More Than Friends

by Adrianna Nadine

This is NOT a one-plot story; it is an anthology. We all know Nick and Niamh were crushing on each other from the moment they met. Upon realising their feelings for each other, they take it a step further and begin exploring a relationship. Meanwhile, Martha finds that there's more to life than work as she creates her own love story.

6. Niamh's Birth

One Plus One Equals Niamh

A/N: This is something different. Remember how Niamh mentioned she was expected to be a boy when she was born? Well, this is that story. There were more issues regarding it than were revealed and I thought it would make for an interesting tale. It also gives a nice insight to her parents and explains much of their characters.

Also, I hate (and I mean HATE) to beg, but can someone please say something?! I hate to sound petty, but I'm tired of writing for no feedback. I KNOW people are reading and I'm sick of feeling like I'm doing something wrong, and that I'm a bad writer. I feel like I'm writing for no one, which is frustrating. All I'm asking for is one, just ONE little review. Please!

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Timeline: Tale starts in May of 1989 and goes into 1990.

By the time Valerie finally made trudged up to the door to the house, she was ready to collapse. The wedding reception she had been serving at had started at six and not ended until around ten. And, though it had been all clear by ten thirty, by the time the cleaning was done, it was past midnight.

'This is the fourth day in a row I've been on this schedule…But, I guess that's to be expected with wedding season…And on top of that, it is Saturday' She thought as she unlocked the door. Once inside, she re-locked it, dropped her bags and, after a quick glance around, simply collapsed on the sofa. 'I'll just…sit…for a minute…' She thought right before falling into a deep sleep.

Hearing the noise, Stephen stirred from his uneasy sleep and sat up in bed. He always worried when Valerie was out late at these events, especially since it was wedding season and she was working non-stop. 'That must be her…' He thought, quickly getting up and heading downstairs, where he smiled at the sight of his wife passed out on the sofa. 'At least she made it farther than the floor this time.' He then chuckled a bit as the other night came to mind. He had come out the following morning to find her asleep sitting up against the couch.

"Valerie…" He whispered as he moved a strand of her blonde hair out of her face before gently nudging her. "Come on, Sweetheart. You have to get up."

At first, Valerie just stirred a bit, but after a bit more nudging she got up and slowly rubbed her eyes, blinking sleepily at Stephen after she did so.

"Look at you," He said with a slight shake of the head. "You're exhausted. Come on, I'll help you to bed."

She just gave a sleepy nod and took the hand he offered, allowing him to lead her upstairs to their bedroom. She yawned as she fumbled with the buttons on her double-breasted, chef's jacket and slowly slipped it and her shirt off as Stephen turned on the light and then went through her pyjamas, soon handing her a short-sleeved, light-blue nightgown. She said nothing as she took it and pulled it on after slipping out of her skirt, then, she turned around and climbed into bed.

"Comfortable?" Stephen asked as he pulled the blankets up on her, making sure she was well covered as she settled down.

Valerie gave a half-hearted nod and quickly drifted off to sleep while Stephen turned off the lights and then climbed in next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist once he was settled.

The following morning, he was up and out the door by eight for breakfast with a colleague and an hour later, Valerie woke on the rumpled bed alone. She groggily reached over for the clock and let out a sigh at the time.

'The event isn't until four, but I have to be there by two to help set up,' She reminded herself as she got up, picking up her forgotten clothes as she made her way downstairs. She sighed again as she threw the clothes in the washing machine and made a mental note to take care of the laundry later and moved into the kitchen to make breakfast, deciding on a simple omelet, turning her attention to the window as she cooked. "It's raining again," She muttered. "At least this one isn't a garden party."

Immediately after she finished eating, she got to work on some small chores and then started to get ready for work. As she was getting ready to head out, Stephen came back in, and while she double-checked a task list in the kitchen, he snuck up behind her and grabbed her around the waist making her squeal.

"Stephen Cranitch!" She snapped. "Can you not see that I'm doing something?"

"Can you not see that it's been days since I've been able to even touch you?"

"I'm sorry, but you know how the spring schedule is."

"Do they ever give you off?"

"Yes. I'm off this Tuesday, which I'll use to catch up on the shopping. You can survive until then, right?"

"Of course. I'm not completely oblivious, Val."

Valerie narrowed her eyes in warning. She had always hated when people called her 'Val,' as she never liked the way it sounded. She had a full name for a reason. "Now, you know better than to call me that."

"And you know better than to give me that look," Stephen teased as he flicked her nose.

She laughed. "I have to get going, but I'll see you tonight."

"Far before midnight I hope."

"No promises. I love you," She said, leaning up for her usual, goodbye kiss.

"I love you too," Stephen muttered once she broke off.

She smiled as she left, though her husband could be a bit rough around the edges, she knew how to bring out his affectionate side and reveled in it. 'I guess Daddy is right, in some ways I do have Stephen wrapped around my finger,' She thought with another smile as she drove off. As far as she was concerned, she was living her dream. They'd been married for three years, but together for six, were already working on securing their home and had steady, secure jobs. She was content and comfortable in her life and liked it, even if she was worked to death every spring.

'Here we go again…' She thought as she pulled up to the church where the small, retirement party they were catering was. The first thing she saw was the project manager in a heated argument with one of the young dessert chefs in the main hall, but tried to ignore it as she walked past until he spoke again.

"Give me one good reason why we should do it your way," He snapped.

"It's not my way, it's the client's way. If you don't like it, you can leave," The manager snapped.

"Fine with me. This is just ridiculous," The man snapped as he turned and stomped off.

The manager sighed and quickly looked around as Valerie tried to sneak off to make it look like she was just on her way and hadn't been listening.

"Cranitch!"

"Yes, Deborah?"

"You're in charge of desserts now."

"What?!"

"Listen, do you know about the angel ice sculpture?"

"Yes."

"Last night the client called saying that he wants a cross on the main cake resembling the one the angel is holding and one on each of the cupcakes. He forgot to tell us beforehand and William refused to it, thinking that it was too soon, even though I know it can be done with enough talent and help," Deborah explained.

"And I'm talent?"

"Third best dessert chef I have, behind William and Clara, who would be doing it if she wasn't on holiday. Please, Valerie. We only have a small amount of time. Take the two trainees if you have to."

"Alright. I'll try."

"Well, at least you're willing to attempt it," Deborah said as she picked up her walkie-talkie. "Head server Jonathan," She said.

"Yes?" Jonathan said over his own walkie.

"Valerie is in charge of desserts now. Can you meet with her about the serving procedures and setup?"

"Can you give me twenty minutes?"

"Yes. I'll just send her into the kitchen."

"Fine with me."

Deborah put the walkie back in her back pocket and sighed, "Alright, you're on. Everything you need is already in the kitchen."

Valerie nodded and ran off. It didn't take her long to get a team together and create a plan. She even took Deborah's advice and pulled the trainees into it to help, only stopping when she had to talk to Jonathan about the serving requests from the client. Somehow, the managed to pull it all together within three hours-the extra time being bought due to the cake not having to be set out until around six.

"See? Was that so hard?" Deborah muttered as she looked at Valerie's work. "They may not all match exactly, but handmade hardly ever does. Besides, it makes it look authentic."

"Thank you," Valerie said, nearly out of breath due to all her running around.

"Take fifteen and then come back to finish off the displays. You need it."

Valerie nodded and opted to go outside for some fresh air. Standing on a covered path, she leaned against a wall and frowned a bit at the stains on her jacket before smiling at them. 'They may be a pain in the arse to remove, but they're also the signs of a job well done.' After a few moments, she opted for a small walk around the church before returning to the kitchen to supervise the setting up of the dessert platters.

"Are we ready?" Deborah asked as they put the finishing touches on the last platter.

"Yes Ma'am," Valerie nodded.

"Good." Deborah gestured to her servers, who took all of the platters, minus the cake. "That's for you," She told Valerie. "The head dessert chef always carries the main piece, remember?"

"Oh…Right," Valerie said as she carefully picked up the platter and followed the line of servers into the dining area, placing the cake in the middle of the dessert display when asked too. She then stood back while someone gave an announcement thanking them for the desserts before they were all ushered back into the kitchen for cleanup, which took around three hours, as, the bosses were perfectionists.

"You wouldn't want people to come into your kitchen and leave you a mess," Deborah reminded everyone of one of their mottos as she supervised and aided in the cleaning operation. By ten they were finally let go and Valerie was at home before midnight for the first time in four days.

"Look who's home," Stephen teased as he looked over a brief at the dining table.

"I know," Valerie sighed.

"I made dinner. Your plate is in the fridge."

"What is it?"

"Breaded chicken with rice and vegetables."

"Thank you," She said, giving him an exhausted smile. "I'll eat after my bath. I feel dirty."

"Alright."

Valerie said nothing back and simply headed upstairs, grabbed her pyjamas and quickly ran a bath. 'It's about time I got to sit down…' She thought with a contented sigh as she settled into a hot, bubble bath. 'Good thing too. I'm working two events tomorrow. One small school function and then an anniversary party in the evening. I wonder what Stephen's doing…' She thought, deciding to ask him as she made her way back downstairs and threw her dirty clothes in the washing machine. "What are you doing tomorrow?" She asked as she put her plate in the microwave to warm it up.

"I have a trial at eleven, and then a bail application at one. The trial for the bail app doesn't start until Thursday, and the first goes on until Wednesday. Why?"

"I'm just being nosy. I have two events tomorrow, but I'm off on Tuesday."

"I know. You told me when you left, remember?"

Valerie nodded and opted for a glass of wine, thinking it was well-deserved after they day she had. "I'm going to have some wine. You want some?"

"No thank you, I would like some water though."

She took the hint and gave him a glass of water as soon as she poured the wine, only to have to turn back around to grab her plate moments later. After deeming it warm enough, she joined Stephen at the dining table and immediately started to eat.

"If I had known you were going to eat like that, I would have made more," He said as she practically shoved the food down her throat, ignoring all formal manners.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," She explained, immediately remembering her manners after she said so. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll eat normally."

Stephen nodded and, after a few minutes, said, "Your mother called earlier. She wants you to call her back to talk about her birthday next month."

Valerie simply nodded, making a mental note of it as she cleared her plate. "I'm going to bed," She said, standing to wash the dishes. "I assume you'll join me when you're finished."

"Yes. Sure," He waved her off as he took a few more notes.

'He always gets so into his work…It's nice, but frustrating at times,' She thought.

Once the dishes were done, she brushed her teeth and got into bed, only to have to get back up at five the next morning to be at a primary school by six-thirty for a teacher's breakfast. Afterwards, she got a small break that she used for a few errands before having to head up the road again for the anniversary party. She finally got back home at one in the morning and collapsed on the bed without bothering to change.

