"I can't do this anymore," Bri gasped, slumping backward against the reclined part of the bed.

"You've got this, girl," Mina said encouragingly, switching which hand was curled around her friend's and shaking the other one out.

"You're doing good, Brianna," the doctor said. He had arrived forty minutes before, bringing the hospitals doctor to patient ratio back to acceptable levels. "You're doing very well. We should have the head delivered soon."

"Fucking fantastic," Bri muttered.

"Hey," Ralph said. "The important thing is you're doing this, remember?" When the doctor had arrived, Bri had already been pushing for an hour and a half, and the possibility of a c – section had been floated. Bri had vehemently protested, but was getting to the point where if it was offered again, she might consent to the surgery. It didn't seem like it would be necessary, though. She had learned how to push effectively now, and more progress was being made between rest periods. Still, her progress was very two steps forward, one step back, a stark contrast to his mother, who had required just four pushes to deliver Amber. Ralph wondered if the reason Brianna was taking so much longer was because she was smaller, because this was her first, or because sometimes things just progressed more slowly for no discernable reason.

Patty would call it Karma. Ralph wasn't going to go there.

"Fuck," Bri moaned, drawing the word out, gripping Ralph and Mina's hands hard. It was only a few seconds before she faltered and slumped backward, too tired to keep pushing even though the contraction wasn't over.

"That's okay, Brianna," the doctor said. "Just rest a minute. You don't have to push every time."

"I just want it out of me," Bri said weakly.

"And you will get that very soon. Once the head is out it should be easier."

"Mina," Bri started, "call my parents and curse them out for me?"

"Absolutely," Mina said. "But you have to do something for me. Have this baby."

"Mina."

"Tit for tat."

"That's how I got pregnant in the first place."

Ralph set his jaw.

"Just breathe through this one," the nurse said, rubbing Bri's leg soothingly. "Are you sure you don't want to try a different position?"

"She's too tired for your fancy ass positions," Mina snapped.

"Mina," Ralph said.

"Oh, stay out of this, homeboy."

"Mina," Bri said again.

"Sorry."

The doctor was looking rapidly from one to the other as if he had no idea how to follow what was going on. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Brianna, you can reach down here and feel the baby's head if you'd like."

"No," Bri said, her head lolling from side to side.

"Okay. That's fine. Your choice."

"Sometimes that does help, sweetheart," the nurse said. "It helps you see that you're really almost – "

"I said no."

She held up her hands. "Okay. Okay."

"Can I push again?" Bri asked, drawing in a deep breath.

"Absolutely," the doctor told her. "This is all you. You do what feels right, and we are here to encourage and assist."

Ralph squeezed her hand, and he could tell by Brianna's groan turning into a gasp of relief that the head was delivered even before the doctor said so. "Great job," the older man continued. "You're almost there, Brianna. You're gonna meet him or her very soon. This is almost over."

No it wasn't, Ralph thought. This was just the beginning. He turned away, releasing Bri's hand, suddenly feeling nauseated. He barely made it to the sink before the grain bars he choked down earlier made their reappearance.

"Are you okay, Ralph?" The nurse asked, looking over at him.

"Yeah. Just…just tired, I guess." The vomit was colored pink. Was it blood? Was it the energy shot he had downed earlier? Ralph felt weak in the knees. He heard the nurse say something else, heard Brianna moan and curse, and then everything blurred together.


When Ralph opened his eyes, he found himself in a hospital bed with multiple things attached to him. Glancing up and to the left, he saw that the dull pain in his elbow was from an I.V. There was a pulse oximeter on a finger on his right hand. He couldn't remember getting into this room. But there was something – someone – entirely recognizable sitting by the bed. "Dad."

"Hey, he's awake," Walter said, a smile both of relief and affection on his face.

"Where…why?"

"You had a panic attack in the delivery room with Brianna. Do you remember that?"

He remembered he was nauseous. "I threw up. I don't remember anything after that."

"You were laying on the floor, barely conscious, and the symptoms you described were similar to those of a heart attack. The nurse asked if anyone in your family had heart problems and you cited Cabe. Then you lost consciousness. They determined – you did wake up briefly a couple times over the last hour – that you were in a severe panic episode and you were also dehydrated and sleep deprived."

"Wow." Ralph mentally analyzed himself. He felt he might be shaky if he stood up, and he had a dull headache, but other than that he was feeling normal again. "Did she have the baby? Bri, I mean."

Walter nodded. "Yes. It's a boy. Big. Eight pounds and something. They're both doing well."

