Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel so don't sue me. Thanks. :-)
Ex Multus Familia: Part 2
Chapter 24
"She's crashing!" Seth snapped, and the action in the O.R. picked up, becoming frenzied while Alec just stared, unable to move.
"Get 10 CCs of epinephrine into her and grab the panels. Charge to 200," Grey ordered. A technician blurred and pulled a machine away from the wall, a defibrillator, just like the one Sidda had been joking about a little while ago. The machine hummed as the panels were pulled away from it and charged to the level of electricity Grey had requested. Someone pulled the sheet away from Sidda's chest, exposing her naked body. Alec wanted to throw whoever it was into a wall for even touching her right now, but his rational side won out, keeping him in his seat. The panels had to touch bare skin…
Grey snatched the panels from the technician and stepped up beside Sidda. "Clear!" he shouted, and everyone stepped back from the table. Alec stood up when someone yanked his hand out of the Sidda's a moment before Grey put the paddles to her small, fragile-looking body, one to her chest and one to her side. She jolted into the air, and when she fell to the table again, they swarmed around her.
"Still flatlining here," the technician said.
"Charge to 300," Grey said, "She's not going to do this, not to me. I've seen enough deaths today, and hers isn't going to finish off the list." When the panels were charged, he leaned in again. "Clear!" Again, Sidda's back arched as electricity leapt through her.
"What's going on?" Alec finally barked, not taking his eyes off of Sidda.
"Sir, if you don't—" one the nurses started, but Seth appeared, glaring at the nurse. With two Alphas scowling at her, she was forced to hurry off and make herself busy elsewhere.
"Seth," Alec growled his name, demanding answers.
"She's coding," Seth explained rapidly, pulling Alec away from the table.
"I got that." Alec jerked away from him, back towards Sidda, but Seth held fast.
"Her heart's stopped, and we're trying to get her back. You have to stay out of the way." He tightened his grip on Alec's arm for a moment before hurrying back to the table where Grey was charging the panels again.
Alec leaned against the wall and flexed his empty fingers into a fist. He turned to look from Sidda to the crying baby who was still being tended to by nurses. His son was not going to grow up without his mother. He looked back toward Sidda just as her body arched for a third time, the machines screaming around her. Alec wasn't going to live without her, he couldn't do that. It wouldn't be living.
Shoving past a few nurses and doctors, he grabbed Sidda's hand and squeezed it until she would have cried out if she had been awake…alive. A careless twitch, and he would have broken bones. "Sidda, I swear, if you don't come back..." He leaned in close, putting his other hand on the side of her face. "I'm ordering you to come back, and don't you dare argue with me this time!"
"Alec, let go," Seth said, stepping towards Alec, "Grey needs to try again."
Alec didn't want to let go, but he knew he had to. Still, Seth had to pull him away, because Alec just couldn't let go of Sidda. It felt like letting go was letting go of her. Giving up on her. And he didn't want her to think for a moment that he had. Unless that would make her more stubborn and determined to fight him of course.
"Clear." Alec didn't want to watch them try to bring Sidda's body back to life. He turned and looked at Seth, then looked away. He didn't want to face that pity.
"Alec, look." Seth's voice was urgent, but it was only with reluctance that he obeyed. And then he saw the monitors. They… they weren't flat anymore. There was movement, shape, change.
"Seth…is she?" Alec was afraid to hope now. He was afraid to jinx it or something. If he thought she was back, maybe she would flatline again. All around him, doctors and technicians were rushing, hooking up equipment, saying things about needing to stabilize her. God, they thought she could go again at any moment…
"She's back," Seth said, relaxing his hold on Alec as the tension drained from him. Technically they weren't in the clear yet, but if she'd been determined enough to come back once… well, she would probably be ok. "I need to go help," he told Alec, before moving away. They needed to stabilize Sidda as quickly as possible, and now that Sidda's heart was beating again, Seth wasn't afraid that Alec would go on a destructive rampage or decide to get himself electrocuted so that he could join Sidda.
As soon as Seth had released him, Alec went back over to Sidda. He stayed behind her head, pretty much out of the doctors' way. But he pulled up a chair there, leaned his head against the bed, and put his hands on both her arms. When she woke up, she would know that he was there.
