Author's Note: Thanks so much for the comforting sympathies. My grandmother's back home. Here's the next chapter for you.

Disclaimer: I do not lay claim to anything from the show, only my own work and creations. Mostly just Dr. Telares, Dr. Gering, Dr. Marks and the accolo-nexum. Oh, and the Oolues, and the Serpiente insecto, which don't actually exist, even in myth.

Survival of the Fittest

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Part Ten: Things Simplified

Will hated this, hated the waiting. Magnus still hadn't woken up. In fact, her health had deteriorated since the previous nights improvement. While the accolo-nexum infant seemed to be doing well, Montague still prowled next the bed, occasionally nudging the baby when it's blind seeking threatened to topple it over the edge of the bed. It seemed it wasn't just the infant being inside Magnus that made the accolo-nexum as a group care for her. She really had been adopted into the pack, so to speak.

When Magnus' fever spiked, there was really no choice. Despite his better judgment, Dr. Gering was finally forced to perform a second surgery, even though the rick of infection was already great.

Currently sitting on the sidelines, trying not to startle any of the agitated abnormals, Will kept running his hands through his hair. They were all risking their lives being in the same room with creatures who wouldn't hesitate to eat any one of them under normal circumstances and the strain was evident. They were all on edge. Dr. Marks was assisting Dr. Gering, while Dr. Telares sat next to Will on the floor with pen in hand, not taking her eyes off the baby. She looked like it was just announced that her birthday had come early this year.

For her sake, but more for Magnus', Will was glad the baby seemed no worse for wear. There seemed no end to heart break in Magnus' life; from losing Druitt, to her father, to James, to Ashley. Just because she'd gotten her father back didn't mean he wasn't beyond relieved this would not be added to the long list. Against the odds, she had brought the abnormal into the world. He hoped it wouldn't cost her too severely in the long run.

He must have dozed off, because he nearly jumped out of his skin when someone tapped his shoulder. With bleary eyes, he looked up at the person intruding on his sleep.

Dr. Gering crouched so as to be eye to eye with him.

"Well?" He asked fuzzily.

"There was an infection brewing in her abdominal cavity, which explains her abnormally high temperature. Using the same entry points as before, we flushed it and removed the remaining parts of the fetal placenta that was obstructing her blood flow. Her uterus and blood vessels are already returning to normal, though I dare say she has quite the recovery process before her. She's on antibiotics and should wake soon."

"Antibiotics?" He glanced to where Dr. Telares had been sitting next to him, but the woman was gone. "I thought Dr. Telares was going to use Magnus' milk to feed the little one."

"The antibiotics we've given her have proven safe for breastfeeding mothers. I see no reason the same shouldn't hold true for the accolo-nexum."

Will rubbed at his face. "We're going to run into problems if the accolo-nexum stay in here much longer." He'd noticed one of the others eying him like he was a piece of meat.

"Yes, so Dr. Telares has said." Dr. Gering gave him a hand up onto his feet. "She's currently trying to find a way around that, or she would probably not have left."

One glance over at Magnus was enough to quell Will's fears and excite new ones entirely at the same time. Besides looking drawn and small on the hospital bed, Magnus seemed to be sleeping serenely. The little one was curled up next to her skin again, sleeping restlessly. Will wondered if he was hungry.

Just as the thought occurred to him, he caught sight of Dr. Telares setting a large tray of food on the other side of the glass in the habitat. Frowning, he slipped out of the door into the hall and found a trail of smaller bits leading to the habitat's entrance.

Dr. Telares came out at the end of the hall. "Ah! Will, open that door will you?"

Uncertainly, Will obliged.

The doctor set up a small speaker near the door, pressed a button and sound resounded down toward him. Suddenly, the accolo-nexum rushed from the observation room, snapping up the food as they went and followed it right into the habitat.

Will stood staring as Dr. Telares shut the door of the habitat. "What was that? How..."

"You don't think I have been studying these creatures for this long without learning what makes them tick, do you?" She gave him a relieved grin. "Food usually draws them. That sound has a certain quality that irratates the membranes in their ears. Basically gives them an ear ache for a few minutes. Luckily it was enough to distract them from 'Helen patrol'." She walked over to him, glanced in the observation room, then snorted. "Well, most of them anyway."

His eyes straying back to the room, Will was unsurprised to see Montague still steadfastly pacing beside Magnus' bed. "Probably for the best. If he starts acting up, we'll know Magnus needs the group. Besides, we didn't really want them separated completely."

"Yes, but there's still a risk. I wanted to have more control of who got to be in here till it was safe to move her in there. Montague would not be my first choice."

Watching the way the accolo-nexum was pacing, muscles bunching and stretching with his movements, Will had to agree. Montague would not be his first choice either, not with a protective streak massive enough to make the other accolo-nexum look like concerned neighbors. Keeping his motions slow, Will closed the door.

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/\Magnus' POV-

It hurt to move. It hurt just to lay there, waiting for consciousness to return well enough to open her eyes. For several moments, she tried to remember why she hurt. Had John returned and broken something, like the last time? Had one of Nikola's or even Henry's experiments blown up...yet again? She tried to think of other times she had felt this way. Maybe she and Will had underestimated a new abnormal. Speaking of Will, she could hear him. His voice, low and steady. At last, she resolved to open her eyes and stop the debate in her head with actual facts.

Yep, definitely Will. He was standing not too far from the bed she was laying on. She could see his shadowy outline out of the corner of her eye and had patched him up enough to recognize the physique as that of her protege. After a few blinks, she realized she wasn't in the infirmary of her Sanctuary. Memory filtered back into her thoughts.

