AN: Thanks for the incredible response to this Snowing story! See previous chapter for important authors notes on characters and story notes.
Important note: Milah is not Neal's father in this universe. Cora is I've taken some liberties again with characters and back stories. :)
Special Note: The character of TJ Morrison is a Manifest character. The characters of Nick and Greta Branson are based on Hansel(also known as Jack and Nick Branson) and Gretel from Once season 7. The character of Isaiah is a Manifest character.
Another Note: As we get further into season 2 and season 3, I will be focusing more on the major Manifest plotlines and not so much the minor ones that involve one offs with passengers, in addition to the original plots I have created for this story. Season 4 will be premiering soon and once I see what I'm working with, I'll make a decision if this story will be going with a Manifest type ending or if I have to move to more of a Once ending. Most of you that watch Manifest know that (spoiler alert) that Margaret's counterpart character in the series, Grace, dies at the end of season 3. I will not be doing that with Margaret. Either way, when the time comes, I will give this story a satisfying ending that may or may not match the series. :)
This one will update bi-weekly on Sunday nights now. Please consider leaving a review, it is much appreciated. Thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter:
Milo-8852: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Jennifer Baratta: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Ghostwriter: Yep, Killian is undercover. Yes, there is a S4. It did get canceled after S3, but Netflix saved it. Glad you're enjoying!
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, Killian is acting and is undercover. Emma will soon find out. Yep, they still care about each other. Yeah, the baby wants bacon, lol. Yep, the baby already has David wrapped around her finger. Yeah, Isaiah was influenced by Samdi's rhetoric. Yep, MM's water has broken and Samdi actually did a good thing. More than he even knows. Yeah, I like the Emma, Graham and Killian teamup here too. Yeah, George, as usual, is horrible. Yep, that shadow will soon come into play. Glad you're enjoying!
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 73: Course Deviation, Pt 2
David hung up his phone and kissed her forehead.
"The kids are on the way. Do you want me to call Em?" he asked.
"Not yet," she replied, seemingly a little woozy.
"I just need it to be the four of us right now," she added, as the machines she was hooked up to started going off with an alarm.
"What's going on?" David asked, as nurses and the doctor rushed into the room.
"It's the blood pressure monitor," the doctor said.
"I want the surgery…I don't care who does it or what happens to me. I just want our baby to be safe," Margaret said.
"MM…you could die. You heard the doctor earlier. It's a huge risk," David replied.
"And I have to take that risk," she insisted.
"We have to save her…it's our job as parents. We have to do this if she's in danger," she added. He sighed. He agreed, but he also couldn't bear to lose her in the process.
"Promise me," she requested, as the monitor began to beep rapidly.
"I…I promise…" he said, as she started to fade away.
"Margaret…" he said.
"Margaret!" he cried, as the nurses and doctor swarmed around her.
"What's happening!?" he cried.
"The baby is crashing," the doctor responded and he nearly broke down right there.
"Your wife can survive this with a few transfusions, but I don't think your baby will," the doctor said gravely.
"She...she wants the surgery," David said.
"I don't advise that," the doctor replied.
"I have never done this surgery before," he warned.
"I understand that. Can you save the baby?" David asked.
"Yes. But your wife could die," he cautioned.
"Save the baby. It's what Margaret wants. Just wait till my kids get here," he pleaded.
"Okay. We'll prep her," the doctor said and David nearly collapsed beside his wife, as he held her hand. She had once lost him and now he could lose her. And she wouldn't
return the way he did.
"Hey," Gretta said, as he arrived at the bar.
"Gretta, what's going on?" Killian asked.
"It's Nick," she replied with trepidation in her voice.
"What did he do?" Killian questioned.
"He's really gone too far this time," she said, as Nick came in from the backroom.
"Look who I found," he said, as Killian followed him and his eyes widened, as he saw Neal there, tied and gagged to a chair.
"Hey. Gimme your phone," Nick requested.
"What?" Killian snapped.
"Gimme your damn phone," Nick growled, as he grabbed for it, but Killian shoved him away.
"What in bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"He had you in his contacts! I think he's been tracking you," Nick said, as he looked at Neal.
"This is the guy your ex-fiancée threw you under the bus for, right?" Nick asked. Killian knew he had to play along in order to diffuse the situation.
