The blackness descended around Max as Logan held her in his arms begging her not to leave him. She felt so cold despite being held tight against his warm body. She didn't want to leave him, wanted him to make her warm. Suddenly she was in a field with Logan right beside her. The gunshot was deafening and everything seemed to go in slow motion as Logan pushed her to the ground, the bullet flying straight through his arm. "No!" Max screamed as she sat up in bed waking herself from the nightmare. That's all it had been, a nightmare.
"It's alright." Logan pulled her back into his arms. He had woken when Max had started shaking uncontrollably beside him. This was the sixth time she had woken from a nightmare in the past three months. It was probably only the sixth time he had seen her fall asleep though. "It's just a nightmare." She was still shaking in his arms. "Is it the same one you've been having for the last three months?"
"Yeah." Max replied a little too abruptly. She didn't mean to snap but nightmares were part of the reason she didn't sleep in the first place. "Sorry I woke you." She ran her hand across her face as if trying to wipe the nightmare away. "I think I'll go and get something to drink." She didn't want to talk about the nightmare with Logan. He couldn't help. She wasn't even sure he understood why it scared her so much.
Logan watched Max pull on a robe and walk out of the room. If this was how frightened Max was, he could only guess what Jondy was going through. He had tried to reassure Max that they could get through this together and that they were both safe, but with White stalking the X5 siblings, they just sounded like empty promises. He looked at the clock beside his bed. Jondy would probably still be at work or would have only just got home. Perhaps he would phone in the morning when Max was at work and see if she was having the same problem or if she could help Max with hers.
Max paced in the kitchen, a glass of milk in her hand. She had been in danger before, so had Logan, so why was it now that the nightmares were haunting her. Because Jondy had lost Devon, the closest thing she had to a partner / husband / boyfriend. It had brought Max to the realization that all of them had something more to loose than they had twelve years ago. Lydecker had been dangerous, but White was insane and persistent.
She felt Logan's arms go around her waist as he leaned his chin on her shoulder. "I'll be alright in a minute." She reassured him, trying to smile away the concern he saw on his face. Zack had warned her that it had been too dangerous to stay in Seattle, but Jondy had dismissed that recently. She had said Zack had only said that because he was jealous of Logan. The truth was, they weren't safe anywhere. White would leave no stone unturned until he found them.
"You sure?" Logan wasn't convinced. Her hands were still shaking from the memory of the nightmare. "If it'll make you feel better, I can have somebody look at the security system in this place. Maybe it needs upgrading seeing as all of your siblings can break in here at a moments notice." He turned the last comment into a joke.
Max laughed. "There's no security system strong enough to keep them out if they want it bad enough." She turned in his arms so that she was facing him. "Thanks for the offer though. I'll be fine." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, unconvinced by her own words. She had been seriously freaked when Logan had been shot on their camping trip and the fear just wouldn't go away. Perhaps she would phone Jondy tomorrow, see if she had a solution to stopping the nightmares. It would give her a chance to check up and see how her sister was doing anyway.
Nigel held the door open for Jondy to walk out into the night air. "Are you sure you're alright?" He had wanted Jondy to take some time off after Devon had died but she preferred to keep working. As she had told him, she had twelve daughters to support alone now that Devon was gone. As fair skinned as Jondy was, Nigel had never seen her this pale before.
"I'm fine." Jondy smiled at her boss. "I'll see you tomorrow." Waving to him she started walking home. It was only a short distance and she needed the fresh air. Despite what she had told Nigel, she felt queasy and the night air flowing across her clammy skin gave her some relief. She quietly unlocked the door and locked it behind her so that she wouldn't disturb the girls, Kera and Julia. She had to run to the bathroom in the next instance as the queasiness took over. "Not again." She only just made it in time.
Julia Saunders appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. Accessing Jondy's position leaning over the toilet bowl, she grabbed a clean face cloth and dampened it under the cold tap. Crouching beside the young woman, Julia wiped Jondy's forehead with a damp cloth. "Do you want me to call a Doctor?" She winced slightly as Jondy lent over the toilet again to be sick.
