As her due date approached June was filled with a sense of longing. Her sisters May and April had been too busy to be her birthing partner so Gared had volunteered.  May had to go to France and April was doing her final exams of law school. Gared had been a real trooper especially when she revealed to him who her baby's father was, he had been shocked at first but had encouraged her to tell Dmitri like everyone else. However he understood her feelings and reluctance to tell Dmitri since he had met the man himself. 

Similarly, her parents had put extreme pressure on her to tell Dmitri about the baby as well. Her mother although supportive had not been pleased that Dmitri was still unaware of his child's impending birth. June knew she was being a coward but also selfish. However she was afraid to tell Dmitri the truth now. How would he react? What would he do? Would he take her child away because he was angry? This fear prevented her from telling him anything.

Consequently by the time she reached her eighth month her duplicity gnawed at her. Dmitri was in London and after Jay told her that he had stopped by the office June knew that she had to confront him. It was her last chance to come clean. Dmitri had a right to know even if he would be angry at first he should know that he was going to be a father. 

June finally called him to arrange a meeting face to face. Maybe seeing her would soften his anger which she knew would surface but she was ready. Franco had sounded wary on the phone but after consulting his boss she had been granted a few minutes with her child's father. June had insisted the meeting be held at her home not wanting any drama at his office. Dmitri had been stubborn and they had finally agreed for her to visit his home. The baby was low and walking was now a chore but she finally caved realising that this was her final chance to be honest with Dmitri. 

She had been on maternity leave for the past three weeks and had barely left her house. She took a cab to his Belgravia home. She read the text he had sent her earlier.

I can only give you ten minutes.

Dmitri had been cold in his message, no greeting, no names,  just a simple commanding statement. June was a bit rattled by his tone but she swallowed it because what she was about to do was worse.  Since this was the first direct communication they had between them and not through Franco at least he was willing to meet her some way not quite half but some. She did not blame him, over the last few months their interactions had been non existent. Dmitri had not acknowledged her when they would meet at her workplace; he would stare at her growing belly and the fire would blaze in his eyes. So many times June had wanted to shout out the truth but she held back each time. Today she was going to do it. 

June rang the doorbell of the opulent house. A maid she had not seen before opened the door and guided her to wait in one of the reception rooms. She was standing near the windows looking out at the well-manicured back garden, the roses were lovely all neatly blossoming in vibrant colours. 

"June." Dmitri said from behind her. She turned around in her a double layer black swing maxi dress which swished with her movement. Dmitri stared at her piercingly. His expression was stony and hard but he still looked dashing in a brown pair of trousers and beige v neck jumper with a  white shirt.

"Hi" June said softly her feet barely able to stand anymore. She had been in discomfort all morning but lately that had been the theme of her days. She rubbed her stomach as it felt heavier and heavier.

Slow down little one she mentally cooed to her unborn child as he was pushing against her already painful stomach.

Her back was really hurting. She needed to sit down.

"Can I sit?" She held her back and navigated her way to the nearest sofa. "My feet are killing me." He gestured to the beige sofa near the window. June sat down but with great difficulty.

Dmitri almost went to her as her face contorted in pain as she sat down but he held back.

 "What do you want?" he asked impatient to know why she had asked to meet with him. 

Dmitri looked at June and his heart constricted. She had to be the most beautiful pregnant woman he had ever seen. Her skin was glowing and her face was absolutely radiant. Her stomach was huge but she carried herself well. He put his hands in his pockets fisting them to regain some semblance of control.  June had no idea the effect she had on him. He had fallen in love with her  and her betrayal had shattered his heart. No woman had ever had such an effect on him and the one time he had let himself be normal that woman had betrayed him. He looked at her resplendent with another man's child growing inside her.

If only things had been different, he had had such plans for them. He had wanted her to be his forever from the first time they had met in his bedroom in the cottage. She had looked at his nakedness and the blush which had flushed her entire body had twisted his gut. She had looked so innocent and bewildered. Then her feisty attitude in always trying to defy him had sealed his love for her. 

Even after she had let another man into her bed he tried to forgive her maybe there was a slim chance the child was his; so he had continued to follow her but seeing pictures of Gared Thompson taking her to lamaze classes, lunch, shopping for baby clothes and even accompanying her to doctor's visits on numerous occasions, he had finally accepted that June was not carrying his child. 

He had concluded that Thompson was indeed the father. The man was devoted.

He had painfully  let her go and pushed her out of his life by ignoring her. Now she wanted to see him and although he had wanted to deny her request he was curious as to what she wanted to say to him.

