It was the day before the sale of Kate's house was due to complete and she, Caroline, William and Lawrence were at the house helping pack and move, although the majority of the larger items were going into storage for now and that was being done by a removal company. Caroline was busy organising and supervising the removal men, Kate and Lawrence were finishing emptying the kitchen cupboards and William had been despatched to get them some lunch.

Lawrence was kneeling on the work top removing tins and packets from the cupboard on the wall when Kate realised that she hadn't changed the light bulb in the kitchen after it had blown a few days previously. The pregnant woman located a small stepladder and a new bulb and had climbed the few steps and was just reaching to remove the old bulb when...

"Kate, I don't think you should be doing that. Let me do it."

Kate replied, "It's ok, I'm fine."

"Ummm...I really don't think you should be doing that. Here, let me help you down and I'll do it."

Kate looked around and smiled, "You're quite the gentleman, Lawrence." She took his hand as she descended the steps.

"Not really", he blushed a little. "Mum wouldn't like it if I let you do this."

"No she wouldn't. Thanks Lawrence", Caroline appeared in the doorway and looked sternly at her girlfriend, "Kate, what were you thinking?"

"I was just changing the light bulb", Kate tried to sound sensible and nonchalant at the same time.

"Kate you're days away from giving birth. Sweetheart, it's just not sensible to take any risks right now." Caroline turned to Lawrence as he climbed down from the stepladder, "Thanks, love", she ruffled his hair. "Can you take this stepladder out to the removal van so Kate won't be tempted to do any more DIY?" He nodded and did as he was asked.

Left on their own, Caroline put her hands on Kate's shoulders and looked into her eyes seriously, "Please Kate, be sensible, darling."

Kate looked guilty. "I will. I'm sorry."

William came in at that point with a bag of sandwiches and bottles of drink, "I have lunch."

Kate turned to him and smiled, "Good timing William, your mum was just telling me off. Another minute or so and I might've been in detention."

William laughed, "Ooooo you owe me then. Mum's detention sessions are legendary."

Caroline tried to keep her stern face but failed. "When you've quite finished undermining any authority I ever had...", she smiled, "Oh come on then, let's eat, I'm starving."

Lawrence and William sat on the kitchen countertops, leaving the two chairs that were left for Kate and Caroline and they ate their lunch together. Once finished, they returned to their tasks. Looking into the lounge a little later Caroline found Kate pacing up and down. "Are you ok, darling?"

"I have a bit of backache that's all."

Caroline put her arm around Kate. "You've been doing too much, I knew it." She dropped her hand to Kate's lower back and rubbed it. "Do you want to kneel down and let me rub it properly?"

Kate looked at her aghast, "Caroline, I'm not doing that here! It'll look more like we're having sex than the time Lawrence walked in when you were massaging my leg after using the EpiPen! "

"Kate, it doesn't matter what it looks like, if you're in discomfort and I can help you, I will."

"I'll be fine, Caroline. If you can just supervise the delivery men with the last couple of loads, that'll be more helpful." Kate was unusually snappy and dismissive.

Caroline looked a little upset at Kate's retort but persisted, "Ok...but why don't you at least let me take you back to mine so you can put your feet up or have a lie down?"

"No." Kate snapped and then thought better of it. "Sorry, darling...I'm fine, really...there's no need for you to fuss."

Caroline looked chastened. "Ok. Just give me a shout if you need me...and maybe have a sit down for a while." She left the room, pausing at the door to cast a concerned look back at her pregnant girlfriend.

Kate's backache didn't get better but she felt like she needed to ignore it and carry on. In her mind, this was her house sale and she needed to be involved in the nitty gritty of it so she carried on regardless for the next few hours, packing up the last of the smaller items safely and securely in boxes and pacing the downstairs rooms in between times trying to stretch the discomfort away without making it obvious that's what she was doing.

As the afternoon went on however, she felt like the pain was getting worse but she told herself that it was just because it had been ongoing now for so long. The pain seemed somehow sharper and had definitely spread. Kate was about to shout for Caroline, give in and ask her to take her home but she felt like she needed to go to the loo first, so she made her way to the downstairs cloakroom. Pretty much as soon as she'd got there though, something happened to make her rethink her 'strategy'. Her waters broke.

Kate, after immediately panicking, pulled herself together and came back out of the loo. Just as she was coming through the kitchen however a sharp pain made her stop in her tracks and grab the countertop as she doubled over. She tried to breathe deeply, willing the pain to pass so she could call for Caroline but it seemed like it was lasting for quite some time. She continued to hang onto the edge of the work surface, breathing heavily and then Lawrence walked in.

