From: "Veronica Bowles" <yellowrubberduck31@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 14:24:07 -0400
Subject: New Post
Source: direct
Title: Choices
Author: Mystic25
E-mail: yellowrubberduck31@hotmail.com
Distribution: Archive, as long as my name is
kept on it
Genres: Story/Angst/Romance
Relationships: Max/Logan Romance, Kendra/Max/Cindy friendship
Bling/Logan friendship Max/Bling friendship
Content Warning: violence, swearing, adult situations, and
images of child experimentation(basically that means Max's
memories from Manticore)
Keywords Alternative unniverse
Rating: PG
Spoliers: takes place around "The Kidz are Aiight"
Summary: After an encounter with Logan Max is pregnant.
How do they deal with it?
Author's note: Some of the 'Manticore' history may not
be 100% accurate, also I changed some of it around to
fit the storyline..but the important ideas are still
there
*****
10:30 a.m.
The loud noises coming from the street was what
woke Max up. She opened her eyes and did a double
take.
This wasn't her apartment. This wasn't her bed.
She became more awake as she saw the sleeping
form of someone next to her.
<What the fuck did I do, or rather *who* did I do?>
she rephrased the question in her mind.
Heat. That every four month, full moon bitch that
made her want to get it on with anything male that
was warm blooded. She hated it, feeling like a
trashy fifty cent whore every time her animal
chromosomes wanted her to pass on her Alpha genes.
She quietly inched her way over to the bed's other
occupant, she needed to see who she had "chosen" in
her feverous passion to mate.
<Oh shit> That was the first thought that came to her
mind as she gazed at Logan, still asleep beside her.
He looked so innocent, like a little boy. And he was
obviously nude under that cotton blue sheet. Come to
think of it...
<Yep> she said mentally, checking herself. <So am I>
Further evidence to this revelation lay strewn about
Logan's hardwood floor. A pair of jeans, a blue ribbed
man's sweater, her own black tank and leather pants.
<We must have been busy> she remarked with a small
smirk.
Flashes of the night suddenly came to her <"You're so
beautiful Max" his voice was husky, "I never thought
I could do this again" He kissed her and wrapped a
leg around hers>
Wait, back that up...he used his *leg*..but that can't
be. She looked around for his wheel chair, but didn't
find it.Another memory filtered it's way into her mind.
<"I can't believe this" she cried enthusiastically
launching herself at him> <"Neither can I" he hugged
her back "But here I am, or rather here I *stand*">
Now she remembered everything. He had recovered,
was able to walk again, and had surprised her
with dinner, which turned into *other* things later.
She had told him that she was in Heat, but he said
that he didn't care, that if this was what she needed
every four months, who was he to deny it. <"But, it
won't be *real* emotion Logan, I'll just be responding
to instinct" she said while trying to contain her
treacherous hormones> <"Don't you get it Max?" he held
her face in his hands "I *do* have emotions for you,
and I know that you do also, and after this cycle is
over I will still be here for you">
He had sounded so sincere, so reassuring that she
had given in, let him give her what she needed, and
what he wanted. And after that memory, came a bolt
of realization that struck her like a blow to the
gut by one of Lydeker's goons.
Fuck! she was in Heat, and she *gave* in. She had
never given in, always being strong enough to ward
off the urges, because she knew of the consequences.
She jumped out of the bed and raced towards
the bathroom. She retched, again, and again until
there was nothing left but noxious stomach acid,
and when she was done she slid, exhausted to the
floor.<What have I done?>
"Max, are you okay?" Logan's voice came through
the door of the bathroom
"Yea" she called out with more reassurance then she
felt. Her mind was racing as well as her heart, and
her stomach ached from all that heaving.
Logan came through the door, obviously unconvinced.
He kneeled by her on the floor. He took in her
appearance, of her sweat soaked hair, and pale
face. "What happened?"
"Nothing" she replied "Something I ate just didn't
agree with me"
She stood up, wincing as she did, and then realizing
that she was still naked, she yanked a towel around
her body.
She walked back on shaky legs to the bedroom and
retrieved her clothes off the floor.
Logan had disappeared, and now came back with a damp
cloth. He took her hand and made her sit down, and she
followed him, without argument.
"You sure you're okay? you look pretty crappy" Logan
asked again, wiping her face with the cloth.
"I'm *fine*" she spat back.
He just shot her a look, setting the cloth down.
There was an uneasy silence that hung about them.
Max pulled some lint off the towel that she wrapped
around herself, and Logan re-adjusted the sash on his
robe.
"So about last night" Logan began, but Max interjected
"If this is one of those 'I'm sorry, but it was just
a one time deal' speeches, spare me now" she said with
an assertive tone.
Logan shook his head "I wasn't going to say that,
I was *going* to say that it was incredible, and if
you do THAT every time you're in Heat then you came
hide out here all the time" he finished his remark
with a smile.
Max didn't reply at first, she was to busy thinking.
<I have to see the doctor, I have to know>
She looked back up. Logan was still waiting for a
response. She didn't have one.
"Hate to screw and run, but I have to get to work"
she stood and went to get dressed, leaving Logan
sitting there.
*****
Upper Seattle
Women's Health Center
One Week Later
11:30 a.m.
<This room is fuckin' freezing> Max noted sitting on the
examine bench in the shitty little paper gown they made
her put on. She glanced back at the clock for about the
twentieth time in five minutes
<What the hell's taking so long?> The doctor told her
it would only be a minute, and that was forty minutes
ago. She was already late for work. Normal was going to
blow a gasket, if he hadn't done so already.
The door to the room opened, and the doctor came back
in. "Sorry that took so long" she apologized walking up
to Max "I had to see another patient who re-scheduled
at the last minute"
<That's why these people MAKE appointments so they
can KEEP them> Max fumed to herself, but said to the
doctor:
"I understand" She fell silent, unable to think of
the right words to use for her next statement, but
finally decided on: "Am I knocked up?"
It seemed like forever, but it was actually three
seconds later when the OB/GYN responded "Yes, the test
was positive"
Max let the information seep in. She was pregnant.
There was a baby growing inside her, LOGAN'S child,
and she was terrified. She had successfully avoided
him all week. Coming over only when necessary,
this put a terrible strain on their relationship,
but she need space to think.
"You're only about seven days along, so right
now I can't tell you anything other then that the
embryo is healthy" the OB told her
<Thank god for small favors> she mused. "Can I go
now?" her tone was edgy, she wanted to get out of
this place.
"Yes" the doctor responded, and handed her a
pill bottle "This is an iron supplement, take it
twice a day, and avoid things like asbestos, cat
hair, these can harm the developing embryo"
"Doctor" Max began in her 'you-don't-know-shit-tone'
"In case you haven't realized, it's a crappy, dirt
ridden world out there, how can I avoid stuff like
that when it's just one big land fill outside?"
The doctor looked at her for a long moment before
speaking "Ms. Guevara, I am fully aware of what life
is like out in Seattle's 'real world', and I *know* about
all that "stuff" as you like to call it, but for the
health of your baby, you will just have to take extra
care" her tone was like that of a exasperated mother
telling her child that the sky was NOT purple, it was
blue.
"Fine I'll do that" Max spat out snatching the pill
bottle from her.She collected her clothes from where
they lay on a table.
"Do you want me to run a paternity test?" the doctor's
tone made her turn back around.
<The nerve of this snobby, upper crusted *bitch*!> Max's
thought's were angry. She knew *excatly* what the doctor
was getting at, that she slept around, basically that
she was putting all those girls on the streets out of
business
"No that's all right" she responded coyly "I'm sure I
haven't crossed paths with any of you're married
lovers" She spun back around and went to get changed,
ignoring the doctor's enraged look.
<play with fire you get burned> Max slammed the door
to the ladies room
She yanked her clothes back on, her thoughts were racing.
<I can't tell Logan> she decided suddenly. <It will just
be another liability that he has to worry about> She pulled
the navy blue sweater over her head, and smoothed her hair
down.
She exited the room, and walked out the building.
*****
Jam Pony X-Press
12:40 p.m.
"Well well, you finally decided to show" Normal said
to Max as she peddled her way into the building on her
bike "To what do we owe the privilege of you lateness?"
"I had business" was all Max said as she dropped the
bike in a heap on the floor.
Normal just looked at her
"The only 'business' you have is here, with me" he
said to her.
"Normal, leave my girl alone" Original Cindy told him
straight up "So she's a little late, people have LIVES"
Cindy crossed her arms, daring him to say anything more.
As usual Normal was up to the challenge.
"No, you use to have lives,*now* you have jobs, and
next time I want comments from the peanut gallery,
I'll but some Planters" he paused and looked at Max
"Next time I'm gonna start deducting your pay for
every minute you're late"
"Whatever" Max muttered under her breath. She walked
over to where Cindy was siting on an over turned crate.
"So what's the dealio girl?" Cindy asked looking up at
her "You've been actin' weird all week" her voice was
that of a concerned friend.
