Normally Hank wasn't the type of person to get 'cabin fever', especially when recovering from a painful injury, but for the past five days he had gotten increasingly stir crazy and anxious as winter seemed to loom over the city at a surprisingly sluggish pace. To keep his mind busy Hank set about cleaning the house and rearranging the furniture - despite the house already being practically spotless thanks to Connor's personal tidiness - and then frantically checking his phone repeatedly as if waiting for an excuse to leave the house or go and do something important. Until something happened, Hank set about checking each and every room of the house for something he simply couldn't see.
The ever attentive deviant detective knew that something was bothering Hank, but no matter how much he pressed the matter stubborn human wouldn't admit to anything. From inside the livingroom Connor had been watching the senior detective curiously while running a brush through Sumo's messy winter fur as he sat on the floor with the massive dog sprawled over his lap. Sumo loved the excess grooming, whereas Connor hated seeing Hank working himself up over seemingly nothing.
"Please sit down for a moment." Connor requested as he watched Hank walking into the kitchen for the twenty-eighth time. "You're still-"
"I know, son. I know." Hank interrupted as he finished rearranging the kitchen cabinets and closed the doors with a soft 'thud'. "I'm still healing, but I'm also going nuts from being stuck inside for almost a solid week. It's January and in a few more weeks it's going to be snowing even harder, and it'll be too damn cold to go anywhere or do anything. I can't stand being cooped up all winter. Almost the entire summer and fall were already cold and wet enough, so the last thing I want to deal with is more ice and snow... I hate the winter."
"There seems to be something else upsetting you." Connor's brow arched inquisitively as he studied Hank's demeanor from afar. "Are you feeling well?"
"I'm fine." Not expecting such a question Hank flashed his son a stunned glance as he proceeded to wipe down the kitchen table with a wet rag. "Why?"
"You seem unusually distracted and restless despite having adequate time to heal. You've only behaved this way previously when we finished taking care of the Corvette just prior to you revealing it to be a gift to me." Sensing something strange was in the air Connor began searching for his own answers as Hank stood in the middle of the kitchen and shifted his weight anxiously from one foot to the other. "Is there something going on that I should either be aware of or that I should pretend to not be aware of?"
"No, son." Maintaining a poker-face Hank wrung out the rag in the sink and then draped it over the back of the faucet to dry. "Everything is fine."
"I also hate to ask but," gently pushing Sumo off of his legs as he rose from the floor to speak to Hank more directly, Connor began to nervously wring his hands nervously together in front of himself before he quickly moved his hands behind his back and out of Hank's sight. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen Connor stared at his father with a worried glance and watched his demeanor very closely. "is this weather affecting your memories regarding the... accident?"
"I won't deny it, kid. I can't help but think about Cole and all that jazz every time it snows." Admitting that was one of the things on his mind made Hank finally stand still and stop looking for something else to clean. "But it's not as bad this year as it has been the previous few years, so that's something good I guess."
"That's good to know. Is there anything else upsetting you or at the very least bothering you to some degree?"
"Uh... It's complicated. And," lifting up a 'shushing' hand the senior detective expertly stopped the question before it was asked. "I don't want to talk about it, and since it revolves around something that's really none of my business, I don't have the right to talk about it."
"Understood. I will respect your privacy." Relenting for the moment Connor backed off and proceeded to head back to the livingroom to clean up Sumo's brushed out fur that had collected in large clumps on the floor and then put the brush away. "I won't ask anything else if you don't want to talk about it."
"Good. Besides, I need to focus on getting everything back on track before this damn freezing weather makes it too unbearably cold to do anything worthwhile." As he spoke Hank rubbed his thumb along the back of his opposite hand to ease the pain. "Arthritis is a real bitch this time of year."
"As an android, I imagine that's something I'm glad to be spared from experiencing." Understanding Hank's discomfort in both his restlessness and disdain for the cold, Connor openly empathized and offered up a suggestion as he put aside the dog brush into Sumo's toy basket and rejoined Hank in the kitchen. "Have you finished sorting through your storage unit?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Hank was now checking inside the cabinets beneath the sink for... something. He began sorting through the bottles and chemicals beneath to needlessly try to keep his thoughts preoccupied as he checked the caps and made sure each bottle was sealed properly. "In fact, I have everything sorted now. What to keep, what to donate and what to toss out. It's all been labeled and it's ready to go as soon as I have the time to drop stuff off at the various charities throughout the city."
