"Nori! Come here."

Nori walked across the hospital waiting room. "Yeah, Mama?"

"Here." Kari put his hand on her belly. "Feel right here."

Nori looked confused. "What is it?"

"It's the baby kicking."

Nori's face lit up. "That's my baby brover?" He frowned. "Why doesn't he wike me?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's kicking me. Why doesn't he wike me?"

"Oh, honey," Kari laughed, "He does like you. He's just moving around."

"He must be squished in there." Nori looked doubtfully at his mother's stomach.

"That's right. Which means he'll come out soon."

Nori thought. "How many more minutes?" he asked quizzically.

"Well, it isn't a matter of minutes. It's a matter of weeks."

"But that's a wong time!" Nori complained.

"Tell me about it," Kari muttered under her breath. She was tired of being pregnant.

"Takaishi?" called a nurse.

"That's us. Come on boys," Kari turned to TK, Tai, and Nori. "Dr. Greystone's ready."

"Please?" Tai pleaded to TK as they walked into the examination room.

"No! For the last time, we are not naming him 'Tai,' Tai!" TK argued.

"Come on!" He said.

"NO!" Kari and TK yelled as Dr. Greystone entered the room.

"Well! If you're so set on not having this appointment, then I'll leave!" Dr. Greystone pretended to be offended.

Tai turned to her. "Dr. Greystone, tell them that they should name their baby 'Tai,'"

"Why would they want to do a thing like that?" Dr. Greystone asked.

"Because it's a good, strong name, don't you think?"

Dr. Greystone shrugged. "I've heard worse."

Tai glared at her resentfully.

She didn't seem to notice. "Okay, Kari, let's take a look-see. You chaps need to leave." She waved the boys out.

"Can you believe her?" Tai asked in the hallway.

"I thought it was funny," TK said. Tai grumbled as they walked to the water tank. "Just face it, Tai. We aren't going to name the baby 'Tai.'"

"Then there'd be two Tais!" Nori giggled.

"And believe me, one is enough." TK sipped his water.

"Ha ha." Tai said sarcastically. "Tell me, wise guy. What do you plan on naming this kid, if not 'Tai?'"

"Well, Nori has an idea. Tell him, Nori."

"My brover should be named 'Winkle!'" Nori announced proudly.

Tai stared. "You're not actually considering that, are you?"

"It's better than naming him 'Tai.'"

"You'd pick 'Winkle' over 'Tai!' 'Winkle' isn't even a real name!" Tai complained as Dr. Greystone let them back into the room.

"Oh yeah it is. I have a cousin named 'Winkle.'" Dr. Greystone pointed out.

Both Tai and TK stared at the doctor. Sometimes it was hard to tell if she was joking or not.

"Okay, enough about names. We've got to talk," Dr. Greystone continued, "Now, I'm going to be leaving this month for America to visit my daughter, and I won't be back until the first or so."

"What?" Tai and TK yelled.

"How can you leave when Kari's this pregnant?" TK demanded.

"What if she goes into labor while you're away?" Tai asked.

"It's September now, and I guarantee that the baby won't be here for at least five weeks. I'll be long back by then," Dr. Greystone assured them.

Kari saw the boys' worried faces. "Dr. Greystone can't help this, guys. You heard her; I'll be fine."

The next few weeks, TK watched Kari as if she was a bomb about to explode. He watched for any sign of pain with a fearful eye. He hated to go to work, and urged Kari to take maternity leave. She reluctantly obliged.

One morning she woke up with a tight feeling in her stomach. It's just indigestion! She told herself, even though she knew it wasn't true. She carried on her morning routine as usual, leading TK to believe that everything was fine. She didn't want to worry him; he had work today! And besides, you weren't supposed to be at the hospital until contractions were five minutes apart or something, right? Hers had just started, so she would be fine until he got home from work, right?

Wrong.

Kari clutched the coffee table, breathing hard. Crap. Should've told TK about this before he left for work! I'm so stupid! Aah!

