Chapter Thirty-Four
Mid-September 2021 – Almost Seventeen Months Old (and Thirty-Three Weeks Along)
Veronica eases herself out of her desk chair and stands up, grabbing her bag and making her way out of her office.
"Hey, Pops," she calls out as she walks through the reception area of Mars Investigations. "I'm heading out. Gotta track down that Andrews guy for the insurance fraud case."
Keith steps out of his office, a concerned frown on his face. "Are you sure it's a good idea to be doing fieldwork right now?"
"I'm pregnant, not an invalid." Veronica rolls her eyes. She's lost count of the number of times she's said that phrase in the last few months.
"I know that, Veronica, but you're almost eight months pregnant," her father counters. "You should be taking things easy, not still chasing after cases."
Veronica slips her bag over her shoulder. "Dad, I can't just sit around the office all day filing paperwork and running online searches. I'd go out of my mind."
"Veronica…" he begins, his tone holding a hint of warning.
"Look, I'm fine," she interrupts, trying not to let her exasperation show. "I won't overdo it, okay? I know my limits."
"I'm not saying you don't. It's just, you're my little girl," says Keith. "I worry about you."
Veronica's expression softens at that.
"I know you do. But, Dad, I'm thirty-four. I'm not a child anymore." In an attempt to lighten the mood, she adds, "Hey, if anything, I should be the one worrying about you, old man."
Keith narrows his eyes at her teasing, before he relents and gives her an affectionate smile.
"You may be an adult, Veronica, but a parent never stops worrying about their child, no matter how old they are," he says. "You'll realise that yourself when your kids grow up."
"I know." Moving to his side, she places a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be careful, I promise."
She heads for the door, but his voice makes her stop and turn back.
"Hey, who's your daddy?" He holds his hands out to the side in invitation.
She gives a chuckle, shaking her head as she pulls open the door. "Bye, Dad."
"Come on, come on," Veronica mutters to herself as she sits in her car, camera in hand, eyeing the entrance to the Seventh Veil with irritation.
She's been following Chad Andrews for the better part of two hours, hoping to build up a picture of his daily activities. His first stop was the bank, followed by a brunch meeting with two men in sharp suits, and then a quick stop at a local burger joint. All fairly innocuous, up to that point. But what she wasn't expecting was for him to spend his lunch hour at a strip club.
She checks her watch; it's almost one o'clock, and she really hopes Andrews emerges from the club soon, because not only is she starving—the bag of Chex Mix she's been snacking on is really not filling the hole—but the baby has been pressing on her bladder for thirty minutes and she really needs to pee.
"Finally!" She breathes a sigh of relief when Chad eventually emerges from the Seventh Veil.
As he looks down the street, ready to cross the road, Veronica lifts the camera to her eye and snaps a series of shots, following him across the road and into his car. She takes a couple more shots as he pulls away and takes a left, disappearing around the corner. She briefly considers following him, but she placed a bug on his car while he was in the Seventh Veil, so she can track him from here, and besides, she desperately needs something to eat.
Veronica returns her camera to its bag, then pulls out her laptop, resting it on the passenger seat so she can check that the bug is tracking correctly. Once she's picked up the signal and confirmed it's moving, she gives a satisfied nod.
"Mission accomplished."
As she puts the laptop away and prepares to get going herself, her phone rings. A soft smile graces her features when she sees the caller ID.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Hey," comes Logan's smooth timbre down the line. "Are you busy right now?"
"Just about to grab lunch," she tells him. "Why, what's going on?"
"Just realised I forgot to buy the peppers and onions for dinner tonight," he says. "Could you stop by the store and pick some up?"
"Sure." She nods. "I'll pop in on my way back to the office. Anything else we need while I'm there?"
"Oh, yeah... we're almost out of Abi's shampoo. She got creative at bath-time last night and emptied half the bottle into the water."
"Shampoo. Got it."
"Thanks," he says. "See you later, okay?"
"Later," she agrees. "Love you."
"Love you, too."
