Loki dozed off almost immediately. He slept through the night, and even slept through Desi coming to check on him the next morning but he started to shiver during the early morning.
Laney woke to Desi checking Loki's vitals, feeling him shiver against her. "What's wrong with him?"
"His vitals are all doing good. His temperature is a little high though." Desi softly answered, not wanting to wake Loki or Star, who was still asleep on Loki's chest.
"He's been complaining of feeling overly cold and cannot get warm. He isn't getting an infection, is he?" She asked softly.
"No, there's no infection, I always check that first. I haven't checked his blood count this morning, but he might need blood again." Desi explained, then walked over to the supply cabinet to get everything she would need. "I also have to make sure their blood is still compatible as well."
"Why would he need more?" Laney questioned.
"He lost so much blood from the original injury... I would have done the first transfusion before even doing the surgery." Desi told Laney.
"Frigga said the first time they tried; Loki rejected it."
"They didn't do it right. It wasn't their fault though. I don't know if anyone else even knows how to do a transfusion with the Jotnar. He accepted it this time, I just think it wasn't enough." Desi explained, then took a couple small blood samples from Loki.
Laney furrowed her brow. "But... didn't his mother leave?"
"No, she's still here. At least as far as I know. I asked her to stay until I was certain Loki would not need more blood. I also promised I would not try to force anything between them, it would be strictly professional." Desi told her, then walked over to the counter.
"I could have sworn someone said she went back to Jotunheim," she murmured.
"For Loki's sake, I hope she didn't." Desi said, then came back over to them. "His blood count is far too low, but the good news is that their blood is still compatible."
Laney grinned. "That's good. Now it's just seeing if she's still here."
"It might be better to keep him asleep for this... I don't want him getting worked up or upset during the procedure." Desi said, feeling a little unsure.
"I don't know if he will like being sedated." Laney looked over at him, seeing he was still fast asleep for now.
"We can try seeing if he will sleep through it. I will leave that choice to you." Desi told Laney.
"See if he will sleep. If he wakes, I can calm him," she replied.
"Are you sure you can calm him, even with his birth mother only a few feet from him?" Desi asked, truly worried about the emotional strain it could have.
Laney bit her bottom lip, then sighed. "I'm a normal circumstance, yes. I'm just worried about him."
"If it were to become too bad, would I have your consent to sedate him?" Desi asked, wanting to have everything in place.
"Yes. I don't want to traumatize him."
"I will send word for her then. Star will need to move off his chest for now as well." Desi said, hoping that wouldn't wake Loki.
Laney smirked. "That will wake him if we're not careful. But I would think she would need a change by now. She only nursed once last night."
"You can just shift Star a bit. I just need his arm free." Desi said, then walked to the door to have the guard find Loki's mother.
Slowly, Laney maneuvered Star around time where one of Loki's arms lay beside him. She kissed Loki's cheek gently, still in her place beside him on the bed. "Any luck?" She asked.
"The guard is bringing her." Desi said softly. She worked quickly to set everything up, and even quicker once his mother came in. She gave a sigh of relief once it was all done and Loki was still sleeping.
Laney sat beside Loki and gently caressed his arm while she watched Desi do the transfusion.
"Now, we just have to wait. He's doing better than I expected though." Desi admitted.
"That's a good thing," Laney replied.
"It is. I'm hoping this is the last time he will need blood. I doubt they will be compatible again." Desi explained to Laney.
Laney furrowed her brow. "Why would it change?" she asked.
"They aren't full Jotun. Too much blood could unbalance how his blood is mixed." Desi answered..
"So... his birth mother isn't full Jotun either. I wonder what the other race could be," she thought aloud.
"Elf. Light elf, like the ones we stayed with. She seems full Jotun, just like Star, but she's a straight half mix. Loki has more Jotun as his father was full blood." Desi told her, then checked Loki's vitals again.
Laney's eyes widened. "No wonder he's so excellent with sedir. Loki's even taught me things."
"Not only that, but also why he is so graceful. You saw how the elves were. The Jotnar don't have that natural grace." Desi pointed out. "I know I've seen this mix before, I just can't remember at the moment. My father treated a member of his family."
"Loki will be pretty stunned to find out." She looked down at Loki to see his other arm had moved to rest beside his head. "Better take this opportunity to change and feed her." Laney gently picked up Star and stood before she walked her to the bassinet to change her diaper and put clean clothes on her.
"Don't keep her away too long. I think he already knows she was moved." Desi said, seeing how Loki was slowly growing more restless.
