Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to CrystalRaindrop007 for Beta'ing!
Shadows In The Night — IX
While Ichigo continued to be awkward around Byakuya, Unohana and Rukia began talking and going over the normal pregnancy stuff in the other room.
"How have you been feeling?" Unohana asked, smiling as Rukia sat down on her bed.
"Tired. The morning sickness has gone, though. I sleep about eighteen hours a day right now, and it sometimes makes me frustrated," Rukia said. "Aiko and Kaori are kind of tiring, but Ichigo keeps them busy when we have to babysit so I can sleep."
"Do you babysit a lot?" Unohana asked. Rukia nodded.
"Once or twice a week at least. Most times more. Ichigo keeps Diasuke, the little boy, busy all the time anyway, because he is a real energy drainer. He would have me sleeping in ten minutes. I don't know how Ichigo does it for hours on end."
Rukia continued, "Anyway, how are you doing? I know it has to be hard for you to sneak out here twice a month, especially you and Nii-Sama at the same time," Rukia asked.
"I'm fine, personally. But it is hard to get out. Today we had help from Renji. He just woke up and we convinced him to run away so I could chase after him, as a doctor, and Captain Kuchiki could chase him, as his captain," Unohana explained, smiling. "Needless to say, since Renji has been in a coma for nearly two months, he was utterly confused, and the only way he agreed was we had to tell him everything when we came back."
Rukia nodded, smiling. So Renji had finally woken up. His injury had knocked him into a coma, along with some drugs that were supposed to help him heal, and he hadn't been conscious for nearly two months. Rukia and Ichigo were getting constant updates on his condition, but since he was fully healed, they were just waiting for him to make the final move in coming around.
"Did you tell him where you were going?" Rukia asked, standing to her feet and walking across to room to grab a glass of water that was on her nightstand.
"No. He doesn't know where we were going; because if he did, he would have wanted to come with us."
"Yeah, I guess so, huh?"
Unohana didn't reply; she knew that the question didn't need an answer.
"Back to you. How is the baby doing?"
"I can still feel it's spirit power, and it's growing each and every day, so it must be doing well. But Unohana-san, I don't think I can keep hiding it like this. It's getting too strong," Rukia admitted, sitting back down on the bed and folding her hands in her lap.
"I thought something like this would happen."
Rukia looked up.
"What?"
"The baby's spirit pressure; it's going to be too strong during the last few months of pregnancy. Much too strong for you to hide, and even if you could hide it, it would probably injure you to the point where you could never have children again," Unohana said, her face grim. "When the spirit pressure becomes too strong for you to handle, you will need to send an emergency message to me; I will come right away, no matter what."
"What will you do?"
The worry was clear on Rukia's face, and Unohana could tell that she was scared.
"We will have to do an early birth; I think the longest we will be able to hold it off will be six months into pregnancy, another three, in other words. No more, or it could injure you, as I said, to where you can never have children. Or . . ." Unohana trailed off.
"What?"
" . . . It could kill you."
As the weeks slowly passed, it became harder and harder for Rukia to conceal the baby's spirit power. She was sleeping more than nineteen hours a day now, and she was even tired when she was awake. Unohana was now coming once a week, with or without Byakuya. She liked to have Ichigo accompany her back to the inside gates when Byakuya couldn't come, because she felt uncomfortable traveling alone.
But when Byakuya did come, they stayed longer, and Unohana would visit with Rukia and give her more medication. Renji had even visited a few times, and though he was ashamed about what he had done, Ichigo and Rukia pretended like nothing had ever happened.
He had been forgiven and that was that.
The medication that Rukia was taking was to help give her strength. The baby's spirit power was growing each day, and it was working on her body like a virus that was slowly sapping her life away.
Finally, one day in her fifth month of pregnancy, Ichigo failed to wake her for her medication. She slept through most of the day now.
"Rukia?" Ichigo whispered again, shaking her gently. She didn't respond. Worried, he quickly pressed his fingers to her neck. Relieved to find a pulse, he quickly sat up and ran into the other room. "Nichelle, will you keep trying to wake Rukia?"
"Sure. What's wrong?" Nichelle could see the worry on his face as he quickly pulled on his coat, hat and shoes. He was about to run out of the door when he turned around and said,
"She's not waking up. I can't get any response out of her. I'm going to get help."
"Wait!"
But it was too late; Ichigo had already ran out of the house, using Shun-po to quickly run across the ground.
Nichelle ran into the young couples room and sat down on the bed beside Rukia, gently shaking her shoulder and whispering her name. There was no response.
"Please, Rukia . . ." Nichelle whispered, shaking her again. Still no response. Rukia was still breathing, but her face was a little pale and her pulse was slightly rapid.
