Tapping his pencil against the tiny desk that barely covered his lap, Cameron stared at the bubble sheet, and then the test booklet.  Rubbing his forehead, he sighed with exasperation and stared harder. 

Macroeconomics was his last final; the last one and he could finally pack up his stuff and head home with Kith in a day or two.  He would've felt great if the test wasn't kicking his ass.  The first half had been fine, just multiple choice.  Now there were graphs and free responses; he hated both of those with a passion.  And his grade already wasn't that great in the class.  Passing the final was essential because it guaranteed that he wouldn't have to spend another semester in economic hell.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the page and stared at another graph. "Fuck!" he hissed.  Curling his fingers into a fist, he pounded his thigh discretely.  Lifting his head up, he rubbed his eyes and visually roamed over his lecture hall.  There were more than one hundred kids packed inside, more than the average class attendance.  Unlike regular class, people made sure to show up for exams.

Some people were busy scribbling answers and professionally interpreting graphs.  Other kids looked more like him, and Cameron found comfort in that.  That meant he wasn't alone.  They were the ones mentally cursing their lives, and possibly the professor.  Focus, focus, he told himself.  There was still an hour and a half left from the original three.  He had time to pull stuff out of his ass and hope for the best.

Flexing his fingers, he grabbed his pencil and studied the graph.  Shaking his head, he bubbled in two more answers.  His pocket buzzed.  Anxiously tapping his pencil, he glanced up, wondering if anyone had noticed.  Everyone was absorbed in their thoughts and the test.  Digging into his pocket, he furtively extracted his phone and checked the screen.  A new text message.  Glancing around the room once more, he clicked to read it.  He didn't want anyone noticing and trying to accuse him of cheating.

"I'm in labor," he read to himself.  It took a moment for the sentence to process in his head.  When it did, his eyes widened and he crammed his phone back into his pocket.  Holy shit, he thought.  Picking his pencil back up, he swallowed and tried to breathe normally again.

Kith was in labor.  Kith was having the baby.  That meant he needed to get onto the road and into that hospital.  Panic set in.  She'd been fine that morning when he dropped her off at school.  This wasn't supposed to be happening right now.  Kith had obviously been in school, and he was in the middle of a huge test.  Thoughts racing through his head, he half-stood up, and then flopped back down.  The kid next to him shot him a weird look.

Seizing his test booklet, he flipped through it.  Locking his jaw, he couldn't help but be mildly infuriated.  There were two more graphs and five free response questions.  There was no time. Cameron had no time.  Maybe he'll let me reschedule, Cameron thought.  He wasn't too fond of the guy, but there was a slim chance.  What kind of person wouldn't excuse a student because his girlfriend went into labor?  Thankfully the aisles weren't cramped like they were in some other lecture halls.  Getting up, he jogged down the steps towards his professor's desk.  Pushing his glasses up, he looked up from his newspaper. "Yes?"

"I-this is really important," Cameron smiled politely.  He even lowered his voice to avoid disturbing other students. "My girlfriend just went into labor and I was wondering if I could reschedule or... finish this on another day." His gray-haired professor looked over him.

"The test must be taken today. No exceptions," he said bluntly, returning to his paper.  In disbelief, Cameron glared at him.  Biting his lip, he took a few seconds to calm down and regroup.  Apparently, this was the person who wouldn't excuse a student because his girlfriend went into labor.

"I understand that," Cameron leaned down, causing his professor to loosen his grip on the newspaper.  Setting it down, he stared back blankly. "But my girlfriend is having our kid and I would kind of like to be there. So could I please-"

"The final is either taken today or you fail," his professor said indifferently. "No exceptions." Giving him one last scathing look, he resumed reading.

Aware that he'd hit a heartless, brick wall, Cameron stood up, silently seething.  Those were his options.  Take the test and show up late, possibly inciting the fury of an in-labor-Kith, or leave and fail.  He returned to his seat and flopped down, pissed.  Those were horrible options.

Breathing heavily, he seized his pencil and rapped it furiously against the side of his desk.  Leaning back, he peered over the bent heads and the test booklets.  On the verge of breaking his pencil, he tossed it into his backpack, and rested his forehead on his desk.  This is bullshit, he thought.  Absolute bullshit.  There's no way I'm gonna finish this anyway.  I fucking hate graphs.  Sitting back up, he leaned back a bit, head pressing into his palms.  Screw this.

Abandoning his test, he grabbed his backpack and ran from the room, attracting all sorts of attention.  The double doors slammed loudly behind him, echoing all the way down to his professor.

"I made it!" he burst into the room with Kith's bug out bag – his title – that he had her pack a week ago, complete with pajamas (basically just one of his t-shirts she'd taken to wearing and her pajama shorts) and all the necessary things the internet suggested she'd need when she went into the hospital. He'd had it sitting in his truck for days.

