CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT – "Miracles"
A Moonlight NC-17 Fanfic
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
All Mick needed was the go-ahead from Josef, and they both ran to the door of the cottage, an old, heavy wooden door which would look impenetrable to anyone without an axe, or without the superior vampire powers of annihilation! Together they smashed the door into splinters with one synchronized bash from their shoulders.
Immediately Coraline was on Mick's back, snarling, biting, kicking and fighting for all she was worth. Josef went after Cynthia, who was not easy to catch. Coraline was a tiger on Mick's back, and he was having a hard time getting her where he could cause as much damage to her as she was doing to him, and as much as he tried to deflect her blows, she continued to pound and smack him in the head, holding onto him tightly with her thighs so that he couldn't shake her off. It was when she bent her head over to bite his neck that he was able to grab her by the head and throw her off of him, watching her cartwheel through the air before crashing into the fireplace tools. Without missing a beat, Mick leapt on top of her, beginning to pummel her in kind, satisfied to at last be able to inflict pain. She writhed under him as he tried to grasp her arms to hold them still, and she looked into his eyes, growling.
"I love you, Mick!" At last you've come for me! Soon we'll be a family!"
"You are so insane, Coraline! You might have lived if you could only have left me alone!"
"I can never leave you alone! You belong to me! And I will live—with you, my darling!"
She turned under him and got her legs around his body, twisting him and causing him to crash head-first into the floor.
"Oooof! Ah!" The pain only caused Mick to get more angry. He felt her lie down on top of him, as if to hold him on the floor.
"You can have me, Mick. Take me." Her vampy eyes and fangs, along with her body on top of him, reminded him of a time he'd never forget, even though he wished with all of his might that he could.
Mick tried to get out from under her. "I don't want you, Corlaine! Let me get my wife out of here!"
"She is such a skank. Look at her, whimpering and crying over there! She's not worthy of you, you stupid man!" Coraline leaped off of Mick and picked up the large French knife she had been wielding before. Mick jumped up like a spring toy as soon as she was off of him, but saw her swinging the knife and backed up out of her way.
He heard a noise in another part of the house, Josef and Cynthia battling it out he figured, and in the moment of distraction, Coraline sprung at him, knocking him to the ground once again, straddling him, the knife hovering over him, ready to impale.
"I want you, Mick. I've always wanted you—you know that! How can you think you'll ever be happy with someone else? I'm more than your wife! I'm your sire! You belong to me!"
Mick grabbed her arms, hoping to keep her from stabbing him, but she was on top and had the upper hand. She brought the knife down and pierced through his torso, twisting the blade, then sat back as she watched him struggle, impaled and breathless.
Meanwhile, Josef was having more fun with Cynthia, since, unlike Coraline, Cynthia Xavier Davis wasn't much of a fighter. She was, however, very quick, and managed to escape Josef's grasp every time he got a hold of her, making him chase her all over the house, which only made Josef more and more angry and determined to waste her in this little game of cat-and-mouse!
Mick was momentarily paralyzed, but he did hear the breaking glass in the next room as Josef threw Cynthia against a mirror. Coraline began emitting a low, evil, growling noise from deep in her throat, and Mick knew she was winding up to bite his own throat out. He tried to raise his hands in a defensive position against her attack, but was weakened by the knife-staking she had done to him. He managed to roll over, and she went with him, and that caused her to have to reposition herself. In that moment, Mick pulled the knife out of his gut and plunged it into her, which served to paralyze her for several moments. He stood up and looked down at her, wishing he had a wooden stake to keep her permanently paralyzed.
He was looking at the furniture for something to smash into a stake when his eyes were drawn to the kitchen wall, which was covered with cooking utensils. He ran and grabbed a large wooden spoon off of a rack and ran back to Coraline, who was now standing in a crouch, waiting for him. She saw the spoon in his hand and immediately understood what he planned to do with it.
"Just try, Mick! You just try!" Mick dashed at her and she caught him around the neck and pulled him back down onto the floor. She was holding his arm so that the handle of the spoon was pointed at his chest. It was now down to a battle of will and strength.
As Mick was grappling with Coraline in the living room, Josef was besting Cynthia in the bedroom, kicking her over and over against the wall until she was losing consciousness. When she was sufficiently incapacitated, Josef carried her, limp as a rag, out to the living room and threw her on the floor, looking for something to use as a stake. When he saw Mick in a desperate struggle of strength, trying to keep Coraline from staking him with the wooden spoon, Josef walked over and snatched the spoon from Coraline's grip, then turned around and impaled Cynthia with the wooden implement. With her out of the way, he turned his attention to Coraline, who had once again begun growling and biting and generally fighting Mick like a rabid pit bull.
Josef flew into the kitchen, looking for something—anything—that could be used for a weapon. He went through drawers until he found a knife drawer, where he pulled out a large meat cleaver, and on his way back to Mick, he found the French knife lying on the floor. 'Perfect,' he thought, picking it up and swinging it in a circle in his hands like a sword. The knife would be good backup. He then sped back to the battle royal going on between Mick and his ex-wife. Mick was taking the brunt of the blows, he noticed, but managed once in a while to land a punch in a place that made Coraline wince in pain. She was on top of him again, straddling him, wailing on him like a prize fighter on crack. Mick was growling and snarling, but couldn't seem to get the upper hand.
