She had caught her in a weak moment, when she was missing Caroline so much it physically hurt. She wasn't exactly her type, but look where her type had got her. Pregnant and alone. So she said yes.

Dinner was admittedly delicious, though Kate currently felt like every mouthful of every bit of food was delicious but never quite enough. The conversation was interesting, and it flowed.

No awkward pauses, no glances around the room to see if anyone was watching them, no telling the waiter, who didn't ask, that they were just friends.

It had almost everything Kate would have considered a perfect date. Except it didn't have Caroline.

And then suddenly it did, which made it even worse. When Kate got up to use the loo, she heard a familiar voice and glanced over her shoulder to see what was obviously a family gathering. Alan and his family, Celia and the boys. Even John was there. Everyone was chatting and laughing, except for the woman who sat at the end nursing a glass of wine and staring at the table.

Kate couldn't tear her eyes away.

"Sorry, would you mind?" A waiter appeared at Kate's elbow and she apologise profusely, tearing her eyes away from the blonde and stepping to the side.

When Caroline looked up as the waiter approached, she saw someone standing watching them, but before she could move the figure was gone, and Caroline wasn't entirely sure she wasn't seeing things.

..

"Sorry I took so long. There was a queue. What were we talking about?" Kate smiled as she sat back down.

"That's ok! Ah..that restaurant in Paris. The one underground."

"Oh, yeah! I can't believe you've been there, too! every time I mention it to the friends I went with, they don't remember it, so I was beginning to think I'd gone mad."

"They've probably tried to push it out of their head. Getting served rancid snails by a man with beard hair down to his knees isn't something memorable."

"I kept finding bits of hair in my food, too!" Kate wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, don't! I'll be sick!" Her companion laugh, covering her mouth.

Kate laughed too, but it faded when she looked up to see a pair of forlorn blue eyes watching her. As it did whenever she saw her unexpectedly, Kate's hand went protectively to her bump, as though she was reminding herself why she could no longer go there.

Seeing her attention moved, her companion turned to look at the woman. "Who-"

"My boss." Kate said quickly. She knew Caroline would never have the courage to approach. Except she was.

"Hi! My name is Caitlin. Kate tells me you're her boss? I bet you're glad to have her on your team."

Caroline drew her eyes away from Kate's hand and managed a fragile smile. "Hi. Yes."

Caitlin waited for more, then glanced at Kate, who stared at her water. "…well, you've-"

"Kate, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kate eyes flew up to look at Caroline. Not wanting to make this any more awkward for Caitlin, Kate was forced to nod and stood up. "Won't be long. Order us dessert!"

When they reached the corridor that led to the bathroom, Kate stopped and folded her arms. "What do you want?"

Caroline's eyes dropped to the floor. "Are you.. are.."

"I'm on a date. And it's going very well, thank you."

Caroline flinched and raised her eyes. "Kate, I-"

"Don't. We have said everything that needs to be said. Well, I have. You've not said an awful lot, especially when it was needed, have you?"

Caroline looked pained at this and her eyes moved to Kate's bump again.

"So, you go back to your family, I will go back to my date, and that is that." Kate turned and counted the steps back to the table she sat at so she had something to focus on. "Sorry. Work. She's a workaholic, I'm afraid. I'm not."

"Good to know. I've ordered a surprise for dessert!"

Five minutes later and Kate realised too late what had happened. As soon as she took a mouthful she realised she had never told Caitlin she was allergic to nuts. There were no obvious ones on the cake, but that meant nothing.

"So, I said to him-" Caitlin began.

Kate turned to rummage in her bag, but her hands shook with panic. "CAROLINE!"

"What's happened?" Caitlin asked, worried.

Half way across the restaurant, a table full of people went silent and turned to look at the woman at the head of the table.

"What on earth-" Celia began as Caroline shot to her feet.

Caitlin jumped to her feet to try and help Kate find what she was looking for.

"Kate!" Suddenly Caroline was by their side, pushing Caitlin away and grabbing Kate's handbag, tipping out the contents.

"What-" Caitlin began.

"Caroline!" Kate said between coughs.

"You're fine. You'll be absolutely fine. And I've read up on it, and the baby will be okay, too. I promise. We will all be okay." Caroline promised as she helped Kate onto the floor and quickly administered the epipen.

"What's happened?!" Caitlin asked tearfully.

"You're okay. You're okay." Caroline reassured Kate. When Kate moved Caroline's hand to her bump, Caroline stared for a moment before she began rubbing there. "You're both okay."

