Sara Stokes sat sprawled on the plush leather couch, a red and blue afghan
thrown over her legs and a John Grisham novel propped against her swollen
stomach.
"Mattie, turn it down," she called to her ten year old son without taking her eyes off the page. The boy grumbled, reluctantly rising from the overstuffed chair where he had been sitting cross-legged and turning down the volume on the television.
"It wasn't even loud," he complained, settling down once again on the chair and reaching over to grab a handful of popcorn from the plastic bowl on the end table.
"I'm all the way over here and my ear drums are pounding," Sara replied. "It was loud."
Mattie rolled his eyes and focused his attention once again on the show. Ordinarily he would have argued his point incessantly, but he had learned over the past few months not to rub his mother the wrong way in her pregnant state if he wanted to survive. The mood swings, cravings, and agitations had been almost unbearable, but Mattie and his father had made their way through it like troopers, and were grateful that any day now the baby would be born.
Mattie looked up briefly as his father entered the room, before letting his eyes travel back to the episode of 'Even Stevens' projecting from the television.
"I'm gonna be late," Nick muttered to himself, walking to the couch and giving Sara a brief kiss, letting his fingers brush her stomach. "You gonna be okay?"
"I'll be fine," Sara said with a sigh as she closed the book and let it rest on her lap. "Now get to work before Grissom kills you."
Nick laughed and brought his lips once again to Sara's. "I'll see you in a few hours."
Walking over to his son and ruffling his hair, he said, "Take care of your mother, okay champ?"
"What? Oh, yeah," he replied, never peeling his eyes from the screen. Nick laughed and grabbed his jacket from its hook on the wall.
"Bye," he said as he opened the door. "Call me if anything happens."
"We will," Sara replied with a smile.
"Bye, Mattie," Nick called to his son, who waved absently in reply, still glued to the television screen.
"Will you go already?" Sara teased good-naturedly. "At this rate we'll never get rid of you."
Nick grinned and walked out the door, letting it close softly behind him. Sara placed her book on the coffee table and tossed the afghan to the other side of the couch.
"What do you want for dinner?" she asked, slowly rising from her seat with one hand on her back. "We have one of those ready-to-bake lasagnas or some left-over chicken I can heat up. I don't really feel like cooking much else."
"Lasagna's fine," Mattie replied as his mother walked into the kitchen. He heard as she opened the freezer door and rummaged around until she finally produced the box of lasagna and set it on the table. She bent down and opened one of the cabinet doors, reaching inside for a baking dish.
Mattie's head turned as he heard his mother cry out in pain and the metal pan clatter to the floor. "Mom, are you okay?" he asked as he jumped out of the chair, his voice filled with worry.
"I'm fine," Sara said with a small smile, rubbing her stomach. "It was just a contraction, I think."
"Do you want me to call Dad?"
Sara shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I've been having small contractions all day. It's nothing."
Mattie looked unconvinced, but trusted his mother's diagnosis more than his own. "Maybe you should, um, sit down or something," he said awkwardly. "I could make dinner."
Sara laughed. "Yeah, right," she said, tilting her head backwards slightly, "That'd be a first."
"No, really, I can," he insisted. "You just sit here and tell me what to do." He took his mother's arm and led her to one of the stools set up next to the island in the center of the room. "What first."
Sara sighed, but smiled at her son's concern for her. "First you have to preheat the oven."
"To what temperature?"
"What does it say on the box?" Sara asked. Her son looked down at the instructions on the lasagna box, running his fingers along the cardboard to find the information he needed. "That's the temperature you set it at."
Mattie smiled when he found it, and set the oven to 375 degrees. "Okay, now what?" He turned to face his mother, a smile on his face. His smile fell when he saw Sara's ashen face as she gripped tightly to the edge of the counter and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"Oh my God," Sara murmured under her breath as she took deep breaths to control the pain.
"Are you gonna have the baby?" he asked, and Sara's only answer was a nod as she held tightly to her stomach. "I'm calling Dad."
~*~*~*~
Nick and Warrick walked through the halls of Desert Palm with Dr. Aryana Patel. The case they had been working on for the past few nights involved an elderly woman slaughtered in her home with a pair of trimming shears. Their only suspect, the woman's grandson, who was also the sole beneficiary of one million dollars in life insurance, had been missing until now. He had been found unconscious in an alley, and Grissom had sent the two men to the hospital for information.
