FrankElza: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you thought I did a good job on Ricky's labour/ blood loss, I really, really enjoyed writing that chapter. Thank you for checking this chapter over.

The Surrogacy.

Chapter 21.

Kyle woke to a banging sound on the door. He groaned, it was his day off from Angelo's and he had no plans for the day, except to tidy the house as it was a mess. Plates were stacked up in the sink, his room was a mess, with clothes scattered across the floor, his guitar lay on floor by the bed.

"Kyle, open up. "

Realising that his ex - girlfriend wasn't going to go away, Kyle got out of bed and walked towards the door, unlocking it.

"Have you heard the news?" Phoebe said as she bounded in to the house, sitting down on the couch.

"What news Phoebe?" Kyle was confused.

"Ricky's had a baby boy. Called Nathan. Yesterday at 3 PM." Phoebe held up her phone to show Kyle the picture her friend had sent her. In the picture, a tired Ricky was holding a baby, wrapped in a blanket, in her arms.

Kyle read the caption, which Ricky had written underneath the photo.

"Sore, but glad to have this little man in my arms"

Kyle quickly went in to his room and put some clothes on before walking back out and heading to Heath's with Phoebe.

"Hey mate, I should say congratulations " Kyle said after Heath had opened the door. Kyle noticed both he and Bianca had bags under their eyes. "Little man didn't sleep through?" He asked, assuming that's why they were bags under his brother's and his wife's eyes.

At this, Bianca burst in to tears.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked, alarmed.

"Ricky won't give us the baby, says she's keeping him" Heath told his brother, there was bitterness in his voice.

"You can kind of see her point though"

Kyle give his ex - girlfriend a look, a look which said he wasn't impressed with her.

"What, I'm only speaking the truth. Kyle she lost blood while delivering. Nate had to remove her uterus, he says that Nathan was her last chance to have a baby"

Bianca looked up, she had seen Ricky being rushed off to surgery, but was unaware that she had lost her uterus.

"Maybe she's changed her mind," Bianca said hopefully. "Now she's had a good night sleep. I was irritable after Rocco"

"You were" Heath laughed, quietly. "You went crazy"

Bianca took a swipe at her husbands arm, smirking slightly, despite herself.

Heath's face had a mock wounded look on it.

Back at the hospital, Brax and Ricky (who was in a wheelchair) had just been to see baby Nathan.

"He was tiny Brax" Ricky said, with a wobble in her voice, tears in her eyes.

"Well, he was a month premature " Brax replied.

"So was Case" Ricky replied.

"Yep," Brax said as he come to her room, he turned the wheelchair slightly as he wheeled her in to the room, he put the chair by the bed, but the brakes on it and then helped Ricky out of the chair as she winched, rubbing her tummy.

"What's wrong?" Brax asked, he hated seeing her in pain.

"Sore" Ricky replied, getting under the covers.

Nate walked in, holding a plastic bag.

"Medication and something to help you sleep if you need it, " he had prescribed her sleeping tablets after Casey's birth as well.

"Thanks" Ricky took the bag off him and put it in her handbag.

"Are you breast feeding or bottle feeding?" Nate asked.

Ricky hadn't thought of that, but she had fed Casey a bottle since birth, and she decided to give baby Nathan a bottle.

Nate nodded and informed her that Hannah would be through to show her how to feed.

Hannah come in a few minutes later, holding a bottle which had milk in. She handed it to Ricky.

"Tilt the teat slightly" said Hannah as she watched Ricky hold baby Nathan across her shoulder.

"Come on, mate" Ricky said, as she held the bottle to his lips, he opened his mouth to suck on the teat. "That's it, " She said as she watched him suck, when he had finished, she burped him.

"Can you bring Case in? I want him to met his brother. " Ricky said.

"Ricky" Brax groaned, running a hand over his face. "To be brothers, I would have had to father Nathan, I didn't."

"Kyle's your brother Chez isn't his mother. "

"But Kyle's blood. "

"Nathan's my blood. " Ricky replied, getting heated up.

"No, he's not!" Brax yelled back. He was beginning to lose patience with his partner. "He belongs to Heath and Bianca, and deep down, I think you know that."

"What are saying?" Ricky asked, fearful of his tone of voice.

"I'm saying it's me or him. "

"Brax. "

"I'm going for a surf. " Brax waved a hand in her direction dismissively.

Ricky's POV

I thought that having a baby for my best friend would be easy, but I was wrong. He's a day old, and already he's coming between Brax and I. But I can't let him go, he's mine. I felt him kick for the first time at the hospital.

"Ow" I pulled a face, as Brax stopped what he was doing and looked at me.

"Rick?"

"I think the baby is kicking" I replied.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I look down at my baby, who is looking up at me, with his eyes, he needs me to protect him and I will do that. I press a kiss on to his forehead as he makes a noise, before putting him down in the crib.

End of Ricky's POV

Brax's POV

I paddle in to the water, waiting for a wave, when one comes, I ride it and in a rare moment, I fall off my board. The board drifts away from me, I swim towards it and get back on it before turning around and walking out of the water. I pick my towel up and dry myself off before picking my board back up and leaving the beach.

