The Institute 13

Silver took a deep breath as he approached the Semes' dormitory. The key was for him to stay calm or else he'd give his secret away and he couldn't afford to do that. He was so glad Sonic and Manic were with him. He knew he couldn't do it alone. Manic took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and Sonic gently touched his wrist as they stood outside the dormitory. Silver took another deep breath and went in. There were so many Semes, twice as many as there had been when Sonic entered nearly nine months before. The Semes' numbers were rapidly increasing. Silver looked around the dormitory, searching for his mate. Fortunately at that moment, Scourge came up to them.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice mirroring his curious face.

"I need to speak to my mate. Have you seen him?" Silver struggled to keep his voice level.

Scourge nodded. "Hold on. I'll go and get him."

He vanished. A young boy with sandy colored fur they had never seen before came up to them, curiosity reflecting in his olive green eyes.

"Are you…are you Carriers?" he asked.

"Yes," Manic answered curtly.

"Manic, be nice," Silver hissed, smacking Manic over the head. "The boy is curious, that's all." He turned to the young cat. "Just ignore the idiot over there. Are you new here?"

The boy nodded.

"Welcome to The Institute. I'm Silver, the idiot is Manic, and that's Sonic."

"Hello." Sonic smiled warmly.

Manic swore at Silver, still rubbing his sore head.

"I'm Grimm," the cat said, staring at Sonic's rounded stomach, causing the azure to reflexively put a hand there.

"Silver?" Mephiles asked, stepping forward, Scourge in two.

"Hi Mephiles," Silver said softly. "I need to speak to you. It's…uh…important."

"Okay…" he made it clear that he wasn't going anywhere.

Silver let out a long breath. He looked up at his mate. "I'm pregnant."

"O…oh." The ebony male blinked. Silver thought he saw something reflected in Mephiles's expression. Disappointment, perhaps. It was hard to tell because his expression became unreadable again. "Well you wanted a pup, didn't you?"

"Yes," Silver whispered. "More than anything."

"Well there you go."

Manic caught a glimpse of Silver's hurt face and found himself growing very angry. Before he could say anything to tell Mephiles off, Shadow showed up, which was probably a good thing. He ignored the others and scowled at Sonic.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked.

"I came with Silver," Sonic answered coldly, glaring pure hatred at his so called mate. "He had some news to share with Mephiles."

"News?" Shadow frowned. "What news?"

"Silver is going to have a pup."

Shadow looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yep." Sonic said simply, crossing his arms.

"Huh."

Shadow's cold gaze landed on Silver. He knew as well as everyone else that Silver and Mephiles had been trying to have a child for a long time, and then suddenly Silver was pregnant? It was sort of weird. Shadow didn't say anything else. He walked away and returned to his bed. Manic, Silver, and Sonic left soon afterwards.

………………………………………………………………………..

Silver woke up to the sound of crying. He lay in his bunk for a few moments staring at the bottom of the bunk above him, trying to shake the feeling of sleep off. When he was sure that he was sufficiently coherent enough, he got up, making sure he didn't hit his head in the process, and went to see what the problem was. As he suspected, the crying came from Sonic, who was shifting restlessly in his bed.

"Sonic? Sonic honey what's wrong?" Silver asked, bending over his friend's figure. Sonic gave a low groan.

"Sonic can you hear me? Tell me what's wrong."

"I-it hurts Silver," Sonic whimpered.

"What hurts?" Silver questioned.

Sonic could not answer, but moved his hand to his rounded belly. Silver's eyes widened. He knew what it was implying.

"I'll be right back, okay?" he asked quickly.

"Okay," Sonic moaned.

Silver hastened across the dormitory to where Manic was asleep, snoring gently.

"Manic," Silver whispered, giving the lime green boy a gentle shake.

"Wake up." Manic remained asleep.

"Manny, wake up!" Manic snored harder.

"Damn it, you idiot, wake up!" Silver's voice rose in anger. He shook Manic as hard as he could. "MANIC YOU GODDAMN IDIOT! WAKE UP!!!" He hit Manic over the head hard.

Manic jerked awake. He hit his head on the bunk above him and swore loudly, holding his head.

"Idiot." Silver rolled his eyes.

Manic glared at him. "What's the big idea Silv? Waking me up when I was having such a good dream- -"

"I think Sonic's in labor," Silver cut him off.

"What?" Manic asked, his eyes widening. Silver repeated what he had just said. "Crap. Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure," Silver responded, throwing a hasty glance in Sonic's direction. He was amazed at how calm his voice sounded. "We have to get him to the Medical Facility. I highly doubt that he'll be able to walk very much by himself and I can't carry him there myself. I need you to help me."

Manic nodded and got up. He went to reach for his clothes but Silver stopped him.

"There's no time." Silver shook his head.

Manic willing dropped his clothes and followed Silver over to Sonic's bunk. They could hear him whimpering softly.

"Sonic?" Silver asked.

"Y-yeah?" his voice was slightly muffled since his face was buried in his pillow.