"How is he?" Warrick asked as they rounded a corner.
"He's awake," Dr. Patel replied, "But he's pretty disoriented, and he has a concussion. Someone fractured his ribs, broke his arm and leg, and left him for dead. He's lucky someone called 911 in time. Any later and he would probably be dead."
Warrick and Nick exchanged a glance. "I'll call Grissom and have him check up on that 911 call," Nick said, reaching for his phone.
"Sorry," Dr. Patel said with a smile. "No cell phones in here."
"Right," Nick said, shutting the phone off and clipping it to his belt loop.
~*~*~*~
Mattie quickly grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle on the counter, his fingers fumbling as he dialed his father's familiar cell number. When there was no answer, he left a brief voicemail telling him that Sara was having the baby.
"No answer?" Sara said, still taking in deep breaths and holding her stomach.
Mattie shook his head. "I'll call the lab." He dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up.
"Las Vegas Crime Lab, how may I help you?" the cheery voice of the receptionist asked.
"Is Nick Stokes there?" Mattie asked.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stokes is out in the field. May I take a message?"
"What about Warrick Brown? Or Gil Grissom? Or Catherine Willows?" he asked frantically. "Is anybody from his team there?"
"I'm sorry, but they're all out in the field," she replied. "Would you like to leave a message?"
"No message," Mattie said sadly as he hung up the phone. "Mom, no one's there."
Sara closed her eyes as she continued her Lamaze breathing. "This isn't happening," she muttered under her breath. "I need to get to the hospital NOW, and there's no way I can drive us there."
"I could drive," Mattie offered. "I've watched you and Dad drive tons of times."
Sara laughed dryly. "Nice try, buddy. You've still got six more years ahead of you before we let you behind the wheel."
Mattie bit his lower lip as he racked his brain for a solution. "We could call a taxi maybe?"
Sara shook her head. "That would take too long. They're never on time."
"What if I tell them it's an emergency?" Mattie asked. "Maybe they'd come quicker."
"Fine. Get the phone book and call a cab company," Sara said as she was hit with another contraction and she cried out in pain.
Mattie looked up in fear, knowing that his mother had to get to the hospital soon. He flipped through the pages until finally he found the number, and quickly dialed. When someone answered he explained what was going on, and the man on the other line assured him that he would send someone over right away.
"They're sending someone," Mattie said when he hung up the phone.
"Thank God," Sara replied. "Turn off the oven and then go get the bag from my bedroom." Mattie did as he was told and turned the knob on the oven, all thoughts of dinner out of their heads, and rushed into his parents' bedroom to grab the already-packed overnight bag that sat by the door. Slinging it over his shoulder, he opened the hall closet door and grabbed both his and Sara's jackets.
"Here," Mattie said, handing his mother the jacket and placing the bag on the floor as he donned his own. He grabbed the bag and took his mother's arm, leading her out the door to wait for the taxi. A few minutes later they spotted the yellow car as it made its way down the street in the residential community and pulled up in front of the large brick house. The driver hopped out and helped Sara into the backseat, followed by Mattie. As the pulled away Sara squeezed her son's hand tightly as she was hit with another contraction.
"Jesus, Nick, where are you?"
~*~*~*~
"Mr. Reardon, we're going to have to ask you a few questions," Nick said when Dr. Patel left them alone with their suspect.
"About what?" he said groggily.
"Are you aware that your grandmother was killed last week?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, I heard about it," Josh Reardon replied nonchalantly. "Really broke me up inside."
"I'm assuming you're also aware that you are the beneficiary of over one million dollars in life insurance?" Nick said sarcastically.
The man's face broke into a grin. "Yeah, heard about that, too."
Nick looked at Josh Reardon in shock and disgust, and Warrick continued the questioning. "We have some questions regarding where you were the night your grandmother was killed."
"Look, I didn't do nothing," Josh replied sternly, "I was out with my buddies Wednesday night."
"Mr. Reardon, we never said what night your grandmother died," Nick pointed out, and Josh paled when he realized his mistake. However, he quickly recovered.
"Yeah, well, I heard about it," he said slowly.
"We have evidence to suggest that you killed your grandmother," Warrick continued.