"I just have allot on my mind" Max answered truthfully.
She flipped an old office chair around and sat, resting
her chin on the back.
"Things okay between you and Rich?" Original asked
"I guess" Max shrugged
Cindy pounced on her "What does that mean? either you're
in pixie land, or you're bitchin', ya know what I'm sayin'?
There's not much of an in between'"
"Okay, I haven't spoken to him in a week" Max answered.
"See, Original Cindy knows what she's talkin'' about"
Cindy said, scoring one for herself.
Max just rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant,
we TALKED, just not on a-" she paused, searching for
the right phrase "deeper level"
"Oh, I hear ya" Cindy stated.
"Max, this one's yours" Normal shouted at her.
Max groaned in annoyance and walked up to him. He handed
her a package. "It's headed for Indigo Valley"
"Ooo.." Max shook the box "I bet it's drugs"
"We don't worry, about the contents, we just deliver
the stuff" Normal told her.
Max sighed and retrieved her bike.
"Wait up chica" Cindy called out "I'll go with you"
"You're working remember?" Normal interrupted
"I'm taking a break 'kay?" Cindy glowered, and Normal
was actually silent.
*****
"Thank you for using Jam Pony" Max said with over coated
sweetness to the tall black man, who accepted the package.
He slammed the door in her face.
"Same to you pal" she sneered and walked down the
rickety wooden steps that led back down to the ground.
Her stomach suddenly did a one eighty, and she hopped
off the steps to yap in the bushes.
"Hey Max, you all right?" Cindy approached her concerned.
Max nodded, and heaved a few more times. <Damn morning
sickness> She had gotten it everyday like clockwork for
the last week. This was another reason she wanted to
avoid Logan. She couldn't very well hide the fact that
she was carrying his child if she was visiting the Tidy
Bowl man all the time.
After she was done, she wiped her mouth off, and
stood up, meeting Cindy's scrutinizing glare.
"What is up with you Max? You're all keyed up all
week, you haven't spoken to you're man in all that
time, and now this"
"It's nothing" Max shot back, walking back over to
her bike.
"That ain't nothin'" Cindy stated, looking at the
stained grass, before going after her.
They peddled for about five minutes, when Cindy spoke
again. "Ya know I'm only askin' ya 'cause you're my
home girl, and I care 'bout you're well being"
Max stopped peddling "You're not gonna let this go
are ya?"
Original shook her head
"Okay" Max began "I'm uh, sorta pregnant"
Cindy nearly fell off her bike "What?" she looked
Max full in the face "Are you serious?"
She nodded "About one week along"
"Does Logan know?"
Max let it slide that she had jumped to her obvious,
but in this case *correct*, conclusion, and answered
her "No, not yet"
"Why are ya holdin' out on him?" Cindy wanted to know
"I have my reasons" Max shot back "Anyway, I just
found out today"
"*Are* you going to tell him?" Cindy went in another
direction.
"I don't know" Max answered honestly, finding the dirt
filled road a little more interesting. She stared at it
a few more seconds before looking up. "Don't tell anyone
about this okay?" her tone was more demanding then
asking.
Cindy nodded "Original Cindy knows when to keep her mouth
shut, but you DO have to tell him sometime"
Max didn't say anything more.
*****
Upper Seattle
7:30 p.m.
"Logan?" Max called out to him. She entered his penthouse
cautiously.
"In here" he called out.
She followed the sound of his voice and found him
sitting at his computer chair in his office. He was
typing feverishly, the glare of the screen was bouncing
off his glasses.
"I need a favor to ask of you"
"What is it now?" he asked not bothering to turn
around.
Max tried not to cringe under his stinging remark
"I need you to delete some stuff for me."
"What kinda 'stuff'?" he asked still facing the screen
and not her.
"Uh" Max stumbled for the words "In the women's health
center on Lindsor" She waited as Logan typed up the main
data base before going on "Under the OB/GYN section"
Logan went where she said.
"Who's the patient?" he asked
"You'll know it when you see it" she replied, suddenly
feeling the need to distance herself from him. She stepped
back across the room.
Logan scrolled down the list on names and diagnosis's,
and stopped at the listing on her. His eyes scanned the
screen for a few seconds,reading the information, before
he turned back around.
"Why didn't you tell me?" his tone was demanding. He
deleted the file and then stood up and walked over to
where she was standing in the middle of the room.
"I didn't want to burden you with this" she said, her
eyes down cast.
"That's why you avoided me all week?" he asked raising
her chin up to look at him.
She nodded.
"Who's the father?"
Max was taken aback. That was NOT what she wanted him
to say. She then did something she didn't normally do to
Logan, she slapped him, hard.
"Hey" he cried out rubbing his cheek "Why the hell did
you do that?" he rubbed the red spot that was forming on
his face.
"How DARE you ask me that kinda of fucked up question
Logan!" her voice was razor sharp. She got all up in
his personal space, her breath hot on his skin. "You're
suppose to be a *intelligent* man, not revert back to
those prehistoric ways"
"It was an honest question" Logan said in his
defense "I haven't seen you that much all week,
how was I to know?"
Max's anger grew "I am *not* a scank Logan, I don't
party harty, I worked my ass off all week so I wouldn't
have to see you, but here I am, and I *thought* you would
be different, that you wouldn't ask me that kinda shit"
she back away from him, eyes glowering.
"You wanna know who the fucked up father is Logan?"
Max shot back when Logan didn't say anything else
"*You* are, and believe me you we're fucked up long
before you got me *knocked* up"
Logan was taken aback. *He* was the father? This was
his child?
"How?" he asked, but then be-rated himself for asking
such a stupid question. That was something he learned
in third grade.
"That is a stupid ass question Logan" Max said his
thoughts out loud "Remember that little romp from last
week? Remember the remark I made about being in HEAT?
well I kinda forgot to mention that I get my groove on
during then I get seeded" she finished.
"You should've told me" Logan stated "I wouldn't have
done it if-"
"If what? If you found out that you'd produce heirs
by me in one sitting?" her tone was very high, and
very pissed.
"I didn't say that" Logan interjected.
"Yea, but I can read you like an open book" Max retorted.
She backed off from Logan and whirled around, but then at
a second thought she faced him again "Ya know I thought
you we're going to be different. This is terrifying the
hell outta me, and I thought that since this was
partly YOUR fault, that you would help me, but maybe
Zack was right, maybe you are just a liability" her voice
was longer angry, it suddenly became heart achingly sad.
A solitary tear wove a path down her cheek.
"Gotta blaze" she said wiping the moisture off her
face. She spun back around and walked out of the office.
"You come by later, and we'll talk?" Logan's tone had
softened from earlier.
"It's to late for that" she said not turning around or
stopping.
She left him there, standing alone in his cold office.
*****
The Crash
Lower Seattle
9:30 p.m.
"The nerve of men!" Kendra shouted out, pounding her fist
on the table. She took a swig of her beer before going on
"They expect you to play nice in the bed, and then bolt
when they realize they've planted a seed in the field"
"Why did you have to tell Kendra?" Max asked Original
Cindy who was seated next to her at their usual hang.
Cindy placed a hand over hers "'Cause suga, your girls
are here for ya"
Max didn't say anything, she just played with the froth
on her cappuchino.
"Anyway" Kendra stated "If Cindy didn't tell me I *would*
have noticed all that weight you would be putting on" She
paused "Have you thought of a name yet?"
Max shot her a look "Kendra, it's about the size of a
walnut, and it has NO sex organs yet, so how can I name
it?"
"Still you could *choose* one, didn't you ever do that
when you we're little?"
"I had an unusual childhood" Max replied. <I had enough
of a time keeping MY name without a guard killing me
for it>
"How about Tamarki?" Kendra asked "It's a very popular
in Japan"
"Girl this ain't no pagoda" Cindy interrupted "This is
good 'ol Pulse stricken America , so we got to give
him a good name, how 'bout Trevon?"
"How do you know it's male?" Max asked with the first
smirk on her face in days.
"I told ya, Cindy knows these things" she said "And it
got you to smile"
Max just rolled her eyes teasingly. "Trevon is an unique
name" she admitted.
"Yea" Kendra said "But it has to go with 'Cale' How
about Morgan?"
"I like Trevon better then 'Morgan'" Cindy shot back
"It sounds less like a car salesman"
"Well Trevon sounds like the guy who runs the local
Ring on Palo" Kendra replied "What about you Max?
Which one do ya like?"
"I think their both to much to the extreme" Max answered
honestly. "I need something that's in-between car seller
and Ghetto Seller" she ignored the looks Cindy and Kendra
shot her and searched her mind for a good name "How about
Jesse? that way if Cindy's wisdom is off, it's also a good,
but not to lacy name for a girl"
"Jesse Cale" Kendra tried it out "He need a middle name
though, so how about what I mentioned earlier?"
Max shook her head "Personally I like Cindy's better,
I don't want him being beat up by the Sector Police for
a whimpy name" she laughed at Kendra's hurt look.
