Hello!

Firstly, so sorry for the delay in this chapter! It was giving me a bit of grief, so I didn't want to post it until I was happy with it.

As per usual - thank you so much for the reviews. It means a lot to know that this little plot that wouldn't leave my head is being enjoyed by other people.

Disclaimer: All I own are the DVDs and the ability to tease my friends who are two seasons behind me with spoilers.


Chapter 11

Kate was nervous. Rick was at a meeting with his publisher finding out how his book was selling after being out for a few weeks. He had received general figures - and things were looking good - but Kate was still worried. They needed the money from the book sales, the small advance he had received had been eaten up by his own hospital bills from the previous month, and she did not want to have to go to Martha for money.

To distract herself she had pulled most of the baby's clothes out of the nursery and was re-organising them for the second time that week. Rick had made fun of her the last time she had done it and told her she was nesting so she hoped to finish her task before he got home. Kate smiled to herself as she folded the tiny onesies they had for their daughter. Her due date was now less than two weeks away and she was excited to meet her baby, although terrified at the prospect of becoming a mother.

Kate had not heard from her dad since Rick had delivered the letter a month ago. A part of her was relieved that he had seemingly listened to what she wanted, but most of her was afraid of what the radio silence meant. He had chosen alcohol over what remained of his family. There were several times a day when Kate almost called him but she stopped herself. She knew she had made the right decision.

She had lost her mother to murder, and her father to her mother's memory. It broke her heart but she knew it was something that she would have to learn to live with for the sake of her daughter and Rick. They needed her to keep going.

Kate was broken out of her train of thought by a knock on the front door. She groaned as she stood, having to use the arm of the couch to push herself up. Her bump had dropped the week before, and whilst she was relieved she could now breath a little bit easier it made moving around all the more difficult. She opened the door to find Martha stood on the other side.

"Katherine, just look at you! I swear that belly of yours gets bigger each time I see you." Martha stated with her normal amount of flair.

"Yeah," Kate laughed as she stood back allowing Martha into the apartment, "It feels like she's getting bigger by the hour at the moment." She joked as she ran her hand over bump. Martha looked questioningly around the apartment as she saw the baby clothes all over the couch and arm chair. Kate looked sheepishly at her, almost embarrassed at being caught sorting through the clothes yet again. "I was just sorting it all out. Again."

"Don't be embarrassed, dear. I can't tell you the number of times I re-arrange Richard's things before he was born. There is something oddly calming about it." She assured the younger woman as she moved some of the clothing to sit down. Kate did the same, her back had been causing her more pain than she was used to since the early hours of the morning, and she sat next to Martha. "I'll help you sort it all out before Richard gets home though so he can't gloat about anything."

"Thank you," Kate sighed with relief, "He wouldn't let it go last time."

"Now, you are probably wondering what prompted this unplanned visit." Martha said as she reached into her oversized purse. She pulled out a medium sized package and passed it to Kate.

"What's this?" She questioned as she opened the present. She pulled a frame out of the wrapping and smiled as she saw the photo it held. It had been taken at Rick's graduation ceremony a fortnight beforehand. Martha had taken dozens of photos that day, most of which would have been similar to the one Kate now held in her hand.

In the picture she was stood next to Rick, who was in his cap and gown, in a long sleeved empire lined purple dress which accentuated her bump. Martha had made them stand together after the ceremony for what had felt like an age at the time to Kate and her sore feet. The photo itself was not one of the ones they posed for, it was instead a candid one which Martha had clearly taken without either Kate or Rick being aware of. Kate had her head turned towards Rick and she was smiling widely at him, Rick however was looking down at her bump where his hand laid over hers. His mouth was open, like he was saying something, and Kate was sure this must have been taken when he had commented that Regan was clearly congratulating him too. She had been very active that day, giving Kate no reprieve throughout the entire ceremony. It was a beautiful photo.

"The photos came back yesterday and as soon as I saw this one I thought it was breathtaking. I went to get a frame this morning for you and thought I'd bring it over."

"Thank you, Martha. I love it." She looked up from the photo and smiled at the woman next to her.

Whilst she might be trying to navigate motherhood without either of her parents to help her, at least she had Martha to help her. When her relationship with Rick had first become serious, which had been fairly quickly, she found Martha quite flighty. Rick was often home alone, and whilst he had been an adult at the time she often mistook Martha's attitude towards her son as blasé. It took her a while to realise that the dramatic red head showed love very differently than her own parents did but it did not mean she loved any less fiercely. As it stood, Martha was the only mother figure she had left and she was incredibly grateful for her.

"Have you given what you are going to do after the baby is born any further thought?" Martha asked.

"A little. Not a lot to be honest. It depends on how Rick's book sales go mostly." She placed the photo on the small table next to the couch and turned back to Martha. "I've thought about going back to college next semester but I don't know if that is what I really want to do or if it's what I think I should do."

"Well you have to do what you want to do, Katherine. You can't live your life for someone else."

"Yeah, I know." Kate looked down and worried her lip between her teeth. Martha clearly sense her hesitation and took one of her hands. Kate looked up at her and smiled, although it did not reach her eyes. "I just don't want to let anyone down. Mom was so proud when I went to college and I can't help but think I'd be disappointing her if I didn't."

"I can assure you that you won't be letting anyone down." Martha soothed. "The way you've handled everything that the world has thrown at you recently shows how strong you are. I for one am very proud of you." She exclaimed as she squeezed Kate's hand.

"Thank you."

