When Bitsy came to, she found herself in a hospital bed. Surrounding her were Helen, Abby, and some of the Russian mafia and yakuza members who had attended the baby shower. Most of them appeared to be in a state of shock and worry. For a moment, Bitsy was confused, but then she remembered that she'd just had a heart attack.

"Oh, thank God you're okay!" Helen exclaimed. "For a moment, we thought we were going to lose you."

"You were?" Bitsy asked. "How serious was it?"

"Pretty serious," Abby replied. "If we'd waited any longer, it would've been too late."

Bitsy was taken aback by this. She knew that she'd just had a serious heart attack, but a near-fatal one? Had it really been that bad?

"That's, uh..." Bitsy struggled to articulate herself. "Um."

Bitsy just trailed off after that, unable to find the right words to express her shock.

"Da, it's a lot to take in," Dimitry interjected. "But at least you are alive."

Bitsy still couldn't find the right words to express herself, try as she might. Indeed, this was all a lot to take in. She just had a heart attack during a baby shower celebrating her soon-to-be daughter, and she could've very well died right then and there had Abby not intervened. Bitsy felt a deep pang of guilt wash over her as she glanced over at Helen, who was trying her best to maintain a brave face despite the evident stress etched on her features. The thought of putting her through such a terrifying ordeal weighed so heavily on her. How could she do this to her, especially when Mercedes was weeks away from coming into the world? How could she put her through the emotional wringer, making her think she might have to raise their daughter alone after everything they'd been through? It wracked her mind just thinking about it.

Helen sensed Bitsy's guilt and asked everyone to leave so she could be alone with her.

"Da, of course," Dimitry replied. "Anything for Bitsy."

Helen nodded, eerily serenely at that. "Okay, good. Get out."

With that, everyone else left, leaving Bitsy and Helen alone with their emotions. Then, as if without warning, Helen started to feel tears pour down her face all the way to her chin. She started trying to wipe them away but to no avail.

"Why are you crying?" Bitsy asked, seemingly confused. "I made it, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know if you were," Helen replied, still crying. "I didn't know if I was going to have to raise Mercedes alone or if I would have to give her up like I did with my first child." She cast her gaze downward, almost to the floor. "I didn't even know if I wanted to keep going without you..."

Bitsy's heart dropped. "Helen, no! You seemed to do just fine before you met me. I think if I hadn't survived, you would've done just as fine without me. Besides, what about Mercedes? Wouldn't you want to keep going for her if I wasn't here?"

"I don't know if I'd want to. I know I'd have to, though. After all, God would want me to."

For a few moments, Bitsy didn't respond. She wasn't sure how she was meant to respond to that. Instead, she just lay there, grappling some more with the weight of Helen's words. She had never fully realized just how much her absence could impact Helen and Mercedes, at least not until it had almost been too late. She reached out and gently took Helen's hand in hers, her way of offering support and understanding.

"It's okay, Helen," Bitsy whispered softly, her voice filled with quiet reassurance. "You're not alone in this. I'm here for you, no matter what. We'll figure it out, one step at a time."

"But what if I can't do this?" Helen asked, tears still flowing. "What if I'm not strong enough?"

Bitsy squeezed her hand gently, offering a small smile. "You are strong, Helen. You're stronger than you know, and we have each other. We'll find a way through this, I promise."

Helen let out a shaky breath and leaned down into Bitsy's comforting presence. "Thank you, Bitsy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You don't have to find out. We're a team, remember? We'll face whatever comes our way together."

Later that day, after Bitsy had a pacemaker implanted into her chest, she and Helen proceeded to leave the hospital for the penthouse. Despite Bitsy's earlier assurances, Helen still found herself wracked with anxiety and worry. She couldn't help it. It was borderline impossible trying to remind herself that everything had worked out fine.

Now here she was in Bitsy's office, leaning back against a chair in an attempt to relieve her back pain. Meanwhile, Bitsy sat across from her at her desk, sketching out plans for Central Park. Even after all this time, she'd never given up on trying to have it redeveloped for real estate. Of course, she'd always had this ambition somewhere in her mind, but she was sustaining it not just for herself, but for Mercedes.

"I can't believe you," Helen hissed. "How can you think about Central Park right now?"

"How can I not?" Bitsy asked back. "I need something to distract me from the pacemaker I just got."

"You almost die at our baby shower and even have to get a pacemaker, and this is what you decide to spend time on once we're home?!"

