Of Dawn and Embers, page 35
part #3 of Of Cinder and Bone Series
More silence. She expected that he would hang up, but he didn't. “I meant what I said back in that hotel room. I don't want to see you set fire to your life. This mission opened your eyes. Now you can see everything. Before, you'd just gotten a peek through the blinds. Now the window's open. You know what kind of threats are out there. And now you know that you're strong enough to face them."
"So does that mean you're still going to try to kill me?"
He sighed. “I never wanted you dead, Blondie. I wanted an equal."
She froze. He kept going. “Surviving this proved that you've got what it takes to become an incredible force of nature. Whether it's for good or for bad, you are forged in steel now, Faye Worthington. You proved that to me. You proved that to Stella. You proved that to yourself. The next time we come at each other, it'll be a fair fight. I haven't had one of those in...Christ. I don't know how long."
He let out a little snort. “And if I'm gonna die someday, I'd be damned proud if it was by your hand. There are worse ways to go than being killed by a beautiful Valkyrie like you."
Faye sat there, speechless. Winston sighed. “I gotta go, Blondie. You won't hear from me anytime soon. These bullet wounds are going to be a bitch to get over. There's a beach somewhere with my name on it. I'll have an iced tea in your honor when I get there. Keep your head on straight, y'hear?"
"I..." She swallowed hard. “Yeah. I will."
"Oh, boy, I've got you at a loss for words, don't I?" he teased. “Don't get sweet on me, Faye."
"Fuck off," she growled, blushing. “Don't get too fat lying on that beach, Winston. I'm going to get you fitted for a prison jumpsuit soon enough."
He laughed again, a little softer, a little fonder than before. “That's what I like to hear. Vaya con dios, Blondie."
"Vaya con dios, asshole."
"Jack!"
The scientist whirled as he heard a voice behind him. Just as he turned, Faye flung herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. He sighed into her golden hair and hugged her back just as hard.
"You made it," he breathed. “God, I was gonna be so mad at you if you didn't."
"Of course," she whispered. “Of course I'm here."
He drew back and fixed her with a glare. “What the hell is going on with you? Why did you ghost us while you were in Clearwater?"
Faye glanced down at her feet. “I...got a little scared. And petty. It was childish and stupid. I'm sorry. I didn't know something like this would happen. I won't do it again. I swear."
"I'll hold you to that." He handed her a small bundle of clothing. “There's a bathroom down the hall. Put these on. She's fully dilated and she needs all the support she can get from us right now."
She hurried off, changed, and entered the delivery room. It bustled with nurses and doctors checking in on Kamala and preparing for the arrival of the newborn.
"Hey, beautiful," Faye said as she reached her girlfriend's side. Kamala's eyes opened as Faye smoothed her hair away from her forehead.
"Faye," Kamala smiled. Then her expression switched to livid in the blink of an eye. She grabbed a handful of the blonde's scrubs and jerked her down. “If I call you, pick up the bloody phone, do you hear me?"
Faye gulped. “Yes, ma'am."
Kamala let go and collapsed back onto her pillow. “Glad we got that cleared up."
She clenched her teeth as another contraction seized hold of her. Faye caught her free hand and held on tight. Jack had the other one and helped her count down the seconds through the contraction. One of the male doctors had ducked underneath the sheet draped over her legs and the stirrups, examining closely.
"Alright, everyone, her contractions are officially a couple minutes apart. It's the magic hour."
He stood to full height and blinked as he noticed Faye. “Oh. Hi there. And you are?"
"Faye Worthington."
He eyed her. “And you are...?"
"Her girlfriend."
The doctor glanced at Jack. “Wait, I thought you were--"
"I am."
He switched his gaze to Kamala. “Okay, so what did I miss?"
"All three of us are dating each other," Kamala hissed. “Now get this child out of me before I do it myself."
The doctor cleared his throat. “Right. Well, Dr. Anjali, I'm going to give you cues. When I do, I want you to push until you hear me say stop, okay?"