Josef came up behind Mick's crazed attacker and jammed the French knife into her back, which caused her to gasp and freeze for a moment, and in that moment, Josef knew he had her. Holding the meat cleaver in both hands, as if he were going to hit a home run out of the park, he swung and struck her right in her neck with the blade edge, putting all of his strength into the blow. He and Mick both watched in fascination as Coraline's head flew off and hit the wall, allowing Mick to roll out from under her headless, bleeding body. He stood up by his friend, both of them breathing hard, and they surveyed their work for a few seconds.
"Josef, can you clean this up and hide the bodies? I have to see to Beth!"
"No problem. Get to your wife!" Josef was already carrying Cynthia into the bedroom, thinking they'd need to call a cleaner for this one! Once there, he chopped off her head, and slapped his hands together, glad the fight was over. He next brought Coraline into the same room, putting her next to her headless friend, two headless lunatics, out of the way. It was time for celebrating, he was thinking! Then he remembered Beth—he'd better see how Mick was doing with her. Before leaving the bedroom, he threw a quilt over the bodies, just in case someone peeked into the room before the cleaner got there, shut the door, then left to check on Mick and Beth.
Mick ran to the bed where Beth was still crying. He sat next to her and took her into his arms, and she hugged him so tightly she almost choked him.
"Oh, Beth, sweetheart—I'm here for you—you're okay now." She cried out loud against his bloody shirt, holding him in a death grip.
"I. . .thought. . .I'd. . .n-never s-see you again!" Her sobs were choking, and she was crying so hard that Mick couldn't seem to comfort her, try as he would. He was hoping he could settle her down, but suddenly she was out of his arms and had her hands on the bed. He sat there with open arms, wondering what was wrong as she bent her body over and began to scream and cry in anguish. Josef, who was wiping up the floor with a towel, looked over at them, wondering what in the world was going on! Mick glanced over at Josef with a bewildered expression on his face, and Josef got up and went to them.
"What's wrong? Mick? Beth? Guys? We're okay! Coraline and Cynthia are gone now!"
Beth continued to cry and groan while Mick looked up at his friend, wearing a face that was both terrified and puzzled. What the heck!
"Beth!" Josef called out, tapping her on the shoulder, but she pulled away, shrinking down, wailing. "Honey—you need to tell us what we need to do to help you!"
She finally stopped the noise, and fell back into Mick's arms, exhausted, breathing heavily. "Mick! Oh, thank God you got here!" She looked up at Josef, still breathing unevenly. "You too, Josef. You're an answer to my prayers!"
Mick was worried about her breathing, and tried to calm her down. Getting so worked up couldn't be good for either her or the baby! Her heart was racing, and the baby's heart was too. "I've got you now, honey. You're safe. Shhhh." He rocked her in his arms, shushing her, hoping to help her get a grip. He still had no idea what was wrong.
Josef decided maybe now would be a good time to go outside and call for a clean-up.
"Beth!" Mick asked her softly but firmly, "Honey, you aren't hurt, are you? Can you tell me?"
She rose up out of his arms, and once again bent her body over itself, as she moaned and cried and groaned. It was then that he noticed the bed was all wet, and so was the gown she was wearing. He tried to sooth her, but she seemed beyond comfort. Mick was really feeling scared.
"Honey—your nightgown—whatever this is, it's soaking wet! Beth—are you okay? Tell me if you're hurt!"
She didn't seem able to speak—at least until she collapsed in his arms again.
"Mick!" she panted, looking up at him as she lay in his arms, "I'm in labor! I'm having the baby! You have to help me!"
Holding her close, he processed what she had just told him, and his childbirth class instructions immediately kicked in.
"How long have you been having contractions, honey?" he asked her in a seriously professional, yet gentle tone.
"Hours," she half-sobbed, "Hours and hours! All day!" She was so exhausted she could barely talk, yet she had to have help, and Mick was here.
"And they're coming very close, it seems. Do you feel like pushing yet?"
"Not yet, but God! Mick! I can't take the pain! I think it's coming soon, and I'm so scared! I think I'm going to die from the pain before it's born!"
She was sweating profusely, but was also shaking with chills at the same time. This terrified Mick beyond reason. What to do! As he called out to Josef to call 9-1-1, another contraction hit her and she started to scream again. Mick kicked off his shoes and scrambled back onto the bed, getting behind her, leaning against the wall, pulling her up between his legs. Josef ran in.
"Call 9-1-1 NOW."
Into her ear, Mick said softly but sternly, "Breathe with me, Beth. Breathe with me!" and he began doing their practiced breathing right next to her ear. Hearing and feeling his breath in her ear, feeling him behind her, holding her, strong and capable, calmed her, and she focused on breathing with him, which seemed to help the pain a little bit. The contraction ended and they both blew out a long breath.
"That's it, sweetheart. I'm not going to leave you!" He kissed her head, a kiss full of both fierce love for her as well as terror for her and the child. "Josef is calling the EMTs—help will be coming soon." She began shivering again, and Mick pulled up the blanket, which was still dry, and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was soaked from her water breaking, but this would have to make due for now.
Mick could see the next contraction come on beneath her flimsy nightgown, and immediately began the breathing next to her ear. 'Dammit! That wasn't even a minute between contractions!' he was thinking as he blew his breath next to her ear and continued to hold her firmly but gently between his legs. They breathed together until it was over, and then she lay against him, almost as still as a dead body, but she was sweating, trembling and totally spent. She was also groaning and crying.