"What do you want June?" he asked again sounding bored.

"Dmitri you see," June paused and flexed her back as she was in great pain. "Sorry it's just that well ...my back is so painful could you put cushion behind me please?" 

Dmitri shook his head in astonishment this woman had no limits!

He walked over and arranged a cushion behind her. She wriggled a bit and moaned. Dmitri went to the drinks cabinet, he needed a distraction.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked avoiding to look at her as he opened a bottle of whiskey.

"I would love some apple juice and um, well you see...." She paused and said sheepishly, "and another cushion please?"

Dmitri looked at June, she was grimacing, although he was angry with her he could not stop himself from helping her.

"Are you okay June?" Dmitri was concerned since she looked like she was in great discomfort.

"I'm fine just a bit of back ache which is completely normal at this stage in my pregnancy." She smiled or contorted her face, he wasn't sure but she looked very, very uncomfortable.

He handed her the juice as he arranged another cushion for her however she drank a sip of the juice and scrunched her nose then handed it back to him. "Sorry but it can't go down."

This woman was trying his patience. He put the juice back on the trolley, maybe being angry was the best way to go.

"June just say what you need to and leave I have another appointment shortly." He walked to the glass doors moving further away from her.

"Fine, you see my parents feel that I treated you unfairly but..."

"I agree." Dmitri interrupted.

"I think we just had a huge misunderstanding over  everything." June rambled. "We wanted different things from our relationship."

"June just say what you need." Dmitri cut in again firmly. He did not want to rehash the past.

"I want to say that I'm sorry for hurting you but you made me feel so constricted and I was not sure what would become of us..." June was feeling really unwell. She was starting to sweat and stopped what she was saying as her body began to tighten.

"June, I have another commitment in a few minutes, I only allowed this meeting because I thought you had something else to tell me." Dmitri knew that he had to send her away soon.

" If you came to apologise, I do not want to hear it. What you did doesn't deserve forgiveness and I never forgive betrayal."

June shifted her body as she felt a sharp pain in her lower back. She barely heard what Dmitri was saying; she shimmied her way to the edge of the sofa and held the arm rest. 

 "I think I need to use the toilet." She asked softly feeling like her bladder was going to burst.  

As she tried to negotiate her body to get upright, Dmitri appeared and assisted her. She smiled at him in gratitude as her body felt tighter and tighter.

"Fine, follow me." Dmitri conceded as he looked at June and shook his head, she looked really uncomfortable and he led the way hoping she did not let go on his floors. His sister Eva, had wanted to use the toilet every five minutes when she was pregnant.

"Dmitri?" June asked from behind him.

What did she want now? He thought.

He turned around ready to scold her but she was leaning against the doorway and there was a pool of water streaming down her legs. He rushed to her; she was breathing very fast and holding her stomach.

"June you had an accident I will call Hilda." She held onto his arm to detain him.

"My. Water. Just. Broke. "She uttered between haggard breaths.

"Your what?!" Dmitri looked at June in shock. Her water! Her water! He thought over and over again. 

He froze.

"Call. The. Ambulance." She was saying but he was far away. She was having her baby here in his house.

"Dmitri!" June screamed at him and he looked at her. Her face was aglow with sweat but she still looked so angelical. He assisted her back to the sofa before he called the ambulance. Then he called his PA.

"Franco." He barked into his phone a short while later, "Call June's family and tell them she is in labour and meet us at the hospital." 

June was in the first stages of labour according to the paramedics  and she had appeared to be in so much pain so that he had accompanied her with no hesitation. She may have hurt him but he could not hate her in this state. He held onto her hand as she breathed in ragged spurts and every now and then, she screamed out loudly. The pain appeared to be intense.  He tried to comfort her as she struggled with her contractions. 

"June you are going to be okay." He reassured her as she screamed through another contraction gripping his hand so tightly that her finger nails would dig into his skin. He could only grimace as she appeared to be in more agony than him.

"Dmitri, I need to tell you something ... " June was saying but Dmitri silenced her when he saw blood oozing down her legs. 

He opened his eyes in shock. "She is bleeding? Is that normal?" he asked the paramedic who was checking the machines.

The paramedic lifted June's dress  and examined her briefly and then looked at him.

"Sir, it is the next stage, it is the mucus plug or show which means the cervix is now unblocked, ready for the baby to come through."

Dmitri was amazed. He looked at June who was breathing a bit normally now but still holding onto him tightly.

"She will be fine." The female paramedic said with a smile. " The expectant fathers seem to worry more than the mothers."

