"Chief, are you okay?" a voice called from the doorway. It was Wei, her second in command. He had been lingering around her office all day and it was starting to irritate her.

Toph lifted her head from her desk and leveled a blind stare where she sensed he was standing. "Isn't there something you should be doing?" she asked as stomach pain and a wave of nausea crashed through her.

"Yes ma'am, you just…" he paused uncomfortably, "seem like you're feeling unwell. Should I call for a healer?"

"No, I'm fine," she grumbled. When he left, she laid her head back down and took a slow breath, thinking through what she had eaten the night before. This had to be food poisoning, she though as the nausea returned. She bolted for the washroom that was attached to her office.

She made it to the toilet just in time as her stomach contracted, causing her to heave up what little she had eaten today. She gripped the bowl as wave after wave assaulted her until she was just dry heaving and gasping for air.

She rinsed her mouth in the sink and returned to her desk to lay her head down again. If she could just make it another two hours, the day would be over. More pain seized her stomach, and she clenched her jaw. She had never experienced this type of food poisoning before, or any kind for that matter. But it made her feel a little bit bad for telling one of her officers to muscle through a few months ago when he had it.

She had no more than ten minutes of relief when the pain returned, but thankfully was not accompanied by nausea this time. She took slow breaths until it subsided and then decided she needed to go home and be in her own bed. She definitely wouldn't make it another two hours like this.

As she exited the building, Wei called after her, "Chief Beifong!" she paused waiting for him to catch up "Are you okay?"

"What kind of question is that?" Toph spat as she continued walking. "I'm fine, Wei. I got some food poisoning and need to sleep it off, that's all."

"Are you sure you don't want me to call you a healer?"

Toph opened her mouth to refuse but another cramp took her breath away. She put a hand on the wall beside her. She took a slow breath and hoped that the officer would assume she was trying to control her temper and not the intense pain she was experiencing. "I'm fine." She offered and continued to her apartment.

It was small, she didn't need very much space anyway and this was the closest place she could find to the office. She shut the door behind her and made it to her bed roll. She curled on her side and hoped that the pain would pass soon.

Three hours later and it had not. It was seemingly getting worse. And she had started vomiting again too. She was just wearing a band across her chest and a small pair of shorts now, the pain and vomiting causing her to sweat.

She needed to get to the washroom again. Her muscles ached and she knew that if she could get into the tub, she might be able to relax a little bit. She stood and slowly made her way there. She slid down the wall sitting on the floor as she turned on the warm water.

She heard a knock at the door and sensed that it was Katara. She sighed and used her bending to unlatch the door.

"Toph," she called as she opened the door. "I was looking for you at the station and your officer said you went home sick. Where are you?"

"In here," she called. She sighed but was silently grateful that Katara was here.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked. Toph felt her kneel down beside her. "You look terrible."

"Food poisoning. And thanks." She snarked. "I thought it might help to take a bath." She groaned as another muscle spasm started. She curled around her stomach and rolled onto her side.

"Toph," she felt Katara place a hand on her shoulder, "This doesn't seem like any type of food poisoning I've ever seen before. Let me help you into the tub and I'll see what I can do."

She stood and Katara helped her up and into the tub. The warmth of the water instantly helped her relax. Some of the pain subsiding.

"It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong in your body Toph. There's no inflammation that I can heal with my bending. Are you sure it's food poisoning?"

"What else could it be?" Toph barked angrily as another spasm started.

"I don't know," Katara said quietly, "Would you mind getting out of the tub and laying down so that I can assess you better?"

She wanted to argue, to refuse. The tub was the only thing that was helping the pain at this point, but she needed to know why she was feeling this way. So, she stood and felt Katara wrap a towel around her shoulder. She led her back to her bed and helped her to lay down on her back.

She felt her friend's cool hand on her cheeks, easing the tension in her jaw. She ran her hands down to her shoulders and helped her relax there as well. Then, she put her hand on her stomach, the area was tender and her back arched as Katara pressed on it.

Katara gasped and quickly pulled her hands away.

"What?" Toph asked as another pain started, causing her to curl onto her side groaning.