"Alec, do you want to see Be—Aiden?" Seth was looking at him with some concern. It was quieter now that they had switched rooms. Seth and another technician were the only ones in there besides Alec and Sidda, and they were all being fairly quiet. The beeping of the heart monitor dominated the room. At the moment, they were waiting to Sidda to come out of her drug-induced sleep after about a half-hour of being stitched up.
"Not right now," Alec said. He looked away from Seth. "Sidda will want to be the first one to hold him."
Seth looked doubtful. "Are you sure about that? She wouldn't want you to resent the kid, Alec. Nothing happened to her in the end." Sensing a rather personal conversation at hand, the technician quietly slipped out.
"She died, Seth," Alec said, more harshly than he intended. "I definitely count that as something." He looked down at her face, peaceful and pale but not deathly white anymore. "But I won't resent Bean; I know she wouldn't like it." He smiled a bit and looked at Seth again. "Sidda would start fussing at me like an old woman if she thought I did."
"Not…old." came a groggy, slurred voice from the direction of Sidda's mouth.
"Sidda…" Alec's attention was immediately on Sidda, and he curved his body around her as he bent over her, protecting her from the outside world. Seth rolled his eyes and smiled, quietly going over to the furthest area of the room to check on some of the meds they'd prepped for Sidda.
Alec had insisted that Sidda's meds were double-checked now before they gave her anything. They'd found out that the technician who'd given her a drug to help her relax had given her one that was high-risk for pregnant women and had a history of inducing labor. Well, that drug had obviously proven true to its warning label.
Needless to say, that technician was hiding far, far away from Alec right now.
"Why are you calling me old?" Sidda said groggily. Her vision was still slightly blurry, and it seemed to take forever for her thoughts to connect to what she wanted to do. Was this what it was like to be a normal human? "And where's Bean?"
"He's in another room right now, being kept warm in this incubator-thing," Alec said, not caring to explain the whole answer to the other question yet. He was counting on her drugged state to help with that. "You were right, he was a boy."
"Of course I was right," she muttered. "Told you so a long time ago."
She was slightly surprised, through gratified, when Alec kissed her deeply. Transgenics would go a long time without breathing, which resulted in a very nice kiss. Poor Max; she would never know how awesome kissing another transgenic could be.
"Hey, it's not like I died," she said, laughing a little when Alec broke away. Maybe it had just been really stressful for Alec to watch her get cut into. Or he'd been worried the whole time that she wouldn't wake up from being put under. Silly man.
Alec's face darkened at her comment, and Sidda stared at him. "What, what did I say?" she said. Were the drugs still affecting her brain that much that she was having trouble reading her boyfriend?
"Nothing," Alec mumbled, but his tone clearly indicated that it wasn't nothing.
Seth came in to stick something into Sidda's IV and rolled his eyes as Alec tensed up. "It's fine," he said. "I checked." He nodded at Sidda. "Forgive Alec's manners. For him, you did sort of die."
Sidda frowned at Alec and moved to sit up; he quickly moved to help her, propping up the pillows some. "You see me asleep all the time," she muttered as she adjusted herself.
"It wasn't like that," Alec said quietly, looking away.
Sidda glanced suspiciously from Seth to Alec. "Ok, boys, so what exactly happened during the surgery?" she demanded. She didn't like all these hints and half-answers.
Alec shifted uncomfortably.
"Bean is ok, right?" she asked worriedly. Were they trying to hide something about her son from her? Alec had said he was fine…
"No, no, Bean, or, well, Aiden's fine—"
"You named him?" You didn't wait for me to wake up?" Sidda crossed her arms and frowned at Alec.
"Hey," he said, affronted. He didn't like being accused of not considering Sidda, not right now. "You told me last night that you wanted that name if it was boy."
"Well, I suppose I did," she admitted, a half-smile creeping onto her face. She was feeling clearer and clearer by the second; in comparison to those baby books of Robin's, Sidda was recovering from the anesthesia fast, or so it seemed like. Made sense, considering her transgenic blood. It took a lot of anesthesia to even put a transgenic out for any length of time.
"So what did go wrong then?" she asked, not forgetting her earlier question. "I can tell you guys are trying to hide something from me." She gave Seth a very pointed, accusing look to let him know that he wasn't going to escape having some of the blame as well.