She hangs up, drops the phone into her purse and fastens her seatbelt, before pulling out into the road and heading to the coffee shop a couple of blocks away. After devouring a large meatball sub and a chocolate muffin, and grabbing a take-out lunch for her father, she drives to the grocery store.
Once inside, grabbing a couple of bell peppers and an onion is easy, but procuring Abi's favourite No More Tangles shampoo is a little more difficult, given that there's a couple having an argument right in the middle of the aisle. Veronica tries her best to reach around them, but their position in front of the childrens' shampoo shelving, and fact that she's the size of a whale now, means she can't get hold of it. She's about to politely ask if they could please take their argument elsewhere, when the guy grabs the woman by the arms and starts to shake her.
"Hey!" Veronica is quick to step in, dropping her basket to the floor. "Take your hands off her."
"Or what?" The guy snarls at her, glancing down at her short stature and large belly with scepticism. "What are you gonna do about it?"
"What am I gonna do?" she asks, pulling her Taser from her purse and holding it up. "Ever experienced what it's like to have 30,000 volts coursing through your body? No? Well, you're about to find out."
The guy sneers at Veronica, then looks back at the woman and back to Veronica again. She sparks up the Taser and his eyes narrow at her.
"Oh, fuck this. I'm outta here."
He releases the woman, then pushes past Veronica forcefully, the momentum spinning her around and knocking her off-balance. She tries to grab onto the nearest shelf, but misjudges the distance and feels herself falling instead.
"Shit!" she gasps, trying to break the fall with her hands. However, her stomach takes most of the impact and she hisses as a wave of discomfort rolls through her belly.
"Oh my God, are you all right?" asks the woman in shock as she steps closer.
Veronica carefully turns over, manoeuvres herself into a sitting position.
"I think so," she says, even though her stomach feels tender and there's an uncomfortable ache in her lower back.
She brings her hand to her belly, smoothing over it protectively, like she's reassuring her son that everything is okay.
"Here, let me help you up."
The woman holds out both his hands to her, and Veronica takes them gratefully as she slowly pulls herself up.
"Thank you."
"Are you sure you're okay?" The woman bites her lip in hesitation as she picks up Veronica's basket and hands it to her. "Maybe you should get yourself checked out?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Veronica assures him, ignoring the tenderness in her belly for the moment. "Really. Don't worry about me. But, are you okay?"
"I'm okay," she says. "But thank you, for your help."
"Us girls have to stick together, right?" Veronica gives her a smile, before reaching out to grab the bottle of shampoo she came for.
"Right."
Veronica nods, then turns and makes her way towards the checkout stands. She pays for the items in her basket then makes her way back to the car. It's a bit of an effort to get back into the driver's seat, and she groans at the ache in her back and slightly painful twinge in the side of her stomach as she climbs in. She runs her hand gently over her belly.
"Well, that was an adventure, huh?"
Logan arrives home that evening to find his wife and daughter sitting at the kitchen table, Veronica desperately pleading with Abi to eat her chicken pieces and broccoli instead of smushing them up and throwing them all over the floor.
"Hey, you're home," she says when she spots him entering the living room. "Good. Maybe you can convince her to eat something."
"Not going well, huh?" he asks, leaning down to kiss her temple.
Veronica shakes her head. "She's in a bad mood today. Heather said she was a nightmare this afternoon."
He leans forward to kiss Abi as well, but she just twists away from him with an emphatic "No!" and he pulls back, raising his eyebrows.
"I see what you mean," he says. "Let me get changed and I'll see what I can do."
Heading down the hall to their bedroom, he changes into a t-shirt and sweatpants, then makes his way back to the dining table. Sliding into the chair on the other side of Abi's high chair he does his level best to coax his baby girl into eating her dinner. When, after several attempts, she's still refusing, he sits back with a defeated sigh.
"Okay, I give up."
On the other side of the table, Veronica smirks. "I'm glad to see I'm not the only one she does this to."
He narrows his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
Veronica collects the discarded pieces of chicken and mushed-up broccoli from Abi's tray-table and deposits them on the plate in front of her. As she does so, Logan notices the way she winces, her movements stiff as she twists her body slightly. He reaches over to gently curl his fingers around her wrist, stopping her movements.
