Chapter 10

1:48 a.m.

'Sara, listen to me' said Dr. Cooper 'It's time to push'

Sara nodded, incapable of talking. Neal had positioned himself behind her on the bed to support her back and help her sit up straighter so she could push more efficiently. He was holding her hands on either side of her body and she was squeezing so tight, he thought he would never regain sensation again.

'You're doing it, Sara' he said in her ear as she began to push with all her strength.

'Ok, stop and breathe' said Dr. Cooper after a few seconds

Sara let herself fall back against Neal and moaned softly.

'Good work, now a couple more like that and the head will be out. Can you do one more for me now, Sara?'

'It hurts' screamed Sara and her voice cut through Neal like a knife.

'I know it hurts, but this baby only has one way out, Sara. You're almost done. Don't give up now' said Dr. Cooper

'Arrrrrggg' Sara let out a noise that came from deep inside her as she once again pushed as hard as she possibly could. She could feel Neal behind her, holding her and keeping her from completely collapsing.

'Very good' said Dr. Cooper, encouraging her. Look in the mirror, there's the top of the head, see? Oh, she's got her daddy's hair' she added, by way of incentive to keep Sara's spirits up. 'I need you to go again, Sara. This is the hardest part, I promise'

Sara nodded and sat up again, groaning and letting out this guttural noise Neal had never heard before. She pushed for about thirty seconds then Dr. Cooper instructed her to stop. Neal could see the doctor glancing repeatedly at the monitor which measured the baby's heart rate and blood flow. Why was she checking that thing constantly, he wondered.

Not wanting to alarm Sara, he didn't want to ask the question outright but it became apparent there was some sort of problem when Dr. Cooper spoke:

'Sara, I'm going to need you to push some more, your baby needs more oxygen and we need to get her out as fast as we can, ok?'

'What?' said Sara alarmed and seemingly disoriented

'It's ok. Let's just do what the doctor said, Sara. You can do this, come on, I'll push with you – come on let's take a deep breath' said Neal with a calmness that belied his inner anxiety.

Neal's gentle tone of voice seemed to have a calming effect on Sara and she took a giant breath of air as she mimicked him and began to push with all her might.

'There we go' said Dr. Cooper 'Good one, the head's out'

Neal could see the dark head of hair in the mirror that had been installed for them and he immediately felt a rush of excitement.

'Ok, Sara, one more huge push so we can get the shoulders out and you're all done. You can do this' said Dr. Cooper

Neal braced himself to support Sara and she took another giant gulp of air to see her through the final push.

'You're doing it, Sara, you're amazing' he couldn't help but say as tears began to sting his eyes. At last, the baby slipped out and Karen was nearby to take her and lay her on a towel. She suctioned her little mouth and within seconds they heard her take her first breath and begin to cry.

Neal and Sara stared with astonishment at the sight of their baby as she was scooped up by Dr. Cooper and placed on Sara's belly for both of them to see.

Sara began sobbing, this time in joy and relief and Neal joined her, overcome by emotion at this moment they had waited for so long.

'Would you like to cut the cord, dad?' Dr. Cooper asked looking at Neal.

He wiggled out from behind Sara and finally facing her, he saw Sara's beautiful face looking down at their daughter and he knew his life would never be the same again. He muddled through the cutting of the umbilical cord with a little help from the nurse and the baby was wiped down and put in Sara's arms for the first time. Neal, shaking, climbed back up onto the bed with Sara and put his arm around his new family.

'I can't believe this is really happening' said Sara, softly. Neal stared, hypnotized by the sight of his little girl, so tiny, yet so complete. 'She's so beautiful' he finally said, in a trance. 'We did this, you and me, it's incredible'

2:53 a.m.

Neal stepped out into the waiting room and saw all their friends including Jones and Diana who had not been there when he had last checked an hour ago. When he appeared, they all turned towards him and seeing the smile on his face, everyone visibly relaxed as they waited for him to say the words.

'Would you all like to come and meet our daughter' he finally said

There were sounds of joy from everyone present and they all paraded into the room, one by one following Neal who was leading the way.

As the door opened, Sara saw their friends and family walk in and she gave them the brightest smile they had ever seen. In her arms, was the baby that everyone had been waiting for.

The group gathered around them, ready to welcome Neal and Sara's daughter into the fold. She lay quietly in her mother's arms, then her dad's and finally she was passed around first to her godparents and then to all the well-wishers who found themselves there in the middle of the night.

Sara was exhausted but she and Neal both had this foolish grin on their faces that just wouldn't fade and probably wouldn't for a long, long time.

