Chapter Text
The clinic had never felt so far away. Ari was cradled in his arms, unconscious. She was so exhausted that she'd been passing out in between contractions. It was terrifying: she would wake up just long enough to breathe through another contraction, her groans tearing through him, only to go limp again.
“Fang! Fang!” Logan kicked open the clinic door, frantic. “Doc! Ari's hurt and the baby-” The doctor took charge in a way which Logan had never before seen, but was immediately grateful for.
“Lay her down on the bed, there,” Fang instructed him, tying his hair back off his face as he strode to the sink. Logan did as he was told, gently laying her down. When he set her on the bed, her eyes fluttered open.
“Don't leave me,” she whimpered, clinging to him desperately, her battered hand clutching his shirt. His heart clenched.
“Never. I ain't going anywhere,” he told her, his fingers wrapping around hers gently. Fang approached, his expression focused.
“How far apart are the contractions?” he asked quietly, settling at the foot of the bed, pulling on a pair of gloves.
“I - I don't know. I jus’ found her and, I wasn't thinkin’ about anythin’ except gettin’ her here,” Logan replied, tearing his gaze away from Ari's to look at him. Fang nodded as he took in her injuries.
“You will need to help me. Can you do that?” Logan nodded.
“Anythin’ she needs,” he said resolutely.
“Wash your hands. Then we can start.”
“You heard the doc. I'll be right back darlin’,” Logan told Ari who reluctantly released her grip on him. He kissed her forehead and went to wash up.
“Ari, I am going to touch you. Is that ok? I need to check how far you have progressed,” he heard Fang tell her as he crossed the room.
Logan scrubbed his hands with water so hot it stung. His wife's blood was all over his hands and it was something he hoped he would never see again. By the time he'd finished, Fang was tugging off the gloves, and rising.
“We have time, I believe. We can treat your injuries,” the doctor told Ari, “But it will be difficult.”
“I understand,” she replied. “Just make sure the baby is-” Her voice broke as a contraction started, and she groaned.
“Just breath, darlin’,” Logan told her worriedly, rushing to her side. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled deeply, her face a mask of pain.
“5 minutes,” Fang noted, eyes darting to the clock. “Not… ideal.” He moved quickly around the clinic, finally laying out his supplies on the table next to the bed. Clean water, towels, bandages, needle, thread, scissors, and medications.
“We need to clean the cuts and abrasions,” he told Logan. “I will have to stitch your leg Ari, but you will need to keep still. Logan may need to hold it down. I will try not to hurt you more than necessary, but I must be quick.”
“I understand,” she said tiredly, closing her eyes.
Fang quickly cleaned the gash, and gestured for Logan to hold her knee and thigh. As soon as she relaxed from her next contraction, he set to work. Logan could feel her trembling beneath his hands, her beautiful face drawn tight.
He had been injured a hundred times. Nothing he had ever experienced compared to seeing Ari hurt like this. He'd only ever felt this helpless once before in his life and that was when his father had died. Every whimper that fell from her lips was like a punch to the gut; it was unbearable.
Logan held her through a half dozen contractions while Fang stitched her up. When the doctor finished, it was time for Logan to help.
He pulled up a stool, and worked on her hands while the doctor cared for her knees. It was terrible to see her small, capable hands scraped and bloodied. She hissed in pain when he dug out the small stones and grit that had ground into her flesh. Finally, he slathered on a medicated ointment, and wrapped her palms in bandages.
“Logan, can you help with this?” Fang asked, gesturing for him to join him by the sink. Logan kissed Ari gently and made his way across the clinic.
“Thank you doc,” Logan said, clapping a hand on Fang’s shoulder.
“Logan, I-” Fang took a deep breath, glancing over to where Ari lay. “Ari is.. not in good shape. She has lost a lot of blood, and she is weak.” Logan blinked at him, shaking his head in confusion.
“I don’t - Whaddya sayin’ Fang?” Fear was rising in his throat like bile.
“Giving birth is…difficult. She will have a hard time these next few hours,” Fang told him in a low voice. “Ari will need you.”
“No, that’s not-” The ground felt as though it had dropped out of him. He knew what the doctor was saying, but he couldn’t stop the panic from flooding his body. His vision swam and an image of Ari, crumpled in a bloody heap, appeared before his eyes.
He didn’t think he had the strength to survive losing her. He couldn’t even fathom it. Logan had known from the first moment he’d kissed her that she was it for him. He would love her right into the next life.
This was by far the most terrifying thing he’d ever dealt with. Monsters? Now those were things he could battle, with his fists or his blades. But this? This wasn’t something he could combat, something that he could face head on, and know he would come out on top.
“Logan?” Fang’s face came into focus, the doctor frowning at him worriedly. “Are you-”
“I - I need to tell Andy,” Logan blurted, his mind racing. “He needs to know where we are.”
