Chapter 29

Gabby had never been a light sleeper, but for the last couple of weeks she tossed and turned. Some nights it got so bad, Matt would sleep on the couch on the nights before he had to go to work. She tried to be the one to move out of their bedroom, but he would insist as he grabbed his pillow and kissed her on the forehead, leaving her the bed.

Tonight was different, not only had she been moving around a lot more than normal, but she was unable to get comfortable. She was also experiencing small pains in her lower back. At her last appointment the doctor had explained to her that is was common for woman to experience contractions, it was the bodies way of preparing for delivery. But tonight, it was something more. She took a deep breath and tried to think back to when she had felt pains so intense before, but nothing came to mind. Lost in thought, another sharp pain took hold, causing Gabby to cry out.

"Gabby?" Matt jumped out of bed and quickly turned on the light. "What is wrong?" he asked moving to her side of the bed.

"I think we need to go to the hospital," Gabby breathed out as she removed the covers from her small frame. Matt took hold of each of her hands and helped her to feet. They walked out of the bedroom and towards the front door. She already had the hospital bag packed and placed next to the door since last week, along with Matt installing the car seat. They both wanted to make sure they were completely prepared for their new born child.

She slid on her jacket as Matt did the same. He grabbed her bag and then took out the keys to her car. "You ready?" Matt asked with a large smile.

"Are you ready daddy?" She asked with a smile of her own.

"Yes, I am," he kissed her. "Do we have everything?" he asked looking around the living room and holding up both arms.

"I think so."

With one last check, they made their way to the car and drove to Lakeshore. Gabby couldn't believe that today might be the day they get to meet their daughter. Tears came to her eyes as she thought back on all they had gone through to get to this point in their lives. She couldn't help but think that it was worth it, because it brought them here, to this blissful moment in life.

Matt looked over at Gabby, he couldn't help smile at her. She was his everything and now they were going to be parents. He reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "I love you," he stated.

"I love you too," she smiled at him with her other hand resting on her stomach. They continued to hold hands as they drove to the hospital.

When they arrived at Lakeshore, Matt quickly parked the car and gathered the things they would need. "Babe, I think you packed enough to last a month," he said as he took hold of another bag.

"I didn't know what we would need or how long it would take. This is my first time having a baby," Gabby reminded him as she stepped out of the car and waddled towards the front doors.

Matt loved watching his pregnant wife, he knew that she felt self-conscious about her body, but he thought that she was the most beautiful woman. In some ways it made him a little sad that she wasn't going to be pregnant for much longer. He loved rubbing her belly, he loved how her stomach would peek out of her shirts, but he was most excited to see Gabby holding their little girl.

Checking into the hospital took less time than Gabby thought it would. The hospital staff gave her a gown once they moved her into her room. She quickly changed and sat on the bed.

"Should we call anyone?" Matt asked as he took a seat on the bed next to her.

"I think we should wait until we know I'm in actual labor. My water hasn't even broken yet."

"Yes, but the doctor said that just because your water hasn't broken, doesn't mean that you aren't in labor."

"I know that, but I don't want everyone rushing down here in the middle of the night for nothing."

"But what if you do go into labor and there is no time to call everyone?"

Gabby shrugged her shoulders, "then they will see her the next day."

"What about your mother? Antonio and Laura? Shay? You know they would all want to be here for this," Matt pointed out.

"Why are you making a big deal about this?" Gabby smirked. "And what about your family?"

"I'm not, I just want you to have everyone you need and trust me, my family is the last thing you need."

"I do have everything I need," gabby said taking his hand. "Everything I need is in this room."

The doctor checked Gabby out, "Well you are dilated, and it won't belong before your baby will make her debut. So with that being said, we have two options right now, we can induce your labor or let things take their natural course. The decision is up to you."

Matt and Gabby both nodded their heads. "Can we get a few minutes to discuss this over?" Gabby asked.

"No problem, I'll be back in a few minutes. You guys talk about it and let me know."

"Thank you Dr. Peters," Matt said as he turned his attention back to Gabby. They waited for the door to close, before they began talking.

"So what do you think?" Matt was the first to speak.

"I don't want to hurt the baby in anyway, so I'm thinking that I can handle being a uncomfortable for a little bit longer."

"I agree with you, but part of me wants to see her and hold her now," Matt smiled as his eyes moved from Gabby's to her prominent baby bump. Gabby couldn't help smile back at her husband and his words. She understood his words and how much they both wanted to hold their daughter.