She had given birth. A careful assessment and attempts at moving told her she had injuries to the abdomen and had lost a great deal of blood. She could feel the corresponding weakness and fatigue. It must have gone as badly as she'd had any reason to hope, but not as badly as she'd feared, because she still lived.

Fear replaced the relief of remembering. The baby?

Intent on at last speaking up, Helen turned her head a little. It was only then that she felt the warmth against her skin, little breaths puffing out onto the sensitive flesh of her ear. Carefully, she reached up and stroked the bundle of baby flesh near her shoulder. Her fear was replaced just as rapidly as her earlier relief. Banished was her underlying worry of not being able to even look at the little one without feeling pain. She knew now she had loved this creature while it was still inside her, whatever the outcome. It was something she had realized during the birth. It was why she had told Will that he needed to cut the infant loose if need be to save it. Her heart was already captured.

Awe filled her being, just as it had when she had at last held Ashley for the first time after a century of waiting. No replacements, no betrayal, just love. How easy it was to forget after losing her Ashley that that was exactly what babies were, no matter the species. An embodiment of love.

At her touch, the little one woke up a little and nipped at her ear.

She let out a small squeak. It already had edge teeth.

Will turned. "Magnus! Gering, she's awake."

"Ah, Helen." Elio's face loomed over her. "At last. You had us worried."

"I apologize." She answered hoarsely, coughing a little as her throat burned. "H-How did everything go?"

Everyone exchanged looks. "What do you remember?"

"The baby. The baby was having trouble."

"Yes, it was." Dr. Marks came close. "You and he both came very close to dying."

"He?" Helen turned back to the sleeping form in the curve of her neck.

"It's a boy." Will shook his hands to the sides like he was yelling a big surprise.

She laughed a little, careful to not move her stomach. Cheek. The movement awoke the baby entirely. It squalled and wriggled, rooting around on her skin. Obviously in search of food.

Will slowly sat the bed up enough so that she could see without trying to use her stomach muscles. The infant rolled off her shoulder onto her chest. She caught it in one arm as it's wriggling took it closer to her stomach, glad she didn't have to support the little one's wight. He might be small, but it would still have been too much for her weakened and lethargic muscles. He made little whining noises, nose in the crease of her elbow. Off to the side, Montague licked at her arm. She smiled at him and positioned the little bundle near her thigh so his nose could press to him and her at the same time while not of the weight laid on her body.

"Here." Wilhelmina handed her a bottle. "I hope you don't mind, I pumped some milk for him already. We weren't sure when you would wake or how long he could wait. Since you're awake, you should feed him his first meal."

Helen thanked her, rolled the bundle over a little and teased his mouth with the bottle's tip. He latched on with little effort and began sucking the milk out hard. Luckily, the movements required of her weren't great, so required little energy. She didn't have a lot to expend. After taking a moment to watch with a small smile, she turned back to the gathered doctors. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost thirty-three hours. It's about 4:40 in the afternoon." Will answered.

"The birthing?"

It was Elio that answered her. "After I used the forceps and the baby came loose, the fetal placenta proved harder to remove than we had hoped. The penetration was too deep."

"I couldn't see the connections well enough to cut them." Dr. Marks answered.

"I lost consciousness due to blood loss, yes?"

Elio nodded in affirmation.

"The infant was in distress." Wilhelmina added. "Then, Will's quick thinking brought the accolo-nexum in. The sound vibrations they emit from the small special organs in their throats and chests set at a certain frequency rattled the connection loose enough to allow Dr. Gering to pull it out."

Helen looked at Will, who blushed a little and lowered his gaze. "Well done, Will."

He flashed her a grin.

"We performed a second surgery to clear an infection already forming and the rest of the fetal placenta's connections to free the blood flow." Elio continued.

"You woke up a bit over the last hour or two, but you didn't seem coherent." Will added.

"As I don't remember doing any such thing, I would have to agree with you." She answered dryly, then coughed. Her hand shot to where her abdomen hurt the worst.

The baby squealed when the connection was broken by her coughing fit.

"Relax, little one, I've got you." She cooed at him once the coughing passed.

He quieted when he was drinking the milk again.

"That coughing doesn't sound good." Will stated, sounding alarmed.

Not feeling up to answering, she gestured at the two other medical doctors in the room.

It was Dr. Marks who supplied Will's answer. "Coughing is actually good after surgery, as long as she puts pressure on the incision site. It helps prevent pneumonia."

Helen had stopped listening to them. The little one had started to fall asleep as he ate. She remembered Ashley being prone to the same thing. That memory made her chest hurt, but she blinked away the tears threatening to fall.

A hand touched her arm. "Magnus?"

"What?" She questioned, looking back up. "What was that, Will?"

He frowned a little in worry. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

Looking down at the baby accolo-nexum, she tilted her head at it. "Jean, I think."

Will brows rose. "Any particular reason?"

She chuckled. "Yes. After Jean-Baptiste Dumas and Jean-Baptiste, the only son of my godfather, Louis Pasteur."

"The father of microbiology, the creator of the first vaccine's for rabies and anthrax, was your godfather?" Dr. Marks asked in shock.

She just gave him an understanding smile. "Uncle Louis was a friend of my father's. His son, Jean-Baptiste, was only a year older than I. I was very close to him, we were like true cousins. He was a corporal in Bourbaki's army during the end of the Franco-Prussian War. I was also close to his sisters, Cecile and Marie-Louise, though Cecile died when she was just twelve and I thirteen. His other sisters, poor Jeanne and Camille, died before I got to know them well." She looked down at the little one. "I think it fits him." She grinned and tickled his chin with one finger. "Jean-Baptiste was a glutton too."