Mid July 1993

Beth leaned her head against Rio's shoulder, idly stroking his arm as they watched Tom Cruise running away from some bad guys. Over the past month, they'd gotten even closer. It was almost like they'd never been apart. They saw or called each other every day. Yeah, the baby was a huge part of the reason they were seeing so much of each other but it was deeper than that. She was 98% sure that she would be going to community college in town. Even though she and Rio weren't officially together. They were together. She didn't want things to end. They hadn't talked about it but she sincerely hoped that after the baby was born and settled with the Caldwells (it had taken some convincing on her part but they'd both ultimately decided that was the smartest decision to make for their baby) they'd still be together.

Beth stuck her hand in the popcorn bucket and grabbed a buttery, salty handful. Her hand instantly released it back into the bucket as a wave of pain rocked throughout her uterus. It felt like she'd had a quick onset of cramps. She thought nothing of it though since the last time her worry had been all for nothing. They'd just been Braxton-Hicks contractions. No, she wasn't going to ruin a perfectly good trip to the movies by getting all worked up and heading to the hospital all to find out she wasn't really in labor. She still had two more weeks to go. She reached back in the tub and focused on the movie once more.

Ten minutes later another stab of pain shot through her a little more intense this time. She gripped the armrest tightly and tried to breathe through the pain. After a few moments, the pain eased.

"You OK, ma?" Rio asked, looking at her concerned.

Nodding and smiling, Beth said, "Uh-hunh."

Before the end of the movie, pains had shot through her a few more times but she'd been able to breathe through them. As the credits rolled and they stood up, she knew for sure that this was not a drill. This baby was coming. And as if to drive home the point her water broke.

"Uh, darling, I think you spilled your drink," Rio noted.

Beth shook her head. "I didn't spill my drink. I'm pretty sure my water just broke."

A stunned look swept over Rio's face that would have made Beth giggle in any other circumstance, but as it was another contraction racked through her. Stronger and longer this time.

"It's time Rio. We should go to the hospital."

Helpless. That's what he was feeling. Absolutely helpless.

Rio watched as a tired and sweaty Beth turned beet red as she pushed as hard as she could. Still it did no good. She'd been pushing for half an hour and it didn't seem like they were any closer to having their daughter brought into this world.

Tears streamed down Beth's face and Rio reached for her hand. He found the damp washcloth and mopped her temples. "You can do this, ma. You can bring our little girl into the world."

Beth shook her head. "I can't, Rio. I can't do this anymore. I'm just so tired."

"Beth, I know you're tired, but you're almost there. Just a few more pushes. I promise," encouraged the doctor.

Rio felt Beth's hand grip his tighter. She lurched forward and pushed with all her might emitting a loud roar.

"We've got the head out. Shoulders next."

"That's it, sweetheart. You got this," Rio encouraged.

Beth panted, but a determined look entered her eyes as she forced herself to push again.

She fell back against the pillows and the doctor said, "One more push ought to do it. One more push and you'll see your baby girl."

"One more push?" Beth gasped weakly.

Rio pressed a kiss against her sweaty, salty forehead. "One more push," he murmured.

He watched in awe as Beth took what little strength she had left and gave one final push.

"Alrighty, you did it, Beth. Here she comes!" The doctor exclaimed before chuckling suddenly. "Oops, more like here he comes. Looks like you two have a son."

"A boy?" Beth panted in surprise. "I thought we were having a girl."

"Sometimes the sonograms get it wrong. We've got a long way to go with ultrasound technology. They're not always the most accurate. Dad, you want to cut the umbilical cord?"

Did he want to cut the umbilical cord? Why was this a thing? He was just some 18 year-old off the street. Shouldn't a medical professional be doing this? Unsure of what to do but deciding to go with it, he wordlessly nodded his assent and was handed a pair of scissors. Cautiously, he opened the scissors next to the cord, staring for a moment at his slime covered son. His eyes flickered back to the cord as he attempted to close the scissors. It was harder than he expected. He put more muscle into it and the cord was finally cut.

The nurse took his baby from the doctor and wrapped him in a blanket. She walked over to Beth's side and attempted to hand the baby over to her. Beth shook her head and avoided looking at the baby. Rio swallowed and focused on keeping his emotions in check.

The nurse looked startled at Beth's refusal to hold her child so she turned to Rio instead. "Would you like to hold him?"

Rio nodded and gently took the baby in his arms.

Rio looked down at his son. It was hard to tell who he looked like the most. The baby had blue eyes like Beth but other than that he was pretty red and squished looking. Yet he felt a connection. his very blood ran through this tiny human's body. He was a father.

"Hey, little man," he murmured to his son, gently stroking his cheek.

Something invisible had a vise-like grip on his heart, squeezing it painfully. This was his son. He didn't want to give him to the Caldwells. Beth thought they were too young to raise the baby but half his friends had kids. Maybe they weren't the best parents but they loved their kids. And who was perfect anyway? He'd gladly accept the responsibility of fatherhood, but it wasn't just his decision to make. He needed Beth on board.

A minute later the nurse took his son from him to run some tests. He came back, clean and goo free. The nurse didn't attempt to hand him to Beth again, but gently gives him to Rio to hold.

Rio sat down in the rocking chair next to the bed as the doctor finished examining Beth. He continued to rock his son as two nurses helped clean up Beth and the room.

A joy he'd never experienced before bubbled up inside him. He was smiling so much he probably looked a straight up fool, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't everyday your son was born.