"Yeah, how'd you find him?" Killian asked.
"When your ex got off scot-free, the three of us were gonna welcome her home, but then this guy showed up instead. So we roughed him up a little to send her a message,
and we figured that you might want to take a crack at him," Nick explained, as Neal glared daggers at him and grunted through the gag.
"Hey, and guess what else we figured out. His face is all over David Nolan's wall," Nick added.
"You did well. Come on," Killian said, motioning him toward the main room in the bar.
"What? What, where are we going?" Nick questioned.
"Just shut up and follow me," Killian ordered. Nick huffed and followed.
"It's weird that Killian hasn't checked in yet," Emma said, as she paced in Graham's office.
"He had sixty minutes. It's been... sixty-four?" Graham said.
"Exactly. To Killian, sixty minutes is sixty minutes, unless he can't step away.
"So what do you want to do?" Graham asked.
"'Cause I'm not about to blow his cover," he added.
"Wait, no, no. He doesn't have to check in with us. We can check in with him. I bugged that bar, remember?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we should listen to anything that he…" Graham said, but Emma didn't listen and was already tapping into the bug through his laptop. He
gave her a look.
"You know you have trust issues," Graham mentioned.
"Yeah, I've been told," Emma replied, as they listened.
"Well, you need to hurry before Nick does something stupid. I'm scared to death," a woman said and Emma deduced that it was Gretta.
"Hey, listen to me. I've got this, okay? Just take off," Killian urged. There was a pause.
"Seriously, go," Killian said.
"Okay," she agreed," as she left.
"Hey, why are you dragging me back out here?" Nick asked.
"Uh, I need a drink. So do you," Killian said, as he poured some rum in a couple of glasses.
"That was a big move, you bringing this guy back here like that," Killian mentioned.
"Eh, he's not as tough as he looks," Nick replied.
"Neal. His name's Neal," Killian said. Emma gasped.
"They have Neal. We have to move in now," Emma said.
"Let's just take a moment and think, okay?" Graham reasoned, as they heard music from the jukebox and Emma stopped. It was their song. The one he had played on the
boombox on the day he proposed.
"Wait. Sorry, hold on," Emma said.
"This song. That's our song. He knows we're listening right now," she added.
"Alright, listen to me carefully. You got to trust me on this," Killian said.
"He wants us to hold off," Emma deduced.
"What's with the music? You want to slow-dance with me?" Nick joked.
"It's just a little white noise," Killian replied.
Nick, I'm not sure I trust your guys," he said. Nick scoffed.
"Look, man, this is a serious situation. We need to bring George in on this now," Killian replied.
"Why would we do that? He's gonna be pissed at me," Nick said.
"For going rogue," he added.
"Nah, man. Think about it. I mean, this guy is up on David's wall? That's got to mean something. George will know exactly how to handle the situation," Killian replied.
"Eh…I don't know," Nick said skeptically.
"Look, you bringing Neal into the back room...mate, that was the move," Killian replied.
"Even if he wasn't tied up, we got him three on one... four on one now, and one is packing," Nick revealed.
"So are you," he added.
"I only wish I would've made that move myself," he said.
"You're proactive. George is gonna finally realize how valuable you are," Killian replied, as Nick took his phone out.
"Okay. I'm just gonna say that we have a major development, and he should get his ass over here," Nick said, as he made the call.
"Damn it if you two aren't Mr. and Mrs. Smith," Graham said, as he prepared to leave the office to move in.
"We can tap into the feed from a phone," Emma said. Graham nodded and holstered his firearm.
"I'll get a team," he said, as he noticed Emma's worry.
"He's gonna be okay…they both are," he assured her.
"Mom. Mom. Are you...are you…" Olive cried, as she and Henry rushed into the room and saw their mother unconscious. David gently nudged them toward her and they
draped over her with hugs, bringing tears to his eyes. How could he let his children lose their mother if he could prevent it?
"The baby's heart rate is dropping. The surgeon's still three hours away. If you want me to do the surgery, we need to do it now," the doctor said.
"I understand. Let's do it," David replied, as he looked back at his kids.
"You're gonna be okay," Olive sniffed.
"You have to be okay," she cried, as she held her crying little brother.
