Against his better judgment, Jim had allowed himself to be talked into going to work. Blair sat home alone, nursing his injury and trying unsuccessfully to stave off boredom. He picked up the remote control, clicking on the Discovery Channel, and settled in to watch a program on cloning.
As he stretched out on the couch, he felt a tightness seize his abdomen. He blinked in surprise, then tried breathing through the cramping. The tightness eased, and he settled in to watch the program.
At noon, Jim surprised him by coming home for lunch and bringing sandwiches from Leibowitz's Deli down the block. Blair dug through the bag with abandon.
"Tongue? Wow, thanks!" He pulled the paper back from his sandwich and sank down onto a chair in the dining area.
Jim set a glass of juice in front of his partner and settled down across the table. "How's it going?"
"Boring. What did you expect?"
"I expect you to be resting," Jim said in no uncertain terms.
"There's only so many hours in a day a guy can sleep." Blair sighed expressively before taking another bite of his sandwich. "Thanks for bringing home lunch; this is really good."
"Well, I figured after the day you had yesterday, you deserved a treat."
"You've finally forgiven me then?"
"For nearly getting yourself and our baby killed? No." Jim's face softened as he took in the stricken look from across the table. "But for saving me--yeah, I do. You're a brave man ... crazy, but brave. Just don't do it again, okay?"
"No way. I'm on hiatus from police work." Blair chuckled, then clutched at his abdomen, a hiss issuing from clenched teeth.
"Blair? What's wrong?" Jim was up and around the table, kneeling next to his lover.
"It's just cramps," Blair said, breathing normally again. "They're not so bad, really."
"Maybe we should take you back to the hospital and have it checked out." Jim was fretting again. "Do you want to lie down?"
"Nah, I'm fine, Jim. You can stop fussing." Blair batted Jim's hand away.
"Maybe I should take the afternoon off."
"Jim, you're not listening again. I'M FINE. Your hovering makes me nervous."
"You don't take good enough care of yourself," Jim complained.
Blair gathered his remaining patience around him like a cloak. "I appreciate that you're worried, Jim. It's flattering, but I can take care of myself. I'm just going to stretch out on the couch and veg this afternoon. Good enough for you?"
"I suppose." Jim hesitated. "You'll call me if you need anything?"
"Of course. You know I would," Blair assured him, allowing Jim to help him over to the couch and put his feet up.
Jim fluffed the pillows beneath his guide's head and feet. "Comfortable?"
"Eminently. Now, get out of here before Simon calls and wonders where you are."
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Jim," he answered, patience fraying. "Thanks for bringing lunch. I enjoyed it."
"Want me to bring something home for dinner?"
"I was thinking about putting a lasagna casserole in the oven later."
"I'll pick one up from Marie's. You shouldn't be on your feet."
"Jim, I'm not an invalid! Let me cook, all right?"
The phone rang. Blair beat Jim to the handset, as the phone was on the floor next to the couch. "Yeah, Simon. He's just leaving," he said as he watched Jim close the door behind him.
~oO0Oo~
The smells of pasta and garlic wafted down the hall as Jim exited the elevator on the third floor. He opened the front door to find his lover busy in the kitchen, his gravid profile a welcome sight after a long day at the office. Walking over, he wrapped Blair in his arms from behind, kissing his cheek and following him around the kitchen as he attempted to finish their dinner.
"It's hard enough moving this bulk around without you hanging on for the ride," Blair groused affectionately.
"I missed you," Jim said by way of explanation.
"I missed you, too, but if you want to eat tonight, you'd better let go. Here," he said, grabbing a head of lettuce. "You tear up the lettuce for our salad; all the other veggies are already chopped."
"You've been a busy one today," Jim commented, tearing the lettuce into a large bowl. "Weren't you supposed to be resting?"
"This all looks like a lot more work than it really is," Blair admitted. "I've been resting all day. I'm tired of resting. I need to move, keep the circulation going." He pulled the casserole out of the oven, and slipped the garlic bread in for browning.
They settled down to eat, Blair digging in with an appetite as ravenous as though he hadn't eaten all day. Jim looked on with amusement. Blair's appetite had been nearly insatiable the last few weeks.
"I had a talk with Simon today," Jim began, between bites of pasta. Blair looked up, but his mouth was full. "I asked how he'd feel if I started my paternity leave a week early."
