InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lucky Ones ❯ Chapter Forty-Five ( Chapter 45 )

The Lucky Ones

By Terri Botta

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko Takahashi. I'm poor so don't sue.

Rating: R for later chapters.

Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome

Summary: Sometimes Fate hands you a gift you never thought you'd ever get, and it's up to you to accept it for what it is.

Email feedback to: tci100@psu.edu

Webpage: http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta

A/N: Okay guys there are only 2 more chapters left in Lucky Ones: Chapter 46 and 47 and then it's over. Expect 46 to follow in the next day or two.

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Chapter Forty-Five

The hospital door closed with a soft click that seemed too loud in the small room. Alone with his mate at last, Inuyasha sank to the floor with a grateful sigh as he dropped his bravado and his legs gave out.

"Inuyasha? Are you alright?" Kagome asked him gently.

"Yeah," he replied wearily.

"You're a lot weaker than you let on."

"I'm fine," he insisted, but the tone of his voice said otherwise.

"Always have to be the macho man," she scolded softly.

"If I hadn't, they never would have let me have the pup or come to see you," he argued irritably.

"You always were good at hiding your injuries."

"How's the pup?" he asked, changing the subject.

"He's finished."

He reached up one hand, grabbed the sidebar of the hospital bed and used it to pull himself to his feet. Leaning on it for support, he looked down at his mate and newborn son.

'A son. Alive and healthy,' he thought proudly.

He reached over with his free hand and stroked the pup's cheek. The newborn opened golden eyes and blinked at him.

:Pup,: he wuffed softly.

The pup yawned in answer and burped. Inuyasha turned to his mate, who was looking very much like he felt: worn out and run over with a truck, maybe even several trucks or a bus at least.

"You look how I feel," he said, a small smile on his lips.

"If that's true how are you still standing?"

His smile turned wry. "Supreme hanyou powers."

She gave him an incredulous look. "More like supreme hanyou stubbornness."

"Feh," he replied then sniffed. "I smell blood on you."

She nodded. "I'm bleeding. You know the period a woman has after a birth. It can be rather heavy at times."

"It smelled like woman's blood so I wasn't worried, but it's very strong right now."

"I should probably do some clean-up then. Can you put him in the bassinet and help me to the bathroom? Are you up to that?"

"Yeah. Just don't ask me to do any handstands."

She smirked. "Not today. Maybe tomorrow though."

"Wench," he groused, but flashed her a brief smile.

Inuyasha slowly made his way around the bed and gently took the pup in his arms, giving him a little nuzzle before placing him carefully in the rolling bassinet. Then he lowered the side bar on the near side of the bed and helped his mate rise to her feet.

"Ooooh, my legs feel like jelly," she groaned.

He put one arm around her waist and supported her. "It's okay. I've got you," he vowed tenderly.

Her hand gripped his forearm tightly. "I know."

Together they shuffled over to the private bathroom and he helped her in.

"I should have some necessaries in my overnight bag. I think Miroku said he put it on the floor," she told him.

He cast about the room and his eyes fell on the item in question. "I see it."

"Just bring me the whole thing, please? I want to get out of this damn hospital gown."

He did as asked and retrieved the bag for her. Just as he was returning to the bathroom, he heard her curse softly.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned.

"They put me in a stupid adult diaper," she answered with a heavy sigh. "And let's just say that I know why you smell so much blood."

He handed her the bag and moved to come in with her but she stopped him.

"Don't come in here. Trust me, I don't want to be in here with me; I won't subject you to it," she said, closing the door on him and locking it.

He drooped his ears and waited outside the door dejectedly. He hated it when she shut him out, especially at times like these when he needed to be with her like he needed air to breathe.

'As if I mind her blood... She's weak and exhausted. What if she tries to bend over and loses her balance? She could hit her head, stupid stubborn wench.'

He heard her cursing under her breath as she turned on the water in the sink and listened to her cleaning herself up, tracking her movements through sound.

"Kagome? Are you all right?" he called when quite a while had passed and he was starting to get nervous.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha," she insisted.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," she replied, exasperated. "I'm almost finished so you can stop worrying."

"Who's worried?" he snapped back with his old bluster.

He heard her snicker. "Right, the great macho Inuyasha never worries."

"Keh!" he scoffed then added more softly, "Are you sure you don't need me?"

There was a pause then she answered, "I always need you, Inuyasha."