"Honey—the paramedics are coming. Hang on for me!" He kissed her cheek and smoothed her hair, wishing desperately that he could do more that simply hold her!
"Mick," she croaked, her voice hoarse from screaming, "I can't take the pain anymore! I can't take it! Please just turn me or kill me—do something!" She was desperate and at the end of her rope, and Mick pressed kisses on her, feeling completely inadequate. He kissed her cheek, telling her he loved her, hoping she wouldn't die in his arms. He looked over and saw Josef in the doorway.
"They said that to get out here, it'll take at least twenty minutes."
"I don't think we can wait that long!" At that moment, she began screaming again, and Mick began doing the breathing next to her ear. She tried, but she was too tired to breathe, and gave up, letting the pain take her, moaning and crying loudly. Writhing around in Mick's arms.
Mick looked at Josef. "I can't help her! Josef!" Josef saw his friend near tears, and walked over to the bed, holding Mick's gaze.
"Yes you can. Buddy," he said softly, "give her your blood."
"She doesn't want my blood!" Mick spat the words out with disgust.
Josef reacted in frustration, spitting out his own words. "Look at her—how long has she been in pain? Hours, she said! Have a heart, Buddy! Give her your blood!"
Just then, another contraction gripped her, and again, the breathing didn't work, so she ended up screaming out hoarsely until it was over. Josef pierced his friend with a warning stare and held up his arm to his mouth, mimicking what Mick should now do to help Beth. His gaze was authoritative and very convincing.
Mick hesitated, looked back at Josef, who nodded, and then felt himself vamping, growling low in his throat, and for a second time in one day, brought his arm to his mouth and bit himself hard enough to draw blood. He put the wound on Beth's parched lips.
"Suck, Beth. It'll help you." His vampire voice was soothing and convincing, spoken right into her ear.
She tasted the blood and tried to turn her face away from it, but Josef caught her by the chin and held her head while the blood ran into her mouth.
"Beth. Please. Just take a little, honey." Mick's voice in her ear was soothing and spell-binding, and in the fog of her agony, she heard her husband telling her to do something very strange, but his was the voice she trusted most in the world, so she did what he asked.
Mick felt her mouth tighten on his arm as she sucked gently. He felt her tongue on his skin, felt her taking in what he could give her to help her. He looked up at Josef and asked quietly, "How much?"
"That should do it. You don't want to completely drug her up."
Mick nodded thanks and began to pull his arm away. Josef just raised his eyebrows and winked. "She'll feel better now."
Beth was surprised that his blood tasted so sweet! When his wound began to close up, she sucked harder, trying to get one more drop. It was like nectar on her tongue!
"You've had enough now, honey! Just a few drops is all you need. It should help you feel better." He felt her relaxing into his arms, and as he watched her belly rise up in the beginnings of another strong surge, he breathed into her ear, but she was asleep in his arms.
He panicked. "She fell asleep! Josef! I'm no obstetrician, but I think she needs to be awake!"
"She'll wake up. She's just processing your blood right now, which is acting like a pretty strong drug in her. Don't worry—the pain will bring her back around any minute, but I'm thinking it won't be as bad as it was."
"I think you're right, but what do I do about the baby? Do you know anything about delivering a baby?"
"I'll call Dr. Mineo for you." Josef pulled Mick's cell phone out of his friend's pocket and hit the speed dial for the doctor. After a few minutes of being transferred from the desk to the nurse to the doctor, the man finally answered. Josef put the phone on speaker so Mick could talk as Josef held the phone.
"Doctor, we're in Palm Springs. I found Beth, and she's close to having the baby. I have a friend here, but neither one of us is a doctor, and the EMTs are on their way, but I'm not sure if they'll get here in time."
With the next contraction, Beth woke up and moaned softly.
"Well, thank the Universe you found her in time!" Dr. Mineo said with relief. The hunt for Beth had been all over the news all week! Everyone was terribly worried about the kidnapping of the young pregnant reporter!
"Exactly. We're grateful, but worried that this baby will come before help gets here!"
Dr. Mineo wanted to know what stage she was, but Mick said there was no way to find that out.
"All I can say, doctor, is that her contractions are strong and coming about a minute apart. She was in so much pain she wanted to die, she said."
"Yes, that's common, but she doesn't have the advantage of any pain-killing drugs there. Did you give her some of your blood by any chance?"
Mick looked up at Josef, who only smiled. "Yes, doctor, not enough to zone her out completely, but enough to help the pain. I just gave it to her, so she's a little sleepy."
"Good thinking! All right, since she's a little bit drugged, I think you could check her cervix. Normally that would hurt her, but I'm going to have you check now while she's still sleepy. Has her water broken?"
"Yes!"
"How long ago?"
"I don't know! Beth—when did your water break?"
"Oh, when Coraline was just ready to cut me open," she said slurring her speech, but stating clearly how frightening this day had been for her!
Mick jerked in horror. "Omigod," Josef said under this breath.
Mick shook himself back to the job at hand. "I can't say for sure when her membranes ruptured, doctor, but the bed is all wet, so maybe not all that long ago."
The doctor was very authoritative. When he found out that Mick was holding his patient and helping her do her breathing, he told Mick to have Josef get behind Beth to help her breathe while Mick went down to the other end of the process. Josef heard the doctor's instructions and promptly kicked his shoes off and got on the bed as Mick got off, handing his wife over to his best buddy. Josef slipped in behind, taking Beth in his arms, one leg on either side of her, exactly as he had seen Mick do. She was still pretty groggy, and didn't protest. Dr. Mineo now spoke directly to Mick.