"Hey, what happened? You're wincing."
"Oh, it's nothing," she dismisses, extracting her hand from his. "When I was at the store, this couple were arguing and the guy grabbed her, so I pulled out my taser and stopped him, but he shoved past me and I lost my balance."
"You fell?" He sits up straight in apprehension. "Are you okay? And the baby?"
"I'm fine." She shakes her head, waving him off. "Nothing to worry about."
He watches her in concern. "Have you seen the doctor?"
"No," she admits. "But like I said, it wasn't a big deal. I'm fine."
"Veronica…" he says warningly. "You know you're supposed to go to the doctor right away if anything happens in the third trimester."
She looks at him with annoyance, but he just stares her down until she sighs.
"Okay, okay, I'll go see Dr. Williams on Monday."
"Monday? What's wrong with tomorrow?"
"It's the weekend tomorrow, Logan," she says, still sounding a little annoyed. "It can wait until Monday."
"We can go to the hospital," he suggests. "I'll take you now."
"No, Logan," she says firmly. "Honestly, I feel fine."
"Okay, well, if you're sure…" He's hesitant to let it go, but it's obvious she's made up her mind.
"I am."
"All right, then." Clenching his jaw, he grabs the plate of discarded food and stalks into the kitchen. "Your choice."
"Oh, come on, don't be like that," she calls after him.
"I'm not being like anything," he retorts, placing the plate down on the counter, then grabbing a soda from the fridge and forcefully popping it open. "It's your body; you know it best."
Veronica lies on her side in bed, wrapped around her pregnancy pillow with her back to Logan. Her hand rests over her belly as she stares at the bright numbers of the clock on the nightstand, a troubled expression on her face.
It's 3:06 a.m.
Thirteen hours since she last felt the baby move.
She knows it's normal that the baby doesn't move much some days, especially later in the pregnancy-not much room in there, after all-but, it's just… well, Logan's words from earlier have been ringing in her ears for the last few hours, and the longer she goes without feeling anything, the more worried she's becoming.
Inhaling slowly, then letting the breath out with a huff, she makes a decision.
"Hey, Logan…" she calls out to him softly. "Logan!"
She can't turn over easily, so when there's no response, she kicks her leg out behind her, catching his calf with her foot.
"Hmph," he mutters, coming awake. "Wha's goin' on?"
"Logan," Veronica says, her tone becoming urgent. "I think something's wrong."
"Shit!" He sits up quickly, worry clear in his expression. "What's the matter?"
"I haven't felt him move in hours," she admits softly.
"How many hours?"
"Um… Thirteen?"
"Fuck!" he curses, sliding out of the bed and coming around to her side, crouching down so they're face-to-face. "We need to get you to the hospital, Veronica. No arguments, okay?"
She nods, acquiescing. "No arguments."
"Come on." He stands, helping her to sit up and moving the pillow out of the way. "You get dressed, okay? I'll go get Abi up."
"Okay." She nods easily.
Logan presses a kiss to her forehead, before slipping out of the room.
Sucking in a deep breath and trying not to panic, Veronica eases herself off the bed and reaches for the clothes she discarded a few hours ago. She's in the middle of pulling on her jacket when a sharp, cramping pain shoots through her belly.
"Shit!" she exclaims, doubling-over, one hand gripping the dresser as the other clutches at her stomach.
This is more than the Braxton-Hicks she's been feeling lately. This feels like something really is wrong.
"Logan!" she shouts his name this time. "Logan!"
He appears in the doorway, holding a half-asleep Abi in his arms. "What? What's wrong?"
She looks up at him, trying to hold it together as she says, "I don't know what's happening. It hurts." She feels a stinging sensation between her legs then, and freezes. "And… I think I might be bleeding."
Alarm fills his face and he springs into action.
"Okay, we're going to the hospital right now." He shifts Abi on his hip. "You grab whatever you need, I'll go put her in the car."
