Nick. Is. Going. To. Kill. Me.

Grabbing a loose apple from the bowl in the middle of my kitchen table I scramble to get my keys before reaching for my freshly brewed coffee.

I'm nearly out the house when I hear a stumbling from upstairs.

Cursing, I turn to the stairs with a forced smile.

I'm already late enough as it is.

"Mia?" I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

How the hell does he remember my name?! I was just as pissed as him last night and for the life of me can't remember his.

"I'm heading out to work! I've got cereal in the cupboard and milk in the fridge."

At least I'm being hospitable. Not all one night stands would let the person stay the morning let alone have breakfast.

"Do you have to? Why don't you come back upstairs and we can have a repeat of last night." I don't even remember last night.

"Sorry. I really need to go. My boss will have my head." Not a lie.

I hear more shuffling before I see a half naked man stumbling down the stairs wincing at the brighter light.

"There are also painkillers on the countertop if you need them." I stare up at the very tall man awkwardly.

I would be lying to myself if I said he wasn't attractive. Tall, dark brown eyes, brown hair. He is my type.

He smirks flexing. "Are you sure?" Oh so he's one of those types.

Trying not to roll my eyes I shake my head.

"Yes, I am." I tell him forcibly, getting annoyed at how late I am and how late I'm going to be.

He now seems disheartened. "Oh okay, well can I at least get your number?" Holding back a groan I grab a pen from a drawer in the hall and scribble my number on a piece of paper before giving it to him and hurrying out the door slamming it behind me.

I'm so rushed I can't even bring myself to be bothered if he steals anything from me. There is nothing in that house that is important to me since I only just started moving in last week.

Thankfully the traffic wasn't as bad as usual so I get there in about twenty-five minutes which makes me about an hour and a half late. Great.

Rushing I grab my pass from my pocket and scan it walking past the guards before literally running to the main hub.

Walking in through the doors, I cringe at the loud noise which is signalling my arrival.
Please don't be there. Please-

"You're late." Freezing in my spot I turn.

"I am so sorry!" Wincing at my loud voice echoing in my head.

Nick must notice my odd behaviour because he laughs at me shaking his head.

"Rough night?" Rolling my eyes I ignore his teasing while heading to mine and Abby's lab.

A familiar voice stops me. "Hey, Mia!" His hand on my shoulder turns me to face him.

"What, Becker?" Annoyance at people constantly interrupting my path shows through in my voice.

He takes a step back and puts his hands up in mock shock.

My eyes instantly home in on the coffee cup in his hand and my mouth starts to salivate.

I drank my first coffee long before I made it to the ARC.

"Is that for me?" I point to myself while my eyes flick back and forth between his eyes and the cup in his hand.

In answer he hands it to me which I take gratefully and start to greedily gulp the hot liquid down.

"What's up with you this morning?" He asks eyeing me up and down.

"Haven't you ever seen what a hangover looks like?" I snap back sarcastically making him roll his eyes at me.

"Well if you're going to be rude I might as well take my coffee elsewhere." Holding the cup close to my chest I eye my threat warily.

"You wouldn't." Outrage is clear in my voice.

"Say you're sorry." His signature smirk appears making my annoyance grow.

"No." I growl out at him.

"Fine then." He reaches for the cup only for me to jump backwards.

"Wait! Fine, you win... I'm sorry." His smirk grows making me groan.

We stand there for a little while in awkward silence before it gets too much.

"So...was there anything else you wanted to say?" I ask curiously, wondering why he hasn't left yet.

He seems to snap out of some deep thoughts, shaking his head as if that would clear it.

After a moments pause while he seems to think over something he finally answers.

"No, I was just coming to give you this coffee. I heard you only came in fifteen minutes ago and figured you might appreciate it." He huffs out a laugh at the end while scratching his head.

I nod accepting his answer before smiling at him.

"Okay well I better get going. Abby will be wondering where I am. Thanks for the coffee."

He mutters a goodbye while I turn and dart towards my unit.

In there is Abby writing down something into her logs.

As I come in she looks up before slowly smirking at me.