"You need to put your hand up inside of her and feel for the opening, her cervix, Mick, and tell me how many fingers you can put inside of the opening where the baby's head is pushing. But wait until she's having another contraction."
Mick didn't bat an eye—training as a medic in the army had taught him to act quickly in emergency situations. As soon as the next pain came long, he inserted his hand up inside of Beth, and looking upward, he concentrated. Josef was breathing next to Beth's ear, and she didn't fight Mick's invasion, too tired to complain.
"I can get all of my fingers in the opening, Doctor. I'd say I feel at least nine or ten centimeters at the opening, and I definitely feel the baby's head."
"Okay, as soon as she's feeling ready, have her start to push."
"Do we have to worry about sanitary conditions here, Doctor? We're on a bed in a hotel room!"
"You're both vampires, so your hands are clean. See if there are fresh towels, and put those under Beth. Try to catch the baby if you can, Mick. You will also need to get some string or dental floss, and you'll need a very sharp knife or some scissors so you can cut the cord—oh, and bring a bottle of oil back with you as well.
Mick got off the bed and headed for the kitchen, but didn't know where to look. In the other room, he heard Josef blowing next to Beth's ear as another labor pain hit, and he smiled. Josef was a friend he could always count on! Mick returned, but wasn't happy with what he'd found. He would have to make due if the baby got here before the paramedics. He gently lifted Beth up and put clean, dry towels beneath her, hoping it would at least feel better for her not to be sitting in the cold damp puddle on the bed.
When the next contraction took her, Mick reached out with both arms and pushed her legs up so she was in a position to push, which he told her to do in a very stern voice. Her head was bobbing from exhaustion and the highly potent vampire blood in her system.
"Josef, pinch her and tell her to push!"
"PUSH!" They both shouted at her, waking her from her stupor. She seemed suddenly to come around, maybe strengthened by Mick's blood, and Mick was relieved to see her grab her knees and hold them herself in the pushing position she had learned, then she took in a huge gulp of air and held her breath, bearing down firmly and forcefully, stopping only once to catch another breath, then pushing again with all her might. Josef instinctively leaned against her from behind, giving her the support she needed.
"That's great! Honey! Good job!" Mick was elated to see her participating in the event after fearing she wasn't going to be able to finish the job she had started so many hours ago! When the contraction was over, she leaned back heavily on Josef and let her legs go floppy on the bed. They all took a breath and waited silently. When the next contraction came, Beth grabbed her knees, Josef supported her, and the two men yelled "PUSH," and the baby, who must have been waiting around for the go-ahead, promptly crowned.
"STOP PUSHING, BETH!" Mick yelled out. Then said to the phone, "I can see the head! Doctor!"
"Put your hand on the baby's head and hold it there. I don't want her to tear." He addressed Josef next. "If she wants to push, make her blow out forcefully. That kind of breathing helps keep her from pushing."
Josef nodded understanding and said, "Okay, Doctor!"
"Now Mick, take a handful of the oil and rub it on her while you try to work the taut skin of the perineum back so the head can emerge without tearing her."
Mick placed his hand firmly but gently on the head of his child, touching the soggy, dark baby hair on the tiny head that bulged between Beth's legs. He was rubbing olive oil on her, which was all he could find on short notice, and began working to push back the tightly stretched skin around the baby's head. As he gently oiled and pushed, he heard a siren off in the distance, getting louder by the second. As Mick kept up with his task of working the baby's head out, another contraction hit, Beth groaned, Josef blew in her ear, and two EMTs ran into the room.
"What's the problem here? Woman in labor, we were told," one man said.
Mick didn't look up, merely stated fact: "I'm holding the baby's head here and the doctor is giving us instructions on the phone."
The EMTs stood and watched him work, fascinated. Another contraction came on, and Josef kept Beth blowing out, blowing next to her ear so she could copy his breathing. Mick kept one hand on the baby's head while he worked, and when he felt he had pretty much cleared the way, another contraction came along. This time he yelled "PUSH BETH!" She did, relieved to be able to push again! She wanted this thing OUT of her! In a moment, out popped a little head!
Mick got suddenly very excited. "The head is here! I'm holding the baby's head!"
The EMTs, who were watching, mesmerized by the miracle of birth, finally snapped into action.
"Josh! Open up an OB kit!" one of them said to the other as he was putting on sterile gloves. The one named Josh already had his hands gloved, and he ripped open a bag that said "OB KIT," and he pulled out a sterile pad, which he placed on top of the towels and under the baby's head, which Mick was holding reverently in his hands. He then pulled out a bulb syringe, ready to begin suctioning as soon as the baby was out.
"Mick—that's your baby! It's almost here!" Josef was peering down, gasping in awe at the sight of the emerging life.
"Yeah, man, I'm holding him! My God, what a miracle!"
With the next contraction, Mick said, "PUSH!" and out came the baby onto the sterile pad.
Everyone clapped and cheered as Josh, the EMT, moved in to suction the newborn's mouth and nose.
"It's a boy!" Josef announced, and Mick got up to kiss Beth excitedly. "He's here, Beth! Our boy is here!"
Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she lay collapsed in Josef's arms. "It's a boy?"
"Is it ever!" said the EMT who wasn't Josh. Josh, meanwhile had finished the suctioning, and now the baby was mad! He began screaming bloody murder, and the three of them laughed and cried with happiness. Josh clamped and cut the umbilical cord, then began a quick wipe-down of the infant with the enclosed towels in the OB kit.
