I'd never seen Nick look so frightened. 'N–no…' he replied, like that was a viable alternative. 'Y–you're not having the baby now.'

I looked back at him questioningly.

'Come on,' I said, to both of them, because it was extremely obvious to me that neither of them were thinking clearly. 'Come here, sweetheart, lets get you up on the bed, yeah?' And I held out a hand for her to take before I started leading her towards the gurney. 'What's your name?' I asked as I helped her up.

'Melanie,' she responded. As she tried to twist, to lie back, I quickly reached out to grab her other hand.

'Okay, Melanie, I'm Anna,' I told her, 'that's Nick. This is actually gonna be a bit easier if you sit right here on the edge, okay, we're gonna let gravity help us out.'

'Don't worry, Melanie,' Nick announced, way too loudly and firmly, as he pointed to me. 'This woman is a trained health professional.'

Again, I frowned at him, hoping he would understand my silent instruction for him to reign it the fuck in.

'She doesn't look like a nurse,' Melanie replied.

'No,' I returned gently, 'I'm a doctor. And look.' I leant back to smooth my baggy jumper around my own bump, trying to use the situation to somehow reassure her that I knew what was going on. 'Snap,' I said with a smile, 'don't worry, you're in safe hands.'

I swung my backpack down off my back and reached straight in to grab a sealed pair of latex gloves.

'So you've had babies before?' Melanie asked me.

I bobbled my head. 'I've delivered loads,' I replied reassuringly, 'mostly human, but I helped one giraffe deliver a breached calf in Guadalupe once. Weirdly that procedure is exactly the same–'

'– except hopefully your baby will have a shorter neck,' Nick added.

I turned my head to him in disapproval. 'Nick,' I said firmly, 'you need to calm down!'

A burst of nervous laughter echoed through him. 'I'm calm,' he replied squeakily, 'why wouldn't I be? You know exactly what you're doing.'

I held his gaze for a moment. 'That's not why you're panicking.'

It wouldn't be a surprise to me if he admitted out loud that he didn't feel ready to be a dad yet. In all honestly, half the reason I was so afraid to tell him about the baby to begin with was because I didn't even know if he wanted kids. And then, on top of that, I'd told him I couldn't have them because that's what the doctors had told me. I hadn't even had a period since 2005. So that had sort of made it feel like whatever opinion he might have had was irrelevant anyway.

'I– I don't–' he tried to complain. The sound of my gloves snapping into place over my hands made him jump.

'Nick,' I returned, 'it's okay.' I reached back down into my bag, pulling out an emergency blanket and removing that from its own packaging before I laid it across her lap. 'Get behind her,' I said. He moved back per my instruction. 'I'm gonna need you to get your arms under her shoulders and hold her up. Melanie, I want you to push back as hard as you can against him, can you do that for me?'

She managed to nod her head. 'Okay.'

'Great. Don't worry, he's actually stronger than he looks–' I was interrupted her a scream and waited for her to finish before I continued. 'Put your legs up here,' I said, helping lift them up onto the rail of the gurney beside my head. 'This position might feel a bit unnatural– so sorry– but its gonna make delivery a bit easier.'

'No… It's– it's okay,' she replied, 'I do a lot of yoga. It's about all the exercise I've managed; I've been so tired.

'You've been growing a human being I'm not surprised you've been feeling a little drained. Wouldn't it be nice to get off as scot-free as the dads?'

I drenched my hands in alcohol before I adjusted the blanket over her knees. 'Have you got a fella?' she asked, her breath falling short as she tried to breathe through the pain. Without looking up, I nodded. 'Is he nice?'

'I don't know…' I nodded my head to Nick in explanation. 'What do you think?'

She looked quickly between the two of us. 'You two?' she questioned. 'I honestly didn't see that…'

'We get that a lot.'

'I reckon you're alright,' she said as she looked over her shoulder to him. 'Easily scared, maybe.'

Nick laughed sort of under his breath.

'Yeah. You have no idea.'

'Melanie, I'm gonna need to check your dilation so I'm gonna do an internal examination, is that okay?' She shuffled awkwardly but nodded. It didn't take long to realise that she was already the full 10 cm. I pulled my hand back. 'Okay…' I said, 'um, on your next contraction I want you to push.'

'Really?' she responded.

'Really,' I replied, 'it's not gonna be long now.'

Her face crinkled. 'I didn't want it to be like this, I wanted it to be beautiful,' she said, still panting.

'Breathe…' Nick offered awkwardly from behind her.

