Hey guys, still pregnant…obviously since I'm posting a new chapter so soon. Anyways, I'm really pumped that this story is moving along quickly. I definitely like this version better than my original. Any ways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Duncan's Gift

Chapter 14:

Veronica was now 35 weeks and 4 days along with her pregnancy and it felt like everyone was treating her with kid gloves. At her last Doctor's appointment, she'd been told that she was a centimeter dilated and she would have to remain out of any high stress situations. She wasn't allowed to work anymore per request from her doctor and Jill as well, any cases were out of the question too, not that she minded. All that was left to do was hang out with Logan or visit Lamb.

In the 2 weeks of their new 'friendship' her and Lamb had discussed many things. A big discussion was their past; they were trying to work through their problems and for the most part it was working. However, Veronica still had trouble letting go of her distrust in him. She had been let down by him so many times, that finding the ability to trust him, even just a little bit terrified her.

Lamb understood her aversion. He knew that it would take a lot of time or something big to gain her trust back. He was willing to wait and work for her trust, she was worth it.

As for her relationship with Logan, it was running smoothly. They were still taking it slow; she was not interested in having sex, especially now that she was so far along in pregnancy. Frankly, she was uncomfortable; not only was she always warm and sweaty, but her body had changed a lot. She now had a gathering of stretch marks on her stomach and breasts; she had also started leaking colostrum, which she doubted Logan wanted to see. Even though she knew it was all worth it, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious of her changing body. She knew that it would be a long while before she was ready to have sex again.

At 35 weeks along, Veronica was now feeling a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions than before. Every morning she was greeted with contractions that continued on into the evening. Some were painful, and some were able to be brushed off. The first time she had felt them, she immediately called her doctor in fear that she was in labor too early; Dr. Miller calmed her down and explained that at this stage they were most likely Braxton Hicks contractions and they were only preparing her for her labor.

Now that she was close to delivering, Veronica was nesting. Every day, she would organize and clean up anything that she could find. She also made several lists of things, such as items she still needed, a check list for when she would go into labor, a list of numbers she wanted to call once she had her baby etc. She wanted to be thoroughly prepared for anything that came her way. Five weeks before, she had gone on her hospital tour and registered for her labor and delivery so that she was certain to have a spot she was comfortable in when the time came. She had sprung for a private room with the money Duncan had been leaving her that way she wouldn't have to deal with strangers in her room at all during her time in the hospital.

Today, Veronica was going on her last shopping trip before she was set to deliver, at least that's what she hoped. She had gone on several 'last' shopping trips before coming home and realizing she was missing several items she still needed. On this trip, she would be getting receiving blankets, breast pads, and milk storage bags. She knew she wanted to breastfeed, especially since it would be a lot cheaper than buying formula every week. But if she had to work and go to school, she would need to pump in order for her daughter to be fed.

She pulled into the Target parking lot and made her way directly to the baby care aisle once inside the store. She looked at her list and found each item and tried not to buy any extras that she knew she didn't need. In the end she'd bought receiving blankets, breast pads, milk storage bags and nipple cream.

What every college freshman is looking for. She thought to herself.

Her contractions today still weren't any better. Call it mother's instinct, but she knew that she wouldn't be pregnant for much longer. She did however hope that her daughter would wait until she was full term in a week and a half.

She walked to the checkout aisle and waited in line.

"Wow, you're huge!" The lady behind her exclaimed. "How far along are you?"

"35 weeks." Veronica responded shortly. She hated when people called her huge. Obviously, she was in her third trimester of pregnancy and carrying a human inside of her!

"Aren't you a little young to be having a kid? You're what 16?" The lady continued.

"I'm not 16, and it's none of your business how old I am."

"You young kids are all the same these days, disrespecting your elders. It's no wonder you've gotten yourself in this situation. You should've listened to your parents."

"I wasn't being disrespectful, you were. What's it matter that I'm a young parent? I have a job, I'm responsible, and I have a good support system. My child will grow up happy and well taken care of!" Veronica snapped back.

The lady gasped and took her items and left the aisle. Veronica rolled her eyes at her as she stalked off. Unsurprisingly, that wasn't the first time that she'd experienced that kind of judgment. Yes, she was young but what really didn't help her was how young she looked. People didn't care that she had a job or the fact that compared to most kids her age she was as responsible as an adult. No, all they saw was a small young pregnant girl and immediately their judgments came out.

A contraction roared through her interrupting her thoughts. She placed her hand on her belly; this didn't feel like a Braxton Hicks contraction.

"That'll be $41.72." The cashier spoke.