Blair swallowed and washed the food down with some water. "Jim ... you don't need to do that."
"I've got plenty of vacation time and sick leave that I've never used. Add that to the six weeks paternity leave, and I could stay home with you and the baby for up to three months." His eagerness shone in his eyes.
"Sure, Jim," Blair agreed, giving in easily. He could see how much this meant to his life partner, his lover, to his Sentinel. He would pick and choose his arguments. This one wasn't worth the energy.
After dinner, they settled on the couch, Jim stretched out with his head resting in Blair's lap. Blair had his feet on the coffee table, in direct violation of House Rule No. 6, not that Jim cared. House rules had gone out the window when Blair got pregnant. Nothing was more important than pampering the mother-to-be. He listened to the patter of the small heartbeat, felt the strong kicks.
"Wow, that was a real bruiser," Blair commented, rubbing a hand over the top of his belly. "She's going to be a handful, I can tell."
"Just like her mother." The comment garnered him a slap on the shoulder.
"I would've hit your butt, but I can't reach," Blair complained. "You'd better not start calling me 'Mommy'. This little girl has two daddies and you're just going to have to get used to the idea."
"Yes, Dear," Jim murmured teasingly, rubbing gentle circles on the swollen belly as he continued to listen to the hypnotic sounds of the heartbeats. He froze as he felt the muscles contract beneath his hand. A moan issued from above him, followed by short, sharp pants of breath. "Blair?"
"Just another cramp, Jim. I'm okay."
"Maybe we should call Lynne."
"You worry too much." He stroked the short-cropped hair. "You know, I think fixing dinner wore me out. I'm going to hit the sack early tonight."
"Want me to come with you?" Jim asked, resuming his soothing belly rub.
"That's okay, you can stay up. Isn't there a Jags' game on TV tonight?"
"Yeah, they're playing Portland again. Pretty even match-up. You sure you don't mind?"
Blair smiled warmly at his lover. "I'm not really the best of company right now," he admitted. "Besides, you earned some quiet time. Enjoy the game."
Jim sat up and helped Blair to stand. "Need help getting upstairs?"
"Nah, I can make it." Blair grabbed onto the banister and slowly began his trudge up the stairs. Jim listened to the rustling noises as his lover undressed and pulled back the covers. The squeak of protesting bed springs brought a smile to his face. Not much longer now.
Turning on the TV, he adjusted the volume to sentinel hearing level so as not to disturb Blair's sleep, and settled in to watch the game.
At half-time, Jim got up to grab a beer. As he walked past the bedroom, he heard a soft cry. Bounding up the steps two at a time, he was next to the bed in seconds. Placing his hand on Blair's abdomen, he felt the strong contraction of the muscles. He pressed his ear near his hand, listening to the increased heart rate of their baby.
"All right, Chief. We're doing this my way this time." He tugged Blair into a sitting position. "Get dressed, we're going to the hospital."
For once, Blair didn't argue, he simply started pulling on the clothes Jim tossed at him. They made their way carefully down the stairs and across the room to the front door. "Wait here a minute," Jim said, leaning the exhausted man against the wall and running back up the stairs for the hospital bag they had packed last week. "Don't want to forget this, just in case." He guided Blair out the door and into the elevator.
The slow and cautious drive to the hospital became a mad dash with lights and sirens as another cramp caused Blair to double over in pain. "Make it stop, Jim," he pleaded, then all thought was lost to the effort of breathing through the pain.
He skidded the truck to a halt outside the maternity wing of the hospital. Running around to the passenger side, he helped Blair down, settling him into a wheelchair as soon as they got inside the doors.
He approached the desk and got the attention of the nurse on duty. "Blair Sandburg. He's not due in until November 7th for a C-section, but he's cramping now. It's gotten pretty bad."
The nurse walked around the desk and knelt by the wheelchair. "Blair?" She put a hand on his belly, feeling the tightening of the muscles. "You with me here?"
"Yeah," the young man hissed. "Make it stop, okay?"
"How long have these cramps been happening?"
Jim grimaced. "Most of the day, I think. Blair kept putting me off, saying it wasn't important, that he was okay."
"How far along is he now?" the nurse asked Jim.
"Thirty-nine weeks. His C-section is scheduled for next week."
