House Calls [End]

[Nako]

Even as he wallowed in his own misery, Merlin hadn't expected actual sympathy from the sometimes abrasive Corvid hybrid. In between his heaving sobs, he peered up from behind his damp towel as her talon rested so gently on his thigh. So tender a touch, almost familiar. Familiar from so long ago.

The tears that flowed down his face were fresh, but the weeping ebbed to soft hiccups as he tried to regain control of his mental faculties. She was of course right; every logical fiber in his being knew that she was... but it was hard to grasp with the turmoil of emotions in his mind. Another life... potentially multiple lives were in his hands. Could he truly keep them safe? Could he care for them and keep them from harm. What if....

What if she came to hunt them down....

His body took to a gentle rocking motion, taking in deep breaths. He had to calm down. He couldn't' think of that; think of his past. It hurt... so badly.

"For a little while?" He'd said it before he could clamp his teeth around the words. He winced. "Perhaps... stay for tea?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

Zenon didn't understand. She wanted to, in order to fully empathize with the man and better soothe him. But she didn't have a maternal bone in all of her body, and she didn't have any idea of how she would feel if she was the one gaining this news. He must have been bewildered. That was something she could understand.

Just to make sure that her attempts didn't fall as flat as they might have without magical interference, she activated her Charm. She didn't want him to like her more. She just wanted him to calm down, to manage to take a few deep breaths to get his feet back under him. Perhaps, once he was calm, she would suggest the names of some people he could actually talk to about this, someone who would know what to tell him. Or she could talk to them herself, just to get a better idea of what to do.

For the time being, she just continued to rest her taloned hand on his leg, occasionally moving it in a soft motion over his short hair. The woman's large and expressive ears flattened briefly, and then she turned her eyes back up towards the other hybrid. "It's going to be okay.[/b]" She said, softly. "And tea would be lovely. Thank you.[/b]"

((If you wanna time-skip to later on or anything, feel free <3))

[Nako]

((Bringing Satra's Victor into the rp and doing a time skip. We'll back and forth for a post or two to set up and then Zenon will be called))

Knitting; it was such a soothing activity. For a few hours, it actually made Merlin forget about the ache in his back and the numbness in his feet. Really, he had no idea what the babies would look like, but it didn't keep him from knitting a variety of caps and babythings. Over the course of the past few months, he'd managed to make a wide assortment that would fit either paws or the strange claws more suited to a bird. Well, obviously an avian child would be rare, but why take the risk?

He'd called Victor over as well, the ever present, never complaining friend of his that had tolerated his flighty ways. The man was turning out to be a dear and invaluable friend. Perhaps he was just too naive to suspect much of the man; either way he was rarely met with a question that made him uncomfortable. It seemed the Lowlander was just happy to have someone that didn't treat him like trash.

For comfort, Merlin found himself conveniently wearing a most ridiculous pregnancy frock; it covered his chest and made it unnecessary to maintain his rank for the short period of time he could wear it. This made having company over much easier... if not a little more embarrassing.

The lower back pain today, was worse than terrible. It was even making knitting difficult. "I'm just not feeling the pattern today, Victor." Merlin muttered, setting the half-finished sweater on the desk beside his padded chair.

There was a sudden wetness in his chair. Not a gus, per se... but a bit of a dribble. Considering his state.. those parts of him had been prone to a greater amount of discharge than they'd ever been in their dormant state. But this.... this was a bit different.

"Oh dear..." Merlin jumped to his feet, only to realize that his feet weren't quite feeling up to supporting them. He'd suffered terrible numbness in his last trimester. That, and the extreme gravidness of his form. Well, gravity wasn't on his side. Knees buckled and he rolled, landing on a knee and an elbow on the thin rug that covered his hardwood floor. Well, it certainly wasn't the first time he'd fallen... but that didn't mean it did not hurt.

"Oh.. ow.."

[Satra]

Victor enjoyed his time with Merlin. He especially enjoyed his time away from his shack of a home and having a fantastic food budget and a a beautifully working kitchen. The slight monetary compensation didn't hurt, either. It wasn't much, just a few extra coppers a week for groceries. It made things easier. He could only get a part time job for the moment. It didn't pay much and the hours were pitiful at best. Just as well. It gave him more time to take care of Merlin. He smiled at his friend as he stirred the corned beef and cabbage stew on the stove.

"Well, pick it up tomorrow. There's no rush." At the concerned statement, he perked up immediately. "Merlin? Are you...?" Then Merlin fell. Victor squeaked and rushed to Merlin's side.

"Merlin! Are you hurt?" he asked, trying to help him back up. Having as little strength as Victor did, it didn't help, but points for trying.

[Nako]

The shooting pain through his knee had made him see stars, staring up groggily for a few moments as the brown colored feline came into view over him. "Oh.. no... I'm fine. I just... these legs." But that wasn't really what the issue was. He exhaled in a long hiss, his hand grabbing from his knee to his belly as it gave a contraction.

"Ah... oh no.. I think it's time." And never a less convenient time. He'd half considered giving birth at home alone under a female form. But it seemed like this would happen the hard way. Merlin used the feline gingerly as a crutch to get up into a sitting position on the floor, careful not to tug on any of his rotted parts. The only thing worse than dealing with childbirth would be accidentally strewing Victor's entrails on his livingroom floor. "We need to get the doctor. Her... her address is on the cupboard." A messenger would be most prudent; those young lads were often spades who could zip all around the Capital in half the time it would take on horseback.

