A/N: Again, I thank Misery Loves Sarah for beta-reading so fast! Please notice, this fanfic is part of the 'Facing Fatherhood' series. Now we have already two parts up:
Facing Fatherhood: Taking care by Sonea27
Facing Fatherhood: Bedtime Stories by Fell4
Though Fell4 posted hers early I wrote it in the time order of the story line :) Enjoy!
Facing Fatherhood: Taking Care
John Druitt tapped in the code of the front gate and crossed the distance to the main entrance door, a worried look on his face. After closing the door behind him John went to find Helen. In fast and wide steps he went to her office, but had no luck there. Instead John dropped his bag and freed himself of his jacket. He then searched the infirmary and the kitchen, without any success. The concern on his face deepened and he ran through the Sanctuary to Henry's lab. Maybe the younger man could tell him where Helen was.
He'd been on a mission in India, capturing a rare abnormal. The Mumbai Sanctuary had cooperated and provided three of their people. They'd been able to trick it and were about to bring it to a secure place when Will had suddenly called him. He'd told him Helen had collapsed and it would be better if he came back as soon as possible. John had immediately dropped everything but the immense level of energy in the city had made it impossible to teleport.
So he had to make his way to the outskirts of the city which wasn't easy on a Friday afternoon. The traffic was slow and on top of that he'd forgotten to take the mobile with him and therefore couldn't even call Will again to make sure Helen was fine. Then, after almost two hours, John had finally been able to reach the less populated part of the city and teleport to Old City. For him the drive had felt more like days.
And now John was at the Sanctuary but Helen was nowhere in sight. That made him fear the worst. If something had happened to her he'd never forgive himself for not being there to help her through it. He already regretted leaving her alone in her uncontrollable condition. If she hadn't of forced him to go he'd have never consented.
Pushing his fear away John entered Henry's lab and was relieved to find Henry sitting in his chair.
"Where is Helen?" He sounded a bit out of breath which wasn't surprising after he'd run through the entire Sanctuary. Startled, Henry looked up from his work and searched for the owner of the voice. His face took on a relieved expression when he recognized Druitt.
"Oh good, you're back. Will tried to call you a thousand times, but you didn't respond. He was concerned because he knew you'd be looking for Magnus and..." He was cut short by John who couldn't stand not knowing if Helen was fine or not.
"Where is she?"
"I actually don't know." Henry answered unsure. "After she collapsed Will had Big Guy bring Magnus to the infirmary to check on her. I don't now anything else, Will told me to get the incident on level 4 under control."
"I already looked in the infirmary and she wasn't there." His face showed near desperation. "I have to find her. Where could she possible be?" It was a rhetorical question so Henry kept his mouth shut. Instead he watched Druitt restlessly pacing the small space between the wall and his desk .
Knowing he wouldn't get an answer from Henry, John turned to go find Will while muttering a quick 'Thank you'. His patience had run out. If he'd been able to use his ability within the Sanctuary it would have been much faster. But the EM-shield was running and his ability had weakened since he'd been freed of the energy elemental. This was why John now had problems dealing with big cities. Luckily, Old City wasn't too rich in electricity and he had no restrictions there.
John swore as he found Will's office empty as well. Hoping that nothing had happened to Helen and there was another reason why Will and Biggy were nowhere to be found John made his way down the hall. As he looked out the window into the dark night he realized that it was now almost midnight. John had been so concerned about Helen that he had forgotten that this was a complete different time zone and therefore the middle of the night.
Calling himself an idiot he started to run again, this time to their bedroom. If Helen was unwell Biggy would have made sure that she was resting at this time of night. He left the elevator and caught his breath when he reached the door. Slowly and as quiet as possible so as not to wake her John opened the door, fearful and longing to see her at the same time.
A warm smile crossed his face as he saw her lying on the couch. Her fragile frame was securely curled around her swollen belly, a blanket offering her a little warmth. She was deeply asleep. The couch had been moved so she'd be able to keep her eyes on the door. His heart swelled with love. Helen had, he knew without a doubt in his mind, been waiting for his arrival.
John went to her and gently lifted her in his arms. He wouldn't let her sleep on the couch. It was to small and uncomfortable and Helen needed her sleep more than ever now that she was pregnant. They were going to have twins in less then a month. It made his heart swell with happiness and love. He couldn't be any happier than right now. When he was with her he felt peace.
Helen stirred in his arms, woken by the sudden movement. She buried her face in his shirt and muttered something unintelligible. He carefully carried her to their bed and laid her down. After covering her with a blanket he pulled his shirt over his head and got rid of his pants and shoes.
He then climbed into bed and joined her under the covers. John pulled her softly against him and securely wrapped his arms around her, laying his hands carefully on her rounded belly. Before he could close his eyes Helen turned her head to look at him.
"You've come back." Her voices was low, heavy with sleep. Now that John was there it was easy for her to fully relax. She'd been worried he wouldn't be able to come back.
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, I had problems leaving the city." He whispered, not wanting to wake her any further. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm very tired. They are both kicking and my strength is fading faster. But we are all three fine. No need to worry..." She smiled at him and tilted her head slightly to softly touch her lips to his. John only smiled and she laid her head back against his chest.
"I love you," John whispered while stroking Helen's belly lightly. He could feel the children kicking against his touch. "We love you, too," Helen responded and laid her hands tenderly over his. Soon she drifted back into sleep, John's presence soothing her. All the agitation and anxiety forgotten and replaced by love.