The knot in his heart unraveled and he sighed. 'She always knows just what to say.'

The door unlocked and he opened it, peering in to see her sitting on the closed commode, dressed in a button-up cotton nightgown.

"Kagome?"

"I need a bath. My skin is crawling and my hair's filthy," she moaned.

He moved to her side and stroked her hair. "I'll wash it for you in the morning, okay?"

"If they'll let you."

"Keh! I'm your mate. I can bathe you if I want. Let them try to stop me."

She gave him a soft smile that spoke volumes. Four hundred and fifty years they had been together; she knew him better than anyone, better than he knew himself, and she was giving him a look that told him she knew every thought that had ever passed through his brain.

"I'd like to see them do it just for the entertainment value alone. I could use a good laugh at their expense right about now," she commented.

"Heh."

She offered him her hand and he took it, acting as a counter-balance as she rose to her feet.

"Take me back to bed, my hanyou."

His ears twitched and he did his best to hold his tongue, but the evil streak in him won out because the opportunity was just too good to pass up.

'And I'm banking on her not 'sitting' me coz we've both been through hell today.'

"Kagome? Are you sure? I know you're exhausted and that bed is awfully small. Still, if you really wanted to, I'm sure I could oblige you…"

"You are 2 seconds away from eating floor," she warned.

He snickered. "Now, now, koishii, you didn't honestly expect me to ignore that."

She sighed. "I guess not."

He escorted her to the bed and helped her get back into it. Then he used the controls to lower it into the sleeping position so she'd be comfortable, pulled the blanket up over her body and fluffed her pillows.

"Bring me the baby," she requested.

He went to the bassinet and looked down at his pup.

"Pup's sleeping."

"S'ok, bring him anyway."

He nodded and carefully lifted his son into to his arms and brought him over to his mother.

"Here," he said, laying the still sleeping pup in her arms.

She placed him on her chest, opening his blanket and putting his head right on her solar plexus.

"This way he'll hear my heartbeat," she explained. "It'll be familiar to him."

Inuyasha nodded and lifted the metal sidebar of the bed back into place, then he pulled the string on the over-the-bed light, setting the light to shine dimly towards the ceiling instead of directly on the bed. It made the room darker but still left some light in case Kagome needed it. Then he slowly climbed over the sidebar and prepared to ease himself in next to her.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing?"

"Getting into bed with you. What's it look like I'm doing?"

"You can't. The bed's too small."

"Your sleeping bag was smaller, but we always cuddled in that," he reminded.

She sighed and moved over, trying to make room for him to squeeze his lithe body between her and the side of the bed. He managed it but just barely. He lay on his side, his back wedged against the metal sidebar and his leg flung over one of hers. He slid one arm around her and drew her close.

"That's better," he breathed, letting out a deep sigh as he snuggled up and buried his nose in her hair.

'She might think it's filthy, but it smells wonderful.'

As always, her scent was a balm to his soul and all his pain and heartache faded away the moment she was in his arms.

"Kagome…"

Her fingers laced with his briefly then let go as he positioned his arm across her body such that he was holding her and cradling his pup at the same time.

"Inuyasha."

"He's perfect, isn't he," he whispered.

"Yes," she agreed.

He nuzzled her and she turned her head to kiss him gently. He nibbled at her lower lip then butted her under the chin with his nose before licking her jaw.

:Mate,: he barked softly.

:Mate,: she answered.

"I was scared," he admitted, laying his head beside hers.

"Me too."

"I think… I think that's the closest we've ever come to…"

"No. I think that time you were run through was closer. If Kaede-obachan hadn't been able to stop the bleeding, we both would have died," she corrected.

"Yeah, but that time I didn't see anything. This time…"

"Yeah," she replied, her voice far away.

"Do you remember it?" he asked.

"The coma?"

"Yeah."

"Not really. I… I don't think I was there."

"You weren't. What do you remember?"

"Being cold and scared and lost. But then you came and found me, and I knew I would be okay because you'd keep me safe. What do you remember?"

He was quiet for a moment, then replied, "Everything. I remember everything."

'The dark. The cold. Tenseiga. The big white light. And the souls… Haha-ue, Oyaji, and our lost pups…'

"What did you see?"

"Nothing at first. I think I was like you: not there and lost, then Sesshoumaru must have given me Tenseiga because when I became aware it was in my hand. It was with me in the Between place."

