TW: Mentions of miscarriage
And Hope Makes Three (Jack/Katherine)
They had been trying forever.
The two had been married since they were twenty, and after a year of marriage they wanted a family. But their efforts for the past two years had proved unsuccessful. And even if they got news that they had succeeded, Katherine would miscarry a few weeks later.
"We just have to keep trying, Ace." Jack reassured her. "We can't give up just yet."
But Katherine wasn't convinced. Even the mention of a baby got her emotional at this point, because it just reminded her of the futile attempts that her and Jack had had.
After learning that Race and his wife were expecting a baby, she burst into tears, but played it off as happiness. In reality, it was painful. It was heart-wrenching, actually, to see that friends were moving ahead in life while her and Jack were stuck like a lamp post to the corner of a sidewalk. After every failed attempt or miscarriage, Katherine would cry in her office. All she wanted was a baby girl or boy to hold in her arms.
Katherine sat with her back to her office door one day in October, shirt sleeves stained with her tears. Race's baby had been born the day before, but she had avoided going to prevent crying in the hospital.
"Ace? You still in there?" Jack asked, knocking on the door.
Sniffling, Katherine stood up and opened the door. "Hi Jackie." She said meekly, trying to wipe the remainder of her tears away with her sleeve. "How's it?"
"The baby's a girl. They're naming her Rosalyn. After Race's mother, apparently. And they've deemed us the godparents." Jack said. He brought Katherine out to the living room and sat her down on the couch.
"Jackā¦" she sighed, "I have a feeling we'll never have kids. I mean, we've had several fruitless attempts, and in the three times I was actually pregnant, we lost the baby a few weeks later! We might as well quit trying at this point!"
Her husband looked at her, dumbfounded. Katherine giving up? That was almost unheard of, considering how confident and strong-willed she was.
Jack steeled his determination and put his hands on her shoulders. "Katherine. We may have lost our baby, but I haven't lost hope. And I don't want for you to lose hope too. I know that you want a baby, and I do too, but we can't give up!"
Hearing the fortitude in his voice, Katherine flashed Jack a smile. "Okay. We'll keep trying."
Approximately a year later, Jack was pacing in a hospital waiting room. Katherine was in labor, and, in a matter of time, there would be another soul in the world that would receive unconditional love.
It had been three hours, and Jack was pulling his own hair out from the stress. What if something went wrong, he asked himself over and over again. What if Katherine or the baby or both of them didn't make it? All sorts of thoughts were running through his head as the minutes ticked by.
Eventually, a ginger-haired nurse poked her head out of the door and called, "Mr. Kelly?"
At that, Jack stood up immediately and entered the room.
Katherine was sitting up on the hospital bed, visibly exhausted but with a broad smile across her face. In her arms, there was a small bundle of blankets.
Jack slowly approached the bedside and pushed some of the blankets aside, revealing the baby's face. A large crop of black hair sat atop their head, and a charming set of chocolate-brown eyes were shining in the lights.
"It's a boy, Jack. What do you want to name him?" Katherine asked, glancing up at her husband.
Jack had to bite his tongue for a moment to prevent himself from crying right then and there. He had a son. He was officially a father. And the love of his life was also alive and well. All his fears had been erased in those few moments.
"Angus." Jack said. "After my grandfather." The name seemed to have a nice ring to it in his opinion.
"That sounds nice." Katherine commented. "Maybe his middle name can be Joseph, after my father."
Jack hesitated before answering. Angus Joseph Kelly. He thought to himself. It actually sounded really good. He smiled at Katherine and said, "Sure."
Through all this, Katherine was beaming. It had finally happened. They were finally a family. Mother, father and son. Jack, Katherine and Angus. Maybe, she thought to herself, maybe hope is real after all. And maybe all you have to do is pray and keep trying.
