"How is it that you're so calm and I'm over here freaking out?"

Cal got up from his chair and approached her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently prevented her from pacing back across the room. "Because I've done this before. And you haven't. You're not sure what's goin' on. It's normal for you to be worried." He spoke in his reasonable tone of voice.

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"How about a bath?"

"I don't really feel like getting undressed and then soaking in the tub all nice and relaxed and then having to get dressed again..." Her tone was sharp. And yet she managed to sound like she was complaining.

"With me?" Cal tried. "Warm wart-a, bubbles, back rub, me, naked," he raised his eyebrows as if that was the conditioning factor.

"Promise me it will make me feel better?"

"I promise," Cal responded easily. He would make sure of it. He took her hand and led her to the bathroom gently. The massive expanse of her stomach didn't let her move so quickly anymore so he walked slowly. It seemed the more stressed out she got, the calmer Cal did by comparison. She had been hiding that she was in labour for days. Particularly through the Mitchell interrogation so Cal had barely had the chance to get his head around the fact the baby was on its way before he was preparing himself to take her to the hospital. That's how far along she was. He figured half an hour in the bath and another half an hour to get ready to go and they could call the doctor to say that they were on their way; the contractions would have reached the pre-determined criteria by then.

Cal pushed the plug into place and turned the taps. He put down a bath mat and made sure there were towels handy. Gillian pulled her hair back into a ponytail high on her head. Little wisps of hair fell around her neck. God damn, but she was so cute sometimes.

"You're staring."

"Sorry," Cal responded quickly.

Then her eyes widened slightly and he crossed the room quickly to stand in front of her. "I can feel one coming," she informed him. She reached out to grip his arm. Cal helped her through the long squeeze. They were steadily getting stronger and longer and it took more concentration each time, more focus, to be able to deal with the sensation and pain. It wasn't just about breathing right, but about embracing the feeling of her uterus working. It was no different from pushing through the pain threshold at the gym. It was about feeling it, accepting it and moving through it. The uterus was a muscle, and right now it was gearing up for the race of its life.

"I'm sorry for being cranky."

"It's all right darlin'." Cal moved away again and poured bubble bath under the stream of water. He checked the temperature. Not too hot, that would just make her feel uncomfortable. He turned back to her. "It's allowed unda the present circumstances."

"You've already been through so much, I'm sure the last thing you need is your wife picking on you."

Cal pulled his shirt off. "Hardly pickin' on me," he watched her eyes trace over the last marks of Mitchell on his body. There were still deep seated bruises waiting to fade and scars only just starting to heal. "Besides, as a man, this is what I sign up for. I will take all the abuse you can throw at me and in return you squeeze anotha body out of your own."

Gillian gave a half hearted smile to that. Cal pointed at her. "Now strip for me." He undid his jeans and pushed them down his legs. He stepped out of them and checked the water again. The bath was half filled with bubbles and the smell of lavender in the air.

"Cal."

"Yes darlin'," he turned to find a very pregnant, and a very naked Gillian. He gave her a slight smile.

"Help me in?"

Cal held out his hand towards her. He steadied her weight while she stepped over the edge of the bath. "Too hot?" He asked of the water.

Gillian pointedly eyed him up and down. "Mmm, pretty damn hot." Cal chuckled. Gillian widened her eyes as she sat down carefully in the tub. "Wow I am feeling better already."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the magical healin' powas of a bath," Cal told her with a flourish. He stripped off his underwear and slipped under the water behind her. He placed his legs on either side of her. He lay back and Gillian lay back on him, her head resting on his chest. She turned slightly so her pony tail wasn't digging into his sternum and wrapped her hands around his thighs. She gave a sigh. Cal leaned his arms along the edge of the bath.

"This was a good idea."

"I'm full of them," Cal shot back.

"Have I ever told you I love your humility?"

"It's obvious."

"It's so very endearing," Gillian finished.

Cal chuckled but it was cut short abruptly as Gillian's entire body tensed. Another contraction. Cal pushed her forward gently and rubbed the tips of his fingers into the small of her back while she breathed on through it and dug her fingernails into his calves. After it was over she reached out with her toes and turned the taps off and he could see her legs were shaking slightly. Cal shifted his hands to rub her shoulders and neck gently, using the lavender bubbles as lubrication. "All right darlin'?" He asked gently.

"I'm so looking forward to this being over," Gillian replied tersely.

PJ

Cal could see Gillian's fingers fidgeting as he drove. She pulled her wedding band off and then pushed it back on. She periodically checked her phone. She picked a fingernail. She looked out of the passenger window and sighed. She curled hair around her ear. She jigged her knee. It was like she was physically unable to sit still; so unlike her.