"That kid is really HUNG!" said the other EMT, causing more laughter amidst the baby's lustful cries.
"Can't really blame the little guy for being upset, having to look at all of us first thing!"Josh said, wrapping the baby in one of the blankets in the kit—the blue one—then handing him gently over to his mother, who let him lie on her chest as Josef got out of the way so that Mick could hold his family in his arms.
Mick's smile was huge and full of delight and tenderness.
"You did it, Beth! You did it! He's here!" His voice held all of the elation, relief and excitement of the moment, and Beth reached to touch his cheek.
"You did it too, Mick. Like you said, you'd be with me, so we did this together."
She kissed her new son's little cheek and felt the tears well up in her eyes again, looking at his perfect, tiny face. "He's beautiful, Mick!" She looked at her husband, taking in the expression of awe and absolute delight, and her tears spilled over. Mick was finally seeing his son!
"He's a little messy, but I think you're right—he is one pretty little man!" Mick swiped away a tear that had gotten away and looked lovingly into Beth's eyes. "You are so amazing, honey!" he whispered, his voice shaky with emotion.
Josef felt tears sting his eyes and went to look out of the door. The smile on Mick's face was one Josef would not forget.
Josh broke the spell when he saw another contraction coming. "One more push, Mrs. St. John. We need to deliver the placenta." Beth handed the baby over to Mick and pushed one more time. Mick got off of the bed and walked around the room, cooing to his tiny son, settling him down, while Josh cleaned Beth up a little bit, packing her with gauze and then asking his friend to help him wrap her up in a warm blanket. Soon she was lifted gently onto the gurney by both Josh and the other EMT, and she was taken out to the ambulance.
Mick rode with her and the baby while Josef followed in the car. On the way out to the highway, a black panel truck marked with the secret symbol of the cleaners drove by them. 'Just in time!' Josef thought gratefully.
The ride to the hospital was bittersweet for Josef--he knew he'd lost his chance for this kind of miracle, but it had been well worth the price he had paid to have Beth and the baby safe! He felt strangely choked up, but smiled as he thought about the look on Mick and Beth's faces as they gazed upon their new little son for the first time. "Good going, Buddy!" he said softly to himself.
On the way to the hospital, Josh hooked me up to an IV and Mick tried to settle the baby down. He was screaming like he was being boiled alive! We both felt terrible—he seemed to be in such distress!
"Can I pick him up?" Mick asked Josh. Chris, the other EMT was driving.
"The rules are that he has to stay strapped in—in case we get hit or something."
"Could you turn off the lights and siren, slow down to normal speed, and then I'll hold him?" Mick was obviously upset to hear his baby crying so hard.
Josh, my guardian angel, picked up his speaker and talked to Chris. We immediately slowed way down, and Josh got up and handed the bundle to Mick. Mick sat there in his still-bloody shirt, cradling his son, cooing and singing to him, and it made me warm and shivery inside to see them together. Maybe it was from the trauma I'd just been through, but I doubted it.
The baby immediately quieted as his dad sang familiar songs to him—songs he had sung to him while he was still inside of me. He looked up at me, smiling as he sang, and I thought he'd break my heart with the joy I saw in his face.
"The baby knows your voice, Mick! He's settling down just hearing you. That's so amazing!"
"I guess they hear a lot when they're still in the womb!" Josh watched in fascination too.
It was such a miracle of events, I thought, how Mick and Josef had arrived just in time and had saved me from Coraline and her evil scheme, then helped deliver our baby! And I could hardly believe we were finally safe! After a week of terror, it had all ended in our miracle! At a time like this, nothing should dampen our joy, and I tried very hard not to think of the Legion. There's no way I'd let them separate Mick from his child! The hearing was in a week! I shivered again, but not with elation.
Chris's voice projected from the speaker overhead. "Just to let you folks know, we're going to the Palm Springs Hospital, but they've been talking to your doctor, and he's informed them of everything, so you'll be in good hands."
The strange voice startled the baby and he began crying, but more softly this time, and he was rooting around Mick's chest for something to eat. Mick looked at me with a silly smile. "I'm afraid I can't satisfy his need to feed here!"
I laughed and held out my arms. He looked at Josh, who only nodded.
Mick placed the baby with me on the gurney, and Chris put up the rail to help hold him in safely. I unbuttoned my gown and touched my son's cheek with one nipple. He must have had a lot of Mick in him! He knew exactly what to do with it, and latched on hungrily. What a strange feeling! His suck was so different from—anything else I could compare to, and I laughed and looked at Mick.
"He's certainly got this part down!"
Mick was smiling broadly. "I'll say!" Mick came over and knelt by us, watching as his baby suckled hungrily. We kept looking at each other with eyes of wonder and delight. This was real! We stayed like that, with the baby eating and Mick with his arm over both of us, until we slowed and pulled into the Emergency entrance of the hospital. By then, the baby had fed on both breasts and was asleep. Mick picked him up gently and sat down as I was taken out first, then he jumped to the ground, landing so softly that the baby didn't even stir, surprising Josh, who happened to see him jump.
"Hey, man! How'd you do that! You landed like you have springs in your legs!"
"Oh, I used to pole vault," Mick said casually.
"Ah." He looked at him like he wasn't quite sure he was hearing the truth, which he wasn't, and I was laughing. Josh came over to me to say good-bye, and I reached up to hug him.
