Disclaimer: I created Adam O'Riley, Fast Eddie and any others that don't sound familiar to you. Everyone else is owned by Disney. These stories are written for pleasure, not for profit. Please don't sue me. Oh pretty please?
(a special thanks goes out to Ingram! He helped me figure some things out plot-wise. You are awesome, dude)
7—A Child is Born Part 1
July 27, 1997 8:17pm
The castle came to life after the sun set that evening, releasing castle Wyvern's protectors from their stone-encased slumber. The inhabitants of the castle flocked to the Great Hall, which had been the setting for Elisa's baby shower nearly two weeks earlier. Now the clan were getting used to having Elisa around all the time, without worrying that she would have to work. She was now on maternity leave, which left her with a lot of extra time with her best friends.
Broadway stepped off the ledge where she had slept,
and turned to look at his 'girlfriend', Angela, who was speaking with her father (though that wasn't the term that gargoyles should be using with regards to their relationship). Coincidentally, that was exactly what he wanted to talk to Angela about this evening. Since the announcement of their love, the clan had been very supportive of them, but he thought that their relationship should truly be official.
Since he was a hatchling, Broadway had always envisioned his mating ceremony as being with the gargoyle female that he could love, cherish and protect for the rest of their lives. He now had this female, and he was ecstatic and a better gargoyle for it, but all that was missing was to make their relationship official in the eyes of the clan.
Traditionally, gargoyles did not give gifts to one another to signify their intention for each other, as humans do with engagement rings for their females, but Broadway had decided that since they now lived in modern times, that he'd change up the tradition and give her something like the humans do.
He walked over to the wall farthest away from the clan's roosting ledges, and pushed a stone on the wall inward. Immediately, a small square-shaped portion of the wall creaked and slid to the side, revealing a secret compartment. This little hole in the wall had been used back in the zenith of Castle Wyvern to store weapons and slingshots. Broadway had used this hiding place often in those days (usually to hide his stash of food…). In this place now rested a long velvet box. Smiling, Broadway grabbed the slender box in his talons and touched the brick in the wall again. The compartment disappeared behind the square shaped piece of wall that slid back into place.
He opened the box to view the contents. It was a delicate-looking chain-link necklace made of yellow gold. The moonlight bounced off of the chains, creating the effect of a hundred stars on each link. Broadway smiled, looking at the fine piece of jewellery.
"Perfect."
8:23pm, Castle Wyvern
The entire clan, with exception of Goliath, (who was in the library reading) were seated in the Great Hall, watching the news for anything interesting that was happening in their city this evening. Broadway entered the hall, holding the slender box behind his back, walking towards the sofa where Angela, Brooklyn and Hudson were seated. Broadway cleared his throat, and solemnly said, "Angela, can I see you outside for a minute?" and then walked back towards the courtyard outside. Angela scrunched up her eyebrows, cocked her head and gave everyone around her a confused look.
"Sure…" she replied and followed Broadway outside. The others looked cautiously after her.
"What do ya think that was all about now?" Hudson asked.
"I have no clue. But he didn't look too happy." Brooklyn replied, almost happily.
Could this be his chance with Angela? Was Broadway breaking up with her? That wouldn't make sense, but Brooklyn didn't care; his hopes soared as he sat,
pretending not to have one ear listening to the conversation outside and one ear listening to the television.
Once at the courtyard, Angela called to Broadway as she stood behind him. He was staring out onto the scenery that was laid out before him of Manhattan at night. A glorious view, but not as glorious as the view he had behind him, he thought. He turned around, still with a solemn look.
"Broadway? What's the matter?"
"I wanted to tell you that I love you, Angela, and I always will."
She smiled in relief. At least he wasn't breaking up with her…would it be called 'breaking up'?
"I know, Broadway. But something is wrong. What is it?"
He looked down to the brick floor beneath their feet.
"We can't go on like this—I can't go on like this." He looked back up at his love.
She grew worried again with his cryptic words. Before she could reply, he turned around to pick up the box with the necklace that he had put on the wall and turned back to her. Her look grew more confused and less worried.
"Angela, I know this isn't the custom but—"
"What is this, love?" He opened the box and showed the contents to her, which caused her mouth to open in surprise.