Stephen woke her up when his alarm went off and got her up long enough to get her changed and back to bed before he had to get ready to head off to chambers.

When Valerie finally woke up, it was almost noon and, while she was mad at herself for sleeping so late, she was grateful to have finally gotten some sleep. After going through her usual routine to wake up, she called her mum back and then headed out to do the grocery shopping, just as she had promised.

'Even if I hadn't been able to get out right away, we still have frozen soups and sauces,' She thought as she pulled into the supermarket's car park and headed off, coming back with the usual fifty pounds worth of groceries. The price was only so much due to what she bought, but the majority wasn't much since it was just her and Stephen in the house. And, after she got back, she spent a happy hour putting everything away before starting the laundry and settling herself in front of the telly to pass some time before dinner needed to be started. For dinner she decided on a simple meal of spaghetti that was done right before Stephen came home.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I was working at chambers and…"

"It's fine. You're just in time," Valerie said, getting out a plate for him.

"Give me a minute to change and I'll be right back down."

"Alright," She said back as she filled his plate. Then, she carried both plates to the table and set out two glasses of water. "I talked to my mother," She said as soon as he came back. "She just wanted me to make her a cake. She says my sister is taking her out this year."

"Which one?"

"Eleanor."

"I won't be here for dinner tomorrow. I have a con."

"At dinner time?"

"It's the only time the client is free. Besides, I know you have an event tomorrow."

"No. I'm at the restaurant. It'll be a nice change of pace," Valerie explained. Her work was a restaurant and catering service, and though she was permanently on the catering crew, her manager occasionally moved her into the restaurant when she was free and they needed extra help. "But I do have that big wedding on Friday in Bolton, remember?"

"Bolton?"

"The bride is from there and wants to get married in her hometown, but she heard about our service and was sold after only one meeting. I have to go up on Thursday and will stay until Saturday."

"I remember now. You told me this last month when your boss made the hotel reservation."

"Which I had to pay for half of. I'm sharing the room with Clara, who's temporarily been made head dessert chef. William got suspended for walking out Sunday's event."

Stephen nodded and they went on eating with breaks for occasional small talk. It had been while since they had eaten together and they both reveled in it, knowing how rare it was. He offered to help with the dishes afterward, and then they settled down to watch a film before heading to bed.

Moments after Valerie settled into bed, Stephen leaned over and whispered, "How tired are you?"

"Not at all, actually," She said, quickly rolling over to face him.

"Which is just fine with me," He said, pulling her in as close as he could as he eagerly pressed his lips to hers.

It didn't take long for her to respond as he rolled her over and quickly got on top of her. She then moaned against his lips as he kissed her again. It felt like forever since she'd been with him like this and she had to admit, she missed it. Missed the feeling of his deep kisses, the way his hands ran over her body, all of it. She quickly took her hands to his back, scraping him with her nails through his shirt and earning a groan in response as the fabric bunched up in her hands.

Moments later, he quickly broke the kiss and sat up to pull his shirt off, soon taking his hands to her pyjama top, kissing down her neck and he fumbled with the buttons, eagerly flipping them open as fast as he could.

Valerie moaned softly as Stephen's hands brushed over her newly exposed skin, gasping when the last button came undone and the top finally fell away from her.

As soon as he flicked open the last button, Stephen immediately came back up and captured her in a series of hard, deep kisses as she ran her hands along her chest, her fingers and nails running over any piece of bare skin she came across.

She relished in the groans she received in response as she swiftly and discreetly moved her hands down to his trousers, gasping when she felt him trough the fabric.

"Do you know how long it's been?" Stephen asked at her gasp, ending with a kiss.

"Too long," Valerie replied, pulling him back down for another kiss, quickly moving her hands back down as their tongues met, dancing around each other. She fiddled with the waistband of his trousers before starting to slide them down.

Once he caught onto what she was doing, he moved his own hands down to help her, and, together they stripped him. As he came back up to kiss her, she stopped him and sat up a bit to slip her top off before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back down with her. He gave her a quick kiss and then moved down to her neck, creating a trail of hot kisses and soft love bites to her breasts as his hands ran up and down her sides, drawing small, precise patterns. He then brought one of his hands back up to caress and tease her left breast as he took his mouth to the right one. He took his time placing light, lingering kisses over the soft mound of flesh, carefully covering every inch. He relished in the small, sensual gasps he received in response, gasps that turned into moans once he finally took her nipple into his mouth, caressing and rolling it about with his tongue, teasing it to a taut peak before sucking on it.

Valerie threw her head back and let out a long, soft moan that turned into a squeal when he pinched her untouched nipple with his fingers. She took her own hands to his hair, running her fingers through it as he made a trail of soft kisses and love bites to her other breast, giving it the same treatment as the first.

He came back up to give her a light kiss, quickly breaking it off as she deepened it and moving toward her stomach, running his hands down to her pyjama bottoms and wasting no time in pulling them off as he kissed his way down her stomach. In no time at all, they were both naked, and he returned to her abdomen, again kissing his way down. He paused to slip his tongue into her navel, smiling at her moan as she shivered in delight. He then pulled back and grasped one of her legs. Starting with her ankle, he slowly kissed his way up her leg, moving as slowly as he could, wanting to both savour and tease her.

"Oh, God. Stephen," She gasped. It was both a cry of pleasure and a plea. She could take slow and sweet in small doses, but had a passion for the quick and the crazed-especially when they hadn't been together for awhile. "Please," She begged.

"Please what?" Stephen replied with a sly smile before turning his attention back to her body as he finally made his way up her inner thigh, earning several moans in response. "Where do you want me to kiss you? Here? Or, maybe, here?" He said, ending each statement with a higher kiss, knowing that she was more than ready for him. "Or, I could kiss you here, Ms. Cranitch."

Valerie gasped, arching under him once he took his tongue to her center, slowly running it over her and continuing on with slow, sensual strokes that sent a wave of fire through her body. Her hands went down to his hair, grasping it as her neck arched and she moaned his name breathlessly. She then let out a slight cry as he carefully and gently nipped at her most sensitive spot. Her moans increased as his pace did, and she thought to tell him something, anything, but all that would form was his name.

At that, he picked up the pace even more and eagerly, boldly slipped his fingers inside of her to give her something to tighten around.

After that, it didn't take long for her to snap. The deep heat that had been forming in her stomach finally gave way as the orgasm hit her hard and fast, taking over her whole being.

"I don't think so," Stephen muttered. Without waiting for the tremors to subside, he quickly came back up, linked his fingers with hers and thrust back into her, soon pulling her into a heavy, steady wave of pleasure.

She instinctively wrapped her legs around him, her nails digging into the back of his palms as she lost all sense of reality. Every small move he made drew her deeper into her growing vortex of pleasure. She met his every moment with equal power, eagerly giving into every kiss he put on her lips and smiling at his groan as she tightened herself around him.

Soon, everything blurred into a steady, heady heat and though she desperately wanted her release, she held out until she could hold no longer, practically screaming his name as it hit her with his following shortly afterwards. Then, they simply collapsed, waiting while their breathing evened out.

"I love you. You know that, right?" Stephen whispered as he picked up one of Valerie's hands and kissed the back.

"Of course," She replied, slowly forcing herself back up despite a considerable lack of strength and climbing on top of him. "I believe it's my turn now."

"Really?"

"Yes," She whispered huskily, gently biting his earlobe before moving down his neck…

The following morning, they were both up quite early with Stephen leaving first for a con. As soon as he was off, Valerie gathered her belongings and was nearly ready when the phone rang.

"Cranitch residence, Valerie speaking," She said.

"Hello, Mrs. Cranitch. This is Tammi from the pharmacy. I just wanted to know that you have two days left to pick up your prescription."

"Prescription?"

"Hold on," Tammi said, and Valerie heard rustling on the other end.

"Your birth control pills. You came and dropped off the slip last week, apparently."

Valerie paused as she tried to remember, and then her eyes went wide when she did. "Right. I'll be by later this evening then. Bye." She quickly hung up and sighed. 'Crap! I forgot all about that! I ran out last week and went to the doctor the first chance I got. I managed to hold Stephen off with my period for a week and then I ended up being so exhausted these past couple of days…I was lucky I could get upstairs, but…last night…Crap!' She thought, her mind thrown into a bit of a panic. 'Are we even ready for a baby? Can we…? Wait a second. Stop it Valerie! This has happened once before and you were fine. What are the odds, anyway?' She asked herself as she headed out.

For the next two months or so, she worked normally, being pulled from event to event. July was one of the worst for her. Every day she became increasingly tired, yet she kept going because of all the weddings that were booked, and then, two weeks into the month her mother caught some sort of stomach bug that she helped take care of.

"How's your mum?" Stephen asked one night as he sat reading in bed.

"She's better now. Deborah is mad at me for skipping two big lunches, but my mum's health is more important," Valerie replied as she pulled her nightgown on and then climbed into bed.

Stephen immediately set his book down and wrapped an arm around her. "And how are you? You've looked sick lately."

"I'm fine. I promise. Will you stop worrying?" Valerie asked as she switched off the bedside lamp and settled into his arms. She slipped into an easy, dreamless sleep that she suddenly woke up from at six in the morning. 'What is wrong with me?' She asked, trying to fight the pain in her stomach, thinking it to be a simple cramp until she felt something in her throat. 'Oh, God,' She thought, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth as she dashed into the bathroom, making it just in time.

Moments later, Stephen, who had been shaken by her sudden movement, appeared next to her. "Valerie, are you alright?" He asked.

"I have to throw up again," She replied weakly as she leaned over the toilet once more, grateful when he pulled her hair out of her face. She then sat back for a few minutes and then, feeling everything subside she slowly sank into his arms.

"Are you okay?" He repeated.

"Do I look okay?!" Valerie snapped.

"You don't have a fever," Stephen concluded, pressing a hand to her head. "But you've been run down lately, and you just threw up twice. I think you're sick."

"It's summertime!"

"You probably caught it from your mum. All you need to do is rest awhile. Come on." He carefully helped her up and led her back to bed. "Go back to bed for awhile. I'll call in for you."

"But…Stephen…"

"I don't want to hear it. If you're sick, you're staying home. No arguments."

She simply sunk into the blankets, knowing it was no use to argue with him, even though she felt completely fine later and was up and doing chores by the time he came home. Unfortunately, the next morning and the six that followed, she still found herself in the bathroom, retching up whatever she had eaten the night before, meaning she had to stay home for a week-though she never got any better or worse.

'What is wrong with me?!' She thought on the tenth morning. Luckily, Stephen had left, leaving her alone for a bit. Once she came back into the bedroom, she glanced at the calendar and gasped when she did the math. 'It's been ten days since I first got sick…Something is wrong. I need to go to the doctor. No one has the stomach flu for this long.' Valerie then made her way downstairs, called out of work and quickly dialed the doctor's surgery. Luckily, they were able to fit her in and she found herself in the office by two o'clock.

