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The Center (Houdini and Nurse_K)

It seemed like forever as Elsa cried and moaned, breathing deeply and grunting as she pushed the baby out. Neither of the men had ever witnessed a birth before, and it seemed unreal to both of them. Brendan felt for her, the way she seemed to be in incredible pain, a doctor poking around her genitals. He assumed that Elsa was too far past a certain pain threshold to feel any modesty now, so he just kept gripping her hand. "You can do it," he said, partly under his breath. "You're a strong woman, Elsa. I know you can handle this," he continued softly, to an evil look from Carlos.

Then came the moment they were all waiting for. Carlos let go of her hand and walked around, taking his first look at Elsa's grossly stretched birth canal, his baby's head poking through. The hardened criminal gagged a little at the first sight of this, all the fluids covering everything. But he was able to calm down as he focused on looking just at his baby. "He's beautiful," Carlos gasped as the flurry of activity went on once the baby was out in the outside air. "I have to agree with him on that one," Brendan whispered in Elsa's ear as he kept a hold of her hand. Her eyes were glued to the baby, the new pride and joy of her life.
 
The nurse carried the baby away for a moment to clean and weigh him. She wrapped him in real swaddling clothes instead of just the after birth cloths and then carried him straight to Elsa. She had to release Brendan's hand and held her arms out, her brand new baby son being laid in her arms. He was so big and so little at the same time. She held him expertly, a mother's instinct, and looked down into his gorgeous little lightly tan face as he cried softly. She touched his chin gently and he immediately stopped crying, opening his little eyes and looking up at her. She smiled stupidly at him and heaved a giant sigh. Her baby.

"Eight pounds, five ounces." the nurse announced happily, "He's big and healthy. What are you naming him so I can put it on the certificate?" Elsa looked up for the first time, her eyes sliding from the nurse to Carlos and then back to the nurse. "William," she said with a grin, "William Jara." she looked at Carlos quickly, "It's better if the English name is on the certificate. But..." she looked down at her baby again, "I'll always call him Gui,"
 
Brendan smiled as Elsa held her baby for the first time. He’d always known she'd be a good mother, despite her young age, and she was proving him right immediately. Carlos frowned, though, when she explained why she wanted the birth certificate to say 'William'. "Whoa, whoa," he said to the nurse. "Hold up a minute, I'm the father here." Taking her hand, he looked at Elsa in the bed, trying to be as sweet as possible, which was a considerable stretch for him. "Elsa," he pleaded. "His last name is Spanish, the first name’s supposed to match. Otherwise, people gonna make fun of him. Okay?" he finished, as if it was resolved. Brendan kind of stood to the side like a wallflower during this little exchange, realizing it wasn't the place for him to say anything.
 
"People aren't gonna make fun of him," she said with a smile as she squeezed his hand gently, "Think about it. It'll be easier for him at school with an English first name. Nobody has to call him William. It's just a formal thing. Please, Carlos?" she was almost begging him, but not quite, and it was in a completely different way than she'd ever had to beg him for anything before. It was a much more adult way, and yet completely nonsexual. She truly hoped he would see it her way. Carlos had never finished high school, he didn't know how it was trying to get scholarships and stuff. Her baby was going to need scholarships to get into college, and he needed to go to college. An English name would make him look better, no matter how hard that was to hear.
 
Carlos frowned again at her pleadings. It was hard to be angry; she'd just birthed him a son. "So, we can show him to everyone as Gui?" he confirmed a little suspiciously. "Okay," he finally agreed once she stipulated to that for him. "Will-liam," he said, enunciating every part of the name almost mockingly, but actually it was hard for him to say properly. He didn't want to admit it, but that was one reason he was against the name initially.

