#complicated pregnancy

[roosterforme]

The Younger Kind Part 55 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley can't get enough of the adrenaline rush that is accompanying his special mission, but he has reached the point where the excitement doesn't outweigh his desire to return home. Every day feels the same for you, until one of them starts to feel much worse.

Warnings: mentions of blood, pregnancy topics, potential pregnancy complications, swearing, angst, fluff, and age gap (18+)

Length: 4300 words

Pairing: Single dad!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x babysitter!female reader

Check out my masterlist for more! The Younger Kind masterlist.

Every day was the same now. Every morning started out with a hopeful feeling in your chest. Your engagement ring was still noticeable on your finger, although you figured that would fade with time as it became a permanent fixture. At first, you woke up to the delicious feeling of being pregnant and engaged to Bradley, but when you rolled over to reach for him, the rest of the bed was cold. The covers were untouched. His pillow was still in the exact same place you left it when you made the bed yesterday.

Tears stung at your eyes. You knew exactly how many days he had been gone, because the updated number was practically all you could think about. The days had become a week. Then two. And now that hopeful feeling was starting to vanish only to be replaced by dread almost immediately after you cracked your eyes open.

You whispered, "I miss you," and climbed out of bed without even looking at the vacant side now. You started to dress in your scrubs without a smile on your face, and then you went into the bathroom which was completely silent. You thought that if you just had an inkling, the barest idea of when Bradley might be returning, you'd feel much better, but you had no clue.

You and Noah had only had one brief conversation with him over the phone. The connection had been pretty bad, and you knew someone was sitting right there with him monitoring every single word. He'd told you that much before his personal phone had been taken away from him the day he arrived. You had to pause as you put toothpaste on your toothbrush, because the tears were going to start if you didn't get yourself under control. 

Bradley had hung up a few post-it notes around the house for you and Noah to find. Most of them were reminders of how much he loved you, but the one on the bathroom mirror took your breath away every time you saw it. It said April 25th with a heart around it. And above that'd, he'd drawn a crown. The fact that you had no idea how much of your pregnancy he was going to miss threw you off every single time. You ran your fingers over the note, but you didn't move it.

"Mommy?" Noah called out, and you heard him jump down from his bed. It was so obvious how much he missed his dad; he was extra clingy with you right now, even shedding a few tears now when you tried to drop him off before you went to work each day.

"I'm in the bathroom," you called out as best you could with your toothbrush still in your mouth. You opened the door so he could come in with you, and he immediately wrapped his arms around your thigh.

"Is it daycare today?"

You spit out the toothpaste and rinsed your mouth. "Yes, Sweet Noah. You have daycare today."

"I want to go to the park with you and Daddy."

That sounded so perfect, you wanted to scream. "As soon as Daddy comes home, we can all spend a whole day at the park. But not today." You didn't even want to tell him that you had to work an extra hour and a half and as a result would be picking him up later than usual. You agreed to cover some extra shifts all week long even though you were tired enough that you'd been passing out in bed right after Noah went to sleep each night. 

When he sniffed and looked up at you with watery eyes, you could barely handle it. Bradley had been gone for less than three weeks, but you were already getting a little desperate. You knew you would feel like a failure if you reached out for help at this point, even though Natasha and Penny had both been texting with you to check in. Bradley even had Tracy emailing you in case you needed anything, and you couldn't decide whether you had to make more friends to get him off your back or simply be appreciative that he cared enough to set things up.

"I know," you whispered to Noah, running your fingers through his soft curls. "But we can make ants on logs later. And we can take Skittles for a nice walk." When you said her name, the pup appeared in the bathroom doorway, her brown eyes also a little sad without her favorite person at home.

"I'm hungry," Noah murmured against your scrub pants. You bent to scoop him up into your arms and carried him to the kitchen where you got breakfast ready for everyone. It was going to be a long day for you, and you'd been so wrapped up in your feelings, you almost forgot you were going to have to see Casey. 

You groaned at the thought of her, and you immediately lost your appetite and scraped your eggs into the dish on the floor for Skittles to enjoy. After you packed yourself a lunch and got Noah ready, you realized you were kind of running late. Everything felt ten times harder when you had to do it all yourself. 

"I don't know how Bradley managed," you whispered as you zipped down the block in your car. A soft smile played at your lips as you thought back to how adorably hopeless he had been when you first met him. He hadn't eaten a good meal in probably months before you started babysitting Noah for him. At least he could cook a little bit now, even if he still couldn't figure out how to use his phone. 

When you took Noah inside his daycare, Casey's eyes were immediately glued to your ring as it shone in the sunlight. She slid the clipboard to you and watched you sign Noah in while you held his hand. Then you knelt down and kissed his cheek and whispered, "I'll pick you up later. I love you."

He smiled, and then you let Casey walk him inside. You stood there long enough to make sure he started to hang up his bag like you always did, and when she walked back out into the lobby, she was smirking. "Did Bradley leave you? He hasn't been here in weeks."

You rolled your eyes as you said, "He's deployed. We've been over this before."

She held up her hands in mock surrender. "I'm just saying, it kind of looks like he left you and Noah in the dust."

"In what world would that man leave Noah?" you practically shouted. 

"That's true," she replied with a smile. "Bradley would never leave his adorable son, but I could see him ditching you and your make believe baby."

You rubbed your temples and took your phone out of your pocket to check the time. You'd barely make it to work before the first patient if you didn't leave right now, but you couldn't help yourself. "I'm done, Casey. I've had enough. Which of the owners is here today? Because I'm not going to listen to you talk to me like this for one more minute."

Her face went ghostly white and she muttered something that you couldn't quite make out. "Speak up," you snapped. "Or apologize to me and don't bother talking to me again unless it's completely necessary."

"Sorry."

"Great," you told her loudly. "Have a great day, and when I pick Noah up later, just keep your mouth shut."

You took in the stupid looking expression on her face before you turned to leave, storming out the door and across the parking lot to your car.

---------------------------

It didn't take Bradley long to get used to the sleek controls and seductive design of the sixth-generation fighter jet that everyone appropriately referred to as Shadowhawk. By the second morning on base in Yokosuka, Admiral Palmer was singing Bradley's praises. He showed up early and did as he was told, hoping to spend as much time in the air as he could each day.

It was an adrenaline rush every single time. He was going substantially faster than he ever did in a Super Hornet, and all of his readouts were being recorded. He had to pass a quick physical and stress test every morning before he was allowed to fly, and then he was hooked up to monitoring equipment and let loose. He and Shadowhawk were flying the same loop far out over the pacific ocean at insanely high altitudes, and each time he fell a little bit more in love with being in the air. He could maneuver through rolls and dive into an attack formation faster than he could even imagine. 

When he was flying, it was easy enough to focus on the task at hand. He knew if he wasn't one hundred percent focused, it would be dangerous. He might not snuff out the launched missile in time with his flares or his guns. He might lose sight of his targets. But as soon as he had any sort of mental reprieve, he was thinking about you and Noah and Skittles and his bungalow tucked away on a side street in Coronado.

"Fuck," he muttered as he unloaded from Shadowhawk one day just as the sun was setting. He was drenched in sweat and exhausted, and all he could think about was taking a shower with you before dragging himself off to his king size bed that always smelled like wildflowers and falling asleep in your arms. He let the peripheral staff detach all of the cables and heart monitor from his flight suit before he found an officer who spoke English. "Is there time for me to make a phone call tonight?" he asked. 

It was about three o'clock in the morning in California, and he knew he wouldn't be able to talk to Noah, but he was dying to hear your voice. He knew he'd wake you up, but the ache was so strong, he absolutely needed to if he could. He'd been allowed to make exactly one call so far, and that was already more than two weeks ago.

All he got in response to his question was a quick shake of his head. "Tomorrow," she responded. That's what they told him every day. The lack of communication felt like a prison sentence at times, but there wasn't much he could do but accept it. All of the data they were collecting as well as Shadowhawk itself were considered proprietary and top secret. He practically had to sign his life away every day before he was allowed to touch the thing.

"Tomorrow," he repeated. "But will it actually be tomorrow? Or does that mean a week from now?"

"Tomorrow," she said more firmly, and he thanked her quietly before heading up to the tower to debrief with the admirals. There wasn't much else he could do.

The next day was a lot more of the same, and the routine was starting to grate on his nerves now. The aircraft still felt incredible, beyond his wildest dreams. He was still happy to be here, but at the same time, he was ready to go home now. They weren't giving him any updates on the progress of this assignment or when it might end, so he just decided to approach Admiral Palmer directly.

"Sir, I'd really appreciate a ten minute phone call, if that can be arranged." Once again, it was the middle of the night for you, but Bradley needed it.

The older man eyed him closely and cleared his throat. "It's a liability, Lieutenant. I'm sure you can understand that."

Bradley felt his fingers flex into fists at his sides. "Sir, someone would be monitoring me the entire time. And I'm just asking to talk to my fiancée and my son. That's it. Any time of any day."

The answer of, "There's no guarantee," did not sit well with Bradley. He had to bite his lip until he was tasting blood to keep himself from talking out of order, but he was sure the other man could read the frustration on his face and in his posture. "Maybe a very brief call, but we could be wrapping up our preliminary testing on Shadowhawk any day now. Either way, I'm sure you'll be able to finish out this temporary assignment like a professional."

Bradley swallowed down every retort that came to his mind, saluted Admiral Palmer, and left for his tiny room in the barracks. But another week passed, and Bradley knew there was no end in sight. And perhaps no phone call either. 

-------------------------

"Is this normal though?" you asked Natasha over the phone one night after Noah was in bed. You'd thought about taking a long bath, but you were so tired from working late almost every day, you could barely hold yourself up. You were already in bed at 8:45 with your phone pressed to your ear. "I haven't heard from Bradley in almost a month."

The words made a lump form in your throat. It was actually twenty-two and a half days since he'd called. You needed to hear his voice. Noah was asking for him nonstop, and he had missed your most recent checkup with your obstetrician. The whole thing had been such a blur during your lunch break without him there, and you wanted to show him the new ultrasounds.

"Well, I don't think this assignment is exactly normal, you know?" she replied. "On a regular deployment, you'd be able to talk to him almost weekly. But this is something else altogether."

You made a soft sound. There had to be a way to make the time pass faster. If you didn't have to get Noah by six o'clock every day, you would try to pick up more hours at work. Maybe this weekend you could start cleaning up the extra bedroom that you and Bradley decided would become the nursery. You already promised Noah that you'd take him shopping for a Halloween costume, so at least that would entertain him for a little while. 

"Thanks, Natasha," you murmured to Bradley's best friend.

"Hey, if you need a little break this weekend, I'd be more than happy to come over and play with Noah on Saturday or Sunday," she said, and you sighed in relief.

"That actually sounds fantastic. I'll call you."

You ended the call a minute later, curling up in a ball of exhaustion as you tried to imagine where Bradley was and what he was doing. You were tired now as you tried to do the math to determine what time it was in Japan. Was he sixteen hours ahead of you? Something like that? You yawned and fell asleep with your phone on the pillow next to your head.

Then you heard your ringtone blaring in your ear, and you almost fell out of the bed as you realized your phone was so close to you. RESTRICTED CALLER. "Oh my god," you gasped, trying to answer the call while you saw that your battery was down to four percent because you never plugged it in. "Bradley?!"

"Princess."

"Bradley!" You climbed out of bed, your body immediately shivering as you were exposed to the cool air. Your nerves were frayed as you plugged your phone in and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Baby. I'm so sorry I woke you up."

"It's okay!" you said, your voice sounding more like a sob as you sat on the floor. "I've been so worried about you."

His voice was a deep, familiar rumble as he said, "I've got five minutes. Tell me everything."

"We miss you, Daddy," you said, rubbing your hand low on your belly which was starting to feel a little tender as you got closer to thirteen weeks along. "Noah asks for you all the time. The baby looked good at the last appointment. But your best friend, Skittles, is barely holding it together."

"I missed your appointment," he said, his voice strained with emotion. "I should have been there."

"It's okay," you whispered. "We're doing okay." But you weren't. You and Noah thrived when you had his attention. You felt loved when he was home to hold you and whisper plans about the future until you fell asleep each night. "I just thought you'd be able to call more often."

"Me too," he said in a tone that sounded both annoyed and resigned.

"Do you know when you'll be home?" you asked in as hopeful a voice as you could manage.

"Soon, Princess. Soon. Now tell me everything about your appointment."

You gave him more details as you shifted around on the floor, and you told him that Noah painted a picture for him. Then you heard someone on his end of the call telling him that it was time to go, and you wanted to scream that it wasn't enough. But instead you let the tears fall down your cheeks, thankful that you at least knew he was safe. 

"I love you, Bradley."

"I love you too, Princess. I'll be home before you know it."

You dried your tears and climbed back into bed, and even though you weren't able to fall asleep again, you felt so much better. Your imagination drifted to thoughts of the baby in the nursery, all of you curled up on the floor for story time together. You would start getting the room ready this weekend.

On Saturday, you took Noah to the Halloween warehouse store that seemed to pop up overnight. "You have to hold my hand," you reminded him as he reached for every single display in the crowded store. There were so many aisles, this would probably take up your entire morning with him. He was keeping a running list of options that he liked for trick-or-treating, and you had to keep reminding yourself not to check the price tags. You'd put whatever he wanted on your princess credit card and call it a day.