Beth, sore and tired, settled her gaze on Rio who had spent the past hour contentedly holding their son. Annoyance flared within her. She wished he wasn't quite so enraptured with their son. Especially since the Caldwells were at this moment taking the first flight out of the Bahamas. Beth had made Rio call them once they'd been admitted to the hospital. They had been vacationing but once they'd found out the baby was coming they had made arrangements to be there as soon as possible. Jessica and Ryan would be here tomorrow morning to collect their new son. Rio shouldn't be bonding with the baby. It was only going to make it that much harder when the Caldwells came to take him away. That's why she'd refused to hold him after he was born. She didn't want to make this process any harder than it already was.

Rio gently nuzzled the sleeping baby before setting him down in the crib. "Elizabeth, I'm going to go call my mom and let her know about her grandson. The nurses should be back soon to take him to the nursery."

Beth watched Rio leave wanting to call out to him and beg him not to leave her alone with her baby. She couldn't handle it right now. She'd just given birth. She was physically and emotionally drained. This was all too overwhelming.

Beth peered over at the baby, noticing that he was asleep. She could just pretend he wasn't here. Closing her eyes, she would try to fall asleep and maybe by the time she woke the nurses would have taken him to the nursery.

Beth woke with a start to the sound of a feeble little cry. She looked around groggily for another person in the room. Where had the nurses gone? Where was Rio?

She waited, unmoving as the minutes ticked by. Hoping that someone would hear the baby and come get him. She was too scared to touch him. Afraid that if she picked him up she would never want to let him go. Please someone hear him, she whispered to herself.

But five minutes passed by and Beth couldn't take it anymore. She hobbled out of bed and towards the crib. Gingerly, she picked up the baby and cuddled him close.

He immediately perked up as if all he had wanted was the physical touch of another human. Quiet now, his blue eyes looked up at her and Beth instantly fell in love.

"Oh, you're perfect aren't you?" She cooed admiring his ten little fingers and ten little toes.

He felt just right in her arms. This was her child. She was his mom. But she'd promised another couple that they could have this perfect little boy. And was she ever regretting that now. Tears of lament streamed down her face.

Finally having enough composure to go back in the room where the child he would eventually have to give up rested. Rio walked in to find Beth rocking their newborn, a complete and utter sobbing mess.

"Elizabeth?" He asked uncertainly.

"I made a huge mistake."

He watched dumbfounded as she handed him the baby and started to rush around as quickly as a woman who'd just given birth could to pack her and the baby's things.

"We have to hurry and leave before they get here and take him."

Rio walked over and laid a hand on her arm. "Relax, ma. You're exhausted and not thinking straight. We don't have to run off with our own kid. He's ours. We just have to say we changed our minds."

He gently guided her back to the bed. "You need to rest."

"But..." Beth began.

"But nothing. Get some sleep and if you still feel this way when you wake up, then we'll start making plans."

When she awoke, Beth still felt the same. She turned to look at Rio and said, "I want to keep him."

"Whatever you say, ma."

"You want to keep him, right?" She asked nervously.

He broke into a wide grin. "You know I do."

"You know this means we're terrible people. Poor Jessica and Ryan. We promised them..."

"They'll understand."

"We're still horrible," she mumbled miserably.

"Probably so, but he's our son. We got every right to keep him."

Even though telling the Caldwells that they had changed their minds about the baby had been one of the most awkward and horrendous things she'd ever done, she'd gotten through it. Rio had been right there by her side. The Caldwells had handled it better than she expected, but guilt wracked her as she remembered the tears rolling down Jessica's cheeks when she heard their news. She and Rio were truly awful people but people who wanted to raise their own baby.

She turned to look at her infant son sleeping peacefully in his crib and smiled. Even though she felt guilty and like a vile human being, she knew deep down that she'd made the right choice. As imperfect and inexperienced as she and Rio were, she knew they would always do what was best for their son.

"We gotta give him a name. He's almost 24 hours old," Rio said.

"Hmmm," Beth thought aloud. "I honestly don't know. I never let myself consider any names because I was so set on the adoption. I don't know even know what he looks like..."

"Like a squashed tomato."

"He does not!" Beth hissed. "He's absolutely perfect and the cutest baby ever," she cooed to her son.

"I love the kid too but let's not talk crazy, ma."

Beth shrugged off his joking sarcasm. Biting her lip, she racked her brain for any names that she had liked in the past.

"What about Nicholas?"

Rio shook his head.

"Bernard?"

"Do you want our kid to get his butt beat at school?"

"It's my grandfather's name. We were really close before he passed away. He used to take me fishing. He said since he didn't have any sons of his own, he wanted me to give the name Bernard to one of my own children," Beth replied defensively.

"Yeah, well let's let him keep it."

"I know! What about Chad?"

Rio threw back his head and laughed. "Nah, my kid's not a Chad."

Sighing exasperatedly, Beth sunk back against the pillows. "You don't seem to like any of the names I come up with so you pick a name."

"OK...uh...what about Tony?"

Beth wrinkled her nose. "No."

"Cristopher Mario and call him Junior."

"Eh...if you really want him to be named after you we could, but I don't want to call him Junior."

Rio shook his head. "You're right. It's a bad idea. He deserves his own name."

"You know what? That gives me an idea...What about Marcus after your brother?"

Beth watched as Rio did that thing where he put his tongue in his cheek while he was thinking. He swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Yeah, I like that," he eventually said. "We can honor him and your gramps. What about Marcus Bernard?"

A soft smile flitted over Beth's face. "I like that. Marcus Bernard Sanchez. It's got a good ring to it."