"Jesse Trevon Cale" Kendra spat it out at first, but
then she grinned "Gotta admit it's catchy"
Original Cindy smiled "See that Jesse" She leaned down
towards Max's flat abdomen "Aunt Cindy and Aunt Kendra
are getting along"
Max looked at her with a raised eyebrow "Aunt Cindy?"
"Damn right" Cindy said pulling back "I better be something
to this kid of yours"
"Of course" Max agreed "The 'aunt' part sorta threw me off"
She grinned at her to let her know no hard feelings, as they
began talking again.
*****
Logan's Penthouse
Upper Seattle
10:30 p.m.
"..and that's why I asked you over here" Logan finished
and looked up at Bling. He had just spilled his guts over
the incident that happened a few hours earlier.
"Man" Bling said leaning against the table "That's a no
brainer, just *appolgize* to her" He crossed his arms
over his chest.
"For what?" Logan replied.
Bling just knocked him upside the head "You're dense
for a smart guy"
Logan rubbed his head "Yea I get that a lot"
Bling went on "YOU did the wrong here guy, it was
obvious that she was scared about this and you sorta
fucked it up even worse, after you fucked it up I
mean" he tripped over his words near the end.
Something flickered across Logan's brain. Despite Bling's
slightly broken english in his last statement he got the
meaning of it. <Bling is right, I screwed up, oh god did I
made her cry? Smooth move you shit, you actually brought
a revved up super solider to tears with your damn lack of
sensitivity> Logan mentally kicked his own ass for his
previous actions.
Bling looked at him knowingly "I know, now how are you
gonna fix it?"
*****
10:45 p.m.
"What is it?" Max snarled stepping into Logan's penthouse.
He had nearly blown up her pager at Crash, so she, along
with an admirable amount of 'just *talk* to him girl' lines
from Kendra and Cindy had come back to the place she swore
she would never set foot in again after what happened.
She found him standing in almost the same position as before.
"I wanna have that talk now" he said approaching her, but she
backed away defensively.
"Max please" Logan held up his hands "Just hear me out"
he took another step towards her, and this time she didn't
back away.
"What I said earlier-" he paused "I was shocked, I didn't
mean that you were a bed hopper" his tone was sincere.
"Yea well, what you meant *isn't* what you said" she
stated matter of factly, her eyes as hard as tempered
steel "You got me knocked up,and then accused *me* of
being a whore" despite her outward anger her voice
sounded lost and vulnerable.
Logan was about to interject, but realized that she
was right. He didn't say the word "whore" but he might
as well have made her parade around Seattle in a scarlet
cocktail dress with a sign that said 'free for all'
He looked up again to meet her gaze and was shocked
at the sadness he saw in her eyes, an emotion that *he*
had placed there."You're *not* a whore Max" he replied
in all honesty.
She gave a humorless noise of what would have been a
laugh, if she was in a laughing mood, but rather it came
out as a rush of air "I know that Logan" she shot back
"I've always known that, and I could even deal with
that bitch Obstercian callin' me one, but-" here she
paused,her voice becoming colored in the same sadness
as her eyes "I thought that you believed that I wasn't"
She turned away from him so he wouldn't see her tears.
She didn't want him to know how badly he had hurt her.
<Damn him> she thought half angry half dejected <Damn
him for making me think that he cared about me, that he
*loved* me>
She hugged her arms tightly around herself, and tried to
stiffen the sounds of her crying <I can't break down
I'm a soldier, soldiers don't cry>
Logan came up behind her, wanting to say so much,
to fix things,only he didn't know where to start.
"Just go away" she said, her voice so low he might
have missed it if she wasn't right beside him. She had
never sounded so unhappy before. Her normally hard and
straight composure had broken under the strain of her
emotions. Logan could feel a tug at his heart. His strong
and beautiful angel had fallen by his own hand.
He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, feeling her stiffen
at his touch. "We have to talk about this" he said in a strong,
but gentle tone.
"We already did" she pointed out, still not facing him.
Logan applied soft, but firm pressure to her shoulder with
his hand "Not on the level we should have."
She turned to face him, her eyes wet "what the hell other
*levels* are there?" she demanded, "You already gave me a
clear idea as to where you stand on this" she placed a hand
on her abdomen, her intense gaze never wavering from him.
Logan reached out to touch her hand where it lay on her
stomach, and he was glad when she didn't pull away. Her hand
did clench a little a he knew that if she wanted to she could
easily take him out, but he was willing to risk it, should it
come to that.
"I was wrong" he admitted in a strong tone "I should have had
more faith in you."
"Damn right" she spat out, but her tone held no mirth as
it usually did when she offered him a snide remark, it
was just desolate sounding.
"If I could take it back I would" Logan went on. He kneeled
beside her and replaced her hand on her belly with his.
"I'm sorry little guy" he spoke to his unborn child in
Max's womb "You deserve better then that, you and your
mom, and I only hope she'll forgive a asshole like me"
he kissed her stomach, and stroked it softly.
It was that gesture that was Max's undoing, a tear fell
from her eye landing softly on Logan's head. He stood up
once more to meet her gaze.
"I.." he trailed off, searching for the right words
"I'm sorry Max, sorry for what I made you go through
alone, and sorry for causing you so much pain"
Her eyes filled with more tears. His apology wouldn't set
any new standards, but it was the sincerity in his tone that
got to her."Damn you bastard, for making me love you so much
despite why I shouldn't" she closed the small distance
between them and embraced him.
He wrapped his arms around her holding her close, feeling
the tension released in her toned shoulder muscles. And he
silently thanked what ever deity might be around for giving
him a second chance.
"I love you too Max" he responded to her statement
from earlier
She pulled back stunned for a moment <did he just say
love?> <Shit, did *I* say just say love?>
Her thoughts were silenced as Logan kissed her. A sweet
gentle kiss, but one of pure emotion.
They pulled back, and Logan held her face in his hands
"Do you still hate me for knocking you up?"
She shook her head "No" she had that mirth in her
tone that was missing the last time "But ask me later
when I'm in estrogen overdrive"
Her statement induced a smile from Logan. The tension
been lifted. This is the way it should be.
"In that case I better do this now"
Max was confused "Do what?"
His response was to walk to his dining room table, only to
come back a moment later with a small velvet jewelry box.
She took it when he handed it to her, opening the lid
carefully. It was a band made out of a deep purple jade
that had been criss-crossed with thin silver as fine as
silk thread.
"This is beautiful" she remarked, not daring to say
anything more. Things seemed to be going at an incredibly
fast pace.<never engage anyone without a good look at what
you're getting into> her soldier side warned her. But this
was Logan standing here, looking at her with such love,
such remorse at what had done earlier, and she knew
*excatly* what she was getting into.
He took it out of the case "I had it made at one of those
specialty jewelry stores that still exist around here" he
took her hand and placed the ring on her right ring finger,
and then in an old fashioned gesture he kneeled on one knee
in front of her.
"I made a promise like this before, and I got burned.
Valerie loved to play games, and it cost us our marriage,
but-" here he paused, looking deep into Max's eyes "you are
more amazing and more beautiful then she could ever be. You
have such a fire in you Max, and I don't want to ever
loose that, what I'm trying to say is-"
"Yes" her voice interrupted him. She knew where he was
going with his little speech, and she already made up
her mind. Baby or no baby she *did* love this man, and
she didn't plan to stop loving him anytime soon.
Logan looked at her quizically "Yes?"
"To the proposal" she replied <xe's a little dense
sometimes, but I love him anyway>
Logan's face broke with the widest smile she had ever
seen. He stood up again and caught her in a fierce hug.
Max wrapped her arms around him as well, gasping
slightly at the pressure he was applying to her ribcage.
"Oh god, I'm sorry I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked,
pulling back in alarm.
"Logan" Max began in slight exasperation "I'm not made
of china, I won't shatter under pressure, and neither
will Jesse."
Logan looked at her "Jesse?"
Max nodded "Yea, something the gals and I came up with,
Jesse Trevon Cale."
"Trevon was Orginal Cindy's contribution huh?" Logan
asked teasingly. He was a little surprised that Max had
used his last name for the child. After what he did, he
figured that she would want nothing more to do with him,
but yet again this woman surprised him, and he wasn't
about to complain.
"Is that a problem?" she asked with a raised eyebrow
He shook his head "No, it's nice, it sorta rolls off
your tongue"
She smiled wickedly "I have something else that'll roll
off your tongue" she kissed him, shoving half her tongue
in his mouth. Logan groaned and slid his tongue in her
mouth as well, dueling with hers.
The sound of the door made Max pull back, but she still
remained in close proximity to Logan's body. As in he
could see a small portion of black lace from her bra
peeking out of her red v-neck sweater, which was not
a bad view either.
The guest was Bling. He walked through the doorway
and then stopped a few feet short of where they were.
"Damn" he drew out the middle syllable, surveying the
scene before him.
