A/N: Hey, everyone! I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been following and enjoying my story. It means a lot to me when I get positive feedback on something I'm working really hard on.

Side note, I never really intended for this story to be this long, but to be perfectly honest, I think it works for this story. There will be I'm thinking maybe two or three more chapters, so for those of you who like long fics, I think you'll be happy.

P.S., Last chapter started with July 2024, but it was supposed to be July 2021. Sorry for the confusion!

Disclaimer: I don't own Meet the Robinsons (sigh)

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Over the Rainbow

March 2024

Cornelius could feel something different about her, how her eyes shone with happiness for the first time in months, the way she stopped to talk to everyone in the hallway to ask them how they were, the way she seemed to dance her way into bed each night. He couldn't pinpoint this sudden change, but couldn't complain, especially when he was the subject at which she was smiling so brightly. This was the Franny he knew so well and loved so selflessly. He sat in his lab working on a new invention, smiling like an idiot as he thought about the way she had pulled him into a passionate kiss after dinner before he headed up to the lab. He sighed contentedly, setting down his wrench and standing up. Cornelius knew Franny would be in music rehearsal right about now and decided he would give her a little visit.

He tiptoed down the hall leading up to the double doors with the music notes for doorknobs, trying not to let the door creak as he opened it slowly. The soft sound of a beautiful symphony drifted to his ears. He furrowed his brow, confused by the singular instrument, but also in awe at the beautiful sound it was creating. He gently closed the door and made his way further into the room, quickly spotting Franny at her piano. The blond looked at the empty risers. Hm. Must be break time.

Franny's eyes were closed as she felt her way around the keys, her dress softly cascading over the back of the bench. He smiled, content to just stand there and watch her play, one of his favorite pastimes. The song came to a halt suddenly when Franny bent over and shuddered, a strange mangled sound escaping her lips. Curious at this sudden change in behavior, Cornelius stood there watching as his wife wept. He frowned and took a step forward, reaching for his wife's shoulder. "Franny?" he asked, concerned.

Franny gasped and quickly stood, spinning on her heel, already preparing herself for a fight. Cornelius looked up at her stunned, the brunette reciprocating the expression. She rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "What are doing in here?" she said a bit too accusatorily.

Cornelius looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought I'd come listen in to rehearsal. Guess that's not happening tonight…"

Franny turned around, closing the piano. "No, I gave the boys the night off."

"Oh," he said, studying her thin frame.

She turned around and looked him in the eye. He smiled down at her, but she couldn't return it, the guilt too strong. She had been thinking about telling him that she was pregnant, but every time she came close, something told her not to. Something always interrupted.

"On another note-ha, another note," he chuckled to himself, Franny giving him a look. "Anyway, on another note, you sounded great. I miss hearing you play," he said, wrapping his hand around hers. "Will you play me something?" he asked shyly.

Franny felt warmth engulf her at his soft words. She forced a smile. "Of course, sweetheart. What would you like to hear?"

'I'd like to hear you say you're pregnant,' he thought, the harsh words ringing in his ears. He reprimanded himself as soon as he thought it.

"Play our wedding song?" he said quietly.

"Coming right up," she smiled, stretching her fingers before touching the keys. Her fingers danced across the ivory, creating the most stunning sounds Cornelius had ever heard. His grin grew wider with each passing note, a tear welling in his eye at the beauty. Franny played the last chord, her hands lingering for a moment. He took the opportunity to place his hand lightly over hers as their gazes connected. He brushed his thumb over her cheek before leaning in and pressing his lips softly against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed.

Cornelius pulled away and whispered, "Join me upstairs?"

Franny looked at him for a moment, studying the crooked smile on his smooth features. For a fleeting moment she thought about blurting out her secret, ultimately deciding the timing didn't feel right. The guilt came soon after, her mind screaming that it was his baby, too and that he needed to know, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Especially after what happened the last time she announced…

"Of course, honey," she said, giving him a closed-lipped smile. He nodded and stood before turning to leave the room.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered as the door closed.

...

