Chapter Fifty:


"If I didn' know better," Claude muttered, giving Remy a sideways glance. "I'd t'ink dis game was rigged."

"Don' look at me, mon ami," Remy retorted with an innocent grin. "Lucas is de dealer, not me. An' do y' really t'ink dat he'd cheat?"

Claude glanced over at Lucas, who was calmly shuffling the cards, and sighed. "Non," he admitted. "I don'."

"Yo' jus' sore dat yo' losin', Potier," Henri smirked, taking a sip of his drink and eyeing the cards in his hand. "How deep y' in now? Trois cent?"

"Don' know how y' got so far behind," Theo added. "De rest o' us are all makin' out nice t'night."

"Just be glad that Tessa is not here," Lucas advised sagely. "Her ability to evaluate and maneuver the cards is uncanny."

"T'ink it's part o' her powers, or jus' skill?" Emil pondered aloud.

"Both," Remy answered just as the familiar ring of his cell phone filled the air. Reaching into his duster pocket, he pulled out the phone, flipping it open as he dropped a handful of blue chips into the center of the table. "Miss me already, chere?"

"Like a hangover, swamp rat," Rogue replied without missing a beat.

Remy chuckled, lifting his glass and taking a sip. "I t'ought dat y' were gon' go t' see dat new chick flick wit' de girls t'night. What happen? Y' bail on dem?"

"Oh, there was bailin' alright," Rogue said with a snort. "We bailed ourselves right outta the theater an' all the way over to the hospital."

Instantly Remy's joking mood sombered. "Que? What de hell are y' doin' at de hospital?"

The others paused, placing their cards down on the table and turning to watch him curiously.

"Ah decided t' have mah appendix taken out," Rogue said sarcastically. "What do ya think Ah'm doin' here? Mercy's havin' the baby!"

"Oh, hell," Remy cursed. "Y' serious?" he demanded, raking his fingers through his hair.

"O' course Ah am," Rogue said shortly. "An' ya'll better get down here quick, if ya know what's good fo' ya. Mercy's throwin' a fit 'cause Henri's not here wit' her."

"I bet," Remy muttered, mentally making himself a note that if the two of them ever had children, not to go out for a poker game so close to the due date. Mercy might only break Henri's nose for it, but Rogue would be likely to kill him. "Tell her t' jus' hold on, d'accord? We'll be dere as soon as we can."

"Don' wreck those bikes flyin' down here, ya hear me?" Rogue warned. "The last thing we need is fo' Henri t' be lyin' on a stretcher next t' Mercy as she brings their son into the world."

Despite the tense situation, Remy smiled. "I'll try my best, chere."

"Y' better," was her reply. "See y' soon, swamp rat."

Hanging up, Remy looked up to see the others staring at him expectantly. "Lucas, will y' get de tab, s'il vous plaît?" The dark-skinned mutant nodded, rising to his feet and heading towards the bar, so Remy turned to his cousins. "Emil, Theo, Claude, de three o' y' follow me an' Henri t' de hospital."

"What are we goin' t' de hospital fo'?" Henri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're goin' t' de hospital," Remy retorted, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "So dat my wife don' kill me fo' lettin' y' miss de birth o' yo' firstborn."

Henri choked on his drink, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Mercy's havin' de baby?"

Remy nodded. "Dat's what de lady said."

"Now?" Emil asked incredulously. "In de middle o' our poker night? Couldn't she have picked a better time?"

"Don' t'ink she had much say in de matter, Emil," Theo drawled.

"Merde!"

They looked at Henri, who has suddenly pushed away from the table, the reality of what he'd just been told finally setting in.

"We got t' get t' de hospital!" Henri cried, running towards the door in such a hurry he forgot his money. Remy scooped up the cash from the table, tucking it into his pocket to use to buy flowers at the gift shop in the hospital lobby, then followed Henri out into the parking lot where his brother was already revving up his motorcycle.

