"Mycroft's having contractions." John said, joining Sherlock in the kitchen of 221B. He'd just spoken to Greg on the phone.

"Do we need to go to the hospital?" Sherlock asked, looking up from his microscope.

"No, we've got hours before we need to go to the hospital." John assured, "It's only the early stages at the moment, so it could be all day before things actually start to happen."

"Is Mycroft alright?" Sherlock asked.

"He's fine. He's at home with Greg." John said with a smile, "Don't worry, Sherlock. Everything will be fine."

Sherlock nodded and looked back down at his microscope again, trying to ignore his worry and concentrate on his experiment. He waited until John had gone back to his book in the living room before he pulled out his phone.

How are you? SH

Fine, at the moment. MH

Get Greg to ring John when you go to the hospital. We'll be there. SH

You don't need to be there, don't feel any pressure to come along until after the birth. MH

We'll be there. SH


"Why can't I come?" Rosie asked with a pout. She'd just returned from a playdate with a friend and John was explaining to her that he and Sherlock would be going to the hospital soon.

"It's best if you stay with Mrs Hudson because hospitals can be scary places." John said gently.

"But I want to see Uncle Mycroft." Rosie protested.

"I know, darling, but you can see Uncle Mycroft after the baby has been born." John replied, "As soon as the baby has been born, we'll come and get you and you can meet your new cousin."

"Do you promise?" Rosie asked.

"Yes, I promise." John said with a smile, giving her a hug, "Be good for Mrs Hudson, okay? We might be at the hospital for a while, so don't worry if we don't come home until late."

"Okay, Daddy. Will you give Uncle Mycroft my lucky rabbit?" Rosie asked, handing the stuffed toy over to her father.

"Of course, I will." John replied, taking the stuffed toy with a smile, "See you soon, Rosie."

"Bye Daddy, bye Sherlock." Rosie said.

"Bye Rosie. See you later." Sherlock replied with a tight smile. He'd been eager to leave the flat since Greg had called 30 minutes before to say that they were heading for the hospital.

"Thanks for watching her, Mrs Hudson." John said with a smile.

"It's no problem, John." Mrs Hudson replied, "Give my best wishes to Mycroft."

"I will. Let's go, Sherlock." John said, grabbing his coat on the way out. He could feel the tension that was coming off Sherlock and he didn't want to delay him any longer.


"Hi Greg, how's he doing?" John asked as he and Sherlock entered the private hospital room. It was a corner room, so it was large and had a good view of the city.

"He's talking to the PM." Greg replied with a chuckle. He was sat down in one of the chairs, drinking a cup of coffee.

Mycroft was pacing around the room, talking rapidly on his mobile phone. He stopped every few minutes to take a steadying breath during contractions before continuing with the conversation.

"Does the PM know he's in the hospital?" John laughed.

"No. Myc won't tell him, but I'm sure that it's obvious by now. He's doing a lot of heavy breathing." Greg laughed.

"Who? Mycroft or the PM?" John joked.

"Oh you've spoken to Mycroft on the phone then?" Greg teased.

"Shouldn't you be nicer to your expecting husband?" Sherlock asked with a hint of a smile as he sat down beside Greg.

"Oh please, he's been a right pain all day. A little teasing won't harm him." Greg replied with a smile, "He was all set to come to the hospital at 5am this morning but I knew it would be pointless. He would have been stir crazy here. At least at home he could read and nag me to death."

"Is everything…progressing…well?" Sherlock asked, his voice unsure as he watched Mycroft pace. He hadn't been present at Rosie's birth so he wasn't sure what to expect.

"Yes. The midwife says he's fine. They've told him to keep walking around to keep the pain under control." Greg replied, "It's a good thing things have kicked off at work actually, it gives him something to do."

There was a knock on the door and Anthea entered. She smiled to Greg, John and Sherlock before she made her way over to the bed in the room. She put down her bag and got out her laptop and various files.

Mycroft walked over slowly and picked up one of the files, glancing over it as he continued to advise the PM on various defence strategies. He looked over Sherlock and John and gave them both a nod of greeting before he began pacing the room again.

"I think we're in for a long night." Greg sighed, relaxing back into the chair, "Feel free to go and get yourselves some coffee and food."