'It hurts!'

He looked down at me, our gaze met, and I had never seen him so hilariously out of his depth that I had to let him continue. 'You're gonna get through this and in a little while you're gonna have a beautiful baby…'

I had to hide my expression by ducking back beneath the blanket.

'It's gonna be a girl,' she told us.

'A girl,' I repeated. A contraction hit, and I told her to push. I felt the baby move further down the birth canal. 'Push again Melanie, go on.'

'I just know it will be,' she continued. I assumed quite quickly that the talking was a distraction from the pain. 'Do you know?' she questioned. 'Do you know what you're having.'

I looked up to meet her eye for a second, before my attention moved to Nick.

I did.

It wasn't in any way official of course. But I knew.

'Not yet,' I lied.

'Do you want to know?'

I wasn't sure.

'I don't know,' I said.

'I don't think it matters,' Nick interjected. It was true. It didn't matter what the baby was because it didn't make a difference. 'All we need to do is love it.'

'What was your name again?' Melanie asked.

'Nick.'

'Yeah. You're a nice man,' she said.

He nodded modestly at the compliment. 'Sometimes.'

I finally took pity of him and looked up. 'No, he is. He's the best.'

Suddenly Nick jumped, and his fright almost made me jump myself, because he rapidly snapped his attention down to the ground, and I had to duck under the gurney to see what he was staring at. A Diictodon.

'Nick,' I hissed in a whisper, 'you have to do something.'

'What's going on?' Melanie questioned.

'Nothing. Push, okay, keep pushing.'

'What the hell should I do with it?'

'Pick it up, put it back through the anomaly…'

'Can't you–'

'The baby is crowning,' I replied.

He stepped back, and I immediately stood up, grabbing Melanie's arms so that she didn't fall backwards off the bed when he moved away. He grabbed the Diictodon, lifting it up into his arms and took half a step back towards the anomaly, but the creature started to howl.

'Err…' he slurred as he held the creature out towards me. I had to duck back out the way.

'A distress call,' I resolved as I stared back at him, 'okay… just a hunch but– you're doing great keep going– maybe it'll attract the others.'

He nodded. 'I should…'

'The noise should travel through the vents.'

And the sound surrounded us, echoing through the walls and the floors and the ceiling as it travelled back through the vents around us.

'Oh god! It's coming!'

'You're doing great, Melanie,' I told her, as I looked back down. I facilitated my fingers around the baby's head, trying cup it protectively as I twisted to ease it's exit. With another push, the head came through. 'There you go, that's the head. Well done. Little pushes now, you can do it.'

All I needed was the shoulders and I should be able to help the rest of the baby out.'I'm not sure this is working, Anna,' Nick muttered.

A moment later, there was a clatter behind me as a Diictodon burst through a plastic vent cover and scuttled across the shiny floor towards the anomaly. 'What were you saying?' I returned.

He rolled his eyes. 'So, the distress call attracts them.'

I nodded. My eyes followed them as dozens came pouring through the vents, trundling up towards the anomaly. I cocked my head. 'Oh, shit…' I said.

Melanie gasped. 'What? What is it?'

'No, sorry, not you… Nick does that look like its closing to you?'

The face he pulled was enough of an indication that he agreed with me. He looked around quickly, searching for any strays that had fallen behind, and I quickly spotted one clambering down from the vent.

'Oh,' I noted encouragingly, 'go on, go on.'

It scampered towards the anomaly, as quick as its little legs could carry it, but it was a fraction too slow. The anomaly pulsated, twisting in on itself as it finally closed and the Diictodon couldn't stop, its momentum carrying it forward, where she bumped straight into the wall.

'Oh no…' I sighed. 'What are we going to do about her?'

'I don't know,' he responded nonchalantly, 'I'm sure we can probably get an A.R.C pet or something.'

'But she's stuck here now– one last push– it could be years before we get another one.'

As Melanie cried out again, I turned my attention back down to her one final time. The baby's head was still in my hand, but with my other one currently wrapped around Melanise forearm, puling most of her body weight forward so that she didn't fall, I couldn't grab a hold of it.

'Nick?' He nodded, and a moment later, he moved back behind the gurney, and with him back in place behind her, I pulled my hand back, quickly reaching down to take a hold of the baby's shoulder, and in time with her next push, I pulled the baby free.

There was a gush of fluids down me, a mixture: blood and amniotic fluid that went right down my jumper as I held the baby to my chest. I reached for the scalpel I'd laid on the surgical tray and cut the umbilical cord.

