Taking Care of Reno: Advent Children
The Epilogue
Nine months later…
She stretched her fingers out as far as they would go, desperate to reach her target.
“Just… a little… more…”
It was no use. It was too far.
“… What in Ramuh’s name are you doing?”
Elena awkwardly straightened up, having to push herself upwards from her semi-crouched position using the edge of the coffee table for leverage. A deep blush spread over her face.
“… I… er… Well, it’s just that…” she stammered, and at last sighed. “I’ve… been eating a lot of those cookies lately. I’ve been craving chocolate constantly and I can’t seem to control it. So I asked Reno to put them somewhere I couldn’t reach them before I get to the point that I’ll never lose the weight.” She scowled faintly. “He thought it would be absolutely hilarious to put them on the floor. And the worst part is, I really can’t reach them there! They’ve been sitting there… torturing me… since he and Rude left this morning.”
Rufus snickered approvingly. “That’s actually quite clever…” he mused. Elena shot him a dirty look. The President calmly bent down and picked up the package of cookies and went to pass them to the heavily pregnant Turk… then thought better of it and extracted two from the box for her. She smiled gratefully.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Just how much longer is this to go on? I could swear you’ve been pregnant for years at this point.”
Elena grinned as she stuffed one of the confections into her mouth, savoring the rich chocolately goodness of it.
“Some days, it feels like it,” she replied, pressing a hand to her lower back and making her way over to the couch, a slight waddle in her walk, “Two more weeks. Two more long weeks. And if this kid thinks it’s going to be staying in there any longer than that, it’s got another thing coming.”
Rufus helped her down, letting her take hold of his arm long enough to ease herself down onto the cushions. She felt a sharp kick and glanced down at her belly.
“Yeah, that’s right. You heard me. Two more weeks and I’m evicting you. It’s your father’s turn to carry you around all day for awhile.”
The executive snorted softly. “Oh, I can just imagine how that will play out.” He shook his head vaguely and turned back the way he’d come. “In any case… I only came down to tell you that I’ve dispatched Tseng to Junon for the afternoon, so it’s just you and I here at the moment. If you need me, I’ll be in my office on a video conference with Reeve.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, lifting her feet onto the coffee table in front of the couch and sighing in relief. Her ankles were swollen again, and Reno wasn’t around to rub them for her… but the elevation helped a little. Rufus disappeared with a slight nod, leaving her on her own.
They were all still in Healin. There wasn’t really any reason to be, now that Rufus had been cured of his Geostigma… but the President had decided that he was quite content in the little mountain retreat, and for the time being, anyway, enjoyed running his company from a bit of a distance. He traveled frequently to meet with his department heads in Junon and Edge… but by and large, he’d grown to like being out of the limelight and relished the solitude that Healin afforded him.
The Turks, of course, had also stayed. The Shinra Medical Division was still in residence as well, but as they no longer needed so much space for treating patients, a number of the buildings had been restored to their original purpose, and relinquished to the Turks for their own lodgings. Rufus had remained in the main cabin, and turned it into a sort of home-headquarters hybrid, with the lower floor being open to all Shinra personnel and the upper floor his private abode and office.
Technically speaking, Elena was on leave. She had worked, restricted to light duty, until about a month ago when mobility started to get a bit more difficult… but now she was sidelined entirely until after the baby came. Sitting alone in their little cabin near the lookout all day on her own had very quickly grown unbearable, however… so she frequently found herself occupying the Shinra cabin instead as her fellow Turks came and went, seeing to whatever assignments Rufus set for them. Rufus seemed to enjoy her company, and it usually let her see Reno throughout the day.
Which was good for the redhead… because the closer her due date got, the more protective of her he became. He didn’t seem to want to admit it, but she’d been getting the distinct impression lately that he was worried she might decide to have the baby without him. Granted, it was certainly a possibility that she could go into labor while he was on assignment elsewhere… but Rufus, in a small act of kindness, had been keeping him relatively nearby for the past few weeks, rarely sending him farther away than Edge or Kalm.
She giggled quietly to herself. For all his worries that he didn’t know what he was doing, Reno had been doing a fantastic job taking care of her. Her mood swings had been terrible for awhile, and he’d put up with it all – even the time she’d screamed at him mercilessly for eating the last slice of jalapeño and pineapple pizza… which she hadn’t even wanted until he’d taken it. She’d been awful to him on more than one occasion, and all he ever seemed to do in response was love her.
