Ororo’s blue eyes snapped open, she was suddenly very aware that she was not back in the mansion in her own bed; she was not sure what gave her the feeling: It might have been the beeping of the machines, or the constant coming and going into her room while she was trying to sleep, or maybe it was the itchy arm where they poked the IV needle in.
It all came flooding back to her: the contractions, the pain in her lower back, her falling asleep and waking up, the blood. Oh Goddess, her hands suddenly grasped her still full tummy, panic starting to set in am I still pregnant? Where is everyone? Her mind swirled with questions and she almost cried when the door swung open and in walked two very worried looking X-men; her doctor Hank McCoy and her love; Wolverine “ both very much her guardian angels, Both, looking very much worried.
“Well, stars and garters, Ororo! I’m glad to see you are finally up.” He smiled behind his blue fur, and she waved as best as she could with the IV stuck in her hand “how are you feeling?” was this really a time for small talk?
Her mouth was dry but she tried to speak anyway “w-wh-why ‘ma he’e?” she coughed and tried again, gladly accepting a glass of water from Logan “Thank you, Logan “ Why am I here Hank? What is wrong? The baby? Did something happen to the baby?” She tried to sit up: panic, curiosity and fear marred her beautiful face.
She watched Logan’s hard facial features soften quickly, the same way they softened before he had to tell someone that death had finally come for someone they loved, and she prepared herself as best as she could; “Logan, perhaps you could wait for us outside, hmm? Doctor, patient confidentiality and all of that.”
Logan nodded and brushed his lips to her cheek “Yeah, sure Hank.”
Hank? He never called Beast by his given name; not unless…what happened to my baby! Hank sat on the bed and took her hands “do you want me to give you the news as your friend or as your doctor?”
He was stalling, and she was getting frustrated “Just tell me the fucking news, Hank!” she threw her head back onto the pillow and made motions to apologize; and he shook his head.
“Ororo, you went into early labor because you have a partial tear in your placenta. We have to stop the bleeding, if we don’t stop it with in 48 hours we have to deliver-” He was cut off.
“Hank! Deliver? It is too early!”
“I know, I know. I don’t like it as much as you do. However, if we don’t stop the bleeding we are going to have to do it; or I could lose both of you, My job right now is to make sure that you and your miracle stay healthy for as long as possible. I am going to do everything in my power to do so, okay?” he watched her nod.
“Now I’m going to have to run some more tests but I want to tell you some things on what we are going to do okay?” she nodded again “ this time less scared, less frantic.
“We are going to give you saline and a little bit of blood just enough to cover some you might have lost, we are also going to give some steroids called ‘Corticosteroids’ to strengthen the baby’s lungs in case of delivery.
I want to run some tests on you to figure out why you went into labor, preterm labor isn’t something that just happens, Ororo.
Especially when your pregnancy hasn’t had any major issues in it thus far. But, I want to talk to you about something serious “ with Placenta Abruptus like which you have; there are a lot of complications that can ensue.
Including: the death of the fetus, the mother or both of you, and If the damage is too bad from the tear…there is a chance, Ororo that we may have to do a full hysterectomy after the delivery; IF we have to deliver.”
He watched her swallow the news
“Now the nurse is going to come in and fix your IV bags but I want to ask you some questions while she is doing this, is that okay?”
Ororo nodded again “do what you have to do, Hank…just make sure that my baby comes into this world safe and healthy. Please?”
He smiled “spoken like a true mother.” He walked to the other side of the room and waved in a slender redheaded nurse who had several bags with her, she watched the nurse at work and listened to Hank McCoy “Ororo, are you over the age of 35?”
She smiled “Hank you know my“” she sighed “no I’m not.”
He wrote down the answer “have you ever smoked, drank alcohol or had any narcotics during pregnancy?”
She shook her head negatively again.
“Have you had an injury to your abdomen while pregnant?”
She shook her head again.
“Have you had any uterine or fertility issues in the past or problems with your cycles or anything of such nature that you have not told me about?”
Ororo thought for a moment but shook her head negatively, “My menstruation cycles have always been text book, and I have had no problems that I have known about.”
Beast took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his furry nose “is this your first pregnancy?”
She nodded.
“Okay, that’s enough for now; you already have a fetal heart rate monitor on you I set that up while you were unconscious, I am going to check to see if you are dilated and if you are I’m going to give you a combination of medications that will stop the contractions. There are some side effects of the drugs that I want you to read before you give me permission on whether or not to give you them.”
All of this news was making Ororo’s head hurt “Hank” she took his hand again “do what you need to do to save my baby. You have my permission; I will sign anything you need me to.”
She was getting tired, and the blood that was being pumped through her veins was making her skin itch.
Her eyes began to droop “ the loss of blood and the stress was making her fade in and out, but, Hank heard her softly mumble “whatever you need to do.” Before she answered the call to sleep, that was beckoning the beautiful wind rider.
~ ~ ~
Ororo woke up again, once again she was not sure how long she was out for; and she wasn’t sure what it was that woke her up: It could have been any number of things, but she was glad when she did finally wake up, because she was face to face with some very familiar, caring people “ the X-men; Her family (sans Scott, who was out of ICU and in a regular room.)
She smiled weakly and tried to sit up, “hi.”
“Hey, sugah; you frightened us somethin’ fierce back there” Rogue smiled.