"Mommy, let's all be dinosaurs," he said, pointing to a costume in his size. 

You glanced around the area and said, "They don't have any in my size. Can we pick something else?"

"I want you and Daddy to dress up, too," he whined, and you didn't want to have to tell him that you weren't sure if Bradley would be home in the next week and a half to accommodate that wish. 

"Well, I will definitely dress up with you, okay? Let's pick something out where you and I can match."

But he wasn't going to be deterred. He was demanding that all three of you match along with Skittles. You walked around the entire store twice before you found an option that he agreed upon, and you were smiling as you gathered the costumes in all of the necessary sizes. "This is perfect, Sweet Noah," you said as you looked at the costume for Bradley and laughed. You just hoped he would be back in time to wear it. If not, maybe you could ask Maverick. 

The sky was starting to look overcast, so you took Noah home for lunch and didn't feel too bad about keeping him inside for the afternoon, especially when it started raining. You set him up with his array of coloring books at the kitchen table and then went to investigate the extra bedroom. Nobody ever slept in there, so it was a bit dusty. There was basically no furniture besides the bed and an old desk, but it was cozy and perfect for what you had planned. 

Your muscles were sore from standing at work, and you were so tired, but you started moving the bed anyway. You'd have to tell Dr. Kelly and the others that you were pregnant soon. It was time now, but you kept putting it off, enjoying the secret that only you and Bradley really knew about. Plus it still got under your skin a little bit when you considered that other people would have a knee jerk reaction to the timeframe of when you got engaged compared to when you got pregnant. 

"It's none of their business," you whispered to yourself as you walked to the kitchen to check on Noah every few minutes. Then you went back to the bedroom and cleaned, moved things around and took measurements. "How big are cribs, anyway?" you mused before looking up some dimensions online. "Pretty big." 

It took some creativity, but you thought you'd finally sorted out where everything should go. Then you moved Bradley's random junk from the closet to the attic, wiping the sweat from your face with each trip. You kicked your way through the boxes where you'd found the USB drive with the video he made with Meredith. At first you grimaced and thought you might cry, but then you remembered the way he had smashed the stupid thing to bits in the backyard. You wanted him to come home. You needed him to. 

"Mommy?" Noah called out, luring you back into the kitchen. You were a mess, and when you noticed how much he was yawning, you silently rejoiced. 

"It looks like you could use a nap," you said as you kissed the curls on top of his head. He scrambled up into your arms and hugged you, such a tiny reminder of his dad, and you carried him off to his room. After a few stories, he was asleep as the rain picked up a little bit, and you knew this would be the perfect time to take a shower.

You moved Skittles' bed into Noah's room temporarily, and coaxed her in with a treat. "Keep him company in case he wakes up," you whispered, and she walked around in a circle on the plush cushion before settling in. Her crooked, purple bow made you smile. Everything in this house made you smile and think about Bradley. You knew he'd have even more ideas about a theme for the nursery, but you started to scroll through some inspiration online as the shower warmed up for you.

The water ended up feeling better than you anticipated. Your shoulders were sore. Your hips were sore. Every part of your body was aching. It seemed it didn't matter how much you were sleeping, you were still exhausted all day long. Maybe Dr. Kelly would reduce your hours and give you a break. You thought about sneaking home one afternoon a week to take a long nap before going back out to pick Noah up. Then you thought about how Casey hadn't said a single word to you since you told her you were going to her boss. Then you smiled. 

You were squeaky clean when you got dressed again in some old sweats and headed to the kitchen. Your stomach was growling, and you desperately wanted some coffee. "One cup is okay," you whispered, turning on Bradley's fancy machine while you made yourself a snack. You'd been meticulous about how much caffeine you were drinking, and Bradley helped by bringing home only decaf from the coffee shop. You downed the cup, and it was hot and delicious, and almost immediately you had to pee again. 

Your doctor told you that was normal as the baby grew and started to stretch things out. You passed Noah's bedroom door where both he and Skittles were still sound asleep as the rain splattered against his window, and then you went to the bathroom. When you wiped, the toilet paper caught your eye, and your hand started to shake. Pink. Blood. Just a little bit, but there was blood. 

"Oh no," you gasped, a dizzy spell overtaking your body. You'd read about this in your textbooks, and you knew it could happen, but you'd blocked it out of your mind when it came to yourself right now. You didn't want to be an example. You had to grip the toilet seat with one hand to keep steady as you wiped yourself again. There was more blood, a little bit less pink and more red this time. 

Your own breathing was too loud. It was echoing through your mind and through the bathroom, and you wanted to throw up. You eased yourself onto the floor and started to panic. The baby. What if something was happening to the baby? "No," you whispered, trying to ground yourself. Using the edge of the tub, you pulled yourself slowly to your feet, your head spinning more with every inch you moved. "No," you said louder. 

When you were standing on your own, you had yourself almost convinced you'd imagined it. You didn't feel bad. You were just a little sore. There couldn't be anything wrong. You reached for another piece of toilet paper and wiped, but the result was the same. 

Where was your phone? Who were you supposed to call? You walked around in circles around the house while your heart thudded a sickening rhythm in your chest. You paused, unable to locate your phone and convinced you were going to throw up. After you backtracked to the extra bedroom, you found it and unlocked it.

Natasha's name was right there in your recent calls, and you tapped on it before you could even fathom what you were going to tell her. 

"Hi," she said brightly when she eventually answered. "Want me to come over and play with Noah so you can take a break for a little bit?"

"Please," you gasped. "Please come over. Right now."

She must have sensed something in your voice, because hers turned serious as she assured you she was on her way. While you waited for her, you wiped yourself again and again before you made yourself wait in the living room instead of the bathroom. When she walked inside with dripping wet hair and concern on her face, you said, "Noah is still napping. I need to take myself to the emergency room."

----------------------------

Get to the hospital, Princess. This kind of scenario is very real and has happened to me. I will tread as carefully as I can. Please don't scream at me. We will hear from a doctor in the next chapter. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 56

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[sillysapphillean]

I rly wish that people's default reaction to trans pregnancy in art wasnt "omg that's so strange and weird haha that's so funny"

[megalony]

It's Complicated

After so many requests and so much amazing feedback for my last series, I've decided to make a new Evan Buckley series. This is based on a few different requests I've merged together and will have a lot of fluff and angst. Any feedback would be brilliant.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem@butlegendsneverdie@langdonzvoid@jennyggggrrr@rogmeddows@radiob-l-a-hblah@rogertaylorsbitontheside@chlobo6@rogertaylors-lipgloss@sj-thefanthefan@omgitsearly@luckytrashgooprebel@scarsout@deaky-with-a-c@killer-queen-ofrhye@bluutac@vousmemanqueez-blog@jonesyaddiction@milanosaurus@httpfandxms@saint-hardy@7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls@mrsalwayswritex @rogerina-owns-me  @hellsdragon@im-an-adult-ish@crazylittlethingg@allauraleigh@onceuponadetectivedemigod@ceres27@avyannadawn@noonenuts@sleepylunarwolf@coverupps@justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @topguncultleader @amberpanda99 @yslvtre

911 Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Summary: Things start to get tricky when Evan falls in love with his best friend's sister. It causes complications within the team. And things only start to get worse when an accident occurs.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evan let himself slump down until his weight was resting on his knees and his forearms that were dented into the mattress either side of (Y/n)'s shoulders. The uneven distribution made him feel like he was at the gym trying to do the plank position, but he couldn't drop his weight down when (Y/n) was laid beneath him. He would crush her.

He could feel the sweat trickling down the back of his neck towards his shoulder blades and he knew his skin was starting to turn blotched red and flushed. The heat was radiating off him as his chest heaved up and down, constantly merging with (Y/n)'s rapid breathing.

A dazed smile spread across (Y/n)'s lips while she moved her hand higher up the back of his neck and slowly tangled in the short curls at the back of his head. She could feel his head burying into the side of her neck causing his hair to tickle her cheek and make her squirm beneath him. He was kissing the hickeys he had just bitten deeply up and down her neck a few minutes ago. And when he kissed a particularly sensitive mark, (Y/n) gave asharp tug on his curls just to feel him groan breathlessly into her neck.

His hips were pressed crushingly down on hers, their groins mashed together while (Y/n) tensed her thighs to squeeze Evan's legs that were resting between hers. His broad frame squished between her legs caused her hips to bend to the sides to accommodate him.

"You're gonna make me late, I should have been up ten minutes ago," (Y/n) whispered and her smile turned into a grin when Evan laughed into her neck. She loved the sound of his laugh. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay right here with Evan laid on top of her, pinning her down for the whole day, preventing her from leaving him and his intoxicating kisses that he was now peppering along her jaw.

If it was her choice, they would stay here in bed all day with no interruptions or work to get in the way.

But they both knew (Y/n) couldn't be late for work again, especially when it was only a morning shift she had to do today while Evan was at work in the afternoon.

"Hmm, I want you to stay here with me." Evan kissed along her jaw until he was hovering over her enough to reach up and peck her lips, gently at first. Then again and again until he was pushing her down into the pillow, devouring her lips like they were the air he needed to breathe.

"I have to get up," (Y/n) groaned against his lips when he rutted his hips down into hers and he took her lower lip between his teeth. Her hands moved round from his neck to cup his face and her thumbs brushed across his sharp cheekbones. She pressed a quick, simple kiss to his lips before she attempted to push up against him but it didn't work.

Evan tensed his bare chest and leaned down, effortlessly pushing her back down beneath him where he wanted her.

"Can't you spare another ten minutes for me, baby? I'll make it worth your while."

He let his weight lean on his left forearm so his right hand could slither down (Y/n)'s side and grip the underside of her thigh. Surely she could spend another few minutes in bed with him before she had to get ready and head to work. For once, he didn't have to get up yet and he was wide awake when normally he was sleeping until noon after a long shift.

"I've given you ten extra minutes, Buckley, I can't spare you any more." Coiling her leg higher, (Y/n) smacked her foot down on his backside and curled her arms tighter around his neck, doing her best to try and push him back so she could sit up.

It worked this time, but not like she hoped. Evan kept a tight hold of her thigh and he leaned up so he could sink back on his heels, pulling (Y/n) with him as his other arm curved around her lower waist. He pinned their chests together and dug his fingertips into her thigh until she got the hint and wrapped her legs around his hips, clinging to his front.

(Y/n) tilted her head to the side before she leaned closer and attached her lips to his sharp jaw. She sucked and bit down until she could feel him practically shaking against her, growling her name through gritted teeth while his hand slithered up from her thigh to cup her bum.

Evan was breathless and on the verge of stuttering when he felt her kiss and nip down his throat, something she knew made him putty in her hands.

"Let me get to work on time baby, and you can have me in bed for the whole day tomorrow," Bargaining was the only thing (Y/n) thought would work to get her partner to let her get up. He would be working this afternoon and into the night, finishing early in the morning and that usually meant Evan spent the morning in bed to recuperate. She would join him for the day and let him pin her to the mattress for as long as he wanted if he didn't make her late today.

(Y/n) squeaked when she felt his short nails puncturing into her bum and his other hand moved to cup the back of her neck. He tilted her head up so she could no longer kiss his throat and hovered his lips half an inch away from hers. There was something devilish and daring in his eyes, it made her unsure whether he was going to agree or throw her down on the bed for round three.

She knew the answer when his hands moved to hold her differently. One pinned to the middle of her back to keep her steady on his hips while his other hand drifted from her bum to hover between her legs.

(Y/n) had never heard him growl so deeply as he did when the doorbell sounded, along with a few knocks at the front door.

"Baby," She whispered against his lips, moving her hand to cup his jaw when he didn't set her down.

"Leave it, they'll call back later," His lips barely touched hers before (Y/n) unhooked her legs from his hips and managed to shuffle off his thighs and flop back onto the bed. She leaned up on her hands, a devilish grin on her face while she silently tilted her head towards the stairs.

No one knew she had moved in with Evan yet so the chances of the person at the door being there to see (Y/n) were zero. They hadn't even told Eddie they were in a relationship yet, let alone tell him that his little sister had moved in with his best friend who she had been sleeping with for a few months now.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Shivers bolted up and down (Y/n)'s spine and a pleasurable thrill like ecstasy thundered through her blood when Evan's low voice hit her ears. Within seconds, his large hands dug into the bare flesh of her thighs and with a sharp tug, Evan yanked her across the bed. When she fell on her back, he thought she looked like an angel with her hair fanned across the mattress like a golden halo and her smooth, bare skin exposed for him to take in and possess.

His eyes rolled and his smirk turned into a grimace when another round of knocking sounded at the door.

"Go answer the door, with any luck I might still be laid here when you come back." She whispered breathlessly, closing her eyes when Evan kissed her and sucked her lower lip between his teeth.

"That's a good girl,"

Stars swirled in front of (Y/n)'s eyes and pins and needles rattled through her blood as she watched Evan like she was put under a spell. Her lower lip caught between her teeth and she leaned up on her elbow to get a better view.