"How are you, Mrs. Cranitch?" The doctor, Amanda, asked when she walked in.

"Fine…I think."

"You think?" Amanda said as she went through the usual vital check. "Your vitals are fine, so, what brings you here today?"

"Every morning for the past ten days I've been throwing up. My mother just got over the stomach flu, so my husband and I assumed I caught it from her, but I know that no one can be sick for that long. Besides, it hasn't gotten any better or worse."

"Anything else?"

"I've grown more tired lately."

"Anything emotional? Are you angrier? Craving things?" Amanda asked as she took notes, thinking that she knew exactly where this was going.

"I've been a bit snappy at times, but I thought that just came with my occupation. And I've had a taste for apples…with peanut butter. Why is this important?"

"You said you were vomiting in the morning. Is it only in the morning or…"

"Usually. Occasionally I'll get some nausea in the afternoon, but nothing becomes of it," Valerie explained.

"So, let me go through this. You've been sick in the mornings, are increasingly tired, and are having slight mood swings and cravings?"

"Yes."

"Mrs. Cranitch, when was the last time you had your period?"

At that, Valerie stopped and thought. "I…I don't remember. I got so caught up in my work I haven't been keeping track. But, if my calendar is right, I should get it sometime next week."

"I see…" Amanda made a note, as her suspicions were nearly confirmed. There was just one last step to truly knowing. "Would you be willing to submit to a blood test?"

"Blood test?"

"I think I know what it might be, but I want the test done to be sure."

"You can't tell me what you think?"

"No," Amanda shook her head, not wanting to throw her into panic with what she thought. She could tell that Valerie was worried enough and didn't want to add to it until she was one-hundred percent sure.

"Alright."

"Great. Stay here and I'll get the nurse."

Moments later she returned with a nurse who was quite quick about the test, which helped with the pain.

"We'll call you in a few days with the results. But, for now I can tell you that you're probably not contagiously sick, so you can go back to work."

"Thank you," Valerie nodded as she left. She had her suspicions of what it might be after Amanda went through her symptoms but pushed it out of her head, knowing it would just worry her. Instead, she went about her life like normal, nearly forgetting about it until she got a call late one afternoon.

"Cranitch residence, Valerie speaking," She answered.

"Mrs. Cranitch?" Amanda's voice said. "I have your test results, which confirm what I had suspected."

Valerie nearly dropped the phone when she continued on. 'I can't be! There's no way! How am I supposed to handle this? And, Stephen. How do I tell him?'

"Mrs. Cranitch?" Amanda asked after a long silence.

"Sorry, I blanked. Thank you. I'll call back to make that appointment," She said, hanging up once Amanda did so.

"What was that about?" Stephen asked. He had walked in during the middle of the call and hung by the door until she hung up.

"I have something to tell you," Valerie admitted, figuring it was better to get it over sooner than later.

"What?"

"You might want to sit down for this one."

He could tell from the look on her face that she was serious and took a seat on the sofa.

Valerie took in a breath and said, "You know how I've been sick this past week?"

"Yes."

"A few days ago I went to the doctor to get it checked out. I told her my symptoms and she had me get a blood test done to find out what was wrong, but, it turns out there's nothing wrong," She said, rambling a bit at the end.

"Wait. Valerie, I'm confused. What are you saying?"

She took in another breath. "Stephen…I'm pregnant."

"What?! How? Why?"

"You know how."

"And you know what I mean Valerie," He said, quickly standing and setting his hands on her shoulders. "I thought you were on the pill?"

"I am. It's just…Do you remember that night two months ago? That one day off I had after four days of nonstop work and coming home at midnight?"

"I think so."

"The week before that I had run out of birth control pills and was out of refills, so I went to the doctor right away for the exam. Afterwards I went straight to the pharmacy and forgot about it. I got caught up in my work and was able to hold you off for a bit because of my last period. But, that night I wasn't thinking about that or anything but you. The pharmacy called the next morning to remind me about it."

"How could you be so stupid?! We're not ready for a baby, Valerie!" Stephen snapped.

"I'm sorry!" She snapped back with tears in her eyes. "But we don't have a choice now! I thought it would be okay. I was once before."

"That was luck! I thought you were smarter than that!"

Saying nothing, Valerie simply burst into tears. She was a mix of stress, anger and fear, which, backed by her raging hormones, made for a hell of a combination. Stressed over work and Stephen yelling at her, angry at him for not being more supportive when it was partly his fault, and afraid of everything. She had no idea what it took to have a baby or raise a child, and the idea of labour scared her.

"Oh…Valerie…You…I…" Stephen stuttered, finally just sighing. He had no idea how to deal with women when they were crying.

"Why…Can't…You be…Supportive?!" She said, ending with a hiccup. "It's your…fault…too!"

"No one's at fault, Valerie. It just happened."

"Then…Why…Are you…So…So…" She sobbed, unable to finish.

"Come here," He urged, quickly pulling her with him to the sofa, where she laid her head in his lap and just cried. He gently rubbed her back, saying nothing as he let her cry her feelings out, as he wasn't sure what to say. He had no idea why she started crying in the first place!

"Better?" He asked when she finished, handing her a tissue that he pulled out of his the inside pocket on his blazer, as he had a habit of carrying them around and they came in handy more than once.

"A little. Can we talk about this without any yelling or accusations?"

"Alright," He said, moving a strand of hair out of her face.

"What are we going to do Stephen? I…I don't know if we're ready for a baby."

"Well, we better get ready. Stuff happens and I know we're not the first couple to go through this. Besides, we've got a bit of time. How far along are you?"

"I'll be two months next week."

"Alright then, we've got time to prepare. We'll just take it in small steps."

"Well the first step is for me to go to a doctor and get examined now that they know. Then I have to tell my work."

"Can't you wait to tell your boss?"

Valerie shook her head. "I've heard that certain smells and foods can make pregnant women sick, and since I work in a restaurant setting, it's better for them to know sooner than later."

"Alright then. After that we'll handle everything else."

She looked up with a slight smile and then finally sat up, resting her head on his shoulder while he wrapped an arm around her waist. Though they were both unsure of what was happening, they knew they'd get through it, as they'd gotten over all of their obstacles so far.

The following morning, Valerie got up early and headed off to the restaurant, hoping to catch her boss before he headed off to meet with a client for a huge wedding they were catering at the end of the month. Luckily, both him and the assistant manger were in when she knocked on the door.

"Come in," He said, not looking up from the invoice he was reading.

"Mr. Jackson," Valerie said as she entered. "Mrs. Ziemann."

"What can we do for you, Valerie?" Mr. Jackson asked.

"I have something to tell you, sir," She replied.

"Take a seat then," He said, gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk.

Valerie sat, waiting for a cue to continue.

"Go on," He said. "I don't have much time."

"I'm pregnant," She said, finding it easier to say now that she had told her husband.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Make arrangements for me here at work."

"You think you should be treated special just because you're having a baby?"

"No…I…"

Mrs. Ziemann stepped forward with a sigh. "You insensitive bastard," She said. "You have to make arrangements for maternity leave when she gets farther along and carefully look at the events she goes into. Plus, you have to watch when she's in the kitchen. Certain smells can make pregnant women sick, and we obviously don't want her getting sick in there." She then stepped forward and stood near Valerie. "For now, you work like normal with a few hours cut here and there. I'll get with the project managers so they know and can give you extra breaks if needed if you feel sick or exhausted. Come talk to me when you're about four months along and we'll see about putting you on light duty."

"Light duty?"

"You'll be washing dishes, bussing tables, setting up arrangements for events, those sorts of things. I don't want you to be overstressed. It's not good for yours or the baby's health. I'll get the necessary paperwork together for that and your maternity leave, which we'll also go over when you're farther along. Is that alright?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"No problem. I have two of my own, so I know how it can be trying to deal with being pregnant in this kind of work. Now, I have some desserts to look at. Where are you off to today?"

"A small garden party up the road."

"Go on then. Can you come back in on Monday? By then I should have all the paperwork together."

"Yes Ma'am," Valerie said before she left. She headed off in good spirits and was proud of the work she ended up doing at the party, as she had been left in charge of dessert arrangements again and had been complimented several times by her team in the clients, soon realizing that she liked being in charge and could handle herself well in those situations. 'Maybe it's time for me to move up?' She thought as she headed home early that evening.

Stephen came in just as she was finishing dinner and greeted her with a kiss. "How are you doing today?" He asked.

"Fine?" She asked, confused by his nice tone.

"And my son?"

"Your son?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Stephen I'm only two months along, how can you know that it's a boy?"

"It's just a feeling I have, Valerie. Besides, boys run in my family. My grandfather had four brothers, my mum had two and I'm my parents' only child and I'm a boy, of course."

"You're not a boy, you're a man," She reminded him as she flipped an omelet. "I was in the mood for night breakfast," She said, quickly changing the subject, surprised by how quickly he warmed up to the idea of having a baby, while she, on the other hand, was still unsure.

"I know what you're thinking," He said. "You want to know why I seem so ready for this. I took some time out to think and figured that we just need to take it day-by-day. It's over, it happened, we might as well enjoy it."

"Why the sudden change in attitude?" She asked, knowing in the back of her mind that it was because he was excited about the prospect of having a son to raise as his own.

"I told you, I just got to thinking," He said, gently laying a hand on her shoulder until she had to move to make and serve the plates. As soon as they sat down, he started going over some things he had looked at and finance plans regarding the baby.

"You had a lot of time on your hands, didn't you?" She asked.

"Nora helped a bit. She saw me looking through a baby book and asked me if I needed help. She has five kids at home."

"So, she knows what she's doing?"

"Yes."

"Good, because neither of us do and it's better to plan sooner than later. What's this here?" She asked, pointing to some other numbers.

They spent most of the evening and the better part of the week going over what he had looked up and flipping through books about childcare and expenses. Then, when she reached the three month mark, they finally decided to tell their respective parents, grateful for the help they gave. His mum being the most eager out of them all.

"I think I have enough clothes for at least three years," Valerie said a week after they'd told her, looking at the two new boxes Elaine had sent them. "How many clothes can you buy for a boy?"

"A lot, apparently," Stephen shrugged.

"It's not even close to my due date and she's already sent me three boxes of clothes. Make her stop. We haven't even picked out a name yet!"

"I've been thinking about that recently," He said. "Douglas loaned me the baby name book he and his wife used for their daughter." He handed it to her and she quickly flipped through it.

"Why don't we name it after you if it's a boy?"

"What do you mean 'if'?"

"It could be a girl, Stephen. It's far too early to tell with a sonogram, but…"

"We don't need one."

