Richmond had pulled the ship into dry dock for a good cleaning and preparing for winter. Though the sun was still hot on his shoulders, he knew that it wouldn't be much longer until the frigid wind and short days would have them in its clutches. Besides, with Caroline so close to delivery, he didn't want to take any chances of being away from land. He was determined to be there for the birth of their child. So while the ship was being taken care of, Richmond had found ways to entertain himself.

He found that shopping for baby items fun at first. But now that the time grew near, he wanted to smack each and every hand that came near to Caroline's belly. He wished he had a gold piece for every person that predicted the sex, weight and length. The most irritating thing about it all was the people he hardly knew that slapped him on the back to congratulate him. He wanted to say, "For what? All I did was get laid. She's doing all of the hard work." But he kept a smile on his face and laughed when he was supposed to laugh. He knew they meant well. He just wished for more meaningful conversation than about babies.

Which was why he had taken the time this pleasant Friday morning to casually rest against the decking of the main pool at Maple Grove, despite the threat of rain from above. It was quiet here, nobody bothered them. They could be themselves without the politics of Rhy'Din and the gossip columns' reporters posting their every move. He wore a pair of aqua colored trunks and nothing else. The pool was crystal blue and the sun reflected light in shimmering waves upon his already very tanned skin. He was relaxed and happy. Life was good.

That was, until his cellphone rang loudly. It was Caroline, naturally. She was supposed to be at work, so why was she calling in the middle of the day' "Rich ...." She paused for a long moment, sounding out of breath and uncomfortable. "You need to meet me at the hospital," she said finally, when whatever it was that was making her uncomfortable passed by. "The General. Now."

Richmond had looked at the cell phone curiously, as if it were the first time he'd ever seen it. Caroline didn't call in the middle of the day, ever. And when he heard her breathy demand, Richmond's face went pale. His eyes went wide with the implication of what was happening. "Did your water break?" He had been hoping to be there for that, but understood that he couldn't constantly be by her side. It didn't matter, really. He needed to know how long he had to get there. "Bag is beside the bedroom door. I'm getting it." He had began to move, not feeling his feet hit the ground. "Breathe, breathe."

Was he convincing himself" And when did he put his flip flops on' The suit case was nabbed and he held the phone to his ear with his left hand. The fact that he didn't have a shirt on was of no consequence to him. And soon he was getting into his car. "Putting you on speaker." Instead of which, he accidentally hung up the phone in his nervousness. His hands were shaking and he was amazed that he could even start the car, much less get it to go in a relatively straight line. Once to the end of the driveway, he picked up the phone and dialed her back. "Caroline" Did you have the baby yet' Please wait, I'm on my way!"

She was laughing when she answered the phone, guessing accurately enough that her fiance was having a major panic attack. She would have been, too, if it hadn't been for the fact that her waters had broken during a board meeting. There had been so many cool, calm, experienced fathers and and grandfathers in the room, Caroline hadn't had a chance to distress herself. "Love, please don't crash on your way to the hospital," she told Richmond, the phone tucked between her ear and shoulder as she changed her clothes in the back of her car. "Brynne's driving me there. My water's have broken and -" There was a pause as she braced herself against another contraction, gripping the door handle hard. "Gods, those are painful," she muttered, retrieving the phone from where it had fallen. "Rich' You still there?"

Admittedly, Rich had been driving rather fast. At her request, he slowed down and kept a nearly paranoid eye on the road. "I'm being safe. I promise." He was panting, nearly on the verge of hyperventilation. There was relief at hearing that Brynne was doing the driving on her end. That Granger cousin was sensible and had gone through labor and delivery herself before. If something should happen, he thought, Brynne could tell him how to deliver the baby.

When Caroline cut off mid-sentence, Richmond started to hold his breath. Oh God, what?s happening" And then he heard her mutter before she came through clearly again. Blowing out the breath he was holding, his color returned to normal and he nodded, as if she could see him. "I'm here, and I'm almost there. It's alright, it'll be alright. We can do this. We took classes and graduated."

We can do this. It was just as well Caroline had a sense of humor. There wasn't much we involved at this point, after all. "Rich, I need you to call a couple of people, okay?" she asked him, finally able to just settle against the seat now she was clean and dry once again. "I need you to call Mervyn and find out which ward I'm supposed to be going to, and I need you to call Grampa and tell him what?s happening so he can tell everyone else. Can you do that for me?"