Elena glanced over at the clock and sighed. It was almost noon… She should really get some lunch. Real food… not the junk she’d been trying to talk herself out of eating all morning. With a grunt, she began the tedious process of extricating herself from her seat. The couch was deep and plush, and not long ago, she’d discovered it was almost impossible for her to get off of it now without a great deal of rolling and flopping and flailing. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the damn thing was so comfortable, she’d have avoided it like the plague.
She’d nearly made it to her feet when a sudden pain made her gasp. She blinked in confusion for a moment… before realizing that her water had just broken.
“Wait! I was only kidding about the whole eviction thing! You’re not supposed to be here for another two weeks!” she cried, slightly panicked, and still very stuck. “Oh… Sir?! Rufus! Help!”
“Two more weeks ’til the big day,” Rude said, lightly elbowing his partner as they made their way towards the center of town. “You ready to be a dad?”
Reno smirked. “I think ‘Lena’s ready for me to be a dad… She’s beyond sick of bein’ pregnant. Think if it was up to her, she’d’ve had the kid a month ago.” He snickered softly. “Don’t tell her I said so… ’cause I’m pretty sure she’d murder me in my sleep… but the last few weeks have been kinda hilarious ’cause she’s so… ya know… big right now. You should see her tryin’ to get outta bed in the mornin’.”
“Hmph… You’re right. You’d be a dead man if she heard you say that,” Rude chuckled. “You guys pick a name yet?”
“… We still got two more weeks.”
Rude stopped short. “You really haven’t? I thought you just weren’t telling us because you two decided not to find out the gender ahead of time…”
The redhead shrugged awkwardly. “Yeah. We’re havin’ trouble agreein’ on a name. She likes Richard for a boy. I… don’t. Knew a Richard once… Totally lived up to the name. He was a dick. I kinda like James… or, Jamie, really. Or maybe Alexander. Alex is a cool name.”
“What if it’s a girl?” Rude asked as they stopped in front of the mako reactor. It was one of the few that was still active… but not for much longer. Now that the solar array on the southern plains was finished and funneling power to the village, it was scheduled for decommissioning. The pair were there to oversee the first crucial steps of the process, when some of the more classified bits of the technology would be vulnerable to theft. They were going to be there for the next three days or so.
“‘Lena likes Monica.”
“And you don’t?” his partner ventured. Reno shrugged.
“I… guess it’s alright.”
“But… ?”
He hesitated for a moment. “If it’s a girl, I sorta want to name her… Aria.”
“After your mom.”
“Is that weird?” he quickly asked. Rude shook his head.
“What’s Elena say about it?”
“… I haven’t exactly mentioned it to her yet. I mean… all she really knows about my mom is that she worked the streets, got knocked up and had me, and then… killed herself. Not really the best namesake, I s’pose, but… she was my mom. I loved her. And I don’t have anything left of hers to pass on to my kids… ‘cept her name.”
“So tell Elena that. She’ll understand.”
“I know she would… I think that’s why I haven’t said anything. I feel kinda guilty, actually. She’s the one that’s been stuck doin’ all the work for the last nine months. I just want her to be happy.”
Rude snorted softly and rolled his eyes. “It’s just as much your baby as it is hers. I think you have the right to help name it.”
“Yeah. Look, I’ll say somethin’. We still got two whole weeks. Not like we gotta decide today.”
“Suit yourself,” Rude replied with a shrug,”But you know what happens when you put things off to the last min–”
His admonishment was abruptly curtailed by the sound of Reno’s PHS loudly playing the ringtone he’d set for the president. The redhead rolled his eyes and fished his phone out of his pocket.
“Reno here… what’s up, sir?”
“Back here. Now!” Rufus demanded, and in the background, Reno could hear a low, pained moan. He froze, suddenly terrified.
“W-what’s goin’ on?” he asked, hesitantly.
“Well, I’m hardly an expert… but I’m relatively confident that the world’s population is about to be increased by one. And as I would desperately prefer not to have to act as your wife’s birth coach… GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE NOW!”
For a moment, Reno couldn’t speak… couldn’t even think. Rude plucked the phone from his hand.
“We’re on our way,” he said, and ended the call before tucking it back into Reno’s pocket. He shook the other man slightly, and the redhead snapped back to reality.
“Baby…” he managed, a panicked look in his eyes, “… ‘Lena’s havin’ the baby!”
Without another word, he took off at a sprint back towards where they’d left the helicopter, Rude doing his best to keep up. Reno beat him to the aircraft by several yards, and was shakily strapping himself into the pilot’s seat by the time the other Turk finally boarded. Rude took one look at him and shook his head.
