I jumped forward- too late- to try and stop him. My hands clenched around empty air.
"Shit." I scowled into thin air, then, for good measure, punched the wall.
Maybe not my brightest idea.
"Ow, ow." I sucked in a deep breath, letting loose another stream of curses.
"Lucy?" asked Bess. Her voice was tight with anxiety and pain.
I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a minute. Whew. Here we go."
Regaining control over myself, I knelt in front of Bess again, changing my gloves. She hit the button on the walkie talkie, and I quickly told the others we were fine.
"But our unwelcome friend disappeared," I added.
In the background I could hear Sam and Dean cursing very loudly.
"How?" asked Isaac.
Bess and I exchanged glances.
"Uhh. He managed to untie himself while I wasn't looking. I guess he decided he didn't want to go for round two, cos he climbed out of the elevator and went over the side before I could stop him."
"He did?" asked Isaac. "I didn't see anything. And I'm looking down."
"But from what Lucy said, that door is only open a sliver. You can't see much," Bess piped in.
"True." There was a frown in Isaac's voice. "Alright, are you two ok for now? Because this baby is about to be born, and I need you focused."
"Yeah, we're good," I lied. So not ready for this.
"What do we do?" asked Bess.
"The baby's going to crown," said Isaac. "Bess, you need to push. Lucy, you need to guide it out. Have blankets ready and sterilize the knife."
I nodded and grabbed some of the blankets we'd bought, then dunked the knife in the bottle I'd set to the side.
"You know how to use that, right?" Bess asked. "You won't hurt the baby accidentally?"
I barely held back an eye roll. "Bess, what do I do for a living? I know how to handle a knife."
Bess nodded. I signaled for her to press the walkie button again.
"Ok." I set the knife to the side. "I think the baby's coming out."
"Is this where I push?" asked Bess.
"Yes." Isaac's voice was amazingly calm- a lot calmer than I felt. "As hard as you can. I'm going to be here the whole time."
"Me too!" I heard Garth shout.
Bess nodded and pushed. She cried out, and I winced.
"You can do it!" I encouraged her. "Come on. Push!"
Screams filled the air, and I watched the baby slowly start to emerge. Isaac walked me through guiding the baby out, and luckily, there weren't any cords wrapped around its neck or anything. As soon as the baby was out I cut the cord, then wiped a finger around inside of the baby's mouth to clear out any mucus. Immediately, he started crying.
"It's a boy!" I shouted.
I swaddled the baby, and was about to hand him to Bess when Isaac spoke.
"Now comes the afterbirth," he said.
I frowned. "The after-what?"
Isaac laughed. "The afterbirth. Basically the lining of the uterus that the baby was attached to. Bess, you need to push that out now."
"Seriously?" she asked.
She sighed and pushed again. It seemed afterbirth was easier than a baby, because there weren't any screams this time. Soon it slid out, a messy slimy jumble of tissue and blot clots. I grimaced, but luckily my choice occupation had prepared me for lots of blood.
"Please tell me that's it," I said.
Isaac laughed again. "That's it," he promised. "How's the baby?"
I handed him to Bess, examining him as I did. "He looks good. Covered in blood though. And something else. Do I want to know what it is?"
"Probably not. He sounds healthy."
"He is." Bess was grinning tiredly. "I was there when my mother gave birth to my little brother years ago. This little guy looks the same as he did."
I glanced at the baby. His eyes were amber, his teeth a bit sharp. As I watched the teeth dulled, the eyes fading to a chocolate brown. Chubby fists waved in the air.
"Oh. He's adorable." I reached over and let the baby snag my finger.
"He really is." Bess's finger smoothed gently over his head. "Garth, he's beautiful."
"Garth's pretty much having a meltdown," Sam answered. "But a happy one."
Bess and I laughed.
"How much longer till we get out of here?" I asked.
"Not too much longer, I hope," Isaac said. "I think the firemen are working out a way to get the door open."
"Good." I glanced over to Bess. She was clearly exhausted, but was already feeding the baby, gazing fondly down at him the whole time. I piled blankets on her for warmth, then peeled off the gloves and sat against the wall with a sigh.
It was another half hour before the rescuers got down to us. They managed to get the mechanisms of the elevator working enough to slowly lower us to the bottom floor, where they pried open the doors and freed us. Bess, who was pretty much dozing, was loaded onto a stretcher, and Garth rushed forward to take his son.
"Thank you." He launched himself at me and wrapped me in a hug, tears in his eyes.
"You're welcome." I pulled away as an EMT came up, and we allowed him to take the baby for a basic checkup. A minute later Garth and the baby settled into the ambulance with Bess, and the doors were closed.
"Lucy!" Sam and Dean threw themselves at me, and I nearly fell over under their combined weight.
"What the hell happened down there?" asked Sam. He glanced to the blood filled elevator.