Mid-April 2024

"Happy birthday, Cornelius!" almost a dozen voices yelled at the same time. The young man sat bolt upright in his bed, his arm immediately reaching out for his wife. Franny saw the reaction and giggled as he realized she was standing with the rest of the family and not lying in bed with him.

Cornelius' face broke out into a huge grin as his family sang "Happy Birthday" loudly and very much out of key (except for Franny, of course). His mom and dad held a birthday cake with twenty-nine candles on it. He closed his eyes and blew them out. "Thank you, guys," he said genuinely, blushing a bit when Franny leaned down and kissed him, the two of them sharing a sweet smile.

"Okay, guys, can you please not make out in front of us again?" Tallulah said, rolling her eyes, to which the couple just laughed.

"Oh, come on sis. I think it's sweet," Lazlo said, making Tallulah gag.

"Alright, big guy," Lucille interjected before the siblings could start their daily argument. "Get on out of that bed! We have a lot to do today," she said clapping.

Cornelius huffed and dragged himself out of bed. "Happy?" he asked smirking.

"Yep!" his mother replied. "Now, come on," she said, leading the family out of the room, the blond following sleepily.

...

Cornelius was having the time of his life celebrating his twenty-ninth birthday with his family, but as the day went by he became more and more suspicious. It started when the family took him out to his favorite restaurant for lunch; he watched as Franny ordered a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, then barely touched it. She ended up getting a box and giving it to Carl to save for later. Then when they took him to his favorite park, Franny refused to get on the carousel, one of her favorite rides. He managed to convince her to take one ride, but she didn't seem to enjoy it very much. It was odd, though, because even though she didn't look like she felt very well, Cornelius couldn't help but notice she was positively glowing, her smile lighting up her face.

After they left the park, the Robinsons decided to go to a local bowling alley to have some good old fashioned fun, but again, Franny opted out for some reason unbeknownst to the rest of the family. When they finished their game-which was a tie between Gaston and Carl-as a last stop they took Cornelius to another extravagant restaurant, where they of course had to embarrass the young genius by announcing to the entire building he was now "One year away from thirty!" (He would never admit it, but he loved every minute of it). Cornelius had blushed and quickly ordered desert: a double decker chocolate cake, his favorite. It was while he and Franny shared that cake that he realized the answer was staring him in the face. He hid the knowing grin.

Franny had almost told him so many times that day, always stopping herself right before her secret slipped off her tongue. Finally, she decided she'd had enough keeping secrets from her husband, opting to tell him in a way she knew only he would understand. She pretended like she didn't know Cornelius was watching while they ate dessert and knew just what she had to do.

...

Cornelius laughed as he twirled his brown-eyed lover into their bedroom, stopping the motion to dip her. She laughed, playfully batting his shoulder. "Man, I had such a great time today," the blond said, lifting Franny back up to peck her lips.

"Me, too," she replied, putting her sweater on a hanger and placing it in the closet. The room went quiet. She paused, sensing his eyes on her back. Cornelius said nothing, only standing there biting his lip. He didn't know if he should smile or not, unsure if he was even right. Franny hesitated, then turned around, meeting his gaze. She smiled. "What is it, sweetheart?"

He exhaled. "Franny," he whispered.

Her heart leapt in her chest. "Yes, honey?"

He swallowed. He almost looked away, but forced himself to keep eye contact. "Are you…" he trailed off.

She tilted her head. "Am I what?"

He snickered. "Are you pregnant?" he asked quietly.

Franny looked away first, turning back to the closet. "What makes you say that?" she asked, her fingers playing with the fabric on a dress.

"Franny?" He took a step toward her.

The brunette turned around timidly, her eyes not quite meeting his. "Funny you should ask that," she said walking over to her bedside table. Cornelius' eyes followed her as she rummaged through the drawer and pulled something out. She stared intently at the ground as she handed him the incriminating evidence.

He held the object in his hand, too scared to look down. Finally, Franny lifted her gaze, unable to hide the blush rising on her cheeks. After a moment of uncertainty, the blond looked down and gasped, doing a double take.

"Franny?" he asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly. She bit her lip and nodded. Quicker than she could think, Cornelius had picked her up and was spinning her in circles. She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. Suddenly Cornelius tripped over himself and sent the two of them crashing onto the bed, Franny falling on top of him. They looked at each other for a moment before they both burst into joyous laughter.