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Yeah. Both he and Rin were in the waiting room when I woke up. I had fallen on the floor and when I opened my eyes, both Tessaiga and Tenseiga were next to me."

"Tenseiga is not of the living world. That's why Sesshoumaru could pass through the gates to the youkai graveyard when we couldn't. It probably acted as a bridge," she commented thoughtfully.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Once you became aware, then what did you see?"

"Nothing at first, but I could feel and hear you, and I knew you were in trouble. So I followed the red cord that connects us and I found you floating in front of this huge swirling white light that was sucking everything into it, and all these souls were getting pulled into its center."

"You saw the doorway to the Other Side?"

"I guess. I just knew I had to get you away from it or we'd never get back, so I grabbed you and used Tenseiga to keep us from getting sucked in."

"I remember that. I asked you to hold me…"

"And I told you I'd hold you forever," he finished, breathing into her hair.

"Yes…"

Her hand came up to lightly clasp his arm, squeezing lightly.

"Thank you," she breathed.

"It's true. I would have given you every last drop of my strength if it meant I could keep you with me."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too, koishii."

They were quiet for a moment. Nestled on his mother's chest, the pup burped softly and snuffled, but did not wake. Inuyasha stroked the short silver hair on the pup's head and soothed him.

:Sleep, pup,: he wuffed quietly.

"You were right. It was a boy," Kagome commented lightly.

"Feh, 'course I was. Have I ever called a pup wrong? I told you Tomo'd be a boy, and Miroku. I said he'd be a boy too."

She chuckled. "That makes you three for three."

"Four. I predicted Miroku and Sango's second pup would be a girl," he corrected.

"True. I'd forgotten about that. It was so long ago…" she sighed wistfully.

"Yeah."

"So much has happened since then. Sometimes it feels like a dream, like I'm sleeping and any moment I'll wake up and I'll be fifteen again and none of this will ever have happened."

He shuddered. "Don't say that, Kagome. If that is true then it means we never met and you never freed me from my Seal and never loved me. And no matter what happens to us, I'd never wish that."

The hand on his arm squeezed reassuringly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Forgive me. I just meant that all of this seems so unreal. I mean, if you were a stranger and someone told you our story, what would you think?"

"That they needed some serious drugs, or that they'd already done too many as it is," he replied.

She laughed softly. "Our lives: the product of a really bad Acid trip."

"Or a really good one. You never know. We could all be little specks of dust in some alien's set of marbles," he noted, tossing out a 'Men in Black' reference.

"Thinking about stuff like that just makes my already pounding head hurt even more," she groaned.

"So don't think about it. Just close your eyes and get some rest," he chided.

"Mmmm," she agreed and grew quiet.

Inuyasha looked at her peaceful face and smiled, his heart warm and happy in his chest.

'Kagome. To think I could have lost you… I almost did. If Akihiro and the others hadn't given me that extra bit of power, I may not have had enough strength to hold you.'

The memory reminded him of something he needed to do.

"Kagome? Are you sleeping?"

"Hmmm?" came her muffled reply.

"There's something else I need to tell you."

Her eyes opened sleepily. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

"When we were Between and I was holding you, I got some help."

"Help?"

He paused, uncertain how she was going to react to his news. He knew her well enough to guess that she would be touched and comforted, and he didn't think the message would hurt her.

"Yeah… while we were there six souls came around us."

"Six souls?"

"Yeah, they were these glowing balls of light. Y'know like the souls Kikyou's Shinidama-chuu used to gather for her," he explained.

She nodded that she understood so he continued. "They… they were the souls of my parents and… and some of our pups," he said carefully.

Her eyes opened wide. "Your parents?"

"Yeah. Oyaji said he was proud of me and Haha-ue wanted me to tell you that she's glad you're my mate."

Tears brimmed in her eyes and he saw her lick her bottom lip. "I'm glad. And the others?"

He swallowed hard. "They were… they… they were ones we… lost."

"Lost?" she repeated, then he saw understanding come to her face and the tears that had threatened began to fall.

"I saw Akihiro… and Hiei. And…"

"Sai?"

He nodded. "Sai. And… and Hiro."

"Hiro?"

"Aki said… Akihiro said they were allowed to come across because they didn't get a chance to say good-bye," he replied, a lump forming in his throat.

"Oh," was all she said.

"They… they wanted me to tell you that… that they love us and miss us, and that they're waiting for us and we'll all be together again someday."