He hastily threw on his underwear and shimmied into his sleep shorts, trying to mess with them and tug them higher to make the tent in his pants less obvious. He didn't bother with a shirt, there was no time when another rough knock banged at the door and Evan turned and hurried down the stairs which were cold and rough against his bare feet.

"Keys," He muttered to himself, looking around until he found (Y/n)'s keychain and unlocked the front door to see who had disturbed them this morning. Evan knew if he wasn't quick, by the time he got back upstairs (Y/n) would already be dressed and ready to leave for work.

His jaw went slack and his dopey smile morphed into a passive look when he opened the door and saw Eddie and Chris on the other side.

"Morning," He gasped, opening the door wider to let Chris toddle in and make his way to the sofa like he always did whenever he came round. He watched Eddie smile, look him up and down and change his smile to bite his lip when he took in Evan's ragged appearance. He had clearly disturbed something.

"Hey… I'm on the morning shift, you're on the afternoon one… we did say you'd be good to drop him at school in an hour, didn't we?" Eddie took a few steps into the apartment so Evan could close the door. Carla was out of town for two weeks and (Y/n) and Evan had both offered to help with Chris. Evan had said he was fine to drop Chris at school when he was off in the mornings.

He forgot that was happening today.

"Yes, yes we did, I just need to get a shower and I'm ready." He planted his hands down on his hips and smiled at his friend.

"Great, thanks. You having a sort out?" Eddie moved his hand to gesture to the few boxes piled up near the back wall of the lounge.

"Yeah, tidying up some old crap,"

Those were (Y/n)'s things.

"Rather you than me," Eddie stuffed a hand into his pocket and advanced over to the sofa where Chris was already sat watching cartoons. He leaned over the back of the sofa to kiss the top of his son's head. "Alright Chris, I'll love you and leave you with uncle Buck and I'll see you later."

"Bye dad,"

"I just need the toilet before I head out," Eddie pointed to the stairs and was already climbing up them before Evan registered what he said and what that meant.

"No!"

Evan bolted towards the stairs and clambered up, cringing when he heard Eddie laugh in confusion and turn to look back over his shoulder. He'd gone to the bathroom millions of times here in Evan's place, he knew where it was and any mess wasn't going to surprise him. He couldn't imagine the toilet was broken either because Evan was a dab hand at fixing things, if something was broken it would already be fixed by now.

"Jeez, Buck what's up with you this mo-"

Eddie trailed off when something caught his eye and before he could stop himself, his head turned to the left towards the bed beneath the window. His smile disappeared, his jaw tightened like guitar strings and his lips curled up in distaste and anger.

(Y/n).

His little sister.

Panic, pain and terror rumbled through (Y/n)'s body along with adrenaline that made her sure she was about to be sick. Her trembling hands pulled the cover higher up until it was tucked beneath her chin; the last thing she needed was for her brother to find out like this and see her naked in the process. She couldn't hide herself beneath the cover quick enough before her brother saw her. They had been caught out.

Tears were already falling down (Y/n)'s gface before she could stop herself and when she tried to reach a hand out to grab her brother, he waved a hand at her like he was dismissing her and turned his body away from her.

He wasn't risking seeing something else he shouldn't and he had no words for either of them. Nothing that was nice, anyway.

How could they keep this from him?

How could Evan sleep with his little sister when Eddie told him she was off limits the moment he saw Evan drooling over her when they first met. He explicitely told Evan that (Y/n) was younger than him, she was Eddie's closest family and she meant the world to him. He couldn't have them both getting involved with each other and things going wrong leaving his two best friends torn apart with him in the middle of the madness.

Evan didn't have the best track record with girlfriends and relationships and Eddie didn't want (Y/n) mixed up in that mess.

"Eddie let me explain," Evan held a hand out in front of him but he wasn't sure what he was trying to do or how he was going to explain this away.

"Don't bother. I don't want the details of what you've been doing with my sister."

His stomach churned when Eddie shook his head and barged his shoulder into Evan's chest, pushing him back into the wall so he could storm past and leave them both behind him. He wasn't arguing about this now. He had to go to work. Chris was downstairs and would hear anything they said. He wasn't in the right mindframe for this madness.

When the front door slammed, (Y/n) shuddered and coiled in on herself, covering her face with her hands. She didn't dare look up when Evan slumped down on the side of the bed and curled a gentle hand around her knee.

"Oh, fuck."

***

"Eddie please listen to me. I want- I need, to talk to you so you can't keep avoiding me." Desperation clawed at Evan's voice as he hurried out the locker room and followed Eddie into the main area of the station.

Since he'd come on shift all Eddie had done was glare and walk away from him, but Evan could talk forever and Eddie was going to have to listen to him at some point. He didn't answer Evan's calls this morning, he wouldn't talk to (Y/n) either who had been in a state when she left for work. He couldn't ignore them if they weren't going to stop asking to talk.

"Leave me alone Buck." Eddie didn't break his stride but he did claw his arm out of Evan's grasp and pull back when Evan moved to stand in front of the stairs, blocking his way to the annex.

"Let me talk and then I will. (Y/n)'s going out her mind because you won't answer her calls."

"Don't use her to guilt-trip me. Move." He didn't wait for Evan to take a side step, he roughly pushed past him like he had done this morning and headed upstairs. It was time for a strong coffee and maybe being around the rest of the team would stop Evan from trying to talk his ear off when he didn't want to listen.

He would speak to them both when he was good and ready.

"Eddie!"

Stopping in his tracks, Eddie clenched his hands into fists at his sides and closed his eyes, trying to take a deep, calming breath. He could feel all the eyes on them and he could sense how close Evan was behind him, desperate to make a scene so there would be no choice but to air out the tension.

"Alright, what's going on?" Bobby put his hands on his hips and looked at the two of them with a raised brow.

He had felt the thick tension ever since Evan turned up for shift this afternoon. Eddie had avoided him on their first callout and since then, neither of them were taking and it was creating tension.

"Eddie just let me explain-"

"You don't have to explain, Buck. I know what it means when I find my sister in your bed! My fucking sister."

A groan tumbled past Evan's lips and he threw his arms out at his sides, tilting his head back until it felt like his neck was going to snap. Why was he making this a scene? Evan wasn't causing a scene, sure he was following his friend around like a lost puppy, but he wasn't shouting or screaming or telling the whole team why they were in an argument. That wasn't fair, but Evan knew he probably deserved it nonetheless.

"That's who you've been seeing? (Y/n)?"

Anger crossed Evan's face and he shook his head at Chimney who didn't quite know what he was walking into.

He and Maddie knew Evan had found himself a new partner, they had seen how happy he was lately. Maddie probed until Evan cracked and said he was going out on a date or that he was staying in with a certain someone. She and Chimney were happy for him, they could see how Evan's mood had lifted recently and how much brighter he seemed. He was a lot better in himself since he'd been seeing someone.

The only worrying thing was that Evan wouldn't tell them her name. He said he was waiting for the right time to introduce her but Maddie was worried why she couldn't know the girl's name. Now Chimney could see why.

"Yeah, little Buckaroo here has been going behind my back seeing my sister without telling me."

"But you told Maddie she's moved in with you-"

Evan's lips purse and his face turned a pale shade of grey when he saw Eddie's face inflame bright red and his eyes almost popped out from their sockets.

"Come again?"

Why? Why did Chimney have to make things worse? This wasn't his battle or his argument, this wasn't anything to do with him. Evan had asked (Y/n) to move in because she was always round his place anyway and he wanted to be around her as much as he could. But it only made things worse that they hadn't told Eddie yet and Evan wouldn't let his sister meet his girlfriend who was already moving into his apartment.

They just wanted to spend time being a couple, being together and being with each other before their relationship became something more and everyone else knew. Once the team- and Eddie- knew, dynamics would change. Dates would morph, they would spend more time together with the team around and go out on days out with the team. It wasn't a bad thing, but they wanted to be a couple first before they progressed into the 118 family together.

"The boxes… (Y/n)'s just moved in with me," Evan's hands fell to his hips and he jutted one leg out like he was tempted to bolt into a run and leave. This wasn't how they wanted to tell Eddie everything. They wanted to have him round for dinner and break things to him and Chris gently.

(Y/n) hadn't told their parents yet that she had met someone. Once they found out she was dating a fireman, someone Eddie worked with, their hassling questions would be relentless. Their dad wasn't the easiest person to get along with.

"Anything else I don't know about, Buck?"

"Eddie come on!"

"Your sleeping with my sister and now you're telling me she's moved in with you and no one's told me! What else did you forget to mention when you've seen me almost every bloody day, hm? Is she pregnant too? Have you cemented yourself in my family for good-"

Eddie paused mid-rant, narrowing his eyes as his head tilted to the side when he watched Evan's sudden change.

He was no longer stood in front of Eddie with his hands on his hips or one hand stretched out to try and calm Eddie down. He wasn't stood close to Eddie anymore, desperate to reach out and calm him down and explain his side of the story.

Evan had taken three steps back towards Bobby as if he needed some sort of protection and his pale grey complexion was now almost pure white. But it was Evan's eyes that made Eddie uneasy. They were blown wide, pupils taking over almost every inch of blue in his iris and a sheen of sweat layered on his forehead. His lips parted but he didn't say anything, instead he dropped his arms at his sides and slumped his shoulders down which made him look like he had shrunk three inches.

He hadn't?

No, there was no way Evan had done that… had he?

Oh no.

It was as if the whole station suddenly came to a standstill, no one daring to move an inch or let out a single breath. Even Bobby couldn't find it in himself to step in and break up the tension. He had his hand stretched out, almost reaching Evan's shoulder but he paused when Eddie's upper lip curled into a snarl and if he could, steam would have been billowing from his ears.

Chimney felt like moving would get him shot down, but he couldn't stop his eyes from darting to the left to look at Hen. If this situation had gone in any other direction, the two paramedics would have been laughing. They would be holding their stomachs, gasping for the breath at the whole situation.

It was comical that Evan was in a secret relationship with his best friend's sister, had gotten her to move in with him and now seemingly had gotten her pregnant. All under Eddie's nose.

But Eddie's reaction stopped anyone from laughing, smiling, whooping or making one single comment.

"Eddie, I- I'm sorry-"

"You will be."

Evan barely managed to bring his arms up in defence before Eddie was in front of him. He fisted Evan's shirt in his tight grip, grabbing him by the shoulders and before anyone could stop him, he threw him on the table.

If it had been anyone else, Evan would have defended himself. He would have thrown a fist at their face, brought a knee up to their groin and tossed them on the floor without breaking into a sweat. He'd gotten in enough bar scrapes over the years and had done enough sparring to know how to stop a fight before it managed to start. But he couldn't fight Eddie. Evan wouldn't throw one punch at him.

He was the closest person to Evan, he was like a brother to him and knew every dark part of Evan's mind and he was (Y/n)'s brother. Evan wouldn't start a fight with someone he thought of as his own family and someone who was close to (Y/n). It wouldn't be fair.

Instead of throwing his fists, Evan kept his arms deadlocked like iron bars in front of his upper chest and face, blocking any punch Eddie tried to throw at him.

His shoulders stung and twinged uncontrollably when his back hit the table and it sent his nerves bursting with pain down his spine. And when his head slammed back and bounced off the wooden table, he had to close his eyes when stars flooded his vision and made him feel like he had received whiplash.

Eddie managed to land one punch to the side of Evan's ribs before his arms were pinned behind his back and he was forcibly thrown down onto the floor, landing on his backside with a thud.

"You bastard!"

A groan tumbled past Evan's lips and he slammed his left foot down to the floor to try and steady himself on the table so he didn't slide down to the floor. His arms flopped down at his sides and he took five deep, ragged breaths before hands slipped beneath his arms and pulled him up until he was sitting upright on the table, swaying forward unsteadily.

"Buck, you okay?" Chimney whipped the light from his pocket and flicked it in front of both Evan's eyes to check his pupilary response while he pressed a hand to his back and felt his breathing.

"I'm good," He waved a hand out, dismissing Chimney's medical assessment he didn't need. He'd only gotten a blood rush and a few bruises, he would be fine. One hand stayed clamped around the edge of the dining table to keep himself upright while his other hand moved to cradle the back of his neck while he hung his head down and sighed.

He deserved more than a few bruises.

He deserved any and all fury that Eddie could throw his way. Being with (Y/n) wasn't a mistake and it wasn't something Evan would ever regret, but he regretted sneaking around. It was his idea in the first place. He didn't want to make things awkward or upset Eddie, he knew how much family meant to his best friend and how protective he was over them all.

Evan being with (Y/n) was going to unsettle Eddie and make him worried. He thought of Evan as a brother and if anything went wrong between Evan and (Y/n), it would put Eddie and Chris in the middle and that wouldn't be fair. It compromised things for them both. It meant there were two people (Y/n) had to worry about when they went to work, it meant they would have to watch each other's back even more because they both had (Y/n) in the back of their minds. Desperate to keep the other safe for her.

Eddie was more upset at not being told than Evan actually being with (Y/n); in the space of an hour he learned his best friend was sleeping with his sister, had let her move in with him. And now he'd gotten her pregnant too. It was too much to take in.