Alec shifted again and Seth sighed. "Well, you were going to hear about it at some point." He shrugged. "Your heart stopped for a minute after Bean was born."
"You were dead," Alec said, his voice a curiously flat monotone.
"Oh." Sidda wasn't sure what to think about that. She'd actually died? Shouldn't she feel different or something?
"Do you want to see Bean?" Seth asked quickly, glancing between the two of them. He was hoping to forestall any angry, upset conversation about Sidda's "death".
"Can I?" Sidda asked, letting the subject drop for the moment. It had obviously stressed Alec out, even if she couldn't remember any of it. Besides, she really wanted to see her son. She bit her bottom lip. "Is he really okay?"
Seth grinned at the uncertain look on Sidda's face. "He's perfect. Really perfect for a preemie, actually." Bean had been small, but he had been really well-developed for being a month early; no one could quite decide if it was the transgenic blood or something to do with his parents. Seth nodded. "If you're feeling up to it, I can go get him."
"Please, could you, Seth?" Sidda said, jumping at the chance, the grogginess being quickly exchanged for a tired eagerness. "That'd be great."
"Sure, be back in a moment," he said. He tossed Alec a look that clearly said 'behave' before leaving silently out the door.
When he was gone, Sidda turned her head to look at Alec. He was staring at her, and he reached up to rest his hand on the side of her face. She could feel his pulse beating through his skin, an elevated, leftover fear from what had happened before. She sighed and smiled up at him. "Sorry, Alec. I'm sorry for worrying you," she said. Maybe it was the drugs that made her talk so truthfully or the idea that she had died and freaked him out so much. "It seems like that's been my job lately, worrying you, and I just want you to know that I'm sor—"
Again he cut her off, but this time it was with a kiss. "Be quiet, Sidda," he ordered as he pulled back, his fingers threading through her hair, "You didn't mean to do any of it, and we're not talking about it again."
"Not even to joke?" she asked, softly grinning up at him.
He flicked his fingers against her shoulder. "Definitely no joking about it, woman."
"You sure are in a demanding mood," she said, reaching over and brushing his rumpled spiky hair.
He gave an exasperated sigh and put his head down beside hers on the pillow. "You have no idea…"
Sidda grinned at him as the door opened, letting Seth back into the room. He was holding a blue bundle close to his chest, a strange expression on his face.
"I wish I could've gotten to do this with Robin," he said as he walked over to them.
"Aw, Seth, I'm certain you'll have another kid," Sidda said, but her eyes were locked on the blanket in his arms, "Robin wants a boy to round out her brood."
"Hope you're right. Here, Sidda," Seth said, lowered the bundle into Sidda's arms, "Only away from you for about an hour."
Sidda smiled down at Aiden's round, pink-skinned, beautiful, perfect face. Oh, he was precious. He had a peach-fuzz cover of blond hair that was as soft as down as she ran her fingers gently, carefully over his head. Just as drowsy as she was, he blinked up a pair of hazel eyes and stared at her curiously for a moment.
"Hey, big guy," she said, blinking away a couple of superbly pleased tears, "Rough day, huh?"
Beside the bed, Alec made a face, and Sidda frowned at him.
"What?" he asked, shrugging, "I just think your day was rougher than his, that's all."
Sidda smirked at him. "You're just jealous."
"And you're still drugged out," he said, running his hand over her arm, mindful of the IV.
"Don't you want to hold him?" Sidda asked, even though she looked reluctant to let go of Aiden. She looked up at Alec, a suspicious expression on his face. "You aren't resenting, are you?"
Alec threw his hands into the air. "Geez, is it stamped on my face or something?"
Sidda glanced at Seth questioningly, and the other X5 laughed. "I asked him earlier…"
"Oh?" Sidda asked. Her expression was one of worry as she looked back at Alec. "Alec, don't blame him…"
Alec sighed and flicked his eyes from her to the baby. He didn't blame Aiden for what happened to Sidda…or at least he didn't think he did. He didn't want to. It wasn't possibly the kid's fault. And now that he had the technician to blame and later kill, he could blame that guy instead. "I don't," he said.
