I do not own the Power Puff Girls or the Rowdy Ruff Boys.
Chapter Fifteen: After When All Breaks Loose
A red streak flew across the sky at such speed that a whirlwind was created. Car alarms went off and people were knocked over from the force. When people looked up to see what had caused such a ruckus, the red streak was already fading away. The wind was like a thunder in Brick's ears with how fast he was flying over the city. Flying like the devil was at his heels, Brick rushed to get to the hospital, and the first thing he was going to do was clobber his brother.
"Butch fainted because my water broke." Blossom told him. Brick was in the middle of class when he saw Butch's name flash across the screen. Knowing his brother was looking after Blossom, he knew it had to be an emergency for him to call rather than just text him. Excusing himself from class, he went to answer only to get his brother stammering and tripping over his words. All he'd been able to catch was "Blossom" and "water". It was after he asked if her water broke that he heard a faint moan and a clattering thud. After yelling for his brother for about a minute, he hung up and called Blossom praying she was all right. For her to say her water had just broken, he wasn't sure if he should've been relieved or terrified. He knew he wasn't going to faint like his dumb brother did, that's for sure.
What Brick did do was ask where she was and then hung up. He went back into class for his things and then ran to his car to drive to the ice cream parlor. The only reason he didn't fly, was because he thought it wouldn't be safe for Blossom should he needed to get her to the hospital himself. Hence why he got her a car. However, since the two of them were almost always together, she hadn't had much a chance to drive it. He'd made a mental note to drive her car to the hospital for when she would be discharged.
So imagine his surprise when he got to the ice cream parlor and didn't see a trace of Blossom or Butch. He did see Butch's Jeep abandoned and with a note left in the dash. He was further surprised to see it was from the professor.
Blossom tried to tell you I was coming to take her to the hospital. We're at Townsville Memorial.
It was after all that Brick found himself flying across the city. When he finally made it to the hospital, landed with enough force to leave two identical potholes in the shape of his feet in the sidewalk. Walking in, he made his way to the front desk eyes trained on the receptionist. "Hey, I'm looking for my girlfriend she went into labor."
"Name?" She asked without looking up from her computer screen.
"Blossom Utonium."
"Blossom?" The receptionist looked up and her eyes widened when she saw the leader Rowdy Ruff Boy standing before her. "Oh my god."
"Utonium?" Brick looked at the receptionist with a burning glare that threatened to turn her to ash if he had to ask again.
With a few swipes of her fingers across the keys and a few mouse clicks, she found Blossom. "Maternity ward on the fourth floor. Room four nineteen."
Brick nodded and left to go to Blossom. He impatience radiated from the red Rowdy Ruff boy as he very nearly broke the buttons on the elevator. Once it arrived, his restraint was lacking as he tried to force the elevator to move faster. He needed to find Blossom quickly and see that she and the baby were okay. He was sure they were, but he just wanted to see them with his own eyes. The moment the elevator started to inch open, Brick was already squeezing his body through and following the signs that directed him toward Blossom's room.
Before he could get to Blossom, he saw the professor standing near the nurse's desk with who he figured was her attending doctor, a woman about the professor's age with warm brown hair and cate eyes glasses that somehow seemed to work for her. The two were talking quietly with one another Heaving a sigh of relief, he walked over to the two. "Hey."
The doctor and the professor turned to the soon to be father. The professor gave him a smile and reached out to grab his shoulder. "Dr. Herbert. I hope you're ready."
"Is everything okay with Blossom?" Brick asked nervously.
The doctor looked to Brick and waited a moment she had his attention. When the red eyes settled on her, she cleared her throat and reached her hand out to him. "First congratulations are in order. You're about to have a baby, young man."
Brick shook it, just a tad too roughly with his super strength—a sign of his fraying nerves. "Thanks. Blossom?"
"Second, Blossom's temperature is high." She started.
Brick nodded his head. "Yeah, the baby inherited by pyrokinesis. Her temp's been higher since the start of the pregnancy."
Dr. Herbert nodded her head. "Yes, but since going into labor her temperature has gone up. It's concerning."
"How high?" he asked.
"Last we checked one hundred and twenty degrees. We know for you that's nothing, but for Blossom whose temperature at her coldest can be absolute zero, it's concerning. While you and the baby can handle that temperature, I'm not so sure that she can for extended periods of time."
"Yeah, she'd have flare ups sometimes as we'd have to put her on ice. Just put her on ice and she'll cool down." Brick said. "Can I see her now?"
"She's been on ice ever since she arrived, but her temperature has not abated. We think the baby is reacting to her having gone into labor. I worry that it might continue to increase the closer to the actual birth it might be." Dr. Herbert informed him.
"Okay, and that means?" Brick asked growing agitated and heating up as did.
The professor came to stand between the doctor and his grandson's father. He placed his hand on Brick and pushed him back just a bit. "Brick calm down. If you go ablaze, you're not going to be of any help to Blossom. "
Brick exhaled and pulled in the heat. He nodded his head, and ran a hand over his head, knocking his hat off. The professor caught it before it could fall to the floor. "Right, so what does her increasing temperature mean?"
Dr. Herbert pulled her cat eyeglasses from her face. "It means we can't properly administer any pain medication for her. She'll burn through it too quickly for it to do its proper job."
"No pain medication? You're going to make her have a natural birth." He turned to the professor. "You can't be serious. Does Blossom know?"
"Yes."
"And?" he stressed.
"She's agreed, said it was the most logical." The professor told him. "That and she gets the chance to scream she hates you and that you'll never knock her up again."
That comment had Brick looking at the professor in shock, before he took in the amused smirk on his face. The boy then rolled his eyes and huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, she's going to love screaming obscenities. Can I see her now?"
"Room four nineteen. Just two doors down." The doctor told him as she stepped aside to let the rightfully anxious Rowdy Ruff Boy pass. "He's taking it surprisingly well."
The professor huffed out a laugh. "He's better than his brother who's still out cold downstairs I believe."
"Yes." The doctor looked down at Blossom's chart. "I want to keep Blossom under careful watch. More ice will be brought in and I'll try to have maintenance turn up the air conditioning."
The professor sighed and hoped that would be enough.
In Blossom's room, she sat with cooling blankets draped over her, ice packs wedged between her back and the mattress, and cold compresses attached to her forehead, neck, and over her chest. Beside her was where Brick was sitting as he held her hand tightly in his own. Her face was pinched as what could only be a contraction wracked through her body. When it passed, her face relaxed and she settled against the pillows.
Blossom's eyes opened and she turned to look at Brick. "Have I told you I hate you?" she asked with a humorous smile.
Brick managed a scoffing laugh. "No."
"Good. I'm saving it for when I have to push later on and I'm in the worst pain." Blossom informed him. "That being said, don't take anything I say during that time seriously. I won't mean a word of it."
