Incentive
When she discovers that she's pregnant, Kate feels as though the ground has collapsed beneath her. In one fell swoop, she's enveloped in a world of questions and insecurity. Her mind goes on a marathon and she feels so alone that she could very well take a spill from all of the exhaustion. Kate can't even accurately tell how far along she is, modern technology now a part of the distant past. She and John have always used protection. Their supply is limited so that had always prompted them to keep their lovemaking consistent and controlled—few. To say this pregnancy is unexpected would be quite the understatement. She has no idea as to how she'll break the news to John. Like any previous expecting woman, she's nervous but the anxiety compacted within her is tenfold. She's not just any expecting woman. She's a woman that will be bearing a child in a post-apocalyptic age. She won't be the first. Ever since the machines became self-aware they have been around a dozen infants brought into the chaotic world. They were all born healthy and still thrive today but this is her child. John Connor's child.
One night, Kate overhears Barnes talking to Blair, the officer calls tonight's patrol a suicide mission. He's been known to exaggerate but doesn't stop Kate's heart from falling into her boots. She approaches them and keeps her voice even. "Where are you guys heading tonight?"
Blair looks at her in mild shock but the expression doesn't last, "I guess John hasn't gotten a chance to tell you yet. We received a distress call from a few miles outside of Riverside about half an hour ago. Morgan intercepted it in the radio room. We're about to leave in ten."
"You called it a suicide mission?"
Barnes scratches at his head, his eyes soft, "It's risky. It took a while to get a clear wave from the site so there's a chance that Skynet is already there."
Kate only has one question. "Where's John?"
His swift movements don't falter when she enters their bedroom. He knows the weight and pace of her footsteps. He knows her. She stays silent and watches over him for a few moments as he assembles a rifle. She gazes at the muscles that shift in his biceps, the stretch of his back and his cool demeanor. Not once ever letting what's inside of him show. He'll never cease to amaze her.
"Kate."
His deep voice surprises her but she answers within a reasonable time, "What can I do?"
John wheels his head toward her and points at a nearby cabinet. "Can you pass me the magazines?"
She retrieves them and presses them into his awaiting palm. However she doesn't immediately let go, "How long?"
Brown meets blue and finally it's just them. He removes the artillery from her hands, always wanting her to be pure and away from the grime of the war. His thumb strokes the top of her hand, first moving along her wedding ring and finger. "I'm expecting two days," he pauses but his movements don't, "If you don't hear back in three…"
"I know."
She pulls away and gets his jacket for him. Kate motions for him to turn around and takes her time in fitting his arms through the sleeves. She senses a wet sting in her eyes that has become foreign to her. Damn hormones.
John turns and frames her face with his hands. He hopes to capture her warmth and keep it with him throughout the night. He won't give this up easily. "I will be back, Kate."
Those seem to be the magic words to open the floodgates because before they know it, the tears flow freely down her cheeks. "I need you to be careful, John. For both of us."
She takes his hand and places it onto her still flat stomach.
When his arms form a vice grip around her waist, she knows that he understands. It's no longer just about him and what he symbolizes for this resistance. He has now made his own hope that will rely on him paving a way for a safe future. It's not selfish but a truth. It's a moment of reinforcement, reminding them exactly what they're fighting for and who.