“How you feelin,’ darlin’?”
Ororo nodded her head “better, where is Hank?”
“The Doc went to go grab a much needed cup of Coffee, Chere, ‘ank been up 13 hours with no break workin’ on your case.”
Ororo smiled, he really was doing everything he needed “how is…”she rubbed her belly subconsciously.
Jean took her hand “you were two centimeters dilated, but they are trying to stop that, which you know because you signed the permission form. Other than that they did all they can and it’s just a wait and see issue for now.”
Ororo nodded “how is Scott?” she needed to get her mind off of the what will happen now of her own situation.
“I’m good,” everyone gasped and looked towards the door to see Scott walking around with a portable oxygen tank “a little sore, but good. Hi, everyone.”
He walked around and shook all the hands of the men and kissed Jean and Ororo on the cheek, he nodded at Rogue.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m up here Ororo, I heard what happened “ and I just wanted to see if you were all right. That is okay isn’t it?”
She nodded.
Rogue coughed and let her head loll towards the door so the rest of the group would get the hint “we’ll leave ya’ll alone.”
She winked at Ororo and quickly ushered the group out to let the parents reconnect.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“You can sit down if you want, if you need to, how have you been?”
“Thanks” he sat down on the bed “okay, it’s weird being taught how to breathe again, they say I’ll be out in a few weeks though.”
She nodded “that’s good, I miss you around the mansion “ it is hard being pregnant and leader.” She chuckled.
He smiled “I’m sorry, Ororo.”
“For what?”
“For being an asshole.” He replied, honestly, from some where deep inside his heart, “I should have been there for you with your pregnancy “ I mean after all you are pregnant with my child “ and I should have acted as such; and I’m sorry for all the mean and nasty things that I’ve said.”
She nodded “you know a part of me-” she wrung her hands “wanted to hit you when you told me to abort that day and another part of me wanted to thank you, Scott.”
His red tinted sunglasses met her blue eyes “thank me?”
“Hmmm” she smiled “you made me realized how strong I could be, that I can do this on my own; that I am stronger than what I give myself credit for, I mean I know as an X-men I am strong and brave and the like “ but, it takes a different kind of brave to be a single mom, and I wasn’t sure if I had that in me until you walked and I had no choice.”
Scott returned her smile with a half one of his “I’m not sure what to say to that.” He bit his lip “I’m not sure what caused me to run, I know what pain it caused when my dad ‘left’ and I always promised I wouldn’t run if it was me “ and I did. I feel like an idiot. But, I’m glad you are both okay.”
He kissed her on the cheek and all the lingering feelings that Ororo thought she swallowed down until they reached the bottom of her feet risen back up to the surface again, she closed her eyes, his lips were dangerously close, and He was still dangerously married.
“You know I was serious. I know you don’t want to hear it now but I was.” His voice was soft, quiet, the same voice he used when he used to murmur meaningless nothings in between her bed sheets at the mansion.
His lips still lingering dangerously close to hers, and she couldn’t help but whisper back her voice was full of want and curiosity when she spoke but her eyes screamed confused she wasn’t sure which one was the truth “serious about what?”
“About us.” He inched closer if that was even possible “about us getting married, about us becoming a family.” His hand rested on her full stomach and he smiled she is pregnant with MY child, he thought with a sad tinge to the thought of all that he missed.
“I know you were serious, but, things are getting heavy and I am not sure what to do. I am not sure if I can be Jean’s second fiddle anymore. I’ve wanted you to be in your baby’s life Scott, and I still do “ but, I do not want it to be because you had a near death experience or because you are feeling guilty.
That is not fair to me, you and most importantly that is not fair to the baby, and, she...he...” she still didn’t know what she was having, “is my priority over any lingering feelings I may or may not still have for you.”
She sighed and the baby kicked her in the ribs, to let her know that it knew it was being talked about “I’m sorry Scott. I love you “ but I’m sick of your lines, and your bullshit.” She sighed and he was taken a back by her outpouring of emotions.
He moved his lips from her personal space “but…” he wasn’t sure how to continue that sentence, she was right and he knew it.
“But, you gave me my miracle Scott, and as much as you have had me on an emotional roller coaster lately “ I cannot hate you for what you have given me.”
“So, are you saying you don’t want us to be a family?”
“I am saying; you can have whatever relationship you want with our child “ you and I will always be bonded because of our little one. But, there is no ‘us.’ I’m sorry; I can’t do ‘us.’”
“I understand.” He kissed her on the forehead and patted her belly gently, his child moved in response to his hand and they shared a brief smile “Ororo, I just thought you should know “ I’m sorry the way things happened between us, the way they started; With Jean and-”
Ororo found herself nodding again as she brushed her finger tips over his mouth, her sense memories burned at the memories of kisses they shared. “its okay, don’t say it,” She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say and she didn’t need to hear anymore.
He nodded “I’ll let you get some rest.”
“Okay.”
“Take care of the little one.” He rubbed her stomach again, and she fought the urge to propose marriage and telling the priest in the hospital chapel to marry them; but, there were so many reasons why that would never work out.
“Always.” She stated as she watched him walk to the door with his little portable oxygen tank. “Breathe,” she stated quietly when the door shut “just remember to breathe,” the comment was directed at both of them “ for his health, and for her sanity.
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