"Did you need-" Connor stopped short as he suddenly received an unexpected cybernetic message from Skye Tower and his brow furrowed slightly. "...Oh."
"Oh?" Hank stood up slowly from where he had been kneeling down in front of the cabinets and wiped his hands off on his jeans. "What's 'oh' about? Please tell me it isn't work needing us to go in and clean up someone else's mess."
"It's not related to the precinct. I just got a message from Pamela."
"Pamela?" Putting his hands to his hips Hank stared blankly at the ceiling above him as he tried to put a face to the name. "Why do I know that name?"
"She's the receptionist deviant volunteering at Skye Tower and works with us at the precinct."
"Right, right!" Hank suddenly remembered the female deviant he had walked past several times without actually chatting with her. "I know her. What's up?"
"Apparently Abby has gone into labor."
"Oh?" Hank repeated, his blue eyes suddenly going bright as a grin appeared on his face. "And how's that going?"
"Abby is currently at the tower and is requesting my assistance to take her to the hospital to deliver."
"She's still at the tower?" The man's eyes remained bright though he was now a little confused by the revelation. "Why's she out there? She should've gone on maternity leave about two months ago."
"This morning she began experiencing contractions and decided to take Aria to the daycare center at the tower before driving herself to the hospital, she was not working. As of this moment Abby is experiencing too much discomfort to drive safely and would like my assistance." Crossing his arms over his chest Connor's brow arched with his own confusion at the situation at hand. "Why didn't she call Gavin first or hail an autonomous cab?"
"Probably because that baby isn't Gavin's baby. She's playing surrogate for another family, remember?" Hank replied very sharply, almost defensively. "And she probably doesn't want to risk getting stranded if her taxi breaks down or some shit. Why don't you go take her to the hospital, get her situated comfortably, and then let Gavin know so he can go take care of Aria and meet up with her at the hospital later?"
"Very well. Are you going to join me?"
"Nah... Right now's the right time to take care of everything in my storage unit."
"You're going to take care of your storage unit now? Why now?"
"Because now suddenly feels like the right time." Giving the deviant a knowing and devilish glance Hank held his head high and proceeded to walk into the livingroom to get his car keys from the bookshelf, then went down the hallway to change his clothes as he set about his personally assigned task. "I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay, that is... logical." Returning to the livingroom to slip on his shoes Connor called out to the senior detective as he pulled on his leather jacket and opened the front door. Swiftly he pulled his own car keys from his jacket's pocket and held them in a tight fist. "I will keep you posted Abby's condition."
"Yeah, I'll be waiting to hear the good news!"
Connor was a little surprised by Hank's suddenly upbeat mood, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Right now, his priority was getting his friend to the hospital and ensuring she was safe and comfortable as she delivered the baby she was carrying for a family in need of her help.
"...Human emotions are very peculiar."
The deviant commented to himself out of Hank's earshot as he looked down at Sumo. The massive dog had helped himself to the vacant couch and stretched out his body as much as possible to take up all three cushions on the piece of furniture.
"I should be wary of such behavior in myself in the future. Be a good boy, Sumo."
As he opened the front door Connor braced himself against the cold and prepared to aid a friend in need on that brisk day.
"We'll be back home soon."
It didn't take long for Connor to arrive at Skye Tower and escort the laboring technician, his friend, to the Corvette parked just outside the front entrance to be transported to the hospital. It took even less time for Abby to be admitted considering she was delivering a second baby after her first baby was a precipitous labor, and the odds of a rapid labor and delivery were much higher than average for her. It seemed as though Abby was experiencing a much slower progression the second time around which would make the experience less physically traumatic for her. Luckily for Abby the doctors weren't taking any chances anyway, and they had put her and the unborn baby as a priority case.