The baby started to cry. I rubbed a hand up and down its back a few times to encourage the circulation.

Nick helped Melanie around, laying her down on the gurney, pulling the blanket up and across her lap, before he quickly rounded towards me. I needed something to wrap the baby in, so, in order to remove my jumper, I gestured for Nick to take the child, and he quickly wiped his palms on his jeans before he held his arms out to receive it.

I pulled the jumper off, putting it over Nick's shoulder, before I guided the baby up in his arms towards it, wrapped the baby in that position and slowly lowered it back down again.

'She's beautiful,' Melanie said.

At the sound of her voice, I turned my head. 'It's a boy,' I said softly.

Her brow furrowed. 'A boy?' Nick took a couple of careful steps towards her and laid the baby down in her arms. 'Hello you…'

The door rattled, my head whipped around just in time to see it fly open. Becker and Connor stumbled in. 'Sorry, sorry!' Connor apologised, 'we–' I shushed him.

A moment later, a nurse followed them through the doors and I immediately sighed in relief. 'Oh, okay, Melanie…' I put my hand down on her shoulder and smiled. 'We're gonna have to go, the nurse'll look after you now.'

She nodded. 'Thank you,' she said, 'for everything.'

I smiled, the nurse stepped forward and I quickly leant in. 'Both vitals are normal, strong heartbeat, she hasn't passed the placenta yet.'

The nurse nodded back at me. 'Okay, thank you,' she replied respectfully, 'we'll take it from here.'

'Alright.' I stood back to let the nurse through towards the back of the bed to stamp on the brakes, so that she could wheel both mother and baby out and through to the maternity ward. 'Oh, Melanie,' I said, just as I remembered, 'sorry to be nosy, but what are you gonna call him? Might need a few ideas.'

'I don't know,' she returned. 'I only had girls name's ready.'

I suppose that made sense.

'Do you think…' she continued, 'do you think I'd be okay if I called him… Stanley? I know it's a bit old fashioned but it's my dad's name.'

'I think you can call him whatever you like,' I responded softly, 'you did the hard work, you deserve it. See you around Stanley.'

As we both turned, I swung my backpack up onto my shoulder and made for the door. 'Don't think that's gonna work on me,' Nick whispered. 'Just because you're gonna push it out doesn't mean I don't get a say in it.'

I laughed. 'You're kidding,' I returned brightly, 'that's exactly what that means.'

He ducked his head, groaning, as he went through the door and joined Connor.

'Who locked you in?' I heard Connor ask.

Nick shrugged. 'No idea.'

I glanced quickly up at Becker as he stood back from the doorway to allow me to pass through. 'What?'

'Did you just deliver a baby?' he questioned, one eyebrow quirked at me in amusement.

I didn't really understand why it was funny, so I shrugged. 'You bet your ass I did.'

He looked lost. There was no denying it.

We'd stopped in the bathroom as we'd passed, I'd washed my hands, then I leant over the sink and ran my shirt under the tap to get all the amniotic fluids and blood out. Now I was standing underneath the hand–dryer, shirt outstretched trying to dry it as I watched Nick stare into nothingness.

I took a step back, leant against the wall behind me, and the noise of the dryer cut out throwing us instantly into an awkward silence.

'I get it,' I said.

Nick looked at me through the mirror like he wasn't even aware that he'd zoned out. He was still standing over the sink with blood on his hands. 'What?'

'I get why you're freaking out. I understand.' He started to shake his head, a small sort of dumb smile on his face like he was going to deny it but I interrupted. 'Nick,' I said softly, 'I told you I couldn't have children, and because the doctors said I couldn't get pregnant we weren't exactly taking precautions. We never needed to have that talk, because we never thought what we wanted might matter because we didn't have a choice.' I took a deep breath. 'And I'm sorry.'

He blinked in confusion. 'What?' he asked. He shook his head again. 'Why?'

'Because you never got to say how you felt about this whole situation before–'

'This is what I want.' He turned around, and my attention moved from his gaze in the reflection to his face. There was such power in his tone. Such certainty and warmth, every trace of that panic I'd seen in the delivery room just minutes ago seemed to have vanished. 'And of course, it was a surprise,' he continued as he took a step towards me and reached out to rest a hand against my stomach, 'but the best kind. It's the best thing that has ever happened to me, Anna, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me.'

I took a step forward, lifted my shirt again and held it out beneath the hand dryer. The dryer started and I leant into further towards it. 'When did you get so soft?'

'You were having a bad day.'