(16 years ago)

"Bless you," Kate said, her voice light and melodic as she smiled warmly, lifting her one-year-old son, Nate, as high as she could manage from her chair. She was almost 38 weeks pregnant with her third child, and although the weight of her belly made movement difficult, she still found joy in these small moments. Unfortunately, poor Nate had come down with a cold in the middle of summer, leaving him feeling miserable and extra clingy with her these past few days.

Kate's eyes shifted to her other one-year-old, Naomi, who was snugly seated in her high chair, happily playing with the cut-up pancakes in front of her. The sight of Naomi playing innocently with her meal brought a smile to Kate's face. So far, she felt a wave of relief that Nate's stubborn cold hadn't yet reached Naomi; it was true what they said about twins sharing everything, from their laughter to their illnesses, both the good and the bad.

"You're not going to eat anything, Kate," Carol said as she returned to the kitchen with a box of candles.

"The baby's not hungry; in fact, I think if I try to eat right now, it's just going to come back up," she said as she held Nate close to her with one hand and her other hand on her belly.

Since she woke up earlier, her stomach felt strange. There was some pressure, but it wasn't painful; it was just very uncomfortable.

Carol placed the 27 candles on top of a couple of pancakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

"Is this pregnancy easier since you're only carrying one now?"

"So much easier; I mean, still got the aches and pains and still a bit hard to get up at times, but I can at least do so without much help this time around since I'm not as fat," she said, having to readjust Nate who was starting to whine.

"At least this way, you can deal with everything at once since they will be very close in age. They'll feel like triplets."

While she and Stephen discussed having just one more baby, they certainly didn't want it to be this close. They wanted at least a two —or three-year difference. Fourteen months was way too close, but as Carol mentioned, there were certain aspects she couldn't deny would be good as well with a close age gap.

Out of nowhere, they heard Stephen's footsteps approaching from the stairway. Kate noticed Carol hurriedly lighting the candles before moving to the entrance to greet him.

As soon as he entered, she and Carol began to sing Happy Birthday, and she thought it was cute how bashful he got whenever the spotlight was him.

"Come on, Stephen, make a wish and blow out your candles!" Carol urged, playfully nudging the plate closer to his face. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

With a warm smile playing on his lips, Stephen lowered his gaze momentarily. Suddenly, his expression shifted as he looked up, and in one fluid motion, he extinguished the flames swiftly.

"Yay," Kate cheered as she took Nate's hands and clapped them for him, while Naomi let out a squeal, though she suspects more so from her food than anything else.

He then came over and gave her a quick peck on her lips.

"Happy Birthday Honey."

He sat beside her as Carol put the plate in front of him before she turned to Naomi to wipe off her face.

"Thank you." He shifted his attention to Nate, who was nibbling on a strand of hair that had escaped from her loosely arranged bun.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" he asked with a warm smile, extending his arms to reach for Nate gently. However, the little boy let out a high-pitched screech, his tiny hands clinging even more tightly to her. The unexpected reaction made both burst into laughter.

"I don't know why I even tried; he's such a Momma's boy when he isn't feeling well," he said, amused, not at all upset.

He then turned towards Naomi and attempted to lift her from her highchair, but again, he was met with resistance when she was out of reach of her food.

"She is such a mood; she's like, screw anyone who comes between her and her food," Carol said, chuckling as she cleaned the kitchen.

Stephen turned towards her, more specifically towards her belly. "I hope this next baby will at least like me a little."

"You know what they say: third time's the charm, " she said, smiling as she put her hand back on her belly. She felt a bit more pressure from her stomach, but nothing she thought was too concerning.

Carol then made her way to sit next to them at the table. "I would be impatient not knowing the gender for almost 9 months."

"Believe me when I say there is a certain magic to waiting, the excitement of the surprise after all that waiting time when your baby comes. Knowing before takes a bit of that away, in my opinion."

"Do you guys have any names picked out?"