Ever the gentleman, Connor and a nurse escorted Abby to her room in the wheelchair to rest, and he allowed Abby to grip onto his hand and breathe through each of her waning contractions. Once she had been changed into a hospital gown with the nurse's assistance and placed in her bed to rest, Connor stayed by her side and kept her company in her room until Gavin or the family she was playing surrogate for arrived.
With an I.V. now running into the back of her hand Abby was given fluids to remain hydrated and a small dose of antibiotics to prevent any possible infection after giving birth. Abby was also hooked up to a cardiac monitor that would race along with her heart rate and elevated blood pressure with each painful contraction she endured. A fetal heart monitor was wrapped around her full term belly under her hospital gown recording the unborn baby's vitals as well. The baby's heart rate was faster than Abby's but normal and stable just as she was.
"Do you require anything?" The kind deviant asked as he and the nurse helped Abby to climb into the bed and reposition her weight to rest in a comfortable position. Connor sat in the chair beside her bed and biometrically watched Abby's progressing labor very carefully for any sign of distress. "Should I call Gavin for you? Perhaps get you some ice chips?"
"N-Nope." Breathing through her latest contraction Abby leaned back against her thick pillow and sighed as the pain slowly ebbed away from her body for the time being. "...If you could call Gavin and let him know what's going on I'd be very appreciative." Giving the deviant a pleading stare Abby rubbed her hand over her large uncomfortable belly and shook her head. "But if you could tell the nurse that I'm ready for the epidural I'll forever be in your debt."
"I will do so. I should only be a moment."
Nodding a little Abby patted her belly as she watched Connor rise from his chair. "We'll be here waiting for you."
Taking his leave of the room Connor sent a cybernetic message to Gavin's phone to inform him that Abby had gone into labor and had been admitted to St. Vevila Hospital, and that Aria was safe at Skye Tower's daycare. Locating a nurse Connor let her know that Abby was in need of some pain medication and the nurse made a note in the laboring woman's electronic chart to tend to her promptly.
"We'll take care of her pain, don't you worry about a thing, hon'." The nurse smiled warmly as she gave Connor an intrigued look. It was clear that she had been a labor and delivery nurse for many years and absolutely loved her job. "I also see that Dr. Grayson is a surrogate. Do you know where the parents are at the moment or have their contact information?"
"I do not. I don't even know their names at this time." It wasn't often that Connor didn't have the answer to a question, but that didn't stop him from being helpful all the same. "Also, from what I was told only the father will be present for the birth."
"All right, we'll get that information from Abby later." Without losing her smile the nurse kept Connor in the loop with Abby's care. "The doctor is also confident that it'll be at least another six hours until the baby is born, so there really isn't any rush to get them here at the moment."
"Of course." Curious and obviously worried for his friend he asked the nurse another question. "She has had a child before and the labor was precipitous. Are there any complications we should be wary of?"
"Aside from a possible second precipitous labor and some hemorrhaging, not really. Don't worry, we're ready for anything that can come our way." She put her hand on Connor's forearm for a moment to reassure him with a gentle squeeze. "Both the mother and the baby will be just fine."
"I'm certain everything will be all right as well." The deviant stated calmly as he received a cybernetic message from Gavin. The reply was prompt which made Connor relax a little as he spoke to the nurse again. "Thank you for your help. I have informed Abby's husband of her admission and he is on his way to be with her. Please excuse me."
"No problem, if you need anything else just call."
Isolating himself in an unoccupied space just down the corridor Connor closed his eyes and made a cybernetic call to Hank to give him an update as he had promised to do. "I have news regarding Abby."
'Yeah, kid?' Hank's voice sounded unusually energetic as he spoke. He rarely ever answered phone calls in such a way, let alone answered the phone in favor of texting. 'Everything okay?'
"Abby has been admitted at St. Vevila Hospital and is in stable condition. I have informed Gavin and will soon contact the baby's parents on her behalf."
'So... everything is pretty normal, huh?'
"Comparatively so, yes. Why do you ask?"
'Just curious. Look, I'm almost finished here at the storage unit, and I'll head out to the hospital to visit.' Hank paused as if needing to catch his breath and the sound of heavy boxes and furniture could be heard shuffling about in the background of the phone call. 'You said she's at St. Vevila Hospital, right?'
