Shadows of the Past

Munchkin

Jake couldn't help but to notice Y/n was starting to fatigue more easily around the 7th month of her pregnancy. There were good days and bad days and on said bad days it was hard for her to walk from the car to her office in the heart of the base. She had been put on desk duty shortly after her pregnancy had been announced, and while she was disappointed to not be flying she was happy to still be around her husband and her best friend. And also getting to assist the new recruits in other ways. Cyclone had also on occasion given her small projects to help him complete to make sure she still knew she was needed. Hangman knew it was going to be a bad day when he woke to the sight of Shadow running into their en-suite bathroom to be sick. He had followed her into the room and held her hair back as he rubbed soothing circles into her lower back that he knew had to be aching, even though she hardly ever complained. He had tried to convince her to stay home that day and rest but she was having none of it and had gotten dressed all the same in her newly procured duty pants that would fit her growing belly and her top gun crewneck with the sleeves rolled to the elbow.

They arrived slightly later than they typically did and Jake carefully helped his precious wife to her office before making his way to his own office beside Roosters. The other man noticed his arrival and came out to speak with him,
"Hey man, everything okay? You guys are usually here before me, is Shadow okay?" Hangman smiled at his friends worry about his wife, glad to know she had someone else in her corner.
"Yeah it was a rough morning, she's okay. She's not been able to eat much lately everything makes her nauseous. We got her to hold down a grilled cheese and some fruit yesterday, the doctor tried to put her on some meds but Levi didn't appreciate that at all and made her even more sick. Will you help me keep an eye on her while we're here? I'm really worrying about her.." Bradley nodded,
"Of course I will. I'll have to have a talk with my nephew when we have some spare time, talk some sense into that little munchkin." Jake chuckled at the use of the nickname,
"Your not actually going to call my kid munchkin are you Bradshaw?" The mustached man met him with a smirk,
"Oh yeah for sure I am. Any kid that comes from Y/n has got to be a munchkin." The two shared a laugh and made their way out to the hanger to get the classes for the day started.

Around midday Y/n felt her stomach growl and thought back to how little she'd been able to eat the last few days. She carefully pushed herself out of the chair and headed in the direction of her husbands office. She leaned against the doorway as she got there and he looked up from the papers strewn across his office to greet her, smile faltering as he took her in. She had a few beads of sweat rolling down her face and her typical pregnancy glow had been replaced by a pale flush. He stood and made his way over to her,
"Y/n? Hey Bug...are you feeling okay? You don't look so good right now..." he reached out and allowed her to slip her hand into his own, holding onto her elbow for added security. Since reaching the office Shadow had begun to feel lightheaded and the room was slowly tilting on his axis. Her knees gave out and Jake scrambled to catch his wife and carefully lower her to the ground with his hand behind her head.
"Y/n?? Baby can you hear me? Open your eyes for me honey! Y/n!!" Rooster who had been walking back from the cafeteria after grabbing his own lunch heard the yelling and rushed to the doorway, he lingered for a split second before rushing into the room at Y/n's other side.
"What happened??" Hangman had never been more grateful to see his friend as in his panic all his first aid training had went out the window. Bradley pressed his fingers against her neck, feeling a steady pulse beneath his fingertips.
"She just fainted she's okay Jake, here help me hold her legs up..." the two of them each grabbed one of Y/n's legs and held them up at a 45 degree angle to help encourage blood flow back to her head. Slowly but surely they noticed the color returning to her face, watching as her brow furrowed and she opened her eyes. They carefully lowered her legs back down and Hangman moved back to his wife's side, holding her small hand in his own.
"Jake? What happened?" Her words slightly slurred as she was still coming back to herself.
"Your okay honey, you just fainted. You probably have low blood sugar because you haven't been able to eat very much. Here why don't you sit up and try to drink this..." Bradley eased her into an upright position with Hangman sitting behind her to allow her to lean back against his chest. Rooster produced a random partially empty Gatorade seemingly from thin air. Shadow took a few small sips and sighed as the cool sugary drink was already helping her feel slightly better. A few minutes passed until Y/n finally came back to herself to actually realize what had happened.
"I'm sorry for taking your drink from lunch Roost..." he smiled at her waving it off,
"Don't worry about it there's plenty more. Besides, you and the munchkin are welcome to my Gatorade anytime."

The two walked her down to the infirmary at Jakes insistence that she get checked out by the medical staff before taking her home. After being given the okay to head home with strict instructions to rest, one of the nurses on duty had talked to Shadow about wristbands that she could try to help with the nausea she'd been helping and even produced a set from her bag. She assured the pregnant woman that she was done having children and had no further use for them. As they walked out they met up with Rooster who had seated himself in a chair outside waiting for them to emerge.
"Everybody okay?" Shadow smiled at him rubbing a hand over her belly,
"Yeah, Levi just likes to keep me on my toes. They said the same thing you did, one of the nurses had some suggestions that helped when she was nausea during her pregnancy. I'm supposed to rest for the next few days so no work." Rooster nodded,
"You make sure you listen to them. Gotta make sure little mama and munchkin are both happy and healthy."

The three of them parted ways with a handshake for Jake, hug for Shadow, and a warm palm over her belly for Levi. The couple made their way to the car and Hangman drove them home, Y/n falling asleep along the way. When they arrived he emerged from the car to unlock and prop open the front door, lifting his pregnant wife into his arms and carrying her inside. He made his way to their bedroom and deposited her on the soft bed, removing her shoes and pulling a blanket over her. She sighed in contentment and nuzzled into his scent that covered the bed. Jake ran his fingers through her hair and pressed a kiss to her head before bending down and caressing her belly.
"You be good for mama Levi, let her rest and take care of herself. She's the most important thing in the world to both of us and we have to take care of her little man." He softly padded over to the door, pulling the door slightly closed on his way. If he'd have lingered just a moment longer he wouldn't have missed Y/n's soft smile at her husband having a conversation with their unborn son.