Brick kissed the back of her hand, and brushed some of her hair out of her face with his free hand. "Sure. Sorry, I wasn't here sooner. I—."
"Went to the ice cream parlor. I know." Blossom laughed. "I should've asked you to pick up some strawberry ripple."
Brick had to smile at how optimistic she was right now. He was completely wigging out on the inside, because he wasn't sure what he should do. He wasn't even entirely sure if there was anything he could do. Blossom was truly going to be doing all the work while he just watched from the sidelines. "Is ice cream safe for you to eat right now?"
At that moment, the doctor and professor walked in. "I think you'd better stick with ice chips for now Blossom." Both teens turned to the doctor as he walked in. "You might even be able to have a popsicle, if you can stomach it."
The professor walked further into the room and came to sit on Blossom's other side as Brick was already occupying the other. "Not too many."
"Yeah," Brick agreed turning back to Blossom. "Wouldn't want him to get a brain freeze."
Blossom laughed and sighed as she leaned back and tried to make herself comfortable. Brick watched her shift in place with a worried eye. The soon to be mother looked to the father of her child and sighed. "What's wrong?"
"You look uncomfortable." He stated.
Blossom rose a pale orange brow at him and scoffed. "I'm having a baby. It's not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world."
"Especially without any pain medication." Brick grumbled, missing her other eyebrow raise. "This is going to be difficult enough. Why forgo the epidural?"
"Because your hot-blooded son has me burning up to quickly for it to do anything." Blossom said calmly.
"We told you this already Brick." The professor told him, trying to diffuse the situation before it escalated.
"Blossom—."
"Brick, it's okay. I'll try not to crush your hand when I push later on." She smiled at him, hoping to ease his nerves. "Don't you faint on me too."
That statement reminded Brick that he hadn't yet seen his doofus brother. "Where is Butch anyway?
"In the emergency room resting." The professor said, trying and failing to hold back his laughter. "It was quite the spectacle when I got there. He was face down on the steering wheel, and Blossom somehow managed to convince everyone that he was fine."
"What a wuss." Brick shook his head in annoyance. "I tell him to take care of you and you wind up having to take care of him."
"I took a picture of shame, if it'll make you feel better." Blossom told him.
It did, but Brick still couldn't help the bundle of nerves that was ever present in his gut. However, he didn't get a chance to really wallow in that feeling as he heard Blossom's intake of breath and she squeezed his hand as another contraction hit her. It lasted slightly longer than her previous one. She held tight to Brick's hand and breathed deeply through it, thanking her lucky stars for the breathing classes she took over the summer to prepare for this. When it passed, she relaxed and released Brick's hand. He discreetly flexed his hand, shaking out the pain. His girlfriend truly had to be commended for her pain tolerance. Then again she was just as physically strong as he was. Maybe stronger, considering she had to push a baby out of her vagina. It truly made him cringe to think about how it would feel for him to give birth. Female hyenas and male seahorses suddenly gained a newfound respect from the soon to be father.
"You're doing well for your first birth." Dr. Herbert told her. "Just keep breathing through your contractions like you are and you'll do fine." She smiled at Blossom.
"Does that mean I can have ice cream?" Blossom asked with a hopeful expression on her face.
Dr. Herbert laughed and shook her head. "I'd recommend something a bit lighter on the stomach. Popsicles and Jell-O are good before you get further along."
"I'll go grab some." Brick said quickly, the need to be moving overwhelming. "Strawberry flavor, right?" He didn't wait for an answer as he quickly left the room, leaving everyone left in the room bewildered.
"Professor—." Blossom started turning to her dad.
The professor stepped toward Blossom and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll go get him." He then left Blossom with Dr. Herbert as he went to find Brick. He wondered if it was nerves or something else that was bothering him. He caught up with Brick at the elevators, watching as he tangled his fingers into his hair.
When the doors opened and everyone cleared out, Brick quickly stepped in and forcibly pressed the buttons on the console for the first floor. The professor slipped in just as the doors were closing. Brick's eyes were wide with shock before he swallowed the lump in his throat, and tried to put on a nonchalant façade. He leaned against the back wall and folded his arms across his chest. "Hey."
The professor copied his movement and placed himself beside the young father. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Better than ever." Brick shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on the numbers blinking as they passed each floor. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you practically ran from the room." The professor said as he looked towards Brick. "It's all right that you're nervous."
"What have I got to be nervous about? I've got the easy part. It's Blossom that's going to be doing all the work." Brick grumbled. "I mean, she's the one having stabbing pain shoot up her back, and can't take anything for it because my freakish gene has her burning up too fast."
Ahh! The professor thought. It's not nerves, it's helplessness. "You're miles above your brother. I thought you were nervous and were trying to avoid fainting in front of Blossom."
Brick shook his head and thudded his head against the elevator wall. "I don't really have time to faint."
"True. You have to get Blossom a popsicle." The professor chuckled. "You've got to relax. If you're relaxed, Blossom will be relaxed."
"She is relaxed. Too relaxed if you ask me. How can she be so calm?" Brick wondered. "She's about to have a baby."
"This will translate to the baby as well. He's going to be just as relaxed or excited as you are during this time. Also, I think Blossom is in a bit of shock." The professor told him as the elevator doors opened for them on the first floor. "Should we also check on Butch, see if he's come to yet?"
Brick snorted roughly before coughing as he choked on a smoke cloud that was caught in his throat. He couldn't imagine it would go over well if he was caught "smoking" in the hospital. "He'll be fine. If I find him, I'm likely to give him a real reason to be in the emergency room."
The two of them made it to the food court, but unfortunately for Brick's nerves there weren't any strawberry or cherry flavored popsicles. "I'm pretty sure Blossom won't mind that there isn't strawberry or cherry flavored popsicles. She likes other flavors too."
"Strawberry and cherry are her favorite." Brick groaned. "She has to have cherry or strawberry."
"I happen to know she also likes peach." The professor said, unknowing of the deeper meaning of peach between himself and Blossom.
Brick was about to respond when it registered in his mind how the professor said peach, he purposefully kept his face turned away as he blushed, a very rare occurrence. "Peach, huh?"
The smile that crossed his face wasn't one he could help if he tried. "She grew a taste for it not long after she started dating you."
Brick's blush was tempered by his pyrokinesis, so it wasn't as deep as any other guy's would be when his girlfriend's father hinted at a near sexual innuendo between them. "Huh, how about that."
The poor boy was inches away from being at wits end, if he wasn't there already. Before he could move from his spot to go speak with Blossom's doctor, his phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he saw Buttercup's name.
"What do you mean Butch is unconscious? What happened?" She started, worried about her husband.
"He's fine."
