backinthsaddle | (no subject)

(no subject)

Cole hasn't spent so long in another universe in quite some time. He hasn't been here the entire time of course, he's had to go home to check up on the kids and make sure everything's okay, but he's spent more hours than he cares to count sitting in this uncomfortable hospital chair. He'll be damned before he lets Victor go unguarded, not after what happened last time.

Her valiant protector may also be having a teensy bit of a nap in said uncomfortable chair, dozing while keeping half an ear out for if she makes any noise.

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She really is super-dee-duper excited about being a dad with him! She wasn't changing the subject on purpose, it just occured to her what they'd been planning before she got all jacked up. "So... when d' you wanna go to the doctor for that? Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl? Which sort do you want?"

"I'd kind of like to have a son. The girls are great, but I don't want Jude to be outnumbered."

"Yeah, a son'll be cool. I dunno how the girls're gonna turn out... they don't have too much of a feminine presence in their life, since we keep the Scarecrow far away from them."

"Do you think Jude will get jealous at all?"

"I don't know. We'd have to talk to him, about how he'd feel about another brother or sister."

"He's old enough that he should understand, but he's still... new." And she programmed him to accurately express human emotions, so he's not sure if jealousy or envy is one of them.

It definitely is. He's already whiny that he doesn't have all the cool robot-y upgrades that Athena has. "Absolutely. And it'll mean he isn't the youngest anymore. Even though he's the oldest."

"Poor kid. That'll really fry his circuits."

"He's a tough kid, he'll work it out. So... do you think it might be time to have the you-might-get-a-little-brother-or-sister talk?"

"Well I think it's better to do it before it's underway, so yeah."

"Cool. That'll be cool." She leans over, with great and ponderous thought and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "A baby, Cole."

"Yeah." He reaches up to touch her face again, avoiding the injuries on her cheeks. "But you've got to get better first."

She takes a deep breath, filling her lungs with cool, antiseptic-laced air. She's scared, which is generally categorized with Vic as appearing calmer. "I do. I will." I hope.

"You'll be fine." His gaze flicks up to the TV briefly. "Do you want to keep watching the news, or get some sleep?"

"Yeah," she says, voice high, a bit thin, but controlled. "Um, maybe some sleep." As she said before, the nightmares are back, and her sleeping has been spotty, erratic.

"I can ask the nurses to get you something, if you need it."

She wants something, oh, she does, but she's scared it makes her weak, so it's a long hesitation before she decides it's okay to be weak. "I'd like that, please."

"It doesn't make me think any less of you," he says firmly. He knows her well enough to know what she's thinking, why the long wait.

"I know. I think less of me, though. Also for the amount of pain meds I need, now, just to feel halfway okay. I'm such a wimp."

"You're not," Cole insists. "You're trying to recover. It's okay to need help."

She nods. It's something she knows theoretically. If she needs help with mechanics, that's okay, she can ask for it without an issue. But when it comes to her own body, it kills her pride to need help. "I don't like to need help," she says, softly. "This body likes to betray me."

"I don't think anybody likes to need help."

"That's true," she says, eyes sliding shut for a moment. Taking a deep breath. Trying not to be upset at this whole turn of events.

He leans over and kisses her forehead, careful to not lean on any wounds. "It's okay."

"Everything's gonna be okay," she confirms.