A Hand To Hold

2 months later…

"I thought that was a monster coming upstairs." Punk said, sitting on their bed, leaning against the headboard as he watched his very pregnant girlfriend walk into their bedroom. She was just two weeks away from her due date and was finding it hard to do simple things like walk upstairs.

"Very funny." AJ shook her head, past the stage of allowing him to joke with her. She felt hormonal, tired, hungry and occasionally horny which weren't all that great combined together.

"Get into bed already. You've been walking around too much." He told her.

"Well I do have to walk, Phil." AJ shook her head, walking around the bed as he watched her. She wasn't completely massive. The doctor had said on occasion that their baby girl wasn't particularly a big baby, just AJ was small in height and mass which made her look bigger.

She'd only just taken her leave from work the previous week after being practically forced by Liz. She knew herself that she wasn't managing to do her work to the best of her ability and so figured it was time to take her leave.

"How can you even think I'm attractive like this." AJ shook her head, groaning as she got into bed, leaning against the headboard with him whilst placing her hand on her tummy as he smiled.

"I think you're gorgeous." He told her, "And sexy." He smiled, kissing her cheek as she rolled her eyes.

"You just feel sorry for me." AJ shook her head as he laughed a little.

"No… well I do feel sorry for you, but that's not why I'm saying it." Punk said, "You're always gorgeous to me." He said as she smiled lightly, "It won't be long until she's out." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I've never wanted to push something out of me so much before." She admitted tiredly, resting her head back on the headboard as he laughed a little.

"Are you nervous?" He asked her.

"To give birth?" AJ asked him as he nodded, "Yeah, I guess. How hard can it be? Tons of women do it every day." She shrugged, "It's all worth it I'm sure." She said, placing her hand on her tummy. They'd grown so close to their baby girl that they were just so excited to meet her now. They were prepared pretty much in all aspects. They had the nursery ready for her which was the most adorable thing AJ had witnessed. She'd pretty much left the whole thing to Punk and he'd made it like a little fairy-tale nest. She was in love with it.

"I'm nervous and I don't even have to do anything." Punk said as she laughed a little.

"Yeah, you can just stand by and let me do all the hard work, like I've done for the past nine months." AJ nodded.

"My queen." Punk nodded as she smiled, "What are you up to tomorrow?" He asked her.

"I'm meeting Colette for lunch. If I can make it there." She shook her head, "It's the first time I'm gonna see her since she's had her baby. Hopefully she can give me tips on what to expect." She said, referring to the friend she had made at one of her mom classes she'd gone to. She'd stayed in good touch with Colette and now that she'd had her baby, she wanted to meet up and congratulate her.

"Can you still fit behind the wheel in the car?" Punk asked her.

"No. It's too uncomfortable. I feel like I'm squashing her." AJ sighed, "I'll just walk." She said as Punk nodded.

"Well I think I'm going to stop by at Dean's on my way home tomorrow, watch the game and have dinner there. You good with that?" He asked her.

"Yeah, of course." AJ nodded, "The less I see of you right now is for the best probably."

"Why?" Punk laughed.

"I don't know. You've just been annoying me lately." She admitted honestly as he laughed out loud.

"Doing what?" Punk laughed.

"Just… things. Like at dinner when you kept hitting your fork off the plate. It was really annoying me." She told him truthfully as he raised his eyebrows, "And when you sit on the couch and do that shaking thing with your leg." She said, "Like you're having a frickin seizure." She grumbled, "That annoys me too."

"Anything else?" Punk laughed, amused.

"Oh, I could write a list." She waved her hand as he nodded.

"Fair enough." Punk nodded.

"How are things going with Dean and Anna? Do you know?" She asked him, rubbing her belly. She'd enjoyed her pregnancy for sure, but now she was at the stage of really wishing for their baby girl to hurry up and make her entrance. They were as prepared as they could be for her.

"Uh… good, I think. As far as I know they're still taking it real slow. Keeping their space. I know Anna isn't talking to her mom, she's not working for the newspaper anymore."

"Sucks how that worked out." AJ said, "She shouldn't have had to… leave the workplace that she loved just because her mom is a bully." She said.

"It's probably for the best." Punk said, "Dean said she's been doing some freelance writing, though, even though she's working as a secretary in an office." Punk shrugged.

"I'm glad they're working it out, slowly." AJ nodded, "Not that I dismiss anything she did, but… it was obvious she was just being her mother's puppet. I know what it's like, trying to please your mom, trying to be who she wants you to be." AJ said, "But getting away from her is the best thing for Anna right now." She said, "I can say that from experience."

"You been thinking about your mom?" Punk asked her.

