Author's Note: Final Chapter! Hope you enjoyed the little tale. It was fun to write!

I Could Hardly Refuse: Life

I closed my eyes, nearly biting a hole in my lip to keep from screaming as another wave of pain hit. I grabbed hold of the nearest thing I could, just for some kind of support, not really paying attention to what it was, though it felt kind of odd, soft, fuzzy. And I heard some kind of yelp that sounded like a puppy after its tail had been pulled. I cracked an eye open, just a little to shoot a glare at my nurse, a lady who'd really been too damn perky for my tastes… freaking three in the morning… and we'd been here since noon yesterday. Another pain hit and that damned puppy yelped again. What the hell was a puppy doing in the hospital? Especially in Labor and Delivery?

"Mrs. Barton, please release Mr. Maxwell's hair…" I gave a glare at the nurse who didn't even have the courtesy to acknowledge it! Her eyes stayed on the monitor as she attempted to help Maxwell pry his braid out of my grasp. Needless to say, they weren't making any progress as I gave it a tug.

"Easy, Peach!" God, if that man calls me that one more time I'm going to yank that braid off! My current hold of it gave every indication that I have the capability to scalp him without the use of a tomahawk! I mean, I might be a little round at the moment, and certainly covered with fuzz because I haven't been able to reach my damn legs to shave. Still, I'm no goddamned peach!

"Maxwell… I'm only going to ask once more…," I calmly said, strained through clenched teeth as I tried to concentrate on my breathing. "Where… the HELL… is TROWA?" Okay, not so calm anymore, I screamed it at him as he tried to pry my fingers from around his ridiculous braid, causing me to give it a yank again. Serves him right. I didn't know what the hell he was doing there, to begin with. And what's the story with the damn hair? I know he gets completely pissed when people mistake him for a woman… The nurse has already done it several times… "MAXWELL!" I tugged on his braid once more, for good measure

"Ow..ow..ow..ow.. Easy, Babe!" At least it wasn't 'Peach', this time, but that's just as bad! "Quat's gone to get him!" He tried again to pull his lifeline free from my grasp, succeeding only because the pain subsided, just briefly, and my grip loosened. He quickly moved away from the bed.

"Mrs. Barton, we can't wait for your husband…" She gave me an apologetic look, backing away just a little as I shot her a glare.

"Uh-uh… This baby's not going ANYWHERE until its daddy is standing RIGHT HERE!" I was rewarded by another wave of pain and damn it Maxwell was out of reach! Wasn't the epidural supposed to be easing this damned pain? And, obviously, the baby and I had different ideas of how this was going to go.

Fraidy-cat Maxwell made a dash for the door, only to have it thrown in his face as it was swung open from the other side. It would have been funny as hell if I wasn't in so much goddamned pain! "TROWA!" I screamed at him as he ran towards me, nearly tripping over Maxwell in the process, apparently forgetting all acrobatic grace as he stumbled for balance. The scene of the antics of an expecting father would have been funny, again, if it wasn't for the freaking pain!

He stopped long enough to yank Maxwell by the arm up off the floor and shove him out the door. Two long strides and he was beside me, my hand instantly grabbing his, squeezing it tightly, screaming. "Where the hell have you been?" He, wisely, gave me no response, just offering me a smile as the doctor walked in. Damn, all it takes is a look from him to shut me up at times…

Something seemed strange when I woke up. For a moment I wasn't sure I was really awake, you know that feeling, that you're aware without really being AWARE... Nothing was focused, everything was a big white blur. And all I could hear was the rhythmic beeping of a damned monitor of some sort, it was really annoying, by the way. I felt Trowa's fingertips brush alongside my face and it took another moment or two before my eyes finally focused on his, one second filled with worry, then they flashed in relief. Something had happened during the delivery? My brows furrowed with worry at him, but I couldn't find the voice to ask, my mouth and throat felt dry. And, overall, I just felt so weak…

"You ripped an artery during delivery… Dr. Barry had a hard time controlling the bleeding before he could stitch you up." His voice was as soothing as ever, but there was a twinge of worry in it, which was unusual. Blood loss would explain the passing out and the reason I was feeling so weak… But what was with the worry? Obviously the doctor gained control of the situation.

Wait a minute… we just had a baby! Where's the baby? Correction, where's MY baby?

I heard a soft chuckle from my husband. "The baby is fine, very healthy. Cathy's in the nursery with her right now." Her? We had a girl! Crap… that means Maxwell won the bet… Nearly all of us had been expecting a boy… Not that I'm not happy to have a girl, I mean, I wanted a boy, but I'm just glad she's healthy!

Even though he only had a small smile on his face, I could have sworn Trowa was laughing on the inside as he looked down at me, his fingers continuing to stroke my cheek. He always knew what was going on inside my head…

His smile disappeared and worry filled his eyes again as his hand moved from my cheek to run through my hair. "You lost a lot of blood before he managed to get it under control… I thought I might lose you…"

I offered him a weak smile, raising a hand to just lightly brush across his cheek. He caught my hand in his and held it. I tried to reinforce my smile as I felt his hand tremble. He really had been frightened. I tried to get my voice to cooperate, but the dryness just made it come out in a raspy whisper.

"Old soldiers never die, Trowa… We just fade away… But I've got a baby waiting to meet her mother, so I'm not fading any time soon…" Both of us seemed to find a little more strength as he laughed, and I clutched his hand as tightly as I could.

How can such a little creature… make grown men act like a bumbling bunch of blabbering idiots…? I leaned against the pillows, sitting upright in the hospital bed, trying my best not to laugh as I watched Maxwell and Quatre speak a totally different language to my daughter in Cathy's arms, as if she could understand or hear any of it, for that matter. From the look of Trowa's smile on his face, it was apparent he was trying to resist the urge, himself.

"So what'cha gonna name her, Tro? Mia?" Thank God, he didn't call me 'peach' or 'babe'… I was sure, even though I was still a little weak, I'd have no trouble darting out of this bed to strangle him with his own braid… He gave us both a glance, and Quatre and Cathy joined him.

I looked up at Trowa as he eased down on the bed beside me, our eyes locked for several moments before he turned to Maxwell and company. "We… we hadn't really discussed it, yet…"

We hadn't. To tell you the truth, I hadn't even considered a name. I think there may have been a part of me that thought I really couldn't succeed in having a healthy child, but here she was. Trowa and I remained silent for a long time.

"Well, boys, I think it's time we get out of here and let them talk," Cathy's voice broke the silence and she stood, gently lowering our daughter into Trowa's waiting arms before taking her husband in one arm and Maxwell in the other. "Come on, Mia still needs rest anyhoo…"

I laid my head on Trowa's shoulder, neither of us really acknowledging a goodbye as they left. We both stared quietly into our baby's sleeping face, having not been bothered by the sudden movement from one set of arms to the other. She was good tempered, for the most part, not very fussy at all. That might change when we got her home, but… She was perfect. Even the nurses constantly commented on what an angel she was.

Trowa gave a glance toward me, silently asking. What do you think?

"I'm not too good with names, Trowa…" I smiled, thinking of the first gift he ever gave me, giving him a small nudge with my shoulder as his eyes smiled in response, apparently thinking the same thing.

He shifted her into one arm as he traced her small face with his fingers, much like he had done with me when he pondered over that gift to me. A smile graced his lips as he looked at me.

"Angel…"

A wonderful name… And he would know by now… I would never refuse anything he gave.

Author's Note: And that's it! And I've gotten hooked on Mia and Trowa. I actually think I might pour them into another story, not sure yet. Still got two to finish! Comments welcome!