Jondy finally sat back against the wall and shook her head. "No. No Doctors. Besides, I know what's wrong with me." She took the damp cloth off of Julia and ran it over her sweaty face. "Congratulations. You're going to be a Grandmother. I'm pregnant."
Julia knew what had happened on the camping trip in the cave and had wondered when Jondy told her, if there were going to be any unforeseen consequences. "So how does this work?" She sat on the floor beside Jondy. "We can't take you to a Doctor, so who's going to deliver the baby? That is if you're going to keep the child." She had never thought about the possibility that Jondy might not want Devon's child.
"I thought I'd phone Jase and find out what to expect from this pregnancy before I start figuring out about Doctors." Jondy had to admit, the thought of having a baby was terrifying her. There was no way she was going to get rid of the only part of Devon she had left. "Things are going to be a bit tight, but as long as we pull together I think we'll be fine." She looked over at Julia. "How do you feel about all of this?"
Julia smiled and reached out and hugged Jondy. "At least something good came out of that camping trip. Come on. I'll get you some crackers to settle your stomach." She stood up and helped Jondy up. "I can't believe you're actually carrying my son's child." She was so excited.
"How do you think I feel?" Jondy looked quite daunted at the prospect. "The father of my child was gay. It wasn't exactly one of the ten most romantic moments of my life in that cave." She let Julia lead her to the kitchen.
Max sat on the edge of the bed the next morning lacing up her shoes trying not to wake Logan. She had kept him awake most of the night with her nightmare. She hadn't wanted to go back to sleep incase she had the nightmare again. She and Logan had ended up playing chess and talking half the night to take her mind off of the bad dream.
Max sat watching Logan sleep. She felt guilty keeping him awake most of the night. It was one thing for her to go without sleep, it wasn't as though she needed it. It was entirely another for Logan. Carefully leaning forward she kissed him goodbye and left for work.
Original Cindy eyed her friend's unhappy face as Max walked into Jam Pony. "What's the matter Boo? Logan finally admit he hasn't got the energy to keep up with you all night?"
Max forced a smile. "He's keeping up just fine." She leaned against the counter beside Original Cindy. "I had that nightmare again." She shook her head. "I don't how to stop it."
"Let me break it down for you, Boo." Original Cindy nudged Max. "First you gotta understand why you keep having this nightmare. Only then, can you find a way to stop it." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just my opinion, but you saw how close Jondy and Devon were. Sure it wasn't the hot and heavy relationship you and Mr Eyes Only have got going on. Still, when Devon died, you got the outsiders view of what can happen when you love someone, and that has got you scared. Cause you don't want what happened to Jondy to happen to you."
"You know, I hate it when you're right." Max joked with her friend. "Any ideas on how I stop being scared? Cause I don't know how much more Logan can take of being woken up by my nightmares."
"You phoned Sister Girl lately?" Original Cindy poured herself some coffee. "Maybe she has some answers for you. Might be a good idea to check up on her anyway."
"I'll phone her tonight." Max saw Normal heading their way. "I thought I'd stay at our crib tonight, give Logan a chance to catch up on some sleep."
"This isn't a café Ladies." Normal handed each of them a parcel. "Bip, bip, bip." He waved them towards the door. He walked away handing a parcel to Alec, who was on the phone, as he past.
Logan paused as he went to dial Jondy's phone number. He wondered if it were worth troubling her. She had been through so much. Still it couldn't hurt to phone her to see how she was doing. He quickly dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up. He was a little surprised when one of the girls answered the phone. Jondy usually screened the calls so that the girls would remain safe from cranks or anyone trying to get to her. "Hi, is Jessica there?"
"Mom's laying down and Grandma says we're not allowed to disturb her." The young voice reported down the phone.
"Can I speak to your Grandmother then?" Logan was puzzled. It wasn't as though Jondy slept on a regular basis anymore than Max did. Perhaps Devon's death had hit her harder than he had thought. Julia's voice finally came on the line. "Julia? It's Logan. Is Jondy alright?"