The tried to catch their breath for a few minutes before they finally settled down. Cornelius rolled himself over Franny and looked down at his wife, who now had a knowing smirk on her elegant features. "How did you know?" she asked, biting her lip.

The blond gave her a pointed look, taking her hand in his. He cleared his throat dramatically. "Well, for one thing, I haven't seen you this happy in quite some time. And I'm not saying that you aren't happy normally, but lately it's been different. You've had this radiance about you that I couldn't quite pinpoint…until today," he said, smirking.

Franny tried to hide the sheepish smile threatening to break out on her face. "Oh? And just what tipped you off, Mr. Genius Man?"

Cornelius closed his eyes and chuckled. Franny bit her lip as he looked her in the eye again and said, "Franny, literally no one eats ketchup on chocolate cake." They looked at each other for a second before bursting into laughter again.

"I-had to-tell you somehow," Franny gasped, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Cornelius captured her lips in a kiss as the brunette giggled, "Happy birthday."

...

May 2024

"Honestly, Franny, I'm still amazed that you got pregnant again," Dr. Shelton said as she watched the ultrasound monitor.

Franny grimaced, trying not to think too much about the doctor's words. She felt Cornelius squeeze her hand and turned to glance at him. The grin on his face made her heart swell. "It's okay," he whispered.

"Alright, are we ready to know what Baby Robinson is?" Dr. Shelton said, moving the probe over Franny's bare stomach.

"Boy," Cornelius whispered as Dr. Shelton announced the baby was indeed male.

Franny's face lit up, but not nearly as much as her husband's. "Wilbur," they said in unison.

...

They had celebrated for a bit, but eventually Dr. Shelton had kicked Cornelius out of the room so she could talk to Franny in private. The brunette sat up on the table, her hand resting protectively over her abdomen.

"Alright, Franny, it looks like Wilbur is growing normally. Everything is developing properly, so I'm not too worried about him. I would, however, like to keep an eye on him and you to be sure everything stays fine, especially considering what happened last time," she said, placing her hand on Franny's shoulder. "I want to make sure your body can handle this pregnancy, but I believe as long as I keep an eye on you two, he'll be perfect."

"But," Franny said, hesitating to complete her sentence. "What if something does go wrong this time?" she continued, worry evident on her face.

"Actually," the doctor said, perking up a bit. "There's been a lot of technological advances since your last pregnancy. Recently we were gifted incubation pods, artificial wombs if you will, to help keep alive premature babies born as early as five months." Franny's eyes widened. "The premature child is transported immediately into one of these pods, which is designed to act as a mother's womb. The umbilical cord is attached to the pod where it will get all the nutrients it needs to continue growing naturally. The baby won't know the difference. It's been tested rigorously on many babies, and we've been very pleased with the results. Ninety percent of the children survived." Franny's brows furrowed in concern. "Not to worry, though. This device has been tested on almost one-thousand babies nationwide. Unfortunately, there are still certain situations that even science can't cure," Dr. Shelton said seriously.

"So, you're saying even if Wilbur is born early, he will most likely survive?" Franny said uncertainly.

Dr. Shelton half smiled. "Precisely."

...

Cornelius looked up from the book he was reading, his glasses sliding down his nose. He pushed them back up and stood, walking over to his wife who had come out of the triage alone. "Is everything alright?" he asked, his eyebrows creased.

Franny smiled up at him, taking his hand as they walked out of the office. "Everything is perfect."

...

"When should we tell the family?"

Cornelius looked over to his wife on the other end of the couch rubbing circles on her belly as she stared at the wall. She glanced at him, giggling at the look on his face when she wiggled her toes under his leg. He blinked. "That's going to be up to you," he said, setting his book on the coffee table. He turned back to her, taking a small hand in his and playing with the ring on her finger absently. "But Franny…" he trailed off, glancing down at the hand rubbing circles.

Her hand paused, brown eyes following blue ones downward, then back up to meet once more. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What?"

Cornelius bit his lip. "Honey…I don't mean to sound rude, but, um, you've gained some weight-"

"Excuse me?" Franny interrupted, pushing away her husband's hand.