"Will you be my mate, Angela? Can we glide together for the rest of our days?" Much to Broadway's surprise, Angela became emotional, forgot about the contents of the box completely, and leaned over and hugged him fiercely, wrapping her arms around him. In reaction, he quickly closed the box, wrapped his arms around her as well as his wings. This embrace of love lasted for a few moments, and then Broadway remembered that she hadn't responded yet to his question. His wings unwrapped themselves from around her, but his arms lingered on her waist as he asked, "So, my love, is that a yes?"
"Yes," She whispered, rubbing her brow ridges to his. He let her go, then opened the velvet box again, took the necklace out and unclasped it.
"This is for you, Angela. I hope you like it." She looked at it briefly before holding her hair up to allow Broadway to put it around her willowy neck.
"Oh, Broadway, this is gorgeous!"
"Not as gorgeous as you are…"
"We should tell the others…and father should know as well tonight…and Elisa." She cringed as she said Elisa's name.
"What's wrong? Why did you just do that?" Broadway asked confusedly.
"Well, the baby is due any day now. I don't want to make everything about us right now."
Broadway smiled warmly. "That's not a problem, Angela. We can have the ceremony after the baby is born." That made Angela grin even more than she already was.
"I think that would be the best option, Broadway." He finished clasping the necklace, and walked around to see his piece of jewellery on her neck.
"Beautiful!" He exclaimed. "Now, we should tell them." Angela nodded.
"Father should get Elisa, though. I want her to be here when we tell everyone." She said, planting a small kiss upon Broadway's cheek. She then dashed off in the direction of the library. "I'll go tell him!"
"Father?" She called as she entered the library. The calming sound of the fire crackling could be heard from where she stood.
"Yes, Angela, I am in here." The booming voice of her father resounded through the library. She walked until she came upon the sofa Goliath and Elisa usually sat upon while he read to her, which was directly in front of the fireplace. He looked up from his copy of "Heart of Darkness" to look at his daughter's face, smiling contentedly.
"Father, Broadway and I have something to tell the clan. Would it be alright if you were to get Elisa and bring her to the castle? I would like her to be present when we tell everyone…our news." She said, barely containing her smile. He nodded.
"Of course, Angela. I was going to get her in a few minutes actually. What is the nature of this news?" He asked curiously.
"It is of the happiest kind, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. We are going to go on patrol. Afterwards, we'll announce the news. Thank you, father!" She smiled again, waved, then dashed off. Her giddiness made her seem as if she were a youngling, Goliath thought. He had never seen his daughter so happy, and was relieved that Broadway was the cause of this happiness. In all honesty, he had always thought that Brooklyn would have been the victor in the battle against the other younger members of the clan for Angela's heart, if only for his aesthetic qualities, but Broadway was the most sensitive of the clan members, and Goliath knew now, after seeing the two of them together frequently, that Broadway would gladly die than to see Angela hurt or upset. Goliath knew how that feeling went: it was the way he felt for Elisa. Time and again, he would have gladly laid down his life to protect her. When she was kidnapped by Tony Dracon, he finally understood that her love meant everything to him, and it had pained him deeply to even know that Dracon had hurt her both physically and emotionally and that he was unable to prevent it.
When she returned, his thoughts were focused upon her, and he never hesitated to tell her whenever he had an opportunity that his love for her was deep and strong. He also never hesitated to see her whenever he had a free moment, if only from the sky above her. Now that she was on maternity leave, however, he was able to see much more of her and was very grateful for that.
Watching his daughter trot out of the library in such excitement, Goliath decided that he would save the rest of this book for another night. He shared the giddiness Angela felt suddenly when his thoughts went again to his Elisa. Now that she was due to have her child any day now, his protectiveness knew no boundaries when concerned with her. He rose from his seat, dog-earing the page he was last reading, and closed the book. He put the book upon the side table and walked towards the entrance of the library, on his way to see his love.
9:20pm
"Cagney, come on over here! I put your food out!" Elisa called, sounding drained of all energy. She bent down as far as her greatly protruding belly would allow to drop Cagney's food bowl on the floor in its usual spot. Instead, it slipped out of her hand and crashed to the freshly-cleaned floor, expelling all of the cat's food onto the cabinet doors and the refrigerator door, and smashing the cat's bowl into about fifty different pieces.