"I'm telling you, I didn't do nothing," Josh insisted.
"We found your fingerprints on the murder weapon."
"So what?" Josh asked. "I do gardening for Gram sometimes. She pays me. I use those shears in the yard all the time."
Warrick and Nick looked at each other and smiled, knowing they had caught him. "Mr. Reardon, we never said what the murder weapon was." When Josh began to speak up in defense, Nick shook his head, stopping him. "And it was never disclosed to the press or the news."
Knowing he was caught, Josh sank into the pillows in the hospital bed. "I want a lawyer."
~*~*~*~
Mattie sat in a blue vinyl chair in his mother's hospital room as the nurses checked her progress.
"You're moving along just fine, Sara," Dr. Myra Wagner said with a smile as a nurse recorded something on a clipboard. "Almost fully dilated. We'll be having this baby in no time."
"What about my husband?" Sara asked.
Myra shook her head. "I'm sorry. We've been trying, but we haven't been able to contact him yet." Sara nodded and Myra left the room, promising to be back in a few minutes.
"Do you think something happened to Dad?" Mattie asked, looking over at Sara.
"I'm sure he's fine," Sara replied. "But if he doesn't get here soon, he's going to be hearing it from me. Turning his cell phone off . . ." she muttered to herself.
"'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'?" Mattie offered with a half smile.
"Where'd you hear that one?" Sara asked with a small laugh.
"School," Mattie stated simply, shrugging his shoulders.
"Good to know they're teaching you something, with all that money we pay them," Sara said, "I-" she cut herself off as she was hit with a huge contraction. Mattie rushed over to her and took her hand, and she squeezed it while she practiced her Lamaze breathing. Finally it passed and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're a good coach, buddy," Sara said, tousling her son's dark brown hair.
"Thanks."
A moment later Myra walked back into the room. After checking a few things, she turned to Sara with a smile. "Well, Sara, you're fully dilated. Let's get that baby outta there!"
"What about Nick?" Sara asked frantically. "He has to be here."
"I'm sorry," Myra said with a small smile, "But that baby's ready to come, and he or she doesn't want to wait."
Sara sighed and leaned back into the pillows. She turned to Mattie, her eyes pleading. "What do you say, big brother? You want to help me bring your little brother or sister into the world?"
Mattie scrunched up his face, not wanting to be in the delivery room at all, but the last thing Nick said to him before he left the house resounded in his ears.
'Take care of your mother, okay champ?'
With a sigh, Mattie nodded. "Sure."
~*~*~*~
Nick and Warrick exited the doors of the hospital and headed towards the parking lot. "That guy is so guilty," Nick commented.
"Yeah, I know," Warrick replied. "But then what happened to him in that alley?"
"I don't think it's a coincidence that he got the shit kicked out of him right after something like that," Nick agreed.
"Accomplice?"
"Maybe," Nick said, "Which reminds me to call Grissom about that 911 call." Nick pulled out his phone and turned it on, waiting for his settings to load. He saw that he had one voicemail, and he checked it, putting the phone to his ear to listen to the message.
"Dad, it's Mattie. Where are you? Never mind . . . Mom's having the baby, so you gotta hurry. We're gonna try and get to the hospital. Hurry up. We really need you."
Nick fumbled as he scrolled down in his address book, looking for 'home'. Finally he found it and called the house.
"What happened?" Warrick asked, seeing the concern on his friend's face.
"That was Mattie. Sara's having the baby," he replied, cursing as he received the answering machine. "There's no answer at home, so they must be at the hospital already. Come on, we gotta go."
Nick rushed towards the car, but Warrick put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Nick, you're already at the hospital, man, remember?"
Nick shook his head. "She's not having the baby at Desert Palm. Come on, we have to go."
"Give me the keys, man," Warrick said, putting forth his hand. "There's no way I'm letting you drive like this."
Nick handed him the keys and they got in the car, pulling out of the parking lot. Nick's thoughts drifted to Sara and Mattie, and he prayed to God that he wasn't too late to see his second child's birth.
~*~*~*~
Sara was in the delivery room, holding tightly to a pale-faced Mattie's hand.
"Come on, Sara, you're doing great," Myra coached.
"Yeah, Mom, you're, uh, you're doing, uh, good," Mattie awkwardly said, wanting to help his mother but at the same time wishing he was anywhere else. His dad should be doing this, not him. But he had made a promise, and he would keep it.