"We wanted to tell you properly-"

"Buck, leave it. Eddie go take ten and simmer down. You're both lucky I'm not writing this up." With a rough hand on Eddie's shoulder, Bobby nudged him and pointed in the direction of the stairs.

They needed to be apart for a while and cool down, they were both on shift and they couldn't do their jobs properly if they were arguing with each other and starting fights. And as much as Evan wanted to explain because he couldn't let things lie, he had to wait a while.

Eddie shrugged off Bobby and Ravi and stumbled to his feet, sending one last glare over at Evan before he thundered out of the annex, down the stairs.

"Is she really pregnant?" Chimney kept his voice quiet as if Eddie would still be able to hear them from such a distance. He wasn't trying to be rude or gather gossip but he was intrigued. If she was, then he knew Evan would have been planning some special way to tell Maddie she was going to be an auntie. This was something Evan would be boasting and proud of and excited like a little kid.

Saying nothing, Evan dropped his hands to his lap and nodded while he kept his eyes on his hands.

(Y/n) had barely been moved in two weeks before they found out she was pregnant. It wasn't planned but it wasn't unwanted either, Evan wanted this more than anything in the world. He had only been with (Y/n) for a few months but he already knew he loved her and a baby was like a dream for Evan.

"Congratulations," With a gentle pat to Evan's shoulder, Chimney gave him a lasting smile before he headed over to the kitchen to make everyone a drink. If they weren't on shift, they would all have been on the whiskey by now.

Evan barely lifted his head up before he dropped his eyes back down to his clasped hands when Bobby stood in front of him. He wasn't up for a lecture, he knew what he had done wrong and how he could have changed the situation. And Evan certainly didn't want to hear Bobby telling him off, he thought of the Captain as his dad and he hated disappointing him in any way.

"Buck, come on, I'm the last person who's going to judge or comment here." Bobby waited with his hands on his hips until Evan finally looked up at him with deep, watering eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line. "All I'm going to say is give Eddie time to cool down, then you've got five minutes to explain before I want you both back on shift with a truce. Whatever's happened, it can be sorted out tonight when you both go home."

"I don't think he'll forgive me for this,"

"Yes he will. If you and (Y/n) are happy, he won't stay mad at you for long."

His words of wisdom calmed down a small storm raging within Evan, but he still felt like he was going to be sick.

This wasn't how they were supposed to tell him.

[witchofthesouls]

I like thinking about humans-into-Cybertronians because of the weird, alien fuckery along with ex-humans making connections to certain things because it's the closest approximation they have.

Imagine if 'running on fumes' is a literal statement among Cybertronians. As their tanks run near empty, there's a petroleum-like taste that lingers in their sinuses and, if left long enough, cycles out of their vents. That's why Cybertronians typically don't like hanging around gas stations because it's a really stark reminder of long-term starvation. Meanwhile, you got an ex-human going like, "Man, I'm starting to taste gas, so I need gas. Huh, y'all have built-in reminders to feed yourself outside of hunger pains? That's neat."

As well as the ex-humans misdiagnosing themselves. Let's take Cybertronian carriage. Humans are used to a pregnancy that completes its course in a designated organ (aka womb), so finding out a mecha had straight up knocked them up that bypassed the initial spark-to-spark teether formation wouldn't freak them out in the ways that a lot of Cybertronians would be really concerned about. Especially the medics and said partner(s).

Ex-human crying over the sonogram because they got told it's a very high-risk pregnancy and all they see is the coming baby is very deformed since it's only a ball within a ball of green soup and silver tendrils. Partner is highly confused yet attempts comforting in varying levels of success.

Cybertronian medic needs to explain that the sparklet is healthy, but ex-human really needs to watch themselves because the entire process will be done within the gestational chamber and goes deep into explaining the complications that can happen.

Partner is absolutely riveted by all the gravity of the matter since the strain of having a full-carriage that initialized in the chamber can put the carrier in danger as there can be coding conflicting with priorities that rends said carrier unconscious or wrecks health complications, especially since there's a high-chance of the newspark not fully detaching from their carrier's spark as the dropping process ensures.

Ex-human that comes from a species where a pregnancy is like getting into a moderate crash, so damage varies each time is happy that they haven't fucked up badly yet and can plan a baby shower. "By the way, when's the due date?"

Medic: "Hard to say with the carriage combined, but it's more in the primary initialization stage. The sparklet's still has a visible, if a bit thin, teether to your spark, and a solid mass hasn't formed yet."

Ex-human: "Okay, so how long?"Medic says incomprehensible length of time for an Earth child and how it can vary.

*Confused ex-human noises over the several human lifetimes is the equivalent of a span to a Cybertronian carriage. And how multiple factors can impact the timeframe.*

*Confused Medic noises out of sheer concern over ex-human's family history, especially over the fact they have extremely and highly dangerously short carriages.*

*Confused partner noises on why their love wants to plan a bathtime for the newspark at this moment, and wonders if ex-human knows that water and infant Cybertronians do not mix.*

Or, another thing. What if the dropping process where the sparklet detaches from the carrier's spark to descend into the gestational chamber below to build its frame has very 'classic'** heart symptoms in a human body?

(** Quick heads up, much of human biology and modern medical understanding derives from male biology. Unfortunately, women usually see atypical symptoms that are more subtle, moderate rather than severe pain/discomfort, or pain in other other locations rather than the chest.)

Ex-human has sudden, excruciatingly chest pain, insides literally quivering and shifting in sync with the bursts. Meanwhile, everyone around them is calm, trying to soothe them, and they think they're honestly dying so fast because there's no rush to the nearby hospital, and everyone is pushing comfort-it's okay-we got you at them.

[mollywog]

What If?

A follow up to Complicated

They’re in the meadow. Katniss lies with her head in his lap as he braids small sections of her loose hair. Tomorrow is his one late morning a week and he’s enjoying staying up enough to see the sunset.

The reaping hangs heavy as always, but it’s their final one. School is coming to an end and the loan for the bakery is secured. It’s perfect… or at least it should be. But something is off; Katniss has been distracted lately and he’s afraid to ask

“What if one of us is reaped?” She says, opening her eyes to look up at him.

He groans, “let’s not do this, Please? I think we’ve been through every possible scenario. I don’t want to spend our night as hypothetical tributes.”

What-if is a game they play sometimes. It started back when he’d been too nervous to ask her out. Instead of asking her directly, he’d said ‘what if I asked you out?’ He’d felt like a coward, but she’d found it endearing. Now they use it to tease and allay fears they're too scared to say otherwise.

The reaping what-ifs are common enough. Regardless, their what-ifs always end with the two of them together, whether it’s through mutual sacrifice or a rebellion that ends the games forever.

“Okay,” she nods and closes her eyes.

But he can feel the tension radiating from her. He watches her swallow. Panic begins to rise, is she looking for a way out? To what-if her way out of the relationship the same way he’d what-ifed into it? Things were finally falling into place. He’d close on the bakery the day after the reaping and had planned to ask her to marry him before the ink dried; As soon as there was no way his mother could withhold her signature. He’d all but told her that, but maybe she was having second thoughts? The bakery without Katniss to share it would be a bitter victory.

She takes a deep breath and he holds his own, “What if I’m pregnant?”

A moment passes as he processes. “Katniss?”

“Just play the game Peeta.”

He licks his lips, his heart in his throat as he tries to temper his joy… and terror. He wants to scoop her into his arms; hold her and kiss her then sprint to the justice building to make it official, but he needs to be sure they’re on the same page, “What if it’s not what you wanted?” he asks.

She opens her eyes to scowl at him, “Are you trying to say you don’t want this?”

“Not at all. You were the one who wanted to play.”

“Fine,” She snaps. “But you answer first: What if it’s not what you wanted?”

“That’s not a fair question. The only reason I wouldn’t want a child of ours is if you didn’t,” he tries not to imagine what a similar conversation between his parents looked like all those years ago. “Katniss, I love you. I want to spend every moment of the rest of my life with you. A child won’t change that, even if it came earlier than we’d planned or never at all. But I still need to know so I can help: what if it’s not what you wanted?”

She sits up to look him in the eye. “I could never not want this either,” she says before launching herself into his arms.

They’re both trembling as he envelops her in his embrace and he releases a shaky laugh, the product of his nerves. “What if I asked you to marry me right now?” he says into her hair when he’s found his voice again.

“What if I said I still want to keep us - the three of us - quiet until after the papers go through?

He sighs, “Then what if I waited to ask until it doesn’t have to be a secret?”

She nods, “I don’t want you to be a secret either, you know? I just don’t want you to lose your livelihood because of me.”

He’d do it in an instant and she knows it. They’ve what-ifed themselves a life in the Seam as well as on the run past the fence; anywhere, anyway as long as they're together.

She lays back down on the grass, taking up her previous spot. She picks up his hand to hold over her still flat midsection and closes her eyes. He caresses her stomach as he imagines doing the same in their home come July. “What if it’s a girl?” he muses.

She smiles, “What if she has your eyes?”

“And your voice?”

“And your smile?” she says, peeking an eye open to watch as his smile brightens.

[reasonsforhope]

Researchers from Western and Brown University have made groundbreaking progress towards identifying the root cause and potential therapy for preeclampsia.

The pregnancy complication affects up to eight per cent of pregnancies globally and is the leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality due to premature delivery, complications with the placenta and lack of oxygen.

The research, led by Drs. Kun Ping Lu and Xiao Zhen Zhou at Western, and Drs. Surendra Sharma and Sukanta Jash at Brown, has identified a toxic protein, cis P-tau, in the blood and placenta of preeclampsia patients.

According to the study published in Nature Communications, cis P-tau is a central circulating driver of preeclampsia – a “troublemaker” that plays a major role in causing the deadly complication...

“The root cause of preeclampsia has (so far) remained unknown, and without a known cause there has been no cure. Preterm delivery is the only life-saving measure,” said Lu, professor of biochemistry and oncology at  Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry...

“Our study identifies cis P-tau as a crucial culprit and biomarker for preeclampsia. It can be used for early diagnosis of the complication and is a crucial therapeutic target,” said Sharma...

Until now, cis P-tau was mainly associated with neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and stroke. This association was discovered by Lu and Zhou in 2015 as a result of their decades of research on the role of tau protein in cancer and Alzheimer’s.

An antibody developed by Zhou in 2012 to target only the toxic protein while leaving its healthy counterpart unscathed is currently undergoing clinical trials in human patients suffering from TBI and Alzheimer’s Disease. The antibody has shown promising results in animal models and human cell cultures in treating the brain conditions.

The researchers were curious whether the same antibody could work as a potential treatment for preeclampsia. Upon testing the antibody in mouse models they found astonishing results.

“In this study, we found the cis P-tau antibody efficiently depleted the toxic protein in the blood and placenta, and corrected all features associated with preeclampsia in mice. Clinical features of preeclampsia, like elevated blood pressure, excessive protein in urine and fetal growth restriction, among others, were eliminated and pregnancy was normal,” said Sharma.

Sharma and his team at Brown have been working on developing an assay for early detection of preeclampsia and therapies to treat the condition. He believes the findings of this study have brought them closer to their goal...

“The results have far-reaching implications. This could revolutionize how we understand and treat a range of conditions, from pregnancy-related issues to brain disorders,” said Lu.

-via India Education Diary, September 22, 2023

[pregnantpixiedreams]

[well, this is it guys! I only made it to 35 weeks, but due to complications they have decided it would be safest to deliver tomorrow! This pregnancy have been very rough and lots of ups and downs. I didn't quite get as many chances to feel the glow as much as I had with my others... But I noticed the twins changed my body a lot and I noticed I was much rounder and heavier this time around( in addition to all the complications) I will miss this belly!]

[druidshollow]

ugly baby rivers is gonna be in my brain forever

its not his fault..... newborns are just ugly

(i did some rambling in the tags if u wanna look at it lol)

[thebluehoursofmorning]

Pray for my family and I please. I went to the hospital this morning to check some weird symptoms and now they want me to go to the Big Hospital which is an hour and a half away for at least 3 days, possibly up to a week, for treatment. So please pray that baby will be okay with a forced weaning and that my husband can handle her without me, that the treatment will actually work for me, and that my unborn baby will be okay...

[mushroomnoodles]

PB worried about Simon because she fears he will develop Preeclampsia. Simon is not young. Besides, he is terribly weak.

pb was worried, but more worried about simon having the baby at all, lowkey! not to say she doesn't care about simon. she does, dearly. but she has to put her citizens (and the world) first. you know who was even more worried? marceline.

tw/cw for a LOT of pregnancy complication name mentions, and sfw + nonfetish mpreg.

she didn't convince simon but she sure scared the hell out of marcy! marceline doesn't even know what half those words are but that's a fuckin lot of complications!

[roosterforme]

The Younger Kind Part 56 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: When Bradley finally gets word about a return date, he has no idea what he's about to walk into at home. You tried your best to take care of things by yourself, but your visit to the hospital shows you how much you need someone with you for physical help as well as emotional support.

Warnings: mentions of blood, pregnancy topics, hospitals, mentions of miscarriage, swearing, angst, fluff, and age gap (18+)

Length: 4100 words

Pairing: Single dad!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x babysitter!female reader

Check out my masterlist for more! The Younger Kind masterlist.