Caitlin wasn't entirely sure why all of Caroline's family seemed to feel the need to come to the hospital. She had driven there, as Caroline pushed her way into the ambulance before Caitlin could even say anything. Now she was sat in a hospital corridor with a group of people she didn't know.

"You're an idiot." The boy next to her muttered under his breath.

"Sorry?"

"She's allergic to nuts and you ordered chocolate?"

"I didn't know."

"Everyone knows!" He cried.

Another woman shushed the boy and moved him away, talking quietly to him.

Caitlin let out a shaking breath and began to pace.

Everyone looked up when a doctor exited the room.

"You're all here for Kate McKenzie?"

"Yes. We're her family." An older lady stepped forward, followed closely by an older man.

Caitlin had thought Kate only had a mother in the US and a father who was in a nursing home. She hadn't mentioned a whole family who were somehow related to her boss!

"Kate is doing much better. We have her on some strong medication so she's very drowsy, and given her pregnancy, we will be keeping her in overnight. But her and the baby will be fine."

There was a collective sigh of relief in the hallway.

"Can I see her?" Caitlin asked.

"Sure. Not too long, though." The doctor held open the door for her.

Caitlin walked in hesitantly, studying the scene before her. Kate appeared to be asleep in the bed, with one hand resting on top of Caroline's, which rested on her belly. Every few moments Kate would move, or try to speak, and Caroline would reassure her everything was ok.

Caitlin had almost decided to leave without saying a thing when Caroline caught sight of her and jumped to her feet, furious. "You could have killed her! You could have killed our baby! How could you be so thoughtless?!"

"I didn't know! This was our first date, I barely know Kate!" Caitlin protested, near tears again.

Kate roused herself enough to try and sit up, and Caroline was quick to rush back to her side, looking like she had been slapped when Kate tried weakly to push her hand away.

"Don't." Kate said through the mask, reaching her hand out to Caitlin instead. "'M sorry."

Caitlin took the hand. "No, I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"-Should have told you."

"It's ok. I'm just glad you're ok. Would you like me to stay? Or call anyone for you?"

Kates eyes involuntarily flicked toward Caroline who now paced at the end of the room. "No. Thank you. I'll call you." Kate promised with a squeeze of Caitlin's hand.

Caitlin gave a small smile, knowing she wouldn't, before leaving the room.

Kate rested back against the pillows, exhausted from forcing herself to speak, and just gazed at the monitor that was monitoring the babys heartbeat.

"Do you want me to go?" Caroline finally asked quietly after she had gone through every possible scenario this question might start.

She wasn't sure if Kate had heard because she was quiet for so long, but then suddenly there was a small head shake. Caroline felt relief flood through her. "I'll tell everyone else to go home."

"Everyone else?" Kate asked hoarsely.

Caroline blushed and gestured to the door. "The whole family came. They were worried about you. And the baby."

When Caroline returned, Kate's eyes were closed again, so Caroline sat quietly in the chair beside the bed. She allowed herself to look over Kate, seeing all the changes in her body. She never usually allowed herself more than a glance. When she got to Kate's face, a pair of sleepy eyes now watched her.

"I'm sorry." Caroline whispered. It was all she had left. She had offered to do better so many times and had still been found wanting.

Eyes still on Caroline's, Kate's lids slowly began to close and her breathing evened out as she fell into a light sleep.

Caroline must have fallen asleep, too, despite trying to stay awake to make the most of what might be her last time ever alone with Kate. After all, it was only coincidence that had led them here. She was woken suddenly by an unfamiliar feeling a couple of hours later to find Kate gently tugging on her hand and saying something behind the mask.

"Hold me." Caroline wondered if perhaps she was dreaming.

"Hold me. I'm frightened." Kate repeated.

Caroline climbed silently onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Kate as she lay on her side, one hand resting on top of Kate's on her bump, and then another resting just above it, where she could feel a flicker of movement below.

The only sound in the room was the rush of oxygen into the mask and Kate's still fast breathing.

"It's a girl."

"…I thought you didn't want to find out."

"I changed my mind."

"Have you..do you… a name?"

"In my head-" Kate began, then stopped herself for a few beats before continuing. "In my head, I call her Flora- Grace McKenzie-Dawson."

Caroline swallowed down the lump in her throat several times but couldn't seem to speak.

"I miss you." Kate said softly.

"I miss you, too." Caroline managed, voice shaking and on the verge of tears.