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At Kate’s hiss of discomfort, Tyler snatched his hand from her breast as if he’d been stung, lifting himself off her. If it wasn’t for her tightening her arms around his neck, she was sure he would have rolled away entirely.
“Did I hurt - ?”
“No, it’s OK.” Kate slid her fingers through the short hair at the back of his neck, wanting to ease the tension in his shoulders, the worry in his eyes. “Just a little tender is all.”
“We don’t have to –“ He braced a knee on the bed, trying to move away again but Kate kept a tight hold.
“But I want to,” she murmured, leaning up to brush her lips against his cheek. “And I really am just fine.”
Soon enough, she’d distracted him with her sweet kisses and wandering hands, and he gave her what they both wanted. Kate thought no more about it as she drifted off in his arms, sleepy and sated.
A few days later she felt the slight jab of pain again as she dressed. Careful examination found nothing else out of the ordinary, abating her momentary panic, but still leaving her puzzled.
It wasn’t until she gagged at the scent of the motel launderette’s soap powder that she began to put it all together. Her sore breasts, the odd taste of her coffee at their last rest stop, the stomach bug she thought she’d had a couple of weeks before and the lingering tiredness she’d put down to it.
They weren’t careful. Not as careful as they should be, anyway. They were probably lucky this hadn’t happened before now.
Another bit of luck gave them an unpromising radar picture and clear skies the very next day, something Kate would normally have been disappointed by. Instead, it afforded her an opportunity to slip off to the nearest 7/11, with the excuse of topping up on some essentials.
“Sure you don’t want company?” Tyler asked, making as if to leap down from his perch on top of the truck.
“No, I won’t be long, you get that aerial fixed.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Kate returned his smile, guilt twisting her already jittery stomach. She should tell him, but she had to be sure herself first.
An hour later she sat in the motel’s cramped little en-suite, cardboard boxes and instruction leaflets scattered on the sink surround and two identical pieces of plastic in her hand. Their little windows showed identical results.
Pregnant.
That did nothing to help Kate’s churning stomach. When she turned the first test over her heart had leapt in elation. A baby. Tyler’s baby. Their baby.
But when the second test had come up the same, little whispers of doubt had started up in Kate’s mind. What about chasing? What about her research? She was due to graduate from her PhD in less than a month, and she had a post-doctoral position at Muskogee secured for the start of the next academic term.
She and Tyler had talked about having kids, even before he’d put the slim diamond ring on her finger, but it had always seemed a distant prospect. When her research was further on. When they were married. When they’d built the house they dreamed of.
They didn’t even really have a home at all, right now. Not of their own at least, their nomadic existence taking them between Cathy’s farm, Tyler’s little apartment in OKC that spent half the year as an Airbnb, and a series of motels, camp sites and bed and breakfasts.
All of these concerns chased each other around her head for the next 24 hours, making her restless and distracted during their pursuit of an ultimately anticlimactic weather front.
She poked at her caeser salad at the diner that evening, oblivious to the crew’s chatter.
“You okay, Kate? Do you want something else?...Kate?” Tyler’s call of her name finally caught her attention and she looked up to find him frowning at her worriedly, that little line between his eyebrows that she always wanted to kiss away, and often did.
“No...No. I’m just tired, is all. Ready for my bed, I think.” She shook her head when he made to rise with her. “Stay. Finish your dinner. I might see if I can squeeze into that little bath tub before I go to sleep.”
Tyler appeared only slightly mollified by her words, and as she pushed open the diner’s swing door she could feel his eyes on her back.
Kate was in the shower – the tub really was far too small for a grown adult – when she heard the room door open and close. Wrapping her soft waffle robe around herself a few minutes later, she eyed the two new tests sitting on the counter next to her toiletry bag. They’d given the same result as the others.
Kate’s hand strayed to her still flat stomach, as it had done several other times during the day before she’d realised what she was doing and snatched it away.
She imagined the tiny, currently shapeless new life just beginning to grow inside of her. All of her anxieties and reservations were still in the back of her mind, but as the day wore on, they’d been gradually drowned out.
Every time Tyler had smiled at her she’d pictured him directing that same smile at a wriggling bundle in his arms. A little boy with dirty blonde hair, or a little girl with beautiful grey-green eyes.
Despite all of the complications and practicalities, Kate wanted this baby, and she wanted its father to know.
Tyler was sitting on the bed, his boots lined up neatly on the floor nearby. He was seemingly engrossed in the cheesy looking action movie on the small TV, but Kate knew him well enough by now to tell that he was distracted, almost certainly because he was still concerned about her distant behaviour.
He eventually met her eyes and offered her a soft smile. Not knowing what else to do, Kate took the few steps to the bed, crawled up next to him and handed him the test she’d slipped into her pocket.
It took Tyler a moment to process what he was looking at, before he sat up straight, his gaze flicking between Kate and the tiny letters on the stick.
“You...you’re pregnant?”
“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “I’ve got three more just like that so it’s pretty definite.”
“Kate....That’s....” He broke off, a wide smile lighting up his face. It faltered slightly as he looked up at her again. “Are you – Are you...happy?”
Kate couldn’t bear the hint of uncertainty in his eyes. She reached out and took his face in her hands, stubble rough against her palms.
“I’m surprised, and a little nervous, but yes, Tyler, I’m happy. I’m so, so happy.” The next thing she knew she was in Tyler’s lap, and she laughed delightedly as he covered her with kisses.
“A baby.” He murmured into her hair, awe in his voice. “We’re going to have a baby.”
Kate spent the hours before her commencement ceremony puking in the farm’s guest bathroom, her morning sickness choosing the exact wrong day to make itself properly known.
“Are you sure you’re okay, honey?” Cathy held out a glass of water when she padded miserably back into the kitchen, laying a cool hand on Kate’s forehead to check her temperature.
“Yes, Mama. Just ate something bad. I’ll be fine.” Kate and Tyler shared a look over Cathy’s shoulder. She felt terrible not telling her mom about the baby, but they had agreed not to tell anyone until the end of her first trimester, and according to her and the doctor’s reckoning, she wasn’t quite there yet.
Thankfully, the actual ceremony went without a hitch, aside from Kate’s stomach rumbling unpleasantly just as her hood was being placed upon her at the podium. She forced herself to keep smiling, concentrating on searching for her mom and Tyler in the stands, although they were barely visible among the crowd of friend and relatives.
The Wranglers had collectively protested at not being allowed to attend, but as much as Kate loved them, she had been just a little relieved at the university’s two ticket limit for guests. Their enthusiasm was just right for storm chasing and live streaming, but perhaps not for academic graduations.
They were ready and waiting with food, drink and loud music at the farm for her graduation party. With her stomach still unsettled, she struggled a little to get into the mood, nibbling at plain tortilla chips and subtly passing off both the beers Javi kept handing her and half of her slice of cake to Tyler.
He found her later in the blessed quiet of her room, distant music and chatter slipping round the door with him until he clicked it shut.
“Hey.” She leaned back into him as warm arms wrapped around her, large hands settling on her stomach, as they often did now. Keeping her pregnancy private was extra difficult with both of them having to fight to keep their hands off her belly.
“You okay?” Tyler murmured against her shoulder, lips just brushing her skin above the conservative collar of her ceremony dress.
“Yeah. Just tired. Don’t know if it’s the baby or the secrecy.”
He pressed a comforting kiss to her hair and Kate reached up to slide her hand around the back of his neck.
“Have I mentioned how beautiful you look today, Dr Carter?”
Kate let the momentousness of finally being “Dr Carter” pass for now – she couldn’t juggle too many big life changes all at once – and smiled.
“Maybe once or twice, but I’ll take it all before I blow up like a balloon...Won’t be able to keep it quiet then.”
“You’re always gonna look beautiful, Sapulpa.” Tyler met her eyes in their blurred reflection in the window, “And it won’t be long before we can tell your mom, and the crew, and whoever you want.”
