Moira and Cain, Tuesday evening

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Oh, come on. You knew it had to happen.


Moira was dozing on the dock in front of the boat house, feet put up on a box of something or other that Cain had dragged out for that purpose. The area around the lake was nice and cool thanks to the local weather Goddess who had decided, quite reasonably, that a pregnant Scotswoman would not appreciate the heat.

Shifting slightly, she was slowly woken up by something...off. Raising her head, Moira squinted as her back suddenly complained loudly. Her lower back was in all sorts of unhappy places and as she tried to move around, she paused, eyes widening.

That had not been her water breaking...no, it was just...

#...??...!!!!!!!!# suddenly blazed up from the baby.

"Oh, hell." She took a deep breath. "CAIN!"

Cain jerked his head up, pausing in the sanding he'd been doing on one of the canoes. Getting up and moving casually around from the boat house and across the dock, he hooked his thumbs in his belt as he approached Moira. "What now, doc? Run out of lemonade, need more ice cream, feet all swollen?"

Turning her head, Moira glared at him as she attempted to shove herself up from the chair. A sudden pressure came and went and she gasped, one hand going to her stomach. "Somethin' like tha'," she said, nearly out of the chair but still having problems. "Baby!"

"Baby's gonna be like that," Cain deadpanned, completely oblivious. "Once Nathan gets back, ain't gonna be long now before she shows up and you can get a whole new set of problems. Best to enjoy sittin' and relaxin' while you got the chance, I figure," he said, reaching out to pat Moira on the shoulder.

Obviously, she was not articulating the problem correctly. Reaching up, Moira snagged Cain around the shirt and, considering she couldn't yank him down to her, managed to drag herself fully out of the chair. "I'm. Havin'. Th'. Baby." There, maybe he would understand that.

Cain's eyes widened for a moment, then he slowly shook his head. "No," he said calmly, "you can't have the baby. Nate's down on a mission. So the baby isn't here now. You must be joking. You have to be joking. You're joking, right?" His voice started to take on a slightly panicked edge.

"Me water jus' broke, so I 'ardly think I'm jokin'," she responded, regaining her balance. Her back was screaming at her, how on EARTH had she managed to sleep through that? "Cain, I'm 'avin' th' baby. Or I'm startin' ta 'ave th' baby."

"You're starting to have the baby," Cain repeated. "Can't you... I dunno, hold it in? You, I can't... you are not having the baby on my back porch!" As gently as he could, he slipped an arm around Moira's shoulders, easing her back down onto the lounge chair. "Wait here," he ordered, dashing off into the boathouse.

Seconds later, he returned, pushing an oversized wheelchair. "Doc Maddie brought this down back when I was laid up. Never thought it'd come in useful," he said, easing Moira into the chair and padding her with pillows.

Moira was really, really trying not to laugh at him. "I cannae 'old th' baby in, she wants ta come out. Or at least she needs ta because she doesnae seem ta 'appy about it." Another lazy contraction hit and she winced, doubling over in the rather large wheelchair. "An' trust me, th' last thin' I want ta do is give birt' on yer back porch, I'd never 'ear th' end o' it."

As gingerly as he could, Cain lifted the wheelchair, holding it level as he stepped over the porch railing and down onto the carpet of pine needles and dirt. "Ain't got time to stop and make a formal announcement, then," he said, "we're getting you to the other docs, pronto."

Keeping the wheelchair from bouncing around, Cain began picking up speed, carefully lifting the chair and its occupant smoothly over any bumps in the path, then rushing across the freshly-mowed back lawn, heading for the back door of the mansion.

"Hope your heart wasn't set on some Scottish castle somewhere," Cain quipped. "You couldn't have tried to squeeze her out last weekend at Muir?"

"Wha', an' miss th' look on yer face?" Moira returned, resisting the temptation to close her eyes even if the speeding grounds were making her slightly dizzy. Or maybe that was the whole having the baby thing.

Even though labor could take hours--it had been nearly six with Kevin--she was still grateful for the speedy delivery there. She'd need Charles there to help with the baby.

"Nathan better get 'is ass back here soon," she muttered.

"You ain't lying," Cain growled, slowing long enough to open the back door rather forcefully with his foot. Hinges could be replaced later. Wheeling Moira through the kitchen, past a number of stunned students, down the hall, and straight into the freight elevator, he hit the button for the medlab.

As soon as the doors opened, the bellow of "BABY!" announced the impending arrival.