Chapter 6

The next morning Thor expected to find Maria still sleeping on the couch, the same way he'd left her last night. If anything, he was looking forward to it; to seeing the blissful look that blessed her beautiful features, before she woke up and it was lost to worry and fear.

He did not find what he expected.

He came downstairs to find Maria darting back and forth across the living room frantically. He frowned at her from the stairs. "Maria, is there something wrong?"

She didn't stop. "I'm just late that's all. I'm supposed to be at the hospital in five minutes. I'll never make it."

"The hospital? Are you ill?"

"No," she hadn't even looked at him yet, too engrossed in her task. "It's part of my uni course. I'm training to be a midwife."

Thor stepped down from the stairs and crossed to the kitchen table to where his hammer lay. The skies would be blue again today; regardless of what Maria had said last night, he'd calmed the storms for her anyway – not that he'd let her know, of course. He picked Mjolnir up. Repressing his armour was becoming a thoughtless task now. "Then let us go."

Maria stopped in her tracks. She stared at him from across the room. "You can't come." She said bluntly.

"I must. To protect you I must be with you at all times."

"Nothing's going to happen in the hospital." Maria threw a bag over her shoulder, finally standing still.

For the first time that morning, Thor took in her appearance. She was dressed in strange clothes, not her usual dresses, but in a matching pale blue shirt and trousers and her luscious brown waves were pinned back from her face, so they cascaded sweetly down her back. It was a look very different to the feminine style Thor was used to seeing in Maria.

"You agreed." was all he remarked.

That had been the deal: Thor was to stay with her. That had been his only condition to her numerous demands. Although, consent or not, Thor wasn't leaving her side for the world, whatever she said or agreed to, and moreover, whatever she didn't.

A small sound, crossed between a gasp and a chuckle escaped Maria's lips, seconds before she made a bee line for the door. "No, seriously, you can't. It's not your scene, and you can't waltz around with that hammer in the hospital. That was part of the deal, remember?"

"As was the fact that I am to stay with you at all times." Thor followed her out the front door without hesitation. Yes, he thought proudly to himself with a satisfied smirk, bright blue skies. Something nagged on his mind though. "What do you mean by 'not my scene'?"

Maria let out a sharp bark of laughter. "You look like sort of guy who puts people in the hospital!" she held the door open slightly, with every intention of having Thor and his insanely huge hammer walk straight back through it.

Thor braced the hammer in his hand, playing his final card.

"I can get you there on time."

Maria froze.

Thor watched as her head rolled back and she whined through her teeth, battling with her indecision. He couldn't help but grin, sensing his victory. It was sealed with the lock of the door.

"Okay, you win." She said, turning to him, tucking the key the pocket of her strange blue shirt. "How can you get me there on time?"

"Like this."

He barely gave her time to blink before his large hand clamped around her waist and drew her to him, while he raised Mjolnir to the sky and lifted them up. He felt Maria's hands claw around him in an instant, clinging to him like a child as he soared them through the air. His grin widened as he imagined her face.

That trip into town yesterday proved to be more helpful that Thor had imagined: seconds later, they dropped to the ground behind the hospital building. He release Maria – and she collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Oh my – we – we –"

"Flew?" Thor suggested helpfully, holding down his hand to her. His grin was wider than ever.

Maria took his hand gratefully. "Yeah, that." She said shakily. She doubled over, hands on her knees as she waited for her head to stop spinning. After a moment, she straightened up, her hands on her waist. Her eyes glistened with glee. "A little warning next time would be nice." she smiled through her gasp.

"There was no other way to bring you here on time." Thor explained, Mjolnir weighing guiltily in his hand. "I know it was part of our contract-"

"Screw that!" Maria cut him off, beaming. "That was amazing." She stepped forward, making her way to the hospital, nudging him in the ribs as she passed with a grin. "You and your godly powers..."

Thor smirked, thinking of all the things she did not know about his godly powers and how much he would enjoy telling her about them one day. He watched her back for a moment as she walked on toward the hospital door, before he remembered himself and strode after her.

"I think I will like this place." Thor remarked as they stepped through the hospital doors, revealing the injured people within. He thought back to his world's equivalent, of the medical attention the warriors received after a battle. They didn't have a single facility as this world did, but the concept seemed the same. Back home, the nurses and doctors tended to the injuries, while the soldiers and warriors themselves laughed amongst each other, boasting of their wounds like medals of bravery. The thought alone made him smile. "I will be interested to see what injuries are to be treated in such a peaceful world as this."

Ahead Maria scoffed. "Peaceful! Yeah right. Tell that to the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan." She didn't give Thor a chance to ask the question she knew would follow her outburst. "And sorry to disappoint you, but the department I'm stationed in doesn't deal with that."

Let's pause there, she thought, until he asks more. If he was hoping for the manly blood and gore of battle, he'd be very shocked when found out exactly what department Maria was working in.

