Thank you for all the support. Enjoy!

Chapter Eight

Cath was too big of a coward to call Levi so she sent him a text after breakfast. He replied back that he was halfway to Omaha.

She settled back in her bed and opened up her dad's laptop. One of the books had said reading to the baby was a good idea. She logged onto her account (it didn't say what you had to read the baby) and selected a story. She cleared her throat and began to read.

Once she had finished the first story she picked another one and then another. She was so caught up in reading that she didn't hear Levi come in her room.

"If that kid isn't born a believer I will fall right over," he said, a smile on his face.

Cath rubbed her eyes and slipped her glasses back on. "I didn't hear you come in…what time is it?" she asked him.

"It's after twelve," he said. He sat next to her on the bed and kissed her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Stupid," she said with a sigh. She rested her head against his shoulder.

"You're not stupid," Levi replied, his arm curved around her shoulders. "But I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

"What if I can't do this? What if we fall apart?" she asked softly.

"Sweetheart," Levi said gently. "You've thrown up on me…multiple times…nothing can break us apart."

"Wren and Jandro might get divorced. She said everything changed after they had Lou," she mumbled against his shirt.

"You and your sister may look alike, but you aren't her," he said to her.

"I know," Cath said.

"I love you," Levi said. He pressed his forehead against hers and nuzzled their noses together.

"I love you too," Cath said, nuzzling back.

"And you trust me, right?" Levi asked her.

"Umm, well…" she felt kind of silly even saying anything.

He quirked up an eyebrow. "What?" he asked her.

"You've been making a lot of weird calls," she admitted sheepishly.

"I didn't tell you…while we were in the midst of…everything," Levi said. "But I've been talking with my cousins, trying to hammer things out. Four of us are going to try and keep the ranch going."

"That's what all those phone calls were?" Cath asked him.

"What exactly did you think I was doing?" he asked with a laugh.

"You were just so secretive," she admitted. "I felt stupid saying anything."

"Please, I'd never cheat. You…are all I can handle," Levi said, his smile spread across his whole face. "Now…what exactly were you doing when I walked in here?" he asked her.

Cath chuckled a little. "I read that the baby likes it when people talk to him…her," she said.

"So you thought gay fan fiction was a good conversation starter?" he asked with a laugh.

"You like it when I read you gay fan fiction," Cath defended herself.

"You could read me the phone book, sweetheart," he replied. "As long as you're with me I'm happy."

xxx

"What do you think of this one?" Marlisse asked as held up yet another onesie.

"It's cute," Cath replied politely.

"These will be become your best friends," she said, adding it to the ever growing pile of things in the shopping cart.

Marlisse insisted on taking Cath out on a Me Day. She told her once the baby arrived 'me time' was harder to come by then snow in June (yes, she had actually phrased it like that). So the two women went for haircuts, manicures, pedicures, and had lunch (which actually did make her feel more human). And somehow they had ended up in a baby store (most things ended up being about the baby lately…Cath was okay with that now).

"Thank you again for everything," Cath said.

"I'm happy to do it, honey," Marlisse said. She gave Cath's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "It kind of makes up for the shower."

"Oh, the shower was nice," Cath assured her (lies).

"Honey, you ended up crying in the bathroom and ran away the next day," Marlisse pointed out.

Cath swallowed. "Okay, well…today has certainly been better than that," she said with a little chuckle.

"I know we haven't exactly been close, but now that I'll have more time…and with the baby coming…I'd like to be," she said, almost shyly.

Cath couldn't believe this. Hard ass Marlisse was looking for her approval. "I'd like it too," she said sincerely.

"Wonderful," Marlisse said with a smile. "Now I'm really not sure about the swing you guys have. I want to show you another one." She headed off down the aisle.

Okay, maybe things wouldn't change THAT much.

xxx

"I'm so uncomfortable," Cath moaned as the truck hit another bump in the road.

"We're almost home," Levi assured her.

The pair gone on a day trip to shop for all the odds and ends they still needed. (Why did babies need SO much stuff?) She was nervous about the impending arrival of the baby, but more excited nervous now than wanting to hide and cry nervous.

Cath winced and rested her hand on her stomach. "Ow," she said.

"What? What's wrong?" Levi asked. He was on red alert as Cath's due date was just a few days away.

"It's okay now," Cath said before crying out again.

"How long have you felt like this?" Levi asked, starting to slow the car down.

"Since last night?" Cath asked, her teeth gritted now.

"Last night?!" Levi roared. "Jesus Christ, Cather…why didn't you say anything?" He parked the truck on the side of the road.

"My due date isn't for three days," she pointed out.