"Had a fun night?" Groaning I flop into the seat behind my desk and smack my head down on the table.

"I'm an idiot." Grumbling I start slowly sipping the rest of the hot coffee.

"That's a given, but what did you do this time?" Rolling my eyes I lean back in my chair and start tracing patterns on the side of the coffee cup.

Swirl after swirl is drawn from my mind onto the cup looping into a mess of jumbled lines.

"I went out. Didn't want to be in the house and ended up in a pub. One thing led to another and next thing I know I'm waking up next to some naked stranger. So yeah, wild night." A sarcastic huff of a laugh escapes my lips at the end as I dig my chin into my arms which are folded together on my desk.

"But you have done that kind of thing before so why do you look like you've just ran over someone's dog?"

A grim expression settles on my face as I contemplate my answer.

I shouldn't feel bad about it but for some reason a big pit in my stomach has decided yo make its home there and won't go away.

Guilt. The familiar feeling feels strange in this different almost superficial context.

No. I cannot be feeling guilt because I haven't done anything wrong.

"I don't know what's happening with me anymore." I take my eyes away from the petite blonde by placing my forehead against the desk and inhale the strong scent of wood lacquer.

Before she can answer me a blaring alarm rings through the lab while a red flashing light goes off in the hallway.

Sighing gruffly I scurry to my feet hurrying to grab my coat that I had thrown off when I came in.

"No rest for the wicked." I state as Abby smirks at me rolling her eyes.

We rush through doors and hallways before making it to the main hub and crowding around where the rest of the team was.

"Okay. It's in the city." Connor informs us as he looks over the red flashing computer while homing in on the anomalies exact location.

"It's a hospital." The alarm in his eyes is clear as he makes eye contact with Cutter who is already on his way out of the hub.

My eyes widen in concern as I stare at the screen in shock. There were so many people in a hospital. Sick people. Weak people.

I follow shortly after Nick while shrugging on my coat. I feel eyes on me but shrug it off not caring at the moment for anything other than what kind of danger could be at the hospital.

When we get to the cars I jump in with Connor and Abby not paying attention to the other arrangements in car shares.

My leg bounces as I sit in the back of on of the ARC'S cars as Abby drives and Connor is in the passenger seat.

Looking over his shoulder Connor must notice just how nervous I am since he puts his hand on my knee to stop it bouncing and gives me a reassuring smile. I always get nervous when there is a lot of people involved and at risk, as anyone would.

I send him a small smile back wanting to comfort him as well before smiling at Abby again only to see her frowning at Connors hand on my knee.

Rolling my eyes I discreetly push his hand off of my knee giving him another smile at his confused face before looking back at Abby barely holding back a laugh at her embarrassed face.

Leaning back against the seat my eyes wander to outside of the window to my right watching as we go further into the city noticing how buildings become closer together as we go.

By the time we pull up I'm basically bursting with nerves and nearly take the car door off of its hinges in an attempt to get out quickly.

Slamming the door I find myself walking closer behind Abby as we head over to the doors of the hospital.

Getting by the front desk I frown as I realize everything seems mostly normal here. There seems to be no danger at all but by now I know better than to rush into conclusions such as that.

"Becker, take your men. Look for any creature activity." Snapping my head to look at the head of the ARC's security I nod at him sending him a silent message that I am coming with him to which he responds with a nod.

"Come on." He tells his men as I follow along behind them holding a standard tranq gun; in my panic I forgot to grab my usual weapons and must admit that I feel rather naked right now.

As we walk away I notice how the power has gone out and frown up at the lights. That can not be a coincidence.

Following Becker and his men up a few flights of stairs I keep my eyes trained on my surroundings wanting to be prepared for any kind of surprise.

Walking along a dimly lit hallway as the lights flicker and buzz; fighting to stay on I flinch lightly as I hear a scream coming from a behind a door.

My heart stops for a second before I see a dark skinned woman who seems to be heavily pregnant run out of the room frantically looking around before seeing us.