To show that he didn't, he leaned over and carefully took the tiny bundle from Sidda's arms. Wow, his kid was tiny. For a terrifying moment, he thought that he was either going to drop Aiden or crush him, so he froze, eyes wide.
"Alec, are you okay?" Seth asked as he and Sidda looked at each other with concern.
"Mhmm," Alec replied. He glanced down at Aiden, thinking that at least moving his head wouldn't matter. He was going to look like him, Alec could already tell that, but…he had Sidda's eyes. The shape and color were hers, and the way he slid them from looking back at his mom to looking at Alec as if he knew exactly who he was and found him funny…Yep, all Sidda there. With the most careful movements, Alec reached down and bumped his finger against Bean's hand, realizing just how tiny those five little fingers were. Bean immediately reached out and took hold of Alec's finger, squeezing it with probably more strength than his mother had right then.
"So, what do you guys think?" Seth asked as he leaned back against the wall. As far as the monitors showed, Sidda was fine right now, or as fine as she could be for what she had been through. Her heart rate was slower than anyone really wanted it and her blood pressure was too low, but he didn't doubt that it would all straighten out in the next few days. Sibil and Grey would keep her here until they were satisfied that she was okay to go, and no one was going to help her escape, if she had a mind to.
"I think you missed out on a lot," Alec said truthfully. His eyes darkened for a moment. "This part, at least." He glanced down at Sidda. "I could have skipped the last couple of hours."
"I did," Sidda said, which made Alec grimace. Ignoring him, she looked over at Seth and smiled at him sympathetically. "I know it won't make up for it, but you'll have more kids, some day."
Seth attempted a smile back at her. "I don't know," he said, his tone teasing, "If Robin's pregnancy is as exciting as yours…"
Alec scowled up at Seth, and Sidda popped him gently on the arm. "Behave."
"I'm trying," Alec said. He rubbed his finger over Aiden's face and then turned toward Sidda. "Here, I know you're freaking out without him."
"I am not, you just want to get rid of him," Sidda replied, but she took him back all the same, resting him in the crook of her arm. She wanted to feed him, but she had a feeling that all the drugs in her system wouldn't be good for him.
Trailing her finger down her son's cheek, she yawned; it seemed that all the physical stress that she had been through tonight and the day before was catching up with her again. She blinked sleepily up at Alec.
All three raised their heads when the door opened again, this time so fast that it would have broken the wall if there wasn't a door stop. Alec jumped up from where he had been sitting on the side of the bed, his hands clenched into fists, moving immediately into a defensive position, and Seth and Sidda tensed, but they all relaxed when they realized it was Robin.
"Robin," Sidda said, smiling at her best friend. Seth took a couple steps toward his wife but nearly got ran over as she blurred forward.
"Oh my God!" Robin exclaimed, one hand over her mouth as she stopped beside Sidda's bed, "They called and said you were dead, then I got here and this one guy said you were alive and this other one kept saying he had killed you and that Alec was going to kill him, and I didn't know!" She stared down at Sidda, wide-eyed, as Seth came over and hugged her to him.
"Whoa, slow down, it's all right," he said, kissing the top of her head.
"Who said that to you?" Alec demanded, his eyes blazing.
"Not now," Seth said. He shook his head at Alec. They'd deal with that later.
Sidda smiled sleepily over at Robin. "Sorry, not dead yet."
Robin sighed and relaxed against Seth, then broke his hold to rush Sidda. "I'm so unbelievably happy that you're alive!" She pulled up another chair to sit down next to Alec.
Sidda laughed at her friend. "Me too, though I didn't even know until a little bit ago that supposedly I'm a walking miracle."
Robin leaned forward and then reached to touch the baby. She paused with her finger an inch from the baby's cheek. "Can I?" she asked anxiously.
"Of course!" Sidda beamed as Robin cooed over the baby's cuteness; she was happy that others were recognizing how absolutely perfect Bean was.
"What'd you decide to call Bean?" Robin laughed a little as she realized what a strange question that must sound like.
"His name is Aiden," Sidda said softly. Then she gave a huge yawn. "Goodness, I'm more worn out than I thought."
"That's usually what happens when you have a baby, whether you remember it or not," Seth said. He smiled as Alec gave an echoing yawn. "Or if you stay up to watch someone having a baby," he added.
