"Goddamn-it girl, get back on the couch!" Logan called as he walked into the house. Eileen followed him in, chuckling as her daughter just stuck her tongue out at him and continued what she was doing in the kitchen.
Baby had been due a week earlier, and Eileen's trip back from Colorado had been supposed to be meeting baby and helping the new parents get settled and catch up on sleep. So far baby had made no indication of being on board with that plan, as Marie's still bulging belly attested to. Thankfully, she was staying for a month so that should be plenty of time for baby to come along in her own good time.
"You okay? I did leave you with snacks," Logan pointed out, as he moved over to Marie in the kitchen, intent on taking over whatever it was she was doing and sending her back to rest.
"I'm fine, just hungry, I ate all the snacks," Marie replied.
"So, baby's not coming today then?" Logan chuckled.
"Doesn't look like it, though maybe we should have a spicy chili for dinner, then go for a walk?" Marie suggested with a grin.
"Baby will come when she comes, don't rush her," Logan added, pressing a kiss to her shoulder as he tried to usher her out of the room.
"I have to rush her or she's going to end up too big to get out!" Marie replied exasperated. She was sick of being pregnant, sick of not being able to lie down comfortably, or sit comfortably, or stand comfortably. Sick of bumping into things, not being able to see her feet, and struggling to get in and out of bed and off the couch unassisted. Her vege garden was looking sad, though Logan was doing his best to help out there he just wasn't doing it right as far as she was concerned. Mostly though, she just wanted to finally hold her baby!
"I take it you haven't picked a name yet?" Eileen asked, taking a seat in the living room as the pair joined her.
"No, we've got some ideas but we want to meet her first, hold her, get to know her," Marie said, once she had finally managed to sit down. She rolled her eyes as Logan fussed over her, moving this and that, propping her feet up, and getting her a glass of water before he finally took a seat too. She could tell he was stressed as well by the situation, not least of all worried about the baby for taking so long to arrive, and just as eager to finally get to hold her. "First of all she has to hurry up and come out though!" Marie added, poking gently at the foot she could feel pressed against the top of her belly, baby had been in position for some time, all they were waiting on now was contractions.
--
"Uh... Logan!" Marie yelled from the bedroom suddenly.
She had been having tiny contractions for almost two full days, and everyone was waiting with bated breath for something to happen. It sounded like that something had just happened.
Logan jogged up the stairs to find Marie standing in the middle of the room, with her legs pressed together.
"I think my water just broke, grab a towel," she told him, waiting uncomfortably for him bring a towel. With a short count down they worked together to get the towel between her legs to catch as much of the fluid as possible.
"Oh well, it's just carpet, it can be cleaned," Logan commented with a chuckle, as half the gush of liquid that followed ran over the towel faster than it could be absorbed and puddled on the floor.
Marie started to laugh before catching her breath suddenly. "Oh wow, I think that was an actual real contraction!" she commented, when the pressure eased off a bit.
Slowly and surely Logan helped her down the stairs to the living room, before darting back to the bedroom, to grab the overnight bag she had prepared months ago for what would hopefully be only a short stay in hospital. By the time he got back downstairs Marie was panting heavily, having just finished another contraction; in less than a minute she was trying desperately to breathe through another.
"You two had better get going, this baby’s decided she wants out right now," Eileen told Logan with a grin, as she grabbed the bag off him and made a beeline for the car, making sure doors were open and ready so Marie would be able to get to the car as quickly as possible. "You go Logan, I'll lock up and follow in the other car," Eileen commented, handing a somewhat shell shocked Logan the truck keys and waving him off. The truck slowly, but hurriedly, rolled out of the driveway moments later, heading in the direction of the birthing centre.
With an excited grin Eileen hurried inside, she quickly cleaned the mess on the upstairs carpet so it didn't have time to set. Then she grabbed her purse, and the keys to the house and spare car Logan had set her up with, before hurrying to join the couple.
--
"You're doing great baby, keep breathing," Logan was murmuring gently, as he stood beside Marie, who was leaning over the side of the hospital bed panting hard.