“I will send X,” Fang told him, putting his hands on Logan’s shoulders. “I can see… you are afraid, but Ari… you must be strong. For her.” Logan scrubbed at his face with hands, nodding.
“I - I know. I’ll try.” Light, he sounded weak even to himself. Ari moaned and he hurried across the room. She was clenching her jaw, sweat beading on her brow.
“You gotta breathe. In and out,” he told her, taking her bandaged hand in his. She looked so pale and worn out. “I got you.”
When Andy burst into the clinic a short while later, Ari was mid-contraction. The boy took one look at her, and blanched. Ari looked at the boy with bleary eyes, and immediately released Logan’s hand.
“Andy,” she said, gesturing. He turned, and when he spotted Andy’s white face, he went to him. Andy stared past him, his eyes on Ari.
“Is… Ari - Mum ok?” he asked, his voice high with fear. Logan took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions under control. It was then that he heard his father’s voice in his head.
You wanna do right by them, Son. Don’t you forget that.
You’re right, Pa, he thought, pushing his fear down and locking it away.
“Yes, Ari will be fine. Baby’s comin’ that’s all. I didn’t want you to worry when we didn’t come home,” Logan replied, forcing a wan smile.
“I - I don’t wanna lose another mum,” Andy choked out and Logan's heart nearly broke. He put his arms around his son, holding him close.
“That ain’t gonna happen,” he told him. “Ari is the toughest person I know, and I'm here too. I'm gonna be with her the whole time.” Andy nodded against his chest. “You can say hi to her, but ya need to go to Rocky's for the night. This ain't no place for a kid.”
He held Andy's hand as they approached the bed. Ari held her own bandaged hand out to them, and Andy darted ahead to take it carefully. She murmured something to the boy, and he hugged leaned down to hug her.
“I love you too,” Logan heard Andy whisper as he pulled away.
“Next time I see you, your brother or sister will be here,” she told him, giving Andy's fingers a squeeze. Logan felt tears spring to his eyes; how did he get so lucky? The boy gave a wobbly smile, and hugged Logan one more time.
“I'll come get ya if the baby comes sooner than later,” he promised, and Andy nodded before heading out.
Ari was already breathing through another contraction by the time he returned to her side. They were coming 3 or 4 minutes apart now, and Fang was monitoring her closely. She still had a way to go, the doctor said.
Logan spent the next few hours encouraging and helping her as best he could. He gave her sips of water and juice, and fed her sandberries to help her keep her energy up. He held her hand and offered words of encouragement and praise when contractions wracked her body.
“Ok Ari, with the next one, you will need to push,” Fang told her finally.
“You got this darlin’,” Logan told her, kissing her hand. He lost count of how many times she bore down, of her shouts of pain.
The sound of the baby's cry was perhaps the most strangely beautiful thing he'd ever heard. Ari laughed weakly, her eyes meeting his. A lump rose in Logan's throat as he began to cry unabashedly.
“It's a boy,” Fang declared, a soft smile on his face. A moment later, he brought the small, red faced bundle to his parents, handing him to Ari.
“You did so good darlin’,” Logan murmured, his hand resting on the baby's small form. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” she whispered, staring at their son. “He's perfect.”
When Ari woke, sun was pouring in. Andy was sitting in a chair next to the bed, grinning at the baby in his arms. Logan stood next to him, a hand on his shoulder, pride written all over his face. He looked tired, but he radiated happiness.
“He's so little,” Andy was saying quietly, awe in his voice. “Hi baby. I'm your brother. I'm gonna take care of you, ya hear.”
She shifted, tears coming to her as eyes as she pulled herself uncomfortably in a sitting position. Her husband met her gaze and her heart swelled. She was transported for a moment back to the church on the day they got married, his face full of so much love and joy.
“Got a good hold of him?” Logan asked Andy, and the boy nodded, beaming at the baby. Logan tousled his hair and moved to Ari's side, greeting her with a gentle kiss.
“You feelin’ alright?” he asked, caressing her cheek.
“Everything hurts, but other than that, I'm fine,” she replied with a light laugh.
“Fang wants you to stay an extra day, jus’ to make sure you're healin’ proper.” Ari nodded, her eyes landing on her two boys. Andy was cooing and making faces at the baby, and it was adorable. “Andy thinks we should name him Andy Junior,” Logan laughed, and Ari's heart melted. “I kinda like Liam myself.”
“Liam? You don't want to name him after your father?” Ari asked, surprised.
“Thought about it, but I want him to make his own name, not live up to someone else's. Pa woulda loved him no matter what,” he replied thoughtfully, and Ari nodded.
“Liam it is.”
“I'll grab him. Let him have some time with his Mama.” Logan kissed her again, and went to get Liam. He bent, pressing his lips to Andy's forehead as he took the baby into his arms.
She smiled at the sight of the three of them together.
Her boys. Her family. Her heart.