"Okay."
He gestured to Faye and Jack. “Both of you, make sure she's breathing and keep her as cool as you can. This is gonna get a little messy."
Gradually, the contractions quickened until they were thirty seconds apart. Jack regularly changed out her cold compress and helped her shift and adjust in the bed while Faye helped her concentrate through the duration of each contraction.
"Here we go," the doctor said. “Push, Kamala."
Kamala squeezed Jack and Faye's hands and began to push. She tried her best to rely on what she'd learned from Lamaze, but the pain was simply unparalleled. It tried to steal her breath every time she inhaled. Her body twisted and rebelled with every second. She wanted so badly to give up. She was exhausted and her world felt like it was crumbling apart.
"You've got this," Jack assured her. “You're the strongest person I know, Kam. Come on, angel. You can do it."
"Oh, gods above, I am never having sex again for as long as I live!" Kamala wailed, collapsing just as the doctor called for her to stop. She glared daggers at Jack. “You will never touch me again, do you hear me?"
Jack hung his head in sheepish defeat. “Yes, dear."
Faye tried her hardest not to laugh. “Come on, Kam, focus. Breathe. Just breathe."
"Here comes the next one," the doctor said. “Push!"
She tried again, but fell just short of when the doctor called for her to stop. She shook her head frantically. “I can't. I can't do this."
"Easy, stay with me," Jack said. “I know it hurts now, but you're almost there. You're so close, angel. She's going to be so beautiful when you finally meet her. Come on. Don't give up. We're here. We're not going anywhere."
Kamala shut her eyes and tried to absorb his words. He was right. For all the things that had gone horribly wrong, she was right here with the people she loved most in a moment when it counted.
How many other people could say the same thing?
She gritted her teeth, took the deepest breath possible, and gave it her all.
A tiny cry filled the air.
When Kamala opened her eyes again, she saw her daughter for the first time.
And she was just as beautiful as she'd imagined.
"Hey there, little girl," the doctor smiled as he carefully began to clean her off. “Say hi to your family."
"Oh my God," Faye whispered, tears running down her cheeks. “Kam, look. Look at her."
"She's perfect," Jack said, his voice thick, unable to look away from the small, wiggling bundle. “You did it, Kam."
The doctor got the baby's initial cleaning done and offered the scissors between Jack and Faye. “Who wants to do the honors?"
"Well, we're in this together," Jack said, grinning at his other girlfriend. “Same time?"
Faye smiled back. “Same time."
They cut the umbilical cord together. The doctor shook his head in amazement and brought the baby over to be weighed and given a brief exam. “Great news. She's four pounds and six ounces. She's underweight, but not dangerously so."
He returned with her swaddled up and gently handed her to Kamala.
"Hello there," Kamala whispered to her daughter, her own eyes blurred with grateful, amazed tears. “My little flower."
Jack kissed his girlfriend's forehead and stroked the baby's fat little cheek delicately. “So what are we going to name her?"
"Naila," Kamala said all at once, and with complete conviction. “Her name is Naila."
"Naila Sahana Anjali," Jack said slowly, reverently. “It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"Gotta say, kiddo," Richard Jackson said, gently bouncing the sleepy infant in his strong arms. “You made one gorgeous little girl."
"That was all Kam," Jack said, winking at Kamala. “I had nothing to do with it."
Richard chuckled. “Oh, don't worry. She's all her mother now, but wait until she starts talking. I'm pretty sure the sarcasm is just hereditary in our family."
"That'll be fun. She'll have Kamala's smarts and my big mouth. The teachers are going to have a field day with her, I bet."
"Yours always did," Richard admitted. “I can't tell you how many parent-teacher conferences I had to go to when you were about seven or eight, and you kept correcting your instructors' grammar or explaining something that was two grades above the one you were already in. Smart kids are a handful. You'll find out soon enough."
Naila yawned. Richard grinned and carefully handed her back to her mother. “Congratulations, you two."
"Thank you, Richard," Kamala said, squeezing his hand. “I appreciate you flying out to check on us."