"Kate! Are you...what's wrong?!" Lawrence looked like a scared little boy, rather than the gruff, disinterested teenager he was a lot of the time.

Kate recognised his fright and tried to reassure him despite the pain she was in. "I'm...ok Lawrence...but can you...get your mum for me please?"

Lawrence turned and sprinted out of the kitchen and thundered upstairs shouting, "Mum! Mum!"

Caroline met him at the top of the stairs, looking alarmed. "What's wrong?!"

"It's Kate...she's in the kitchen...she said she was ok but..she asked me to get you.."

Caroline pushed past him and ran down the stairs almost as fast as Lawrence had run up them. She hurtled into the kitchen as Kate was trying to push herself upright off the countertop again. "Kate! Are you ok? What's happened, sweetheart?" She put her arm around the pregnant woman, supporting her weight as much as she could. "Let's get you sat down. You didn't fall, did you?"

Kate was able to smile a little at the usually fluster-free headmistress now the pain was receding. "Caroline, darling I'm ok...but I think the baby's coming. My waters have broken and, I'm not an expert but I reckon I've just had a bloody big contraction."

Caroline looked a little pale but immediately snapped into capable mode. "Right, let's get you into the car. We'll drop by the house on the way back, pick up your bag and then go to the hospital. Do you want to ring your midwife, or shall I?"

"I'll do it...in a minute."

"Ok, come on, can you get to the car with my help?"

"Yes." She walked a couple of steps with Caroline still helping her, then she stopped. "Oh god, what about the house, the removal men?!"

"Kate, it'll be fine, don't worry. I'll get William to sort it for now...and I'll ask my mum to help as well."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It'll be fine. And it's not as if you really have a choice right now, is it? This little one...", she stroked Kate's belly gently, "...seems to be on her way." She helped Kate to walk slowly out of the house. As they reached the front door, William and Lawrence appeared looking apprehensive. Caroline addressed them, "William, love, can you organise the removal men with the last load...there should be just one more now and make sure all's well here before you lock up? I'm taking Kate to the hospital because the baby seems to be on her way. I'll get granny to come and pick you up. You ok Lawrence?"

Both young men nodded and William said, "Don't worry mum, we'll be fine. Hope everything goes ok Kate."

Kate smiled, "Thanks William, thanks Lawrence...sorry I'm bailing out on you." The two women carried on to where Caroline's car was parked, which was unfortunately now being blocked in by the removal truck.

Caroline helped Kate into the passenger seat, made sure she was ok, then walked to the removal truck, where the two men were arranging a piece of furniture and some boxes inside the van. Caroline asked, "Can you just move the van so that I can get my car out please?"

The older of the two men, who Caroline had found out earlier that day was called Clive, scratched his head and said, "It'll be a minute love, we have to make this secure before we can move it."

Caroline gritted her teeth, took a breath and said, "No, I need you to move it now. My partner is in labour and I need to get her to the hospital."

Clive replied, "Alright love, be with you in a jiffy, wouldn't want to damage any of this stuff." He and his mate continued to move the boxes, seemingly without any sense of urgency.

Caroline took another deep breath and said coldly, "If you don't move your van now, I will move it myself. And I will report you to your boss and tell him that I am posting a review of his company on the internet that will be so damning it will ensure you get no custom again, which I expect will leave you and your friend here unemployed."

Clive pulled himself up to his full height of around 5'5" and visibly bristled at being spoken to in such a way. "Look lady, we're doing our best here..."

Caroline cut him off mid-sentence, "Then your best is not good enough. My partner is in labour in my car right now and I need to get her to hospital before she gives birth on this bloody drive! Now I suggest if you don't want to deliver the baby yourself or be the subject of a law suit, you move your sodding van!"

Clive looked a little frightened at Caroline's outburst. "Ok, ok, keep yer 'air on", he muttered as he got out of the back of the van and walked around to the driver's door. Caroline glared at his back and then when she was sure he'd got in driver's seat she turned back to her car.

She got in and said to Kate, "You ok sweetheart? Sorry for the delay...he's moving the van now."

Kate smiled weakly and nodded but Caroline could see she was gripping the seat as clearly another contraction had overtaken her. She stroked Kate's arm, "Breathe darling. Deep breaths." As Kate was hunched forward a little with the pain, Caroline was able to move her hand to Kate's back where she rubbed it comfortingly.

Kate gasped, "I'm ok...but can we just go now?"

The van had by this point been moved. Caroline nodded, put the car in gear and drove.

They arrived back at the house in about seven minutes, which was a bit of a record. Caroline leapt out, telling Kate she'd be right back and sprinted in to get her already packed bag from the bedroom. As she came back down the front steps she met Celia.