"Thanks so much, Josh. You really were my guardian angel today. Thanks for taking such good care of me and the baby."
"Hey, it was my pleasure." When he smiled, I felt warm, and thought how odd it was that a man named Josh had been my angel.
Inside, all became chaos. We were put in a curtained room together, and Mick sat, holding our son, while doctors and nurses came in and out with admission papers to sign as others checked my vitals. They said the baby had to be taken up to the maternity floor to be checked out, and I told Mick to stay with him, so he bent over me and kissed me, squeezed my hand, and said, "I'll see you up there. I'm going to watch everything they do to him, though. I'll keep him safe for you."
I watched them leave, and then it was my turn. I was wheeled up to the same floor that Mick and the baby were on, and they checked me out, saying everything looked great. I was a mess, so one of the nurses helped me sit in a shower and wash my hair and clean up to get the last remnants of my harrowing day off of me! I'd had a long, stressful week, ending with a long, stressful delivery! It felt great to be clean and dry, in a clean gown and robe, not much for looks, but washed! They took me to my room, and Mick was waiting there, sitting in a big rocker-recliner, holding the baby. I was so happy to see them!
"Mick! He's okay?" I was concerned, because the stress of my kidnapping had probably caused my early labor. Still, he was only a little early. I stretched out on the bed, glad to have all of this over, and so grateful! Then I saw a familiar face behind a bunch of pretty flowers in the doorway.
"I was just thinking of angels, and here you are! One of my very own personal angels!" I said as Josef knocked lightly and walked in. He didn't even look wrinkled! He came over and handed me the flowers smiling sweetly, then kissed me on the cheek. "You did great today, sweetheart. Just great. I'm in total awe of you!"
I started to cry. "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been there, Josef! Come here!" I held my arms open and he bent over to embrace me, hugging me hard. I sensed the emotions in him too, and kissed his cheek when he rose. "I'll never be able to thank you enough."
He stood up slowly, looking down at me with a expression of tenderness that was uncharacteristic for him. "You don't have to thank me, Beth. I can't say I've ever, in 400 years, had a more productive day than today!" I laughed through my tears and squeezed his hand. He held mine for a moment, a gesture of friendship that had suddenly deepened with the days' events.
He gave me a wink. "I'd better see who this baby looks like! I hope it's not the milk man! He's not all that good looking!"
He took a step over to Mick and the baby and stared down at our new son. He broke into a wide grin. Well, he's definitely a cute baby! Not all of them are at this point, you know! Look at all that hair!"
"Yeah, dark like Mick's," I said, watching as Mick smiled and held his baby's tiny hand between two fingers.
"He looks so little! What did he weigh?" Josef couldn't take his eyes off of the baby, I noticed!
"Our son is six pounds, one ounce, and he's nineteen and a half inches long! So he's perfect—just needs to eat a lot and grow fast!"
Mick was wearing scrubs now, and the baby was all cleaned up too, and looked cuter by the minute. Actually both of them did! I could tell, they were bonding, with Mick holding him close, studying him, and the baby sleeping contentedly in the arms of his daddy who sang to him.
"Everything is normal? You watched them do all of the tests?" I had to know.
Mick nodded, kissing the baby's cheek as he slept in his arms. "He is so normal you couldn't even ask for a more normal boy!" He kind of smiled sideways at me and said, "Well, like Chris said, he is kind of hung, but the nurses said all newborn boys are born kind of swollen down there."
I laughed out loud, almost hooting. Josef clapped Mick on the back.
"Well, we'll just see if he shrinks, but I have a feeling he's going to be a LOT like his daddy!" I was giggling, Josef was smirking and Mick look embarrassed and happy.
"Hey, I'm going to leave you guys alone, but I'm staying in town. I'll get a new vehicle for us to all drive back home in whenever they release you. I'll be back tomorrow." He hugged us all good-bye and left. I thought that in spite of the happiness, there was a wistfulness about him.
"What's with Josef, Mick? He seems happy, but kind of sad too. Is he missing Sarah?"
Mick looked up at me with an odd look on his face. "Well, Beth, it's a little more than that, actually—he's a vampire again."
"Oh. Wow. He turned back already and Sarah isn't pregnant yet." I was thinking he'd be very disappointed! "I suppose he's terribly upset, huh? About not getting Sarah pregnant yet?"
"Well, I want you to know just how much Josef loves you, Beth." Mick was looking directly into my eyes, still holding the baby's hand, playing with tiny fingers.
"What? Mick?"
"See, Josef's human time didn't just run out--he had me turn him back today when he saw that we needed to fight both Coraline AND Cynthia to save you. He was sure I couldn't manage them by myself, and in retrospect, I'd say he was absolutely right. If Josef hadn't been there to help, this could have all ended very badly."
"He had you turn him back? Mick! He did that! And I didn't even realize—I heard a lot of fighting, but I didn't know! Oh, I feel so sad for him! And he gave up fatherhood for us, Mick! For the baby!"
"I know. I asked if he was sure, and he was."
I was stunned and silent.
"I feel guilty, but terribly grateful. Oh, Josef!" Now I wanted him to come back so I could thank him for all he had sacrificed!
"Honey, if it makes you feel any better, he did it gladly. He wouldn't have it any other way. He said our baby needed us, and his was just a dream. He's rational when things fall apart—I'm not. I'm so glad he was there!"