"Damnit…" Elisa exclaimed, inspecting the mess she had just made. "Man, I can't even bend down anymore…" She tried once more to bend down to begin cleaning the mash of cat food and bowl. She bent her back and her knees in her attempt, but it was no use. She nearly fell forward from the strain. She groaned in frustration. Just then,
a slight tapping noise came from the sliding window. She ceased her most recent attempt to bend down and straightened up to see Goliath tapping upon the door.
Smiling, and welcoming a distraction from the mess she had just made, she tip toed around the mess in the kitchen as best she could, and walked towards the sliding glass door. She let Goliath into the apartment. As he draped his wings over his shoulders, his look turned from happiness to worry.
"What has happened? You look very annoyed." He said. She laughed internally; he could always read her like a book.
"Yea, I just dropped Cagney's food bowl onto the floor…it was full of cat food." She exhaled, waving one hand to motion to the kitchen and placing another hand on her lower back. It started to pain her slightly at that moment. "And I can't even bend down to clean it up." Goliath walked over to the kitchen. He inspected the mess,
seeing speckles of brown cat food across the lower half of some of the cabinet doors, as well as a fair bit splattered across the refrigerator.
"Yes, it is quite a mess in here. Do not worry, darling. I will clean this for you.
You need to be off of your feet. Dr. Alban said—"
"Goliath, I know what Dr. Alban said, but, honestly, if I am going to follow everything that Dr. Alban says, I'll never get anything done. Let me help you at least." She walked over towards Goliath, but he put out an arm to prevent her from entering the disaster area.
"No, my love. Please, let me do this for you…" He paused. "Um…just tell me where all of your cleaning utensils are"
She smiled at his words, gave up, and pointed to the closet door only a few steps away.
"The mop is in there, and a dust pan. You can put the broken pieces of the bowl in that garbage." She walked over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair to take a much needed seat, and to give her a front row view of Goliath actually cleaning something.
"I'll be right here. Thanks, Big Guy." He turned toward her, bent to her level and kissed her forehead.
"It is nothing, my Elisa." He then turned back and got to work.
Elisa watched as Goliath picked up the various shards of cat bowl scattered across the tiled floor and she couldn't help but smile at how domestic he really was. Though she had always pictured him as a warrior—probably one of the greatest warriors on earth—she knew there was a sensitive side to him and loved watching this side show itself every time it did. It seemed to be more often than not recently, but that was, as Elisa told herself, because of this pregnancy of hers. His infamous temper, which had appeared a lot during the Hunter's Moon, had all but disappeared as of late, and he was being a lot more open with his feelings, especially for a certain detective around a certain clan. A few times, as with most pregnancies, Braxton Hicks contractions set in for Elisa two nights prior to this night, and caused Goliath extreme worry and panic. Once the contractions had subsided and he had made sure that all was well with Elisa and the baby, he had eased up, though he made sure to let the clan know that he would be watching over Elisa for the rest of the night instead of patrolling. As much as she resisted, she honestly loved this protective side of him. True, sometimes it bordered on being overbearing, but whenever this happened, she would lovingly remind him that she was a grown woman who could presumably take care of herself.
Cleaning up the mess took Goliath nearly a half an hour, since the cat food was basically chunks of tuna mixed with some sort of thick brownish liquid that stunk up the kitchen cabinets until the spots where the cat food had landed were thoroughly cleaned with anti-bacterial soap. Goliath did not object to Elisa's quasi-order to clean the cabinets in this manner. He knew that the smell would soon be unbearable, even for a cat-lover, unless properly and painstakingly cleaned. He simply nodded, took the anti-bacterial detergent and went to work. By the time he had finished, the floor was once again immaculate, as were the cabinet doors, and the refrigerator door as well. He positioned the mop to lean against the wall and walked over to Elisa, who was still examining his working habits while she sat at the kitchen table. He knelt to one knee before her, took her hand and smiled. She was the first to speak.
"Thank you so much, Big Guy. I really couldn't have done all that…or I could have,
but it would have taken me ten times as long." She laughed, stroking his hand in hers.