"Dr. Wagner?" a nurse interrupted, rushing into the delivery room. "Mr. Stokes is finally here. He's suiting up."
Sara leaned her head back as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."
A moment later Nick rushed into the room and was instantly at Sara's side. "Oh my God, honey, I'm so sorry. I love you so much," he said, kissing her sweat-covered forehead.
"I love you, too," she said, planting a quick kiss on his lips.
"How 'bout I take over?" Nick asked his son with a smile, and Mattie immediately started backing towards the door.
"Fine by me," he said as the nurse started to lead him out of the room.
"Mattie?" Sara called.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," she said, "I love you."
"Love you too, Mom," Mattie replied as he walked through the doors.
"Okay, Sara," Myra said, "Let's do this!"
~*~*~*~
Sara was sitting in the hospital bed, propped up with pillows, a tiny baby wrapped in a pink receiving blanket in her arms. Nick and Mattie stood on either side of the bed, admiring the newest addition to their family.
"She's so little," Mattie commented, looking in wonder at his little sister.
"Do you want to hold her?" Sara asked, and Mattie nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Lydia Rose, I'd like you to meet your big brother, Matthew," she said softly, carefully placing the baby in his arms. "He went through a lot to help bring you here."
Mattie smiled down at his baby sister. "Hey, Lydia," he said softly. He took in each of her beautiful features: her tiny button nose, her pink bow lips, her soft skin, and her satiny hair. Turning to his parents, he said, "Look at her hair. It's blond."
Sara smiled as she saw the fine blond tufts that covered her daughter's head. "I had blonde hair when I was little, too," she said, "It didn't turn brown until I was almost your age."
"Do you think hers will be curly, like yours?" Mattie asked.
Sara shrugged. "Maybe. We'll have to wait and see."
Mattie turned back to his baby sister lying in his arms, fast asleep. It had been a stressful night, and he had taken on more responsibility than a kid his age should, but it had been well worth it.
Being a big brother was worth it. Lydia was worth it.
~*~*~*~
A/N~ Well, I thought I'd try a happy story after the angst of Life and Death. So what do we think? Please review!
~Emily
"Mattie, turn it down," she called to her ten year old son without taking her eyes off the page. The boy grumbled, reluctantly rising from the overstuffed chair where he had been sitting cross-legged and turning down the volume on the television.
"It wasn't even loud," he complained, settling down once again on the chair and reaching over to grab a handful of popcorn from the plastic bowl on the end table.
"I'm all the way over here and my ear drums are pounding," Sara replied. "It was loud."
Mattie rolled his eyes and focused his attention once again on the show. Ordinarily he would have argued his point incessantly, but he had learned over the past few months not to rub his mother the wrong way in her pregnant state if he wanted to survive. The mood swings, cravings, and agitations had been almost unbearable, but Mattie and his father had made their way through it like troopers, and were grateful that any day now the baby would be born.
Mattie looked up briefly as his father entered the room, before letting his eyes travel back to the episode of 'Even Stevens' projecting from the television.
"I'm gonna be late," Nick muttered to himself, walking to the couch and giving Sara a brief kiss, letting his fingers brush her stomach. "You gonna be okay?"
"I'll be fine," Sara said with a sigh as she closed the book and let it rest on her lap. "Now get to work before Grissom kills you."
Nick laughed and brought his lips once again to Sara's. "I'll see you in a few hours."
Walking over to his son and ruffling his hair, he said, "Take care of your mother, okay champ?"
"What? Oh, yeah," he replied, never peeling his eyes from the screen. Nick laughed and grabbed his jacket from its hook on the wall.
"Bye," he said as he opened the door. "Call me if anything happens."
"We will," Sara replied with a smile.
"Bye, Mattie," Nick called to his son, who waved absently in reply, still glued to the television screen.
"Will you go already?" Sara teased good-naturedly. "At this rate we'll never get rid of you."
Nick grinned and walked out the door, letting it close softly behind him. Sara placed her book on the coffee table and tossed the afghan to the other side of the couch.
"What do you want for dinner?" she asked, slowly rising from her seat with one hand on her back. "We have one of those ready-to-bake lasagnas or some left-over chicken I can heat up. I don't really feel like cooking much else."