You managed to get in the car even though Natasha was protesting. "What's wrong?" she asked at least a dozen times as she tried to call an ambulance for you. But you just told her you could drive yourself to the hospital to be checked out. You thought you said the word pregnant to her at some point, but you weren't really sure. Nothing was making very much sense right now. 

There was traffic on every road as dinnertime approached. Everyone else was going out for the night, perhaps for a family meal at a restaurant. You saw kids walking along the sidewalks with their parents, and you started crying. You didn't like leaving Noah to wake up from his nap with Natasha suddenly there instead of you. She would take care of him, of course, but it might confuse him. You didn't see what choice you had in the matter though, as your mind was flooding with worst case scenarios.

What was happening to the baby?

You sobbed as you ran through a yellow light to try to get there faster. What if it was already too late? You were educated enough to know that there were about a million different things that could be going on right now, and they ranged from innocuous to horrifying. Maybe you did something to cause some minor bleeding. Or maybe the baby was already gone.

"Please, no," you gasped as you parked at the hospital and walked quickly through the increasingly dreary weather to the emergency entrance. Your phone was vibrating in the pocket of your sweatpants as you headed right for the desk and blurted out, "I'm pregnant, and I'm bleeding."

The exhausted looking nurse looked up at you and said, "Please have a seat in the waiting area, and I'll come get you when I'm ready for you."

You blinked at her. "I'm bleeding," you repeated in a harsh whisper. "And I'm pregnant."

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "I'll be with you in just a minute."

You took a seat and cried, afraid to use the bathroom in the waiting area, terrified to see more blood when you wiped yourself. Anytime patients came to see Dr. Kelly, you made sure you took care of them right away, especially if they were bleeding or upset. You couldn't stand the tears that would well up in a child's eyes along with uncertainty and fear. 

But then you got it. It only took you a minute to understand that if there truly was something wrong with the baby, then there was nothing they would be able to do at this point.

Your phone was ringing again, and it was Natasha. As the nurse came to retrieve you from your seat, you texted her and let her know you made it to the hospital and to focus her attention on Noah. You were shaking again as the nurse took your temperature and blood pressure, and you wanted to scream at her to do something more than check your vitals. You needed an ultrasound. You needed a doctor. You needed someone to focus on why you were bleeding.

She handed you off to another nurse, and at least he smiled sympathetically at you and said, "We'll get you checked out in no time." But you could barely walk, and you felt his hand wrap around your bicep to keep you upright as he guided you into one of the many rooms in the emergency medicine corridor. "I'll get a doctor right in here, okay?"

His voice was calm, emulating what you tried to do at your own job, and he left you a gown to change into. Once he was gone, you put it on, afraid to check your underwear as you settled onto the narrow bed. The room smelled sterile, and the fluorescent lights were making you nauseous, but he was true to his word. You started counting to yourself, trying to keep track of how much time had passed without panicking, and a few minutes later, a doctor appeared in the doorway.

She spoke your name, and when you nodded, she introduced herself. "You're pregnant?" she asked you evenly as she reached for some latex gloves. She reminded you a bit of Dr. Kelly, and you immediately felt a little bit calmer. 

"Yes. About thirteen weeks along, and I just started bleeding like an hour ago." Your voice broke on your words, but you tried to keep it together. "I'm a pediatric nurse, so I'm not completely proficient in obstetrics, but can you give me an ultrasound and check? I need to know if the baby is okay."

"Lay back so I can see what's going on here." You did exactly as you were told as your heart pounded and panic rose within you. The baby was already so loved; you and Bradley were both looking forward to the due date. Sure, you'd been a little scared of the unknown, but the idea of miscarrying had you sick with worry. 

If Bradley were here right now, you knew you'd feel so much safer, but if the baby was gone, your preference would be to deal with this yourself. The disappointment on his face would be too much to bear. You'd rather never look at him again then have to see how sad he was going to be when you told him. If you had to tell him. 

You ran your thumb along the band of your engagement ring as the doctor gave you a quick examination. "Have you had vaginal intercourse in the last forty-eight hours?"

"N-No," you sputtered. "My fiancé is deployed. He's in Japan."

"Did you masturbate?"

You shook your head; you were so tired, you could barely clean up after dinner each day, let alone get yourself off. "No."

She pulled the gown down again and said, "It's most likely just your cervical tissue reacting to something, but let's get you taken back for an ultrasound to be sure."

"Thanks," you sobbed, letting your palm come to rest on your belly as you closed your eyes and tried to stay afloat in your own terrible thoughts. "I just want to know if I'm still pregnant."

------------------------

"Finally," Bradley muttered, running his fingers through his hair as he walked through the hangar with his helmet in his hand. Six weeks was a long time to be away from you right now. Too long, really. He had kind of fallen in love with flying Shadowhawk, but nothing compared to sharing a bed with you and reading bedtime stories to Noah. And he was itching to see the newest ultrasound photos.

He'd been confined to the Naval base at Yokosuka except for one day when the weather was too unsafe to let him fly. He took a short trip back into the city, chaperoned of course, but he was allowed to visit a bookstore. He ended up buying eight books for Noah and the baby, and he couldn't wait to show them to you. And he'd be able to do that soon, because he finally had a return date. If he did his math right, he'd be home in time to take Noah out to get candy on Halloween, as long as he wasn't delayed.

With just a few days left flying Shadowhawk, he really let the throttle tilt. He could hear Admiral Palmer warning him about his speed over the crystal clear comms, and he smiled before he responded. "Yes, sir. I'll ease off." But he didn't until he made a beautiful loop through the air. He was getting used to the ridiculous pressure on his body now, and when he got to San Diego and switched back to his Super Hornet, he was going to miss this feeling. He couldn't wait to try to describe it to you.

He knew what was coming. He was anticipating hours spent looking at his own flight data with the officers, but when the time came, he just felt antsy. The sixth-generation fighter had been moved back into the hangar for storage. He'd taken his last flight. His bags were packed, and he was ready to go home, but he had to pretend to be interested in what came next: at least fifty admirals sifting through data before anything would be determined. Bradley hoped these jets would eventually come to find a home with the US Navy, but it would be years from now if they did. He had done his part, and he wanted to be let loose again.

When he woke up on the day of his departure, he signed a final set of privacy forms before his phone was returned to him as he was ushered out to a car waiting to take him to the airport. He couldn't leave soon enough at this point. All he could picture was your face and Noah's, happy to see him home again. He could practically feel your body in his hands, and it was the only thing he wanted. 

Once he settled in for the short ride, he turned his phone on to find that he only had a tiny bit of battery left. Without even checking to see what time it was at home, he called you. He'd let his phone die talking to you right now if need be, and then he could charge it later. But you didn't answer. That was okay.

"Princess, I'm coming home. I'm on my way to the airport in Tokyo right now, and it's a ten hour flight. I think I'll be landing after midnight, so don't worry about getting Noah out of bed to come pick me up. I'll get an Uber or a taxi. I can't wait to see you, Baby. I love you."

He ended the call, and as soon as he started to investigate all of his missed text messages, the phone died. He was dropped off at the airport with barely half an hour to spare before his flight was scheduled to leave, and that's when he realized he didn't even have his phone charger with him. 

"Fuck," he muttered, rooting around in his bag but coming up with nothing. Maybe it got lost in his room in the barracks when he dumped his bag out? Maybe it was in his duffle which he checked at the airline desk. Regardless, he didn't have time to try to buy a new one, because his flight was already boarding by the time he found the gate. After questioning the flight attendants as to whether or not they had the type of charger he needed, he gave up hope, tossed his phone into his bag and tried to sleep for as much of the ten hour flight as he possibly could. He would be home with his family soon enough.

------------------------

You played the voicemail message from Bradley over and over again, but you could barely understand a word that he said. It sounded garbled and fuzzy, and it kept cutting out. He said something about being in Tokyo and something about Noah, and then he told you he loved you, but that's all you could figure out for sure.

"Can you understand what he's saying?" you asked softly, holding up the phone for Natasha to listen to it pretty much as soon as she walked through your front door in her uniform. "I've been trying to decipher this all day."

She took it from your hand and listened to it on speakerphone and then listened again with it pressed to her ear as she made a face. "Hang on," she muttered, playing it a third time. 

She'd been staying at the house with you since your overnight visit to the emergency room. She had essentially been doing everything for you and Noah so you barely had to lift a finger after work each day. You wouldn't have been able to do it on your own, but every time you tried to thank her, she told you it was no big deal and that Bradley was her best friend. You were afraid you were eating into her time with Javy, but she just rolled her eyes and said, "Hoes before bros."

She listened to the message one more time before she said, "It kind of sounds like he's coming home? And he's going to arrive after midnight? And he's getting an Uber from the airport?"

Your heart beat faster. "Do you think he means tonight?"

Noah came running into the living room with a coloring sheet in each hand and Skittles bounding after him. "Aunt Natasha!"

"Hey squirt," she said, picking him up and flying him around the room. She turned back to you and said, "Hopefully it means he'll be back tonight. Let's just leave the porch light on after dinner in case." Then she hauled Noah off to the kitchen where she started cooking while you took a shower. 

Dr. Kelly had immediately cut your hours back for which you were so thankful. She was very understanding when you talked to her. Tomorrow was Halloween, and it was Saturday. The plan was for Natasha to wear the costume you originally bought for Bradley, but if he arrived home tonight and was able to function tomorrow, maybe he'd want to go out to collect candy himself. You were just aching to see him at this point, and now your skin was tingling with the anticipation of him holding you.

After you ate, you tried to clean, but Natasha said, "I'll clean up after Noah's in bed." And then she sent you to the couch with a blanket while she and Noah took Skittles for a long walk down to the beach. You fell asleep there shortly after they left, and you weren't surprised that you ended up in your bed even before Noah was in his for the night. 

You let Natasha take care of everything while you tried to text Bradley again. You'd been trying all day, but he hadn't responded to a single one of them. You checked to see which flights were currently on their way from Tokyo to San Diego, and three of them were arriving late tonight. Honestly, the garbled voicemail had you on edge all day long, making you more exhausted than usual. You fell asleep hoping that he was on one of the flights and that he would be home soon.

And then you woke up to a loud voice coming from the living room. You jolted in bed, throwing the covers off of you in alarm before you realized that the voice was familiar.

"Princess? Baby, it's me! It's Bradley. I didn't want to scare you."

"Bradley," you gasped, jumping out of bed and grabbing at your nightstand until you could get your footing. "Bradley!" you called out a little louder.

"It's me, Baby," he answered. "Is Nat here? Why is her SUV in the driveway?"

You nearly collided with his best friend in the dark hallway, and when you both made it out to the dimly lit living room, you saw him standing there. Tears filled your eyes as you raced for him, and he picked you up into his arms and cradled you against his big body while Skittles whimpered at his feet.

"Daddy," you whispered, aware that Natasha was standing right behind you. "I missed you so much."

He kissed along your neck and your cheek and all of the parts of your face that he could reach as he said, "I love you. I love you so much. I missed you and Noah and the baby." He ran his nose along the shell of your ear and said, "Hey, Nat. What are you doing here? And why are you holding my mom's antique lamp?"

You turned to glance at her over your shoulder where she was indeed standing with the lamp in her hand at her side in her ratty old shirt and lounge pants. "I was making sure you were really you and not an intruder."

He laughed. "You were going to beat the shit out of me with a lamp?"

"Absolutely," she said with a yawn. "Welcome home." Then she turned and went back to the extra bedroom leaving the two of you alone.

Bradley's lips were on yours immediately, and even though you knew you had so much to tell him, you let yourself enjoy the indulgence of his kisses. You whimpered against his mouth and brushed your fingers softly through his hair. "I'm assuming we need to talk," he murmured. "You wanna tell me why she's here?"

You nodded and whispered, "Let's go to the bedroom."

He left his bags on the floor and carried you there immediately, setting you on the unmade bed and dropping down next to you. The room was pretty dark, and you curled up against his body, getting as close to him as you could. You inhaled his scent and soaked up his warmth, finally feeling better than you had in over a month. All of the fear seemed to wash away as he said, "I'm sorry I only left you that one message, but my phone died, and I can't find my charger. Nobody on my flight had the right one either, because apparently my phone is as ancient as I am."

You laughed softly. "I like vintage things, remember?"

"I do recall that," he replied easily. "Is tonight the first night Nat slept here?"

You took a deep breath and whispered, "No. She's been staying here for about a week to help out. Ever since I started... bleeding."

"Bleeding?" he echoed, his arm wrapping around you a little tighter as you nodded against his neck and tried to gather your thoughts. "Princess, what happened?"

His voice was alert and strong yet worried and cautious, and you told him, "I went to the bathroom last week, and when I wiped I was bleeding." His sharp intake of breath had you scrambling as you said, "The baby is okay."

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently rolling you onto your back to get a better look at your face. "Fuck. I should have never agreed to go away." He ran his big hand across your forehead and down your cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," you promised as you cried for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I was just so scared," you admitted, your voice barely a squeak. "I was so scared the baby was gone."

You realized Bradley's fingertips were rubbing soothing circles against your side as he whispered, "I'm sorry I left. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to take care of everything. Please, tell me what happened. Tell me everything."