"No, no, no," he said, trying to dig himself out of his hole. "I just mean to say you're starting to show," he finished, lifting his hands in a defensive motion.

Franny opened her mouth, then thought better of the harsh comment she was about to say and closed it. She looked down at herself again, studying her tummy, then got up and walked over to the vanity on the other side of the room. She looked at herself straight on, then slowly turned to the side. She sighed. "Hmm. I guess you're right," she mumbled, moving her hand down the bump that was now becoming visible.

Cornelius walked over to where she stood, wrapping his arms around her and placing his chin on the top of her head. He smiled down at her, eyes meeting hers in the reflection. "I'd like to think I usually am," he said smirking. Franny grinned and rolled her eyes. "Join me in the Jacuzzi?" he asked, tilting his head.

Franny turned around in his arms, standing on her tip-toes to kiss him. "Sure."

...

Late May 2024

"I want to go first!" Tallulah cried, trying to pry the dice from her brother's hands.

"You heard Cornelius. It's my turn to go first," Lazlo said, trying his very hardest to pull his arm away from a frazzled eleven-year-old.

"What about ladies first?"

"Tallulah, please," Cornelius scolded, noting the pained look on his wife's face. "Franny has a headache, please just let Lazlo go first."

The young girl huffed, letting go of her brother's hand. "Fine," she grumbled.

Lazlo rolled the dice, finally initiating the game. Lucille and Art looked at Franny worriedly, her face in a noticeable frown, a far cry from her lately usual brilliant smile. "Franny, if you're not feeling well, you don't have to play. We can postpone family night," Art said from his seat across from his sister. Franny looked up at him suddenly, as if she had been yanked out of a deep thought.

"What? Oh, no. I'm fine," she said, straightening her posture to prove her point. Art nodded doubtfully.

Lucille looked on, studying the young woman's demeanor. She had noticed that the woman in question had been acting differently recently, but the most noticeable change (at least to a renowned scientist) was the change in wardrobe. It hadn't been a huge change, but she had noticed it, nonetheless. For several weeks now, Franny had been wearing baggy clothing (never sweatpants, though-far too casual for her taste), seemingly always opting out of wearing the customary belt around her thin waist. The older woman squinted her eyes, trying to solve the riddle that was her daughter-in-law.

"Lucille, it's your turn," Bud said, nudging his wife playfully.

Many turns later, the family was nearly at each other's throats. Cornelius swallowed as he rolled the dice and moved his piece on the board, groaning when he landed on a blue square. He looked at his mother, pleading with his eyes, but she just grinned evilly back at him. "Pay up," she said, holding her hand out.

"But I'll go bankrupt-"

"That's the game-"

"How is she winning?"

"I quit!" Franny shouted, dramatically flipping the board over and sending game pieces and fake money everywhere. The family gasped, freezing as they stared at the brunette. Breathing heavily, she stood up about to walk out of the room when she felt a hand on hers.

"Francesca?" Cornelius whispered, his eyes inquiring something without words. Gaston and Art raised their eyebrows at each other, never hearing the inventor call their sister by her formal name before outside of their wedding.

She looked down at him, taking a deep breath and nodding. She sighed, turning to face the family as Cornelius stood beside her. "Sorry for the outburst," she began, a small smile playing on her features. The gamily stared at her, not sure of how to respond. None of them had ever seen Franny so disgruntled before. She sighed. "I owe you all an explanation. For my behavior for the past few months. You see," she said, placing a hand on her husband's chest. "Cornelius and I decided a little while after my mis-" she cut herself off, not wanting to complete the sentence.

"You're doing great, Franny," the blond whispered in her ear.

She closed her eyes and continued. "After my miscarriage, we decided we would try to have another baby. Well, as you can tell, our attempts have been fruitless." She smiled up at her husband, who reciprocated. "Until now," she finished, a hand going instinctively to her abdomen.

