1

Ianto was in a hurry.

Toshiko was due any day and their little princess was going to arrive late as poor Toshiko was complaining that she needed the damned thing out to sit down. A clear indicator that a delivery was imminent.

Jack was over there with Owen, neither of them much help as they fussed and flapped about. Th boys were at school, thank god. No idea the shit storm about to come down and if Ianto had any idea of what was going to happen… he would have taken his family and fled for the country house.

But of course… then I would have no tea to spill for you… right?

So… buckle up.

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"Yes Cariad, I have it" Ianto said as he closed the back door of the SUV, trying to sound positive as Jack called for the fiftieth time in as many minutes… OK… slight exaggeration but Ianto does tend to do that ya know.

"And the butter?"

"Jack… I have everything on her list. Now… unless she has asked for ANOTHER food item in the last second or so, maybe I need to get on the road to get back there in time for our daughter to be born, yeah?" Ianto tried to sound calm but he knew Jack could hear his annoyance.

"Owen is filling the birthing pool."

"Fuck" Ianto huffed, knowing he wound miss the start at this rate, closing the call without a goodbye then he paused and felt horrible about as soon as he realised he had done it but… fucksake… gotta go.

He got in the vehicle and exited the park, moved to the exit and waited with his blinker on as he waited for a gap to pull out.

The car that cut off another one, shot cross the three lanes of traffic to enter the lane he was about to pull into had not such blinker on, in fact… it looked like there was not even someone behind the wheel. The runaway car simply smashed it's way towards him as he struggled to put his foot down, knowing it would be too late to avoid impact but hopefully he was fast enough to avoid…. CRUNCH.

Lovely, he thought as the airbag pushed him against the seat and his driving glasses flew off gods only knows where. Just fucking lovely.

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Ianto found himself in the Emergency Room with three others, the others at the scene deemed OK to go their own way. The car had been left at the top of a steep driveway with the park brake not on. It has simply… run off. This fact did not help Ianto as he hissed though the pain as his wrist as carefully manipulated by the doctor.

"Well… we will need an x-ray of this Mister Jones, but I do think it has broken" the man finally said as Ianto groaned softly with annoyance.

"Can I come back later? Ya see my baby is being born and…"

"No. X-ray, splint and then you can go" came the terse reply. "Come along Mister Jones."

"Actually it's Harkness-Jones" Ianto huffed, now really pissed off and scheming who to throttle somehow.

He rang Jack while waiting for the X-ray request and explained to him what had happened and got nothing but madness on the other end. Jack was not listening to a word he was saying, screaming and whooping and telling into she was in labour. Yeah, fuck it all, he guessed that.

Finally, the doctor came and said with a thin smile "No serious breaks, just looks like severe sprain and bruising. We will apply this… splint…. Er… excise me."

Ianto had snatched the splint in the man's hand and taken off across the room, forcing his feet into his shoes as he struggled to get his coat off the char. He ran to the taxi cabs and jumped in one, struggling to get the stupid splint thing on and the Velcro straps tightened as they sped towards the cul-de-sc and his daughter. Fuck. His daughter.

He could only pray to the gods that he made it in time.

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Ianto entered with trepidation, the silence unnerving and for a moment he felt his heart drop to his shoes.

Had there been complications? Was his little one not… here? Not… OK?

Then he heard Toshiko growl, low and full of teeth.

FUCK

Ianto entered the birthing room to find Jack in the corner, facing the wall with his hands clasped together like he was praying, Toshiko not caring that she was naked and on display as she forced herself to try and pant, not push.

"Looking good love" Owen said as he crouched between her feet "come on… next one I want you to go hard."

"Oh god" Jack said in the corner and Ianto sighed as he reached over to place the soft silk kimono from the floor over Toshiko's chest.

"Covered" he said as he rolled his eyes at her and she looked at him, gave a brief grin as she had been unable to reach the damned thing and too focused to explain it to Owen.

Jack rushed to her side, knocking Ianto back and he gave a bark of pain as he automatically put his hands onto the bed to stop his fall. Fuck.

Lots of fucks here for a little one made without any at all, right?

Then Owen whooped "The head is crowning… here she comes, come on love, let's… pant. Pant. Hold it… wow."

Ianto looked down as Owen deftly flicked the cord from around the little neck and then nodded, Toshiko bearing down with another growl of primordial motherhood.

And then….

She was there.