Ralph nodded. "That's good."

"I haven't seen either of them," Walter said, "but that Meanie girl came out and told us."

Ralph smirked. "It's Mina."

"Aimee is here, you know. She was excited to see Tad."

Ralph wondered if he was supposed to know who Aimee was. Something about that name rang a bell. But then again, he was tired and dehydrated. "Oh, that's good. Does, uh…does Mom know I'm here?"

"She does. We didn't tell her until they diagnosed you and knew things were fine, but imagine if we'd tried to keep this from her. She'd have found out and gone all mad hen on us."

Ralph laughed. "Don't mess with her offspring."

"Exactly." Walter smiled.

"I suppose when I'm allowed to leave this room I'll have to go see them." Ralph cocked his head. "She was almost all done delivering when I passed out. I remember that."

"I guess it was just a couple of minutes after they took you out of the room. Baby was facing up, so that took a little bit longer."

Ralph wondered if that caused the longer labor or if it just made the pushing phase longer. He supposed he could ask, or look it up, but he wasn't in the mood for that at the moment. "Well, I'm glad they're both okay."

Walter nodded.

"Especially the baby. It's not his fault his mother is a witch."

Walter gave a little chuckle. "No, not at all." He glanced toward the door. "I'm supposed to tell the nurses when you're up."

Ralph moved into a sitting position, letting his legs hang off the side of the bed, his arm behind him to not disturb the I.V. "Okay."

"Hey." Walter walked up to him. "I just wanted to say something. Before other people get in here."

Ralph looked up at him. "Okay?"

Walter gave a slow nod. "I'm, uh…I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Both of us are, of course, but…"

"You have nothing to be proud of, Dad," Ralph said.

"You aren't wrong often, but look at that," he said with a smile. "I'm serious." He sat down on the bed next to Ralph and looked at him very seriously. "You were in a relationship that went bad. You got out. I know she makes you anxious. I know that was probably what caused your attack today. But you…what's that phrase Toby always uses? You keep on keeping on. I don't know if I would have had the strength to do the same, if I was in your shoes. You're brave, Ralph. You're the bravest person I've ever met. And the fact that I get to be your father – the fact that that isn't our default but a relationship that we've created for ourselves…" he trailed off. "You know that you and your mom are both the reason the I believe in love."

Ralph leaned to the side, resting his head on Walter's shoulder. His arm was still stretched out behind him, not the most comfortable position, but he didn't want to move. Walter patted his back. "I hate seeing you like this," he said quietly.

"I'll be okay," Ralph said. "I've got all of you."

"And don't you ever forget it."


Paige wasn't able to go to Ralph; they told her she needed to stay in her room, but everyone assured her that her son – her oldest – was going to be fine. That comforted her, made the tension in her spine dissipate and allowed her to focus all of her attention onto the tiny girl who had her hand resting against Paige's chest as she fed.

Paige wasn't sure she would ever get over the fact that Ralph wasn't just her child now. He was her oldest.

Amber – her youngest – looked like what she would imagine Megan might have at this age. Paige wondered if Walter had had the same thought. She wondered if Sylvester had had the same thought. Regardless, her daughter was healthy and strong and could certainly scream, and while Paige knew she would not be thrilled about that once they got her home, right now she was just relieved that the girl was projected to be discharged in the morning. I don't care if it's a boy or a girl. I just want a healthy baby, was what everyone said. Paige took that a step farther. She wanted a happy baby, even if not in perfect medical health. Megan had been sick. Megan had been one of the happiest people Paige had ever met. The fact that Amber seemed the picture of health was certainly not something Paige was going to complain about, but she would be lying if she tried to claim that the little contented sounds she'd been hearing the girl make weren't her favorite part.

Walter had told her that Brianna's baby was here, which meant that at least in the biological sense, Paige was a grandmother. She didn't feel like one. People could all life is a miracle at her all day long but that didn't make her any more thrilled about the fact that her son's abuser now had another way to keep him tied to her for the foreseeable future. The knowledge just made her feel scared, as she cuddled Amber close, as she thought about getting her home and rocking her in Veronica's chair and about curling up on the couch with Walter with the baby monitor nearby.

She was supposed to protect her children. She had nearly lost jobs, she had performed feats of near superhuman strength, and she had used her words fiercely to protect Ralph when he was growing up, and she would do the same with Amber. Everyone told her she was a good mother, and she usually believed them.

But she hadn't been able to protect her son from Brianna Schultz.