A/N: Well, this is the final chapter of this story. We want to thank all of you that have stuck with this story. I must admit that it took longer than I envisioned, but life is excellent at causing delays. I want to thank mycarlydotcom for all of the assistance he provided, and this story would not be what it is without him. Now on to the final chapter!
Freddie froze for only a moment before his instincts and previous experiences kicked in. "Mom, will you grab the birthing bag? It's in the closet behind you," he said, grabbing his keys from the side table. "Sam, do you need help getting to the car?" Sam shook her head, "I think I'll be fine," she responded, heading to the front door. Marissa had retrieved the bag and was a few steps behind Sam. "I'll stay here with the kids," Marissa said as Freddie helped Sam into the car. Once he had her safely in the vehicle, Freddie came around to the driver's side, "Thanks, mom. We'll let you know when you can bring them to see their new sibling."
Driving as quickly as possible while still safe, Freddie was grateful that there was little traffic. The last thing he wanted would be to be in a traffic jam with Sam in labor. During the drive, Freddie had, among other things, timed her contractions, and they were getting closer together; it was a good thing they were almost to the hospital. Freddie was relieved when he saw the driveway for the E.D, but Sam was not; seeing the signage brought memories from the night of the accident flooding back. Checking on Sam in the rearview mirror, it looked like she was shaking in terror. He was about to ask what was wrong when the revelation struck. It wasn't that long ago that some unknown nurse called her to this same E.D.
Stopping in front of the entrance, Freddie quickly exited the vehicle to help Sam out. Once they were inside, he found an unoccupied wheelchair and helped Sam into it before heading to the desk. Hearing the commotion at the entrance, a nurse that looked to be around Marissa's age looked up and smiled knowingly at the hurried couple. Once they were close enough to communicate without yelling, the nurse named Beverly picked up a clipboard and asked for the patient's name. "Sam Benson," Freddie replied as Beverly opened the double doors behind her, "follow me," she said briskly through the hallways.
Arriving at the labor and delivery ward, Beverly led Freddie to a room where he could change into scrubs, "Is this your first baby?" Having to speed walk to keep up, Freddie responded, "Fourth." A warm smile graced Beverly's face, "You already know the routine," she replied, opening a door and gesturing him in. Stepping through the door, Freddie opened the locker nearest him and quickly changed into the neatly folded scrubs. Returning to the hall, Beverly strode off down the hall, with him trailing a couple of steps behind. "Here we are," she said, coming to a stop outside one of many non-descript rooms in the hall, "your wife is inside, and the doctor should be in shortly," Beverly said with a nod. "Thank you," he replied with a nod before turning and entering the room.
Meanwhile, Carly just got off the phone with Marissa and excitedly returned to the living room, "Sam's in labor, and Freddie is taking her to the hospital." Without a word, Adam gets up, grabs the car keys, and starts toward the door, "where are you going?" Carly asked, confused. Turning back to his wife, a 'duh' look on his face, "I figured that I would take you to the hospital. Sam did say she wanted you there, didn't she?" A wide grin crossed Carly's face, "That's right, she did," she responded, striding purposefully to the door, "well, come on," she said as she stepped through to the outside.
Their drive to the hospital was quick, and before Carly realized it, they were already in the parking lot. Carly exited the car without a word and headed for the entrance. Taking the car out of gear, Adam jumped out, "Hey! Wait for me," he called, sprinting to catch up to her. "Slow down, will ya," he tried again as Carly continued to outpace him. Carly, for her part, did slow down to let him catch up to her at the entrance. "I thought you were faster than this. Didn't you run track in high school," she asked, ribbing him. "You got out of the car before I could take it out of gear," he replied, ignoring her jab at his speed. "Gotta get in there before she has the baby."
After a brief stop at the front desk, Adam and Carly headed to the maternity floor. Stepping off the elevator, Carly, to her surprise, saw Freddie standing there. "Why aren't you in there with Sam," she asked, absentmindedly wrapping him in a hug. It wasn't until he returned the embrace that Carly realized what she was doing. Not only hadn't he pulled away, but Freddie also hugged her back, which made Carly feel like everything would be alright after all. "Sam sent me out here to wait for you, and now that you're here, we need to get you changed and back to the room."