"Let me give you a little unsolicited advice. Just do what your heart tells you, and you won't go wrong."

Despite everything, Kate couldn't help but feel very lucky in that moment.


"Kate!" Rick called out as he entered the apartment. He walked further into the living room and saw no sign of his girlfriend. "Kate." He called again. He walked into the bedroom and smiled when he saw her sleeping on the bed. She was on top of the covers, she had been complaining recently about the temperatures despite it still being May, so often slept without the sheets on her side of the bed. He laid on the bed next to her and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

"Kate, sweetheart you need to wake up." He whispered, gently running his hand up and down her arm. She started to stir slightly, groaning loudly as she shifted towards him.

"Rick?" She slurred.

"Yeah, babe it's me. You expecting anyone else?"

"My other boyfriend comes over sometimes," She joked, "I was just checking I had the right one here."

"Funny." He quipped back, he helped her up into a sitting position on the bed and sat up himself. "So, do you want to know how the meetings went?" He asked.

"Oh god, sorry. Of course!" She suddenly seemed to remember why he had been out for the majority of the afternoon. "What did they say? Were the preliminary figures right?"

"It looks good Kate. Really good." He put a hand on her belly and rubbed small circles over her shirt. "They said that if it carries on selling the way it has been it should make the New York Best Sellers list next month. If it does they will extend the contract for another book. "

"What? That's amazing." She leant forward and kissed him firmly. "I'm so proud of you." She whispered against his lips.

She was relieved about a lot of things. Mostly though she was happy that their money problems would be solved in the short term at least, and that her boyfriends dreams were coming true.

"You are sharing a bed with a best selling author." He quipped wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Potential best selling author." She teased. She leant in for another kiss, claiming his lips with her own.

"Still better than your other boyfriend though." He replied in between kisses.

"Rick," She pulled away slightly and started to unbutton his shirt. "Shut up and kiss me, or you won't be getting lucky tonight - best selling author or not."

He did as he was told.


Kate couldn't sleep. Again. She scowled at the clock and pushed herself out of bed, the need for the toilet calling for her again. She grabbed Rick's shirt from the end of the bed and pulled it on as she walked to their ensuite. She couldn't do it up around her belly, but it shielded her from the slight chill of their bathroom. Kate groaned as she put her hand to her back, the pain she had been feeling all afternoon seemingly getting worse.

"Please give Mommy a break, baby." She whispered. "I need to get some sleep before you get here."

Kate gripped the side of the bathroom counter as the pain rippled right across her belly. The pain took her breath away, and it suddenly occurred to her what was happening.

"No no no." She repeated to herself. "Not yet. Its not time yet." As if in someway her daughter was mocking her, as soon as she finished her sentence she felt a gush of liquid between her legs. "Oh God." She whimpered. "Rick!" She shouted.

Kate heard him jump up from the bed, and she was glad that he clearly had not been sleeping deeply.

"Kate?" Came his panicked reply from the doorway of the ensuite. He turned the light on, something which she had failed to do in the few minutes she had been in the bathroom, and he seemed taken aback by the sight of his girlfriend stood, mostly naked, clinging to the counter over a puddle on the floor. "Oh my God."

"My sentiments exactly."

"You're in labor."

"You think?" She retorted. She looked at him and if it wasn't for the situation the look of panic on his face, combined with the fact he was butt naked, would have made her laugh. "Now help me into the bedroom so we can both put some clothes on and head to the hospital." He did as he was told and guided her to sit down on their bed.

"When did contractions start?" He asked, seemingly a bit calmer than he had been seconds beforehand.

"I think I must have been having them most of the afternoon. I've had terrible twinges in my back since lunch time." She explained. He passed her one of her maternity tops and a pair of leggings, which she took, before he went on to dress himself. Kate dressed herself as she watched Rick disappear into the nursery for a minute before reappearing with the hospital bag.

"Shit." Kate grit out between her teeth as another contraction started. Rick sat next to her on the bed and grabbed her hands to try and talk her through it. He tried his best not to flinch when she gripped his hands very tightly. "What if something is wrong?" She worried. "She's not due for another 12 days."

"Everything will be fine," He soothed. "Remember the doctor said that she could some any time now." He ran his hand over her back as she worked her way through the contraction. He could tell it had come to an end as she released his hand in-between hers slightly. "So thats about 7 minutes between contractions right?

"I think so." She breathed out.

"Think we can make it to the car before the next one?"

"I think so." She repeated, not confident she was capable of anything else at the moment.

Rick stood from the bed and walked over to grab her shoes from the corner of the room. He bent down and helped her get them on. Once he had tied the laces he knelt so he was face to face with her.

"Hey," He started, moving his hands to her face to make sure she was looking at him. "Lets go have a baby." He smiled.

"Lets go have a baby." She whispered back, the awe in her voice unmistakable. She leant forward and kissed him gently. He pulled back from the kiss and stood up, this time helping her to do the same. He grabbed the bag he had dumped on the bed and led her out of the bedroom.

It took him until he was in the parking garage to realise he had forgotten his own shoes.


Oh look at that! Regan is on her way!

I love writing the scenes between Martha and Kate. Whilst I know it's not the same as having her own Mom, I want to portray how important the relationship is to Kate - just like it is in the show itself.

I hope no one is too disappointed with the way I've handled the Jim thing either. I have plans for that which will make themselves known in the sequel to this story.

As per usual I would appreciate your thoughts/reviews. I promise that the next chapter won't be another 3 week wait. That would be quite mean of me given the way I've ended this one.

Until next time,

xx