Laney chuckled. "He's known her for two days and I have barely any interaction with her. He hogs my daughter Desi," she said playfully.
"That's kind of a good thing though, right? He went from worried he would be a bad father, to never wanting to be away from her." Desi pointed out.
"That's true," Laney replied as she picked up Star while she began to coo and make happy noises. "As long as I get to hold her too."
"You will get to. Loki just now found out she was born, so I think he is trying to make up for lost time." Desi shrugged. "His blood count is doing better."
Laney rubbed Star's back as she walked back over to Loki's bed and sat on the edge. "That makes sense."
"Just be patient with him, he's been through a lot in a very short time." Desi finally sat down, looking wore out.
"You need rest Desi. I don't want you to over do it," she chastised softly. Laney noticed Star had begun to put her hands in her mouth, so she unclipped one side of her dress to nurse her.
"I am resting as much as I can. Loki is the only patient I have right now. I insisted I keep his case as no one else knows enough to help him." Desi assured Laney.
"That's sweet of you. I'm very grateful for everything you've done."
"I want to get back to work fully, but I won't until I'm ready." Desi said truthfully.
Laney narrowed her eyes playfully. "You take care of you and your little one. That's the top of the list right now."
Desi smiled and nodded. "I know it is. I am giving instructions to a healer who is caring for a couple of my minor needs patients. I'm not handling anything that isn't life or death right now." She promised.
"That's good." Laney looked back down at Loki then down at Star, who was still nursing. "I'm surprised Loki hasn't woken up."
"I am kind of surprised as well, but he is still weak and his body needs the sleep." Desi said, pulling her legs up under her.
"That makes sense then," she replied as Star let go and rubbed her eyes. "Someone's sleepy now."
"That's her little routine, eat and sleep. I'm kind of jealous of her at times." Desi chuckled.
Laney laughed as she refastened her dress and snuggled Star to her chest. "Oh, but it won't last long. I'm sure we will have our hands full as she gets older."
"I get the feeling she will be adventurous." Desi told Laney. "Like what you've told me of Loki when he was young."
"I think she will too. Star has her father's spunk, that much I can tell," she praised.
"She might be a handful, but I think she will be a lot of fun as well." Desi agreed.
Laney nodded in agreement. "There's so much I want to teach her and do with her. It will just be in time."
"I can't wait to spoil her and do all the fun aunt stuff with her." Desi chuckled.
"I'm sure Frigga will do her share too," Laney replied.
"Yeah, but that's grandma spoiling. It's different than aunt spoiling." Desi chuckled.
"This is true. I'm sure there will be uncle spoiling too. Maybe even grandpa spoiling."
"One thing is for sure, Star will be extremely spoiled." Desi grinned. A moment later, she got up and stopped the transfusion. "Alright, that's all we can do for right now."
Laney turned and met the reluctant eyes of Loki's mother. "Thank you, for helping."
"Do you need me to stay longer, just in case?" She asked softly.
Laney shrugged and looked over at Desi. "That's up to the doctor."
"If you could, at least for today?" Desi asked and she nodded. "Thank you."
"Both of us appreciate what you have done to help Loki," Laney said as she turned and faced the woman again. "I'm Laney. Loki's fiancé. This is our daughter Star."
She simply nodded her head in acknowledgement, but didn't meet Laney's eyes. "I promised to do what I could to help." She said softly.
"I'm very thankful," Laney replied.
"May I go back to the room I've been using? It is best I am not here when he wakes, and I doubt he would want me so near his family." She said softly.
"If you feel more comfortable that way, you can," she told her.
She got up from the chair and hurried out of the room without another word. "She seems so scared... and so sad." Desi said, once she had gone.
Laney sighed and slumped in her chair. "I wish I knew how to help her."
"I doubt anything will make her feel safe and secure here." Desi said truthfully. "Maybe talk with Loki when he wakes though? See if he will directly give his okay for her to meet Star? It might be a start?" She suggested.
"I can try. I'm not sure if Loki will be up for speaking to her directly," Laney answered.
"Even if he doesn't want to, you could take Star to her, or even just outside the room. I understand if he isn't ready, but she did save his life..." Desi pointed out.
"I don't want to force her into anything either," Laney countered. She looked over at Loki to see him reach up and scratch at his scalp in his sleep. "He will need some sort of bath soon."
"I'm not trying to force anyone into anything. I just think she might want to meet her granddaughter, but she already thinks Loki doesn't want her around..." Desi explained.
"I know you're not Desi. Frigga said she was pretty adamant about staying out of our life."
