Fourth Vector

Chapter 34: Reunited

*****

"Breathe, Kat, breathe! Keep going, I'm here for you!"

Kat shot Abigail an annoyed look. "Abigail, I'm barely even contracting. Relax a little please? This could take a while."

The brunette commander managed to look embarrassed. Her face turned red and she stopped with the vocal encouragement. Jack couldn't help but laugh. It had only been about forty minutes since Kat's water broke and in that space of time, they'd managed to get her to a local midwife who lived not far from Jack's headquarters.

For her part, Kat was taking the onset of labor like a star. She'd barely broken a sweat and seemed more concerned with getting comfortable. It was Abigail who was a nervous wreck, her worry clearly displayed on her face. Jack didn't blame her in the slightest. After all, her nerves came from a good place, a place of love for the other woman.

"Are you comfortable for now?" asked Jack as he slipped another pillow behind Kat's back. "Do you need anything?"

"Just something to drink," she replied. "My throat is so dry right now that I could probably drink an entire gallon of water."

"I'll get you something to drink," said Jack before his gaze shifted to a nervous Abigail. "Actually, Abigail, would you grab something for Kat? I'm sure one of the soldiers will let you have their canteen if you can't find something else."

"Canteen. Water. Got it!" Abigail raced from the room, leaving Kat and Jack to look at each other with amused expressions.

"She's just trying to help," said Jack, pre-empting the conversation.

"I know she is and I love her for it," said Kat. "But you might have to run an intervention here from time to time. I can't imagine what she's going to be like when I'm actually ready to have this baby."

"It could be no time at all until you're there," he replied. "It could only be another hour and then our baby will be here."

Kat shook her head. "As much as I'd love to believe that, I know it won't be that easy. He's made my pregnancy interesting so far with how many times he'd made me throw up or made me nauseous. Trust me on this one, he's not going to vacate anytime soon if he has a choice."

Jack chuckled. "Still certain it's going to be a boy, are you? If we have a daughter, you're going to look pretty bad on this."

"I'm positive it's a boy," she said with a firm nod of the head. "It has to be. I mean, he has to be. I just know it."

Suddenly, Jack knew what she was referencing. "The prophecy?"

She nodded again. "That's how I know. That's how I know we've having a boy."

Jack didn't bother trying to argue with her. There was no good that could come from it. It was clear that Kat believed in the prophecy above all other things while he still found the whole notion to be distasteful at worst or a necessary evil at best.

Besides, if it made her feel better about the whole thing, he wasn't going to pick an argument.

The goal was getting her through labor to the other side in one piece. Especially when he considered that the baby was technically early. Kat was only a week shy of nine full months of pregnancy, which put her labor at nearly a month earlier than it should have been. The risk of complications was greater now than it could have been with a later pregnancy, and for that reason alone, he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.

Abigail came rushing back into the room a moment later with a full glass of water. She set it by the bedside table, earning a smile of appreciation from Kat who quickly grabbed it.

"Thank you, love," said Kat after downing the entire glass.

Abigail looked at the empty glass with dismay. "Do you want me to refill it for you now?"

"I'll be fine for the time being," Kat replied. "I just needed to wet my throat—"

Abigail barely let her finish the sentence before she grabbed the empty glass and once more dashed out of the room.

Jack couldn't help but smile. "She loves you a lot. And I know she's looking forward to this baby coming just about as much as anyone."

Kat smiled too. "I hope so. In Galicia, the wives of the king share the children equally. Under the eyes of our law, she'd be just as much of a mother to him as I will be. I can see why she's a bit nervous."

"And I'm sure it's confusing to her why she's so nervous and you're so calm and collected," said Jack. "It's like this isn't even your first child."

"I may appear calm on the outside but my stomach is doing flips internally," said Kat as she reached over to grab Jack's hand. "Just promise me that you won't leave my side when the time comes? There's no way I want to do this thing without you."

Jack leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss against her lips. "I'll be by your side for the whole thing, I can promise you that. As will Abigail, and I'm sure she'll never let that glass of water stay empty for very long."

