XIII. There Goes My Life - part 2
She was in the store no more than ten minutes getting the few things Cheryl requested, since they just got back into town that night and there wasn't much food at her place. Lane couldn't complain too much since she knew the food was mostly for her. She'd just set the bag in the trunk when she heard something loud rustling behind her, it wasn't until she looked over her shoulder seeing four Ghoulies that she realized it was the chains on one of their jeans.
"Seriously?" she asked in a tone that could've been considered whining. But her lower back was killing her and she just wanted to be at Cheryl's and not have to move anymore. Whether it was how irritable she looked or the fact that she wasn't the least bit concerned none of the boys responded. "How long are you keeping me?"
"Til Penny decides to let you go," one of them answered.
Lane groaned grabbing both the plastic bag from the store and her hospital bag and shoved it at the Ghoulie closest to her. "Let's go then," she told them sternly, pushing her way through them and headed to the souped up car she figured was theirs.
"Your phone."
A heavy sigh went out of her, that having been her plan, and she turned pulling her phone out and throwing it at the unfortunate Ghoulie that happened to be closest. He flinched as it hit his chest and fell to the ground. "Hop to," she told them and resumed her slow waddling to their car.
She sat in the middle of the backseat stuck between two of them, and she had her hands fitted over her very round belly. There was a sudden sharp pinching in her groin and she shifted a little to the left and released a tired breath when it went away. The young man behind the wheel looked at her in the rearview mirror wondering if this had been a good idea.
They finally made it to a cabin somewhere within Fox Forest, Lane had never been here and so far the Serpents hadn't tracked the Ghoulies here. Sweet Pea had already texted her asking if she'd made it to Cheryl's, the guy next to her had actually responded in a way that sounded like her – he then texted Cheryl saying she wasn't feeling well and that she was staying home. So Lane knew it would be morning at the very least when someone figured out she was gone, and who knew when they'd find her here.
But the way Lane saw it she was a time bomb, and the fact that none of them had actually touched her not even to get her in the car and she was wondering if they'd been given the order not to hurt her. Which would mean she was bait, they mentioned Penny so it was probably to get Jughead here.
The car was raised on over-large wheels, the kind Lane normally rolled her eyes at, but it made getting out easy as she swung her legs out and slowly slid until she was on the ground. "Thanks," she told the kid that stood with a hand on her arm prepared to help if needed.
They took her inside which reeked of stale smoke and too many bodies stuffed in one place. The Ghoulie she knew to be Malachai stood when he saw her and his mouth carved a cruel grin as he slunk closer. But Penny slid in front of him knowing his predisposed loathing for all things Serpents would make him act out, and they'd been told specifically not to touch this girl. "How's the Thelma to my Louise?" she asked, bearing no love for the Serpents either. But this girl, she meant something to a lot of different people.
"In need of a bathroom," Lane answered honestly. She was escorted to one and she swallowed her disgust at how dirty it was and peed before coming out, seeing most everyone was lining the walls waiting for what they doing with her. "So what do you want with Jughead?" she asked Penny, easing herself into a seat across from her at the table.
She smirked scooting a glass of water to the girl that looked more annoyed than worried by her current predicament. "Forgot how much I liked you," she said taking a swig of her beer. She was so used to Serpents and Ghoulies she'd forgotten Lane was a different breed – one closer to her own. "We just wanna talk," she said seeing Lane didn't buy it, and Penny didn't really care. "So when he sends a scout we'll lead him here so he can see we have you."
Lane nodded having figured she was only the bait, there wasn't much else they could use her for at the moment. But it was more than that, they knew the Serpents were spying and tomorrow had been decided intentionally. Looking at Penny's glittering eyes Lane said, "you know it's one of my boys." It was Fangs' turn tomorrow.
"What'd I tell you," Penny said looking up at where Malachai stood behind Lane, "she's the best they've got." They had the Serpent's biggest player, who also happened to be the most vulnerable. They were gonna come the moment they found out she was here.