Stephen turned to face her, a recognizable glimmer lighting up his eyes that immediately revealed what he was thinking. Kate understood him completely, her heart pounding in fear as she anticipated the name he was about to suggest. It was the exact name he had mentioned during their previous conversations concerning Nathan's name.

"Stephen! Absolutely not. Over my dead body, I'll let a son of ours be named Michael Myers," she asserted, attempting to sound serious as she opposed it, although she couldn't completely conceal her amusement either.

"Oh, come on, Kate, it's a good name, and you know it."

Carol, to no surprise, found this amusing. "I mean, I agree with Stephen; it would be pretty badass to say your son is Michael Myers."

"In theory, yeah, it would be badass and cool, but kids these days are more ruthless than when we went to school. Our son would be bullied for being named after a serial killer in a movie franchise."

"Or could make him very popular among his peers," he countered.

"I know appearances can be deceiving. Back in high school, you were the picture of quietness and shyness, with your soft voice and downturned eyes, and I could never have pictured you as someone who enjoyed the thrill of horror films. But they say it's always the quiet ones you need to look out for," Carol said, playfully feeding Naomi a piece of her pancake.

"The quiet ones are usually the ones that give the best pleasure. Why do you think we got pregnant so quickly after the twins?" Kate said with a playful smirk.

This embarrassed her husband, who dropped his knife and fork. He raised his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose while Carol couldn't contain her laughter.

Stephen finally lowered his hand from his face, a sheepish grin spreading across his lips as he met her gaze. "You do realize there are children here, right?" he said with a playful hint of embarrassment.

"They're one; not like they understand what we are talking about."

Although Kate recognized that she needed to be especially cautious with her language as they grew older, she understood that if they repeated what they heard, it would originate from her.

Soon after Stephen left for work, Carol helped her put the twins down for their afternoon nap in the playpen in the living room. Shortly after, the two of them sat on the couch, her legs propped up on a footstool and a heating pad behind her.

Kate closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the pressure in her stomach became more painful.

"Are you ok, Kate? Should I call your doctor?" Carol asked worriedly.

She shakes her head, already feeling the pain pass. "No, it's ok, nothing to worry about. I think this is the Braxton hicks he was telling me about. I never had contractions; remember, Nathan, being the first baby, was breech, so we had to have a scheduled c-section to get him and Naomi out."

"Is this one also breech? Is that why you must have another c-section."

She shakes her head. "No, this baby is head down, but the doctor and I agree it would be best to go ahead with another one. I will be considered for 39 weeks on the week of August 16; that's when we will meet our newest addition."

"It would have been so cool if guys could have had it today; Stephen and the baby could have shared a birthday; they could've been birthday twins."

Kate sighed, feeling a weight on her heart as she thought about the new baby. She worried about the bond this child would have with her twins, Nathan, and Naomi. The twins share a unique connection because they grew together in the same womb, and she couldn't help but wonder if the new baby would feel left out, being born alone.

"I would have liked that as well; I feel a bit bad because Nathan and Naomi will always be twins and have that bond because of that. I know it's only a year difference, but I don't want this child to grow up feeling lonely because of that; at least sharing a birthday with Stephen might make them feel just as special."

Carol gently clasped her hand, her eyes filled with warmth and understanding as she offered a comforting smile.

"You're getting caught up in your thoughts, Kate; having their own birthday celebrations will probably make them feel just as special, maybe even more, because the attention is focused solely on them. Yes, twins will always share a special and distinct bond that sets them apart, but that doesn't mean they won't create a meaningful relationship with their brother or sister as well."

She readjusted herself on the couch to be more comfortable as she felt the baby kicking her and used her hands to rub her stomach to hopefully soothe the baby.

"Thank you again, Carol, for all the help; I appreciate you staying with us the past few weeks."