"It's not like the release date of a book…babies don't have to come on the day the doctor says," Levi said to her. He started pressing his hands against her stomach.

"What are you doing?" Cath asked him.

"I don't know!" he said. "I feel like I need to be doing something!"

"I don't think that's it," Cath groaned and pushed his hands away. She rolled over on her side and pressed her face against the window.

"I need to look," Levi said to her.

"Look at what?" Cath asked.

"Sweetheart, what do you think I need to look at?" Levi said. He tried to pull her away from the window.

"No!" she said, quite alarmed. "You can't look down there!"

"Cather, I've delivered cows before…it's not like I don't know what's coming," Levi reasoned with her.

"Did you just call me a cow? Oh my goooooood…" she cried out, her eyes closed so tightly she was surprised they didn't explode.

"Cath, listen to me…" Levi said slowly. "You have to let me help you."

Cath swallowed and slowly unfurled herself. Levi sighed. "There's not enough room here. You have to get in the back."

"Of the truck?" she asked, her eyes wide open now.

"Come on, sweetheart," he said and managed to get her out of her seat and into the back of the truck (which was really NOT easy).

"What do you see?" she asked (and prayed no one was passing by).

"A head," Levi said, a little less calmly than he had been speaking before.

"What are we going to do?!" Cath exclaimed. "You can't let anything happen to the baby! I'm already going to be a terrible mother." She was getting a little delirious from the pain.

"The first thing you have to do is breathe," Levi said, resting his hands on her knees. "Because if you pass out then I'm going to pass out and we can't do that."

Cath swallowed and nodded her head. "Okay, okay…" she said.

Levi ducked back down. "Cath, when I tell you to push…push as hard as you can," he instructed her.

"I can't," Cath whined.

"Yes, you can!" Levi said.

"No, really…that teddy bear…I need it!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Levi asked in confusion.

"That thing Amber gave us. And I'm supposed to hee and hoo and," she explained before letting out a primal scream.

" Cather, just…focus on pushing. Okay, one, two, three…" he counted. "NOW!"

Cath gripped the sides of the truck and pushed as hard as she could. She collapsed a few seconds later.

"Great, great…that's so good. Now again…" Levi said to her.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Cath roared as she pushed with all her might. This continued for what felt like three hundred years until Cath's cries (and maybe a few from Levi) were accompanied a high pitched newborn wail.

"She's here!" Levi exclaimed. "She's a she! She's loud!"

Cath tried to sit up. "Let me see! Let me see!" She ended up falling back in a heap…she didn't have much energy left.

"Oh, sweetheart…she's beautiful," he said in total awe. He quickly cut the umbilical cord with his pocket knife and rested her on Cath's chest while he looked for something to wrap her in.

Cath blinked a few times as she stared at the little pink bundle of girl. "Let's have fourteen of these," she whispered to Levi. He chuckled and kissed her forehead as he wrapped up the baby in a towel he found. Cath felt her heart swell up with more love than she thought she could ever possess.

Connection achieved.

xxx

After a checkup for both mom and daughter at the hospital, Penelope (Penny for short) was able to come home.

"I can't believe you named her after a Simon Snow character," Wren said into the phone.

"Simon and Baz bonded us…and besides there's no decent female characters in The Outsiders," Cath said with a chuckle.

"How are you feeling?" Wren said, the question meant to dig beyond the physical surface.

"Happy," Cath said honestly.

"Hang on, dad wants to talk to you," Wren said.

"Wait…why are you with dad?" Cath asked her.

"Jandro and I are trying a trial separation," she admitted to her sister. "Lou and I are going to stay with dad for a while."

"I'm so sorry, Wren," Cath said to her.

"If it's meant to be it will work out. I just need to focus on Lou and myself right now," Wren said.

She passed the phone to their father and they talked for a while (and planned a visit very soon). After they hung up Cath walked over to Penny's bassinet and scooped her up (you aren't supposed to wake a sleeping baby, but Cath couldn't keep her hands off the little babydoll). Luckily Penny never got too fussed and snuggled up against her mother's chest and fell right back to sleep.

"There are my girls," Levi said as he walked back into the bedroom.

Cath looked up from her daughter's face and smiled over at Levi. "Hey you," she said softly.

"That was my mom on the phone," he said, waving his cell in his hand. "The ranch is staying in the family."

"Oh, Levi…this is great news. I know it's what you wanted," Cath said.

"Everything is falling right into place," he replied. He walked further into the room and wrapped his arms around his wife and baby.

Cath couldn't believe she had almost thrown this all away. Thank goodness Levi hadn't given up on her.

And Cath did know one thing now…these were the two people in the world she was never going to give up on.

THE END