Two hands hooked around the arms of Lane's chair as he leaned forward hovering over her in a manner that was supposed to be threatening. "And yet my boys tell me you didn't even put up a fight," Malachai said in her ear. It was getting to him how unaffected she was by all this, how calm.
Lane's face screwed up as she craned her neck to meet his burning stare. "Should I have made a run for it or used my stomach as a battering ram?" she posed rhetorically, seeing his nostril's flare as he grit his teeth. She was pushing it but given her current circumstance she was a little cranky. "From how butthurt you look I'm guessing you know I'm the Serpent bitch that took your guy out with my car last year. So the next time you wanna insinuate I'm weak, remind yourself the only reason you were able to get to me is because I'm 39 weeks pregnant. And on that note," she scooted forward in the chair, "help me up because I have to pee again."
Muttering curses under his breath he got his hands around her back helping her awkwardly to her feet, noticing the way she hesitated with a hand on the table and her brows deeply drawn together before she shuffled to the back.
.^.
They let Lane sleep on the couch, or rather they gave her the couch to sleep on and she did everything but sleep. She was restless and achy, and she really wanted Sweet Pea. For the most part she talked quietly with the same kid that'd helped her out of the car. She learned his name was West, and he was Sweet Pea's age so a year younger than her. He was artistic like Mac, quiet like him too. He asked what she was having and told her about his little sister. He didn't fit her image of the Ghoulies.
It was a little before noon when Penny got the call that they were headed their way and Malachai escorted Lane outside so she could pace out there. She'd been pacing most of the morning, her hand on her lower back, wincing every now at then at a sudden cramping low in her abdomen lasting several seconds before it stopped.
She was brought back inside when the guy they had tailing Fangs confirmed he'd seen Lane was now running back to his motorcycle. Lane knew they'd come up with a plan to get her out that wouldn't involve anyone being almost beaten to death, she'd go home listen to Sweet Pea say he told her so and that she was never leaving the house again, and everything would be fine. But it didn't feel like it would be, in fact she felt like something was just off.
"What do you have to eat?" she asked more because she knew it was lunchtime rather than the actual want to eat. She'd been nauseous the last few days and thankfully that went away but she noticed she wasn't the slightest bit hungry.
Beside her Malachai chuckled darkly. "You really think you're in the position to make demands?" He was just about sick of her and the fact they weren't able to do anything to do her, Lodge had been very clear she was off limits. He'd probably be pissed knowing they had her now.
"I take it that's your answer," she said sighing as she shuffled into what was supposed to be a kitchen. It was clear not much cooking happened, and raiding their sparse pantry she didn't think they did a lot of eating here. There was spaghetti but no tomato sauce, or any milk, or cheese, or even meat. But there was butter and a little jar of chopped garlic.
She spent several minutes cleaning first the stove then the pot she was gonna use, both had been crusted with old food. But everyone noticed when she started cooking, she threw the two boxes of pasta in the boiling water and melted the butter in the cast iron. Realizing she was cooking for all of them they sat around sneaking glances, not wanting anything to do with her or at least trying not to seem like it. She told West to grab the paper plates out of the grocery bag she'd brought, she was tired of doing dishes so she'd been using disposable plates and silverware. They were lucky because there wasn't more than five plates in that place.
When she was done she turned around to see a cluster of Ghoulies waiting, and she scooped buttery noodles onto plates and passed them out. She didn't get more than a handful of thank yous, but she got a lot of small nods and thumbs up to let her know it was good. They hadn't had a home cooked meal in a while if they thought that was good, she thought.
Penny was the last to come by, having silently observed her apathy. "Is this part of the nesting they always talk about?" she asked wondering what her angle was. If she thought cooking would get them to let her go, because Penny wasn't letting her go until she had Jughead.
"I guess," Lane said giving Penny the last of it, not saving any for herself because she still wasn't hungry. It wasn't getting everything ready to the point of obsessive, that's what Sweet Pea was doing; hers was the need to take care of everyone. And she hated it.