"Ever since it all kicked off with Anna." AJ nodded, "It's just strange how you can go from being with someone, living with them, thinking they were the only family you needed… and then they just disappear and they're suddenly not in your life anymore." AJ said, "I mean… I know that it was my decision to cut her off but… she didn't even tell me she was bipolar. I feel like the mom I had, I didn't even know." AJ shook her head.

"It was never great with you two, huh?" Punk said as she shook her head, "Remember when she took your birth control from you?" He laughed a little as AJ nodded and then shook her head.

"I should have known something was wrong with her before." She said.

"No, you couldn't have predicted that." Punk said.

"I just wonder where she is now… what she's doing… she might not even be alive." AJ shook her head.

"Do you ever think you'll see her again?" Punk asked her.

"I don't know." AJ shook her head, "I try not to think about it." She admitted as he nodded, "Do you ever think your life would be different if… if your dad stuck around?" AJ asked him as he leaned his head back on the headboard.

"No, I don't think so. He'd still be an abusive drunk. Only… he'd be an abusive drunk in our lives." He said, "He's always just been better off… better off not in our lives." He said, "I don't really think about him, and I'm not just saying that, but… I really don't." He nodded.

"Why'd you… take his name?" AJ asked him as he looked down at her, "Dean didn't."

"Well mom and him were still together when they had me. They broke up when she was pregnant with Dean so… mom gave her own name to him and… mines just stayed Brooks." Punk shrugged, "I never bothered much about it. It's just a name." He said as she nodded.

"Do you think your mom still loved him? I mean… he had to have been a decent guy at some point. I know they were young but… I knew your mom, it wasn't like she was stupid or easily manipulated." She said.

"No, definitely not." Punk laughed a little, "I mean, personally I can't remember seeing any sort of love shown from her towards him. I think they were just two kids who made a mistake, didn't really love each other in the first place… and then having Dean just sent it all over the edge." He said, "He was in and out our lives until I was about 6 or 7. Last time I saw him he punched my mom in the face." He said as AJ nodded, "Like I said, he's never on my mind." He told her, "What about you? What do you even know about your dad?"

"Nothing." AJ said, "I don't even think my mom knows anything about my dad." She laughed a little, "She was just a kid too." She nodded, "But I just… I don't know, I couldn't imagine us falling apart if we had a baby when we were younger. Wouldn't have been easy but… we wouldn't have stopped loving each other."

"AJ, I don't think our parents loved each other full stop." Punk said, "They're not the best examples to go by, relationship wise." He laughed a little.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." AJ nodded.

She didn't want to say things were perfect, but things seemed the best they'd ever been. Whilst they'd faced some hiccups along the road since Punk got released from prison, a lot had really come together, the big thing of course being getting ready to become parents. Everything with Anna and her mother had been settled. Whilst Anna's actions weren't completely dismissed, her and Dean were trying to give themselves some time and space to figure things out. Punk and AJ respected that, and they also could sympathise with how controlling Anna's mother had been, especially AJ.

"Oh, man." AJ sighed uncomfortably, placing both her hands on her tummy as Punk watched.

"You ok?" He smiled.

"I don't know. I've just felt bloated all day and just… not right." She shook her head.

"Maybe you're just tired." He said, kissing her head as she nodded and sighed.

"When am I not tired?" She laughed a little to herself.

"Go on. I could do with an early night anyway." Punk said, reaching over and switching the light off as he slid down the bed whilst AJ did too, only finding it comfortable to lie on her back.

"Say goodnight to her." AJ told him, hitting his chest when she saw he was almost about to fall asleep.

"Oh, right." Punk nodded, shifting down the bed to her tummy, "Hey, baby girl. I don't know if you're awake in there." He said, placing his hand on her tummy as AJ smiled, "But do me a favour and give your mommy a good sleep tonight, yeah? If she doesn't she just gets cranky with me." He said as he felt AJ shove him, "See." He said as AJ laughed to herself, "Ok, but we love you and we hope you sleep well. Goodnight." He said, kissing her stomach and then moving back up the bed as AJ smiled to him.

"You're such a good dad." AJ said tearfully as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Control your damn hormones, woman." He laughed as she frowned, cuddling into him as he smiled.

Five hours later…

"How did you not know you were in labour the entire day?" Punk shook his head, sitting by AJ's bedside in the hospital where she was hooked up to machinery and puffing on gas and air.

After waking up through the night with severe pains in her stomach, and then eventually having her waters break, they headed straight to the hospital, both in shock. When her doctor said that she'd probably been in labour all day due to how she was feeling, despite it being just mild feelings of discomfort, AJ was just as shocked as the next person.

"I don't know." AJ whined, "I don't think I wanna do this anymore." She cried, feeling a contraction take over her body as she rolled her head back on the pillow and moaned into the gas and air tube.

"Ok, it's almost done." He said, watching the monitor and holding her hand, "That's it, it's almost over." He nodded soothingly as the contraction passed and she sighed.