She nodded and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

"Hiro said he forgave me and thanked me for saving him from himself. He said…" He choked on the lump, forcing it down, and fought back his own tears. "He said that… that I made the right choice."

She opened her eyes again and reached up to stroke his face. "Oh, Inuyasha…"

"And Sai… Sai wanted me to tell you that he wasn't in any pain at… at the end."

She sobbed. "I'm… I'm so glad. I'm so glad it didn't hurt. I was so worried that his last moments were painful. I knew you were quick, but I always feared…"

"I know. Me too," he admitted as he trembled and a single tear escaped one of his eyes.

"Inuyasha..."

He drew her closer and nuzzled into her hair, licking the salt of her tears from her skin.

"They gave me their strength before they had to leave," he told her. "I added it to mine and it was enough to keep you with me. They helped me hold you so you could heal."

"I'm grateful," she whispered. "Thank you for telling me this."

"I promised Haha-ue I would."

She smiled through her tears. "You and your promises."

"I am a man of my word."

"I know. It's one of the things I love most about you."

"That and my good looks and charming disposition."

She snickered then grew quiet. The pup, reacting to his parents' movements and voices, began to fuss a bit. Kagome hushed him and rubbed his back until he settled down again.

"Well your good looks for certain. I'm not so sure about the disposition thing."

"Are you telling me I don't have a charming disposition?" he teased.

"Well…"

"Gonna tell me I'm rude, stubborn and impossible?"

"All of the above."

He kissed her temple. "Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"Absolutely. You think I would have put up with you for so long if I didn't love you?" she countered with a wry smile.

"Probably not. You would have strung me up by my toes a long time ago if you didn't."

"Hmmm, strung you up, yes. By your toes? Hmmmm, probably not your toes," she jibed, elbowing him lightly in the stomach.

He growled softly and nibbled her earlobe. She sighed and pressed close as he held her. He couldn't imagine not having her in his life, and not for the first time he was thankful for the spell that bound them together. He found comfort in the knowledge that he would never have to live without her. He knew that their pups fretted and worried, and were even frightened by that fact, but for him... he knew he'd rather die than lose her. He remembered all too well his mother's quiet grief after the loss of his father. She had never spoken of it to him because he was just a little whelp, but he knew she had missed him. Her eyes would grow sad and her scent would change whenever he mentioned his father, and she'd get quiet, her answers soft and carefully worded.

'And if Oyaji had been alive then Haha-ue would never have died,' he thought darkly. 'But at least they're together now. They found each other on the Other Side.'

It pleased him to know that they would all be reunited someday. In that, none of them were ever really lost.

'When they came, I knew they were souls, but… but all of them looked alike. Shouldn't the souls of the hanyous have been different from Haha-ue's? And Oyaji's was the same too, but he was a full youkai.'

"Kagome?"

"Hmm, yes?"

"There's one other thing."

"Oh?"

"When we were Between and Oyaji and the others came to see us…" He paused, trying to choose the right words.

"Yes?"

"They… they all looked the same," he finally said.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"All of them… they were exactly the same. Even Haha-ue's and Oyaji's. They didn't look any different from the others."

"And you think that they should have looked different," she said leadingly.

"Shouldn't they have been? Haha-ue was human and Oyaji was a taiyoukai."

She nodded. "Ah. I understand."

He waited, knowing she would speak, but he felt the change in her and knew she was tapping into that special place where she kept all of her miko knowledge. Her face was thoughtful as if she were trying to find a way to explain in terms he would understand.

"A wise man once said," she began softly, her voice peaceful and sage. "That Creation's greatest secret is that the Universe is made up of only one kind of energy, and that everything, at its very core, is exactly the same. Some people, those we consider very holy, either are born knowing this secret or realize it on their own, but the rest of us… we spend our entire mortal lives trying to rediscover that one Truth.

"So… it doesn't surprise me that all souls look the same, regardless of whether they had been youkai or human or hanyou in life, because they are the same. Everything, in its deepest being, is identical."

'Identical. I knew she would know. She always knows things like that. Like Kikyou. Kikyou always knew the answers to the big questions.'

He looked at her, what little of her he could see with his head alongside hers and their bodies squeezed together in such a small space, and she met his gaze calmly, a soft smile on her lips.

"Do you understand?" she asked gently.

He nodded. "You and me, we're the same."

Her smile widened. "Exactly. See the Great Secret of the Universe is now known to you."

