"I can't sit anymore, Jane. I-I need to be moving." Maura was bent over at a 90 degree angle against the nightstand fighting off a contraction. Jane kept trying to get her back into bed but she was refusing now.

"Alright, how about we walk around huh? Maybe it will move things a little faster."

Jane helped Maura into a standing position, put an arm around her waist and a hand on her stomach.

They walked out of the bedroom and began pacing up and down the hallway. Maura leaned her head on Jane shoulder and Jane kissed the top of it.

"You are the strongest person I know, Maura"

Silence.

"You are brave, and selfless, and you deserve everything you ever wanted."

Maura stopped walking, and so did Jane. The shorter woman looked up at her friend, the look of brokenness and longing that Jane had seen when she picked her up outside the hospital had never left. It would be a long time before it ever did.

Maura was about to respond, but closed her eyes tight as a contraction began again.

"Okay, alright, you're OK, hold onto me and breath. You're doing great Maur" Jane encouraged as Maura bent over and she could hear her trying to stifle the sobs.

"You wanna go back to bed hun?" Jane asked as she rubbed her back and took her hand

"No! That bed is driving me crazy, I can't get comfortable in it anymore."

"Alright well, how about the couch? I know you don't want to sit down but I feel like you are gonna fall over" she gave a small smile and looked at her friend

"I suppose" Maura answered

Jane took her hand and her waist and helped her down the stairs, slowly, and then laid her on the couch.

"So, I count about 9 minutes between the last two. I thought it would have moved further along by now" Jane told her as she lay next to Maura on the couch.

"Believe me Jane, I wish this was going faster too."

Jane swept a honey-blonde strand of hair off of a sweat covered forehead and asked, "you want me to get you some water? Maybe some tea?"

"Chamomile tea would be nice, thank you Jane"

"Don't mention it"

Jane walked to the kitchen and began putting water in the kettle. As she pulled out the box of tea bags she glanced over at the couch where Maura was laying. She was on her side, a couch cushion between her legs, and a hand gripping the side of the couch so hard she almost tore hole in it. Hot tears streamed down her face and her other hand was clamped tight over her mouth, trying not to sob, or scream, or both"

Jane was about to go over there and hold her as it passed, but she realized Maura was trying to ride the contraction out without Jane noticing.

Maura had never felt so weak in her life. She'd failed her child, and now she could barely bring it's body into the world.

She felt like a failure. Jane was so incredibly kind, making her feel comfortable and loved. But she couldn't understand how Jane could even look at her right now.

She looked up from the couch and towards the kitchen and saw Jane looking at her. There was so much sympathy in her eyes that it almost physically hurt Maura to look at her.

"Please, Jane" she whispered and closed her eyes.

"Please what Maura?" Jane was walking back to her friend now.

"Don't- don't look at me"

"What?"

Maura closed her eyes and sat up on the couch, pulling a blanket up over her whole body and face, suddenly embarrassed.

"Jane...this is my rock bottom, okay? And you... you are probably the person I care most about in this world-" she didn't even get a chance to finish

Jane stood right in front of her, leaned down to pull the blanket off her head and cupped her face in her hands.

"Maura..." she brushed the woman's hair aside gently "you...are my family, okay? And family is ALWAYS there for each other. Especially when they've hit rock bottom. And this?" she gestured to Maura "is not rock bottom. This is a test of your strength. This is the worst thing that a mother could endure, and you are handling it with incredible strength. You are strong, Maura. And don't you forget it.

She sat down next to the blonde and held her close.

Two more hours passed and the contractions had barely begun getting closer together. They laid together on the couch, a documentary on agricultural development that was putting them both to sleep played in the background. Every seven minutes or so Maura would lean into Jane and grip her hand as a contraction washed through her.

"I have to go to the restroom, Jane" Maura said suddenly

"Alright, you need some help getting there?"

"I should be fine, thank you" Maura heaved herself off the couch and began waddling towards to restroom. But before she completely left the living room she turned to Jane,

"Jane, can you do me a favor?"

"Of course, what do you need?"

"Can you... can you take everything and just put it in the nursery for me? I can't... I can't look-" she couldn't finish

Jane stood up and walked over to her, "yea, yea I'll get it" she rubbed the woman's arms as she promised to remove all of the baby paraphernalia from everywhere accept the nursery.

Maura nodded and walked into the bathroom.

Jane picked up the baby name book, sonogram pictures that were framed and the ones on the refrigerator, the babies-r-us magazines strewn everywhere and even the Hot Cheetos (Maura's one and only pregnancy craving). She threw away the snack food and brought everything else into the nursery.

Once a beautiful room that brought joy and anticipation to anyone inside it, was now like a morbid memorial of the baby that would never inhabit it. Jane felt tears forming in her eyes and put everything away as fast as possible, she didn't want to be in there any longer than she had to.

She locked the door behind her when she walked out, and when she got back to the living room Maura was sitting on the couch again.

"I- uh, I'm going to put the key to the nursery in the top drawer in the kitchen, I locked it. I hope that's OK." Jane slid the key in the drawer and walked back over to her friend.

"That's fine, Jane." They sat back on the couch with Jane behind her again massaging her back.

She had gone through two more contractions when Jane suddenly felt something wet

"Maur- do you feel that? Did your-?"

Maura had obviously felt it first, but only by a few seconds.

"Yes...my water broke. We should probably go to the hospital now"

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