"You know, babies take hours to be born. Even afta you make it to the hospital," Cal pointed out, keeping his gaze focussed on the road. He could feel Gillian turned her head to look at him.

"Yes I remember," Gillian sounded amused. "Never thought we'd be rushing to a hospital for the birth of another kid."

"Me eitha," Cal agreed. He still remembered the last car ride vividly. Zoe had screamed her head off at Cal while she was in labour with Emily. Gillian managed to keep her stress down to a few choice cuss words and a fingernail scratch on the inside of Cal's wrist. He wondered how Keira was doing. There was no one there to hold her hand and assure her it would be all right. In the back seat, Lewis had fallen asleep.

In the last week, since Cal's last conversation with Keira, they had moved Lewis into the other room and then endured six consecutive nights of him coming out constantly. At least by night seven he had stayed put. They did a meagre set up of the nursery for the potential new baby. Gillian took down Lewis's photos and put them up in his new room. She bought frames for the new baby; four to be exact, just like Lewis had. Cal figured one of her parents, one of them as a family; him, Gillian, Lewis and Emily. One of Cal's parents. And one spare frame. Cal hadn't figured out what was going in it yet. He guessed it might be the first picture they take of the little girl. Or the first picture they get as a new family.

Lewis's old baby clothes were still in their storage boxes. Gillian kept saying she was going to get rid of them now Lewis had clearly out grown them. But she hadn't yet. Cal wondered if she had always intended to keep them. Or maybe she had always been holding out hope. Either way they had made a few basic preparations. One being moving Lewis into the bigger room and storing the spare bed that had previously occupied the space. Another was putting the crib back together, Lewis helping with his plastic hammer to make sure it was nice and sturdy. Gillian picked out an outfit to bring the baby home in. If they brought her home. They were still playing the 'if' game. That's why the photo frames hadn't been filled. The new dresser hadn't been bought and filled. Baby soft blankets weren't even tentatively stored on shelves.

They hadn't even told Lewis he was getting a sister. How did they explain it to him? It wasn't like he could watch Gillian's stomach grow as the months go by and then see the baby come out. And then how to explain where the sister was if they came home empty handed? But they had at least agreed to compartmentalise again. They were back to taking this one step at a time. They would be there for Kiera, both of them wanting to offer the young woman some comfort while she went through a birth, especially because she was all alone. Then after that was done they would move on to saying goodbye to Kiera at the hospital. After that, they could potentially be bringing the baby home. Ten days after that, it would be official one way or the other. And then, when they knew one way or the other, they would know how to feel about the rest of their lives.

Gillian's phone buzzed in her hand. She quickly brought the message up. Then she tapped out a response and sent it. "That was Kiera," she explained to Cal. The only sound in the car was the rush of the road racing beneath the tyres. Cal couldn't even hear Lewis breathing in the back. But if he adjusted his mirror he could see the munchkin's head slumped over, his light brown hair falling into his eyes. Still needed a decent hair cut; the curls were starting to fall out.

"She's settled in her room and the doctor has been in to see her. She's fine."

"That's good," Cal nodded. He felt his stomach knot. It was hard to tell if he was excited about potential Daddy-hood or if he was nervous about the birth. The last time he had made a trip to a hospital under similar circumstances Gillian could have been seriously ill and Lewis might have died.

Gillian tugged on her wedding band again. The last time she had done that, more hospitals involved, she couldn't wear the thing for a week while the aggravated skin underneath healed. They spent far too much time in hospitals. He wished he knew the ending to this particular scenario. Until Kiera had brought it up he didn't think too much about Fate or God for that matter. Now it almost felt like he had to believe in some sort of higher power. Against odds Gillian had fallen in love with him. Against all odds they had had Lewis. This baby certainly seemed like a chance from nowhere. And there was nothing Cal could do to sway a decision one way or the other. He couldn't forcibly remove the baby from her mother's arms. He couldn't manipulate the situation verbally like he would have done not so many years ago. What he wanted was to put in a request for the end of the story. And to have someone listen.

'Somethin' happy,' Cal requested silently. He wanted desperately for there to be a happy ending to this one. They had already had their share of troubles, dramas, heartaches, blues, drinking, depressions, broken marriages, near death experiences...

'Nice smooth birth, happy adjusted birth mutha, new baby Lightman.' He changed lanes. 'Please.'

PJ

"Ok Kiera one last big push for me," Doctor Benson urged. Gillian wiped Kiera's forehead with a cool, wet washcloth. She murmured something encouraging and Kiera braced herself against the next contraction. She gripped Gillian's fingers tighter and the rail of the bed on her other side. Cal held Lewis against his chest. With the amount of screaming and tension in the room he was a pretty subdued toddler right now. They were standing close to the wall, out of the way, but still there, observing the miracle of life; not with front row seats, they were more towards Kiera's head than the other end.