Mick looked down at the baby. "I think he's wet. Should we change him"
"Yeah, put him on the bed here and get a clean diaper. I can't wait to see the package on this little guy!"
Mick gave me a look that was a tiny bit surprised. "Is that any way to talk about your own son?" I smiled back.
"A mother gets to check her baby out, count the fingers and toes, see whose eyes he has, whose feet, and especially, whose package!"
"Well, I'm going to be very suspicious if you say he looks like an old boyfriend of yours!"
I laughed. "Not a chance!"
I opened up the diaper and took a peek and laughed! "He's like you Mick! Exactly! Just in miniature!"
"Hah! You think so? So when people ask who he looks like, you'll say, 'Well, he has my eyes and Mick's junk!'"
"I might!"
"Yeah! You might!" He sat down while I finished up and re-swaddled him, then held him against me, thinking how amazing and warm and sweet he was!
Mick sat down on the end of my bed. "The nurses need to know if we want to schedule a circumcision. I guess they have a specialist who comes over every other day. Tomorrow is the day, so if we want it done. . ."
"Well, I think that's totally up to the parent with a penis, Mick. I have no preference, but I've read that most men like their little boys to look like they do."
"So, if we don't have him cut, you're okay with that? I thought it was kind of back in style now."
"In my parenting books, it says it's about sixty/forty right now, so he won't be a freak in the locker room if he's intact."
"Fine with me if we don't have to hurt him."
"Fine with me too. There! That was easy! Now how about his name?"
"Yeah, that."
Mick was quiet, for a while looking at the baby. "Do you still like Eliot?"
"Really, it doesn't matter—what about some of the names from the book? We've been looking at the Scots/Irish names a lot, and I love them. Your heritage. Mine is all English and Welsh, which is kind of boring."
"Ian? You liked that one."
"Hmmmm. Let me think. Patrick was your brother's name, right?"
"Yeah. And your father was Bryan. That's good too."
"What goes with St. John? I love Mick, but that's taken."
He laughed. "Lucky kid!" He was watching our son so intently, and I loved watching his face as he drank in this miracle he had started. What a great father he was going to be!
"Well, we can't do Patrick Michael."
"Why?"
"His initials would be PMS! That wouldn't be good!"
Mick laughed out loud. "Probably not a great idea! So—what?"
We were quiet. I was thinking, and so was he. "Who does he LOOK like to you, Mick?"
"Besides looking like me, I'm not sure."
"He DOES look like you! Exactly like you! I wish you had baby picture of yourself! He'd be a perfect match!"
"We have strong genes, remember?"
"You sure do, and I'm glad. I can't wait to have a little boy who looks and acts just like you!"
He smiled at me sweetly. "As I recall, I was a pretty good kid. My parents didn't have too many hard times with me! How about Eliot Michael?"
"Do you really like that? I'm okay with the other names we were considering from the name book!"
Mick was silent for a minute, looking at the baby, now sleeping on his back on the bed in between us.
"You know, I really felt like I got punched in the stomach that day in the car when we were looking for Jacob and you hinted at having my baby. I was so aroused I almost jumped your bones right in the car! And you said 'Eliot,' and all I could think of was, 'God, please let that happen someday!' and here we are."
"Here we are. Less than a year later, and we have him on the bed with us. Who'd have EVER thought this would happen!"
"Not me! Never in my life! Beth—I feel like I'm living out some wonderful dream with you, and little Eliot here—I can't imagine being more elated!"
"Me either, Mick. I love you so much. Thank you for this gift." I reached over and we clasped hands, resting them by Eliot's head.
"No, honey, thank YOU! You're the surprise here! That I could ever love someone so much, and that you'd just--have my baby--when we'd hardly even dated, and that you'd marry me without even hesitating! Especially with me--being what I am! I'm so blown away!" He shook his head as in disbelief, and my heart thumped in my chest. I cherished this man so much!
I squeezed his hand. "It's that way for me, too, Mick. I can't imagine my life without you, and now without both of you."
The baby started to rouse, and I picked him up to feed him again. Mick's eyes wore a constant expression of amazement, watching our little man eat. "Now you have to watch TWO of us eat, Mick! You might get REALLY tired of watching that!"
"I hope so, but I know that will never happen."
The baby slept in his little bed in my room right next to my bed, and Mick slept on my bed squeezed up behind me, spooning with me, holding me close all night. When the baby cried, he got up and changed him, swaddled him, and handed him to me to feed. When feeding was over, Mick put him back in his bed. It was a great way to handle things, and I got caught up on my sleep.
Josef traded the sports car in for a mini-van that was plush, cushy and comfortable. We had a car seat sent to the hospital, and as we left for the drive back home, we strapped Eliot in the back seat with me, and Mick sat up in front with Josef, who was kind enough to drive, so Mick and I could continue to watch the baby constantly. Josef had sent his pilot home with the plane the day after the baby was born, and I thanked him profusely for what he had done, getting himself and Mick to me before Coraline had a chance to cut the baby out of me! We hugged and cried as I thanked him for asking Mick to turn him back. I reminded him that Mick got me pregnant AFTER he turned back, and told Josef not to give up yet! He gently wiped the tears from my eyes and told me thanks for letting him be part of our family.
"You know, Beth, I've never seen a baby born before—it was an absolute miracle that I wouldn't have missed for the world. So thank you for allowing me to share what has to be one of the most special times of your life."
"And you helped Eliot be born! You're always going to be Uncle Josef!"
