( Volume: 4 Arc: "Life and Death" Issue: 4/4 )

Chapter 157 : losing

"—god," Laura gasped, opening her eyes. She sat up, saw that she was alone in the infirmary room, and that she was covered in tubes.

She felt strange. Light and fluttery.

"…" Laura's limp brushed across her skin, brushing away the attachments; she lifted her legs over the edge of the bed and slowly stood, the pain in her backbone intensifying. How could she feel so light with such a large stomach?

Large? How long had she been sleeping? It had been a tiny belly when…when it all had happened…whatever that had been.

She shuffled to the bathroom, conscious of only one thought: she needed to urinate. Badly. She'd knocked the catheter out upon waking.

A few moments passed as she did her business, then she stood slowly, wincing at the pain in her backbone.

Then it spread, and she felt lightheaded. Laura's eyes cast downwards.

That wasn't good.

"LAURA?" Julian suddenly burst into the bathroom, knocking the door aside like it was a piece of tissue. His eyes caught hers, followed them down to what she'd been looking at.

Her chin was trembling.

"Keller…"

A trickle was flowing down her ankle, from her knee, where the trickle widened into a river—and then, further up, a sea.

The lower part of her paper gown was soaked, saturated, with pure red.

Blood.

"I…no," Laura said pleadingly, her chin trembling as she leaned on the corner of the counter for support. She felt weak.

He felt even weaker.

…

"Please…please…save it…save it…" Laura moaned, tossing her head as Dr. McCoy took her pulse.

"I cannot promise you this," he said grimly. "The baby may not have your healing factor. It may have not been able to handle growing so soon. Your body might have damaged it during…your illness."

"SAVE IT!" Laura whimpered. She was sweating again.

Julian was leaning against the wall, his heart beating too fast, in his throat. He'd known—he'd feared this would happen—and it was all happening because of him, because she'd saved him.

He wished so much that she hadn't.

He'd thought over and over about that moment, played it like a video in his head. Why hadn't he been shielding them? Why had he bothered to care about concealing his powers from the other mall goers? Why hadn't he just grabbed Laura and flown out the instant he'd been attacked by the men?

"…ah! AH!" Laura tossed her head, convulsing.

"No, is she—" Julian's eyebrows drew together, recognizing the motion.

"I'm afraid so," Dr. McCoy said, having just peered at the area under the sheet.

"Her cervix is dilating. She's losing the baby. This is what is called an inevitable miscarriage, Julian. I'm sorry."

"SAVE IT!" Julian yelled, the cords in his neck straining.

"I can't," Dr. McCoy said. "All I can do is assist in the birth…and pray that the baby was not damaged by the virus. Nothing else can be done."

Julian looked at Josh, who was also present.

"I'll do what I can, man," Josh promised.

Julian's hand found Laura's empty one.

…

Laura let her head snap down against the table, finished growling; she was too exhausted to fight as Dr. McCoy began to remove the protective sack from around the infant shape.

Julian held his breath, and her hand, very tightly. The sac wasn't moving the way the Shrimps had squirmed. He wasn't even paying attention to how gross the placentas looked.

The sac fell to the floor, revealing a tiny, pink face. Dr. McCoy motioned for Josh.

"Brush the head free…I don't want to hurt it with my claws."

"I'll do it," Julian said, pushing his friend aside. Gingerly he reached out and wiped a streak of slime away from the small nose. And stopped. There was something wrong…he could almost see through its skin.

And it hadn't opened its eyes.

"…"

"Josh, please," Dr. McCoy said gently, as Julian's hand fell away.

…

Laura opened her eyes as Josh laid the still form in her arms. The room was silent, very silent. Logan took one look at the girl and turned away, towards the door, as Laura's lips parted.

No words escaped; there were none. Laura had figured out that in this life, this small, fragile life, there was none. It was gone.

She didn't cry, didn't make a sound, just closed her eyes again, and her expression was that of complete exhaustion.

…

"No," Sofia gasped, peering through the infirmary window. She had come along with Cessily to visit Laura; they had just received horrible news from Josh.

"…..this can't be happening," Cessily moaned, touching the glass. "Poor Laura….oh, god…..she's had so much happen already."

"It was a girl," Josh said quietly. "I think…I'm not sure but I think it kind of broke both of them. I have my doubts on whether Julian's going to be doing anything with us again, you know what I mean?"

"He needs to grieve, of course," Sofia admonished.

"No." Josh paused. "I mean—I think this was the last straw. I don't think he's going to 'grieve'—I think that's it for him. Never seen him like that."

"Oh, god," Cessily gasped. "You don't think—"

"No," Sofia said, gazing through the window of the door. "Julian would not. He would not let our enemies kill him." Her face was filled with a kind of understanding, as if everything was coming together.

"He would kill them first."

Cessily opened her mouth. "You mean he's going to go after whoever's doing this by himself?"

Sofia didn't answer, but looked at the boy inside the room, at his stiff posture, quiet composure, and determined eyes; and her own expression was serious.