To the Moon and Back (MJ fanfic)

Better Days

Warning: this chapter deals with sensitive issues regarding pregnancy.

Things didn't get better between Kate and Dan, but we didn't talk about it. It was personal and I didn't pry. I only helped my sister out as much as I could with the week she was in.

I had stayed at her bed side 24/7, only getting up to use the bathroom - but even then I left the door open  just incase she needed something and I had to act quick.

Michael had taken Liam and moved into a hotel near by, always calling me at 8 o'clock so I could say goodnight to our baby. He would stop by during the day most of the time though; trusting Tiffy to take care of Liam. He'd come in and say a hello to me and Kate, but it was never long enough. He understood that I needed to spend time with Kate leading up to the day that they induced the birth, and the days afterwards.

But he was never too far away, sometimes even falling asleep on the cushioned bench outside. I'd walk out during the night and find the King Of Pop curled up on his side with his hands folded under his head, and his legs curled up so he could fit. I'd always move a pillow under his head and put a blanket over him - sneaking a kiss on his cheek before going back by my sister.

I was her moral support and Michael was mine.

And on the occasional day that he wasn't at the hospital he was with Liam exploring LA. Showing him special places like the zoo and aquariums. I was sure that the press was having a field day, but as long as Michael and Liam were having a good time it didn't matter.

But he'd always be thinking about us, which showed. Every day on the dot Breakfast, lunch and dinner would show up - each day bringing in a new cuisine, which Kate and I appreciated deeply. I'm sure Dan did too. He even sent his men to get me fresh clothes from the house daily, which I appreciated a lot.

Dan was always around - if not in the hall, then somewhere else in the hospital. They hadn't talked since their argument, but every chance he got he'd ask me how she was doing and if he could do anything for her, which I always related the message back to Kate, who would just shake her head.

It was sad seeing the two of them so heart broken over this, and even worse that it was effecting their marriage. I tried to put myself in their shoes though; picturing if I had lost a baby while Michael was away on tour. It would be horrible. Just pure hell. But yet again, Michael could afford to take off if I were to get pregnant again. He wouldn't leave my side, so I suppose it was a moot point. Although, if Dan had the option I was positive he would choose to be with Kate. It was all a jumbled mess.

Which had brought me to my next thought: I still hadn't told Michael about when I went to the doctors. And with everything that was going on he hadn't asked. I knew he was probably wondering, but that was put on the back burner for the time being for both of us. I didn't think we could handle that right now. The added stress and sadness would be unbearable, so I chose to keep quiet and I felt like Michael quietly agreed that whatever it was, wasn't the main priority as of now.

When the day came for Kate to give birth to her daughter, she asked me to stay with her, which we all knew was going to happen anyways, but I'm sure it still felt like a knife twisting in Dans' chest, and made me feel horrible. I tried to talk her into letting Dan in instead of me, but to no avail. Again, I tried to put Michael in Dans position and me in Kate's, and I knew it would hurt him badly. But, there was also no talking Kate out of it. I had tried and again and again she shut me down.

When the moment came, and she finally had her baby girl Claire - as her and Dan had decided to name her months prior - she held her for the first time and wept for the little girl who would never get the chance to live a life with them. And then she handed the small bundle off to the nurse who assured her that Claire would be taken care of until Kate decided where and when the burial would be held - to which Kate responded that they had a family plot on the north side of LA, and that she didn't want to have a funeral service. Just a small hole where her daughter would be laid to rest, where anyone could visit her from time to time. That was the first and last day that Kate had ever seen her unborn daughters face.