Max just smiled, before realizing that she had to
throw up *again* she raced to the bathroom before
she heaved all over Logan.
Logan watched her go in slight alarm, but then
realized what she was doing. <I have to get use
to things like this>
"What did you give her man?" Bling asked with a
raised eyebrow
"Nothing" Logan responded "She's pregnant remember?"
It still felt weird to think about Max as being pregnant,
and it was even harder to grasp that it was *his* baby that
she was carrying.
Max came out of the bathroom a moment later, feeling
slightly better. <I won't have to do that for about
three more hours>
She walked back over to Logan "Sorry, this kid is doin'
a number on my stomach." she wrapped her arms around him
"now where were we?" she smiled and began to kiss a line
down his neck.
"You sure you didn't give her anything?" Bling asked "I'd
swear you turned a Femi-Superwarrior in to a Nympho" he
finished teasingly.
Logan, shook his head, well as much as he could with Max
attached to his juglar vein "I just asked her to marry me."
Bling stood, dumbfounded "You serious?"
Max pulled back from her task and looked at Bling with a
smile "Straight up" she wagged her engagement ring-ed hand
in the air
A shit eating grin broke across Bling's face "It's about damn
time." he proclaimed walking over to them. He hugged Max, and
turned to Logan.
"You gots a good thing here guy" Bling said "two for the
price of one"
Logan laughed "I know my stuff"
"Don't be getting to cocky 'bout this Logan" Max warned "I
still know *my* stuff" she finished with an air of teasing
in her voice.
Logan laughed lightly "Yes ma'am"
end of part one..
*****
Eight Months Later
Life had become different in Seattle. Oh sure, their we're
still homeless people living in shanty towns, and Sector
police beat up everyone when ever the hover cams were not
focused on them, but for Max and Logan it had changed, and
for the better. Two weeks to the day of Logan's proposal,
they we're married. There was only about a twenty people
in attendance. Logan was afraid anymore would attract too
much attention, and that Lydeker would be able to locate
Max.
Bling was there, along with Max's friends from Jam Pony.
Natalie had talked to Max before the ceremony, saying how
happy she was for her, and a little disappointed because
she and Logan were tying the knot after a two week engagement,
while her and Sketchy have been shacked up for a while and
haven't set a date yet. But, nonetheless, she wished Max
eternal bliss.
Along with Max's gang there were a few decent members
of the Cale family, and some who just heard about
the nuptials and wanted to see who Logan had snagged.
The ceremony was held on a small beach over looking
Puget Sound. Max had not wanted to wear in her words
a "white nasty ass dress that cost more then re-building
my baby from scrap" so she had settled on a simple, yet
elegant dark purple silk slip dress. She had done up her
hair in a loose chiffon and covered it with small white
flowers. Logan still could smell their fragrance, and
could still remember the way she had looked walking up
to him on the beach, wearing that dress that matched the
Jade in her engagement ring. Even the most hypocritical
of Logan's relatives took a liking to Max when they saw
her.
He remembered the way Bling, who was his best man
slapped him manly on the back and whispered "You did
good this time around"
Twenty minutes later they were pronounced man and wife.
And after the vows we're exchanged they partied all
night, and through part of the next morning. Since
this was a 'high social affair', meaning Logan could
pay off the law, the Sector Police did not complain
about the late hours they kept. Max could not drink,
but that did not stop her from having a good time.
Cindy told Logan more then once during the reception
he had better treat her girl well or she would attack
him in the night, which was a remark that still made
him laugh when he thought about it.
And after the ceremony the newlywed couple had ridden
off on the Max's Ninja to their honeymoon at the cabin
that belonged to Logan's parents. They had to take extra
care to not leave a paper trail for Lydeker.This meant
deleting sector checks, although Max was a little
disappointed that the file at that last check stop
that addressed them as Mr. and *Mrs* Cale had to go.
She rather liked the thought of the new attachment
to her name.
Whilst Max and Logan were away Bling kept Logan's
penthouse clean, collected his mail, and answered the
phone. One time he didn't pick up fast enough and the
machine kicked in. Logan's dull and monotone 'You have
reached the number you dialed' message was had been
replaced with Max's "Can't talk, getting screwed,leave
a message, if you don't I can hunt you down anyway."
Cindy thought it had been kinda funny when she called
one time, but Logan's Aunt Claire thought it was
distasteful when she called to tell her 'favorite
nephew' congratulations on finally being practical
again and starting a family.
Bling had to spend a full thirty minutes trying to
convince the woman that Max was not something cheap that
Logan had picked up in a bar when he had to many. He
was glad when she finally just gave up and ended the
call, he knew that Logan detested the woman, and it wouldn't
make him any happier if he knew she thought that his wife
was a sleezy call girl.
Max had moved in with Logan when they got back from
their honeymoon. She had no attachment to her old place.
It was nasty and filthy, not a real home, and even Cindy
remarked that with her expecting a kid it wouldn't help
for her to find a rat on her leg, or *in* her leg, seeing
as how they loved to bite people. So she had relented the
crap hole for Logan's nicer digs.
Her Ninja had it's own spot next to Logan's Aztec, and
across from that was the candy apple red Impala Logan
gave her for their one month anniversary. "You can't
ride that cycle anymore" he had told her once teasingly,
rubbing her stomach that was now noticeably swollen.
The pregnancy was the normal thing, she got that shitty
morning sickness for a few months, her ankles started to
swell, and she was always full of emotion. That pissed
her off more then anything. She had always been an
independent woman, hard as steel, and now she actualy
lost it over the fact that she couldn't find *anything*
in her closet that matched her(stretchable) black sweater.
She had given up leather pants two months ago, but refused
to wear the flowery shit they made for pregnant women.
She came out of her daydream as she found the sweater she
wanted, it had fallen on the floor. Logan had caught her
one day in a fashion panic, an would have laughed at her
if she didn't look so sad. He instead, wrapped his arms
around her, which was no small feat now.
"Baby just calm down" he rubbed her back in gentle circles
"I can't" she sniffed "I look like a *whale* and *nothing*
of mine fits anymore, and their ain't now way in hell I'm
gonna drape a flowered canvas over my body"
He had soothed her as best he could, and the next
day had promptly maxed his credit card on every piece
of high fashion and stylish maternity wear he could
find. He even got her a full length leather coat after
she remarked how hers wouldn't fit anymore.
After she pulled on the sweater she pulled on the
cotton twill pants. <Didn't even know that they made
these for expectant mothers> She brushed her hair and
added a little lip gloss. She didn't need to use
anything else, she was positively glowing. That, and
the newly acquired cleavage was one of the few things
(besides Jesse of course) that she liked about being
pregnant.
Satisfied with her appearance, she walked out into the
living room.
Logan was sitting at the dinning room table with Bling.
He stood up when he saw her. "Hey sweetheart" he gave her
a kiss "How are you?"
"Fine" she spat, she hated being doted on, but he was
just being nice, so she added "Sorry, I just have a
short fuse lately"
Logan grinned softly "That's okay" He handed her a
cup of decaf, which she took.
"There's a seat right here" Bling said patting the
empty chair next to him.
She walked over and sat down where he indicated. Needless
to say she had to back up the chair a few inches from the
table. Logan sat down opposite her.
"So how are you Max?" Bling asked
"Can't complain" she replied sipping her coffee. She made
a face. She hated decaf.
"No you just do that to me" Logan teased.
She flipped him off, but her eyes were still light.
Bling held up his hand "Hey now, none of that, I just
stopped by to give ya'll a baby present"
"*Another* one?" Max shot back. Bling had gone out of his
way by supplying enough stuff to last until Jesse was six
years old.
"I'm just you're basic doting friend" he remarked. He
pulled out a basketball from his lap and laid it on the
table top.
"Uh Bling" Logan began "That'll be as big as him when he's
born"
Bling laughed "It's for later man, when me and my boy can
shoot hoops with his dad"
"And his mom" Max remarked
"Of course his mom too Max" Bling replied "You know you're
my girl" He tossed her the basketball, which she caught in
one fluent motion.
"You still got it" Bling said with a smile.
"Mmhmm" she responded standing up "I'll just put it
with the others" She walked off to the nursery.
It was located adjacent from their bedroom. It use to be
the spare room but now..
She stepped into the room with the purple walls. Kendra
had done that, she said that blue was so stereotypical,
and Max had agreed whole heartily. Pink for girls and blue
for boys was something she always hated.
Purple might have been a color of contraversey in the last
century, but Max liked it. Next to the large window was a
black crib, and a few feet from that stood a wooden rocking
chair. It had belonged to Logan's mother.
Logan's Aunt Claire had invited Max over to her house one day,
and Max had decided to go, if she despised her she would simply
tell her so. When she got there, the first thing she noticed
was the chair in a corner of the sitting room.
The damn woman was using it as an end table! Logan had told
her how much that piece of furniture had meant to him, how
his mom use to snuggle in with him when he was sick, or
at bed time and read to him, and she wanted him to give
those same kind of memories to their son.