Ichigo quickly covered ground, and soon he was standing on the Kuchiki balcony. Knocking quickly, he silently prayed that it would be Byakuya who would open the door. As luck would have it, Rukia's older brother quickly pulled open the door and raised his eyebrows at Ichigo's being there.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Something's wrong. Where's Unohana?" Ichigo asked, breathing hard. He had just ran several miles, and though he had used Shun-po, it was still an energy draining run.
"Is Rukia OK?" Byakuya asked coming out onto the balcony. Then, he said, "Follow me."
Ichigo began running behind Byakuya. He didn't know where they were headed, but if it was to get help, he really didn't care.
"She won't wake up. It's been like this for the past few days, but not as bad. She could barely stay awake yesterday, and she was really pale and felt sick again, like she had during the first few months. I don't know what's wrong, but Unohana told me to keep and eye on her," Ichigo said quickly, not even sure that Byakuya had heard everything he said.
But Byakuya didn't respond; he just kept running.
Soon, they landed outside of a small hospital. Ichigo and Byakuya ran inside, and though Ichigo didn't know where he was going, he followed Byakuya, fully trusting the Captain for the first time in his life. If Rukia was in danger, it was most likely that Byakuya would be trustworthy.
Finally, they came so a small door and Byakuya knocked. Unohana came to the door within seconds and answered; Ichigo noted that she looked tired.
"What's wrong? Ichigo? Why are you here?"
Ichigo, still breathing hard, explained again what he had told Byakuya.
"We must go now."
And again they all set out running. Ichigo was tired, but he was worried, also. He wondered if Nichelle had been able to get Rukia awake. If not . . . he didn't want to think about it.
Finally, they arrived outside of the house. Ichigo quickly opened the door and ran into his bedroom again. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rukia sitting up in bed. Her face was more pale that it had been in months and she was shivering, even though the heat was up high and she was wrapped in several blankets. Ichigo quickly walked over and sat down beside her, speaking to her in a low voice. After she stopped talking and laid her head on his shoulder, Ichigo turned to Byakuya and Unohana, who were standing in the doorway.
"She says that she's having trouble hiding the baby's spirit pressure."
"Then we have to deliver now," Unohana said, walking over and placing her hand on Rukia's forehead to find it hot.
"But she's only at five months! The baby will die," Ichigo said worriedly.
He had seen too many babies die at his father's clinic. Far too many. Most of the babies that had died were born too early of they were sick; but he knew that five months was way too early.
"The earliest I have ever delivered a baby was five and a half months. The baby was sick, but I was able to heal it and help develop its lungs," Unohana said, helping Rukia to lie back down. She took out a shot from the bag she had brought along and stuck it in Rukia's arm.
"Did the baby live?" Ichigo asked, and on second thought, he added, "And what was that?"
"That was something to help develop the baby's lungs. And the little girl did live."
"Is the drug something like those we have on Earth?"
"No, this is much more effective, but-"
She was cut off when Rukia spoke.
"Please, let me carry the baby a little longer," she whispered, still breathing heavily. I can start to develop its lungs and other organs with my healing power. Please . . ."
Ichigo glanced back at Unohana, his eyes full of worry. Byakuya was still standing in the doorway, but soon came over to sit beside his sister. She looked up and smiled at him for a second before closing her eyes again, breathing in sharply.
This didn't go unnoticed by Unohana.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"N-nothing."
"Rukia . . ." Byakuya said in a warning voice.
"It hurts . . ."
"Rukia . . . we can wait about another week for you, but the longer we wait the more chance we have of injuring you so you can never have kids. I won't be able to heal you once it goes past that point. I don't think we can wait anymore than a week," she said.
"What difference will it make? Any children Ichigo and I ever have will have the same high spirit pressure," Rukia said. "Please, let me carry the baby longer."
Unohana didn't respond, but she did notice that Rukia didn't even think that she might ever have children with a different man that Ichigo. Then, quietly, she asked, "Is the baby kicking yet?"
Rukia couldn't answer, so Ichigo said,
"Yeah. It started a few days ago. The baby was kicking while Rukia was taking her medication," he said.
"Good. That means that the baby is developed past the point at which I can probably help it mature before delivering. Also, Rukia, I know you wanted a normal birth . . . but I don't think we can."
"What?" she managed to ask.
"What do you mean? Like . . . A C-section?" Ichigo asked, looking up at Unohana.
"Something like that. We don't call it that here in the Soul Society, but it is basically the same thing. Instead of a normal birth, we will have to take the baby out by cutting into your stomach," Unohana explained.
"Why?"
"Because I don't think you have the strength to go through several hours of labor."
"What do we do now?" Ichigo asked, reaching out and taking Rukia's hand in his.
"I would like to take Rukia back with me and keep an eye on her, but I don't think we can do that, so . . ."
Unohana as cut off again as Byakuya spoke.
"I'll take her with me."
Everyone turned to him. Byakuya spoke again.
"She and Kurosaki will stay with me until the child is born."
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