"I can do that," he nodded again. "Just as soon as I get parked. Hold on." He removed the phone from his ear just as he pulled into a parking spot. He didn't get out of the car, only putting her on hold to dial the midwife first. "Merv, Caroline's water's broken." He paused and shook his head. "I wasn't there, I don't know." He paused again, listening. "Why are you asking me" I'm not with her, I said!" He shook his head and then sighed. His shoulders sagged. "Listen you, she wants to know what wa....don't call me that! I'm not a sla....hey!" He blinked rapidly and then chuckled. "Ok, I've calmed down, like you said I should. Now which ward?" He nodded and then the conversation ended with "See you there." And then he simply called Humphrey, letting him know that delivery was nigh, Caroline was safe and let the family know there was another expansion of the Granger clan coming soon. He got out of the car then, pocketed his phone and took the suitcase towards the hospital. He completely forgot leaving Caroline on hold.

She spent several minutes - and a few contractions - listening to the silence on the other end of the phone before realising that Richmond probably wasn't going to be coming back on. Laughing to herself, she shut her phone off, hoping he'd remembered the bag in his rush to get to the hospital as Brynne drew the car into the parking lot herself, just in time to see the father hasten into the building at speed. Pulling herself out of the car, Caroline paused, leaning against it as another contraction rippled through her belly. Brynne just waited, calm and patient, rubbing her cousin's back gently. "Okay, I'm good," the CEO of GrangerGuild said finally, turning to make her way into the hospital beside her cousin.

Richmond was checking her in at the counter, ID's and paperwork being transferred from hand to hand as he scrawled his name at the bottom and finally was finished. He picked up her bag and just as he was turning to run to where she'd be, he saw her and Brynne walking towards the entrance. He made an abrupt halt, nearly knocking over an intern in the process. "Sorry, baby!" Then he turned and ran to a wheelchair. He plopped the suitcase into the chair, then steered it very quickly outside and towards Brynne and Caroline. "Your chariot has arrived." He tried to sound casual, but his high color, the sweat on his brow and his shaking hands proved otherwise.

Caroline couldn't help smiling at Richmond's panicked performance, all too aware that Brynne was not even trying to hide her own loud snickers right beside her. "Hello, darling," she greeted her fiance fondly, glancing down at the suitcase that held pride of place in the chair. "Am I pushing or riding?"

Rich was at a loss when it came to her being in pain. He gave a sympathetic look and placed the birthing gown on her before gathering her abandoned clothes and putting them into the bag. "I'll do that in a minute. Do you want to lie down" A drink of water, maybe?" While he knew that he couldn't relieve her pain, maybe he could distract her through it a bit with offers of comfort. Back at her side, he helped her to adjust and tie the gown. He made a mess of things, his fingers shaking to the point of knotting the strings instead of tying them into a bow. And he, a sailor! He was glad of her calm in this storm. He'd been through typhoons and hurricanes, and laughed through them. But this, this was a form of mother nature he'd never seen before and he wasn't prepared for the emotional side of it.

Her laughter at his fumblings was cut short by another contraction, but though she was in pain, she didn't really show it. She was glad, however, that the birthing gown covered her scarred back; only Humphrey and Richmond had ever seen Anubis' handiwork, and she hoped to keep it that way. As it passed, she lifted her head, turning her hands to take his. "Tell you what," she suggested, "you go and call the shipyard, and take a little bit of time. Brynne says this takes hours; at this rate, you'll be asleep before the main event arrives." She lifted her hand to his cheek, his unusual engagement ring sparkling on her finger as she drew him down for a kiss. "I do love you, Rich."

Well, she laughed and that went a long way in soothing his fraying nerves. He took her hands and gazed down into her eyes. But, at her suggestion, he shook his head. Kissing her softly, he smiled. "I love you, too. But I'm not going anywhere. I helped to get you into this, I'm going to help get you out of it. Here, get up on the bed and then I'll call the shipyard. Fair?" He did smile then, and it did reach his eyes in a set of crow's feet at the corners. "I'm not going to leave you to do this alone, Caro."

"Rich, I'm not going to lie down and just wait for this to happen," Caroline argued with familiarly stubborn aplomb. "Not unless Merv and at least one doctor tells me to, not until it's time to start pushing properly. Remember the books" Gravity helps things along, so I'm gonna give this as much gravity as I can, okay?" She grinned, the expression bright in a pale face. "And I know you're not leaving. But, you know ....you do need to calm down, or you're gonna drop the peanut when it arrives."

