The screams coming from room 153 matched those coming from various other rooms on that hospital ward. They were all screams of pain, some more vulgar and more pain filled than others, but still, they were all the same cries of women in labour. They were the same, but they were also different in every way.

The pain-filled screams coming from room 153 were not coming from a married woman in her 20s or her 30s, they were not coming from a woman who was being cheered on or comforted by their husbands, they were not coming from a family who had planned to have a child. No, they were coming from a 17 year old girl who's life had drastically changed one cold, dark night over winter break.

"It hurts so bad!" Kate cried, her hand squeezing her mothers as the pain got stronger and stronger as she herself only got weaker and more tired. Her dark brown hair was matted to her head in a thick layer of sweat, her face red and in a constant state of being scrunched up in pain.

She was smart, she had read all the birthing books, gone to several classes... why she thought that she could do it all naturally, with only her mother's hand, gas and air to ease her pain, right now, was beyond her. She wanted an epidural, but as she had asked almost an hour ago, when her pain had reached intolerable highs, she was too far gone.

"C'mon baby, you're doing great!" Kate's mother, Martha, kissed her youngest childs sweat drenched cheek.

'Great?! Great?!' Kate thought to herself with a laugh. 'I would not call being a single mother at the age of 17, great. No, what I am is far from great!'.

It hadn't been an easy 9 months, not for Kate, not for her parents, not for any of the family really. When their barely 17 year old daughter had come to them, telling them she was pregnant, Martha and Richard Todd's world almost seemed to collapse. She was their baby... And now, still only a child at 17, she was going to have one herself. Of course, being devout Catholics, a termination was out of the question. As hard and embarrassing as it was that their daughter, their 17 year old child, was going to have a child of her own (out of wedlock) and raise it by herself, Mr and Mrs Todd were about to be Grandparents for the first time, and no matter what, they already did and always would, love Kate's unborn child.

She hadn't said much about how she had gotten pregnant, she had hid it from pretty much the whole family (bar Rachael and her mother, Rachel whom she had told when Rachael found her throwing up one morning, and her mother had figured it out and promised not to tell her Navy Seal father until Kate was ready) until the 6th month when she finally broke down, not being able to take wearing baggy clothes and getting called 'fat' by her older brothers anymore. But, what could she say? Not the truth. No, the truth, that her brother's best friend had snuck into her room over Christmas break and violated her in the worst way possible. No, she couldn't tell her family that. She had only told Rachael, but had swore her elder sister and best friend to absolute secrecy, the secret almost tearing their strong bond, but somehow bringing them closer. No, what Kate had told her family was sort of the truth, she had said she had gotten drunk at some stupid party and hooked up with some random guy. She just failed to mention that the party in question was their family's annual Christmas party and the random guy was Joe, her brother's, college room mate, and that she was completely sober and it was not at all consensual.

She hated herself for lying, but she did not want to dwell on the past. She didn't want to think about that night ever again, and even though her child would be an every day reminder of it, she still loved it and would be nothing less than a loving mother.

As Kate's vice like grip on her mother's hand tightened, she let out one last blood curdling scream before the screams of another filled the room.

"Well done" the doctor smiled from between the new mothers legs. "It's a girl"

A tear rolled down Kate's cheek as the screaming, red baby was handed to her. Her baby. She was a mother now, and nothing in the world would ever compare to the immense feeling of love and pride that washed over Kate (and also her mother) as she laid eyes on her daughter for the very first time.

"H-hey, baby girl!" Kate smiled down at her beautiful (slightly bloody) child, her daughters screams now turning into quieter, softer coos. "I'm your momma and I'm gonna do everything I can to give you a good life. I promise. I'm gonna protect you and love you and try and make you as happy as you're making me. You're all I've got, baby girl. Welcome to the world"

Martha's heart broke for her daughter in that moment. The past few months she had been so proud of Kate, Kate had gotten herself several jobs, kept her grades up (higher than average, top of most classes), stayed in school despite all the name calling and whispering and most importantly, hadn't done what most teenagers would do and fall back and rely on her parents to bring the child up. Kate was adamant that this was her child and that she would do everything herself. And she had. She had bought the stroller, the car seat, all the clothes and other things babies need herself. The only thing she had not bought was the crib, which her mother and father had bought for her... Well, technically bought for their unborn grandchild, but still, Kate was extremely grateful.

There was no doubt in anyone's minds that Kate would be anything less than an amazing mother, even at the age of 17.

This is just a little something I've been wanting to write for a while now, I kinda got inspired by another story I was reading and wanted to put my own spin on it and do it for Kate and Tony. I people like it, I will continue. Please review and lemme know what you think:) Thank you.