"Please. Stop. Stop, stop. I'm changing my mind. We're not doing the surgery. Margaret said we have to take care of the kids, and that's what I'm gonna do. No surgery.
Just…give her the transfusions," he said, as his voice broke.
"Just save my wife," he pleaded.
Samdi waited with the man he had saved and waited with him in the lobby, as they waited on his results after he was checked over.
"Sir…I have your labs," a nurse said, as they approached the desk. She noticed Samdi there.
"Oh. Are you family?" she asked.
"No. Sorry, I should just leave," Baron replied.
"No. He can stay. This man saved my life," the man said.
"Oh, I don't know if I really saved your…" Samdi protested, but the man cut him off.
"No, I know. If you hadn't come out of nowhere, I'd be dead," the man said.
"Wow. Well, you are very much alive. Labs check out. X-rays show no water in the lungs. You're good to go," she said.
"Guess you'll need these back," she added, as she handed him a plastic bag with his possessions inside it. They started to walk toward the exit together.
"Excuse me!" a nurse called, but they didn't hear her.
"You really have been a miracle. Thank you. You know, if...if there's any way I can help you out," the man said.
"Oh, no, thanks," Samdi replied.
"Excuse me? Stop!" a nurse called, as she caught up to them.
"Oh, my God. I can't believe I just found you," she said in amazement.
"I hope this is important. We have a busy afternoon," George said, as he and his wife Bonnie, or Bo, arrived.
"Yeah, sorry for the 911, but you're gonna want to see this," Killian replied, as he led them into the backroom.
"Hey, George. Look who we found. It's Neal from David Nolan's wall," Nick said. George was stunned. This was not part of his plan.
"I know who it is. What is he doing here?" George asked.
"We thought you'd be impressed," Nick replied.
"This is not the plan," George growled.
"Well, we got him now. Should we just let him go?" Killian asked, hoping he would take this bait. George had been very careful so as not to incriminate himself for the violence
against passengers. He usually let the lackeys take the fall. But Killian had put him in a position that he couldn't easily keep his hands clean from.
"The minute we release this guy, he's gonna call the cops, and then we'll all be implicated," Bo warned.
"It puts everything I've planned at risk!" George exclaimed.
"So don't release him. Get rid of him. And blame Emma Nolan. He's the guy who shot her, right? It'll look like revenge," Bo said. Killian hid a smirk. He almost had them.
"Is Mom gonna be okay?" Henry asked, as he looked up at his father.
"Yeah, buddy. She needs a blood transfusion, but she's gonna come through this," he promised.
"Hey, guys, you mind waiting outside?" he said, as the doctor looked as though he needed to talk to him. The kids nodded and went outside the room.
"The transfusion has started. We should see an improvement in your wife soon. But the the fetal heart rate is dropping. I'm so sorry," he said regrettably. David nodded.
"Can I have a minute?" he requested. The doctor nodded, as he and the nurses vacated the room. He gently sat down beside her and grasped her hand tightly.
"I need you to know I'm doing this for Henry and Olive. They can't lose you," he said, as tears slipped down his cheeks.
"Neither can I," he added, as more tears came.
"I love you too damn much. Or maybe I don't love you enough, not enough to put what you'd want ahead of what I want. Because I want you, Margaret. And I know you'd
give your life to protect this baby. But you're not here, so… I need you to please...please forgive me," he said and he cried harder, as he put his hand to the swell of her
stomach.
"You sweet...sweet baby girl. I'm so sorry. I'm stacking the deck against you, and you're not even born yet. I know the odds are slim, but...I have faith. I have faith you're
gonna make it somehow. I just... I just do. And if you do make it, you'll be the luckiest baby girl in the world, because you have the world's...world's best mom," he sniffed,
as he choked the words out through his tears.
"I need to do this. I'm sorry. I need you to fight," he said, as a nurse suddenly rushed in.
"I found him. He was downstairs," she said, as he looked up.
"What do you mean?" David asked.
"This is the specialist I told you about. We couldn't reach him," the doctor said.
"Oh, my God," David said, as his heart filled with hope.
"I'm Dr. Chmait. This is the patient…Margaret, is it?" he asked. He wiped his tears.
"Yes…uh, they said you could save my wife and my baby?" he asked.
"I've done this surgery many times, but the baby's heart rate has been dropping. We need to go now," the specialist said.