Just as stubborn as she, he shook his head once again. "I'll be fine and I won't drop the peanut. I've never been through this before and I'm a little overwhelmed." He smiled then and reached to gently take her shoulders. "But, as your cousin pointed out, this could take hours. I'm sure I'll be settled by then." He wished he felt as confident as he sounded. "So, let's get gravity working. Would you like a stroll down to the vending machine, m'dear?" He offered his elbow in a gallant fashion. "And, while we're walking, I'll call the shipyard. See, a multitasker now. You've trained me well, oh great one."

As she took his arm, she squeezed, holding him there for a long minute as another contraction came and went. Once it had passed, she let out a breath, curling her arm through his with a chuckling smile. "Next time, you get to do this," she informed him with a grin, pointing at her distended belly as she fell into step with her lover, bare feet secure on the smooth floor.

He breathed through the contraction with her, supporting her as best that he could. And when it was over, he moved at a slower pace than normal so as not to push her to exhaustion too early. "This is Rhy'Din. You never know, I might get an innoculation that includes sea horses and become pregnant by you. Only fair, if I'm thinking right." He smiled down at her as they shuffled down the hallway.

"Yeah, but I really don't want to think about all the rearranging that'll go on if that happens," Caroline snorted with laughter as they walked along. "Where the hell would your womb go?" The ward, though private, was still a working ward, and thus there were nurses and midwives passing back and forth with other women in various stages of pregnancy, labor, and post-natal care. That was a relief in itself. "You know, you'd think I'd feel out of place walking around in nothing but a nightie that opens at the front, but I actually fit in here."

Richmond laughed with her. As they neared the vending machine, he reached for some loose change in his pocket. "Caroline, I think you could wear prison stripes to one of you GAC meetings and the next meeting everybody else would, too. You fit in everywhere you go, and you don't even have to try." He bought himself a soft drink and a bowl of gelatin, which he carried in his free hand, now. "You're a natural," he spoke with a certain amount of awe in his voice.

"I don't fit in the boardroom still," she laughed back to him, pausing by the vending machine to lay a hand against the cool wall. "One sec ..." She wasn't following the Lamaze lessons she'd taken for coping with the pain - after all, she had her own methods and knew they worked - but for Richmond's peace of mind, she at least made an effort to make it look as though she was doing as she had been told. "I can't believe my water's broke during a meeting with the board of directors," she groaned when things had calmed down again. "I'm so lucky Grampa wasn't there this morning. I think he'd have had a heart attack."

At this point, Richmond couldn't tell she was faking and he breathed with her through the contraction before beginning to lead her back down the hall. "They're not going to think any less of you," he smiled for her. "In fact, they'll probably think you strong for it because you went into the meeting while you were in labor. I doubt many women would do that." He nodded then, for emphasis. "But we can ask around, plenty of women in labor here."

"I'm just lucky I didn't go into labor at the GAC meeting earlier this week," she chuckled, letting out a low sigh. Her temple touched gently to his shoulder. "I'm going to be very bored waiting for this to get a move on, aren't I?" She looked up at her fiance with a smirk. "You'll have to entertain me and hope Merv doesn't catch you doing it."

"In the books I've read," he started, encouraged by her entertaining remark, "orgasm can help things along quite well." He picked up the pace just a bit, eager to get back to their room. "I can sterilize my prick and..." His voice became raspy, dripping with lust at the image in his head.

"Naughty, naughty!" Caroline burst out laughing at the sound of that voice. If she'd known Mervyn, their midwife, was walking behind them, she would never have suggested that Richmond's mind head off in that particular direction. The lanky man came up on her other side, grinning over her head at Richmond. "Darling, with her waters broken, you're not poking that thing anywhere near her until she's all done and healed up," he informed the sailor cheerfully, adding with irrepressible mischief, "Now me, on the other hand ..."

Despite the teasing banter from earlier, Rich was grateful for the midwife's presence as well. The fact that Dr. Ryan kept popping in from time to time was a comfort, too. The doctor was standing back, keeping a quiet watch on the progression. Merv knew his job very well and the only reason for the doctor's presence was for emergency purposes only. Rich nodded eagerly. "I would." His eyes felt hot, but not dry and he wondered for a moment if he were about to cry. Sucking in his lower lip, he looked up at Caroline with a tender, loving look. "Love you, so much. You're doing so good, Caroline. It'll be over soon and you can rest."

