Something Good


"Right now?" Thea asked Jude.

"Yes, right now." Jude said, "Either that or I've just… peed my pants." She said.

"Are you ok?" Punk stood up with concern.

"I'm three weeks away from my due date." Jude worried, "Why is it not painful? Nothing feels like it's happening." She panicked, placing her hand on her pregnant tummy, "Someone needs to call Sean." She panicked.

"Ok, you just need to calm down." Thea nodded.

"We're in the right place." Punk reminded her.

"What if there's something wrong? I'm not due for another three weeks." She panicked.

"Babies come early sometimes." Thea assured her sister, "We have to get a doctor and… get you to a room. Dad, stay with her. I'll go get someone." She ran out of the room as Punk looked on at Jude who was standing, frightened to move.

"You can move, it's ok." Punk assured her as she shook her head, frozen with fear almost, "Jude, look at me." He said as she looked at him, "It's gonna be ok. Three weeks early isn't… it's not that bad. Babies can come early."

"Not that early." Jude panicked, "What if it's there's something wrong?" She said, "Why is there no pain?" She worried, "Huh? Am I not supposed to feel pain?"

"Not immediately, no." Punk shook his head, "It'll… it'll start coming gradually." Punk nodded. This was definitely the type of thing that AJ was good with. The advice thing. He was just winging it, doing his best to keep his daughter calm.

"I don't even feel any movement, though. Isn't that bad?" Jude asked.

"No, Jude… just take a deep breath." He nodded, watching her take short, fast breaths, "No, a deep breath, nice and slow." He said as she gulped, taking in a deep breath as he noticed she wasn't breathing out, "And breathe out." He alerted her.

"I'm scared." Jude gasped out as Punk sighed to himself.

"Come on, you can do this." Punk nodded, "You're gonna be fine. So is the baby." He said, "Let's walk out here." He said, taking her hand as she refused to move, "Jude, you have to move." He insisted.

"What if it starts coming out?" Jude whispered as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Even I know that isn't possible." Punk said, "Come on." He guided her out of the room into the hospital corridor.

"Are you ok?" Cassie asked with concern.

"I don't know." Jude cried whilst Thea came running down the corridor with a doctor.

"I'll stay with mom. You go with Jude." Cassie told Punk who nodded.

"Ok." Punk said, watching Cassie walk into AJ's room.

"Jude, this is Doctor Long, she's gonna take you up to the maternity floor." Thea ran back to Jude with a doctor.

"Ok. Ok. I… I don't feel anything happening." Jude told the doctor immediately.

"That's ok, honey. Just come walk with me and we'll get you upstairs." The doctor nodded, taking Jude's hand.

"Can my dad and sister come?" Jude asked the doctor.

"Of course they can." Doctor Long nodded to Thea and Punk who trailed behind.

"Have you called Sean?" Punk asked Thea.

"Yes." Thea said, "He's on his way. I'll be civil with you for Jude's sake right now." She told him as Punk looked at her, "But I am still so mad at you." She made clear, walking ahead and catching up with Jude to help her sister whilst Punk followed behind.


"Where is Sean?" Jude asked worriedly, sitting up in the hospital bed some time later, hooked up to the machines with Thea and Punk in her room.

"He said he was on his way but... that there was some traffic." Thea nodded, brushing her sister's hair out of her face as Jude swatted her hand away.

"Stop… touching me." Jude said with agitation as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"How we feeling, Jude?" Jude's official doctor came into the room, Louise.

"We're feeling pain." Jude nodded to her.

"I hate to say but that's perfectly normal." Louise nodded, "I have it down here you're doing a natural birth. No drugs?" She asked as Jude nodded.

"You're psychotic." Thea whispered to her sister who ignored her.

"Ok, we'll go with what you wish." Louise nodded, feeling around Jude's stomach, a look of concern striking her.

"What?" Jude looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"I think… she's upside down." Louise felt around.

"Why is she upside down? What's wrong with her?" Jude panicked.

"Nothing is wrong with her." Louise assured her, "She's just positioned differently. Hopefully by the time you're ready to deliver she'll have turned around."

"And what if she doesn't?" Jude asked.

"We'll discuss that when we come to it." Louise said, "You're doing good. I'll come back to check on you soon." She nodded, walking out of the room as Jude sighed to herself.

"Why is she upside down?" Jude shook her head, poking her stomach, "She's a dummy."

"Jude." Thea scoffed as Punk just chuckled to himself.

"What? She is." Jude huffed, "Why would any woman want to do this? Voluntarily?" She snapped at her sister.

"Don't look at me. My two kids weren't planned." Thea scoffed as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Were we planned?" Jude asked Punk.

"Well I wasn't." Thea scoffed, already knowing that.

"No. Cassie was planned, though." Punk nodded to them.

"Who would voluntarily plan for this? I don't get it." Jude rolled her head back dramatically.

"I bet you won't be saying that when you get to meet her." Punk nodded.

"You're about to have a contraction." Thea noticed on the monitor.

"What? No, I don't like them." Jude shook her head, closing her eyes and screwing her face up as she felt the contraction.

"I can just… wait outside." Punk nodded awkwardly, standing up from the chair. He didn't enjoy seeing his daughter in distress and he really felt out of place in the room.

"No, sit!" Jude ordered as Punk got a fright, "I am already down a mom, and apparently a boyfriend too… just stay here." She warned her father as Punk looked at her. He could sense how much she needed him by the tone of her voice.

"Ok. Ok, I won't go." Punk assured her, walking back over to the bed side.

"Can I get you anything?" Thea asked Jude.

"More ice chips." Jude nodded.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Ok, I'll be back in a minute." She said, taking the empty cup and walking out of the room to get more ice whilst Punk sat by the bed.