"Yes. She's fine Logan." Julia's voice was cheerful which set Logan's mind at ease. "She's just worn herself out a bit. The girls are just heading off to school and Kera and I are going to work, so it's the best time to try and get some rest."
Logan had the sneaking feeling that there was something Julia wasn't telling him. "I just wanted to let Jondy know that Max and I will be in San Francisco for the weekend. I have some business to do there, so I thought Max could come with me and catch up with her sister." He hadn't planned to make the trip, he was just going to phone his contact. Something told him, Max needed to see her sister.
"We'll see you then. I'll let Jondy know you called.' Julia sounded quite excited as she hung up.
"Max!" Alec caught up with Max and Cindy at lunch. Not waiting to be invited to join them, Alec sat down beside Max. "Have you spoken to Jessica lately?" He used Jondy's alias just in case somebody was listening.
"I was going to phone her when I got home. Why?" There was something about the way Alec was asking her that concerned her.
"I spoke to her this morning." Alec was embarrassed that he had phoned her. He wasn't used to caring about somebody that he barely knew. "She sounded exhausted and sort of strange."
"You called her?" Max couldn't believe how nervous Alec seemed about calling Jondy. "She'd probably been working all night and getting the girls ready for school this morning." She hadn't spoken to Jondy for about a month mainly because every time she spoke to her, Max realized how much she had to loose.
"Yeah, but you two don't exactly spend much time sleeping." Alec pointed out. It was something he had noticed on the camping trip three months ago. '"I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Couldn't hurt for you to call her if only to prove me wrong."
"Boo, that alone is worth calling Sister Girl." Original Cindy couldn't hide the smirk on her face. "We can call her tonight."
"Thanks for the heads up, Alec." Max begrudgingly thanked him. "I was going to call her tonight anyway." She hoped Alec was wrong.
That afternoon she let herself into Logan's apartment. "Logan! You here?" She noticed Logan had pulled a suitcase out of the closet. "You going somewhere?"
Logan walked out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand. "We." He kissed her hello. "We're going to San Francisco for the weekend. You're not working are you?" He hadn't thought to ask first.
"Did you speak to Jondy, by any chance?" Max was suspicious. "Let me guess, she sounded exhausted and sort of strange. And no, I'm not working this weekend."
Logan was confused by Max's outburst. "Actually I didn't speak to Jondy. She was laying down when I called. I spoke to Julia who told me that Jondy had worn herself out."
"You don't believe her though." Max had to admit, that didn't sound like the Jondy she knew.
"Oh I believe her." Logan moved over to the sofa and sat down. "I just felt like there was something she wasn't telling me. I sort of told her that I had business in San Francisco and I was bringing you with me. It's suddenly occurred to me that I should have floated this idea with you first."
Max was touched that Logan valued her opinion. "You did the right thing. Just check with me before you plan something like this next time." She smiled at him.
Max and Logan left for San Francisco Friday afternoon. Julia met them at the door when they arrived and immediately showed them to the room she had made up for them. "Jondy's at work, but she said she'll catch up with you in the morning. "Julia couldn't seem to stop smiling.
Max waited until she and Logan were alone before voicing her observation with him. "Is it just me, or is Julia surprisingly upbeat for someone who lost her son three months ago?"
Logan shook his head. "It's not just you. When I spoke to her on the phone the other day, she sounded sort of excited about something. I guess we'll just have to wait for Jondy to get back from work."
It was the early hours of the next morning when Max finally heard Jondy come home. Gently untangling herself from Logan so as not to wake him, she pulled some clothes on and went to find her sister.
She found Jondy sitting in the kitchen munching on some crackers straight from the carton while writing a shopping list. "Hey."
Jondy looked up and smiled at her sister. "Hey yourself." She put the pen and the crackers down long enough to hug her sister. "Logan asleep?"
Max sat down beside Jondy and nodded. "Yeah. I've woken him up a lot lately with my nightmares. He's been pretty good about it, but I think it's taking it's toll on him."
Jondy looked concerned. "What are the nightmares about?"
