A/N: So this is the part I really wanted to write and even though it's shorter than my previous chapters, I feel like it deserved its own chapter. I hope you like it.

Weeks pass by and Donna enjoys her free time by going to prenatal yoga, catching up with old friends and reading up on all things newborn. Her pregnancy has been easy-going so far but now that there is less space for the baby to move around, Donna is starting to feel uncomfortable. Every kick seems to be against her ribs or her bladder and her bump looks huge on her slender body.

When Donna comes home from yoga one night and her discomfort seems to be greater than before, she decides that taking a hot bath will help her and the baby to relax.

It doesn't help. The hot water feels amazing on her skin and soothes her aching bones but something just doesn't feel quite right.

Afterwards she puts on a pair of fluffy pyjamas and decides to have an early night. She gets as comfortable as she can in bed and wishes not for the first time that Harvey was there to calm her worries. She knows she could call him but there's really nothing he could do.

Her hand rubs against the spot where her daughter is making the taut skin of her belly bulge and she drifts off into a dreamless sleep shortly after.

Donna still feels strange when she wakes up the next morning. Nothing has really changed except for the fact that there is an occasional twinge in her lower abdomen.

She prepares breakfast and replies to Harvey's message asking her if she is free for dinner tonight with an enthusiastic 'yes, please' and goes about her day.

When those occasional twinges start happening more frequently and on a semi-regular basis she has to admit to herself that they feel more like Braxton-Hicks contractions and she groans internally. She still has a few more weeks to go and she had hoped that she could enjoy them pain-free.

Around midday, Donna starts worrying about their intensity. She can't really tell if that's what false labour feels like but she doesn't see any babies shooting out of her so she continues cooking.

An hour later though, she is pacing around her living room. She can't pretend that the contractions aren't steadily getting worse and she decides to call Harvey. To her dismay, he doesn't pick up, so she decides to leave a voicemail. He is probably just in a meeting with a client and will call her back right after.

But he doesn't call back, and the contractions intensify. She's been taking notes of the frequency of her contractions and they're coming faster and faster. They no longer feel like a mild stitch that comes and goes and eventually she has to admit to herself that this is real labour.

"Harvey, it's been hours and this is my third voicemail already. I need you to come over and either calm me down or drive me to the hospital because my contractions are getting worse. Call me back as soon as you get this."

Harvey leaves the meeting in a good mood. It dragged on longer than he had anticipated but he is confident that they managed to find a way to avoid going to trial. Back in his office, he sees paperwork Gretchen left for him and is about to dive into it when he remembers that he asked Donna if she wanted to grab dinner tonight.

He checks his phone and notices five missed voicemails from Donna. The amount is worrying considering that she rarely ever leaves voice messages and he decides to call her back right away.

"Donna, what is it?"

"Harvey, where the fuck have you been?" She sounds angry, so much so that her voice is quavering.

"I was in a meeting with a client. I just got back and saw your calls," his voice is latched with concern. "What's going on?"

"Harvey, you need to come to the hospital right now. I've been trying to get hold of you for hours!" She replies urgently, there is a beat, and then her voice breaks like ice. "I'm in labour and... something is wrong. My OB said the umbilical cord dropped and is now trapped against the baby's body."

"What? Donna–" His brain short-circuits, not quite processing what she's just told him. It's too early for her to give birth. She is only 36 weeks pregnant and the baby is measuring small. They had seen her OBGYN just a couple of days ago and she had told them that it's something to watch but not to worry about. He thought they had a few more weeks.

"They are going to try to do a somersault delivery because the baby is in distress but if it doesn't work they're going to take me up to the OR to perform an emergency c-section," Donna's voice cracks. She sounds scared shitless, and Donna never sounds like that. She always reassures everyone and tells them that things are going to turn out alright, but right now she just needs him to be there for her and give her some guidance and reassurance.

He feels adrenaline wash through his whole body, his senses sharpen and he literally jumps into action. Frantically, he closes his laptop and fumbles with the contract that is lying on his desk.

"Donna." He shoves the papers blindly into a drawer and gets up. He pushes the glass door open and starts striding towards the elevators in a hurry. The thought of letting people know why he is leaving doesn't even cross his mind. His every thought is directed at Donna and their baby alone.

Phone wedged between his ear and shoulder, he presses the elevator button repeatedly. When he hears Donna groan and shift, but doesn't get a reply, he repeats her name.

"Donna. Listen. Listen to me." The doors of the elevator finally open and he steps inside. "I'm on my way. I'll be there in less than 20 minutes so just hold on. Do whatever they recommend to keep her safe." And you too, his mind adds.

His heart is beating out of his chest and he can't remember having felt this scared ever before. There is chatter, and he thinks it's good she and the baby are getting the care and attention they need; but then he hears Donna sob and he just wants to calm her nerves, "Donna, just breathe, it'll be okay." He doesn't know why he says it, he doesn't know anything. The thought of anything happening to either of them is unbearable though, he just wants to be there for Donna, and reassurance is what she needs right now. He knows her now, knows how helpless she is against her own ugly thoughts sometimes.