A thought occurred to the detective. "He was shot yesterday." The nurse looked up, startled. "He was wearing a vest, but took a hit in the stomach. Could that be causing this?"
"Any number of things could be causing it," she answered cautiously, "but that's one of the possibilities. He's nearly term, though, so this could an imminent rupture. Let me put in a call to Dr. Casey. We'll admit Blair for observation in the meantime." She shoved the paperwork in front of Jim, then stepped behind the wheelchair and pushed Blair through the swinging double doors.
"We're just going to make you comfortable, Blair. Okay?" The nurse took him into a room and set the brake on the chair. She rummaged in the cupboards until she found a smock that would fit. "Do you need any help getting undressed?"
Blair shot her a look of total disgust. "I'm still capable of undressing myself," he snapped.
"All right, then. I'll be back in a few minutes to help you get into bed." She took one look at her stubborn patient and added, "Don't you try it on your own. You need help. By the way," she said, her voice softening, "my name is Colleen. Buzz me if you need help before I get back."
Blair struggled with his clothes. He danced around the room as he tried to pull off his pants, nearly overbalancing and falling down. Leaving on his boxer shorts, he pulled the soft cotton gown on, tying the strings in the back, then plopping down in the nearest chair to wait for Colleen's return. "Wish Jim would hurry up and get here." He shivered in the cool room.
A few minutes later, Jim entered, followed by Colleen.
"Ready to get into that bed?" She smiled at the disgruntled young man. He stood and walked over to where she was standing. "This bed's down as low as it'll go," she explained, "so you'll need to use this step stool to get in."
Blair stepped up with the nurse on one side and Jim on the other to steady him. He slid onto the bed and tried to get comfortable. Colleen raised the head of the bed and placed some extra pillows behind his back and head. "How's that?"
"Okay, I guess."
"Dr. Casey will be here in about twenty minutes," Colleen explained as she stuck a needle in the back of Blair's hand and started an IV. She patted his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, okay? Everything's going to be fine."
~oO0Oo~
"Well," Lynne said when she arrived and had a chance to examine her patient. "Looks like little Laurene had her own ideas about when she was ready to be born."
"What do you mean, Doc?" Jim fidgeted with the edge of the blanket covering Blair.
"The baby is full-term, and she seems ready to be born tonight. The cramping at this stage of the game most likely indicates the beginnings of a rupture of the ectopic. We'll have to do an emergency C-section tonight." She turned to her patient. "How do you feel about that, Blair?"
"I'm ready. Please, just make the pain stop," he pleaded.
"Okay, I'll send the anesthesiologist up to get you started. We'll do a spinal block, so you'll be awake during the delivery, Blair. Jim, if you want to be there to keep Blair company, you may." She turned to leave. "I'll see you in about a half an hour."
The anesthesiologist arrived a few minutes later with a cart load of equipment. "Hello, Blair. I'm Dr. Carter, your anesthesiologist. This will just take a few minutes and you'll be good to go. All right?"
"Anything to get this over with."
"All right, then. I need to get you rolled onto your side. Jim?" The doctor looked up as the other man nodded. "Okay, Jim, I want you to help. Grab Blair's arms and pull. I'll roll from the back. Blair, I want you to let us do all the work, okay? You just relax. You've got the easy part here."
The two men maneuvered Blair onto his side and the doctor readied a needle. "Jim, could you pull his shorts off, please? Sorry, Blair. No room for modesty when you're having a baby."
Jim tugged the boxers off, tossing them on the pile with the rest of Blair's clothes.
"Okay, now I'm going to give you a local anesthetic to numb the area where the spinal will go. It's just going to be a little prick," he assured.
Blair squeezed Jim's hands hard as the needle was inserted. He held his breath until he felt it being removed.
"You're doing great, Babe," Jim cooed. "Hang in there. It's almost over." He leaned in to place a kiss on Blair's forehead.
Dr. Carter poked around Blair's spine. "Feel that?" Blair shook his head. "Okay, I'm going to administer the block. I need you to arch your back and flex your knees and head. Just pull yourself into a ball. Okay?"
Blair did as he was told, trembling slightly. Jim continued to soothe with soft words and gentle strokes.