Less than five minutes later, they're in the car and Logan has a death grip on the steering wheel as he pulls the car quickly out of the driveway, the tires screeching as he accelerates faster than strictly necessary. Veronica isn't paying any attention to his driving skills though; instead she's focused on the painful cramping in her abdomen, the bleeding (she checked in the bathroom, and yes, she is bleeding), and the fact that she hasn't felt any movement from the baby in over thirteen hours.
Everything's fine. It's fine, she repeats to herself internally. It's gonna be fine.
"Okay, Veronica." The doctor steps inside the ER cubicle where Veronica and Logan are anxiously waiting, with Abi asleep in her stroller beside the bed. "I've taken a look at your notes, and the results of your physical exam and ultrasound."
"And?" asks Veronica.
Logan squeezes her hand in reassurance. He can tell she's trying to keep it together, and to anyone else, it would probably seem like she is, but he heard the slight quiver in her voice just now and can feel the trembling of her hand, and he knows she's barely holding on.
"And…" says the doctor slowly. "You made the right decision to come in tonight. The tests show that you have some internal bleeding, and based on the ultrasound and physical exam, I believe that the fall you took yesterday has caused a placental abruption."
Veronica swallows audibly, glancing at Logan. "Okay, and what does that mean?"
"It means that the placenta has separated from the uterus," the doctor tells them. "It's quite rare, but it can be caused by trauma to the abdomen… such as a fall. Placental abruption can cause some potentially serious complications, not just for you, but for your baby as well."
Logan can see tears forming in Veronica's eyes and his heart goes out to her.
"So what do we do now?" he speaks up now.
The doctor shakes his head. "Well, it's difficult to know how extensive the abruption is, and we won't know for sure until after delivery. However, at the moment, neither Veronica nor the baby are in distress, so for now, I'd like to admit you, so we can monitor your condition."
"And how long will that be for?" Veronica asks, tightening her hand around Logan's.
"I really couldn't say at this point," he tells her. "Usually either until the baby has matured, or until your condition changes."
Veronica frowns. "But I'm only thirty-three weeks. Are you saying I could be stuck in the hospital for another seven?"
"It's a possibility." The doctor gives a sympathetic nod. "I'm sorry, I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's the best and safest option for you right now. With you here in the hospital, we can try to hold off on delivery for as long we can, to give your son as much time as possible to fully develop before he's born. We'll also give you some steroid injections to build up his lungs in case of an early delivery. We're not gonna leave anything to chance with this pregnancy, Veronica."
"Okay," murmurs Veronica, nodding absently.
"I need to sort out the paperwork to get you admitted, so I'll give you some time alone."
As soon as the doctor's gone, Logan is on his feet, gathering Veronica in his arms. She clings to him as a soft sob escapes her lips.
"I should have listened to you yesterday and come here sooner," she manages, her voice hitching.
"Hey, it's okay," he says soothingly. "You can't do anything about that now. But you did come here and they're gonna take care of you and the baby."
"If I hadn't decided to play the hero yesterday, this wouldn't have happened," she mutters sadly.
"It was an accident, Veronica. You can't blame yourself; you were only trying to help." He tightens his arm around her, holding her close. "Besides, I'm the one who asked you to go to the store."
"What are we gonna do, Logan? I can't just stay in the hospital for several weeks; I have work to do, and we still haven't finished re-decorating the nursery or getting ready for the baby. And what about Abi?"
"We'll work it all out, okay?" Logan tells her. "You just look after yourself and our son, and I'll sort out the rest."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course." He smiles, perching beside her on the bed. "You know Keith and Marcia will be happy to help out, and I'm sure I can rope Dick and Wallace into helping with the nursery."
"Okay." She nods against his shoulder. "Thank you."
It's late afternoon on Thursday and Veronica has been in the hospital for five days.
Logan is trying desperately to keep things together, but it's harder than he thought it would be, juggling work, caring for Abi on his own, and trying to keep the household running smoothly. And of course, he's been worrying about Veronica and their unborn son almost constantly since she was admitted to the hospital. Heather's been a Godsend while he's been at work though, and as he hoped, Keith has been awesome too, offering to take Abi any time Logan needs him to—which so far has been every evening for a couple hours so he can visit Veronica—and also going to see Veronica himself whenever he has a spare hour or so.
