Chapter Text
One movie turned into one movie series. Omega was offended that the 12-year-old had never seen the original Terminator films (just part of the newest one while she was at a friend’s house.) Naturally, Shadow was more than thrilled to finally introduce them to his daughter. The second one, in particular, was his all-time favorite movie. Although Maria nodded off a couple of times, the hedgehog was glad he’d taken her up on her offer. This would likely be the last time he’d get to bond with her while she was still an only child.
At around three o’clock in the morning—a third of the way through Rise of the Machines—a frazzled Rouge appeared in her daughter’s doorway. She braced one hand on the doorframe while the other cradled her pregnant belly. Her legs were soaking wet.
“Shadow…my-my w-water broke.”
Instantly, Omega rushed over to the bat. Had Maria’s laptop not been on top of him, Shadow would’ve leaped from the bed right then and there. “Are…are you sure?” he stammered. Maria, meanwhile, shut her laptop tight and set it to the side. Her eyes were open as wide as physically possible.
Rouge gave her husband and daughter a shaky smile. “Go look at our bed if you don’t believe me. AGH!” A fierce contraction forced the bat down on all fours.
“Mom!” Maria flew from her bed.
The E-Series robot had already scooped Rouge off the floor by the time her terrified daughter arrived. Shadow joined the group within seconds. He could see the 12-year-old visibly cringe at the sight of her mother’s belly squeezing, tightening like a clenched fist. Once again, his fatherly instincts overtook him, and he cupped his hands over her shoulders.
When it looked like her contraction was subsiding, Shadow looked at his wife with immense concern. “Should I call the doctor now?”
Rouge nodded “Omega, t-take me b-back to my room.” she squeaked. “I need to change my clothes.”
The robot stomped down the hall back to the master bedroom. “REMEMBER, ROUGE, YOU MUST BREATHE. LIKE THIS: HEE HEE HOOOO!”
Rouge did as directed, but she couldn’t help but giggle at the robot’s imitation of patterned breathing. Meanwhile, Shadow stood beside his daughter, who seemed visibly shaken by the ordeal. As mature as she tried to act nowadays, seeing her mother in pain like that must’ve awakened her inner child.
“She’s going to be just fine,” the hedgehog said, running his fingers through the young bat’s bangs. “Go help her bring her bag down while I call the hospital.”
Maria was already halfway down the hall when Shadow dashed to the bottom of the stairs, frantically dialing the OBGYN. Dr. Romero was the head of obstetrics and gynecology at the hospital located at G.U.N’s main base. He was the only doctor Rouge trusted with the birth of their second child. Not that Shadow could blame her. After all, had he not have performed that emergency C-section, Maria wouldn’t be alive today, three weeks from her thirteenth birthday. Luckily, Dr. Romero was available at this hour. They arranged for him to meet the trio outside when they arrived.
Shadow threw on a jacket and then spent the next several minutes pacing the floor, waiting for his wife to get ready. How could she be taking so long, he wondered, she’s the one having the damn baby!
Soon enough, Rouge stood at the bottom of the stairs, wearing dark gray lounge pants and a hot pink tank top. Despite being a maternity shirt, the garment was beginning to look snug around her waist. She was two days overdue. As nervous as he was, Shadow was glad the baby was coming now. Dr. Romero said Rouge would need to have another C-section if she went more than two weeks past her due date. That was the last thing she wanted.
Maria followed behind her, dragging the duffel bag that Rouge packed for the hospital. While she was still in her black and white sleep shirt, Shadow couldn’t help but notice that she’d thrown on some tennis shoes and the team jacket given to her by her gymnastics coach. The backpack hanging off one of her shoulders set off several alarm bells in the hedgehog’s mind.
“And just where do you think you’re going, young lady?”
“I’m going with you.” she chirped. The bat then gave her dad a face that read, “Well, duh!” Shadow groaned. Maria was entering her adolescent years. Rouge warned that her attitude was likely going to get worse. This morning, Shadow was just getting a little taste of it.
“No you’re not!” Rouge scolded at the same time her body was seized by another contraction. She clutched the railing, scraping parts of the wood with her nails. “N-NOT on a school night!”
Shadow rushed to his wife and began to gently massage her lower back. “Maria, you’ve got your own things to worry about right now. We don’t need you stressing out about your mom when you’ve got a quiz later.”
The younger bat furrowed her brow in annoyance. “But I’m part of this family too! I should be there.”
“AGH!” Rouge cried as the contraction increased in intensity. Maria gulped and averted her eyes. When Shadow saw her drop her backpack at her feet, he knew she’d changed her mind.
The hedgehog pulled Maria into a tight embrace. “I’ll call you as soon as the baby is born.” he let go and slung the duffel bag over his shoulder. “Chances are, it’ll come while you’re still in school.”
Rouge, who finally had some relief from her pains, engulfed her daughter in a side hug. When they broke free, the older bat proudly patted her baby bump. “Maria, is there anything you want to say to your brother before we go?”
