Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me

Revised: Tuesday 28th December 2010

The Gift of Life

Chapter 1

Yes, she had been scared for her daughter for awhile, but now at long last, Elizabeth McDonald found her fears unfounded. Her little one had strength in her. Where she got it from, Liz was never going to know. But she was so glad she did have it. She did not know what she would have done if she had not pulled through... if she had.

"I can't wait to get you out of the hospital sweet heart. You, me and daddy are going to have such fun Katherine, " she said as the door to the intensive care unit open end to revealed her husband Jim.

"Look who's come to see us?" Elizabeth smiled down on her tiny new daughter.

Jim laughed. How wife was so happy. That was all he had ever wanted for his Lizzy deep down. He knew she had wanted a daughter more than anything. And if he was honest with himself he felt as if there had been something missing as well.

"How's our princess?" he asked as he kissed her head and moved round to the other side of the crib so he was going to be able to access her more easily.

"Out of the danger at last. The doctors have said she may be a 'special needs baby', but we can handle that I think…"

"As long as my baby girl is breathing, I don't care how many needs she had. I'll care for them all." said the emotional Irishman.

"Who would have thought it? Me and you. A new baby at our age." she said. "It's been eighteen year since I had the twins." she remembered as she stroked Katie's soft blonde hair.

"I know." he said though he wasn't really listening. "She's a little miracle."

"I am not going to argue with that." said the exhausted mother. "Our little miracle."

Seeing how tired she was, Jim crossed back to the other side the crib again and took her in his arms. "She's not the only one who needs sleep you know."

"I couldn't, not when she was so - I don't want to think about it."

For a minute it had been so touch or go whether there little girl had survived and it had petrified her, and him, they had both been so scared. She had become so precious to the in such a small space of time...

"Well we don't have to worry over that. She's a fighter Lizzy and she is going to come home with us in just a few days," he promised. "Go get some rest. If there's any change I'll come wake yer." he said to her pressing another kissed to her brow.

"Alright." she said as she kissed Katie's head and then Jim's lips before yawning. "I guess I am a little tired." she said as she headed up to her bed. She needed sleep. He was right.

Stroking Katherine's head he didn't believe he had a daughter. After all the time… two sons, a girl, a beautiful wife. What more did any man need.

At her father's touch the little girls blue eyes opened wide.

"Hello lass." he said and the pale baby looked around with curiosity though at the person above her.

"I'm your daddy. Yes I am." he said to her

He could have sworn in that moment she smiled up at him as if to say 'I know'.

"You're a right little bobby dazzler." he said as he pulled her baby blanket over her. He wasn't going to let anything going to let anything go wrong, or anyone hurt her, not ever and god help the boy who looked at her the wrong way…

No other man was ever going to be allowed to touch his little girl. Except maybe his sons. Maybe…

She was special…

"How's she doing today then; shall we check you over little missy?" said a nurse as she came in to the care unit. "You must be Katherine's father, I wasn't there yesterday when she arrived but I sat with your wife for a bit this morning." she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you." he said but his eyes didn't stray from the wide eyed baby.

"You must be proud." She said smiling. These were the moments that made the job worthwhile.

"Yer can't understand how much. We already have sons but - I can't remember feeling like this when they were born, but it were a while ago." however Jim knew he was never going to forget a minute, not of his daughters day.

"Well, why don't we see if you can hold her?" she asked.

"Liz would kill me. Let's do it." he said cheekily.

"Right then," she said as she began examining the McDonalds baby.

"Good strong heart beat today, it's says she feed well this morning in her notes. Looks like yesterday was a false alarm doesn't it?" She said to him. "Now go on dad. Pick her up." the nurse encouraged.

Jim did as she was told without a second thought.

So far, Katherine had been by herself a lot except when the doctor's had been seeing to her and this had unnerved her father.

When they had had the twins, Liz and Jim had held as soon as they had been born, but when they had taken Katie away from them yesterday, he had been so sure they had lost her. And he had not wanted her to be on her own. Not when she had been so tiny... poor wee mite must have been scared.

Gurgling and relaxing in to what would soon be the familiar arms of her father, Katherine shut her eyes and fell back sleep.

"She is so perfect." he said as he dropped kisses in to her thin layer of blonde hair. He had not been so happy in such a very long time...

One week later

The residents of Coronation Street came out of their houses to welcome their friends and their new baby home.

"Welcome back, oh Liz!" said Deirdre.

"Thank you." said the new mum as she got the car which she had been brought back in and gave her a hug.

"How are you all?" her best friend asked.

"We're great. Katie's much better." she said as she watched, proud as punch as her husband got their baby out.

"Oh she is beautiful Jim!" cooed Bet.

"So she is." he said as he kissed her again.

The freezing January weather surrounded them and the concerned father was worried his daughter was going to get cold. He was never going to let her get cold. Not till she was a bit bigger at least. "I'm going to get her inside in to the warm." he said as he gazed adoringly at his wife.

"I'm coming too, I need to get some sleep." she said following him in, "catch up with you girls later." she said as her husband escorted her in before he went back to get her bags. He was so glad to have his girl's home...

"Ladies." Jim said as he went in to no 11, passing by Bet and Deirdre.

\/\/\/

Together, Steve and Andy raced down to meet their mother, father and sister from hospital.

"Mum, how you doing," said Andy as he gave her a hug.

"On top of the world." she said to her.

"Mum she's beautiful." said Steve as he looked at the bundle in his father's arms. As Steve reached out to take her from his dad Jim pulled back.

"Not yet." said Jim. He wasn't going to let her out of his arms yet. Except maybe to Elizabeth, if she wanted a cuddle but he wanted to hold the little 'un close too.