It was a wonder the Wranglers hadn’t got suspicious already. There were only so many excuses Kate could make to ride behind with Lily or Javi, or to stay in the motel to “work”.
She had been drafting a new proposal for some potential funding, but it didn’t really need that much time.
Just a couple of days after she’d told Tyler she was pregnant they had been haring after a promising storm, bearing down on the gradually materialising shape of a funnel ahead.
It swirled toward them, preceding winds buffeting the truck, Tyler pulling up to a stop and deploying the augers.
Kate found herself almost hypnotised by the twister, the small branches and bits of unidentifiable debris whipping around in ever tightening circles. Her pulse spiked and she felt her palms sweating. It was like being back in Lion on that first day with Javi.
“It looks like she’s going to fizzle out.” Tyler’s voice cut through her trance, and she didn’t know if he was talking to the viewers or her, but she realised he was right, the winds weakening, the funnel wavering. She would have seen it herself if she hadn’t been panicking.
The twister vanished away into nothing just a few feet from the truck’s front grill and Kate had slapped a hand over her mouth, suppressing a sob. Immediately, Tyler had cut the camera – fortunately pointing only at him – and was helping Kate out of the harness she began fighting with. As soon as she could she’d clambered across the console onto his lap and burst into tears.
Tyler had got on the radio and lied to Boone that they had technical problems and told everyone to head back to the motel, and they would follow once they fixed it. Once Kate had finally calmed down, he'd gently cupped her cheek in his hand and encouraged her to meet his eyes.
“Talk to me, baby.”
“I just panicked. It was such a nothing of a storm, probably not even an EF1, but all I felt was danger. Maybe it’s just hormones but I could only think about the baby, and what could happen to them.” She’d sniffed, nodding to herself as she made a decision. “I don’t think I should ride with you anymore, I’m sorry –“
“Hey, don’t you dare apologise. I should have thought about this, too. I’m gonna miss havin’ you next to me, but we gotta do what you think is right, Mama.” Him calling her Mama had made her want to cry again, but she was sure that was definitely the hormones.
“What are we going to tell everybody?” She didn’t just mean the crew, and she knew Tyler knew that.
“We’ll think of something.”
Cathy was the first person they told, of course, going straight to the farm after Kate’s 12-week scan.
Not quite knowing what to say, she’d just handed her mom the envelope, Cathy’s face cycling through several indefinable emotions as she took in the little piece of photo paper.
“You – a – you’re – oh, Katie.” Her mom pulled her into a fierce hug, which she returned, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes.
“Yes, Mama,” she whispered. “You’re going to be a Grammy.”
“Oh God,” Cathy held her at arm’s length, smiling through her own tears, “that makes me sound ancient.”
“Nana?”
“That’s even worse!” She turned abruptly serious as her eyes strayed over Kate’s shoulder to Tyler, who had hung back to let mother and daughter have their moment. “And as for you, gettin’ my daughter in trouble when you’re not even married!”
“I – uh – I –“
Cathy only let Tyler panic for a couple of seconds before she burst out laughing and hugged him tightly too. Kate secretly wished she’d had a camera so other people could see the Tyler Owens, who could face down a tornado or a raging bull with nerves of steel, turn white at what he thought was an angry Cathy Carter.
His Aunt Helen was just as delighted, fingertips brushing her screen where their faces would be as she wiped at her eyes with her other hand.
“Oh, I can’t remember the last time I cried. Goodness. But if there’s anything worth cryin’ for, I suppose. I’m so happy for you both.”
The team would have to be next, but when and how they hadn’t decided upon, although it had to be soon.
In the end, Kate accidentally gave herself away. Riding with Lily as they followed two cells which looked like they were going to merge, she was absent-mindedly unwrapping a Twinkie from the snack stash in the glove compartment while she watched the radar.
“Girl, that’s like your third one of those this morning, you pregnant or something?”
Kate’s head snapped around and she obviously failed to hide her expression because Lily’s jaw dropped and she abruptly stopped the van, which was fortunately at the back of the convoy today.
“What?! Oh my God, oh my God!” She practically shrieked, and Kate made a silent prayer of thanks that the stream wasn’t live yet. “You’re pregnant, really? For really real?”
“Yeah,” Kate couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up out of her. “For really real.”
“Ahhhh! Oh my God!” Lily embraced her, extremely awkwardly considering they were both wearing seat belts, but Kate returned her hug, as tight as she could. Every person told increased her own excitement, if she were honest with herself. Really, she wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
“Everything ok back there, ladies?” Javi’s voice crackled through the radio, and Lily hurriedly wiped her eyes before grabbing he handset.
“Yeah, just needed a water break, and unlike you I’m not crazy enough to chug while driving.”
“I thought women were supposed to be good at multi-tasking?”
“Oh man,” Lily replaced the radio, “he is gonna be a terrible influence as an uncle.”
Much to Kate’s chagrin, Tyler found her accidentally revealing her secret via Twinkie cravings hilarious.
“Not funny,” she muttered into his shoulder as she cuddled into him on their motel bed later that night, although she was sure he could feel the curve of her lips even through his t-shirt.
“It’s pretty funny, darlin’. Especially since I was expecting to be the one to accidentally blab.”
“Am I ever gonna live this down?” Kate propped herself up to look down at him, spoiling her faux exasperation by running her hand through his hair. He grinned at her.
“Probably not.” He stroked her back gently. “Now that Lily knows, do you want to tell everyone else?”
“May as well.” Suddenly, she had an idea. “And I know how to do it.”
Turning over to grab her phone she smiled as she felt Tyler’s hand settle on its favourite place on her stomach, fingertips slipping under her cami to caress her bare skin. He insisted she had a tiny bump, and she in turn insisted it was just a food baby now that her sickness had abated and she was hungry all the time.
Settling back against his shoulder, she covered his hand with her free one. Tyler rested his head against hers to watch what she was doing as she opened the Wranglers group chat.
New Wrangler
She added her due date and then attached a picture. Her latest scan, the same one they’d emailed to Tyler’s cousin, who was currently deployed somewhere in the Middle East, and which had led to the comedy of errors of Tyler having to stand on top of the truck to receive a sat phone call in virtually the middle of the night. The line had been so crackly that all he’d made out was a congratulations and an only mostly unserious suggestion that they name the baby after “your favourite cousin”.
Kate felt Tyler grin against her hair as she pressed send and then rested the phone face down on her chest, just above their joined hands.
“Don’t think we’ll have to wait long.”
She was right. Soon enough, she felt the vibrations as the replies pinged in in rapid succession.
Boone: Whaaaaaaat! No way!!!!
Boone: This is huge!!!!!
Javi: ???????????
Javi: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boone: I’m gonna be an uncle!
Dani: OMG. Congratulations!!!!
Lily: Wranglers: The Next Generation! I’ve been so hyped, you guys, you have no idea!
Javi: You’ve BEEN hyped? You mean you already knew?
Boone: Hey, how come Lily got to find out first?
There was the gradually increasing buzz of voices in Dani and Lily’s room next door, which sounded like half (poorly) whispered bickering.
“Oops.” Kate murmured and Tyler stifled a laugh in her hair.
She smoothed things over the next morning by admitting to her Twinkie slip up, even though it slightly took the wind out of Lily’s claim of “women’s intuition”.
Dexter had already been asleep in the camper with his white noise machine by the time she’d posted the scan so he didn’t find out until morning, and had greeted her with nothing more than a hug and a heartfelt “congratulations”.
“Thank you, Dex.”
“That’s one lucky kid, to have you and Tyler for parents. You’re going to be great.”
“I hope so.”
“Darlin’, you are gonna wear me out before the baby even gets here.” Tyler panted as he collapsed back onto the pillow, arm thrown over his eyes.