"Huh?"

"Your total is $41.72." She repeated. "Are you okay Miss?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. " She lied as she pulled out her cash.

The cashier asked no further. "Receipt in the bag okay?"

"Yeah." She replied.

After paying for her items she was back on the road. Her contractions still hadn't subsided, every few minutes one would pass, each one getting worse and more painful than the last one.

"Maybe it was that stupid lady…she stressed me out…" Veronica tried to tell herself.

"Oh god!" She groaned as a more painful contraction passed. She breathed through it and continued on the road home.

By the time she was on Main St. in Neptune, her contractions were non-stop and high on her pain scale. At that point she decided she needed to pull over rather than put herself, her daughter, and everyone else in dangers way. She parked her car than let her head rest on the steering wheel hoping that stopping would make her contractions stop.

10 minutes later she heard a knock on her window.

"Mars, what's wrong?" She looked up to see Lamb with concern and worry on his face.

She didn't answer him as another contraction passed.

"Mars, I'm opening your door." He warned as he grabbed the door handle of the LeBaron.

Once the door was open, he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Shit, you're in labor!" He stated as soon as he saw her arms around her stomach and the crotch of her jeans soaked. "Veronica, I need you to listen to me okay?" He started, his police instincts kicking in.

Veronica nodded slightly.

"We need to get you to the hospital. The cruiser is right across the street, do you think you can get up and come to the car?"

She nodded again.

Gently, he helped turn her and lift her from the seat. He grabbed her bag and held her close as they walked to the police cruiser parked across from her.

"Sacks, I'm going to need you to drive." He ordered to Sacks who was walking out of the coffee shop. "I need the lights and sirens on; we need to get her to the hospital right away."

"Yes sir." Sacks said tossing the coffees and donuts in the trash.

Lamb helped get Veronica in the back seat and shortly followed her wanting to keep her close in case of an emergency.

As soon as he shut the door, Sacks sped to the hospital.

"I need to call my dad." Veronica finally said.

"What's his number?" Lamb asked.

"909 565 8336"

Lamb dialed the number and let it ring. Keith picked up after the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Keith, it's Don. I found Veronica in her car. She's in labor and we're on our way to the hospital."

"I'll meet you there. Can I speak to her please?"

Lamb put him on speaker.

"Daddy?"

"I'm here honey."

"I'm scared dad, it's too early."

"I know honey, but you're in good hands. Lamb knows what he's doing okay? Just keep breathing and try to stay calm."

Another contraction passed, Veronica grimaced and groaned softly.

"Keith, I'm going to hang up now. We're 45 minutes away on our end; we might get there sooner with the sirens on."

"Okay. Take care of her Don, please."

"Like you said, she's in good hands. Sacks and I will get her to the hospital."

"Thank you."

After he hung up, Lamb held took a hold of Veronica's hand.

"When a contraction passes, I want you to squeeze my hand okay?"

She nodded. Her eyes were red and puffy from the tears that were falling. She looked more scared than in pain.

More contractions passed and they were 15 minutes from the hospital. Lamb's hand felt like it had been crushed, who knew that the petite blond had so much strength.

"I need to push." Veronica said breaking the silence.

"We're a couple of minutes from the hospital Veronica, just hold on." Sacks tried to reason.

"Sacks, it's not like she needs to take a piss, she can't hold on when a baby is coming out." Lamb barked. "Pull over. Get the emergency blanket from the trunk to cover the seat. Grab the emergency aid kit as well. Veronica, do you have a hoody or jacket in your bag to cover the baby with once we deliver?"

"You're not? I can hold it..."

"Veronica, I'm not going to risk it. If you need to push, then this baby is coming out right here." He replied calmly.

"I bought receiving blankets today, they're in my bag." She finally said.

Sacks came around to the back door with the emergency kit and the foil blanket in hand. Veronica scooted over to allow the blanket to sit on the seat.

"Veronica, I'm going to need you take off your pants and underwear and sit on the blanket." He continued with his instructions. He sanitized his hands before putting on the latex gloves from the kit. "Sacks I'm going to need you to sit right behind Veronica and help her push."

Never in a million years did Veronica ever think she'd find herself sitting half naked in a police cruiser with Don Lamb who had a straight and clear view of her vagina, and yet, here she was.

"On your next contraction, I'm going to need you to push okay?"

Veronica nodded. She felt the first one coming and prepared herself to push. She felt Sacks sitting behind her, his arms holding her back steady.

She pushed with all of her might as the contraction roared through her body. She had never been in this much pain before, the contractions plus her baby moving through the birth canal were pains she would probably never forget.