A sharp pressure built and she held onto the counter with her eyes screwed shut waiting for it to pass. It was so much she almost couldn't breathe, she had to remind herself she needed to and she breathed through it the way the videos and the classes taught. The way Fangs had her practice – Fangs because Sweet Pea was sent into a panic just at the thought of labor. "Oh god," Lane breathed in reluctant understanding. She'd been ignoring it because it felt like cramping, because she'd been having false labor pains for a week and it was just a slightly more intense version of that.
She turned to her left feeling someone come up beside her and saw it was West, who'd been watching her closely since early that morning. "I noticed it a couple hours ago, you were every thirty minutes then," he told her, meeting her hard irritable eyes, "that one was a little under ten."
"Son of a bitch," Lane muttered thinking of course it would happen now. Of course Sweet Pea was right, now he was gonna tell her he told her so for that too and that really just pissed her off.
She started pacing again, both hands fitted against her back. And like clockwork she'd stop and if she was near something she'd grab onto it until it passed or if she wasn't she'd stand with her face turned to the ceiling breathing steadily. It didn't take long for the others to realize what was happening, Malachai wore an uneasy but determined look. They were close now, a few hours Jughead and his little band of Serpents would come to collect their girl, the others could take her to the hospital but Jughead was staying.
The sun sunk low in the sky and shadows crept along the walls as they kept the lights off wanting the Serpents currently casing the place to think no one was there, and all the while Lane continued pacing. Her breathing was heavy and ragged and sweat was beading on her brow. A choked moan escaped her and she grabbed the hand that was held out for her and she squeezed, clenching her teeth hard enough to crack them. "Breathe," she heard someone say and she sucked in a shaky breath and blew it out of her mouth before taking another.
"That seemed closer," Malachai said from where he sat watching her. He was jostling his leg up and down, his mouth pursed around a heavy frown.
"No," West said looking at the timer, "they're lasting longer." Each one was a little under a minute and they were coming every three.
Lane let go of the guy she was holding onto and he hissed shaking his cramped hand, saying it felt like she broke it. "I'd apologize but I don't think I give a shit," Lane said resuming her mindless walking. Fangs had looked up everything about labor and he'd told her all of it: there first stage was early labor the second was active labor then transitioning then pushing – and she was about two hours into the second stage. Which meant she should've gone to the hospital two hours ago.
"Why the long face?" Penny asked Malachai as she sat beside him, amusement shining in her eyes.
He shook his head scowling. "This isn't good for us," he said thinking they were pushing this too close. If something happened to her or that damn kid either here or on the way to the hospital, that was gonna be on him.
But Penny chuckled lightly. "Please, they'll give us anything when they find out how close she is to having that baby." It was perfect, and she nearly smiled as Lane had another contraction.
…
They stood against the truck around the back of the building, so far there was no movement or any other sign anyone was there. "It's been an hour and no sign of anyone," Toni said tired of waiting. They knew she was inside, Fangs saw her with Malachai.
Jughead nodded knowing it was now or never. "Alright, I'll see how many are in there and come back to regroup. Everyone knows the plan if this is a trap?" Fangs and Toni gave their affirmative and Jughead pushed off from the truck and headed toward the side of the building, planning to look through one of the boarded windows for any sign of who all was inside. And to see how their girl was holding up, because if a single hair was out of place Sweet Pea wouldn't stay in the truck.
Jughead crept past the gate seeing there was a gap between two boards on a window: his first thought was that it was perfect for him to try to see inside, and his second thought was the sudden realization he was seeing the dim glow from a candle. Bright blinding lights cut on around the house and he froze as Penny and her lackeys led by Malachai came around to greet him. "Hi Jonsie," she cooed sardonically as he grimaced looking at the Ghoulies flanking him.
The five left by the truck all tensed, Sweet Pea climbed out of the truck where he'd been told to wait because he was too close to this to not mess up. Betty stepped forward wanting to back Jughead up but Cheryl dragged her back telling her, "not yet cousin." They'd planned for this, Toni and Fangs snuck far to the left out of sight before they quietly moved to the back of the house, seeing a backdoor.