She looks like she is about to faint which makes me panic running up to her while tucking my gun away knowing Becker and his team can keep us safe I grab the woman and put her arm over my shoulder to lean on as I help her stand up straight.

"Th-th-there's something in there." She cries shaking slightly making me stare at her in alarm as she seems to sway slightly.

Becker walks into the room with Connor, who I just noticed was among the men, first looking around and noticing that nothing is there.

I lead her in after them wanting to get her back in her bed if possible.

"It went through a hole in the wall there." She points before smiling at me slightly in gratitude. I smile back leading her to the bed and getting her in it as I sit next to her not wanting to leave the heavily pregnant woman.

"What did?" Conner asked looking up at the woman from his crouch by the small hole as Becker shines the light off of his gun down it. Since the hole is fairly small I think it is safe to assume we aren't facing any allosauruses or even the smaller but smart velociraptors.

"I don't know. A ratty, chipmunk, beaver kind of thing." I almost chuckle at the woman's description but hold back when I see the fear and distress in her eyes.

Connor seems to stare at her in disbelief for a second before speaking, "well that narrows it down."

I tune out how Connor is talking to Cutter on his phone in favour of looking over at the woman who is laying in the bed as I prop myself against it.

"So do you know the sex?" I smile warmly at the woman hoping to take her mind off of what is going on behind me. She doesn't need the stress especially since she is currently in waiting to give birth.

"No. I wanted it to be a surprise but I have a feeling it will be a girl." She smiles obviously thinking of the baby she is carrying while playing with a knitted blanket in her right hand.

"That's nice." I say nodding my head at the blanket. She stares down at her hand in shock like she didn't know it was there.

A small smile falls on her lips. "My mum made it for the baby. She's been very supportive throughout my pregnancy."

I smile sadly remembering how my own mother was always supportive of my decisions even if she wasn't particularly fond of them.

"And the dad?" As soon as I say it I feel like punching myself as I see her face. Way to put your foot in it Amelia.

"I'm sorry. I know it is none of my business-"

"No, it's alright. He will be there for the baby but needs some time right now. He really is a good guy!" She tries to reassure me when she notices the look on my face.

Not wanting to upset the woman I force a smile and nod. If the man was so good he would step up to the plate and take responsibility for the child with the woman.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name." The woman smiles kindly at me trying to change the subject.

I chuckle, "it's Amelia but my friends call me Mia."

She nods, "my name's Cathy short for Catherine." Nodding I smile.

"Well, Cathy, I hope everything goes well for you and your baby." She grins back in glee but winces when a pain must have hit her.

"Hey Mia, we're going to meet up with Cutter. Coming?" Connor asks as Becker leaves the room. I shake my head giving him a small smile.

"No. I'm gonna stay here with Cathy. You know, just in case..." I make a popping noise followed by a squeal like a baby would do. Connor looks between me and Cathy irrationally terrified as we laugh.

The truth is with everything that is going on with the hospital I am scared that the woman might be overlooked or forgotten about and even though I am no midwife I have delivered a couple babies before this day. For some reason I'm always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

After the first birth I took out basic medical training alongside my veterinarian and animal husbandry courses as well. 

He nods before swiftly leaving the room. I laugh even more at the memory of his horrified face at my explanation.

"Men." I laugh standing up to grab a chair and sit next to Cathy's bed.

"Now, you just relax and focus on your baby. This isn't a sprint. You are in it for the long hall and need to keep your breathing even. I'll keep an eye out for the ratty, chipmunk, beaver thing." I mutter grinning at her as she leans back and starts rubbing her belly.

"You are good at this. Are you a doctor or something?"

I shake my head while making eye contact with her.

"No but I have delivered two babies before and have taken basic medical training." I didn't add that my profession is more about birthing animal offspring. That might not go down too well considering I don't know when a proper midwife or doctor will get here so I might be her only help in all this.

We sit in comfortable silence as she puts her mothers blanket over herself and snuggles down starting to relax.

Looking over to the door I notice that it is open but don't have time to go and close it before I hear the pregnant women yelp in surprise and start arguing with, from what I can make of it, a diictodon.