"I made it, Kith. I almost got into two wrecks, but its okay. I'm here." Throwing his jacket into an empty chair, he stalked over to her bedside. "Mom." She stepped back to give him more room.  Donning a hospital gown, Kith sat up a little in the bed.  She grimaced at having to be connected to several machines; Cameron knew how much she hated needles. "Hey." He ran his fingers through her hair.

"This hurts so bad," she whimpered. "So bad."

"Where were you?"

"Statistics," she frowned deeply.  Moving around, she found a spot that suited her. "Then I had to go to the nurse. And then called your mom. And now I'm here."

"It's going to be okay," he reassured her.

"Do you know how much pain I'm in?" she fired back, glaring at him. "It's not gonna be okay! I hate this." Cameron shrank back at her sudden change in demeanor.

"You haven't seen anything yet, honey," Nora commented.

"Mom," Cameron made a face at her.  That was the last thing Kith needed to hear. "Ignore her, you're doing great."

"It's the truth," she shrugged and walked over to one of the chairs near the window.  Lifting the blinds, she let in more light.

"Well... how long ago did your water break?" Cameron breathed deeply.

"Like almost two hours ago," Kith answered, rubbing her forehead. "And you took your sweet time getting here."

"Kith!" he accidentally made a face at her.  Cameron fixed it as her eyes thinned into another piercing glare. "First of all, I was in the middle of my final, which I failed, I'm sure, because I was only halfway done when you texted me. Second, you know I'm an hour away."

"You failed your macroeconomics final?" her face softened. "That means you'll have to take it again."

"Yeah, I know," he answered, rubbing her hand. "I'll take it with another professor though because the one I have now is a complete dick."

"I'm sorry," she apologized before squeezing her eyes shut and tightening her grip on his hand. "I'm sorry, Cameron."

"It was mostly graphs anyway," he muttered and casually snuck his fingers from beneath her vice-grip once she let go.

"Am I being scary right now?" cheeks flushed red, she opened her eyes and stared helplessly at him. "I don't want to be scary... I don't want to be like those crazy women giving birth in movies."

"You're in labor," he said calmly, rubbing the back of his head. "It's excusable."

"If I get too crazy, just tell me to calm down."

"Uh, okay," he nodded.  That sounded like the last thing any guy should ever say to a girl in labor. "So what do we do now?"

"We wait," his mom answered, checking her watch. "Doctor's said she's not even fully dilated yet. Won't be for a while."

Cameron didn't fully understand what 'dilated' meant.  He'd heard the word once on some doctor drama while flipping through the TV channels and a Google search a month ago when he was preparing for this inevitable day suggested it had to do with the baby and his impending arrival.  Pacing a bit, he sat down next to his mom.

Three more hours passed and Kith got sweatier and more restless.  In response, Cameron got more anxious and afraid.  Doctors and nurses kept coming in and checking her.  And every time, she still wasn't ready.  Almost there, but not completely. "Do you want ice?" he asked apprehensively.

"No," she shook her head.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked next.  He'd read that walking induced labor.  Thinking to himself, he wondered if that applied to their situation.  She was already in labor, so would a walk do anything?

"No!" she hissed, and her face contorted in pain.  Backing up, Cameron noted that her eyes weren't as friendly as they normally were.

"Okay, okay," he said calmly.  He didn't have any ideas; he was just as clueless as her. He knew she was still in the first stage of labor, but he wasn't sure if she was in the active phase or transition phase. And his lack of ideas didn't really matter since she rejected every single one.  Cameron doubted she would accept that though.  Google was unhelpful when applying it in real world application. Alarmed, he looked at his mom, who directed him to focus back on Kith. "Um... what about-"

"I just want him out!" she cried.  Rolling her head to the side, tears slid down her cheeks. "I just want this over. Cameron..."

"Kith, it's okay, baby," whispering, he stroked her hair. "It's okay. Everything will be okay, I promise. You're doing fine," he repeated, like a mantra.

The door opened.  And in came Austin.

Cameron felt his temperature skyrocket within seconds.  Standing up, he glared daggers in his direction. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard-"

"Get. Out," Cameron said menacingly.  He had no business being in the same room as them.  Austin had zero right to be in any room where Kith was giving birth.  Cameron had also made it clear, on two separate occasions that he never wanted Austin near her again.  He didn't get a free pass just because she was in labor.  Austin didn't move.

"Cameron," their mom looked at him strangely. "Settle down."

"Get the fuck out!" Cameron shouted, incensed.  Everything else in the room disappeared but Austin.  Vaguely, he heard Kith crying harder.