"Why can't you do this part?" AJ cried, "Haven't I done enough?" She asked him seriously as he smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I would if I could, baby." Punk said sincerely. He hated seeing her in pain and felt completely helpless, but he knew all he could do was show her support and encouragement.

"Have you text Dean? He'll-He'll want to be here." She nodded to him.

"He's already on his way." Punk assured her as she nodded.

"Ok, April… how are we doing?" The doctor asked, walking into the room as AJ sighed.

"We want her out." AJ answered firmly as the doctor smiled and nodded.

"All in good time." She said, checking to see how far AJ was dilated, "You're getting there." She nodded, looking over at the heart rate monitors and wandering over curiously.

"What?" AJ said, looking at her face which seemed worried and concerned.

"The baby's heart rate has dropped… quite a lot." The doctor said as AJ and Punk looked at her with concern, "It might be her positioning, let me just take a look." She said, feeling around AJ's stomach whilst AJ gulped.

"Is she ok?" AJ asked with concern, "Why is her heart rate dropping? That's not good." AJ said.

"Her positioning seems fine." The doctor nodded, "It's not alarmingly low but… it's not how it should be." She assured her, "So I'm gonna keep a close eye on it, if it doesn't improve any… we'll do an emergency C section and get her out right away. I can have her out in a matter of seconds, ok?" She said as AJ groaned a little, feeling the next contraction as she squeezed Punk's hand. Combining her pain with worry was not great at all.

"And if it does improve?" Punk asked whilst letting AJ crush his hand in hers.

"The we'll proceed as normal." The doctor said, "It can be normal for the baby's heart rate to drop, especially during a contraction, I'm just not pleased with how low it's gotten." She said, "I'll keep a close eye on it. Just keep doing what you're doing, April." She nodded as AJ nodded and sighed, watching as she left the room.

"What if something is wrong?" AJ asked worriedly.

"There's not." Punk said, not wanting her to worry, "You heard her. The heart rate can drop from time to time during labour. She's fine in there." Punk nodded.

"I just want her out." AJ sighed sadly in pain as Punk nodded and kissed her hand.

"It won't be long, sweetheart. I promise." He sighed.

Another few contractions past and the doctor returned to find that thankfully, their baby's heart rate had gone back to normal, bringing so much relief to Punk and AJ. It wasn't long after until AJ was taken to delivery and gave birth to a completely healthy baby girl.

"Does she have a name?" The doctor asked with a smile, walking over to the bed where AJ lay, sweaty and exhausted, just seconds off from giving birth, never feeling such joy like having her baby girl placed on her chest with Punk by her side. She was feeling all kinds of emotions and strength, and she couldn't wait to properly hold her.

Punk was not only amazed by witnessing his first child being born, but seeing the strength of his girlfriend and how incredibly powerful she was throughout the full thing was mind blowing, and seeing and hearing their baby girl after so many months of waiting was incredible. He was so proud.

"Yeah." Punk nodded to the doctor whilst she placed the baby girl in AJ's waiting, desperate arms, "Keala." He said, looking down at the baby girl, finally seeing her gorgeous little face and already melting.

"What a beautiful name." The doctor smiled.

"She's amazing." AJ cried, looking down at their baby girl whom they had decided to name Keala Vanessa Brooks. They loved the name and the meaning behind it, and ever since they both heard it, they couldn't think of naming her anything else, and now she was finally here, they had the prettiest little face to match her name.

The doctor smiled, wandering away over to the corner of the room to give them a minute with their few minute old daughter.

"She's like you." Punk smiled, noticing the baby girls chocolate eyes, and soft caramel skin. She was like a little angel. Punk couldn't believe they'd made something so precious and perfect. He was lost for words at this moment.

"I love her." AJ said tearfully. It had been such a rollercoaster and finally getting to meet their daughter, their baby girl they would love forever and ever, it was the best day of her life.

"I love you." Punk said, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her, wrapping his arm around AJ's shoulder and kissing her sweaty head as AJ smiled.

"I love you." AJ smiled, looking up at him as he pressed a kiss on her lips whilst she held their little bundle of joy. She'd never felt a more special moment in her entire life, and she was so glad she was sharing this moment with him. Her soulmate, her best friend, her everything.

"Look at her." Punk smiled, breaking away from the kiss as he looked down at their daughter, "She's perfect." He whispered in awe. He wasn't being biased, he really thought she was the most perfect baby he'd ever saw, and strangely, he had thoughts back to those awful, cold, terrible months where he was sitting on death row waiting on death and he was just so grateful for this moment shared with the woman he loved. The only woman he would ever love.

"She is." AJ smiled tearfully, taking the baby girl's hand between her thumb and forefinger and smiling whilst Punk kissed her head softly as she rested into him.

Nothing could ever beat this moment for them.

A/N: Let me know what you think!