Well, readers, there may be others in the series to fill in some gaps but this instalment is the arrival of the Ellis-Caffrey baby.

Part of the series 'Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure' which includes (if you want to read in order) 'Coloring outside the lines' 'Stolen art, stolen kisses' 'Sweet, salty or sour' 'A rose by any other name' 'Alfredo sauce and bowling balls' and 'Fortune cookie, anyone?'

Hope it lives up to expectations!

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(Week 40)

Chapter 1

'So, Peter, anything on the horizon this week' asked Neal as he fell into step with Peter on Pearl Street.

'Nothing that I know of, still cleaning up after the Morris case' he said 'How are you? Sleeping ok?'

'As well as one can when you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sara was due yesterday, and still nothing' Neal answered. 'She's starting to be impatient and she's having a lot of trouble sleeping'

'It must be uncomfortable' added Peter 'She's humongous!'

'Thank you Peter!' Neal said sarcastically. 'It's a good thing she's not here to hear you say that. She is so sensitive right now. She cries at anything and she yells at me for stupid things. She's frustrated and she can barely get up off a kitchen chair, let alone the couch or the bed so if I'm not around, she could be stuck there for hours.'

'Regrets?' asked Peter

'Not at all. It's just a rough patch. We can't wait to see the baby's little face and bring her home. Did I tell you I finally finished the mural in her room?'

'Wow, that was one long project. Didn't you start back in November?'

'I did but I'm really pleased with the result. Why don't you and Elizabeth come over and see it tonight - maybe help Sara get her mind off things' said Neal.

'Well, you don't make it sound like much fun, Neal. Do we really want to get in the line of fire?'

'Naw, she controls herself with other people. I'm the one who gets the brunt of it' he added, shrugging dutifully.

They had finally arrived in front of their office building and were climbing the stairs to the main entrance when Diana walked up.

'Hey boss, Neal' she said by way of greeting.

'Good morning, Diana' said Peter smiling 'Shall we go find out what awaits us on the 21st floor this fine morning'

Everyone seemed busy at their various tasks when the elevator doors opened. Jones waved as Peter walked by and Neal went to sit at his desk, setting his coffee cup down next to Socrates. He went back to the files he was perusing the day before but he was having trouble concentrating. What with the lack of sleep, the anxiety and the lack of stimulation at work, it was all he could do to stay focussed let alone awake.

'Here's a weird one' said Jones 'one single piece of art was stolen last night from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Who takes just one piece?'

'What is it?' asked Neal, intrigued.

'Um, let's see... a sculpture 'Le sarcophage des époux'

'I know that piece' said Neal 'It's beautiful but it's not worth all that much. Were the thieves interrupted?'

'Not that I can tell' answered Jones

'I'm going to take this to Peter' said Neal 'anything so I don't have to look at another mortgage fraud case'

WCWCWCWCWCWC

Sara arrived home from her walk and prepared to begin the long, slow climb up to the third floor. She'd been trying all the tricks she'd read about to induce labor including exercise but to no avail. In her present state, climbing the stairs was arduous and somewhat dangerous. Neal didn't like her going out by herself at this point in her pregnancy but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, she thought. She'd also been trying to get Neal interested in sex – which was another well known labor inducer - but Neal had seemed distant and uninterested. Can you blame him, she thought, I'm as big as a house and he can barely reach the interesting body parts! She was sighing loudly when she heard June come out from the back of the house.

'Hello Sara' said June with her even and calming voice.

'Oh, hi June' Sara replied, out of breath. 'Do you mind if I sit here for a minute before I tackle these stairs. It's gotten almost impossible lately'

'Well, my dear, you shouldn't be climbing those stairs by yourself in your condition. What if you had a contraction on your way up?' said June, full of concern.

'I have been having contractions off and on but last week, at my doctor's appointment, Dr. Cooper said I hadn't started dilating yet so it's not going to be for a few days, I'm afraid.'

'You know, Sara, you've just given me an idea. Come with me' said June as she started for the back of the house where she had appeared from.

Sara followed June into a section of the house she had never seen before. Beyond the kitchen and dining room, there was a corridor that led to some rooms one of which she followed June into. It was a beautiful bedroom with a large window overseeing the back garden of the house. It had a king size bed and although it was obviously a room which had been occupied by a young woman, it was tastefully decorated and open and airy.

'This was my daughter's room before she got married and moved away' said June 'You know, I'm leaving tonight to visit her in Florida' June said 'Why don't you and Neal move down here for the next week or until the baby arrives, anyway. You've got everything you need down here, the kitchen is just down the hall, dining room, living room and anything else you could need. That way, you wouldn't have to navigate the stairs. I would feel so much better knowing you're not going up and down that staircase when I'm not here and Neal is at work.'

'Wow, that's quite an offer' said Sara looking over the space. It was certainly all they needed and more and it would make coming in and out of the house a lot easier. 'Why don't I discuss it with Neal when he gets home' she said, smiling.

'June!' they could hear in the distance. It was Neal and he was sounding frantic. 'June, are you home?'

'Back here' said June as she and Sara started towards the front of the house

'June, Sara's not upstairs. Do you know where she is – ' As he spoke, he came around the corner and saw Sara standing behind June. He gave a heavy sigh and ran towards them, hugging her.

'What are you doing down here? Did you come down by yourself?' he said visibly upset

'Neal, I'm a thirty one year old woman. I can come and go as I please' she said harshly. She immediately regretted the tone of voice she had used and looked down, embarrassed to be giving Neal a hard time in front of June.

June, smart lady that she was, was not getting involved in this. 'I'll leave you two to talk' she said, walking away.

'I'm sorry, Neal' Sara said after a moment 'I know I've been a bitch lately. I'm feeling like this baby is never going to come' she said dissolving into tears as she let herself drop into a nearby armchair.

'I know, I know, it's hard on you. You're miserable and uncomfortable and you've been going on just a couple of hours sleep a night for the past week' Neal said as he sat on the arm of the chair, putting his arm around her.

'What have I done to deserve you?' said Sara 'You've done nothing but be sweet and understanding the whole time and all I do is pick on you. I wouldn't blame you if –

'Hey, hey, hold it right there. I'm not perfect – as you well know. You've definitely got the brunt of this. I get to stand around and worry about you but I haven't been carrying a baby on my insides for nine long months'

Sara smiled feebly trying to gain control of her emotions. Once she gained her composure, she told Neal about June's offer and he immediately agreed that it was a wonderful idea.

'I'll go up and get what we need for tonight; you just sit here and relax, ok?' he said giving her a kiss on the forehead.

As they lay in bed that night looking out at the stars, Neal put his head on Sara's abdomen and facing the baby, he began to talk to her, telling her to sleep well. He started softly singing 'Twinkle, twinkle little star'. Sara had never found him sexier and she let him know in no uncertain terms when he settled in beside her. Neal responded to her kiss and then he offered the crook of his arm. 'Let's just cuddle' he whispered. Sara, disappointed, settled in for another long night with little sleep.

And so it came to pass that Neal and Sara temporarily moved in to the first floor of June's mansion and continued to wait for the arrival of their daughter.