"Then what does it deal with?"

Maria bit her lip as they reached the stair case, and swung herself up on the rail so she was looking down at Thor. She just wanted to see the look on his face when he heard it. "Midwifery. We help women have babies."

It was better than she imagined; the god's face paled and fell with an amusing mixture of disappointment and dread. Well, Maria thought, turning and trotting up the stairs, hearing Thor's reluctant steps behind her, he was a man. Even some of the expecting fathers couldn't bear being there. Maria grinned mischievously at how the great manly warrior Thor would hold up.

XXX

Thor left Mjolnir in Maria's locker, satisfied. It wasn't like anyone could lift it even if they found it anyway. And he needed only his bare fists to be able to keep Maria safe. This much he knew for certain.

He followed her up to her ward, where she directed him to a chair outside the room she was working inside, and waited. Now he agreed with her – this was not his 'scene'. Everywhere he looked were women with various degrees of swollen bellies, unless they wore the same uniform that Maria did. Thor had never felt more uncomfortable, exchanging similar glances with expecting fathers sat along the corridor like he was. He wondered what on earth appealed to Maria to want to work in such a place, especially with all the screaming emitting from the room behind him.

Then he heard the sharp cry of an infant and he understood.

XXX

"What happened to your face? Fall over again?"

Maria didn't take her eyes off the bed she was smoothing over, as the new mother was wheeled out to a public ward, leaving the two midwives alone. The bruise on her cheeks seemed to burn accusingly. She ignored it, holding her head high. "Exactly."

Maria could practically feel Jane roll her eyes beside her. "Jesus, Maria, what the hell is wrong with you? How long are you gonna put up with this?"

"I don't know what you mean."

Maria turned and busied herself with something the other side of the room, her back to her friend. That was fine; Jane could shake her head disbelievingly at her back.

"Come on, Maria you've got to do something about this-"

"Jane!" Maria stormed around, her eyes blazing warningly. Jane didn't so much as blink. "Let it go."

Jane Cooper was a force to be reckoned with, so when the same argument rose up every week, Maria knew shamelessly that she'd have to take the gloves off if she was to even stand a chance. She watched as her friend folded her arms across her generous chest and cocked her head to the side, her amber-green eyes just as determined as Maria's.

"You can't just let this go!" she persisted, earning a groan from Maria. "You hear about it on the news all the time. People die from not doing anything about it Maria." she hissed the last part through gritted teeth, suddenly conscious of the still open door across the room.

Maria bit back a scream of frustration. "I'm fine, Jane. Let it go."

Jane opened her mouth to shoot something back, but a soft knock on the door distracted them both. The words died on her tongue when Thor's frame filled the doorway.

"Maria? Is everything alright?" His brow furrowed low over his intense blue eyes.

Damn that open door, Maria cursed, bring a hand to her forehead. If only she'd had the foresight to close it. It was the same routine every time she and Jane were delivering together: deliver, then the moment the baby and mother left, Jane would probe, trying to convince Maria of what she was trying to argue now. Today was no different - except there was a protective god just outside the door, listening to every word. Damn, Maria cursed again in her head.

She gulped and looked down. "It's fine,"

Almost instantly, Maria could practically feel the change in the air as Jane snapped her head to her friend. She didn't need to see the expression to know what it was: open mouthed, and Jane's infamous 'what the hell? I can't believe you didn't tell me!' eyes bearing into her.

They flickered between Maria and the god in the doorway. "H-he's with you?"

Maria's cheeks burned. "He's staying with me for a bit." she chipped in quickly before Thor could say something incriminating. He eyes flashed up to his, but earned nothing more than his frown deepening a notch. "Thor, this is my friend, Jane Cooper-"

"Soon to be Harriet!" Jane cut in as she swooped forward and took Thor's hand from his side demandingly. She shot a raised eyebrow look over her shoulder, before turning back to the god, sweeping her eyes unashamedly up and down his form. Maria groaned and dropped her head to her hand. "Where can I get one?"

That earned a sharp bark of laughter from Maria. "You're getting married in two weeks!"

"Speaking of," Jane suddenly dropped Thor's hand and turned to Maria as if she'd forgotten he was even there. "You are coming to this wedding right?"

Maria folded her arms across her chest consciously. "Of course I am."

"Then lose the bruises-"

"Jane!" Maria's eyes widened, flashing with alarm. She glanced at Thor as was pleased to see the look of confusion still etched deep in his features as he watched the two women.

"Hear me out." Jane held up her palms peacefully. "Black and blue doesn't really go with your new bridesmaids dress."

There was a moment of silence as Maria's eyes widened again and her mouth opened in a silent question. Slowly, the corners of her lips flickered upwards.

"Charlene broke her leg, and I'm not having a girl hobbling down the aisle in front of me." Jane explained ruthlessly. "So she's out. You're in. And bring this one with you." She winked, jabbing a thumb back at Thor.