It had been two weeks since Caitlin and EZ had arrived and even though the beach and scenery were pleasant, she was like a lion in a cage. She had spoken to Miguel every day, just as a normal couple would be in contact when being apart and as he hadn't mentioned that he was coming, she knew things were still pending or on a stand still.

EZ's presence had raised a few eyebrows upon their arrival, most probably questioning the reason behind him being there, considering Matteo and Rodriguez were there for her protection. Caitlin had simply told them, as well as Pablo, that it was part of his prospect initiation and would lead to him getting his permanent cut. It had apparently been enough to keep them from whispering in the corridors, but regardless she and EZ knew they had to be careful.

"How are you feeling?" asked EZ as Caitlin joined him out on the terrace for breakfast.

"Tired. San Padre is hot, but this heat is not helping. I feel huge, I'm not sleeping well and I'm on edge, which is the total opposite of what I need. The last time I was here, things were way different."

"I get you'd rather be here with Miguel," he said nodding in understanding.

"I'm sorry," she said shaking her head, "I didn't mean it like that. I'm grateful that you're here, but a little over a year ago, this is where he proposed, this place has meaning and now I feel as though I'm associating it to something entirely different."

"I wish there was something I could do," said EZ passing his hand over his trimmed head looking out at the horizon.

"I think there is nothing you nor I can do to change that, except be patient."

EZ looked around and seeing that there was no one in sight, he leaned in a bit closer to her. "Any news from Miguel?"

She shook her head, and he leaned back in his seat, eyes narrowed. She knew it was hard on both…not knowing.

"You think you're up for a walk on the beach this morning?" asked EZ. It had become a routine for the past two weeks where they had a walk after breakfast. A breakfast that was becoming smaller and smaller for Caitlin, which he worried about. He knew nothing of pregnancy, but even though he was sure he'd heard you shouldn't eat for two, she was barely eating for one.

"Of course, it's the highlight of my day," she replied smiling. "I'll rest a bit then have lunch; the doctor is stopping by this afternoon for my checkup."

She tilted her head to the side. "We're focusing on me. How are you holding up? I know it must be hard for you to be away from your dad."

EZ shrugged. "It's hard. I'm torn between the fact I'm lying to him and the fact I'm trying to keep him out of all of this."

"It's never easy. I hate nothing more than lying or being lied to. But I guess sometimes you don't have a choice and you do it to protect the people you love. The problem is when they find out, they question whether they can trust you in the future."

"My father has been the only one to know my deal and was the one who convinced me to take it. It just doesn't seem equitable to keep him out of the loop. But in this case, the less he knows the better it is for him. It just doesn't mean it sits well with me, is all."

Caitlin stood. "How about that walk? I think we both need to clear our heads."

EZ mimicked her. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The doctor examined Caitlin then looked at her as she removed her gloves and tossed them in the garbage bin.

"What?" asked Caitlin.

"Your cervix is almost two centimeters dilated."

"I still have a month and a half to go!" said Caitlin worriedly.

"I can feel the baby's head bobbing up and down against the cervix. The more he solicits the cervix, the more it will dilate and inevitably, labor will start," she said as she sat down on the bed while Caitlin sat up. "Once labor starts, it's hard to stop mother nature."

"It's too early," said Caitlin, "tell me what I can do to gain time."

"Bed rest or as much of it as possible. If you go into pre-term labor, I'll transfer you to the hospital and we can try to administer a treatment to stop it, but no guarantees."

"I need to get back to California."

"That is not possible, Caitlin. At the rate things are going, there is a risk you'd go into labor mid-flight. If complications arise it could be catastrophic both for you and the baby."

Caitlin's eyes grew big as the information sank in. She was doomed to have the baby in Mexico and if things kept progressing the way they were, there was a possibility Miguel wouldn't even be there to see their child come into the world.

"Have you been feeling any contractions?" asked the doctor.

"No."

"Any lower back aches?"

"I've had them for the past two months so nothing out of the ordinary."