Remy leapt onto his own bike and started the engine, spotting Theo, Emil, Lucas and Claude emerging from the bar just as he tore out onto the street after Henri.

It was a busy Friday night, and the cops were out just waiting to trap drivers for speeding, so they took the back route, cutting through alleyways and courtyards. When they pulled into the parking lot of St. Charles General Hospital ten minutes later, Remy had to run to catch up to his brother, who was already dashing through the doors into the hospital.

One of the receptionists at the front desk gave them directions and Remy followed Henri through the winding halls to the maternity ward. Their father, Tante Mattie, Tessa and Bella were waiting in the maternity lobby, and they stood when the pair entered, but Henri hurried past them and into the room the receptionist had told him Mercy was in.

"Glad t' see y' boys made it," Jean-Luc said with a tired smile.

"Yo' wife was gon' beat yo' head in if y' didn't get here in time," Bella added with a grin.

"Speakin' o' which," Remy said, looking around for Rogue. "Where is she?"

"In dere wit' yo' sister-in-law," Mattie responded, nodding towards the door that Henri had disappeared behind. "De chil' was panickin' when dat boy wasn't here, so she asked Marie t' stay wit' her. I reckon she ain't gon' send her out until it's over."

"Emotional support," Tessa offered by way of explanation.

Remy nodded. "Dat makes sense. Poor Henri, between de two o' dem, he might not make it out o' dere alive."

"Jus' a reminder o' what y' can expect one day, non?" Jean-Luc teased, returning to his seat. "One grandchild isn't enough."

"Can y' wait until de first one arrives b'fore y' start talkin' 'bout ot'ers?" Remy sighed, dropping down into the chair beside his father.

Theo, Emil, Lucas and Claude arrived a few minutes later, and the nine of them settled down in the lobby to wait. An hour passed, dragging by slowly, and the group went through just about every magazine on the end tables.

By now everyone was getting a little anxious. Remy had subconciouly started tapping his foot, and Jean-Luc had taken to pacing the length of the lobby, while Claude was fidgeting with his hands. Bella and Theo were huddled close together and talking quietly, while Emil and Mattie were discussing the value of patience.

"It's takin' fo'ever," Emil muttered.

"I'm sure it seems dat way t' Mercy, too," Mattie chuckled. "Chilbirth isn't somet'ing dat can be rushed, chil'. Give it time."

Only Lucas and Tessa seemed calm, and Remy envied the two more reserved members of the Guild. They had more in common than just being mutant thieves, and their ability to remain still in the midst of the chaos around them proved it.

"Been givin' it time," Emil snorted, rolling his eyes. "How much more time do y' expect me t'..." he trailed off suddenly, his gaze going to something across the room.

Remy looked up to see the door to Mercy's room opening slowly, and Rogue stepped out into the lobby wearing light blue scrubs. Pushing to his feet, Remy hurried over to his wife, the others at his heels. "Lord, am Ah ever tired," Rogue mumbled, pulling back the latex gloves. "Ugh, Ah got chalk on mah hands now."

"Hey dere, gorgeous," Remy said with a grin, placing a kiss on her cheek. Nodding past her at the delivery room, he asked, "What's happenin' in dere?"

"Hi, sugah," Rogue said, flashing him a weary, but happy smile. "Life, that's what's happenin'. Congratulations, Remy, yo' an uncle."

A loud whoop came from the group behind them, and Remy heard his father calling fo cigars. "De baby's okay, den?" he asked. "An' Mercy?"

Rogue nodded. "Both fine. Ya'll will get t' see fo' yo'selves in a bit."

Seeing that she was exhausted, Remy took her by the elbow and led her back to sit down in one of the chairs. "What's he look like?" he asked eagerly.

"Bet he's got Henri's nose, don' he?" Emil laughed.

"Fo' de kid's sake, I hope not," Theo snickered.