"Correct. Do you require any assistance at the storage unit? You sound tired."
'Nah, I'm good. I'll have to take a few trips back and forth between here and the house to get everything moved, but it isn't anything that I can't handle by myself.'
"Very well. If you do need help, just ask and I'll be there as soon as Gavin or the parents to the baby arrive."
'Cool, yeah. I'll see you three soon.'
"See you soon, Hank."
As the call ended as quickly as it began a strange thought popped up in Connor's mind that made his brow arch in confusion yet again that afternoon regarding Hank's ongoing peculiar behavior.
"...Three?"
Finishing the call discreetly Connor resumed walking down the corridor without drawing any unwanted attention seeing as deviants and humans were treated equally at the hospital and the staff didn't hold any prejudices toward their more mechanical patients. Returning to Abby's room casually and calmly Connor reclaimed his seat next to her bed to confirm that he had taken care of everything as she had requested.
Laying on her side Abby stared at the kind and protective deviant with pained eyes as she endured the needle to her spine while the epidural was administered by her doctor. "I'm glad you're here, Connor."
"Of course." Offering her his hand to hold, Connor remained unflinchingly at Abby's beside. "You're my friend, I'm always happy to help you."
"That's sweet," she reached out her hand and Connor took hold quickly to help support her through the procedure. "but that's not quite what I was talking about."
"Oh?"
"Yes, it's important that you're here." She was rubbing her free hand over her belly slowly as she spoke. "I don't want to give birth to this little guy all alone."
"You won't be alone." Speaking with confidence and reassurance the deviant detective remained positive as he squeezed her hand for a second time. It was a natural instinct that he had acquired as his emotions steadily evolved throughout his deviancy. "Do you want me to inform the parents that you are now in labor?"
"Sure." A coy smile appeared on Abby's face as she accepted the offer. The doctor placed a small cottonball of alcohol against Abby's spine where the needle had broken her skin and then took his leave of the room as he sensed that some privacy would be greatly appreciated. "I guess you could try calling him, but I doubt he'll answer."
"Who are they? I will call them on your behalf and let them know where they can find you."
"Oh, wow." The coy smile turned into a sly smirk as Abby looked over the occasionally naive deviant's face and locked onto his soulful brown eyes. "You're this amazing detective and have handled hundreds of cases, solved dozens of mysteries and you're one of the cleverest people I've ever met; but you can't figure this one out? You don't know who the parents are?"
"No." Connor's brow furrowed with a mixture of confusion and curiosity as he leaned forward in his seat and watched Abby shift about her heavier weight somewhat clumsily in the bed. It seemed every human that Connor spoke to was behaving rather oddly that day. "You said before that I know the parents. The mother is no longer able to have children of her own, the parents are friends of yours, and you expect that only the father would be present during the birth."
"That's right. What theory can you extract from that evidence?"
"There isn't one. I doubt that we, the parents, run in the exact same social circles." Connor replied with pure logic behind his words. "I cannot think of anyone who fits that description as of the moment."
"You seriously don't know?"
"No." The deviant admitted defeat as he continued to watch over Abby and try to understand why she and Hank were behaving so cryptically. "I do not. You speak as if it should be obvious, and yet I can't seem to find the correct answer to your question."
"Okay, I'll give you a hint." Abby sat upright awkwardly as she shifted her weight again so that she could lay on her back again and happily took the deviant's hand already in her own and placed Connor's palm against the top of her slowly laboring belly. She held Connor's palm in place under her own hands affectionately as she smiled very warmly at Connor and finally told him the truth. "This baby's family is already here."
"I..." Feeling the gentle kicks under his palm only made Connor tilt his in response. "I still don't understand."
"Oh, as a detective this has to be almost torture for you." Abby smiled brightly, a smile that seemed to mirror Hank's smile from earlier, as she held Connor's hands in place over her belly. "Then I'll just tell you. That is, IF you really want to know!"
"Yes, I do want to know. Who is the father?"
"Okay. Connor, listen closely." Placing her other palm softly on his cheek Abby locked eyes with Connor as she spoke the truth. "This is your baby. You're the father."
-next chapter-