"What am I supposed to do? Just think about how I almost died today? I can't just do that! Otherwise, I'll spiral out of control."

"What about our family?! Shouldn't you be thinking about us?"

Bitsy was somewhat confused before she soon realized something. "This isn't about the park, is it? What's this really about?"

Helen sighed. "I don't know. I'm just all over the place today. I think I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Of what will happen next. Aren't you scared, too?"

Bitsy gave a small nod. "Of course I am. Our daughter is about to change everything. She's about to change our lives. Once she's out here, things will never be the same again."

"I know." Helen looked down at her swollen belly as it rose and fell with every breath she took. "Do you think she knows how much we already love her?"

"Of course she knows."

Later that night, Helen shifted in bed for what felt like the hundredth time, trying to find a position that didn't make her back ache or her belly feel like it was weighing her down. So far, nothing helped.

At this point in her pregnancy, her body didn't feel like her own anymore. Her belly, stretched beyond anything she could have imagined, dominated her frame; and it would spill onto her lap every time she sat up. This made it borderline impossible for her to fit in any of her clothes anymore (even her maternity outfits). The only possible exception was her usual pre-pregnancy outfit. Even then, though, it took effort and some alterations just to fit into it. However, it wasn't just the size of her belly that was astonishing to her. It was how alive it seemed.

Mercedes was nothing short of relentless. Ironic, considering her name.

The baby hadn't stopped moving since 7 PM, and at times, it was almost eerie. Helen would feel a sudden shift, and her belly would roll in response, the skin stretching as Mercedes pushed against it like she was testing the boundaries of her confined space. Sometimes, Helen swore that she could see the outline of a foot or an elbow pressing out, a ghostly imprint of the fiery little girl growing inside her. The kicks weren't just strong— they were powerful, almost startling in their intensity. Every so often, Mercedes would land a particularly hard jab against Helen's ribs, making her wince and let out an exasperated groan.

Helen just groaned as she sat up in her makeshift nest of pillows and leaned back with her shoulders against the headboard. Surely, this couldn't go on. Surely, Mercedes would have to wind down eventually, right?

"Okay, seriously," Helen muttered, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "Are we sure Mercedes's the only baby in there?"

Bitsy, who was lying beside her, raised an eyebrow. "Yes, why?"

"Because I'm starting to think that she's as big as you are."

Bitsy scoffed. "Rude. I'm proportionate. Mercedes, on the other hand, she's just... enthusiastic."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

She carefully pulled up her maternity pajama top, exposing her bare belly for emphasis. Her skin was now covered in a patchwork of deep silvery stretch marks that sprawled out from her sides all the way towards the belly itself, which only made her popped navel stand out more. The sheer size of her bump looked borderline impossible— like she'd swallowed a beach ball whole. The curve of her stomach also jutted out from her body in a tight, rounded mound; and it spilled over her lap like a heavy weight.

"Look at this, Bitsy." Helen turned her head in her direction and pointed at her mound of a belly. "Look at it! She's been taking up as much room as she can. I don't even know where my actual organs are anymore."

Bitsy's gaze softened as she took in the sight of Helen's belly. For all her gruffness, there was something about seeing the undeniable evidence of their daughter's impending arrival— stamped across Helen's skin in stretch marks and gentle curves —that always made her pause. She shuffled closer to get a better look.

"You're beautiful," Bitsy said, her voice quieter than usual. "Even if you are ridiculously huge."

"Gee, thanks," Helen replied wryly, but the warmth in her eyes betrayed her fondness. "This is all your fault, you know. She's probably sitting in there with her arms crossed, scowling, just waiting to tell me off."

Bitsy let out a short, amused snort. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. I can already tell she has my attitude."

"Yeah, well, she's also got your energy. It's like she never sleeps. I'm not sure she even likes me."

"Oh, of course she likes you! She pretty much has to when you've been carrying her for eight months."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I mean it."

Bitsy reached out to lay her hand on Helen's belly. The second she did that, Mercedes immediately kicked against Bitsy's palm, hard enough that Bitsy could feel the strength behind it.

Helen gasped as her whole belly jerked from the force of the kick. "Jesus Christ! She's trying to break out!"

Bitsy gave a low chuckle and kept her hand firmly in place. "That's my girl." Beneath her touch, she felt Mercedes squirming relentlessly, almost as if she'd already recognized her as her sire. "You're just like me: you're stubborn, you don't know when to quit, and you probably already have a short fuse."

