Disclaimer: Same as before….

Author's note: Thanks for all the r&r-ing! Please tell me what you think of this story. I don't know if what goes on its accurate, being that I don't have any babies of my own. So please forgive me if the description isn't right on.

A very pregnant Susan Lewis-Carter woke up in her husbands strong and sure arms.  Slowly she got up, trying to wake her sleeping John. Making her way to the Peter Cottontail nursery that she and John had just finished a week earlier, Susan let her mind wander to the thought of her baby.

"Hi, in there! I'm your mommy, but I guess that you know that. Daddy and me love you so much, and can't wait to see you. It won't be long now 'til you make your grand debut. So are you going to be a Joshua John or an Arianne Grace?"

"I'm tellin' you babe, our baby is going to be an Arianne." John sleep deepened voice said from the hall.

"I dunno. I can't wait though, all three of us together. It's going to be our own slice of heaven."

"Yeah, it sure will be." John said, now behind Susan, rubbing her shoulders

Susan started to hum the lullaby that she wrote for her baby. It was simple, but heartfelt. To her, it seemed it was the least she could do. John started to hum too, and by the time the song ended their baby kicked, as if it was demanding an encore, so the to-be parents obliged.

"Hey, babe. Do you want some breakfast?" John asked when they were done

"Ummm… sure, just an egg and a English muffin."

"Coming right up. Are you going to come down?"

"Yeah, in a sec." Susan said, patting her enlarged tummy

John headed out of the nursery and down into the kitchen. He got the eggs out and stared to poach them, because that was the only way his wife could stand to eat them. Just as he was slicing the English muffins, he heard Susan's cry.

"John! My water just broke!"

He turned off the stove as he raced up to his wife. When he found her, she was leaning over, hanging on to the door fame, puddle of waters around her slipped feet. He then put his arms under Susan's. Helping her to their room, John's mind was racing. This was it! This would be the day he would become a father.

"Babe, you wait right here, I'm gonna throw the bag in the jeep, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry!" Susan yelled, for she was in the middle of a very painful contraction.

So John was off, carrying the yellow canvas duffle, packed in anticipation of this momentous day. Susan, on the other hand was frantic. She tried to do her Lamaze, but when a contraction hit; she forgot to even breathe at all. Very gingerly she sat down on the bed, and fell backwards. She needed her sister now. She needed Chloe, but she was probably on a high now, and of no use to anyone.

"I'm back, babe. Come on, we need to get you to the wonderful world of County General."

"John Carter! This is not the time for jokes!" Susan hissed, dealing with a very painful contraction.

"Ok, ok. I get it. No jokes. But we had best be going, or this will be a home birth."

Susan took her husband's arm and he guided her to the waiting jeep outside.  When she sat down, John shut the door; he then jogged over to his door. Once he was in he started he put the key in the ignition and made the normally 15 drive into a 10 minute one. He then parked in the staff lot outside the main entrance.

John jumped out of the jeep as Susan was opening her door. Her helped her down the single step and then shut the door behind her. He then went to the back part and got out the duffle. He walked over to his wife, and then together they made it into the hospital. Within minutes they were up in OB.

The next three hours passed slowly and with each passing one, John became even more of a wreck. Susan wouldn't let him go out of the room, because she didn't want to be alone. The whole time they worked as a team. John some how knew exactly what to say at the right time, and Susan calmed all his fears, that was when her contractions didn't take her breath away.

Then the beeping happened. Their baby was in distress. Susan's doctor was in there within seconds, along with a few nurses. With one look at the paper flowing from the monitor the doctor announced that Susan was in need of an immediate C-section. Susan became white with fear for her baby. John took her hand as the wheeled her down the hall.

"John, help me. I'm so scared. Our baby…"

"Shhhhh… don't worry, babe. I'll be with you the whole time. I love you and I love our baby."

The doctors placed Susan on the operating table and put an infusion of numbing meds into her IV bag. Then they covered the area and wiped her belly sown with icy iodine.

"John…"

"Our baby is almost here. Don't worry."

The cut was made into Susan Carter's abdomen. With in minutes the latest add-on to the Carter clan was brought into the world. However, the baby had its cord wrapped around its neck. Once the cord was removed and cut, the baby girl was using her lungs for the first time. John went over to his baby girl as the nurses were helping each other clean the newborn up.

"Hi, Arianne. It's daddy."

The nurses weighed, measured, and recorded everything that could be. John then accompanied the bassinet to the nursery. But not before he went back to Susan.

"Arianne Grace Carter, safe and sound. I'm so proud of you, babe. I love you." John then kissed her gently on the forehead, and was rewarded with a soft smile

"We did it, babe. We're finally a family now. We did it."

"I am going to go with Arianne, ok? I'll see you in a few moments. I love you so much, you know that, right?"

"Every second of everyday."

With that John left his wife, who was being prepared sewn up. In the hallway to the nursery, John couldn't keep his eyes of the baby, the baby that he and his wife made, together. He had instantly fallen in love with Arianne, and never wanted to let her out of his sight.

"Is this what fatherhood is like?" he thought "Now I know why those parents didn't want to leave their kids in the trauma room."

Once Arianne was checked over again, her daddy was allowed to hold her. She had her mom's features, but her dad's hair. Sitting down in a rocker, John sang Susan's lullaby to his daughter. She was perfect in every respect.

"You know missy, you gave us quite a scare."

It was then Dr. Coburn came through the swinging doors, and walked to John and Arianne…