He laughed, and held my hand, helping me into the car.
On the way home, I told Josef what had happened to me with the evil twins, since Mick had only given him a few sketchy details.
"So," Josef said, "Coraline was SERIOUS? She was really going to cut you open and take the baby?"
"That's what she and Cynthia were arguing about AGAIN as you showed up to save me! Coraline's intent all along had been to kill me—she just wasn't sure if she could kill me before she cut the baby out of me, or if I had to be cut open while I was still alive!"
"No wonder you went into labor! That BITCH!" Josef was shaking his head. He turned to look at Mick briefly, and Mick didn't say anything. "I'm so sorry, Brother! Mick, forgive me!"
"It's all okay now, Josef. You really came through for us!"
"But if I hadn't been so set on having a baby, I'd have never asked you to let her go, and none of this would have happened!"
Mick sat still as a stone, then looked at his friend. "Josef—things work out the way they're supposed to work out, I think. Beth and me—that's a total miracle. The baby is too. The way we got to Beth just in time! It all worked out! But you, man, you are the hero—you turned back into a vampire for me and Beth and little Eliot. When we have him baptized, just so you know, his Saint name is going to be 'Josef.'"
I watched Josef swallow, as though temporarily choked up. "Hey, man, I'm so honored."
"And," I said, looking again at Mick, "we want you to be god-father to Eliot, if you will."
Now Josef was really quiet, and we all just sat, driving along, looking out through heavily tinted windows. When Josef spoke again, his voice crackled a bit.
"I'd be extremely honored to be Eliot's god-father!"
"Good!" Mick and I said it in unison and smiled at each other. Josef was turning into a softie! Who knew?
"Who is the god-mother?" Josef asked. I looked at Mick and he answered.
"Julia. The one Beth and I saved from Lee Jay? She's a pretty good friend of Beth's anyway, and now she loves us both so much for saving her that she'd do anything. We haven't asked her yet, but we're sure she'll say yes."
"She seems like a very nice lady. Good choice."
"We think so! Well, we sure are getting all of the details worked out, aren't we, Eliot! Now if only that Tribunal meeting were over!"
"It's coming right up." Josef said with concern. That was our only hurdle now. Eliot was here, Coraline was dead, and we were all set for a happy life if only things would go well at the hearing. If only!"
Josef helped us carry all of our things up to our apartment, then kissed me on the cheek and hugged me. "Take care, now, Beth. Get your strength back." His eyes were loving and kind, and as he pulled away, I grabbed him tightly in a bear hug.
"I can't ever thank you enough! Josef—you're so important to us! I just want you to know that—we both love you!"
He patted me on the back as I squeezed him. "I know that Beth, and it goes both ways. You and Mick, and now Eliot, well, you're my family. I'd always do anything for you—you know that too!"
I let go of him and backed into Mick's arms. He and Josef exchanged a look that only they could interpret, but they were closer than friends—they were brothers in every sense of the word.
He left, and we went to the kitchen where Mick made me a plate of eggs, then sat down next to me to have his beverage. We were almost done when Eliot began to cry.
"I guess it's a good thing you got to eat! That kid is going to take the calories right back!"
"I know! And I need to feed him! My milk is coming in, and my breasts are just so hard and tender!"
"Mmmm! They sound delicious! I'll be right up so we can all sit and enjoy one more meal together!"
I smiled and we held hands as we headed for our bedroom, where we had set up a cradle and changing table until the baby got a little older. I didn't want him alone in his nursery until he had started to sleep through the night, even with monitors! Mick was happy to share the bedroom with him, anyway, so we turned on our fireplace and sat around listening to Mick play the guitar and sing while Eliot drained me in a good way.
A couple of days later, we all went to see Dr. Mineo. He took extra time to check me over from head to foot, and referred us to a pediatrician for Eliot. He said Mick had done a wonderful job delivering the baby—I hadn't torn at all, and should heal quickly. He said we should try to abstain from intercourse for six weeks to be sure I was all healed inside, but said to at least wait until I had stopped bleeding and felt okay. So—Abstinence! Not a fun thought for either of us!
Eliot checked out fine two days later, and had gained eight ounces already! He was a champion eater, that one!
We came back home that afternoon and settled the baby down for a nap, then went to bed and cuddled. It was strange to be so close and not have sex, but we were trying to be good. We kissed and fondled, but Mick couldn't even suckle my breasts! He'd tried and gotten a mouthful of milk! Not good for a vampire! I finally fell asleep, but this was our last night together before the hearing, and both of us were so tense we could barely breathe. I kept waking up througout the night to find Mick awake, staring at me, and the kissing and cuddling would start up anew each time.
"I can't even imagine a life without you, Mick. Tell me they won't take you away from me!" I whispered.
He hugged me closer and kissed me on my forehead. "I want that so much, sweetheart. If prayers can be answered, and after this past year, I'd say yes to that, I'll be here with you and Eliot for as long as you want me."
"Forever, Mick. I can't ever leave you. I'm sure now—you have to turn me sometime so I never have to leave."
"Like you said before, we can wait until Eliot is a little older and figure that out. Let's get through this hearing first. Forever can wait until tomorrow is decided."
"I guess you're right. I'll settle for tomorrow if you can stay with us."
"Me too, honey. Believe me! I just want to stay with the two of you right now! I can't even think of the future!"
Maybe he couldn't, but I could, and a future without him was too painful to contemplate.
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