The elevator finally arrives on the ground floor and he steps out of it, almost running out of the firm to hail a cab.

Donna sounds so unlike herself when she inhales sharply and he can hear the pain in her voice, "Hurry up, please."

Harvey pays the cab driver extra money to drive faster and yet it still takes forever for him to arrive at the hospital.

His eyes land on hers at last. She is propped up on a hospital bed. From the looks of it, she is just about to get wheeled out of the room. There is a nurse who is preparing everything so they can leave shortly.

"Donna," he breathes.

His movements stop but his heart carries on beating frantically in his chest. She looks up at him; her skin pale, her hair a mess and a little grimace around her mouth and eyes. It makes him swallow, seeing her attached to all those tubes and cables around her. He tells the nurse that he is the baby's father and she lets him step closer.

"What happened? Everything was fine last night." He reaches out to her then, unable to reign himself in. Donna allows the contact, their fingertips brushing against one another.

"I've had contractions all morning but I thought they were Braxton-Hicks until they started coming faster and more regularly. I tried to reach you but you were unavailable, so I went to the hospital." She chokes on her next words. "They gave me an epidural and noticed a change in the fetal heart rate. It started decelerating so they tried to relieve the pressure of the cord by pushing her head to the side towards my thigh but it didn't work. Her heart rate dropped even more in the last 20 minutes and they're going to take me up to surgery for delivery now."

"Shit."

"Harvey…" Her voice is wobbly, yet strong and desperate for something, anything, as a new contraction washes over her.

He swallows hard and lets his fingers glide over hers, softly rubbing his thumb over the skin next to where a needle is penetrating a vein. He gently intertwines them and brings her hand to his lips, kissing it almost absently.

"Everything is going to be just fine. They are going to take good care of you." Harvey puts his other hand on her belly. He cocks his head to the side and gives her a reassuring smile.

Donna's eyes are glassy and she looks incredibly scared. "I'm so afraid that she won't be okay. She's too small."

Tears are threatening to spill over now and all he can do is squeeze her hand.

"She will be. No doubt about it. Before you know it, you'll be blowing raspberries on her belly and she'll be playing with your hair."

He swallows down the way he wants to tell her they are going to be a family and that he loves her. He doesn't understand it himself, but he has a feeling she might know it anyway by the way she is looking at him.

The nurse asks Donna if she wants Harvey to be present during her c-section and Donna says yes before even asking him. Their hands are still interlocked and he is glad. He doesn't think he could let Donna do this on her own. He feels useless already, like he is failing at keeping his daughter safe before she is even born.

Everything that happens in the next hour is a blur. While they are preparing Donna for surgery, he changes into scrubs and puts on overshoes. His heart is still beating frantically in his chest; this time though, it's more about the fact that Donna and he are going to be parents in a matter of minutes.

He is right by her side, when the surgeon cuts the umbilical cord and places an impossibly tiny human being on Donna's chest for skin-to-skin contact. He is right there, when Donna cries and smiles and lets out a laugh of relief, and he is right next to her when the baby's tiny hand wraps around Donna's finger and their eyes meet for the first time. It's overwhelming, surreal and the most exhilarating thing that he has ever felt.

But it's when Donna looks at him with shining eyes and the most blissful smile on her lips, that he finally understands that this might not have been the way he imagined to become a father, but that this, they, are everything.

And everything works out the way it's supposed to.

It changes him in ways he never thought it would.

Amelia Specter arrives 4 weeks early but she is just fine. She measures small (18 inches and 5.6 lbs) but she has ten fingers and ten toes and is absolutely perfect in the eyes of her parents.

Harvey makes a few calls some time after the birth to inform family and friends of the turn of events. Afterwards, he settles down on a chair in front of the hospital bed where Donna is sleeping.

She stirs soon after, the adrenaline and regional anaesthesia still fighting for control of her body.

"Hey sleepyhead," he greets her softly.

"What are you so smiley about?" Donna asks, her voice deep and sleep-laden.

"I just called my father."

"That's good. What did Gordon say?"

"He is so happy." Harvey chuckles. "He told me that he is proud of me and to not mess this up." He keeps it to himself that his father asked him when he can expect to receive a wedding invitation. Gordon told him not to waste any more time, to recognise how lucky he is and to finally make Donna an honest woman. His father loves Donna, he's always known that, but he had never expressed his opinion about the two of them so openly.

"You better not. This is my daughter we are talking about!"

"Our daughter."

"Indeed she is." He can't stop the smile that spreads across his face, the skin around his eyes crinkling. Donna smiles back at him and it's the most endearing thing. She looks exhausted beyond a doubt, but it's the way her eyes sparkle and the way her cheeks flush slightly that make him think that things feel right and complete with her.

