PSA: This Zoology class I'm taking is really kicking my ass so I'm not sure how frequent I will be able to update. If you want to talk Biology, feel free to PM me.

Enjoy.

Chapter 2

All Piper could remember was being rushed into the labor & delivery ward and being hooked up to many machines that never seemed to stop beeping or printing out pieces of paper that had her and her child's heart beat spread across them. A long strap with a monitor on the end was strapped around her large bump. Nurses and doctors streamed steadily in and out taking observations and scribbling them down in a file. Piper was in shock on how fast all of this was taking place.

Before she knew it, she was being rushed to the operating room because the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck, causing its heart rate to plummet. Hearing these words, Piper's heart dropped to her stomach. She longed for Jake, Polly, someone to let her know this would all be okay. Piper had tried contacting Polly once more but was automatically sent to voicemail. The woman in labor was struggling to keep it together.

All the while, nurses were shoving scrubs towards Alex assuming she was Piper's partner and asking her questions about how excited or nervous she was about the arrival of their child. Alex or Piper couldn't even get a word in to tell the nurses that they had only just met a few minutes ago. The tall woman felt her stomach clench when she saw Piper's doctor come out from under the sheet that was covering Piper. She hadn't even known the woman's name until they were standing at the front desk of the hospital and she was about to witness this woman give birth. A part of Alex wanted to run as far away as she could from this cold, sterile place but when Piper's hand shot out grasping her fore arm, it took one look to know that she needed to be there for this woman. Something about her just made her dark and stormy mind, calm.

Alex was seated up at Piper's head on a small stool while the doctors and nurses prepared for the arrival of Piper's child. Alex glanced down at Piper and noticed a small tear trailing down the side of her face towards her ear. Instinct took over and she gently wiped it away. This caught Piper's attention. Just looking at Alex and her smooth, pale face was enough for Piper's mind to momentarily drift away from the life changing moment happening on the other side of the curtain. Instantly, Piper felt negligent for putting Alex, someone she had known for a few mere hours, through this paramount event.

In Piper's mind, it should have been Jake sitting on that stool instead of Alex, but something about this particular cab driver made her feel at ease.

Four Months Earlier…

Piper had just gotten home from a long day at Popi when she noticed that Jake wasn't home. This was odd considering he almost always got home an hour before Piper.

Quickly pushing it aside, Piper figured he might have stopped on the way home to pick up a few groceries or have a quick drink with one of his co-workers from the law firm.

Jake had just graduated from Harvard Law School and had already landed himself a job at one of New York's leading firms, thanks to his father's money and the people he knew. Piper had met Jake three years ago as she was running along the sidewalk in Central Park. In a matter of seconds, another runner was racing past her, accidentally knocking her to the ground, just to be quickly picked right back up. Piper automatically knew the hands touching her were a mans from the size and grip, but the electricity that shot through her body at the touch was exhilarating. As she looked up at the tall, muscular man, that electric feeling only intensified. He had beach blonde hair with piercing green eyes. His high cheek bones were shaded from the stubble he had growing around his face.

Apparently he felt the spark too because he stumbled as he made eye contact with Piper for the first time.

"I uh. I'm really sorry ma'am. I thought I had enough room to get by you."

Mesmerized, Piper quickly dismissed it. If it had been someone else, she would have really let them have it. But this man, there was something different about him.

The two runners quickly exchanged names after Jake had offered to finish his run with her. He had to learn more about this cunning young woman.

One thing led to another and Piper found herself on a date with this man, four months after he had bumped into her in the park. Wanting to take it slow even though Polly and Carol didn't see the point in it, Piper initially rejected the first two dates to get to know Jake better. Much to Piper's surprise, this didn't scare the blonde man off, it only made him work harder.