"Me dying, Logan getting shot. You know, the usual why can't I be a normal girl stuff. Logan tries to be supportive, but I don't think he really understands." Max pointed to the crackers. "What's that about?"
Jondy stood up and put the kettle on for a cup of tea. "They stop the morning sickness." She turned back to face Max. "Have you actually talked about your nightmares with Logan?"
"Yeah." Then it clicked with Max what Jondy had just said. "You have morning sickness? You're pregnant? Is that why Julia's walking around with a huge smile on her face?"
"Yes, yes and yes." Jondy handed Max a cup of tea. "And before you ask, the baby is Devon's." She tried to read the expression on Max's face. "Ok, you've got me stumped. Is that expression shocked, happily shocked, disgusted or confused?"
"I think it's surprised, but I'm not sure." Max was stunned. "How do you feel about all this?" She hadn't expected this sort of news.
"I don't really know." Jondy admitted. "It's not a planned pregnancy obviously. I'm actually pretty scared. I'm not exactly your normal everyday mother. I've got a lot to consider, but I've got a lot of people looking out for me." She could see Max was still pretty stunned. "You and Julia are the only two who know so far. I guess I have a few phone calls to make."
Max hugged her sister. "You know I'll help wherever I can. Logan and Alec knew something was up when they phoned here."
Jondy chuckled. "I suppose I have been acting really strange lately. You want to help me tell the others about the upcoming addition to our family?"
"Sure." Max was beginning to feel a little excited about the baby, now that she had gotten over the shock. "Can I start with Logan?"
Jondy nodded. "We'll phone the others in the morning." She stood and rinsed her cup. "I'm going to try and get a couple of hours sleep before the girls get up and want breakfast."
Max smiled at her sister. "I can hear Logan moving around, so I think I'll tell him the good news." She headed back to her room. Sure enough, Logan had woken to find Max gone and was about to go looking for her. "So I found out what's wrong with Jondy and why Julia's smiling so much."
Logan was still half asleep, but he could tell by Max's face that Jondy didn't have anything life threatening. "Do you want me to guess, cause my brain's still asleep."
"She's about three months pregnant." Max giggled at the expression on Logan's face. "Now I knew what I must have looked like when Jondy told me."
"I thought she wasn't seeing anyone." Then Logan realized who the father was. "Devon? No wonder Julia's so happy. It's like getting a part of her son back I guess." He sat down on the bed. "Wow. How's Jondy coping with all of this?"
Max sat down beside him. "Alright, I guess. She's been getting morning sickness and she's a bit scared about the whole thing. Jondy will manage though, she always does. I'm not sure that I'd be doing as well in her position."
Logan considered what Jondy's life had been like, just in the time he had know her. "She has a lot of people looking out for her though. This kid is going to be so spoilt, you realize that don't you." He chuckled at the thought of Zane being an uncle to a baby.
Max beamed. "I know Jase has a baby girl and there's Tinga's little boy, but this baby is the first that I have a real chance of being an Aunt to."
Logan loved seeing Max this excited. "I think you're getting a bigger buzz out of this than Jondy. How long did it take you to get over being shocked?"
"A good ten minutes." Max snuggled closer to Logan. "Thanks for bringing me here. I know I've been grouchy lately with having those nightmares."
Logan kissed the top of her head. "It's Ok. I know you have a lot on your mind. Devon's death shook us all up. Maybe this baby is the chance at a real life that you've all been looking for."
"Maybe." Max hadn't considered that possibility.
Alec looked around the empty street before moving out onto it. He had the distinct feeling that he was being watched. He hadn't gone far before he found out who had been watching him.
"You're loosing your touch, mate." British Eddie stepped out from behind a dumpster. "Used to be a time you would have heard me coming." He smiled evilly. "Your little girl friend not with you? She owes me a solider."
"What can I tell you, she went to visit her sister." Alec shrugged his shoulders. "But I'll let her know you asked after her." He slapped Eddie on the back. "Gotta warn you though, you're not her type." Alec turned and walked away.
"Very bloody funny." British Eddie's voice rang out behind him. "Just remember: Payback's a bastard."