Kat let out a giggle. "I missed you so much, Jack. You always know the best thing to say. All these months without you have been so damn hard." She put her hand against her face as a tear descended down her cheek. "There were times when I didn't know if I'd ever see you again! Or if our baby would ever get to know his father."

Jack hushed her by kissing her again. "It's all right now. I'm here and we're together again. We don't ever have to be separated again, okay?"

She locked eyes on him. "You promise?"

"I promise," he replied. "I can't be separated from you now that we're about to become parents. And with Abigail, who's going to keep her grounded at a time like this?"

As if on cue, Abigail rushed back into the room with two more glasses of water this time. She set them down on the table so quickly that she spilled half the contents in the process.

"Thank you, that's perfect," said Kat, trying to get the other woman to relax.

Abigail took one look at Kat's tears and then turned to Jack. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," said Kat as she wiped the tear away. "I was just telling him how much I missed him."

Abigail nodded and she slipped into Jack's arms wordlessly. Jack inhaled her soft scent as his nose rested against her hair. "In case she didn't already tell you, we don't want to be away from you ever again."

Jack chuckled. "Don't worry. We're becoming more of a family right now. You'd have to kill me to get me away from you two."

That answer seemed to satisfy them both for the short term. Kat stopped her tears long enough to reminisce about their time in Picardy while Abigail calmed herself by being in Jack's arms. It was just like old times again but that was before several visitors arrived in Kat's room.

"Oh, how I love being in the presence of babies," said Queen Ciara as she came dashing into the room while holding Prince Davin. The Queen was grinning from ear to ear while the little one-year-old Davin tried to hold onto her shoulders as she moved. Behind them came a more reserved King Aedan.

"You're going to have to wait a few more hours before you get to see any babies," said Kat as the royals congregated around her bed. "Maybe even another day or so!"

"I don't care about that in the slightest," said Ciara with a dismissive wave. "Just knowing that another is on the way is good enough for me. How do you feel, dear?"

"Bloated, cramped, sleepy, miserable," replied Kat, checking off her fingers. "Take your pick of any of those. I'm ready for this baby to vacate the premises. My body's been through enough!"

Ciara giggled. "Just wait until he's out and you see what it's like on the other side. Some days you'll wish he could just crawl back in there again to make life easier!"

"No way, this womb is closed for now," said Kat fervently until her eyes caught Jack's. "At least until he decides he wants another and then it's her turn," she said while pointing to Abigail, who beamed with a smile.

"Let's try our hand at one first before we start talking more, okay?" said Jack with a nervous chuckle.

Ciara put her hand on his arm. "And how are you holding up, Papa? Doing okay still?"

"As well as can be," he answered. "I'll be happier once he's out."

Aedan was the next to speak up. He started with a grunt. "Just enjoy sleep while you can for now. It becomes extremely precious once the baby is truly out. Trust me, I know."

"If anything, we'll send him to your room when we need some sleep," teased Jack. "Since you have so much experience with non-sleeping babies."

Aedan grunted again but said no more.

Jack could only smile at the other monarch. Truthfully, their relationship had been turbulent since Aedan's arrival in Apulia. Jack didn't need to ask why. He knew having to retreat from his homeland in Picardy was a sore spot and from what he'd heard from Kat and Abigail, the King hadn't been himself ever since they left Daban harbor.

Jack couldn't blame him one bit. The fight for Picardy was long and fraught with a mix of successes and failures. No one could have foreseen that disaster that would have befallen them. If he was being honest with himself though, part of Jack wondered what might have happened had he not been captured by the Swabians.

Was it hubris to think that his presence on Picardy might have prevented their fall?

He didn't have long to dwell on that subject before Aedan pulled him aside while the women talked.

"Jack, I don't mean to be a burden on you while Kat is in labor, but who is in command of the army while you're in here with her?" he asked. "I mean should the Swabians strike again while you're occupied, who will lead the charge?"

"That would be General Arthur Chapman," replied Jack. "He's a Galician general, and from everything I've seen and heard of the man, our forces couldn't be in better hands. Once the baby has arrived and he's safe and sound, then I'll resume overall command."

Aedan made a face but managed to nod. "I think I'll prefer it once you're out of here. I don't like leaving my men's safety in the hands of someone I don't know, accolades or not."