I knew he wasn't asking about my brief stint as a midwife, but I didn't have a chance to answer. A police officer came to take my statement, and as soon as he was done Isaac came up.
"You did fantastic," he congratulated me.
I grinned. "Thanks. I had a lot of good help though."
Now it was Isaac's turn to grin.
"I'd have thought you'd left already," I stated.
Isaac shrugged. "There were two ambulances; we were expecting to have to bring two people to the hospital. But then your attacker ran off, so I have a minute to spare."
I nodded. "Well, thank you. For everything. I don't want to know how awfully that would have gone without you."
"You're welcome." Isaac's smile was less boastful and more sincere this time. "Though I think you would have managed well enough on your own. Have you considered going into nursing?"
I shook my head. "That is not happening. Ever."
Isaac laughed, then glanced behind him as someone honked the ambulance horn.
"That's my que." He gave me one last smile. "See you around."
I nodded. "See yah."
As soon as Isaac had left I grabbed Sam and Dean's arms and dragged them to the car. Dean insisted on laying down an old blanket we had stashed in the car before he let me in. Even then he made me promise not to move one inch off the blanket or I would be scrubbing out his car.
"Ok," he said as we pulled out. "What happened?"
I took a deep breath and told them everything, from the moment I had first gotten the feeling of being watched again until the angel had disappeared.
"Did you get a hold of Cas?" I asked.
Sam shook his head, glancing back at me. "No."
I sighed.
We made quick time back to the motel, and I hurried inside for a shower. I paused halfway in the door as I became aware of someone sitting on my bed. Hearing the creak of the door, the person in question glanced up from his phone.
"Hello." Cas smiled at me. "How are-" Noticing the blood that covered me for the first time, his eyes narrowed, and he shot to his feet.
"What happened?"
I rolled my eyes. "Relax. I just delivered Bess's baby."
Cas's face lit up. "Congratulations! How is the baby? And Bess?"
I nodded. "They're fine. We're headed to the hospital to see them once I shower. I think you're missing the obvious question."
Cas merely gave me a confused look.
I rolled my eyes. "How about why I was delivering a baby!"
"Oh." Cas cocked his head to the side as he considered. "Why were you?"
I ground my teeth and stalked forward, punctuating my words with stab like finger motions. "Because your siblings are a bunch of winged nut jobs."
With that I filled Cas in on what had happened, stalking back and forth the whole time. He frowned in growing concern until I had finished, at which point he ran a hand through his hair.
"This is not good," he stated.
"No shit, Sherlock."
Cas gave me a look, then started pacing himself.
"You said you cut the angel though? Where?"
"The arm." I frowned. "But it was a shallow cut. And he's probably already healed himself."
Cas sighed. "True."
I knew we were both thinking the same thing. That Cas should go back to heaven and dig around. There was bound to be a stir up there from any conspirators in light of recent events, he might be able to find something out.
I also knew that neither of us really wanted him to go. And we both knew it.
"Are you ok?" Cas asked. His blue eyes studied me, picking up on little things in my expression that only Cas knew.
I shrugged. "I'll live."
Cas frowned and stepped forward, holding out his arms.
"What are you doing?" I batted him away, despite how much I wanted to just fall into the embrace. "I'll get you all bloody."
Cas gave me a look that quite clearly stated he didn't care. Then he sighed and nodded, stepping away.
"Go get in the shower," he ordered. "I'll come with you to the hospital. I want to meet this little baby."
I nodded, hiding a smile as I closed the bathroom door behind me. As soon as I was in I slumped against the door, exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to shower and curl up in bed with Cas. I wasn't sure why. I'd been in worse fights before.
Either way, I needed to get moving. I pulled off my blood covered clothes and stepped into the shower, standing under the hot water for a good five minutes as I watched the blood run down the drain.
When I emerged a half hour later, clean and in fresh clothes, Cas was waiting on my bed. Sam and Dean were there too, and the three were going over the incidents of that day.
"Ready?" they asked.
I nodded. "Let's go."
The boys sprang up and started for the door, and I started to follow. Before I could Cas grabbed my arm and spun me to him in a hug.
I threw my arms around him and clung to his neck, forcing a couple of sobs down my throat. Why was I so emotional?
Whatever the reason, Cas's presence helped. He held me tight against him, his hand moving smoothly up my back and pressing into my hair. He didn't say anything. He was just there.
Finally I pulled back, albeit with great effort.
"I'm good," I assured him. "Let's go."
Before Cas had a chance to object I was moving for the door, though I could feel him watching me nervously as I went.
The drive to the hospital was quick. Garth had texted us Bess's room number, so we didn't need to waste time having someone look it up for us. Garth met us at the door to the room, grinning like an idiot.
"Come on, come on," he urged. "He just ate; I think he's settling down for a nap."