Alec pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jondy's number. He couldn't help but smile when he heard her husky voice. Maybe this family thing wasn't so bad. "Hey Jondy. So did the love birds arrive alright?"
"Yeah. I gave them a bit of a shock when I got home from work." Her voice on the other end of the phone sounded unsure. She took a deep breath. "So how do you feel about being an Uncle?"
For a moment Alec wondered if he had actually heard her right. "You're going to have a baby? When?" He couldn't believe that she was including him in this.
"Well, I have to check a few things out, but providing I have a normal pregnancy, I'm due in about six months time." Jondy had to admit, if only to herself that she wasn't sure if she would lean towards her feline DNA or her human, where her pregnancy was concerned.
"Congratulations." Alec couldn't believe that he was going to have a niece or a nephew. "Hey, can I speak to Max for a moment?" He waited for Max's voice to come on the line. "I had a run in with Eddie. He's sort of pissed at you for taking Zack off of his hands. How long are you staying with Jondy?"
"We're heading back tomorrow night." Max was weary of Alec's warning. "They don't know I'm in San Francisco do they?" The last thing Jondy needed was Steelheads turning up on the door step.
"No. I told him you were visiting your sister. I didn't say where. I wouldn't do that to Jondy." Alec could hear Jondy saying something in the background. "What did Jondy say?" He was sure he had heard his name mentioned.
"She said can you stop by Joshua's and let him know about the baby." Max was going to ask Alec to check up on Joshua anyway.
"Sure. I'll see you guys when you get back." Alec hung up the phone. He still couldn't believe he was going to be an Uncle. "Uncle Alec. That sounds kinda cool." He chuckled to himself as he headed for Joshua's.
When Logan returned from his meeting he found Max on the hotel phone and Jondy on her cell phone. They both finished their calls at the same time. "So does the whole family know now?" He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down beside Max.
"Between the two of us and Alec's gonna tell Joshua, we've got it covered." Max ticked the last name off her list. "Original Cindy said to say congrats."
Jondy gave her a tired smile. "Thanks. My boss, Nigel said my job's safe but he doesn't want me dealing with the trouble makers while I'm pregnant, which is fair enough." She chuckled. "I don't think I like this needing so much sleep thing though."
"What did Jase have to say?" Max knew Jondy would ask Jase what to expect with her pregnancy. Their sister was the only one with that knowledge.
"I'm looking at the normal nine months. Charlie brought up the interesting point of the child's enhanced strength and intelligence once it gets older, like Case." Jondy raised her eyebrow. "I think I'll just try and deal with the next six months at the moment."
"You know, if you need a Doctor, I have a friend who can probably help." Logan had figured that Jondy couldn't just go to any Doctor. "Sam Carr has helped out before. He knows how to keep quiet."
"Thanks. I might take you up on that." Jondy smiled gratefully. "Everybody's been so great since Devon died. Even Alec's been phoning up everyday to check up on me."
"That's not like Alec." Max frowned. "I'm not sure what's going on with him at the moment. He's not his usual selfish self lately. He even warned me about the Steelheads looking for me."
"They still mad about you taking Zack away from them?" Logan didn't like the sound of this. If the Steelheads couldn't use Zack, then they would grab anyone from Manticore that they could.
"Yeah. They're sort of petty like that." Max squeezed his hand to reassure him. "Don't worry. The Steelheads aren't exactly known for their intelligence. Besides, if anything happens to me the great 'Eyes Only' will be all over it." Max teased.
"You know, I hear he's pretty hot." Jondy joined in the teasing. "But you never know about these guys that hide behind their computers."
"Very funny." Logan laughed good naturedly at their ribbing. "Laugh all you want but "Eyes Only' has helped a lot of people whilst hiding behind his computer."
"With a lot of assistance from his transgenic guardian angel." Max pointed out. "Not to mention her sister, the equally transgenic Doctor." She gestured to Jondy like the game show hostess' on the television.
"Yes, well I will be forever grateful to both of you." Logan knew how much he owed the two women. "Someone was certainly smiling down on me when I met you." He looked Max straight in the eye.