"Mama?" Nori peeked into the family room to see his mother sitting curled on the floor.

"Nori…" Kari panted, "Bring me the phone, please." Nori ran off without a word. Who to call? I need to leave NOW! Who can get here fastest? Everyone's at work and won't be able to get here in time… Of course! Someone who's not working!

"Tai?" Kari said into the handset her son brought her, "It's Kari. I'm going to need a little help…"

"Kari, thank God! Come on, we need to get out of here!" Tai rushed to help his sister up.

"Thank you so much, Tai." She struggled off the couch. "Nori! Get in the car, hurry! It's okay, honey," She added to the frightened look on Nori's face, "The baby just wants to come out, and we need to get to the hospital first. Everything will be fine."

"Less talking, more walking!" Tai ordered. Nori squished into the backseat with his two cousins, Rini and Kai, who were in car seats. Kari got in the front.

"Did you call TK?" She wanted to know.

"Yeah, he'll be here as soon as possible."

"Aaaahh!" Kari flinched. "They're getting bad!"

"Just hang in there, sis!" He skidded into the hospital entrance.

"Tai!" Joe came running up to the car.

"Here!" Tai tossed him the keys to the car. "Take the kids to the hospital's daycare!"

"Right!" They both helped Kari out of the car and Tai rushed her into the building.

"You called Joe too?" She wanted to know.

"We needed some one to take care of the kids and Joe was already here."

"I didn't even think of what we would do with the kids…" Kari admitted quietly.

"Maybe I should have been the one with the crest of Reliability!" Tai joked. "Your room's this way, Joe set it up."

"Great."

Tai helped Kari onto the bed. "Now wait here," he ordered. He walked out of the room. "HEY! We need the doctor assigned to this room in here immediately! That means NOW, for you stupid people out there! Come on, hurry it up! We're about to pop out the kid in here!"

"Tai, stop." Kari managed to huff, "Ohh… we're in trouble…" She groaned.

"No! Not yet! We're not ready yet! You stay in there!" He yelled at Kari's stomach. "Hello! We are still doctor-less in here! Come on people!" Tai was now screaming at the top of his lungs. "Is there a doctor in the house? I thought this was supposed to be a hospital! But no, it's just a Geeks-in-White convention! Yeah, you heard me!" he shouted to the doctors and nurses who had stopped to stare at him, "You're all good for nothing! I'm better off just getting a random guy off the street to deliver this kid! This is-"

Someone slapped him on the back of the head.

Tai whirled around to face a tall, tired-looking brown man.

"You," said the man, "are much too loud."

"Who are you?" Tai demanded.

The man stretched. "A very cranky doctor who has been woken up. Who are you?" His brown eyes flickered toward Tai's messy hair. "Taichi Kamiya, isn't it? Weren't you just here? Baby girl, right?"

Tai raised his eyebrows. "Uh… yeah."

"What, one in diapers wasn't enough for you?" He asked.

It took a minute for Tai to figure out what the doctor was asking. "Oh no! It's not my wife! It's my sister!"

"Who's her normal obstetrician?"

"Dr. Greystone."

The man groaned. "Not another one! She leaves, they all go into labor. I know she planned this. Nami!"

"Yes sir?" A redhead nurse who had been passing by turned around to face the doctor.

"Who's available to take on one of Greystone's patients?"

"Umm…" Nami studied her clipboard. "You are. Congratulations!"

"Are you sure? I've already done two today, and it isn't even noon yet."

"Nope. You're it. No one else can take her."

He turned to Tai. "What did you say your sister's name was?"

"Kari Takaishi."

"Hmm… I think I know her. Can you bring me her file, Nami? I'll be right with you two," he told Tai.

"Wait! You haven't even told me your name yet!"

"Oh yeah. I'm Dr. McKnight, and I'll be delivering your baby this morning. Bye." And he was gone.

Tai stood for a moment in shock. This was happening rather fast. A cry from Kari brought him back to reality. He went back into the room. "How's it goin', sis?"