This was the third birth Cal had witnessed. It was the first time he had been a passive observant. And it was kind of strange not to be in the thick of it. This was Gillian's second, and for the first time she was in the midst of it, just from a different perspective. Cal had expected to be asked to wait in the hallway. But Kiera said she wanted them there, all of them and Cal recognised an attempt not to feel so alone in the world and create a new family. He was fine with that. He wanted to create a new family as well. He didn't even have to glance at Gillian to know that's what she wanted too.

Kiera bore down and Gillian wiped her forehead and told her she was doing great. Aside from them in the room and the doctor, there were two nurses. They were pretty subdued, focussing on their jobs. Lewis pointed at Kiera, clearly perturbed. He turned back to Cal, his expression saying 'what the hell is going on over there?' Cal gave his cheek a kiss. "That's what Mummy had to go through to have you," Cal murmured gently.

Kiera yelled louder with one last surge of energy, her face contorting and turning a brighter red with the effort and then she suddenly relaxed back against the bed. Cal saw the flash of the red and blue body being passed to the waiting medical staff. The baby was checked to make sure it's mouth was clear and that she took her first breath and with a strangled cry she was placed on her mother's stomach. Kiera gave a whimper and Cal noticed Gillian already had tears in her eyes. Cal brought the camera in his hand up and surreptitiously took a photo of the three girls together in the very first moment's of the baby's life.

"Look," Lewis pointed amazed.

"We're officially outnumbered now," Cal replied very, very quietly. More to himself. "It's a baby," he told Lewis.

"Bah bah," Lewis mimicked him.

"Bay-bee," Cal enunciated.

"Bah bee," Lewis tried again.

"Close enough," Cal told him. He wanted to add that that was Lewis's sister. But he was too scared to say the words aloud. He kept back and watched the medical staff take the baby back. Gillian cut the cord and the baby was taken away to be cleaned off and have its Apgar score taken. Doctor Benson worked on Kiera and Gillian looked over at Cal and Lewis for the first time. He gave her a grin and she gave a watery smile in response. Then she went back to wiping Kiera's face and telling her she did a great job. The baby continued to cry from across the room.

Kiera delivered the afterbirth safely and was cleaned up. The baby was bundled up and brought back over by a nurse. Except the nurse looked unsure about who she should pass the baby on to. They were aware that Kiera had chosen to adopt her daughter out. Gillian indicated Kiera should hold the baby. "No please, you have the first hold," Kiera told her.

"If you're sure," Gillian double checked.

"Yeah," Kiera nodded. "I'm sure." Gillian held out her arms and took the baby easily. Cal snapped a picture and crept a little closer.

"She's seven pounds three," the nurse told them. "And she had a very healthy Apgar score of nine."

The baby had jet black hair. Her eyes were swollen up. She seemed tiny. Way smaller than Lewis when he was born. Her head hadn't even pushed out of shape. Or maybe that was just because Cal couldn't quite see her properly from his side of the bed. She was crying and Gillian was rocking her gently, talking to her softly. Cal, Lewis and Kiera were all staring at her. Cal thought she looked positively radiant with a baby in her arms. Then he checked Kiera's face. Hard to read. She seemed to be observing neutrally.

Gillian looked up at Cal, she had tears again. Then she looked down at Kiera. "She's beautiful," she told the young woman in a reverent whisper. Cal wanted to race around the bed and give her a kiss and a cuddle. He held Lewis tighter instead. Thankfully the two year old was still subdued. He had an immaculate sense of timing and the good grace to not ruin the moment. "Here," Gillian turned to Kiera. "Your turn," she lowered the baby into its mother's arms. She smoothed back the blanket from the baby's face so they could all see her better. Cal took a photo of that too.

It seemed like they were stuck in that moment for hours but it can't have been more than ten minutes. Kiera was not going to feed the baby, her choice, she didn't want to bond. But she was happy to express the first nutrient packed colostrums so the baby got the best kick start in life. After their little pocket of quiet was burst many things happened all at once. Gillian took the baby back while Kiera was moved to a recovery room. Cal trailed along with Lewis who was getting over his shock now and wanted to walk. By the time he caught up with them in the new room Kiera was being shown how to express using a breast pump and Gillian was talking to a paediatric doctor to one side of the room. She still had the baby in her arms and was rocking back and forth gently in that practiced way a woman with kids did.