“Don’t even pretend like you’re complaining,” Kate laughed, smoothing her hand over his bare chest as she rested her head on his shoulder. He certainly hadn’t objected when she’d dragged him to the bedroom as soon as he’d come through the door, practically throwing down what he was carrying so he could lift her into his arms.
“Oh, I’m definitely not complaining,” he grinned, dropping his arm so he could pull her close, kissing her thoroughly. Kate sighed against his lips, running her hand through his hair.
“You’re going to get me all worked up again,” she teased. “It’s these damn hormones. I feel like I’m either weepy, hungry or horny all the time, and I just go from one to the other. Before you came in I was thinking about how much I could eat some pasta.”
That sent them both into a fit of giggles and he promised he’d go get her some later if she still wanted it. They lay together in comfortable quiet for a while, Kate snuggling as close as she could. She was definitely showing now, her stomach curving gently outwards, and soon she wouldn’t be able to wrap herself around Tyler the way she liked so she intended to make the most of it.
“We really oughta get on.” Tyler murmured eventually, although he didn’t make any move to get up, still gently stroking his hand up and down Kate’s back.
They were at his apartment in OKC, clearing it all out before Tyler turned over the keys to the property management company who were going to rent it out for him. There had already been plenty of interest, especially as Tyler had asked them to list it at an affordable rate, with the intention of attracting students from OCU or UO.
He was leaving the furniture and some of the appliances and other bits and pieces that had been provided for the Airbnb guests, and donating most of everything else. They had been in the middle of clearing out the tiny box room that Tyler had locked his personal belongings in while he was away. He’d been coming back from getting a few cardboard boxes when Kate jumped on him.
Everything was going into temporary storage in the barn at Cathy’s, but only for a short while. Not long after Kate had told her mother about her pregnancy, Cathy had called her and told her that an old family friend, Frank, was retiring to Texas to live with his son and looking to sell his house in Sapulpa as soon as he could.
Kate and Tyler had known they had decisions to make about their living arrangements, not wanting to bring up their baby without a proper home, but they hadn’t got very far at that point.
As soon as she’d seen the house Kate knew it was perfect. Three bedrooms, a beautiful kitchen and living space and an attic that would make a nice guest room or even a playroom. It needed a little modernisation, but nothing that couldn’t be done at their own pace.
Frank had already fitted out the cellar for a storm, and although the house didn’t have much land beyond a decent size garden, it did have a garage and workshop with an upstairs that would be ideal as an office.
“You love it, don’t you?” Tyler asked as they drove back to the farm. “It is pretty perfect.”
“We don’t have to just buy the first place we look at –“
“We are a little on the clock, baby.” He smiled, glancing at where her folded hands rested against her belly.
“But don’t you want to look at places closer to Arkansas? To your Aunt?” Kate loved visiting the ranch Tyler had grown up on, and she was sure she could live in Arkansas. It wasn’t too far from Oklahoma, certainly not as far as New York, but...
Tyler turned to her after he pulled the truck up in front of the farm, taking her hand in his, fingertips gently brushing over her engagement ring.
“You spent too long away from home already, Kate. I’m not going to take you away again.”
“But what about your home?”
“What with the rodeo and now chasing, I’ve been on the road in some way since I was seventeen. Helen’s used to just seein’ me whenever I can get. Besides, my home is wherever you are, Kate. Both of you.”
“Oh, Tyler.”
She’d cried then, tears of love and happiness, and now, once they’d cleared out Tyler’s apartment, they were only two weeks away from moving into their new home, and starting their new life as a family.
“Come on, baby,” Tyler did make to get up this time, drawing a soft noise of protest from Kate as he dislodged her from her place against his side. “Let’s finish up and I’ll go get you that pasta if you’re still hungry.”
Kate tugged on his arm to stop him from standing up and shifted so she could straddle his lap. His surprised expression slowly eased into a mischievous smile as he realised her intentions.
“Oh, I’m still hungry,” she murmured, sliding her arms around his neck, “but not for pasta.”
“...and there’s the heart beat, nice and strong.”
Kate was sure she’d never get tired of listening to that thumpthumpthump, and judging by the look on Tyler’s face she was sure he felt the same.
“Everything looks great, your baby girl is progressing just right.”
“Baby girl?” Kate asked, as she and Tyler both turned to the ultrasound tech, who looked stricken.
“Oh, did you not want to know the sex -? There was no note in the file, I –“ she flipped through the notes. “Oh, it’s been filed incorrectly. I’m so sorry...”
“It’s okay, really.” Tyler said, calmly, giving the tech a reassuring smile. “Isn’t it, Kate?”
“Yes, it’s okay, you weren’t to know.” It really was fine. They had chosen not to find out at her mid-pregnancy scan, both agreeing that they just wanted a healthy baby, but Kate had to admit that she had been feeling increasingly curious, even catching herself considering silly old wives’ tales about the shape of her bump and her cravings.
A baby girl. She really had never minded, but knowing still gave her a warm feeling.
After reassuring the poor stressed tech that it really was fine, they left with their pictures and video from the scan.
“Go on, you can say it...” Kate teased, sliding her arm around Tyler’s waist.
“I don’t know what you mean, Sapulpa.” He affected an innocent expression, but Kate could see him fighting a smile.
“You were right....” Ever since they had decided to wait to know the baby’s sex, Tyler had been certain that it was going to be a girl, while Kate insisted that he couldn’t possibly know for sure; just because he had exceptional instincts for the weather, didn’t mean he could predict everything. Except apparently he was right this time.
“Lily would say I was manifesting.” Tyler grinned and Kate laughed.
“I need to make an appointment for my next check up, please. Kate Carter.” The receptionist glanced up at Kate then did a double take as she looked between Kate and Tyler, her eyes dropping to Kate’s stomach.
Kate exchanged a look with Tyler. She’d been worried about this sort of thing for a while. The Wranglers were hardly megastars – well, not outside of the storm chasing community – but they were recognised often enough, particularly in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
With storm season coming to an end, the channel had been less of a worry. It was good timing, too, as Kate got to the point where Tyler’s flannels and jackets could only conceal so much. Boone had made a post to the Wrangler’s Instagram, pre-emptively explaining her absences with a carefully cropped picture of her in front of a bank of monitors at Muskogee and a caption about her being “super busy with her amazing research!”.
Kate had known from the start that she didn’t want to be a YouTube star, but she’d also known she couldn’t remain invisible if she was with the Wranglers, and especially if she with Tyler. So she’d settled for the generally happy medium of appearing in the background and making mostly off screen commentary on the radar readings.
That hadn’t stopped the viewers from taking an interest in her, of course, and particularly her relationship with Tyler. Just about any time she’d worn a big sweater there had been speculation she was pregnant, particularly since they’d got engaged, but even thought they’d be right this time, Kate wanted to choose when people found out, not have some fan blab because they happened to run into her.
As if reading Kate’s thoughts – and the pinched expression she could see on Tyler’s face – the receptionist hastily shook her head.
“I won’t say a word; even if I wouldn’t get fired for it, it’s not my place.”
She simply smiled at their thanks before reverting to professional mode and bringing up the appointment calendar, although she did make one more comment as they left
“My daughter will be so excited to find out, she and her friends love y’all and she spends I don’t know how much time watching you on TikTok.”
Lily ran the Wranglers TikTok, which was mostly little clips from the longer videos or behind the scenes footage from the chases, but Kate thought the woman was probably referring to the fan videos with titles like Tyler Owens ♥ Kate Carter, Two Minutes of Kate and Tyler Being The Same Person and Kate Carter Looking Respectfully At Tyler Owens. Lily liked to post them in the group chat because she thought they were funny.
Kate wavered between finding them sweet and a bit intrusive, but she had to admit that seeing people so happy for them was sort of heart-warming. The commentary about her wasn’t always nice, to put it mildly – although Dani and Boone were heavy on the ban buttons – but there was also a lot of support for her, and most of the fans she had met in real life had been so kind. Maybe it would all be fine.