"Cam." Kith grabbed his hand.  The touch of her fingers didn't quiet him.

"Get out!" Cameron yelled.  Nora looked between the pair, lost.  Cameron didn't care and he didn't plan on explaining.  That wasn't his place, and it wasn't his responsibility.  All he knew was that he wanted the asshole before him to get out of the room.  Cameron had worked his ass off to be there; Austin hadn't done shit.

"Cameron," Austin said plainly.

"Either tell Mom what you've done, or so help me, you'd better get the fuck out of here right now," Cameron tightened his grip on Kith's hand.  His eyes started watering. "This is our kid, and our family. Leave!"

Kith's heart warmed for Cameron despite her sobs that seemed to rack through her, uncontrollably. He'd make similar declarations before, but not like this.

Setting his jaw, Austin took a sad look around the room, and then left.  Chest rising and falling, Cameron remembered where he was.  As the door shut, he caught a brief glimpse of the staff members staring curiously in their direction.  Turning back to Kith, he leaned down.  Her free hand was covering her face as she sobbed. "I'm sorry," whispering an apology; he pressed his forehead against the back of her hand. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry." He kept repeating that.  Reaching his opposite hand up, he swiped at a defiant tear. Kith clutched on to him for dear life.

"Cameron," his mom said softly.  At the sound of her voice, Cameron closed his eyes.  She'd never know the truth. As evidenced, Austin didn't plan on coming clean.  It wasn't his story to tell, so Cameron's lips were sealed, and Kith had been adamant from the beginning about no one else finding out.  This was it.  This is how their family would be for the rest of time.

"Can you just go please?" sniffling on accident, he swore silently.  Keeping his back to her, he listened for her footsteps and the closing of the door.

This was supposed to be a great moment, one of the most memorable of his life.  The room screamed with silence. "I'm sorry, Kith."

"It's okay," she wiped her eyes. "What you said, about us – me and Tristan, being your family..."

"I meant it, Kith." He linked their fingers, bringing her knuckles up to his mouth.  "You're stuck with me. All of us," he gestured, even though they were alone in the room. She knew he meant that his Mom was her family now, too. And Tristan's. "We'll make a Blake out of you just yet."

She cried again, but this time it was because she was happy.

Another hour and a half passed, bringing them to five-thirty in the evening.  Manning Kith's bedside, Cameron felt his stomach grumble.  He'd promised not to leave her alone, a decision he now regretted.  He hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning.  Reaching over to the nightstand, he grabbed the cup with melting ice chips and popped a few in his mouth.  Crunching, he ran his hand down the green scrubs he'd been forced to wear.

"Can I push yet?" Kith asked aggressively.  The sun was setting, and Cameron felt like his entire day had passed by within the walls of the hospital room.  He'd seen the same doctors and nurses walking past the door, flipping through charts and notes.  Maybe other people were having babies, too.  Cameron wondered if any of the other dads felt the same way, that despite the internet searching and flipping through baby books whenever he was in a store, he still felt wildly unprepared for his son's arrival. He was more of a visual learner. If he and Kith ever had any more kids, then he'd finally feel sort of prepared.

"Yep," the smiling nurse lifted her head. "You're fully dilated. I'll get the doctor and then all engines are a-go. You're having a baby." Cameron didn't like how happy she was; maybe because he was so tired, and bored.  Had he known how long labor took, he would've brought some entertainment.  And food.

"Oh my God," Kith sat up.  Her black hair was mussed from lying on it for so long.

"What?" he looked up, alarmed.

"Did you hear what she said?" she stared at him.  A male doctor returned with the nurse a few minutes later.  Shutting the door, he pulled on gloves.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"He's coming," Kith's eyes widened. "He's... coming."

"Well we've been here for six hours," Cameron muttered.

"What?" Kith snapped.

"Nothing," he said quickly.  Pasting on his best smile, he offered his hand.

"Alright, Kith," the doctor lifted up the sheet that had been shielding her bottom half for as long as Cameron could remember. "We're in the home stretch now. When you feel a contraction, you can push."

"Cameron," she squeezed his hand tighter as another wave of pain wracked her body.  He lost feeling in his fingers. "Are you... gonna go down there and see?"

"What? Where?"

"Down where... he is," she pointed at the doctor.

"Uh, I hadn't planned on it," Cameron deflected, flexing his fingers as much as he could.  Being down there for fun was one thing.  Being down there to watch a baby come out was another.

"You can," the doctor said calmly, smiling over at him. "Plenty of fathers watch their children being born."

"Uh... okay." Slipping his hand from hers, he sidled past the nurse, who began encouraging Kith.  Occupying his hands, he ran them over the scrubs again.  At the end of the bed, he stopped and craned his neck to see around the sheet.