She was naked but draped in a dressing gown, rather than a hospital gown, which in a normal hospital situation would be a little odd. Logan was glad he had insisted they go for a private room at the birthing centre, so Marie could be comfortable to do whatever she wanted. Though in this case she simply wasn't able to get the gown on between contractions.
"Is that doctor coming yet?" Logan irritably snapped at Eileen, as she entered the room and sat down in one of the armchairs across the space.
"The nurse asked me to pass on that the doctor should be along shortly, she's just finishing up with another new momma," Eileen replied, with trying to smother her smile at Logan’s behaviour.
Marie began to giggle hysterically, gasping out between heavy breaths, "I think that's a record ... we've been here ... twenty minutes ... and you've scared off evr'one... didn't even have to claw anyone," she said, giggling right up until another contraction ripped through her.
"Yeah, that's what you get for being a smartass when you're supposed to be helping the baby out," Logan chuckled in response, even as he gently massaged her lower back, and placed a tender kiss on her shoulder.
A minute later, Marie turned around, leaning forward over her belly, and wrapping her arms around his chest she mumbled a request for him to hold her. Hugging her gently, and soothingly running his hands up and down her back, they stood like that for some time. The doctor eventually quietly slipped into the room, and smiled at the sight in front of her, before addressing both of them.
"I'm just going to check and see how everything's going Marie, you can stay like that for now, I'll let you know if I need you to move," she advised, before getting on with her checks. Before she got very far Marie had another contraction, huffing uncomfortably at the end.
"Daddy if you want to catch this baby, you'd best get down here," the doctor spoke a moment later.
Pulling back slightly but holding Marie in place, Logan moved a hand down until the doctor guided his hand to the right spot, a damp, slightly squishy object, that definitely wasn't normally in that place, fit into his hand. Another contraction, and a pained whimper from Marie, and he felt baby's head slide out.
"Keep going baby, you're doing it, you're doing great Marie," he murmured in her ear, nerves and excitement putting a tone to his voice she had never heard before.
With one final contraction baby quickly slid into Logan's waiting hands, the doctor made sure he had a steady grip before she moved away and let him lift baby up towards Marie's chest.
Marie stood with her eyes closed, still leaning against his chest, as he cradled the squalling baby in between the two of them as she screamed her lungs out at the world. "Shit Marie, she's beautiful," Logan whispered into her hair as he placed a soft kiss on her temple.
"Right, should we get mommy on the bed now?" the doctor commented a few minutes later, leaving Logan to help Marie climb onto the bed. The centre staff had been fully briefed on Marie's mutation and the importance of not touching her un-gloved, it seemed they were taking the 'no touching except when necessary' stance; though that may have had more to do with the fact Logan had growled at one of the nurses when she had offered to help Marie change when they first arrived.
Once Marie was settled on the bed, Logan shifted baby to place her in Marie's arms. "No! What about my skin, what if--" she immediately objected.
"Marie, she's already touched your skin and nothing happened, your body knows her, she's part of you, it'll be fine," he coaxed, encouraging her again to hold the tiny baby.
"Well... don't just stick her on me, let me touch her first, so you can pull her away quick if anything happens," Marie replied uncertainly.
"Alright, hold out your hand then," Logan replied, holding baby close in front of her so Marie could get her first good look at the tiny, squashed, goopey, little girl. Slowly and gently Marie ran her finger over baby's feet, and hands, and eventually her face. As her eyes welled with tears, at the feeling of her child's skin on her own, Logan gently settled baby into her arms.
In the background Logan could hear Eileen's phone, digitally beeping as it took photos but all he had eyes for was the girl in front of him. Marie was gorgeous, her hair plastered with sweat to her forehead, her face still flushed from exertion, tears running down her cheeks, and a brilliant smile on her face, as she marvelled over the tiny naked human in her arms.
The doctor gave them ten minutes before suggesting it was time to cut the umbilical cord. It had stopped flowing, and gone pale, though she still clamped it securely before offering Logan a pair of scissors. It turned out the rope of tissue was a lot tougher than it looked, either that or they'd given him a blunt pair of scissors, but eventually the job was done.
