First things first… Thank you so much for your incredible reviews! I seriously can't believe you've really taken this story so well! (sends huge hugs)
About Mariah… I wouldn't worry about her too much. After all, cats always fall on their paws, and she's finally free to search for true love. Perhaps I'll give you a small glimpse of her later on. (grins) I'm so glad you liked the scene of her!
Alright, alright, as you probably just want to get on with the story, I'll stop pointless babling and carry on. Here's chapter six! I hope you'll like it as much as you've apparently liked the story so far.
Oh, and yes… When I said that the whoever comes up with an idea of how Kai could give birth naturally would get full credit, I wasn't kidding. That idea shall be introduced in this chapter, and the whole honor of it belongs to kailover2006. Thank you so much for the brilliant idea! (If you want to read the amazing idea in kailover2006's own words, it should be in the reviews – unless I've managed to mess the damn thing up…)
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March
As Kai was already six months pregnant, both he and Ray realized that they'd completely forgotten about something rather crucial. As a man, Kai most likely wouldn't be able to give birth naturally, his body not being planned for such a thing. So, as they reasoned, cesarean would be to only possible way. But… Who would be the one to perform it? Besides, Kai's pregnancy had definitely not been a smooth ride; they desperately needed expert's advice.
Luckily, Mr. Dickinson – whom they'd been forced to inform of Kai's… condition – had been able to help them. The man had told them about this doctor named Tyler Perez, who'd once been a doctor of BBA, and now worked in a hospital stone-cast from the one Kai and Ray were working in. According to Mr. D, this man could be trusted, and – most importantly – was a extremely skilled surgeon.
Therefore, on a rather cloudy day in March, Kai was sitting nearby Dr. Perez's office, waiting nervously, arms wrapped around himself in a protective manner.
He despised, hated, being poked up by a doctor – especially one that was a stranger to him. The idea that this man would be responsible for his twins' wellbeing as well made him feel thousand times worse.
He had almost bounced up and ran away, when he saw a familiar person approaching, and the bounding in his chest calmed just slightly. " You do know that you wouldn't have to do this, right?" he stated.
Ray smiled. " I told you I'd be by your side every step in the way, didn't I?"
Despite the panic that still flooded through his veins, Kai couldn't help but smile slightly as well. This strangest sensation of warmth filled his entire body. " Thanks."
Just then, there was a sound of door being opened that nearly froze Kai's heart. Turning their heads, they saw about thirty-years-old man with chocolate-brown hair and emerald eyes peering out of one room. " Is either one of you by any chance Kai Ivanov?"
Only Ray's hand taking a strong, tender hold of Kai's kept the Russian from running away. " I am", Kai replied in a voice that sounded anything but familiar in Ray's ears.
The doctor nodded with a smile. " Alright. Come in."
As they slowly walked towards the room, Ray almost instinctively tightened his hold on Kai's hand – and felt his heart ache due to what he felt; cool, smooth metal. Kai's wedding-ring.
It had been six months, but Kai still hadn't taken off his ring. And it wasn't until at that moment Ray first time wondered if Kai would ever be able to let go of Tala's ghost.
Fortunately, he got something else to think about as he noticed that the doctor spoke. " Mr. Dickinson called me two days ago and told me about your situation. And well… I certainly haven't come across anything like this before", the man admitted. " But… I will help you." He gave Kai a warm smile. " As a doctor, you probably know all there is to know about the corsage of pregnancy."
Kai nodded with a smirk, relaxing slightly. " I do. And Ray's dragged me a mountain of books." He took a look at his bump. " Though this type of pregnancy isn't exactly explained in books."
The doctor laughed slightly. " Yes, probably so." He then looked at the results of Kai's blood- and other tests before him. (The poor Russian had been forced through what'd felt like hundreds of examinations before this appointment.) " Well, your blood-pressure is a bit on the high side, but doesn't seem alarming to me. Otherwise, it seems that you're doing pretty much okay. Anyway, I would recommend you to take these blood-tests regularly for the rest of the pregnancy; after all, we can't know what complications there might be in a male-pregnancy."
Kai's eyes immediately flashed. " What?" More testing? No chance in hell!
Seeing the look, Ray immediately smiled soothingly. " For the safety of the twins, Kai", he gently reminded the Russian, and Kai's resistance died down.
