Author's Note – for 'guest' – again, rude comments will not make me change the way I do anything. I take my time writing. I also have 3 jobs and a life. And as far as not engaging with other stories and writers on here (seriously, are you really checking that? You need a hobby.) I purposely do not read others' stories when I am knee deep in one of mine. I never have. (see also – 3 jobs and a semblance of a social life) If you think you can do better, please register for an account, and write stories. Oh, but you'll have to start leaving your rude comments outside the cover of anonymity. (also, if my story isn't 'anything original', why are you reading it?)
For the last time, if a story on the internet upsets you that much, shut down the computer and go outside. Find a worthy cause for all that negative energy. Maybe learn some manners too. I am an actual person. There's no need to get that nasty over a free 'unoriginal' story on the internet. Also, maybe wait to read it until I finish? No one is forcing you to wait for every chapter.
To the regulars – sorry about that. But I'm done with the jerks and bullies in this fandom. I have been in many, and I have never once received comments like I do here. 20 years of fic writing, and I've never dealt with this before. Less than a year in this one, and they come regularly. The problem isn't me. Their comments are instantly deleted, but I'll be damned if I don't try to let them see how awful they are.
Also, I am not a medical doctor. Just a writer with a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting.
~MKMKMKMKMK~
Doc and Matt entered the dark house and hung their coats and hats by the door.
"Kitty must've gone to bed."
"Yeah. Hopefully she's got a fire going up there." Matt replied. "Cold night."
"Every night here has been a cold one. Every day, too. I thought the weather was supposed to be nicer here."
Matt chuckled as they climbed the stairs. "I don't know, Doc. It's my first winter here too, you know."
He was the first to hear moaning coming from the bedroom. He double timed it up the stairs, Doc on his heels.
"Kitty?!" Matt ran into the bedroom and was momentarily stunned by the sight before him. Kitty was huddled on the floor, shaking and moaning. There was blood all over the floor. His heart dropped when he realized his wife was covered in blood as well. Her legs, her hands, her nightgown. He'd seen a lot of death, but never this much blood.
Doc did not hesitate as Matt did. His long years as a doctor propelled him into action. "Kitty, honey, when did this start?" He knelt down beside her.
She shook her head, her eyes unfocused. "Why is there so much blood? I tried to stop it. I tried…"
"I know you did." He looked up at Matt, still frozen in the doorway. "Matt, get my bag. Right now."
Kitty leaned into Doc as another contraction hit her. "Make it stop Doc. Please…"
"Everything's going to be alright." Doc frowned, pushing the tiniest bit of doubt deep down. Everything was going to be alright. He'd see to it.
Matt ran back into the room with the bag.
"Get her on the bed." Doc commanded.
He reached for his wife and picked her up. She clung to him, sobbing.
"Please make it stop, Matt. Please…"
"Everything's going to be alright, honey. I promise." He placed her gently on the bed, but she would not let go of him, gripping his shirt with bloody hands.
"Please Matt…"
The fear in her voice went right to his heart. He had no time to react, however, as Doc pushed him aside.
"Move out of the way."
Matt watched as Doc pulled Kitty's nightgown up to examine her. All the while, she fought him.
"Kitty, I need you to stop, or I'm going to have to have Matt hold you down."
Matt kneeled down by the bed and forced her to look at him. "Honey, you have to calm down. Let Doc check you." He stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead. Her shaky hand gripped his. But it was the terror in her eyes that nearly did him in.
Doc sat up, his examination complete for the moment. He pulled her nightgown down but kept one hand on her knee, stroking it gently. "Kitty, this baby is coming."
She shook her head violently. "NO! It's too early. Doc…it's too early…please…"
Doc took a deep breath and motioned for Matt to move aside. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited until the latest contraction stopped. He gripped her hand tightly. "Kitty, honey. Now I want you to listen to me. You have to calm down. You're only going to make this harder on yourself, and the baby. I know you're scared. But this baby is coming. That's not something we can stop. You understand me?"
Kitty nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"That's a good girl." Doc turned to Matt. "I'm going to go get a few things. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Matt took Doc's place at his wife's side, holding her shaking hands in his. "It's gonna be alright, honey."