"Caroline! William called, he said Kate's gone into labour."

"Yes mum, I'm taking her to hospital now. Can you go to Kate's and help the boys with the last boxes and then make sure the house is empty and locked up securely before you bring them back here?"

"On my way now love. You ok?" She looked lovingly at her daughter.

"Yes mum, I'm fine." Caroline opened the car door to get back in.

Celia stood by the open door, looking in. "You will drive carefully, won't you?" She looked over at Kate, "You alright Kate love?"

Kate nodded, "Not bad thanks Celia." The pregnant woman gasped again as another pain seared through her.

"Oooo, is that another contraction, Kate? How far apart are they?"

Caroline interjected feverishly, "Mum! Kate's in labour, we need to go!" She started to close the car door, even though Celia hadn't moved out of the way.

"Alright, alright, I'm moving", Celia said. "Drive carefully Caroline." She stepped back, Caroline slammed the door and reversed the car in one quick movement, spraying gravel everywhere before exiting onto the road.

They made it to the hospital in about the same time as it had taken to get from Kate's house to Caroline's and once the contraction had passed Kate told her that she'd already phoned her midwife when they'd been waiting for the removal men to move their truck.

Caroline and Kate walked slowly into the hospital together, whereupon formalities seemingly sprang into place and Kate was helped into a wheelchair and taken to a room to be examined. Caroline was asked for Kate's details, which she provided before re-joining her girlfriend.

"How're you doing, sweetheart?", Caroline took Kate's hand and kissed it.

"Ok. Apparently I'm already eight centimetres dilated though."

Caroline gasped, "Really?! Oh my god, you must've been in labour all day! Kate, why didn't you say anything?!" She put her arm around the dark skinned woman and kissed her temple lovingly.

Kate smiled weakly, "I just thought it was bad backache. It's not like I had anything to compare it to, is it? They're getting me set up with gas and air, so I'll have some pain relief in a mo." She gasped as another contraction overtook her and Caroline held her hand and rubbed her back, encouraging Kate to breathe through it as she'd been taught.

"You're doing really well, sweetheart, it won't be too long now." Caroline tried her best to make Kate feel better.

"Caroline, it hurts like shit and I think you're talking bollocks just to make me feel better!" Kate spoke between gritted teeth and more aggressively than Caroline had ever heard her before. The blonde headmistress realised that Kate's harsh words were due to the pain she was in but she was grateful that the nurse came back at that point to set her up with the gas and air pain relief she'd been promised. Kate gratefully gulped at it and then relaxed a little as it took the edge off the searing pain. She stopped gripping Caroline's hand quite so hard, "Sorry."

"No need, sweetheart." Caroline tenderly stroked the hair back from Kate's forehead. "Would you like a sip of water?"

Kate nodded and Caroline handed her a small paper cup with some water in it. Kate sipped it and handed it back, "Thanks." There was a pause and then Kate said quietly, "Caroline, you won't leave me, will you? I'm a bit scared."

Caroline felt so fiercely protective of Kate in that instant that it welled up in her chest like a physical force. "Of course I won't leave you, darling. I'm not going anywhere. There's no need to be scared, I know it hurts but I promise you it'll be ok...the pain won't last forever and then our little girl will be here and it'll all be worth it. I love you Kate and you really are doing so well." Tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked to try to make them go away, wanting to be strong for her girlfriend. She leaned in and kissed her gently on the mouth.

"Thank you", Kate's voice was quiet but she seemed more resolute. "I love you too."

The next hour went by quite quickly, for Caroline at least (albeit, she was already finding it difficult to cope with Kate being in pain), as it seemed like no time at all before the midwife was announcing that they were ready to go down to the delivery suite. Once there, time passed in a surreal haze. Caroline was so proud of the way Kate dealt with the pain; she wished she could take some of it for her as she would have done so in a heartbeat if she could. When the midwife told Kate they could see the baby's head Caroline saw Kate's exhausted face set with renewed resolve, she drew on a reserve of strength from somewhere unknown and within ten minutes the baby had been born in a rush of effort and love.

The midwife smiled and said, "You have a beautiful baby girl, Kate", and she then asked Caroline if she wanted to cut the cord, which of course she did.

Kate looked at Caroline in disbelief and said, "Is she ok?", and just at that point the baby started to cry.

The midwife handed the baby to Caroline and after looking at her lovingly and kissing her head, she in turn bent down to put her on Kate's chest, gazing from mother to baby in wonder. "She's beautiful Kate, our little girl is so beautiful."