"Yeah, yeah, okay," he said, as they prepared to wheel Margaret to the operating room and David started to follow.
"You can't come, sir," the nurse admonished.
"Uh, what...what can I do?" David asked.
"You can pray," she answered. And so he would.
"Imagine how the world would feel about 828ers if one of them just stone-cold assassinated her boyfriend. They'd lose every ounce of sympathy. Then we release all
the incriminating intel we've gathered. It would have a much bigger impact," Bo said.
George smirked and looked at Killian.
"You can plant something, some piece of evidence that points to Emma or her brother or both?" George asked.
"Yeah. I can," Killian answered.
"Good. Let's do this," Bo said.
"George…you good with that?" Killian asked.
"Yes," he answered. He had them all now.
"Just make sure you keep this clean and keep us out of it," George warned. Killian nodded.
"Not a problem. You two can roll," he said, as they left, unaware of the swat team that was awaiting them outside.
"He got them. He got both of them," Emma said, as she and Graham moved in toward the entrance.
"They've still got a hostage and at least two guns. Could be a powder keg," Graham warned, as the door opened and the couple walked out. Guns were pointed at them
immediately.
"Don't say a word," Graham warned," as George and Bo were cuffed.
"This man has destroyed my life. It's gonna feel so good to put a bullet in his head.
If anyone does this, it's me. Give me the gun," Killian said, as one of them handed over their weapon to him and he peeled the tape off Neal's mouth.
"Any last words?" Killian questioned.
"I told Mick she couldn't trust you," Neal hissed.
"Guess you never know who you can trust," Killian said," as he shocked them all and turned his gun on Nick and his friends.
"What are you doing?" he questioned.
"My job, dirtbag. Get over there," Killian snapped, as the one left that was armed started to go for his weapon.
"Unh-unh! Don't even think about it. Put the gun down, slowly," he ordered. But the other man hesitated.
"Now!" Killian roared.
"Hands up. Hands up!" he shouted, as he confiscated the last weapon.
"You are gonna regret this," Nick said, as he advanced. Killian punched him and dropped him to the ground.
"Get off me, man. Get off me!" Nick cried, as he was cuffed. Graham, Emma and the swat team moved in and cuffed the rest.
"You okay?" Emma asked.
"Yeah," he answered, as they untied Neal.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked him, as they hugged.
"Yeah…I'm fine. Thanks to Killian," Neal replied, as he offered his hand and Killian shook it.
"All things work together for good, right?" Neal asked. Emma smiled and hugged him again, as she took him out to have the paramedics look at his bruises and minor cuts.
Killian followed and saw Gretta arrive, looking pissed.
"Gretta…listen," he started to say.
"Don't. Just don't," she snapped. He sighed.
"This whole time, you were using me to get to Nick?" she questioned.
"No. No, I swear it's not like that," Killian said.
"Like hell it's not. I hope it was worth it," Gretta hissed, as she stormed into her bar and Graham approached.
"If I was good at compliments, I'd probably say you're one of the best cops I've ever worked with. But I'm not, so, instead, I left something on your desk back at the
precinct," Graham said, as he left to return to the precinct.
"You okay?" Emma asked again, as she approached him, while the paramedics looked Neal over.
"Thanks to you. You saved me. You, uh, seem to be doing a lot of that lately," Emma said.
"I don't know how you kept your cool through all that," she added. .
"Well, I may not be hearing voices in my head, but I've learned a thing or two in my years on the job. Glad it still counts for something," Killian replied.
"It counts for a lot," she assured him, as she looked at her phone.
"Oh my God…" she said.
"What is it?" Killian asked.
"Margaret went into premature labor…she's in surgery," Emma replied.
"Go…I've got this," Killian said. She nodded.
"Thanks," she said, as she got Neal and hurried off.
David sat hunched over with his face in his hands, as they waited. The kids had dozed off together and he had been praying nonstop. Finally, after hours had passed, the
specialist came out of the doors to the operating room. This woke the kids up too, as they all stood up and approached the surgeon.
"Both of those ladies are prizefighters. Mom is recovering, and she'll be able to have visitors in just a bit," he said.
"Thank God. Thank you," David said in relief.
"What about our baby sister?" Olive asked.