Carly didn't want to jinx anything, so she said nothing and followed him to the changing room. Once Carly changed into the same garb as Freddie, they left for Sam's room. The walk to Sam was short, and Carly fought to keep herself from grinning like an idiot. Stepping into the room, Sam immediately perked up, "Carly, you're here? How are you here? I didn't call you," she said, surprised. Carly gave her best friend a quizzical look, "Why do you sound like you weren't expecting me? Marissa called to tell me you were heading to the hospital." Carly turned her attention to Freddie, waiting for an answer. A grin crossed his face, "that would be because I didn't tell her that mom called you or that I was going to get you. Sam wants you to be here, and so do I," he replied. Sam didn't like the fact that Freddie kept her in the dark. However, she was happy that Freddie seemed to have moved past his issues with Carly.
Sam was about to speak when the door to her room opened, admitting her doctor, "Hello Sam," he greeted with a nod. "Hey Doc," Sam replied, "can we get this kid out of me yet?" "That's what I'm here to check," he replied. "Hello, Freddie," he said, extending his hand, "how have you been?" "I've been good, Dr. Fitzgerald; thank you for asking," he replied, shaking the proffered hand. "That's good," he replied before putting on a pair of gloves, "shall we take a look?" Lifting the sheet enough to examine Sam, he was pleased with her progress, "you're about 8cm's, so it shouldn't be much longer," he said, putting the sheet back down. Sam was less than enthused with that response, "how long are we talking here, doc? An hour, two, more?" The doctor had to smile. Most of his patients were less than patient when giving birth, but Sam was more impatient than most.
"If you continue at your current pace, I'd say no more than an hour." "I guess I can live with that," Sam replied. Freddie and Carly rolled their eyes, which they both knew could be hazardous to their health if Sam noticed it. Carly and Freddie counted themselves lucky when she didn't make any comments, and Sam had not seen the gesture. "I have a few other patients to check on. I'll be back in about an hour, if not before, to check on you again, Sam." Forty minutes later, Dr. Fitzgerald returned to Sam's room, ready to deliver her baby.
Thirty-five minutes later, the cry of a little girl filled the air. Freddie had been correct, and now Sam would have to go with him to watch the new Galaxy Wars movie that would be released next year. Lillian Rose Benson came into the world at 2:07 PM, weighing 7lbs 8oz and 22 inches long. To Sam's right was Freddie, beaming, grinning from ear to ear, and gently running a finger on his newborn daughter's cheeks. Carly was waiting patiently for her turn to hold Lillian to her left. Sam was exhausted but equally happy sitting in bed holding their second daughter. "Sam, she's gorgeous," Carly paused a moment before blurting out, "can I hold her now," putting her arms out for the baby.
"No can do, Carls. Sir nubs-a-lot here gets to hold his daughter before you." Sam replied, nodding toward Freddie. "Speaking of which," she continued, offering the newest family member to her husband. With a swift gentleness that only came with experience, Freddie lifted Lillian into his arms, "hi there, little one," he whispered, placing the lightest of kisses on her forehead. The grin that had been on his face since the birth grew even more expansive. By the time visiting hours were over, it seemed that anyone and everyone had stopped by to check on Sam and meet Lilly. All of Lilly's siblings were thrilled to meet her and wanted to take her home that day. Marissa nixed that idea, though, to her credit, she explained it in a way that the kids understood.
A few days after Sam and Lilly came home, Carly and Adam came by, and Freddie knew it was time to talk with Carly. Once he finished in the kitchen, Freddie stepped into the living room, "hey Carly, can I talk to you?" Even though things had significantly improved, Carly was still uneasy around Freddie, "sure, Freddie, what's up?" Freddie sat next to Carly, taking a deep breath, "I want to apologize." Carly looked like she could fall over. Sam and Adam were smiling, "I've been horrible to you these last few months, and I'm sorry. Still friends?" Carly lit up at his last question, "of course we're still friends. I can't say that I know what you were going through after the accident; I'm just happy that you still want to be friends." Freddie hugged his long-time friend, "always friends, always," he replied.