We followed him in, where Bess was curled up in bed with the baby in her arms. Surrounding the bed were her family; her father and siblings. Each werewolf stood as we entered, and for a moment they and Sam and Dean locked eyes warily.
"How's the baby?" I broke the silence by moving toward the bed, ignoring the male testosterone building up in the room. One man, presumably Bess's father, moved to block me.
"Dad, it's alright," Bess soothed. "This is Lucy. She delivered Bobby."
"Bobby?" I asked.
Bess nodded as Garth came to stand by her side, his finger brushing lightly at his son's cheek.
"That's what we named him," Garth told me. "Bobby Isaac Fitzgerald."
I smiled softly. I didn't need to look behind me to know what expressions Cas, Sam, and Dean had.
"Lucy." Bess's father drew my attention back to him. "Thank you for looking after my daughter. And grandson."
I nodded, taking note of the reverend's outfit he wore. "My pleasure."
I held out my hand, and after a moment's hesitation he shook it. With slightly more reluctance, he, Sam, and Dean shook hands. Satisfied that no one was about to try to kill anyone else, I moved closer to Bess and Bobby.
Cas stepped up next, holding out his hand. "My name is Castiel. Or Cas, if you prefer. It is good to meet a man of the lord."
Sam, Dean, and I snorted.
"What?" asked Reverend Myers.
I waved away his raised eyebrow. "That's an old argument."
"My father has been rather absent lately," Cas supplied.
"Father?" asked Bess.
"Cas is an angel," Garth piped in. "His father is god."
"And he's a pretty damn useless father," Dean added.
I shot him a glare, which he ignored.
Cas received looks of appreciation from around the room. Bess's father looked thrilled.
"I think you and I are going to get along," he stated.
Cas grinned. "I hope so."
Bess clearing her throat from behind drew my attention.
"Lucy," she said. "Garth and I wanted to ask you something."
"If it involves delivering another baby, the answer is no."
Bess laughed, reaching down to stroke Bobby's arm gently.
"Nothing like that," she assured. She and Garth locked eyes, and he nodded.
"We were hoping that you might be willing to be Bobby's godmother."
I blinked rapidly. Was she serious? I bit my lip, holding back a wide grin as happiness- the first real happiness I'd felt in days- swept over me.
"Me? Really?"
Garth nodded. "Of course. You're the one who delivered him. You protected Bobby and Bess from the attack."
"Bess held her own pretty well there."
Garth smiled proudly. "I'm sure." He frowned suddenly. "If you don't want to…"
"No, no. I do!" I jumped forward and pulled Garth into a hug, then clasped Bess's hand in my own. "Thank you so much! I'm just a bit overwhelmed."
Garth nodded. "I can tell."
I sent him a mock scowl, then brushed tears out of my eyes.
"Yes." I nodded eagerly, grinning. "Thank you! Oh, can I hold him?"
Bess nodded, carefully passing me Bobby.
"Support the head," she warned.
I nodded, already settling Bobby into a comfortable position in my arms. I bounced him up and down lightly, and was thrilled when he gave a faint cooing sound and settled happily to sleep.
"You're a natural at this," Sam commented.
I gave a half shrug, adjusting the blanket around Bobby's shoulders. "Yeah, well. I used to hold Jackie and Peter a lot when they were babies. Guess it's kind of muscle memory."
"Who are Jackie and Peter?" asked Garth.
I frowned slightly, my thoughts going to my little siblings in a different universe. What were they doing now? Did they miss me still? I hadn't thought of them in a long time.
"They're my little brother and sister," I told Garth.
Garth looked like he was about to ask more, but someone- probably Sam and Dean- shot him a look over my shoulder that made him promptly shut his mouth.
"Ok," said Sam. "If Lucy is godmother, does that make Cas godfather?"
Bess jumped at the change in topic. "I don't know if it's automatic," she said. "But I'm willing to make him godfather. Garth?"
Garth nodded. "You game, man?"
Cas frowned, and leaned down to whisper in my ear.
"What does that mean?"
I snickered. "He's asking if you're willing."
"Oh." Cas looked thrilled. "Of course. I'd be honored."
I glanced behind me. Bess's father looked happy enough to faint.
Dean grinned. "Now that that's settled. Let me hold the little bugger."
I laughed as Dean all but snatched Bobby from my arms. Like me, he already knew how to hold a baby. Next Sam took Bobby, though he needed a little adjustment on how he was holding the baby.
Cas was next. He truly had no idea what he was doing. I quickly helped him, planting a quick kiss on Bobby's forehead as I did.
"He's beautiful," Cas commented. He locked eyes with Garth and Bess. "Healthy too."
"You can tell that?" asked Garth.
Cas nodded, humming softly. He tried to bounce Bobby up and down, and I automatically held out a hand- just in case.
"Careful," I warned. "Don't drop our godson."