That hadn't come as any surprise. With someone as fussy as Aedan, he made even Santino look easygoing and relaxed.

"I'll arrange to have you meet with him then," said Jack. "Perhaps you two can have dinner tonight? Anything to calm your nerves about leaving your men in his capable hands. Besides, we shouldn't be here too much longer before the birth."

"I hope so," said Aedan. "I only ordered the withdrawal from Picardy under duress. While I see the necessity of keeping the army together, I'm tired of retreating, Jack. I want to do our duty here, kill as many Swabians as we can, and then get back to my Picardy. I can't leave my people under their thumbs forever."

"Nor will you," promised Jack. "And we will return to Picardy someday. The fighting is here in Apulia now and since we now have the strength to contest the Lord of Selz, we're going to break out from Arezzo just as soon as this baby arrives. I'm of the same mind as you—I'm tired of retreating."

Aedan managed to smile. "Thank you, Jack. It's really good to have you back. I suppose I should offer you an apology as well.

Jack gave him a look of confusion. "An apology? Why?"

"There were many times when I thought to urge Katherine and Abigail to abandon the search for you," said Aedan truthfully. "I thought you were surely dead and it was a waste of resources to continue looking. While they assured me of this bond that you have with your people, it wasn't something that I could feel. I'm ashamed to say there were times I wished to just hear of your death so that we could move on and get back to the war."

Jack put his hand on the King's shoulder. "Nothing to forgive. If I were in your place, I would have thought the same thing. After all, I was gone for nearly six months. That's a long time to keep up the hope of someone who completely disappeared."

Aedan nodded. "Someday, you'll have to tell me the whole story. What it was like in Swabia and everything."

"I will," Jack promised. "Sometime when we can sit together and enjoy a long meal or drink. There is a lot to tell."

Aedan managed a half-smile before turning his attention back to his wife who was now pushing away from Kat's bed.

"We'll let her rest for now," said Ciara as she bobbed Davin a few times. "She'll need her strength for what's ahead."

Jack said his goodbyes to the Picardy royals, leaving him alone again with Kat and Abigail. For the time being, Kat tried to catch some rest, closing her eyes while her contractions were still a good distance apart. Jack and Abigail were content to let her sleep while they slipped into the next room.

Once more, Abigail crushed herself to him, embracing him with tight arms and nuzzling against his neck.

Jack had to laugh. "What's this for?"

Her brown eyes looked at him. "For all the times I've wanted to do this in the last half-year and couldn't. I fully intend to make up for lost time."

Jack held her close to him. "We do have lots of time to make up for, don't we?"

She nodded. "There were times when it felt like I forgot what your touch feels like. What your hand feels like running through my hair. What your lips taste like. I forgot how you touch my chest and tease my nipples. I even forgot what you feel like inside me."

"It sounds like most of those things we could take care of very quickly," he said, finding himself aroused at the thought of being inside the sexy brunette once more.

Abigail giggled. "Soon enough. I wouldn't do that to Kat while she's trying to push our baby out. It wouldn't be fair to fuck you while she can't."

Jack let out a deep sigh. "I suppose you're right in that regard."

She patted his chest. "It's all right, love. You've waited six months to be inside me again. You can wait a few more days."

"If I must," said Jack with some exaggeration. He did agree with Abigail though. He wouldn't be comfortable being so intimate with her while Kat struggled with labor.

Abigail didn't respond right away. Jack was content to hold her until he felt the subtle noise of sniffles against his chest. When he pulled her away, he found tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she said as she sniffled again. "It was just so hard being without you. It was so painful not knowing whether you were alive or dead or what they could be doing to you. Even just knowing you were alive, but not knowing your condition, killed me. What if they were torturing you at that very moment? Those thoughts used to keep me up all night."

Jack held her closer. "I promise you they didn't torture me. Yes, it was hard to be a prisoner that whole time but it could've been a lot worse. I spent most of that time in a small cell with no natural light but I'm here now. I'm no longer their prisoner."

"Thank god for that," she replied as she looked up at him. She pressed her lips to his tenderly. "I think everyone is just so relieved to find you. We were so suddenly leaderless and it showed. We're used to having you at the top."