Cal took one look in through the doorway and decided some space might be a good thing about now. He took Lewis down to the cafeteria and made a few brief phone calls; Emily and Ria to say the baby had been born safely. That was all he was going to say on the matter. And yes, it was a girl. No surprises there.

Half an hour later he walked with Lewis back through the hospital to Kiera's room. She was asleep. Or at least had her eyes closed. Gillian was over by the window, the baby in her arms, rocking her weight gently back and forth. Cal crouched down to Lewis and warned him to be quiet because Kiera was sleeping. Gillian heard him and turned. "Hey," she whispered and gave him a smile. She approached where Cal was sitting Lewis in a chair. "You missed the first feed."

"How'd it go?" Cal whispered back.

Gillian gave him a crinkle of her nose. "It's going to take some getting used to." But she didn't seem perturbed.

"Did she get enough to eat?"

"I think so."

Cal reached into their bag and produced a book for Lewis to read. "Ooohhh," he grabbed it. Cal couldn't be bothered getting a thank you out of him. He wanted him to be quiet anyway.

"I forget how little they can be," Gillian murmured. Cal looked up to find her looking down at the sleeping girl. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Sure," Cal turned towards her eagerly. He slipped his hands inside of Gillian's embrace and scooped the baby out expertly. She really was a light weight and fit snugly inside the span of his hands. He brought the body close against his chest and repositioned her into the crook of his arm. "Let's have a look at you then," he took his first opportunity to meet the little girl. She was pink now, cleaned up properly. She had long black eyelashes and a lot of long jet black hair. Cal looked up at Gillian again. She had that softy gooey expression on her features. "She really is adorable," Cal noted. He felt a little stirring in his heart and shut it down. It wasn't time to feel those things yet. They had already agreed. They would be glorified baby sitters for ten days until Kiera could no longer change her mind. Somewhat harsh, but really the best solution they could come up to protect themselves. They were going to try their best to remain unattached until it became official. No names, no endearments, not until the safety of ten days had passed.

"How's she doin'?" Cal indicated with his head who he was talking about.

"Ok I think," Gillian tucked her fingertips into the top of her jeans pocket. She glanced over at Kiera. "I'm not sure it's sunk in much."

"She still refused to breastfeed?"

Gillian confirmed, Cal nodded. Aside from the brief hold in the delivery room she had also had no physical contact with the baby. She was keeping her distance. Cal supposed he couldn't blame her. He didn't know what he would do in that position. He'd probably just bail to be honest, a clean cut and run. It would be hard having the baby paraded around him knowing he would never have the chance to raise her as his own. Kind of what was happening to him now...

"So where did you guys get to?"

"Cafeteria," Cal explained. "Made a few quick calls." Gillian nodded. "Thought you might need some girl time." She gave a slight smile. "Lewis and I smoked a cigar in celebration."

Gillian gave his arm a light punch. "Already teaching him bad habits."

"Gotta get them while they're young."

Gillian 'hmmmed', sounding unimpressed. "So I was thinking we should go and get some dinner of some sort, check in to the motel."

Cal nodded. He was having a hard time breaking his eyes away from the little girl in his arms. His heart was itching to move over and make room for her in there too. 'Not yet,' he told himself. 'Fall in love with her late-a.'

"You're still gonna stay the night?" Cal asked Gillian as they walked slowly down the hospital corridor at a Lewis pace.

"Yeah," Gillian confirmed. "I don't really want Kiera to be alone."

"There's got to be someone who can come and be with her."

"I was thinking..."

"Yes?" Cal raised an eyebrow. He liked that tone of voice. That was mischief.

"Of maybe calling the father."

Cal watched her face. She was serious. "Do you think that's wise?"

"To be with her. I think she still has feelings for him. It's kind of something they should be in together. Even if he doesn't want to raise the baby himself. He still has a right to meet us and know she was even born."

"And the part that's pryin' into her personal business? Oh I see," Cal answered himself immediately. "You want me to do it."

"Pretty please?"

"I'll try and sneak her phone tomorrow then."

Gillian leaned over and gave his cheek a kiss.

"You're gonna have to do more than that to sweeten the deal."

Gillian gave him a loaded expression, hooded eyes and slightly parted lips. "I'll make payment when we get home."

Cal suppressed a groan as they reached the nursery and handed the baby over to the nursing staff. They watched as she was put down in a bassinet with a card that said 'Baby Girl'. Cal brought his camera out of his pocket and snapped a photo.

"Ahhh I did see you with a camera today."

Cal turned and quickly snapped one of her too. "Oi Lewis! Leave that alone!"

Gillian turned quickly and they both moved forward to remove him from a pot plant.

"Seriously need to get him a sandpit."

"Do they make portable ones?"

"Yeah, they're called Zen gardens."