"Manic and I are going to take you to the Medical Facility, all right?"

"I…I can feel him; h-he's coming," Sonic gave a louder groan as he could feel the pup move lower within his body.

Silver slowly inhaled and exhaled. "If that's true Sonic, then we really have to get you up to the Medical Facility."

"I…I don't think I can move! It hurts too much," Sonic cried uncertainly.

"Manic and I are going to help you, all right? We won't let you do this alone," Silver said patiently.

"O…okay." Sonic panted.

Silver and Manic heard some rustling sounds and after several long minutes, Sonic got up. Silver sucked in his breath. Sonic's face was contorted in pain and tears streaked down his muzzle. Manic was speechless. The two lovers shared a brief glance and then stepped forward. Each of them grabbed one of Sonic's arms and helped him to walk forward. They passed the bunks, ignoring the curious and frightened glances of the other Carriers who had awoken at all the commotion.

"Maybe we should go get the Medical Facility people and have them take Sonic," Manic said as they started down the hallway.

Silver shook his head. "Not enough time. We need to get Sonic there now. It's faster on foot.

Their journey was punctured by Sonic's cries and Silver's soft words of encouragement. About halfway there, Sonic suddenly stopped and gave a low scream. He fell to his knees and there was a gush of water.

"Crap!" Silver swore softly. "His water broke!" He turned to Manic, his eyes urgent. "Run to the Medical Facility. Don't walk. Run. Run as fast as you can! Tell them that Sonic's in labor and his water has just broke. Hurry!!"

Manic nodded and sprinted off. Silver dropped to his knees by Sonic's side.

"Hold on a little longer Sonic," he said softly.

"I…I'll try." Sonic said through clenched eyes as he gritted his teeth. "This pup is s-stubborn. It wants to come now….Probably gets that from his…f-father."

Barely five minutes had passed when Manic returned with several members of the Medical Staff behind him. They gently got Sonic loaded onto a gurney and pushed him into the Medical Facility. Manic and Silver followed, though they couldn't go any farther than the waiting room.

"Will he be okay?" Silver asked, watching his friend vanish into the back.

"He'll be fine," Manic answered reassuringly. "Sonic's a strong guy."

……………………………………..

Shadow blinked confusedly as he opened his eyes.

"What is it?" he asked groggily.

"It's Sonic," Scourge answered softly, having woke him up. "He's in labor."

"And why are you telling me this?" the sleepy male near growled.

"He's your mate," Scourge frowned, "you should be at the Medical Facility with him."

Shadow simply turned on his side and went back to sleep, much to Scourge's shock.

…………………………………………

Sonic changed into a paper gown with help from a nurse and was helped into bed. An IV was jabbed into his left arm and a plastic bracelet was put around his wrist. Then, he was alone. He did not know how much time had passed before Dr. Gray, the rat he'd met when he first ever came to The Institute, came to see him.

"How are you feeling Sonic?" he asked.

"I…c-can't breathe," Sonic gasped, his cheeks flushed as he tried to get oxygen into his lungs.

"Shh," Dr. Gray reassured, gently placing a mask over Sonic's muzzle. "Just relax. Breathe deeply. You're doing wonderful. Now, just let me check your progress."
Sonic felt the man spread his legs and insert two fingers inside him, much to his discomfort. Then, the fingers withdrew.

"Looks good. It won't be long now," he smiled, gently patting his knee.

Sonic nodded. Then he was suddenly overcome with a wave of pain. He closed his eyes tightly and cried out, his breathing quickening.

"Easy Sonic, easy," the doctor cautioned. The contraction finally ended. "Wow, that was a nasty one, wasn't it?"

Sonic silently nodded in agreement. The doctor left a few moments later and Sonic slipped into unconsciousness, though he did not know how long that lasted. He was slightly aware of a male and female talking and from time to time, Dr. Gray would examine him. He was in and out of consciousness for what seemed like an eternity. Sometimes the pain would lessen and other times, it would grow worse.

The azure was awake when Dr. Gray came in for yet another examination. He was silent as the doctor examined him and didn't budge an inch when the doctor inserted two fingers inside him yet again to check his progress.

"Well Sonic, I think you're ready to push now," Dr. Gray said, peeling off his gloves. He left for a moment and gave orders to a nurse waiting outside, equipment soon being brought in.

"Can you sit up for me, please?" he asked, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves.

"I…..I think so," Sonic answered quietly.

Panting, he heaved himself up and grabbed his knees. Several pillows were put behind him by a nurse to give him support. And on Dr. Gray's order, he started pushing, only half listening to the doctor as he counted to ten. When Dr. Gray reached ten, Sonic let out the breath he'd been holding and was given a short break.

Then he started pushing again. White, hot pain shot through his body as he pushed harder and harder. Hours and time itself all seemed to blur together.

"Come on Sonic," Dr. Gray encouraged. "You can do it."

Agonized sobs tore through the teen's chest as he pushed.

"Come on Sonic! Push! You can do it! You're almost there."