She had told her idea to Aunt Claire, adding a few choice
words like 'damn thief' and 'bitchy snob' making the elder
Cale woman furious.
"Listen to me honey" her eyes were cold "You just married
into this family, so how can you *possibly* know about what
my nephew needs, other then a good screw now and then"
Max became lividly angry then, pinning the woman down with one
arm. She tried to squirm to free herself, but the five foot five,
one hundred and twelve pound blonde was no match for a Manticore
warrior such as herself, even at six months pregnant.
"I *hate* it when people jump to conclusions" Max's words were
clipped and angry to the other woman she was holding down.
"As I recall Maxine, *you* called me a bitch" Claire's voice
was angry, but not as hard as Max's.
"That ain't jumpin' to conclusions woman" Max shot back "You
*are* a bitch, and as for your comment I am a little fucking
tired of being called a whore by snooty people like you" she
released her grip then. She then proceeded to swipe everything
off the rocker and carry it out the door to her car.
She drove home, angry thoughts swirling through her head, the
rocker bumping around where she had lashed it to the back of
the car.
When she got there Logan had asked where she went, to which her
immediate response was to run into the bedroom crying. A knock on
the door a few minutes later revealed Logan. He approached her,
and asked her again what was wrong.
She had promptly told him, a little embarrassed at her flood of
emotions, but Logan was awestruck that she had done something
like this for him, and being called a whore by Aunt Claire too!
He thanked her repeatedly, and more so later that night, but
not before telling Auntie Claire over the phone that he no
longer wanted to see her unless it was to her own funeral.
Max placed the basketball on the floor and settled down in
the old chair.
She rocked back and forth, lost in her own thoughts. During the
first few months she had several ultra sounds, which showed that
the baby was healthy, no abnormalities, which was a relief to
her. It also showed something else, a small growth in between
the fetus' legs.
"I knew it!" Cindy had remarked with a look of triumph when
she had gone with them to the doctors one day.
Logan's hand on her shoulder startled her out of her memories.
"Sorry" he remarked
"S'okay" she said "I was just thinkin'" She checked her
watch "Oh shit, I'm gonna be late" She moved to stand up, but
found it a little hard.
Logan laughed at her lightly "Trouble?" he said offering her
a hand up.
She just glowered at him and went back out to the living room.
"Sorry I can't stay Bling" She remarked, grabbing her coat
off of the couch "Duty calls"
"That's okay" he said rising up to meet her at eye level
"Ya gotta do what ya gotta do."
"That's right" she replied "even if It's boring"
"Why don't you just play hooky?" Logan said to her.
"Can't babe" she told him "I'd go crazy without anything
to do" She walked over to kiss him goodbye.
"I would've found something fun" his tone was seductive.
"Logan I'm eight months pregnant, I'd crush you" she
remarked and he laughed.
"Don't work to hard" his tone was serious.
"Moi?" she teased leaving the apartment.
*****
Jam Pony X-Press
12:30 p.m.
"There's my two favorite people" Cindy remarked as Max came
through the door-less entry.
Cindy walked over to her, and laid a hand on her belly.
"Hey Jesse, how's my boy today?" The baby kicked in response,
Max cringed, but Cindy smiled "He's a tough lil frigger,
'cmon do it again baby"
"Don't teach my son how to fight, that's *my* job" she teased
removing her coat, and hanging it on the back of "her chair"
When it had become apparent that Max could no longer *sit*
on a bicycle Normal had given her a sort of "sorting" job.
She would hand people the boxes and they would deliver them.
Next month she would be taking her maternity leave, one that
she made Normal re-instate by crushing his windpipe, but for
now she still wanted to work.
"Sorry about being late Normal" she said sitting down
"It's gettin' harder and harder to get out of bed in
the morning."
"Don't worry about it" he replied
Max looked at him in a 'say what?' gaze "You goin' soft boy?"
He shook his head "I am still the reigning God of all, but
in your case I'll be a little lenient"
"I'm flattered" she remarked dryly.
Skethcy waltzed up to them "Got any for me today Max?" he
asked leaning on the handles of his bike.
"Yep" she said tossing him a small box "This one's headed
for the corner of Dovan and Wesser."
He took it, but made no move to go "So how's Logan?"
"He's fine dude, but you better get outta here or you
won't be" she threatened lightly.
"Still have that attitude" he remarked. She yanked him
down by the collar of his shirt.
"And I could haul you're ass easily with all this extra
weight I'm carrying"
"Sorry" he remarked pitifully as she let him go. He took
his bike and the box and left hurriedly.
*****
The rest of the morning passed by basically normal. At one
Max took her break with Cindy like always.
Max was starving and finished her food in about forty seconds.
"Damn girl" Cindy remarked "You sure pack in a lot of food."
"I know" She replied wiping her hands off on her napkin "I'm
*always* hungry nowadays"
"You must be" Cindy said picking at her sandwich "'cause
food from Earls' Cafe isn't exactly fine dinning."
Max smirked, brushing some crumbs off her pants. She stood
up to throw away her empty plate and gasped.
"Oh shit" she muttered doubling over
"Max what is it, what's wrong?" Cindy asked standing up.
"I think Jesse wants out" she said through gritted teeth.
Cindy was alarmed "You've still got one month left"
"Yea I *know*" Max replied and gasped as more pain hit "But
you try telling *him* that."
"Okay girl, just take it easy" Cindy said helping her up and
grabbing her coat "I'm gonna drive ya to the hospital" she
maneuvered Max to the door
"Somebody's gotta call Logan" Max gritted out
"I got that" Cindy replied and shouted at Normal
"Yo Norm-Norm, call Logan and tell him his wife is
havin' a baby"
"Already?" Normal was just as surprised as Cindy.
"Yea already" Max called out "Just give him the message
'kay? He already knows which hospital."
The whole Jam Pony crew stopped to watch, and Max would
have told them to stop gawking, if she didn't feel like
someone dropped an A-bomb in her stomach.
Max and Cindy slowly made their way out to the parking
lot.
"Your car or mine?" Cindy asked
"I personally don't give a fuck which one" Max managed
while trying to breath.
Cindy steered them towards Max's Impala.
"You got a better ride then me" she remarked as she helped
Max in the car and raced around to the driver's seat.
"Just hold tight suga" Cindy said lookin' at her friend
"Original Cindy's got your back" she floored the gas and
sped off.
*****
Logan and Bling were still chatting away when the phone
call interrupted their conversation.
Bling answered it.
"Hello?"
"This is Normal, who am I speaking to?"
"This is Bling" he replied, wondering why Max's boss
would call here, but he didn't want to alarm Logan, so
he waited for the conversation to play itself out.
"Oh, well is Logan Cale there?"
"Yea" he remarked looking at Logan "He's here"
"Could you inform Mr.Cale that Max has left for the
hospital"
"*Now*?" Bling shouted making Logan shoot him a look.
"Yes that is correct" Normal replied and hung up.
Bling did the same. He turned to face Logan
"Max went into labor"
Logan looked at him shocked "It's one month early"
"That's kids for ya, they never do what you want them
to" he replied.
Logan hastily jumped up and retrieved his jacket.
"I'll drive" Bling told him, and Logan didn't disagree.
*****
Seattle General
Maternity Ward
Upper Seattle
3:30 p.m.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for my wife, she was brought here
by a friend" Logan said all in one breath to the woman
seated behind the desk.
"What's the name?" she asked not bothering to look up.
He was about to respond when Original Cindy's voice called
out to him
"Logan, over here"
He and Bling rushed over to her.
"How's Max?" Logan asked
Cindy gave him a look that made him uncomfortable "What
is it Cindy?"
"Logan" her tone was completely dead panned "Max had a seizure
on the way up here, it was brought on by her contractions"
Logan's heart stopped, and it was a while before he could
find his voice "Is she okay?"
"She's fine, it wasn't too long, and she had her meds
with her"
Cindy's statement lifted the rock that was in his throat.
"And how about the baby?"
Here Cindy did not reply so soon "They don't know yet,
they're running tests, the doctors say they have to see
if" here she paused "If he will have any neuro damage"
"What do you mean 'damage?' Logan asked, his voce rising
"I don't know, I ain't know doctor" Cindy responded and
added in a lower tone "They're sayin' he might not even
live"
<This is suppose to be one of the happiest moments of
my life, but it's turning into a nightmare>
He looked back up at Cindy "Where is she?"
"Room 102, just down the hall" she said and he didn't
even look at her he just ran down the white corridors.
Cindy turned towards Bling "You got a few bucks guy?
'Cause something tells me that the coffee machine down
the hall is going to be seeing a lot of us"
Bling nodded and handed her a five, and they walked there
in silence.
end of part 2...