The room went still. Jaws dropped, and tears welled as the couple beamed at each other. Lucille was the first one to break the silence, running up to Franny and wrapping her in a warm hug. "Oh, Franny, I'm so happy for you!" the older woman exclaimed, not bothering to wipe away the joyful tears. Cornelius felt his heart leap, wrapping his mother and wife in an embrace of his own. Soon enough, the entire family was engaged in the warmest group hug Cornelius had ever experience. He wouldn't have changed it for the world.

...

June 2024

"Five, six, seven, eight," Franny bellowed, her hand conducting an enthusiastic band of amphibians through music rehearsal. The grin that had broken out on her face the night she announced her pregnancy had never faltered, greeting everyone she met with undeniable happiness. The frogs had picked up on her mood and began working extra hard in rehearsals to please her. They knew they had their debut performance coming up in July and didn't want to be the reason Franny lost her composure.

Frankie crooned the last note of a song the brunette had composed specifically for him, smiling smugly at the maestro. "That was great, right?" he asked, straightening his tie.

Franny chuckled, tossing her baton to the side. "It was brilliant, Frankie. Oh," she said, suddenly aware of the movement coming from her abdomen. "And I think little Wilbur liked it, too," she said, smiling proudly.

"Wilbur?" Frankie asked, obviously out of the loop.

Franny nodded. "Mmhmm. Wilbur. I'm having a baby."

"A baby? Inside you? How big is he?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, he's not very big right now," Franny said, rubbing her stomach. "About two pounds, I think."

"Oh, so he's basically a tadpole," Frankie replied.

Franny froze, her mouth opening. Her brows furrowed for a split second before her face lit up. "I guess you could say that." She giggled. "Alright, boys. That's enough for tonight. You're free to go."

The amphibians hopped down off their risers, heading toward the newly installed travel tube in the corner, disappearing one by one. Franny looked down at her tummy, grinning. "Come on, my little tadpole."

...

"Everything looks fine, Franny," Dr. Shelton reassured the brunette for the tenth time in the last five minutes. "A little spotting here and there during pregnancy is normal. As for the pain," she said, looking at her clipboard. "Your body is just growing to make room for the baby. If you like I can prescribe you some medication to ease the pain, but overall I don't think you have any reason to worry."

Franny creased her brow and bit her lip, not sure of what to say. "But you're sure he's okay?"

Dr. Shelton exhaled through her nose, trying to stay patient. "Franny, I assure you. Wilbur is perfect. He's exactly where he needs to be." She offered a half smile. "Now please stop worrying and enjoy your pregnancy."

Franny drove home by herself, having not told Cornelius about the scare she'd had that morning with a cramp that seemed eerily familiar. She parked the car in the garage, enjoying the silence for a moment. Suddenly the door opened and a frantic Cornelius came rushing to her door. "Franny, where have you been? I was worried sick," he said pulling her into a hug.

She breathed in his scent, a surprisingly pleasant aroma wafting into her nostrils. "Sorry, sweetheart. I had to run some errands," she fibbed. She craned her head up to look at him. "Do I smell mom's famous chocolate chip cookies?" Cornelius rolled his eyes and led them back inside.

...

July 2024

Franny smiled as she reflected on the night, how amazing Frankie and the Boys had performed at their debut concert. How Cornelius had swept her off her feet with kisses and red roses-her absolute favorite. How someone had come up to her and offered her a million dollars for her singing amphibians. She shook her head at the memory and laughed, knowing no amount of money could buy her precious babies.

Wilbur seemed to detect the happiness radiating around him and bounced around in Franny's tummy. She placed a hand over him, rubbing up and down. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight, my little tadpole?" Suddenly Franny felt a sharp movement under her hand. Although slightly unpleasant, this movement was different. It made her gasp. "Honey! Honey!" she cried, looking around the room for her husband.

Cornelius ran out of the bathroom clad in nothing but a towel, worry evident on his face. "Franny? What's wrong?" he asked, panicking.

"Come here," she said reaching her hand out to pull his closer. Franny guided his hand to the place where she felt the movement, the smile on her face making her cheeks hurt. "Come on, my little tadpole," she said. "Do it again for daddy?"

Cornelius' eyes widened, the same expression slowly spreading across his features. "Franny, he-he kicked!" he said excitedly.