"Keh," he scoffed. "I already knew that. You and me, we've been the same since the day we met."

"Oh really?" she replied, one eyebrow raised.

He smiled. "Yeah, we both decided to drive each other crazy for the rest of our lives."

She giggled and smiled back. "I'll hound you to the end of your days."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

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Nurse Naomi walked down the silent hallway, noting for the fifth time that the door to room 314 was closed. Normally patient room doors were only closed when procedures were being performed or the patient was being examined. During all other times, patients were instructed to leave their doors open. This case, however, had obviously decided to ignore protocol.

Normally her course of action would be simple: she'd open the door, explain hospital policy to the errant patient and step out, leaving the door open. But there were extraneous factors regarding this particular patient which made that decision unwise. The higher ups had been very clear that they provide the patient in 314 with exceptional care, and they were to give her practically anything she wanted, within reason and as long as it did not endanger her health. The staff grapevine whispered about a terrible mix-up down in maternity which was certain to have heads rolling (perhaps literally) and would probably get the hospital very seriously sued. She wasn't sure exactly what had happened but she knew that 314 had been brought in from the ICU, and that the Hospital Administrator was practically bending over backwards to be helpful.

'Probably trying to save his sorry ass,' she thought dourly.

Then there were the rumors that both the Nishitaishou and Fushikenwa families were involved in the case, and no one wanted to get on the bad side of either of those two clans. The patient herself was listed on the roster as one Fushikenwa Kagome so she had no doubts that at least that part of the rumor was true. The part about a newborn being involved was also true because she knew an infant had been taken from the maternity ward. To the best of her knowledge, said infant was still in the room- something else that was a severe breach of protocol. As a general rule, newborns were not allowed on the third floor.

'Would serve them right if the kid caught something and died,' she thought irritably, but then felt horrible for it.

She didn't wish the baby any harm, and what happened certainly wasn't the infant's fault. She just hated rule-breakers and patients who thought they were above regulations.

'Think just because they're rich and powerful, they can do whatever they damn well please.'

She paused outside the closed door and frowned. Of course the third and most compelling reason to leave 314 alone was not the patient herself but her companion. "The Mate" as the ward staff called him, was a violent, overbearing, overprotective inu-hanyou who had terrorized the maternity ward nurse (or so the rumors said.) The Mate was more likely to tear your head off than talk to you, and woe betide you if you offended him. The ward staff knew The Mate from before. Nurse Katya was on duty the night 314 had been brought in for false labor about two months ago. The staff was still talking about that night and what The Mate had put them through. And now The Mate was back and the whole floor was in a tizzy, because it looked like He might be staying for more than one night this time and they just knew what they would be in store for then.

She herself was not afraid of The Mate. She was an eagle-youkai after all and they were not easily intimidated. Still, she didn't relish what was to come. She knew that eventually she would have to go into 314 because her job was to treat the patients in the ward, and 314 needed to have her blood pressure checked and her personal needs seen to, and she was supposed to make sure that the infant was secure.

She looked at her watch. 'I'll give it another 20 minutes. 322 needs to have her bandages changed. Then I'll go in and take care of 314.'

Twenty minutes later, Nurse Naomi stood outside the closed patient room door again. She debated knocking before going in, and wondered if The Mate had locked the door. If he had, it was no big deal because she had a master key, but it would be one more thing to irritate her if it was locked. She decided not to knock. It was a hospital, after all, and it should be assumed that privacy was not assured.

'I am confident. I have a right to be here. If he gives me any trouble, I'll shred him,' she vowed to herself bravely.

Opening the door, she walked in with her head high. She had anticipated that The Mate would greet her with a snarl, the way he had greeted the staff the last time they had been there. The nurses said he was territorial and gruff, and would hang over them every moment they were in the room, glaring and growling. Because of this, she was not expecting the scene she found.

He was on the bed, which was another major no-no, but as she prepared to storm over and demand that he vacate immediately, she took a good look at them and thought the better of it. Both appeared to be asleep, or rather the three of them appeared to be asleep since closer inspection revealed that the infant was in the bed with them as well. She could see a tiny head peeking out from underneath a blue newborn's blanket that had been draped across the mother's body. The Mate was on his side, squeezed between the patient and the metal sidebar of the bed. The position couldn't be comfortable but his face showed no signs of distress. He had one arm around his wife such that she was pressed against his body, and the infant was cradled by the curve of his elbow and braced by his forearm. His face relaxed in sleep, The Mate who had so terrorized the nursing staff looked peaceful and oddly innocent.