"On that note, I think I'll go and get ready for work." Jondy left the happy couple and went to find Julia. A couple of the girls were late getting home from friend's places. Jondy had told them to let Julia know where they were going.
At the bar later, Nigel leaned against the counter beside Jondy. "So what do you want? A boy or a girl?" It was still early so the bar was quiet.
Jondy hadn't really considered it. "I don't mind. I think Julia would like a grandson. I already have the twelve girls. I'd just be happy with a healthy baby." She gave the room a quick glance before returning to polishing the glasses. "I've got to check out Doctors considering my physician is now deceased."
Nigel started restocking the shelves. "Got anyone in mind? Cause I can find out who delivered my sister's baby if you want."
"Thanks for the offer." Jondy was touched by the thought. "But I thought that I would try out the family Doctor. If I have any problems, I'll let you know."
At Metro Medical, Dr Sam Carr was working late again. He was checking a few test results when the phone rang. "Hello?" Who could be ringing at this time of night.
"Hey Sam, it's Logan. Sorry to call so late." He sounded out of breath down the phone. "I was wondering if you could take a look at a pregnant friend."
Same chuckled to himself. "Let me guess, nobody else can know about it and I'm going to have to destroy all record of her being here." He stopped looking through the test results for a moment. "It's not Max is it?" That would certainly explain Logan being out of breath.
"No, it's not Max. It's her sister." Logan sounded confused by the question. "And yes, all the usual rules apply. I wouldn't be asking but her normal Doctor who as it happens is also the baby's father, recently died."
"Of course I'll help. Can she be in here on Monday?" Sam was always happy to help Logan. He had been a good friend for years. "If she comes in early, there will be less questions asked."
Logan muttered to someone in the background. "She'll be there. I'll probably bring her in myself. Thanks for doing this Sam. I owe you one."
"No problem Logan. See you on Monday." Sam hung up the phone. He couldn't wait to see who or what Logan was going to bring in. The last time, the patient had been part machine.
Julia and Kera assured them that they could look after the girls for a couple of nights, while Jondy visited Seattle for a check up.
It was late when they got back to Seattle on Sunday night. Jondy had brought her own car so that she could get home. Logan set his guestroom up for Jondy. She immediately went to lie down.
"You know I don't think I will ever get used to Jondy needing sleep." Logan cuddled up with Max on the sofa. "She seems to be getting used to the whole big family thing. Devon always said that she was a natural Mother."
"Yeah." Max rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't think she ever intended to take the parenting on alone." She looked up at Logan. "I know Jondy has a lot of support but she's still so alone."
Logan kissed the top of Max's head. "I have a feeling she'll find someone worthy of her. It's just going to take some time."
Max sat by the window looking out into the empty streets. This had been one of her better weekends. She had to wonder if it was wise to bring a child into this screwed up world. Max had no doubt that Jondy would fiercely protect her child from the world she and her Manticore siblings had always feared.
"You trying to stay awake so that you won't have nightmares?" Jondy sat down beside Max and stared out the window with her. "Surely Logan can help you to stay awake." She teased her sister.
"No, I was just thinking." Max shot her sister a look of mock anger. "Besides Logan needs his sleep. He's not like us remember." There were times especially lately, that she wondered if they were just too different.
"Thank God for that." Jondy exclaimed. "Can you imagine being with one of our transgenic brothers? You and I are screwed up enough all by ourselves without adding a transgenic partner to the picture. That really would screw my kid up."
Max could see Jondy's point. She felt a twinge of sadness that Zack would never get to know his niece or nephew. But then she remembered, he was less than thrilled about Tinga having a husband and son. He felt that they put her in danger. There was no doubt in her mind that her brothers would make excellent fathers, but their Manticore training tended to get in the way. "Logan thinks your kid is going to be so spoilt."
Jondy giggled. "He's probably right. Julia and the girls are so excited about this baby." She became serious. "I've been thinking about your nightmares and I need you to think about something for me. We've spent most of our lives running. You actually blew Manticore up, so that you could stop running and we could all have normal lives."