"It was nothing, Elisa." Goliath cupped her cheek in his massive taloned hand. She leaned her head towards him to truly feel all the love within this simple touch, and let out a quiet sigh of contentment. She then looked down to the belly that was causing her so much weariness. The child within was kicking lightly, and caused her to feel the need to rest her hand upon her belly in an effort to relax the child; it didn't work.
"He or she is getting restless. I've had those false contractions every other day since last week. Something's gotta give soon. It feels like I've been pregnant forever!" She exhaled loudly and slumped her shoulders. Goliath released her cheek and rested his own hand on her tummy over hers.
"Dr. Alban said that the child will be ready to come any day now, so it cannot be very long before you have your child in your arms, darling." His words, though she had heard them before numerous times on every other occasion that she had the same type of complaint, comforted her ever so much. She grinned and closed her eyes, just thinking about having the child in her arms—a thought she had every waking minute of every single day.
"I know, Goliath. But it's just that I am so excited…I just want to call everyone and say, 'hey! I've got great news!'" At the mention of the word 'news' Goliath's eyes widened as if he had just remembered something of vital importance.
"Elisa, that reminds me. Angela informed me that she and Broadway had some news they wished to share with the clan, and with you, and asked me to bring you to the castle.
Are you feeling well enough for me to carry you there?" He asked cautiously.
"I'm good. Just let me grab a bottle of water, and we can go."
10:03pm
Patrol was relatively quiet and boring tonight, thankfully. If something had come up that would have prevented Angela and Broadway to announce their intention for each other, Angela would have felt horrible for piquing her father's interest in their news before they actually would reveal it.
Angela soared beside Broadway high above Times Square, with Brooklyn and Lexington following closely behind them. She looked over to Broadway, who hadn't stopped smiling the entire time they were patrolling, as did she. She turned back to Brooklyn, who was looking as downtrodden as ever and stated, "I think we can return to the castle now. We've been patrolling for nearly two hours and we've seen nothing." Brooklyn surveyed the area, obviously seeing nothing of interest.
"Yeah, I guess we should just call it a night. Let's go." Brooklyn paused to watch Angela and Broadway soar off faster ahead of them. They had been in a state of bliss since they left the castle to patrol. Whatever they were smiling about had to also be the reason why they were in such a rush to get back to the castle. He turned to Lexington, who had been oblivious to Angela and Broadway's happy mood.
"Why are they all happy tonight?" Brooklyn wondered aloud.
Lexington scrunched up his brow ridges.
"Brook, you need to let this go…"
Brooklyn was taken back by Lexington's uncharacteristic remark.
"W-what are you—"
"I see the way you still look at her. I may be into computers, but I can also de-code people. You hate the fact that Broadway has won. Just be happy for them, Brook. I am. Our time will come. You'll see." Lexington's sudden wisdom was not completely lost on Brooklyn. He shook his head, exhaled noisily, scowled and followed suit towards the castle.
10:10pm
Elisa sat upon the sofa where the entire clan congregated in the Great Hall, trying to fight off another mild contraction silently, though Goliath, with his eyes sharpened to notice any change in Elisa's face, had known the entire time, and held her hand to help her through it. Hudson sat in his recliner by the television with Bronx in front of him, who was happily wagging his nub of a tail and relaxing comfortably. The trio and Angela could be heard landing outside. As they all walked through the doors, Goliath felt the urge to ask of the news, but decided against it, and instead, asked how patrol went.
"Fine. Nothing interesting happened tonight." Lexington replied calmly, looking over at Brooklyn.
"Yeah, the city seemed to be asleep tonight." Brooklyn added, watching Angela from the corner of his eye. She was fiddling with a necklace around her neck and smiling angelically. Was that new? He had never seen that before. But it certainly was beautiful on her.
"Broadway?" Elisa called. Broadway left Angela's side and walked over to Elisa. "I know you always love to feel this. Gimme your hand." He was intrigued by the movements of the child within, and was fascinated with feeling it. She reached for his hand and put it over her tummy briefly. She looked up at him, and saw his very impressed face.
"Wow. I'll never get tired of that, Elisa!" He exclaimed. She laughed, as did Goliath.
"Well, Broadway, you'll have to, because this kid is going to be coming out soon. And then you'll have a real squirming kid in your arms as opposed to in there" Apparently, the Braxton Hicks were subsiding because Elisa wouldn't be conversing very much if they hadn't.