A short sigh of relief hits me as I regard the cute yet pesky herbivore. Thank god it wasn't a threat to the pregnant woman or me but maybe her blanket which it seemed to have taken a liking to.

The thing takes the blanket off of the woman and runs out into the hallway. Cathy quickly, well as quickly as a woman in labour can, follows after the diictodon.

"You can't have that! It's mine!" Huffing in shock at what just happened I shake myself out of it and run after the two quickly catching up to the pregnant woman.

I run ahead into the room the diictodon went in assuming she would follow. Seeing the blanket covered creature about to blindly enter the anomaly.

Panicking at the fact that the blanket will go through too, in my hysteria, I dive for it landing hard against the floor winding myself since my arms weren't there to catch myself but rather out in fron of me to grab the blanket.

Rolling over as coughs and groans escape me I clutch the blanket to my chest.

*Cough* "I'm okay." *Cough Cough* I rasp as I push myself up only to come face to face with Nick.

I hear feet padding up behind me and look over my shoulder only to see Cathy behind me.

Nick seems to notice her too as his eyes move from mine to over my shoulder.

"Oh, no, no, no, no." I only just notice Abby crouching behind a hospital bed as she mumbles to herself over seeing the pregnant woman.

I turn on my heels as my ears pick up a clicking sound coming from the door. Seeing the door be closed by someone I curse as Cutter runs over to it and starts banging on it.

"Hey! Open the door!" Wanting to help I start pushing on the door as well but huff in annoyance shortly after, realising it is no use.

"Great." Rolling my eyes I move to stand next to Cathy just in case something happens.

I hold off on any questions I want to ask remembering the pregnant woman to my left.

Cutter gets his phone out and quickly dials someone's number before calling them.

"We're trapped in the operating theatre with the anomaly and a woman who's about to give birth." He waits while the person responds. I notice the voice through the phone as Connor even if I can't hear exactly what he is saying.

"So, I really need you here as quick as you can." Cutter finishes before hanging up and sighing.

We stand in awkward silence for about five to ten minutes as Cutter stares intensely at the woman. Somewhere during this time Cathy slightly leans against me while putting her hands on her stomach and starts rubbing it comfortingly.

"What is that thing?" Cathy breaks the thick silence staring back at Cutter.

He thinks up a cover very quickly almost making it seem legit, "the power cuts have caused a temporary atmospheric overload. It's kind of like a hurricane, only made up of electricity." She doesn't believe him.

"Do I look daft? Oh! Ohh! Oh, I think this is it." She leans even more on me as I grab her shoulders trying to stop her from crumbling to the floor as her contraction comes in.

"No, you're not having a baby now." Cutter looks like he wants the floor to swallow him as he stares at the gasping woman in disbelief.

"Yeah. Right now." Me and Abby help her down onto the bed as beads of sweat start coming off of her and Cutter.

"Okay come on. Remember what I told you: breathe." I stare her in the eyes trying to get her to follow my deep breaths which she does until she is hit by another contraction and scrunches her eyes together while letting out a scream.

"Abby is going to be helping me. She has also delivered babies." I leave out the bit about the babies being animals while nervously glancing at her.

"She doesn't look like a nurse." The woman breathes.

"She's a zoo keeper." Cutter tells her but winces when the woman panics.

"What?!"

"Abby, how many babies have you delivered?" Cutter carries on.

"Dozens." She answers also trying to avoid the fact that they were animals.

"What kind of babies?" The woman asks.

"Zebras, lions, antelopes...I delivered a giraffe once."

"Ohh!" Another contraction hits as I move the woman's legs wider to make her more comfortable when she starts pushing while taking a look to make sure the baby isn't moving too fast.

"See? Now, don't worry. The principle is exactly the same, only hopefully your baby will have a shorter neck." Looking up I send a glare Nicks way while Abby moves to my side.

"Okay, let's get you laying down properly." Abby mutters as we move her to be laying the right way on the bed.

Cutter goes to behind her and allows the woman to grab his hand to squeeze. He winces at her loud scream and strong grip.