"You're doing great Veronica. Keep pushing." Lamb encouraged.

Once the contraction passed, Veronica let out a huge sigh of breath. This situation was overwhelming. She had it all planned out in her birthing plan. Once she went into labor, she would be at the hospital. Logan and her dad would be there and she'd also be pumped full of pain killers and an epidural. But like usual her life always took the unexpected twist.

She pushed several more times, each time feeling more and more pain. She knew she was close to meeting her daughter, but she was so exhausted from pushing she didn't know if she could continue.

"Veronica, look at me." Lamb said trying to keep her from giving up. "You're doing so great. The baby is crowning, I think we can get her out in 2 pushes. I know you can do that Veronica."

Veronica feebly nodded and prepped herself to push again.

She felt Sacks lean against her back aiding her to push.

"You ready?" Sacks asked.

"Yeah." She replied softly.

"On the count of three Lamb. One. Two. Three. Push."

Veronica held her breath as she pushed; she felt the burning pain between her legs and groaned as she pushed.

"Keep pushing, she's coming out." Lamb said. "Sacks, hand me the receiving blanket!"

Sacks rustled his arm around the back seat until he felt the thin blanket.

All of a sudden, Veronica felt the release of pressure.

Lamb cradled the purple baby girl in the blanket. He reached into her mouth and cleaned out the mucus that was keeping the baby from crying. Once her passage ways were cleared, she let out a strong loud cry.

The sound that came was beautiful to Veronica. Tears formed in her eyes, her baby girl was finally here.

Lamb placed the crying bundle in her arms. He still had to clamp the umbilical cord before they could go to the hospital. Not having any medical clamps, he took the laces from his shoe and clamped the cord.

"Sacks, call the ER and tell them we just delivered a baby and we're on our way to them." He ordered. "How are you feeling Veronica."

"I don't even know how to start..."

"I meant are you feeling any abnormal pain?"

"No. Not that I know of."

"Good. We still need to hurry and get you two to the hospital."

He shut the door and walked over to the other side of the car not wanting to have her make any sudden movements.

Once he got back into the car, Sacks drove off. Lamb pulled out his phone and saw a missed call from Keith.

"Where the hell are you?" Keith said after he picked up on the first ring.

"We're a few minutes from the hospital. We had to make a pit stop."

"What the hell do you mean pit stop?! My daughter is in labor and you think it's okay to make a pit stop?!" By the middle of his sentence, Lamb had put Keith on speaker phone once more; he heard the cries coming from his grandchild.

"Oh my god, she's here?!" Keith exclaimed.

"Daddy, you're a grandpa now." Veronica cried.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there. How are you two doing? Is she okay?"

"We're both doing well. We won't know for sure until we get checked over by a doctor, but for now we're doing great."

Lamb looked out of the window and saw the familiar road to the hospital.

"Keith, we're about close to the hospital. Our ETA is 10 minutes, we'll see you soon."

"I'll be waiting. Thanks for taking care of her Don." Keith said before hanging up the phone.

When they arrived to the ER, they had a greeting committee already waiting for them. A gurney was set up for Veronica as well as a team of doctors and nurses.

"That cruiser is never going to be the same." Lamb sighed as he watched Keith run to his daughter and granddaughter in tears.

"You think taxes will pay for reupholstering or car detailing?" Sacks asked.

"I sure hope so." Lamb replied taking a seat in the ER.

"What do you need me to do now boss?"

"Call the tow truck and have them tow Veronica's car to her apartment. Also, head back to the station, I have a change of clothes in my office. If you could bring them to me, that'd be great." He replied. He looked down at his uniform, there was no way that it'd ever be the same again either.

Veronica looked down at her baby in her arms. Her daughter was now cleaned and dressed in a singlet and diaper and latched on to her breast for her first feed. The doctors had checked the both of them over and they were deemed as healthy as can be. Although she delivered early, her daughter was in perfect health; the doctors assumed it was because of the corticosteroids Veronica had received the night of graduation. Her daughter was completely developed and would not need to stay longer than two days at the hospital. Veronica was also given the okay to leave after two days. She surprisingly had not torn while giving birth and did not need any stitches. The only thing she had to do once she arrived was deliver the placenta. She smiled despite the pain of breastfeeding. This had been a whirlwind of a day.

"You're just like your mommy huh? Guess everyone was right, you're going to be as much trouble as I was."

"Like mother like daughter as they say." Veronica looked up and saw Lamb standing at her doorway. He had changed out of his uniform and was now wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "How are you two doing?"