"Okay, so you done here?" he said next, turning to Brendan once the nurse left, and Elsa was distracted a little with the baby. Approaching Brendan, he gripped him up by the collar and pushed his counterpart against the window. Brendan wasn't afraid to tangle with Carlos; he'd shown that before. Although he was a few inches taller, Carlos was tougher and more muscular. But that wasn't the reason he held back. "Carlos," he tried to reason. "Is this what you want your son's first moments to be spent seeing? Elsa said she's okay with us both here. And I am too." Carlos loosened his grip. "I want you out of here soon," he spat at Brendan in a low voice. Looking over at Elsa, he though it might be best if he left. Fireworks in the hospital wouldn't be good for anyone. And he'd already been there for the most important part. "I'm gonna take off, Els," he said quietly, touching her forehead, and rubbing it, feeling a little moisture still there. "Good luck with your son, okay? I'm really happy for you," he told her before moving away from the bed.
 
Elsa was glad she was triumphant with the name. She would gladly introduce her baby to everyone as Gui, that's what she wanted to call him anyway. She glanced over at the two of them warily when they started to fight. She really didn't want that and it seemed that Brendan was wise enough to know to bow out. She gave him a soft smile, "Thanks, Brendan. I'll -- " she started but then stopped. She wouldn't call him. She couldn't call him. "Thanks," she said again, having nothing else that she could really say in front of Carlos.

Once Brendan had left the room Elsa shifted and turned to look at Carlos. "Do you want to hold him?" she asked softly. Carlos would have to be extremely careful, but she felt like he would be anyway. His son was his prize now, not Elsa. "Come sit on the bed."
 
Carlos stared at Brendan until he was completely out of the room. Finally turning back to Elsa, he grinned and took a seat on the bed like Elsa said. These things were better left to the women, he knew, so he didn’t mind her taking the lead on everything here in the hospital, even when it came to the name . “Okay,” he agreed in a mild voice, reaching out and taking the freshly swaddled baby into his arms. He sort of fidgeted with him for a little while before finding a comfortable position for the baby in his arms. Gui had a little swatch of dark hair on his head, and a wrinkly face, Carlos thought. He didn’t seem to want to open his eyes, either. It was strange, knowing that this dark, beautiful baby boy was inside Elsa just an hour ago, growing inside her for nine months. “You did good,” he beamed at Elsa. “You brought me a healthy son into this world,” he said, full of pride as he held his son for the first time. "So... how long they keep you and Gui here?" he wondered, looking back at the worn, exausted Elsa.
 
She had to admit that as she sat there and watched Carlos hold their son for the first time, she didn't resent him. Elsa didn't think he was going to be a great father, but he seemed to be doing alright so far. And he looked so nice sitting there with their little son like that. He didn't look like a criminal, an ex-con, a gang leader. He just looked like a regular guy holding his son for the first time. A piece of Elsa yearned to have her baby back in her arms, a motherly instinct, but she just watched the two of them and was okay with him not being in her arms for a little while. "I'm not sure," she said as she leaned back against the hospital bed. They'd taken her legs out of the stirrups and cleaned her up, but she was in some pain and they said she would be for about a week. "They'll probably keep us overnight, and let us go home in the morning."
 
Carlos rocked the baby back and forth a little bit before handing Gui back over to his mother. "He looks really healthy," Carlos said proudly. "Like me. I was always healthy. He look a little like me, too" He was sure that his boy was going to grow up and be a smart, strong kid. Carlos wanted Gui to be street smart, but knew he wouldn't want him to live a life like his father. That kind of life wasn't for such an innocent being, he thought to himself. Elsa, meanwhile, looked completely drained, and he’d seen firsthand what she'd experienced. "I'm gonna take you back to my place tomorrow. Just for time bein'," he clarified, knowing Elsa wanted no parts of living there. "I seen what you been through," he reminded her solemnly, nodding toward her midsection. "You was all twisted up. You ain't in no condition to take care of Gui by yourself for now," he insisted, making a note in his mind to keep 'Erica' away.
 
Elsa took Gui back gladly, cuddling him close to her. He was so precious. She couldn't imagine a day in her life from now on without him being with her. Carlos was right, she couldn't take care of Gui by herself until she got better, which would take at least a week, but would Carlos really be helpful with that? She wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to say no to him now. There wasn't much she could say anyway, he would have to help her out of the bed, into the wheelchair, and then into the car. He could drive her wherever he wanted to take her and there was nothing she could do about it. "Alright," she said, nodding a little, "I'll stay with you." just then the nurse came in and glanced at Elsa and Carlos.

