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Over the course of the next four weeks, Francesca Adams Foster experiences a whole host of 'firsts'. Six weeks after entering the world, she takes her first breath on her own. Stef and Lena were clutching each other tightly as Dr. Rabb extubated their daughter - and they both cried when her tiny chest began moving, signifying that she was inhaling and exhaling all on her own. She still needed to be on oxygen via nasal cannula, but she was finally off the dreaded ventilator and her vitals were staying stable.

Frankie was also gaining weight like a champ. Some days she gained two or three ounces. At just under four pounds, she was still quite a bit smaller than your average baby was at birth, but Stef and Lena only cared that their daughter wasn't just over a single pound anymore. Frankie also was loving every minute of kangaroo care that she could get with her moms. At first Lena was a little self conscious about whipping her shift off in the NICU with all the other parents around, but that soon vanished as Frankie began to thrive even more as she spent more time cuddled up with her moms. Frankie was also moved from an incubator to a regular crib after being taken off the ventilator.

The next big milestone that Frankie hit was when she was finally able to eat from a bottle. Lena, true to her fashion, cried as Frankie suckled from the bottle she was holding for the first time. Honestly, the NICU was only making Lena even more emotional than she was before. The NICU was a constant pool of emotions - both highs and lows. During their eight weeks in the NICU so far, Stef and Lena had watched parents take their babies home and watched parents lose their babies.

Two weeks after finally eating on her own and having the feeding tube removed, Frankie tips in on the scale at a whopping four pounds and two ounces.

"Well, what do you three think about going home?" Dr. Rabb asks Stef, Lena, and Frankie with a bright smile.

"Are you serious?" Stef asks in disbelief.

"She still needs to pass the car seat test, but if she does, I think you guys will be on your way home this time tomorrow." Dr Rabb says.

"Oh my god." Lena breathes, tears of happiness brimming in her eyes.

Frankie spends the next hour of her life sitting in a car seat for the first time. A baby passes the car seat test when they can sit in their car seat for an hour without any drops in blood pressure or oxygen levels. Nobody is surprised when baby Frankie passes with flying colors.

"I can't believe we're going home tomorrow." Lena says happily.

"I think I should probably go home and make sure everything is set for her." Stef says. Stef had been halfway through converting Lena's office into a nursery when Frankie had been born. Thankfully, Mike was more than happy to finish the painting and put the crib together for them.

"Will you bring some clothes and stuff too?" Lena requests. "I don't want her to get cold."

"Yes, dear." Stef smiles, pressing a gentle kiss to Lena's gorgeous lips before heading for the house.

"Okay guys, mama is gonna come in with baby Frankie in a minute. I need you guys to be quiet. And remember, you look with your hands - not your eyes." Stef was overjoyed to finally be bringing Frankie home, but she was also terrified. Her kids had a tendency to get over-excited sometimes.

As soon as Lena comes through the front door with Frankie in her carseat, Sharon and Dana - who had flown back into town with Stewart for Frankie's homecoming - are already wiping tears from their cheeks. Stef can't blame them though. She and Lena had been pretty emotional all day. Leaving the NICU proved to be harder than they thought - emotionally speaking. For ten weeks, Dr. Rabb and the NICU nurses had cared for their baby and quelled their fears and anxieties. The moms had gotten to know each and every nurse so well, along with most of the parents. Nothing was more bonding than watching your babies fight to stay alive.

"She's so beautiful." Sharon blubbers, wiping her eyes with a wad of tissues.

"She really is gorgeous." Dana adds.

"I can't see!" Mariana announces, standing on her tippy toes and trying to see her baby sister. Finally, she had someone other than Jude to play dress up with!

Stef and Lena share a smile as Lena places the carseat on the floor. Stef crouches down to the kids' level and watches as they take in their baby sister for the first time.

"Hi, Frankie." Jesus says sweetly. "My name is Jesus. This is Mariana." Jesus says, pointing to Mariana. He points to each of his siblings in turn, introducing them to Frankie. "And that Brandon, and Callie, and Jude. We're your big siblings and we're gonna help take care of you." Lena places her hand over her heart as it swells with love. Finally, the whole family was together.

"Mama and I are going to go get baby Frankie settled in her new room." Stef says, taking hold of Frankie's car seat and heading for the stairs.

"Dinner will be ready in about half an hour." Stewart tells them with a smile.

"Thank you, daddy." Lena says, giving her father a tight hug. The mother was eternally grateful for her family and the help they were always so willing to provide.

"Can you believe she's finally home?" Stef asks, wrapping her arms around Lena as they watch Frankie sleep in her crib for the first time.

"It still feels a little surreal." Lena admits, leaning into Stef's touch.

"You know what else is surreal?" Stef replies.

"What?" Lena inquires.

"We get to sleep in our bed next to each other tonight." Stef says.

"Oh, that sounds so good." Lena moans. "Do you think they would notice if we skip dinner?"

"I don't think they would notice, but your stomach might." As if on cue, the sound of Lena's stomach growling fills the office-turned-nursery.

"Come on, let's go have a family dinner." Lena smiles, grabbing the baby monitor in one hand and Stef's in the other.

A/N: Alright guys, there's only one more chapter left in this story. I'm thinking I'll be putting it up tomorrow - I want to make sure I take my time with it and do this story justice with its ending. I hope you're ready for the end!