A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait with this story, to be perfectly honest I forgot I still had to publish it on here.

November 1906

"Charlie? Could you come here a minute please?"

Crutchie looked up from the newspaper he had been reading at the sound of his name being called. "Yeah, just a minute!" he called back, slowly getting to his feet.

When Crutchie entered his and Jennie's bedroom, Jennie was standing facing away from him staring at the floor. He frowned. "Jennie?"

Jennie slowly turned to face Crutchie, her eyes wide. "I, um, well…" she moved slightly, and Crutchie caught sight of the small puddle of liquid on the floor.

"Jennie… are you…?"

Jennie nodded. "Yes, Charlie. I'm in labor."

"Shit."

-Break-

A few hours later, Crutchie and Jack were sitting at the kitchen table. The apartment was silent except for the occasional moan or thud from Crutchie and Jennie's bedroom.

"Ya don't hafta stay the whole time, Jack," Crutchie said after they had sat in tense silence for a while. "This'll probably take a while, an' I don't want ya to be away from Eddie for too long."

Jack waved Crutchie's concern away. "Katherine's mother is over today, so she's got plenty of help. 'Sides, you was there for me when Kath was goin' through all this. Least I can do is return the favor."

Crutchie smiled thinly. "Thanks, Jack." He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I just wish this didn't take so long."

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but a knock at the door interrupted him. He glanced at Crutchie questioningly.

"Must be Jennie' parents," Crutchie said. "I sent 'em a message a little while ago 'bout all this." He quickly got up, made his way to the door, and opened it.

"Hello, Charlie," Jennie's mother greeted as she bustled into the apartment, smiling at him kindly though her eyes were worried. "Where is Jennie?"

"In the bedroom." Crutchie gestured to the door at the end of the hallway just off the kitchen. "The midwife's with her. I think she was askin' for you a little while ago."

That was all it took for Jennie's mother to hurry off to comfort and help her daughter, not even pausing to take her coat or hat off. Crutchie watched her go, then turned to Jennie's father. "Mr. Ryan."

Jennie's father, usually a serious man, smiled at Crutchie and shook his hand firmly. "Congratulations, son."

Crutchie tried to smile back. "Thank you, sir."

Jennie's younger sister Margaret (who had grown from a somewhat annoying child into a rather serious young woman in the past three years) spoke up next. "Why don't you sit down, Charlie? I'll make some coffee."

Crutchie nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed at all of the sudden activity. "Okay." He sat back down at the table rather heavily, Jack and Jennie's father sitting next to and across from him while Margaret filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove.

"Won't be long now," Jack said, trying to sound optimistic. "In a couple hours, you'll have a sweet little baby in your arms."

-Break-

Ten hours later, and Crutchie and Jennie's baby had yet to make an appearance. Jennie's mother had exited the room a few times to fetch hot water and towels, and each time she told them it wouldn't be much longer. Crutchie had believed her the first few times, but now that it was past Midnight he had almost lost all hope of meeting his child anytime soon.

Suddenly, Jennie started screaming. Crutchie sat straight up in his chair, looking at Jack frantically. Jennie's father clasped his hands together tightly and began to pray, while Jennie's sister hurried into the bedroom to check on things.

"Jack," Crutchie murmured. "Jack, what's wrong?"

"Nothin's wrong, Crutch. This is all normal," Jack said reassuringly. "All it means is that your baby'll be here real soon."

Crutchie didn't respond, all he could think about was Jennie as her cries grew louder and louder. Then, all of a sudden, they stopped. There were a few agonizing seconds of silence, and then the sound of a baby wailing pierced the air. Margaret hurried back into the kitchen.

"Congratulations, Charlie. You have a daughter."

-Break-

When Crutchie was at last given permission to enter the bedroom, Jennie was sitting up in bed with a small bundle in her arms. Her hair hung damp and limp around her face and she was pale with dark circles under her eyes, but she smiled dazzlingly at Crutchie. "Come meet our daughter."

Crutchie slowly made his way over to their bed and perched on the edge of it, setting his crutch against the wall. Jennie carefully handed the baby over to him, and when he took her in his arms he felt as though his heart would explode with joy.

"We're parents, Charlie," Jennie said.

"I can't believe this is real," Crutchie replied, not taking his eyes off of his child. "She's so perfect."

"She looks like you," Jennie remarked as they both studied their daughter's face. "She has your nose and mouth, and my hair."

"She does," Crutchie agreed. He looked over at Jennie and smiled. "I love you so much, Jennie."

"I love you too." Jennie leaned forward and kissed Crutchie on the cheek. "You're going to be an amazing father."

"An' you'se already an amazing mother," Crutchie said, looking back down at the baby. He was quiet for a minute, then he spoke again. "What're we gonna call her?"

"Well, I did have one idea," Jennie responded. "We could call her Faith."

Crutchie grinned. "It's perfect. But what about her middle name?"

"Maybe… Emily? For your mother?"

Crutchie looked over at Jennie in surprise. "Really? You'd do that? Ya don't wanna name her after your Ma?"

Jennie shook her head. "I don't mind naming her after your mother. She'll know my mother, but not yours. I think this is the perfect way to remember her."

Crutchie looked down at Faith, trying to blink away the tears which suddenly threatened to spill from his eyes. "Faith Emily Morris. Perfect."

A/N: Katherine and Jack's first child is named Edward John Kelly, and he was born about 8 months earlier in March of 1906.

There is still another chapter of this story to go, in which Faith is introduced to all of the boys and Katherine and Eddie make an appearance. Please review this story, and tell me what you think of it so far!