"Elsa, I'm sure Gui is hungry. Are you ready to give him his first feeding?" then the nurse glanced at Carlos again, "You might not want to be here for this, she'll have to breastfeed him."
 
Carlos snickered at the breastfeeding comment. "Okay, you probably right," he agreed to the nurse "I gotta take care of something, anyway," he said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and turning around. "I'll stop by again in a hour or so," he promised. "I'll stay with you a while then." Leaving the hospital, he met an associate with Luis a mile away or so, needing to work out an important 'business' deal. He was pleased with how everything went with his son, though. “I’m a proud father now, you know that?” he laughed to Luis.

Brendan didn't know where to go after he left, except home. So he was settled on his couch, just starting straight ahead. He was immensely glad he'd seen Elsa today, and not missed her in time of need. All he could think about was her now, though. Who was going to help her out, he wondered? No one? Carlos? He figured Carlos would look out for her for the sake of the baby, even considering his many lacking qualities. He couldn't focus on anything, though, now that he'd seen Elsa, without knowing she was okay. Looking at the phone, he wondered if he could call. He could just ask for her by name, right? He picked up the phone and put it back down, figuring he should let her recover some more first.
 
Once Carlos had left the room Elsa rearranged the hospital gown she was wearing and tentatively lifted Gui towards her swollen nipple. The baby latched on immediately, as if he knew exactly what to do. He sucked happily and it felt strange. He didn't have any teeth of course, and he wasn't using his tongue, just his tiny lips. She could feel the breast milk flow out of her though, and that was weird. She stroked his little patch of hair as he fed, closing her eyes and taking the alone time as an opportunity to rest. Once Gui was finished she rearranged the gown again and glanced at the phone next to her. No body was going to call her. All she had now was Carlos and her baby. The girls at work cared about her, but they didn't even know she'd delivered.
 
Brendan finally picked up the phone again and dialed St. Elizabeth's. "I'm Calling for Elsa Benton's room," he told the operator. His heart pounded as the phone rang. Was Carlos going to be there and fly into a rage when she picked up? Would she even want to talk with him? Maybe it was only the emotions of the labor that made her allow him in her room. "It's me," he said softly, clearing his throat when she picked up. "Can you talk to me now?"
 
Elsa jumped when the phone rang, at the same time she was looking at it. Holy crap. She snuggled Gui in with her right arm and reached for the phone with her left. "Hello?" she asked tentatively, thinking it was probably Carlos. Her eyes widened when she heard Brendan's voice. She didn't answer at first, swallowing and looking down at her now sleeping baby. "Yeah...yeah I can talk. Carlos said he'd be back in an hour."
 
Brendan smiled ear to ear when he heard she could talk. The very sound of her voice warmed him up inside, even though her voice was tired and different than usual. "I'm so glad you let me stay, Elsa," he told her. "It was a complete miracle. I only wish I would have called you earlier so it wasn't such a surprise when I showed up. Is everything still okay?"
 
"Yeah..." she said absently, her eyes still on her sleeping baby as she listened to Brendan talk. It was a complete miracle. Her baby was a miracle, that was for certain. She turned her head away and sighed, resting back against the pillow and focussing on Brendan now. "Yeah, everything is okay. I'm...I have to stay with Carlos for awhile. I don't know how long. But....it's a necessity. Not permanent though."
 
Brendan nodded silently as she said she'd stay with Carlos. He didn't have standing to say anything about that. He'd abandoned her, after all. "I've felt bad every day for the way I left things with you, Els," he admitted. "I didn't mean anything I said on the way home that night..." he added, his voice trailing off at the end.
 
"Yeah you did, Bren..." she said quietly, her voice full of painful knowledge. "You were just afraid to say it to me before. I understand, Bren. It was wrong to expect you to be okay with what was going on anyway." there was a pause then, neither of them seemingly able to think of what to say. "I...I miss you, though.."
 