"I'll come back tomorrow, and I'll put you on a monitor for a half an hour to see if there is any sort of activity. If there are any contractions, either the meds I give you thwart them, or I'll have to monitor you more regularly."

The doctor stood and headed for the bedroom door. "Remember, bed rest, no stress and rest. If you start contracting regularly or your water breaks, you call me right away. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

Caitlin nodded and scooted down in the bed as she walked out and closed the door behind her. She placed her hand on her belly and caressed it. "Mi pequeño, don't be in such a rush to come into this world…not until your papa fixes things and is here with us. Por favor…"

She turned her head toward the door upon hearing a knock on it. "Come in," she replied.

EZ opened the door and peeked his head through. "Just wanted to check up on you. Everything alright?"

"Not really. Things are acting up and I need to stay in bed. And, to top it all off, she just told me I can't fly back, at least not until the baby is born."

"I'm sorry. I know you've been impatient to head back."

"Yeah…now all I can hope for is that Miguel can get here in time."

"Any idea as to what is going on? It's been two weeks. Not that I want to pressure him, but what's holding him up?"

Caitlin eye shifted to the horizon through the bedroom terrace door. "I don't know EZ. All I do know, is that I'm running out of time."

"Don't worry, I'll let Paolo and the house staff know and we'll make sure you are well taken care of."

Caitlin smiled. "I know. This is not really what you signed up for," she said jokingly.

"Ah, so no more walks on the beach or swimming for you, but you can read and watch telenovelas and I'm sure I saw a few boardgames downstairs that could keep us entertained."

"Maybe I should convince Miguel to let you go back to California."

"No. I promised Miguel I'd look out for you. I don't break promises. Besides," he added, "it feels nice to have somewhat of a normal life again, away from the MC. I've been so involved in it, I forgot how nice my previous life was."

"Is there a chance you'll leave the MC when you have Jimenez and the DEA off your back?"

"I don't know. That was the initial plan, but it's nice belonging to a band of brothers, you know? I'm not sure, I could go back to a regular life. I have no college degree, and if it's to pump gas at the local station or work in a shop as cashier, I might as well keep doing what I'm doing. At least, I'm around bikes and can mess around with mechanics."

"I find that so sad, that in the world we live in, only people who've gone off to college and succeeded can have the chance of getting what most consider a decent job. School is not for everyone, but it doesn't mean that they are not as smart as anyone else. There are young people out there who don't have the financial means to go to a college, even if it's a city college. They don't get scholarships and are deprived of an education, even though they would most probably succeed while those who can afford it don't."

EZ pulled up a chair and sat next to her. "Sounds like you know what you're talking about."

"When I taught high school in Texas, I met some impressive and smart kids. They were bright and had a promising future, they just didn't have the means to fulfill it."

"Maybe you can change that."

"I try to. I donate money every year to Princeton to allow some of those kids to benefit from a scholarship, but it's a mere drop in a vast ocean."

"Then make it a bigger drop. I'm sure there a more things than you can do, if that is what you have at heart."

"Maybe you're right. I just need to think about how I can help more and long term."

"I'm more than certain that you'll find a way. I know a lot of kids from San Padre could benefit from it, and others of course. My parents worked their entire lives to help pay for my college tuition and it wasn't enough, if it hadn't been for the scholarship and my good grades, I would never have been able to afford Stanford."

She watched as he frowned. "What?"

"I just wish I could pay my father back. In the end I used up the money and I never finished. He shouldn't have to not see a return on his investment because I lost it, killed a cop, and ended up in jail."

"I don't think your father thinks like that. I'm sure he's relieved that you're out of jail and has never for one minute thought about asking you to pack him back."

"Most probably but it's something I feel the need to do."

Caitlin nodded and couldn't help but think about how Clay's dirty money had paid for her four years at Princeton. She had always imagined that, just like EZ, she would repay him, but that was before knowing it was dirty and that Clay wasn't her father. Maybe one day, she'd pay him back, just so that she knew she owed him nothing.