Carol waved her hand dismissively, her expression a blend of weariness. "You know, I don't mind offering my help, and, honestly, it ends up helping me just as much. Darien and I have been clashing more than ever, and we've crossed a line we can't uncross. I had a long talk with my parents, and once you've adjusted to life with the new baby and found your rhythm, I plan to pack up my things and move back in with them."

"What do you mean crossed a line?" she asked, worried, sitting straight up a bit too fast as it caused her to wince when it brought on a new set of what felt like period cramps.

"Don't worry, Kate, I promise it's all good. I need better standards for men, is all."

Just as she was about to reply, the urge to pee suddenly became very strong, and she knew she would not be able to hold it for very long unless she wanted to make a mess of her floors.

She pushed herself up from the couch and said, "I got to go use the restroom, but don't think this conversation is over."

"You need help?"

"No, just stay with the babies," she said quickly, waddling over to the stairs.

When she made it up the stairs, she cringed when she felt a tinkle running down her legs.

Gross, I hate this part of pregnancy so much. Not being able to control my bladder.

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of pain, she rushed to the bathroom, her heart racing. As she closed the door behind her, she hurriedly lowered her pants and sat on the cool, unforgiving surface of the toilet. Just then, she caught sight of a transparent fluid trickling from her, and a wave of shock washed over her. The unexpected sight stirred a mixture of confusion and concern within her, leaving her uncertain of what was happening.

"Carol!"

She heard her footsteps quickly running up the stairs as Kate started to realize what was happening.

The bathroom door opened, and Carol came in and knelt beside her

"Are you o- oh, what happened?"

It was then she noticed the leak that was now over the floor.

"I think my water broke," she said, not entirely sure, but she'd heard enough stories to believe this was what was happening.

"Are you having any real contractions?"

She shakes her head, feeling a bit scared. "I don't know, I have never experienced them before. I thought, with the pressure earlier, it was Braxton hicks, but it's starting to feel more like mild period cramps."

"Where's the number for your doctor? I'll call him, and I'll call Steven and let him know."

"Um, the doctor's number is on the fridge, but call my dad, too. If we have to go to the hospital, I need you or him to stay with the babies. The hospital is closer to where Stephen can get to from work."

Carol quickly got a towel and dropped it underneath her so that the liquid would leak onto that and not the floor.

"I'll be right back; just take deep breaths, okay."

Carol quickly left to make those calls, leaving Kate alone.

To say she was scared was an understatement, but it wasn't just because of the pain; there was also the fact she was 37 weeks pregnant, just still a bit early for this baby to come. She was lucky with Nathan and Naomi; she carried them to full-term before her scheduled C-section and had no complications that required a NICU stay.

At 37 weeks, she couldn't shake off the feelings of fear and caution. She knew that her baby was still developing, and she understood that this was often seen as a safe time for delivery, where many infants could transition with little to no complications.

Still, despite that knowledge, her heart felt heavy with worry. She desperately wanted to hold out for 39 weeks, hoping that those extra weeks would bring her the peace of mind she craved, ensuring that her baby would be as healthy and safe as possible when the moment finally came for them to meet.

Kate gazed down at her stomach, instinctively bringing her hands to rest over it.

"I want to meet you as well, but please just wait a little longer."

It was almost as if the baby sensed her emotions, moving around in a way that intensified the discomfort, yet a smile crept onto her face. She was sure this child would be just as headstrong as she was.

Author's Note

Alright, here is our new chapter, and we are flashing back to the day Claire/Penny was born. Kate is turning into one of my favorites because of how complex she is. I'm interested to see if those who don't particularly like her will change their minds once we see and hear more of her side.

I have never been pregnant, but I know labor and how it starts can be different from woman to woman, so I tried my best to make it as accurate as possible. So forgive me if something was wrong or you don't think it was accurate. The same goes for part 2 of this chapter when we get to the actual labor.

I have also added Kate's friend Carol to the cast list, which I forgot to do when I first introduced her, as Drew Barrymore plays her.