"Maybe I should sleep," Sidda admitted as Seth gave her the 'raised-eyebrow-suggestive-hint' look. She glanced at Robin. "You want to hold Aiden?"
"Yes!" Robin gushed, sliding her arms under the baby with practiced ease. Alec glared at her enviously until Sidda poked him.
"You'll get plenty of time later," she reminded him quietly, half-smiling. She was relieved to see him wanting to hold the kid now.
"Want something to help you go to sleep?" Seth asked.
"They're okay for her, right?" Alec asked immediately, eyes narrowed with suspicion. He trusted Seth, but still, he couldn't help but be cautious right now…
"Will they help with the pain?" Sidda said, asking what felt like the more important question to her. After all, if they could just shock her out of death anyways, it was all good, wasn't it? "'Cause if not, I would like to get these drugs out of my system so I can eventually feed B—Aiden." She had to start calling him Aiden, poor kid.
"Yes, definitely," Seth said. "That's their main purpose. Their side effect is drowsiness."
"Oh, well, inject away," she said, nodding at the IV. She smiled as Alec yawned again. "You really should get some sleep too, you know."
"I know, but…" He was clearly agonized over the thought of leaving her. He had hunched his shoulders miserably, as if to ward off any arguments against him staying by Sidda's side.
Sidda didn't really want him to leave either. "Do you have any cots or anything?" She gave Seth her best puppy-dog face, which could be quite effective when she used her wide eyes to their full advantage. She could hear Robin snorting at the familiar ploy.
Seth gave a patient sigh. "We can dig something up, I'm sure."
"Let me kiss Aiden good night," Sidda demanded of Robin. Robin held the baby out and Sidda snuggled him up against her cheek for a moment before kissing his tiny, perfect forehead. Why had she been so set on not having a baby for forever? He was so amazing.
"I can hold him if you're tired," Alec said, shifting anxiously in his seat. It was his son; he should be able to hold Aiden whenever Sidda wasn't holding him, right?
But Robin didn't seem to get the hint. "Aww, no, it's ok." She smiled at Alec. "I'll take him back to the incubator."
"I could…erm…say goodbye too." Both Robin and Sidda laughed as Alec almost forcefully took the baby back from Robin. Seth administered the drug to Sidda and Alec finally, reluctantly gave the baby back to Robin. "I guess I'll go find that cot," he said, giving Sidda a sheepish smile. He didn't want to go to sleep until she did, but then he was definitely ready to conk out for a bit.
After Robin had left to put Aiden back and Alec was staying on a spare, old hospital bed next to her, cot forgotten, Sidda curled up against him to enjoy the comfortable warmth he gave off.
"Thanks for staying with me," Sidda mumbled into his shoulder. "I know these beds aren't the comfiest." Not to mention that he had no idea when he'd last had a chance to even take a shower or change his clothes.
"I'm with my family," Alec said. It was an odd word, but he liked the feel of it. He liked saying that he had one. "It's all good."
Sidda chuckled and then yawned again; a moment later and her breathing steadied into a sleep pattern. Alec stroked her hair. "We'll be back in the comfy bed in a few days," he promised.
-
Well, it was a bit more than a few days, but after five days Sidda was finally released from the infirmary, one of the last of those wounded at the Cultural Center to be released. Between her massive leg wound and then her stomach wound, her body had had a bit more healing to do. Also, after her brush with death, the doctors had wanted to make sure she was definitely stable before releasing her.
"I am so ready to be home," Sidda said as she sagged into the passenger seat with relief. She didn't care if she would have to hobble up the stairs to her apartment (though she doubted that Alec would let her do that); she just wanted to be in her own living room and her own bed and have her baby in her own place. Well, his place. Him and that ridiculous green baby room that Robin had gotten half-finished. Sidda supposed that finishing the room would be another project that she and Alec would need to work on some weekend soon.
"I'm ready to have you home," Alec said. He'd gone home a few times during the past five days, but only when ordered to, and only for short periods of time. He hadn't liked being far from Sidda or the baby; because even the baby the doctors had insisted on watching over carefully since Aiden was a preemie.