*****
"Is he okay?" Max's voice was anxious, as she felt the familiar
sweep of the ultra sound move over her stomach. She was somewhat
comforted when she heard the sounds of Jesse's hearbeat. The
seizure had hit her out of no where, and she was terrified
about what the outcome could mean for him
<"Jesse, *Jesse!* the young Max cried to her sister as the
doctors hauled her away to the back exam rooms. An op yanked
her back "Get back to your training 32, the doctors will
take care of that one">
The high risk ob/gyn that had been called after Max was
brought here looked at her for a moment.
"It's to early to tell right now" he said as Logan burst
through the door. He took a minute to compose himself,
before walking over to where Max lay on a hospital bed.
"Hey you" he bent down and kissed her "I got here as
soon as I could, or rather Bling did, *I* would've killed
someone"
She smiled slightly "Logan I had a seizure" her voice was
trembling.
He drew his forehead down towards hers "I know" was all
he said.
"I take it you're her husband" the doctor's voice made
him turn.
"Yes I am" Logan replied and added more importantly "Is the
baby okay?"
"As I was telling you're wife just before you came in, it's
hard to tell at this moment. The seizure, she said lasted
only a few minutes,but to a fetus, it only can take that
long to cause damage to it's brain" his words seemed so cold
to Max. This baby was not an 'it', *he* was her son.
"When will you learn more?" she asked
"When we get the results of the tests back Mrs. Cale,
I'll be able to give you more information" he responded.
She nodded "And for future reference my *sons's* name is Jesse
so please refer to him that way" her tone was sharp and hard.
The doctor cringed slightly, and she felt some small
satisfaction in knowing that she still could knock'em
down.
"I have my rounds, the tests will be back in about an hour"
he nodded to both of them and left the room.
In all this time Max had not had anymore contractions.
When it became obvious that they induced her seizures, the
doctors had given her medication to stop them, while deciding
on the best plan of action.
Max was not in any physical pain, but that was not the case
on her emotions.She could not sit still, every few seconds
she would change positions in the bed, fiddle with the IV
needle in her arm. After about her fifth time around Logan
stopped her with a hand on her arm.
"Max, you need to calm down" his tone was strong despite the
fear he felt in the pit of his stomach.
"I can't fucking calm down Logan!" her words we're angry,
not really at him, but at the circumstances they found
themselves in "Our son may have brain damage, hell he even
might DIE and you want me to be cool and collect?" she was
shouting at him now, admitting the thing that scared
her the most. <It wasn't suppose to be this way>
She looked up at him with such sadness that it took his
breath away.
"Why is this happening now?" her voice was just a whisper,
and Logan wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what
she meant.
"What baby?" he asked as gently as he could she wouldn't
misinterpret it. He rubbed her arm in a soothing gesture
with his right hand.
She melted into his touch for a moment before going on
"Lydeker tried hard to make the perfect Alpha female, strong,
fast, but his creation had a flaw" she was speaking about
herself, but she did so in a way that made it sound like
a clinical analysis, it was a tactic she learned at Manticore.
She didn't have to deal with the pain if she separated herself
from it.
"Your seizures" Logan finished for her
She nodded, her eyes clouding over "Yea the *one* thing that
made his Grade A prototype a dud. But he kept training us,
even the ones like me. I remember how he use to talk about
'breeding' us like we were dogs with a pedigree or something"
here she gave a humorless laugh "I use to watch every day as
the ops would take girls into what they called the
"Fertilization chamber" Some we're even as young as 11,
but they didn't care, so long as they had their cycle. There
were doctors there that would inseminate them with the sperm
from the Alpha Males" she suddenly gave a passionate sob,
making the ekg monitor jump sporadically.
"I think you need to stop" Logan said. More stress was
something that she did *not* need right now.
"No, I *need* to get this out" she reached out and touched
his face.
He grasped her hand with one of his "Okay, but if you get into
deep, I want you to get out"
She nodded before continuing, to tell him the story of why
she chose their son's name, remembering a dark hell hole
called Manticore.
"One day they took some of us away from training, me, Brin,
Jesse and Jondy. We didn't know what was going on, but knew
we had to follow orders. They led us to the Room, and told
us to undress. There we're metal exam tables everywhere, and
they made us lie on them, and they stuck this long metal tube
in our-" here she had to stop, the memory becoming to much.
Logan noticed her hands were shaking, so he covered them
with his own, letting her know that she wasn't alone,
grounding her back to the present.
Max went on "the tubes were placed in our-" she searched
her mind for a word that would take away some of the edge
"*bodies* Each one contained sperm from a select group of
Alpha males. Most were from mine, X-5, but there were a few
from the X-12 section" She gave a slight laugh lacking all
humor "I guess he wanted to hybrid his hybrids"
Logan just looked at her, appalment on his face "How
old were you?"
Max searched her memory for a moment "It was a few weeks
before we escaped, so I guess I was about nine, yea that's
right 'cause I remember I had just gotten my period a few
weeks earlier, we we're all early developers"
Logan was lividly raged. How could they have done that
to children? Little girls? to *his* girl?
Max squeezed his hands a little and continued with
her dark tale.
"After it was over we were returned to the block
operator. The insemination had been a success, we were all
pregnant. I later learned that Zack was one of the ones,
'picked' to be a stud" her voice was full of malice "But we
were young, and the constant physical exertion took it's
toll, both Brin and Jondy suffered miscarriages.
But Jesse, she carried the baby almost four months, when
she had a seizure and it triggered early labor, the doctors
tried to save the them, but it was too late, Jesse died because
of complications, and the fetus choked to death on it's cord.
They didn't even bury her, they just cremated her with the baby
still inside. Lydeker said that he didn't want the world to know
of his mistake. I had to watch it, I myself was three months
along, and after it was over I snuck away to the sergeant's
quarters and swallowed a whole bottle of aspirin. I passed
out, and when I came to I knew I had succeeded in my goal by
all the blood on the floor"
"You aborted the child?" Logan asked gently, there was not
a trace of anger in his tone, but his mind was seething.
"I felt it was necessary at the time" she answered "I was
afraid that something like that would happen to me, because
I had seizures like Jesse did. We knew no such thing as
motherly love, we we're just knocked up to produce more of
our genes, and when I did what I did, I rationalized it by
telling myself that I was defective, and my offspring would
be too. But now" she paused with a hand on her swollen
abdomen "There are no guards, no cold rooms, I have a child
that I *want* to keep and this happens" tears leaked down
her face.
Logan pulled her into a embrace, placing himself next to
her on the narrow hospital bed.
"Why would Manticore give me this body, this fucking heat
cycle to create a child whose only purpose was to die?" her
question was so heart breakingly sad, and her next words
were so soft, it might have been the creaking of the bed
"I didn't even get a chance to hold him"
Logan had heard enough, he pulled her back and look her
full in the face "You will Max" he said half gently half
firmly "You will, I will, Manticore may have given you the
genes but *we* created the baby. Jesse *will* live okay?"
his voice was raising slightly "You have to believe that"
"I want to" Max replied "But, I'm scared"
"I am to Max" Logan responded "But if we give up on him
now, he *is* as good as dead, and your sister deserves to
have her memory honored through this baby, and Jess doesn't
desrve to die so young."
Max looked at him in understanding "Let's hope"
"I don't hope Max" Logan told her "I know"
*****
55 minutes later
Max had exhausted herself by taking for so long, so Logan
insisted that she take a nap. She objected at first, but
then realized how tired this ordeal made her. Logan laid
down beside her, and she curled around him and fell
asleep almost instantly.
He just watched her. She looked so innocent when she slept.
It was hard to believe that someone with those gentle
features could take on Ninja warriors, and haul the ass
of every sleeze in Seattle without even batting an eyelash.
She must have felt him looking at her because her eyes
soon opened, looking into his.
Logan smiled at her "good nap?"
"Yea" she replied stretching "What time is it?"
"5:00" he responded brushing a stray lock of hair from
her face.
The door opened and the ob walked in the room.
Max, who had been still somewhat sleepy from her nap became
wide awake. She locked both eyes on the man in the white lab
coat, and felt Logan's arm go across her shoulders.
"I just got the results of the tests in" the doctor said
holding up a manila envelope "*Jesse* shows no signs of
neuro damage, or any other risks that might threaten his
life"
Max broke down and Logan hugged her, relieved "Thank God"
He kissed her with deep emotion before looking up at the
doctor
"What happens now?"
"Giving that she was in active labor when she arrived we can't
send her home, however in light of the risks of her delivering
vaginally I think it would be best to do a cesarean" the ob
responded
Logan nodded satisfied with his statement.
"Let's get it on then" Max said with renewed energy. Her
child was all right. He would live to learn the story of his
namesake.
<You lost this time Lydeker>
*****
Wating Room 1-b
6:45 p.m.
"What do ya thinks takin' so long?" Original Cindy asked
pacing around the row of chairs for about the fifth time.
"Beats me" Bling said watching her "I'm single remember?"
She laughed a little and plopped down beside him.