"Come around here, son," the doctor said invitingly.  Hesitantly, Cameron rounded the edge, looked, and immediately found himself battling his gag reflex.  Turning away from the scene, he hurried back up to Kith's face, motioning for the nurse to move aside.  Closing his eyes, he struggled to erase what he'd just seen.

"Are you... are you sure you want me down there, 'cause I think I'd be way more beneficial up here," he felt himself hyperventilating. "Like way more beneficial."

"What's the matter?" she questioned, bearing the brunt of another contraction. "What are you talking about?!"

"I don't like it down there!" Cameron answered hysterically. "I'm scared!" He didn't mention that he also found it insanely gross.

"You're scared?!" she fired back, making a face at him.  Cameron grabbed her hand in response, hoping she would drop the subject in the midst of her pain. "You're not doing anything!"

"Kith, calm down."

She stopped her deep-breathing and gave him a devilish look he'd never seen before.  Searching for what he'd done wrong, he glanced down at the doctor, who raised his eyebrows before returning to his safety behind the sheet.  The nurse occupied herself with a nearby clipboard. "What? You told me-"

"Calm down?!" she asked wildly, knuckles turning white. "Cameron, you idiot! Do you not see what I'm doing right now?!"

"You're right," he acknowledged.  Kith's tone terrified him. "That was stupid. I shouldn't have said that."

"Push, Kith!" the doctor ordered from his end.

"I can't!" wheezing, Kith collapsed against the bed, crying a little. "I'm so tired... I can't do this."

"Kith, yes you can," Cameron took her weakness as the perfect opportunity to redeem himself. "Yes you can. A few more pushes, babe. Just keep telling yourself that."

"No." Kith sniffled and stared up at the lights.  Shaking her head, she ran her hands over her face. "Noo..."

Cameron glanced down at the doctor, who spoke in a low voice to the nurse.  He felt helpless; she had to push.  There was no getting out of it.  Sure, Cameron didn't know how much pain she was in, but the only way to make it stop was to keep pushing.  Then she'd be pain-free and holding a baby.  Biting his lip, he thought of other motivational techniques.  Then it came to him, a brilliant idea.  Stalking over to the chair, he grabbed his phone, scrolled through some of his music library, and stopped on Coldplay.  Kith moaned in the background.  Choosing one of the songs, he turned it up to the maximum volume.

"Push, Kith," taking hold of her hand, he set the phone down on the nightstand.

"Can you turn that down?" the doctor asked.

"No, she likes it!" Cameron argued, tucking hair behind Kith's ear.  That wasn't a lie.  Kith loved Coldplay, and what better time for their inclusion than the birth of their son? "Come on, Kith. You can do this! Chris Martin wants you to push!" Grunting, she did.  And again when another contraction hit. She clung on to him enough to break skin, leaving little crescent shaped welts on his palm.

"Good, good. A few more, Kith," the doctor said supportively. "You're doing great."

"Come on, Kith," Cameron tightened his grip to counter hers. "Come on."

"Cameron," her face flushed red beneath the strain. "You will never know this level of pain!" She pushed again. "I hope you get kidney stones!"

"I can see his head!" the doctor shouted. "One more, Kith! Again!"

"One more, Kith. Just one more." Cameron ignored her threat.  Please don't let me get kidney stones, he prayed.

Crushing his fingers, Kith shrieked while tears slid down her face.

The surprisingly clear sound of their son crying for the first time shook Kith from the absolute state of fear at being a parent she'd been in since those two pink lines stared back at her on a home pregnancy test.

Now that Tristan Blake had come into the world, wrinkly and screaming at the top of his little lungs, Cameron finally understood what his mother had meant when she claimed there's no greater love than that of a parent and their child.

"Do you want to cut the cord?" the Doctor asked Cameron, who still stood there, dumbfounded and holding Kith's hand. He nodded, numbly, unable to take his eyes off the sight of the baby, their baby, as the doctor walked him through the process.

Dazed, he saddled back into the chair next to the bed as the nurse laid their newborn son against Kith's breast. Cameron couldn't take his eyes off them; he comprehended fully now what his mother had meant about children being miracles, something he'd once rolled his eyes over, but he couldn't distinguish or give name to any of the emotions swirling in his chest.

Kith looked over at him, beaming through happy teams streaming down her face as she played with tiny fingers, murmuring little assurances to the bundle in her arms. Even though she was tired and her skin was paler than usual, Kith's face was glowing, and Cameron thought she had never looked stronger or more beautiful.

"You wanna hold him?"

"Yeah," his voice was thick. "I do."

D'awwww. One big happy family.

Just one more chapter left.

TEASER: "I have something else to tell you, too. And it's kind of embarrassing," Cameron lowered his eyes and scuffed his heel against the ground.