Alec quickly carried all their stuff that had piled up at the hospital into their apartment, then came back down for Sidda just as she had finished getting herself and Aiden out of the car. It made her feel very slow.
"I blurred," he said as if reading her mind. Which wasn't hard since she gave him quite an exasperated look for showing up again quickly.
"Alec, don't!" Sidda protested half-heartedly as he swept her up into his arms and started up the stairs. Sidda clutched Aiden close to her. "This is ridiculous," she mumbled, burying her face against his chest. "I hope the neighbors don't see..."
"I doubt they would care," Alec said confidently. They reached the apartment, and Alec overdramatically kicked the door open.
"Hey, Alec, was that—"
"Surprise!" Sidda paused and blinked as a light switch was flicked on to reveal Robin and Seth behind a table laid out with food, Robin typically looking more excited over the whole party-aspect of the affair than Seth. He couldn't hide his amusement though.
"Alec wouldn't let me invite more people, so I hope this is satisfying as a welcome home party," Robin grumbled. She had been very unhappy at her ruined plans for a baby shower.
"Thank you," Sidda whispered fervently in Alec's ear as he finally put her down. He kissed her cheek.
"You owe me one," he said, grinning.
"Hey, don't push it." But she smiled up at him. Small homecoming party- that she could handle. That was nice.
The door opened again, and this time Krit and Syl burst in, Syl carrying a brown paper bag with the top of a glass bottle poking out while Krit held the door open for her.
"Heard there was a party," Syl exclaimed, grinning at everyone.
"And Syl wouldn't listen to me when I said we shouldn't crash it," Krit said, giving everyone an apologetic look.
"It's okay," Robin said, smiling brightly with the arrival of more people, "We have lots of food."
Syl sauntered over to the table and picked up a little sandwich thing that Robin had made. "Oh, and we brought presents!" She gently shook the little bottle in her hand and winked at Sidda.
"Alcohol?" Sidda asked, grinning over at her friend. She hadn't had a sip since the day she had found out she was pregnant with Bean.
"No alcohol," Seth said, pinning Sidda with a frown even as he took the bottle from Syl, "Not for a few more weeks."
Sidda rolled her eyes at him. "Fiiine."
Alec sat down on the couch beside her. "News travels fast." He smirked at Sidda. "Sorry."
Syl gave a squeal and rushed over to the couch, jumping up and settling down beside Sidda. "Oh, is that Bean?"
"Syl, you saw him two days ago, remember?" Krit said as he shook his head. "We visited in the hospital…"
Syl waved him off. "Let me be excited for them!" She leaned over and grinned down at the tiny addition to Sidda and Alec's family. "He's so cute, Sidda, good job."
"Hey, I helped," Alec said defensively.
Syl raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? You contribute 50% of his DNA, and that's helping?"
"Syl—"
"All right, hey, I have a surprise!" Robin exclaimed, interrupting before it turned into a dirty fight between Syl and Alec.
"What, you're pregnant?" Sidda said, turning an awful, playful grin on Robin.
Robin shook her head, a blush coloring her cheeks. "No, Sidda. It's a surprise for Bean. And you and Alec, I guess."
"All right," Sidda said, her eyebrow lifting suspiciously. She looked toward Alec for an explanation, but he just shrugged.
"Don't ask me," he said, "She hasn't told me anything."
"Come on, you'll like it," Robin said. She grinned mischievously at Sidda.
Sidda handed Bean to Alec and then stood up, her hand resting on the arm of the couch. Her leg was still giving her problems, but she could at least hobble on it now. They had wanted to give her crutches at the hospital, but she had insisted they go to someone who needed them. Which there was no one…
Robin led them to the back room that was beside their own bed room and then opened the door. "Hope you like it."
The baby room had been completed. Sometime this week, Robin, probably with Seth's enlisted help, had finished painting it the soft moss green color. A crib sat in one corner, and it looked sturdy and almost new. A small couch was in another corner and a shelf with a few books on it.
"Krit's going to mount a TV in here, so you can stay in here as long as you like," Robin said, smiling hopefully at Sidda and Alec.
"This is pretty awesome, Robin," Alec said, grinning back at her, "Especially the TV part." He looked down at Bean. "Here that? You get to learn about the joys of the boob tube early."