She was quiet on the ride home, her thoughts working over something else that had been niggling at her for a while. Almost as long as she’d known she was pregnant, in fact. Now that she knew what they were having, and she’d somewhat settled the issue of the fans in her mind, she could focus on this instead.
Tyler sent her a few sideways glances while he drove, but said nothing, knowing her well enough to let her puzzle over whatever was occupying her. He was always patient with her when she needed him to be, and she loved him for it. Among all the other things.
He left her until they were back at the house, Kate settled on the couch with a cushion behind her back and her feet on Tyler’s lap.
“Come on, Kate, you gonna tell me what’s tickin’ away in that big brain o’ yours?”
“I want to get married.” She hadn’t quite meant to blurt it out like that but she didn’t really know how else to put it. Sometimes she felt like Tyler knew her better than she knew herself but she’d taken him by surprise this time, rendering him uncharacteristically speechless. Kate forged ahead. “I know we’re getting married, but I mean I want to get married soon. Before the baby’s born. Maybe it’s silly or old fashioned but...I just don’t want to wait to be Mrs Owens any longer.”
Tyler was listening to her ramble with that soft look in his eyes that always sent her heart fluttering and made her feel like a blushing girl with a crush.
“What happened to Dr Carter-Owens?” He asked, teasing. Kate took the hand that was gently stroking her calf, lacing their fingers together.
“Dr Carter-Owens is for everybody else, Mrs Owens is all yours,” she murmured.
Tyler leant forward to bring the back of her hand to his lips.
“You’ve gotta know I’d marry you tomorrow, baby, but now you’ve said that I’ve half a mind to carry you out to the truck and drive us to Vegas.”
They didn’t drive to Vegas – Cathy and the Wranglers would never have forgiven them – and it wasn’t quite tomorrow, but it was pretty soon.
Kate didn’t want to be so far along as to worry about possibly going into labour during the ceremony, or to be unable to enjoy a proper honeymoon.
Dani and Lily had been positively thrilled to help with planning and Boone had done an actual back flip when Tyler asked him to be best man.
Cathy insisted they hold the reception – such as it would be – at the farm, even borrowing an awning from a neighbour so they could have a barbecue outside if the still mild weather turned wet.
Despite the short notice, Tyler’s Aunt Helen managed to arrange for someone to take care of the ranch for a few days, and Ben was able to rearrange a deadline and book a flight from London, although Javi had to go and pick him up from Tulsa International at virtually the crack of dawn on the wedding day itself.
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you awake this early,” Kate teased when he trailed back into the farm house, still bleary eyed despite the drive.
“Have I mentioned how amazing you are, Cathy?” Javi ignored Kate in favour of gazing at the cup of black coffee Cathy handed him like it contained the elixir of life.
Kate insisted Ben get a couple of hours sleep in her room – the guest room being commandeered for wedding preparations once Dani and Lily had gotten up – which he accepted after only a little persuasion.
“What about me?” Javi protested.
“Did you take a nine hour flight to get here? No? Then be quiet and drink your coffee.”
The morning flew by in a haze of hair styling, flower arranging and last minute cleaning, Kate repeatedly huffing in frustration when she was told to sit down and let everyone else handle it.
“’M not an invalid.” She grumbled, pouting at her slipper clad feet, not yet in the sparkling silver flats she’d purchased, instinctively rejecting the idea of wearing heels. “Y’all are as bad as Tyler.”
The closest she and Tyler had come to having an actual row recently had been just the week before when he’d come in from the garage to find her standing one step up on the step stool as she arranged their bookshelves. She insisted he was being overly dramatic and he insisted that anything could have happened if she’d fallen when he wasn’t there. Irritatingly, he was probably right. Still, he was the baby’s father, he was allowed to be over protective. She didn’t need everyone else to be.
“Honey, not only are you pregnant, but you’re the bride,” Cathy chided gently, bending to press a kiss to her daughter's head. “Just relax.”
Soon, it was only the two of them left in the house. Javi and Dex had put up the awning – Javi grumbling all the while – before setting off with Ben in the RV to head to the courthouse. Dani and Lily followed in the van after putting the finishing touches to the decor and Lily had taken an extraordinary amount of “getting ready” photos.
Boone and Tyler were at the house, Tyler having surprisingly agreed with Cathy’s insistence they keep to the tradition of spending the night before the wedding apart, despite Kate’s objections that they lived together and she was pregnant with his child which rendered it somewhat moot.
Truthfully, she just didn’t like being apart, and she’d struggled to sleep alone in her old bed, feeling cold and unsettled without him beside her. Even the baby had kicked particularly vigorously, as if protesting her father’s absence.
Kate patted her neatly styled hair (courtesy of Lily), one last time in the hallway mirror, feeling suddenly nervous, as if she wasn’t just about to marry the man she loved.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart.” Cathy’s reflection smiled at hers.
“So do you, Mama.”
“Oh, hush.” Cathy glanced down at her dark purple shift dress, which Kate and Lily had pressed her into trying on while they’d been shopping for Kate’s. Not used to wearing anything not suited to farm chores, Cathy had been a little reluctant but Kate had seen the small smile on her mom’s face as she turned in front of the store mirror and told the assistant to ring up the dress for her.
“Gotta have my Mama looking good on my wedding day,” she’d insisted over Cathy’s protests.
“Let me look at you,” Cathy said now, taking Kate’s hands and holding them out so she could cast her eyes over the simple lace dress which skimmed over her bump, the hem just brushing the top of her shoes. “Oh, honey.”
“I wish Daddy was here.” Kate whispered. Her father had died in a farm accident when she was only a little girl, but although her memories of him got less vivid every year, she still missed him. A picture of the three of them together, a tiny Kate in her father’s arms outside the barn while Cathy beamed at them both, was one of the first things she had put on the mantel in their new home.
“So do I.” Cathy gently cupped Kate’s cheek. “He’d be so proud of you, baby. All he ever wanted was for you to be happy. He loved me a whole lot, but I never saw him look at anything the way he looked at you when they put you in his arms at the hospital.”
“Oh, Mama.” Kate embraced her mom as best she could, Cathy’s arms tight around her in turn.
“Come on now, we’re going to ruin Lily’s hard work.” Cathy joked.
“I think she used waterproof mascara,” Kate giggled, patting very carefully at her eyes nevertheless.
“And we’ve gotta go, if we’re even a minute late Tyler’ll be wearin’ a hole in the floor.”
Tyler was in fact already pacing when they arrived, even though they had plenty of time to spare. He looked as nervous as Kate felt, although she had no idea why because his face split into that heart stopping smile of his as soon as he saw her, and she felt her own grin in return.
He strode across the entrance hall to take her in his arms; Kate pressed close, not caring that she was probably crushing her wildflower bouquet.
“Missed you,” she whispered.
“Missed you, too, baby. Both of you,” he murmured against her hairline, before stepping back to look at her. “You’re beautiful, Kate.”
“Don’t look so bad yourself, Cowboy.” He in fact looked even more ridiculously handsome than usual in his black suit and shirt, set off with a silver bolo tie, which Kate knew had belonged to his late uncle.
“You ready, Kate?” Looking up at Tyler, whatever nerves she might have felt vanished and all she wanted was to get in front of that judge as soon as possible.
“Let’s get married, Tyler.”
The rest of the day seemed to go over in a flash, or rather several flashes of Cathy’s camera, and Boone’s, and Lily’s, and Ben’s...
Tyler kissing her after the judge pronounced them man and wife; cutting the flower decorated red velvet cake Cathy had insisted on making for them; laughing their way through a first dance they hadn’t even planned but were pestered into doing, Dani blasting The Chicks over the speaker; and eventually climbing into the be-ribboned truck to drive off for their honeymoon, Cathy and Helen wiping away even more tears.