Angela suddenly decided that this was the time. She was dying to tell everyone of their news all evening, but she wanted to just blurt it out. She walked over to Broadway, gave him a look full of meaning, and cleared her throat.
"Everyone, Broadway and I have something we'd like to announce." She glared at Broadway to continue. He had no idea what the look she was throwing at him was for, and kept silent.
"Broadway? Would you like to tell everyone our news?" She smiled, and nudged him to continue. He finally took the hint.
"Oh, right! Well, everyone, Angela and I have agreed that…well…um"
Angela couldn't take this any longer.
"He asked me to be his mate! We're going to be mated!" She exclaimed happily and ecstatically. Instantly, the couple were surrounded by smiles.
"'Tis excellent news, lad. My congratulations to ye both!" Hudson said.
"Yes, Angela. This is truly wonderful news. I am so happy for you." Goliath said, taking his daughter up in a hug and then shaking Broadway's hand in the standard gargoyle style. Elisa rose from her seat to hug Angela.
"This is awesome news Angela! This is—" Elisa's look contorted into that of surprise and a little bit of pain intermingled with it. The clan stopped dead.
"What is it, Elisa?" Angela asked, terrified.
"I think…..oh….yep…..my water just broke…" She said, holding her stomach with both hands and looking down and the tiny puddle accumulating upon the stone floor that originated from her pant leg.
Goliath took her hands into his own and looked at Elisa with worry.
"What do we do, love?" He asked, feeling slightly panicked. She smiled at him through a new contraction.
"Someone call Xanatos. I'll need to use his facilities. And someone else call Dr. Alban and tell him that my water broke. Until he gets here, though, there's nothing we can do but wait."
10:36pm
In one of the lower levels of the Eyrie building, a birthing room had already been set up and stocked with the finest equipment for aiding in childbirth. After Xanatos had been informed that Elisa was going into labour, Dr. Alban also was called, and they were both on the scene only ten minutes later. Along with the doctor, a few nursing staff were brought on to aid in the birth as well. Elisa's contractions had become closer together and Dr. Alban had told her that she was progressing through the birth surprisingly quickly, as she was already dilated 4 centimetres. Elisa's parents were called to the Eyrie Building, as well as Talon. They all stayed in her room. Dr. Alban checked in on her every so often to ensure things were progressing well. Though the gargoyles were worried about their dearest friend, Dr. Alban tried to reassure them that before they knew it, she would have her baby and everything would be back to normal. However, things didn't go as fast as all that…
By 4:15am, Elisa was still only dilated 41/2 centimetres, and it looked like there was no end in sight. Elisa's contractions were slow, and she suddenly became very emotional as well as very tired. She would close her eyes for a few minutes at a time, trying to regain her strength. She knew she would need it for when the baby was ready to come out. Goliath was at her side the entire time, trying to keep her mind off of things…
"Goliath?" Elisa called quietly to him as her eyes opened. She saw him sitting beside her bed, studying her face as he always did. She instantly thought of how lucky she was to have his love.
"Yes, Elisa."
"My contractions are starting to get worse. They are really beginning to hurt and I don't know if I can handle them. I'm really scared." She admitted, feeling a rush of tears sweep over her. She never had told Goliath or anyone for that matter how terrified she actually was of giving birth, though she knew it was a means to an end, and a means to bring her her son or daughter: it had to be done.
Sympathetically, Goliath held her hand and brushed away a stray hair from her forehead. Looking down lovingly at her, he said, "You are the strongest person I know, or will ever know. You have stood up to some of the worst criminals in the city and have laughed about the encounter afterwards. I know you can do this. Remember that these are only hours that will be forgotten once a child is placed in your arms. Be strong, my love. I am here to help you get through this difficult time." She shook her head.
"And when you become lawn furniture before I have the baby? What then?" She asked,
letting her emotion spill out.
"You have your family and Fox and Matt. They are all here to support you. You are never alone when we are all here for you." He said, motioning to the door to the room, indicating that they were all outside the door. She sighed, and leaned her head against the pillow again, smiling. There were fresh tears in her eyes, ready to be released.