"No, it isn't. It's too soon…I can't…"
"Yes you can. You have to. Little Bit is counting on you."
She let out a sob at his mention of the baby's nickname. "Help me sit up?"
He did as she asked, and she wrapped her arms tightly around him. "So scared, Matt," she cried into his shoulder.
"I know, honey." He tightened his hold on her trembling body.
"Please stay." She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt.
"I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
Doc returned and pulled his stethoscope out of his bag. "Stay still and quiet, honey," he said to Kitty.
She watched nervously as he attempted to hear the baby's heartbeat. Doc looked at her and smiled, handing her the stethoscope. "Listen."
Kitty's eyes opened wide as she heard the steady heartbeat of the baby, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"That's a good, strong heartbeat. Kitty."
She choked back a sob. "Let me keep it so I can listen?"
Doc patted her hand. "Of course."
~MKMKMKMKMK~
Kitty's fear grew with each contraction. They were getting longer and closer together now, and her mind was fixated on all the things that could go wrong. As much as Doc and Matt tried to reassure her, she could not accept that everything would be alright. She wasn't bleeding as much as she had been, but it was no comfort. She'd assisted enough births with Doc to know it wasn't normal.
She refused to leave Matt's arms, positioning herself on her side, her head on his chest. With each contraction, she clung to him, her hands gripping his shirt.
She started to moan as another contraction started, and Matt held her tighter. "Just breathe, honey. You're doing so good, Kit."
She buried her face in his shirt as the contraction eased up. Memories of her previous labor flooded her mind. She'd had Dr. Perrie and Anna by her side, but neither one could ease the fear and heartbreak she felt. All she wanted was Matt. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered.
"Me too, sweetheart."
Doc sat in the chair by the fireplace, keeping track of the length of the contractions and the time between them. Kitty watched him closely, but he gave no outward indication that he felt anything was wrong. He stood then, and she rolled over to allow him to examine her progress.
"Progressing nicely," he said, taking the stethoscope from around her neck to listen to the baby's heartbeat. "I think you've got a good strong baby in there, Kitty."
~MKMKMKMKMK~
She had no concept of time, only contractions that grew so intense and unrelenting she could not focus on anything else. Doc and Matt kept saying things to her, but she could not hear them.
"Kitty…Kitty…" Doc patted her knee. "Let me see how we're doing."
She did not reply, but allowed him to examine her.
Doc looked up at her. "Well, it's time to push."
An intense feeling of dread bubbled up inside her. As much as she wanted the baby, thoughts of Alice would not leave her. She had no choice but to face the thing she feared the most.
Matt had moved to the other side of the bed to give Kitty room to do what she needed. But once she started to cry again, he moved closer.
"Everything's going to be okay, honey."
"No. I don't want to," she sobbed.
Doc shared a look with Matt. "Kitty, sit up some. Matt, you get behind her so she can lean back against you if she needs to."
Mat did as he was asked, happy to finally be of help in some way.
Kitty took hold of his arms and pulled them tighter around her. "Scared, Matt," she whispered.
"I know, honey. But you know what you have to do. Little Bit needs you."
Doc held her legs steady as he coached her. Surprisingly, she found that pushing was almost a relief. Physically, anyway. Her mind was at war with her body, but she was no longer in control of the latter.
~MKMKMKMKMK~
Doc looked at his watch. It had been close to two hours since Kitty had started to push, and he could see her growing more tired with each contraction. It alarmed him, but he pushed the feeling aside. He could tell Matt was concerned as well.
"Alright, next one, Kitty. Push, honey."
"No, I can't. I'm too tired…" Her head moved restlessly against Matt's chest.
"Yes you can," Doc said. "You don't have a choice." He looked at Matt.
Matt, for his part, was running out of encouraging things to say. He tried to hide it, but panic started to well within him. There was one technique he hadn't tried, and he wasn't too comfortable with doing it, but they were running out of options.
"Kitty, you have to stop crying. I know you're scared. But you need to let that go and focus on getting this baby out." His voice was stern and both Doc and Kitty looked at him in surprise. Doc said nothing, but Kitty was not pleased.