"This is unreal huh?" Cindy asked looking at him "My girl is
going to be a mama"
"I know" Bling admitted "It seems just yesterday that Logan
was bitchin' that being alone sucked, and now he's finally
re-married and he's a breath away from being a father"
"Word up" Cindy said "Max was like that too, all 'I don't
need no man' and even though Original Cindy's into True
Love she knew lyin' when she saw it" she smirked. "They grow
up so fast."
"To true" Bling agreed.
The doors swung open and Logan came out, still dressed in the
scrubs that the had to wear to be in the OR.
Bling and Cindy stood up.
"7 lbs., 6 oz" Logan said proudly displaying the pink bundle
in his arms. His little eyes were closed, and his face was
pinched but to Logan he was beautiful.
"Oh my god" Cindy said looking down at the baby "Look at him"
She stared at Jesse for a long time "He's perfect Logan"
she stated "He looks just like you" she grasped a tiny hand
in hers and squeezed it.
"No I thinks he resembles his mother more" Logan stated
looking down at his son "He's got dark skin, and brown
eyes, plus when he came out he cried so long that the ob
said his lung power was exceedingly well off"
Cindy laughed "Oh yea he *is* like my girl all right" she
paused and then added "How's Max doin'?"
"She's a little tired, and sore, but overall she's fine"
Logan replied.He walked over to Bling.
"So how do you like the goods?" he said holding up his
tiny burden.
Bling laughed at his statement "He's fine lookin' to me" he
touched the head of the sleeping newborn "Remember how I said
at your wedding you done good?"
Logan nodded
"Well, Bling went on "You did even better now"
Logan smiled, and kissed his baby's head "Oh yea, I'm
two for two"
At that moment the doors opened and Max was wheeled out.
She made the orderly stop for a moment, and looked over at the
people around her "Wow, what a party" her voice sounded tired
"It's all for you baby girl" Cindy stated walking over to her.
She kissed her on the cheek "Ya made it out alive" she teased
"Barely" Max quipped lightly looking over at Logan holding
their baby. "But, if this is what escaping death feels like,
I can live with it" she reached out and touched, at least
*tried* to touch Jesse's head.
Logan moved closer, the anesthetics were still keeping Max's
body numb from about her collarbone down so she couldn't
go anywhere. He kissed her softly "you and me both"
Bling walked over to her as well and kissed her forehead
"I'm proud of you girl"
"I'm lovin' all this attention guys" Max said through a yawn,
"but,I'm kinda drifting here" her eyes began to close. Now
that it was over, she allowed herself the luxury to sleep.
"All right suga" Cindy said "I'll come back later, right now I
gots to spread the good word" she offered Max another friendly
kiss on the head and went in search of a pay phone.
Bling said that he would come back as well, he knew that they
wanted to be alone with their new baby, and Cindy would
probably have the whole Jam Pony crew descend upon them soon
enough, so he bowed out.
As he passed Cindy he heard snatches of her conversation with
Kendra
"Kendra you should seen him, he looks just like Max" "Mmhmm,
brown hair and brown eyes" "Of course it's Logan's kid" "Just
because he looks more like our girl doesn't mean their doin' the
'whose your daddy' game" "Logan has brown hair too 'kay?"
Cindy caught the sight of Bling lookin' at her "Now you got me
people starin' at me. Gotta go, tell the gang, and make
sure that Normal hasn't gone and fired me, Jess don't need a
poor auntie" "You to suga" she hung up and faced Bling
"Kendra thought Max had a little action on the side?" he asked
Cindy nodded "I love my chica to death, but sometimes she's a
little off" she said taking the coffee he offered her
She took a swig appreciatively "This is good shit"
Bling sipped his and nodded "I sorta wheedled a doctor here to
get it for me from the lounge, being a therapist has it's perks"
"Good man" Cindy said taking another drink of the hot liquid.
Her eyes scanned over at a cute looking doctor in green scrubs
"'Scuse me Bling" she said taking one last drink before setting
it down "Auntie Cindy could use another lil pick me up" she began
walking over to the woman.
Bling left her to do her stuff and retreated down the corridors.
*****
Three Weeks Later
Max checked her position as she blew by Bling and sunk the
ball in at the three point line.
"That's game" she called out triumphantly.
Bling took a minute to compose himself "That ain't right, that
makes twice in a row" he wiped the sweat off his face with his
shirt.
"It's not my fault that I got game boy" she sauntered up to him
and got up in his face.
"You just can't handle the pressure" she teased
"I can handle it Max" Bling said in his defense.
There conversation was halted when Logan approached them,
cradling Jesse in his arms.
"I hate to break up such a good post game argument, but one of
the players is needed by her son"
Max laid down the ball and wiped off her sweat with one arm. She
walked over to Logan and grinned at the sight.
"Don't my boys look cute" her statement made Logan smile.
Logan was wearing a Knicks Jersey underneath black athletic
shorts, and Jesse was dressed in a smaller basketball jersey
that Bling had custom made for him.
"He's hungry again?" Max's voice had a loving, but slightly
exasperated tone.
"Yea" Logan said handing her their son "I offered to help but,
he turned me down"
Max laughed at this "Daddy's a idiot huh Jess?" she kissed him
on his small face, before leaning over to kiss Logan, a deep
passionate kiss with her tongue, her teeth, every aspect of
her mouth. She pulled away, after lack of air.
"But daddy's got a hell of a good mouth so he's forgiven"
she grinned at him seductively.
"He can here you babe" Logan said with a gentle firmness "You
have to curve you're language" he leaned down towards the
child's face
"Mommy has a good mouth to Jesse, she just has to tone it
down sometimes"
Max smacked him lightly "Okay, me and Jess got a date" she
walked over to one of the benches and sat down. Her hands
moved to lift up her blue tank top.
Jesse gave a small cry.
"Hang on sweetie" Max lightly scolded the impatient
infant "Mommy can only go so fast" She finally got her
squawking son positioned at her breast and felt him start
to feed. Jesse's soft baby breath was warm on
her exposed skin.
She sucked in her breath as he exerted more force on her
to obtain his meal.
"You wanna ease up a little down there?" she said to the
greedy baby "I kinda need those later"
After he was done, she replaced her tank over her chest, and
placed him on her shoulder patting his little back to get him
to burp, which he did, loudly.
Max laughed at this, before standing up. "Okay kiddo, the bar
is now closed" She searched around for the baby carrier, but
couldn't find it. Leave it to Logan to leave no spot for their
son to sit on out here.
"C'mon Jess" Max said, draping him across one shoulder
"Let's go ask daddy where he put you're v.i.p seat, so you
can watch mommy beat the sh- I mean the *snot* out of Uncle
Bling some more" she caught her foul language before she
spoke it. He would have plenty of opportunity build his
'other vocabulary' later, so he didn't have to learn from
her right now.
She walked back out in the middle of the court, where
apparently no one had been playing ball in her absence.
Rather she found her man, and Bling talking to a young
woman about her age.
"Hate to interrupt" Max stated stopping in front of them.
"You weren't" Logan responded looking at her "We were
just talking"
"We meaning-" Max asked.
Bling caught what she was saying "Oh, excuse me, I have
no manners today, Clairce, this is Max, Logan's wife"
"Nice to meet you" the woman said, extending out her hand.
Max shook it, carefully holding the baby with her other
arm "You too"
Jesse coed softly, as if he wanted to be introduced also.
"All right, I'll tell, her" Max said to him "This little
seed is our son Jesse"
Clarice smiled "Happy to meet you there" she said to
the infant.
Jesse coed again, making Logan laugh "He's such a lady
killer for a three week old"
"Wonder where he gets it from" Max teased before adding
"Baby, didn't you bring his carrier out?"
Logan nodded "I think so, why?"
"'Cause I can't find it" she replied "And I can't hold him
AND kick Bling's ass at the same time" she had forgotten to
tread lightly on the language, but one slip now and then
wouldn't hurt anything.
"I'll go look for it" Logan said, and went in search of the
needed item.
"I'll hold him for ya Max" Bling said "Even though you made
that remark about my ass kicking"
Max carefully passed him the baby "That remark is soon
to be reality" she teased.
Jesse settled comfortably on Bling's shoulder, his babbling,
and cooing ceased.
"Now why can't he do *that* at three in the morning?"
she said
Bling chuckled "He's just like you Max, a night owl" he held
Jesse above his head "Ain't that right little man?" Jesse
giggled.
"I have to be" Max responded "He keeps us up so late" She
looked towards Clarice "You got any one of these?"
She laughed and shook her head "No, not yet, I gotta find
a guy first, and there's the whole loosing you're figure
thing, although I must say you look damn good for just
recently having one"
Max smiled at her statement "This is a good woman Bling"
she said, focusing her attention back on him "You kids
outta get together"
Bling didn't say anything as Logan came back with the
carrier.
"I guess I never took it out of the car" Logan admitted
sheepishly.
Max playfully knocked him upside the head "What the hell
am I gonna do with you?"