"I know, Big Guy." She peered over his shoulder to the window, which displayed a glorious sunrise peeking above the horizon, signalling the beginning of a new day, and the near end of her conversation with her beloved. "It's almost sunrise. Damnit…I wish you didn't have to turn to stone. I need you most of all…" The tears spilled from her chocolate brown eyes. Goliath clutched onto her tense hands and touched her face gently before rising from his seat.
"I know, Elisa, but I will be here, outside this door. I will always be here for you. Be strong. I will see you soon, beloved." He leaned down once again, kissed her lips tenderly and released her hand. Goliath made towards the door and smiled at her.
Though Elisa really wanted to protest against his leaving her at this crucial point in the birth, she knew there would be no use. Also, she knew deep within herself that Goliath would never abandon her when she needed him. As the sun peaked over the horizon, she could hear the distinct sound of purple skin turning to stone outside of her room.
"Great. Just great. Now all I can do is wait for this kid to be ready…"
3:40pm, July 28
Screams filled with pain and agony could be heard down the hallway of the medical ward in the Eyrie Building. Elisa was in the throes of labour, and she had been too late to ask for an epidural. Her family sat outside of the room, listening with horror as it sounded like she was being murdered.
"Shouldn't one of us be in there with her?" Talon asked as he paced back and forth outside Elisa's room. Diane shook her head calmly.
"It sounds worse than it is. And besides, she asked that no one be in there with her except the doctor and nurses. We must respect her wishes. You don't want to cross a woman in labour." She replied knowingly, sounding as if her words came from experience. Peter nodded, smiling ever so slightly. His eyes told his son, daughter and wife that he agreed with Diane's remarks.
"No, you don't. I have three separate sets of scars to prove that." Beth, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly rose from her seat beside her father.
"Can't the doctors do something for her? I can't stand to hear her screaming like this!" Beth said, shaking her head sadly and rubbing her hands together.
"Beth, Dr. Alban said that she is fully dilated, and these are the last few moments before the baby is born. Patience." Diane said, trying to keep her calm demeanour, though it was hard amidst her eldest daughter's screams.
3:55pm
"Elisa, you are almost there, dear. One more push!" Dr. Alban yelled excitedly from between her legs.
An exhausted Elisa shook her head slowly.
"God, I can't do it! I'm so tired. I have no strength left. What is wrong with me? I never scream like this…" She asked the doctor. His head couldn't be seen but his words were audible.
"Every woman experiences labour in different ways. Your way has been emotional, and that's okay, dear. Now you need to gather up your strength and push just once more. The baby is crowning!"
Elisa swallowed hard, told herself, 'this is almost over…just do it…for your baby' and pushed with all her might. She exhaled noisily, expelling tears from her eyes. She suddenly heard the cries of her baby, and looked up to see the nurses and Dr. Alban crowding around the child, and hurriedly cleaning the child of blood and mucus, as well as all of his orifices. Dr. Alban then held up the still crying baby to show Elisa.
"Elisa! You have a son!" He cried out joyfully. "Note the time: 3:57pm, July 28,
1997." He called out to the nurse. Elisa stared at her son for a second before he was wrapped up in a blanket and laid into her arms. Looking down at him, all that she could do was cry and smile and stare.
"He's perfect." She whispered. She looked up at Dr. Alban who was anxiously cleaning up the room along with the nurses. After a few moments, he walked over to her, placed a hand upon her head and smiled.
"So, what will you name him?"
"Adam. Adam Thomas Maza."
"That sounds great, dear. Now, I hate to do this, but I must take him to be thoroughly cleaned and taken care of." Dr. Alban replied, reaching for the child. Elisa grew defensive, turning her body away from the doctor and shielding her son from his hands. Instantly, she realised what she was doing, looked down at her child in disbelief, and softened.
"Sorry, doctor. I don't know what just came over me." She said, slowly handing her son to Dr. Alban. "Will you bring him back soon? I want to spend some time with him." The child squirmed in the doctor's arms, but he seemed like a veteran when it came to holding children, for he knew exactly in which way to hold a squirming child in his arms. "Of course, Elisa. Soon." He answered, half way through the door.
Feeling utterly exhausted, Elisa decided to close her eyes. She didn't keep them closed for very long, because her parents, sister and brother entered her room shortly after.
"Elisa, how are you feeling?" Her mother asked, grabbing a chair and dragging it to the side of her bed. Her father stood directly beside her. On the other side of the bed, there stood her furry brother and her college student sister, looking worried.