"Hold perfectly still now. I'm going to insert a needle near your spinal cord. You shouldn't feel a thing during the procedure. Tell me if you're in any discomfort, okay?" Blair nodded, too nervous to speak. The doctor continued the procedure until the anesthesia was administered. "Let's get you rolled onto your back again," he said, pulling gently against Blair's shoulder and hip to roll him back.
"That's it. I'll be monitoring your progress during the surgery. You may feel a little nausea. The drug I gave you sometimes has that side effect. If you feel like vomiting, don't try holding it in. Let someone know, all right?" He patted Blair's shoulder. "See you in surgery."
~oO0Oo~
Jim stood at the head end of the operating table, a sterile drape shielding both himself and Blair from the surgery going on at the other end.
"You may feel some pressure as we cut, Blair," Lynne warned, "but there won't be any pain. We'll cut into the abdomen and remove the baby," she said as she began her incision. "You'll feel some tugging sensations, but again, there shouldn't be any pain. After that, you'll get to hold your precious bundle for a bit while we finish up down here. Shouldn't take more than thirty minutes."
"How do you feel?" Jim asked, looking down at the pasty-white complexion of his lover.
"I'm okay. Feels weird, though," Blair admitted.
"If you feel any discomfort, let us know," Dr. Carter reminded him.
Blair nodded and closed his eyes. "I so want this to be over," he sighed.
"Soon, Blair. Soon," Jim soothed, brushing sweat-damp hair from Blair's forehead.
The squalling cry of a baby echoed through the room. After a quick cleaning and check-up, the blanketed bundle was laid in Blair's waiting arms. "Congratulations, Daddy," Lynne smiled. "You have a bouncing baby girl, born at 12:01 A.M. on Halloween!"
Blair peeled back the blankets to reveal two dark blue eyes, an upturned nose, and a rosy pucker of lips. He stroked the tiny face with one finger. "She's perfect, Jim! Isn't she perfect?"
"Absolutely, one hundred percent perfect," Jim agreed, kissing Blair and Laurene in turn. He pulled the wrapping back a bit more, revealing a cloud of fine strawberry-blonde curls. "She looks just like her daddy."
"Which one?" Blair laughed.
"The pretty one, of course," Jim said, his face deadly serious, but his voice lighthearted.
"We need to take Laurene up to the nursery for a bit," Lynne explained. "We'll get her weighed and measured, run a few quick tests, and you can have her back. I'll be keeping you in the hospital three days, Blair, barring complications. Do you want rooming in, or do you want us to keep Laurene in the nursery and just bring her in for visits and feeding?"
"I'd like rooming in," Blair told her.
"Great. I like that choice. Just remember, if you ever get too tired, we can always take her to the nursery so you can get your rest."
~oO0Oo~
"Seven pounds, twelve ounces; nineteen-and-a-half inches," Lynne told them as she placed Laurene back into Blair's arms. The young man cuddled and cooed at the infant, as Lynne watched, wondering.
"Blair?" she asked, pausing momentarily. "What do you think of breastfeeding?"
"Huh?" Blair looked up from his bundle in shocked surprise.
"You've been leaking colostrum these past few weeks." She noted the look of disgust forming on her patient's face before deciding to continue despite it. "While it's certainly not a requirement, it's very beneficial to the baby to have that pre-milk. You pass on all your immunities through it, and help keep your baby healthy. Here, let's try something." She reached over to untie a couple strings on Blair's hospital gown, peeling back the fabric to expose the small mound of his left breast, which was currently leaking a cloudy, transparent fluid. She adjusted Laurene in his arms until her tiny bud of a mouth connected with the nipple. Like a duck to water, the tiny mouth latched on and began to suck.
Blair and Jim stared in amazement. "Wow...," Blair breathed. "Oh, wow. That's ... that's ... incredible!" He stroked one miniature cheek with a finger as his daughter suckled eagerly.
"I don't know if this is something you'll want to continue," Lynne said. "We always advocate breastfeeding, but with our male patients it's a touchy subject. You might not produce enough milk, so supplemental bottle feedings could be needed. It's your choice."
"What do you think?" Jim asked, almost afraid of the answer, not knowing which answer he wanted to hear.
"It's so ... so ... incredible, transcendental," Blair sighed. "God, it feels so right." He looked up at Jim with radiant eyes.
"Guess that answers your question, Doc." Jim smiled.
"Yup, guess so," Lynne agreed.
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