AN1: Hello everyone! I am super excited to be releasing the 5th installment of this series. It's crazy that I started it back in 2016, published it in 2017, and there's still people asking for updates! Thanks, guys! If you are new to the series, I'd recommend reading the past 4 installments, The Origin of Grey, The Dark Phoenix Rises, The Thing about Brothers, and The Next Chapter of our Lives! They are not necessarily required for this story, but there will definitely be heavy references to them. At least to The Next Chapter of our Lives, since life-changing plots happened in it. But without Further ado, here's The Things in the Shadows.
Prologue
Jean's POV
The skies are dark and stormy above the hospital. With every contraction Ororo has, thunder rumbles. She's been in labor for almost twenty-four hours now, and she's exhausted.
Her hand closes around mine as another contraction overwhelms her body. She squeezes tight, and I squeeze back, using my free hand to wipe the sweat off her brow with a wet cloth. She curses in her native tongue, teeth clenched. Wind whistles outside as rain pelts the window. Her grip gets stronger as the contraction proceeds. She takes deep breaths as it passes a minute later.
"Alright, Miss Munroe, this next contraction I want you to push," the doctor instructs. "Your baby will be here soon." Then he turns to Logan. "Would you like to see?"
Logan shrugs and approaches the bottom of the bed. I watch the color drain from his face when he looks between Ororo's legs. His eyes roll back, and he collapses.
"Logan!" Ororo shouts. Then she squeals. Her concern for her boyfriend disappears as she holds my hand tight and starts to push.
Twenty minutes later, a baby's cry fills the room. Logan is on the floor with smelling salt. Ororo's body relaxes into the bed. I feel a smile stretch across my face as the chubby infant gets wiped down and laid on my best friend's chest for skin-to-skin bonding.
"It's a girl," a nurse announces, laying a blanket over the baby's bareback.
"Ay, it's a little 'Ro," Logan says, stumbling while he stands up.
The doctor looks at Logan, clamps and umbilical scissors in hand. "I would ask you to cut the cord but…." He motions to the floor where Logan had just been laying. So he turns to me, holding out the scissors. "Dr. Grey?"
I look to Ororo for permission, who nods without looking up, understandingly transfixed on the baby she just delivered. Cutting the umbilical cord is a huge honor usually reserved for the parent, so taking the scissors feels like a privilege. I snip between the two clamps, separating the baby from Mama. My face aches from the smile that stretches it, but it only gets wider as I watch the new parents. Ororo cradles the baby against her chest, and Logan stands beside the bed, a dumbfounded expression written all over his face.
"Looks like the rain cleared up just in time to welcome your little girl into the world," the nurse muses with a chuckle. Outside the window, birds cheerfully chirp, and a rainbow peeking through the white, puffy clouds. A true reflection of Ororo's emotions. "Do we have a name picked out yet?"
Ororo smiles, eyes tired, but full of joy as she looks up at the nurse. "Her name is Kendall."
The nurse writes the name onto a tag and places it on the bassinette for the hospital's nursery. "Welcome to the world, Kendall."
To Be Continued...
AN2: Another day, another story! Hope you all enjoy what's to come. The Summer-Grey's family will finally get to catch their breath from their own drama, But an X-Men's duty is never done lol. Plus, I'm SUPER excited for the characters I will be introducing later in the story. I'm combining two special interests into one and I'm over the moon about it. So, stay tuned for that.
Also, I am working on the Summers-Grey wedding. It is going to be the last chapter of my previous story, The Next Chapter of Our Lives, but I want it to be perfect so naturally I'm procrastinating a whole ton on it. So thanks for being patient with that!