"I'm fine, guys. I have a son."
"We know. We saw the doctor holding him. He's beautiful." Beth replied.
"Did you name him, Elisa?" Talon interjected.
"Yea, I did actually. I named him Adam Thomas Maza, after Officer O'Riley." Elisa felt proud to say that. Not only had Adam given his life to protect her, but to protect her son as well. Now, he would always be watching over her son. And every time she called her son, she'd remember Adam's ultimate sacrifice to her and be grateful to have had him as a friend. She sensed that her family around her shared her sentiments, because they were all smiling, except for her mother, who was crying now.
"Mom, don't cry. I have my son. He's healthy and safe. That's all that matters now."
Diane smiled through her tears.
"It was nearly eight months ago that we sat in this very room and you told me you were pregnant. And now my little girl has had her son. Peter, we are grandparents"
She cried. Talon and Beth went to Diane and Peter.
"Yes, Diane, we are grandparents, but more importantly, Elisa is a mother now." He chuckled quietly. "…a mother who is exhausted. Let's give her some time to rest.
We'll all come back later tonight, ok, Elisa?" She grinned.
"Please. Thanks, Dad." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, something he never did before. She knew it was because of the heightened emotions in the room.
"Ok, you're right, Peter. We'll be back later on, honey." Diane said, wiping her tears, and smiling.
"Well, sis, I don't know if I'll be back. Maggie needed me in the Labyrinth before…"
His sister interrupted him.
"Don't worry, Derek. I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Beth cringed.
"Actually, I have to get back, too. Can I—"
"Yea, Beth, not a problem. See you tomorrow, too." Elisa replied before she could answer. She waved to her siblings and watched as they both left the room, followed by her reluctant parents. Finally, she thought, I can actually sleep.
Sleep quickly took her. She woke only after sunset and only because she sensed Goliath's presence beside her. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing a serene and peaceful Goliath looking back at her.
"I am so sorry that I had to leave you, my love. Forgive me?" Elisa laughed.
"Of course, Big Guy. You had nothing to do with it. Did you hear?" She asked coyly.
"Yes, it was a boy. Congratulations, Elisa." Goliath took her hand and kissed it tenderly.
"It was hard, but it's true what they say about labour. Once I saw my son's face and held him in my arms, the pain was gone and I only felt joy." Elisa stated.
Just then, Dr. Alban opened the door and entered the room, carrying a clipboard. He smiled profoundly when he saw Goliath seated beside Elisa. He walked over to where Elisa's chart was at the foot of her bed and wrote something down on his clipboard.
"How are you feeling, Elisa?" He asked curiously.
"Kinda sore, but otherwise just tired."
"Hmmm…" Dr. Alban muttered. He turned suddenly and was about to leave the room when Goliath called out to him.
"Doctor, when will Elisa see her son?" The doctor turned back to face them, wrote something else in his chart and said, "Soon, Goliath. Soon. I have to make a phone call. Give me a moment, please." And with that, he left just as abruptly as he had entered. Goliath and Elisa exchanged perplexed looks.
Back in another room on the same floor of the Eyrie Building, where Dr. Alban had made an office for himself, he sat at his desk looking over the clipboard he had just written on. He nervously looked back and forth between the clipboard, the telephone on his desk and a phone number scribbled upon a Post-it note stuck onto the clipboard. He grabbed the receiver and dialled the phone number upon the clipboard.
It rang only once.
"Dracon." The elderly, but fierce voice said on the other end.
"This is Alban. You have a grandson, sir."
A pause on the phone.
"Excellent." The voice finally said. "I will send my limo to pick you and the child up now."
"No!" Dr. Alban cried, perhaps a little too hastily.
"No? What do you mean, no? Do you know that I can give the order and have your wife and family murdered this very second if I so decide?"
"Sir, I meant that the child is not ready to be transported yet. He was born with…complications." Dr. Alban said unconvincingly. The sound of the elderly voice making a 'tsk'-ing noise could be heard.
"Alban, I have lived many, many years, and have dealt with far less incompetent buffoons than you. You are lying, and your family will pay for it, unless, of course, you get my grandson ready for pick up in one hour. And administer what I told you to. Mrs. Dracon must not live to see another day, Alban. She is already outliving her usefulness." Dr. Alban considered all of his options in a split second, and knew that it had to be done.