"I'm n....." He was cut off as a wave of pain flashed through June's face and she screamed out again.

"Please Dmitri I need to say that --" June was trying to tell Dmitri the truth but he put a finger to her lips.

"No need to say anything, just be calm so you can have a healthy baby." Dmitri stopped her and kept holding her hand as her contractions zipped through her body. She was determined to tell him the truth even more now but they  soon arrived at the hospital and she was wheeled into a labour room. 

Dmitri had made Franco arrange for her to be put in the private maternity ward at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. June was oblivious to all this as she was led to Kensington Wing in the hospital. The medical staff attending to her were busy connecting her to wires as she grappled with her labour pains. Dmitri had not left her side.

"Dmitri," June was saying. "I need to tell you something."

She screamed as a contraction came on.

"June just concentrate on having this baby whatever you want to tell me wait after the birth."  

"But..."

"Please June," he begged as the doctor entered the room.

"Hi I'm Dr Pascal." The short bald man told her as he examined her intimately.

"You are dilating very quickly, you're 8 cm dilated right now, things are moving well." The doctor stated before leaving the room.

"Don't you want something to reduce the pain?" one of the nurses asked her.

"No drugs just some gas and air." She said determinedly. The nurses began to prepare the machine and showed them how to use the mask. June would inhale the gaseous mixture when she felt she needed it. 

"Is it safe ?" Dmitri asked puzzled at this form of pain relief.

"It is totally harmless and will not affect your wife or baby at all." one of the nurses replied.

His phone buzzed before he could correct the nurse.

"Franco what is the update?" He asked his PA as June sucked in some more gas.

"The Stapletons are on their way to the ward. I sent someone to pick them up as you instructed. They should be arriving shortly." His ever efficient PA informed him smoothly.

"Great and thanks." He responded ending the call.

"Your family will be arriving very soon." He told June, she smiled at him.

"Dmitri, thank you but I really need to tell you what I came to see you about today." She looked at her stomach and sighed. "I wanted to do this before the baby is born, I'm so sorry for hurting you, I never meant to."

"June concentrate on having this baby first." She shook her head at him.

"Please listen, you see this baby is--"

"June!" came a sound from the doorway. 

It was June's mother who rushed in followed by her dad.

Her mother rushed to hug her daughter.

"My baby is having a baby." Her mother said lovingly. "How are you doing? Are you handling the pain well?"

June smiled "It hurts like nothing I have ever felt before but I'm coping."

"My strong and brave girl." Her dad came forward.

"How are you my princess?" they hugged her.

"I'm okay Daddy." June looked over to him.

"Dmitri has been wonderful through all this." She praised him as her mother came over to hug him as well.

"Oh my, I'm so happy you are here." She looked at Dmitri her face alive. "You see I told you he would understand." Mrs Stapleton hugged him again. He offered her his chair beside June as he went to shake hands with her father.

"Thanks for everything; I'm happy you have forgiven her. I was a bit disappointed with the whole situation but it's good to see you at her side. Forgiveness is a good thing." Dmitri nodded at the older man a bit confused.

Is that what June wanted to tell him? She wanted him to forgive her? Did she want peace before having her child?

Franco  sent him a message and he excused himself from the room.

"We understand." June's mother told him. "Settle these issues now because soon you won't have the time when June delivers."

Dmitri met Franco outside.

"Sir the rest of the family is coming up including Mr Thompson."

Dmitri cringed at the name. He should not be surprised since any father would want to be there to see his child born. He had forgotten that June was not having his child for a minute. He had to take control of himself. He was no longer needed. He should not even be here.

"Dmitri!" he turned to be enveloped into a hug by May Stapleton.

"Hi" he responded as she stepped back.

"I'm so happy you are here, I was so shocked when Mom told me that you were with J. Thanks for forgiving her." May told him and he smiled weakly. "How is she?"

"In a lot of pain but she is handling it superbly." He had felt proud of June in the way she was dealing with labour. "It is obviously very painful but she is doing brilliantly."

"That's my sis." He let her go in to visit her sister and soon April came running in.

"Oh Dmitri so happy you are here?" she also hugged him. "You and my sis all good now?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah!" he said not wanting to explore his feelings for June again.

"Whew.... we knew she was wrong but so happy that it ended well for both of you." April also rushed in.

"How is she doing?" he asked a nurse who was leaving the room.

"She is 10 cm dilated so we are going to begin delivery soon." The nurse told him walking away.

"Mr Kanaredes, what are you doing here?" Dmitri stilled as Gared approached him.

.