“Don’t worry, we can stop and take all this off once we’re out of town,” Tyler laughed as they pulled away.
“Why? I like everyone knowing we’re “Just Married”.”, Kate laughed, stroking his arm.
She held his hand for as much of the four hour drive to Hot Springs as she could, admiring the wedding ring on her own hand, a simple white gold band matching her engagement ring. Tyler had opted for titanium, anything else risking damage unless he took it off regularly, a notion he had flatly rejected.
Kate looked at their joined hands resting on the swell of her stomach. Just a little more than three years ago, she had been living a lonely, hollow life in New York, a voluntary exile from the home and work she truly loved, and now she was married and soon to be a mom, chasing storms again, a future for herself she could never have imagined then.
“You okay, there, Sapulpa?”
“I’m okay, Tyler. Much more than okay, actually.”
“Hmmm, do you think you two could wait to play until after the birth, so I can get some sleep?”
Kate slid her hand over Tyler’s where he cupped her stomach, feeling the little fluttering movements that had woken her up.
“Somebody kept me up all night,” she teased, leaning into the kisses Tyler was brushing over her shoulder.
“If I recall, I was the one having to “keep up” with your demands, Mrs Owens.”
“If I can’t be demanding on my honeymoon, when can I?”
They’d been so tired by the time they arrived at the hotel that they’d just shed the clothes they’d changed into for the journey and collapsed onto the luxurious king size bed to sleep until well into the next morning.
To make up for the lack of a wedding night, they’d spent most of the next day in the bed, leaving only to collect room service and to take advantage of the en-suite’s ridiculously fancy waterfall shower.
Kate hadn’t imagined she’d be so...demanding this far into the pregnancy, but she certainly wasn’t complaining, and nor was Tyler who still looked at her with the same heat in his eyes as always.
That hadn’t stopped him from acting like he wanted to disappear from embarrassment when Kate had boldly asked her OB/GYN about sex. The doctor had just smiled as he’d assured her it was fine for as long as she felt up to it.
“Come on, Kate, we can’t lie around in bed for our whole honeymoon.”
“Hmmm,” Kate leaned back against him, “why not?”
“I’ll order us some breakfast and then let’s go sightseeing.” Tyler abruptly turned and swung his legs out of bed, simply giving Kate an infuriating smile when she pouted at the sight of him putting clothes on.
It was a scene repeated for the next few mornings, even though Kate always enjoyed herself once she got out into the city’s historic streets, where they spent their days wandering around museums, shopping for gifts to take back home and eating delicious food.
She knew she would have regretted it if she’d lazed around for the whole week and a half, not getting to make as many memories of what was technically their baby’s first vacation.
After a few days, Tyler surprised her with an appointment at the hotel’s spa for a special pregnancy treatment.
“You just want to watch football on that big screen TV in peace,” Kate laughed after she’d thanked him with a through kiss.
“There was a couple’s massage but I gotta admit after all those doctor's appointments and physiotherapy during my rodeo years I’m not so keen on bein’ manhandled. Well, except by you, that is.” Tyler grinned and kissed away Kate’s giggle. “But if that’s what you’d prefer...”
“No, you enjoy yourself... could even order yourself a couple of beers from room service and drink them without me starin’ at you like a sad puppy.”
Kate didn’t have more than the occasional beer ordinarily, but as soon as she wasn’t allowed to drink them she’d wanted nothing else. Tyler had eventually stopped buying them altogether, saying she was making him feel too guilty.
When she returned after a few hours of pampering – including a slightly odd smelling but very relaxing mud bath – and some browsing in the hotel gift shop, where she’d bought a very silly but very cute baby bib with the resort’s logo emblazoned on the front, Tyler was sitting up on the bed watching a cheesy looking action film.
“Hey, beautiful. Did you have a good time?”
“I’m super relaxed and I smell like eucalyptus, so yes I did.” She perched on the end of the bed, kicking off her shoes and wiggling her toes. “Is the game over already?”
“We were losing so bad I couldn’t keep watching, not that this is much less embarrassing.”
Leaving her shopping bags on the floor, Kate managed with only a little effort to clamber onto the bad and settle herself between Tyler’s legs, her back against the warmth of his chest. This was her preferred TV watching position when they were on the road, and it currently had the added bonus of helping the aches in her lower back that were becoming more persistent as her belly grew.
“What’s it about?”
“Bunch of old timers tryin’ to catch an arms dealer or somethin’. Half of their team got captured but now they’re fighting each other? I don’t know.”
“Is that that MMA lady?”
“You been a secret UFC fan this whole time, Sapulpa?”
“No!” Kate laughed. “I’m pretty sure we marathoned these movies back in college. I remember Javi making fun of the alleged “hacking”.”
She smiled at the memory: Javi, Praveen and Jeb heckling the silly action and technobabble, while Addy asked why all the men were dressed in combat gear and the one woman was wearing a skin tight catsuit.
It was easier thinking about them now, remembering the fun and warmth and not just the pain of their loss. She had tried for so long to lock it all up in a box and hide from it, but returning to Oklahoma had brought it all back for both good and bad.
Feeling everything instead of fighting it had been both a scary as she’d thought it would be and much more cathartic than she’d imagined. Her lost friends had haunted her but now they were with her every time she ran another experiment or created a new model. Everything she did was for them just as much as it was for the Wranglers and Tyler and her mom and the people of Tornado Alley. And now, for her daughter.
“Storm?”
“We cannot call our daughter ‘Storm’!” Tyler laughed. “That’s a little on the nose even for us.”
“It’s by far the fans’ most popular suggestion.” Kate grinned.
“If we let the internet influence us we’ll end up callin’ her Baby McBabyface!” Tyler slid a glance her way from the driver’s seat. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to look at the reactions until we were back from honeymoon.”
“We are back.”
“We’re still two hours away, as a matter of fact,” Tyler argued, but Kate could see the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Everybody’s very excited.” Kate scrolled through more of the comments. It was one of the most popular posts on the Wranglers Instagram account so far as Kate could tell, the like count into six figures.
After much debate, they had settled on an “announcement” of a sort. Just after Kate and Tyler left for their honeymoon, Boone had posted a group photo taken outside the courthouse. Kate, Tyler, the Wranglers, Cathy, Helen and Ben all in their wedding outfits. Just as the timer on Ben’s camera triggered the flash a slight breeze had caught Kate’s dress, perfectly outlining her stomach. The caption was typically Boone, but perfectly to the point, just three emojis: wedding, baby and, of course, the twister.
LittleMissOK: Does this mean what I think it means?????
WranglersFan55: OMG OMG OMG OMG IT’S HAPPENINGGGGGGG
DonnyBlue: A TyKate wedding AND a baby?? Oh we are being FED
CrystalAnne: That is going to be one beautiful baby.
Sidewinderz: I knew it!!!! Kate was away from the chases far too often. Congratulations to Tyler and Kate ♥
LadyLydia: I should not be thinking about how much of a snack Tyler is on his wedding day, good lord.
Howdyyyy: Why does Ben being there make me so emotional 😭
Kate could see the evidence of deleted comments, no doubt from some of the viewers who didn’t like her and especially didn’t like her relationship with Tyler. They had bothered her at first, but she had long since learned to dismiss them as the bitter assholes they were.
For the most part, though, the response was overwhelmingly positive, full of compliments and congratulations. She screenshot a load of comments gushing about Ben so she could send them to him later, assuming Dani hadn’t already.
The viewers had really taken to Ben, and his occasional guest appearances on the channel were always greeted with enthusiasm. His own relatively little used Instagram account had received what he called a “baffling” amount of followers after his article was published and most of his comment section was Wranglers fans. The readership of several of the magazines he wrote for had increased, too.
“We could call her Katherine the Third? I kind of like the idea of a little Kate.”