Helen groaned, pressing a hand against her ribs where Mercedes had just lodged what felt like a foot. "I think you might be right."
"Of course I'm right. She's a Brandenham. Brandenhams have always been strong-willed." Bitsy proceeded to lean in and press a slow, deliberate kiss against the curve of Helen's stomach; but it was soon met with another sharp kick. "See? She's got a hell of a kick." Bitsy chuckled against Helen's belly, placing another kiss just above her navel. "You're gonna be a force to reckon with, aren't you, baby girl?"

"Don't encourage her." Helen sighed, her body sagging slightly as Bitsy concentrated all her efforts on doting on their unborn baby. "I already love her so much, but carrying her has been hard on me. My back hurts, my hips are wrecked, and this belly... it's so heavy. Sometimes, I have to lift it just to turn over."

Without hesitation, Bitsy slid down lower on the bed, her head now level with the underside of Helen's bump. "Here, let me help."

She let her fingers trail lower, pressing lightly against the soft underside of Helen's bump, where the weight was heaviest. Helen let out a soft sound, which was half a sigh and half a moan of relief.

"That feel better?" Bitsy asked.

Helen hummed in response, letting her eyes flutter shut. "Yeah… it's like I've got a damn bowling ball strapped to me." She cracked an eye open to look at Bitsy. "A really angry, wiggly bowling ball."

"She certainly has a lot to say already, doesn't she?" Bitsy's face softened again as she pressed a kiss to the underside, where the skin was warm and there was still a pouch of fat. "You've both been working so hard."

"She's been working hard to ruin my bladder, actually," Helen quipped, though her voice was warm. "But thanks."

Bitsy didn't stop there. She slowly kissed her way up the curve, pausing to nuzzle against the tight skin, even blowing a raspberry against one particularly firm spot. Mercedes immediately gave a sharp kick in response.

Helen couldn't help but laugh despite herself. "You're ridiculous."

"Oh yeah? Well, if I'm ridiculous, then so's she." Bitsy gently flicked a finger against the spot where their daughter had just kicked. "Feisty little brat. She's definitely mine."

"You don't say." Helen smiled tiredly and cupped Bitsy's jaw with her hand, her thumb brushing over Bitsy's jawline. "I'm going to give birth to an exact copy of you, aren't I? I'm doomed."

Bitsy grinned, but then her touch turned softer again— more reverent. She rubbed gentle circles into the skin, tracing the stretch marks like they were something precious. "I know how much you love making your mother miserable in there, but it's time for you to calm down." She then pressed her ear against the bump like she might hear their daughter plotting her next big kick. "We don't want her to be too tired when it's time for you to come out here, do we? Of course we don't."

Helen swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. Everything about this pregnancy had been hard— her age, the size of the baby, the constant aches and anxiety —but moments like this? They made it easier to breathe. They made it easier to believe that they could do this, together.

"Are you sure you're ready for her?" Helen asked softly as her hand settled over Bitsy's, both of them cradling the bump together. "If I remember correctly, you never wanted kids before this."

Bitsy was quiet for a moment, fingers tracing slow patterns across the stretched skin. "Of course I didn't. I didn't think I could be a parent, nor did I want to be. But this... this is different. She's ours. And now I can't imagine her not being here." She glanced up, her expression suddenly fierce. "I'm gonna love her so much that it scares me."

Helen smiled through the tears pricking at her eyes. "Me too."

"She'll never have to know what it's like to be ignored and cast aside; nor will she have to know what it's like to fight for attention. I'll make sure of it." Bitsy pressed one more kiss to Helen's belly— right onto Helen's popped navel, the very thing that had freaked her out weeks ago. "Rest up, baby girl. Your mother and I need to get some sleep. You'll have plenty of time to raise hell once you're outta there."

The baby wriggled once more— one last playful reminder of her presence —before finally settling down.

"Atta girl," Bitsy said. "Why don't you try and get some sleep, Helen? I'll be right here to keep her in check."

Helen exhaled a deep sigh, finally feeling the tension in her body start to ease up. Mercedes had settled for now, and the warmth of Bitsy's touch made it easier to breathe.

"Okay," Helen murmured, resting a hand over Bitsy's. "I could really use some right now."

Bitsy pressed a kiss to Helen's ribs before tucking herself in close. "Good. You really deserve it."

Helen chuckled and let her eyes drift shut. She was eventually lulled to sleep by the steady rise and fall of her enormous belly, the warmth of Bitsy beside her, and the quiet, undeniable knowledge that their daughter was already so, so loved.