At 7 pounds, 4 ounces, baby Ellis-Caffrey was a good size, strong yet dainty – just like her mother. She had scored a 9 on the APGAR which was now reason for her parents to brag. She had lost a point to account for the little bit of distress she had been in just before she was born but she had recuperated within minutes. This wouldn't be last time that Neal and Sara would be proud of their daughter's accomplishements.

She had a full head of hair, dark, like Neal's and her eyes were blue although it was impossible to know if they would remain that color. The shape of her eyes and her forehead were reminiscent of her mother's although her nose and mouth looked more like Neal's. One thing was certain, with parents as strong as the two of them, she was going to be her own person and not a carbon copy of either one of them.

Elizabeth, proud godmother, became very emotional upon holding the baby for the first time. Sara knew of Elizabeth's struggle with infertility and hoped that the baby's presence would not be the cause of any unease for her. Elizabeth hugged Sara and whispered : 'I am so happy for you; thanks for inviting me to be a part of your baby's life' and in that moment, Sara was reassured that they would somehow be able to get through any temporary heartbreak Elizabeth might be feeling.

Peter, was more reserved in his reaction but when he held his goddaughter, he seemed like a natural and he looked up at Neal : 'You did good, kid' he said and he suddenly got choked up. He kissed the baby's forehead and smelled her new baby smell and seemed to realize the enormity of the role he would be playing in her life. He was confident that her presence would inspire Neal to continue to strive for balance in his life.

When June's turn came, her eyes filled with tears. Neal was the closest thing she had to a son and their relationship had blossomed over the past three years. She knew things about him that no one else knew (not even him) and she had secretly hoped that he would find a way to have the happiness she knew he deserved. The thought of having this little one in her home, even in the short term, filled her with joy.

Uncle Mozzie, who hated hospitals more than all of them put together, sat patiently waiting his turn and didn't complain once. He also had a goofy smile on his face as he looked at his long-time buddy, bursting with pride. Maybe he had been wrong about 'forever not being for guys like them'. He wouldn't mind being wrong just this once as long as Neal didn't go totally establishment on him.

'There are going to be some tired people at the office, tomorrow' said Peter looking at Diana and Jones

'It's well worth it' said Diana, smiling as she held the little one. She had been talking about having a baby with Christie and she seemed particularly quiet when her turn came. She was examining the infant and seemed in awe of how tiny and complete she seemed.

Jones, who seemed the most awkward when the baby was handed to him, looked down at her and smiled, showing a most gentle side that wasn't always apparent on a day to day basis.

What was it about a baby that made everyone giddy, hopeful and optimistic about the future. If only this feeling could be bottled, a fortune could be made.

After a while, the inevitable question of a name for the baby came up.

Neal and Sara looked knowingly at each other. They had had many discussions on this topic but now that they had seen her beautiful face, it had become very clear. She represented a promise of a brighter future for both her parents and her name reflected that.

Neal took his daughter in his arms and walked back to the bed where he sat next to Sara who was still beaming.

'We would like you all to meet Hope Elizabeth Ellis-Caffrey' said Neal.

There was a round of applause as Elizabeth let out a gasp of pure joy and surprise.

After everyone had finally gone home, Neal and Sara were left alone with Hope as they prepared to sleep for a few hours. The nurse had already been in to help coach Sara with breastfeeding techniques and Hope had begun to get the hang of it and had taken a small amount of milk. She was sleeping peacefully in Sara's arms and although she was exhausted, she didn't want to put her down. She finally handed Hope over to Neal who placed her in the bassinette by the bed and they both lay down facing in her direction so they could continue to admire her.

Neal curled up around Sara and spoke softly in her ear : 'You were incredible. Look at her, she's perfect' Sara turned to look in his face : 'She is. I couldn't have done this without you.'

He kissed the mother of his baby and despite their best intentions, after a little while, their eyes could not stay open any longer and they fell asleep to the sound of their daughter's breathing.

And that was the beginning of another brand new adventure for Sara, Neal and their daughter Hope Ellis-Caffrey.

La fin

Thanks to everyone for reading!

I hope you have enjoyed this story and the whole series which chronicled Sara and Neal's path to parenthood. I have one more story in the works which takes place two weeks later. I hate to say goodbye – I had such a great time writing this series of stories but now that season 5 is about to start and apparently Neal will meet a new love interest, I feel like I should be closing the books on Neal and Sara. That's how I see things for now…. thanks to all of you who read, enjoyed and commented.