The brunette looked up at him, pure joy on her lovely features. Cornelius beamed down at her for a moment, then suddenly captured her lips in a blissful kiss.

...

"Cornelius, you'll never believe it," Franny said excitedly as she greeted her husband at the door. He hung up his lab coat and pecked her lips, smiling.

"What it is?"

"I've been invited to be a guest speaker at the Summit for Genetic Enhancement next month!" she said, bouncing on the balls of her high heel clad feet.

Blond eyebrows shot up, blue eyes widening. "Really? Franny, that's amazing. Congratulations," he said, pulling her in for a warm hug.

She pulled away, smiling as she rested a hand on her stomach, which was really starting to stick out. "Thank you, honey." The young woman bit her lip. "But it is next month. Really only weeks away," she mumbled to herself. Suddenly she looked up at Cornelius with bright eyes. "I don't suppose it would be weird if I asked for your help?"

Cornelius blinked and creased his brows. "Oh, well, I don't suppose so," he said, a smile playing at his lips. "Of course I'll help you, Franny. When would you like to start?"

"The sooner the better." Cornelius smiled at his wife, taking her hand and leading her up to the lab. He chuckled as she waddled slightly all the way up the stairs.

...

Mid-August 2024

"…thus concludes my presentation on how I was able to genetically modify frogs to be able to comprehend and perform music. Thank you," Franny said, dropping her notecards to her side and sighing. She looked at Cornelius expectantly.

The inventor clapped, a small smile on his face. "That was good, Franny."

The brunette huffed and slumped into a nearby chair. "That's just the problem. It was 'just good.'" She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Cornelius tilted his head at the gesture he had practically coined for himself. He stood and made his way to his wife, gently massaging her shoulders.

"It's alright. The conference isn't until this weekend. We can tweak the speech, but the overall presentation is fantastic," he said reassuringly. Franny half smiled, staring at the wedding picture sitting atop Cornelius' desk.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. She reached up and laid a hand on his. "I'm just distracted. After all, today is…" she trailed off, unable to complete the sentence. Franny looked sadly at her belly.

"I know," Cornelius said, his hands pausing. He bit the inside of his lip. "Let's go for a walk," he whispered.

...

Cornelius looked up at the tree in front of him and Franny, a far cry from the small patch of dirt that was in its place before. He squeezed his wife's hand, sensing the tension in her arm. "I know you don't like to come out here very often," Cornelius said softly. "But I've had Carl tending to this area out here. This tree," he said, rubbing the bark with a calloused hand, "was made special." Franny listened on, her focus never diverting from the foliage in front of her. "I was able to genetically enhance a few seeds to make it grow faster."

"When did you plant it?" Franny finally spoke up.

Cornelius turned his head in her direction. "The day we buried her." He took a deep breath and turned his body to face her. "There are no other trees like this one, and it can withstand any weather condition. It's strong, just like she would've been," he finished, wiping a tear from Franny's cheek.

...

"Please welcome our next speaker, Dr. Francesca Robinson," a man in his mid-forties said into a mic, greeted by light applause. Cornelius stood up, smiling widely as his wife made her entrance on the stage, waddling up to the podium. He didn't care that people were staring at him, he was too proud of his wife to worry about disapproving glances. He'd been invited to the conference, too, but for a different portion on another day.

Franny cleared her throat, her face turning red as she looked out at the audience. Suddenly a pair of blue eyes met hers and all feelings of uncertainty evaporated from her body. She smiled. "Thank you all for coming," she began.

The young woman went through her speech just as she had practiced it hundreds of times, not even looking at the notes on the podium. She announced the amphibians halfway through and they hopped up on stage ready to perform. Franny stepped aside so the audience could see better, eyes scanning the crowd. She saw jaws dropping, nobody expecting that this woman in front of them was being serious when she said she taught frogs to sing.

Cornelius couldn't help glancing every few seconds at his wife; sure the frogs were entertaining, but he was more concerned about the pained look on Franny's face. He creased his brows as she made her way back to the front of the stage, noticing the sudden tightness in her features.