Jondy watched her sister to make sure what she was saying was sinking in. "When things get tough, it's our first instinct to run. Don't do that with Logan. I can't promise you that neither of you are going to get hurt in one way or another. Don't let your fear drive you away from the best thing that's ever happened to you." She took hold of Max's hand. "Because if you do, then Manticore and White win."
Max took a moment to consider what Jondy was saying. "You think I should stay with Logan to piss White and Manticore off. That's kind of feelingless." She frowned.
Jondy rolled her eyes. "No. I'm saying you should stop being afraid of loosing Logan and make the most of the future you have together. White and Manticore want us to be scared. I'm not going to be scared anymore, I won't let them win." She glanced over her shoulder at Logan's bedroom door. "When he looks at you, it's like nobody else is on the face of the planet but the two of you." She smiled sadly. "I've never had somebody look at me the way Logan looks at you. As corny as it sounds, when I see you two, it's not hard to believe in true love."
Max hugged her sister. "You're going to be such a great Mom. Those girls you adopted are going to bring you all of their boyfriend problems and you'll have the perfect solution every time."
"Is this a private moment or can anyone join in?" Logan walked out of the bedroom rubbing his eyes. He still hadn't gotten used to falling asleep with Max in his arms only to wake and find her gone.
"I don't know about anyone, but I guess there's enough room for you." Max reached out her arm to Logan and pulled him into their hug. "You know, I think Sketchy had a dream like this once." They all dissolved into giggles.
At Metro Medical, early the next morning, Sam Carr watched Logan walked towards him with a petite redhead beside him. The closer they got, the more familiar the redhead looked. Then he remembered when Max had been brought into the hospital and then disappeared from her room. There had been a redheaded nurse that had gone into the room just before she had disappeared. It had never occurred to him that the mystery nurse had been Max's sister.
Logan reached out and shook Sam's hand. "Morning Sam." He gestured to Jondy. "This is Jessica. Max's sister." He put his arm around his nervous friend. He was asking a lot of her to trust a complete stranger like this. He was touched that Jondy felt safe enough with him to trust his judgment.
"Nice to finally be able to put a name to the face." Sam shook Jondy's hand. "I almost didn't recognize you without your nurses uniform on though." He ushered both Logan and Jondy into an examination room. "So do you have any information about your pregnancy?" He wasn't sure if Jondy had, had any check ups what so ever.
"I estimate that I'm approximately three months pregnant. There haven't been too many side effects. I get tired which I never used to and I've had some morning sickness which I've discovered dry crackers gets rid of." Jondy rattled everything off.
Logan was no expert, but it all seemed like a normal pregnancy to him. "The main reason we're here Sam, is so that Jessica can get a check up and make sure the baby's alright."
Sam nodded that he understood. "Ok. Why don't you wait outside for a little while Logan, while I examine Jessica. I'll call you back in when we're finished." Sam could see that Logan was quite protective of the young woman.
"I'll be right outside." Logan squeezed Jondy's hand and then stood and waked outside the examination room. It seemed to take forever to Logan, but he realized it was probably just because he was worried about Jondy getting caught. Finally Sam called him back in.
Sam smiled sincerely at his friend. "Jessica is doing just fine and so is her baby." He focused his attention back onto Jondy. "You'll have to make sure you get plenty of rest, eat properly and try not to over do things."
"I think that I can manage that." Jondy smiled at the Doctor. "I'll see you in a months time then." She was eager to get out of there. She hated hospitals, they reminded her too much of Manticore.
Max and Alec finished their morning deliveries and headed back to Jam Pony to meet up with Logan and Jondy for lunch. Alec glanced over at Max who seemed a million miles away. "You still tripping on becoming an Aunt again?"
Max sniggered to herself. "I sort of got over that in San Francisco. I was just considering something Jondy said last night. She gave me a lot to think about."
Alec stopped his bike suddenly. "I think we have something else to think about. Somebody let the monsters out again." Three Steelheads stood blocking their way. He leaned towards Max. "You take the two on the left, I'll take the one on the right."