'They look so young…'

She lifted the patient's records from the file holder on the wall by the door and flipped through it. Fushikenwa Kagome's birth year was listed as 1982.

'She's only 18. And completely human. But The Mate is a hanyou. How can the infant be his? Hanyous are incapable of producing offspring.' She read further, her mouth turning down into a frown as she read the details of the patient's ordeal. 'Full-blown eclampsia.Convulsions in the delivery room. Eclampsic coma for 16 hours. Kami-sama what a mess. It's no wonder he's so over-protective if this is the kind of luck she's been having. Pregnancy and childbirth are hard enough when there aren't any complications. If this was me, I know my mate would be through the roof.

'And it doesn't help that her doctor was an ignorant jerk. I always knew Hattori Taro was an incompetent idiot but I didn't think he'd be this stupid. Now I know why the administrator is bending over backwards. This case screams malpractice lawsuit. And Hattori better pray to all 108 Kamis that they don't come after him. This family isn't the forgiving type.'

She brought the file with her and quietly approached the bed. From a closer vantage point, the scene looked even more touching. It was obvious that the two trusted each other and had great affection for each other. The patient was deeply asleep, her face slightly turned to face her mate and one hand was resting on his forearm. Her expression was one of complete peace and contentment.

'She has no fear of him. Nor does she mind him being beside her. He might be an ungodly terror to everyone else, but she trusts him completely with herself and with the baby,' she thought, realizing that while The Mate might be territorial and aggressive, he loved as well, and this deep love was the source of all his protectiveness.

She took the digital blood pressure monitor she had in her hand and prepared to use one of the patient's fingers to measure her BP. She had just carefully lifted the index finger of the hand that rested on The Mate's arm when he moved faster than she thought possible. With a growl and a snarl of warning, he grabbed her wrist in a vice grip.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, his golden eyes glittering in the dim light.

Her first instinct was to yank her hand away and run because he had just scared the liver out of her, but she realized that pulling back would probably trigger even more protective instincts so she froze instead. If he was just waking, then chances were he was acting on a primal level and wasn't fully conscious yet. He had probably smelled her unfamiliar scent, sensed movement nearby, and reacted to the potential threat. She should have made certain that he knew she was there and wasn't an enemy before trying to touch the woman. She waited for him to completely wake up before answering him.

"I'm taking your wife's blood pressure," she whispered.

She saw his eyes narrow a bit as he took in her fingers around his mate's index finger and the blood pressure monitor in her other hand.

"Hmmph," he replied and released her wrist.

"Thank you."

"Feh."

She continued with her task as The Mate stretched a bit and then lifted and rolled himself out of the bed, going over the metal sidebar, with a flexibility and grace that made her envious. Even worse he did it without disturbing either his wife or the sleeping newborn. Landing on nearly silent feet, he padded over to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He returned a few moments later while she was measuring the patient's temperature.

"What was her blood pressure?" he asked softly.

"130 over 85."

He sighed. "Still too high."

"Yes, but it's coming down," she assured him as she marked the readings on the chart.

The Mate nodded and moved to the side of the bed opposite her.

"Has she been to the bathroom?" she asked.

"Yeah. Got herself all cleaned up and changed. She put the thing you had on her into the bathroom trash."

She nodded, making a note of the facts in the patient's records. "How long ago was this?"

"What time is it now?"

She looked at her watch. "4:30am."

"Hmmm. It's been about 3½ hours."

"I should check to see if she needs her pad changed."

She heard him sniff and saw him shake his head.

"Not yet. Let her be."

She recognized the warning in his voice and decided not to push the issue. Besides, inu noses were far superior to hers and if he didn't believe she needed to be changed, then she probably didn't.

"I need to check the newborn," she said.

"Pup's fine. He's sleeping."

"I still need to take his vitals. Technically he isn't supposed to be out of the nursery yet," she countered.

"Feh. Pups belong with their mothers. It's the best place for them."

"No one will argue that with you, however when birth was traumatic and difficult, isn't it best to make sure nothing went wrong?"

He barked a short mirthless laugh. "Nothing went wrong? Everything went wrong, woman. Fucking asshole baboon," he replied, but gently pulled back the blue blanket so she could inspect the infant.