"Yeah, can we see her?" Henry asked hopefully.
"She's in the NICU. She'll be in an incubator for a bit, like any 29-weeker, but you should know she's doing fine," the doctor said.
"I-I don't know how to thank you. If you didn't get here, I…" David said, as words failed him.
"It was actually something of a miracle that I did. I was kayaking earlier today in the Harlem River. I Lost my balance, and I flipped over," the doctor explained.
"Wait. Harlem River?" David asked, suddenly realizing that he was the Calling that his wife and Samdi had shared.
"Yeah, and a total stranger happened to be standing under the High Bridge at that exact moment. He jumped in, saved my life, and brought me here for good measure," he
said.
David was shocked and amazed.
"This man who saved you, do you know where he is now?" David asked.
"I asked him to wait in the lobby, offered him some money. He may still be there," the doctor replied.
"Thank you," David said, as he went to find the man that he knew was Baron Samdi.
"You're very welcome," he said. David rounded the corner and saw in standing in the other lobby.
"Are they out of surgery?" Samdi asked.
"You did it. You completed a Calling. And the man you saved was the one person that could save both of them. They're gonna be okay. Now, if you needed any more proof
that the Callings are good, this is it," David replied. But Samdi didn't look convinced.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked. David looked confused by his questioned.
"What put your wife and baby in danger in the first place?" he asked.
"Margaret's water broke," David answered.
"Why? Why did it break?" Baron questioned.
"We don't know exactly," David answered.
"I do. I saw her fall near the river. Ask her. The only reason she was on those rocks was because the Calling told you to go there," Samdi revealed.
"Why would the Callings do that? Set up dangers just to trick us into thinking we're saving the world?" David asked.
"It's what the Callings have been doing all along… manipulating us, teaching us to trust so we will eventually blindly obey, not caring whether we're doing good or evil," Samdi
replied.
"Evil? We're helping people!" David argued.
""Signs and wonders"." Samdi quoted.
"Why do you keep saying that?" David asked in frustration.
"Matthew 24:24,"
"My dad used to quote it. "False prophets will arise from the dead to perform signs and wonders," Samdi said.
"We're not false prophets," David rebuked.
"You keep assuming we're on the side of good, David, but I know now we are returned from the dead to be agents of the apocalypse," Baron said.
"You're deluded," David retorted, as he walked away.
"I see", said the blind man," Samdi called, before turning and leaving himself.
David returned to the other lobby and by that time, his wife was allowed visitors so they rushed to her room, just as she was starting to come around. She was startled and
he gently soothed her.
"Hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey. She's fine. She's perfect," he promised.
"The doctor saved us both?" she asked. He nodded, as tears came to his eyes.
"Yeah…it's a bit of a story, but they found the specialist, just in time. The help Calling you had…it was the specialist that needed help in the water. Samdi saved him and
brought him here after we left," he explained.
"That's…that's amazing," she replied. He nodded.
"A bit of a miracle I'd say," he said.
"I want to see her," she said.
"She's fine…she's in the NICU, but that's to be expected for a preemie. You need to rest," he admonished.
"David…I need to see our baby," she pleaded. The nurse took pity on him.
"I can get a wheelchair and you can take her up there if you'd like," she said. David smiled.
"Thank you," he replied, just as Emma rushed in.
"Hey…" she said.
"Hey…" he greeted.
"The baby?" she asked.
"She's fine. We're going up there now to see her," he replied. She sighed in relief and hugged them both, as he wheeled her up there and she followed with the kids.
"The Calling, it came through. It saved them both," David said.
"I have no doubts at this point," Emma replied.
"I wish Samdi saw it that way," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He's convinced the Callings are manipulating us, all for some dark purpose. He thinks we're agents of the apocalypse," David explained.
"What? Do you believe him?" she asked.
"Not after today," he said, as he and MM smiled at each other.
"I'm with you," Emma agreed.
"All good things," Margaret said. They smiled.
"All good things," Emma agreed, as they arrived at the NICU and peered in, just as they slid the name card into Baby Nolan's bed.
"Eden…I like it," Emma said. David smiled, as they marveled at their little miracle and he pressed a tender kiss to his wife's lips. For the moment, all had worked together for
good. Emma still had to tell them about George and the plot they had foiled, but that would be for another day.
