Author's Note: Naturally we all know that I have no ownership whatsoever of Harry Potter and his fellow wizarding mates, or of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Original characters are mine.
Thank you FireSenshi2 and Trickster32.
Trickster32 – another pathway choice, I really do set those up a fair bit. True on that last bit.
FireSenshi2 – the poor bloke is really copping it isn't he?
Warning triggers ahead.
Chapter Fifteen
Unexpected
"How is he?"
"Seeming to be more at ease than what he's been in a very long time," Remus answers Splinters question, taking the offering of the mug of green tea.
"What of the loss he's enduring?"
Remus replies after taking a sip of the refreshing beverage. "Still a little mixed over it, but at the end, he knew it was meant to be this way. He just was not willing to carry on with something that was forced on to him."
Splinter once used to be in the belief that once pregnant, the person ought to keep it regardless, but after what has happened to one of his closest friends and the horrible circumstances that surrounded the whole thing and why, he now understood as to why, perhaps, certain women... or men... needed to do what they do. It wasn't so much Severus hadn't really thought this through, if anything he weighed up every single possible solution and for him it all pointed one way, as opposed to the other.
"How are you in all of this?" Splinter decides to ask.
"A little sad, I am not going to lie, I wouldn't have minded another child. But this was always going to be Severus's choice, and will always be his choice. He isn't sure if he wants to ever have any more, he hasn't made that decision yet, which is fair, it's a lot to consider. Right now I believe it's more concentrating on the now, rather than the unwritten future," Remus didn't hold back his truth.
"A wise way to look at it," Splinter comments kindly.
"Only way to look at it from my stand point."
"Fair point."
A little later Remus had gone back on upstairs with a tray of food and reaching their room.
Two days had passed since the start of the process of eliminating the pregnancy and Severus was near on bedridden as a result, though the pain relief potions were helping in taking off the edge, but it didn't stop the discomfort.
Severus did sense his partner's pang of sadness when the first drops of blood started to show, to start the inevitable, but he also sensed his support to be stronger.
"How are you feeling?" Remus asks, approaching and setting the tray down on the bedside table.
"Like a waterfall is escaping and not sure how to describe the heavy feeling that's going on down there."
"At least you have a better idea on the woman's anatomy after what you've experienced," Remus tried to be humorous.
Severus tried to narrow his eyes, but betrayed it with a slight smile.
"Well... this ought to help in explaining to Freya and Athena what to expect when they hit puberty I suppose."
"Er... that is if they do end up having periods like any other ordinary human girl," Remus decides to say.
This cocks an eyebrow from Severus. "Come again?"
"Let's just say that instead of periods, they might end up down the path of going on heat, which is slightly different. Don't ask me how, it's just what I've been told."
"Oh, wonderful," Severus said with sarcasm, before grimacing a little.
Remus placed a warmed up hand on Severus's bare abdomen, the heat was an instant feel of relief, it also caused him to frown a little when he felt a near on tsunami sensation pouring out from between his legs and a stretching sensation where he really had to grit his teeth.
"I'll get Serket," said Remus.
It was agreed among the three medics that they would take rounds in staying around and monitoring Severus during the entire thing to make sure he was still safe.
Within seconds Serket had entered after being called by Remus from the doorway; seeing the situation straight away and pulled the sheeting away. (The bedding was completely covered and made suited for what was to come, as while he was padded for the start, Serket and Porthos advised that it was best that he stay padded free, as gross as it sounded, allowing for whatever that needed to come out to be given a clear run, plus it was easier to replace sheets).
"This is not what we were expecting at all," she said, trying not to sound too alarmed after examining the area.
"Expecting what?" Remus asks.
"Severus, you're going to need to start pushing, as it appears that you are crowning."
"Pushing?" Severus cried, before pain swept up and he gritted his teeth again.
"Crowning?" says a stunned Remus.
Serket said carefully to the very confused couple; "It appears that you develop the embryos faster than first theorised. Remember, you did carry your daughters until you were thirty-four weeks along, but even then, you did have a relatively near normal human pregnancy, with some obvious differences. We didn't know if it was because of the amount of babies you were carrying, or if it was the actual development itself, or combination of both. We were virtually almost blind. Compared to now, when we did scan you before all of this to see how many or how far along you may have been to get the dosage right and safely get you through this. But this changes things."
Curious, yet concerned on what he was feeling, almost forgetting that Remus was there, but seeming to not care, pulled back the covers, and saw, right upon the sheeting, two tiny near human looking foetuses resting in the deep dark red blood, were two.
"I remember Porthos explaining that the scan itself may have been off by a few days," said Remus.
"This may have also been miscalculated from what we're seeing," said Serket. "The scans had you at about six to seven weeks along based on the growth development, or equivalent to around then, it may have been plausible that between having the scan and the three days later when this started they might have grown more than first anticipated."
Severus held in a sharp breath, before grunting against the wave of agonising pain he was feeling, followed by a downward pressure.
"How much further are you talking, Serket?" Remus asked, as he could see as much as Severus wanted to ask these things, he wasn't exactly able to.
"Uncertain, until they come out," Serket kept calm. "We are, however, going to need Porthos and Poppy."