"Oh gods, I hope so," Caro growled under her breath, leaning on Richmond as he looked up at her. "I love you, but this is beyond the pale, seriously."

Merv chuckled at her comment, surprised she was still being reasonable with her lover even in the midst of the transition. He stepped back for a moment, locating an angled mirror to show Richmond the first crowning of his son or daughter's head. "There you go, daddy-o."

Rich just smiled in the face of her softened complaint. "I know, I know, love." He continued to smile at her, until Merv indicated that the view was ready for him. He could see how swollen and stretched she was and that made him feel guilty. But once he saw the double crown sworls of hair on that tiny patch of skull, all negative feelings left him in a rush of joy and excitement. "Oh Caroline, I think it's going to have your hair!" He looked up at her again, and tears were brimming this time.

"Poor little sod," she groaned softly, chuckling at the sight of her big, strong sailor on the cusp of weeping over the fact that the baby was finally on its way. Her hand curled tenderly to his cheek as she smiled, breathing harshly through a contraction, trying not to push. "How long before I can push again?" Setting the mirror away, Merv patted her back. "You're doing very well, Caro, just a little bit longer and we can do the last little bit together," he promised her, already in the process of guiding the head through the slow stretch of tender tissue. He glanced to the side, checking with the doctor that everything was going to plan.

Stas nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "It's up to almost a thousand on the weight, length and gender. What do you think, Merv?" He smiled and checked his phone, and texting back to his wife. He thought things were progressing as they should, so offered no suggestions. There really none to give. Not now, at least. Richmond turned his head and kissed Caroline's palm softly. "We're going to have a beautiful baby." He was sure of this, more sure than he'd ever been of anything in his life. Looking up, he went into Lamaze mode, panting and wheezing through his teeth.

Merv pouted, sticking his tongue out at his boss, and turned his attention back to his patient and her fiance. "All right, lovely, when the next one comes, you push long and slow, okay?" "I'm going to get in line for a C-sec next time," Caroline groaned through clenched teeth, gripping onto Richmond as the promised contraction made itself known. She squeezed her eyes shut, leaning her forehead against her lover's shoulder as she clung to him, forcing herself to push through the pain as the baby's head gently slid free. "Ha!" Merv crowed delightly, quick to clean out the baby's mouth. "No splits, what a lucky woman you are!"

Stas chuckled and crossed his legs as he leaned back. "My bet's on 8, 12, 20 inches. I don't do genders." He watched with interest as the next contraction began. "And you know I'm going to win, I always do." Then he sat forward, uncrossing his legs and folding his hands between his knees. "And turn," he murmured, watching the tiny head as it naturally rotated. "Next time?" This came as a surprise to Rich, though it shouldn't have. "I think I agree with you." He breathed out a sigh of relief that there had been no cuts and no tears. "Oh, oh, oh...." He was able to see their child's face and he blinked rapidly to clear his blurring vision. He couldn't figure out who the baby looked like, was that his father's nose" He looked up at Caroline once again and blew out a breath. "Almost over, almost. Breathe, love, breathe."

"I'm still on track for the big payout, anyway," Merv said conversationally, gently turning the little body as the baby slipped free. "Genders are my thing, darling. Guessed little Matthew, and now ..." He grinned, inserting the bulb syringe to clear the baby's airway, tucking the newborn into the crook of his elbow as a thin wail filled the room. "Congratulations, Mommy and Daddy, you have a baby boy!"

"That you did," Stas rose when the baby slipped free and he stepped over to take a look at the newest Granger. "He's beautiful, Mom and Dad. All ten fingers and toes." Stas put his hand upon Merv's shoulder. "Good job, Merv." As the last contraction wracked her body, Rich put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her sweat soaked temple. He could barely breathe, knowing that just beyond his range of vision, their child was coming into this world. He barely heard what Merv said, or the doctor, as that wail filled his ears. The dam broke and he wept openly upon Caroline's shoulder. "You did it, you precious, beautiful woman. You did it!" He could barely tear his tear stained face from her to look over at the midwife and doctor. He thought they looked as proud as he felt.