"If he's fine then why is he unconscious?" Buttercup asked.
The professor couldn't hold back his chuckles as he answered his second daughter. "Because he fainted when he heard Blossom's water broke."
There was as splutter of air that came from her. "He fainted because Blossom's-wait Blossom's water broke. She's gone into labor?!"
The professor pulled the phone from his ear at the sudden increase in volume. He hesitated only the tiniest bit at putting it back to his ear. "Yes, maybe two hours ago. We expect the new addition to be here by tonight if not by morning."
"She went into labor two hours ago and you didn't bother to tell anyone?" She yelled thought the phone. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine. Just waiting on Brick to choose a popsicle for her to have." He turned his attention to Brick and sighed. "Just get the peach flavored one. Buttercup do you mind letting Bubbles know. I'm sure she'll let Boomer know. I'll call Mojo."
The grip on his arm had him drawing his attention toward Brick, who was shaking his head. When the professor laid a confused stare on him, Brick's grip tightened almost to pain as he shook his head more insistently.
"All right. I'll be there after I finish my shift. Tell Butch to call me when he wakes up." Buttercup told him. "I can't believe he fainted."
"Blossom took a picture."
"Good. I'll call you if anything else happens." Buttercup might've said something about him leaving vague messages before she hung up. His attention was fixed on Brick who was grabbing a few peach and mango flavored popsicles. "Brick."
"Don't bother telling Mojo anything. It's not as if he'll care." Brick said as he paid for the popsicles. He quickly turned to leave the cafeteria.
The professor didn't say anything as he followed Brick. He could only imagine what Brick was feeling in regard to his father right now. One could only imagine the number of mixed feelings that was going through him right this moment. However, he did want the young man to remain as calm as he could. Maybe he'd tell Mojo after the child was born; it'd be least likely to rile anyone up. The last thing Blossom needed was for her temperature to rise any higher.
Buttercup shook her head as she got off the phone with the professor. Blossom goes into labor and he only tells her about Butch fainting. That moron, she thought. How could he faint at a time like this? It's not like I'm having the baby. As soon as the thought passed through her mind, she blushed a wicked red and shook her head to rid it of the thought. "Don't be stupid. You've barely been married long enough to truly consider children."
She shook her head a second time for good measure and returned her attention to her phone. Dialing up Bubbles, she only waited a few beats before the youngest of the Power Puffs answered the call. "Hello."
"Blossom gone into labor." She said, getting straight to the point. She then pulled the phone away from her as she braced for the scream that was no doubt come.
True to form, Bubbles let out a decent shriek before stopping herself and breaking into a fit of giggles. "Oh my god! The baby's really coming! Oh, there are going to be a few people upset about their bets. I have to tell everyone. Should I invite everyone to the hospital?"
"No!" Having everyone there would be too much like their ill-fated prom night. "Tell everyone, but don't bring them to the hospital."
"Okay." Bubbles sighed. "But we're going, aren't we?"
"Yeah. Butch is already there. I think he was with Blossom when her water broke." She left out the part that her husband had fainted. "I'm going after I finish my shift at the gym."
"Okay. I have one more class and then I'll be there. I think I can spare one day of studying."
"Right midterms. Blossom mentioned you were studying with…Jamie. Did she mean scrawny Jamie from the Academy?"
The mention of the other boy made Bubbles lose her jubilation at the pending birth of her nephew. Their weekend getaway was blissful, but had a cloud over it. After a nap from their first round of lovemaking. They woke up and proceeded to make love the entire night, Boomer encouraging her to try different position after different position. In a way she never felt closer to Boomer. In another she never felt farther away. While the sex felt good—it would've been great had there been no secrets and uncertainty—she needed to tell him the truth.
"Bubbles?"
"Buttercup, can I ask you something?" Bubbles breathed out, needed some advice in this course. "If someone other than Butch kissed you, would you tell him?"
The question caught Buttercup off guard. Not because she herself had just gone through a very similar thing, but because Bubbles was the one who asked it. Stranger was that she'd ask that after she mentioned Jamie. There was a beat and then lightening struck the green Power Puff. "Bubbles?"
As if realizing what she'd just inadvertently admitted to, she hung up the phone. With the sound of the call dropping loud in her ear, Buttercup's jaw dropped. Never, ever would she think this would happen to Bubbles. She and Boomer were cavity inducingly, sweetly in love. She couldn't imagine that either of them would cheat on one another. Then again, she never thought Butch and she would get caught up with swingers. She'd talk more about this with Bubbles when she saw her at the hospital later.
Bubbles sent out a mass text message to their friends informing them about Blossom and the baby. It was belatedly that she saw that Jamie was included and she cursed under her breath. In the midst of her panic, everyone was sending messages of congratulations and small gripes about their bets. Jack's date was the closest, but he thought the baby was going to be a girl. Now everyone was complaining that he was out of the running. Especially Robin as she wagered it was a boy and her date was the second closest. When nothing from Jamie came through Bubbles released a breath of relief.
It turned out to be premature as a message separate from the group chat appeared on her phone. Jamie's name appeared, and Bubbles wasn't sure if she wanted to know what he said, but she was already hiding away from Boomer. She wasn't about to be cowed by Jamie, so she bit the proverbial bullet and opened the message.
Tell Blossom and Brick I said congrats.
It was a quick and simple message. Bubbles quickly typed out a thank you, hoping that would be the end of it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as he sent a follow up message.
Did you tell Boomer?
Bubbles ground her teeth as she looked at the message. Why did he care if she told Boomer or not? He knew what would happen if she did, or was he trying to be noble? She asked him as such, wondering what he hoped to accomplish.
It would just be better if you told him. He stated.
Why? I mean, I'm going to tell him, but why do you want to tell him so badly? She typed back, growing frustrated with this situation Jamie had put her in.
It's just the decent thing to do.
That answer infuriated Bubbles. How dare he try to tell her what is and isn't decent, when he was the one that kissed her. That was so fair from fair.
But YOU kissed ME!
Yeah, and I'm sorry for that. But you should still tell him. I already told you I was fine with it.
Bubbles didn't bother to respond to that. She would only get angry and that would serve no purpose other than to ruin Blossom and Brick's joyous occasion. As she was having this conversation with Jamie, it looked like their friends were planning a party, but needed access to Brick and Blossom's apartment. They were asking if Bubbles could get the a key from Blossom or Brick. Bubbles answered that she'd get it from Brick when she went to the hospital.
Give us updates so we know how much time we have to get their place ready. Robin texted.
Bubbles typed out she would and then slammed her notebooks closed before she headed off to her last class of the day.
