Rifiuto: Non Miriena

"It's short circuiting somehow. One minute, it's working just fine, and the next, sparks fly and this... yellow goop comes out." Zane said, motioning to the yellow blobs that seemed to be devouring everything in sight. Not just devouring, but turning everything to rust.

A reverse Midas effect.

Jo didn't notice the goo or pay attention to the conversation. The only thing she focused on was the pain that was slowly getting worse.

"If we... can figure out a way to contain it, maybe we can control it-" Grace started, looking over Zane's shoulder as he frantically tried to work something out on the last surviving computer.

"Jack."

"We could just turn it off." Jack suggested. "What?" He asked, surprised to see the others glare at him.

"Jack!" Jo's scream brought everyone's focus away from the problem and onto her. At the look on her face, Jack rushed to her side and helped her up, keeping an arm tight around her waist. "Look, I'm sorry that this... whatever it is is taking over the research lab, but... I have bigger problems right now." She struggled to remain calm, her normal, strong attitude showing through the pain. Instantly, Jack turned to the others. "I need... I need to lie down."

"Remain calm, Jojo. It'll be okay. You can lay down in Fargo's office and relax, and then we'll go to the hospital and have the baby. All right love?" She nodded, squeezing his hand as a contraction came. In not time at all, they'd reached Fargo's office, and the director had led the couple to the sofa. Obviously, he'd wasted no time in getting his imported furniture back.

"Now just lay back and breathe, Jo. I'll go get Grace and she can look over you."

"What?" She cried, struggling to sit up as Jack gently pushed her back. "Grace isn't a medical doctor!"

"Would you rather we brought Allison down from the psych ward to deliver our baby?" Jack asked, his expression serious. His wife laid back down and took a deep breath, struggling to keep calm. She squeezed Jack's hand with each contraction.

"How is she?" Grace's voice floated towards the pair as she followed Fargo into his office.

"What's going on with the goo?" Jack asked, brushing the flyaway strands away from Jo's forehead.

"Oh, it's... started manifesting. Right now, Zane is holed up in the Internal Tech Lab trying to figure out how to fix the problem. If only we could figure out how to... reverse it somehow..."

"How did Midas reverse his curse?" Fargo asked as Grace checked over Jo. The young woman whimpered as the pain got worse.

"He didn't." Jo replied, sitting up. "Not without help." She whimpered, squeezing Jack's hand. "He asked Dionysis to take the gift away from him, and the god told him to wash his hands in the river, therefore washing away the curse." A cry escaped her throat, and she bit her lip. Grace checked her quickly.

"This baby is not going to wait... he's coming now." Grace sent Fargo to get a bowl of water and several towels. She called Holly, and once the woman arrived, Grace had her play messanger between them and Zane. Even though she was currently in labor, Jo still gave her input whenever she could. "Jo, I want you to push okay?" The younger woman nodded. "On the next contraction, Jo."

"Zane says that... he's tried every sort of liquid, but it's not-"

"Tell him to try... apherial... glycosemine. It should start to... break it down... Oh God!" Jack held her close, and Jo grabbed the front of his shirt. "Just one little question, Jack." She started, staring into his eyes.

"Yes?" He asked.

"How... the hell... have you survived this long? If I still had my gun, you wouldn't be walking, let alone living."

"Jo, I need you to keep pushing." The young woman did as told, letting out a whimper. She- and no one else but Holly who kept running back and forth recieving and relaying information- didn't notice the ugly yellow goop starting to slide across the walls. "Keep pushing, Jo, that's it. Here come the shoulders."

"I never should have let you take my gun away!" Jo cried, digging her nails into Jack's hand. One more push, and Grace lifted a squirming baby girl for her parents to see. A flash of light momentarily blinded everyone and then was gone. All Jo and Jack saw was their baby girl. After several moments, Grace laid her in Jo's arms and cut the cord before checking both mother and daughter over and going to the door.

"I'll go check on Zane. We'll give you some time alone." Neither noticed the others slip out of the room.

"She's beautiful, just like you." Jo gave him a small smile before kissing him.

"Thank you." She whispered. Her hard, tough shell had cracked- like it had so many times over the last four years- and he was seeing a whole new side of the woman that was now his wife and the mother of his child. They looked down at their child, and Jack asked,

"What should we name her?"

"I think Jea said that her name was... Erica." Jo narrowed her eyes in uncertainty.

"Erica?" She nodded. "Did she mention a middle name?"

"No. So that means we can pick that." Jack gave her big smile.

"So what should her middle name be?"

"What do you think it should be, Jack?" He thought a moment. "Samantha."

Jo looked down at her daughter, unable to hide her tears. "It's just right for our little girl."