"Kate, are you Ok?"
"Is it over?"
Kate's groggy, tired eyes opened and rolled to look up at Jack, who sat at her side. Their entwined hands grasped tightly to each other, neither wanting to release their lifeline. Jack brought his other hand to wipe back a strand of hair from her sweating forehead, which only told half of how exhausted she was.
He nodded, placing a loving kiss to her forehead. "It's over. You did it, honey." He whispered.
She managed a smile, leaned back against the pillows in content. "We did it." She repeated. "We did it together. Just like you said."
Jack smiled the smile that he had not removed for the past minute.
"What did we have?" She asked tiredly.
"A little girl." Jack said, his eyes shining with the fatherhood that he had been waiting for all of eight months.
"Where is she?" Kate asked, looking around her and not hearing the cries of a baby around her like she expected. "Is she Ok?"
"It's Ok. She's fine." He assured her, watching the natural motherly instinct take her over as she looked wildly for her newborn child. "They've just taken her to be measured and weighed." Kate nodded, and with Jack's help, she managed to sit up. Immediately, her head began to spin, and Jack noticed this. "Are you alright?" He asked.
"A bit dizzy." She replied. "What happened?"
"You passed out during the end of the labour," Jack told her. "I was worried I'd lost you for a moment."
She saw the look of fear in his eyes as he admitted that. It had always been there. Even during their greatest moments, she could always notice the fear of losing her, the fear of them not being together. She didn't need to answer, as taking his hand and bringing to her lips was enough of an assurance for him.
"Why don't you sleep for a while?" He asked her. "You must be exhausted."
She shook her head firmly. "I am, but I want to see her. When are they bringing her back?"
No sooner had Kate spoken, the doors opened again, and in walked two midwives, one carring a large pink bundle in her arms. The blanket was one that her and Jack had picked out shopping, when Kate had been convinced that she was having a girl, and when they had left to clean her up, Jack had asked her to be wrapped in that blanket. Seeing that Kate was awake they smiled brightly and came over.
"Good to see that you're awake, miss." One said. "How do you feel?"
But Kate was only interested in one thing. "Is she Ok?" She asked wearily.
The midwife nodded. "You've got one very healthy daughter. Congratulations."
With that, the baby was lowered into Kate's arms. A strange electricity flowed through Kate as the finally was able to gaze upon she child that she had carried for so long. She no longer felt exhausted, as a new wave of energy engulfed her, and all she wanted to do was to cradle her new daughter for the rest of eternity. It was all very well being told that it had happened, but to look for the first time at her sleeping, peaceful baby girl was something different. Jack's arm looped around her shoulder as he sat beside her on the bed, letting a finger trace the outline of the baby's cheek.
"Jack...why did I ever worry about this?" Kate asked with tears in her eyes, stroking the downy soft hair on her head. "How could I ever think that something so perfect could go wrong?"
Jack kissed her, and gave her the answer she needed. "Motherly instinct." He smiled. Then returned his gaze to the sleeping baby. "She looks like you when she's sleeping...so peaceful...so beautiful..."
"I guess we should give her a name." Kate mused.
"What ones did we have picked?" Jack asked her.
"There's a peice of paper in my bag, it had the names lists on it." She told him, and he bent down to retrieve the peice of paper that Kate had been adding to every time she thought of one.
The sheet of paper was filled with beautiful names, but as they went through, neither of them could agree on one. Then Jack read one which brought a light to Kate's eyes. He leaned forward, and kissed the babys forehead tenderly.
"Kara Fiona Shephard." Jack whispered to her. "Love you, baby."