When Butch came to consciousness, he was blinded by the bright overhead lights. Covering his eyes, he groaned and rubbed his eyes. When he finally managed to open them, he sat up quickly when he realized her wasn't in his truck. Instead he was in a bed that was surrounded by blue curtains. Beyond that he could hear the sound of machine beeping, voices passing medical jargon, and the occasional frantic twenty questions about what was happening to either themselves or a companion.
"Finally awake I see."
Butch turned his head to notice his wife sitting beside him in black athleticwear with green accents. The black hoodie was unzipped revealing the cat figure on the shirt front, while her kitty print legging clad legs were crossed at the knee. The expression on her face was one of boredom.
"Buttercup, when did you get here?" Butch asked as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
"After my shift at work. Some help you were today." She told him as she stood up flicked him in the forehead.
Butch rubbed the offended spot on his forehead and sighed. "Sorry. I didn't think that would happen."
"Promise me you won't faint when I go into labor. Because if you do, I'll kick your ass." She said as she stood between his legs.
Butch wrapped his arms around Buttercup and a certain twinkle in his eye. "Are you saying you want to have my babies, Cup—." Buttercup put her hand over Butch's face and shoved him away from her. "Hey."
"We'll talk about that later." She said as she pulled away from Butch. "Let's go upstairs and see Brick and Blossom."
"Buttercup—." He was stopped by the surprisingly gentle act of Buttercup laying her finger over his lips.
"We'll talk about this later." She repeated to him before removing her hand, only to have Butch grab her hand. He twined their fingers together as he stood up and placed a kiss to her forehead. Without another word the two of them started making their way up to see Brick and Blossom.
As they were heading up, they saw Bubbles coming in a look of consternation on her face. Buttercup caught the look on her face and practically shoved Butch toward the elevators. "Hey, what—?"
"We'll meet you upstairs. I have to talk with Bubbles."
"About?"
Buttercup gave him a more insistent shove and pointed upwards. "Just go and tell Blossom you're sorry, doofus."
Butch looked between the girls and sighed. Whatever it was they needed to talk about it looked like legitimate girl talk, and he hadn't any real interest. However, he wondered what could be more important than seeing Blossom right now. He'd figure they be dying to see her progress.
"Buttercup, I want to see Blossom first." Bubbles said. She was going to stall for al long as she could. It wasn't fair that she was telling her sister before her boyfriend she was kissed by someone else. Bubbles also hated the think of any advice that she might try to give her.
"Fine," She said while the three of them headed to the elevators, Butch leading the way. When there was a considerable space to allow the illusion of privacy, since Butch's hearing was just as sharp as theirs, she whispered to Bubbles, "We can talk about your question later."
Clouded sky blue met open jade before a small groan of defeat escaped her. "Fine."
The elevator ride was a short one before the three exited. They saw the professor sitting in the hallway eating a sandwich, while glancing back into the room beside him. When he caught sight of Butch at the front of the approaching group, he could help taking a shot at him. "Took you long enough to wake up."
Butch rolled his eyes at the comment, despite knowing it was a well deserved one. "Yeah, yeah. How's she doing?"
"Better, no thanks to you. We're trying to keep her as cool as possible." The professor informed them.
When Bubbles and Buttercup looked about to gripe, Butch turned to them with a placating raised hand. "Hey, hey. She was already on fire when I picked her up. Cutting him some slack remember?"
Buttercup bit her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest. "Slack, right. Can we see her now?"
The professor glanced toward the room. "The doctor is checking her for dilation. She hadn't started when we last checked about two hours ago."
The expression that passed over Butch's face indicated that a very dirty thought had gone though his mind. His suppressed chuckle was still enough to draw the professor's attention and then an eye roll at the immaturity.
"How long do you think it'll be?"
"Depends on how quickly or slowly she dilates." The professor said. "It could be as early as tonight or late as the next morning."
"Are you going to stay here the entire time?" Buttercup asked, him glancing through the window to see that the doctor was now speaking with Blossom and Brick.
"Yes. There needs to be someone here who knows your unique physiology the best." The professor said. "When visiting hours are over, I suggest you three go home and rest."
Bubbles nodded, as she turned her attention to the door. The doctor came out of Blossom's room and smiled to the professor. "She' started dilating, but it's a slow progression. She's barely making two centimeters when she should be past three. At this rate she'll be giving birth tomorrow morning at the earliest."
The professor nodded his head allowed for Butch and the girls to go visit with the young parents.
When Brick and Blossom saw they had company, their eyes zeroed in on Butch. Brick walked around the bed and grabbed his brother in a headlock. He then ground his fists into Butch's skull. "I asked you to do one thing, jackass."
"Brick." Blossom said with a warning in her voice.
Brick looked her way, before letting Butch go and returning to his place beside Blossom. "How could you faint like that?"
"I didn't think I was." He told him, same as he did Buttercup only minutes ago. "Sorry, Blossom."
The pregnant Puff shook her head. "You're forgiven, but the ten babysitting days will be bumped up to fifteen."
"Damn it. Well, I guess I deserve it. We heard the doc say your little guy is taking his time." Butch said as he moved to lean against the railing at the end of the bed. He finally noticed how cold the room was and the multiple compresses attached to her skin. "Cold packs?"
"To keep me cool. He's running hotter than ever because of the labor. It's unlike any of the other times I flared up." She explained, staring annoyed at the compresses attached to her skin. "The compresses for the outside. Popsicles for the inside." She said gesturing to the wrappers on the bedside table beside her.
When she looked up, she noticed how Bubbles was standing the farthest from her and with her arms held over in front of her. She also noticed the Boomer wasn't among the them. "Where's Boomer?"
"Working. He doesn't get off until…" Bubbles glanced at the clock on the wall. "…now. He probably just got off from work. Meaning he'll be here…soon. I sent him a text that Blossom went into labor."
"A text?" Butch asked.
"Yeah."
The dejection in her tone wasn't hard to miss. But before anyone could really ask her what was wrong, Buttercup remembered the not so hypothetical question Bubbles had asked earlier. "Butch, why don't you and Brick go downstairs to wait for him?"
"Why do the both of us—?"
"Now!" She said not looking for an argument with him. She inclined her head for him to leave the room.
Brick stood up and pecked Blossom on the cheek. As he was passing Butch, he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and all but dragged him out of the room. Once the girls were left alone in the room, Buttercup pushed the door to almost closed, and Bubbles toward the chair by Blossom's bed. She forced her sister to sit down and sat on the edge of Blossom's bed.
"All right. The boys are gone, so spill it."
Blossom was left confused as to what was going on between her sisters. All she could gather was that Bubbles was feeling awkward about something or other, and it concerned Boomer. That and Buttercup at least had an idea of what was going on. "Bubbles?"
"It's nothing." She said while shooting Buttercup a glare.
"Doesn't seem like nothing." Buttercup said raising a brow. She then turned to Blossom's confused expression. "Otherwise you wouldn't ask me a not so hypothetical question about other boys kissing you."