"Toph," she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, "when was your last period?"

"Couple weeks ago," Toph ground out through clenched teeth.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" the pain released her, and she rolled onto her back again "Katara what's wrong."

"I'm not sure," there was a pause, and she felt a hand on her stomach again, "When was the last time you had sex, Toph."

"I don't know!" she said as another pain started, "like a year ago."

"How long exactly, Toph? I need to know." Katara placed soothing hands onto her back as she curled onto her side again.

She though back, and then remembered Kanto. And then she counted. "Nine," she whispered as she grasped what Katara was getting at. "It was nine months ago, but I can't be, Katara. I had a period a few weeks ago."

Katara was silent for a moment and the softly said, "it happens sometimes. You bleed a little bit every month through pregnancy."

"Don't say that." she felt the tears pool in her eyes as the reality of what Katara was suggesting came crashing down. "Please, I can't be."

"Would you be okay if I checked?" Katara asked.

Toph felt the tears start to fall down her face as she nodded. Katara positioned herself at her feet and put her into a position with her feet together and knees spread apart. "You're going to feel my touch and some pressure now."

Toph gasped as she felt more than pressure. She braced her hands on her thighs and heard a popping sound before feeling a warm gush between her legs.

"No," she cried as her fear was confirmed.

Katara pulled her hand out and moved to the bathroom to grab a towel. When she returned, she helped her sit up. "Do you want to get back in the tub? You're almost fully dilated, and your water just broke. You'll be feeling the urge to push soon."

Toph didn't know what to say, as her world shattered around her. How could she not have known that she had been pregnant. She was in labor, and she hadn't even realized.

Another pain started and was far worse than before. She let out a scream, holding onto Katara as tears continued to fall.

Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door. "Toph! Are you okay in there?"

Her heart dropped as she recognized the voice as Sokka's, but she could not contain her cries as pain continued to course through her body.

She heard Katara yell something but didn't understand as she focused on getting through the pain. There was a loud cracking sound and then Sokka was in the room. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"Sokka!" Katara fussed, not leaving her side. "I told you I have everything under control."

"Obviously you don't," he said as Toph shrieked again, grasping Katara's hand.

"It's fine, just tell him," She said. A ton of pressure descend through her pelvis and the urge to bear down became unbearable. "Katara, I need to push!"

"Push?" Sokka asked.

"She's in labor, Sokka, she didn't know." She heard Katara say. "Now are you going to stand there with your mouth hanging open like that or are you going to get down here and help me?"

She heard a scuffle and then felt Katara pull her shoulders forward. "Sit behind her," Katara ordered. She didn't have time to think about what was happening as she leaned back into his body. The need to push returned stronger than before and she grabbed his hands, squeezing.

"You can push Toph," Katara said, parting her knees again.

She held her breath and pushed. The pain simultaneously becoming worse and better. After a few pushes she began to feel a burn as the baby she hadn't known about came lower.

"I can't!" she cried, her head falling back onto Sokka's shoulder.

"You can!" Katara said, "One more contraction and it will be over."

She gulped down air as she waited for that blinding pain to start again. Sokka never let go of her hands. She whimpered as the pain started again.

"It's almost over," he said softly in her ear, "you can do it."

She pushed and felt like she was ripped in half and then felt immediate relief. It was silent for what felt like too long before she heard the baby begin to cry.

"It's a girl," Katara said, "Do you want to hold her?"

She paused not knowing. She didn't want a baby right now. She hadn't prepared. She wasn't going to be a good mother. But as she heard her daughter crying, her heart ached to hold her close. She nodded.

"She's beautiful," Katara said as she placed the small bundle in her arms. She brought a hand to the baby's cheek and ran a finger across her forehead, down her tiny nose. She ran her hand over her arm and felt tiny fingers clasp onto her own.

"I can tell," Toph said through a sob.

"Do you know what you might want to name her?" Sokka asked.

She had a name, one in the back of her head that she had been saving. Saving for when it was the right time. For when she had settled down and decided she was ready to start a family. But she guessed that the universe had decided she was ready now.

"I think I'll call her Lin."