Right now, Logan is on base in San Diego, counting down the last few minutes until he can get out of here and go see Veronica. Keith is coming over to their house at five to take over babysitting duties from Heather, leaving Logan available to drive straight to the hospital.
He stares at the clock on the wall, willing it to speed up. It doesn't, of course, but the moment that second hand hits five p.m., he's up out of his chair and heading for the door. He drives back to Neptune as fast as he can in the early evening traffic, and makes it to Neptune Memorial just after six o'clock.
"Hey," he greets Veronica with a smile as he enters her room.
She looks up from the show playing on the small TV in the corner and gives him a tired smile. "Hey."
"How're you doing?" he asks, crossing the room and kissing her forehead before taking a seat beside the bed and reaching for her hand. "You look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?"
"As much as I can," she says. "This bed is hella uncomfortable, and I can't relax when I'm hooked up to all these machines."
Logan glances down at the cannula in her arm, then at the wires snaking under her hospital gown which are attached to either side of her stomach, monitoring the baby's vital signs.
"Yeah, I bet."
"And it's boring in here," she complains tiredly. "There are only so many episodes of Law and Order and Modern Family I can watch, you know?"
"I know." He gives her a sympathetic smile. "Any updates from the doctors?"
"Not really." She looks defeated. "They think the single course of steroids will be enough to help with the baby's lung development, but they're still worried about the risk of bleeding, and they want to keep monitoring him to make sure he's not in any distress."
"I'm sorry." Logan's free hand moves to rest over her belly, thumb stroking gently. "He's still moving around in there, though?"
"Yeah." Her hand slowly comes up to cover his on her stomach. "He is."
"That's good."
He has to admit, he was terrified the other night when Veronica told him she hadn't felt the baby move in thirteen hours. As it turned out, the baby's okay… for now, at least… though he still feels the need to check on him whenever he can.
"So," he changes the subject. "What's on the agenda for this evening? Poker? Crossword? TV movie?"
She barely manages a shrug, her movements slow and lethargic. "None of the above?"
He frowns. "Are you sure you're okay? You look pale."
"Yeah, I'm—"
A loud, sudden beeping fills the room and he sits frozen to the spot as Veronica's eyes slide closed and she loses consciousness. There's a rushing in his ears and he stumbles out of the chair as a team of doctors and nurses burst into the room. They tell him he can't be in there and he finds himself pushed out into the corridor, only able to look on in horror and confusion as they surround Veronica's bed.
His heart is pounding in his chest, his breathing coming in short, sharp pants, as he slumps down into one of the chairs along the corridor wall.
"Mr. Echolls?" a voice finally breaks through the void he's found himself in.
"Uh… it's Lieutenant," he says absently, automatically, staring at his hands.
"Sorry. Lieutenant Echolls. I'm Doctor Hernandez."
He finally looks up at the doctor standing before him, blinking himself out of his mental fog. He stands. "What happened? Is Veronica okay? The baby?"
"I'm afraid the baby is in some distress," Dr. Hernandez tells him. "And it's putting a strain on Veronica's body too. She's bleeding again. We need to perform an emergency C-Section."
"A C-section? Now?" He's struggling to get his head around this. "But it's too early. She still has six weeks to go."
"It's our only option, I'm afraid," says the doctor kindly. "If we don't deliver your baby now, we risk losing both of them."
Logan's heart stops at that. "Losing them? As in… oh God."
He sinks back down into the chair, his hands winding into his hair, clutching at his scalp.
"Lieutenant Echolls, I'm afraid I don't have much time. Veronica is being prepped for surgery as we speak."
"Okay." He nods, unable to fully comprehend what's happening right now. "Can—can I be in there with her?"
"I'm afraid not. She'll be under a general anaesthetic and we need to move fast here." The doctor gives him a sympathetic smile "We'll let you know as soon as she's out of the OR."
He turns, starting to head down the corridor, but Logan calls out to him urgently. "Wait! Can I see her?"
