Here it is - the last chapter of this story. What a journey, wasn't it? Weird that it is over now.

But, as I said, I plan to do a little epilogue. I might just fast-forward a couple of years and then have another look at the Jane family, but you can also make suggestions what you'd like to read. Anything but the wedding though, I never liked writing about those. It will probably take a while to post that epilogue since I have a vacation coming up, but I'll definitely write it eventually.

Now, enjoy chapter 11!


"Patrick!" Teresa impatiently calls up the stairs. "I'm not keen on having a home birth! Can we please leave?"

There is no reaction at all to her request. She can't really blame him that he doesn't take her seriously anymore after driving to the hospital two times before within a week and coming back home without a baby.

They first went to the hospital seven days ago, certain to be in labor. As it turned out, it was a false alarm. Five days later, incidentally also Teresa's due date, the contractions started getting more intense again. This time they were regular and six to seven minutes apart, making Teresa believe that finally it was the real deal.

When they arrived at the hospital, however, the contraction frequency got completely irregular and a cervical exam showed that there had been no progress at all since their previous trip to the hospital. Teresa was so disappointed and felt so embarrassed that she wasn't able to distinguish real from false labor, that she cried most of the way home.

For the next days she had increasingly strong, but irregular contractions that she mostly ignored. She learned her lesson and was determined to only go back to the hospital to actually give birth.

Last night things started to feel different. She woke up every hour because of strong contractions, more painful than the ones before. At 3 AM she started walking through the house as she had read that this would help to speed up contractions. In her case, it slowed them down instead. By 5 AM she went back to bed and woke Patrick up, frustrated and tired of waiting alone. They started timing the contractions together and got excited when at dawn they came only five minutes apart and lasted almost a minute.

When they had been at the hospital five days ago, they had met Dr. Parker again and, after one of Patrick's very convincing monologues, she had agreed to be there for the delivery of their baby. So when the contractions last night continued in the same pattern for over an hour and lasted even longer, they dared to call her. Teresa was relieved when she told them to come by during the morning.

Now Teresa's bag is packed and all that is missing to actually drive to the hospital is the father of her baby, who disappeared upstairs before her latest contraction to go to the bathroom.

"Patrick?" She shouts again. "Come on, nobody at the hospital will care whether your hair is perfectly styled today."

This does the trick.

"Funny." He smirks at her, walking down the stairs. "You're mean when you're in labor."

"Yeah, experiencing piercing pain every five minutes and the prospect of more pain to come does that to me. What were you doing so long?"

He holds up a camera. "I forgot where I put this after taking the final pictures of you belly. We need to document our son's first day on earth. That is, if today even is the day." He teases her.

"It is. I hope. Shouldn't you be able to judge if I'm really in labor? After all, you've been through this before."

Patrick looks a little uncomfortable, but Teresa knows that she doesn't need to apologize anymore for bringing up the past.

"Anna was born by emergency Cesarean after her heart rate suddenly dropped during a routine checkup. I wasn't allowed to be there. So..." He takes a deep breath. "... this is a first for me as well."

Teresa squeezes his hand and just wants to tell him that they'll get through this together, when another wave of pain rushes through her abdomen.

"Another one?" Patrick asks, steadying her with his arms.

She is only able to nod and rests her forehead against his chest, trying to breathe deeply and steadily. When she hears Patrick giving her breathing instructions and demonstrating the technique to her, she can't help chuckling.

"Don't make me laugh." She whispers, her body trembling with pain and laughter at the same time.

After half an eternity, just when she is sure she can't take it any longer, the contraction abates.

"I'm amazed that you even remember how to breathe." She tells him. "Seeing that you made fun of the instructor and got us kicked out of the course at the second meeting."

He doesn't seem the tiniest bit troubled by her accusation. "I'm a natural. And that DVD I got you to make up for it is priceless, isn't it?"

Suddenly Teresa wishes she had watched that DVD more often. But then again, probably not even watching it 24/7 would make her feel completely prepared for the frightening experience of child birth.

"Are you scared?" Patrick asks, soothingly rubbing her arms, as so often aware of her thoughts and feelings.

"I am." She admits. "But I really want to finally hold our son in my arms. And I look forward to being able to see my feet again."

"Well, then let's go and have a baby, shall we?" He gentlemanly offers her his arm and she links hers with it.