She blinked at the baby and did a double-take. At first she thought it was a youkai child, but knew that wasn't possible because the mother was human. The baby had pointed ears like a youkai but his flesh was soft and pink like a human's, and he didn't have the half-transformed look of a hanyou. She couldn't imagine what the baby's father could have been, even moreso since she doubted The Mate would enjoy his wife carrying another male's child.

'What is this?' she wondered.

"Oi, is something wrong with my son?" The Mate demanded.

She shook her head. "No, not at all." 'His son? But how can that be? He's a hanyou.'

"If nothing is wrong why are you looking at him like that?"

"I'm just…" 'How do I say this? Well, all new fathers love to have their kids complimented.' "I'm just admiring how beautiful he looks. He's so adorable."

As she predicted, The Mate fluffed with pride and gave her a beaming smile.

"Yeah, he is innit he? Just about perfect. I didn't know what he would look like. I'm glad he got my eyes and hair but not my ears."

'So the child is his. But how? Does the hospital administrator know this? He must! He has to know that a hanyou-human cross child has been born in his hospital. Has such a thing ever happened before?'

"He's very cute."

The Mate looked down at his son and she was moved by the look of love on his face.

'This is the violent over-protective jerk? He isn't anything like I was expecting. I wonder what Nurse Katya did to get on his bad side,' she thought to herself.

"He was our last try," he told her. "We lost four before this one and he was the only embryo we had left. I promised Kagome we'd give it one more try but then no more. Dr. Maggiano thought the new drug she had would help her keep the pup inside long enough this time, and she was right."

'Embryo. Hmmm, that sounds like in vitro.' "He's an in vitro baby then?"

He gave her a tolerant look. "'Course he's in vitro. I'm a hanyou. You think I'd be able to sire a pup without help?"

She laughed nervously. "Well, actually I was wondering about that."

"Heh, that was the look you were giving him. Couldn't figure him out, eh? Well, you're looking at the first human-hanyou pup ever born alive."

He placed one hand on the tiny back and stroked the infant's shoulders.

"My son."

"This… this is quite amazing. I'm surprised the youkai media hasn't shown up yet. This is wonderful news for all hanyous."

"Keh. Hospital promised to keep the wolves at bay until we knew the pup would live. I'm sure they'll be banging on the door by tomorrow though. Pup's strong and healthy."

She leaned over to check the infant's vitals and concurred. "He certainly seems to be strong and healthy."

She also noticed that while the infant did not react to his father's touch, he did react to hers by waking up with a cry.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake him. I thought I was touching him lightly enough."

"Feh, I think he got my nose. Or part of it at least. He probably smelled you and knew you weren't familiar."

The cry of the baby woke the mother and the woman in the bed opened her eyes sleepily.

"Nu…yasha?" she murmured.

"It's okay, Kagome. Pup's fine."

The patient turned her head as one hand came down to stroke the newborn's back.

"Who?" she asked, laying eyes on her.

"A nurse who came in to check on you."

"Time?"

"Almost 5am."

"Mmm."

The touch of his mother didn't settle the baby. Instead the fear-cry changed to a different cry that was louder and more insistent.

"Keh. Pup's hungry," The Mate said.

"Mmm," the patient responded with a nod.

"I'll put the bed up so it's easier for you," The Mate offered, pressing the button on the controls to raise the head of the bed.

'He's so solicitous and gentle with her. How could a male that Nurse Katya swears is a homicidal maniac be so tender and loving?'

"Are you done now?" The Mate's voice asked her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. I'm finished."

"Pup needs changed. You could bring up some diapers. We use cloth ones. None of that plastic shit you put him in."

"I'll put in a call for maternity to send some up."

"Thanks."

It was a clear dismissal and she took the hint. No sense in provoking him without cause.

"Oi, breakfast still at eight?" he asked as she turned to leave.

"Yes. Breakfast is still at eight."

"Good. Thanks. Did you hear that Kagome? When they bring in your tray, I'll go get coffee and something for myself downstairs."

"Okay," the patient replied.

Nurse Naomi looked back one more time to see the patient bringing her newborn up to feed, and smiled softly. The Mate was standing beside her, all his attention focused on his wife and son as if they were the only two beings that mattered in the whole world.

'And that's exactly how it should be,' she thought with a small bit of envy. Too often she had seen mates ignore or neglect each other. In many ways, The Mate's blatant devotion was endearing and a breath of fresh air.

She closed the door behind her on her way out.

TBC… Ch 46 to follow shortly.