks while he watches Abe put his gloves back on.
"She wasn't happy to see me," Abe replies as he plops his head back into his hands. "When I tried to keep her in the bed, she screamed so loud I was stunned."
"She also blew out the windows," Guillermo tells him. "But that's not what I'm talking about. What happened that you caused you to turn into such a jerk? Besides dying of course."
"When I was dead, I saw something," Abe starts hesitantly. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think I witnessed how I came to be what I am."
"So that's why you were doing all that research?" Guillermo questions.
"Yes," Abe moans. "I was so obsessed with finding out about my past that I totally ignored my present."
"And your future," Guillermo points out. "The doctor came down a little while ago. Maggie doesn't want to see you again."
Abe lets out a heart wrenching groan and Guillermo pats him on the back.
"Dr. Hodson and I have talked about it and we're willing to try and talk some sense into that girl's head," Guillermo assures him. "Unfortunately, The Wicked Witch of the East has no intention of being helpful in this matter and with her hormones running rampant, Maggie is going to be hard to convince. Ron and Sharon are willing to try, but it doesn't really sound like their hearts are in it."
"Manning's going to want me back at the bureau," Abe states out of blue as he suddenly sits up and looks at Guillermo. "He told me that I could come out here, get Maggie and then I was to get my 'fish stick butt' back there pronto."
"Hodson and I will take care of Manning," Guillermo informs him. "Whether or not she agrees, Maggie needs you. And besides, what good are you going to be doing anyone if you're hiding in your tank making that god awful keening noise again. If that doesn't convince him to let you stay, then I'll sic Hellboy on him. Right now our main concern is where are you going to sleep? The bathtubs aren't that big. The biggest one is in the master bedroom suite but as soon as it's ready, Maggie's going to be moved in there."
"So close to the ocean, but so far away," Abe mutters as his head sinks back onto one hand.
"Abe, you're a genius," Guillermo exclaims. "This property has a private beach; though no one's enforced it for over two decades so I'm not sure if there's going to be people there or not. But after dark, it should be safe for you to sneak down there. Though you do need to watch out for the current and make sure your back here before dawn, but it should work."
"It does sound wonderful," Abe admits.
"Well, I'm glad that's figured out," Guillermo sighs as he stands. "Now if you'll excuse me, Hobson's making a shopping list and I want to make sure that there are some foods on there that I can eat."
"A shopping list?" Abe asks. "May I add to it?"
"I don't think even the specialty stores are going to have rotten eggs, Abe," Guillermo chuckles. "California has a wide array of food products, but not that wide."
"Not for rotten eggs, for Maggie," Abe replies. "When we were on our honeymoon, I did the cooking. I would like to cook for her again."
"You know, that sounds like a very good idea," Guillermo admits. "Let's go see what they have so far."
Nearly an hour and a couple of arguments later, Hodson and Guillermo leave with the list and the larger of the two cars. While they're gone, the master bedroom and bathroom gets cleaned, the broken windows are boarded up and the new beds are delivered and set up. Several hours after that, and very close to diner time, the doctor and the librarian return with everything on their list. A couple TV sets, a wide variety of books, games and videos plus all of the food.
There are also clothes and toiletries for the two of them and an extra toothbrush for Abe. Since no one had planned on spending more than a day in California, no one had packed. Sharon and Cavendish had already taken care of themselves, Vicki and Ron on their shopping expedition earlier that morning.
As the car is unloaded, Abe starts diner and in a fairly short period of time he's made linguini with a pesto sauce, garlic bread and a salad. When it's sent up to Maggie, she at first rejects it. But after Hodson all but threatens to stuff it down her throat, she meekly complies and eats her meal.
Abe makes his first venture into the Pacific Ocean that night and discovers that sleeping out there isn't going to be as easy as he first thought. Guillermo wasn't kidding about the strong current and Abe quickly finds himself on his way down to Monterey Bay before finding the trick to a good night's sleep. After noticing an otter soundly snoozing, Abe finds himself a nice sturdy Giant Kelp, wraps himself up in its stipe and has a fairly pleasant night's sleep.
Over the course of the next week the rest of the furniture arrives. Even with the furniture that was purchased and the furniture that was taken out of storage, the immense house is only a little over half furnished. By the end of that week, Ron is called back to work and leaves Sharon and Vicki behind with Cavendish, Guillermo, Hodson and Abe. He comes back from time to time after that to visit, but can never stay long. After about a month of this living arrangement, life gets interesting.