"Stephen…"

"I know I'm right. I told you, it's just a feeling I have."

"Fine, we won't find out beforehand," She said with a roll of her eyes. "What about Brandon?" She asked, deciding to give up for now, as she was sick of listening to him.

Stephen shook his head. "I never liked that name and we're not naming him after me. I want something different. Can I see?"

Valerie quickly flipped a few pages and then handed it to him.

"I like Noah."

"I don't. I makes me think of the arc. We could name him after your father, Gregory."

"No family names. I told you, I want different."

"I've always liked the name Tyler."

"My last client was named Tyler. So, it's kind of creepy," Stephen said as he skimmed through the names until one caught his eye. It was plain, but he liked the way it sounded. "Nicholas."

"Nicholas?"

"It means 'victory of the people,' quite strong if you ask me."

'Nicholas…' Valerie thought turning the name over in her head. "Nicholas Cranitch…I like it. It flows nicely."

"But are you sold on it?"

Valerie nodded. "It's simple, but I like it. And it goes with our surname. So, yes, Nicholas it is," She agreed, not even daring to bring up girl names again. Instead, she took to secretly flipping through the book every few days while Stephen's enthusiasm slowly caught onto her. But, while her heart said "yes! This is my son. I'm going to have a cute little boy to hold!" Her head said, "Stop and think for a moment." Which she did occasionally through the following months as she, Stephen and just about everyone they knew, went out shopping for baby supplies. Soon, their house was filled with what seemed like endless amounts of clothes, nappies, and bottles, all various shades of blue and green and accompanied by pieces of dark, wooden furniture. Though she was still unsure of it due to not knowing the true gender of the baby, everyone's enthusiasm caught on and she slowly started to accept that it probably was a boy, especially when he started kicking. He was constantly moving, and kicked hard, old wives tale signs of a boy that she bought into, as her eldest sister, Myna, had had the same results with her son.

"He's active," Stephen said as they sat together on the sofa in the middle of her sixth month.

"Next time he kicks, push back," Valerie told him.

"Why?"

"You'll see," She said, then almost on cue, the baby kicked again.

Stephen did as he was told and pressed back, only to be met with another hard kick against his hand. "I take it back. He's really active."

"Maybe he's just excited and wants to meet us."

"Well, he's stuck for another three months then," Stephen said. "Should we get back to the nursery?"

"Not now. I'm exhausted. Why did we start on this so late? We're not even halfway done."

"Because we needed to budget and save up for the furniture," He reminded her. "All of that stuff is expensive and we still don't have a wardrobe for him."

"I'll be here on Monday. It's the same dark wood the cot and changing table are. My mum wants to buy the bassinet," Valerie said.

"Why does everyone think we can't handle this ourselves? It's like we're charity cases."

"They're just excited. Since she insisted I told her that she could pick out the bedding, but that we'll buy the bassinet itself. Is that alright?"

"Yes. When's your appointment tomorrow?"

"Two. It's my second ultrasound."

"I know. They just want to make sure he's developing normally."

As soon as he said it, she stopped and said, "Are you sure you don't want to confirm the gender? What if we're wrong and…"

"I don't think that's possible. Not with how he moves now."

"Are you sure? I'd like to believe you completely but…"

"I'm sure Valerie," Stephen said, a hint of warning in his voice.

She immediately shut her mouth, knowing not to press on, as, it was a touchy subject for him. 'My heart has been telling me that it's boy this whole time. And, I believe mine and Stephen's instincts…But…Then what is this nagging in the back of my head? I'd feel better with a sonogram, but he's been so sure of himself this whole time…And I bought into it, because my heart says so…' She thought, again stuck in her mode of thinking. She was excited for her son, but couldn't shake the nagging in her head telling her that something was wrong. She sighed and was immediately given a hard kick. 'Okay, I'll lay off for now…' Smiling, she set a hand on her stomach and looked towards Stephen.
"Let's go finish the nursery. And don't forget that we also have a tour of the hospital's maternity ward after the appointment."

Stephen nodded and followed her up the stairs. Unfortunately, they never quite got the room finished due to Valerie's tiredness and their conflicting schedules. They did, however, get most of the other preparations there, and Valerie couldn't help but be grateful for all of Stephen's help. He was surprisingly helpful and rather attentive, both for her and his son's health. He did his best to make sure necessary preparations were done on time, that she made every doctor's appointment up to the last week and that each appointment was recorded in her maternity notes. And, by the time her due date approached, they had half the nursery completed, figuring it wasn't too big a deal since the baby would be in his bassinet for at least three months, acquired enough clothes to last for his first year, and all the necessary furniture. Two weeks before she was due, they took the time out to prepare a bag for the hospital and go over the procedures laid out by her doctor and midwife for labour and delivery. By that time, they swore all of the fears had been pushed from their heads, but soon found out that was easier said than done, when, four days before her due date, Valerie woke from a deep sleep at one in the morning with a sharp pain in her back.

"Stephen!" She snapped, quickly kicking him.

He woke with a start and glared at her, prepared to snap until he saw the look on her face. 'Don't tell me…' He thought.

"I…I…Think it…Might…Be…Time…" She said, stuttering a bit through the annoying pain.

Though he was all set to panic, Stephen sat back a moment and thought about what had been on the instruction sheet and came up blank. "I…I don't…"

"Call the midwife!" Valerie snapped, tears pricking in her eyes as a small wave of pain came over her.

"We just have to time your contractions to…"

"I don't…Even…Know what…The…Pains…Are! CALL HER!" She screamed.

Startled, he did as he was told and left, coming back with the phone which he handed to Valerie. After a steady half hour of conversation, she finally put the phone down and looked at him. "We have to go to the hospital. She…Wants to…Examine me."

"Alright, alright, let me just…"

"Not now. You were right about timing my contractions, she said to give it about an hour or two," Valerie said, still a bit shaken as she got up.

"Lie back down," Stephen ordered.

"No. It's better to walk around during early labour, remember?" She asked, referring to their reference sheet.

She spent two hours up and about before the contractions started coming sooner, and once they could be timed at three minutes apart, he ushered her into the car and they headed off on the midwife's orders. And, since all the necessary paperwork had been completed beforehand, Valerie was quickly taken to an exam room, where they met up with their midwife, Charlotte.

"First I'll need you to change into this," Charlotte said, handing Valerie a hospital gown. "It's necessary for the exam, but you can change afterwards if you want."

"No. It's fine," She said, knowing from her sisters that dignity meant nothing when you were giving birth, anyway. She changed as quickly as she could, not wanting to waste time, but as soon as she put the gown on, she felt something strange in the pit of her stomach, and leaned over, grabbing the examination table as a bit of water trickled down one of her legs. She started to relax a bit, but, as soon as she did, the small trickle turned into a flood.

"Charlotte!" She snapped, catching the woman's attention as she filled out an examination report and looked over the maternity notes.

Charlotte immediately jumped up and was at her side in no time. "Everything's fine. Your water broke. Just let it happen, it's not like this is abnormal around here."

Despite knowing the normality of it, Valerie couldn't help but be a bit embarrassed having someone see her in this state. But, she soon got over it, and was more than relieved when it stopped and the examination began.

Charlotte worked fast, asking necessary questions and recording answers in between carrying out pulse, blood pressure and temperature checks. But, though she was quick, it felt like hours to Valerie before she finally finished with the internal exam.

"You're about five centimeters dilated with your contractions three minutes apart. You'll be sent to a birthing room until the baby is born."

"And how long will that be?" Valerie snapped.

"I can't tell you exactly, because every woman is different. But if I have to give you a number, maybe four or five hours."

Valerie simply replied with a groan as a doctor and Stephen came in to assist her in moving down to a birthing room, where a few more tests were performed on her, though these were for her and Stephen's son.

"I called your parents," Stephen said as Charlotte looked at and recorded the baby's heartbeat.

"Why?"

"I thought they'd like to be here for…" He was cut off by his own groan as Valerie screamed and squeezed his hand as a contraction hit her. "…The birth of…their grandson." He continued when she finally stopped.

"And your parents?"

"Are on holiday until the eighteenth."

Valerie simply nodded and sat back a moment, hardly believing that any of this was happening. All she could do was wish that it was over, but unfortunately found herself stuck. After an hour, her parents finally arrived and her mother, Diana, talked her through much of it, helping where Stephen couldn't, as he was completely lost when it came to medical matters. He did, however, do whatever she asked of him, whether it be fluffing her pillows, holding her hand, or giving her a massage once or twice. Unfortunately, he was thanked with a slap across the face once she hit the six hour mark.

"Make it STOP!" She screamed at him, Diana and the new midwife, Jane who had come in after Charlotte's shirt ended at eight-thirty.

"You're the one wanted it to be natural," Stephen pointed out, getting another slap across the face.

Eventually, he headed into the waiting room, as he knew he was just making it worse for her. And, a little over two hours later, her screams increased and then suddenly stopped as Diana came out to join him and Valerie's father, Edward.

"What's happening?!" Stephen asked, frightened by the silence.

"She's in the second stage of labour."

"What's that mean?"

"It's time for her to push. You're going to be a dad in a little while, Stephen."

He gave a small smile, trying to hide the worry and fear that washed over him. Though he had prepared for it, the fact that he was going to be a father suddenly hit him and he started to worry if he was up to it, and if he was good enough. What if he completely messed up and his son ended up being some criminal? Overwhelmed, he simply sat, lost in those thoughts and others as he sat waiting.

Meanwhile, Valerie lay surrounded by a small team that consisted of two midwives and a doctor, all of whom were encouraging her to push.

Personally, Jane found it a bit strange that Valerie had sent everyone out of the room for the final stage, but, on the other hand, she didn't blame her, as the only truly helpful one was her mother. Her husband had been attentive, but seemed at a loss and she thought he would've just gotten in the way.

'When…Is this…Going to be…OVER?!' Valerie thought, pushing as hard as she could on the doctor's orders. Soon, all of her thoughts were lost as she concentrated on the task at hand, and, it wasn't long before she felt something slip out of her, and heard a loud cry. 'Thank GOD,' She thought, suddenly realizing that her baby was finally here.

"Is…That him?" She asked as the doctor examined the baby and Tara gently assisted with the last, managed third stage by pressing on Valerie's stomach to help the afterbirth. "Stephen wants to call him Nicholas."

Almost in sync, Jane, Tara and the doctor all exchanged the same, unsure, awkward look. And, after a small silence, Jane finally spoke.

"Um…Mrs. Cranitch? It's a girl."

'What? How? Why? HUH?' Valerie thought, feeling a huge wave of sadness come over her. She and Stephen had spent so much time and money preparing for their son. The shopping, nursery setting…it was all wasted. Then there was the matter of Stephen himself. How would he feel about this? He had wanted to meet his son so badly…

"Would you like to hold her?" Jane asked once Tara had finished with Valerie and the doctor had finished the first checks on her daughter.