[Satra]

"Okay... let's get you over to the bed, then I'll get a messenger for the doctor. I'm not leaving you here alone for long if I can help it," he said with more resolve than he knew he had. He would run and fetch the doctor himself, being a Spade, but he was in no health for that. He could still make it far enough to get a messenger.

Once Merlin was in bed, he gave a hasty "I'll be back soon," grabbed the piece of paper (making sure it was the right one), grabbed a bit of money and rushed out the door. He sprinted to the nearest messenger post. He handed one of the young men the address and some money and was able to wheeze out that his friend was going into labor in his home and any other information they needed. Names and addresses exchanged (he slipped in a bit of info stating Merlin was not a Lowlander, hoping that would expedite the process), breathes caught, Victor made it as quickly back to Merlin's home as he could. Coughing and wheezing he came in through the door, leaving it open just a crack behind him as to allow the doctor quick entrance. Victor moved a chair next to the bed and got on it.

"The doctor will be here shortly. You still doing okay?" He extended a paw to show support. Then he twitched. "Uh... Let me go turn the stove off, then I'll be right back..."

[Nako]

Merlin grimaced as he resituated himself on the bed as the feline left the room, an uncomfortable trickle between his legs becoming more prevalent. Oh bother.. these were good sheets. Absently he looked around, nonchalantly picking up an extra blanket from the edge of the bed and wedging it under his rear end. The contractions... oh yes, these were real ones. He'd felt the beginning tremors from nearly a month ago. He had been told that these were his body readying itself for childbirth, and being a male, he'd need all the help he could get.

The hybrid winced when Victor rushed back into the room several minutes later, the sounds his tortured lungs were making causing a heaviness to set in his chest. "I'll be the death of you!" Merlin angsted, his huge ears flattening slightly."I'm fine... my water has broken, but the contractions are not intense yet."

"Oh yes..." The last thing he needed was his house burning down around him during labor!

[Satra]

Victor gave a wheezy laugh.

"Aye. There's a great many things that'll be the death of me before you, my friend," he smiled and playfully pawed Merlin's shoulder. He took a few more deep breaths, "Really, it's my own fault. I may be rotting where I stand, but that doesn't mean I can't stand to exercise every once in a while."

He left to turn the stove off then returned. He could probably tend to the food when the Doctor got to the house. It was likely he'd be forced into the background during the procedure anyway.

He came back and sat in the chair again. His breathing had returned to normal. Only a slight pain in his chest remained.

"I guess this is the part where I be annoyingly encouraging and supportive. Is there anything I can get you now? Anything to make you more comfortable?" Suits knew Merlin was in for a hell of a ride.

[carcinoGeneticist]

For all that she might pretend otherwise, Merlin's rapidly approaching due date was a subject of great worry for Zenon. She wasn't practiced with delivering babies in the slightest, her medical knowledge tending to rest more in the realm of urgent care. And while a quick overview was sure to get her skills up to par, up to par just wasn't good enough. Some part of her genuinely liked the Avington male, for all of his bizarre quirks and habits. She wanted not just to bring his babies into the world, but to do so as best she could.

So she'd been practicing. On Banders, for the most part, helping them to deliver their young as best she could. Then, when a pregnant woman had come into the clinic, she'd insisted that she attend to the delivery. That had gotten her odd looks, but the hybrid didn't care. This way, she'd know what she was doing.

Of course, the day came as a complete surprise. It had been slow at the clinic, and the messenger had scared her half to death when he'd come charging in requesting her. Before he'd even mentioned who needed her help, she'd known, and flown into action. She charged out the door in front of the man, spreading her wings and taking to the sky the moment she was through the door. From there, she knew right where to go. It was a faster flight then it was on foot, which was good. She needed all the time she could get, and she just hoped it was all going well without her for the time being.

The woman didn't stop moving when her feet hit the ground, her movements sliding from a low glide to a quick sprint. The door was given a precursory knock, but since it was still open a crack Zenon didn't wait for an answer. "Merlin? How bad are the contractions? What's the time between them?[/b]" She moved through the house, pausing in the living room. Of course he wasn't in there. No one was. Carefully, she stepped into what must have been the bedroom. There was Merlin, and in a chair in the corner, a Lowlander. She wasn't able to keep from shuddering, but she pushed her disgust aside to move to the Avington's side. "Sorry for the delay.[/b]"

[Nako]

Merlin gave a reflexive jump at the sound of someone bursting into the house. So often he had the doors locked that nobody ever walked into his domicile without him first opening the door for them. It was only Zenon, of course. That assumption was quickly verified when the gryphon lookalike burst into the room. Luckily, he missed Zenon's look toward his Lowlander friend as another contraction hit him. Intense, but not unbearably painful, it was enough to take his breath away.

"I.. I don't know. Ten minutes, perhaps?" It was really hard to tell; with the labor only just beginning, his contractions and dilation hadn't escalated to the point that he was really trying to keep up with it. He knew though, that several minutes were between each contraction; certainly enough that he had time to rest in between them.

"Victor... could you get me some water? With ice?" That would give the man something to do to keep his fretting to a minimum, and at the same time give him a moment with his doctor. Realistically, he thought he'd have a bit more... forewarning before the onset of labor. The Joker hadn't exactly expected his friend to be there for the delivery. So much risk of exposure but... were these two people friends? Well... the other one had been a friend too. Or at least he had thought so.