"I considered a few different ways of getting you here," Penny told the boy who now stood alone, his Serpents unable to get to him without going through the Ghoulies. "I hear ponytail's a Serpent now, she would've gotten you. But Lane," she tsked shaking her head, "she's got all of you riled up." And that had been the point, the hardest blow not the easiest. "We need to talk."
"No we don't Penny," Jughead said not wanting anything to do with her. "We're here for Lane, that's all."
She rolled her eyes. "If you didn't want trouble then why have you been sending spies all summer trying to get in our business?" she asked seeing his expression freeze as he tried to come up with a response. "We've got your girl, now you're gonna back off. Or," she said seeing Jughead take a breath, waiting for what she really wanted, "we can make a trade: you for Lane." She watched him scoff and she grinned, knowing she had him beat. "Before you say no," she raised her voice so the ones behind him would hear too, "your girl's been in labor for about ten hours."
Jughead knew what that did to Sweet Pea, that there was no backing down from this. And he thought fast considering Penny's play. "I wanna see her," he said not willing to just take Penny's word. The likelihood Lane was actually in labor was pretty even with Penny lying to make it seem more urgent.
But Malachai stepped forward, having enough of Jughead's above all attitude. "Boy, you don't get to make demands." He took another step and was thrown back by an arrow lodging itself in his shoulder.
"Cheryl," Jughead cried turning to see her standing in the bed of the truck with another arrow notched.
But she shrugged smiling pleasantly and said, "told you I was in the mood for some hellraising." Jughead turned back to Penny a grin playing at his lips – they'd gotten Lane out.
While he'd been talking to Penny Cheryl had been watching Toni and Fangs, who'd gotten to the door. It was thrown open and Fangs shifted his hold on his switchblade ready to lunge at the man who had an ax. There was a sick thud as something slammed against his head and he fell limp to the ground.
"Lane," Fangs breathed at the sight of her standing there holding the cast iron with the hospital bag slung on her shoulder. But she dropped it and her hands hooked around the doorframe to keep herself from falling as the next contraction started. "Oh my god," he said hearing her breathe like they'd been practicing, seeing the sweat on her forehead and the way she grimacing. "She's in labor what do we do?"
Toni shoved him aside and got Lane moving out the door and toward the truck. "She needs one of you, you can't both freak out," she hissed at Fangs, waving to Cheryl to let her know they had Lane. And that's when Cheryl had grabbed her bow.
"That's it," Penny said having enough of this, Lane was inside Lodge wouldn't care about the others. "Kill 'em all."
Jughead turned looking over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Toni and Fangs helping Lane toward the truck. "Cheryl, aim your next arrow right between Penny's eyes." That was enough for Penny to throw a hand up, holding her dogs off as she reconsidered the situation. "If you and your Ghoulies take one more step she's gonna release that arrow. Cheryl doesn't miss."
It was dead quiet as they waited for what Penny decided, if she'd risk it. Quiet enough they heard Lane's strangled gasp and Penny looked to see her leverage being helped into the truck. She turned back to Jughead seething. "Congratulations, you just made the Northside fair game."
He wasn't that concerned considering they were in Hiram's pocket, they wouldn't attack without his say. Seeing the Ghoulies standing down Jughead stepped back gaining distance, and then he turned marching briskly back to the truck.
Sweet Pea took off before Betty got the door closed and Jughead turned to the back seeing Cheryl on one side of Lane and Fangs on other, Cheryl being the one to tell her to breathe when the next contraction started. Throwing the window open Sweet Pea called back, "how far along are we?"
Cheryl looked to Fangs because he was the one who was supposed to be doing this, but his eyes were wide and his mouth gaping. "I don't know maybe a little more than a minute, they're lasting about as long too," she answered hearing him curse as he sped up.
Lane wasn't a very reactive person she was usually pretty calm, but there something about being in that truck with the thought of them not making it to the hospital as she felt like she wanted to push and the fact that Sweet Pea was there but not with her. She was not calm.