"On it!"
"No! Don't leave!" Severus begged in this panicked tone.
Remus thought on his feet and called for Splinter to come up.
As soon as he saw Splinter he told him what was needed to be done. No questions asked, Splinter was on to it, allowing Remus to get back to his partner, just as the entire head came out followed by the body.
Seeing this teeny tiny thing, heaps smaller than what their daughters were when born, coming out of Severus and guided on to the sheets by Serket's careful hands was surreal. It made not a single sound. Serket checked it over. They could see just how, even if it did make it to whatever term it was meant to have reached, it may not have survived.
Deformed in the face and hands and just not at all showing any sign of breathing through what might have been its mouth... or was it the nose...? Even the genitals wasn't recognisable, forming into nothing that could establish male or female.
Madam Pomfrey and Porthos appeared almost as soon as Serket was placing the dead deformed foetus into a bedpan after she had cut the cord that it had.
"Oh my," said the Medic-witch upon the sight of it.
"With your permission, we would like to get this to Moscow for autopsy, try and understand what has happened?" Serket was careful.
Severus slowly nodded, mixed by the sight he saw, watching as Porthos sensitively had the foetus placed into an air sealed container. He knew that one wasn't Remus's, the sensing was all wrong to detect anything that matched his partner's genetic code. But still, he didn't know that it might affect him in this way.
"I need to be in water," he found himself saying.
But before he was able to be moved, another onslaught overcame him and within moments, another foetus came out, this one being much smaller than the first one, not completely deformed, except for, perhaps, the spine being more humped than it probably should be, this one clearly showing to have been a boy and, like the first one, was born unresponsive, but then it did resemble that of a thirteen week foetus, compared to the first, where it may have passed for around eighteen weeks.
After that, it was like an flow on affect, the scan did pick up eight inside of Severus – which nearly caused both him and Remus to near on collapse with shock at the sight, they thought four was shocking, but eight?
"You were practically going to be forced to carry as many as they were able to get you to carry at each time," they remember Porthos explaining to them. "Weren't particularly worrying about your due care to do it."
"Explains why I got so fat so quick!" Severus mutters.
How ironic those words would have more meaning to it after seeing the first two, now three... no four coming out of him. Not once did he sense an inkling of his partner's genes within them. Nor with the fifth one, which looked to be more around the tenth week. All of them were had their own separate sack.
Once the fifth one had been expelled, Severus's body was virtually exhausted, physically and emotionally.
"They're nearly all out, Severus," Serket gently says.
Severus had his head resting upon Remus's shoulder, lips trembling, tears rolling down, shivering a little. He was pale, sweating and really, really wanted to be in a tub of water. Not once had Remus left his side, unless it was necessary, throughout this currently going into a seven hour ordeal and still counting by the clock.
"I need to rest," Severus whimpers. "Please, can't this just stop for awhile?"
Sympathetically Serket and Madam Pomfrey both shook their heads.
"We can give you a small dose of adrenaline potion that helps in giving that extra push to get through," Serket tells him.
Porthos, who had been running the embryos to Moscow the moment they were expelled, re-entered the room.
"Poppy, can you pass me that vial, please? Plus that other one, with the red and white mixture?"
"Is there anything I can do?" Porthos asks, as Madam Pomfrey went to get the vials.
"I believe we need a fresh bowl of water and clean cloths," said Serket.
"On it," said Porthos, hopping to it.
Severus took the potions without asking, he didn't need to. He wanted this to be over, he wanted to rest, but he knew these were helping him.
Ten minutes after consuming the potions, he felt a little more 'pepped' but not completely, though enough to know that the other potion had kicked in, feeling the wave trickling out, this one didn't hurt as much, feeling more like sharp cramping, the kind he felt when he had the scare back during the early stages of learning he was pregnant and saw a small smidgen of blood and thinking the worst.
Remus held Severus firm as he watch the last three normal appearing five to seven week embryos being expelled on out to the awaiting towel.
Severus had his eyes closed when he felt the clots passing. He didn't grieve for the first five, because they weren't supposed to be inside him in the first place, as far as he and, perhaps, his own body with the way most of them had formed the way they did, even if he did feel a little sad upon seeing them; but these three... they were different... he knew then that these three weren't the forced impregnation he was given, these three, alien looking jellybeans, but still every bit normal...
He felt the arms going around his upper arms and a gentle face going into the side nook of his neck and shoulder. Severus knew that Remus also knew then and there that those embryos, just starting to take shape were of their matched genetic coding.
"We'll take extra care of these ones," Porthos promises, when he was given the towel, sensing what had just happened.
After Severus had been examined and given the all clear to move, and glad that he didn't require any stitching and that he should heal just fine with the proper care and treatment to the area, he was finally permitted to move, but his legs had nearly lost their ability to function and he was just sore. Feeling extra worse than he did when he had his daughters.
He wasn't without help, the shower had been put on before he got anywhere near it and heated up, Remus guided him to it, not giving much care to the blood that was dripping down on to the carpeting and tiles, easing Severus into the much needed water, helping to sit upon the floor.
"I'm sorry, Remus," Remus hears.
