Leo was drawn to her side in an instant, before she could even finish her repeated plea for help; he rested soothing, steadying hands on her to provide some support along her back and abdomen. Whatever else was plaguing Leo at the moment – and there was plenty, the least of which was an actual plague – it all seemed to fall away as he held her. Unimportant, right this second. Instead other spikes of apprehension and tensions took their place like unwelcome vines of fear through his mind – her breathing was wrong, for one thing, too sharp and jagged for regular contractions, and the way she’d jackknifed over at such an angle. He purposefully slowed his own breathing with her pressed to his chest so that she would subconsciously follow his lead.Â
“It’s all right, darlin’. It’s all right, we’ll get you to there. This doesn’t look like labor yet.” His eyes scanned her anxiously, and he brushed her hair gently out of her face. “Could be braxton hicks – the fake ones. Can you stand up straight for me?”
Leo's rush to her side, his arms around her, his voice in her ear - normally, all of these actions would've soothed her immediately, would've quelled any worry bubbling in her chest. But the pain was so sharp, and so severe, that Katherine couldn't help but gasp out an agonizing 'no' as she tried her best just to stay upright. She wanted to reach up and reassure the father of her children that she was okay - that they were all okay - but her hands were balled into fists around the edge of the table, and she wasn't even sure she could get another word out as a low groan escaped her lips.