"Thus, concludes my theory on genetic mutation," Franny announced the end of her presentation, grimacing a little as a subtle pain radiated from her abdomen. She blinked, her heart thudding. "Thank you." She quickly made her way off the stage, hardly registering the deafening applause. As soon as she hit the bottom step backstage she ran into something hard, nearly falling backwards. A pair of large hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," she heard Cornelius say in that calming tone his voice took on when he was trying to comfort her. She grabbed his forearms, taking deep breaths. "You're extremely pale right now, Franny…"

"Let's go home," she breathed out.

Franny didn't say much on the ride home, opting to stare out the window, trying to ignore the cramps. She rubbed little circles over her stomach with one hand, the other gripping her husband's tightly. Cornelius looked over at her, his brows creased. "Franny, is everything okay?"

She turned her head, forcing a weak attempt at a smile. "I'll be alright," she said quietly.

"Ow-Franny, are you trying to break my fingers?" Cornelius asked, attempting to pull his hand away. Suddenly the brunette started inhaling heavily, her eyes closed and her grip getting impossibly tighter. "Franny?"

She realized too late that the cramps were getting very close together. The brunette looked at Cornelius grimly. "Get me to a hospital."

...

"What's going on?" Cornelius demanded, matching the medical staff's stride.

"Dr. Robinson, please calm down," a young nurse said, holding her arms up.

"Tell me what's going on with my wife," he said, desperately trying not to lose his temper.

"She's going into premature labor," the nurse bit out. Franny's eyes widened as they rolled her into a room.

"What?" he said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "She's only six months pregnant. Isn't there anything you can do to stop it-"

"The contractions are too close together, Dr. Robinson. The baby's coming whether we want him to or not." The nurse squeezed Franny's hand as another contraction hit.

"What about Wilbur?" he asked worriedly, going to Franny's other side.

"Not to worry, sir. Every hospital in America is now equipped with-"

"Yes, I know. Is he going to l-live?" he said, his jaw clenched tightly.

The nurse offered a small reassuring smile, trying her best to comfort the woman squeezing the life out of her hand. "I think he'll be just fine."

...

"How're you doing?" Cornelius asked, holding his wife's hand. She looked so small and helpless in the hospital bed, but he couldn't let her see how shaken he was. He knew Franny was going through far more than he was; she had lost so much blood they thought she wasn't going to make it. He silently thanked the universe that his beloved wife was okay.

She closed her eyes, trying weakly to pull her hand away, but he held firm. Franny took a deep breath. "He's so small," she whispered. Cornelius noticed her cheeks were red, no doubt from tears that had since dried. He felt his heart break at her words.

"I know," Cornelius said gently, the image of a too small infant being whisked away from them engrained in his mind. "Hey," he whispered. She forced herself to look at him. "The nurse told me he's been successfully transported into an incubation pod." He tried to smile, rubbing the back of her hand. "They said he'll be just fine."

...

"Yeah, I know," Cornelius said softly into his cell phone. "I will. Yeah. I love you, too, mom," he said, hanging up. He exhaled and put the phone back in his pocket. He had called his mother soon after Wilbur was born, not wanting the family to be out of the loop. Immediately they had all gathered their things and were preparing to take a road trip to a different state to check on his wife. Cornelius had told them they didn't need to worry, that he would give them updates as often as possible. He also had to call work and tell them they would have to do without him for the time being, Dr. Ekhardt instantly agreeing to cover for him for as long as he needed.

Cornelius stared down at the pod in front of him, a tiny underdeveloped human being curled up on its side. If he didn't know any better, he would think little Wilbur was sleeping. The young inventor couldn't help but smile at the tiny tufts of black hair on the infant's head. He marveled at the way his own flesh and blood was right there within his grasp, yet so far out of reach. The brilliant inventor had never felt so helpless, wanting nothing more than to fix his wife and his son, but knowing it was pointless. He exhaled, a finger tracing the "R" on the side of the pod. Cornelius shook his head, remembering clearly the day he had developed the object in question-the day he buried his first child. He had never known pain like that before and vowed from that moment he would do his very best to never let another parent feel that kind of emotional torture again.

Cornelius looked on for a few more minutes, not wanting to take his eyes off his little boy. "Don't worry, Wilbur. Daddy's here. Everything will be alright," he whispered.