"How you doing baby?" Sweet Pea asked wanting to be with her, it was killing him that he wasn't, but his job had been manning the truck.
She was barely able to fully catch her breath before another one started, it was just so much pressure, she wanted to scream. "I want you."
He heard the tears in her voice and beside him Jughead said, "we're still ten minutes from the hospital."
Sweet Pea hit the breaks telling Jughead to drive as he threw himself out of the truck and climbed into the bed shoving Fangs out of the way. He grabbed her hand feeling it clench tight around his, tight enough it honestly took his breath away and he had to bite his tongue to keep from asking her to let up. "We're gonna breathe okay," he told her and she shook her head.
"I can't," she sighed and clenched her teeth around another contraction. Beside her Cheryl assured her that of course she could, she was so strong – Lane was so goddamn tired of hearing that.
Sweet Pea met her tired eyes and nodded. "I know," he told her, considering the possibility of her actually giving birth in this truck, "but you're going to anyways."
She looked at him hearing that, that she had to, and slowly she nodded because she knew she did. He breathed with her, held her hand when she told him she was wrong and she didn't want him, wiped the sweat that dripped from her brow.
"They're not coming as fast, that's good right," Cheryl said smoothing Lane's sweat-dampened hair back.
Sweet Pea didn't actually know, he could never handle getting this far when Fangs talked about it. So they looked to Fangs who felt his shocked mind kick into gear at knowing the answer. "Yeah, that means the baby's coming," he said, because from everything he'd learned that was the end of the transition phase. "You're gonna feel like you need to push," he told Lane.
"Yeah no shit," Lane yelled at him nearly flattening Cheryl and Sweet Pea's hands as she squeezed.
Inside the truck Jughead pulled into the hospital and Betty, who'd looked up the number for Riverdale General and had been on the phone with a nurse for the last couple minutes let them know they were there. Jughead stopped the truck by the entrance where a nurse was waiting with a wheelchair and he jumped out of the truck to help Sweet Pea and Fangs get her out.
They wheeled her in and Jughead parked before heading inside and waiting with Betty, Cheryl and Toni. Cheryl sat with Toni holding her telling her Lane was going to be fine, she'd see them both in no time, she made her laugh betting the baby would come out with a full head of black hair. Betty and Jughead sat with his arm around her back glad this night had worked out, it could've easily gone a lot worse.
It wasn't even an hour before Fangs came through the door wearing the biggest grin. "She's 6.9 pounds and 19 inches. She's uh," he took a breath wiping his eyes but not the smile off his face, "she's beautiful."
In the room Sweet Pea looked down at where Lane lay with her over her chest, her little eyes blinking as she loosely held his finger. "Look what we did," he breathed having never thought he was capable of doing something as perfect as this. Lane was thinking something similar, but more that she didn't think this much love was possible.
They'd gotten Lane cleaned up and a nurse came by holding a clipboard with a few forms to fill out, some for them to do later but a few they needed. "So what's our little girl's name?"
Lane's face slackened with horror as she looked up at the smiling woman. "Oh my god I forgot that part," she said turning to Sweet Pea. "I thought of everything, how did I forget that?"
Sniffing he shrugged. "Good thing you have an awesome baby daddy who found one," he told her seeing her brows draw together thinking too hard to find any way to be annoyed. "It's bird of prey in Hebrew," he said because his daughter was gonna be a fighter, just like her mom. And Lane's eyes softened at hearing that. He'd known the moment he saw her it was perfect. "Daya."
That stole the air from her lungs as Lane looked at her sweet little face, that looked so much like his. "Daya," she said, like it was a promise.
…
It was a while after that the others were allowed back, after Lane had breastfed for the first time, after Sweet Pea changed her diaper because he'd been practicing for months on anything he could get a diaper on and he was quite the pro at it.
Cheryl led their small group and she just about pushed the nurse out of the way to get to Lane's side, first seeing she was in fact okay, before she gushed over the baby. "Oh Daya," she said sitting in the bed next to Lane holding her in her arms. "Maybe he's not completely useless."