The doctor stops, looking hesitant for a second, before he nods. "Just for a minute."
At that moment, Veronica is wheeled out of the room and Logan is at her side in an instant, walking with the nurses and doctor as they wheel her down the corridor. She's awake now, but her skin is clammy, and so pale it's almost white.
"Veronica..." He runs his hand over her hair, then strokes her cheek with his thumb.
"Logan?" she mumbles faintly, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. "Why is this happening? I don't understand..."
"It's okay. The doctors are going to take good care of you and the baby."
She reaches for his hand, squeezing tightly. "I need you with me."
His heart breaks as he forces himself to say, "I can't, I'm sorry. I'm not allowed."
Her face crumples, tears leaking from her eyes. "No, I need you."
"You'll be okay, Veronica. I love you. Both of you," he murmurs, kissing her forehead. "Come back to me, okay?"
Her breath hitches in her throat as she squeezes his hand and replies softly, "Always."
The medical team waves him away and continues on toward the OR, and he's left standing in the middle of the corridor, staring after Veronica, tears stinging his eyes.
The next ninety minutes are the longest of Logan's life. At first, he's a flurry of activity, calling Keith first to let him know what's going on and to ask if he can keep Abi for the night, then phoning Heather to tell her to pick up Abi from Keith's in the morning. After that, he shoots his OC a quick text to let him know he's calling in sick tomorrow. And finally, his thumb hovers over the message button on his phone, as he debates sending their friends a group text to let them know what's going on… but then he quickly decides against it. Better to wait until he knows more, rather than panic everyone needlessly.
Once all that is done, he makes his way down the hall to the coffee machine, and in a daze, fixes himself a cup. Absently, he takes a sip, then makes a face at the awful taste and promptly throws it in the trash. He paces the corridor for a few minutes, then eventually slumps down into one of the uncomfortable chairs, his knee bouncing uncontrollably.
This is horrible. He's itching to see her, to burst into that OR and rush to her side and hold her hand, and it's killing him that he can't be in there with her. That he isn't going to be present for the birth of his son.
"Please let her be okay," he mutters to himself. "Let them both be okay."
He's not even going to consider the possibility that either of them might not be.
"Logan!" He straightens at sound of his name, his head whipping up to see Dick striding down the corridor towards him, a look of concern on his face.
"Dick." Logan runs his hands down his thighs as he stands, frowning at Dick in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"Veronica's dad called me… dunno how he got my number." Dick scrunches up his face in thought for a moment before dismissing and continuing, "Anyway, he said you were at the hospital, something about Ronnie and your pending offspring? Said he couldn't make it, but you should have someone here with you."
Logan nods slowly, reaching out to grasp Dick's shoulder in gratitude. "Thanks, man."
"So, what happened? What's wrong with Ronnie?"
"I don't know what happened." Logan gives a helpless shrug. "She seemed okay when I got here, but then something went wrong and she passed out. Next I know, the doctor's telling me she's bleeding and the baby's in distress and they gotta do an emergency C-section. She's in surgery now."
"Aw, man, I'm sorry." Dick says sincerely. "What can I do?"
"Find me a decent cup of coffee?" he deadpans.
He's not entirely serious, but when Dick nods, adding a "Comin' right up," as he turns back down the corridor, he doesn't complain. His friend returns a few minutes later with two cups of coffee and a couple sandwiches, and takes a seat beside Logan. They eat and drink in silence for a few minutes—Logan didn't realise how hungry he was until now—until Dick finally speaks up.
"She's gonna be all right, you know," he tells him. "She's Veronica Mars, right? And that kid inside her? Half-Echolls. Those are two strong, fighting bloodlines, you know?"
"I know." Logan smiles a little, grateful for his friend's support. "Thanks, Dick."
He shrugs. "What're friends for, huh?"
Dick sits with him for the next hour, making small talk, checking out the nurses and generally just trying to distract Logan from his maudlin thoughts. It works, for the most part, but Logan still can't get the image of Veronica in that hospital bed out of his mind.