"Lasagna's fine," Mattie replied as his mother walked into the kitchen. He heard as she opened the freezer door and rummaged around until she finally produced the box of lasagna and set it on the table. She bent down and opened one of the cabinet doors, reaching inside for a baking dish.
Mattie's head turned as he heard his mother cry out in pain and the metal pan clatter to the floor. "Mom, are you okay?" he asked as he jumped out of the chair, his voice filled with worry.
"I'm fine," Sara said with a small smile, rubbing her stomach. "It was just a contraction, I think."
"Do you want me to call Dad?"
Sara shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I've been having small contractions all day. It's nothing."
Mattie looked unconvinced, but trusted his mother's diagnosis more than his own. "Maybe you should, um, sit down or something," he said awkwardly. "I could make dinner."
Sara laughed. "Yeah, right," she said, tilting her head backwards slightly, "That'd be a first."
"No, really, I can," he insisted. "You just sit here and tell me what to do." He took his mother's arm and led her to one of the stools set up next to the island in the center of the room. "What first."
Sara sighed, but smiled at her son's concern for her. "First you have to preheat the oven."
"To what temperature?"
"What does it say on the box?" Sara asked. Her son looked down at the instructions on the lasagna box, running his fingers along the cardboard to find the information he needed. "That's the temperature you set it at."
Mattie smiled when he found it, and set the oven to 375 degrees. "Okay, now what?" He turned to face his mother, a smile on his face. His smile fell when he saw Sara's ashen face as she gripped tightly to the edge of the counter and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"Oh my God," Sara murmured under her breath as she took deep breaths to control the pain.
"Are you gonna have the baby?" he asked, and Sara's only answer was a nod as she held tightly to her stomach. "I'm calling Dad."
~*~*~*~
Nick and Warrick walked through the halls of Desert Palm with Dr. Aryana Patel. The case they had been working on for the past few nights involved an elderly woman slaughtered in her home with a pair of trimming shears. Their only suspect, the woman's grandson, who was also the sole beneficiary of one million dollars in life insurance, had been missing until now. He had been found unconscious in an alley, and Grissom had sent the two men to the hospital for information.
"How is he?" Warrick asked as they rounded a corner.
"He's awake," Dr. Patel replied, "But he's pretty disoriented, and he has a concussion. Someone fractured his ribs, broke his arm and leg, and left him for dead. He's lucky someone called 911 in time. Any later and he would probably be dead."
Warrick and Nick exchanged a glance. "I'll call Grissom and have him check up on that 911 call," Nick said, reaching for his phone.
"Sorry," Dr. Patel said with a smile. "No cell phones in here."
"Right," Nick said, shutting the phone off and clipping it to his belt loop.
~*~*~*~
Mattie quickly grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle on the counter, his fingers fumbling as he dialed his father's familiar cell number. When there was no answer, he left a brief voicemail telling him that Sara was having the baby.
"No answer?" Sara said, still taking in deep breaths and holding her stomach.
Mattie shook his head. "I'll call the lab." He dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up.
"Las Vegas Crime Lab, how may I help you?" the cheery voice of the receptionist asked.
"Is Nick Stokes there?" Mattie asked.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stokes is out in the field. May I take a message?"
"What about Warrick Brown? Or Gil Grissom? Or Catherine Willows?" he asked frantically. "Is anybody from his team there?"
"I'm sorry, but they're all out in the field," she replied. "Would you like to leave a message?"
"No message," Mattie said sadly as he hung up the phone. "Mom, no one's there."
Sara closed her eyes as she continued her Lamaze breathing. "This isn't happening," she muttered under her breath. "I need to get to the hospital NOW, and there's no way I can drive us there."
"I could drive," Mattie offered. "I've watched you and Dad drive tons of times."
Sara laughed dryly. "Nice try, buddy. You've still got six more years ahead of you before we let you behind the wheel."
Mattie bit his lower lip as he racked his brain for a solution. "We could call a taxi maybe?"
Sara shook her head. "That would take too long. They're never on time."
"What if I tell them it's an emergency?" Mattie asked. "Maybe they'd come quicker."
"Fine. Get the phone book and call a cab company," Sara said as she was hit with another contraction and she cried out in pain.