"He's beautiful," Rogue smiled. "Little wisps of dark blond hair, soft blue eyes... tiny little fingers and toes..." A wistful look crossed her face, and Remy resisted the urge to chuckle at her starry-eyed appearance. "He's perfect."

"O' course he is," Jean-Luc boasted. "He's my grandson, after all."

"Let's hope he don' get de family ego, den," Mattie said wryly. "What's de babe's name?"

"Jacques," Rogue answered, and Remy didn't miss the flicker of pride that danced through his father's eyes at the announcement that Henri had named his son after Jean-Luc's own father. "Jacques Nicolas LeBeau."

"Bet Mercy's pere would have liked dat," Bella said softly. "Her son's middle name taken from his first."

"That's what she thought," Rogue said, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes.

The others turned back to their own conversations, but Remy's attention stayed focused on Rogue. Reaching out a hand, he brushed a stray strand of white hair away from her face, his fingertips caressing her cheekbone. "Y' look tired," he commented.

"Ah am," she replied with a groan. "It's been a long day."

"I bet," Remy agreed, fingering a lock of her hair. "Jus' rest fo' a bit, hahn? I'll wake y' when dey say we can see de baby."

"Mmm," Rogue murmured.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wake her up, because as soon as the nurse informed them that they could come in to see the mother and baby, Rogue was the first one on her feet. Remy followed the others, snagging his wife's hand in his as they walked, earning a smile in return.

Inside the delivery room, Mercy was sitting in bed, propped up with some pillows behind her, cradling a tiny bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. Henri was standing beside her, leaning over to smile at the squirming baby in her arms.

"Come on in," Henri called with a grin. "Meet de newest addition t' de family."

"He's so tiny..." Emil breathed.

"Babies usually are, chil'," Mattie responded with a light chuckle. "Y' did good, Mercy," she said with a smile. "Y' did real good. Made us all proud t'day."

"T'anks," Mercy rasped, childbirth having left her exhausted.

Henri lifted Jacques from her arms and held his son out to Jean-Luc. "Care t' meet yo' grandson, Papa?"

"Like y' need t' ask," Jean-Luc replied, accepting the baby and carefully easing him into his arms. "Hi dere, li'l one. M' yo' grandpere."

Remy smiled at Mercy, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "He's beautiful, chere. Lucky t'ing, he got his looks from y' an' not mon frere, non?"

Rogue swatted him playfully, careful as always to keep her strength reigned in. "Hush up, swamp rat. Henri's handsome an' ya know it. He gets it from yo' father."

"Merci," Jean-Luc smiled in her direction, moving closer to lower Jacques into her arms as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Knew dere was a reason dat I decided t' keep y' around."

"An' here Ah thought ya kept me around because o' mah cookin' skills," Rogue replied with a grin. She rocked her arms a little, smiling down at her nephew. " Well now, sugah, aren't ya jus' the cutest li'l thing?"

Moving up behind her, Remy peered down over her shoulder at the baby, whose head was covered with a downy blond tuft of hair, and a pair of sleepy blue eyes blinked up at him groggily.

Henri an' Mercy created dis tiny li'l person, Remy thought in wonder.

"He's beautiful, ain't he?" Rogue asked.

"Oui," Remy agreed softly.

"Wanna hold him?" she inquired, turning towards him. Remy nodded, so she gently eased the baby into his arms, keeping her hand under the baby's head for extra support.

"Hey dere, l'il homme," Remy said. "I'm yo' Uncle Remy, an' dis is yo' Aunt Marie."

Rogue waggled her fingers over the baby's head, making his eyes widen in delight. "Kind o' makes ya want one o' yo' own, don' it?" she laughed.

"Oui," Remy breathed, meeting her gaze. "It does."

"Well, then," she replied with a wicked smirk. "Ah guess we'll jus' have t' work on that, won't we?"


Translations:

Trois cent- three hundred
Que?- What?
d'accord- okay
grandpere- grandfather