One of a Kind - A KathNiel Story

Chapter 51

Karla knocked on the door before coming through and she sighed when she saw Kath opening her eyes. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to wake you!" Karla said, but Kath shook her head.

"Contractions woke me." Kath breathed, her grip on DJ's hand tightening as it continued to build and she let out a small whimper, still half-asleep.

"Breathe through it, baby girl, you're doing really good," DJ assured her, kissing her hair and he ran his thumb across the back of her hand, keeping her as calm as he could and Karla rubbed her arm.

"In through your nose, out through your mouth... that's it, sweetheart. You've got it." Karla praised, a soft smile on her face as Kath became less tense a minute later, the contraction over. "There you go! And I brought the bag - Noah told me you packed it already, so I got it from the nursery." Karla said, setting it at the foot of the bed.

"Thanks, Mom. Is Noah okay?" DJ asked and Karla nodded her head.

"He's not blaming himself anymore, he's just begging to call the stork to tell him to hurry up with his sister - your Dad has been on the phone to the stork twice already," Karla said, smiling wider when that made DJ and Kath let out small laughs.

"We're engaged, by the way," DJ said, his smile widening as his arms locked around Kath and Karla's eyes widened, her jaw dropping in shock.

"What?! Since when?!"

"About two hours ago," DJ said simply, squeezing Kath's hand gently.

"I found the ring in Dylan's nursery when me and Noah were putting things away... and I said yes, and I can't wait to be a Padilla," Kath said with a smile, kissing DJ back when he connected their lips.

"We'll wait until Dylan can be a little flower girl," DJ said with a grin and Kath couldn't help but smile widely at the thought.

"I'm very happy for you both! Give me a hug." Karla pulled DJ in for a tight hug and a kiss before she did the same to Kath. "Do you want me to spread the news or are you wanting to do that yourselves?" Karla asked and DJ looked to Kath, who shrugged her shoulders.

"You can make the announcement - everybody is waiting in the relatives' room anyway, besides Dad and Noah," DJ said and Karla nodded.

"I'll leave you two alone. You're doing so well, sweetheart, I'll come back in a little while to see how you're doing." Karla kissed her hair and DJ's cheek before she walked out of the room and DJ went to say something when someone else came into the room.

"Dad..." Kath breathed, hugging him around the neck and he hugged her back.

"We need to wrap you up in a bubble, Kathryn - I had a heart attack when I heard what happened," Teddy said, kissing her temple as they pulled away from each other.

"I'm fine and so is Dylan, that's all that matters to me. I'm just glad Noah stopped blaming himself, it was an acciden- ah!" Kath arched her back and DJ shushed her, feeling her nails digging into the back of his hand but he didn't react to it.

"Breathe, baby..."

"They're getting closer together." She choked out and DJ nodded his head.

"I can tell, baby, but you've got this... just focus on Dylan. Every contraction, we're one step closer to meeting her." DJ encouraged, supporting his fiancée the best he could and Teddy held onto her other hand, comforting her along with DJ until the contraction was over.

"I just wanted to come to see you - give you a kiss," Teddy said and Kath cracked a small smile. It meant the world to her to see him clean and sober, watching him build a bond with Noah and that would hopefully be a bond he'd have with Dylan from birth. He may not have been a father to her as she grew up, but he could be a good grandfather to her children and extra support for her.

"I'm glad you're here, Dad." She said honestly and Teddy smiled wider, kissing her hand.

"I'll leave you in DJ's capable hands. You don't want your Dad lurking near you when you're... dilating and whatnot." Teddy said and DJ chuckled as Kath let out a laugh.

"Thanks, Dad." She breathed, giving him another hug before he left DJ and Kath alone in the room.

"I know the perfect thing to take your mind off of the contractions," DJ announced as he started to rifle through the duffel bag they'd packed for the hospital. It had only been a few days since they packed it and he tried to ignore the fact that the clothes and the diapers would be much too big for Dylan when she was born, instead, he found what he was after and pulled it out of the bag to show Kath.

"What is that?" She questioned.

"The Big Book of Dad Jokes." DJ recited, smirking and Kath groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"I pray to God that Dylan comes quickly." She mumbled as DJ took his spot next to her on the bed again.

"No way! We have a lot of jokes to get through, babe! Okay, joke number one..."