In one date she had learned that he came from a family with money and parents who bickered, but chose to not walk down the "fairy-tale" country club life and take matters into his own hands. He had a passion for running, for classical music, and he was Valedictorian at the Harvard Law School. Yes, his looks influenced Piper's decision to start dating this man, but ultimately it was his caring personality and how he carried himself that pulled Piper in.

Polly and Piper's parents had been ecstatic upon hearing Piper had found a potential match. To Piper, this meant there would be no more arranged dates her mother had planned, or Sunday brunches with the potential date's family at the country club. When Jake had met Bill and Carol Chapman eight months into their relationship, Piper knew Jake was the one. Piper's parents highly approved of the man and Jake, although his parents were exactly like Piper's, knew how to appropriately respond to Carols remarks about marriage and grandchildren. Jake simply smiled at Piper and said, "When the time is right."

A year and a half into their relationship, Piper had moved into Jake's loft. The transition was like Piper had been living there the whole time. In fact, she kind of was. Before the young woman officially moved in, half of Jakes dresser was filled with Piper's things and his bathroom counter was covered in hair products and make-up.

Their first real fight was an eye opener. Piper had shot a sarcastic remark towards Jake about how he never cleaned up after himself and it all escalated from there. The more intense the fight got, the more each partner racked their brain for something worse to throw in the other's face. It ended in Piper slamming the bedroom door and Jake leaving the apartment. An hour later, Jake knocked at bedroom door with a bouquet of roses in his hands. Living together was a learning process. Neither of the two had lived with anyone except their roommates in college before. Jake was quick to apologize but Piper too apologized for acting childish and blowing up over something simple.

One spring day two and a half years in, Jake and Piper had the inevitable talk about the future. Engagement, marriage, white picket fences, and babies. Jake took the talk so seriously, he decided to start the whole process backwards. Piper found out she was pregnant two months later. The couple knew it was bound to happen eventually, since they weren't using any kind of contraception except Jake's good judgement, but the pair found themselves worrying less after their talk about the future.

Jake had been ecstatic to learn that Piper was expecting. Both sets of Parents were over the moon. Polly was even a little bit jealous that Piper was having a child before she was. Throughout the first trimester, Jake was physically and emotionally there for Piper every step of the way. Jake constantly texted Piper asking how she was feeling of if she needed anything. He even held his girlfriend's hair and rubbed her back as she emptied the contents of her stomach every morning. That was rare to find in men. Entering her second trimester, Jake had received a promotion at the firm, and Popi had just opened another store in Connecticut. Things were looking up as they prepared for the arrival of their child until Piper got that one call that changed everything in an instant.

The policeman on the phone wouldn't tell Piper anything no matter how hard she begged. All she knew was that there had been an accident and she needed to report to the hospital. Automatically, Piper began to think of the worst case scenarios. The whole cab ride to the hospital was a blur.

Upon stepping off the elevator, Jake's parents were already stationed outside the hospital room. Both were weeping as Jake's father was slumped down to the floor with his knees bent in front of him. Looking to her right, she found Jake's mother intently talking to the doctor pleading for the doctor to try again but the doctor said he did all he could do. Piper rushed to the nearest bathroom sobbing and heaved into the porcelain bowl until she felt comforting hands wrapping around her. It was Jake's mothers.

Jake's mother explained that while her son was crossing the street, a car had dismissed the stoplight and ran right into Jake as it turned the corner. Piper screamed and thrashed around as Jake's mother wrapped Piper up as tight as she could. She was sure the whole floor could hear her, but she didn't care. Her future husband, and the father of her child was taken away from her in the blink of an eye. What did she do to deserve this?

Alex had gently tried to talk Piper, but knew she lacked the appropriate words to lead Piper through this process. After noticing her words were getting her nowhere, she simply just stroked Piper's hair as requested from the soon to be mother.

The last thing Piper remembered was the doctor stating he was about to make the initial incision, the anesthesia overtook her body.

A/N: I just wanted to get you guys up to date from where the last chapter began. We'll start the actual fic in chapter 3.

Reviews are appreciatied.