"How is everyone truthfully?" asked Jack. "Greg? Vera? Meeting with Aedan just now showed me how despondent he's been. Is anyone else struggling?"

Abigail nodded. "You really should talk with Greg. He's been taking this whole thing with Java very hard. Being a rebel doesn't agree with him, and Vera has told me he feels like a man without a country now. A man without a home. You'll want to talk with him as soon as you have time."

"That I can do," promised Jack, intending to follow up with them as soon as he could. "Our circumstances have changed. I don't just represent Java anymore but now the rightful Galician government. We have a lot more options than we had before."

"That'll be good for him," said Abigail. "I would say that Aedan and Greg are probably the worst ones. Dustin has been well. If anything, I think he's more enthused than ever getting a chance to embrace his Tyrolean heritage and potentially fight some Javans."

Jack chuckled. "Sounds about right. I have a feeling he might get his wish before this whole thing is out."

Abigail shuddered. "Do you really think it would come to that, Jack? A true war with Java? A fight against Bancroft?"

He didn't have an easy answer for that one but the question had been on his mind ever since he found out about Bancroft's insurrection. What did it mean for Jack now that Bancroft was the emperor? Sure, Jack wasn't high on the priority list for Charles IX but Jack had watched his relationship completely deteriorate with Bancroft in the span of a year.

Jack couldn't expect to be treated as a friend so that meant he was sure he would be treated as a foe. War seemed inevitable.

"I don't know," he lied while clutching Abigail to him. "But that event is too far away for us to contemplate right now. We have enough on our plate right now with the Swabians, and Bancroft is occupied with a war on two fronts. There will be time for those thoughts in the future but first we must deal with the Swabians."

Abigail nodded. "How much has changed in such a short amount of time. I never thought I'd see the day when I was a rebel against my own country."

Jack didn't answer that right away. If he was being honest with himself, he knew her feelings well. For his entire life, Java had been his home. To openly disobey orders now and give himself to a foreign power would have been a strange feeling indeed only a few short years ago but here he was.

Galicia was his home now. And he was meant for bigger things than just being a Javan admiral.

Somebody had to stop the Swabians. If not him, then who?

*****

For now, the question of the Swabians and their war would have to remain in the background.

No one expected Kat to have a short labor and therefore no one was surprised when the baby didn't come that day nor for most of the next. The midwife explained that it was common for the first baby to take a long time to finally come out, and it seemed like out of everyone, Kat was the most irritated by that answer.

Sweat appeared on her brow as she was told the news. "Well, isn't there something you can do to . . . you know . . . get him here a little quicker!"

The midwife, a sweet older woman who was also the mother of six children herself, shook her head. "The baby will come when he's ready and not a moment sooner. In the meantime, just continue to work on your breathing, dear."

Kat was far enough along that the advice earned a heavy round of obscenities from her the likes of which Jack had never heard before. He was surprised to learn that he even learned a few new terms from the seemingly innocent former regent.

Slowly but surely, her contractions came closer together, and late in the afternoon, the midwife announced that it was time to start pushing. With Jack on one side of the bed and Abigail on the other, they both gripped Kat's hands as the midwife coached her through the entire ordeal. Abigail was entirely supportive as well, holding a cold, damp cloth against Kat's forehead as she pushed.

And push she did. At one point, Jack thought that Kat's screams could surely be heard by half the city of Arezzo. It frightened him to see her in such pain while he felt so helpless but it was all worth it in the end.

"One more push, dear!" said the midwife loudly as she cradled her hands between Kat's thighs. "I can see the baby's head! One more good push and we should be able to pull him out!"

Jack squeezed Kat's hand as tightly as he could manage while she gritted her teeth and gave the last bit of her energy. The midwife gave an excited shriek of approval as their baby finally exited his mother. Jack caught a sight of something bluish and slimy as the baby was quickly wrapped into a blanket by the midwife and whisked away to the other side of the room for a check on the vitals.

Those few seconds were agony for all of them as they awaited the results. Kat was still huffing away but she was just as eager to see the new arrival.