"We're great. I was this close to covering up, but then I remembered that you delivered her so there's really no point in modesty anymore."

Lamb laughed. Leave it to Veronica Mars to respond with humor.

"Thank you, by the way. You kept me calm and you were like a pro back there."

"They didn't let me graduate from the academy for nothing." He replied. "So, since I did deliver her, I should probably be the first to hear her name."

"Sorry, you missed out on that one. Grandpa got first dibs."

"I figured that would happen. Where is the proud grandfather?"

"He's getting coffee."

"So what did you name the newest troublemaker in Neptune?"

"Meet Emma Mackenzie Mars."

Lamb smiled. "Emma. I was certain you were going to name her Lilly."

"I was too, but I think the world can only handle on Lilly Kane. Besides, She looks more like an Emma rather Lilly. "

"Well it's absolutely beautiful and so is she."

Emma had finished her feed and was now slowly drifting off to sleep in her mother's arms.

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you delivered her, I'm pretty sure you deserve to give her a hold now that she's actually clean."

He smiled and gently picked up Emma from Veronica's arms.

"Wow, I didn't notice how tiny she was."

"Like mother like daughter. 6lbs 8oz, I was about 6lbs when I was born. "

"She's beautiful Veronica." He finally said.

"Thanks. You know what I just realized?"

"What is it?"

"You haven't called me Mars at all in the past couple of hours."

"I figured calling you by your first name while I delivered your child was personable especially in that situation."

"Situation, you mean having a front row view of my lady parts?"

"Well when you put it that way..."

Veronica laughed. "I like it…you calling me Veronica. I mean since we're going to be friends now we have to call each other by our real names."

"So I'm Don and you're Veronica?"

"That sounds good." Veronica smiled as she watched him holding her daughter. Never in a million years did she think that Sheriff Don Lamb and she would be sitting in a room smiling and laughing together.

"Look at her tiny little fingers." He cooed peering at Emma's hand the peeked out of her sleeve.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to get used to those little hands."

"Sheriff, it's nice to see you here."

Both looked up and saw Keith Mars walking into the room.

"Keith." Don responded adding a nod. "Congratulations Grandpa!" He handed Emma back to Veronica to shake Keith's hand.

"Thank you." Keith replied. "And thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"I was doing my job; I figured it was a good time to start doing that again."

Keith beamed at his former protégé. Veronica had told him that Don Lamb was trying to change, and at first he was skeptical. But seeing the man now, he had shed his arrogant smirk and looked like the humble deputy he once was before Neptune had taken his soul.

"How's my grandbaby doing?" Keith asked Veronica.

"She's sleeping. Looks like her first day of being a troublemaker has worn her out."

"Well it looks like we have many more days of trouble to look forward to don't we?" Keith chuckled.

"Like mother like daughter huh?"

"Let's hope not." Keith and Don said in unison.

"Hey! I just had a baby, you're not allowed to gang up on me!"

"We're not ganging up on you." Keith responded.

"Yeah, right."

As the day rolled on, Veronica received one person after another to give their first hello to Emma. Don had left for the day, as he needed to get back to work. Her room now held balloons and flowers along with Mac, Wallace, Alicia, and Jill.

"Oh, she's so gorgeous!" Jill cooed looking into the clear bassinet by Veronica's bedside.

Veronica smiled in agreement. Maybe she was being completely biased, but this was the first time she had seen a newborn and thought that she was beautiful.

"I still can't believe you gave birth in the back of a police cruiser." Mac sighed in disbelief.

"Yeah, and Lamb delivered her." Wallace added with a shudder.

"Wait, I didn't hear this story!" Jill said looking up from the bassinet with a frown.

Wallace and Mac shared the tale with Veronica occasionally jumping in to add any details or correct them. Otherwise, she was full occupied with staring at her daughter. She didn't know how something so perfect could come out of someone like her, but she knew that this little baby would continue to change her life.

And baby Mars is here! No worries, story is not yet over. I still have a lot more to add to this so you just keep on waiting and keep on reading. You'll have noticed that Veronica's labor and delivery moved pretty quickly and it was a tad unrealistic. For the sake of the story, I needed it to go on like this, so for those of you who might correct me, I know that it's unrealistic. Second thing, I decided not to go with Lilly for first or middle name or the name Hope like in the originial story. Someone in earlier chapters commented how since Duncan's other kid was named Lilly, naming this baby Lilly too would too much. As for the name Hope, I fell out of love with that name and thought that Emma would be a better fit. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I'll update Sunday if I haven't had my baby yet.