Finally, after what feels like forever, he spots Dr. Hernandez walking down the corridor towards him, a serious expression on his face.
"Lieutenant Echolls…"
Logan's on his feet immediately, his heart pounding as he approaches the doctor. "Are they okay? What happened?"
The doctor regards him for a second, before he gives a slow nod. "Veronica is fine. We got her into surgery just in time."
"That's great." He lets out the breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "And the baby?"
"We delivered your son at six-forty-seven p.m.," the doctor tells him, with a small smile. "Congratulations."
"My son…" Logan murmurs the words softly, his chest tightening with emotion. "Is he okay?"
"He's small, just under four pounds," the doctor tells him, "and his lungs aren't quite fully developed yet, so we'll need to keep him in the NICU for a while until he's able to breathe on his own and is strong enough to go home."
"Okay…" Logan's hearing the words, but they aren't really sinking in. "And, um… what are his chances? Of surviving?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to concern you." Dr. Hernandez seems surprised at the question, as if he hadn't even considered Logan would be worried about it. "His chances are extremely good. He is premature, but at almost thirty-four weeks, other than his lungs, all of his major organs are fully developed, and he has around a 99% chance of survival."
"Oh, thank God." Relief floods his body, and he revels in it for a moment, before his mind turns to a more pressing issue. "Can I see them?"
"Veronica is in recovery right now, but you can see her as soon as she's moved back to her room," says the doctor. "However, I'm afraid it'll be a just little longer before you can meet your son. We still need to run some tests and get him settled into the NICU. You can wait for Veronica in her room."
"Okay." Logan runs a hand through his hair, then holds out his hand. "Thank you, Doctor."
Dr. Hernandez shakes his hand and gives a nod. "Just doing my job, sir."
The doctor heads back down the corridor again and Logan watches him go, his heart pounding as he tries to digest everything he's just been told. A hand on his shoulder makes him turn, facing Dick, who looks concerned.
"Is everything okay?"
Swallowing, Logan nods. "Yeah. It's good. Veronica's okay, and… I have a son, Dick."
Veronica comes awake slowly, feeling sore and disoriented. She tries to open her eyes and gives a soft groan at the bright glare of lights, before quickly closing them again.
"Veronica?" says an urgent voice. Logan's voice.
She hears a chair scraping across the floor and something squeezing her hand.
"Lo—?" She tries to get his name out, but her tongue feels heavy and won't cooperate.
"It's me," his voice sounds again, closer this time. "I'm here."
She feels his palm cupping her face, and his lips pressing against her temple, but she can't summon the energy to try to look at him.
"Wha—what happ'nd?"
"Can you open your eyes?" he asks softly.
She frowns in concentration, then slowly her lids flutter open. This time the room doesn't seem as bright, the shadow of Logan's head blocking much of the light, and she manages to focus on him. He's smiling down at her, his expression a combination of love and relief.
"Hey, how're you feeling?"
She swallows dryly, and he's quick to reach for a cup of water with a straw in it, so she can take a drink.
"I've been better," she says eventually. "Everything aches though. And my stomach hurts."
"I know."
"Wait…" Her eyes widen in alarm as she glances down at herself. "My stomach… the baby!"
"It's okay." Logan's smiling and she can't comprehend why. "You were bleeding and the baby was in distress, so they had to do an emergency C-section."
"A C-section?" she murmurs faintly. "Is he—?"
"He's okay. He's in the NICU." Logan cuts in, voice sounding tremulous as he adds, "Veronica, we have a son."
"We do?" She feels tears welling in her eyes.
"Uh huh." He smiles. "He was born at six-forty-seven this evening, weighing just under four lbs."
"Four lbs? Logan that's tiny!" she exclaims, ignoring her dry throat. "Is he all right? Will he—?"
She can't bring herself to say it.
"They tell me he has great odds," Logan tells her gently. "They have him in an incubator, but the doctor said at thirty-four weeks, he has a 99% chance of surviving."
She nods, pressing her lips together as emotion swirls up in her chest and she tries to stop it from spilling over. "Have you seen him?"