After a small silence, Kai remembered something. Eyes alert, he looked at the doctor. " What about the caesarian?"
Dr. Perez smiled. " Actually, according to the test-results… You won't need one."
Kai's eyes widened so much that they nearly popped out of his head. " W – what?"
Ray didn't seem any less shocked. " How… how is it possible? I mean…" He trailed off.
" Knowing that Kai's situation is a bit… extraordinary, I decided to make some further examinations." He looked at Kai. " Of course I can't be exactly sure, but… It seems that you were… operated so that your body works exactly like woman's when it comes to childbirth."
Kai frowned. " Meaning…?"
" I had to ask from some of my colleagues, but… It seems that the womb placed inside of you works exactly like one of woman's. First, the child-water will break, and there'll be contractions. Just like women, you will… open up during those contractions. The twins will need no help with coming out." He held a small pause, giving Kai some time to adjust to the news. " I think the doctors in the Abbey… made it that way for practicality reasons, just in case there wouldn't be a skilled surgeon at hand."
Kai's head was spinning so badly that he certainly would've fainted, had he not been sitting down. A part of him was overwhelmingly relieved to know that there wouldn't be a caesarian – surgery was something he didn't think he'd be able to handle. But he was also terrified. The twins would come out normally, but would it be safe – for them or him? " Will… Will it hurt?" he whispered after a considerably long silence.
Dr. Perez smiled again. " It shouldn't hurt any more than an average childbirth. And pain won't be a problem; we have strong medication to make you feel comfortable."
Kai nodded. Even though those words eased him a bit, there were still huge concerns. " What about the complications?" He was surprised to find that Ray beat him to asking that question. Swiftly glancing at his friend, he found the neko-jin's eyes filled with immense worry.
The doctor was now much more solemn. " I… I'm sorry, but… You have to understand that this is a medical miracle itself – we have never before encountered anything like this. So…"
" … you don't know?" Kai filled in, voice tense.
The doctor nodded, then sighed. " I afraid we'll have to run yet another series of tests to know more."
Giving a deep moan, Kai closed his eyes and sighed. " Oh crap…"
It seemed to take for hours before all the new tests had been made, and Kai and Ray were finally out of the small hospital. Inhaling the fresh spring-air, Kai gave a deep sigh of relief. " I thought we'd never get out of there."
Ray smiled. " So did I", he admitted. " But at least the doctor was a decent one."
" Hn."
All of a sudden, Kai gave a small, barely audible groan and clutched to his stomach, deep frown upon his face. Alarmed, almost panicked, Ray placed a hand onto his friend's shoulder. " Hey, are you okay? Is something wrong?" he asked in a worry-laced tone.
Kai's frown deepened, the Russian seemed to shiver slightly. " I… I'm not sure… There was this… twinge." The Russian then shook his head. " Probably just stomachache, or a kick. The twins have been real kick-boxers lately. Too much of excitement for one day, I suppose…"
Still anything but fully convinced, yet slightly soothed, Ray gave a nod, knowing that there was no point in stressing Kai any further with talking about more tests. " Okay." He waited until Kai seemed ready to walk before continuing. " Let's get you home."
Kai replied with a small nod, and they begun to walk in comfortable silence.
¨
For once, the familiar gang (save Max, who was once again busy) had gathered into Kai's house, as the Russian was getting too big to move outside without drawing unwanted attention.
Ray was grateful that the gang had spared him from too many questions concerning his fallout with Mariah. It was likely that Hilary (as the only one who knew the whole truth) had made Tyson shut up, whereas Kai and Kenny were too subtle to berate him with questions. Never much around, Max didn't probably know about the breakup at all.
While Hilary was cooking in the kitchen and Tyson playing cards with Kenny in living room, Ray phased around the two, worried frown upon his face. " Ray, stop that", Tyson finally growled, sounding deeply irritated. " You're making me dizzy."
Sighing, Ray managed to stop phasing for a while, but it recommenced in just a couple of seconds. " Sorry", he muttered, taking a look at his watch. " I just… Kai's been in bathroom for fifteen minutes."
" I'm sure he's okay", Kenny tried to convince his worried friend.
Ray was almost grateful when the doorbell suddenly rang, and he finally got something sensible to do. But the relief soon turned into deep discomfort when he found Bryan and Ian from behind the door.