Unable to speak, Valerie simply nodded and Jane transferred the little pink bundle into her arms. Once she glanced at her, Valerie nearly cried, all of her sadness immediately leaving her. She may not have been what was expected, but she was perfect. Once the baby opened her eyes, Valerie could see a set of beautiful, bright, blue orbs. She had heard a lot of babies were born with blue eyes that changed, but she knew her baby was different. These weren't just blue eyes. They were his eyes. 'She has Stephen's eyes…' She thought, then, she looked up. "Can you tell my husband? But…Don't tell him about her gender. I want to do it myself."

The doctor nodded and moved to assist in the post-birth examination before leaving the women and heading into the hallway. Once outside he looked at Stephen and asked, "Mr. Cranitch?"

Stephen looked up, an anxious look in his eyes.

"Your wife has been delivered and both mum and baby are perfectly healthy."

"Can I see them now?"

"Yes," The doctor nodded and led him into the room, while Valerie's parents sat back, waiting their turn.

Stephen almost couldn't believe this was happening. Finally, after months of waiting he was going to meet his son. It was a huge shred of happiness that made up for the bad week he had been having. He had a long trial with a difficult client, plus two more coming up and all of it just stressed him, but, now he had no reason to be stressed. The baby was here and both him and his mother were perfectly fine. "Valerie?" He asked carefully as he stepped in. "Is…that Nicholas? What does…" He trailed off and suddenly stopped when he noticed the pink blanket. 'Please tell me that's the only blanket they had left!' He thought, hoping she wouldn't say what he was thinking. After all the preparation for a son, it couldn't be a girl!

Valerie looked up from the bundle with nervous eyes, and after a short silence she finally said, "Stephen…It's a girl."

Instantly, a wave of anger and disappointment washed over him. How could his intuition be wrong?! Was this God's revenge for him being stubborn? And, on top of that, all that money and time they spent preparing was now wasted. Every single pound. He had thought finally meeting his son would relieve him from the bad week he had been having, but finding out the opposite just angered him even more. He'd lost sleep over this? Finally, without a second thought or another word, he simply turned and walked out.

"Stephen! Wait!" Valerie called after him, her voice a hard sob. She loved her daughter and was more than pleased with the result. Sure, they'd have to return a lot of things, but what was important was that she was here and healthy, at least that's what she thought.

"Stephen, what's…?" Diana asked as he stomped out. She tried to reach for him, but he pushed her hand away and kept going. She looked at Edward and they rushed in, finding Valerie clutching a little, pink bundle as she cried. "Oh, Valerie…" She quickly rushed over and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"He hates her," Valerie sobbed. "I know he wanted a boy, but…But…"

"I know," Diana soothed. "Ignore him for now, he just needs to get over himself. What's important now is you and the health of your baby."

Valerie nodded, though she couldn't stop the tears.

"What's her name?" Diana asked gently after allowing her daughter to cry for a bit, as she wanted to take her mind off of what had just happened.

"Stephen…Wanted to name the baby Nicholas. He was so sure it was a boy that he didn't pick out any girl names. I…I picked out…three. Just in case."

"Alright. Which one?"

"Well…She doesn't look like an Isabella or a Catherine, and she has these bright…blue eyes. So…she must be a Niamh."

"Niamh?" Edward asked.

"It means 'bright.'"

Diana smiled and tested out the name, "Niamh Cranitch. I like it. It flows well."

"It…does…Doesn't it? My Niamh."

As soon as she said it, Niamh started to fuss.

"What's the matter?" Valerie cooed.

"She probably wants to eat," Jane said as she stepped back into the room, having left to be out of the way while the 'drama,' as she described it, was occurring.

"But I don't…"

"Can I help?" Diana asked. "I breastfed all of my girls."

"Of course," Jane said. Then, she and Diana carefully and gently helped Valerie through Niamh's first feeding, showing her how to hold her daughter and guide her through it.

"Keep her near you at all times now to encourage feeding," Jane ordered. "As soon as you're done with this, we'll move you upstairs to the maternity ward. You'll only be in hospital for twenty-four hours as long as you and your daughter are both fine. Have you named her yet?"

"Yes. Her name is Niamh. Niamh Cranitch," Valerie replied, trying not to cry as she said it. Her hormones were all over the place, and Stephen's attitude didn't help. She desperately wished that he was here with her to see his daughter and help her through all of this. She wanted the same support most other mothers got from their husbands. Tears pricked in her eyes as she thought about it and her mum gently rubbed her back, hoping to help with the pain.

"Niamh?"

"N-I-A-M-H," Valerie spelled, knowing from her tone that she was confused about the spelling.

"You're married to her father, correct?" Jane asked as she recorded Niamh's name on a clipboard that had her birth date, February 11, 1990, and time, eleven-thirty AM, already on it.

"Yes. His name is Stephen Cranitch," Valerie said, knowing she asked because, if they weren't married his name couldn't go on the birth certificate without his consent.

"And it's Stephen with a ph," Diana added.

Jane nodded and recorded that as well, intending to have the certificate drawn up as soon as she left the room.

Once Niamh finished, she was burped and put into her own little bed, where she settled down and went to sleep.

Though she tried to fight it, Valerie found herself falling asleep as well, as she had been up since one in the morning. As the clock struck noon, she gave up a slipped into sleep, waking up an hour later in a completely different room. She blinked a few times, wondering where she was and where her parents were, then, she turned from the wall she was facing and recoiled back at the sight of another woman rummaging through a bag.

The woman turned. "Oh, you're awake," She said. "I'm sorry I startled you. I'm your roommate, Samantha."

"Oh, I'm…"

"Valerie. I know."

"How…?"

"I'm a nurse and I got a bit nosy and took a glance at your medical chart. Being in hospital bores me."

"Oh," Valerie said, finally sitting up fully.

"You have a beautiful daughter," Samantha said.

"Thank you."

"What's her name?"

"Niamh," Valerie replied.

"That's pretty."

"What about your baby…Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy. His name is David."

"Oh," Valerie said, again feeling a wave of sadness wash over her. She was sure this woman's husband was pleased with her boy, and judging from the flowers in the room, she knew he hadn't walked away. She wouldn't trade her baby girl for anything, but still couldn't help but be disappointed with her, mainly because of Stephen's attitude. 'He wouldn't even look at her!' She thought, turning away from Samantha as tears pricked in her eyes again.

Moments later, a nurse entered the room and picked up one of the two clipboards on the counter. "Ms. Cranitch?" She asked.

Valerie turned and looked at her.

"I'm Faith. I'll be your nurse for the duration of your stay," The nurse said as she flipped through the medical chart. "Everything seems to be in order and Jane said you fell asleep right away, so first thing I'm going to do is give you a shower. You brought clothes with you, correct?"

"Yes," Valerie nodded. "I just…Don't know where the bag went."

"By the window," Samantha said. "I'll watch Niamh for you while you get cleaned up."

"Thank you," Valerie said as Faith came over and gently helped her get up. She was surprised by how weak she was and gratefully accepted the help, even if she was a bit embarrassed about needing so much of it. Afterwards, she was dressed and given instructions on how to handle the cramps and bleeding that were to come and then put back to bed.

"Would you mind if I looked at the baby?" Faith asked as Valerie got settled into bed, finally feeling clean.

"Of course not, it's your job."

Faith gave her a small smile and made her way over to the small, wheeled cot that had been placed at the foot of Valerie's bed. Surprisingly, Niamh didn't wake at all during the examination. At times, it seemed like she was going to, but she eventually settled when she was put back down. "You're both doing just fine. I wouldn't be surprised if they discharged you tomorrow," Faith concluded. At that, she left and, moments later, Valerie and Samantha were interrupted by a knock.

"Knock, knock," A male voice said.

"Josh!" Samantha said, a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, Babe," He said, quickly entering and giving her a hug. "How's our new son?"

"He's perfectly fine."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

"It's fine, really," Samantha replied, gasping when he presented her with a bouquet of white roses. "Another bouquet for my collection," She joked, stopping when she glanced over to the other side of the room. "I'm sorry, I've been rude. Valerie, this is my husband, Josh. Josh, this is Valerie. She just had a baby girl."

"That means this little sweetheart is yours," He said, smiling towards Niamh's cot.

"Yes. Her name is Niamh," Valerie said before he could ask.

Josh simply smiled in response, and, noticing the lack of floral arrangements on her side, he went back to Samantha, plucked two roses out of the bouquet he had just given her and presented them to Valerie. "One for you and one for Niamh," He said.

"Thank you," Valerie replied, smiling for the first time since Niamh had been born. 'He doesn't know how much this is appreciated…' She thought, again feeling a pang in her heart when she realized her husband wouldn't be giving her flowers anytime soon. Overcome with emotion she set both roses on the table at her bedside and said, "I'm kind of…tired, so…"

"We'll try and keep it down," Samantha promised.

Valerie said nothing more and turned away from them, quickly snuggling into the blankets. After a moment or two of listening to Samantha and Josh's quiet chatter and their cooing over their son, she began to cry again. It was a mix of guilt and sadness. Guilt over her internal wishing that Niamh was a boy, even though she was happy for her girl, and sadness over just about everything else. She wished she had the support her roommate did. Of course, she had her parents, but that was completely different from what she wanted. She felt as if she and Niamh had been rejected by Stephen because of this. The happy chatter over the boy on the other side of the room didn't help any as she eventually cried herself to sleep, only to be woken up a half hour later at the sound of a cry.

"It's Niamh," Samantha said as Valerie sat up.

In an instant, she was alert and up by Niamh's side. "Oh, what's the matter with Niamh?" She asked, carefully rocking her daughter as she tried to figure out her cries, soon finding through her feeling of the blanket that she needed a change. She quickly shifted her so that she could be held with one arm and, with Samantha's help, gathered all the necessary materials. She decided to change her on the bed and laid her on the towel that had been set there as she washed her hands. She fumbled through the majority of it, but eventually got the hang of it with a bit of help, and in no time, Niamh was changed, though, she still cried.

"She's still crying!" Valerie whined, her emotions getting to her.

"It's alright, she's probably just hungry."

"Oh…Right…" Valerie muttered, quickly picking her daughter back up, only to have her start mouthing her breast.

Samantha helped her undo the buttons on her pyjama top and smiled when Niamh quickly latched onto her mother and started to suckle.

With a sigh, Valerie sat on the bed staring at Niamh, still hardly believing she was a mum and noticing for the first time the little hospital bracelet on Niamh's wrist that had her name on it, meaning that it had been officially recorded.

"Is she your first?" Samantha asked.

"How did you know?"

"A lot of new mums fumble around with their first child. I know I did for awhile."