Logan shakes his head. "Not yet. They wouldn't let me earlier and, besides, I didn't want to meet him for the first time without you."
This time the tears really do spill over and she hitches in a sobbing breath, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She has a son. She gave birth and she wasn't even conscious for it. Just like that, he's no longer a part of her. He's in some incubator, alone and defenceless… and she just wants to hold him in her arms.
"Hey, come here." Logan stands, then perches on the edge of the bed and slips an arm around her shoulders, careful not to jostle her as he eases her close.
"Thank you." She buries her head in his shirt, grateful for the comfort his presence always brings. "Do you know when we can—?"
"I'm not sure," he says before she can finish, "but it should be soon."
It's another two hours before they're allowed up to the NICU to see the baby.
First, Dr. Hernandez checks on Veronica's recovery and goes through the post-op care routine with her, then a neo-natal nurse comes by to talk to her about caring for a premature baby and what to expect when she sees her son. By the time they're alone again, Veronica's head is spinning with all the new information, and beside her Logan looks shell-shocked as well. They don't have time to process any of it though, because the nurse returns a few moments later with a wheelchair to take Veronica up to the NICU.
Veronica spent the last six months, since she found out she was pregnant, struggling to come to terms with having another baby. It was hard, and emotional, and fucking scary at times, but the moment she lays eyes on her little baby boy, lying naked in an incubator, all her worries fly right out of the window.
"Oh my God," she murmurs, suddenly feeling on the verge of tears again. "Logan, look at him."
She doesn't see all the wires and tubes and breathing apparatus, all she sees is her beautiful baby boy. Her son. Crouching beside her wheelchair, his gaze fixed on the precious cargo inside the incubator, Logan nods.
"I know." His voice cracks on the words and Veronica tears her eyes from her baby to look at him. He swallows harshly, his chin trembling. "He's so tiny."
"He looks so fragile and helpless." Her hand comes to her mouth as her chest tightens with fear and she feels a sob rising in her throat. "God, what if he doesn't—"
"Hey, don't," Logan says, turning to her, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. "He's gonna be fine. You heard what the doctor said. 99% chance. That's not something to sniff at."
"I know." She nods. "It's just seeing him like this… he shouldn't be in there, he should still be nice and safe in here." Her hand comes to rest at the top of her abdomen. "It's my fault. If I hadn't—"
"Veronica, no," says Logan quickly. "Stop, okay? You can't blame yourself. It was an accident; you couldn't have known what would happen when you went into that store."
"I can't help it." She shakes her head, her chest feeling hollow.
The nurse approaches them then, preventing Logan from saying anything further.
"Would you like to say hello?" She asks, indicating the gloves attached to the sides of the incubator. "You can use the gloves to touch him if you'd like."
Veronica looks up at her in surprise. "We can touch him? It's not too soon?"
"Of course." The nurse smiles kindly. "As long as he's in the incubator and not exposed to any germs, he'll be fine."
"Okay."
Veronica slides her right hand into one of the gloves, while Logan slips his left into the other. With a shaking hand, she reaches out towards her son's tiny, pink arm, then sucks in a sharp breath when her glove-covered finger comes into contact with it. Logan reaches out as well, his fingers sliding against hers as he gently strokes along their son's arm.
And that's when she feels it. Finally. A rush of love and happiness fills her heart, and in that moment, she forgets all the worries, reservations and frustrations from the last few months. All she feels right now is overwhelming love for her son.
"Wow…"
Logan's free hand slides into hers, linking their fingers together, and she looks up to find him staring at her, watching every expression that's crossing her face.
"You're feeling it, aren't you?" he asks softly.
"I am. It just hit me." She nods tearfully. "I almost lost him today, Logan. And seeing him now… I just… I don't know what I'd do if—" She stops, unable to complete the sentence. "I love him already."
He smiles tremulously, his fingers squeezing around hers. "I do, too."
They share a tender look, before turning their attention back to their baby again. After a few moments of watching wondrously as a tiny little hand curls around Veronica's finger and holds on tight, Logan speaks up again.
"We should probably decide on a name, huh?"