After hours of stoic patience, of concentrating, of fighting through pain and discomfort with barely a sound ....Caroline burst into happy tears at the first sound of her son's voice, leaning close against Richmond as her strength finally began to wane. Wrapping the newest Granger up in a warm blanket, Merv laid the tiny boy down on the sheets for a moment, clamping off the umbilical cord, quick to do the tests that were entirely necessary before offering Richmond a small pair of scissors. "Care to cut the cord, daddy, and say hello to your little one?"

Their tears of joy mingled on each other's cheeks as Richmond eased her back onto bed. He kissed her tears away and lifted his head to smile down at her. Gazing into her eyes, he reached to gently wipe the hair from her face. "I love you, so much." He kissed her lips then, as gentle and tender as he'd ever done before. And then he was being asked to cut the cord.

"I....my hands are shaking," he laughed and looked at Merv. "I....I don't want to hurt him." He got his first look at his son and his expression softened into one of awe. "I won't, will I?" He took the scissors and bit his lip. The clamps were already in place and with a snip, son and mother were seperated for the first time.

"I think they're both going to be head over heels for Jack and won't want us to go." He held onto Caroline as Caroline held onto the bassinette and they moved towards the nurse's station. And, as the nurses, other parents and potential parents cooed and offered their congratulations, Richmond smiled, as proud as a peacock.

"How much are you willing to bet that Grampa'll try and camp out in our room until we go?" Caroline laughed as they made their slow way along the hallway. She was aching in places she hadn't even realised she had until today, but it felt good to get the weight off her back all the same.

"Well, that's one form of birth control," Rich chuckled softly. He rubbed Caroline's back as they reached the nurse's station. "Tell them what you'd like to eat, love," he urged her gently. His free hand went to rest upon their son's back just to assure that he was breathing.

The ward clerk looked up as Caroline leaned onto the edge of the high counter, one hand still gripping the edge of the bassinette tightly. "Anything," Caro chuckled, the clerk grinning along with her as she made a note. "I'm starving." The clerk, a portly woman in her mid-fifties, nodded cheerfully. "I'll get the kitchen to have a rummage and send up something appetising," she promised, standing up to peer over the counter at the baby. "Oh, I love working here. So teeny!"

Richmond realized he hadn't eaten anything all day, either. But he kept it to himself, able to escape the walls of the hospital to grab a bite to eat when mother and baby took their first collective nap togetther. Instead, he preened with pride at the clerk's happy chirp about their son. "Definitely worth all that hard work, isn't he, love?"

"Speak for yourself," Caroline drawled with weary humor. "I'm reserving judgement until he learns when not to wake me up." She laughed quietly, resuming her lean into Richmond's side as she looked down at Jack. "Okay, I got up and walked. Can I go back to bed now?"

Rich chuckled and kissed her temple once again. "Of course, let's get you back to bed." Carefully, he slowly steered them into a wide semi-circle and headed back towards the suite. Once there, he helped her into the bed and placed the bassinette beside the bed and within her reach. "There we are, love."

"Oh, bed, how do I love thee" Let me count the ways ..." Yes, Caroline had been spending far too much time with Jon and Vicki over the last couple of weeks. With barely a wince, she crawled up into the prop of pillows once again, drawing the sheets up over her legs and relaxing back with a soft sigh. Her eyes turned to meet Richmond's with tender adoration. "We did it," she murmured quietly, triumph touching her smile. "I love you."

Richmond settled onto the end of the bed and reached for her hand. "We did it. And I love you, so much." His fingertips gently pressed hers. "Now, try to get some rest before The Mad Midwife and his minions attack en masse." To this, he chuckled. There was a happiness that simply radiated from him that he couldn't surpress. "And I'll call Humphrey to run interference so you can get some sleep."

Her laugh this time was interrupted by a wild yawn that made her jaw click, weary eyes blinking slowly closed until at last, after the longest day she could possibly remember, Caroline fell asleep, one hand curled into Richmond's and the other tucked fondly into the blanket that swaddled their newborn son.

Richmond watched as she drifted off to sleep, and then he yawned, too. He was incredibly tired after the emotional roller coaster that was Jack's birth. "I swear," he made the vow to mother and son, "to protect and provide for you, the rest of my life." It was spoken softly so as not to wake them, and solemnly as the moment dictated. And then, when he was sure they were both safely asleep, Richmond rose from the bed and walked out of the room. He held his phone to his ear, congratulating Humphrey on being a great-grandfather. All in all, he surmised wryly, a very good day.

((Welcome to the family, Jack Granger! :grin: Hugiflorious thanks to Richmond's player for this scene, it came out great!))