"My pleasure. If you need a single solitary thing, you just ask me."
"Wanna babysit for the next..." Jack checked his watch. “...eight years?"
Richard rumbled with a good-natured laugh. “I'll clear my schedule, sure."
He bent and kissed Kamala's brow. “In the meantime, did they say you can eat yet?"
Kamala's eyelids fluttered in pleasure at the mere thought of food. “Please get me something. I'm starving."
"Mind if I borrow Jack, since he knows what you like?"
"Not at all. He needs to stretch his legs anyhow."
"Be right back, angel." Jack kissed her and followed his father out of the maternity ward. They followed the signs to reach the cafeteria.
"So," Richard said as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Freaking out yet?"
"Oh my God," Jack moaned. “Since the second I got here. Is that normal?"
"Totally normal," his father assured him.
"Is it ever going to stop?"
"Nope," his father said cheerfully. “But it'll get better. At first, everything feels overwhelming. You're scared to touch her. You're scared to carry her. You're scared to take her home. You're scared to put her to bed. You're scared to feed her. All of it is like defusing an atom bomb for a while."
"Gee, thanks."
"Over time, you just find your rhythm. You learn her habits. You learn your own. You adapt quickly. Whatever is best for her, you do it, immediately, without question. That goes for Kamala too. Some stuff will come up and you'll fight about it, but in the end, you'll be able to tell what fights are worth it and what fights you should let drop."
Jack's gut twitched a bit. “What kind of fights?"
"Every couple's different. It can be all kinds of stuff, from what brand of baby food to buy, to if you want to get the kid christened." Richard glanced at him then. “Which reminds me. Got anything planned yet?"
"Yeah, actually. Kam and Sahana just filled me in about the naming ritual they want to hold for Naila in a couple weeks with her mother's side of the family. It's called Namakarana. She's got me doing a bit of reading on it so I'll be ready. You're welcome to join us if you want."
"I would, if they don't mind. It'd be a good opportunity to meet her family." Richard paused and glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the maternity ward. “Assuming they're not all like her father."
Jack blew out air between his lips. “She's assured me that Daeshim is the worst of her side. The others have been much more welcoming. I met some of them at the baby shower, in fact, and while they're not exactly in love with me, they don't hate my guts the way he does. But, what else is new? I kind of derailed the choo-choo train that Kam's father had in mind for her. After she quit practicing medicine, he thought she just had a breakdown and needed time before she'd return. She found my project and decided to stay out of medicine for good, and so he blames me. I...corrupted her, I guess?"
Richard scowled. “Want me to kick his ass?"
Jack chuckled. “No, thanks. I don't blame the guy. He knows almost nothing about me other than I get his daughter in trouble every five damn minutes. Then I went and knocked her up. Of course I'm Public Enemy Number One in his mind."
"Think he'll ever come around?"
"Probably not. Maybe if things calm down and stay quiet, he'll grow to tolerate me. Not a big deal. I don't need his approval. I like the missus a lot better anyway."
"You do have a way with women."
Jack snorted. “Since when?"
"Since always. You tellin' me you never noticed that?"
"Well, I mean, Libby brought it up recently."
Richard arched his eyebrow. “Case in point, kiddo. Even when you were little, you had maybe one or two male friends. You gravitate towards the fairer sex by default, even before that asshole in college cheated with your girlfriend."
Jack's throat tightened. It was an old, dull pain by now, but it still hurt nonetheless. He'd been slowly but surely working on it in his therapy sessions. The anger had simply faded, but it hadn't gone away yet. “Guess that's fair to say. We can't all be Rhett Butler."
Richard rolled his eyes. “Here we go again. You know, that wasn't the entire reason we named you Rhett, right? Sure, your mother likes the movie, but that's not all it came from."
"Oh, really?" Jack asked skeptically. “What's the rest of the reason?"