--------------------------

Bradley got you cuddled under the covers, and he turned the lamp on so he could better see your face. You looked beautiful if not exhausted, and he was so grateful for his best friend being there for you. "I guess I overdid it a little bit," you admitted. "I took some extra hours at work and started getting the bedroom ready for the baby. I just wanted the weeks to pass quickly, you know? When I started bleeding, I called Natasha, and she came right over. She's basically been here since then."

He kissed your nose. "What did the doctors do?"

You closed your eyes and whispered, "They checked me over. Every inch. And they found that I needed progesterone shots. They caught it just in time, so maybe it was good that I ended up there."

Bradley felt like an idiot, but it didn't matter as long as you were okay. "What's the progesterone for exactly?"

You smiled as you snuggled closer to him. "It'll make my uterus better for the baby. Safer. The injections are pretty common, and I only need to get them a few more times. But I'm tired of all the needles, and now I can kind of understand how some of my own patients feel."

Bradley laced his finger with yours and asked, "And you're sure you're okay? Perfectly safe and healthy?"

"Yes. The baby is, too."

He kissed your forehead as he realized he was crying. "Just as long as you're okay, Princess. I love you." You nodded as you fell asleep, and he knew how badly you needed to rest. After he turned the light off, he held you against his chest and tried to make sense of everything. 

You and the baby were okay. Your doctor and the staff from the emergency room were monitoring your blood work every week now. You were getting injections in your thigh which were making your leg sore and bruised, but it was helping the baby. As much as he'd loved flying Shadowhawk, he regretted his time away from home a little bit more now.

When you rolled away from him around six o'clock, he had barely slept. Carefully, he extracted himself from the bed, and Skittles came trotting right over to him. He picked her up and straightened out the wrinkled clothing he had been wearing for way too long, but when he walked out to his kitchen, he found Nat was already there. She turned to face him as Skittles started licking his face, and he walked right into her arms for a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered, letting her hold him while he cried. "Is she really okay? She told me she's fine."

She rubbed his back and said, "Mostly. I think. She is stubborn, Bradley. When I got here, she drove herself to the emergency room before I even had a full grasp of the fact that she was pregnant. She told me to stay with Noah until she came home, and when I told her I'd get Javy to come stay here while I met her at the hospital, she yelled at me."

"That tracks," he said softly. He thought about how you stood up for him and Noah and fought alongside him for custody. Even after you got hurt. Even after he hurt you. 

"She was terrified that you'd be upset about a potential miscarriage."

Bradley felt like she slapped him in the face. "Shit," he grunted as she released him from the hug. It wasn't like that kind of thing could usually be prevented. He would have been sad, yeah, but only because he was so excited. He wouldn't have been upset with you though. Not at all. "I'll talk to her more about that when she wakes up." He scratched his head and set Skittles down. "Did you clean my kitchen?"

"Yes," she replied evenly as she switched on the coffee maker. "And if you try to thank me for anything I did, I swear to god, I will fucking key your Bronco. I did it for her, because she needed help."

He caught himself before he could thank her again, too afraid to find out if she was telling the truth. She probably was. "I'll make sure she's getting all the rest she needs. She will not be lifting a finger around here."

"That's what I like to hear," she said, patting him on the chest. "Now, I'm going to take one of your travel mugs full of your overpriced coffee from your fancy machine and head back to my place. I'll call you later, and I'll stop by tonight to hand out candy to your trick-or-treaters while you take Noah around the neighborhood."

"Shit, I guess I need to go out and buy candy and costumes and everything."

As her coffee brewed, Nat said, "It's all been taken care of. The bags of candy are on top of the fridge."

Bradley glanced in that direction and said, "You have to let me repay you, Nat."

She grabbed the travel mug and pulled her keys out of her pocket, brandishing them in his face. "Fuck around and find out, Bradshaw. You will not thank me, and you will not pay me back. You'll just let me come over and play with Noah at least once a week now while you take care of your wife-to-be. Those are my terms. Have a nice day."

"Okay," he called out, following her to the door to make sure her key went directly into her own ignition where it belonged. Then he got to work, pulling up some recipes on his phone; he was going to attempt to be the best dad and almost husband in the entire world, because that's what his family needed. 

------------------------

If you have been through any of this kind of shit like I have, I'm sending you a hug. It's stressful and scary, and not something you should have to deal with alone. Bradley is home and ready to be the absolute best. Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 57

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[whetstonefires]

Upsetting new Madam Lan headcanon unlocked!

Where she didn't die of loneliness or imprisonment or random illness, but an obvious and realistic and super normal specific cause: she was pregnant with a third child. After all, if her husband didn't stop letting himself out of depression prison for conjugal visits once they had an heir to carry on the line, why would he have stopped after the second one?

So she got pregnant. Suffered a late second or early third trimester miscarriage.

And like, to really twist the knife, let's say the complications were the kind that the available medical care in Lan Sect stood a decent chance of allowing her to survive! But of course, she didn't get that medical care.

Because when the hemorrhage started she was, by deliberate design. All. Alone.

[megalony]

It's Complicated- Part 2

Thank you all for the superb feedback on the first part of this Evan Buckley series I am so pumped to keep writing this. I hope you all like this next part, any feedback would be huge.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem@butlegendsneverdie@langdonzvoid@jennyggggrrr@rogmeddows@radiob-l-a-hblah@rogertaylorsbitontheside@chlobo6@rogertaylors-lipgloss@sj-thefanthefan@omgitsearly@luckytrashgooprebel@scarsout@deaky-with-a-c@killer-queen-ofrhye@bluutac@vousmemanqueez-blog@jonesyaddiction@milanosaurus@httpfandxms@saint-hardy@7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls@mrsalwayswritex @rogerina-owns-me  @hellsdragon@im-an-adult-ish@crazylittlethingg@allauraleigh@onceuponadetectivedemigod@ceres27@avyannadawn@noonenuts@sleepylunarwolf@coverupps@justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @topguncultleader @amberpanda99 @yslvtre

Series Taglist: @itsmytimetoodream @xceafh @senjoritanana @anea08

911 Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Summary: Things start to get tricky when Evan falls in love with his best friend's sister. It causes complications within the team. And things only start to get worse when an accident occurs.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evan dragged his eyes away from his coffee cup and glanced over his shoulder towards the sofa where (Y/n) was sitting. His lips pressed into a thin line and they shared a worried look between them, silently deciding who would be best to go and answer the door and to hold off another argument, Evan got up and trudged towards the door. He tried not to run, to slow down and not look too eager or panicked and worried, but he knew his expression would give him away.

A spark of hope flickered to life in Evan's chest when he swung the front door open and saw Eddie there, waiting as patiently as ever as if he didn't actually want to come inside.

He had his hands stuffed into his pockets and his chin tilted up, but his eyes were glanced down. He still wouldn't look Evan in the eyes and that made his shoulders slump and made his stomach fill up with nerves.

"Buck," Eddie ran a hand over his jaw while his other hand stayed clenched in a fist in his pocket. He eased past Evan and paced into the living room, sitting down on the armchair across from (Y/n). "Nice to see you both dressed this time," He couldn't help himself. Despite the look he received from his sister who clenched her jaw and bristled in her seat.

"Lose the attitude, Edmundo." (Y/n) bit back as she folded her arms over her chest and curled her legs up beneath her on the sofa.

"What? Was I not supposed to be surprised when I found you in bed the other day? I wasn't exactly expecting to find you up there." Eddie waved his hand towards the stairs and tensed his neck when he looked over at his sister. His eyes were focused in on her so much that he didn't notice Evan gingerly sit down on the other side of the sofa, closest to Eddie like a child walking in on an argument.

"Well I wasn't waiting for you, was I? I didn't know you were coming over-"

"Clearly. Or you would have hid from me." His fingers dragged through his hair, toussling the curls and spiking them up in the middle of his head out of nervous habit. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Next week." Evan chipped in, clasping his hands together between his thighs as he hunched forward and tensed his shoulders. He didn't like this tension. These were the two most important people in his life and they were all stuck in a tricky situation. "We were gonna ask you round and tell you over dinner, hoping to soften the blow."

(Y/n) didn't like the cynical laugh her brother emmitted or the way he threw his head back like Evan had told the funniest joke he had ever heard.

"Yeah, cos this is just perfect," He waved his finger between the pair of them while his knee started to jutter up and down, banging into his elbow every now and then. "I asked you not to get involved with (Y/n)," The hurt in Eddie's eyes took Evan by surprise and he leaned back into the sofa, slouching down like he was giving in.

When Evan dared to slide his left hand across the sofa to hold (Y/n)'s thigh, he froze when Eddie noticed the action and raised a brow like a school teacher. The look made Evan shrink down further and sigh through his nose.

"And I've told you I'm sorry. Eddie I can't keep apologising, I knew you wouldn't be happy but I couldn't help myself, are you happy now? You asked me and I ignored you." There was nothing else Evan could say. He couldn't keep saying how sorry he was because it was wearing thin and the more Eddie heard it, the less likely he was to believe him. Evan tried in the beginning, he tried to be friendly with (Y/n) but keep a respectful distance.

It didn't work.

She was like a drug Evan just had to take. He had to be close to her, he had to touch her and hold her and have her and possess her wholeheartedly. There was no other way around it and deep down, he always had Eddie in the back of his mind and knew what he was doing, betraying his best friend. Evan couldn't help himself.

"And I was the last person to find out, that's what hurts more. Neither of you had the decency to talk to me, you didn't tell me you were moving in with him you just went ahead and did it anyway. You would have killed me if I left Texas with Chris and didn't tell you."

"That's different and you know it; I wanted to get out of Texas just as much as you did."

Texas was a different state, all the way across the country. (Y/n) didn't want to stay at home with their parents anymore and when Eddie said where he was moving to, (Y/n) wanted to go with him. She found herself a job and an apartment and travelled down with Eddie and Chris, never looking back. She was closer to Eddie than her two older sisters and LA was somewhere to have a fresh start and a new lease of life that was truly her own.

All she had done was move apartments, not to a different state. But (Y/n) would always admit that she should have told Eddie about the relationship first before moving in with Evan. They got too caught up in their relationship and being together to think about the consequences of doing everything secretly.

"Well judging by the fact I haven't heard from ma or papi, you haven't told them anything either. Are you gonna hide this from them too? You know what he'll say." Eddie raked his fingers through his hair again and took to pulling at the short strands at the back of his head.

He looked between (Y/n) and Evan, watching with a glimmer of satisfaction when (Y/n) shrunk back in her seat and pulled her arms tighter around her middle. While Evan looked between them both like he was missing something and it made Eddie grin.

"You thought my reaction was bad, wait til she tells our parents. I hope you know what you've done Buckley, you'll have to marry her now."

"Eddie!"

(Y/n) uncurled her legs and slammed them down on the floor as she sat bolt upright on the sofa, glaring daggers at her brother who shot her the exact same look back while he stood up to stretch and calm down. Her hands gripped the edge of the sofa and when (Y/n) dared to look to her right, she saw Evan's pale complexion and the confusion plastered across his face.

"It's the truth. When Shannon got pregnant I married her a month later to keep everyone happy. Did you even think if Buck would do that? Is this a fling for you Buck or are you gonna stick this out, hm?"

"Eddie for God's sake-"

"No. Buck has to tell me what his plan is here, he's got you pregnant for fuck's sake and you've not even been with him a year. So are you serious about this Buck, about her?" Eddie turned, planting his hands on his hips and cocking a hip out to the side as he waited impatiently for a response.

For the last three days, Eddie had been going through everything in his mind and he had come up with all sorts of scenarios and none of them ended well.

When he and Shannon found out about Chris, Eddie proposed immediately both because he loved her and because it was the only outcome that would happen in his family. Marriage came first, children came second. They needed stability to have a child and Eddie was in the army, he needed to marry Shannon in case he didn't come back from his tour.

Their family was hard, jumbled and a mess. Their parents were strict and harsh, they wouldn't agree or accept (Y/n) having a baby if she wasn't married and when they knew she hadn't been with Evan for long, they would not take this lightly.

Eddie had to know if Evan was serious about his sister or not. He had to know if he needed to worry that Evan had asked her to move in for the wrong reasons. If Evan was going to stick by (Y/n) and the baby or if he wasn't thinking about this as a long term situation. If that was the case, Eddie would blow a fuse and explode on his best friend.

Eddie's lips pressed into a very thin line and his chin tilted upwards, as did his brows when Evan suddenly got up from the sofa. He thought for a moment that Evan was going to walk out of his own flat in anger or a sudden burst of panic, but he didn't. Instead, he took three daring steps forward until he was standing right in front of Eddie, standing an inch taller than him.

His shoulders were squared out and as straight as a ruler, his hands were balled up into fists at his sides and his head was tilted at an angle. But it was the look in Evan's eyes that almost set Eddie off balance. He'd never seen Evan with something akin to danger and rage in his eyes before.

Evan was a calm, boysterous soul, not an explosive one.

"If you have to ask me, then you really don't know me as well as you think you do." His voice was as grating as gravel on the ground and his thick words left an air of tension surrounding them.

Evan was at the point of being enraged right now. He let Eddie push him, punch him and shout at him at the station and he was more than willing to let Eddie get everything off his chest and vent. But he wouldn't sit there and be accused of being with (Y/n) purely for the sex or the fun of secrecy.