Brendan thought about what she said. She had a little bit of a point. "Hmm, I guess I did mean it to some extent, Els. But I'm sorry I said it, I shouldn't have. To say that was to blame you for something that you had very little control over."

He paused for a second, shaken a little when she said she missed him. "I miss you too," he confessed. "A lot. If you don't stay with Carlos long term, I'd like to stop by and talk sometime after that, maybe help you with some errands and things."
 
She felt her heart swell a little bit. "I would like that," she said tenderly, a smile coming to her lips. She wasn't sure what she would say when she saw Brendan again, how she would act. But she knew she needed to see him again. Her life wasn't complete without him, and she had the feeling that his life wasn't complete without her either.

"It should only be a week or so," she said hopefully, "I really don't want to be there much longer. He's going to think I'll be there long term if I stay for too long."
 
"That sounds nice," Brendan agreed. He smiled, imagining seeing Elsa and Gui at her place. Once, he'd looked to the future and seen them all as a family. He didn't know if that could still happen, but reconnecting with her was a start. "You'll be such a great mother. I know you'll help your boy go so far," he told her. The more he talked about the baby, the more he realized his place was with her, with the baby. He needed another good influence in his life besides Elsa. "I... I love you Elsa. I know it's been a while, but I could never stop loving you."
 
She felt a catch in her throat when he said that he loved her. She tried to swallow the catch down, but it took a couple of tries before she was successful. "I love you too, Bren..." she whispered so softly that only he could hear it, as if Carlos might have ears in the walls or something. "I'll love you forever and ever," she closed her eyes again and felt tears welling up but she shook her head and tried to force them away. "I should probably go. He'll be back soon."
 
"Okay," he said, his own voice wavering as she told him what she felt. It seeemed like things were destined to work out with them. Carlos was conveniently absent the couple of times he'd reached out to her, after all. "Please call me when you can," he finally said. "But if you don't, I'll probably find you anyway," he told her with a little laugh. "I'd miss you too much. See you soon." As he set the phone down, he wondered what he'd been thinking the last four months. He should have known all along that Elsa was the only woman he could end up with. He did know, really, but just had let circumstances trick him into thinking differently.
 
She set down the phone and heaved a giant sigh. It felt really good to talk to Brendan but at the same time it bothered her. It was going to make i harder for her to live with Carlos now that she was thinking about Brendan again. Carlos came in about fifteen minutes later and stayed with her for a couple of hours. They talked about the baby, about her coming home with him, about what the baby would need. He promised he'd have his crew get some high-quality baby stuff and have it at his house.

She slept semi-easily that night, though she felt strange that her baby was all the way in the neo-natal unit. The next morning she awoke and was disconnected from everything in the bed. She was allowed to get dressed, but her clothes fit strangely now that she was no longer pregnant but still had some extra flesh that would dissipate in the next few days. The nurse insisted she still be in a wheelchair, so she sat outside of the hospital with baby Gui in her arms, waiting for Carlos to bring the car around.
 
Carlos had left the hospital when visiting hours were over, a little after nine. He went home to find Erica lounging around in her underwear eating some potato chips, which annoyed him a little, since he thought he'd told her to get lost. It didn't stop him from having a rough quickie with her, though. (she seemed to like his rough style.) After that, he finally did send her along her way, with strict instructions not to come around for a while. Shortly after that, Alex and some other kid came by with some toys, a car seat, blankets, and crib, and some other necessities.

The next morning, he woke up to the alarm he'd set for himself, and showered before driving to the hospital in his souped up SUV. Freedom was treating him well so far, he thought. He'd only been out a month, and business was booming, he had a nice car, a new son and baby-mama, and a girl on the side. It would have been tough to complain. Pulling up to the hospital, he spotted Elsa and Gui out front right away. "Hey baby," he called out after double parking and hopping out. He gave Elsa a kiss on the head once he got over to her. "Can I hold him again?" he asked her, putting a hand against his tiny son's back.
 
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