"What?"
"Buttercup! Shut up!" Bubbles snapped at her second sister. "It was just a stupid question. It didn't mean anything." She looked away while tugged at the end of one of her pigtails.
Buttercup rose a brow and sighed. "Maybe. I mean, you did just spend a nice weekend at the lake with Boomer."
Blossom smiled and then inhaled as a contraction hit. Her fingers bunched in the blankets and a surge of hit swelled in her belly before her muscles relaxed and she cooled. It was a slight drop, but enough to not make Blossom feel like she was going to melt. "Is that where he ran off to last weekend? Brick needed to talk to him about something important."
"It seems like Bubbles needs to tell Boomer something important." Buttercup quipped. "I mean you wouldn't be feeling so lousy if you didn't."
The blond blue-eyed Power Puff's face flushed red with anger. With her hands balled into fists she stood up and turned away from her sisters. "I don't feel lousy. I'm just irritated that it happened."
"So you admit that another boy kissed you." The rough Puff said.
Blossom's eyes widened as she looked between her sisters. "Another guy kissed you? Was it Jamie?"
"I think it was." Buttercup said. "She did freak out when I mentioned him on the phone earlier."
"Would you shut up Buttercup!" Bubbles snapped as she turned back to her sister. "It's not like you'd get it."
Buttercup's brow twitched with her rising anger at Bubbles comment. "Don't I? Isn't that the reason you asked me?"
A groan broke from Bubbles as she rolled her eyes. "Don't take it so personally Buttercup. It was just a question that I just happened to ask you."
"You're sickeningly self-righteous, Bubbles." Buttercup retorted as she stood up from her place and placed her hands on her hips.
"Girls." Blossom warned them, feeling her body heat with agitation.
Jade clashed with sky blue as the girls faced off with one another. "This is the second goddamn time you've taken a shot at my relationship. Both times you did it because things weren't going your way, you brat!"
"Buttercup!" Blossom snapped, feeling the beginnings of a dizzy spell as the heat rose in the cold room.
"You weren't even in a real relationship when you started sleeping with Butch!" Bubbles rebutted. "Now you think you can tell me how I should go about mine, just because you got hitched a la Las Vegas chapel?"
"Bubbles!" She was breathing shallowly now and feel back against her pillows as the heat started to overwhelm her. She reached for the button to call the nurse and pressed it twice. She was burning up, and it had nothing to do with her contractions.
Within moments a nurse came into the room, drawing Buttercup and Bubbles' attention. She quickly moved around them as she took in the flushed state of Blossom's face and her elevated temperature, with went from one hundred twenty degrees to one thirty. "We need some ice, a fresh cooling blanket, and cold compresses." She said as she took some napkins and began wiping sweat from Blossom's face.
Her sisters looked at her in shock before turning back to one another with glares pointing at the other. The professor had gone to the vending machine when the boys left, so when he came back and saw a nurse running to Blossom's room, he too ran. The sight of Blossom getting the beading sweat that was formerly a light glisten wiped from her face, along with his two youngest daughters in a glare off was not welcome.
"Bubbles, Buttercup! Leave the room." He ordered.
Bubbles spun in her heel and left with Buttercup waiting a beat before she too left the room. Once outside, the professor herded them away from Blossom's room he watched as the two girls pointedly looked away from each other.
"Should I even ask for an explanation?" The professor asked while looking between the two.
"She started it." They yelled at the same time, pointing toward each other. "Did not! You did too!"
"Enough!" The professor snapped at the two of them. Glancing behind him he could see that a new cooling blanket and ice were being brought to Blossom's room. He'd caught a glimpse of your temperature and was worried about the ten-degree jump. Turning back to Bubbles and Buttercup he sighed. "Whatever issue you two or three may have, I ask that you refrain from fighting about it now. This amount of excitement right now isn't good for Blossom or the baby."
The blue and green sisters reluctantly nodded in agreement before turning away from each other. The professor realized that he'd had to take the meager truce for now as Blossom needed his immediate attention more. With that he turned and entered Blossom's room to check on her.
Left in the hallway, Buttercup and Bubbles huffed at each other before Bubbles started walking away. Buttercup used her super speed to cut her off and just barely refrained from shoving her sister. "Hey! For future reference don't come to me seeking relationship advice if all you're going to do it bring your condescension for mine."
"Believe me I won't." Bubbles promised as she walked around Buttercup.
Buttercup turned to look at Bubbles retreating back and scowled. "No relationship is perfect, Bubbles. Not even yours, no matter how much you pretend it to be."
"I never said it was." She said, tossing the words over her shoulder and still walking away.
"Right, because if it was you wouldn't be so worried about what Boomer would do if he knew you kissed Jamie." She shouted, drawing the attention of patients, faculty, and visitors alike.
There was the sound of something liquid and plastic crashing to the floor accompanied by an exclaim of shock. It was ignored as Bubbles turned to glare at Buttercup one last time before she went to cool off. "I didn't kiss him. He kissed me."
"Either way a guy that wasn't Boomer put his lips on yours, and you're too chicken to work up the nerve to tell him." Buttercup snapped.
Rather than create a further scene with her sister, Bubbles rounded the corner intent on getting a bite from the cafeteria. Unfortunately for her, when she turned the corner she froze at the sight of the Rowdy Ruff Boys—all three of them. Brick and Butch were standing around Boomer, with firm grips on his arms. At his feet were assorted spilled boba tea drinks, the tapioca pearls and the ice a dangerous slippery mess. The was all inconsequential at the moment as Boomer's face was frozen in betrayed shock.
Bubbles' mouth opened and closed, a few times trying to find the right words to say, but never got the chance to find let alone say them. Boomer violently broke away from his brothers' holds on him and stormed down the hallway toward the elevators.
"B-boomer wait!" She called once it registered that he was walking away.
The remaining Ruffs tried to hold her back, knowing what Boomer was like when his was angry. Often, they were on the receiving end if not the cause of a Sonic Boomer tantrum. They were used to his destructive and violent anger being directed at them. Bubbles however would not. If she approached him now, Brick and Butch were sure he'd either say or do something he'd regret once he calmed down. That being said, it was purely instinctual that when Bubbles twisted Butch's arms hard enough to flip him and gut checked Brick. Butch somehow managed to land on his feet, while Brick deflected the shot. Still Bubbles ran after Boomer, watching as he headed to the stairs rather than the elevator. He didn't get to slam the door as he wanted because Bubbles caught it and raced after him. The two blue counterparts became blue blurs as they raced down the stairs and found themselves outside. Boomer was running with Bubbles not far behind him, leaving blue streaks amongst the people and the traffic they weaved in and out of.