When the doctor came back, Matt and Gabby informed him of their decision. A few short hours later Gabby had dilated even further along. Gabby instructed Matt to call her mom, Laura, and Shay. She knew that Matt was right all along, they should be here to welcome this baby into the world, but she also needed them.

Matt quickly made the phone call as Gabby had asked. He knew that there was no way, that Gabby would be having this baby without her family here. He was able to reach them and explain that Gabby was in labor. With each phone call the excitement build up inside him, it just seemed more real. As Matt began to scroll through his phone he past his mom's number, he knew that she would want to be apart of this, but another part of him wanted this to just be about everything good in his life. He knew she was excited about being a grandma again; he sighed as he hit the call button and held the phone to his ear.

It wasn't long before Gabby's mom got there; Shay was right behind, who was quickly followed by Laura and Antonio. They were all excited for Gabby and Matt as they crowed into the small room.

"So are you going to tell us her name?" Shay asked.

"We have a few, but we want to wait until we her," Gabby responded rubbing her belly.

"You have been saying that for the last four months," Laura laughed.

"Well a few more hours won't hurt," Gabby smiled. She knew that everyone was happy, but she always thought it was weird to name a person who haven't meant. She and Matt agreed to wait until she was born.

"Excuse me, but we need to check again," the doctor said as he stepped into the filled room of family. Everyone left except Matt; he went directly to Gabby's side as the doctor examined her.

"Well Mrs. Casey, you are moving along a little slower than we would like to see. I think that we should go ahead and break your water that should speed up the labor."

Matt held Gabby's hand as the doctor completed the producer, he couldn't believe how fast everything moved after that. Gabby began to dilate quicker and her contractions were stronger than the one before it. It wasn't long before the doctor came back into the room and explained to them that they baby was going to be here and Gabby should begin to push.

Gabby nodded her head as she listened to the doctor's words. She knew this moment was coming, she had seen it enough times to know what happens next. The nurses came into the room and with the delivery cart ready to go.

"Alright, Gabby start pushing."

Gabby did as she was told; it was the most painful thing she had ever felt in her life. Matt held her hand the whole time, encouraging her to breathe and told her how great she was doing. At times he thought she was going to break his hand, but never let go.

"One more push," the doctor instructed.

"You can do it," Matt smiled with tears in his eyes.

Gabby pushed with everything she had left, she pushed until the wails of a small infant filled her ears. She had never heard something so beautiful in all her life.

"Congratulations mom and dad, you have a beautiful baby girl," the doctor said she he held her up for Matt and Gabby to see her face. Both Gabby and Matt began to cry at the sight of their daughter. Matt couldn't believe how much she looked like Gabby already.

It was hard for Gabby to hear her cry as the nurse cleaned her up. With each second, Gabby just wanted to get up and comfort her. The nurse called Matt over to cut the cord, he noticed the amount of dark hair already on her head, he smiled as he looked down at the small baby on the table.

The nurse then brought her over to Gabby and placed her on her chest. "Oh my gosh," Gabby began to cry again as she looked down at the small face wrapped in the white blanket. "My baby," Gabby said as she began to play with her little hand and kiss her, "Hello Elise Marie Casey."

Once Gabby and Elise were settled in the room, Matt left to go tell everyone in the waiting room. When he rounded the corner, his eyes could not believe what he was seeing, not only was Gabby's mom, brother, Laura, and Shay there, but all of the guys of 51. Another set of tears filled his eyes, "she's here," he announced causing everyone to clap and hug one another.

"How is Dawson?" Chief asked with a proud smile.

Matt smiled, "She is doing great, and she really hasn't put the baby down."

Everyone laughed knowing that was the truth.

"So what is her name?" Cruz asked.

"Elise Marie Casey."

"Am I too late?" A voice asked from behind Matt. He turned around to see his mother standing there.

"Gabby just had the baby," he said as mother walked up and gave him a hug.

Gabby insisted that everyone come in, she wanted to thank them for coming up here and she wanted to introduce Elise to her large family. The visits were short, but they meant the world to her.

"Babe, get some sleep I'll watch Elise," Matt said taking the six pound baby out of Gabby's arms as she yawned and nodded her head.

As Matt held his little girl his whole life was complete. Any anger he felt or worries he had, simply washed away. His new life began today, the life he would always want, the life he would always fight for. He kissed the top of her head and then looked over at his sleeping wife, "thank you for giving me this gift," he whispered.

Author's note: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, it make me sad that the next one to come is the epilogue. I really loved writing this story and I'm sad to see it go, but who knows there could be a sequel. Thanks again!