"Shadow!" Sonic screamed when the pain had become too much for him to bear. "Shadow, please help me! SHADOW!!"

"Shh, Sonic," Dr. Gray said calmly, trying to reassure him, "Shadow isn't here right now, but you still need to push, alright?"

Sonic could only cry as he continued to push and scream his absent mate's name.

Silver's head snapped up when he heard the first scream. He could recognize Sonic's voice with ease.

Manic's face paled when he heard Sonic screaming, then he frowned. "What's he screaming?"

They listened.

"Shadow…" Manic muttered.

"He's screaming for Shadow," Silver breathed, feeling so sorry for him.

The screaming continued. Manic looked sick. Tears started streaming down Silver's face as he listened to Sonic's screaming get worse. He hunched over in his seat, putting his hands over his ears and trying to block the heartbreaking sound from his mind.

Sonic screamed until he was hoarse and pushed as hard as he could.

Finally, he heard Dr. Gray say, "Alright, Sonic, enough. Just little pushes now and everything will be over soon… Just little pushes."

Sonic could do nothing more than obey. Tears blurred his sight as he gave the last of his remaining strength to push just one more time. And just as he felt the pain stop his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

……………………………………………….

"Sonic?" a soft voice asked.

Sonic slowly opened his eyes. All he could see was a haze. When he blinked, the blurriness started to vanish, so he blinked again. Dr. Gray was watching him, an anxious expression on his face. Sonic took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. He felt dizzy, sick and way too weak.

His eyes slid closed again.

When he eventually opened them again, the doctor was watching him still, a smile on his face now.

"Welcome back Sonic," he said. "How do you feel?"

Sonic reflected for a moment. "Tired. Really really tired…. And sore."

"Well that's to be expected. You worked so hard to bring your pup into the world. Speaking of your son, would you like to see him?"

Sonic's ears perked at the mention of his child and he smiled tiredly, "Yes, please…"

"Well why don't you sit up and we'll get him for you?" he suggested.

Sonic nodded and ever so slowly, he sat up. Dr. Gray returned to the room, a nurse in tow with a bundle her arms. Sonic held out his arms and she gently placed it in his arms. Sonic gently brushed the blanket out of the way to see his pup for the first time. The pup's fur was all dark blue, his little peach muzzle streaked with tears as he whimpered and squirmed.

"Hi, sweetie," Sonic smiled softly, brushing two fingers against the newborn's cheek. The little one instantly quieted to the sound of his mother's voice.

"Do you have a name for him?" Dr. Gray asked.

"Dark," Sonic whispered, not taking his eyes of his little one. He couldn't wait for him to be old enough to open his eyes. He wanted to know if they were like his or Shadow's.

Dr. Gray nodded, the nurse quickly filling out the birth certificate, "Your friends are outside waiting. Would you like me to let them in?"

"Yeah." Sonic nodded.

The doctor vanished momentarily and when he returned, he had Silver and Manic with him, both of them looking immensely pale. And both the doctor and nurse quietly slipped out to give them a bit of privacy.

Neither Silver nor Manic spoke for a long time.

"Are you okay?" Manic managed to get out at last.

"I think so," Sonic replied, his throat still sore from screaming.

"That was one hell of a labor," Silver murmured.

"Yeah. We could hear you screaming all the way out in the waiting room." Manic ran his fingers through his unruly quills.

Sonic flushed. "I couldn't help it, I guess…it hurt."

"I noticed," Silver muttered.

"Just wait Silv; in a couple months, it'll be you screaming your lungs out." Manic nudged his friend playfully.

"Don't remind me." Silver's hand nevertheless strayed to his belly.

Sonic noticed and smiled. "It's a wonderful experience Silver…once all the labor and everything is over, of course."

"So what's his name?" Manic asked curiously, motioning to the pup in Sonic's arms.

"Dark," he answered proudly.

"Nice." Manic smiled, "it suits him."

And then, cute little Dark started to fuss.

"It sounds like he's hungry," a nurse said, coming into the room. "Do you think you're up to trying to nurse him?"

"Yeah," Sonic agreed.

"All right. Let me hold him so you can get that gown off, at least partly," she said as she took Dark.

"Sonic, do you want us to leave?" Manic asked. "So you can have some privacy I mean."

"It's all right," Sonic answered truthfully. "I don't mind if you're here but if it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to stay."

Silver and Manic briefly glanced at each other and came to a silent agreement that they were going to stay. Sonic took off half his gown so one of his peach breasts was exposed. The nurse handed Dark back to Sonic and showed him several positions he could use. Then she showed him how to guide the baby's mouth to the nipple. It took several tries before Dark started suckling. Sonic took several breaths to calm himself down, the whole entire ordeal having an effect on him.

"How ya doing?" the nurse asked.

"Better," Sonic answered truthfully.

"That's good to hear. Breast feeding can be a bit frustrating at times, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough."

"I hope so," Sonic said quietly as he kept on looking at the one he loved most because right now, it most definitely wasn't Shadow.