It took Kate a moment to realise that Tyler was still talking about baby names. Clicking her phone to sleep, she smiled, reaching over to rest her hand on Tyler’s leg.
“That’s sweet, but I think we’ve got enough Cathys and Kates...Did I ever tell you why I was named after Mama?”
“No,” Tyler tapped the wheel thoughtfully. “I don’t think you did.”
“The doc told Mama and Daddy that I was a boy.” Kate laughed. “Mama wanted to name me after him, she thought a Hank Jr. would be cute. But then I turned up, so Daddy insisted they name me after Mama, he thought it was only fair. You know...Tyler can be a girl’s name, too...”
“Nah, if we’re not naming her after you we’re not naming her after me. It’s only fair, to quote your Daddy.” He smiled sideways at her and she squeezed his knee. “I still like Grace.”
“I like Grace, too. What about Willa? What?”
Tyler had wrinkled his nose at her suggestion, and he made an awkward face.
“I – uh – had an ex named Willa. We were on the circuit together. She dumped me for a rodeo clown. Don’t laugh!” But Tyler was chuckling, too. Still smiling, Kate stroked his leg soothingly.
“Okay, not Willa, because that’s clearly a name for damn fools who don’t know a good thing when they got it.”
Tyler took one hand off the wheel to cover her hand with his and she turned her palm upwards to interlace their fingers, holding on until he had to let go to shift gears.
They drove in comfortable silence for a while after that, Kate smoothing her hands over her bump as the baby shifted inside her, a little hand or foot prodding her gently somewhere under her ribs.
“You wanna know something?”
“Always, Sapulpa.” Tyler shot her a quick grin before he signalled to pull over towards the off-ramp. Kate waited until they were safely on the other road before she continued.
“I worked out when we – um – when we made the baby.”
“Oh, yeah?” Tyler kept his eyes on the road, but his tone was teasing and there was a slow smile spreading across his face. Kate felt her face heat, which was ridiculous, considering she was talking about conceiving her baby with the man she’d conceived it with.
“You remember when we went to watch that meteor shower?”
“Oh, I certainly do, baby.”
Kate was sure she must be bright red by now, but it was probably the memory of that night – and the rough tone of Tyler’s voice – that was making her blush now.
They’d driven out into effectively the middle of nowhere, several miles from the roadside motel the team were holed up in, and several more from the nearest town. A clear, mild night, it had been perfect conditions to watch the spectacular show against the dark backdrop of the sky.
Tyler had even brought a bottle of champagne in the cooler, although he only had a few sips. They’d lain in the truck bed, comfy on the array of sleeping bags, travel blankets and camping pillows they kept in the back for when the Wranglers had to camp out on the road.
Kate remembered the meteor shower streaking across the sky, the click of her camera while she tried to capture its beauty in a few snapshots. She also remembered the chill of the night on her bare skin, soothed by the warmth of Tyler’s hands, the stars twinkling above her as her eyelids fluttered closed in pleasure, feeling completely contented as she curled up in Tyler’s arms under the blankets.
“You think that was when?”
“It’s not an exact science, but going from my due date, I’m pretty sure. If you remember, we spent the next week followin’ that big outbreak in Nebraska, and we were always too tired to – um – do what we usually do after a chase.” Kate giggled. “So, yes, I think that was when.”
“Didn’t think that night could get any more perfect, but I guess I was wrong.” Tyler took her hand again and Kate brought his to her lips before enfolding it in both of hers on her lap.
“I couldn’t think of a better place for us to make our baby,” Kate shot Tyler a teasing smile “...Except maybe in the middle of a tornado, that is.”
As the weeks until her due date got fewer and fewer, Kate found her anxieties increasing. About the birth, about being a mom, about everything.
Packing up her papers at Muskogee had left her wondering about the future of her work. The University had been very accommodating when she had told them about her pregnancy, Dr. Harding aghast when Kate suggested they might want to offer her post-doctoral position to someone else.
“No, Kate, you and your research are far too valuable. We’ll make it work.”
Kate didn’t want to let her work lapse, but she knew that she wouldn’t have the same time to dedicate to it as before, at least not for a while.
The sheer scale of the work sometimes threatened to overwhelm her. Despite El Reno, despite the other apparently successful experiments, she knew she still didn’t have enough to prove the technology was viable. Enough for her dissertation committee and for a few grants, but not enough for large scale investment.
Perhaps she never would. Kate still didn’t know if tornado disruption would ever become widespread. There was just so many variables. But if she could save just a few more lives, a few more homes, it would be worth it.
Any time away felt wrong, especially after she had wasted five years running from it. Her work had waited for her for that long, it could wait awhile more, especially as there were other people working on it now. Not just the Wrangler, but Dr Harding and her students, collecting data and running small scale tests that were all valuable. That might have been the rational answer, but it didn’t stop her worrying.
Anxieties about the birth were not assuaged by other moms at the prenatal classes, women at church, old friends of her moms and God knows who else telling her their horrible birth stories apparently compulsively. It was hard to forget some of the more vivid descriptions even as the midwife and OBGYN assured her that everything was going well and her birth plan would all be in place.
Maybe it was all these worries, maybe it was hormones, but her nightmares had come back too. They had become fewer and further between over time, but were now happening almost as often as they did before she came back to Oklahoma.
She was back under the overpass again, feeling Addy’s hand torn out of her grasp, and the winds whipping over her back as Jeb was dragged away. Or she was watching the water tower fall, but too far away to help. She was in the swimming pool, but Tyler was no longer behind her, lost protecting her just like Jeb. She was in the truck in El Reno, but the barrels hadn’t worked and the twister was barrelling towards her, towards the town and she had failed again...
There were new nightmares now, too. Out in a field with no shelter, nothing but the swirling winds and her baby in her arms. Or she was lost, blinded by rain and wind, but she could hear her baby crying, louder and more frightened the harder Kate searched for her.
Every time she woke sobbing and shivering, Tyler would be there, holding her close and murmuring reassurances in her air.
“It’s okay, baby, you’re safe. I’m here. We’re all here, it’s okay.” He would take her hand and press it to her belly, both of them feeling the baby kick, disturbed by her mother’s unrest. “There she is, Kate. She’s fine. You’re fine.”
On this particular day, it wasn’t a nightmare which woke her as the morning light filtered through the gauzy curtains of their bedroom. Kate wasn’t sure what it was until she heard the clattering noise from the bathroom followed by an unmistakable groan of pain.
“Tyler?”
When no response came, Kate shuffled herself out of bed, huffing in frustration at her inability to move as quickly as she wanted.
“Tyler?”
“No, K –“ His voice was alarmingly shaky, and Kate immediately understood why when she stepped into the bathroom and saw Tyler seated on the edge of the tub, his head in his hands. The contents of the vanity were scattered, some even on the floor.
Kate mentally scolded herself. She should have recognised the signs. Tyler had gone to bed early, complaining he was tired, and he had been unusually quiet all day, as well as barely touching his food at dinner.
“Come back to bed, Tyler.”
“Don’t, Kate –“ He managed through gritted teeth as she clumsily lowered herself to kneel next to him. Wincing, he tried to turn to look at her, pain etched in every line of his face.
He wouldn’t let her help him up, and wouldn’t put any weight on her as he made his way back to the bed, practically collapsing onto his side, turning away from the window. Kate pulled the thicker curtains closed, annoyed with herself for leaving them open the previous night. They had been closing them to keep out the chill but she had wanted to fall asleep under the light of the full moon.
Pulling on her robe, Kate rummaged in the drawers for Tyler’s medication. Fetching a glass of water from the bathroom, she managed to persuade him to sit up enough to swallow two pills before he slumped back against the pillows.
“K –“
“Shhhh, baby, just rest.” Kate shuffled back onto the bed, propping herself up against the headboard. Cautiously, she reached out to tenderly brush a lock of hair off of Tyler’s forehead, but his brow scrunched and she withdrew her hand. “I’m sorry.”
