A/N: Just as a side note, I wrote this to Time, from the Inception soundtrack, and Angel (Sarah Mclachlan) played a small part as well. If you're the kind of person that likes to have a playlist while you read, search them up on YouTube! Time was mostly for the second half, and Angel for the first, but you can play them however you want. Enjoy :)

As Long As I'm Living

Gabriel Merrick was the last to get to the hospital; he'd been with the team, putting out a house fire when he'd gotten the call. Everyone else was already in the waiting room. Becca and Chris were off to one side, their fingers entwined, whispering softly to each other. Nick was leaning against the wall across from them, his arms across his chest.

"Gabriel."

Michael was suddenly in front of him, rugged as always. His hair was a little longer than it used to be, though still tied back in a low ponytail like always. But he was clean-shaven, and his clothes looked less thrift-shoppy and more modern. Clearly Hannah was having a positive effect on him.

But Gabriel could see the tightness in his eyes, lined with red rims that were no doubt the product of a lack of sleep. Layne had been admitted hours ago. Had he been here the whole time?

Had all of them?

"What have the doctors said?" Gabriel managed to ask, his voice thick. There was a lump in his throat that he couldn't quite manage to swallow down.

Michael hesitated. "There was a complication."

"What kind of complication?"

The others were starting to move toward him; he could see Hannah now, sitting in one of the hard plastic chairs lining the middle of the room. She nudged a sleeping teenager beside her.

Michael shifted slightly, looking like he might place a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, but then seemed to think better of it. "I don't know the details. They wouldn't tell us much."

"She's going to be fine." The fierce conviction in Becca's voice startled them both, and they turned to look at her. She was still in her nursing scrubs, her hair tied back in a tight bun, her grey eyes determined. She put a hand to her chest. "I can feel it."

"Becca-"

"I can." She ignored her boyfriend's frustrated sigh, reaching out to touch Gabriel's hand. "See for yourself."

They'd been training together for years, all of them, and their control had been soaring to new heights. But Becca's abilities were still a bit unstable. He couldn't bring himself to pin his hopes on her senses.

The decision was taken away from him when a woman cleared her throat from somewhere behind the group. Everyone stepped away, giving the doctor space to approach Gabriel.

"Mr. Merrick?"

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His throat felt raw, cracked, and he couldn't speak. After a moment he simply nodded, bracing himself for her next words.

"I apologize for the wait. We had a slight complication."

There it was again, that fucking word. Complication. If he heard it one more time, he was gonna burn this whole place to the ground.

The doctor was frowning up at him now. "Sir?"

He blinked, taken aback. "W-what?"

Her expression softened. "You can see your wife now. This way." Without another word she turned and marched back down the hallway, leaving Gabriel stunned and completely off balance.

His twin shoved him in the shoulder. "Go, you idiot," he whispered, the ghost of a smile on his face.

"I told you." Becca sneered, punching Chris in the arm. "Next time maybe you guys should listen up."

The two of them started bickering, Nick joining in to ruffle his younger brother's hair and tease them both. Michael clapped a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, giving him a gentle push.

"Go see your wife," he muttered gruffly, Hannah and her son watching hopefully from the sidelines.

He nodded slowly, and then somehow his limbs were moving, following the doctor down a dark hospital hallway.

Gabriel found himself frozen in the doorway, unable to move, to do anything but stare.

She was there, her dark hair splayed across the pillows, spilling over her shoulders. Sweat gleamed on her forehead, her cheeks flushed; tiny pieces of hair stuck to her temples. There was a small bundle in her arms and she was smiling down at it, cooing softly, her hands curled carefully, holding it close to her chest.

"L..Layne...?"

She looked up, her dark brown eyes meeting his, and her smile almost destroyed him.

In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Hi," she murmured, her voice hushed, a little raspy.

He made his way slowly into the room, his heavy workboots thudding hard against the tiles. "Mike, and the doctors-" his voice broke - Jesus Christ, get a grip - and he cleared his throat. "They said there were complications."

Layne nodded, the motion sending a few sweaty bangs into her eyes. "This little guy was trying to come out backwards." She gave a tired chuckle, glancing down at the baby - their baby in her arms. "They just had to get him back into the right position."

Gabriel was standing right next to her now. Someone had placed a lounge chair next to her bed and he leaned against it, somehow needing the support. He reached out a hand, wanting to brush her hair out of her face, to touch her, to feel that she was all right. But he'd already forgotten; in his rush to get here, he hadn't even had time to change, let alone shower. His hands were near black, covered in soot from the fire.

And then something she'd said clicked in his brain.

"Him?"

She looked up at him again, her warm brown eyes filling with tears. "Yes. It's a boy, Gabriel. We have a son."

And then the fire and the uniform and the soot were forgotten, and he was on his knees in front of her, kissing her forehead, her hair, his hands pushing those damned stray hairs out of her face. She laughed, tears of joy streaming down her face, and he brushed his thumb across her cheeks, wiping them away as they fell, leaving sooty fingerprints in their wake. Layne didn't seem to mind. "We have a child," she breathed, resting her forehead against his. "A beautiful baby boy."

Gabriel slowly pulled back, hesitant. He glanced down into her arms, the blue blankets concealing the smallest little body he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Here." Layne shifted, lifting her arms up, offering the precious bundle to him.

Gently, almost reverently, he reached out, taking the baby into his arms. God, but he was tiny. He couldn't have weighed more than six pounds. He had a thin mist of dark hair, barely visible against the fair skin of his forehead. Gabriel could just make out his pudgy little fingers, curled tightly around the edge of his blanket.

Tiny brown eyes gazed up at him, full of awe and wonder.

This was his son.

Layne made a soft sound, something like a sigh, almost as if she didn't want to interrupt his staring. He glanced up, quirking a brow. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I know we were expecting it to be a girl... So we haven't picked a name yet..." She trailed off, one hand unconsciously moving to tug at the loose strands of hair by her shoulder. He smirked, he couldn't help himself. Nearly ten years later, she still had the same nervous tells.

"Michael." As soon as he said it, he knew it was right. It just...fit. "Let's call him Michael."

A small smile drifted across her lips; she shifted closer to them, resting her head on his shoulder. "Michael." Layne whispered it softly, staring down at the child in his arms, her soft breathing like a soothing lullaby. "I love it."

Michael Merrick.

Gabriel let his smile grow, cradling his baby boy in his arms, feeling the steady rise and fall of his wife's breathing at his side.

It kind of had a ring to it.

Fin

A/N: In case you didn't know, the title As Long As I'm Living comes from Robert Munsch's book "Love You Forever". Also, I'm leaving this as "In-Progress" because I might add another little vignette or two late on.