Logan caught her hand as she was pulling it away and yanked
her close to him, setting the carrier on the cement, and
wrapped both arms around her waist.
"I have my suggestions" his tone was low and seductive by
her ear.
"Logan" she began relaxing in his embrace "We're on a
basketball court"
"I'm into new things" he murmured
Max smiled at this "It would give whole new meaning to the
phrase 'I got game'
"Woah there now" Bling interrupted "This is a little x-rated
for your son to here"
"He's gotta learn eventually" Max said teasingly. She pulled
out of Logan's embrace, and retrieved Jesse from Bling. "But
I guess some things are better learned later" she finished
and set him down carefully in the seat.
After seeing that her son was secure she picked up the
carrier, and looked back up at Bling
"Right now all he needs to learn is how bad I can knock
you around in a basketball game" her voice was teasing
Bling looked at Logan "Your woman is dissin' me boy, aren't
you going to do something?"
Logan shook his head "You forget I have to go home with
her later"
Max laughed at this "Good man" she said to him, spotting
Original Cindy at the benches that lined the side of the
court.
"My baby sitting service has arrived" Max stated turning
towards Clarice "Sorry for such a short meaning, but I need
to deliver a package to my girl over there"
Clarice laughed lightly "No problem, I have to leave as well,
it was nice meeting you" The two women shook hands again, and
Clarice walked to her car parked by a large maple tree.
Max pounced on Bling again "Really guy, you need to shack
up with that one."
"Max" Bling had a warning edge in his tone
"I'm just sayin' is all" she interrupted "as I recall
*you* did the same thing to us" she indicated her and
Logan "and look what happened" this time she pointed
to the baby carrier she was holding, where Jesse had
managed to fall asleep through all the conversation.
Bling had to laugh at her remark "You got me there" he
answered honestly.
He dribbled the basketball he was holing a few times "Go give
Jess over to your girl there, 'cause me and you gots business"
he had a competitive edge in his tone.
"Ooo.." Max's voice was full of her trademark attitude "Wanna
loose some more huh? well if that's what your trip is" she
finished before walking over to Cindy.
"You made it" Max said approaching her friend. She set the
carrier down on the bench beside Cindy.
"Uh huh" Cindy said lookin' up at her "I wouldn't do this
for know one but you boo. I had me a rendezvous with this
well built blonde at the farmer's market, but, I had to tell
her that I had to meet my guy" Cindy turned to Jesse who was
still asleep. She traced his forehead gently before continuing
"And suga, blondie was a little pissed 'cause she thought I
was bi" Cindy finished looking back up at Max.
"Sorry about ruining, your moment" Max said apologetically.
Cindy waved her off with one hand "Don't worry about it
baby girl,'cause youz alwayz been my woman above the rest,
and this boy here, well if I don't watch out I might cross
over to the other realm."
Max laughed lightly at Cindy "He's a keeper huh?" she sat
down next to her son, stroking the small amount of brown
hair that was covering his head.
"Defiantly" Cindy responded looking at Jesse again "You
and Logan make nice lookin' babies together, you outta
think about doin' it again"
"Oh no" Max said raising her hand "I got my hands full
with this one, plus it'll be awhile before I do the whole
pregnancy thing again"
They grew quiet as Logan walked up to them, he smiled
over at Cindy.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice Cindy" Logan said
"Max, gets a little, how shall I put this - "competitive"
when it comes to this game, and with *me* having to make
sure she doesn't kill Bling over there, there's no one to
watch Jess"
"Don't worry about it" Original responded "Max is my home
girl, and you and the little seed are her boys, so it's all
good, I *do* have a favor to ask of you"
"What?" Logan asked
"Since, I'm doin' you a service, you need to sell Max on my
idea of giving Jesse some more family to play with" Cindy
responded.
Logan gave her a shit eating grin and walked up to Max, laying
a hand on her shoulder "You oughta listen to her on this one
baby" he finished waggling his eyebrows at her.
She just shook her head standing up "I'll think about"
"Right now, I gotta attend to something"
"Take'em down Max" Cindy said with a smirk.
Max nodded in reply, and looked at Logan "After this game is
over, I'm gonna be all sweaty, so I'll need a hot shower" her
tone was low
Logan caught what she meant, and a ripple of desire went
through him. They haven't had sex in weeks. Oh sure they
kissed, and cuddled, but because of her c-section the ob
had outlined no intercourse for until her incision healed.
That was two weeks ago. Max was up and around she was still
off work for about three more weeks, and well, they had to
do *something* to occupy all that free time.
Max saw the desire in his eyes as well. It's the first time
she felt truly turned on in weeks. Her estrogen levels had
been all over the place lately and she had been acting like
some fuckin' sissy ass teenage girl. She knew that it would
pass eventually, her ob said in about two to three weeks
after delivery, but when she caught herself loosing it over
a damn Hallmark card commercial on tv she wanted to literally
suck all that excess female hormone out of her body and
flush it down the crapper.
She had been getting better though. When Bling had asked them
to come shoot hoops with him, she had taken the opportunity
to re-aquatint herself with her *other* baby, the gray one
with crome and leather handle bars.Logan offered to take
Jesse in his car, knowing how much she missed ridding the
Ninja.
It felt great too. Just like before, the wind in her hair,
the feel of leather seat under her legs. Well it wasn't
QUITE like before. Then she didn't have her husband and
infant son trailing her by a few miles.
The streets of Seattle *were* how she remembered them though,
with the Black Market booths and the street sleeze. When she
slowed to a stop at the end of a four way street one of them
approached her. He was tall, wearing a red bandanna, trashy
jeans and a plaid shirt underneath a navy blue cotton jacket.
"Hey chicky chicky" he said running his eyes over her body
appreciatively "That's a nice hog, you got there, but I gots
a better way for you to feel vibrations in between your legs"
he was positively leering at her.
Obviously he didn't see her wedding ring on her right hand,
or he didn't give a shit. Max figured it was the latter,
'cause the "locals" didn't discriminate. She was starting
to get pissed. Not only was he de-grading her, he *actually*
thought he was gonna score.
"Hey" Logan's voice came from out of the window of the
Aztec. He had obviously caught up with her. Now normally
she wouldn't mind when he defended her, but she had enough
of that in the last few months. She was sick of being the
'weak little woman' But, Logan was very much aware of
that fact because the next words out of his mouth were:
"Stop hitting on my wife before she makes something bad
happen to you"
Max felt relieved, and looked at the scuz "You heard
my man" she said with a growl.
Scuzz obviously didn't care, 'cause he tried to grope
her "What's a little thing like you gonna do, 'sides give
me some of that sweet sweet love. And no offense doll buy
your man needs to mind his own business"
The traffic light changed colors.
"Green light" Max announced she revved up the Ninja, making
sure her baby backed up enough to nail the guy in the balls
with her back wheel before going forward.
The guy doubled over cursing.
Logan slowly wheeled the car over to him "Told ya" was all
he said before following Max down the road.
Max came back to the here and now and looked at Logan
"Does my plan sound good?" she asked locking eyes with him.
"Oh yea" Logan replied "Plus it saves water" his voce was
husky
"Always Mister Practical" Max said with a laugh, leaving them
and walking over to Bling
"Let's go" she said stopping in front of him, and snatching
the ball.She began to dribble it down the center of the court.
"You forgot to check it" Bling said
Max threw the ball hard at his chest, where it landed with
a loud thud "Check"
Bling just shook his head and bounced it back to her
"*Now* let's go"
She grinned as the game got underway.
Logan watched her from the sidelines.
"She does love to strut her stuff huh?" Cindy said looking up at
him with a smirk.
"That's the truth" Logan responded "But that's why I love
her so much" he walked over to the game in progress.
After he left Cindy turned to Jesse who was now awake.
"Jess" she began turning the carrier so that he faced her
"Your aunite met such a nice woman earlier, but she blew her
off to see you" She tickled the baby's stomach and he giggled
"But, I don't mind, she was a little to built for me, plus I
don't think that was her real hair color" she talked to him
like he understood "Can you say 'bleach blonde'?"
Jesse just stared at her quizzically. Cindy turned her eyes
up to the court. Max had obviously won the game of Horse
cause she was doin' her victory dance and Logan came up
behind her and spun her around in circles.
Cindy watched this observantly, turning back to the baby
"Your moms and dad love each other a whole lot baby boy"
Cindy's mouth pulled back in a grin "I think I'd better
check on you tonight,'cause I think they gonna love each
other a *whole* lot tonight as well" she finished.
*****
End
This took a while to complete. I originally planned to have
Max miscarry the baby because of a seizure, but I'm such a
softie I couldn't *do* that to even an imaginary child. Plus
then I would have to get into that whole angst thing, and
depression that women undergo after miscarriages...it was
just to deep. I did add a little drama with the whole birthing
thing though...didn't want this to be just all mush and sap.
I hope you enjoyed it. I've already written a sequel, and
think I may turn this into a series, let me know if you
liked the first one.
Choices
By: Mystic25