"I understand that as well, which is why I think some form of approval from Loki might be good." Desi countered.
Laney nodded as she curled Star up in her arms, letting her sleep. "I think so too."
Later that evening, Loki groaned softly and slowly opened his eyes. "How long did I sleep?"
Laney sat a tray of food down on the table next to his bed. "A good part of the day. How do you feel?"
"I don't know... I still feel like I can't move, but my head is clearer." Loki answered.
"Desi had to perform another transfusion. You should be feeling a lot better tomorrow."
"I don't feel like I'm freezing anymore, and I'm not in any pain at all." Loki told Laney, sounding a bit stronger.
Laney grinned as she sat on the edge of the bed. "That sounds promising. Do you feel hungry?"
"I am, but I also want to see Star again. I was sad to wake without her." Loki admitted.
"She's asleep in her bassinet. Would you like her?" She asked.
"I will wait until she wakes. That would give me time to eat as well." Loki said, more aware than he had been before.
"Well, there's fruit, soup, and some sandwiches," she told him. "Which would you like?"
"Could I try a sandwich? I feel like I need something solid." Loki answered.
Laney nodded and handed him a half a sandwich on a piece of cloth. "Eat up."
Loki took the sandwich and slowly ate it. "I feel like I could eat a hundred of those." He joked, once he had finished.
She chuckled and gave him another half. "Don't eat too much. I don't want you to be sick."
"I won't darling. Do you think just one more sandwich would be alright?" He asked, hoping it would be.
"I'm sure that will be okay. Do you want half or whole?"
"A whole one please. Could I have something to drink also?" Loki asked her, watching her every move.
Laney nodded and gave him the sandwich. "What do you want to drink? Milk or juice?"
"Could I just have water? Water sounds good." Loki replied.
"Yes sweetheart." Laney stood and quickly got him a glass of water. She sat back down and gently tilted up his head to help him drink.
Loki drank the entire glass of water. "That was so refreshing." He said with a content sigh.
Laney chuckled and ran her hand down his cheek. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better. I mean, I am still a little tired, but I feel decently well otherwise." Loki admitted.
"That makes me really happy to hear."
"How are you and Star?" Loki asked, reaching out for Laney's hand.
"We're good. She ate a lengthy breakfast this morning," she chuckled.
"Good. You two are my only reasons for living." Loki said softly.
Laney squeezed his hand gently, then brought it up to her lips. "I love you, my Loki."
"I love you too. I want to get better so I can hold you again."
She bent over him and caressed his neck and cheek. "You will be." Laney then gently captured his lips in a sweet kiss.
Loki returned her kiss, missing the contact the moment it was over. "I hate that you have to see me like this..."
"I'm just glad you're here and alive. I couldn't be without you."
"Holding you and Star is all I have thought about. It's the only memory I have. I knew I had to come back to you." Loki admitted softly.
Laney smiled down at him before she bent to capture his lips once more.
Loki slowly lifted his hand to comb his fingers through Laney's hair as they embraced, causing her to sigh softly into the kiss.
She was about to deepen the kiss when the sound of Star fussing caught her attention. "Someone needs changed," she murmured.
"I will wait right here darling." Loki chuckled.
Laney pecked his lips quickly, then walked over to the bassinet and changed Star's dirty diaper. "There we go," she cooed as she lifted her up into her arms. "A clean baby is a happy one."
"She is so precious. I still can't believe she is half me." Loki said truthfully.
"She has your spunk," Laney agreed as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge with Star in her arms.
"Can I hold her?" Loki asked, wanting more time to bond with Star.
"Of course baby." Laney gently laid Star on Loki's chest, then moved to lay beside him.
Loki wrapped one arm around Laney and one arm around Star. "Can you tell if Star has magic yet?"
Laney shook her head. "No. I think it's too early to tell."
"I thought it might be, but still wanted to ask." Loki said, holding them both close. "Do you think I can start moving soon?"
"I would have to ask Desi. Hopefully you'll be able to sit up soon."
"I would like to as soon as I'm able." Loki told her but knew he couldn't push it too fast.
"It will get here. Just need to ask your doctor," Laney murmured.
"You mean Desi, right?" Loki asked, not wanting anyone else handling his care.
Laney chuckled. "Yes, Desi."
Loki relaxed again. "Just to be clear, she is the only one in charge of my care."
"The only one," Laney assured.
Loki sighed softly. "Could you ask her if I can at least have some form of a shower?"
"That, I will do. Even if I have to clean you up on the bed myself," she answered.