If Eddie had to ask Evan whether he was going to stand by (Y/n), then he truly didn't know Evan at all and that stung worse than a knife in the heart.

His world had changed since (Y/n) walked into his life. Now, his world revolved solely around her, she was the sun and Evan was the Earth, unable to do anything but circle around her running himself ragged around the one thing that kept him from fading away.

"I love her. I love her more than you clearly think I do and I'd marry her tomorrow if she'll have me." Evan let his eyes dart across to (Y/n) but he couldn't look at her for long in case his bottle suddenly disappeared and she made him weak at the knees. When he looked back at Eddie, he acted on a rush of adrenaline and pushed him back a step. "So don't you dare stand there and act like I don't give a fuck about her."

***

"He still hasn't answered me back yet," (Y/n) allowed herself to look away from the road for a split second so she could glance across at Evan.

Eddie had left their apartment rather quickly yesterday and he hadn't answered any of (Y/n)'s calls this morning. She was starting to fret that things weren't on as level ground as they believed after yesterday. She thought the air had been cleared and Eddie would take a little while longer to relax and come to terms with things, and then they would move forward.

She didn't want him to keep on ignoring her, not when they normally spoke to each other every day. (Y/n) wanted things to settle back down, she didn't want to feel so anxious every second of the day, wondering if Eddie was ever going to forgive her and if their relationship would go back to normal.

"He'll be cooling off, baby don't worry he won't be mad with you, it's me he's pissed at." Evan reached out and curled his hand around her upper thigh, squeezing gently while he leaned his head back against the headrest and looked across at her.

He knew Eddie wasn't as angry at (Y/n) as he was at Evan. He felt like Evan had betrayed him, that he'd gone behind his back and it was as if Evan had seduced (Y/n) rather than fallen in love with her. He wasn't as annoyed with (Y/n) for hiding the relationship like he was at Evan and as much as it was irritating, Evan would rather be at the brunt end of Eddie's wrath rather than (Y/n).

"I know, but I don't like it. And I need to know if I'm picking Chris up tomorrow or not and he won't talk to me."

She could feel her stomach igniting with worry already and every time adrenaline pumped through her stomach and chest, she felt sick. She had to know that everything was okay between them so she could calm down and keep focused. And (Y/n) usually picked Chris up in the afternoon's on a Thursday and Friday and she needed to double check that was still happening.

"I'll try and call him if you promise to stop panicking."

(Y/n) pursed her lips and nodded, feeling a different kind of adrenaline spark through her when Evan leaned over and peppered a kiss against her neck. He squeezed her thigh again and grazed his teeth against her skin before he pulled back and dug out his phone.

He highly doubted Eddie would answer him if he wasn't answering (Y/n), but Evan would do anything to try and calm her down. He knew her anxiety would fly if this mess continued and he also knew her anxiety mixed with morning sickness was starting to drain her.

Evan kept his hand on (Y/n)'s thigh and started to glide his thumb up and down the inside of her leg while he clicked Eddie's contact and waited to see if he would answer or not.

Anxiety and adrenaline both sparked up in (Y/n)'s stomach when Evan's hand glided higher up her thigh and gave a sharp squeeze when he sat forward.

"Eddie? Hey, it's me," Evan managed a grin and looked over at (Y/n), surprised, relieved and confused all at once. He wasn't sure why Eddie picked up on the first call when he had left all (Y/n)'s calls to go to voicemail. Maybe it was the topic of their parents that was making Eddie ghost his sister. (Y/n) had said she didn't want to tell their parents, at least not yet and she didn't want to do it alone.

The last thing Eddie wanted was to explain to their parents that someone he worked with, someone a few years older than (Y/n), had fallen for her. Gotten her to move in with him and now had got her pregnant too. It would cause everyone a headache that they all wanted to avoid.

"Yeah… no we're heading to see Maddie, but (Y/n) was-"

Whatever Evan was about to say got cut off.

His hand tightened around his phone which smashed into his ear and got caught between his head and the window when an oncoming car swerved into their lane. Hitting them head on.

Evan wasn't sure whether the expletives and curse words actually left his lips or if they were just swirling around his mind that was racing faster than the speed of light. Pain bolted up the back of his neck, ignited in his forehead, burst in his left hand that was next to the window and shockwaves surged through his chest.

He could feel the car moving, turning and spinning and the violent motion clawed a guttural scream from the back of Evan's throat that bounced around the walls and echoed back to him.

It felt like he had blacked out, maybe for a few seconds, maybe a little longer. His vision stayed as dark as the sky at midnight with only a few flickers of light blotching behind his eyelids, resembling twinkling stars. He could feel every inch of pain in his body, he could sense the car had stopped moving and he could hear a car horn, a fractured, broken radio and something else that he couldn't quite place.

Nothing came back into motion until voices suddenly started to make sense in Evan's ears and he realised he must have blacked out for a lot longer than he thought when the car horn was replaced by the very familiar sound of sirens. He could distinctly hear a firetruck, a police siren and an ambulance or two.

How long had be blacked out for them all to arrive?

A groan left Evan's lips as he blinked once, twice, five and then ten times before he could finally see instead of just hear and feel.

He could see faces glaring at him through the cracked windscreen. Two people in florescent jackets were peering in at him and he could hear a voice on his right. Someone was at the other door. When Evan let his head loll back against the headrest, he glanced his eyes to the left to see why his hand felt like it was on fire.

"Fuck!"

His left hand had gone through the window.

Deep down, Evan knew he shouldn't have moved. He knew it would be best to wait for assistance to safely remove his hand from the window. There was glass imbedded in his knuckles, his fingers and his wrist was caught on a particularly sharp piece of glass. But Evan couldn't wait, he wanted to move.

A roaring growl rutted through the air when he slowly dragged his hand back against the glass until he could drop it limply on his lap.

He was exhausted. Moving that little bit had taken all of his energy, or maybe it was the blood leaving his hand that was making him tired.

Now that his hand was no longer an obstacle in the way, someone wrenched the passenger door open and crouched down beside him. He elbowed their advance to try and tilt his head from side to side and he weakly slapped them when they tried to put him in a neck brace.

(Y/n). Shit. Shit. Shit. She's in the car too.

"Get off… baby, oh fuck," Evan unclipped his belt and leaned forward, slumping his left arm on the dashboard to hold himself up so he could turn to the right and try and see (Y/n). His mind was foggy, his vision wasn't perfect and his head was pounding, but he was conscious enough to remember and realise that he hadn't been the one driving the car.

She was slumped down in her seat, her head slanted to the side towards Evan just like she was asleep on the sofa, about to fall on him.

"Sir, can I please assess you-"

"Buck! Buck what the fuck's going on?!"

Evan fumbled his right hand around his lap and looked down until he found his phone. The screen had a crack in the right hand corner, but somehow he hadn't lost signal and the call hadn't ended.

Had Eddie stayed on the line all this time?

Gripping the phone tightly in his trembling fingers, Evan thrust the phone to the firefighter he loosely recognised as someone from the 221 team. He was a bit younger than Evan and he was a medic, Evan was sure of that. He had seen this guy talking to Hen a few times when they were joined up on callouts, but he didn't know his name.

"Talk… tell him w-what happened, please." Evan shook the phone until the other man took it from him and tried to calm Eddie down who was now screaming so loudly Evan could still hear him as clear as day.

Evan's eyes looked back at (Y/n) just as she seemed to be starting to come back around. He took her hand when it started to move, wavering about like she was blind and trying to find him. As soon as he squeezed her hand, she started to cry. Her eyes were clamped shut but tears were falling down her smoke-ridden face and sobs and spit foamed at her lips as she started to shake.

She tried to move her head until the medic held her head in place against the headrest and was quick to get a neck brace clipped around her. Trying to explain that she could have nerve damage, but (Y/n) wasn't listening. She couldn't listen. She didn't want them touching her.

She wanted Evan to get her out.

His name tore past her lips in a desperate plea but when two medics leaned in and started to ease her from the car, ripping her away from Evan, she screamed. A horrific, banshee scream hit Evan's ears and cut through him until he was wincing and at the point of sobbing too.

Turning to the left, Evan fisted the medic's shirt in his hands and pushed until the man took three steps back and helped Evan climb out the battered car.

His legs didn't seem to work properly, they fumbled, buckled and wobbled beneath him like broken matchsticks about to come apart completely. But Evan made them move. He dragged his feet across the tarmac, leaned most of his weight onto his new colleague and scanned his eyes around the smoke infested scene, trying to find (Y/n).

"I go with her." He pointed until the man nodded and tried to help guide him over to the ambulance (Y/n) was being loaded into.

"Concussion, deep wounds to the left hand and possible broken ribs," The man stated while Evan gathered what little strength he had and hoisted himself into the ambulance.

He flopped down on one of the seats closest to the gurney (Y/n) was laid on and slumped his elbows down on his knees. He kept his left hand dangling beside his leg even though he knew he should have kept his arm raised in the air to stop the blood loss. He didn't care. As long as his right hand found (Y/n)'s shaking fingers and held her hand to his lips, he couldn't care about his own minor injuries.

"E-Evan-"

"I'm here, I've got you, sweet girl." He kissed the back of her hand and lowered his head until it was hovering over her arm to try and relieve the tension. It felt like his head had been pumped full of air and it was about to explode.

He hated how she cried when the paramedic tried to touch and assess her chest and she flinched, coiling towards Evan when they pushed a needle into her hand and set her up on an IV line.

"Oh no…" Evan's head snapped up and his body slammed into the back of the ambulance when he straightened up like a ruler. The action made the blood drain from his head and dribble down to his toes until he was seeing stars again and his vision momentarily went black. He could feel someone quickly grab his chin and tilt his head back when his body started to slump forward and he was grateful for the oxygen mask that was pushed over his nose.

The flood of oxygen made him cough but it relieved the pain in his head and allowed him to see through blurry eyes again.

"Sir, deep breaths. Do you feel sick?"

"No, no s-she's pregnant."

He forgot to tell them. He hadn't been alert enough to say anything in the car but the thought suddenly dawned on him when he saw the medic assessing (Y/n) for broken ribs. They wouldn't know she was pregnant and if he didn't say anything now they wouldn't find out until much, much later when something went wrong or they did blood tests and accidentally found out.

They had to know so they could try and do something to help the baby. Evan didn't even know what injuries (Y/n) had gotten, he couldn't see any blood except for a cut on her forehead. It was him whose blood was dribbling onto the ambulance floor like a broken tap. She could have any number of internal injuries and internal bleeding they didn't know about.

"How far along?" The medic leaned back over (Y/n) with a sudden rush of concern in his eyes and a perplexed look on his face.

"T-three months… nearly four."

"Pelvis is in tact, no distending organs… skin isn't warm or flushed." He seemed to be nodding to himself as he went along his assessment, pressing the heel of his hands around (Y/n)'s lower chest and down her abdomen to check for any iregularities. He then banged his fist on the side of the ambulance and leaned into the windoe separating them from the driver. "Alert the hospital we have a priority one, pregnant female. She'll need an X-ray and an MRI, surgery team needs to be on standby just in case."

Evan croaked, trying to swallow down a bubbling cry. It hurt to think about what they were going to do to (Y/n).

She hated hospitals. She wasn't going to cope with an X-ray, then an MRI, especially if that scan was for her whole body and not just her head. Surgery was the last thing she needed right now.

Evan kept tight hold of (Y/n)'s hand while he stood up, stooped over with his weight wobbling between his toes and his heels like he was about to collapse. He ignored the medic trying to urge him to sit down and grabbed one of the cardboard sick buckets from the second drawer down, just in time to throw up. He knew where they were kept, he stocked the ambulance like everyone else every shift and he could feel his lunch crawling back up his throat.

He was grateful when she took the bowl off him when the ambulance finally came to a stop and Evan knew he was finished chucking up his guts.

His legs still felt uneasy but he felt more capable of walking than he did ten minutes ago and he held onto the gurney with his damaged hand so he didn't fall. But he let his weight slump forward and practically slid out of the ambulance onto shaky legs.

He knew the trek in through the paramedic's entrance, bypassing the A&E waiting room and going straight to the assessment cubicles. But anger boiled up inside of him and he wobbled when a nurse tried to escort him to a different cubicle than (Y/n).

She caused him to let go of (Y/n)'s hand and that automatically made (Y/n) scream, choking on a cry when they wheeled her into one of the further cubicles, away from Evan.

"Sir, come this way and we can assess you-"

"No y-you don't understand,"

"Sir-"

"I'm firefighter Buckley. And t-that's my wife, I'm going with her, thank you." Evan sneered the last words at her before he stumbled forward, cradling his rocky, shaking head that was ready to cave in and explode.

That was right, wasn't it? (Y/n) was his wife, wasn't she?

It sounded right when it came from Evan's lips, the thought seemed to make sense in his mind. He remembered arguing with Eddie about it and he could hear himself saying he would marry her. Why was his mind so jumbled? Why couldn't he think straight? Why was he ten minutes delayed in giving information and understanding it? He didn't realise (Y/n) was still in the car with him when he came round and he didn't tell them straight away that she was pregnant and in danger. Why didn't he tell them sooner?

