Flesh and Blood (7/25)

Author- Midnight Faith

Pairing- Lindsey/Lilah with Cordy/Angel on the side… Lilah/Wesley and Lindsey/Kate implied

Spoilers- none

Distribution- ff.net, Ace of Harts, Neurotica… anyone else just ask :)

Rating- R

Summary- Lilah and Lindsey get closer

Notes-' Part 3/3 of a trilogy. Which also contains 'Southern Comfort' and 'Silver Cloud, Bitter Lining.'

"Thanks for driving," Cordy said to Kate as they raced through the corridors of St. Mark's hospital.

"It's OK…" Kate said, "You were in no state to."

Cordy saw Lindsey sat on a plastic chair half way down the corridor and dashed over to him.

"How's Lilah? Can I see her?" Cordy asked him, hurriedly and concerned.

"She's fine," Lindsey reassured her, standing to offer Cordy his chair. She shook her head in response. "She's asleep… a little dehydrated so they put her on a drip but she's OK…"

"What the hell happened?" Cordy asked him accusingly, "I almost had a full scale coronary when I heard your message… I thought you'd kidnapped her or something and it was a ransom note… only digitally."

"Criminals generally write ransom notes," Kate pointed out.

"When I left her she was fine…" Cordy told Lindsey, "What happened?"

"She went into labour a few minutes before I got there…"

"You didn't seriously leave her in there by herself?" Cordy asked him, taking a step towards him threateningly.

"No, I was there the entire time," he said off their quizzical looks, "I have a daughter."

Cordy's face instantly changed, breaking into a huge smile as she flung her arms around Lindsey.

"Oh my god," she said emotionally, "I can't believe it… you're a Dad."

"Congratulations," Kate offered, a little awkwardly.

"Oh Kate, this is Lindsey, Lindsey, Kate Lockley."

"Hey," he said, shaking Kate's hand warmly.

"And the baby's OK?" Cordy asked.

"She's fine… even though she's early. Breathing on her own and everything…"

"Does she have a name yet?" Kate asked.

"Not yet… Lilah's still a little dazed."

"Who does she look like?" Cordy asked.

"She's beautiful… I thought all babies were supposed to look like ET or something when they're born but she doesn't. She has hair… well some… which is Lilah's colour. And she has blue eyes… she looks like both of us. She's really placid which is nice because Lilah's still a little shaky over it all. While she's asleep I just want to hit the gift place… get some flowers, a card, balloons… most of the soft toys in the shop…"

"I'll come with you," Kate said, "Angel asked me to pick up a card for him. He didn't know what she would be… and besides… it's a sunny afternoon."

"You'll spoil her…" Cordy told Lindsey, covering her own jealousy perfectly.

"Only the best for my daughter…"

*****

Cordelia quietly shut the door behind her as she entered Lilah's darkened hospital room.

Creeping quietly over to the baby's plastic crib, she snuck a silent look at the baby.

The baby was sleeping peacefully, tucked up neatly beneath a pink blanket.

Cordy smiled down at her, noting how much she looked like Lindsey, before scuttling quietly over to the plastic chair beside Lilah's bed, touching her hand lightly.

Lilah stirred slightly, before opening her eyes to look up at Cordelia, a little perplexed.

"It's OK…" Cordy told her, pouring her a glass of water from the jug on the bedside cabinet.

She handed the glass to Lilah, which she accepted with a smile.

"Thanks," she told Cordy, "Is Lindsey…"

"He's buying the gift shop… how are you feeling anyway?"

"Like a truck ran me over… several times. I'm actually too drugged up to move much."

"So you haven't held her yet?"

"No I passed out about three minutes after she was born… the next thing I know someone's sticking a drip in my hand, and a needle of morphine in my arm and telling me to get some sleep. I've been pretty out of it ever since."

"She's beautiful…"

"She's Lindsey's… you should see him with her. She started crying and he knew exactly what to do to make her stop… he's amazing."

"How are you both doing?"

"OK… I think. We haven't really talked with me being mostly unconscious and everything's a little… 'Whoa, we had a baby.'"

Cordy hugged Lilah tightly.

"I know," Lilah said, hugging her back.

"Did it hurt?" Cordy asked.

"Like nothing you would believe… it was so quick too…"

"I'm sorry I wasn't here…"

"It's OK… Lindsey was…"

"Maybe that's the way it was meant to be."

"He was fantastic… he just held me the entire time."

"I'm actually speechless."

"That has to be a first."

At that moment, Lindsey burst through the door with two carrier bags stuffed full of toys, a bunch of pink balloons and a bouquet of yellow roses.

"Oh my god…" Lilah said.

Lindsey leaned over the baby's cot.

"Did she wake up yet?" he asked Lilah.

"Not yet…"

He gave the bouquet of roses to Lilah.

"Wow… thankyou," she said, sniffing them, "They're beautiful."

"I'll give you two some time…" Cordy said, "I want to buy Kate a coffee… I'll see if I can find a vase or something."

Lindsey turned back to Lilah after Cordy had left.

"They're yellow for friendship," he explained, "I really want us to be friends."

"Me too…"

He leaned forward to hug her gently.

"You still sore?" he asked.

"I can barely move…"

"I'll let you get some rest…"

"Will you stay?"

"Always…"

*****

When Lilah awoke the room was dark, except for a single light in the opposite corner of the room to her.

Lindsey was still there, sat in the chair beside her holding the baby.

"What time is it?" she asked him.

"It's just gone two…" he told her gently.

"Is she asleep?" Lilah asked tentatively.

"Just about… do you want to hold her?"

"No… I'm feeling barely mobile. Still a little drugged up. She's so tiny…"

"I know… she's lovely…a miniature you."

He sat on the edge of the bed to give Lilah a closer look.

"See… she has your bone structure… and nose. And I think she has my eyes."

The baby opened her eyes to look at Lilah, before closing them again.

"Are you sure you don't want to hold her?" Lindsey asked.

"It's not that I don't want to…"

Lindsey moved so he was sat beside Lilah on the bed, slipping his arm around her shoulders. She cuddled closer to him so she could get a proper look at the baby, now peacefully asleep in Lindsey's arms.

"Do you love her?" Lindsey asked Lilah.

She smoothed down the baby's blanket briefly before replying.

"Of course I do… just not in the same way I thought I would. I feel… I don't know… calm when she's around."

"We really should give her a name…"

"You choose…"

"No, I want you to…"

"We can talk about it more tomorrow… I'm scared." She said, shivering slightly.

"Why?"

"Because tomorrow I get out of here and… I don't know how to take care of her."

"It's OK… since she was born I haven't been away from her for more than a few minutes… I called Angel. He said I could have my old room back at the hotel. You could come and stay for a couple of days… If you're feeling a little overwhelmed."

"OK… but I'm also scared because today's been so nice… with you. We've been… friends. And tomorrow we might go back to fighting with each other."

"We won't… not with her around. She's changed the way I feel about everything. I keep looking forward… to moving on. To being in her life… and changing mine for the better. What do you think of Kate?"

"She's… she seems nice."

"I think I really want to friends with her… and then maybe something more."

"You like her?"

"Yeah… so what about you? And maybe Wesley…"

"No… no way. He's a friend; a best friend, him and Cordy are my emotional AA… I'm not wrecking that…"

There was silence for a moment.

"Do you think they'll come for her?" Lilah asked Lindsey fearfully.

"They can try… but she has a whole team of people to protect her… you're not on your own… at the very least you'll always have me…"