"Yes, sir." He finally said. "Adam will be ready for pick up in one hour."
"Adam! The whore named him? No, no, no, this will not do. His name is Anthony,
after Tony, his father. Now, I will personally see to it that Anthony is picked up without incident. See you then."
Click.
Dr. Alban gulped loudly, looking down at the small glass jar that Dominic had given him when he had first blackmailed him into keeping him informed of the developments into Elisa's pregnancy. Dominic had told him that once the child is born, he should administer this poison to Elisa to kill her. Dr. Alban felt a shudder run through him. Over the last few months, he had become rather fond of the detective. She was a good person, and didn't deserve to die simply because she was the mother to the Dracon heir. Regardless, Alban thought, Dominic will kill me and my family if I do not…
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Elisa asked as Dr. Alban again entered her room abruptly.
This time, however, he held in his wrinkled but skilled hands a syringe.
His look softened when she asked him what was wrong.
"Dear, nothing. Adam is just in the next room. We will be bringing him out to you right now. But I have to give you this pain killer." He motioned to his hand.
"But I don't feel a lot of pain. Really, there would be no need. I'm fine." Elisa answered with a smile, almost feeling boastful for not being in pain.
"Nonetheless, dear, this will help you to sleep and when you wake up, you'll feel much better!" He said with a laugh. He reached for the IV drip that had been switched off for a few hours now, and injected the serum into the drip. He then switched it back on, allowing the poison he had just injected to begin its course through Elisa's bloodstream. What a waste of a good person and good police officer, Dr. Alban thought.
"If you say so, Doc." Elisa conceded.
"Now, then, I must get back to Adam. He'll be brought to you momentarily."
"Thank you, Dr. Alban, for everything."
Dr. Alban was about to leave the room when he turned around to face her one last time.
"Goodbye, Elisa." He replied sadly, and then exited before she had a chance to answer.
He walked briskly out into the hallway towards where Adam was sleeping in a hospital-style crib. Thankfully, there actually had been nothing wrong with him, though Dr. Alban had hoped that Dominic would have bought that explanation for why it was taking so long to prepare him for transportation.
Standing over the sleeping newborn, he saw an instant resemblance to the detective, simply by way of his golden skin and blue-black hair upon his oval-shaped head. The top of his head was still cone-shaped, but he knew that this would recede after some time. Though he had never been shown a picture of Tony Dracon before, Dr. Alban knew that this child was, thankfully, going to be very similar in appearance to Elisa. He took a deep breath and picked up the child carefully. As he did so, Adam began screaming loudly in the way only a newborn knew how. The screams echoed, and bounced off the walls, creating even more of a cry. Dr. Alban was quick in his work, bundling up the child in two blankets and covering his head. He walked out of the room carrying his precious cargo, and hating himself for it every step of the way.
In the parking lot of the Eyrie Building, the security cameras caught a black limousine, license plate DD, pulling up, opening its doors, and Dr. Alban entering the limousine while carrying a white bundle that wriggled under his grasp. The limousine began driving off, then suddenly stopped. The door opened again, and Dr. Alban was pushed out of the car, clutching onto his torso, and a pool of red oozing out of him. The limousine then squealed off, leaving the doctor behind.
"Flat line! What the hell is going on here?" The nurse shouted as she wheeled the cardiac difibulator into Elisa's room and set the charge. Another nurse was trying to stabilize Elisa, as her pulse had suddenly dropped, and then flatlined only moments earlier. Goliath had been sitting with Elisa when she suddenly fell out of consciousness without warning. Extremely worried, he had run to get a nurse. When the nurse had arrived, Elisa was on the brink of flatlining.
The nurses cleared the room. The nurse shouted, "Ready? CLEAR!" and let the charge try to kick-start Elisa's heart again. Elisa's otherwise lifeless body shook with the electricity that had just been forced into her through the paddles.
"Nothing. Again!" The nurse cried out. The charge was set again. "CLEAR!" And Elisa's body again jumped nearly a foot off of the bed with the electricity. Goliath stood in the doorway, tense and terrified. He had no idea what to do to save his Elisa. There was nothing he could do.
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