"Peachy," she said through clenched teeth, "What's happening?"

"I got you a doctor, Dr. Mc… Mc…"

"Knight?" She finished.

"I was going to say Donald's, but I think you're right. How do you know?"

"He helped deliver Nori."

"How do you remember things like that?"

"I pay attention, Tai."

"Hmm. I'll have to try that sometime."

"Gah!" said Kari as pain shot through her abdomen, "Where is that doctor?"

"I'm right here," answered Dr. McKnight, "Don't panic."

"Oh, thank God!" Kari breathed.

"I've been looking at your file. Now it's time to take a look at you."

Dr. McKnight examined Kari.

"Good heavens woman!" he exclaimed, "Why on earth didn't you get here sooner? We need to move to delivery right away!"

"Now?"

"Yes! You're almost fully dilated and ready to push."

"Uh, okay." Kari had known that she was very far in her labor, but that didn't stop it from being shocking that the baby was coming so soon. It all seemed so sudden.

"Take it easy, sis. You can do this."

"Wait! What about TK? He needs to be here!"

"There's no time." Dr. McKnight was unhooking the bed from the wall. "We need to leave."

Kari still couldn't get her mind off TK. How was she going to make it without him there? She was going to deliver a baby! She needed her husband.

"Breathe, Kari! Breathe!" Kari was still lying helplessly on the bed in shock. Tai coached her through her breathing exercises as the bed was wheeled down the hall by running nurses.

But TK! What about TK?

"Kari! Stay with me, girl! Do your breathing!" Tai was yelling at her now, trying to keep her attention as they rushed down the hall to the delivery room.

Unfortunately, there was only one thing on her mind.

"Kari, listen to me!" Tai got right in Kari's face, a hard thing to do when you're running down a hospital hall. "Forget TK! You'll be fine. You have to do this. Your new son is counting on you!"

Tai is right, Kari realized, TK isn't here, and I can be strong and do it myself. I have to, for our unborn son. "Okay!" She said as she was wheeled into the delivery room. "Let's do it!"

"All right!" Tai punched the air happily.

"Well, this is it," Dr. McKnight said, "Next contraction, start pushing."

Kari nodded and braced herself. Tai stood next to her and held her hand.

"Okay, Kari, get ready. You can do this."

Kari looked up at him. "Tai, thank you so much for everything. Once this is over, I don't care what TK says, we're naming the baby after you."

Tai did a mental victory dance, but didn't let on that he was happy. This wasn't the time.

"Ooo, here we go!" Kari said through clenched teeth.

"Wait! Wait!" TK came running through the door, short of breath, "I'm here! I made it!"

"TK!" Kari tried to smile, but she was in the middle of a contraction and her teeth were still clenched, so her smile looked more like a grimace.

"Hello, Dad. Glad you could make it," Dr. McKnight said.

"Yeah, so am I," TK agreed, "I almost got pulled over speeding to the hospital until-"

"Uh, hello? The baby's coming!" Tai interrupted. "Can we save the greetings for later?"

"Right," TK said uneasily, "Sorry." He positioned himself where Dr. McKnight told him to stand, and the pushing commenced.

"Come on, honey, you're doing great. It's coming!"

"Good job, Kari, good job, keep it up," Tai urged.

"Almost there! Almost there!"

The head was almost all the way out. Blonde hair matted down against a red head. Eyelids squeezed shut and the baby let out his first wail.

"You hear that, Kari?" Tai shouted eagerly, "The hardest part's over!"

This time Kari actually smiled and wiped the sweat out of her eyes.

"Give us one more push, girl!" Dr. McKnight requested.

Kari clenched one last time and strained.

"Perfect! We have a baby!" Dr. McKnight pulled the infant out and let TK cut the umbilical cord.

TK beamed. "Wonderful, Kari! We have two kids!"

"Yes, congratulations," Said Dr. McKnight, "Now let's get her cleaned up."

The room went silent. "What did you just say?"