They make it only to the car before another contraction forces them to pause, but then they are finally on their way.

"You still want to be with me the whole time, right?" Teresa asks, in between contractions.

"Of course I do. Or did you change your mind?"

"Don't worry, I won't let you peacefully slumber in the waiting room while I squeeze out that kid." She tells him with a roguish grin. "I'm just checking if our agreement is still valid."

"It is." He leans over to kiss her when they stop at a red light. "I'll be with you the whole time and I won't get angry if you break my hand when you're in pain."

The clever remark she wants to deliver dies on her lips when another contraction makes her speechless. A look at the car radio display confirms that less than four minutes passed since the last one, so Teresa is glad when they finally arrive at the hospital.

Within half an hour she is changed into a hospital gown, has her blood pressure and temperature checked and got devices on her abdomen that monitor Sullivan's heart rate and her contractions. Finally Dr. Parker shows up to do another vaginal exam and Teresa grabs Patrick's hand, hoping that this time her cervix is dilated enough be be able to stay.

"5 cm." Dr. Parker announces. "Very good."

Teresa flashes Patrick a triumphant 'I told you so' smile and he kisses her knuckles in response. She is transferred to a labor room and is confident that now things will proceed quickly.

One hour and many contractions later her good mood is gone as she's not making any progress. At this point Teresa starts questioning her decision to refuse the pain medication or epidural Dr. Parker offered earlier, but she is still determined to get through this without them.

Patrick is a great help, rubbing her back and talking to her soothingly between contractions, but he soon learns that any touching except holding her hand while she rides out a contraction isn't welcome. All that helps her then is breathing deeply and focusing on relaxing her muscles. After a while her new technique is panting and moaning and occasionally yelling.

At noon she asks the nurse to take the monitoring equipment off so she can walk around a little, unable to find a comfortable position in bed anymore. Next she settles down in a rocking chair until this becomes uncomfortable as well. She starts getting a little hungry and asks for some chocolate pudding, much to Patrick's amusement.

She only eats a couple of spoonfuls before another contraction hits her hard and she decides to go back to bed, where she promptly throws up all of her scanty meal. The nurse tells her that this is normal for some women when she brings her a new gown, but Teresa still feels pretty embarrassed.

The next checkup shows that she is now already at 7 cm and she feels exhilarated and encouraged that at least her suffering leads to some progress. Only minutes later, in the middle of a contraction, she feels her water break. Trying to point this out to Patrick and the nurse, who are just discussing baby names, she only manages to stammer "Water."

She starts laughing when Patrick rushes to her side and brings the straw of her water glass to her lips.

"No, my water just broke." She tells him, when the pain of the contraction subsides, and reaches out to caress his confused face.

His eyes light up. "That's a good sign."

"It is." She agrees and smiles, despite the fact that her bed, and as far as she can tell also the floor, are wet all over.

The nurse gets Dr. Parker, who makes Teresa happy by telling her that her cervix has dilated even more. The happiness fades away when the next two contractions feel like her son is trying to break out through her abdominal wall. She probably looks horrible as she tries to cope with her pain, because Dr. Parker asks her again if she wants any medication. This time, she nods, frantically. She again refuses to have an epidural, but she knows she won't be able to handle the pain much longer without anything to take the edge off a little.

After Dr. Parker and the nurse leave the room to get her medication, time seems to stand still. When they are still not back after another even more painful contraction, she starts to panic.

"Tell me something." She pleads, tightening her grip on Patrick's hand.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Anything. Entertain me."

He considers possible topics for a few seconds. "Okay. Did you know that I was very intimidated by you when I first met you?"

"Right." She chuckles, ignoring the pain that seems to spread out all over her body now. "Is that why you were totally smug and tried to undermine my authority right away?"

"I figured offense was the best defense after seeing how you blasted that poor policeman." He tells her with a grin. "You looked especially beautiful though in your anger."

She snorts, but isn't able to reply due to another strong contraction. This time she doesn't protest when Patrick climbs into bed with her and holds her tightly until she is almost pain-free again for a little while.

She turns around to face him. "Did you know that I considered you as a possible father for my future children right when we first met?"

"Actually, I did. You had that certain sparkle in your eyes." He teases her and kisses her forehead when she rolls her eyes.