A nurse came in with a blanket and some towels then, she took baby for a moment to wrap her up snugly before handing her to Logan, before she and the doctor bustled him out of the way to see to Marie. Ten minutes later the placenta had been delivered and Marie had been left to relax and recover. The doctor had given her the all clear to shower as soon as she was ready, but she was exhausted, shaky, and not confident her legs would hold her up for long enough, so instead she opted to try to feed baby.
Logan sat close by watching as both Marie and baby slowly fell asleep, before she was completely out, he gently slipped baby out of her arms. "Go to sleep, baby, she'll wake you up soon enough," he said, as he kissed Marie’s forehead and tugged her blankets higher.
--
Several hours later, Marie had slept, showered, and fed baby a second time before falling asleep again. Logan lounged in one of the cosy armchairs in the room, baby lay, sleeping soundly, on his chest. Her tiny little lips puckered cutely by her cheek pressed up against his chest, her eyes closed as she breathed steadily, her tiny little fist resting up beside her still squashed nose. He rubbed his nose against the soft dark hair on her head, she had a surprising amount of hair, thick and dark, with a tiny white tuft on the top of her head. He gently stroked her hand with one finger, watching enthralled as her tiny fist unclenched and her tiny fingers reached for, and grabbed onto his finger.
It was a few minutes before he realised someone had entered the room, the sound of a camera drawing his attention. Eileen stood in the doorway, her phone out to capture the image. She was grinning brightly - he knew now where Marie had gotten her smile from - she had yet to be able to hold the baby, not wanting to encroach on the new parents finally meeting their little one, so she had gone to get them both a late lunch instead.
"Grandma's turn to hold baby?" he offered, as she sat down in the other chair across from him.
"Ooh yes please, we can swap, I'll hold her, you eat," she proposed, setting down the bag of food she had procured.
Logan gently eased baby into her arms, being very careful to support her tiny head. At the same time as he was happy to hand his daughter over to family, he didn't want to let her go. He had teasingly commented to Marie several weeks before that when baby was born she was his for the first six months, to make up for the fact that Marie got to carry her around for so long. Marie had laughed in response and replied cheekily, 'I'm going to hold you to that when she's screaming her lungs out at two in the morning!'.
"LOGAN!" Marie shouted suddenly, sitting bolt upright in the bed with a gasp, before she quickly scanned the room.
"It's okay baby, you're safe, we're all good. What was that all about?" he asked, as he moved to her side, and gently held her while she hugged him.
"God, that was one hell of a mash up," Marie sighed, as her heart rate slowly returned to normal. "A concentration camp lab where they took my baby... how long until I can go home, I don't want to wake up in a hospital again," she murmured with a shudder.
Logan looked uncertain for a moment before relenting. "I'll check with the doctor to make sure we're all good to go, but you have to eat first." He handed her some of the food Eileen had brought, adjusting the bed so she could sit comfortably to eat. Marie settled back to eat, glancing over at the plastic crib that has been brought in for baby.
"Where's baby?" she asked, immediately alarmed.
"She's with Grandma," Logan replied soothingly, pointing across the room, relieved when Marie immediately calmed, even smiling at the sight of the two.
After they had all eaten, baby included, Logan called the nurse, who called the doctor, and an hour later Marie and baby were discharged and they were on their way home in time for dinner.
Later that night Marie and Logan lounged in bed, baby between them, sleeping soundly with both her parents watching over her.
"We still haven't picked a name," Marie whispered, while she watched the baby tiredly. "What do you think about Sophia?" she asked.
"I like it, and Elizabeth for her middle name," Logan responded, a slight frown on his face as he was obviously thinking about something, he ran a finger over the little girls pouty pink lips as he did, grinning when she began to reflexively suckle on her own lip.
"Sophia Elizabeth Logan... it's pretty, it suits her, I like it," she smiled sleepily.
"Well, if you still like it in the morning we'll lock it in," Logan replied with a grin, before he pulled the blankets up higher to cover Marie snugly. Once Marie was asleep, he slid smoothly out of bed, gently scooping up baby before carrying her to the waiting bassinet, he didn't want to fall asleep and either of them to accidentally smother her.
Three days later, sparkly pink letters were mounted on the blank space on the nursery wall spelling out baby's name.
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