Shit…Kai had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want the Demolition Boys to know about his pregnancy – he had enough to handle even with his former team-mates fussing around him. But the Russian was six months pregnant. If Bryan and Ian would see him…
" H – hey…", Ray stuttered, extremely reluctantly letting the two boys in. " What… what brings you here?"
" Kai has always been rather… quiet. But lately, he's been avoiding us", Bryan explained, entering almost like he'd owned the house.
" So, we decided to leave the orphanage into Spencer's hands, and come check out what's up", Ian finished.
As the two boys looked around, it was easy to see the pain in their eyes. Even after six months, Tala's death was still a tender subject for them. And the entire house was filled with stuff that reminded of the redhead. (How Kai could live there without losing his mind was anybody's guess.)
Ray felt almost guilty. With his… obsession over Kai, he'd completely forgotten that Tala's former team-mates were also hurting badly. " Kai's in a bathroom", he told them in a soft tone. " But he should…"
The sentence was cruelly cut by such a scream of utter pain and fear that it froze everybody's blood. In kitchen, Hilary dropped the kettle she'd been carrying. Tyson and Kenny completely forgot about their cards, watched each other with widened, terrified eyes.
Feeling his entire body turn cold as terror took a forceful hold of his heart, Ray gave a loud gasp. " Kai…" Hardly noticing what he was doing, he darted towards the bathroom.
Getting there, he frantically knocked on the door. " Kai?" There was no response, and it took all he had not to go into complete panic. " I'm coming in, okay?"
What he saw when opening the door was something he'd never want to see again. Kai had slumped down to the corner with his eyes tightly closed, curled into a tight ball. Cold sweat of pain was glittering on his forehead. Lowering his gaze, Ray could see a growing stain of blood on his pants.
He gave a loud, terrified gasp. " Kai!"
" The twins… I… I can't feel them…" Kai's mouth opened several times without voice. A shuttering, panic- and pain-filled breath escaped. " Damn, it h-hurts…"
Working his hardest to think clearly, Ray rushed over to Kai and gently, extremely carefully, gathered the terrified, pained Russian into his arms, almost scared by how light Kai still was. Gosh, does he eat a thing? It was almost impossible not to cry when Kai hissed in pain. " Just… Hang on, 'k? Keep your eyes open", he desperately tried to reach out for his friend. " It… it'll be okay…"
By then, the others were already by the bathroom. Seeing the paled, barely conscious and visibly extremely pained Kai in his arms, they all gasped, eyes widening. " What the heck happened!" Tyson almost screamed in a squeaky voice.
Ray shook his head, swallowing down the huge lump that had formed into his throat. " I… There's no time", he managed. " I… I need to get him to the hospital."
" I'll call an ambulance", Hilary announced in a panicked tone, and was about to run off when Ray stopped her.
" No, don't", he told her, once again struggling against panic when Kai moaned in pain. Shivers of terror ran through him as he helplessly watched Kai's eyes slowly slide closed, and felt the Russian's head fall lifelessly against his shoulder. Oh God… " It's faster… if I'll drive him there…"
" You're in no condition to drive", Bryan – who was just an inch from going into panic-attack himself – stated, showing his car-keys. " I'll drive you."
" We'll be right behind you", Kenny announced, taking out his own keys with terribly trembling hands.
Ray nodded, no longer able to speak. As he ran after Bryan towards the Russian's car, he took a look at the bloodstain on Kai's pants – and immediately wished he hadn't. It was by then alarmingly wide. They definitely had no time to waste.
Immediately after Ray had taken a seat, Kai still in his arms, Bryan furiously kicked the gas-pedal, and the car shot up towards the hospital.
Ray didn't even notice how Bryan kept an eye on he and Kai through rearview mirror, nor that the lavender-hared Russian was driving insanely fast. All he saw was Kai's terrifyingly pale face, that held a frown of pain even though the Russian was unconscious.
Tears spilled to his cheeks as he stroked Kai's face, not even noticing how badly he was shivering.
Please, don't leave… Don't let me lose you… I can't lose you, I won't…¨
Ray's heart was beating far, far faster than it should've been when he barged through the huge hospital-doors with Kai still cradled in his arms, just barely managing to hold back the threatening tears, terrified Bryan running somewhere behind him.
He gave a huge sigh of relief when seeing the familiar figure of Dr. Perez waiting for them not too far away, a trolley and a nurse with him. Apparently, Hilary had phoned the man and told what was going on. " P – please… Help…", he managed to choke out in a teary voice.