He changes his position a little and pulls her between his legs, so that her back is resting against his chest and she can feel his heart beating against her. His hands gently stroke her belly and she starts feeling more comfortable than she did ever since she came to the hospital.

"This is nice. I think I can stay like this for a while." She tells him, when Dr. Parker finally returns and apologizes that another patient kept her away so long.

"That's okay, Patrick helped me to get through the pain." Teresa reassures her and holds on to Patrick's hands when the contractions return with full force.

After getting a small dose of Nubain, Teresa feels her strength returning as she is finally able to relax more or to even doze off between contractions. Dr. Parker leaves again after making sure that Teresa still isn't ready to deliver the baby. The nurse checks on them every ten minutes, but for almost an hour no further development happens.

As labor gets more intense, Teresa's starts getting more introverted. She tries to conjure up nice memories and images to block out the contractions. A summer day at the pool with her mother and brothers. The look on Patrick's face when she made it clear that she wants to be more than friends. The wonderful feeling of waking up next to him in the morning. The beautifully decorated room for their son, completely finished only a week ago.

She snaps back to reality all of a sudden and sends Patrick to get someone when she feels her son dropping and turning with a hard contraction. A frustrated groan escapes her mouth when she is told that she is still only at 8,5 cm. After several more painful minutes, she starts feeling the pressure and need to push and the nurse calls for Dr. Parker. Patrick sits down next to her and she clings to him while she rides out another contraction.

She is relieved when the doctor tells her that she is finally completely dilated, but her hopes to get to the last stage of labor are destroyed when she still isn't allowed to push yet. She understands when Dr. Parker tells her that her cervix could swell or tear if she doesn't wait, but at this point she is beyond caring what might happen to her body. She just wants this to be over with and be rewarded for all the trouble with a baby in her arms.

She tries to pant, then tries to hyperventilate just to help her stop pushing, but she barely can take it any longer. Without Patrick, she probably would have argued with the doctor and tried to get her way, but his voice filters down to her and manages to make her more patient than she thought possible.

"You've made it this far, the rest will be a piece of cake." He tries to convince her and she wonders how he can stay so calm. "Remember, you can always break my hand if you need to."

She moans and turns to her side to face him, holding on to his arms for support, and discovers that he looks more worn out and worried than his voice made her believe. It makes her smile, seeing that he, figuratively, is in labor with her. With his help, locking her eyes with his, she makes it through two more contractions without pushing, even though the urge is overwhelming.

She rolls herself onto her back and, after another checkup, the doctor finally speaks the redeeming words. "Okay, you can push now."

Even though this is exactly what she was waiting for, Teresa suddenly feels unable to do anything. Everything starts fading away. The beeping sound of the heart monitor. Patrick. The doctor. The nurse.

"Teresa!" Patrick's face emerges only inches away from hers and ends her torpor.

"Teresa?" Dr. Parker chimes in. "You really need to push now. When the next contraction comes, I want you to take a deep breath and push through the pain."

Patrick smiles at her encouragingly, his face tense but his look loving and encouraging. "Come on, let's try this. I'm right here at your side."

Teresa nods and feels prepared enough to follow the doctor's instruction when the pain returns. After pushing through three contractions, she gets a little discouraged because, as far as she can tell, nothing changes. Apparently there is progress though, as Dr. Parker announces that she can see the baby's head. When the nurse asks if Teresa would like a mirror to see for herself, she says yes. All she can see in the mirror is a little bit of dark hair on her son's head, but that's all she needs to really, finally want him to come out.

She starts pushing more forcefully, but gets distracted when Patrick announces that he's not feeling very well. It never occurred to her before that he of all people might get queasy while watching his baby being born. The nurse rushes to get him some orange juice, and he is back to normal right after drinking it. Maybe only the lack of food or fluids and the stress of taking care of her weakened him.

After pushing four more times, Teresa feels a slight burning and stretching of her perineum and immense relief as her son's head finally, miraculously emerges into the world. Dr. Parker cheers her on to push once more and suddenly the doctor holds a wet, squirmy baby in her arms.

At 5:27 PM, almost exactly seven hours (that felt much longer) after his parents arrived at the hospital, Sullivan fills his lungs with air and starts crying for the very first time. For Teresa and Patrick it's the sweetest sound they ever heard, even though they stare at him incredulously and can't quite believe that he is all of a sudden there. It feels surreal at first to be parents, but when the nurse puts the baby on Teresa's chest everything changes. His tiny little body feels soft and wonderful against her skin. He has dark blue eyes and a full head of dark hair that Teresa can't help stroking softly with her fingertips.

