A/N: SO SO SO SO sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I'm very proud of this chapter, because my muse came back! YAY! And I changed the title because with the storyline going the way it is, the previous title just seemed odd. This one explains the relationships within the story... are we clear now? Okay...

Don't own them, never will, original characters are mine blah blah yada.

Reviews always welcome.

Chapter 26

January 5th, 1986

Erica, for all the trouble she knew it would cause, called her mother the day she was due to give birth. Allison answered the phone, squealing her approval as she handed the phone to her mother.

"Hi Mom," Erica winced as a contraction rippled through her body.

"Hello sweetheart, how are you doing?" Danielle asked on the other end.

"I'm in labour right now…" Erica smiled to herself.

"Really?" she asked, concerned. "Aren't you a little early?"

"No, I'm late actually," Erica told her. "I was due in December. I'm only about 6 centimeters dilated, so we have some time."

"Do you want me over there?"

"Um…" she sighed. "No, um, I think we'll be okay…" Another contraction soared through her body. "I gotta go, Mom, love you…"

"You call me when I have a new grandbaby, missy."

"Yeah, bye." she answered, hanging up the phone just as Robbie came into the room. He pulled up a chair and sat with her.

"Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "Is Colleen okay? Did you call Chris and Rachel?"

"I called them, she's fine. Perfectly fine. Right now, they said she's drawing a picture. She also said it was for the new baby."

Erica smiled.

"And then she wished for a brother…"

Erica laughed. "It's your job to decide the sex; I just carry the baby for nine months."

Robbie couldn't help but smile. He never wanted Erica to feel inferior, but she did bring up a good point. He'd learned in 11th grade biology that the mother always gave the X chromosome, while the father's sperm determined the sex of the child.

Erica screamed as a series of contractions ripped through the body. About an hour later, she had dilated those last four centimeters and the baby's head was crowning.

"Okay, Erica, baby's on its way out, when I tell you, I need you to push for me, okay?" Dr. Daniels, the same doctor who had delivered Jimmy and Vanessa's little girl nine months ago told her. The baby's head slid along the birth canal only slightly, but Dr. Daniels must have seen hair because she told Erica to push.

"Good, Erica, 5…6…7…8…9…10… and release…"

Erica breathed an exasperated breath and her head hit the pillow behind her neck. "Oh Robbie, it's been 35 hours, why doesn't the baby want to come out?"

"Maybe you made such a good home for the baby, they don't want to leave."

Erica rolled her eyes. "That's not funny!" she shouted. "I need to push!"

"Push, Erica, push!" Dr. Daniels told her again. "Deep breath and push! The baby may be here in 7…6…5…4…3…2…1…" Suddenly Erica felt a rush of fluid and her second child slid into Dr. Daniels hands.

"It's a girl, Erica, it's a girl!" Robbie exclaimed.

"Hey, Dad, come here and cut the cord!" Dr. Daniels smiled as a burse tended to Erica delivering the afterbirth. Robbie obeyed, and cut the cord between the clamps on his new daughter. "Healthy baby girl here, Mr. McClanahan, 7 pounds 5 ounces, congratulations…"

Robbie took the baby placed in his arms to Erica, who was reclined in the bed. Doctors finished cleaning up and moved the new family to the recovery room. The baby was then taken to the nursery so Erica could rest.

Before the baby was taken, both Erica and Robbie filled out the birth certificate.

"Name?" he asked.

They looked at each other and the same name rolled off their tongues.

"Marian." They smiled as each other. So the baby resting in the nursery now had the name of Marian Claire McClanahan. Erica picked up the phone and dialed her mother's number. Too weak to speak when Danielle answered, she handed the phone to Robbie.

"It's a girl!" he told his mother-in-law.

Oh my God, congratulations! Came the loud reply from the phone. I'm so happy for you two, what did you name her?

"Marian Claire McClanahan."

I'm sure she'd beautiful.

"Looks like her mother."

Well, I'm going to let you go, Danielle smiled to herself. You take care now.

"You too," Robbie hung up the phone and sat with the woman who'd gone through hell for him. He placed a hand on her forehead.

"You're amazing…" he breathed as he leaned forward and kissed her.

Erica leaned back and rested her head on the pillow. "We did it," she whispered, exhausted.

"You did it," he answered. "I just held your hand."

She smiled again. "I am so tired."

"You just pushed another baby out of your body; of course you're going to be tired!"

Erica's eyes closed. "Baby, I need to sleep."

"Go ahead," Robbie placed a hand on her forehead and stroked her hair until she left asleep. "You have every right to."

Vanessa and Jimmy came to the hospital the second they heard Robbie and Erica were there. Once Erica had awakened again, she was indeed surprised to see them sitting by her bedside.

"Hey…" Vanessa smiled.

"Hey…" Erica mumbled and pushed herself up on to her elbows.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a truck…"

Vanessa couldn't help but laugh. Just a day out of giving birth and her best friend was already joking with her.

"Listen, you guys…" Erica raised her hand and brought it to Vanessa's cheek. "I know this is going to sound completely weird, but I've talked to Robbie about it, and we both agree it's the right thing to do…"

The two waited in anticipation. Whatever Erica had planned it had to be big, otherwise she wouldn't build it up like that. She had always been kind and generous, sometimes harsh, but when it was needed she would do it.

"If you two would like, because I know you want children so badly… it hurts me that I have two and you two can't have any yourselves. So, what I'm trying to say is, if you're looking for a surrogate, I'm available…"

Vanessa's mouth dropped open.