“Hmph… I think I’d betterdo the flying…”
“Oohhhh… I’m never letting Reno touch me again…” Elena moaned as she breathed through the contraction.
“If this is the result, I’m never letting him touch you again, either!” Rufus hissed, grinding his teeth as the woman’s grip all but crushed his hand. Finally, the pressure eased, and he was able to tear himself from her grasp. He cradled his injured hand as the Turk lay panting on the bed.
“Now, now… That’s just the pain talking. Yeh don’t mean it,” Dr. Ward chuckled, as she monitored her patient’s pulse.
“She may not, but I most certainly do,” Rufus replied. Ward placed her hands on her hips and glared at the President.
“No one is forcing yeh ta stay, yer royal highness. If yer not going ta help, then off with yeh!”
For a brief moment, he considered doing just that. This wasn’t his responsibility, after all. It was Reno’s… and if the damned slum rat knew what was good for him, he’d be here shortly. He’d very nearly made up his mind to go… when he made the mistake of looking down at Elena’s pleading expression. Rufus sighed and offered her the hand that wasn’t presentlythrobbing in pain. He couldn’t just leave her.
“Hmph…” Ward said, smiling, “I always knew there was a heart in there somewhere… Now then, Elena dear… Yer coming along nicely but its not quite time yet. Yeh just hang in there.”
“‘Lena!?” Reno’s voice shouted from somewhere down the hall, and Rufus rolled his eyes.
“What? Does he think you’re going to run out to meet him?” he snarked. A few seconds later the door swung open, admitting a very harried-looking redhead.
“‘Lena…” Reno breathed, more or less ignoring everyone but his wife and rushing to her bedside. He grinned slightly. “What’s the big idea doin’ this early? Were you really that desperate to get this kid outta there?”
“How’s she doing?” Rude asked from the doorway.
“Judging by the amount of force she exerted on my fingers during that last contraction… I think this baby may have gifted her with super strength,” the President muttered as Reno leaned down and kissed Elena’s forehead.
“Alright… enough visiting. Anyone who’s not either a licensed medical professional or the parent of this child… get out,” Dr. Ward interrupted, shooing the other two men out of the room. Rufus snorted softly but did as he was commanded, Rude following closely behind. They made their way into a small but comfortable waiting room at the far end of the hall.
“Does Tseng know yet?” Rude asked, and the other man shook his head.
“I was a bit preoccupied with the more immediate situation. I only had time to summon the slum rat… though, I suppose we should notify him now. You know how he hates to be kept out of the loop.”
Tseng arrived nearly an hour later, and found Rufus seated alone in the small waiting room.
“Sir? Have I missed it?” he asked, with an uncharacteristic eagerness apparent in his voice.
“Not yet. Though apparently it could be any time now.” The president snorted softly and added, “Or it could be hours from now. No one around here seems to be especially clear on the schedule.”
“And Rude?”
“He called that Lira woman to tell her and she insisted on coming up. He went to get her. I suspect he’ll be back momentarily. He left nearly thirty minutes ago.”
Just as the words left his mouth the very subject of their conversation reappeared, escorting Lira and her son.
“Well?” Lira demanded, “Do we have a baby yet?!”
“Not yet,” Rufus and Tseng inadvertently chorused.
“That’s it… yer doing just fine,” Ward said, encouragingly, as Elena sank back against the pillows, breathing heavily, “I think just one more push will do it…”
“I… I don’t think I can push anymore,” she panted. She felt liked all of her strength had deserted her… and she was exhausted. Reno gently squeezed her hand.
“Come on, ‘Lena… you got this. I know ya do. One more.”
“One more…” she repeated, her voice little more than a whisper, as the now-familiar contraction began again, accompanied by the overwhelming need to bear down.
“That’s it! Push!” the doctor coached, and Elena groaned as she obeyed. The groan gradually grew louder and louder until it was very nearly a scream, as she silently swore that this baby was being born and it was being born now. Just as she was sure she had nothing left in her, something gave.
“There she is!” Ward proclaimed, “Yeh’ve got yerselves a little girl…”
Elena collapsed back against the pillows with a slightly manic laugh. “A girl?” she said between gasps, as she slowly began to catch her breath. A moment later a loud wail of displeasure echoed around the room.
“And quite a set of lungs on her, too,” Ward chuckled, as she gently cleared away the residue of birth and snipped through the cord before placing her on her mother’s chest. Elena cradled her new daughter, and looked up at Reno, who was gazing at them in a mixture of awe and pride.