"Ohh! I didn't want it to be like this! I wanted it to be beautiful." I can't help but feel sorry for the woman but right now I can't do anything but carry on with my work of helping the baby out.

"Breathe." Cutter tries to soothe but with little affect.

"It hurts!"

He carries on trying to talk her through it. "You'll get through this. You'll soon have a beautiful baby."

"It's a girl." She sounds very sure as she pants through the break between the contractions.

Abby talks to Cathy to make her feel better while I remain hidden from her and Cutter since I'm crouched down,"a girl? Ahh! Don't actually think I'd want to know, but-"

The woman cuts her off, "I just know it will be."

"What's your name?" Cathy asks wanting to take her mind off of what is happening.

"Nick."

"You're a nice man." Before I can stop myself I release a loud scoff making Abby smirk down at me.

"Sometimes." He replies making me roll my eyes. Hearing a rustle and then a cry my head snaps to the side to see another diictodon coming through the hole in the wall.

"Abby." I nod towards it not wanting to alarm the already distressed woman. She nods back and grabs it.

Cutter must notice the dinosaur in Abby's arms."Stick him back through the anomaly." The creature starts to cry out in distress.

"What are you waiting for?" I can't see anything but if I was to guess I would say Abby hasn't put it through.

"It's a distress call." Abby confirms.

I rub the woman's calf encouragingly as I notice movement.

"What's happening?" Cathy shouts trying to move but I grab both of her legs to remind her that she is currently giving birth and should not move.

"It's all right. It's fine." Nick reassures her.

"Just a hunch. Maybe it'll attract the others." I nod along with what Abby is saying even if they cannot see me right now.

"Come on Cathy; you can do this." I whisper rubbing her leg faster.

Looking to the side I notice Abby putting the dinosaurs head inside the whole making the distress call echo.

Shaking my head to remain focused I look back to Cathy.

"Amelia, you can do this. You can do this." I try to calm myself as the woman screams in agony again.

"Oh, God!" The head of the baby makes itself visible.

"Abby, you're needed here." I shout shortly followed by some shuffling and then she joins me again.

"It's coming!" She screams out as a contraction hits and she starts to push with it.

"It's OK, it's OK, it's OK." Abby tells her as the head starts to crown.

"All right. All right. Push." I tell her as the babies head starts to come through.

"Oh, God!" She pushes helping the baby along.

"I'm not sure this is working, Abby." Cutter yells making me roll my eyes.

"In the middle of something here!" I shout back annoyed.

"It's coming." I encourage the girl.

"That's it." I carefully take the babies head helping it out of its mother.

"Ha! It worked. The distress call attracts them." Abby says as more and more diictodons come piling through the hole and back into the anomaly.

"What's going on?" The woman asks confused.

"It's just the drugs."

"I haven't had any drugs." I would have laughed if I wasn't so busy delivering a baby.

Abby moves away from the woman and over to the diictodon that missed the anomaly because it closed.

"What are we going to do about her?" Abby asks.

"I don't know."

"She's stuck here now."

"Because I'm having a baby!" The woman shouts oblivious to what was going on behind her.

"Sorry!" Abby exclaims rushing back to my side to help me along as I help the baby move its way out.

"All right. OK. One last push." I announce relief obvious in my voice as the woman follows my command and screams out as she does so.

With that final boost the baby comes out smoothly. Abby is quick to grab a operation blanket which I use to clean the baby before cutting his umbilical cord. One thing's for certain; the baby is not a girl.

Grabbing yet another of the green blankets usually used in operations I wrap the baby up and quickly pass it to Cathy.

"She's beautiful."

"It's a boy." Abby informs her with a wide smile as she holds the left behind diictodon which is covered by Nicks coat.

"A boy? Hello, you." She says smiling down at the little baby in her arms making my heart warm at the very sight.

A/N

Hi! Sorry about not updating for a bit. I was on holiday but now that I am going to college with more free days hopefully I'll be able to update more. I'm really enjoying writing this story so thank you for reading it.

If you like this chaoter could you please vote and/or comment. It REALLY makes my day. Thank you x x

-Abbie