Boomer wasn't paying much attention to where he was running. He just knew he had to get away and wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately, Bubbles was right on his heels, calling his name asking him to wait. Give her a chance to explain. It was just a misunderstanding. Misunderstanding?!
Boomer glanced over his shoulder just as Bubbles reached out to him. While not paying attention, his foot got caught in a pothole and he tripped. Bubbles collided with him and the inertia from their super speed hurled them across one intersection and down the street into the next. Imprints of their bodies were left as they bounced along the asphalt before skidding to a stop. Bubbles was sprawled atop Boomer before she pushed herself up. "Boomer, I promise I was going to tell you. Jamie…Jamie just—."
"When?"
"Huh?"
Boomer sat up and rubbed the back of his head, dislodging the bits of asphalt that was caught. "When did it happen?"
She knew what he was asking but hesitated in answering him. She reached for his hand for some reassurance that things would be okay, only to have Boomer pull his hand back. Her heart felt as though it were lanced with a rusty blade doused in Antidote X. "Boomer…"
"When did you kiss him, Bubbles?" Boomer asked with pain etched onto his face. When she still hadn't said anything, Boomer rose his fist in the air and brought it down hard enough to drive it through the street up to his elbow. Bubbles flinched, but didn't look away from Boomer. "When was it?"
"Last week."
"When last week?"
"When you called as suggested we go to the lake." She breathed out with a rush of tears.
A shuddering groan left Boomer as he stood up and started walking toward out of the street. Bubbles wiped at her eyes and got up so she could follow after Boomer. "Leave me alone."
"Boomer, please. It didn't mean anything."
Boomer stopped in his gait to spin on Bubbles. He did it so quickly that she was startled and took a half step back from him. "Doesn't seem like it since you've obviously been stewing over it if what Buttercup said was anything to go by." The scowl that was embedded on his face loosened as a thought went on in his head. As he processed this thought, Bubbles watched as his stormy cobalt eyes dulled and he backed away from her.
"Boomer?"
"'Whatever you want tonight'. Was that the reason?" He asked, feeling his heart get further crushed under the weight of this betrayal. Again, Bubbles couldn't find the words and she didn't need to. Boomer took her silence as admission and found himself unable to look at her. "I want to be left alone."
"Boo—."
"I mean it, Bubbles. Just leave me alone for a while." He quickly turned on a flew off, careful to not leave his signature blue streak in case Bubbles decided to follow. The first thing he did was return to the hospital so he could retrieve his car. Bubbles would be less likely to track him, should he be driving rather than flying.
It figured when he got back that Butch was waiting for him by his vehicle. His green favoring brother didn't say anything as he watched Boomer land and walk the rest of the way to his car. When Boomer unlocked the car, he let himself into the passenger seat.
"Butch!"
Raising his hands in a placating gesture, he buckled himself in. "Cool it. I want a ride to my truck."
"Fly."
"Would you just give me a ride?"
Seeing that his brother wasn't making any move to vacate his car, Boomer grumbled as he started the ignition and seethed silently as he maneuvered his car into traffic. Butch wisely turned the radio onto a sports station to fill the silence. Buttercup gave the short story of what was going on before Brick went to Blossom's side. Right now, he was just keeping an eye on his brother to make sure he didn't do anything too stupid. Looking at him now, he wasn't sure what happened between the two of them. Boomer wasn't exactly Sonic right now, which he wasn't sure was a good thing or not.
In silence the two made it back to the ice cream parlor where Butch's car was left, but unfortunately with a boot attached to it. Sighing as he got out of the car, he took care so as to not cause damage to other cars or people as he lifted his car overhead. "I think I'll head home for the evening. Blossom and Brick aren't going anywhere for a while. Why don't you go see Blossom before heading home?"
Boomer shook his head in the negative. "I think I'll go home to." All he wanted was to be alone. He didn't wait for Butch to acknowledge him before he drove home. His drive home was a blur to him, and he didn't realize he'd arrived until he heard Mojo calling his name.
"Boomer? Where were you? You didn't answer my messages or call." Mojo said from his place in the kitchen where he was fixing himself dinner.
Boomer repressed a sigh of annoyance. "I'm eighteen, dad. I don't have to tell you when or if I'll be home or where I'm at every minute of the day anymore, if I don't want to; and I don't." he said heading up the stairs to his room without a backwards glance.
"Boomer! Is there something going on with Brick?" Mojo asked suddenly at the bottom of the stairs with Boomer about to go into his room.
"Why do you ask?" He asked only mildly curious as to why Mojo would ask today of all days.
"It's hard to miss your son zooming across the sky like a rocket." Mojo explained with a hint of impatience.
Boomer sighed and pushed himself into his room. "Blossom went into labor." With that he closed the door behind him with no plans to come out under the next morning when he had to go to work.
"You're at five centimeters." Dr. Herbert informed Blossom around ten o'clock that evening. She then replaced the blanket over Blossom and removed her gloves from her hands. "Now, I have a question for the two of you."
"What?" Brick asked, growing worried immediately. After her flare up that had nothing to do with her labor, he was a bit on edge.
Dr. Herbert smiled at the two of them. "It's nothing serious. I just want to know if you two discussed circumcision for your son."
The look that came over Brick's face brought a laugh out of Blossom. After expecting bad news, only to have such a mundane question sprung left Brick looking adorably confused. "Circumcision?"
"Yes. It's just something we ask all parents with little boys on the way." Dr. Herbert said with a patient smile. "It's okay if you haven't thought about."
"I haven't thought about it at all." Brick said as he glanced down at Blossom. "Have you?"
Blossom gave a shrug in answer. She thought about it maybe once or twice, but honestly hadn't given much thought to it. Brick was the one with a penis and strangely enough was circumcised. There were two reasons she thought it strange. The first reason being that she didn't think Mojo would've thought about it, let alone cared. The second was that when she did happen to ogle Brick's penis, the shaft was bizarrely free of any surgical scar associated with circumcision. As her staring usually led to sex during those times, she wasn't let much time to ponder or ask Brick about it. But now…
"I don't think we'll need it." Brick said breaking her train of thought.
Dr. Herbert looked to Blossom for agreement. When the young mother shook her head the doctor nodded her head. "I'll be sure to make that note on your chart. I'll be back to check on you in a few hours. Page the nurse if you need anything."
Blossom nodded as she and Brick were left alone. Brick down beside Blossom and rested his folded arms on the bed beside her. He could see the question dancing in her head through her eyes. "What are you thinking about?"
"Brick, why doesn't your penis have a scar on it?"
Brick's brow furrowed in confusion wondering where a question like that came from. "Why are you asking about whether my dick has a scar or not? Also, why would it have a scar?"
Now it was Blossom's turn to be baffled as she wasn't expecting that kind of question in return. "Because…because you've been circumcised right?"