I return to the hospital after my surf, I'd dropped my board off home and head back to the hospital.

"Have you made your decision?" I asked, walking in to her room.

"He's coming home with us, " She tells me.

I consider arguing, but Ricky gives me a look which I recognise as "I don't want to talk about this, Brax"

"Tough" I said. I sit on the bed and take her hands in my own. "How would you feel if Bianca had a baby for us and refused to give it up?" I ask, twisting our situation around.

"Hurt" She mutters.

"Yep" I said.

I put Nathan in to the car seat, we had to buy another one as Case still needed his, and Ricky eases herself off the bed, dressed in a purple long sleeved top and grey joggers, which she uses as pj's.

End of Brax's POV

Heath noticed Brax's car pull up on to the drive, he walked out of the house as Ricky leaned on Brax as he led her in to the house. He come storming out of the house, shouting the odds at her.

"Heath, don't" Ricky said, tiredly, with a yawn to prove it.

"I don't care"

"Be quiet Heath, Nathan and Case are asleep. "

"This isn't right and you know it. " Heath jabbed a finger in her face.

"I'm sorry, I can't help how I feel. " Ricky said, the bonds she felt with both of her children, were more precious to her than anything.

Ricky stared after him.

Brax walked over to her and put his arms around her. "It'll be alright, "

"I'm ruining everything I care about. "

Bianca looked at Heath as she heard the door slam.

"Well, " Bianca looked at her husband and then down at the moses basket she had ordered online, complete with white blankets.

"We are going to court. " Heath told his wife. "Erica Sharpe is not getting away with this. "

Baby Nathan whimpered so Ricky lifted him in to her arms and rocked him from side to side, but he still continued to cry.

Brax took Nathan out of Ricky's arms, to give her a bit of a break.

Ricky ran, leaving Brax to stare after her as she left him with two screaming children.

Ricky ran, as the tears flowed down her cheeks as she stared out at the sea, wondering why she was so emotional, it was her hormones she knew it, Brax and her children would be much better off without her.

Sensing what she was up to Brax left the kids, with Heath and Bianca, who were overjoyed to have the babies in her house.

Ricky almost snatched baby Nathan out of her arms and stormed out of the house, Brax noticed that she was shaking with anger.

"We'll see you in court" Heath threatened, confident that a judge would give them the baby as Ricky had broken her contract.

Back home Ricky collapsed on the couch, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey" Brax said as he brushed her hair (which was in need of a wash) off her face.

"They hate me. "

"They don't, they are just angry. " Brax rubbed her arms.

He pulled the chair out for her and she sat down, wondering what Brax was going to serve up. Knowing that she was exhausted, but still needed to eat, he put two slices of toast in front of her along with a cup of tea.

He kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for being there for me"

Brax walked over to her and said seriously. "I'm not going anywhere Ricky"

Ricky nodded as Brax stroked her cheek, winching slightly as he brushed over the bruise, which was forming on her cheek, she was relieved she would still have him.

Walking slowly back in to the living room, Ricky carefully lifted Nathan in to her arms, as he made a muffling noise.

"Where's he going to sleep?" Brax suddenly asked.

"Our room?" Ricky suggested.

"We only have one cot Ricky" Brax told her and that was Casey's cot.

"I could sleep with him in my arms"

"No!" Brax said sharply.

"What?" Ricky asked, confused, at his raised voice as baby Nathan cried.

"Sleeping with a baby in your arms can be a symptom of cot death" Brax said, recalling when Heath told him, after Rocco's post mortem report had come back.

"I'm sorry" Ricky said quietly, rocking Nathan.

"We could put him in a box" Brax suggested.

"Don't be stupid. " Ricky replied, rolling her eyes.

Brax walked in to the kitchen and was heard rooting around, before coming out and holding a box.

"No. " Ricky said. "We could ask Bianca?"

Brax checked his watch. "It's late. You should be resting"

Ricky nodded, looking down at baby Nathan in her arms. She started to climb the stairs, Brax following with Casey in his own arms as he followed his partner in to the room. He lay Casey down in the cot, covering him with his blanket. Ricky sat on the edge of the bed, baby Nathan still in her arms.

"What about his car seat?"

Brax sighed, they were running out of options here. "Alright, just for one night. "

Ricky nodded and gently placed baby Nathan in to his car seat, before covering him with a blanket, placing the two baby monitors on the side table. Brax pulled the covers back as he watched his exhausted partner get in, he moved closer to her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Love you, Rick"

"I love you too" Ricky replied, sleepily, feeling Brax slip an arm around her and she pulled out of his embrace.

"What's wrong?"

Ricky lifted her PJ top up to see blood was overflowing on the dressing which was covering her stitches.

"It'll just need changing, you heard what the doc said" Brax left the bedroom, walked down the stairs and in to the kitchen, coming up the stairs a few minutes later.

Ricky bit down on her lip as she pulled the plaster off, grabbed a wipe, cleaned up the blood and put on the new plaster, she couldn't wait for a week later when she got her stitches removed.

Next chapter: Ricky gets her stitches removed.