"What?"

"David's my second. I have another son at home."

"Oh…"

"You're lucky. I really wanted a girl and was beyond upset when I found out I was having another boy. But, there's always next time."

"Next time?"

"Josh and I are both from big families and want one ourselves. Our boys are just the start. Anyway, it might take you a bit to catch onto her cues, but once you do, taking care of her will get easier."

As soon as she finished speaking there was another knock, "Valerie?" Edward's voice said.

"No, she's…." Samantha started.

"It's alright. He's my father," Valerie said, motioning him in.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were…"

"It's fine, Daddy. If I'm going to breastfeed her, you'll have to get used to it anyway. Where's Mum?"

"She's out doing some more errands. I brought you some things," He said, setting a gift bag on the bed.

"Help?" Valerie asked Samantha, who nodded and opened the bag for her.

"Baby clothes," She informed her.

"Your mum and I know you only have boy's clothes, so we went out and bought a few things so that our granddaughter would have something to wear until you could get to shopping."

"But, you and Mum gave me plenty of gender neutral items."

"We couldn't find them in the nursery."

"Oh…They're in the spare clothes box with Myna's stuff."

Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Since I told her we didn't truly know, she sent me a box that's half girl clothes and half boy clothes and told me to send what I didn't need back so she could exchange it. Stephen took the girl stuff and half the stuff you sent and put in the back of what's now her wardrobe," Valerie explained, then, she turned her attention back to Niamh. "Would you like some new clothes?" She cooed, eyeing the t-shirt and cap the hospital had put on her. "Of course you would. This can't be comfortable."

As soon as Niamh finished eating, Valerie burped her and rifled through the clothes to choose an outfit.

Though she fussed through it a bit, Niamh was eventually put into a set of light-pink, footie pyjamas and wrapped up in a new, lavender blanket.

"There, isn't that better?" Valerie cooed.

"She really is adorable," Samantha said.

"She's beautiful, Sweetheart," Edward told his daughter. "She looks like you."

"A little…I think she looks more like Stephen. She has his eyes."

Noticing the sadness in her eyes, Edward set a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. He'll come around in time," He assured.

"I hope so…" Valerie muttered. She was completely in love with Niamh from the beginning and wanted Stephen to be the same. Even if she wasn't his desired son, she was still his child and needed her papa's love and care. "Would you like to hold her?" She asked her father.

"Of course," He said, waiting while Valerie gently set his new granddaughter in his arms. "Hello, Niamh," He said, never being one for baby talk. "I'm your granddad, well, one of them."

Niamh simply stared up at him with curious eyes. She was fascinated by everything she saw, especially the people and curious about this older man staring down at her.

"She really is cute. Reminds me a bit of Jacob when he was born, minus the dark gaze," He said, referring to Eleanor's eldest son, who was now three.

"That's because they're both blondes. His hair is starting to get a dark tint though. I don't think hers will. She has my hair."

"Yours got a bit darker. You were a platinum blonde up until you were three," Edward reminded her as he gently rocked Niamh, who was settling into a comfortable sleep in his arms. "May I?" He asked.

Valerie nodded and watched at he got up and carefully set Niamh in her cot. After that, he stayed around for a bit, striking up conversation with both his daughter and Samantha as she cared for her own baby and nurses popped in and out until they were given dinner. After dinner, Valerie changed and fed Niamh again, and then went to sleep for the night, getting up every two hours or so to feed and cuddle her daughter. The following morning there were several tests to assess her and Niamh's health, and, once they were both cleared, they were discharged. At first, Valerie worried about how she was going to get home, but, luckily, her parents arrived just in time. Despite her protest she was escorted out in a wheelchair with a doctor following to assure that there was a proper car seat for Niamh to travel home in. Luckily, it wasn't raining for once, so they didn't have to worry about umbrellas and the baby getting wet.

Valerie gasped when she saw that her parents had gone out and bought a rear facing, pink car seat and had secured it in their car.

"We went ahead and exchanged the old one. It hadn't been opened, so the shop was willing to take it back," Diana explained.

Valerie nodded, remembering that they had picked out and gotten a boy's car seat, but they agreed not to open it until after the baby had been born, when they really needed it.

After a quick check, the doctor deemed it safe and let them go. Diana helped Valerie properly strap Niamh in before they headed off.

Niamh was taken in by her surroundings and stayed awake the whole ride, staring around the car and at all of the sights that passed by.

"What are you looking at?" Valerie asked once she glanced over and noticed her daughter's wandering eyes.

"Everything," Diana replied. "She's just curious about her surroundings."

"Is…Is Stephen home?" Valerie asked, glancing at her hands.

"No. He has a trial and was just heading out the door when we showed up for the car seat," Diana said.

"Did he…Say anything?"

"Nothing. Not a sound."

"Oh."

Both her parents gave a sympathetic smile and they drove on in silence, soon pulling up in front of the house.

"Welcome home, Niamh," Valerie said cheerfully as she gently lifted her daughter from the car seat.

"We'll move that into your car later," Edward said as he grabbed Valerie's bag out of the boot.

She just nodded and shifted Niamh in her arms, checking her to make sure the blanket was completely around her and that she was warm.

Once they entered the house, Valerie felt a slight pang of guilt looking around at all of the blue and green boy toys, then she glanced at Niamh again and forgot about it. She would take care of it and make sure everything was girlified for her. 'I'm just grateful you're not old enough to know anything about this.' She thought as her mother set a hand on her shoulder.

"We have a surprise for you," She said. "Close your eyes."

"Mum I…"

"Your father will take Niamh."

Edward stepped forward and Valerie reluctantly handed her daughter over.

"Okay, come with me," Diana said, putting her hands over Valerie's eyes. "We're going upstairs," She warned as they approached the stairs. Surprisingly, Valerie made it up without missing a step as she let her mother guide her. Soon, they came to a stop. "Open your eyes," She ordered, removing her hands.

As soon as she opened her eyes, Valerie gasped. In her and Stephen's bedroom was the bassinet they had bought, but instead of blue bedding and ribbons it now had pink bedding.

"Oh, Mum…" She said. "I love it! Thank you!" She threw her arms around her mother and sighed, thinking that they were doing too much, but that she appreciated it. It took a huge weight off of her shoulders, knowing that she didn't have to rush out to the shop right away.

They broke the hug at the sound of Niamh's cry, and, in an instant, Valerie was down the stairs next to her father. She carefully took her daughter from him and rocked her, listening carefully to her cries. "It's been three hours. She's hungry again."

"She doesn't seem to cry much," Diana observed as Valerie moved to the recliner in the lounge and quickly unbuttoned her blouse.

"I noticed that while we were in hospital. She only cries when she's hungry, tired or needs to be changed. Never once did she cry for any other reason," Valerie replied as she quieted Niamh and got her onto her left breast. After twenty minutes, she burped Niamh and moved her to the other breast, saying, "Why didn't you bring her to me before she started crying? Crying is a late sign of hunger, you know."

"I wasn't sure what she was doing, I thought she was just whimpering for attention, and when she started to move, I thought she was just shifting to look at things again."

"He doesn't have our intuition," Diana said, moving to join Edward on the couch. "Besides, it's been awhile since he's been around any babies."

"My girls are all grown. I'm done," He said. "My job is simply to spoil the grandchildren now."

"Oh, Daddy," Valerie sighed, gasping when she suddenly saw a flash. "Mum!" She snapped.

"We hardly took any pictures at the hospital Valerie, we should at least have some of our only granddaughter's day home."

"You don't know that. Eleanor is trying for another," She informed them.

"Fine, our first granddaughter's day home."

"Can you wait until my chest isn't out?"

"No," Diana said, quickly snapping another photo.

Niamh ignored what was going on around her. The flash wasn't a bother, and she was too focused on eating to care anyway. When she felt full, she stopped and Valerie burped her after placing a burping cloth on her shoulder.

"Come sit with your father, Dear. I want a picture of him holding Niamh," Diana insisted.

Valerie sighed, knowing arguing was useless. She ended up spending the majority of the afternoon having a flash in her face as she let her parents take various pictures-minus the times when she changed or fed Niamh. After an hour or so of this, Niamh began to fuss a bit and was put down for a nap. She was up again a few hours later and was brought in to join her granddad in the lounge while he sat with Valerie as Diana made dinner, knowing her daughter needed a bit of a break. She made and put lasagna in the oven and soon joined them. Moments after she sat down, Stephen arrived home, stressed from another day of this difficult trial. The prosecutor was tearing him to shreds, and the defense was on its last leg. If he didn't find some sort of loophole, the whole case would be wasted. And, on top of that, he had two trials to attend the following day. He had intended to come home and simply relax, but was thrown for a loop when he found Valerie and her parents on the couch watching a film.

"Diana, Edward, nice to see you again," He said, immediately remembering his manners.

"We're just here for Valerie. I made dinner tonight," Diana said.

"Hi Valerie," He said, turning towards the stairs.

"Aren't you going to say "hi" to Niamh?" She blurted out without thinking. She was sick of being quiet and wallowing in sadness. She would make him acknowledge his daughter.

Stephen stopped for a moment. "Niamh? Who's Niamh?" He asked.

"Your daughter," Valerie said, her voice slowly turning into a sob as she remembered that he wasn't there for her naming.

He said nothing and headed up the stairs.

As soon as he left, Valerie burst into tears. It wasn't fair! Why should she have to do all the work simply because Niamh was a girl? Why did she and her parents have to be the only ones who cared about her daughter?

"Valerie," Diana sighed, quickly taking Niamh from her.

Once her arms were free, Valerie turned and buried her head in her father's shoulder.

Edward said nothing and just let her cry, knowing that it was simply her hormones affecting her emotions.

Meanwhile, Stephen stepped into the bedroom and quickly opened the wardrobe. As he untied his tie, he glanced over by the bed and scowled at the pink bassinet sitting next to it. The bassinet that used to be blue and was specially chosen for his son. 'Of course it's pink now…I'm afraid to see what the nursery looks like…' He thought.

Over the next two days, he and Valerie fell into an uncomfortable routine. She stayed home to take care of Niamh and was up several times in the night to do so, meaning she slept in the morning and didn't wake up until he was gone. They didn't speak much and there was a clear tension in the air that even Niamh picked up on. Though she was generally a quiet baby, she started whining more when both her parents were present, as she sensed something was wrong. Valerie tried to keep her mind off of things by going out shopping for new things for Niamh. By the fourteenth she had successfully returned and/or exchanged over half the clothes, sent Myna the boy clothes back and even exchanged a few toys and the baby book she had bought. Stephen kept his mind on his work, a bit embarrassed over what had happened. He had spent a lot of time bragging about his new son, but ended up with a daughter instead. He refused to tell anyone in chambers and just let them wonder about it as he focused on his new case, as, the other did end up falling through. He stayed late to work out the details of this one and didn't end up coming home until ten o'clock. It was dark when he entered the house, indicating that Valerie had gone to bed. In the kitchen he found a note saying she'd left him dinner.