"I'd hit you if you weren't holding my daughter," Lane told her as a warning. One Cheryl didn't really hear as Daya opened her mouth wide to yawn.
But it was after visiting hours and the nurse had told them they had five minutes, and she was currently standing in the doorway waiting. "Stop hogging her, we wanna hold her too," Toni said impatiently waiting her turn. Cheryl gave her a faux angry look before reluctantly sitting up to let Toni gently scoop Daya up. And she wore the softest smile looking down at her, introducing herself.
Then it was Betty's turn, who'd never gotten to hold her niece and nephew when they'd been this little. Jughead got a pump of hand sanitizer and rubbed his hands together before dragging them across his pants to dry them off. "Yeah you're gonna try that again," Lane told him in a very firm tone.
Giving her a look Jughead got a little more sanitizer and waved his wet hands in the air so they dried faster, before he let Betty set the baby in his arms. "Support her head," Betty told him reluctant to let go. Holding her it all felt so real, everything Lane had gone through in the last few months, the threat of having this taken away. "She looks like you," he said glancing up at Sweet Pea, whose eyes were so incredibly and unusually soft as he looked down at her.
"Yeah, she's got my nose."
"And you're cheeks," Lane added though she left the chunky part out, he didn't find it as amusing as she did.
But she had Lane's eyes, Jughead thought looking at her. Not the color yet, but they were as wide and they had the same shape. And no matter how angry she looked, just like Lane those big eyes would always make her look sweet.
"Alright," the nurse said, having given them closer to ten minutes. She'd been watching Lane, who though very happy looked thoroughly exhausted. The four of them left bidding them all a good night with the promise to drop in the next day, kissing both girls before they'd gone. "We can take her to the nursery for the night, let you guys get some sleep," she offered.
Sweet Pea was positioning himself beside Lane in the bed with Daya curled on his chest, and he looked down at Lane and shrugged leaving it up to her. She opened her mouth to say yes but she told the nurse, "that's okay, I'd like her close." The nurse nodded and left thinking she'd change her mind about halfway through the night, especially given her age. But Lane slumped back letting her head fall to Sweet Pea's shoulder as she looked at Daya's sleeping face. "I wanted to say yes so bad."
"I really thought you were about to," Fangs said coming out of the bathroom where he'd been hiding. But given how easily someone had gotten to Lane last night he knew neither Sweet Pea nor Lane were letting her out of their sight.
Lane fell asleep before Sweet Pea could ask if she wanted to go to bed, and Fangs helped get Daya into the bassinet without waking either girl. And while Sweet Pea wrapped Lane in his arms Fangs settled back on the recliner letting his heavy eyes close. It wasn't even five minutes before they were all woken by Daya crying, and Lane sighed grabbing the bassinet and pulling it to her before picking her up and holding her.
She turned to Sweet Pea beside her but he'd fallen back asleep, then she looked to Fangs but his head was slumped forward. And releasing a heavy breath Lane looked at her daughter, who blinked up at her, and the warmest smile curled her mouth. "Guess it's you and me, Metuka." Sweetie, the name her father used to call her.
And she sang the song he used to sing before bed, her voice was soft and deeper than the average girl's but it was soothing and Daya would grow to love the sound of it. Numi, numi yaldati – sleep, sleep, my little girl.
If you're interested you can find the Hebrew lullaby Numi Numi on youtube, it's very sweet and has a cute little animation.
So I am gonna let them keep the baby, because I secretly do want them to be happy (even though I've got two versions with them broken up). But if anyone cares to know my original idea for Daya is that she'd be taken from the nursey so that they wake to their daughter being gone. And because I love to hurt myself I pictured Sweet Pea yelling for his daughter, punching someone because they can't find her, and Lane just in the bed wailing. And then they just lay together silently crying. Daya is fine though, she gets adopted by a couple it's just Lane and Sweet Pea never see her again. Also, we all know Hiram would've been the mastermind behind that.
Speaking of Hiram - sneak peek: more baby cuteness and these two hardasses being such softies. And, Hiram stops by the hospital with a message for Lane.