Just for five more minutes… she had to get used to being at home first before she was used as a substitute pass the parcel.

Two days later and Liz felt better than she had when she had got home. There was something about your own house that nothing else could beat.

Waking up next to Jim, she heard her daughter stir at the bottom of their bed in her basinet.

"Good morning, my darling little Katie." she said as she got up and took her downstairs. She had only had her nine days ago and yet she had taken over both her parents life. New born's she found had a habit of doing that. She knew when she had had the twins they had done it.

"Are you going to have a feed before your brothers and daddy comes down, are you?" Elizabeth said as she begun nursing her child.

So far her daughter had proved to be a very relaxed baby. She went with the flow and only really cried when she needed something. And even then it wasn't too loud. No, she had slotted into their lives well. Liz thought perfectly.

Cradling her baby felt so good. Liz had begun to give up hope she and her husband was ever going to have another child. How wrong she had been. But Katie would be the last... there was going to be no little sibling for her.

"You two are up early." she heard as Andy came in to the room.

"Yeah, she was stirring and if I hadn't got up with her she would have only woken your father and he did the night feed, well he got up with us any way. He's been so good with you, hasn't he?" Liz said to her daughter.

"Maybe he needed a daughter. He wasn't too good with his sons when we were young, was he?" Andy said in a bitter manor.

"He was young, in the army. He's so much more settled now." said Elizabeth proudly. It was twenty years in two since they had met and fell in love.

"Doesn't make him good with me and Steve now either." Andy shrugged. He loved his dad, and he wanted to do Jim proud but… his father was not the easiest man to get along with. His sister was going to find that one out for herself no doubt when she was older.

"He does try." said Liz. She knew her husband was not the best father in the world by a long shot and she was not blind to his faults...

"Perhaps," said Andy as he kissed both the McDonald girls. "Have a good day!" he said as he went off to college.

Going out into the hall, he saw Steve had got up too.

"Going to look for a job today?" he said to the less responsible of the two twins.

"No I'm going to go see Vicky," he said .

"Oh no you're not." a voice said from upstairs.

"Git." Steve said as he realized older of the two twins had seen their father coming down and had set him right up, yet he guessed he had just walked straight into it blindly, and if it had been the other way round he wouldn't have done it any different. Fair play was fair play.

"Bye guys." said Andy as the door shut on the living room which Steve and Jim both walked in too.

"And how are the ladies of the house hold this morning?" asked Jim as he looked as proudly at him wife and new born child.

"Hungry." she said as she looked down on the still feeding baby.

"Mum can't you two go do that elsewhere, I'm trying to have my breakie here." said Steve.

"You go elsewhere, me and Katie were here first and I am not going to disturb your sister." she said.

"Cup of tea love?" Jim asked.

"Yes please darlin'," Elizabeth said.

"Me two dad."

"Son, when you get yourself a job, then I will make you cup of tea." Jim said as he walked in to the relatively small kitchen.

Laughing softly at her son and husband antics Liz looked down at her baby.

"Aren't they stupid, that daddy and brother of yours." she said speaking to Katie as if she understood every word she was saying to her.

It was presently that Katie stopped drinking and laid back in to yet another of her peaceful, sleepy dozes.

Steve couldn't see the attractions of having a sister, well not yet. When he was older maybe he would but as far as he could see all Katie did was burp, fart, eat and sleep.

God how he envied her.

Winding Katie, Liz walked to the kitchen to her husband who had just got the tea bag out her cup.

"Now I remember the true meaning of tiredness." She said as he she yawned.

"So do I, so do I." he said matching her with his own and laughing as he did so.

"I can't wait till she goes through the night - then things really were going to be good." From what she was able to remember the boys had begun to go through that when they had when they were five or so months. But then every child was different wasn't it? Maybe, and with any luck, she would begin to do so a bit sooner.

"What are we going to do today then?" she asked.

"Kev Rang this morning." he said almost mournfully. "Sweet heart his paying time and a half and we need the cash now we have a little one to feed again especially now you've left work for a bit to look after our wee lass." he said to her.

"I know but - Jim not today please! We only just got her home two nights ago…"

"You'll be ok!" he promised her as he watched his wife wind his baby. She was a natural at it.

"But I want the next few days to be about us so badly. Me, you and the kids." she said.

"And they will be. I am going to make sure of it. I'll tell Kevin I'll only work till lunch ok. He's got a little girl. He'll understand." he said and kissed both his girls. "You two and the twins are the only ones who matter to me in this world, you so are." He said to her. "And I need ter look after all of yer. And I need to go to work to do that love."

She nodded understanding. Both of them had had affairs in the past. Both of them had hurt one another. But maybe now that was going to change because as they held their girl between them she couldn't imagine wanting any other man. Any other love. She just hoped he felt the same about her, because if not then he was going to break her heart.

/\/\/\

Bet and Deirdre could stay away no longer.

"We had to come and see you both check how you both were doing." said Bet to Liz, as she gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I don't mind I think I am quite glad of the company. Jim had to go do some over time though he said he is going to be home by lunch time." she told her best friend as she led them in to the living room.

"How is Katherine?" asked Deirdre.

"She's wonderful," she said and as her friend mentioned her girl's name, she went over to the Moses basket where her daughter was.

"Katherine, are you going to wake up for your aunties?" said softly Liz as she stroked her daughters check.

Nothing. It was freezing cold.

Not even a stir.

"Katie?" said Liz panicking as she picked her daughter up gently.

Still nothing.

"Bet, go get Jim. Please, get Jim." she said to her, he would know what to do surely.

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