Maria stared inquisitively at her mother’s belly before reluctantly pressing her cheek against its smooth, round surface. “Um…get outta there soon, little guy.”
“ENOUGH DAWDLING!” Omega commanded as he descended the staircase, “ROUGE NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION!”
Shadow took a few deep breaths of his own. Noticing how stressed he was, Rouge squeezed his hand. “Ready to meet your son?”
The hedgehog nodded. This is really happening.
“Shadow… he’s here!” Rouge cried in agony, digging her nails into her husband’s hand.
It was nine-thirty in the morning. At this point, the bat had been in labor for over fourteen hours. She spent most of it in the hospital room, pacing the floor, leaning over a chair, bouncing up and down on a giant rubber ball. Every hour or so, Dr. Romero would come into the room to examine her. They kept saying she was making good progress. Then why is it taking so long, the hedgehog thought each time she tugged at his chest fur during a contraction.
Now, Rouge sat up, propped up by a stack of pillows on the hospital bed. She’d long since discarded her lounge pants, wearing nothing but her sweat-drenched tank top. Her knees shook beneath the blanket. Shadow remembered from class that this was a sign that her body was ready to give birth.
“Just breathe, dear,” Shadow whispered while frantically pressing the call button on the wall, “The doctor will be back in a few minutes.”
Omega, who was standing at the end of the bed, wasn’t having any of it.
“FORGET HIM! I WILL TAKE OVER!” The E-series robot lifted the sheets covering Rouge’s lower half.
Within seconds, a short-circuiting noise was heard, and Omega immediately stepped away. “THIS IS NOT MY JOB! THIS IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF MY JOB!”
Curiosity got the best of the hedgehog. He let go of his wife’s hand and went to stand where Omega once stood. Rouge’s legs were spread wide open, the bedsheets still pulled up past her knees. Shadow stared wide-eyed. The bat was expanding in a way he’d never seen before. But the thing that made his mouth stand agape were the messy tufts of gray and red fur that were beginning to emerge.
Their baby was coming whether the doctor was here or not.
Suddenly, a determined fire overtook Shadow’s body. He averted his gaze back to his wife. She kept her eyes shut, panting heavily, far off in a trance.
Shadow turned to the robot, now at the other end of the bed, away from the unfolding scene. “Omega, hold her hand!”
“AFFIRMATIVE!” the robot offered a claw to Rouge, who immediately squeezed it.
The hedgehog stood still, stupefied by the hard lump bulging between the bat’s legs. He was in way over his head. After all, he had about as much experience as his robot companion with delivering babies: zero. His limited knowledge came only from those classes he’d attended with his wife, and they mainly just taught him how to be the supportive husband. What was the point in coming here if the doctor wasn’t even there to do his job?
“Push, Rouge!” Shadow shouted. He couldn’t believe the words that had just escaped from his mouth.
On cue, she bore her chin down into her chest, gritted her teeth, and grunted loudly. The hedgehog just watched in awe. As disgusting as the nitty-gritty details of childbirth were, he couldn’t bring himself to look away.
Two minutes and two more pushes later, the baby’s entire head was out. Shadow’s heart skipped a beat when he realized that a slimy pink rope was wrapped around his son’s neck.
The umbilical cord.
The hedgehog looked frantically around the room. There was still no sign of Dr. Romero. Damn it! Where was that man? By now, he was in far too deep to back away. But there’s no way he’d be able to do this alone.
Shadow looked up at Omega, who was busy dabbing Rouge’s sweaty forehead with a washcloth. “YOU ARE DOING GREAT. BREATHE!”
The bat nodded before giving a few of the patterned breaths she’d been practicing for the last two months. “Hee…hee…hooooo…”
While Rouge concentrated on her breathing, Shadow motioned for the E-series robot to come closer to him. “See that thing around his neck right there? I need you to gently cut it with your claws.”
Omega responded with a few exasperated robot noises. “YOU WANT ME TO HURT YOUR CHILD?”
“Just snip it off right here. Do that, and the baby will come.” Shadow pinched part of the cord. His brow tensed. This is not how I expected this day would play out at all.
Following the hedgehog’s instructions, the robot slipped two of his long metallic fingers between the cord and snapped it in two. Part of the baby’s shoulder’s slipped out, along with what appeared to be the tips of his wings. Shadow supported his son’s head with one hand, which was immediately coated with blood and other birthing fluids. His stomach churned slightly. I’m really doing this.
“PUSH!” Omega yelled, “IT’S ALMOST FINISHED!”
“AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!” Rouge screamed, using everything last ounce of strength she had left. All at once, the wings and shoulders popped out, quickly followed by the rest of the bat’s tiny body.
Dr. Romero rushed into the room, wearing a set of hospital scrubs. “What’s going on in here?”
Before anyone could answer, a cry filled the entire room. Rouge fell back onto the pillow, exhausted and out of breath. Omega rushed back to her side and offered her the claw that wasn’t coated with blood. Shadow, meanwhile, was frozen, staring at the squirming baby bat in his arms with complete and utter bewilderment.