Mattie looked up in fear, knowing that his mother had to get to the hospital soon. He flipped through the pages until finally he found the number, and quickly dialed. When someone answered he explained what was going on, and the man on the other line assured him that he would send someone over right away.
"They're sending someone," Mattie said when he hung up the phone.
"Thank God," Sara replied. "Turn off the oven and then go get the bag from my bedroom." Mattie did as he was told and turned the knob on the oven, all thoughts of dinner out of their heads, and rushed into his parents' bedroom to grab the already-packed overnight bag that sat by the door. Slinging it over his shoulder, he opened the hall closet door and grabbed both his and Sara's jackets.
"Here," Mattie said, handing his mother the jacket and placing the bag on the floor as he donned his own. He grabbed the bag and took his mother's arm, leading her out the door to wait for the taxi. A few minutes later they spotted the yellow car as it made its way down the street in the residential community and pulled up in front of the large brick house. The driver hopped out and helped Sara into the backseat, followed by Mattie. As the pulled away Sara squeezed her son's hand tightly as she was hit with another contraction.
"Jesus, Nick, where are you?"
~*~*~*~
"Mr. Reardon, we're going to have to ask you a few questions," Nick said when Dr. Patel left them alone with their suspect.
"About what?" he said groggily.
"Are you aware that your grandmother was killed last week?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, I heard about it," Josh Reardon replied nonchalantly. "Really broke me up inside."
"I'm assuming you're also aware that you are the beneficiary of over one million dollars in life insurance?" Nick said sarcastically.
The man's face broke into a grin. "Yeah, heard about that, too."
Nick looked at Josh Reardon in shock and disgust, and Warrick continued the questioning. "We have some questions regarding where you were the night your grandmother was killed."
"Look, I didn't do nothing," Josh replied sternly, "I was out with my buddies Wednesday night."
"Mr. Reardon, we never said what night your grandmother died," Nick pointed out, and Josh paled when he realized his mistake. However, he quickly recovered.
"Yeah, well, I heard about it," he said slowly.
"We have evidence to suggest that you killed your grandmother," Warrick continued.
"I'm telling you, I didn't do nothing," Josh insisted.
"We found your fingerprints on the murder weapon."
"So what?" Josh asked. "I do gardening for Gram sometimes. She pays me. I use those shears in the yard all the time."
Warrick and Nick looked at each other and smiled, knowing they had caught him. "Mr. Reardon, we never said what the murder weapon was." When Josh began to speak up in defense, Nick shook his head, stopping him. "And it was never disclosed to the press or the news."
Knowing he was caught, Josh sank into the pillows in the hospital bed. "I want a lawyer."
~*~*~*~
Mattie sat in a blue vinyl chair in his mother's hospital room as the nurses checked her progress.
"You're moving along just fine, Sara," Dr. Myra Wagner said with a smile as a nurse recorded something on a clipboard. "Almost fully dilated. We'll be having this baby in no time."
"What about my husband?" Sara asked.
Myra shook her head. "I'm sorry. We've been trying, but we haven't been able to contact him yet." Sara nodded and Myra left the room, promising to be back in a few minutes.
"Do you think something happened to Dad?" Mattie asked, looking over at Sara.
"I'm sure he's fine," Sara replied. "But if he doesn't get here soon, he's going to be hearing it from me. Turning his cell phone off . . ." she muttered to herself.
"'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'?" Mattie offered with a half smile.
"Where'd you hear that one?" Sara asked with a small laugh.
"School," Mattie stated simply, shrugging his shoulders.
"Good to know they're teaching you something, with all that money we pay them," Sara said, "I-" she cut herself off as she was hit with a huge contraction. Mattie rushed over to her and took her hand, and she squeezed it while she practiced her Lamaze breathing. Finally it passed and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're a good coach, buddy," Sara said, tousling her son's dark brown hair.
"Thanks."
A moment later Myra walked back into the room. After checking a few things, she turned to Sara with a smile. "Well, Sara, you're fully dilated. Let's get that baby outta there!"
"What about Nick?" Sara asked frantically. "He has to be here."
"I'm sorry," Myra said with a small smile, "But that baby's ready to come, and he or she doesn't want to wait."
Sara sighed and leaned back into the pillows. She turned to Mattie, her eyes pleading. "What do you say, big brother? You want to help me bring your little brother or sister into the world?"