'Even when she's mad at me, she still makes me dinner…I love her,' He thought, smiling at the note and then heading upstairs. He sighed as he started to undress, assisted by the nightlight that had been put in the room so that Valerie could care for Niamh more easily. As he pulled off his tie, he paused and glanced at the bassinet. Something in him stirred and he carefully walked over and set his hand on the edge of it, glancing at his peacefully sleeping daughter wrapped in a white blanket.

'I have a daughter…' He thought, suddenly overcome with emotion and the realization that he was a father. 'A beautiful daughter…Who I've been neglecting…' Without a second thought, he carefully lifted her up, surprised when she didn't wake. "Hi Niamh. I'm your Papa…" He whispered. 'And I've been unfair to you. I shouldn't be mad at you or Valerie. You're just a baby…A baby who needs Papa's love and care. I've been such a jerk. Being mad because she's a girl…It wasn't fair of me to automatically assume she was a boy without true proof in the first place. What's important is that she's here and healthy. And I'm going to make sure she has everything she needs from now on…' He thought, feeling horribly guilty over everything that had occurred over the past couple days. It wasn't fair of him to let his stress and anger take him over or to take it out on his wife and new daughter. He was only so angry because of the bad week. Niamh's being a girl had just topped it off. It felt like his whole world had crashed down, simply because he felt it was all ruined without a son. "I love you," He whispered, giving her a light kiss on the head before gently placing her back in the bassinet. He then quickly changed and went downstairs to eat and concentrate on some work before heading to bed. For the first time in days, he wrapped his arms around Valerie and gave her a kiss before falling asleep, as he wanted her to know he loved her and was starting to get over himself.

However, they didn't stay in that position. Every few hours she was up to check on and feed Niamh, but when she actually got up the next morning she found the bassinet empty. "Niamh?" She said, her instinct making her look around the room. "Niamh?!" She called. 'Oh, God…I lost the baby! I lost my girl!' She thought, quickly running out of the room. "Niamh? Niamh! Where are you?"

"What's the matter, Valerie?" Stephen asked, emerging from the kitchen with Niamh snuggled in his arms.

"Niamh!" She said. "I thought I lost you. I…Stephen!"

"What?"

"You're holding her!"

"Of course I am. She is my daughter."

"But…But…You…"
"Listen, Valerie. I'm sorry. I haven't been myself lately and it affected everything. I should have never acted the way I did just because I wanted a boy. Regardless of gender, Niamh is still my child and needs the same love and care as any son."

Valerie smiled, trying to fight off the happy tears brimming in her eyes. "Has she eaten?"

Stephen nodded. "I used the milk in the fridge. It was labeled with her name."

Valerie raised an eyebrow, confused until she remembered that when it came in, she had pumped some of her milk and left it so that her father could feed Niamh while she and her mum went out shopping, as she wasn't comfortable taking her out unless it was necessary.

"Do you like the outfit I picked out for her?" He asked, moving the blanket so that Valerie could see. Niamh wore a small, short-sleeved shirt with a butterfly on it and a pink ruffle at the sleeves and bottom with a matching pink skirt.

"It's too cold for her to wear a skirt," Valerie frowned.

"It looked better than the trousers and I thought it didn't matter since she spends most of her time wrapped in blankets. Besides, it's perfectly warm in the house."

"She's not wearing any socks."

"She just whined when I put them on, so I took them off and wrapped her in the blanket. She was happier after that."

Valerie smiled and moved to touch Niamh, surprised when her daughter grabbed her finger. She laughed as she thought, 'I'm glad he's starting to come around…It's only been a few days and she's already turning into Daddy's girl. He's already worrying about her clothes and picking up on what she doesn't like…'

"My mother called yesterday. She and my father will be back on Sunday, as planned and she's excited to meet her grandchild."

"Did you tell her Niamh is a girl?"

"No. Being honest, I was still too embarrassed after all the bragging I did."

"Don't tell her. I want it to be a surprise."

"But how am I supposed to deal with her calling my daughter a boy?"

"Just play along with it, but never give her a gender. She's just "the baby" or "your grandchild," okay?"

"When are we going to visit her?"

"Can we wait a few weeks? I want to wait until Niamh is a bit bigger and can deal with the weather better."

"Alright. I'll call her when they get back and arrange a date."

"Thank you," Valerie said with a relieved sigh.

"So, how much of the stuff have you taken care of?"

"My mum and I got half the clothes returned or exchanged, and they took care of the bassinet and car seat. Why?"

"I got a call ten minutes ago. The trial has been delayed a day because of an issue with a witness. So, I'm free."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I want to go shopping with you. Your mum has already agreed to watch Niamh for a few hours since you're not ready to take her out yet."

"I love you," Valerie said, quickly throwing her arms around him.

"Watch the baby," He warned.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Niamh."

Niamh looked back and forth between her parents. She had no idea what was going on, but could sense that they were happy, which made her happy. Since she couldn't smile yet, she just kicked a foot to express her happiness, making her parents laugh.

They were a bit sad to have to leave her a few hours later, but they knew it was better to get to shopping sooner than later. They took all of the remaining boy clothes and were able to return and exchange most of them, donating what the shops wouldn't take back. Two places gave them store credit instead of their money back that they used to replace the clothes and toys. They also exchanged the cot bumpers and bedding, changing table supplies and the carrier.

"What about a high chair?" Valerie asked as Stephen contemplated dresses.

"We can worry about that later. We'll be lucky to have anything left after this," He said, finally setting aside a dark purple dress with a rose on the sash.

"We have plenty. We budgeted well and aren't using anything extra since most of this has been exchanges."

Stephen simply nodded and they moved on, deciding to wait until Niamh was a bit older before buying the high chair. They then spent the next few weeks re-decorating the nursery and setting up the new toys and furniture while taking care of Niamh, who was turning out to be quite an easy baby. She hardly fussed, slept and ate well, and was quite active, never sitting still when she was awake, as, she wanted to look at everything. Her parents' only complaint was her socks, as, she never kept them on and often lost them.

"What are we going to do with you?" Stephen whispered as he dressed her for bed one night, easily pulling her little nightgown on. He then tried to get her to wear socks per Valerie's request, but she wouldn't sit still, so he gave up and wrapped her in her blanket.

"Did you get them on?" Valerie asked, stepping in as he gently laid her down in the bassinet.

"No. She wouldn't sit still."

"Oh, Niamh," Valerie sighed, stepping to stand next to Stephen as they watched their daughter sleep for a bit.

"She's almost like an angel when she sleeps, isn't she?" Stephen said.

"She is," Valerie agreed, pausing for a moment as she ran the statement over in her mind. "I like it," She thought aloud.

"What?"

"Niamh being an angel. Our Angel," She said, deciding that from that point forward that Niamh was her Angel and even took to calling her that, because as soon as she said it, it stuck.

Finally, once Niamh was a little over three weeks old, Stephen arranged for them to go visit his mother so that she could finally meet her only grandchild. He had been careful never to give Niamh a defined gender when they talked, respecting Valerie's wishes to keep it a surprise. They ended up going on the tenth of March, the Saturday before Niamh was to turn four weeks old. Since it was still cold, for the trip they dressed her in a footed, pink, fleece sleeper, and wrapped her in what was becoming her favourite blanket. It was a light-pink, microfiber blanket with a dark-pink border and had "Daddy's Girl" printed on one end of it in light-green, pink and brown alternating lettering with a butterfly on one end of the words and a blossoming flower printed at the other end.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Stephen asked as they headed up the steps, Valerie carrying Niamh in a baby carrier printed with pink flowers.

"Yes," Valerie lied, not wanting to say that she was only doing it to spite Elaine, who clearly disliked her.

Stephen said nothing more and simply knocked.

Moments later, they were greeted by his mother, who wore a simple trousers and sweater ensemble. "Stephen," She said, greeting him with a hug. "It's about time you showed up! Where's my grandson?"

"Here," Valerie said.

Elaine looked down, finally noticing the carrier Valerie held. "But…That carrier's pink." She pointed out.

"There a reason for that," Valerie replied as Elaine motioned them inside. She made her way into the kitchen and set Niamh's carrier on the counter while Stephen led his mother over to the sofa, setting down a pink and brown diaper bag along the way. "Come on, Niamh," Valerie said as she gently lifted her dozing daughter from the carrier.

Feeling the movement, Niamh gave a small whine and began to fuss a bit, unhappy about having her sleep disturbed.

"Oh, hush. We'll have none of that, Angel," Valerie cooed as she took Niamh into her arms.

After a moment or two, she settled down, finding comfort in her mother's arms. Valerie then made her way into the living room, taking a bit of pride in watching Elaine's eyes go wide at the little pink bundle she held.

"Mum," Stephen said. "This is your granddaughter, Niamh Cranitch."

"Grand…Daughter?"

"Yes."

"No. You said I would have a grandson."

"I was wrong," Stephen admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me after she was born then?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Valerie said. "Would you like to hold her?" Though she didn't particularly care for Elaine, Valerie wasn't going to deny her the chance of holding her grandchild.

"Well…I…Uh…" Elaine stuttered, cut off when Valerie presented her the girl, whom she reluctantly took into her arms.

Niamh simply stared at her, completely confused about this stranger. She was just starting to recognize mum and papa by their hair colours and voices, but this woman was different.

Elaine stared back, still stunned at the new revelation. She wasn't sure she knew how to handle a girl, and, on top of that, now all of the money she had spent on toys and clothes was wasted. As she got lost in her thoughts, Niamh started to fuss a bit. Then, she started coughing and a sound was heard before she spit up the remnants of her last feeding on Elaine's sweater.

Immediately, Valerie laughed at both the situation and the disgusted look on Elaine's face, stopping when Stephen elbowed her. Then, she got a burping cloth from the diaper bag and carefully took Niamh back, putting her over her shoulder to see if she needed to burp anymore.

"I'm sorry," She said, "She was just fed an hour ago."

"It's quite…alright," Elaine lied, staring disgustedly at the spot on her sweater and trying her hardest not to make a fuss over it, "I'll just go change."

As soon as she got up, Niamh finally burped over Valerie's shoulder.

"Good girl," Valerie said. "Are you done, now?" She shifted Niamh to cradle her, smiling at her smile. She then gave her a kiss on the head and joined Stephen on the couch.

"Where's Dad?" Stephen asked once Elaine stepped back into the room.

"I sent him out to the supermarket to pick up a few things. He should be back any minute now," She replied.

"What's that?" Valerie said, looking towards the small pile of gifts in the corner.