"I feel so grimy from laying here for so long. I think being clean will help me feel better as well." Loki said truthfully.
Laney nodded and sat up. "Do you want me to go and ask her now? I'm not really sure what she's up to. I just know she's spending time with your brother."
"When would she be coming back in here again? I can wait until then. After everything that's happened, I don't want to interrupt them." Loki answered.
"At least by this afternoon. I'm sure your brother will come and visit too. He loves little Star as much as your mom does."
"Alright, I will wait then." Loki agreed. "I'm glad they love her so much. She is such a sweet baby."
"Yes she is. She hardly cries unless she's ignored for too long," Laney told him. "Once the news gets out that she's been born, all of Asgard is going to want to see her."
"She will never have to worry about being ignored. Not with so many people around who love her." Loki said, smiling softly. "I know the tradition is to announce a birth right away, but would you be willing to wait until I'm up and around again, so I can be there?"
"We can wait until you're ready. I don't mind. I'd like for you to be there with me too."
"Thank you darling. I'm so sorry things got all mixed up because of me being injured." Loki sighed but turned his head to press a kiss to the top of Laney's head.
Laney leaned into his touch, then tilted her head to capture his lips in a gentle kiss. "It's not mixed up," she murmured. "Things happen that are out of our control."
"You are so amazing; you know that right? No one else would have stayed by me though all of this." Loki said softly.
A light blush quickly filled Laney's cheeks. "Why wouldn't I stay? I love you Loki. We've been through so much together."
"I love you too, more than anything. I was just saying that I appreciate all the support you've given me." Loki explained.
"I appreciate yours as well. You've helped me more than you can imagine."
"I don't always feel like I've done much." Loki admitted.
Laney turned to her side and put one arm gently under Loki's head. "I know you don't. But you have. Plus, you gave me this amazing little girl."
"I can't believe I helped to create something so beautiful. Star is perfect in every way." Loki said softly.
She chuckled and kissed Loki's cheek. "I have a feeling that once Star gets a bit older, you will be wanting another one."
"I already want another one." Loki chuckled. "Just look at her. Who could look at her beautiful face and not want another." He smiled and kissed the top of Star's head.
"Well sir, you will have to wait a little while at least. Give my body some time to recoup and me myself," Laney said with a chuckle. "Although that doesn't mean we can't... have that time together. I will just have to get some vials from Desi or Gall."
"I wasn't saying right away darling. I wasn't even saying we had to try again at all. I know carrying Star was very hard for you, so I would never expect you to go through that again." Loki said truthfully.
Laney nuzzled against his cheek and kissed his jaw, then his neck. "It was hard, yes. But I'm not opposed to another after some time passes."
"You would really want another child with me, even knowing it could be that hard again?" Loki asked in disbelief.
"Yes darling, I would. As long as we don't have a litter of them," She giggled.
"All together, or at once?" Loki chuckled, mostly just teasing. "Looking at Star, it's easy to want a hundred of her."
Laney's eyes widened. "That's too many Loki," she chuckled. "Would you want to settle on a number?"
"I know it's too many, I wasn't being serious. If it was practical, maybe, but I know it isn't." Loki grinned. "I know five or six is more reasonable."
"That is reasonable," Laney agreed. "So as long as we spread them out a little."
"Of course darling. We have more than enough time. Besides, taking a break between them gives us plenty of time to make sure each baby is spoiled rotten." Loki said with a cute smile.
Laney laughed and kissed his neck once more. "I'd like some time with my man in between too," she flirted.
"You will have to talk to Star about that one. I feel like she will be planning our days soon." Loki chuckled. "You will have me all to yourself when she is with her grandmother or aunt and uncle." He smirked.
"When you're well again, I plan on making a playdate day with one of them. I've missed you too much," she replied.
"I think you can easily talk any of them into watching Star. Just make sure Desi and mother don't fight over who's going to spoil her more." Loki joked, then yawned.
"Getting tired again baby?" Laney asked. "Do you want to nap for a while?"
"I still get tired often, and I don't like it." Loki muttered. "Can I have just a short nap?"
"Your body is healing, and rather quickly even though the injury was pretty bad. You can sleep as long as you want, love."
"Will you wake me when Desi comes in? If I can have a bath, I would like to as soon as possible." Loki told her.
Laney perched herself up on her elbow and nodded. "Of course. If she does, I will let your mother have some time with Star while I get you cleaned up."
"Will you stay with me until then?" Loki asked, starting to drift off.
"I can lay with you if you want me to. I don't mind."
"Please..." Loki mumbled, then fell asleep, still holding Star.