"I know what has to happen, Matt! I've been trying!"
"That's the problem. Stop trying and start doing."
Doc's eyes widened, but he knew what Matt was trying to do, and he thought it just might work.
"Matt…"
Matt almost caved at the weak sound of her voice, but couldn't. He knew it would soon become a matter of life and death if the birth did not progress. Doc signaled the start of another contraction, and Matt curled his big frame around his wife. "PUSH, Kitty. That's it. Harder."
As angry as she was at Matt for being so hard with her, she couldn't focus on it. She could feel the baby's head begin to emerge, and could hear Doc encouraging her.
"That's it, Kitty. Don't stop. The head is almost out…Good girl…A little more…There you go…"
She took a deep breath and leaned back on Matt before pushing again. One more push and it was over.
"Kitty, I'll tell you one thing. I'm pretty sure this little one has your hair."
She sobbed at that, and Matt kissed her on the cheek. "Almost there, honey."
"Last push, Kitty," Doc coached.
She nodded and gathered what strength she had left, pushing and pushing until the baby was out. The exertion had her gasping for breath, but everything else faded as she watched Doc lift the baby and spanked its bottom, eliciting a cry from the infant. She reached out with shaky hands and all but grabbed the child from Doc.
"Oh my God...Oh…" She nestled the baby in her arms, running her hands over arms and legs. "I knew you were a girl," she sobbed. She lifted the baby and kissed her face over and over.
Doc pulled out his stethoscope and placed it on the baby's chest. "Good, strong heartbeat," he pronounced.
"Doc? She's so little…I've never seen a baby so little before…"
Doc sat back on the bed. "Well yes, she's very small. But her heart is strong and judging by that cry, she's got a good set of lungs. Those are the big things. We just have to keep her warm at all times, and fatten her up."
Matt could only stare at the baby, overwhelmed. She was tiny. The smallest he'd ever seen for sure. Even the Roninger's triplets were bigger. His hand reached out and cradled the baby's head. "My God, Kitty. Look at what you did."
Kitty sniffled. "It wasn't all me. You helped."
"Yeah, but only the fun part."
Doc bit back a smile. "Kitty, one last thing to do, and we're all done."
Kitty all but ignored him as he poked and prodded and assisted in the delivery of the afterbirth.
"Hi, sweet baby…" She ran her fingers over the baby's tiny face. "She's so perfect, Matt."
"I know." He kissed her again. "I'm so proud of you."
She smiled, and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. "So glad you're here."
Matt smiled. "Me too."
Doc, who had largely finished his duties, reached out for the baby. "I'll bathe her real quick for you."
Kitty shook her head. "Not right now." She held the baby tighter.
Doc nodded. "Then I'll be right back."
Matt rubbed a finger over the baby's head. "Kit, she looks just like you."
"No! She has your…" she paused, trying to come up with something.
"She has my kidneys. That's about all."
Kitty laughed, and turned to look at him, resting her forehead against his. "I love you so much."
He pulled her in for a kiss. "I didn't think I could love you more. I was wrong."
She choked back a sob. "Don't start me crying again."
Doc came back into the room, carrying a basin of water and some clothing. "I'm going to leave this here," he said, placing the basin on the nightstand. "And I grabbed some warm clothes for the baby. A blanket too. If you want to clean her up, I'd do it soon before the water gets cool."
"Thanks Doc." Kitty looked up at him with shining eyes. "For all of this."
He smiled, and bent over to kiss her forehead. "You don't have to thank me. Where else would I be for the birth of my granddaughter?" He stroked the baby's head. "I'm going to leave you all alone for a bit. I'll see about something to eat for us all."
Matt nodded at him. "Thanks Doc."
Doc winked at him before taking his leave of the new little family.
~MKMKMKMKMK~
A/N - I know preemies didn't fare too well back then, but I'm the ruler of this universe, and I have no desire to be historically accurate there. Not to spoil, but the baby will be just fine. I don't want anyone worrying. Kitty does enough of that for everyone. :)