"You're doing real good." Punk nodded, rubbing Jude's arm softly.

"I thought mom would be here for this." Jude shook her head stressfully.

"I wish she was." Punk nodded.

"If Sean doesn't make it in time then you're next in line." Jude said.

"You don't want Thea?" Punk asked.

"No… no, she fusses too much and keeps touching my hair." Jude shook her head angrily.

"I mean I… I don't know, it's been a while since-"

"Oh, dad just shut up." Jude shook her head, "I'm not giving you the choice." She said as Punk smiled a little, "Is something amusing to you right now?" She wondered angrily.

"I… I never normally notice you like your mom but… I can see it right now." He admitted fondly as Jude smiled a little.

"Yeah she says we're all her when we're angry." Jude nodded as Punk smiled, "I really hope she gets to meet her." She sighed to herself worriedly.

"She will." Punk nodded, "And I can't wait to tell her how good you did." He said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, don't speak too soon." Jude advised as he smiled.

"You got this in the bag, kid." Punk nodded confidently.


"Where is she? Did I miss it?" Sean ran down the corridor as Thea was sitting waiting outside.

"That room there." Thea pointed as Sean burst in the door, pausing as he saw Jude sitting up in the bed, with a moving bundle in her arms, visible little hands sticking up from beyond the blanket.

"Oh my God." He whispered to himself, walking over whilst Punk stood up and backed up to give them some space.

"Hey." Jude smiled, so glad to see him, "I had a… bit of a busy day." She admitted as Sean raised his eyebrows, getting a glimpse of his newborn daughter who had arrived safely and healthily, not too long ago.

"She's so perfect." Sean shook his head, "And small." He laughed a little, "Look at her little hands." He pointed.

"Yeah her hands are my favourite." Jude laughed a little as Sean leaned down and kissed her softly.

Punk smiled to himself, leaving the room quietly to give them some alone time with their new arrival, stepping out of the room where he saw Thea sitting.

"Hey." Punk said as she looked up at him, "You still mad at me?"

"Yes." Thea nodded as Punk sat down beside her.

"I'm not good at this stuff, Thea. At least not without your mom." Punk shook his head, "And I'm scared, and I'm trying not to show you girls that I'm scared, which I think is… just making it worse cause I'm pretending that everything is fine." He said as Thea looked at him, "I'm not… the responsible parent, I don't give the good advice, I don't have… patience and… understanding like your mom does." He said.

"Yes you do, dad." Thea shook her head, "You just need to find it. If not for yourself then for mom. She's gonna wake up and when she finds out you've been cursing out doctors and flipping out on everyone, she'll beat your ass." She shook her head as Punk laughed a little.

"She will and I'm… I'm so looking forward to it." Punk nodded, "Is it bad that I'd give anything to hear her yell at me." He shook his head, "Or… I'd give anything just to hear her, period." He said.

"Yeah, I know." Thea sighed, "At least when she wakes up she'll get to meet her new granddaughter."

"Yeah." Punk smiled, "I should go let Cassie know." He said.

"And you should go apologise to mom's doctor, who is doing everything he can to help her." Thea looked at him sternly as Punk nodded to himself.

"I'll do that on my way there." Punk assured her, "I apologise for speaking to you the way I did. I… I didn't mean it, I'm just… finding this difficult."

"I know. We all are." Thea assured him, "But don't take it out on us." She shook her head as he nodded.

"I won't. I'm sorry." He said as she just nodded.

"Go on. Go tell Cassie the good news." She smiled as Punk nodded to her.

Punk left the maternity unit and headed back down to the floor AJ was on. It had been a chaotic few hours but being able to witness his granddaughter being born had definitely lifted his spirits. Jude had don terrifically and the baby girl was healthy.

He walked down the ICU, noticing AJ's doctor standing as he approached him, "Hey… could I talk to you for a second?" Punk asked him as Paul nodded wearily.

"Is everything ok? I heard your daughter was having a baby." Paul said.

"Yeah… yeah, she had a baby girl not too long ago." Punk nodded proudly.

"Congratulations." Paul smiled as Punk nodded.

"I owe you an apology." Punk said, "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. You're doing your best to help my wife, and I am… so grateful to you and everyone else who is helping her. I just… I snapped and… well there's no excuse for how I spoke to you so I'm just gonna say I'm sorry." He nodded.

"It's alright." Paul nodded, "I understand this is a very hard time for you." He said, "Your wife is stable again for now. Stable might be a word that doesn't mean much to you right now but… stable for what has happened to her is very good." He made clear as Punk nodded.

"Thank you." Punk said as Paul nodded, walking off down the corridor as Punk headed down to AJ's room, walking on in where Cassie was sitting with AJ.

"Hey." Cassie stood up.

"Hey." Punk smiled, "You got a really perfect niece if you wanna go meet her." He said as Cassie raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"She's here?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, she's here. Her and Jude are doing great." Punk nodded.

"Oh my God." Cassie smiled, "Will you be ok here if I go up and see them?" Cassie asked.

"Of course. Go ahead." Punk smiled, watching as Cassie rushed out of the room to go meet her new baby niece and check on her sister.

Punk walked over to AJ's bed side, sitting down on the chair and taking her hand, "Ape, we got another grandkid." He smiled, looking on at AJ, "And she's beautiful." Punk said, "And Jude bossed the whole thing." He nodded, holding her hand tightly, "Her name is Mirren. And Jude and Sean tossed your name into the mix too for her middle name." He smiled, "I know you're gonna be stoked about that." He said, kissing her hand, sitting in the quiet room with her as the machines bleeped around her.