" Ray, it's alright", the man tried to reassure him, gently removing Kai from his arms and – with the nurse's aid – carefully moved the Russian onto the trolley. Ray's heart gave a sharp throb when Kai whimpered in pain, face forming a grimace. He had to bite his lip roughly not to cry, and irony taste of blood immediately filled his mouth.
Seeing his distress, Dr. Perez tried to smile. " Don't worry, I'm sure Kai and your twins will be alright."
Again, Ray's heart ached, but this time for a different reason. He shook his head, biting his lip again though it hurt. " No, you… you've got it all wrong… They're not mine…", he stuttered, not really understanding why he felt like explaining. " I'm just Kai's… friend." The last word came out bitterly.
Dr. Perez gave an understanding nod, then shifted his attention to Kai. " Kai, can you hear me?" No reaction came from the Russian, and the doctor cursed under his breath, then looked at Ray. " Ray, for how long has he been unconscious?"
Ray opened his mouth for several times without finding his voice. Eventually he managed to croak out a thin, scarcely audible reply. " I… I don't know… Fifteen minutes… or so."
Dr. Perez nodded, thoughts whirring. He knew that the neko-jin was a doctor himself, but at that moment, it was evident that the young man was frozen to the spot and wouldn't operate without clear instructions. " Go into waiting-room, I'll come and report you as soon as I've figured out something, okay?"
Dazed, almost lost look in his amber eyes, Ray nodded numbly.
Watching the doctor and nurse rush away with Kai, Ray broke down to tears, feeling more helpless than ever in his life. He didn't even notice that almost crying Bryan had planted a hand onto his shoulder, nor did he hear the lavender-hared Russian's choked words. " Everything's gonna work out. I'm sure."
After that, silence fell upon the agitated duo as they kept staring at the direction to which Kai had been taken, hoping, praying, that they'd see him again.
After that, time seemed to move impossibly slowly. Ray would've surely lost his mind, if he wouldn't have been busy with explaining Bryan and Ian everything about Kai's pregnancy. (Thank goodness after first shock, the duo had taken the news rather well.) He didn't have any idea of how he'd gotten into the waiting-room, or at what point the others had appeared there. All the fuss around him didn't make any sense to him as he sat numbly on a bench, waiting…
None of the gang-members knew for how long they'd sat in silence in the small, depressing room, when the door was suddenly opened and a familiar person stepped in. " Max!" Tyson gasped, voice laced with relief, and was up in an instant, hugging his friend. " How… how did you know?"
" Hilary phoned me", the blonde explained in a strange, thick voice as he broke the hug, then looked at Kenny with suspiciously red, puffy eyes. " Did you call Emily?"
Because the gang had been having a meeting, and Tyson's grandpa was out of town, Emily had been watching over Theo that day.
The computer-whiz nodded, staring at his toes. " Y – yeah… She said Theo and Hannah are both sound asleep." He gave a shuttering breath. " She told us to call if… if anything happens."
Max nodded. " Good." The blonde did his hardest to smile encouragingly. " Look, Kai's a fighter. I… I'm sure everything's gonna be alright."
Unfortunately, none of them – especially Ray, who was an inch from bursting into tears again – could believe him juts yet.
Ray didn't know how much more time had passed when Dr. Perez finally entered the waiting-room, seeming exhausted. Ray was immediately up, look of utter panic in his eyes. " What's going on?" he demanded. " Is… is Kai going to be alright?"
The doctor nodded, smiling slightly. " Both Kai and the twins are alright at the moment, his state is finally stable. But I afraid we'll have to keep him here for a couple of days to make sure there'll be no further complications. We had to give him quite a strong dosage of painkillers and sedatives; he was in a shock when you brought him in. We had to be careful because of his… state, though." The man then grew slightly more solemn. " I've understood Kai's been under quite a stress lately."
Tyson snorted. " Oh, what now he lost his husband and found out he was pregnant…" Hilary swatted the bluenette with a folded magazine she'd been absentmindedly skimming through. " Ouch!"
Ignoring the couple, the doctor went on. " Right now, I'm really concerned about Kai's blood-pressure; if he goes on like this, the pregnancy will be dangerous to both the twins and him. What also worries me is that he's alarmingly anemic. That's why I want to keep him here for a while."