'Wasted money,' Elaine thought, though she didn't dare say it aloud. "They were gifts for my grandson. I have to take them all back now."

"Not necessarily," Stephen said, moving to rummage through them. "There are some gender neutral things here," He said, unearthing a few white and black onesies, and some cute bibs with gender-neutral sayings.

"I like that one," Valerie said, looking at the one in Stephen's hands that read "Messy just like Daddy!"

'Of course you do,' Stephen thought, setting it with the clothes they were keeping to amuse her. "How about this?" He held up a white shirt with blue lettering that said, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my daddy."

"It's cute. I think Myna sent me a blue skirt that'll match the colour of the letters."

Elaine simply sat back as they went through and sorted the gifts, secretly thinking it ridiculous. 'This woman is crazy. Keeping boy clothes for a girl! Why can't she see that it's all wasted pounds? I spent it all that money just to have her cheat me out of a grandson! And I know she didn't tell me just to be spiteful. I don't know what Stephen sees in her…' She thought with a frown.

After a few minutes and a bit more rummaging, Stephen and Valerie stopped, finding the rest of the clothes, blankets and toys too gender specific to keep.

'At least we got something out of all of that,' Valerie thought, turning her attention back to Niamh just as Stephen's father, Gregory came in the door with a few grocery bags.

"I'm sorry I'm late," He said.

"It's fine," Valerie said. "Elaine told us you just went on an errand."

"I was told to get some things for dinner," He said as Elaine stood and took the bags from him. "Now, where's my grandson?"

"Actually, Dad…"

"It's a girl," Elaine snapped.

Greg raised an eyebrow and Valerie glared at Elaine, wondering why she was being so mean about it. She then sighed and stood to present Niamh to her other grandfather.

"Would you like to hold her?" She asked.

Greg nodded and carefully took his granddaughter into his arms.

"Her name is Niamh," Stephen informed him.

As soon as she settled into his arms, Greg looked at her and immediately fell in love. "She's beautiful," He said, looking into her eyes, which she shared with him.

Seeing his smile, Niamh smiled back at him and reached a hand up, grasping his finger when he presented it to her.

"Hello, Niamh," He said. "What is she going to call your father?" He asked Valerie.

"Probably Granddad. That's what he keeps referring to himself as."

"Then you can call me Grandpa," He said, turning his attention back to Niamh. "She's a good mix of the two of you. Yes, you'll grow up to be a great beauty," He told Niamh.

"How can you be so sure?" Valerie asked.

"Look at her mother," Stephen said.

"Stop it," She said with a heavy blush in her cheeks.

Greg smiled and then glanced at the gifts, looking from them to Niamh. "I guess we have to get you some new clothes, now." He said.

"You don't have to. She has plenty at home," Stephen said.

"I want to," He insisted. "Besides, someone always told me that a girl can never have enough clothes." He glanced toward Elaine, who simply rolled her eyes. She was done with her granddaughter for now.

'I am beyond tempted to ask why she's such a bitch!' Valerie thought, not understanding what was so wrong with her having a granddaughter. She actually secretly thought Niamh was better than any son, as she enjoyed dressing her up and messing with what little accessories she could. Of course, she would have gladly welcomed her even if she had been a boy, but couldn't help but be a little pleased with how it turned out. She then turned and smiled at Greg as he tickled and played with Niamh, relishing in her little smiles as she tried to learn who he was.

"She loves you," Valerie said.

"I would hope so. She is my granddaughter," He replied with a smile. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Of course," Stephen replied.

"What about you Niamh? Are you staying?" Greg joked, laughing at Niamh's smile.

"Of course she's staying, she can't go anywhere else," Valerie replied, standing to take her daughter back. "Do you want to see how we play with her?"

"Of course."

Valerie smiled, quickly pulled a floor blanket from the diaper bag and carefully laid Niamh on her stomach.

"That's not good for her," Elaine said as she came back in.

"It's fine, Mum," Stephen said. "The pediatrician said we should be playing with her like this to help strengthen her back and neck muscles so she can get better at holding her head up. She just has to be well supervised."

"Are you sure? And when was the last time she slept? She looks tired."

"She took a nap on the way here," Valerie said as she handed Greg a heart-shaped, lavender rattle. "If she wanted to sleep, she would. That's how babies work."

Stephen and Greg exchanged a look while Greg shook the rattle for Niamh, watching as she looked for the source of the noise and then focused on it, following it with her eyes as her grandfather moved it and ignoring the arguing women behind her.

"Don't you dare tell me how to raise my daughter!" Valerie snapped. "You didn't want her in the first place!"

"It's not my fault you cheated me out of my grandson!" Elaine snapped back.

"I did WHAT?! In case you didn't know, it's the man who picks the gender, Madam. So, why don't you go yell at your son instead?!"

"He's already in trouble for not telling my about this. Unless it was your idea?"

"Why do you care? Why can't you just accept what it is and love your granddaughter?"

"I do love her," Elaine retorted, offended that Valerie would say such a thing.

"Then stop being mean and play with her! Show her how much you love her! Don't give her up after five minutes because she spits up! She's a baby! They do that!" Valerie snapped.

"Should we do something?" Stephen asked Greg.

"Let them fight it out. It's never good to get between two women. Now, when they start killing each other, we'll intervene."

Valerie and Elaine went on for another few minutes until Niamh started to whine, frustrated with her position.

"See, I told you that wasn't good for her," Elaine said in a matter-of-faculty tone.

"She's just frustrated, Mum," Stephen said with a sigh as he rolled Niamh onto her back. "All that whine means is that she's tired of being on her stomach and wants to lie on her back."

Elaine simply sighed and moved into the kitchen to make dinner, already sick of Valerie being around. 'What does she know about anything? She'll never be a real mother. She gets paid to do a women's duty for God's sake! Cooking, clearing tables and washing dishes are supposed to be mandatory chores, not an occupation!' She thought, feeling that turning her emotions on something else would help her against blowing up at her daughter-in-law's parenting.

Somehow, they managed a relatively peaceful dinner, with Niamh getting fed afterwards while Elaine got in the way with her opinions about Valerie's feeding techniques until Stephen told her to back off. Afterwards, Niamh was burped and fell asleep and Stephen and Valerie headed home.

Gregory and Elaine ended up spending much of their time after that night shopping for Niamh and exchanging what they had initially bought in hopes of a grandson and even picking up some extra items. However, it was Greg doing the majority of the shopping while Elaine simply grumbled about the money and being cheated out of her grandson. He ignored it and happily indulged in things for Niamh, even picking up a cute, pink blanket with a dark, satin border that read "Grandpa Loves Me," and became her second-favourite blanket, next to her "Daddy's Girl" one. And, over the next few months, everyone settled into a comfortable routine. After three months of being home, Valerie headed back to work, leaving Niamh in the care of her mother during day events and Stephen during evening events. It worked out well, especially since Niamh easily took to being bottle fed breast milk instead of getting it directly from her mother all the time. When she was home, Valerie relished the time shared with her daughter and had a great time filling in her baby book. She had let Eleanor, the artist in the family, customize the previously blank cover and the book ended up being titled "Our Angel: Niamh Cranitch" with a cute picture of Niamh in the middle of it. By five months, she began to eat more solid food while struggling with teething, making her parents invest heavily in teething rings and other soft toys for her. And, the day she turned six months old, the small family once again gathered in Greg and Elaine's living room for a visit. By that time, Elaine mellowed out a little bit, but still got in the way with her constant badgering about Valerie's parenting techniques.

"She loves you," Valerie teased as Niamh crawled into Stephen's lap while he sat on the floor.

"Of course she does," Stephen said, smiling as she finally settled herself into his lap. He had chosen a simple, jeans and t-shirt outfit for the day while Valerie had matched her jeans with a buttoned, lavender blouse and had dressed Niamh in a light-pink shirt that read "Daddy loves me," and a dark-pink skirt with a matching, dark-pink bow band around her head, deciding to leave the socks and shoes alone, as she was getting to be too good at losing them. She had simply wrapped her in a blanket for the trip, letting her go once they were in the house.

"Is there a reason she never wears socks?" Greg asked as Niamh grabbed a fistful of Stephen's shirt and put it in her mouth.

"She doesn't like them," Stephen explained as he untangled Niamh's hand from his shirt. "Every time we put them on she just kicks them off, so we don't bother if we don't have to…Niamh, stop that." He grabbed and untangled her hand again.

Niamh frowned and Valerie presented her with a teether to chew on. After staring at it curiously, Niamh took the heart-shaped ring and put it in her mouth, finally leaving Papa's shirt alone.

"Good girl, Angel. Now, no more messing with Papa's clothes, okay?" Valerie asked, receiving a small giggle in response before Niamh focused wholly on the teether.

"How's she doing with the teething?" Elaine asked.

"Alright," Valerie said "She fusses more than usual, but usually the teether calms her down."

"Is she eating well?"

"Yes, Mum," Stephen sighed. "She eats just fine. Valerie makes her food."

"You make baby food?"

"All I really have to do is put the food in the blender," Valerie said, as she didn't feel like relaying all the steps she took to prepare Niamh's food. "Why waste money when I can do it myself? It's beyond easy compared to the dishes I make at work."

"She doesn't eat snacks, does she?"

"She does," Stephen replied, "But not all the time."

"I found that she's fond of those little peanut butter wheels we get at the shop," Valerie said.

"You're already feeding her peanuts?"

"No, we're giving her cookies with peanut flavouring. The pediatrician said it was okay. Get off my back, will you?" Valerie snapped.

"Valerie," Stephen warned as Niamh crawled out of his lap and headed over to the couch where Greg sat.

"Don't look at me. I'm not the one telling others how to parent," Valerie said.

"I'm just concerned for my granddaughter," Elaine retorted as Niamh stopped at Grandpa's foot and held her arms up.

"Come on up, Angel," He said, ignoring his wife and daughter-in-law's bantering. He sat Niamh in his lap and watched as she stared at her mother and grandma and pointed at them with a whine.

"Valerie, I think someone wants your attention," Stephen said, finally breaking their argument.

"What's the matter with my Angel?" Valerie said as she picked her up.

Once she was in her mother's arms, Niamh nestled her head into her shoulder and lay comfortably.

"I think she's tired," Stephen said.

"Which means it's time for us to go home. Thank you for lunch," Valerie said as she helped Stephen gather Niamh's belongings.

Niamh wasn't too happy when her mum put her down to put her coat on, but settled again once she was comfortably wrapped in a blanket and secured into her car seat.

Valerie smiled back at her at Stephen started to drive off, both of them knowing that they still had a long road ahead, as it was only the beginning of their time as a family. And, though Niamh was an accident, they both knew they couldn't live without her now and wouldn't have it any other way.