Chapter 5

Sam

Standing in Grace's hospital room and staring at the new life that lay on her chest was something that I'll never forget. I don't know if it was because Serra was due in four weeks or if it was because I had a new lease on life, considering that I had been dead not long ago, but the idea that we had lived long enough to form families was almost too much for me. Dean looked up at me, grinning stupidly at me, and I smiled back. He was in heaven. He complained about it a lot, but having three kids was right up my brother's alley. He was, if possible, more domestic than I was. Dean loved the little things…mowing the front lawn, taking out the trash, helping Grace cook dinner…he thrived in situations like that. Now, having three children, he was beside himself with happiness.

I was having a hard time knowing that I would have one.

I wasn't nervous, so to speak, but I was worried that because Dean didn't become our dad, that maybe I would. It wasn't until Dean came to get me from Stanford that I finally realized that dad actually cared about us. The constant military-based, unaffectionate way that Dad brought us up was something that Dean had been terrified that he would reproduce, but here we were, witnesses to Dean's soft, loving-family demeanor. He was a doting father, a caring and devoted husband, and I hoped that I had it in me to continue the path my brother was on.

Glancing over at Serra as she held Everett and nuzzled his face, I smiled as Grace handed me Glory. I took a deep, ragged breath and stared down at her. She looked just like Liberty did when she was born; a head of fuzzy blonde hair and eyes squeezed shut. She had her fist shoved up against her cheek and I tried to bring it down and tuck it into her blanket, but she pulled it back out almost immediately, shoving her tiny fist back into her cheek. I smiled and shook my head. Moving closer to Serra, I watched her with Everett, leaning him on top of her belly. He had darker hair and had more of Dean's coloring. He was on the verge of consciousness, one of his eyes trying to open to stare up at Serra.

"Congratulations, you two," I said, smiling up at Dean. "They're perfect."

"They are, aren't they," Dean said quietly. He shook his head in disbelief.

Grace had her head back on the pillows, watching us with the twins from under her heavy lids. She looked completely wiped out. "Gracie, why don't we go so you can get some rest," I said, handing Glory over to Dean. He took her and stared down at her face, probably not even hearing that I spoke.

"No, it's okay, you can stay," Grace replied, her eyes still closed. "I'm concentrating on repair…I don't know how full humans deal with this after pain." She made a face and opened her eyes again, realizing that Serra was standing next to her. "Sorry, Sere."

"You heal me," Serra demanded, staring at her sister with her eyebrows raised.

Closing her eyes again and nodding slowly, Grace leaned back into the pillows once more.

We stood in silence for awhile, each involved with the twin closest to us and barely noticed the doctor when she walked in to check on Grace. "Hello, everyone!" she greeted us. The only one that wasn't surprised by her presence was Grace, who smiled in response. "How are you feeling, Mom?"

"Pretty good," she replied, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Considering."

The doctor smiled and glanced at Serra and me. "We're gonna do some checks," the doctor said, smiling. "Serra, Lindsey wanted to talk to you, too."

Serra nodded, assuming it was something work-related. I knew that she and Dr. Lindsey were close, having worked together in the NICU many times. "I'll go find her. I haven't had my phone on me." She turned back to give Everett back to Grace and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "I'll be back later, sis." I followed Serra out of the room and down the hallway. We hadn't made it to the NICU before Dr. Lindsey stopped us in the hallway.

"Hey, Serra! Congrats again on being an auntie of twins!" she greeted, hugging Serra.

Laughing, Serendipity nodded. "Better auntie than mom," she replied. I saw Lindsey glance at me and I could sense that she wanted to talk to my wife alone.

"I'm gonna go find some coffee," I said, "you want something?"

Serra nodded. "Find me a muffin. Or a cookie." She paused, making a face. "Both. Find me both."

I smiled and continued towards the cafeteria and left the women speaking quietly in the hall.

"Serra," Lindsey began quietly, "I'm so sorry I couldn't get the epi to take on your sister."

Shaking her head, Serra closed her eyes, "Don't worry about it, Linds. It all worked out. She's tough."

Lindsey paused, wringing her hands together. "It's never happened to me before, Serra. Not since med school. I've always been able to plant the tube."

Serendipity stared at Lindsey and narrowed her eyes. "You couldn't even plant the tube? Why?"