Ray frowned, wrapping his arms around himself. " What…? Is there anything we can do?"
Seeing his anguish, the doctor smiled knowingly, pieces clicking. " You need to make sure he takes it easy from now on; there can't be any extra stress, and I would almost recommend full bed-rest."
Bryan smirked. " Oh, Kai's so gonna hate that…"
There was a brief, relieved silence as everyone finally registered that their friend was going to be alright. Eventually Ian spoke. " Can we see him?"
The doctor smiled apologetically. " I'm sorry, but right now, rest is what he needs the most. Besides, he's under strong sedatives at the moment. I doubt he'd even know you're there."
" I'm a doctor", Ray protested, almost desperate look appearing into his eyes. " Please, let me see him." He blinked his stinging eyes. " I have to… make sure… Even if he wouldn't know…"
Seeming to understand, Dr. Perez thought for a while, then nodded with a soft smile. " Alright, but only for five minutes. As I said, Kai needs his rest."
Gratitude unlike anything he'd felt before flooded through Ray. " Thank you."
Watching Dr. Perez and Ray go, Tyson gave a small groan. " This isn't fair!" he complained. " Why does Ray get to see him and we don't?"
Again, Hilary swatted him with the folded magazine. " Zip it, Tyson."
¨
Ray was almost holding his breath as he slowly opened the door of Kai's hospital room, carefully peaking in. " K – Kai?" All the reply he instantly got was the beeping of Kai's heart-monitor.
The room was shadowy, almost dark, but thanks to his cat's-senses, he could see the form laying on the bed move slightly. There was a small hiss. " Ray?" came a tired, almost weak voice.
Nodding, Ray stepped in, yet again fighting against tears. " Yeah", he whispered. Slowly he walked up to the bed, and sat down to the chair placed beside it. " How are you feeling?"
Sighing, Kai rubbed his face with one hand, obviously trying to clear his head. " It still… hurts, but… They gave something… For the pain, they said…"
Ray nodded. " They gave as much as it was possible without harming the twins."
Kai nodded as well and licked his lips. The Russian's eyes fluttered closed. " Tired…"
Again, Ray felt a storm of tears threatening to outbreak, but managed to blink them away. " You really should sleep", he whispered, absentmindedly taking Kai's hand and rubbing it with one finger. " You've had a hard day."
Kai shook his head. " I can't." As the Russian slowly opened his eyes with apparent difficulty, Ray noticed that they were filled with unshed tears. " I… Ray, I… almost lost them!" Some tears ran down Kai's pale cheeks. " I… I was so scared… I can't lose them, too… I just can't…"
" Shhhh", Ray soothed, still rubbing Kai's hand comfortingly. He couldn't let Kai's blood-pressure rise any more when it was sky-high already. " Kai, there's no need to be afraid; the twins are alright, you all are. But you need to sleep now." He smiled, though Kai couldn't see it. Talking had required all the Russian's strength, and his eyes were once again closed. " I'm here with you. I'll make sure nothing happens to you three."
Ray's heart jumped when Kai squeezed his hand affectionately. " Thanks…", Kai murmured, an inch from drugged, fitful sleep. What he whispered next almost shattered the neko-jin's heart. " Don't… leave me… Tala…"
A deep, pain-filled sigh escaped Ray as he watched Kai fall asleep, feeling his poor heart aching in his chest.
¨
Outside the hospital, a figure that'd been listening to the conversations in the waiting-room stepped into shadows. Eyes darkening, he took out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling a long breath.
So, the twins are alright… Excellent. The cigarette still between his teeth, he started to walk forward. Three months, and they'll be all mine. And then, I'll finally get the power that should've been mine a long time ago…
¨
TBC.
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A/N: Pheeeeew, that was close! So… Kai almost had a miscarriage. Will the remaining three months be just as difficult? And when, oh when will he open his eyes to his feelings for poor Ray? Also in next chapter, you'll find out who Max is dating…
Okay everyone, that's all for now! I hope you'll all stick around for next chapter! Pleaze, review! (gives huge puppy-dog eyes)
I should be able to update again some time next Wednesday. (Unless my dear computer or inter-connection decides to crash down…) I hope I'll see you all then! (grins)
(Btw, a philosophical question to chew over. Which one's hand did Kai think he was squeezing before he fell asleep; Ray or Tala's?)