He peers down at Severus, as he was kneeling and helping in watching him down. Severus looked as though he was almost staring off into space, but was still highly aware of what was around him, or what had happened over the past number of hours.
Remus lowered down, placing a couple of fingers under his partner's chin, coaxing him to look at him.
"You did the right thing, Mon Cheri Sev," he said firmly.
"But..." Severus goes to say.
Remus stops him; "I know, Severus, I know. But, I think we can both agree that doing what you did may have just saved your life, even at the sacrifice of our own flesh and blood."
"I just didn't expect to feel like this," Severus mutters.
Not caring about getting wet, since he was already getting water on himself by helping Severus, Remus wraps his arms around him.
"We will get through this together."
###
By the time Severus was able to get out of the shower and be comfortably dressed and padded, he saw that the entire area had been cleaned up, with freshly cleaned sheets on the bed and not a trace of blood, vomit or any other bodily fluids the poor bloke ended up excreting during the entire process was left.
There was even the added touch of lavender, chamomile and sandalwood coming from incense burners in different points in the room.
"We're going to be burning the sheets and towels as was agreed upon, controlled fire, naturally," said Serket. "When we know more of why things had exhilarated the way they did, but even when we do learn of what needs to be, we will be holding off until you are ready to know yourselves. Right now, you, Severus, are to rest and recover, nothing overly strenuous or anything that may cause a setback in your healing."
Madam Pomfrey comes in with more vials of potions in hand.
"More potions?" Severus tried to not groan.
"Well, unless you wish to run the risk of really bleeding out, infection or immense pain, yes, more potions," said Madam Pomfrey. "You may be the first case I've dealt with in the male having children department, regardless of circumstance, I can sure bet that like some of the girls I've had to deal with, you're like to require the same to similar treatments. With slight changes that fit your anatomy, of course."
"Plus, if you require dreamless sleep," the nurse goes to add, only for Severus to speak once he sat on his side of the bed; "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey, but it is a potion I've had to take on occasion already."
"Oh?"
"Severus has occasional night terrors and post-trauma that wakes him up during the night," Remus simply explains.
"Explains why you're so good at keep up the stocks for Dreamless Sleep potion," says Madam Pomfrey.
Severus wanted to reply, but couldn't see himself in the mood for talking, just taking the potions he was offered.
"We will leave you two alone. Do not worry about your daughters, they've been well looked after and from what I am understanding they are coping just fine right now," Serket tells them. "I do recommend that you wait until tomorrow to see them, that way it gives you both much needed space to come to terms in what's happened, unless you feel you need the presence of your daughters."
"I am sure Freya and Athena will be okay with Splinter and whoever else is watching them at this present time, Serket, thank you," Remus said politely, while Severus just sat and said nothing.
"Some food will be bought up, as well," were the last words given before Serket and Madam Pomfrey left.
Remus closed the door, and returned to Severus, kneeling in front of him.
"Is there anything you need right now?" he asks.
Severus wanted to speak, but didn't know what he wanted to say, let alone what he wanted.
"To be told that everything is going to be okay and that I didn't make a mistake," he then replies to Remus, before once again displaying tears.
Remus was quick to pull Severus to him, firmly planting a kiss on his forehead and carefully get them to be lying on the bed, where he placed a warmed up hand on Severus's abdomen, knowing just how much alleviation it gave, and gently stroking the black hair away from his forehead to gently trace his fingers along it.
He spoke softly in fluent French to Severus; "Mon Cheri Sev, nous allons passer, car je t'aime plus que tu ne pourrais l'imaginer. Vous n'avez pas commis d'erreur, bien que cela puisse paraître comme cela à l'heure actuelle, à cause de la façon dont cela s'est déroulé. Mais toi, mon amour, tu es sain et sauf avec moi. Vous êtes courageux dans votre choix et je serai toujours là pour vous aider, comme vous le savez trop bien maintenant."
Remembering the day Severus learned that Remus knew French he pretty much near on jumped him wanting to rip his clothes off, speaking just as fluent French right on back. Of course these days the wanting to rip into each other over the language has all but died down, it was the language they shared a joy for and spoke when the other really needed the comfort... or wanted to speak in a tongue people probably had no idea how to speak.
Severus had lost his ability to speak again, but his body language was enough for Remus to know that he understood and got in as close as possible to him, as another tear escaped down his face.
Translation from Google translate, (don't hate if it's not overly correct, though it was pretty close going the other way around, lol); "My darling, Sev, we will get through, for I love you more than you could ever imagine. You didn't make a mistake, though it may seem that way at this time, because of the way it played out. But you, my love, are safe and sound, with me. You're brave in the choice you've made and I will always be here to help you through, as you know too well by now."
At least it makes sense as to why they refer each other as Mon Cheri now. though I've had this already in the bank, it was just now I was able to pull it out with the back reason to it... though I was originally going for 'My dear'(which I found out is actually Mon Cher, not Mon Cheri... Ma Cher and Ma Chere is the female version from what I found, do correct me if I am wrong here). The fun and joys of trying to find terms of endearment in different languages.
No, I do not speak fluent French, only knowing a few actual words. Though it's nice to dream that one can.