“… She’s as beautiful as you are, ‘Lena,” he said at last, his voice thick with tears. He reached out, trailing a single finger along her delicate little cheek, and grinned as he patted the soft fuzz of red hair on top of her head. “Guess I’m not the only redhead around here anymore…”
“Well? Are yeh going ta stand there gaping at her, or are yeh going ta hold yer daughter?” Dr. Ward gently teased him. Elena smiled up at him, and somewhat hesitantly, relinquished her hold on the little girl, passing her to her father. Reno cradled her against his chest.
“She’s… she’s so perfect. Just like her mother,” he breathed, and glanced over at Elena, “… ‘Lena… We have a little girl…”
Elena giggled softly. “A little girl we still have to name,” she reminded him.
“… Yeah. About that. I kinda had an idea on that…”
“How much longer is this going to take?” the President moaned.
“Sir… be patient. These things can’t be rushed,” Tseng assured him, as he handed the younger man a cup of coffee from the small dispenser in the corner.
“We’ve been here for hours.”
Lira shot him a glare. “When you have the inclination to push somethin’ the size of a watermelon out of an opening the size of your fist, then you can complain about how long it takes. Until then, suck it up, Mr. President.”
Tseng half-expected the uptight executive to yell right back at the woman, but he remained curiously silent at the beratement. In fact, Tseng was quite sure that Rufus had paled slightly at the rather descriptive visual. Cole, who had been happily playing with with his toys in the corner for quite some time, suddenly squealed and got up, racing toward the door.
“Well now! There’s sweetest my little patient!” Ward laughed, scooping him up and cuddling him. Everyone in the room was immediately on their feet.
“Well?” Tseng asked, as the others eagerly crowded in around him.
“We have beautiful, healthy little girl,” Ward replied, beaming, “And a very happy set of new parents, who would very much like ta introduce yeh.”
The entire group surged forward, only to be blocked by the sheer force of Dr. Ward’s glare.
“Yeh are not ta go storming in there like a herd of wild animals!” she chastised them. “And yer not ta stay more than a few minutes, either… Elena is exhausted and so’s the baby. Yeh can go in and say hello ta the wee one quick like, but then they need ta rest. Is that understood?”
“Thoroughly,” Tseng assured her, and she finally released them. Tseng didn’t wait for the others. He slipped past the doctor and down the hall, and eased open the door to the delivery room. Reno looked up as he entered and grinned. Elena, too, though still damp with sweat and clearly only just barely clinging to wakefulness, smiled at his approach.
“It’s a girl,” Reno said softly, carefully taking the baby from Elena’s arms. His gaze shifted to his partner as he crept in behind Tseng, and then to Rufus and Lira. “Heh… you guys decide to throw a party without us, or somethin’?”
“Oh, Reno… She’s adorable,” Lira whispered, pushing to the front of the group, and holding out a finger. The baby instinctively grasped the digit, holding on tightly. “You look just like your mommy… yes, you do… with your daddy’s hair…”
“Thank Shiva she got her mom’slooks,” Rude said with a smirk.
“Hmph… and hopefully her brains as well,” Rufus chimed in.
“Oh, don’t listen to them. They don’t know what they’re talking about,” Lira cooed to the tiny infant. She looked up excitedly. “So? What’s her name?”
The redhead gazed back at Elena. “You wanna introduce ’em, or should I?”
“You go ahead,” she replied, sleepily.
“Heh… Guys… Meet my little girl. Aria Helen Donovan,” he said in a reverent tone. His gaze turned on Rude a moment later. “We… decided to name her after both our moms.”
“Awww…” Lira sighed, “That’s so sweet. Oh, dear Shiva, I wanna hold her… Can I hold her?”
“Absolutely not. One of yeh gets ta hold her, then yeh’ll all want ta hold her, and then I’ll never get yeh out of my hair,” Ward stated firmly. “I told yeh… a quick hello ta the baby, and then yeh leave them be. Now out. Yeh can see them tomorrow.”
There was a collective groan of disappointment, but no one was willing to stand up to the good doctor… and so, one by one, they slunk out of the room until only Tseng remained. Reno passed Aria back to her mother, and turned to the Turk leader, grinning widely.
“She’s beautiful, Reno,” Tseng said, smiling. “You’re going to be a wonderful father.”
“I hope so… She deserves the best.”
Tseng chuckled softly and pulled his protégé into a warm hug, and felt the younger man relax in his grasp.
“She already has it.”
~The End~
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