March

Max lay on the exam table while Dr. Peterson went through his usual rigmarole. The stethoscope was cold against her stomach, but she didn't flinch. Peterson moved the instrument this way and that listening to the babies. He paused for several seconds, and Max remained silent. A few moments later, Dr. Gupta entered the room. She was Max's OB/GYN, and she smiled as she walked in. She was young, fresh out of med school and her time specializing, and she'd jumped at the chance to come to Terminal City.

"Good morning, Max," she said, blowing a bit of her bangs off her face. She had long dark hair worn in a braid. The tiny woman pulled a pair of gloves from the box on the counter. Max had told her they weren't necessary, but she always insisted.

"Morning," Max echoed.

"How are we today?"

"Ok. A little tired maybe. Feeling a little…" She shrugged. "I don't know…" And she didn't. She hadn't felt great the night before, and she still wasn't feeling the best this morning.

Dr. Peterson's eyes met Dr. Gupta's and Max didn't like the silent communication at all.

"Well then, let's see what's going on," Dr. Gupta said. She took Peterson's place and he headed for the door.

"I'm going to go set up for what we had planned today, ok? It might take a minute, so just hold tight." He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it was strained, and Max felt the hairs on her neck prickle in fear.

"What is it?" she asked.

Peterson sighed and knew he'd been caught. He had a horrible poker face. "Let us work for a bit, ok, and then we can talk. We need to run a couple of tests."

"Ok," Max answered, trying not to fly off the handle like she had the last time they'd had a "talk."

Max tried to remain calm as she heard Peterson walk out into the main area of the clinic. She didn't see who he was talking to, but he whispered, "Get Alec here, now."

Alec had gotten a call about an hour earlier, telling him he was needed in Command, and despite his misgivings, she'd told him to go. He'd refused and then she'd ordered him to go. Now she wished she hadn't.

Everything after that was a bit of blur. There were tests, lots of tests, and more doctors. Alec arrived in a huff, shouting and making demands, but they were all ignored and finally he gave up and chose to stand at her side, stoic and silent, the only sign of his distress how tightly he was gripping her hand.

Finally, the doctors left them alone. Max was told she could redress and she was so exhausted, she allowed Alec to help her into her clothes. They then sat side by side on the exam table.

Dr. Peterson returned and his face was grave, as it had been since the tests had started. He grabbed one of the rolling stools and brought it closer until he could sit right in front of them.

"As I'm sure you've guessed, I have to tell you something very serious."

They both remained silent, waiting for the axe to drop. They'd both been in this situation before. They knew all about doctors running tests, only to tell you that you were somehow deficient and there would be consequences.

"Baby three," he said, "has died in the womb." He stopped, waiting for his words to sink in.

Alec put his arm around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder, and let him wrap himself around her.

"I'm so sorry," Peterson said quietly. "Baby three was weaker, as you were aware, and the baby lost the battle."

"The others?" Alec whispered.

"The other two are doing well. They're strong and healthy."

"What…" His voice broke and Max turned her face into his chest, curling into him. She didn't have it in her to cry. This was so beyond that. "What happens to…"

Alec couldn't say it, and Peterson took pity on him. "Because the schedule is so slow for this pregnancy, we are still in the equivalent of the first trimester. That actually works in our favor. Max, your body will absorb the tissue and there is less danger to the other two fetuses. If this had happened later, the consequences could have been disastrous."

"This isn't disastrous?" Alec said sharply.

Peterson raised a hand in apology. "I'm sorry. I truly am. This was absolutely not how we wanted any of this to happen."

"Did we…" Once again it was Alec who spoke. Max didn't think she could. "Did we do something wrong?"

"No," Dr. Peterson said firmly. "This happens sometimes, and I'm sorry it happened to you. The baby may have had some sort of genetic issue, or… any number of things. We simply don't know why it was weaker than the others, and it wasn't able to survive." He cleared his throat. "Our focus now has to be on the other two babies, ok?"

"You're sure Max is all right?" Alec asked. Max felt like she was hearing him from a distance, but even so she could tell how scared he was, scared for her, for the babies. The remaining babies.

One of their children was dead.

Peterson was still talking, but Max wasn't hearing it. She didn't want to hear anything else from him. She couldn't bear it.

Alec slid off the exam table and turned to help her down as well. As soon as her feet touched the floor, he wrapped his arm around her and began to usher her from the room. Peterson must have left at some point, because he was nowhere in sight.

Alec walked her back toward their apartment, never breaking contact with her. In a daze, she heard him speaking into his cell, telling them to handle whatever came up. He opened the door, and urged her inside. He didn't stop in the main room. He kept going until they were in the bedroom. He let her sit on the edge of the bed and undressed her gently, carefully, as if she were made of glass. Normally, she would have hit him for treating her that way, but at the moment it felt true. She felt broken.

Alec helped her slide on one of her satin nightgowns, and then urged her to lie down. Max let him raise her feet. She stretched out and simply lay there, staring at the ceiling. She heard Alec change, and then he too stretched out on the bed at her side.

He slid lower until he was close to her belly. He set his hand on the gentle swell there and placed a delicate kiss against the satin. She felt the warmth of his lips through the nightgown, and finally felt the tears begin to gather.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered. "I'm sorry we lost you."

Alec rested his head against her stomach, and she brought her hand up to brush through his hair. She felt the cloth against her grow wet and knew he was crying, too.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to meet you, baby." His voice shook and broke, but he kept going. "Mommy and Daddy love you."

"Alec," Max sobbed. She couldn't bear any more. She just couldn't.

Alec immediately stopped and raised his head. He scooted up on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She turned toward him and pressed her face to his chest. Alec dragged the covers up over them both. He held her while they both cried, until eventually they were too tired for even that, and they fell asleep.

More tomorrow… And don't be throwing things at me. I warned y'all back at the beginning that some chapters would be fluff and some were definitely not fluff.