Max looked at Alec as though he were insane. "Let me get this straight, you're going to take on the woman, while I get the two guys."
Alec grinned. "Yeah, sounds fair to me. What? You have a problem with this?" The look on Max's face was priceless. "You know if you would just strip we wouldn't be having this problem."
Birdy looked at his two associates. "As much as I hate to break up this debate the two of you are having, Eddie wants to see you two."
"Actually he only wants her." Tuck pointed to Max. "You, he just wants to beat the crap out of." He turned to Alec. "Can't say I blame him for that."
Lux ran her metal fingernails down Alec's chest. "Don't worry Baby. I think I can convince Eddie to let me have you."
"See, we have a problem with all of that." Max dropped her bike and took a fighting stance beside Alec. "For starters Eddie's not my type. Secondly, I don't think my boyfriend would be very amused if I ran off with someone that ugly."
"Can't say I would." Logan brought a crowbar down across Tuck's shoulders knocking him to the ground. "You guys ready for lunch?" He signaled Jondy to bring the car over.
"I so am." Max kicked Birdy in the groin and then twirled into a spin kick, which threw him clear across the street. "Alec, hurry up." She jumped into the car while Logan threw the bikes in the back of the car.
"Gotta go." Alec threw Lux out of the way. "So where are we having lunch?" He climbed into the back where Jondy had moved to."
Logan jumped into the car and floored the gas pedal. "As far away from here as possible." He gave the occupants of his car a quick glance. "Everybody alright?"
"Yeah. Does somebody want to tell me what the hell they were?" Jondy had spotted Max and Alec from the car as they drove past. Logan had insisted she stay in the car due to her condition.
"Steelheads. The same ones who got hold of Zack." Max had phoned Jondy and explained what had happened when their brother had come back from the dead. As much as she missed her brother, Jondy had told Max she had done the right thing for everyone concerned.
"Kinda gross, aren't they?" Alec turned to Jondy. Being pregnant obviously agreed with her, she seemed to glow. "So how's impending motherhood?"
"Sam says Jondy and the baby are doing fine." Logan shot over his shoulder. "I think we'd better get you some food though." He hadn't see Jondy eat much for breakfast, which ordinarily wouldn't be a problem. Jondy was eating for two now though.
Max struggled not to laugh at Logan being so protective. "Anything else we should know about Jondy? Cause you appear to be an expert on my sister at the moment." If it were anyone but Jondy, Max probably would have been jealous. She knew that Logan looked on Jondy as though she were his own sister.
"Sorry." Logan kept thinking, if the two sisters were in opposite situations, he would want someone looking out for Max. "I'm getting carried away with the protective thing, aren't I?"
Alec and Jondy were giggling in the back of the car. The seriousness of the situation they had all escaped from hadn't eluded them. It just struck them as funny that Jondy's pregnancy took priority over everything else.
The following night Max and Logan sat up on the space needle. Jondy had returned home that morning. The last few days had been full of surprises. "It's going to be an interesting six months." Max voiced her thoughts aloud.
Logan chuckled at her comment. His cousin Bennett had phoned earlier to let him know Maryanne had given birth to a baby boy. They had named him Jonas after Bennett's late father. "You staying at my place tonight or going home." For some reason he needed to be close to what family he had left tonight. Max was more than just a girlfriend that came and went as she pleased. She was his family, his world.
"I thought I'd stay with you tonight." Max had managed to get over her nightmares for one night. "Original Cindy's got a date tonight so I thought I'd give her some space."
"So what sort of future do you see for your forthcoming niece or nephew?" Logan knew Max had been thinking about it a lot lately.
Max leaned back in Logan's arms. "With all of the Aunts and Uncles not to mention sisters this kids future's going to be incredibly bright." She knew how much Logan hated heights, but every now and again he pushed his fears aside to be with her. "You ok?"
Logan tightened his arms around Max. With her in his arms, he felt as though he could face all his fears. "I'm fine."
They sat like that until the sun set. Make the most of the time you have together Jondy had told Max. Max was determined to do just that.
THE END