She looks from her son to Patrick and back, too overwhelmed to say anything and he seems to have the same problem. For a few moments Teresa and Patrick just enjoy looking at their perfect little miracle, amazed when he wrinkles his nose and then stops crying. Dr. Parker asks Patrick to cut the umbilical cord and Sullivan is wrapped in a blanket to keep him warm. Teresa tries to nurse Sullivan for the first time. At this point, he doesn't seem very interested in her breast though.

"He's probably only groggy from the delivery now. You can try later, after he's been looked over." The nurse hurries to appease her, noticing Teresa's agitation.

An infant nurse appears to examine the baby, but Teresa and Patrick are not ready yet to part with their son. Only after admiring him for a minute longer and telling him how wonderful and special and loved he is, they reluctantly hand him over to the nurse. Teresa hardly notices the expulsion of the afterbirth or Dr. Parker stitching up the small tear she suffered during the delivery, she is too engrossed in watching what is happening to Sullivan. He is weighed and measured and has to endure several tests, stating his opinion about all this several times by screaming loudly.

Patrick is with him and updates Teresa with every new result, like that their son weighs 8 pounds and 2 ounces, is 20.5 inches long and is absolutely healthy.

After what seems like an eternity, Teresa finally holds Sullivan in her arms again to give nursing another try. This time his mouth at least finds her nipple and he sucks at it a few times, but then he is more eager to yawn. So they decide to get him bathed and dressed first and Teresa encourages Patrick to accompany their son, feeling much better knowing that he will be there with him while she still needs to rest for a while.

She is moved over to a private room and she feels happy, tired and impatient to see Patrick and their son again - all at the same time. Determined to wait until her boys come back, she fights to stay awake, but soon she is helpless against the urge to sleep after being awake for such a long, stressful time.

When she opens her eyes again, it is almost dark outside, and she instantly detects the source of the sound that woke her up. Baby Sullivan, though safely protected in his father's arms, cries his eyes out.

"Look, mommy is awake." Patrick softly tells his son, and, much to Teresa's amazement, the crying stops immediately.

Teresa sits up and tells Patrick to bring the baby over. He tenderly places Sullivan in her arms and kisses first her lips and then the baby's forehead. "I think he might be hungry now."

Sullivan again doesn't latch on immediately, causing Patrick to reason with him. "Hey, she offered you her breast, buddy. Offers like that get rare when you grow up, you should accept it."

Teresa rolls her eyes, but to her great relief her son finally begins nursing.

"He must be really related to you, never able to resist a female breast." She comments with a smirk when Sullivan slurps loudly and appreciatively.

Patrick sits down at the edge of the bed and for almost an hour they watch their son drink and Patrick takes the first snapshots for their family album.

"How do you feel?" Patrick whispers at one point.

"A little sore, but happy." She replies with a smile. After another look at the bundle of joy in her arms, she adds, "Like a mom. It's the best feeling in the world."

He grins at her. "Feeling like a dad isn't bad at all either."

"Sullivan does suit him, doesn't it?" He asks after another few minutes of silently observing their son's drinking habits.

"Sullivan Patrick Jane." Teresa speaks out the full name of their son for the first time. "Nope, I couldn't think of any better name for him."

"Jane, really?"

"Sullivan Lisbon doesn't sound half as fancy. Besides, it would make no sense to give him my last same since I'll shed that name anyway sooner or later."

He beams with pride and joy, but then gets serious. "Well, since you mention it... I know I promised you pomp and all, but I can't really think of a more perfect moment to do this. I don't even have a ring yet, but... "

He is silenced by her lips before he can finish the sentence.

"Yes, I will marry you." She tells him with a smile after pulling back. "I don't need a ring. I only need you. And this little fellow here."

"You are really desperate to get married, huh?" He mischievously grins at her. "Not even letting me finish with my proposal before answering."

Their banter is interrupted when Sullivan begins to wriggle in her arms, obviously sated for now. Patrick quickly gets a cloth to place on Teresa's shoulder and she props the baby against her body. His little back settles into her palms, his hand rests on her chest and he sighs. Teresa gently rubs between his shoulders and he burps, spits up only a little, and the wrinkles above his tiny nose soften. Before she knows it, he falls asleep in her hands.