"I don't know!" Lindsey said, putting her hands in the pockets on her white coat. "It was like something I've never seen before. She was impenetrable." Searching for words, Lindsey looked around, "Like there was some sort of force field in her back. It's like her dermis would spit the tube back at me."

Taking a deep breath, Serra shook her head and smiled ironically. "Trust me, Lindsey. It's not you. It's Grace."

"What does that even mean?"

"She's different," Serra started, unwilling to go into details. "She doesn't exactly follow the rules of modern medicine."

"I don't understand."

Serra sighed. "It's okay, Lindsey. Just…forget about it." She smiled, "You'll be able to plant the tube on me, if it makes you feel better."

Dr. Lindsey wasn't falling for it. She stood in front of Serra, her jaw set, still obviously upset with the fact that her medical training had failed her. There was a few seconds of silence before another joined the conversation. "Hey, Alana. What's the matter?" Dr. Lindsey greeted the OB that had come into Grace's room to check her.

Alana glanced up at Serra, obviously shaken about something. "Nothing, don't worry."

"Is my sister okay?" Dr. Lindsey and Dr. Alana seemed to exchange a knowing glance with each other. Serra was no idiot and caught on quickly. "What, Alana? What's wrong with Grace?"

She shook her head slowly, pursing her lips. Finally, Alana lifted her eyebrows and said, "Nothing, Serra. There's absolutely nothing wrong with her. It doesn't even look like she gave birth to twins an hour ago. It looks like she's never given birth."

"What?" Dr. Lindsey gasped, leaning forward. "How can that be?"

Serra was closing her eyes and making a face, trying to figure out a way to get out of the conversation that she was a part of. Slowly, she took a step back, unwilling to even make eye contact with either of her friends. Catching on to her movements, Lindsey reached out her hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Oh, no, Serendipity. What do you know? First the epi tube and now completely healed after an hour?" Dr. Lindsey set her jaw. "What gives?"

"You guys, she's just a fast healer." Alana and Lindsey stared at her, waiting. "Look. I'm probably gonna get ripped a new one, and you can't go publishing papers on her and performing experiments on her…but she's…she's different."

"Obviously," Alana said, moving closer to Serra. "Details, Serra. Now."

Grabbing them both by the upper arm, Serendipity steered the two doctors into the nursery of the NICU, sliding Lindsey's card to enter. As soon as the glass security door sealed behind them, Serra used the sounds of the sleeping babies to hold their secrets. "Fine, but no one knows. Grace would kill me if she knew I was telling you without warning her first, so she can't be your little lab rat, okay? Tomorrow, you're going to write her out, just like the schedule says. She gets to go home with Everett and Glory on schedule, you get it?" Nodding silently, Alana and Lindsey waited with baited breath. "She's only half human."

"Shut up, Serra," Alana said, taking a step back, thinking that Serra was mocking them. "Tell me the truth."

"I am, Alana. She's something called a nephilim; half human, half angel." The looks on the doctors' faces was that of complete disbelief. "Our mother couldn't get pregnant on her own with Grace. She allowed an angel to use her as a vessel, got her knocked up and bam. There she was."

"I don't have time for this bullshit," Lindsey said. "If you don't want to tell us what is really going on, just say so, Sere. I have rounds to make." She stepped towards the door, but hesitating, she held her hand over the exit button.

"I'm being completely serious, you guys. When you told me that the epidural didn't take, I knew that this time it would be different. She's learned how to use her abilities since Liberty. That's why her back spit out the epi tube." Serra turned towards Alana, "It's why she's already healed." Taking a shaky breath, Serra wiped her face. "You know how hard it is not to be able to talk about this with the medical community? I'm surrounded by you guys every day and I can't talk about the fact that my sister is the one that healed Baby Girl Greer and she got to see her first Christmas because of her. I can't talk about the fact that we kidnapped earlier this year and tortured for over five weeks and my sister kept me alive because she kept regenerating me. My heart stopped. I should be dead."

Alana and Lindsey stayed frozen in their spots. Finally, Lindsey spoke, "That's where you were?"

Serra huffed out the breath she was holding and stepped towards her. "Yes. There's so much you guys don't know or understand that exists in our world. It's so lonely, knowing about it and not being able to talk about it."

"Like what?" Alana asked, stepping closer to Serra, starting to believe her.

"Come with me to see Grace. We'll explain it together."