"Names mean things. Depending on who you ask, Rhett means 'passionate.' It can also mean someone who gives good advice, or is wise. Maybe you're not so much the latter, but you are the former, and you always have been. Kids grow into names. I bet your munchkin will do the same."
"She already has. Naila means 'success' or 'achievement.' She's definitely the best thing I've ever had a hand in making."
They reached the cafeteria and wandered around. Jack located the best vegetarian option for Kamala and also grabbed some chocolate for good measure. Richard paid for it and the pair headed back to the cafeteria.
"After your mom split," Richard said quietly. “I...haven't been there for you as much as I should have been."
Jack shrugged a shoulder. “You did your best. Can't expect you to be Superman."
"It's no excuse. Her leaving hurt. A lot. I didn't want you to worry about me, so I sort of kept to myself. I knew you were dealing with it too. I just wanted to tell you that I aim to do better. Not just with money or things like that, but being there for you when you need it. Without judgment and second-guessing and passive aggressive bullshit like I've done in the past. I looked at myself and how my dad raised me, and I realized I'd done the same damn thing. Buried everything I felt so I'd be an authority figure for you. A sort of distant North Star. You didn't need that when you were a kid, and you don't need it now. I won't be that anymore. You have my word."
Jack cleared his throat and blinked rapidly at his dress shoes as they continued down the hallway. “Thanks, Dad."
"You're welcome, son."
They turned the corner, and stopped dead.
Edith Jackson smiled faintly at her husband and son. “Evening, boys."
Richard took a deep breath and scooped the tray out of Jack's hands. He continued down the hallway towards the door to the maternity ward. He paused and nodded to her politely, but his tone and expression were both icy and remote. “Edie."
"Rick," she nodded back. He went inside.
Edie returned her hazel eyes to her son. “Rhett."
"Ma," Jack said, tucking his hands into his pockets and giving her a cool stare. “Lost weight?"
Edie shrugged one shoulder. “Few pounds."
"Looks good."
"Thank you. You look like hell."
Jack also shrugged a shoulder. “I got shot earlier."
Edie gave a start. “You what?"
"I mean, just a little bit. I was wearing body armor at the time. My chest looks like a freaking package of ground beef underneath this shirt."
Edie narrowed her eyes at him. “So this is how you get back at me, huh? Making me worry about you even more than I already did?"
"Oh, this isn't even close to how I want to get back at you," Jack replied in a heated tone. “Six months, Ma. Six. Not a word from you in six months. Now the baby's here and so are you. Is that what I can expect for the rest of my life?"
"Watch your tone, young man," she threatened. “You're not ever going to be grown up enough to talk to me like that."
"Why shouldn't I be? You were punishing me for being who I am. It's not as if I wanted this to happen. I didn't want to bring my daughter into this world when half of it's on fire, but I didn't have a choice. You're blaming me for something I had no control over."
Edie marched forward. “This is not just about that little girl in there, and you know it. This is about the lifestyle you've chosen, Rhett. There are people constantly trying to kill you because you are so stubborn that you can't just let it go."
"Let what go? People are dying because of what these pricks are out there doing. Illegally cloning those dragons and abusing them to the point where they attack anything they see. What would you have me do, Ma? Just sit on my hands?"
"Find someone else. Train someone else."
"We didn't have enough time to do that."
She let out a derisive laugh and shook her head. “The knight in shining armor, Dr. Rhett Jackson. Swooping in to save the day to thunderous applause."
"You think I give a crap what the public thinks of me? I'm not doing this for glory. I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do and I have to fix this until someone else can do it for me. I will not apologize for who I am, and you shouldn't ever ask me to in the first place."
"Why does it have to be you?" Edie shouted, shoving a finger in his chest and ignoring how it made him grimace in pain. “Why does my son have to be beaten and shot and ridiculed for trying to make the world a better place?"
Jack froze. A tear slipped down one side of her cheek. “You don't even think twice about it, do you? Your own safety. You just see other people and it all just flies out of your head, doesn't it? You have no idea what a void you'd leave behind if you died, Rhett. No idea."