Carefully she shifts his body a little so she cradles him in her arms and they can watch him sleep.

"He really looks like a tiny version of you." Teresa says tenderly, after deliberately analyzing Sullivan's delicate features.

"He's a good-looking boy." Patrick concurs, and she is too infatuated with her son's perfectness to tease him about his self-praise.

Patrick softly touches the baby's lips with his fingertips, producing a cute pout. "He has your mouth though. And I'm pretty sure his hair will stay dark."

"He's a good mix of both of us then."

"He's perfect. And we weren't even trying." He adds, referring to the unexpectedness of the pregnancy that turned their world upside down.

"Imagine what we can achieve next time." She teases, only half joking.

"Really?" He is surprised. "Not that I wouldn't like to have more kids with you, but after seeing you give birth, I would understand if any woman wouldn't want to go through this more than once. Really, I'm proud of you. I probably would have fainted after the first contraction if I had to squeeze him out."

"It was pretty bad." She agrees, touched by his words. "But I think it could have been much worse. In the end, all the pain was definitely worth it, don't you think?"

Looking at his sleeping son in Teresa's arms, Patrick really isn't in the position to argue over this.

"Can you put him in his crib and bring it closer to the bed?" Teresa requests when she is sure that Sullivan is fast asleep.

After Sullivan has settled down in this crib, Patrick sits down next to her again. "Do you think the nurses would frown upon me joining you in bed?"

"Since when do you care what people frown upon?" She asks with raised eyebrows and pats the mattress.

She places her head on his chest after he climbs into bed with her and they both keep looking at Sullivan.

"I could watch him sleep for hours." Teresa announces, feeling herself getting tired again as well.

"He is very entertaining." Patrick replies sleepily.

Suddenly Teresa is wide awake again. "What is that?" She asks, pointing at a huge teddy bear in a corner of the room.

"Oh, that. Sullivan's very first gift. He'll have to grow into it."

"Let me guess, Grace was here?" Teresa concludes, unable to think of anyone else enthusiastic enough about her son's arrival to buy such a toy.

"Bingo. She got here right after I called them at work." Patrick confirms with a smile. "She'll come back tomorrow and she'll bring Cho. And Rigsby, if she finds a way to drag him along. I suggested bribing him with food."

"That could work." Teresa laughingly agrees. "Did she see Sullivan?"

"Yes, through the window when he was at the children's ward. He already has her wrapped around his little finger. I think it was a good idea to ask her to be his godmother."

"Definitely. Did you call my brothers?"

"I did, and my parents. I can't believe I forgot to mention it."

"Looks like Grace isn't the only one who's affected by Sullivan's charm, huh?" She teases him. "What did they say?"

"Your brother Michael wishes us all the best and can't wait to come visit. Your brother Robert pretty much said the same. But he also wants me to tell you that he really appreciated talking to me on the phone and to know now that I'm not only a figment of your imagination. He wonders if he'll ever meet the man face to face who knocked up his big sister."

"That totally sounds like Rob." Teresa remarks, smiling at the thought of her little, sassy brother. "I hope you told him that it wasn't my fault that we weren't at home when he showed up announced last month."

"I did, no worries. My parents are thrilled about their newborn grandson, even though my dad will probably need some time to get over the fact that Patrick is only his middle name and my mom picked a fight because she still hasn't met you. I had to tell her that she is welcome anytime, so don't be surprised if she's waiting for us at home right after we leave the hospital."

"I can deal with your parents." Teresa mumbles sleepily against his chest, her exhaustion finally taking over. "It's a piece of cake compared to bearing a child."

Patrick gently strokes her hair, making her feel happy and relaxed and sleepy. She is about to doze off, when another thought enters her mind.

"Hey, do you remember the brand of condoms we used when I got pregnant?" She asks Patrick, out of the blue.

"Ehm, yes. Why?"

She smiles against his chest. "Remind me to write them a thank-you letter for the crappy quality of their product."

He chuckles and places a kiss on top of her head.

"Try to sleep a little, until Sullivan wants a second serving." He tells her and Teresa snuggles up to him.

Falling asleep, she basks in the wonderful feeling of being loved by the father of her son, by her best friend. And most of all, by the love of her life.