"I think he wasn't just talking about her," he admits.

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't want me to mess this up. Us."

Donna nods. It's one of her biggest fears as well. Things between them are as blurry as things can get but it might only be a matter of time before Harvey moves on with another woman and she is on her own again. She pushes the thought of them, them as a family, far back. It would be foolish to slip into a relationship now thinking that everything's changed and that Harvey is suddenly emotionally ready for her. They are going to be in each other's lives for the foreseeable future and she has to be smart about this.

"I won't let you mess it up. So far we're doing great." She sounds determined. He wants to believe her and he makes a silent promise to himself to always do right by her. Family is too important to chance messing it up. He knows that better than anyone.

"Good." He gives her one of his boyish smiles and admits, "I called your parents too."

"Did you really?" She sounds surprised.

"Hey, anything for the mother of my child. You were pretty out of it there for a while."

She gives him a weary smile, "Said mother is recovering from surgery."

"I know." He wants to add a joke but thinks better of it, "You know, you were pretty amazing in there."

His compliment is raw and holds nothing of his usual cockiness. Donna feels her eyes well up and her hand almost reaches for his arm again. He'd held her throughout the entire c-section; never once letting go of her arms and her shoulders. It's ironic how easily she got addicted to his touch after making a point of keeping a physical distance as best as she could in recent months.

"I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life. Thank you for being here. I couldn't have done any of this without you." The words force themselves up and she's so far past caring at this point. She just needs him to know.

"Donna, I was useless in there–"

"You weren't," she interrupts him, "It was so cold in that OR but you held me and made sure I was alright the whole time."

Her tears are threatening to spill over and when they do, he reaches forward with his hand and wipes them away with his thumb. Then, he covers her hand with his, gently letting their fingers glide against one another until they intertwine like it's the most normal thing for them to do. They might have a shot at something that isn't doomed and he tightens his grip on her.

She just went through something scary and huge and she let him be a part of it. Now, she needs someone to lean on, someone to hold her, too. The realisation makes him grow up in turn.

"We're in this together, alright? All three of us."

"I'm so glad Amelia is okay," Donna sniffles. Thankfully there hadn't been any more complications. And while she looks tiny and delicate, she's got strong lungs and latches on even stronger on her mother's breasts.

After a moment she pulls herself together, too afraid to let the moment linger and fall for him even more.

"So, what did my parents say? I should've thought to call them myself."

"Clara wasn't impressed with our daughter's timing but she said she's going to take a trip to New York on the weekend for some cuddles, and Jim said—"

He continues telling her about what her parents said but soon notices how Donna winces when she shifts. "Hey, what is it?"

"It's fine, it's nothing," she dismisses him but her forced smile doesn't convince him.

"Donna. Let me try to help?"

"Fine, could you hand me a glass of water and the painkillers Dr. Lindley left on the table?"

Harvey hands them to her and tells her to get some sleep before the nurse brings back Amelia for nursing. She doesn't protest and falls asleep moments later. Harvey watches her deep in thought.

Donna has to stay in hospital for four days after the c-section. She really wants to go home but she knows she can't yet care for the baby on her own. The incision is healing nicely but she isn't allowed to lift anything heavier than her baby, so she isn't under any illusions. She is going to need help, and she is going to need someone to stay at her place. It's not the way she envisioned the birth going and adjusting her plans is a challenge.

"Donna, you know as well as I do that it has to be me."

"No, I can't ask that of you. You have work, the firm…" She finds the idea of Harvey staying at her place more terrifying than she wants to admit. He is causing enough trouble as it is, being attentive, helpful and anticipating her needs. Clara can't stay with her, she knows that, but she had still hoped that her mom would offer to help her out when she had visited them two days ago. Everyone has their own responsibilities and Harvey is right, he is Amelia's father after all.

"I'll get it sorted. I already talked to Jessica."

He looks at her with those puppy eyes and she tries one more time.

"Isn't this going to—"

"Going to what?" He sounds curious.

"Nothing." Donna shakes her head and looks down at Amelia who is nursing peacefully in her arms. Their lines are blurry anyway and she needs the help.

"Donna," he pauses and waits until she looks up at him. "I want to be there for you and Amelia. I've never cared for anyone but I want to do this."

Her eyes search his ones for the umpteenth time. The change in his behaviour is so obvious, she can't help but stare in disbelief at times.

"When did you become so good at this?" She sniffles.

He shrugs. "I did some reading. Makes it less terrifying and more real." His arm darts out again and gives hers a squeeze. "I told you we're in this together."

And that's that.

If Donna is honest with herself it feels like things are falling into place. Harvey is becoming the man she's always known he could be and it's fascinating to watch.

A/N: Who's soft now? I know I am. Reviews are always appreciated. xx