Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

Author's Note: It is with great regret that I have to make the announcement that I have lost any and all motivation to continue this story. And so, this chapter will be the last chapter – a summary of what would have been – and perhaps one day I will return to finish it off.

Enjoy.

The birth:

Jordan was Heidi's labour buddy. It certainly wasn't by choice, but with Lexie several hours away, he had to make do. Heidi in labour was certainly an experience for them all. Anyone that thought Heidi had a temper and a bad mouth hadn't met a Heidi in labour yet.

For all the pain she was in, Heidi was horrified to discover that birth was still a long way off. (Meanwhile at the auction, the rest of the Rescue team is itching to leave, but know they can't leave just yet. With three gone, they needed to represent their station. When Jordan's name is called out by the MC, there was a collective sigh from the ladies when it was revealed that he was no longer available.)

Twelve hours into labour, Heidi has a minor freak out when she thinks about the fact that she was going to be a mother soon. Very soon. In her experience, kids and her had an interesting relationship: whilst the youngsters wouldn't bawl their eyes out at the sight of her, they weren't exactly queuing up for hugs either.

Twelve hours after that and Heidi was thinking that this would never end. On all fours, she rested her head against Jordan's shoulder as she cried out loudly through the pain. "I'm not ready for this," she sobbed. Jordan smoothed her sweaty hair and made soothing sounds which she could barely hear as she screamed through another contraction.

Two hours after that – 26 hours after she'd felt that first twinge at the auction – Piper Jett Wilson was born… and all Heidi's fears about being a good mother seemed to fade away. She found tears running down her cheeks, and turning to Jordan, she found she wasn't the only one. It felt perfectly natural, and so she kissed him.

At home:

At home three days after Piper – PJ as she had decided to call her little baby girl – was born, Heidi lamented the lack of sleep and hospital help. She missed the calming voice of her favourite nurse Gayle and the laundry service. Who ever knew that babies needed so much junk?

The baby asleep, Heidi seized the moment and sat down herself. She grinned as she remembered the first time Chase had arrived at the hospital to visit them. He'd walked in on her pumping breast milk and turned around, leaving just as quickly as he had arrived. A freshly showered Jordan had entered the room after with a confused look on his face and then realised why his mate had done a runner. "Hi."

Hearing PJ's very familiar cries, Heidi rose with a sigh.

Piper Jett Wilson cried. A lot. She wouldn't settle in anybody's arms except Jordan's. (It bugged her to no end, and more than once Heidi'd made an early morning phone call to beg for him to come over and settle her daughter.) Being a single mother was hard, very hard, and Heidi felt she was a zombie.

Walking with the squalling PJ later that night, she counted the days (years? decades? centuries?) until her daughter would sleep through the night. Having a child was not exactly how she'd anticipated it. Sitting in the lounge room at 2am in the morning with a PJ nursing wasn't exactly how she'd visualised motherhood either. Propping the drowsy – finally! – baby on her knee, Heidi proceeded to burp her, yawning widely.

Six weeks later:

Heidi bid all celebrity mothers to hell.

How did they make pregnancy look glamorous? How did they snap back into shape less than six weeks after giving birth and then parade down the bloody catwalk looking stunning? Six weeks after PJ was born as she was nowhere near getting her bikini body back. She reckoned it might be a few centuries and only with some seriously advanced medical intervention that those stretch marks might disappear.

And breastfeeding? She was all for it – and it was every three bloody hours like clockwork – but there was no way in hell she was going to do it in public if she could avoid it. Her boobs were twice their usual size – not really, but they sure felt like it – and she was producing way too much milk.

PJ still cried a lot, but then something happened that made Heidi swear she would never complain about that sound ever again.

Kidnapped:

On a visit to the station after she'd taken Piper for her three month medical check up, Heidi propped up PJ on her knee as she spoke with Lara. "You know what you should do?" gushed the blonde woman. "Sign up Piper at one of those baby modelling agencies."

Heidi pulled a face before tilting her face to look into her daughter's. "What do you reckon about that spud?" PJ let out a cry and rubbed at her runny nose. "My thoughts exactly," laughed the redhead as she automatically jostled her knee and reached for a tissue.

Two nights later, Lara and Dean on babysitting duties, Jordan took Heidi out for dinner. Dessert finished, standing outside the restaurant, Heidi suddenly felt awkward as Jordan looked at her intensely. Whatever might have happened never did as Jordan's phone ringing shattered the moment. Heidi's annoyance disappeared instantly as she realised it was a frantic Dean calling.

PJ was missing.

Twenty four hours later and Heidi was struggling to cope. They'd hit numerous dead ends and all Heidi could think about was the fact that she wasn't going to be able to go on if anything happened to her baby girl. Her breasts were also hurting painfully.

They finally got a lead and the team dashed from the station. Vince held her back when she tried to go with them, and Jordan had come back long enough to promise her that he would find her. He'd sealed his promise with a kiss.

When Chase spoke over the radio not long after that they were outside the house of Amanda Sydney, (Amanda Sydney – having never recovered fully from losing her child – had kidnapped Heidi's daughter.) Heidi didn't care what Vince said, she was going. He caught up with her easily and drove them there himself.

Amanda had lost her grip on reality, waving a gun around as she threatened to shoot anyone that came near her. A police negotiator was attempting to work with her, but Jordan and the team had bigger worries than that – namely where was the baby. The instant the police took Amanda, they stormed the house.

It was PJ's incessant crying that alerted them to her presence.

The baby was in a wooden box at the end of Amanda Sydney's bed. She was wearing the same clothes as the day before, the smell of a dirty nappy hitting them as they lifted the lid. Her little face was red as she cried ceaselessly, her tiny hands fisted up, waving about.

Jordan felt the pain in his chest loosen a very little.

Reaching down, he slid his hands under the baby, not caring about the state she was in. Lifting her to his chest, he was not ashamed to admit he felt tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. Holding PJ close, her cries began to lessen. Leaving the room, he headed outside instantly, knowing Heidi would have arrived by now.

Her daughter in her arms, Heidi had tears running down her cheeks as she kissed PJ's head several times over. PJ – picking up on her mother's distress and extraordinarily hungry – started crying once again. Jordan held them both close and guided them toward the waiting ambulance.

Epilogue:

It was raining cats and dogs as Heidi pulled up into her apartment complex. Parking, and with no end to the downpour in sight, she leaned over and unclasped the six month old baby's straps. Getting out her door quickly, she dashed around to the other side. Opening the back door, she worked quickly and gathered Piper up into her arms. Covering PJ with her jumper, Heidi ran for the stairs. She was still thoroughly drenched by the time she arrived at her door.

Entering her apartment, she quickly slipped PJ to the floor, tugging off her own wet clothing. She was only half way through before her mobile rang. Answering, a huge grin spread itself across her face as she recognised the voice. "Hey babe," said Jordan. "Fancy a dinner for three tonight?"

It was a short conversation, and hanging up, Heidi felt the warm glow in her heart as she looked affectionately at where PJ sat eating her foot, the sock long tugged off. Snatching up her daughter into her arms, not caring that she too was now getting wet, she danced them around the small lounge room. Out of breath, PJ giggling and bouncing in her arms for more, Heidi happily headed for the bathroom. As they both stepped under the warm spray, Heidi grinned.

She felt lucky.

Finito.