Sidda snorted and shook her head. "Thanks for destroying my family early on, Robin." Before Robin could say that that hadn't been her aim, Sidda gave her a hug. "It's great, I really love it."
Robin grinned wider and looked like she would have clapped her hands if she had been any younger. "Awesome!" She leaned back against Seth, who obligingly put his arms around her. "Because otherwise, I'd be worried that I wouldn't be worthy of decorating for your wedding, and you know how much I want to do that."
Sidda laughed as she walked into the baby room. "Wedding?" She looked over at Syl and Krit, her eyebrows raising. "Is she talking to you two?"
"No…" Syl said, looking just as confused as Sidda, "What're you talking about, Robin?"
"The wedding," Robin said, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't play with me, Sidda, I know you guys are getting married." She looked back at her husband questioningly. "Seth told me."
Seth leaned his head forward and rested his forehead against Robin's shoulder, probably to escape the stares both Sidda and Alec were giving him. He whispered something into Robin's ear, and her eyes widened.
Syl and Krit looked at each other and then Syl burst into a smile. "Woo, a baby and a wedding! You guys move fast."
"And backwards," Krit said in a half-cough, looking up at the ceiling.
Sidda turned slowly towards Alec, her face unreadable. "And when were you playing on telling me we're getting married? Because I don't remember you asking me."
"Does the idea piss you off?" Alec half-teased to release some of the tension. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Sidda about this…it hadn't really come up in the past few days, since they had been focusing on her and Bean's recovery.
"I'm just confused?" she said, her voice lifting and her eyes demanding some sort of answer.
The others quietly drew away towards the table groaning with Robin's creations, giving the couple a little privacy in their new baby room. Sidda privately thought it was sort of an odd place to be having a conversation about a phantom marriage proposal.
"I…I was scared right before you went under," Alec said. "Sometimes I still saw that doubt there in your eyes, like you were unsure I actually wanted to be there. I thought proposing to you, well, I thought it might help you be more sure." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave the floor a very guilty look.
Sidda laughed, still slightly half-puzzled. "But Alec, you don't need to do that, we don't have to prove anything…"
"I didn't want to prove anything!" Alec ran his hands through his hair in frustration; he was having trouble clarifying what feelings had prompted him to ask Sidda to marry him right when he did. "Maybe I was just afraid you wouldn't say yes unless you were half-drugged," he admitted. He looked at her, eyes flashing defiance. "I know it wasn't romantic or anything and I'm willing to ask again, but Sidda, I really do want this."
Sidda was at an unusual loss for words. She twisted her hands, unsure what to say. Secretly, somewhere deep inside, she knew she was thrilled that Alec wanted to marry her. But more outwardly, she was pissed that he asked her while she was drugged. And being pissed was so much easier…
"You know," she said slowly, crossing her arms, "I don't have many romantic expectations, I really don't…but being asked to marry someone while I'm drugged…" A slow smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she watched Alec try to contain his laughter.
"Hey," he said gruffly, pulling her to him for a quick kiss, "I said I would re-propose."
"Don't think you're getting out of this mess with just a quick kiss and a rash promise," she mumbled, glaring up at him.
"I didn't know the idea of marrying me was so unpleasant to you," he said.
"It's not!" Sidda protested immediately. She blushed and then fought to gain control of her coloring. "Really, I wouldn't mind, just… was it necessary?"
"Yes," Alec replied. "I can't really say why, but for me, it was."
"You're not holding me to my drugged response though, right?" Sidda said, leaning back to give him a suspicious look. "That just isn't fair. I don't want you to remember my answer as yeh-huuuuh…Ale—suuuure."
"Well, it was more like—"
"Oh, hush you," Sidda said, breaking away from him. "You better watch yourself tonight; I just got over having died and now I have to get over being unknowingly engaged." She smiled and shook her head at him. "Come on, we better go rejoin the party before they think I've killed you."
"I seriously doubt that they would worry about that," Alec said, staying far enough away that Sidda couldn't hit him easily from where she was with her leg wound. But he went back to the party. Time enough to argue over the validity of the engagement later… and hey, if he figured out the perfect time/ place quickly enough, maybe the issue wouldn't be an issue at all.