Welcome Little Girl!

Eric hadn't felt so much emotion bubble up inside him since the moment he and Calleigh kissed for the first time. He swallowed hard to keep his emotions under control. Right now he had help his wife through the final hurdle of bringing their long-awaited daughter into the world.

Alexx had checked on her friends just before their doctor Calleigh was fully dilated and ready to push. She left the room wanting to let the couple greet their daughter alone, of course if they needed her and asked to come back in, she would do so. The doctor explained and then adjusted Calleigh's epidural so that she wouldn't feel all the pain but she feel the contractions so she could push effectively. She told the couple she would that a few moments to take effect, then she and a nurse began set the room up for the delivery.

"Eric," Calleigh whimpered, a tear running down the corner of her eyelid. "I'm scared."

Eric knew she was scared of this last phase of labor, scared she wouldn't be to get through it and also scared because she didn't want to feel the pain again. He had seen the look of fear flash in her eyes when the physician had said the epidural was being lowered, her brain screamed no, don't!

"Hey," he said, wiping the tear away with his thumb. "Sweetheart, You can do this! You're so strong. I'll help you every step of the way, Calleigh. Every time it hurts, think of our baby, okay? "

Eric could tell in less than five minutes that his wife was now feeling much more. He squeezed her hand as the top of the bed was raised slightly and Calleigh's legs were put in the stirrups. Calleigh gulped nervously. The doctor noticed.

"Calleigh," the woman said in a tone to comfort her patient. "Calleigh, look at me."

The CSI looked at the other woman.

"You're going to be fine. All right? We're going to do this at a slow, steady pace. Eric's here, he's going to help you and we're going to help you, too. Okay?"

Calleigh nodded.

"You know what to do, dad?" The nurse asked Eric. "You know how this is done? You guys went to prenatal classes?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah. I know." He knew right now he had to steady both his nerves and emotions and be totally calm to coach his wife through the last of her labor.

In the Waiting Room...

Alexx re-entered the waiting room, looking emotional to her anxious co-workers.

"Alexx?" Horatio said. "Everything okay?"

Alexx smiled. "It's going to be very soon."

Meanwhile, back in the labor room...

"Okay Calleigh," Eric whispered to his wife, one arm supporting her shoulders and holding her other hand. "Push, two, three, four.."

"Oh my god!" Calleigh cried out. "It hurts! Eric, I can't!"

"Calleigh," Eric said, taking his wife's face into his hands. "Listen to me, querida. I know it hurts. I believe you. But you need to push. Put everything into the push, get mad, get mad at me if you need to. Keep pushing and I promise this will all over and you'll be holding our baby."

If the team thought they found the next hour and ten minutes long, it was a thousand times longer for Calleigh.

Calleigh lay back on the bad, panting, perspiration glistening on her face. Although he didn't say it Eric thought she was a beautiful sight.

"You're doing excellent, Calleigh," the doctor told the tired woman. "Just relax till the next one. Take some deep breaths. You're almost there. I can see the top of her head. She's got lots of dark hair."

The clock on the wall read 12:34pm. That time would forever be etched in Eric's memory as the first time he heard his daughter cry. He wasn't ashamed that tears were running down his face or that he could barely speak he felt so emotional. Both he and Calleigh were sobbing as the doctor laid the wailing, slippery, dark-haired baby girl on his wife's abdomen. Neither said anything immediately, both just taking in the first sight of their daughter.

"She's so beautiful," Calleigh breathed.

Eric couldn't agree more. The newborn had her mother's nose, big brown eyes and a full head of black hair.

"Wanna do the honors, dad?" The nurse said, cleaning the baby off, handing Eric a pair of scissors to cut his daughter's umbilical cord.

Eric nodded, taking the scissors. He walked over with the nurse a moment later for the baby to get weighed and measured. Nevaeh Hope Delko weighed seven pounds, fifteen ounces, just an ounce off of eight pounds and was twenty-one inches long.

The nurse knew and moments after the birth stepped into the waiting room.

"Alexx?" She called her over to the doorway.

Alexx went to the door quickly.

"It's a girl," the nurse told Alexx with a smile. "Seven pounds, fifteen ounces. Take a look," she said, handing Alexx Eric's phone. He had taken the baby's picture after the baby was swaddled after being weighed. "She looks like her papi. He said to show everyone."

Everybody understood that the couple wasn't taking any visitors right now. They had the nurse pass along the message they wanted them to come back in a few hours because they did want them to meet their miracle as soon as possible.