“ – “
“No, just sleep, Tyler.” Kate sat with him until the tension in his face eased and his breathing evened out. She watched his chest rise and fall, wishing there was more she could do.
Kate always felt so helpless during Tyler’s migraines. The first one she had witnessed had happened just after they’d gotten together, and had frightened the life out her, Tyler practically collapsing to the ground apparently without warning just after the Wranglers had finished a stream.
He’d told her later that it had been an unusually bad one. They’d started after a mild concussion he’d sustained in the rodeo ring, and had been part of the reason he’d retired.
“I’ve been scanned every which way. Nothing’s wrong, just the headaches. Sometimes I go months without one, sometimes I get two a week. No predicting it.”
Once Tyler was sleeping, Kate dressed and made herself a late breakfast. Feeling at a loss for the day, and unable to concentrate on the bits of research she was still working on, she pottered around the house until her feet and her back told her she needed to sit.
After only half watching some Hallmark movie – stretched out by having to get up to pee every thirty minutes – she went back upstairs to check on Tyler.
He was half awake, and she managed to persuade him to drink some water. This time, he let her lay her palm against his forehead when he laid back down.
“You want a cold compress?”
“J’sleep.”
“Okay. I’m right here.” Kate kept gently running her hand through his hair until he fell asleep again. Tired, as she often was now, Kate settled down next to him for a nap.
He was still sleeping soundly when she awoke late afternoon. Feeling peckish, she got up to head downstairs, but had to divert to the bathroom.
“D’you have fun kicking Mama in the bladder, hmm?” Kate smoothed her hands over her bump with a smile.
One her way downstairs she passed the half open door to the nursery and stepped in, taking in the room they’d made ready for their daughter. In the few weeks since they’d moved into their new house, it had been their main priority. All of the other decorating they wanted to do could wait.
The walls were painted a soft blue, and highlighted with a pattern of wispy white clouds and colourful wildflowers, added by hand by Lily and Dexter. Kate had been banned from the room until the paint was completely dry.
In one corner was a rocking chair they had found at the market, and which Tyler had sanded down and repainted. Kate had, with only a little difficulty, sewn the pillow which sat on the chair, using her mom’s sewing machine for the first time in years. Made from a fabric dotted with more tiny flowers, it had a pocket on the front which was wide enough to one day hold a book, but currently held a soft corduroy rabbit, a gift from Tyler’s Aunt Helen.
The crib stood tall in the middle of the room, put together by Tyler as Kate watched from the rocking chair, alternately teasing him about his DIY skills and admiring the pull of his t-shirt over his shoulders as he worked. It was beautifully carved from a light coloured wood, which Tyler had varnished the chair to match.
It wouldn’t get much use for a while considering the side-sleeping crib which currently sat in the corner of the master bedroom, but Kate had made it ready anyway, with a mattress she had researched probably excessively before buying, and a mobile already hung above. Picked out by Tyler, it depicted little rain clouds and stylised gusts of wind, and Kate smiled every time she saw it.
The dresser and book case were filled with clothes and toys the baby wouldn’t be old enough to use for months. Kate and Tyler had both got a little overexcited buying for their baby, and even though Kate had insisted she didn’t want a baby shower, they’d still received a pile of gifts. Kate’s perfectly preserved christening blanket from Cathy, a teddy bear dressed like Beefeater from Ben, a plush cloud from Javi, a onesie emblazoned with “Not My First Tornadeo” from Boone, who had only half joked they should start selling them with the other merch.
“You are gonna be so spoiled, baby girl.” Kate laughed softly. “Just like your Mama is.”
When Kate returned to the bedroom after picking at a ham and cheese sandwich and some chips, Tyler was emerging from the bathroom somewhat unsteadily. He held up a hand as she instinctively made to help him.
“No, Kate, ‘m not leanin’ on you.”
As he slipped back into bed, Kate was pleased to see a lot less tension in his face, although he still looked exhausted.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Stopped hurting, but I feel like I’ve done a dozen rounds in the ring.”
“Do you want something to eat?”
Tyler shook his head, lying back down. She could tell something was bothering him, and she didn’t think it was just the migraine. Figuring he would tell her when he wanted, she went to leave again, intending to let him sleep some more and maybe make some dinner in case he was hungry later. Tyler’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“’M sorry, Kate.”
“Sorry?” She turned back to him in confusion, padding towards the bed to look down at him. “What for?”
“You shouldn’t have to be takin’ care of me in your condition.”
“Tyler...” Kate lowered herself back onto the bed and shifted until she could lie down next to him, Tyler instinctively holding out a hand to steady her. He turned to face her, the little line of a frown still between his eyebrows. Instead of smoothing it away like she wanted, Kate took hold of Tyler’s hand. “You’ve done nothin’ but take care of me – of us – since I told you I was pregnant. Didn’t we promise we’d take care of each other?”
“The baby could be born any time now. What if you’d gone into labour while I was passed out in here? I’m useless to you like this.”
“You’re never useless to me.” Kate whispered fiercely, almost angered by the idea he could ever think such a thing. “If I’d gone into labour I would have called my Mama, and she could have driven us both to the hospital. Not sure me screamin’ my way through labour would have been good for your headache, though.”
Tyler didn’t laugh as she’d hoped, his mouth still downturned at the corners.
“What happens when the baby’s here and I have to spend a day or more in bed? Leave you to take care of everything?”
“Oh, Tyler...” Kate’s heart ached. Tyler had held her and reassured her through all of her anxieties and worries, all of her crying jags and nightmares. He’d never hinted that he’d been nursing some of the same concerns himself. If not for the post-migraine slump, she thought he might never have told her, no doubt feeling like he was burdening her. “You’re hardly the first parent to have migraines. It doesn’t make you any less. You’re going to be a great dad. Our baby girl is so lucky to have you. I’m so lucky to have you.”
Tyler lifted her hand, pressing his lips to her knuckles, just above her wedding and engagement rings. When he looked at her, there was finally a slight smile on his face, a soft look in those stormy eyes of his. The same eyes Kate dearly hoped their baby would have.
“I ever tell you how much I love you, Sapulpa?”
Kate wriggled forward until she could gently rest their foreheads together, mindful of his recent headache.
“Bet it’s not as much as I love you.”
“Tyler, will you tell your daughter to hurry up and be born already?”
“If she’s anythin’ like either of us she’ll come when she’s good and ready.” Tyler chuckled.
Kate huffed, knowing he was right. Their baby girl certainly seemed comfortable where she was, even though she was two days past her due date. While Kate might have been a little nervous about the birth before, now she was mostly keen to get it over with.
Seeing some of the other moms in her birth classes suffering from gestational diabetes, being put on bed rest and a whole array of other complications, Kate knew she’d been lucky to be relatively fit and active up until now.
That didn’t make her sleepless nights, swollen feet and constant aches and pains easier to bear, however.
“You want me to fetch your pillow?” Tyler placed the mug of hot cocoa he had made for her on the table. Kate looked up at him and shook her head.
“No.” She bit her lip. “Want you.”
“Oh, I see how it is.” He laughed, but sat down in the corner of the couch, positioning himself so Kate – with only a little huffing and puffing – could situate herself with her back to his chest and her legs stretched out along the cushions. She rested her head against his shoulder and he pressed a kiss into her hair. “Happy now?”
“Definitely. You’re much better than any silly old pillow.”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t love that pillow.” Kate had laughed when Tyler returned triumphantly from a shopping trip to Tulsa with a strange looking fleecy wedge shaped cushion with wings, but once he’d persuaded her to try it out, she had loved it, especially when she realised it included a pocket for her phone.
“Ok, I do, but it’s still not a patch on you.” His kissed her hair again and they sat in comfortable quiet for a few moments before Kate spoke again. “There’s only one problem.”