"No." He said dragging it out as his own befuddlement continued to build.
"But you don't have a foreskin."
"No, I don't."
Now Blossom was thoroughly confused. If he was never circumcised, then how was it that he didn't have a foreskin? It didn't make any logical sense to her. The thought was cut off as a contraction shot up her back, its intensity a notch more painful than the last. "Aaaaahhhh!" she exclaimed while breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. "This has is starting to get old, and I'm only halfway to being fully dilated."
Strong fingers relaxed Blossom's softer ones from their tight grip on the hospital bedsheets. Turning to Brick, she watched as he placed a soft kiss on each of the digits. "It'll be worth it when we get to hold him in our arms."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just tired of sitting in this bed. I've been sitting here eight and a half hours now." Blossom complained. She then sat up and shoved the cooling blanket off her legs. When she started to turn in his direction, Brick caught her with a hand on her outermost legs.
"What are you doing.?"
"Getting up. I want to walk around before I go crazy." She said, using her strength to force herself off the bed. When her feet touched the floor, she sighed heavily and stretched her arms over her head. "That feels leagues better." She sighed as took a few steps by the bed with Brick's hands hovering in the air, prepared to catch her should she fall.
Ignoring Brick, Blossom walked to the end of the bed and began pacing the room back and forth. Since she wasn't taking any pain medication, walking about seemed to help. She felt better than she had in hours. Brick stood up from his place and followed her as she walked, more than nervous about her strength leaving her at any time.
"Brick, stop hovering. I'm fine." She assured as she made her fifth circuit around the room.
The elder Rowdy Ruff Boy truly couldn't help how he was feeling. The urge to throttle Buttercup and Bubbles for getting her wound up was intense. He doubly felt he was deserved the chance to do so after all the grief the two of them gave him. It took about half an hour to cool her down. While he felt for Boomer, he thought it was utterly stupid to bring it up now.
"But back to what we were discussing before. You've never been circumcised, but you don't have a foreskin?" She said when she faced him on the start of another circuit.
"Yes, on both accounts. Does it matter?"
Blossom shook her head as she walked towards Brick. "Not really. It's just a little weird."
"How?"
When she glanced at Brick, she quickly looked away suddenly and somehow embarrassed for him. "It's—it'd just mean you were created without one, which—."
"I wasn't. Neither of us were." Brick informed her.
Blossom stared at him with a raised brow. "Huh. Perfect little boys." She chuckled to herself as she turned.
"I won't say perfect, but we have certain perks. Besides the perfect little boy is sitting in your belly." Brick smiled at Blossom.
A low groan pulled itself from Blossom's throat. "If only this perfect little boy would just arrive already. Mommy and Daddy are impatient to finally see you." She said while rubbing a hand over her belly. "I can't wait to hold him in my arms."
"Me neither." Brick said as he came to stand behind Blossom and cradled her belly.
At three in the morning it was reported that the Blossom had reached seven centimeters. "It shouldn't be too long now. I'll give it another two hours before you're ready."
Blossom nodded as another contraction passed through her body. The last one was ten minutes ago and the pain had intensified. She squeezed Brick's hand and sucked in a shallow breath. When it passed, her breathing was ragged as she reclined against the pillows. Brick ran a finger along her temple, brushing her hair back from her face. "Two more hours Brick."
"Yeah."
The doctor turned to the professor and nodded her head as she left. The professor turned to his daughter and the father of her child. "I want you two to try to sleep while you can, Blossom. Brick you too."
"I don't think I can." Blossom whimpered as she shifted in place. "My skin feels too tight and I'm too warm."
"We can get fresh cooling blankets and compresses if that will help." Brick said.
"Not enough. I want to be in an ice bath. Completely submerged with ice." Blossom groaned out. "Please."
The professor scooted closer to Blossom and took her hand between his own. "Blossom, we both know the baby can't stand the cold. We're keeping you cool this way because it's the only way to stop him from having a heat flash."
"But I'm starting to get hot. Too hot." Blossom moaned as a drop of sweat ran down her chest between her breasts.
Brick took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He hated feeling so helpless. "Just hang in there, Blossom. I promise we'll get you into a cold shower of bath."
She moaned and turned her head away from him. "I need one now. Please, just for a few minutes."
"Blossom we can't move you right now." The professor told her trying to calm her down. "I know it's getting difficult honey, but hang in there. You're doing great."
"I don't feel great." She retorted with a bite. "Ice. I need ice."
When she moaned with her discomfort, Brick ran to the adjoining bathroom. Grabbing one of the provided towels he ran it under the cold water of the tap until it was fully soaked. Once he was satisfied, he immediately went to Blossom's side and pressed the cold, wet towel to her face. A sigh escaped her, and she turned her pink eyes to Brick, a grateful smile on her face. "Mmmm. That feels so good."
"I'm glad." Brick said. "Sorry I can't do more for you."
"This is good." Blossom sighed as the icy touch of the towel graced her with relief from the heat.
Brick continued to try to keep Blossom cool in this minor way. He placed a quick kiss to her hair and ran the towel over the spot immediately to sooth her.
"Thank you, Peaches."
"Any time, Cherry Pie."
It was approaching time for Boomer's alarm clock to go off, but it was probably unneeded as the blue Ruff Boy didn't get a wink of sleep. He simply laid in bed buried under the blankets and pillows, trying to wrap his mind around what was revealed to him last night. Jamie had kissed Bubbles last week and rather than tell him, she spent the weekend guilt fucking him.
Of the two things, he wasn't sure which offended him more. He knew Jamie liked Bubbles. It just came as more of a surprise that the idiot had the balls to kiss his girl. It wouldn't be a stretch for anyone to believe that Boomer would pound the poor human. That thought then led him to think she was trying to protect Jamie by not telling him. By not telling him, and apparently by letting him fuck her anyway he liked. The latter was what bothered him more and had him tossing and turning all night.
While sex wasn't a major part of their relationship like it was for Butch and Buttercup, it still meant something to Boomer. It was a safe place of comfort and reassurance for him. When they first had sex, it was because she'd been worried about him. Each time after that was less about lust and more about love; a rarity for teenagers. Sure, his brothers had put it into his head that he was probably boring and that led him to doing a little research for better sex moves. But it wasn't just for his benefit, he wanted to be sure that Bubbles would be getting the most pleasure as well. The past weekend was the perfect chance to try those new positions, and they felt amazing. He thought his girlfriend was enjoying them as well. Or maybe she was just faking it for his benefit.
The alarm clock on the nightstand went off, blaring loudly and startling Boomer. He sat up in a flurry, throwing the pillows and blankets to the floor. The screeching of the device didn't last much longer as Boomer yanked it from its place and hurled it toward the window of his room. The crash was loud as was the wind whistling through the shards of glass.
