Chapter 10- With Or Without You

Cate couldn't wipe the smile off of her face as she packed her school bag and made her way out to the car park. Despite the fact that Lux's final surgery was scheduled for this afternoon, Cate had gone to school in hopes of catching Baze.

She spotted him easily; as per usual, he was the center of attention as he and his friends headed towards the football oval.

He looked up and met Cate's gaze, speaking to his friends quickly before jogging over to Cate, ignoring the confused slurs coming from his friends.

"Hey."

Cate couldn't help but blush. "Hey."

"How's Lux?" Baze lowered his voice slightly, acknowledging the fact that his friends, along with the cheerleading squad had stopped. It wasn't every day the popular quarterback went out of his way to talk to a geek.

Cate smiled sincerely. "She's good. Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about..." For some reason, it was harder than she thought to tell Baze that Lux had her final surgery scheduled that afternoon.

"Yeah, me too. I, uh, I talked to my parents." Baze shrugged, forcing a nervous laugh. "They freaked out. They want the baby to have a paternity test to see if she's mine. They got lawyers and everything."

Cate folded her arms across her chest defensively, her tone frustrated. "Well what do you think?"

Baze shrugged nervously. "I want to do the right thing, you know. But my parents- Look, if she's mine, my parents will pay support and stuff..."

"If she's yours?" Cate's expression flashed from disappointment to angry and she turned to walk away, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

"Cate, come on!" Baze ran a few steps to catch up to her, grabbing her arm gently to stop her from moving. "What do you want me to do?"

Cate avoided eye contact, crossing her arms across her chest protectively. "I knew you would do this. I don't know why I ever trusted you."

"Cate, give me a break." Baze couldn't help but be frustrated; it wasn't his choice.

"I told you not to get involved if you weren't going to be there for her!" Cate yelled at him angrily, stepping closer to him and getting in his face. She was angry, but more than that she felt betrayed; not for herself, but for Lux.

Baze ignored the growing crowd around them. "I want to be there for her!" He stepped closer to Cate, lowering his voice to keep from everyone around them hearing. "If she's mine I'm going to be there for her, but my parents... Just let me take the test. If you're so sure Lux is mine, then let me prove it to them."

Cate ran a hand through her hair, quickly wiping away a loose tear. "Fine. Tell your parents you can do the test. But it will have to wait. Your daughter is scheduled for her final surgery tonight."

Baze stood in shock as Cate walked away. He had no idea why, but for some reason, the thought of his daughter being cut open was enough to make him feel physically sick. He felt like he couldn't breathe, and he had only met the baby once. Hell, he didn't even know if she was really his.

Cate bounced Lux close against herself, smiling through tears as Lux laughed. The doctor was expected to come and collect Lux any minute, and Cate was trying to savor every last second with her daughter.

"She sounds like you when she laughs."

Cate turned around as she held Lux closely, her eyes widening when she saw Baze. Instinctively she held Lux closer, kissing her head.

"What are you doing here? I told you the test would have to wait."

Baze nodded, coming closer and smiling at Lux. "I know. I wanted to be here for Lux."

Cate looked down at Lux, surprised when the baby laughed as Baze pulled a face. Lux was usually a happy baby, but she could always sense when she was about to go into surgery; she would grow clingy and grumpy, and Cate was usually the only one she would respond to.

"Why?" Cate was still shocked, and she almost wanted to pull Lux's hand away from Baze as he shook it playfully.

Baze looked up, meeting Cate's gaze. "Because she's my daughter."

Cate nodded, her eyes filling with more tears as she smiled. "She is." She whispered.

Baze smiled, holding his hands out. "Can I hold her?"

Cate looked reluctant, trying to read Lux. The last thing she wanted was for Lux to start screaming the second she handed her over, and for Baze to freak out. "She's kind of testy today..."

Baze smirked, gently taking Lux from Cate's arms anyway. "Like her mom."

Cate was offended at first, but when she noticed he was only joking, she smiled. Baze turned his attention to Lux, balancing her carefully. He was still trying to wrap his mind around this whole baby thing, but the one thing he did know, was that having his daughter in his arms was the best feeling in the world.

Cate held her breath, watching nervously as she waited for Lux to start bawling. Lux, on the other hand, had other plans. She looked up interested in Baze and playfully pulled her slobber-covered fingers out of her mouth to reach up and touch Baze face. Baze squirmed jokingly, scrunching up his face in disgust which only caused Lux to laugh hysterically and do it again.

"Cate?" Cate turned around at Mary's voice, paling slightly as she subconsciously took Lux out of Baze's arms and held her as close as she could. Baze sensed her discomfort and shifted closer to the both of them, his hand gently playing with Lux's sock-covered toes. "I'm going to take Lux for her surgery now, okay?"

Cate nodded, rocking Lux gently as she looked down at her. "Hi baby girl." Cate whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she smiled at Lux in her arms. "You're going to go for your surgery now, okay? But you're going to be fine. I promise you. This is going to make you better, and then you can come home, okay?" Cate whispered, her voice cracking. She held her lips to Lux's head, kissing her as she whispered. "Mommy's going to be right here waiting for you." She looked up, locking eyes with Baze. "Daddy too. I love you, Lux."

Baze watched as Cate handed Lux over to Mary, nervously hanging back. He had no idea what to do to comfort her, and when she began to cry, it only made him more nervous. Cate, however, didn't care. Instinctively she brushed her fingers against Baze's, and Baze looked shocked at first but slowly ran his hand up her arm and turned her towards him. Cate didn't need to be told twice and fell against his body, arms up around her chest as he wrapped his around her back, holding her tightly as she cried.