Mattie scrunched up his face, not wanting to be in the delivery room at all, but the last thing Nick said to him before he left the house resounded in his ears.
'Take care of your mother, okay champ?'
With a sigh, Mattie nodded. "Sure."
~*~*~*~
Nick and Warrick exited the doors of the hospital and headed towards the parking lot. "That guy is so guilty," Nick commented.
"Yeah, I know," Warrick replied. "But then what happened to him in that alley?"
"I don't think it's a coincidence that he got the shit kicked out of him right after something like that," Nick agreed.
"Accomplice?"
"Maybe," Nick said, "Which reminds me to call Grissom about that 911 call." Nick pulled out his phone and turned it on, waiting for his settings to load. He saw that he had one voicemail, and he checked it, putting the phone to his ear to listen to the message.
"Dad, it's Mattie. Where are you? Never mind . . . Mom's having the baby, so you gotta hurry. We're gonna try and get to the hospital. Hurry up. We really need you."
Nick fumbled as he scrolled down in his address book, looking for 'home'. Finally he found it and called the house.
"What happened?" Warrick asked, seeing the concern on his friend's face.
"That was Mattie. Sara's having the baby," he replied, cursing as he received the answering machine. "There's no answer at home, so they must be at the hospital already. Come on, we gotta go."
Nick rushed towards the car, but Warrick put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Nick, you're already at the hospital, man, remember?"
Nick shook his head. "She's not having the baby at Desert Palm. Come on, we have to go."
"Give me the keys, man," Warrick said, putting forth his hand. "There's no way I'm letting you drive like this."
Nick handed him the keys and they got in the car, pulling out of the parking lot. Nick's thoughts drifted to Sara and Mattie, and he prayed to God that he wasn't too late to see his second child's birth.
~*~*~*~
Sara was in the delivery room, holding tightly to a pale-faced Mattie's hand.
"Come on, Sara, you're doing great," Myra coached.
"Yeah, Mom, you're, uh, you're doing, uh, good," Mattie awkwardly said, wanting to help his mother but at the same time wishing he was anywhere else. His dad should be doing this, not him. But he had made a promise, and he would keep it.
"Dr. Wagner?" a nurse interrupted, rushing into the delivery room. "Mr. Stokes is finally here. He's suiting up."
Sara leaned her head back as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."
A moment later Nick rushed into the room and was instantly at Sara's side. "Oh my God, honey, I'm so sorry. I love you so much," he said, kissing her sweat-covered forehead.
"I love you, too," she said, planting a quick kiss on his lips.
"How 'bout I take over?" Nick asked his son with a smile, and Mattie immediately started backing towards the door.
"Fine by me," he said as the nurse started to lead him out of the room.
"Mattie?" Sara called.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," she said, "I love you."
"Love you too, Mom," Mattie replied as he walked through the doors.
"Okay, Sara," Myra said, "Let's do this!"
~*~*~*~
Sara was sitting in the hospital bed, propped up with pillows, a tiny baby wrapped in a pink receiving blanket in her arms. Nick and Mattie stood on either side of the bed, admiring the newest addition to their family.
"She's so little," Mattie commented, looking in wonder at his little sister.
"Do you want to hold her?" Sara asked, and Mattie nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Lydia Rose, I'd like you to meet your big brother, Matthew," she said softly, carefully placing the baby in his arms. "He went through a lot to help bring you here."
Mattie smiled down at his baby sister. "Hey, Lydia," he said softly. He took in each of her beautiful features: her tiny button nose, her pink bow lips, her soft skin, and her satiny hair. Turning to his parents, he said, "Look at her hair. It's blond."
Sara smiled as she saw the fine blond tufts that covered her daughter's head. "I had blonde hair when I was little, too," she said, "It didn't turn brown until I was almost your age."
"Do you think hers will be curly, like yours?" Mattie asked.
Sara shrugged. "Maybe. We'll have to wait and see."
Mattie turned back to his baby sister lying in his arms, fast asleep. It had been a stressful night, and he had taken on more responsibility than a kid his age should, but it had been well worth it.
Being a big brother was worth it. Lydia was worth it.
~*~*~*~
A/N~ Well, I thought I'd try a happy story after the angst of Life and Death. So what do we think? Please review!
~Emily