When Evan got into the cubicle, everything started to spin. He slumped down into the chair closest to the bed (Y/n) had just been manoeuvred onto and he reached out for her. His good hand curled around her upper arm until his fingers were bruising into her flesh and he lifted his numb, heavy, damaged arm up and flopped it onto the pillow. Not caring that his blood was now soaking into the crisp white linen or that he had now alarmed one of the nurses who couldn't tell straight away whether the blood was his or from an unforeseen head injury (Y/n) might have had.

He managed to register (Y/n)'s cries circling around in his ears and her nails scratching into his arm but it was her words that soothed him despite how desperate they sounded.

"D-don't take him away. I need him," (Y/n) could feel the world spinning. The lights were too bright, burning into her pupils and giving her a headache that mashed with the rest of her body and made her pulse and thud in pain with each heartbeat.

Bile rose at the back of her throat, pins and needles shot down her arms and her chest and her body felt like it was going cold.

But it was Evan's touch, loosening on her arm and his head flopping down onto her shoulder that made her scream in both fright and agony. He had gone unconscious.

"He's going into shock, move him now!"

"Don't t..take him,"

(Y/n) couldn't speak, her brain was turning to mush, melting and becoming stew in her mind. She couldn't think, couldn't feel and couldn't process anything but the knowledge that someone was grasping at Evan and trying to sit him up. She was sure she heard one of the nurses shout that he was starting to be sick. Then he was choking.

Then they were both unconscious.

***

"Sir, sir please, who are you here for?"

"(Y/n) Diaz and Evan Buckley, I- I'm her brother and I was on the phone when their car crashed. Where are they, are they okay?"

Eddie's fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his head and his other hand strummed horribly against the desk he was almost falling onto. He had spent ten minutes sitting in his living room in agony, waiting on the other end of the line for someone to talk to him and tell him what had happened.

He put a dint in the wooden coffee table, he had split his knuckles back open and he'd screamed so loud the neighbours came over in concern. He heard Evan scream. He heard his best friend swear and curse and spit and cry and the mesh of car horns and blazing voices and metal colliding with metal all melted together in Eddie's mind. He had heard everything and his sister's horrid scream sent him reeling.

He had been seconds away from hanging up the phone when someone finally found the phone and answered him, telling him they were taking the couple to Mercy General hospital.

After a quick, pleading call to his Abuela who agreed to collect Chris from school, Eddie raced down the motorway, calling Bobby enroute to explain that something bad had happened and he didn't know what the outcome was.

"I have a Buckley in room three… Linda, family member of Mr Buckley."

What about (Y/n)? Where was she? Was she okay, why weren't they taking Eddie to see both of them? Was (Y/n) not in A&E anymore, had she been taken somewhere else in the hospital?

All the questions swirled around Eddie's head and made him dizzy and too incomprehensible to voice them. He blindly nodded and stumbled after the older nurse who was already speeding away from him to show him where to go.

"Are they okay?" He gasped through each word, clawing at the back of his neck like it would somehow help him breathe clearer.

"Mr Buckley was a handful, he received a very severe concussion and started to be sick, then when he passed out be started to choke and convulse. We had to clear his airways and send him up to the third floor for a scan. Little bit of swelling but he's in the clear."

"Shit."

"Hm. He's got broken ribs and his left hand got rather messy, glass nicked an artery so he got some stitches. He began screaming for his wife when he came round, very distressed so we had to give him some morphine for the pain and to calm him down."

That sounded like Evan.

Although Eddie found himself halting just outside Evan's door when the words sank into his mind. Screaming for his wife. Evan and (Y/n) weren't married, certainly not after the conversation they all had yesterday. Had Evan told a white lie to make sure he knew what was happening with (Y/n)? Or had his concussion affected him worse than they imagined?

"W-where is his wife? (Y/n) Diaz, she um… she's pregnant and I'm worried." His fingers rubbed bruisingly over his jaw that was aching from how tightly he had been clenching his teeth together on the drive here.

"She was moved up to the third floor for some scans, to check for internal injuries. She sustained broken ribs and a dislocated knee… I'm afraid I don't know about the pregnancy yet, I'm sorry. If you wait with Mr Buckley, any news and someone will come down and talk to you. We're waiting to admit him onto a ward when we get a free bed."

"Thank you," His disheartened tone was evident in his voice and the light started to fade from his eyes when the nurse looked at him with sorrow before she turned to carry on with her duties.

Eddie turned on his heels and slowly opened the hospital door, trying to brace himself for what he was going to find on the other side.

Evan didn't see him at first; it gave Eddie a chance to look him over and do a small assessment. His friend, his brother, was sat on the edge of the bed with his legs dangling off the side and his right hand clasped around the back of his neck like he was trying to choke himself. He had his left arm bandaged and in a sling around his neck, something Eddie guessed he wouldn't be wearing for very long.

He had the beginning of a black eye and various cuts and newly forming bruises dotted all over his face and down his neck from what Eddie could see.

If Evan looked this bad, what was (Y/n) going to be like?

"Eddie…" The moment Evan lifted his head, the waterworks started again and before Eddie could close the door, Evan was sobbing. His face turned a very horrid shade of cherry red, his wet parted lips were swollen and blushing and his eyes were the deepest shade of blue Eddie had ever seen.

"Buck, how do you feel?" Eddie went to sit down next to him on the bed but Evan stood up before he could sit down. He pushed onto wobbling legs and swayed, trying to control his eyes that were moving in slow circles. "Sit down, you've got a concussion-"

"They won't let me see her! T-they're hiding her from me,"

"No one's hiding her, she's having a scan. Please sit down," With gentle hands, Eddie held Evan's arms carefully in case they were hurting or bruised. And he slowly nudged Evan until he was sitting back down on the bed, sniffing and trying to catch a proper breath. "Someone will come and find us when they have news. What happened, you… you were screaming on the phone."

Eddie already knew he was going to be having nightmares for months after what he had heard tonight. Evan's cursing screams and (Y/n)'s tortured howls were going to haunt Eddie for the rest of his life.

"Nurse said a drunk driver hit us. Can you call Maddie for me?"

"Yeah, yeah I'll ring and ask her to come down,"

"I'm sorry,"

His words took Eddie by surprise, so much so that he had to take a step back and lean down to look at Evan and make sure he heard him right. What on Earth was he apologising for? Evan hadn't been the one drunk driving, he hadn't done anything wrong. Not like the person who hit them who was going to feel Eddie's wrath as soon as he got hold of them.

As Evan continued to cry and cradle his head that was still on the verge of exploding, despite the morphine they had given him, Eddie could feel his throat closing up. The unfamiliar sense of dread dwelled in his stomach and his heartbeat started to thud throughout every crevasse of his body, making him pulse and shudder like a boombox. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore, a horrid numbness was spreading down his arms to his fingertips and he couldn't breathe.

He was starting to panic. He had been the one who had given both of them the cold shoulder. He wouldn't return (Y/n)'s phone calls, he wanted time to think things over and work out how they were all going to move forward through this and tell their families. Eddie had been too hard on both of them and now they were in the hospital.

If he had taken things better, if his mood had been lighter and more understanding, would they have been out in the car tonight when they were? Would they have been going to see Maddie if Eddie had changed his attitude yesterday?

Was their crash his fault?

[witchofthesouls]

So this is based off of my own personal medical experience as well as my mutual love for aliens being terrified of humans (aka Humans are Space Orcs)

We set the scene as follows; TFP Megatron and Soundwave having a human mate who is pregnant and due. The problem? Hybrid baby is having trouble coming out ‘naturally’ and has to be delivered via a C-section.

To describe a c-section accurately, you are pealed like a literally onion - layers being cut to reach your organs and uterus. Despite popular belief, your organs are not taken out during a c-section but they are moved aside in order to reach the baby. Once baby is taken out, organs are still there as they should and mama is stitched up. It’s by no means an ‘easy’ surgery both during and after for recovery.

I picture both holoformed Soundwave and Megatron supporting wifey and one of them (probably Megs) takes a peak behind the cover and sees his wife’s organs and baby possibly being yanked out and at the most probably pales (most dads either vomit or pass out).

I would like to add in some culture clash to go with the "humans are space fae/orcs" vibe we got here.

I'm thinking it's a post-war TFP au, so it makes sense how there's humans and Cybertronian medical personnel in this shindig.

For some reason, the newspark refuses to detach themselves from their latches inside the womb, even as it contracts in a vain attempt to evict them.

26 hours later and no progress in stage 2, the human carrier getting a C-section to fish out the barely six-pound metal infant as staff figure out how to manually detach the nutrient connective tendrils.

It takes the infant a moment to find their voice, but they do and don't like the cold air! Wailing their displeasure to everyone around.

It's not the worst Megatron and Soundwave had seen, but they're in the middle of stoically grieving that it came to this point, and they have no idea how the human will take it because the human wanted a large family-

Until, still high and exhausted from the entire ordeal, the human carrier blurts out to give them a year or two. Part to heal and part to psych up for another 2.5 years of pregnancy because it's the other mech's turn to spark a new one.

The Cybertronians get a crash course on how humans are able to repair internal damage to a certain extent, which includes their equivalent of a gestational chamber. It's a wonderment to them because surgical intervention during an active carriage is the Cybertronian equivalent of a hysterectomy.

The C-section scar gets a lot of attention from Megatron and Soundwave. It's their favorite scar.

(And because Megatron is the one that initially sparked this one, it's a girl.)

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Labor & Oxytocin

Kali: (bursts through the front doors of the hospital) And this is precisely why I told Blake that she needed to give birth back home, not in some overpriced hospital a continent away.

Ghira: Kali, dearest, please, control yourself.

Willow: Kali, it was the safest option. You said yourself that you had plenty of complications giving birth to Blake.

Kali: And now I'm realizing that over 36 hours of labor is worse than having a few complications. (to the nurse) Blake Belladonna. Where is she.

Willow: Thirty-six hours?!?!

Jaune: Uh, Mrs. Belladonna! What a surprise! Really, truly, a pure shock. Um, unfortunately, even though you are her mother, I'm not allowed to disclose-

Willow: (cuts him off) No! You are bringing us all to Blake's room this instant. (glyph beowulf suddenly appears next to her) Unless you want a pack of beowolves to scour the hospital and we can find her ourselves.

Jaune: (sweats) Yes, Ma'am! Right away, Ma'am! This way, Ma'am! (quickly leads the three to Blake's room)

Blake: (panting and in discomfort as Yang escorts her around the room) This is absolute hell...

Yang: (rubbing soothing circles on Blake's lower back) I know, babe. I know. (kisses Blake's head)

Doctor: Good news. You're only six centimeters away.

Blake: (groans)

-Door bursts open to a very protective mother panther-

Kali: Where's the doctor fucking up my baby girl's labor?!

Blake/Yang: Mom?!/Kali?!

Doctor: Excuse me, Ma'am, but you can't be in here-

Kali: Don't care. What have you done to help my baby girl get the baby out?

Doctor: We have tried everything from walking laps, squats, and bouncing on the labor ball.

Willow: What about oxytocin? Have you tried that?

Nurse: It's written in Ms. Belladonna's file that she's allergic to synthetic oxytocin.

Kali: .....(to Willow) Oxytocin?

Willow: Pleasure hormone.

Kali: They synthesize that? Why? Her wife is right there. (points at Yang before turning to the doctor) Are you seriously saying that you never considered natural stimulation to help my daughter???

Doctor: Erm.... Excuse me?

Nurse: I... think she's referring to pleasuring the patient....

Blake: The patient is right here and can hear you! (groans)

Kali: There's no mistake that the gods put the g-spot in the birth canal. What gets the baby in will get the baby out.

Ghira: (mortified) Good lord....

Doctor: That's highly unorthodox-

Yang: Wait, I can just play with Blake's clit until she dilates?!

Kali: With climax. Ladies always come first.

Yang: Damn right they do.

Willow: It allows the most oxytocin to get into the bloodstream.

Ghira: kill me now....

Blake: That's it! Everyone, out! That goes for you (points to doctor) you (points to nurse) and definitely you (points to Ghira). (turns to Kali and Willow) Respectfully, because I don't want you to... you know...

Kali: Already gone, dear. (kisses Blake and Yang's foreheads before leaving the room, hauling a flabbergasted Ghira with her)

Willow: Best of luck, dears. (strokes their cheeks affectionately) I'll call Weiss and tell her to get here as fast as she can. That baby is going to be here before you know it. (grabs the doctor by the coat collar and drags him out of the room)

Nurse: (follows dutifully, leaving Blake and Yang alone)

Blake: Yang...

Yang: Yes, babe?

Blake: You know the drill. And if this doesn't work, I'm going to kill you.

Yang: (gently lifts Blake up and brings her to the hospital bed) I happen to have a 100% mission success rate. I don't intend on marring that now!

Two hours later, the Xiao-Long/Belladonna family welcomed a beautiful baby into the world. Ghira was still suffering. Kali could not have been prouder. Willow and Weiss squealed with delight. Ruby rand spaztically around the room. Qrow and Raven agreed that the baby was so ugly it was adorable. It was a great day.

[soulthesimmer]

relief. he's here!

meet: ocean valentine.