Quickie:

Argh. I did it again. I got preoccupied and couldn't update. Here's my lame excuse:
I was working on more chapters and I had a lot of editing to do. But then the whole week before and OF New Year's I got bombarded with get togethers and stopped writing. SO...I'm sorry for that. For those of you who stuck around and read the last chapter, thank you for still being here! I know I'm a nuisance with updates lately. I'm working on getting better, I swear. (Hey at least this time it wasn't a month long wait!)

Happy New Year everyone. Hope all of you had wonderful holidays! Enjoy...if you dare! Hehe!

Chapter 59

Later that night, when everything had calmed down, Clementine sat playing with her toys, and Kate and Sawyer were working on baby names yet again. The arguing had already begun.

"Can you just stop saying that every name I suggest sounds like Jack's kid?" Kate said, angrily. "It's not Jack's kid. It's yours. So start acting like it!"

"Well maybe if you'd stop pickin' such stupid names – "

"Fine. What about Connor?"

Sawyer narrowed his eyes. "How about Chase?"

"That's not funny."

"And Connor is?"

She sighed in exasperation. "Why don't we try some girl names then?"

"Like what, Jacquelyn?"

Instead of replying, she got up and threw the book at him. He shielded his face with his arm, and, smirking, picked up the book from his lap. By the time he looked up again, Kate was already in the kitchen.

"Daddy," Clementine started. "Why's Kate so mad?"

"Don't worry about it Sunshine."

"Clementine?" Kate called. "Come pick out what you want to eat."

Clementine got up, clutching Emily, and ran into the kitchen. Sawyer, meanwhile, started flipping through the book of baby names again. Why was this so hard? Probably because they didn't know what it was yet. Or was that just an excuse? There were really no names that stood out to him – not that he was looking hard enough anyway. He tossed the book on the table, in defeat.

In a few minutes, Clementine came back into the room and resumed playing with her toys. Kate followed soon after, and sat once again on the couch. She picked up the book and began to look through it again.

"We haven't decided on a middle name either," she said softly.

"Kinda depends on the first name, don't it?" he replied.

"I guess."

"Look, let's just pick somethin' already. We're runnin' outta time as it is."

But she stopped listening. She was reading something in the book intently.

"Freckles?"

"How about…Bryce?"

"Bryce?" he grimaced.

"No?"

"Bryce…"

"It's interchangeable. So if it's a boy or a girl..."

"I s'pose Bryce ain't bad. Bryce Ford. Kinda…has a ring to it."

"Bryce Ford? It's not going to be Bryce Ford."

"Why not?" he scorned.

"Because. Legally it would be Bryce Austen."

"Bull pucky. I'm its father. It's gonna be Ford."

"I'm giving birth to this kid, James," she laughed. "Besides, we're not married. So it can't take your name."

"So, what? You wanna get married then?!"

She rolled her eyes. "We've already had that discussion."

"It's just a last name!"

"Exactly. So why does it matter so much to you?!"

"Why do you gotta do that?"

"Do what!?"

"That thing you always do! It's like – "

"What thing!?"

"- always guilt tripping me – "

"Well maybe if you'd just – "

"Just what? Sell you my soul?"

"You are the most stubborn – "

"Oh I'm stubborn!?"

"Yes! You are! You don't even – "

"Freckles there is no way I am as stubborn as you! Especially with your mood swings and all – "

"Mood swings? What is that supposed to mean!?"

"You know damn well what it means!"

"You know what, I don't. Maybe you should explain!"

"I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll –"

"STOP FIGHTING!" Clementine interrupted.

Sawyer and Kate stared at her, in shock.

"All you guys always do is fight. It's Christmas! No fighting on Christmas," she said.

"Clemmy, we're not fighting," Kate said softly.

"Yes you are! You're yelling at each other!"

"We always yell at each other, Sunshine. You know that," Sawyer told her.

"Well don't. And 'specially not on Christmas," she replied. "It's mean."

Kate and Sawyer glanced at each other, then looked down shamefully. Clementine gazed at them, then slowly turned back around and quietly played with her toys again. They glanced at each other again, then looked away. Kate began to flip through the book again, and Sawyer stared at the floor.

"Mason?" she said quietly.

Sawyer's eyebrows lowered. He looked up at her.

"For a boy?"

"Either or."

"Ford or Austen?"

She narrowed her eyes cynically. He sighed and looked away.

"Ball's in your court, James."

Sawyer thought for a moment, deciding whether or not he liked the name. Finally, he nodded.

"Mason."

In the middle of that night, Sawyer was stirred awake hearing a loud gasping outside of the bedroom. He looked to his side and Kate wasn't beside him. He rolled his eyes at this. He knew there had been tension between them all night, but was that really necessary? Figuring Clementine was crying again, he got out of bed to follow the sound that had woken him.

As he started toward the stairs, he realized the sound wasn't coming from her room. In fact, it was coming from the opposite end of the hallway. He followed it to the bathroom. The door was opened only slightly. He peeked in and saw Kate on the floor her back against the tub. Her breathing was heavy and unsteady and she was clutching her stomach. He pushed the door entirely open and hurried to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

She looked up at him, her face draining of color.

"N-nothing. I'm fine," she breathed.

"Like hell you are," he said, kneeling beside her.

"Really," she said, then looked down grimacing.

"You're in pain, Freckles. Come on," he said, helping her up. "We're goin' to the hospital."

"Clementine – "

"She's comin' too."

He put his arm around her, lifting her arm around him, helping her to walk. Whatever it was that was wrong, Sawyer had a bad feeling about it.