Growling with disgust, Boomer launched himself from his bed and went about getting himself ready for his early shift. When he finally brought himself downstairs, he noticed Mojo sitting on the couch. "What are you doing up so early?"
Mojo looked over the edge of the couch and sighed. "What was that crash I heard?"
"Nothing." Boomer said, going to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he grabbed the orange juice and started drinking it straight from the cart. "You still didn't tell me what you were doing up?"
Mojo's hands which were interlocked in front of him tightened their grip. "Do you mind bringing me to the hospital before you go to work?"
Irritated as Boomer was with everything, he was still shocked by the request. "Why?"
That was the very question Mojo had been asking himself since Boomer told him Blossom was in labor. He knew he wanted to see Brick, but did he also want to see the infant? That was what made him so unsure of his reasons to go. Maybe he'd figure it out once he got there. "Would you bring me, so I don't have to catch the bus? It would take me a least an hour, and you know I detest public transportation."
"I'm not going to bring you, if all you're going to do is stir up bullshit." Boomer said swiping the back of his hand over his mouth and returning the juice to the fridge.
Mojo flinched a sharp edge to his usually softer-spoken son. Turning toward him, he noticed the hard edge to his face and tightness around his eyes. "Boomer?"
"What?"
"Is…something wrong?"
The growl that came from Boomer as he slammed the fridge door was startling to say the least. The force rattled the outside and no doubt jostled the contents. He even snapped the handle off the door and contorted it beyond recognition. The ruined hand was dropped on the kitchen island as Boomer left the kitchen space and headed toward the door. "Find your own damn ride to the hospital, and don't start any bullshit."
Mojo's pinkened eyes were wide with shock as he watched Boomer storm to the front door and leave in a violent retreat.
"Ten centimeters, and your contractions are under a minute apart." Dr. Herbert told Blossom. "I hope you're ready. When the next contraction comes, I want you to push as hard as you can."
The elder Power Puff nodded her head and tried to focus on her body's reactions. The heat she felt now was unbearable and so intense that the ice chips and cold towel provided little aid. When the next contraction came, she closed her eyes and focused on working the muscles that would bring her baby into the world. She cried out at the accompanying pain of the contraction and her baby moving through her body.
"Now, relax." Dr. Herbert told her. "Good. That was really good Blossom. Take a breath and get ready for the next one."
Brick stood to Blossom's left side, wiping away the sweat from her face with a lukewarm towel. "No cursing my name yet?" He asked with a wane smile. "I wouldn't thought you'd be screaming at me never to touch you again."
"I'm considering it." Blossom hissed at him between heavy breathing. "I'm practically melting because of your hot-blooded son right now. I can't take this heat much longer."
"Blossom, focus now. Next contraction is coming."
This time when she pushed the pain was worse than before and she yelled out louder, the further down the baby moved. She squeezed Brick's hand just as hard, making him wince at the amount of super strength she used. When the pain of the contraction eased, she fell back against the pillows, tears formed in her eyes and fell down the side of her face.
On her right, the professor patted Blossom's hand bunched in the sheets beside her. "That's a good girl. You're doing well. I think three more pushes and he should be here."
"Three?"
He nodded his head and rubbed her hand soothingly. "Three."
"I'll count them down with you Blossom." Brick said on the other side.
"Get ready," the doctor said. "And push."
"One." Brick counted off to her, while she pushed heart clenching at the sound of her yells. His fingers were numb from the tight grip Blossom had on them, but didn't complain. Her pain was a hundred times worst. When she relaxed her leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Come on, Cherry. You got this. Just two more."
"Get ready Blossom."
"Okay," she said hoarsely.
"And push."
"Two."
The pain continued to travel downward and for Blossom it felt like it was the worst of it. The only things that kept her focused were Brick's pep talk and the professor's sweet assurances beside her. The tears on her face were burning as they glided down her cheeks. Tendrils of her hair loose from the messy bun clung to her sweaty face. Her eyes were clenched so tight that she could've sworn she saw white spots appear.
"He's crowning Blossom. Your baby is almost here." Dr. Hebert said from her place at the end of the bed.
Brick glanced toward the doctor with shock strewn all over his face. Somehow is own numb hand managed to squeeze Blossom's. When the doctor instructed Blossom to push one final time, he couldn't keep his eyes from the sight of small human being pushed into this world. It seemed as if the world went silent as the doctor used a small suction tool to clear the baby's airways, before he let out a loud cry; but even that sound seemed muted to Brick. Unlike when he and Blossom were created, this baby was completely human looking. Fingers, toes, ears, a nose. No one would think that he was superhuman. He certainly didn't seem like it, all small, squirming, and covered in bodily fluids.
Whatever was said to him was lost as his hand was let go and his arms were almost immediately filled with the small bundle. The first thing he registered was his son's heat. It was this sensation that made it real, and everything came back into focus. The baby's cries were loud and piercing. The professor and the doctor were congratulating him and Blossom. Blossom was calling his name and weakly pulling on his shirt.
"Brick? Brick?" Blossom's voice was hoarse from her tears and the yelling, but Brick still heard her over the cries. "Can I see him?"
Turning to Blossom, he lowered the baby until he was lightly pressed against her skin and Blossom brought her hands up to touch him. Soon as she did, she cooed and took his slimy hand into her own. "Hey, baby. Hey." She laughed at him as he continued to cry. "It's okay. Mommy has you."
As of her voice were the world's greatest lullaby, the baby's cries quieted to soft whimpers.
"Oh Brick. He's here. Can you believe it? Our little Fireball is here." She said, turning to Brick and noticing how silent he was. "Brick?"
To Blossom's surprise his cheeks were wet from tears he probably didn't know were falling. His gaze was locked on their son and it held the most tender expression as he looked down at him. His throat bobbed with the emotion that was bursting out of him.
Blossom sniffed back her own tears that hadn't yet abated and smiled at her baby's father. "Say 'hi', Brick."
"H-Hi, buddy." He whispered hoarsely. "I can't believe you're finally here, Coal. Our Blazing Coal."
Blossom turned her bright smile back to the now quiet baby. "Blazing Coal Jojo."
This chapter was such a hard one to write. I swear I got halfway through and then deleted EVERYTHING because I didn't like it. If I don't like it, then I can't expect my readers to like it. I wanted this to be special but still have some drama. For those who love the Blues, this bump in the road won't last long. It's not to say it won't be difficult for them, since those two fell hard and fast. Also, I anticipate the rage and hate comments that will be left, so fire away. Just remember it won't last.
But HOORAY! The baby is here. Baby Red—no Blazing Coal is here. I know we only got a little glimpse of Fireball, but I promise he'll get the proper introduction. He certainly deserves it.
Until Next Time