“Oh, what’s that?” Tyler’s hand stilled where it had been gently stroking her bump.
“I can’t reach my cocoa.”
Kate had to wait another few frustrating days before their daughter finally decided it was time to make her entrance into the world.
At first, she thought it was just Braxton Hicks - which her midwife had warned her about with plenty of notice to prevent her panicking the first time they happened – but nothing eased them, and then the contractions started getting stronger and more painful.
Whether by coincidence or some sort of instinct, Tyler was already coming across the yard from the garage by the time Kate made her way to the porch, having to support herself on the wall against the increasing pain in her abdomen.
He took one look at her and immediately hurried to take a hold of both her and the hospital bag which had been sitting packed and ready at the door for several weeks.
Kate felt a tell tale trickle of fluid down her inner thigh just as she stepped – waddled – off the elevator at the maternity department.
“You’re pretty far along already, Kate. You’re definitely in active labour.” The midwife, a brisk, cheerful woman named Sandra, announced after Kate had been settled in a bed and examined. “If you still want an epidural, we should probably do it now.”
The waiting was the hardest part, Kate kept telling herself, as the time slowly ticked away, Sandra periodically returning to tell her she wasn’t quite fully dilated yet. In her extensive reading during her pregnancy, Kate had learned that this stage could take up to twelve hours, but she wasn’t sure her nerves could take that long.
“How are you feeling, Honey?” Cathy reached out to take her hand, smiling encouragingly.
“The contractions are weird now they’re not really painful.” It was the truth, but Kate knew from her mom’s expression that she could tell it wasn’t the whole truth. She glanced at the door to make sure Tyler wasn’t back from his errand to get her more ice chips and apple juice. “I’m a little scared, Mama.”
“Oh, darlin’, that’s perfectly normal. I was scared as Hell havin’ you, it’s no small thing giving birth. But you heard the midwife, everythin’ is going along just fine. Tyler’s going to be right here with you and I’ll be just outside. And trust me, when they put your baby girl on your chest, it’ll be like it never happened.” Cathy smiled. “I didn’t believe your Grandma when she told me that, either.”
After a hazy half an hour where Kate thought she might have actually dozed a little, she managed to persuade Tyler to go and get himself something to eat and a coffee.
“I don’t want to leave you, Kate.”
“And I don’t want you to pass out while our baby’s being born.”
“I’ll be as fast as I can.” He acquiesced, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Typically, it was not long after he left that she felt a distinct pressure at the base of her stomach.
“I need to push,” she cried by way of greeting when Sandra came to check on her again a minute or two later.
“Okay, Kate, let me just make sure you’re ready....Yep, looks like it’s showtime. Where’s Dad?”
“I just made him go get something to eat.” Kate groaned, half in the discomfort of trying not to push quite yet, and half in frustration at her own bad timing.
Sandra hurried to the door and Kate saw the brief flash of a nurse’s uniform before the door swung shut again.
“I sent Jenny there to go get him.”
“How will she –“
“She keeps a Tornado Wranglers mug on her desk, she’ll find him.” Sandra shot her a grin and Kate couldn’t help a breathless laugh even as the unbearable urge to push gripped her again. She didn’t want to do it without Tyler, but she had no choice to give in and bear down, trying to remember the breathing exercises she’d been taught.
“That’s it, Kate, just like that.”
Tyler burst into the room with such speed that he practically skidded to a stop.
“Kate!”
“It’s okay, I’m okay, just – get – over – here.” She reach for him and he hurried over to her side, taking her hand and wrapping his other arm around her, tucking himself half behind her.
“You’ve got this, Sapulpa.”
“Come on, Kate, push!” Sandra instructed, although Kate hardly needed the encouragement.
It all began to blur, Sandra and the young trainee who eventually joined her guiding and monitoring Kate, and Tyler murmuring words of encouragement in her ear and making not a single noise of protest as she squeezed his hand with all of her strength.
She focused on the soothing timbre of his voice, the grounding feeling of his hand in hers and the solidity of his body against her back.
“That’s it, one last push, give it everything you’ve got, Kate.”
Kate groaned, drawing on all of her dwindling strength, pushing through the burning the epidural didn’t quite blunt entirely.
“Here she is!”
Kate felt nothing but exhaustion and a bizarre sensation of loss as her urge to push abruptly stopped, until an unmistakable wail floated through the air.
“In fine voice, too!” Anna, the trainee, smiled down at Kate.
“You did it, baby.” Tyler whispered against her sweaty hair.
Kate soon found out that her Mama was right. When Sandra placed the squirming, crying, red faced little body on her chest, everything that had come before seemed to fade into the distance.
“Hi, baby girl,” she murmured.
“We’ve been waitin’ on you.” Tyler whispered. Kate gave him a watery smile as he stroked her hair. “You did great, Kate.”
“Is your hand okay?”
He gave a startled laugh, and the flexed the hand in question.
“Don’t you worry ‘bout me and my hand.”
It was after all of the baby’s monitoring and her first, thankfully straightforward, feed that Kate felt her eyelids start to droop.
“You need to get some sleep, Kate, honey.” Cathy said firmly.
“I don’t wanna put her down.” Kate protested, laying her hand on the baby’s back, even thought she knew her mom was right. As Tyler so very gently lifted their daughter off her chest, Kate watched with a smile despite the pull of loss at the separation. The baby looked so tiny in her father’s arms, Tyler looking at her like she was more beautiful and fascinating than any tornado they’d ever chased.
Cathy Carter has entered the group chat
Boone: Mama Carter!!!!
Lily: Hi Cathy!
Cathy: *picture* Hazel Marie Carter-Owens, 6lb 3oz, born 7:05am
Javi: Yasssssss! Congratulations Kate & Tyler
Boone: 🎉 CONGRATS GUYS
Lily: She’s sooooo cute! ♥
Dani: Congratulations Kate & Ty. Welcome to the world baby Wrangler 🌪
Dex: Wonderful news. I’m so happy for you both.
Ben: Congratulations to you both. She’s beautiful.
Boone: Isn’t it like 3am where you are?!?!
Ben: It’s 3pm. You’re five hours behind me.
Boone: What? How?
Kate chuckled, shaking her head as she read Boone’s confusion over international time zones interspersed with compliments and congratulations on the baby.
“What are you laughin’ at?” Tyler glanced up from where he was carefully lifting Hazel from her bassinet.
“Just Boone.”
“I shoulda known...You ready for another feed? I think this one’s hungry again.”
“Somehow she’s got her Uncle Javi’s appetite already.”
As Hazel fed, Kate ran a fingertip over her little nose, her velvet soft cheek, her tiny fingers where they rested against Kate’s breast.
“She’s so beautiful, Tyler.” Kate whispered, awe in her voice. She could hardly believe she’d made this perfect little thing, grown her inside herself.
“’Course she is, takes after her Mama.”
“Oh, Tyler. Gonna make me cry.”
“It’s just the truth, baby.” He kissed her temple and then smoothed her shawl over her shoulders.
“She’s definitely got your eyes. And your hair.” Hazel had quite an impressive growth of hair for a newborn, and it was a very distinctive dirty blonde colour.
After just over seventy-two hours in hospital, Kate felt more than well enough to be discharged, wanting to sleep in her own bed and eat something other than hospital food.
She dressed carefully, with some help from a nurse, while Tyler took care of the paperwork at the desk.
Hazel was settled into her car seat, wrapped up against the cold outside. Although Kate knew that her vision wasn’t at all precise yet, she still seemed to be watching as Kate checked she had everything, including Hazel’s tiny hospital bracelet, destined for the baby box Kate had already begun to fill with her scans and pregnancy photos.
“You ready, ladies?” Tyler leaned against the doorframe, smiling softly at them both.
“I think so.” Kate bent over her daughter who blinked sleepily at her. “Come on, baby girl, let’s go home.”